notice of the other blind man, who was cured at the same time. In fact the sacred writers, while they faithfully record "all things necessary to salvation," seem to have been solicitous about little else, that one great concern overwhelming all inferior considerations. The sum of the history then will stand thus. Mary Magdalene, and Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Salome †, and Johanna ‡, came to the sepulchre early on Sunday morning with spices § to anoint the body of Jesus. They find the tomb open, and the body gone. Then appeared to them two angels within the sepulchre, who bid them tell the disciples that Christ is risen, and that they should see him in Galilee. Thereupon they hasten to the disciples to report all that had happened, and Mary Magdalene goes to Peter and John, who run back with her to the sepulchre; whence the Apostles soon after return again to their own home, while Mary Magdalene remains at the sepulchre weeping. Presently she again sees two angels in the sepulchre, to whom she repeats, in nearly the same terms she had used to Peter ||, that they had taken the Lord out of the sepulchre, * Matt. xx. 30. + Mark xvi. 1. 1 Luke xxiv. 10. § Mark xvi. 1. || John xx. 2. and she knew not where they had laid him. Then turning round she is the first who sees Jesus after his resurrection *. Among the many natural incidents, which give a beauty to the history of these transactions, should not be overlooked that of the two Apostles running together to the sepulchre, when St. John's youth, and St. Peter's zeal, are well characterised by John's outrunning his companion, and Peter's being the first to enter in. The same day likewise, being the day of his resurrection, Jesus shewed himself to Cleophas, and (probably †) Peter, on their way to Emmaus; whence they presently return again to Jerusalem, and find the Apostles and others assembled, to whom they relate what had happened; and while they are conversing on these events, Jesus unexpectedly appears amongst them. On the Sunday following he again shews himself to thèm, probably in Galilee. Then, at the lake of Genesareth, he appeared to Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James, John, and two more. Again on a mountain in Galilee ‡, where he had appointed them to meet him; and here it is probable he was seen by * See Appendix, No. V. † Appendix, No. VI. Matt. xxviii. 16. above five hundred at once. Then he appeared to James †; then to all the Apostles † previous to his ascension near Bethany ; and last of all to St. Paul at the time of his conversion. Ver. 8. To return to St. John; in the eighth verse, when he says that "he saw and believed," we must not conclude that he believed Christ to be risen from the dead: quite the contrary. For St. Mark tells us that his disciples, "when they heard that he was alive, and had been seen of Mary Magdalene, believed not §:" What he believed was, the testimony of Mary mentioned in the second verse, "they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him." "For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead ||." Ver. 17. When Jesus says, "Touch me not," the meaning is, "Do not hold me by the feet and worship me ¶," as if he were now going to put himself at the head of the Jewish nation, and to vindicate to himself the sovereignty of the world. * 1 Cor. xv. 6. + 1 Cor. xv. 7. + Luke xxv. 51. § Mark xvi. 11. || Ver. 9. ¶ Matt. xxviii. 9. For it was customary to embrace the knees in the earnestness of intreaty. For his disciples still entertained the expectation that Christ would erect himself the head of a temporal kingdom; "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" But he goes on to inform Mary that his kingdom was of another kind; and that it behoved him to ascend into heaven, there to establish his throne, and to prepare a place for his disciples, that where he is, there they may be likewise +. This she was enjoined to communicate to his apostles, whom he still condescends to call his brethren, thus manifesting his unaltered affection towards them; while he gradually withdraws from their minds the veil of earthly ambition, and opens to them the dawn of a spiritual and heavenly state. Ver. 19. It cannot have escaped the notice of any attentive reader, that the manner, in which Jesus thought fit to shew himself to his disciples, is very different before, and after his resurrection. On all former occasions he presents himself in the character and capacity of a man; but now he appears, and disappears, unexpectedly, so that they know him not. It would be presumptuous to • Acts i. 6. † Clarke, Serm. LXXXI. vol. i. fol. p. 505. John xx. 15.; xxi. 4. Luke xxiv. 16. Therefore Origen describes him as on the confines of a substantial body and an in attempt to account for this, or to draw from it any conclusions respecting his nature and mode of existence, of which we can know nothing beyond what is revealed. It is sufficient for us to be assured that they, who saw him, had ample and repeated proofs that he was the very Christ, the same who had died, and rose again. Even the doubts of some * were converted into fresh arguments for the conviction of succeeding ages. Ver. 22. Though the Holy Ghost was not fully manifested till the day of Pentecost †, nevertheless it may be supposed to have been given to the apostles in some measure at this time, when Jesus sent them forth, and breathed on them, saying, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." For so it had been on a previous occasion, when he first sent the twelve to preach the Gospel. The power of remitting and retaining sins, which is then conferred on them, seems to be the fulfilment of the promise formerly made to Peter §; and probably corporeal spirit, ην γε κατα την αναστασιν αυτου, ώσπερει εν μεθοριῳ τινι της παχυτητος της προ του παθους σώματος, και του γυμνην τοιουτου σώματος φαινεσθαι ψυχην. Contra Cels. L. 2. p. 98. Ed. Camb. * Ver. 25. † Acts ii. 1, &c. Matt. x. 1. § Matt. xvi. 19. "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom 2 |