of some dear one who has died in the Lord; or you say of yourself, Ah! I must soon work my last work, and talk my last talk; soon be done with these books, and lay this pen down for ever; soon have to vanish from these dear haunts, and from this most beautiful world-the only world I have lived in; and I must go out of it by the pass of the awful grave.' But Christ's word to you, as to one of His timid followers, is, 'Rejoice.' You are not to fear that grave; for He has gone right through it, and made it a road, on purpose that you may go through it after Him. If you are His, you will not stop there, for He did not stop there.

Here is a great antidote, both for fear on our own account, and sorrow on account of others, who, with ourselves, are one with the living Saviour. Rejoice that there is one tomb whose tenant has ascended out of it into the glory of eternal life, and has taken possession of it in your name. Rejoice in the news of this. Rejoice to know that whatever stone may be placed over your sepulchre, there is now no stone of guilt on your soul. Rejoice for ever in Christ's victorious achievement and beneficent reign.

III. Observe a certain peculiarity in the direction given to the members of this company. Unless you pause to think, it may escape your notice, as it seems to have escaped theirs. You

will call to mind that, on the institution of the Lord's Supper, He said to His disciples, 'After I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.' The angels said to the women who were early at the tomb and found it empty, Behold, He goeth before you into Galilee, as He said unto you.' Now, while they were lost in wonder, while a great wave of joy went over their souls, and while, without a word, they held His feet, He said, 'Be not afraid: go tell My brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me.' 1

For a reason, which may be a cabinet secret, the Lord had set His heart on having a muster of His followers in the principal scene of His earthly ministry, before He ascended to His heavenly throne. Three times He had now announced this to be His will-the sacred number three.2 The awful seal of God was now upon the order. The disciples, like other Jews, had been educated in great respect for the symbolism of numbers; they knew that this number was understood to have some special divinity of significance; yet, although the order was doubtless conveyed to them, just as if some spell had benumbed their understandings, they

1 Matt. xxvi. 32; Mark xvi. 7; Matt. xxviii. 10.

2 See Archbishop Trench, Commentary on the Epistles to the Seven Churches in Asia, p. 62. 1861.

took no notice, and, until many days had passed, and other motives began to work, no one thought of going into Galilee.

IV. Glance at the question, Did Mary Magdalene overtake this company? When Jesus disappeared from her, I think it likely that her vital ardour would flash out, and that she would hasten impetuously to tell the disciples. The other women having been detained a little by the event just related, she would most likely overtake them before they reached home, would join them, and would add her report to theirs. It is only in this way that I can understand the account given by the Evangelist Luke of the message delivered by the women after seeing and hearing the shining ones' near the vacant grave: they returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.'1

1 Luke xxiv. 9, 10.

IX.

The Appearance to the Second Company.

John xx. 19. Read on to verse 23; also Luke xxiv. 36-43.

HE members of the second company. It

THE

has been almost invariably asserted or assumed that this company consisted entirely of apostles. Proof of this is supposed to be found in the words of Paul, who, speaking of this occasion, says, that Christ was seen of Cephas, 'then of the twelve.' 1 The disciples were collectively called the twelve,' either because the twelve' were more vividly present to the

1

1 Cor. xv. 5. In strict numerical truth, they could not at the time be called 'the twelve,' but the term was simply used to denote the apostles as a body. Just as the Roman magistrates, called the decemviri, were so called even though there might be vacancies in the body, so this term was applied to the apostles, though Judas was not counted, and Thomas was an absentee.

writer's mind than the others, or else the whole miscellaneous company was called 'the twelve,' after its more influential and representative members. We shall have to refer to this again presently. It is not a trivial matter, but one on which important questions hinge; we would, therefore, place emphasis on the fact that the apostles did not alone constitute the assembly to whom Christ revealed Himself.

Not only is this clear from the assertion of Luke, who says that certain travellers coming to it found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them'-but it is also inevitable from the nature of the circumstances. If the brave women, who had gone through so much, had come to the house, expecting a calm retreat and a cordial welcome, as from their own kinfolk, would it be said to them from within, 'There is danger in the air; the devil is abroad; we have shut the door for fear of the Jews; you must, therefore, stay outside, and defend yourselves; besides, no one can join this company but apostles'? If James and Joses, Simon and Judas, the brothers of our Lord, had knocked at the door, would it have been said to them through a grate, 'No admission for any but apostles'? If John or Mark had said, 'May I come in?' or, if Luke, 'the beloved physician,' had whispered the password at the gate, would the answer have been, 'This is a meeting of