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women the first publishers of his resurrection. If any are poor and unlearned, here is comfort for such. The power of God is power in all; and all are blind and foolish, in the matter of their salvation, without it.

11. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

This was strange, considering how plainly, and how often, Christ had told them of his rising again. But their slowness of belief tends to raise our assurance.

12. Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Peter probably had his mind so filled with thoughts of his denial of Jesus, as to have forgotten his promise that he would rise from the dead. This may teach us that whenever we sin, and lose our confidence in the love and favour of the Lord, we are incapacitated from reaping benefit from the events of God's providence, which is bringing about his purposes of mercy toward us.-Edit.

SECTION LXXXIII.

Chap. xxiv. ver. 13-32.

JESUS APPEARS TO TWO DISCIPLES ON THEIR WAY TO

EMMAUS.

13. And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.

14. And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

They talked of what was uppermost in their minds, and warm upon their hearts. They were prepared for Jesus, and he was ready for them.

15. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

When the discourse is of Christ, he is always one of the company.

16. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

If we do not see some particular things relating to Jesus Christ at once, let us not be discouraged. If we are in earnest with him, and wait his time, we shall be no losers by this delay. If he makes us delay, it is only to draw from us one answer after another, as he did from them, for our greater benefit, and to make sure work with our souls.

17. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad ?

Christ did not need to be informed, but to suit his instructions to their answers, and to enlighten their understandings by degrees. Christ remarked their sadness, and saw that this was an excellent ground to build upon. Deep seriousness, or inward trouble, is the way to rest; and such he invites to come to him.

18. 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?

19. And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed aud word before God and all the people :

20. And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

21. 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.

22. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre ;

23. 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.

24. 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.

This whole narrative is beautifully plain, simple, and pathetic.-Edit.

25. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

They had told Jesus all their minds, and now it was his turn to speak. Let us speak our minds to him, and we shall assuredly have an answer of instruction and comfort from him. "O fools!" This may justly be said of us, if we are ignorant, and slow of belief. We have the advantage of them in several respects. They had only the Scriptures of the Old Testament: we have both the Old Testament Scriptures, and also those of the New Testament; and one is the key to the other.

He charges them with slowness of heart to believe. Observe the root of all unbelief. Wherever we look for it, or whatever we pretend as the cause of it, it is nowhere but in the heart. If we had better hearts, we should have better heads. We have no liking to the things to be believed, and this of course makes us unwilling to believe, and grope for light at noon-day.

26. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

27. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Who would not wish to have heard him expound? Why have not we? What else has he been doing throughout the gospel? If not the very same things, yet what is fully as profitable to us!

28. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

This he did to try them, whether or not they would be so content to part with him. Many sincere Christians find this, and think Christ is about to leave them. But he has

no such design, whatever show he makes, and he loves to be held fast.

29. 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.

He never refuses this to any man. He is ready to take up his abode with us. O that we were able to make our hearts speak! Do we desire it? O that we all loved our Bibles, and did not let them lie dusting upon our shelves. Christ is there, and will be with us in them.

30. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, be took bread, aud blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

Is Christ not known of us, when he blesses, and breaks the bread to us in the sacrament?

31. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him ;

And are not our eyes opened, when we see him there with the eye of faith, and feed upon him with a true hunger and thirst? On the other hand, we may ask, are they truly opened till then?

31. And he vanished out of their sight.

By this they had full proof who he was. Nevertheless he had left himself in their hearts, and was not gone from them, though they saw him no more with their eyes.

32. 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?

This was a blessed experience to which they allude. Has he lost the power or the will, to open them to us, and to make our hearts burn within us? Alas! we read the Scripture but seldom; and when we do, we too seldom, if ever, offer, and open our hearts to him in the reading of it. We do not love what it contains. Our affections are otherwise engaged; and therefore it is no wonder that they are so cold and unmoved at the glad tidings of salvation which it brings us. O Jesus! thou still talkest with us in thy

word; speak it to our hearts, that they may burn within us, and rejoice in thy holy comforts.

SECTION LXXXIV.

Chap. xxiv. ver. 33—45.

CHRIST APPEARS THE SAME NIGHT TO HIS APOSTLES.

33. And they, [i. e. the disciples at Emmaus, ] rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,

34. Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

35. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

He blessed the bread, but vanished at the word,
And left them both exclaiming, 'Twas the Lord!
Did not our hearts feel all he deigned to say?
Did they not burn within us by the way?

Cowper.-Edit.

46. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

What peace? Answer, the peace of God. To them only? Nay, but to us also. It is Christ's precious legacy to the world: it lies open to all in the New Testament, and will be wrought into the hearts of all who seek after it, by his Spirit, in degrees more or less, so as to be a ground of comfort, and of willing, faithful obedience. The whole gospel is in this word, peace; but then the way to it is through repentance. Did a conviction of the truth ever make this peace welcome to us? Let us confess the truth.

37. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

38. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

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