17 28 Chapter Verfe very fhort of the others; at least he omits the greateft and moft material circumftances: conxxviii. 16 cluding his hiftory with Then the eleven difciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jefus had appointed them. And when they faw him, they worshipped him: but fome doubted. And Jefus came and fpake unto them, faying, All power is given unto me in Heaven, and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghoft. Teaching them to obferve all things whatfoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.' 19 20 Thefe are all the particulars Matthew has given us of the tranfactions fubfequent to the refurrection: the afcenfion he has omitted entirely. We must now have recourfe to the other three; and first Mark; who after recording the account Chapter Verfe given by Mary to the difciples, that fhe had feen 12 Jefus alive; and their unbelief: fays- After xvi. MARK. 33 that he appeared in another form unto two of them (difciples) as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the refidue: neither believed they? As Luke gives us a long and interefting account of this converfation between Jefus and the two difciples, fo little noticed by Mark, and not at all by Matthew or John, I think it neceffary to infert it here, viz. And behold two of them (Cleopas ⚫ and and Simon, difciples) went that fame day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jeru⚫ falem about threefcore furlongs, and they talked ⚫ together of all thefe things which had happened; and it came to pass that while they comf muned together, and reafoned, Jefus himself drew near and went with them. And their eyes were holden, (their ears likewife, it is to be fuppofed) that they fhould not know him. And he faid unto them, What manner of communications are thefe that ye have one to another as ye walk, and are fad? And the one of them whofe name was Cleopas, answering faid unto him, Art thou a ftranger in Jerufalem, and haft not known the things that, are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they faid unto him, Concerning Jefus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and in 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 * trufted it had been he which should have redeemed Ifrael. (We find, and it is not a little extraordinary, that they all laboured under this error to the very laft; and were only cured of it by the certainty of his death. Nay, fo ftrongly had this hope, this expectation poffeffed them, that after the refurrection it revived, and we 6 find them, Acts, ch. i. v. 6. faying to Jesus03 Lord, Lord, wilt thou at this time, restore again the 'kingdom to Ifrael? And this they might be in'duced to, by his faying to them, after his refurrection, All power is given to me in Heaven and in earth: vide Matthew, ch. xxviii. v. 18.) And befide all this, to-day is the third day fince these things were done, yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the fepulchre, and when they found not his body, they came, faying, that they alfo (I know not what is meant by alfo) had feen a vifion of angels, which faid he was alive. (And why a vifion? Surely, after 'all, this ftory of angels, &c. was not a woman's 'dream only.) And certain of them which were ' with us (Peter and John) went to the fepulchre, and found it even fo as the women had faid. (That is, the body was not there.) But him they faw not. (Neither did they the angel or 'vifion of angels.) And he faid unto them, O ' fools (an odd phrase) and flow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Chrift to have fuffered these things, and to enter into his glory? (They could not have ⚫ conceived this the way to it.) And beginning at Mofes and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the fcriptures, the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh the vil lage, whither they went and he made as though he would have gone further: but they constrained ་ ⚫ conftrained him, faying, Abide with us, for it Chapter Verfe is towards evening, and the day is far fpent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he fat at meat with them, he took bread and bleffed it, and brake, and gave them, and their eyes were opened, and they knew him and he vanished out of their fight And they faid one to another; Did not our heart 6 burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the fcriptures." Thus concludes Luke's fingular account of the Emmaus affair. It is extraordinary that these difciples, nor Mary Magdalene, fhould know neither the perfon nor voice of their brother, companion, and mafter. To difguife himself, was not a method to obtain their belief of his refurrection: and why, as foon as they had discovered him, vanish out of their fight? This was a more likely method to infpire a belief that he was a fpirit. That this latter belief did prevail, is undoubted: as we are informed, that after this, Jefus had fome difficulty to remove it; and to convince them that We will now re he really had flesh and bones. 13 14 Chapter Verfe him after he was rifen. (Nor did they, ac'cording to Matthew, all believe him at this xvi 15 17 18 time.) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth, and is baptized, fhall be faved: but he that believeth not, fhall be damned. (This harfh fentence is not recorded, either by Matthew, Luke, or John; indeed the four differ 'exceedingly, not only in the particulars of this fpeech; but the time when, and place where it was made.) And thefe figns fhall follow thofe 'that believe; in my name fhall they caft out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they fhall take up ferpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it fhall not hurt them: they fhall lay hands on the fick and they fhall recover.' I am happy to find this description of thofe who were to be faved is likewife peculiar to Mark. The eleven apoftles, and Matthias whom they elected, were the only men who anfwered this defcription; and in courfe, according to Mark, there were only twelve who escaped damnation. We will now conclude St. Mark's 19 gospel-' So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into Heaven, (this ⚫ afcenfion feems to be from a house in Jerufalem) and fat on the right hand of God.' (Is this hiftory? And from whence did Mark derive his information of the fact?) He concludes his 20 gofpel with- And they went forth (from the • house |