knowledge of any in the house, it was natural for them to think that spiritual substance only could enter. The circumstance therefore of the doors being shut, is very happily mentioned by St. John; because it suggests a reason why the disciples took their Master for a spirit, notwith standing many of them were convinced that he was really risen from the dead, and were that moment conversing about the event.

However, to dispel their fears and doubts; Jesus came forward spake to them in the most endearing accent, shewed them his hands and his feet, and desired them to handle him, in order to convince themselves by the united report of their different senses, that it was he himself; and no spectre or apparition: Why are ye troubled," said the benevolent Re-* deemer of mankind," 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." Luke xxiv. 38, 39. By these infallible proofs, the disciples were sufficiently convinced of the truth of their Lord's resurrection, and they received him with rapture and exultation: but their joy and wonder had so great an affect on their minds, that some of them, sensible of the great commotion they were in, suspended their belief, till they had considered the matter more calmly: JESUS therefore knowing their thoughts called for meat, and eat with them, in order to prove more fully the truth of his resurrection from the dead, and the reality of his presence with them at this time. When JEBus had given this further ocular demonstration of his having vanquished the power of death, and opened the tremendous portals of the grave, he again repeated his salutation, "Peace be unto you; adding. The same commission that my Father hath given unto me, I give unto you; go ye therefore into every part of the world, and preach the gospel, to all the children of men. Then breathing on them, he said, receive ye the Holy Ghost," to direct and assist you in the execution of your commis. sion: whosoever embraces your doctrine and sincerely repents, ye shall remit his sins, and your sentence of absolution shall be ratified and confirmed in the courts of heaven: and whosoever either obstinately rejects your doctrine, disobeys it, or behave himself unworthily, after he hath embraced it, his sins shall not be forgiven him; but the censure ye shall pass upon him on earth, shall be confirmed in heaven, to his condemnation. At this meeting of the apostles, Thomas otherwise called Didymus was absent; nor did this happen without the special direction of Providence, that the particular and extraordinary satisfaction which was afterwards granted him, might be an abundant and undeniable testimony of the truth of our blessed Saviour's resurrection, to all succeeding generations. The rest of the apostles therefore told him, that they had seen the Lord, and repeated to him the words he had delivered in their hearing: but Thomas replied, This event is of such great importance, that unless, to prevent all possibility of deception, I see him with my own eyes, and feel him with my own hands, putting my fingers into the print of the nails whereby he was fastened to the cross, and thrusting my hand into his side which the soldier pierced with a spear ; 1 will not believe that he is risen from the dead in reality and truth, as ye affirm;/

جمه

We have now enumerated, in the most explicit manner, the transac⚫ tions of that day in which the great Redeemer of mankind arose from the dead; a day highly to be remembered by the children of men throughout all generations; a day, in which was fully completed and displayed the conceptions lodged in the breast of Infinite Wisdom from all eternity; even those thoughts of love and mercy, on which the salvation of the world depended. Christians have, therefore, the highest reason, to solemnize this day with gladness each returning week, by ceasing from their labour, and giving up themselves to prayer, pious meditations and other exercises of religion. The redemption of mankind, which they weekly

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were forced to drag it after them in the able to draw it into the boat, but They had toiled, it seems, all the preceding night to no purpose; and therefore such remarkable success could not fail of causing various conjec tures amongst them, with regard to the stranger on the shore, who had given them such happy advice. Some of the disciples declared they could not imagine who he was; but others were persuaded, that this person was no other than their great and beloved Master. John was fully convinced of his being the Lord, and accordingly told his thoughts to Simon Peter; who making no doubt of it, girt on his fisher's coat, and leaped into the sea, in order to get ashore sooner than the boat could be brought to land, dragging after it a net full of such large fishes as were almost ready to sink it.

The disciples, when they came ashore, found a fire kindled, and on it a fish broiling, and near it some bread: but neither being sufficient for the company, JESUS bid them bring some of the fish they had now caught, and invited them to eat with him. Thus did the blessed JESUS prove again to his disciples, the reality of his resurrection, not only by eating with them, but by working a miracle like that which, at the beginning of his ministry, had made such an impression upon them, as disposed them to be his constant followers. This was the third time that JESUS appeared publicly to a great number of his disciples in a body, besides his shewing him self to particular persons, upon special occasions, and at divers tines.

After they had eaten, JESUS reminded Peter how diligent and zealous. he ought to be, in order to wipe off the stain of his denying him, when he was carried before the high-priest: Simon, son of Jonas," said our bles sed Saviour to him, art thou more zealous and affectionate in thy love towards me, than the rest of my disciples? To which Peter answered, "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee." Ile was taught modesty and diffidence by his late fall; and therefore, would not compare himself with others, but humbly appealed to his Master's omniscience, for the sincerity of his regard to him. Jesus answered, Express then thy love towards me by the care of my flock committed to thy charge: "Feed my Lambs, feed my Sheep." I well know indeed, continued the blessed JeSus, that thou wilt continue my faithful shepherd even until death: for the time will come when thou, who now girdest on thy fisher's coat voluntarily, and stretchedest out thy hands to come to me, shall in thine old age be girt by others, and forced to stretch out thy hands against thy will, in a very different manner, for the sake of thy constant profession of my religion.

JESUS, by these last words, signified the manner of Peter's death, and that he should finally suffer martyrdom for the glory of God, and the testimony of the truth of the Christian religion, which he had been instrumental in propagating to the world.

The disciples being now about to meet their great Lord and Master, according to the Messages he had sent them by the women, and having, in all probability, appointed this meeting at some former appearance, not mentioned by the evangelists, the brethren set out for the mountain in Galilee, perhaps that on which he was transfigured. Here five hundred of them were gathered together, waiting the joyful sight of their great Master, after he had triumphed over death and the grave; some of them not having yet seen him after his resurrection from the dead.

The disciples did not wait long before JESUS appeared, on which they were seized with rapture; and with hearts overflowing with gladness they approached their kind, their benevolent Master, and worshipped him, Some few indeed doubted, it being a thing agreeable to nature for men to be afraid to believe what they vehemently wish, lest they should indulge themselves in false joys, which vanish like a morning cloud. But Jesus

afterwards appeared frequently to them, and gave all of them full satisfac tion, and instructed them in many things relating to their preaching the gospel, establishing the church, and spreading it through the known world.

Our blessed Saviour, either at his appearance on the mountain, or some subsequent appearance, not mentioned by the evangelists, probably ordered them to return to Jerusalem, as he proposed to ascend visibly into heaven from the top of the mount of Olives.

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CHAPTER XLIII

JESUS ascends into Heaven: The principal Arguments of the Deists against our blessed Saviour's Resurrection considered and refuted: Reflections on the Life and Doctrine of our great Redeemer.

ABOUT twelve days before the feast of Pentecost, called in the law the feast of weeks, and nearly forty days after our blessed Saviour arose from the dead, the disciples repaired to Jerusalem, probably in conformity to a command given them by their great Master at one of his ap pearances; unless we suppose they went up to that city, in order to purify and prepare themselves for the solemnity now approaching.

However that be, the blessed Jesus made his last appearance here to bis apostles; and after instructing them in many particulars concerning the kingdom of God, and the manner they were to behave themselves in propagating the doctrine of the gospel, he put them in mind that, during his abode with them in Galilee, he had often told them, that all things writ ten in the law, the prophets, and the Psalms concerning him, were to be exactly accomplished. At the same time, he opened their understandings, that is, he removed their prejudices by the operation of his spirit, he cleared their doubts, improved their memories, strengthened their judgments and enabled them to discern the true meaning of the Scriptures respecting his divine mission.

Being thus qualified by him for receiving the truth, he again assured them that both Moses and the prophets had foretold that the Messiah was to suffer in the very manner he had suffered, that he was to rise from the dead on the third day as he had done, and that repentance and remission of sins was to be preached in the Messiah's name amongst all nations, be ginning with the Jews at Jerusalem.

After this, he delivered to them their commission to preach the doctrine of repentance and remission of sins in his name amongst all nations, and to testify unto the world the exact accomplishment in him of all things foretold concerning the Messiah: and, to enable them to perform this im portant work, promised to bestow on them the miraculous gift of the Spirit, which he called the promise of his Father; because the Almighty had promised them by his prophets in the Old Testament.

Being thus fortified for the important work they were going to under-take, he led them on to the Mount of Olives as far as Bethany; where, standing on a hill above the town, he told them that he was now raised to the government of heaven and earth; for which reason, they might go courageously through all the world, and preach the gospel to every rational creature: assuring themselves that affairs in all countries should be so ordered, as to dispose the inhabitants for the reception of the gospel that they who believed, were to be admitted into his church by the rite of bap

tism, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and to be taught, in consequence of their baptism, to obey all the precepts he had enjoined them; that such baptised believers should receive pardon of their sins, together with eternal life in the happy mansions of his Father's kingdom; but that those who refused to embrace the doctrines of the gospel should be forever excluded those happy regions, and have their portion in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; that while they are employ ed in this work, he would be with them to the end of the world, to guide them by his counsel, to assist them by his Spirit, and to protect them by his Providence. Finally, that those who should, through their preaching, be induced to believe, should themselves work most astonishing miracles, by which the gospel should be propagated with the greatest rapidity and

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After Jesus had spoken these things, he lifted up his hands and blessed them; and in the action of blessing them, he was parted from them in the midst of the day, a shining cloud receiving him out of their sight: that is, this brilliant cloud encompassed him about, and carried him up to heaven, not suddenly, but at leisure, that they might behold him departing, and see the proof of his having come down from heaven, as he had promised them

The blessed Jesus ascended in a cloud which was more bright and pure than the clearest lambent flame, being no other than the Shechinah, or glory of the Lord, the visible, simbol of the divine presence which had so often appeared to the partriarchs of old, which filled the temple at it's dedication, and which in it's greatest splendour, cannot be beheld with mortal eyes; for which reason, it is called the light inaccessible in which the Almighty resides, and with which he is surrounded.

It was probably on this occasion that our Lord's body was changed, ac quiring the glories of immortality, perhaps in the presence of his disciples, who steadfastly beheld him as he mounted from the earth. And as be as cended the flaming cloud that surrounded him marked his passage through the air, but gradually lost it's magnitude in the eyes of those who stood below, till at last it vanished, together with their teloved Master, out of their sight; for he was received up where the Divine Being manifests himself in a peculiar manner, and was set down on the right-hand of the Ma jesty on high; all power in heaven and in earth being now given him: and this universal government he will hold, till he establishes the dominion of righteousness, when he will deliver up the kingdom to God, even the om to God, even t Father, that God may be all in all." 1 Cor. xv. 28.

Thus did the great Redeemer of mankind depart in a most illustrious manner, after having finished the grand work which he left the bosom of his Father to execute; a work which God himself, in the remotest eternity, contemplated with pleasure, which angels with joy descried as to hap pen, and which, through all eternity to come, shall at periods the most in mensely distant from the time of it's execution, be looked back upon with inexpressible delight by every inhabitant of heaven; for though the minute affairs of time may vanish altogether and be lost, when they are removed far back by the endless progression of duration, this object is such, that no distance, however great, can lessen it: the kingdom of heaven is erected on the incarnation and sufferings of the Son of God, the kingdom and city of the Almighty comprehending all the virtuous beings in the universe made happy by goodness and love; and, therefore, none of them can ever forget the foundation on which their happiness slands established: the human species in particular, recovered by the labour of the Son of God, will view their Deliverer, and look back on his stupendous undertaking with the highest rapture, while they are feasting without interruption on it's delicious fruits: the rest of the members likewise of the city of God, will contemplate it with perpetual pleasure as the happy means of recovering their