as did St. Peter, if, like him, Christ had been a mere man'. Some, seeing Him only at a distance, “doubted;" whereupon Christ came up to them, "and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and earth ".” As if He had said, I have now all power over all things in the world conferred upon Me; by virtue of which I command, and empower, and commission you, My Apostles, to enlarge, settle, and govern the Church which I have founded; to administer the sacraments which I have instituted, and to persuade mankind to embrace My doctrine; to submit to My discipline; to obey My laws, and to come up to the terms which I have procured for them and propounded to them in order to their salvation. "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations;" make all nations My disciples, bring them over to My religion; and this I would have you do in two ways, first, "by baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," and so initiating them into My Church upon their consenting to the faith which I have published to the world; and, secondly, 'teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," that so they may be My disciples indeed, not only by an outward profession of the faith which I have Bishop Tomline.

66

9

10 Dr. Townshend.

taught them; but also by performing sincere and universal obedience to all the commands that I have laid upon them '.

SECT. CLXXVI.—The Disciples return to Jerusalem.— Luke xxiv. 47.

THE accounts of our Lord's resurrection, given by the different Evangelists, are substantially the same, though differing in a few minute occurrences of no moment, which, as we have seen in the narrative, are easily reconciled. There are no less than eight distinct appearances of our Lord to His disciples recorded by the sacred historians; from His appearance, "first, to Mary Magdalene," to the time when "He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once," at a mountain in Galilee. The narratives of our Lord's resurrection bear, upon the face of them, the strongest marks of reality and truth. They describe, in the most natural manner, the various emotions of the disciples, at their first hearing of this great event. When the women were first told by the Angels that Christ was risen, and were ordered to tell the disciples, they departed quickly from the sepulchre "with fear and great joy"--with joy at the unexpected good news they had just heard; and with reverential fear at the presence of the Angels. They therefore "trembled, and

were amazed," and ran to bring the disciples word; "neither said they any thing to any man, for they were afraid." And when they had told these things to the Apostles, "their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." When Jesus Himself appeared to the Apostles at Jerusalem, "they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit, and they believed not for joy, and wondered." When He appeared again unto the eleven, as they sat at meat, they were so incredulous, that He "upbraided them with their unbelief;" and St. Thomas would not be convinced without thrusting his hand into His side. This certainly was not the behaviour of men who were fabricating an artful story to impose upon the world; but of men who were themselves astonished and overpowered with an event which they did not in the least expect, and which it was with the utmost difficulty they could be brought to believe'.

Our Lord expressly commanded the Apostles to teach men to observe all things He had commanded, and adds, "Lo! I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. "Jesus here promises to be virtually present by means of His Holy Spirit, to the "consummation of the age;" for that is the meaning here of the end of the world. And it was thus

that He was always present to them in all trials and temptations, strengthening them by His Holy Spirit, and giving them the power of miracles (a promise that does not appear to have extended further than the Apostolical age, when these supernatural assistances were alone wanted), in order to confirm the faith of those whom their preaching had converted3. By a special operation of His Spirit "He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures" for this teaching*; and by the doctrine of "repentance and remission of sins He established a new and gracious covenant, which He directed might be preached in His name, first to the Jews, and afterwards to the Gentiles in all the nations of the world "."

5

Forty days was the time pre-ordained for our Lord's continuance on earth after His resurrection. These days were almost expired when the coming feast of Pentecost again called the Apostles to Jerusalem; or our Lord, "being assembled together with them, commanded them to return there, and to remain there, to "wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of me." The reasons on account of which Christ sends them to Jerusalem, for the purpose of receiving the Holy Spirit, appears to have been, 1stly. Because of

3

Bankes.

4

Dr. Hammond.

Dr. S. Clarke.

prophecy. 2ndly. Because there would be the greatest assemblage of persons to witness the great miracle, He purposed to do, and to be worked upon by it, as was proved by the sequel. 3rdly. Because it was most fit that this great work of Christ's power should be there displayed where had been his greatest humiliation; that those who were not convinced by the resurrection might be convinced by this miraculous gift of the Holy Ghost. Of all places the Apostles would, least of all, have chosen Jerusalem to tarry in, had not our Lord positively commanded them to continue there; for Jerusalem was now a place justly abhorred and detested by them, as reeking afresh with the persecution and with the blood of their holy and innocent Master'.

SECT. CLXXVII.-Christ's Ascension into Heaven.-Mark xvi. 19, 20; Luke xxiv. 50, 51; Acts i. 1-11. On the day on which He was to be taken up into heaven, He appeared to them for the last time at Jerusalem, "and led them out as far as to Bethany;" and as they proceeded, "they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom unto Israel?" After all that their Lord had taught them, concerning the spirituality of His kingdom, we may wonder at their hardness of heart or darkness of apprehension; yet it seems not unnatural

6

• Dr. Lightfoot.

7 Burkitt.