not here, but is rifen, [as he faid; ] [MAR. behold, where they laid him; ] [come fee the Place where the Lord lay:] Remember how he spake unto you, he was yet in Galilee, [MAT. XXVIII. 6. MARK XVI.-6. when 605 Luk.XXIV. and bid them go and acquaint his Disciples with it. LUKE XXIV. 6. He is poffeffed of an immortal Life? He is not here, but Sect. 195. is rifen this Morning, as he faid that he should: Bebold the Tomb where they laid him; the Body is not 6. here: Come in, and fatisfy yourselves by the stricteft Enquiry, and view, with all the Mixture of holy Affections which are fuitable to fuch a Circumftance, the Place where the Lord of Life and Glory, the Prince of Angels and Men, lay, for a while, a breathlefs Corpfe: But he has now triumphed over the Grave; and you have no Reason to be furprized to hear it; for, as it was in itself most probable, so he often foretold it. Remember particularly how he spake unto you, when he was yet in Galilee with you, where I know how kindly you attended, and miniftred to him (d); Recollect that remarkable Saying of his, which was fo often repeated, The Son of Man must be delivered into the Hands of Sinners, and be crucified, and the Third Day he fhall rise again: (See Mat. xvi. 21. Vol. i. pag. 549. xvii. 22, 23. Vol. ii. pag. 15. and xx. 18, 19. pag. 264.) Now this, 8 And they remembred as you well know, is the Third Day. (And 8 while the Angel fpake thus, they called to mind what Jefus had faid, and perfectly remembered his Words.) But go quickly, added he, and com- Matth. municate to your Friends the Joy which you XXVIII. 7. now feel; yea, go and tell his mourning Difciples, and particularly tell Peter, who is fo overwhelmed with his peculiar Sorrows, that he is rifen from the Dead: And add farther, Behold, he is fhortly going before you into Galilee (e); for I 7 Saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the Hands of finful Men, and be crucified, and the Third Day rise again. his Words. MAT. XXVIII. 7. [But] go [your Way] quickly, and that he is rifen from the Dead ; and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee, there fhall am (d) Remember how he spake unto you, when he was yet in Galilee.] This familiar Manner, in which the Angel fpeaks of what paffed between Jefus and them in Galilee, feems to intimate, that he had then been prefent, tho' invifible, and heard what Jefus faid. The Hint fuggefts many agreeable Reflections, which the pious Reader will dwell upon at Leifure. The Mention which he afterwards makes of Peter, whether it were, or were not by a particular Charge from Chrift, is alfo obfervable in the fame View. (e) He is going before you, &c.] When we confider this Expreffion of the Angel to the Women, as Mark has related it, [EIπale - OT wрoayes upas &c.] the Conftruction fhews, as the learned Bos obferves, (Exercit. pag. 23.) that these Words are the Message which the Angel puts into the Mouth of thefe Women, to be delivered by them to the Apostles. But what is added, [there fhall ye fee him,] may, confiftent with this Criticifm, be understood as in the Paraphrafe, which makes the Senfe more compleat, by adding a very material, and to them who fo tenderly loved Jefus, a very delightful Circumftance; namely, that they fhould fee him themselves, and not merely receive the most credible Affurances of his Refurrection from others. (f) With 606 Matth, As the Women depart with the News, JESUS meets them. you Sect. 195. am commiffioned to affure you, that there ye shall all fee him, as he faid to you that he would meet there: (Compare Mat. xxvi. 32. and Mark xiv. 28. pag. 495.) Lo, I, who am one of the Angels that ftand in the Prefence of God, have told you this, and my Affociate here is ready to atteft it; and therefore, important and wonderful as the Meffage is, you need not at all fcruple to report it. Mark XVI. 8. Matth. And upon this, instead of making any farther Scrutiny, they went out quickly, and fled from the Sepulchre as faft as poffible; for they trembled and were amazed at this Angelick Vifion: And, who ever they met by the Way, they faid nothing to any one of them, for they were afraid; [but] with Hearts full of Fear at what they had feen, and with a Mixture alfo of great Joy at this happy News which they had received in fo awful a Manner (f), they ran with all the Speed they could to bring his Difciples Word. And as they were going on their Way to tell his XXVIII. 9. Difciples (g), behold, Jefus himself met them (b), Jaying, in the ufual Form of congratulatory Salutations, Hail, my Friends! I give you Joy of the Day. And they immediately knowing him, drew near in the most refpectful Manner, and proftrating themselves before him, took hold of his Feet, and embraced them, and paid their Homage to him on this joyful Occafion. Then (f) With Fear and great Joy.] It was fo natural for fuch a Mixture of Paffions to arife on this grand Occafion, that I think very little Strefs is to be laid, on Mark's mentioning their Fear alone, and Matthew's mentioning their Joy with it, to prove they relate different Stories. (g) And as they were going on their Way to tell his Difciples.] Admitting what I am perfuaded moft will believe, that there was but one Vifion of Angels, and one Meffage fent by them, this will I think inconteftably establish the Order in which we have ranged this Story. For if, (as Dr. Glarke and many other Criticks ftrangely fuppofe,) Mary's Interview with the Apostles (John xx. 2.) had happened between the Angelick Vifion, and this Appearance of Chrift to them, fuch a Connection as this would have been very unnatural. Matthew would on that Hypothefis rather have said, And when they had told his Difciples, and they believed them not, fefus met them, &c. (b) Jefus himself met them.] I cannot think with Dr. Lightfoot, (Hor. Hebr. in loc.) that this relates to his Interview with Mary, defcribed before; for tho' an Enallage or Exchange of Numbers be fometimes ufed, (fee Note (b) on Luke xxii. 39. pag. 566.) yet it is. not to be admitted without Neceffity. Now it is certain, Mary was alone, when Chrift appeared to her; and that Appearance was at the Sepulchre, this between that and the City, and probably after they had dispatched fome confiderable Part of the Way in their Flight. The Words (as they went to tell his Difciples,] are indeed wanting in many antient Verfiens and They go and tell all thefe Things to the Disciples. LUKE XXIV. 9. And [they] returned from the Sepulchre, and told all these Things unto the Eleven, and to all the reft. 607 Then Jefus, as he faw that they were ftill in Sect. 195. and difmiffed them, (as he had done before Matth. Now after Jefus had fpoken these Words, he im- Luk.XXIV. mediately difappeared; and the Women ran on to 9. Carry the News: And when they were returned from the Sepulchre to Jerufalem, they told all thefe Things to the Eleven Apoftles, and to all the reft of the Disciples, whom they met with then, or on the following Days (k), having it much at Heart to deliver this important Meffage in the most punctual and effectual Manner. 10-It was-Joanna, And it was Joanna, and Mary [the Mother] of 10 and Mary the Mother of James, and other Women that James and Jofes, and Salome, and the other Women were with them, which told that had gone with them, as above, with an Intent thefe to embalm Chrift's Body, (pag. 593, 594.) who were thus and Manuscripts, as Dr. Mill has fhewn in his Note on this Place; but Dr. Whitby, with confiderable Reafon contends that they are genuine; (fee his Examen Millii, pag. 91.) and the Sense of them seems implied in the Clofe of the preceding Verfe. (i) My Brethren.] The Reader will obferve, our Lord fpeaks the fame Language here, which he had used, John xx. 17. (See Note (q) on that Text, pag. 601.) No doubt, these affectionate Friends of Chrift were exact in reporting this Circumftance, that their injured Lord called them his Brethren ftill. And both Matthew, and John, to whom the glad Tidings were immediately brought, felt it ftrike fo powerfully on their Hearts, that they could not but record it. (k) And to all the reft.] This I think refers, not only to one Report, but to the Repetition of the Teftimony to any of their pious Friends who believed in Jefus: And if that be admitted, it will be an additional and certain Proof, that what is faid in ver. 12. fhould be tranfpofed in fuch a Manner, as is neceffary for reconciling it with the Scheme we have propofed in the preceding Section. Compare Note (b) on Luke xxiv. 12. pag. 597. 608 The Difciples know not how to believe them. Sect. 195. thus honoured with this Meffage from the An- thefe Things unto the Apogels, and from Chrift himself; and who accord Luk.XXVI. ingly came and told thefe Things to the Apostles, 10. 10. who had none of them as yet feen any Thing more themselves, than that the Sepulchre was empty, and the Linnen Clothes laid in Order. Mark XVI. And Mary Magdalene [alfo] went along with the reft, and told the Difciples that had been fo conftantly with him, as they were mourning and weeping for the Lofs of their dear Mafter, that fhe alfo bad feen the Lord; and that indeed be had appeared to her the first of all the Company, and had spoken thefe gracious Things unto ber as well as to them, relating to his Refur rection from the Dead, and had particularly fent her to acquaint them with his Purpose of afcending e'er long, to his Father and their Father, and to his GoD and their GOD. [Compare John xx. 17. pag. 601.] II Mat. xxviii. 6. But fuch were the prevailing Prejudices that had poffeffed the Minds of the Disciples, and fo entirely were their Spirits dejected, and their Hopes blafted by the Death of their Lord, that tho' they could not think this was related with a Defign to impofe upon them, yet they were ready to impute it to the Power of Imagination; and even when they heard that he was actually alive, and had been feen by her and her Companions, they did not in general believe it; but their Words feemed to most of them as an idle Tale, and they declared their Refolution never to admit the Truth of fo important a Fact, till they were satisfied of it by the Teftimony of their own Senfes; which thro' the great Condefcenfion of their Lord feveral of them were before the End of that Day,, as, we shall quickly relate. W ftles. IMPROVEMENT. E are now again called, as by the Angel's Voice, to come and fee the Place where the Lord lay, and to take an affectionate Survey of that Sepulchre, which our rifing Saviour had left, and where he had laid afide the Drefs of Death, as a Token that he should return to it no How wonderful, that he should ever have lain there! that the more. Lord Reflections on CHRIST's Care to comfort his Difciples. 609 Lord of Life fhould have dwelt among the Dead, and from the Glory Sect. 195. of the Throne of GOD, fhould have funk down to the Abasement of the Grave! But he has burft its Prison Doors, and has abolished Death, and him who had the Power of it; abolished it for himself and us. How are all its Terrors now difarmed! Oh Death, where is thy Sting! Ob Grave, where is thy Victory! (1 Cor. xv. 55.) With what Pleasure did the Angels deliver this gracious Meffage of Ver. 7, 8. their Lord, as well as ours! and with what Tranfport did thefe pious Women receive it? Behold the tender Care of Chrift over his People! Angels have it immediately in Charge to fend the glad Tidings to his Difciples; and Jefus repeats and confirms them. Go tell my Brethren, I am Ver. 10. ⚫rifen from the Dead. Lord! Is this thy Language concerning thofe, that but a few Hours before had forfaken thee, and one of them, with such dreadful Imprecations, denied thee! Yet even that Difciple is not excluded; nay, to him is it peculiarly addreffed: Go tell my Brethren, and in par- Mark xvi. 7. ticular, tell Peter, that he, poor Mourner, may especially be comforted. Compaffionate Redeemer! thou haft brought up from the Tomb with thee, that Tenderness and Goodnefs which laid thee there! Such is the Freedom and Glory of thy Grace, that thou fometimes Ver. 9. doft first manifeft thyself to thofe, who were once in the most miserable Bondage to Satan. When ever this is the Cafe, may the peculiar Obligation be remembered! May every Remainder of Unbelief be fubdued in our Souls; and may we joyfully communicate, to all around us, the Ti- Ver. 10. dings of a rifen Saviour, and the merciful Discoveries of his Prefence to us! SECT. CXCVI. The Guards, returning to Jerusalem, make their Report to the MAT. XXVIII. 11. NOW while thefe extraordinary Things were Sect. 196. Hhhh XXVIII. II. |
