Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

36 Elias. And one ran, and filled a fpunge full of vi negar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, (m) faying, Let alone; let us fee whether Elias will 37 come to take him down. And Jefus cried with a 38 loud voice (n), and gave up the ghoft. And the vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom.

39 And when the centurion which flood over against him, faw that he fo cried out, and gave up the ghoft, he faid, Truly this man was the Son of God. 40 There were alfo women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the lefs, and of Jofes, and 41 Salome; Who alfo, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and miniftered unto him (o); and many other women which came up with him unto Jerufalem.

42 And now when the even was come, (because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the 43 fabbath) Jofeph of Arimathea, Arimathea, an honourable

counsellor, which alfo waited for the kingdom of God (p), came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and 44 craved the (9) body of Jefus. And Pilate marvelled if he were already (r) dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been 45 any while dead. And when he knew it of the cen46 turion, he gave the body to Jofeph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him

(m) The reft faying. See Matt. xxvii. 49.

(n) See Luke xxiii. 46.

(0) They attended on him, and relieved his wants.

Luke viii. 3,

(p) Who was in expectation of the Meffiah, and well difpofed to receive our bleffed Lord as fuch.

(9) Probably he informed Pilate, that Jefus was dead, and that the Jewish law forbad that a dead body should remain all night upon the tree. See Deut. xxi. 23..

(r) From hence we may judge how grievous this punishment was; Pilate being furprized to hear that our Saviour was dead in the evening, though he was crucified before noon.

in the linen, and laid him in a fepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a ftone unto the 47 door of the fepulchre. And Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jofes, beheld where he was laid.

I

AN

CHA P. XVI.

ND when the fabbath was paft, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought fweet spices, that they might come and 2 anoint him. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the fepulchre, -3 at the rifing of the fun. And they faid among themselves, Who fhall roll us away the ftone from 4 the door of the fepulchre? (And when they looked, they faw that the ftone was rolled away) for it 5 was very great. And entering into the fepulchre, they faw a young man fitting on the right fide, clothed in a long white garment; and they were 6 affrighted. And he faith unto them, Be not affrighted: ye feek Jefus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is rifen, he is not here: behold the 7 place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his difciples and Peter (4), that he goeth before you into Galilee there fhall ye fee him, as he faid unte 8 you. And they went out quickly, and fled from the fepulchre; for they trembled, and were amazed: (b) neither faid they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

9

Now when Jefus was rifen early, the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, IO out of whom he had caft feven devils. And the

(a) And efpecially to Peter, who was fo much afflicted for his unhappy denial of his master, that he ftood more particularly in need of this comfort.

(b) They fpoke not to any man they met in the way as they were going to tell the difciples.

went

went and told them that had been with him, as they II mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

12 After that, he appeared in another form (6) unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the 13 country. And they went and told it unto the refidue : neither believed they them.

14

Afterward he appeared unto the eleven, as they fat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief, and hardness of heart, because they believed not 15 them which had feen him after he was rifen. And

he faid unto them, Go ye into all the world, and 16 preach the gofpel to every creature. He that be

lieveth and is baptized, fhall be (d) faved; but he 17 that believeth not, fhall be damned. And these figns fhall follow them that believe; in my name fhall they caft out devils; they fhall speak with new 18 tongues; They fhall take up (e) ferpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it fhall not hurt them; they fhall lay hands on the fick, and they fhall

19

[ocr errors]

recover.

So then after the Lord had fpoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and fat on the 20 right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with figns following. Amen.

(c) In another dress and appearance.

(d) By being made a Chriftian, fhall be put in the way of falvation on the contrary, he that will not attend to the evidence of Chriftianity, but wilfully rejects it, will be fubject to damnation.. Not that this punishment will be inflicted arbitrarily, and without good grounds, it being indeed no more than the natural confequence of infidelity; for fuch a perfon renders himself unworthy and incapable of the divine mercy.

(e) The Acts of the Apofles contain many inflances of the fe miracles, particularly in the cafe of St. Paul, who was unhurt when a viper faflened on his hand. Acts xxviii. 5.

THE

THE

GOSPEL

S T.

ACCORDING TO

LUKE.

I

F

CHA P. I.

ORASMUCH as many have taken in hand to fet forth in order a declaration of thofe things 2 which are moft furely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eye-witneffes, and minifters of the word: 3 It feemed good to me alfo, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus (a), 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed.

5

THERE was, in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain prieft named Zacharias, of the (b) courfe of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters

(a) Here is an inftance of giving titles of honour and respect to perfons, according to their rank; which therefore cannot be pretended to be unlawful. See John xx. 15.

(b) The Jewish priests attended on the fervice of the temple by turns, or courfes, of which there were two for each month, twentyfour in all; that of Abiah being the eighth. See 2 Chron. xxiv. 10.

[ocr errors]

7 lefs.

6 of Aaron (c), and her name was Elifabeth. And they were both righteous before God; walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameAnd they had no child, because that Elifabeth was barren, and they both were not well ftricken in 8 years. And it came to pafs, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his 9 courfe, According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into 10 the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude

of the people were praying without, at the time of 11 incenfe (d). And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord, ftanding on the right fide of the altar of 12 incenfe. And when Zacharias faw him, he was 13 troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel faid unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elifabeth fhall bear thee 14 a fon, and thou fhalt call his name John. And thou

fhalt have joy and gladness, and many fhall rejoice 15 at his birth. For he fhall be great in the fight of the Lord, and fhall drink neither wine, nor ftrong drink; and he fhall be filled with the Holy Ghoft, 16 even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Ifrael fhall he turn to the Lord their 17 God. And he fhall go before him (e) in the spirit and power of (f) Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the difobedient to the wifdom of the juft, to make ready a people prepared for 18 the Lord. And Zacharias faid unto the angel,

part

of

(c) She was defcended from the family of Aaron. (d) The people performed their devotion in the outward the temple; none but the Priefts and Levites being permitted to enter into the fan&tuary where the altar of incenfe was.

(e) Before him the Meffiah and Saviour, who was the Lord their God; the angel of the covenant, in whom the name of God is. Exod. xxiii. 21. This is a ftrong proof that Jefus Chrift was Jehovah of the Old Teftament.

(ƒ). In the character of Elias (or Elijah) defcribed Malachi iv. 5. as the forerunner of the Meffiah.

Whereby

« AnteriorContinuar »