most proYokiiig, most imaccountable. But shall we not do well to look at home? Do we not see around us in the Christian Churches a mass of unbelief far more unreasonable and far more blameworthy than that of the apostles P Do we not see, after eighteen centuries of additional proofs that Christ has risen from the dead, a general want of faith, which is truly deplorable P Do we not see myriads of professing Christians who seem not to believe that Jesus died and rose again, and is coming to judge the world P These are painful questions. Strong faith is indeed a rare thing. No wonder that our Lord said, " When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth P " (Luke xviii. 8.)
Finally, let us admire the wisdom of God, which can bring great good out of seeming evil. The unbelief of the apostles is one of the strongest indirect evidences that Jesus rose from the dead. If the disciples were at first so backward to believe our Lord's resurrection, and were at last so thoroughly persuaded of its truth that they preached it everywhere, Christ must have risen indeed. The first preachers were men who were convinced in spite of them- selves, and in spite of determined, obstinate imwiUingness to believe. If the apostles at last believed, the resurrec- tion must be true.
KoTES. Luke XXIV. 1—12.
1 . — [The first day of the week.] This, we must remember, was our Sunday. The Jewish Sabbath was our Saturday.
[Very early in the morning.] Let it be noted, that this early visit to the sepulchre is a strong proof of the love and affection of these holy women. For women to go to a place of burial near a crowded city, before the sun was risen, faith and courage were needed.
[The ipices.] We are told by John that Joseph and Nicodemus
496 EXFOSnORT thoughtb.
had already used '* a hundred pounds weight " of myrrfa and aloes. when ther huried our I>ord. (John xix. 39.) But it is piobabie that for want of time these spices were used hurriedlT and im- {lerfeetly. Some Commentators sajr, that the process of embalm- ing and api)lying spices to dead bodies, was usually repeated for several days together, in order that the aromatic and antiseptic compounds might have their full effect.
2. — [Th€ stofif rolled aicay.] This, according to St. Matthew. (Matt, xxviii. 1.) had been the first great sign attending the resurrection. At the sight of the angels who rolled awaj the stone, the Roman guard was first terrified and then fled. After this the women came, and found the grave empty.
3. — [The Lord Jesus.] Bishop Brownrig remarks that this is the first time in the New Testament that our Saviour is so termed. The Lord, — Christ, — Jesus, are names He frequently has had. Here, after His resurrection as a conqueror, St Luke calls Him
" the Ix)rd Jesus."
4. — [Much perjflrxed.] They could not tell what to make of the facts before them, — the empty sepulchre, — the linen clothes lying by themselves, — ^the body gone.
[Tuo men.] Here, as in another place, (Acts L IS.) we are. of course, to understand angels in the appearance of men. The frequency with which St. Luke mentions angels is a peculiar feature in his Gospel. An angel appears to Zacharias, an angel appears to the Virgin Mary, angels appear to the shepherds when our Lord is bom, all mentioned only in St Luke.
5. — [The living.] It admits of doubt whether the Greek expression here would not have been more literally rendered, ** the living One," — the great source of life, the life of the world.
0. — [In OalUee.] This expression shows, no less than many other similar ones, that the greater part of our Lord's discourses and sermons were delivered in Galilee.
Some have indulged in unprofitable speculations on this Terse. as to the remembrance of the things spoken in Galilee, which the angels exhibit in this verse. It ought to content us to remember that these angels were executing a commission and delivering a message intrusted to them by God. There is no warrant for the assertion that angels know everything spoken to God's people, and can afterwards repeat it
7. — [Must he delivered.] The Greek words here mean, ** It is ne- cessary that He should be delivered," — necessary for the fulfilment of prophecies and types, necessary for the redemption of sinners.
8. — [They remembered.] Ford quotes a good remark of Cecil's on this expression : ''It is not sufficiently considered how much more we need recoUection than information."