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knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe." 1 This flowing of the blood and water together from the wound of the spear made a deep impression on John; nothing in the scene of the crucifixion seems to have made a deeper impression. It was in particular reference to this that he makes his testimony so strong and emphatic. He makes it thus emphatic, because the testimony is so important: important not only as part of the conclusive evidence that the death of Christ was a real death, but because the beloved disciple saw something eminently significant, as we learn not only from the manner in which the record is made, but also from his First Epistle, in the twofold stream of water and blood which flowed from the wounded side of Christ. We learn from that epistle that the water and the blood belong to a ternary of witnesses to the efficacy of faith in Jesus Christ. In them is the evidence that He is an all-sufficient Saviour. The water and the blood flowing together from the same fountain are symbolical of the sinlessness and the sufferings of the Redeemer, which cannot be separated in His work of atonement. And they are at the same time significant of the two great benefits, sanctification and justification, which also cannot. be separated in believers who partake of the benefits of His atoning work. This passage in his epistle, written late in life, shows how deep. was the impression on the mind of John made by the events of which he was a witness on the day of crucifixion, and how he was qualified thereby to become an inspired teacher of the Church. We cannot well understand how he was fitted for his great and important work, except as we give prominence to the educating influence of the ministry of Christ, especially of its concluding period.

And now the evening of this eventful day, the brightest, darkest, most memorable day, on which morning ever dawned or evening closed, had come. And there came a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counsellor, who went in boldly unto Pilate (by this act openly confessing his faith in Him now that He was dead), and craved. the body of Jesus. With him another rich man and counsellor, Nicodemus, who had before confessed Christ, united in paying rites of burial to His body. Never was money more worthily expended than for the linen and spices with which these men wrapped the body of Jesus. They laid it in a new sepulchre wherein never had man before been laid. John, no doubt, as well as the women of Galilee, saw what was done. There we leave this body, till the promised morning comes.

1 John xix. 32-35.

? 1 John v. 6-8.

CHAPTER VI.

ST. JOHN A WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

CHIEF FUNCTIONS OF AN APOSTLE. EVIDENCE OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST AS ADDRESSED TO ST. JOHN.-HIS TESTIMONY ON THIS SUBJECT.— MARY MAGDALENE'S MESSAGE TO ST. PETER AND ST. JOHN.—FIRST APPEARANCE OF CHRIST.—ST. JOHN SEES THE EMPTY SEPULCHRE, AND BELIEVES.-CHRIST APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE.-TO ST. PETER.TO THE TWO DISCIPLES GOING TO EMMAUS.-TO TEN APOSTLES IN THE EVENING. TO THE ELEVEN, EIGHT DAYS AFTER. TO ST. JOHN AND SIX OTHERS AT THE SEA OF GALILEE. TO FIVE HUNDRED DISCIPLES ON A MOUNTAIN IN GALILEE. THE ASCENSION.-COMPETENCY OF APOSTLES AS

WITNESSES.-ST. JOHN NEITHER AN ENTHUSIAST NOR AN IMPOSTOR.

As it was one of the chief functions of the office for which St. John was preparing, and in the exercise of which he was to spend his long life, to bear witness to the resurrection of Christ, it becomes important to notice the nature and sufficiency of the evidence on which he and his associates in this office founded their testimony.

It was in the open, empty sepulchre of Jesus that St. John says he "" saw and believed."1 Some have argued that he meant no more than that he believed what Mary had said about the removal of the body.? But this entirely disagrees with the force of this expression as used by him, and with the immediate context: "For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead;" i.e., up to this time he and his companions had not understood the Scripture, but now he understood it, and believed. The open sepulchre had opened his eyes. The fact of Christ's resurrection holds so essential a place in the religion St. John went forth to propagate, and in which he performed so conspicuous a part, that whatever other facts are proved, unless this be established, Christianity, as a divinely revealed system, lacks proof; and he spent his life under the power of a gross delusion. There might be evidence, for example, that all that is said respecting the birth of Christ happened just as it is recorded, and that we have a true account of His teaching, His purity, His death; but without the proof of His resurrection it would only be established that a good man had lived and taught, and was martyred. Now what was the evidence presented to the mind of St. John and his fellow

1 John xx. 8.

2 See Newcome, Ebrard, Stier.

apostles, which convinced them, aud rendered them unimpeachable witnesses of this fact?

The evidence John had that Christ's death was a real death, was, in the first place, of the clearest and most satisfactory nature. The soldiers that crucified Him made themselves sure that He was really dead. When they came to break His legs, for the purpose of hastening His death, they found that He was dead already; but that there might be no danger of mistaking a swoon for real death, one of them pierced His side, the spear penetrating to the heart,-and forthwith came there out blood and water. The apostle John testifies with great emphasis that he saw this done, saw the blood and water gushing, as the soldier withdrew the spear. The body was taken down from the cross, and Joseph of Arimathea having obtained permission of the governor to take charge of it,3 in company with Nicodemus, wrapped it in linen with costly spices, and laid it in a new sepulchre in a garden near the place of crucifixion. This was before sunset on Friday. On the following day, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate, and said, "Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again." They requested that a guard might be placed to prevent His disciples from coming by night to steal Him away. Their request was granted; and they were told to make it as sure as they could. They went and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch.5

The Jewish Sabbath, corresponding to our Saturday, passes. Early on the morning of the first day of the week there was a great earthquake; an angel from heaven rolled back the stone from the door of

1 John xix. 33.

2 John xix. 34-37. The short time He was suspended on the cross (as those subjected to this form of punishment often survived two or three days, and cases are cited of crucified persons, on being taken down, who were restored to life: Jos., Life, 75; Herod., vii. 194) might to some suggest a case of swoon rather than death. But even Renan admits that we have a sufficient guarantee that Jesus was actually dead, in the suspicious hatred of His enemies. "They must have made certain that He was actually dead" (Life of Jesus, chap. xxvi.). The crurifragium was not added to crucifixion in His case, because the soldiers could find no signs of life in Him, but to assure themselves that He was dead they deemed it sufficient to thrust the lance into His side.

3 According to the law of the Jews, the body should have been taken away and buried in the spot set apart for criminals; Mishna, Sanhedrin, vi. 5. According to that of the Romans it might be given to whomsoever claimed it. Digest., xlviii. 24, De cadaveribus punitorum. If Jesus had not numbered among His disciples such men as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, the Jewish rule would probably have been followed.

+ Matt. xxvii. 57-60; Mark xv. 42-46; Luke xxiii. 50-53; John xix. 38-42. 5 Matt. xxvii. 62-66.

6 Matt. xxviii. 1-4; Mark xvi. 1-4; Luke xxiv. 1-7; John xx. 1-18. In

the sepulchre, and Jesus arose, but no mortal eye saw Him come forth. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and other Galilean women, having prepared spices for the body, came to the sepulchre. They found the stone rolled away, but the body of Jesus was not there. Mary Magdalene returned immediately into the city, to inform Peter and John. While she was gone angels appeared to the other women, who told them they were seeking the living among the dead; that Jesus, according to His own word, had risen; and directed them to go into the city and tell His disciples. On their way, in obedience to the angels, Jesus met them, and they embraced His feet, and worshipped Him. This was His first appearance. He dispatched them immediately with the same charge they had received from the angels, to go and tell the apostles, and that they should see Him in Galilee,1

Meantime John and Peter, in consequence of what they had heard from Mary Magdalene, hastened to the sepulchre. They ran both together; and John did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre, and was stooping down, and looking on the linen clothes, when Peter came up, and passed immediately in. John is most graphic in his description of this scene. This was the occasion on which he said, he

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saw and believed." The graveclothes were there, and he was struck Matthew, where in the A. V. it is said there was a great earthquake, in the original the language is σeloμòs éyéveTO μéyas, there was a great shaking or concussion. Nothing is said about the earth as in chap. xxvii. 51, κaì ǹ yn èσeioon. Whether this shaking extended to the earth has been and may be questioned. It may have extended only to the sepulchre. There was a shaking or trembling of the rockhewn tomb. An earthquake so near, and yet which was not felt throughout the city, could scarcely be called " great.'

Matt. xxviii. 5-10; Mark xvi. 5-8; Luke xxiv. 4. "A difficulty arises here in fixing the order of time between our Lord's appearance to Mary Magdalene and that to the other women. This arises from the use of the word first in Mark xvi. 9, which seems to imply that this appearance to Mary Magdalene was the first of all: 'He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.' Yet the whole course of events shows conclusively that Jesus had previously appeared to the other women. We are therefore compelled, and that in accordance with good and ordinary usage, to regard first' as put here not absolutely but relatively. That is to say, Mark narrates three, and only three, appearances of our Lord; of these three that to Mary Magdalene takes place first, and that to the assembled disciples the same evening occurs last (Mark xvi. 14). In any series or succession of events, where pŵтov and VoTepov are employed, whatever may be the number of intervening terms, πрŵтоν marks the first of the series, and σrepov the last of the same series, and no other " (Robinson's Greek Harm., § 164).

2 "Mirum est," says Calvin, in his comment on this incident, "quum tam pusilla ac fere nulla tam in discipulis quam in mulieribus esset fides, tantum fuisse ardoris. Et certe fieri non potest quin pietas eos impulerit ad quærendum Christum. Manebat igitur semen aliquod fidei in eorum cordibus, sed ad tempus suffocatum, ut nescirent se habere quod habebant."

I

with the care with which the napkin that was about His head had been folded, and laid in a place by itself. They went away, leaving Mary, who had followed them back, standing without the sepulchre weeping. Stooping down, she looked in, and saw two angels, who addressed her tenderly in these words, "Woman, why weepest thou?" She answered, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him." As she turned around, she saw Jesus, whom, through her blinding tears, she mistook for the gardener, but whom she immediately recognised, as He pronounced her name. This was Christ's second appearance.2

His next appearance was to Peter, probably early in the afternoon of the same day; for He had been seen of Cephas, before He appeared to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus.3 It was towards evening of the same day that He drew near and went with these disciples, as they walked, communing in their sadness. Their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. They invited Him as they approached the village to take up His abode with them; and as He took the bread which they set before Him, their eyes were opened, and they knew Him, and He vanished out of their sight.

His next appearance (His first to John) was to the disciples, assembled on the evening of the day on which He arose from the dead, Thomas alone of the eleven being absent. As John saw the risen Lord, what must have been his emotions! The disciples had closed the door for fear of the Jews, when of a sudden He stood in the midst of them. They were filled with terror, supposing that it was an apparition or spirit which they saw. But He reassured them, by His well-remembered tones, in the well-known words, "Peace be unto you." He showed them His hands and feet. He told them to handle Him, that they might have sensible proof that He was not a mere spirit. He asked for food, and ate it in their presence. He opened their understandings to understand the Scriptures as never before. He appointed them to be witnesses of His death and resurrection. He renewed the promise of the Father to them, that they should be endued with power from on high, and directed them where to wait until this promise should be fulfilled. These five appearances all took place at or near Jerusalem, on the same day on which our Lord arose.

1 Luke xxiv. 12; John xx. 3-10.

2 Mark xvi. 9-11; John xx. 11-18.

3 1 Cor. xv. 5; Luke xxiv. 34.

4 Luke xxiv. 13-35.

He breathed upon

It was a sign of the

5 Mark xvi. 14-18; Luke xxiv. 36-49; John xx. 19-23. them, adding in explanation "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." inspiration they were to receive to fit them to preach the gospel and proclaim forgiveness of sins. 'But it was something more than a sign or symbol; a Divine

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