terwards by thofe of Peter and the two difciples from Emmaus, being ripe for conviction, Chrift vouchafed to give them that evidence they feemed fo much to defire, and which having been granted to others, they had fome reason to hope for and expect. Accordingly, as the difciples from Emmaus had just finished their ftory," Jefus "himself stood in the midst of them, and faith unto them, Peace. "be unto you: and they were terrified and affrighted, and fuppofed "they had feen a fpirit." Here then was their error, and in this confifted their unbelief. They acknowledged, indeed, that Chrift was' rifen from the dead, but did not believe that he had bodily appeared to thofe who pretended to have feen him, and to have had fufficient evidence upon that point. Thefe, St. Mark fays, they did not believe; and we learn from St. Luke, that, when he appeared to them, they did not believe even their own eyes, but fuppofed they had feen a fpirit. That this was the unbelief, for which, as we read in St. Mark, our Saviour rebuked them, is evident from what follows after in St. Luke. "And he faid unto them, why are ye troubled? "And why do thoughts [reasonings, Azhoyopa arife in your hearts? "Behold my hands and my feet? that it is I myself: handle me and "fee; for a spirit hath not fleth and bones, as ye fee me have. And "when he had thus fpoken, he fhewed them his hands and his feet." We may judge of the distemper by the remedy. He bade them feel and fee that it was no fpirit, but he himself. Why? becaufe they doubted of it: and he upbraided them with their unbelief and hardnefs of heart, because they doubted of it, notwithstanding the teftimony of people, whofe veracity they had no reafon to fufpect, and who brought credentials with them that could not be forged. It being evident from thefe paffages, thus compared together, that the unbelief of the Apoftles, mentioned by St. Mark, and the belief which they profeffed, according to St. Luke, were both partial, thofe two evangelifts are thus perfectly reconciled.

But if any one should ftill infift that these words of the apoftles and difciples," the Lord is rifen indeed, and hath appeared to Siimply that they then had a full and explicit belief of the refurrection of Chrift, as from the force of the word " indeed" 1 an myfelf inclined to think, and thould demand how they came afterwards to difbelieve the two difciples, and to fufpect even that appearance which themselves faw? I anfwer, that in the appearance of Chrift to the two difciples, and in that afterwards to themselves, were fome circumftances which at firit, and till more fatisfactory proofs were given, might naturally tend to confound and unfettle the faith which they had taken up upon the evidence of Peter: because Chrift appearing first to the two Difciples in another form, and vanishing out of their fight as foon as he was made known to them, feemed better to fuit with the idea of his being a spirit, than a living body; and his entering into the room where they were affembled, the doors being fhut, rather confirmed that idea, in the first sudden impreffion it made upon their minds; which miftake, in both cafes. arofe from their not attending fufficiently to the miraculous powers belonging

belonging to Chrift, to the operations of which his being in the body was no impediment. This inadvertency, and want of due confideration in the apostles and disciples, juftifies our Saviour's rebuking them for not believing them which had feen him. But the doubts occafioned by it were foon overcome by those farther proofs of the reality of his body, which he afterwards vouchfafed to give them: and by this explanation, as well as by the former, the evangelifts are cleared from contradicting each other.

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However, neither did these proofs entirely fatisfy them; for, as the history goes on, "while they yet believed not for joy, and "wondered, Chrift faid unto them, Have ye any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and an honey-comb, and he "took it and did eat before them." So much compaffion did he fhew for their infirmity! and fo much care did he take, that not even a fhadow of a scruple fhould remain in their minds, upon a point of the utmost importance to the great bufinefs he came about! And perceiving now that every doubt was vanifhed, and they were perfectly convinced, he faid to them (purfuing the argument begun by the angels, and carried on by himself with the two difciples in the way of Emmaus)," These are the words which I fpake unto you, while "I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were "written in the law of Mofes, and in the Prophets, and in the Pfalms,

concerning me. Then opened he their understandings, that they "might understand the Scriptures, and faid unto them, Thus it is "written, and thus it behoved Chrift (i. e. Meffiah) to fuffer, and "to rife from the dead on the third day; and that repentance, and re"miffion of fins fhould be preached in his name, beginning at Jeru"falem; and ye are witneffes of these things."

The Apostles having now had every kind of evidence laid before them, that was requifite to convince them of the reality of the refurrection of Chrift; and being moreover enabled by the gift of that Holy Spirit, which infpired the prophets, to understand the true meaning of thofe facred oracles, to which their mafter conftantly referred them for the marks and characters of the Meffiah, which he affirmed to be found in him, as well in his fufferings and death, and rifing again from the dead on the third day, as in the miraculous actions and unfpotted holinefs of his life; were again left to confider and examine at leifure the feveral proofs of the refurrection, which they had heard and feen that day; and particularly thofe arifing from the accomplishment of the predictions contained in the Holy Scriptures. That they might apply themfelves to this examination with that cool, deliberate, and fober attention, that is more especially neceffary to the rooting out inveterate and religious prejudices, and planting in their ftead a rational and well-grounded faith, fuch as is required of all thofe who believe in Chrift, and particularly neceffary for them, who were to be witneffes of all thefe things to all the world, he forbore visiting them any more for eight days, after which he condefcended to fubmit himself to a farther examination, in order to remove the unreasonable fcruples of St. Thomas, one of the apofties; who, having not

been

been present when our Saviour appeared to the other difciples, and confequently not having feen him himfelf, refused to believe upon the report of others fo wonderful a thing as Chrift's rifing from the dead; nay, he was refolved not to be convinced with feeing only. Except I fhall fee in his hands, fays he, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thurft my hand into "his fide, I will not believe." Jefus, when he appeared to his difciples, fhewed them his hands and his feet, as a proof of his being the fame Jefus that was crucified. This circumftance, among the reft, the Apoftles undoubtedly related to St. Thomas, as an evidence by which they were affured that it was their master whom they had feen; and upon this evidence St. Thomas alfo was contented to believe but first he would be convinced that it was real; he would not only fee the print of the nails, which might be counterfeited, he would "put his finger into the print of the nails, and thurft his hand into "his fide. Eight days after, therefore, when his Difciples were again "met together in a chamber, and Thomas was with them, Jefus "came, the doors being fhut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace "be unto you. Then faith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, "and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it "into my fide; and be not faithlefs, but believing." What could St. Thomas do, but yield immediately to the evidence he had required? And what could he fay to one, who appeared to know all his thoughts, but "My Lord, and my God!" Jefus faith unto him, "Thomas, because thou has feen me, thou haft believed: "bleffed are they that have not feen, and yet have believed.”

*

After this there feems to have been no fcruple left in the minds of any of the Apoftles, to whom however Chrift was ftill pleafed to continue his vifits, being feen of them, as St. Luke teftifies, " forty "days after his paffion, and speaking of the things pertaining to the "kingdom of God." But as hitherto all the appearances of Christ feem to have been intended only for the conviction of his Apoftles; and those that follow rather for their confirmation and inftruction in the faith and doctrines of the Gofpel, facred writers, who have been very particular in the accounts they give us of the former, have mentioned but very few of the latter: I fay few; for I think it highly probable that the appearances of Chrift to his apoftles for the remaining thirty days, were more than they have thought proper to record. And the reafon of this different proceeding is very obvious. The apoftles are to be confidered both as witneffes of the miracles and the fufferings, the death and the refurrection, of Jefus Chrift, and teachers and preachers of his doctrine. In the character of witnefles, a circumftantial account of the means and opportunities they bad of knowing certainly the feveral facts attefted by them, muft needs give great force and credit to their evidence; whereas, in that of preachers, it is fufficient if their auditors were fatisfied in general that the doctrines taught by them were derived from the inftructions, and autho

• Acts, chap. i, ver. 3,

3

rized by the commiffion given them by their mafter to teach all nations; and of this, the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, poured out not upon the Apostles only, but by them upon all believers, were full and unquestionable proofs. But among the laft-mentioned appearances of Chrift there are two, which, by reafon of their connexion with the former, ought by no means to have been omitted: the first relates to Chrift's meeting his difciples in Gallilee, which was foretold by Chrift himself before his death, repeated by the angels to the women at the fepulchre, and afterwards confirmed to them again by Chrift. The accomplishment of this prophecy, it was certainly neceffary to fhew; accordingly we have it in St. Matthew, who fays, "Then the eleven difciples went into Galilee, unto a mountain "where Jefus had appointed them, and when they faw him they "worshiped him: but others doubted." The fecond, in like manner, correfponds with what was spoken by our Saviour to Mary Magdalene in these words: "But go to my brethren, and fay unto them, "I afcend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your "God;" which words, as I have already obferved, referred to a con-verfation he had with his difciples the night before he was betrayed, wherein he told them, 1ft, That he fhould go to his Father; 2dly, That he would come to them before he went to his Father; 3dly, That after he was gone to the Father, he would fend them a comforter, even the Spirit of Truth; who would "teach them all things, and "bring all things to their remembrance, whatfoever he had faid unto "them." And, 4thly, That whofoever believed on him fhould have the power of working as great, nay greater miracles than he did. The fulfilling of which feveral promifes, or prophecies, I fhall now fet down, only premifing, that the fecond article was abundantly accomplifhed by the feveral appearances above-mentioned, as we have already feen. The firft, viz. bis afcenfion into heaven, came to pafs in this manner :- "And being affembled together with them, "he commanded them that they fhould not depart from Jerufalem, "but wait for the promise of the Father, which, faith he, ye have "heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be "baptized with the Holy Ghoft not many days hence. When they "therefore were come together, they afked of him, faying, Lord, "wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Ifrael? And he faid un"to them, It is not for you to know the times or the feafons, which "the Father hath put in his own power; but ye thall receive power "after that the Holy Ghoft is come upon you; and ye fhall be wit"neffes unto me, both in Jerufalemn, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermoft parts of the earth. And when he

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"had fpoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their fight. And while they looked fteadfastly towards heaven, as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel, which faid unto them, Ye men of Galilee, why ftand ye gazing up into heaven? This fame Jefus, which is * taken up from you into heaven, fhall fo come, in like manner as Ats, chap. i. ver. 4—14.

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"ye

ye have feen him go into heaven."The hiftory of the accomplishment of the third article is in the next chapter, and in these words: "And when the day of pentecoft was fully come, they were "all with one accord in one place; and fuddenly there came a found "from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house "where they were fitting: and there appeared unto them cloven "tongues, like as of fire, and it fat upon each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghoft, and began to speak with other tongues, "as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Je"rufalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. "Now when this was noifed abroad, the multitude came together "and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in "their own language. And they were all amazed, and marvelled, "faying one to another, Behold, are not all thefe which speak Gali"leans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein "we were born? Parthians and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mefopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, ❝ and Afia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya, about Cyrene, and ftrangers of Rome, Jews and Profe"lytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them fpeak in our tongues. "the wonderful works of God."-For a proof of the completion of the fourth article, I fhall refer the reader to the hiftory of the Acts of the Apoffles, in which he will find numberless inftances of the power of working miracles in the apoftles; " by whofe hands" (fays the hiftorian, ch. v. ver. 12.) "were many figns and wonders wrought "among the people,-in fo much that they brought forth the fick "into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at least "the fhadow of Peter paffing by might overshadow fome of them. "There came alfo a multitude out of the cities round about Jerufalem, "bringing fick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spi"rits, and they were healed every one."

From this view of the method and order, in which the feveral proofs of the refurrection were laid before the apoftles, it is manifeft that, as Chrift required of them a reasonable and well-grounded faith, so did he pursue the most proper and effectual means for the attaining that end. With this purpofe, inftead of bearing down their reason, and dazzling their understanding by a full manifeftation of himself all at once, we see him letting in the light upon them by little and little, and preparing their minds by the gradual dawning of truth, that they might be able to bear the full luftre of the fun of righteousness rifing from the grave; to confider and examine, and know that it was he himself, and to affure the world it was impoffible they could be deceived. And as, by this proceeding in general, he intended to open their understanding by degrees, and conduct them ftep by step to a full conviction and knowledge of the truth; fo by refering them to the Scriptures, and fubmitting himself to the fcrutiny and judgement of their fenfes, he did not only wave all authority, but require them in a ftrong and particular manner to exercife their reafon in examining the evidence brought before them; for which purpose also