478 Peter inquires what should become of John. his breast at supper, SECT. Jesus loved, silently following him, in humble sus loved, following cci. token of his readiness likewise to suffer the which also leaned on greatest extremities in the service of so dear a and said, Lord, which John XXI. 20. Master. Now, by the way, it may be recol- is he that betrayeth lected, that this was the apostle John, for whom thee? our Lord had a peculiar kindness, who also at the paschal supper lay in his bosom, and said to him, Lord, who is he that will betray thee? (See John 21 xiii. 25, p. 286.) Peter therefore observing 21 Peter seeing not called to it, says unto Jesus, Lord, what 23 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. 23 Then went this the brethren, that that Now as this answer was not rightly understood, this saying therefore went abroad among saying abroad among the brethren, or the other followers of Christ, disciple should not die: that this disciple should not die and the ad- yet Jesus said not unvanced age to which he lived gave some farther to him, He shall not colour for it but it was entirely built upon a that he tarry till I die: but, If I will mistake; for Jesus did not say to him, or of him, that he should not die; but only, as it was ex d Silently following him, in humble to ken of his readiness, &c.] There is a spirit and tenderness in this plain passage which I can never read without the most sensible emotion. Christ orders Peter to follow him, in token of his readiness to be crucified in his cause. John stays not for the call; he rises, and follows too; but he says not one word of his love and his zeal. He chose that the action only should speak that; and when he records this circumstance, he tells us not what that action meant; but with great simplicity relates the fact only. If here and there a generous heart that, like his own, glows with love to Christ, sees and emulates it, be it so; but he is not solicitous men should admire it. It was addressed to his Master; and it was enough that he understood it.-And can any one pressed come, be himself base enough to imagine that such a man could spend his life in promoting a pernicious falsehood (for such, in the second edition of the ninth of my ten sermons I largely prove the apostolic testimony to be, if it were a falshood), and at last, in his old age, when his relish for every thing but goodness and immortality was gone, would so solemnly attest it, as he does in the conclusion of his gospel? May God deliver every one that reads this from a head so fatally beclouded by the corruptions of the heart! e This saying therefore went abroad among the brethren, &c.] That there was such a notion and tradition among the ancients, Fabricius has particularly shewn, Cod. Apoc. Nov. Test. Vol. II. p. 533. thee? Reflections on the inquiry into Peter's love. 24 This is the dis 479 SECT. cci. John come, what is that to pressed before, If I will that he tarry, or continue alive, till I come, what [is that [to thee? And this is the disciple who testifies concerning ciple which testifieth these things, and hath written them as above: XXI. 24. these things: and since he was an eye-witness to them, and and we know that his has not failed, in a proper manner, to produce testimony is true. in the churches the credentials necessary to prove the veracity and exactness of his writings, of these things, and wrote we certainly know that his testimony is true, and IMPROVEMENT. WHAT if our Lord Jesus Christ should put the same question Ver. to us that he did to Peter, in this remarkable passage, and 15--17 should thus repeat it again and again? Are there none of us who should be at a loss for an answer? None of us to whom he might say, I know that you have not the love of Christ in you?-Or are there none of us who apprehend, that, if we had ourselves been thus pressed, we could, at the very best, only have said, Lord, thou that knowest all things, knowest that I cannot tell whether I love thee or not?-Blush, and be confounded, O my soul, if thou must reply with such uncertainty to a question of so great importance, and in a case where all the ardour of the heart might be so justly expected!, But are there not still some of us who through Divine grace 17 could reply with pleasure, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that, notwithstanding all the unallowed and lamented infirmities of our lives, we do indeed love thee?-And, if we are thus really conscious to ourselves of such an unfeigned affection, let it be our daily joy, that he who implanted this Divine principle in our hearts, discerns and sees it there; and, knowing all things, he perfectly knows this, however we may be suspected, however we may be censured. Let us learn also by what method we are to express our love, 16 according to our ability and opportunity; even by feeding his sheep f We know that his testimony is true.] Grotius would argue from the plural number in these words (Annot. in John xx. 30), that this last chapter was not written by John himself, but was added to his gospel by some other hands. (See note a on John xxi. 1. p. 471.) But it is plainly said in the beginning of this verse, that it was he who testified and wrote these things; and besides, that we have frequent instances of the like change of numbers (sce Rom. vii. 14, and 1 Thess. ii. 18), it is 480 cci. Jesus appears to five hundred brethren in Galilee: SECT. sheep, and promoting the interest and edification of his church Let ministers especially do it; and let them not forget those dear Ver. creatures, the lambs of the flock. Jesus the compassionate Shep15 herd, as we see, did not forget them; but taught his servants with the greatest tenderness both by his precepts, and by his example, to gather them in their arms, and carry them in their bosom. (Isa. xl. 11.) 21 Happy are those ministers who, instead of indulging a vain curiosity in things wherein they are not at all, or but very little concerned, are spending their lives in such faithful services; feeding the flock of God; and taking the oversight of it, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; that when the chief Shepherd shall appear, they may receive an unfading crown of glory: (1 Pet. v. 2, 4.) A crown which will infinitely more than repay, not only their labours, but their sufferings too! 18 Happy Peter, who, having worn out his better years in the ser vice of Christ, courageously stretched out his aged arms to be bound, and, being borne away to tortures and death, shed the last slow ebb of his blood as a martyr for him who had loved him and 20--23 given himself for him.-And not less happy the beloved disciple, so willing to hazard his life in the same cause; though he was not in fact called to lay it down as a martyr! Our gracious Lord, who sees every purpose, and every affection, as it rises in the heart, favourably accepts of the willing mind, and will, through the riches of his grace, entitle them to the reward of equal suffering, who have waited with a like readiness, though they have not been called out to the severity of the like trial. SECT. SECT. CCII. Christ appears to the whole body of the disciples at the appointed mountain in Galilee, and afterwards meets the apostles several times at Jerusalem, and discourses with them concerning the affairs of his kingdom. Mat. XXVIII. 16, to the end. Mark XVI. 15-18. Luke XXIV, 44-49. Acts I.-2, 3. MAT. XXVIII. 16. MAT. XXVIII. 16. disciples went a c. NOW, quickly after the late interview which THEN the eleven Jesus had with his disciples at Jerusalem, way into Galilee, into the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to a certain a mountain where JeXXVIII mountain not far from the sea of Tiberias, where sus had appointed 16 Jesus had appointed to meet them. "And he them. Mat. appeared to them, and above five hundred bre And And after that, is seen of James, and then of all the apostles. 481 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. ccii. Mat. And having seen him, they bowed down and SECT. But, though he shewed himself thus openly Though some of the company had doubted at first, &c.] There is no room to think that this refers to some of the apostles, when Christ had so lately satisfied the most incredulous among them; but we are certainly to understand it (as Mr. West has fully shewn) of some that were in company with them, though Matthew has not mentioned them. (See West's Observ. p. 25, 29.) Yet still it is not easy to imagine how any of the rest of this com pany could continue to doubt of the truth of Christ's resurrection, when they actually saro him, and that in the presence of so many others; a circumstance incomparably more convincing to each than if he had appeared to any one alone. I therefore chose to render and paraphrase the words, of de digacay, as above. Those learned critics, Albert (Observ. p. 163, 164), and Bos (Exercit. p. 23), have produced many instances, in which is put Τον τινες. And all the difficulty is rcmoved, if we allow a small change in the tense, and take the rendering of the Prussian Testament, Even they who had before doubted; or, which is much the same, though some had doubted. b Several years after ] It is generally granted that the first Epistle to the Corinthi uns was written at least twenty years after Christ's resurrection; and Paul there tells us, that the greater part of these five hundred then continued alive. And by the way it was a wise and gracious dispensation of Divine Providence to continue their lives so long, as each of them, wherever Provi➡ dence led them, would be an authentic witness of that important fact, the resur rection of our Lord, the great fundamental of the Christian faith. c After that he appeared to James.] It is probable this was James the son of Alpheus, who was still living when the apostle Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians, whereas the other James, the son of Zebedee, had suffered martyrdom some years before. (Acts xii. 2.) But the circum stances of this appearance are no where recorded, nor have we any credible account where or when it happened; only we learn from the order in which it is placed by the apostle Paul, that it was after Christ's appearance to the five hundred brethren. See note b on Luke xxiv, 34, p. 464. And 482 He shews them that the scriptures were fulfilled in him. SECT. him after he rose from he dead." See Acts ccii. Acts ACTS I. 2-[And] through the Holy Ghost [he gave] commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen ; And at these times of his conversing with 1. 2. them, he more particularly opened to them what was the nature and design of their office; [and] through the Holy Spirit, which was given not by measure to himself, and which he had Jately breathed into them, he gave commandments and instructions to the apostles whom he had 3 chosen, how they were to act: To whom also 3 To whom also he he gave abundant evidences of the truth of his shewed himself alive after his passion, by resurrection, and shewed himself to be alive after many infallible proofs, he had suffered death, by many infallible proofs being seen of them and tokens; being seen of them at various times forty days, and speaking of the things perfor the space of forty days after his resurrection, taining to the kingdom and speaking to them of the things which related to the kingdom of God. Luke And these his last interviews with them were of God. LUXE XXIV. 44. And [Jesus came, and the law of Moses, and XXIV. chiefly at Jerusalem, to which they returned soon spake unto them, say4+ after his appearance to them on the mountain in ing], These are the Galilee; and Jesus also came thither, and made words which I spake unto you, while I was them repeated visits: and on one of these occayet with you, that all sions, he spake unto them, saying, These [are] things must be fulfilled the words which I spake to you, and these the which were written in intimations that I often gave you, while I was in the prophets, and in yet dwelling among you, that all the things must the Psalms, concerning be exactly fulfilled which are written in the me. [MAT. XXVIII. scriptures concerning me, both in the pentateuch which is called the law of Moses, and in the books of the succeeding prophets, and in the Psalms and other poetical books of the Old Testament. ex 18.-] 45 Then opened he understanding their that they might under 45 And at the same time he not only in words pounded to them the sense of the sacred writers, but also by a secret operation on their intellec- stand the scriptures, tual faculties opened their minds, that they might understand the scriptures in their reference to 46 him. And in a most convincing manner he d And at these times of his conversing, with them.] As I have inserted in the first paragraph of this section what is said in the first epistle to the Corinthians, of our Lord's appearance to the five hundred brethren, and to James, so I have thought it proper to introduce in this and the next section what relates to this story in the beginning of the Acts (chap. i.-2-12), which renders the narration more complete, and finishes the account which the sacred writers give us of the history of our Lord to the time of his ascension. e On one of these occasions he spake, enlarged 46 And said unto them, &c.] I use this indeterminate form of expression, because I see no mark by which we can particularly ascertain the time when the following discourse was delivered; only, I think it very plain it must be after their return to Jerusalem (see Luke xxiv. 49), and consequently a very few days before our Lord's ascension. I have thrown all that the three evangelists say of these discourses into one continued discourse, though perhaps some of them might be delivered at different times. 1 Beginning |