There is one confiderable difficulty, concerning the greatness of this number of five hundred; namely, that, after our Saviour's afcenfion, we find, Acts i. 15. that, after their return from mount Olivet, from whence our Saviour afcended, to Jerufalem, the whole number of their meeting was but an hundred and twenty, for so it is exprefly faid, the number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty; that is, of the perfons there met. Now, we cannot reasonably fuppofe, that any of those five hundred, who had feen him after his refurrection, were fallen off from them.

For the clear folution of this, it is to be confidered, that the great meeting of five hundred was in Galilee, where our Saviour's refidence chiefly had been, and where he had preached most conftantly, and, by consequence, he had probably there the greatest number of followers, which was the reason why he chose to appear there, and appointed that place for the general meeting

After

which, the Apoftles who went thither by our Lord's appointment, together with others who accompanied them from Jerufalem, returned back: but his followers who lived in Galilee remained there; fo that there might very well be five hundred at the meeting in Galilee, and but an bundred and twenty at Jerufalem

St Paul goes on, verse 7. After that he was seen of James. This particular appearance of our Lord to St James, the brother of our Lord, is no where mentioned in the evangelifts. St Paul probably had it from the com mon tradition mentioned by St Jerom, out of the Hebrew gofpel of the Nazarenes, in which are feveral paffages omitted by St Matthew, and this for one: "That our "Lord, immediately after he had rifen, went and appeared to James; for James had vowed, that hour that he "drank of the cup of the Lord (viz. in the facrament) he "would not eat bread, till he faw him rifen from the dead, "The Lord, when he appeared to him, faid, Bring hither "bread and a table; and he took the bread, and blessed, ❝and brake it, and gave it to James the Juft, and faid to "him, My brother, eat thy bread; for the Son of man "has rifen from among them that fleep." To this tra dition St Paul probably alludes; but then ura, which we translate afterwards, or then, ought to be rendered, as it

elsewhere

elsewhere is, præterea, befides, moreover he appeared to James, without denoting the order of the time; for, according to this tradition, it was prefently after his refurrection, before he had appeared to the other Apoftles.

It follows, Then he was feen of all the Apoftles; that is, by Thomas, as well as the reft. And this was his fecond appearance to the Apoftles together; of which St Luke gives us an account, Luke xxiv. 5. and St John, chap. xx. 19.

And, laft of all, he was, fays St Paul, feen of me alfo, as an abortive, or one born out of due time. This he fpeaks of the appearance of our Lord to him in his way to Damafcus, whereby he was, in a very powerful and extraordinary manner, on a fudden converted to Chriftianity.

Thus I have given you an account of the feveral appear ances of our Saviour, not only to the Apoftles, but to o thers, and have endeavoured to explain the chief difficulties relating to them; fo that here is a very plentiful teftimony of our Saviour's appearance after his refurrection. I proceed to the

II. Thing here obfervable, that our Lord was really alive when he thus appeared, and his body vitally united to his foul: To whom he also fhewed himself alive. To which purpose there is a remarkable paffage in Ignatius, in his epiftle to the church of Smyrna, out of the fame Hebrew Nazarene gofpel: "That Chrift faid to Peter, "after his refurrection, Behold, touch me, and fee that "I am not a spirit that have affumed a body." For that was one great objection, that his body was not a real body united to his foul, but a thin airy body, fuch as are af fumed by fpectres and apparitions. But the further evi dence of this I refer to the fecond general head, concern ing the proofs of the reality of his appearance. I pro ceed to the

III. Thing I observed, viz. That he appeared alive after he had been really dead: To whom alfo be fhewed himfelf alive after his passion, says the text; that is, after he was crucified, and dead, and buried, he was raised and reftored to life again. And this likewife is necessary, to evidence the truth and reality of his refurrection, that

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he was really dead. That this was fo, we cannot doubt, whether we confider the malice of the Jews, who would take care he should be dead before he was taken from the crofs; or the manner of his death, his heart being pierced by the spear, which was evident from the water and blood which came out of his fide, which fhewed that his heart was mortally wounded; or the time of his being in the grave, which was part of three days.

And now, if he was really dead, his reftitution to life, which we call his refurrection, must be miraculous; it being beyond any natural power, that we know of, to effect it.

As for that malicious tradition of the Jews, that he was ftolen out of his grave by his difciples while the watch was asleep, and given out to be rifen from the dead; befides the undeniable proofs of his refurrection, which I fhall produce by and by, the evidence which these fuborned witneffes gave, of his difciples ftealing away his body, deftroys itfelf; for they faid, his difciples came by night, and stole him away while we flept; which amounts to no more, but that, when they awaked, his body was fome way or other conveyed or gone out of the gravė ; which is confiftent with his refurrection. But furely none will think fit to give credit to what they teftify was done while they were asleep. They are very willing to believe a thing, who will admit of fuch a deposition.

Thus much concerning our Saviour's appearance to his difciples and followers, after his refurrection. I fhall briefly confider, in the

Second place, why he only appeared to his own fol. lowers, and not alfo to the unbelieving Jews, who had put him to death, for the full conviction of his enemies and murderers, and the converfion of that whole nation, to whom he was primarily fent.

Of this matter, fo far as is fit for us to enquire into the reafon of the divine difpenfations, this probable account may be given.

1. It was only of abfolate neceffity, that those who were to be the first publishers of the gofpel, and the witneffes of his refurrection to the world, fhould have the atmoft evidence and fatisfaction concerning the reality of

299 it: Others might very foon credit it upon the teftimony of fo many witneffes, who alfo gave evidence to the truth of their teftimony by the miracles which they wrought; and of their own fincerity, by dying for this testimony. And thus St Peter takes notice of the reason why our Lord, after his refurrection, did not appear to all the people, but only to felect witneffes; because his appearance was neceffary only to those who were defigned and appointed to be the witneffes of it. If more had been neceffary, he muft, by the fame reafon, have appeared to all the world, as well as to the Jews: Acts x. 40, 41. Him God raised up the third day, and fhewed him openly; not to all the people, but to witnesses chofen before of God, even unto us, who did eat and drink with him, after he rofe from the dead; and he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to teftify, &c.

2. The unbelieving Jews, especially the chief priests and rulers, upon whofe authority the people depended, were very unworthy, to whom God fhould afford fo extraordinary a way of conviction, who had already despised and rejected fo great evidence as was offered to them; and not only fo, but malicioufly imputed the plainest miracles that ever were wrought amongst them, to the power and operation of the devil. Now, if any thing can render men incapable of the favour of farther means of conviction, fuch a malicious refiftance of the evidence which our Saviour's miracles, daily wrought among them, carried along with them, would probably do it; efpecially if we confider, that the greatest of all the miracles which he wrought in his lifetime, (I mean, the raifing of Lazarus from the dead, after he had been dead four days) was fo far from convincing them, though they could not deny the thing, that from thence their malice took occafion to refolve to put him to death: John xi. 47. Then gathered the chief priefs and Pharifees a council, and faid, What do we? for this man doth many miracles: if we let him alone, all men will believe on him. And, verfe 53. Therefore, from that day, they took counsel together for to put him to death. Now, was it reafonable that he fhould appear to them for their conviction, after he was rifen from the dead, who maliciously confpired to compafs

300

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compass his death, for this very caufe, because they knew that he had raised one from the dead?

3. This would have been inconfiftent with that juft punishment, which God had determined to bring upon the Jewish nation for their obftinate infidelity, and malicious rejection, and cruel ufage of the Son of God. After fitting means used for the conviction of men, it is just with God to let men remain in their own obftinate infidelity, and to punish them for it. And it is not to be expected, that God should use violent and irresistible means, to bring fuch perfons to repentance, and to prevent their ruin. He pities the weakness and infirmities of honeft minds, and condefcends to give them fuch evidence as it is reasonable to demand, as he did to his disciples: But he hath not thought fit to provide fo extraordinary a remedy for wilful and obftinate infidelity; which was the cafe of the fcribes and Pharifees.

Secondly, We will confider the proofs of the reality of our Saviour's appearance after his refurrection: To whom alfo he fhewed himself alive after his paffion, by many infallible proofs, ἐν πολλοῖς τεκμηρίοις, by many certain and undoubted proofs or arguments; for fo the words properly fignify, as Quintilian from Ariftotle tells us; Teras " undoubted fays he, are indubitata et neceffaria figna, " and neceffary figns of a thing;" as the actions of fpeaking, walking, eating, and drinking, are the Texμga, undoubted figns of life.

And these μnea, or undoubted proofs of our Saviour's refurrection, may be referred to these two heads, the natural, and the fupernatural and miraculous evidences of the thing.

1. The natural evidence of the thing to their senses; to their eyes, the quickest and fureft of fenfes, men being leaft apt to be deceived in those things quæ funt oculis commiffa fidelibus," which are committed to fuch "faithful witneffes as our own eyes." He was feen of all his difciples, not once, but feveral times; not by a tranfient view and glance, but in a way of the most familiar converfation: he difcourfed with them, and did eat and drink with them, and with the fame circumstances that

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