my make the argument more convincing and fatisfa&tory, he added: "Behold my hands and my feet; that it is I "felf: handle me and fee; for a fpirit hath not flesh and 66 bones, as ye fee me have. And when he had thus fpo"ken, he fhewed them his hands and his feet (44), and his fide (45). Then were the difciples glad, when they saw "the Lord," fays S. John, yet their minds were flu&uating about many circumftances under the amazement, terror, and joy with which they were feized, and which did not fuffer them to rife at once out of the diftemperatures of former doubts, perplexity and prejudices of a glorious temporal reign of a Meffiah. St. Luke adds, "Whilft they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, Jefus faid unto them, Have ye here any thing to eat? And they offered him a "piece of broiled fish, and a honeycomb. And when he had eaten before them, taking the remains he gave to "them. And he said to them, These are the words which "Ifpoke to you while I was yet with you, that all things "muft needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of **Mofes, and in the Prophets, and in the Pfalms, concerning "me," viz. Proving from them the neceffity of his death and Refurre&ion. "Then he opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. And he faid to them, I fend the promife of my Father upon you; "but stay you in the city of Jerufalem, till you be endued "with power from on high," by the defcent of the Holy Ghost. This was the fifth appearance which Christ made on the day of his Resurrection. By this laft all the doubts of the disciples that were prefent were banished. By that which he made to S. Peter, its reality was conftated to a degree of conviction; though fome doubts as to the manner, or whether it was in a body, or in some spiritual kind of existence, either remained or were afterwards raised, from his vanishing out of fight, when he discovered himself to the two disciples at Emmaus, and from the furprife which his first appearance in the midst of the affembly of the difciples raised in their minds. But thefe fcruples were perfectly removed in the process of his last manifestation of himself to the whole affembly of ten Apoftles, and a great number of difciples, to whom he offered his body to be touched, and fhewed his hands, feet, and fide. Every kind of evidence had been now laid before them, and they were enabled, by the gift of that Holy Spirit which infpired the Prophets, to understand understand the facred Oracles which pointed out the true marks and characters of the Meffiah, and efpecially the neceffity of his fufferings, and the glory of his Refurrection. The guards who had been placed to watch the fepulchre, had been feized with fear at the earthquake, and the vifion of the angel; but having recovered themfelves, fome of them went into the city, and informed the chief priests of all that had happened. Hereupon the chief Priefts and Elders affembled, and gave large fums of money to the foldiers, charging them to fay, Jefus's Difciples came by night and ftole away the corpfe while they were asleep, promifing to fecure them from harm, in cafe the matter fhould reach the Governor's ears. They took the money, and faid as they were taught. And this word was fpread abroad among the Jews, unto this day, fays S. Matthew (46). The fame is repeated by the modern Jewish Rabbins (47). S. Austin facetioufly rallies the forgers of this inconfiftent ftory (48); for perfons who faid they were afleep could not give evidence that the body was ftolen. Some of the guards had published the truth; but they did not fay they had feen Jefus rife from the grave, having been frightened into a fwoon or trance at the earthquake, and at the fight of a terrible apparition of the angel, who rolled away the ftone and fat upon it. And the chief Priefts counter-worked the evidence of one part of the foldiers, by the teftimony of the fuborned witneffes, which ferved to perplex the truth, and gave a pretence to those who were afraid of discovering it, to call the accounts of the earthquake, or at leaft of the angel, dreams and illufions. With unprejudiced and thinking people this story carried its own confutation with it. Nor was it credible that the Difciples, who were ftruck with fuch a panic fear as not to dare to fhew themselves in public, and were ignorant, plain, undefigning men, could undertake fuch an enterprize; or that the Roman foldiers, trained up under the strictest difcipline, and placed there but the evening before, should be all afleep at the fame time without one centinel to watch, and should fleep fo foundly and fo long, as not to be awakened either by the rolling away of the ftone, or the carrying off the body, which required a great number of hands, and a confiderable length of time? But God had chofen the Apoftles, not the guards or foldiers, to be witneffes to the world of this glorious mystery. To them therefore (46) Matt. xxviii. 17. (47) S. Juftin. Dial, cum Triphon. (48) S. Aug. in Pfalmum lxiii. Ti. 7. therefore he difcovered it with the most rational and incontestable evidence, and furnished them with the most authentic credentials. After the five appearances which Chrift had made on the day of his Refurrection, he forebore vifiting his Difciples any more for eight days, that they might examine with a cool deliberate attention the evidences he had afforded them, that their faith might be rational and well-grounded. S. Thomas was not with the reft on the Sunday when Christ manifested himself in the midft of the affembly. And fo deeply rooted were his prejudices, that he not only refused to believe the Refurrection of Christ upon the report of others, but even would not rely upon his own eyes, fancying it might be fome apparition rather than Chrift corporally rifen. "Except I shall "fee in his hands," faid he," the print of the nails, and દર put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my "hand into his fide, I will not believe." Therefore, "eight days after, when the Disciples were again within, "and Thomas was with them, Jefus came, the doors being "fhut, and ftood in the midft, and faid: Peace be to you. "Then faith he to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and "fee my hands; and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my fide, and be not incredulous, but believing." Thomas could not reject the very evidence he had required, nor doubt of the veracity of him who knew all his thoughts: but confeffed him his Lord and his God. Whereupon Jefus faid unto him: "Thomas because thou haft feen me, thou "haft believed. Bleffed are they who have not seen, and 'પ yet have believed, (50)." After this we find no fcruple left in the minds of any of the Apoftles: and hitherto the appearances of Chrift seem to have been intended only for their conviction; and those that follow rather for their confirmation and inftruction in the faith, doctrine, and facraments of the gofpel. For the remaining thirty days he continued on earth, all his appearances are not recorded, but we are affured that he continued his vifits to the Disciples, being feen by them during forty days after his paffion, "and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of "God (51)," fays S. Luke, that is inftructing them in all things that regarded the establishment of his church and their miniftry for he fent them not only as witneffes of his miracles, death and Refurrection, but alfo as teachers and preach : .(50) John xx. 24. (51) A&ts 1. iii. ers 1 1 ers of his faith, and as difpenfers and ministers of his fpiritual treasures and holy Sacraments. The angel, at the fepulchre, and Christ himself, both before and after his Refurrection, had foretold that he would go before and would manifeft himself to his Difciples in Galilee. There he had lived about 30 years, had wrought the greatest part of his miracles, and had formed the far greatest part of his Difciples, and was most known. And there he could manifeft himself to a much greater number of followers. Alfo the Apoftles being all, or almoft. all from Galilee, were obliged to return home to their affairs. All the males among the Jews were commanded by the law of Mofes (52) to appear before the Lord (at the tabernacle firft, and afterward in the temple) thrice every year; namely, at the three great feafts of the Paffover, the Feaft of Weeks or Pentecoft, and the Feaft of Tabernacles. Each of these folemnities lasted a whole week. The Apostles and Difciples from Galilee had come up to Jerufalem, both to attend their Master, and in obedience to the law to keep the Paffover; and having continued there as they were obliged to do, till the end of that festival, immediately after they had feen Jefus on the eighth day after his Resurrection, when St. Thomas was with them (53), returned to their own country. In Galilee Jefus firft manifefted himself to them at the fea of Tiberias, called alfo the fea of Galilee. This is faid by S. John (54), to be "the third time that Jefus fhewed "himself to his Difciples" (in any numerous affembly of them)" after that he was rifen from the dead." This confequently preceded his appearance on a mountain in Galilee by appointment, mentioned by St. Matthew (55). It seems to have been on this mountain that he fhewed himself to above 500 brethren together in Galilee, which being fubje&t to Herod, the Difciples could affemble more freely, and in greater numbers, and more frequently than at Jerufalem, where the hatred and apprehenfions of the chief Priests and Elders were increased rather than extinguished by the death of Christ. On the fame account, Jefus fome time before his death "walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews fought to kill him (56)." Greater numbers therefore were favoured with seeing Jefus in Galilee. But when he had fufficiently inftructed them in all things, he made his last appearances in the neighbourhood of Jerus falem, (52) Exod. xxiii. 17. Deuț. xvi. 16. (53) John xx. 26. (54) John xxi. 14. (55) Mat, xxviii, 16, (56) John vii. 1. falem, and thence afcended into heaven. The Apostles and Difciples were otherwife obliged again to repair thither about that time for the celebration of the Feast of Pentecost (57); during which they were covered from the danger of giving umbrage by their affemblies, whilft great multitudes of their brethren from all parts, filled every quarter of the city, A Chriftian refts not on the bare history or narrative of Chrift's Refurrection, but by entertaining himself upon it, by pious meditation and devotion, stirs up in his heart thofe interior fentiments which difpofe him to reap the fruit of this great mystery. We fhall therefore here point out in general the principal affections of piety which its contemplation ought to kindle in our fouls, and the exercises of devotion with which we are bound to celebrate this great feftival, CHA P. III. On the principal Difpofitions of Soul and Exercifes of Devotion, with which every Chrißian is bound to celebrate the glorious Solemnity of CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. A S angels proclaimed to the world the birth of Christ, fe they announced to us, in the perfons of the holy women at the fepulchre, the joyful news of his glorious Refurrection. Fear ye not, faid the heavenly meflenger, as if he had faid let thofe tremble at our fight, who finking under the weight of fin, and impenitence, and under the yoke of the devil, which they have not courage to shake off, defpair of attaining our company in the glory of heaven: but you who see your fellow-citizens, need not be affrighted, Having calmed the fears of thefe devout women, he announced to them the great mystery which is the cause of unutterable joy and advantages. "You seek Jefus of Naza"reth who was crucified: he is rifen: he is not here (1). At this news what unspeakable joy must have overwhelmed their pure and loving fouls! This meffage belongs also to us, it proclaims to the whole world in the perfon of thefe devout women, the great triumph of our divine Redeemer, and the accomplishment of our most happy and most glorious Redemption, with all its eternal and incomprehenfible advantages. In what raptures ought we to liften to the voice of the divine Herald! With what heavenly pomp and folemnity may we represent to ourselves the awful proclamation of (57) Acts, xi. • (1) Mark xyi. 6.... this |