that he difcourfed to them of things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

I. The First point that may deferve your atten tion, our Saviour's continuance upon earth for forty days after he arofe.

That he did fo continué, is certain; and as certain, that, for many wife reafons, known to God alone, and as unneceffary as they are limpof fible to be by us difcovered, it was requifite that he fhould fo continue: but thofe, which the Scripture hath pointed out to us, we may war rantably aflign. And from thence it appears, that his ftay here upon earth, after his refurrection, was intended for the good of his church, which he was about to establish, and for the inftruction of his apostles in all things relating to the great work, in which he was about to employ

them.

They doubted of the truth of his refurrection; and therefore he stayed to give them fuch convincing proofs and affurances of it, as might enable them to convince others, and become authentic witneffes, of that great matter of fact, upon which, as upon a chief corner ftone, the whole frame of his religion was to be founded.

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They laboured under great prejudices, in rela tion to his character and fufferings, and expected, that, by him, the kingdom fhould have been restored to fael. Thefe prejudices he himself refolved to remove and difpel; to inform them of the fpiritual nature of his kingdom, of the ends for which, and the methods by which, it was to be erected and propagated. ..VOL. III.

Sorrow

Sorrow had overwhelmed their hearts upon the lofs of him; and therefore, upon his return to life, he stayed some time with them to comfort and chear them. They were, by degrees, to be weaned from their fondness for his person, and their defire of his bodily prefence; and to this end it was requisite that he should not withdraw himself from their fight at once, but appear and disappear to them at fit intervals; difcontinuing and resuming his conversation with them in fuch a manner, as might best dispose them to be willing entirely to part with him.

He was leifurely to fatisfy them, that it was expedient for him to go away fince if he went not away, the Comforter would not come; but if he departed, he would send him unto them; John xvi. 7. and that "when He, the Spirit of truth, was come, he would guide them into all truth, bring all things to their remembrance, and fhew them things to come:" John xvi. 13. would impart to them all fpiritual powers, gifts, and graces, and fill them with all confolation and joy in believing, and, by that means, make an amends to them for his own bodily abfence. For the reception of this Comforter, for the entertainment of this heavenly Gueft, he was to prepare and qualify them, that, when he arrived, he might find them meet to be partakers of his bleffed influences and illuminations.

These accounts of our Saviour's continuance upon earth, for fome time after he arofe, are plainly enough afferted, or intimated, in holy Writ; and therefore we may build upon them with affurance. And may we not also, without

prc

prefumption, although with lefs certainty, venture to fay, That he intended, by this means, to add one yet further proof to thofe he had already given, of his exceeding love to his fpoufe, the church, of his great and difinterested concern for the good of fouls? For though, from the moment of his refurrection, he was entided to that glory, which his humiliation had purchased, yet would he not immediately enter into it: He fnatched not at the reward, the high reward of his fufferings, with eagernefs and hafte; but delayed for fome time his folemn inauguration to the regal office; his taking poffeffion of the joys of heaven, and fitting on the right hand of God, while there was any thing yet left undone for his church, and his elect, which it was requifite for him to tranfact here in perfon. A noble instance of felf-denial! which feems to have wrought mightily in his apoftles, and to have produced excellent fruits; particularly in St. Paul, who, though he earneftly defired to be " abfent from the body, and prefent with the Lord. to depart and be with Chrift;" yet, for the fake of his flock here below, reprefled those defires, and was contented to want, that he fo earnestly longed after: To abide in the flesh (faid he to them) is more needful for you; Phil. j. 24. and on that account, and that only, he chose to abide in it.

Expedient therefore it was for the difciples of Chrift, that he should tarry fometime with them after he arofe: And that time was, it feems, forty days; a circumftance not to be neglected by us, fince the pen of St. Luke hath thought fit to record it; probably, for this reafon,-Because 0 2

Mofes

Mafes and Elijah, the types of Chrifi, on two very folemn occafions, and Chrift himself, just before he publicly exercifed his miniftry, had for the fame number of days, retired into the wilderness. Our Lord therefore having, in conformity with thefe types, taken forty days to prepare himself · for the discharge of his prophetic offices on earth, did in like manner retire, as it were, and feparate himself for forty days alfo, ere he entered upon his regal and mediatorial offices in heaven, and there fat at the right-hand of power, making interceffion to God for us.

But I proceed to what I have to offer to you on the

Second Particular, Our Saviour's appearing, throughout this time, chiefly to his apoftles.

There are indeed two inftances of his appearing to others than his apofties, i. e to the wo men at the fepulchre, and to the five hundred brethren mentioned by St. Paul: To which fome add a third, his appearing to two difciples on the way towards Emmaus: The relation of St. Luke (as they apprehend) leaving it doubtful, whether thefe were of the number of the eleven, or only difciples at large. But thefe, inftances were rare, and littls ftrefs is laid upon them by the holy writers; who generally place the whole proof of the refurrection of Chaft, upon the. apofiles teftimony, becaufe they faw him most frequently, and converfed moft tamiliarly with him: And therefore he is faid here, by St. Luke,

to have "fhewed himself alive to the apoftles whom he had chofen; Acts x. 40. 41. and by St. Peter, to have "fhewed himself openly, not to all the people, but unto witneffes chofen before of God, even to us [i. e. to us, the apostles] who did eat and drink with him after he arose from the dead."

Now the reafons of his appearing chiefly to the apoftles, are manifeft: They have been already, in fome measure, fuggefted; and there may be occafion, in what follows, further to explain them. But, why he appeared not to others befides the apostles, why not to fuch as were averse to his perfon and doctrine, to the Sanhedrim itfelf, or even to all the people the whole body of the Jews then affembled at the paffover is a quef tion that may feem to require and deferve a particular anfwer; Since infidelity on this head finds room to object, that the most effectual way of proving his refurrection had been to have made his enemies his witneffes; whereas our Saviour manifefted himself only to his friends and followers.

He did fo; and with very good reafon. For, 1. It was no ways fit, that fuch a favour should be indulged to his murderers; to thofe, who had treated this meffenger, and his meffage, with fcorn and blafphemy, had refifted the evidence of all his miracles, and notwithstanding the fanctity of his life and doctrine, had purfued him to his crofs with fuch a complication of obstinacy, malice, and cruelty, as can, in no other inftance, be paralleled. Had Chrift appeared, after he

arofe