shook, and became as dead men :" and all the heads of the Jewish nation, when they saw how ineffectual their precautions had been, were mad with disappoint- ment. The Disciples too were overwhelmed with grief: they had been taught to expect the resurrec- tion of their Lord ; yet they seemed to have really less expectation of it than his very enemies ; so wholly were they absorbed in grief, and given up to despondency. At last, however, their sorrow was turned into joy; and they were constrained to believe, when they found it no longer possible to doubt.
We will endeavour to shew, I. The reason of their unbelief —
Our text informs us, that "they knew not the Scripture " —
[Our Lord had often told them, that " lie must be killed, and on the third day rise again." He had spoken of it figu- ratively13.; he had declared it plainly c; he had laid the whole stress of his religion upon itd : and his very enemies considered that on this point depended either the proof of his Mes- siahship, or a decisive evidence of his imposture e. But his Disciples never understood himf: one of them had even pre- sumed "to rebuke him," as though to talk of his death and resurrection was the result of needless fear or gloomy super- stition &. Thus, for want of considering what the Holy Scrip- tures, and their Lord, had spoken on this subject, they could not conceive that such an event as his resurrection should ever take place.]
To the same source must be traced the unbelief that generally prevails —
[The Scriptures speak plainly respecting our undone state
by nature, and our recovery through Christ alone — ■
But when we declare these things to men, they are ready to
reply, "Doth he not speak parables11?" "They know
not the Scripture ;" they do not understand it ; they do not regard it ; they form their own opinions without any reference to it ; and therefore they neither will, nor can, receive its deci- sions ]
But as their unbelief was at last vanquished, we proceed to inquire into,
b John ii. 19, 21. c Matt. xx. 19. d Matt. xii. 39, 40."
e Matt, xxvii. 63, 64. ' Mark ix. 9, 10, 31, 32. g Matt. xvi. 21, 22. h Ezek. xx. 49.
p2