All power was given them, and they should be his witnesses. ten, and thus it be dead the third day: 483 SECT. ccii. Luke them, Thus it is writ- enlarged upon the important subject, and said to hoved Christ to suffer, them, When you consider all these things, you and to rise from the must certainly perceive, that thus it was written, and thus it was necessary, in conformity to XXIV. the counsel of God, and for the manifestation 46 of his glory, that the Messiah should suffer; and should rise again from the dead, as I have done, on the third day; And that, in consequence 47 of this, and on this great foundation, the important doctrines of repentance and forgiveness all nations, beginning of sins through faith in him should be preached at Jerusalem. in his name, and by his authority, to all the nations of the earth, beginning first at Jerusalem itself, though polluted with the blood of the Prince of life f. 47 And that repentance and remission of ed in his name, among sins should be preach MA T. XXVIII.— unto me in heaven and in earth. You know indeed (added he) how cruelly Mat. 18. All power is given the Jews have treated me, and how ungratefully XXVIII they have rejected me; but their outrageous 18 malice has now done its utmost, and my heavenly Father has not only rescued me from their hands but is exalting me to all that height of dignity and glory which the sacred oracles have so pathetically described; for all authority is now given unto me, both in heaven and on earth, and, in accomplishment of what was promised to the Messiah, I am raised to a kingdom which comprehends both the upper and the lower worlds, and entitles me to the homage of angels as well. as of men. And yet, though I could so easily Luke command the ministry of those more glorious XXIV. creatures, it suits best with the scheme of my gospel to make use of you; who shall accordingly be wisnesses of al! these things, by publishing the certain knowledge that you have of the important truths of my death and resurrections ; and LUKE XXIV. 48. And ye are witnesses of these things. Beginning at Jerusalem. As for the grammatical construction of the Greek word afsapevov, it would be foreign from the design of these notes to enter into it farther than to refer the learned reader to Elsner (Observ. Vol. I. p. 288. and Raphelius (Annot. ex. Herod. p. 276, 277.) and to the original of Luke xxiii. 5. xxiv. 27. and Acts x. 37.-It was both graciously and wisely appointed by our Lord, that the gospel should begin to be preached at Jerusalem; graciously, as it encouraged the repentance of the greatest sinners, when they saw that even the murderers of Christ were not exempted from the offers of gospel mercy; and wisely, as hereby Christianity was more abundantly attested, the VOL. VII. facts being published just on the spot where 8 You shall be witnesses of these things.] others, 48 484 ccii. Luke 49 And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. He bids them tarry at Jerusalem till they receive the Spirit. SECT. and who are therefore to look upon it as the great business of your lives to spread the notices and evidences of these facts. And, that you XXIV. may be fully qualified for so high an office, 49 behold, I am shortly to send upon you the great promise of my Father, relating to the miraculous effusion of the Holy Spirit upon you. (Compare Joel ii. 28. and Acts ii. 16, 17.) And as the Divine Wisdom sees fit to honour this place, sinful as it is, with the first view of this surprising appearance, I charge you not to go from hence before you have received those gifts and graces you shall be furnished with for the discharge of your ministry; but do you continue here in the city of Jerusalem till you are invested with this power from on high h; whereby you will be enabled to bear your testimony in so advantageous and convincing a manner, that no falsehood or sophistry will be able finally to stand before you. Mark MARK XVI. 15. And he said unto them, And further he said to them, When you shall XVI. 15. thus be furnished with the extraordinary gifts of Go ye into all the the Spirit, go forth into all parts of the world, world, and preach the and preach the gospel to every human creature gospel to every creaunder heaven to whom Providence may lead 16 you, whether Jew or Gentile: And take care ture. 16 He that believ shall be damned. that you deliver it with becoming seriousness; eth, and is baptized, others, who were not apostles, were able h Continue in the city of Jerusalem till such that all this discourse was delivered on the night Christ rose from the dead; and that the ascension related by Luke in the conclusion of this chapter, is not that at the end of forty days, when he quitted this earth, to return to it no more, but a previous ascension which was made on the resurrection-day. For nothing can be more certain, than that the apostles did quit Jerusalem between Christ's resurrection and the descent of the Spirit, and went into Galilee by Christ's appointment, which was signified to them by the angel and by himself too. i When He gives them a commission to preach and baptize. MAT. XXVIII. 19. Go ye therefore, and 485 ccii. Mark such convincing evidence, and finally persits SECT. Mat. but 19 Observe then the extent of your commission; teach all nations, bap- and go forth therefore, not only into Judea, XXVIII tizing them in the into all the rest of the world, and proselyte all name of the Father, the nations of the earth to the faith and obeand of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. dience of my gospel, baptizing them in the awful and venerable name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"; that by this solemn i When opened with such convincing evidence.] This is by no means a proper place to inquire into the proportion between the evidence which was peculiar to the days of the apostles, and that which is common to our own. But I hope it will be considered, on the one hand, how improbable it is, that a Divine revelation, introduced as the gospel was, should ever be left so destitute of proofs in after-ages, that an honest man, after impartial consideration, might reject it; and on the other, how fit it was, that the danger of neglecting it should be strongly declared, lest it should scem itself to have left men at liberty to trifle with it. kShall be condemned, &c.] As for the objection which has been urged against the truth of Christianity, from the damnatory sentence which it here and elsewhere pronounces on those that reject it, I have considered it at large, since the former publication of this volume, and attempted to shew that it is so far from being conclusive, that it would rather have been a greater difficulty in the scheme of Christianity if it had contained no such sentence. See my second letter to the Author of Christianity not founded on Argument. And I must earnestly entreat any reader, who fancies there is any force in what the deists urge on this head, attentively to consider what is there offered, before he presume on the contrary sentiment, which may perhaps be an error as fatal, as it is absurd. i Proselyte all the nations of the earth.] The whole tenor of the succeeding books of the New Testament shews that Christ designed by this commission that the gospel should be preached to all mankind without exception, not only to the Jews, but to all the idolatrous Gentiles: but the prejudices of the apostles led them at first to mistake the sense, and to imagine that it referred only to their going to preach the gospel to the Jews among all nations, or to those who should be willing to become Jews.-I render the word pantivoalı, proselyte, that it may be duly distinguished from diacovies, teaching (in the next verse,) with which our version confounds it. The former seems to import instruction in the essentials of religion, which it was necessary adult persons should know and submit to, before they could regularly be admitted to baptism; the latter may relate to those more particular admonitions in regard to Christian faith and practice, which were to be built upon that fohdation. It is certain, that no argument can be drawn from hence to the prejudice of infantbaptism; for had Christ sent out these missionaries to propagate Judaism in the world, he might have used the same language; "Go, and proselyte all nations, circumcising them in the name of the God of Israel, and teaching them to observe all that Moses commanded.” m Baptizing them in the name of the Father, &c.] Though I dare not assert that the use of these very words is essential to Christian baptism, yet surely the expres sion must intimate the necessity of some distinct regard to each of the sacred three, which is always to be maintained in the administration of this ordinance; and consequently it must imply, that more was said to those of whose baptism we read in the Acts, than is there recorded, before they were admitted to it. The Christian Church in succeeding ages has acted a wise and safe part in retaining these words; and they contain so strong an intimation, that each of these persons is properly God, and that worship is to be paid, and glory ascribed to each, that I cannot but hope they will be a means of maintaining the belief of the one, and the practise of the other, 486 ccii. And promises to be with them to the end of the world. end of the world. SECT. solemn initiatory ordinance they may profess their subjection to each of these Divine persons, Mat. and, maintaining suitable regards to each, may XXVIII receive from each correspondent blessings: And 20 Teaching them 20:ee that you instruct the converts whom you whatsoever I to observe all things bave so baptize, teaching them to keep and ob- commanded you: and serve all things whatsoever I have commanded lo, I am with you alyou; as remembering that I am their Lord, and way, even unto the you only the messengers of my will. And, Amen. while you act in pursuance of these directions, though numberless difficulties will appear in your way, yet be not discouraged at them; for behold, I am always with you, to support and comfort you, and in some measure at least to succeed your labours; and I will to such purposes as these be with all my faithful ministers who shall succeed you in the work, even to the end of the world n. Amen! O Mark XVI. 17. blessed Jesus, so may it indeed be! And may extent o. MARK XVI. 17. And these signs shall name vils, they shall speak And he yet farther added, So far as it is necessary and expedient for the confirmation of my follow them that begospel, and the establishment of my cause and leve; in my interest in the world, a miraculous power shall shall they cast out deattend you, and others who shall join with you with new tongues. or succes you in the first plantation of my church; and in particular, these signs, and others no less wonderful, shall follow them that believe, and be performed by those who in a lively manner exercise their faith in God, when he is inwardly exciting them to such operations p: in my name they shall cast out the most obstinate and mischievous demons who may other, among the generality of Christians n I am always with you, even to the end sense. • Amen! - so have of the certain truth of the things contained in it; yet I think the turn here given to it in Matthew very natural, considering its connection with that promise, which was undoubtedly the greatest strength and joy of that good man's heart. St. John uses the like turn in more express language, in the last verse but one of the Revelation. Surely I am come quickly: Amen! Even so, come Lord Jesus! P These signs shall follow them that believe, &c.] It is exceeding evident, that the word believe, in this place, must signify something different from that faith which had in the preceding verse of Mark been required as indispensably necessary to salvation; and can have no other rational interpretation than what is here given. q They Reflections on the commission Christ gave his apostles. ccii. Mark 487 have possessed the bodies of men; they shall SECT. by an extraordinary, and hitherto unknown, effusion of my Spirit, be enabled with the greatest fluency and propriety to speak in vari- XVI. 17 ous new languages which they have never 18 They shall take learnt; They shall take up serpents without 18 up serpents, and if being bitten or endangered by them q: and if, thing, it shall not hurt by some secret or open attempt made to destroy them; they shall lay them, they drink any deadly and malignant hands on the sick, and poison, it shall not hurt them; [and] when they they drink any deadly they shall recover. shall lay [their] hands on the sick and infirm, it Such was the purport of our Lord's discourse, IMPROVEMENT. 16 WITH how ill a grace could the Jews complain of any Mat. deficiency in the evidence of our Lord's resurrection, when he xxviii, appeared alive to so great a number as five hundred at once! How glad must these disciples be when they saw the Lord! and with Acts what pleasure must they hear him speaking of those things which i. 3. concerned the kingdom of God! They shall take up serpents.] Jamblicus (Vit. Pythag. cap. 28) says that Pythagoras could do this; and very credible writers have asserted, that in the eastern nations there is an art of charming snakes and serpents by the force of music, so as for a while to suspend their disposition to hurt. (See Bochart. Hierozoic. part 2. lib. iii. cap. 6. and compare Psalm Iviii. 4, 5. and Eccles. x. 11.)-But this power was un doubtedly exerted without any such artifice and included (as in the case of Paul, Acts xxviii. 3-5.) an ability to heal the most dangerous wounds given by the bite of the most noxious animals. We If by some secret or open attempt made to destroy them, they drink, &c.] I add this clause, that none may imagine God ever intended that these miraculous powers should be used merely for ostentation, or to gratify the curiosity of spectators. Considering to what degrees of cursed refinement the art of poisoning was by this time brought, as well as how frequently execution was done, by giving poison to condemned persons in the age and country in which the apostles lived, such a promise as this will appear more important than the reader might at first apprehend. • As |