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ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God."

CHRIST'S APPEARANCE TO TWO DISCIPLES ON THE

WAY TO EMMAUS.

(Fourth appearance.)

Mark xvi. 12, 13.

After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue; neither believed they them.

Luke xxiv. 13—35.

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they cominuned 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? 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 it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; 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.

Between the revelation of the Lord which was made to Mary Magdalene, and this which was

made to certain disciples on their way to Emmaus, two other appearances are on record, although neither these, nor that to Mary, could have been known to these disciples at the time. This is clear from the account which they gave to the supposed stranger of what had happened. They told of certain women who had seen a vision of angels, and who reported the strange tidings of Jesus being alive; but expressly state that he had not up to the time of their account been seen by any. Mary Magdalene had gone, it may be remembered, very early in the morning, in company with Mary the mother of James and other women to the sepulchre, and on looking at it, found it open, and saw other proofs of the removal of the body. On this she must have left her companions, and hastened with the news to Peter and John. Meantime 'the other women appear to have examined the sepulchre, to have seen the vision of angels, and lastly to have received the message, as recorded, for the disciples. At the time the two disciples were on their way to Emmaus-at the time rather when they left the assembly of Christians-the only intelligence which could have been received, was the original

statement of Mary Magdalene to Peter and John, that the body had been removed; the subsequent account of the first visit of these latter to the sepulchre in consequence of this statement; and the additional circumstance of the vision of angels, of which some of the women, outstripping their companions, must by this time have informed them".

After these disciples had set out for Emmaus, Mary Magdalene may be supposed to have arrived from her second visit to the sepulchre, where she had probably been left by Peter and John when she accompanied them back thither; and to have reported that appearance of the Lord to her which took precedency of all. The women, to whose party she originally belonged, soon after were favoured with a similar revelation; Peter may have been the next to see the Lord, on his going with John a second time to the sepulchre, in consequence of Mary Magdalene's second report. At all events, Peter's revelation

In order to reconcile St. Matthew's statement with St. Luke's, it is necessary to suppose that some of the women ran before their companions with the news; and therefore knew not of the appearance of Jesus to the rest, while they were yet on their way.

must have occurred before the return of these two disciples from Emmaus; for they found the assembly full of the report that the Lord had been seen by Peter, that is, by one of his appointed witnesses.

If it be asked, how the disciples came to be in assembly at the early hour when the first reports are said to have been brought to them, there is nothing improbable in this supposition. Mary Magdalene, the first who left the sepulchre, carried the news of what she saw there to Peter and John. In consequence of her information, they must have immediately assembled the other apostles; and the congregation thus gradually increased, until the greater number of Christians in Jerusalem were present.

Having thus cleared away the perplexities of the preceding course of events, let us now turn to the appearance of Jesus to the two disciples in their journey to Emmaus. The first point that attracts notice is, that Jesus should have walked so long, and have so long conversed with them, and yet have been unknown to them. The second remarkable fact is, the inward sensation which they describe, by the expression that " their

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