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which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

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And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.—And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed

they knew him;

And their eyes

it, and brake, and gave to them. were opened, and and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. Neither believed they them.

How delightful a close of so melancholy a day to these pious travellers! a day surely long to be remembered by them and by us! They were on a journey; but they did not amuse themselves on it with any trifling subject of discourse. Their hearts were set upon Christ, and therefore their tongues were employed in speaking of him. And behold, Christ himself, the dear theme of their discourse, makes one among them; he enlightens their eyes and warms their hearts, and at length makes himself known to them in the breaking of bread.

So may we often be speaking of Christ, from the fulness of our hearts, when we go out, and when we come in! So may he still, in some degree, join himself with us in spirit, guiding our souls into Divine knowledge, and animating them with holy love!

They bear an honourable and a just testimony to that great Prophet whom God had raised up for them, as mighty before him both in word and deed. But they knew not how to see through so dark a cloud: their hopes were almost extinguished, and they could only say, We trusted this had been he that should have redeemed Israel. Pitiable weakness! Yet too just an emblem of the temper which often prevails in the pious mind; when the Christian is ready to give up all, if deliverance does not proceed just in the method he expected. Yet was Christ even then delivering Israel in the most glorious and effectual manner, by those very sufferings which gave them such distress. Verily thou art the God of Israel, and the Saviour, when thou art a God that hidest thyself from us. (Isa. xlv. 15.)

In faithful friendship, and with a plainness well becoming his office, the compassionate Redeemer upbraids them with their slowness of heart to believe these things, when they had received line upon line, precept upon precept, concerning them.

How justly do we fall under such a rebuke in many instances! Let us then humbly say, Lord, increase our faith! (Luke xvii. 5.)

We should reasonably have thought ourselves happy in an opportunity of hearing or reading this discourse of Jesus, in which he threw such lustre on the prophecies of the Old Testament, and proved that, according to the tenor of them, it was necessary that the Messiah should thus suffer, and so enter into his glory. As Providence has denied us this satisfaction, let us however improve this general and very important hint, that Moses and all the prophets speak of these things. Let us delight to trace the heavenly beam from its earliest dawn, and to observe how it grew brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. May the blessed Spirit, by whom those mysterious predictions were inspired, so direct our inquiries, that every veil may be taken off from our eyes, that we may see Jesus in the Old Testament as well as in the New; and see him in both with that lively fervour of holy affection which may cause our hearts to burn within us! And oh, that we may especially find that, when we surround his table, he makes himself known to us in the breaking of bread, in such a manner, as to fill our souls with all joy, as well as peace in believing! (Rom. xv. 13.).

SECTION V.

LUKE XXIV. 36-43. JOHN XX. 19-23.

THEN the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, and as they thus spake, came Jesus, and stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you, But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands, and his feet, and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said nto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave

him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb ; and he took it, and did eat before them.

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: As my Father hath sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.

With pleasure let us echo back the words of the apostle, and join in that glad anthem which so well suits a resurrection-day, The Lord is risen: he is risen indeed. We owe our daily praises to God for the abundant demonstration he has given us of so important a fact, for every appearance of Christ to his disciples, and for all the infallible tokens by which he shewed himself to be alive after his passion. (Acts i. 3.)

He came with peace and blessings in his mouth; he came to disperse their fears, and to assure them of his forgiving love. How strong were those prejudices which so hardly yielded to such convincing proofs? And how rich was that grace which condescended to overcome them!

Christ breathed on the apostles, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. May he also breathe on our souls, and fill us with that glorious and Divine gift, which, if it qualified the apostles for their extraordinary office, may much more furnish us for the common duties of life! May we try our state by the characters which they have laid down in their inspired writings; in which sense, among others, we may assure ourselves, that, if they have declared our sins to be remitted, they are remitted; and, if indeed they are so, we need not to be much concerned by whom they are retained. Vain and arrogant men may claim a despotic power, which God never gave, and which these words are far from implying. But, whatsoever be the sentence they may pass, they whom God blesseth, are blessed indeed. (1 Chron. xvii. 27.) May we always esteem it a very small thing to be judged of man's judgment, (1 Cor. iv. 3,) pitying, rather than resenting, the rashness of those who claim any such discretionary sacerdotal power as can give the real penitent any alarm, or the impenitent any encouragement to continue in sin!

SECTION VI.

MARK XVI. 14. JOHN Xx. 24-29.

BUT Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

And after eight days again his eleven disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst as they sat at meat, and said, Peace be unto you; and he upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

We most evidently see in this instance of Thomas, as well as in many circumstances of the story mentioned above, how far the apostles were from being rashly credulous in the important fact of Christ's resurrection. It is apparent, they erred in the contrary extreme: yet our gracious Lord condescended to satisfy scruples which were carried to an extravagance. He renewed his visit, and at the same time renewed his salutation too, Peace be unto you was still his language; nor did he only speak, but act, as one who wished it, and was determined to give it.

What peace must it administer to the mind of this good man when his Lord said, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thine hand, and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing! Evidently did he hereby shew, not only that he was risen from the dead, bnt that he circumstantially knew those events which had passed in his bodily absence, and needed not human information. Let us then

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