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of the women; Simon Peter also mentioned the interview with which he himself had been favoured by his risen Saviour; and the two disciples who had gone to Emmaus informed the others of His having joined them on their journey, and conversed with them as an unknown stranger, but that He was afterwards known of them in breaking of bread. But notwithstanding the testimony to the reality of this event was so unexceptionable, from the respectability of the witnesses, whose veracity under other circumstances would have been at once admitted without hesitation, some of the disciples of Christ would not give credit to the report; nothing short of their own personal sight of Him, and the evidence of their own senses, would convince them that so extraordinary a circumstance had taken place as their Lord and Master's resurrection from the dead.

On the occasion here spoken of, the Evangelist therefore records, that Jesus appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen. Their incredulity was most unreasonable. It discovered great hardness of heart; especially as they had been so repeatedly admonished by Him beforehand, that He must rise again from the dead. The truth of the gospel history is most apparent from such statements as that which is here given. A fictitious

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narrative would not have mentioned the existence of any doubt in a matter of such importance as this. On the present occasion another Evangelist says, that they believed not for joy, and wondered. They were indeed glad when they saw the Lord, but they could not think it possible for such a new thing to occur in the world, as that one who had been crucified, dead, and buried, should be alive again. With the Divine power of their Lord and Master they were not acquainted, notwithstanding all His wondrous works which their eyes had seen. Although they had witnessed His raising others to life again, and He had told them that He had power to lay down His own life, and had power to take it again, they considered it to be altogether impossible that such an event could take place. And even afterwards, Thomas, who was absent on this occasion, would not believe that his fellow-disciples had seen the Lord; until Jesus convinced him, by appearing among them at another time, that He was indeed the same Person who had been crucified, and whom they had been accustomed to address as their Lord and Master; when in astonishment and admiration, Thomas acknowledged Him to be his Lord and his God.34

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It was on an occasion still subsequent to this, that our blessed Saviour addressed His disciples

33 Luke xxiv. 41.

34 John xx. 20, 28. 35 John x. 18.

in the manner that the Evangelist next proceeds to relate; when He commissioned them, as His Apostles, to make known His great salvation to all mankind, and to call upon all men every where to repent. Then He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. During His life time, their mission, as well as His own, had been confined to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.36 But after He had made an atonement for sin, or had become the propitiation for the sins of the whole world; His Apostles were commanded to go and proclaim to the lost world that a sacrifice for sin had been offered up and accepted by Divine justice; and that whosoever was willing to take the benefit of it, should receive pardon for his sins past, and grace for the time to come; or be washed, and sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. The proclamation was to be made, Ho! every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,38 whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely, without money and without price.

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What reason have we Gentile sinners, who were then considered to be at the end of the earth, to bless and praise the Lord of all, that He was pleased to give so extensive a commission to His Apostles; that those who were far

36 Matt. xv. 24. 37 1 Cor. vi. 11. 38 Isaiahlv. 1. 39 Rev. xxii. 17.

off in every sense of the word, far off from God, as well as in far distant lands, might be brought nigh to God, and reconciled to Him by the blood of the cross! How extensive was the

commission!

All the world was the field for the labour of the Apostles; every creature under heaven was to be made acquainted with the glorious gospel of the blessed God. None were to be excluded from its benefits, but those who should exclude themselves by unbelief; none were to be rejected but those who should put from themselves the word of God, and thus by their indifference and hardness of heart, judge themselves to be unworthy of everlasting life. Such being the extent of the commission of Christ to His Apostles, no human being has any reason to fear that the gospel is not addressed to himself individually, or that he is not welcome to partake of its blessings. None to whom the word of salvation is sent will be denied the blessing, when they earnestly seek it. Every creature under heaven, every human being on earth, is welcome to put in his claim for the fulfilment of the promise of God to his soul. He who, hearing the word of the truth of the gospel, humbly replies, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief; shall not fail of obtaining the succour which he needs, the help of Divine grace, to enable him to embrace and to hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life which is given

us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Were all the world really desirous to receive the blessing, and did they diligently seek it, they would be welcome to enjoy it: it would not be denied to them.

Our Saviour added the promise: He that believeth, and is baptised, shall be saved. Those who take Him at His word, which is faithful and true, shall find that His promise cannot fail; His great salvation shall undoubtedly be their portion in time and in eternity. The reception of baptism was required as a token of believing in the virtue of the blood of Christ to cleanse from guilt; and to show the purity of heart and life which must characterise those who believe the gospel of the grace of God. The heart and the life must be purified by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, in order to the enjoyment of the privilege connected with the belief of the gospel of Christ. Believers in Christ are cleansed from the guilt of sin in the sight of God, and from the practice of iniquity before God and man. These are the blessings which accompany salvation, and of which baptism is a token and pledge.

Our Saviour also declared, He that believeth not shall be damned. These are solemn words, to which it becomes us to take heed. If we hear the gospel of Christ, the message of mercy and salvation, without mixing faith with it, or without receiving the truth in the love of it, our

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