They return, and find He has made His fourth appearance in the meanwhile to Peter, (locality unknown). Christ then appears, (for the fifth time), amongst the Eleven, in the evening, Thomas being absent. There were thus four appearances on the Sunday. 1. The earthquake, the Angel of the Lord descends, 2. The Angel's address to the women, “Fear not," &c. 3. The guard flee into the City, with the report of the Resurrection. 4. Christ's appearance to the women, when on their way to tell the disciples of the Resurrection. "In the end of the Sabbath,"-.e., When the Sabbath was over, which, according to Jewish reckoning, was at 6 P.M. the previous evening. "Was," should be, "had been :"-the earthquake, &c. happened before the women reached the sepulchre. The Watch make their Report of the Resurrection, and are bribed to say that His Disciples have stolen His Body from the Sepulchre, while themselves slept. (c. xxviii. 11-15.) "Now when they, (i.e. the first company of the women), were going, behold some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day." Matthew alone relates this incident. "Were going,"-to tell the disciples. "Some of the watch... city."-On recovering from their shock, or faint, the watch must have fled, for there is no mention made of their being near the sepulchre when the first company of women visited it. "Chief priests elders," the Sanhedrin. "His disciples slept," -a most senseless, and self ... contradictory, story, for 1. If the soldiers were asleep, how could they tell that during their slumbers the disciples had thus acted? 8. If they had slept, they would not dare mention it, as death was the inevitable penalty of neglect of duty by a Roman soldier,-and the Sanhedrin would have seen that the penalty was paid, instead of bribing them to tell the lie, and promising to screen them with Pilate, should the latter hear of the account the soldiers were giving. 3. The disciples, even had they harboured the design of taking the body away, would not have dared to approach the sepulchre when they saw the guard. Christ appears to the Apostles, (and probably all His disciples).-being His 7th. Appearance. "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." This 7th. Appearance of Christ is peculiar to Matthew. It is supposed, however, to be that alluded to by Paul,"After that he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once," (1 Cor. xv, 6.) "A mountain,"-probably the Mount of Transfiguration. "But some doubted,"-or, 66 even they who had doubted." "Came,"―rather, "approached." "All power is given to me,”—i.e., given by the Father in virtue of Christ having fulfilled His Covenant, the last seal of which was the Resurrection. There is, in these words of Christ, a reference to Dan. vii. 14,— "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." "Teach : = make disciples of. "In the name of,"-rather, "Into the name of." By name," here, we must understand "system of religion." The full meaning is, “Make all men converts to the religion of the Triune God, and baptize them as the symbol of their admission to it." 66 Alway" = all the appointed days. "Unto the end of the world."-Christ here promises to be with the Apostles until the end of their lives, and with all His ministers till the end of time. He does not mean that He will then forsake them: for instead of His being with them, they will be with Him, "which is far better." "Amen," is not part of Christ's discourse, but rather Matthew's ardent desire that Christ will be with him and all other ministers, as He here promises. LIST OF CHRIST'S APPEARANCES, (with narrators.) 1. To Mary Magdalene, at the Sepulchre. Mark, John, 2. To the rest of the women, at Jerusalem. Matthew. 3. To the two going to Emmaus 4. To Peter, place unknown Mark, Luke. 5. To the Eleven, Thomas being absent, at Jerusalem Luke, John. 6. To the Eleven, Thomas being present, at Jeru salem Mark, John, Paul. 7. To the Eleven, and 500 brethren, on a mountain in Galilee Matthew, Paul. 8. To some of the Eleven, while fishing by the Lake of Galilee salem John. 9. To James, "the Lord's brother," in Galilee.—Paul. 10. To the apostles, on Holy Thursday, at JeruLuke, do. in Acts, Paul. On this same day of His last appearance, Christ led the apostles out to Bethany,-repeated the commission to teach and baptize,—and, in the very act of blessing them, ascended into Heaven. Matthew records none of these incidents,—his Gospel ending very abruptly. GEOGRAPHY OF MATTHEW. RIVERS, &c.-Jordan, (with its three lakes), Brook Kidron. MOUNTAINS-Mons Quarantania, Mount of Beatitudes, Tabor, Mount of Olives, Mount Hermon, (with Mons Paneum). DIVISIONS AND DISTRICTS-Galilee, Samaria, Judæa,` Wilderness of Judæa, Peræa, (in its wide sense,) Phoenicia, Decapolis, (the district in which the majority of the "Ten Cities" were situated.) TOWNS : In Galilee Nazareth, Capernaum, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Magdala. In Samaria-None mentioned. In Judæa-Bethlehem, Ramah, Jerusalem, the site of N. of Sea of Galilee-Bethsaida (Julias), Cæsarea The Ten Cities called "Decapolis "-Scythopolis, Hip- LOCAL EXAMINATIONS. SCRIPTURE MANUALS, DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF PUPILS PREPARING FOR THE OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE LOCAL EXAMINATIONS. BY J. DAVIES, Uniformly Printed on Foolscap 8vo, bound in cloth, NOTES ON GENESIS, NOTES ON EXODUS, NOTES ON ST MARK, NOTES ON ST LUKE, NOTES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, NOTES ON JOSHUA, NOTES ON JUDGES, NOTES ON I. SAMUEL, NOTES ON ST MATTHEW, MANUAL OF THE CHURCH CATECHISM, In the Press, NOTES ON II. SAMUEL. NOTES ON I. KINGS. 18. 1s. 1s. 18. 6d. 1s. 6d. 1s. 18. 1s. 2s. 1s. LONDON: GEORGE PHILIP & SON, 32 FLEET STREET. LIVERPOOL: CAXTON BUILDINGS, SOUTH JOHN STREET, AND ATLAS BUILDINGS, SOUTH CASTLE STREET. |