676

Sect. 203. LukeXXIV. 520

They return to Jerufalem, and praise GOD in the Tempre.

LUKE XXIV. 52. And they worshipped him, and lem, with great Joy, [from [then] returned to Jerufathe Mount called. Olivet, which is from Jerufalem a Sabbath - Day's Journey :] [ACTS I. 12.]

And his Difciples were fo fully fatisfied of his. Divine Power and Glory, that they worshipped him with the humbleft Reverence, tho' he was now become invisible to them; and then (as he had ordered them,) returned to Jerufalem with great foy, from the Mount called Olivet, where he was parted from them; which is but a SabbathDay's Journey, or about a Mile distant from Jerufalem (c); And it exceedingly rejoiced their Hearts to think, that Jefus their Lord was in this fingular Manner honoured by his Heavenly. Father, and received up into a State of everlasting Felicity and Glory, in which he would be able to protect all his Followers, and to provide in the moft effectual Manner for their present and eter53 nal Happiness. And they were always in the Temple, that is, they conftantly attended there in the Temple, praising and at proper Times, and were daily prefent at the Hours of Prayer (d), praising and blessing GOD, both in his Houfe, and in their own Retirements. Amen! May GOD always be praised by us, and by all who receive his Gospel, for the Discoveries and Atteftations of it given to these his Servants, and by them to us!

Mark XVI.

2Q.

And in a few Days after this, (as will be fhewn more largely in the following Hiftory,) their af

cended

53 And were continually

bleffing GOD. Amen.

MARK XVI. 20. And.

they

(c) Which is a Sabbath-Day's Journey from Jerufalem.] A Sabbath-Day's Journey is generally reckoned by the Jews to be Two thousand Gubits; which was the Distance between the Ark and the Camp, when they marched; (Joh. iii. 4.) and probably the fame Proportion was observed, when they rested. This is ufually computed at about Eight Furlongs, or a Mile. But as the Camp took in a large Extent of Ground, and this was only the Dif tance of those that encamped nearest to the Ark; fo it is evident, that as all the People were to repair on the Sabbath-Day to the Place of God's publick. Worship, a SabbathDay's Journey was more than Two thousand Cubits to thofe, whofe Station in the Camp was more remote from the Ark: Yet when they were afterwards fettled in Towns, they allowed no more than Two thousand Cubits for a Sabbath-Day's Journey. (See Selden, de Jur. Nat. et Gent. Lib. iii. cap. 9. and Lightfoot, Hor. Hebr. on Luke xxiv. 50. and Acts i. 12.) Compare Note (a) in this Section, on Luke xxiv. 50.

(d) And they were always in the Temple.] Some have imagined, (by comparing this with As i. 13, 14.) that the Apostles dwelt for fome Time afterwards, in an upper Chamber of the Temple: But they had no fuch Intereft with the Priests, as to allow us to fuppofe, they would permit them to lodge in an Apartment of the Temple. It is fufficient, that they were always there at the proper Seafons; for it is well known, that by Night the Temple was shut up. (Compare Luke ii. 37. Vol. i. pag. 69. and John xviii. 20. Vol. ii. pag. 537) They probably joined their Voices with the Chorus of the Levites, as no doubt other pious Ifraelites did; and muft furely from what they had already feen and known, have learnt to ufe many of the Pfalms fung by them, in a much fublimer Senfe, than the Generality of the People could.

(e) The

JESUS did many other Things, which are not written.
Jesus

they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with Signs. following. Amen..

677

Mark XVI

20.

t

cended Lord, in Remembrance of his Promise Sect. 203.
to them, fent down as a Royal Donative the
extraordinary Influences of his Spirit upon them,
fully to qualify them for that important Office to
which they were defigned. And going forth
with this Furniture, they preached the Gospel
every where throughout the whole Roman Empire,
and even among the Barbarous Nations, with :
amazing Success; the Lord, according to his
Promife, working with them, and confirming the-
Word of his Grace by the Signs and Miracles
which followed it; which were at once the most
folid, as well as the most obvious and popular
Demonstrations of thofe Divine Truths which
they delivered. Amen! So may the Prefence of
the Lord be always with his faithful Ministers!
and may his Gospel be attended every where with
Efficacy and Succefs, as well as with convincing
Evidences of its Divine Authority!

25.

And thus we have given a summary Account of John XXI. '. the most remarkable Paffages of the Life of Chrift during the Time of his Abode on Earth: But af ter all, it must be confidered only as a Specimen, rather than a full Narration; for there are also many other Things that Jefus faid and did, and indeed many other Signs and Miracles, that Jefus wrought, both before and after his Refurrection, in the Prefence of his Difciples, which are not written in this Book of the Four Evangelifts, which is here compleated; and which indeed are fo numerous, that if every one [of them] should be re-. corded in all its Circumftances, I am perfuaded, the Work would amount to fo vast a Bulk, that the World itself would not be able to receive the Books that should be written ;, but the very Size of the Volumes would neceffarily prevent the Ge- nerality of Mankind from procuring, or reading them (e).. But these most neceffary and impor- John XX.

tant

(e) The World itself would not be able to receive the Books &c.] There would be no great Inconvenience in allowing, an Hyperbole here, as moft Expofitors do; of which we meet with other Instances in Scripture (See Gen. xi. 4. Numb. xiii. 33. and compare John xii. 19.) But I think the, Senfe given in the Paraphrafe eafier, and more fuited to the remarkable Plainness of St. John's Style. Elfner explains this Paffage, as if the Evangelist had faid, “If... they.

31.

John XX. >31.

·678
Sect. 203. tant Things are written, in this plain Way, and in
this portable Volume, not merely that the Reader
may be amused by fo curious a Story, but that the
Faith, the Hope, and the Piety of Chriftians;
may be confirmed; and efpecially, that you may
more firmly and affuredly believe, that Jefus is
the Meffiah, the Son of GOD, partaking of the
fame Divine Glory with the Father, and the
fure Object of his Peoples Confidence; and that
believing it, you may be fo influenced by his in-
ftructive Discourses, his compleat Example, and
his dying Love, that you may have Eternal Life
thro' bis Name. And may GOD grant, that as it
is all most certainly and circumftantially true, fo
it may have that happy Effect upon all those, by
whom this History is perufed, from Age to
Age! Amen.

Thefe Things are written, that we

may believe.

are written, that ye might believe that Jefus is the Chrift believing, ye might have Life thro" his Name. [Amen.] [JOHN XXI.-25.] .

the Son of God, and that

Luke xxiv. 51.

hets i. 9.

Ver. 10.

Luke xxiv. 52.

Acts i. 7.

IMPROVEMENT.

T
HUS did our Victorious Saviour afcend on high, and lead Captivity
captive : The Chariots of GOD which attended him, were Twenty
thousand, even Thousands af Angels; (Pfal. lxviii. 17, 18.) and being gone
into Heaven, he is there feated on the Right Hand of GOD; Angels,
and Authorities, and Powers being made fubject to him. (1 Pet. iii. 22.)
Let us his humble Followers look after him with holy Joy, and pleasing
Expectation; congratulating his Triumphs, and trufting thro' his Grace

to share them.

Like the Apostles, let us bow down and worship him; and while we continue here below, let us make it our daily Labour and Care, to feek thofe Things which are above, where Chrift fitteth at the Right Hand of GOD: (Col. iii. 1.) And instead of amufing ourselves with the vain Dreams of Temporal Grandeur and Felicity, or with curious Enquiries after those Times and Seasons, which the Father has referved in his own Power; let

us

"they were all to be particularly written, the unbelieving World would not admit them, fo as to be moved by them to Faith and Obedience:" And he produces Inftances in which Xaper has fuch a Signification. But as John knew, the unbelieving World_would reject even what he had writ, this could be no Reason for his writing no more. Perhaps it may

be a moft delightful Part of the Entertainment of the Heavenly World, to learn from our bleffed Lord himself, or from those who converfed with him on Earth, a Multitude of such Particulars of his Life, às will be well worthy our everlasting Admiration. In the mean Time, the pious and attentive Study of what is here recorded, may most happily prepare us for fuch Discoveries, and add an unutterable Relish to them: Amen! So may it be, to the Author of this Expofition, and to all thofe, who do, or may peruse it!

Reflections on the Excellence and Defign of the Gospel.

679

us apply with Vigour and Zeal to that Business, which he has affigned Sect. 203. us; labouring to the utmost to promote his Gospel, and, by a diligent Improvement of our Time and Opportunities, to prepare for his final Ap- Ver. 11. pearance, when the Lord himself fhall defcend from Heaven with more publick Splendor than he returned thither, and fhall come in the Glory of his Father, and his own Glory, with a majestick Pomp, which every Eye fball fee, and with the Sound of a Trumpet, which even all the Nations of the Dead fhall hear.

20.

In the mean Time, let us thankfully own his gracious Prefence Mark xvi, with his Difciples, whom he left behind him; and with admiring Gratitude reflect upon the happy Confequences of that Prefence, in the Establishment of the Gospel in the World, and the Tranfmiffion of it even unto us, in fo remote an Age and Country.

Let us especially praife him for thefe Sacred Records, which contain John xxi. fuch an authentick and exact Account of those important Facts, in which 25... we are all fo nearly concerned; Records incomparably more valuable than the Writings of our private Eftates, or the Charters of our publick Liberties. Let us earneftly pray, that their great Defign may be an-. fwered in us; and make it our importunate Request to him who is the Giver of all Grace, that thro' the Operations of that Holy Spirit, without the Influence of which even Scripture itself, with all our Advantages for understanding and improving it, will be but a fealed Book or a dead Letter, our Faith may be nourished and confirmed by every Portion of it which we read; and that our Hearts may be fo delivered into the Mould of his Word, that believing on Christ, under all the Characters he John xx. 31. bears, we may have Life thro' his Name; and may at length receive the End of our Faith, in the compleat Salvation of our Souls, through him, to whom with the Father, and the eternal Spirit, be undivided Honours, and everlasting Praifes. Amen, and Amen!

ATABLE for the more ready finding any Verfe of
the Evangelifts in the foregoing Harmony.

N. B. The Verfes between those inferted in this Table, follow each other in the same Section, and begin
at the Page referred to. Thus in MATT. Chap. I. the Verfes from ver. 1, to ver. 17, are in Sect. ix.
and begin at pag. 44. And then from ver, 18, to ver. 25. which ends the Chapter, they are in Se&. viii.
and begin at pag. 39.