2. The testimony of Thomas in particular— [His doubts might seem to justify a suspicion of the veracity, or at least of the judgment, of all the other Apostles : but it rather adds weight to their testimony; since it shews his absolute determination never to acknowledge that fact to have taken place, till it should be proved to him by such evidence as it would be impossible to withstand. Indeed the proof which he required was most unreasonable ; for, if our Lord was to submit his wounds to be inspected by all mankind, in order to gain their assent to the truth of his resurrection, he must never go up to heaven at all, but continue on earth to the very
» Luke xxiv. 39, 40.
*» Acts i. 3. and x. 41. 1 Cor. xv. 3—8. 1 John l. 1—3.
end of the world, in order that every person in every succes- sive generation might have the evidence here required. For, if Thomas could not credit the other Apostles who had touched and handled their Lord's body, why should he expect others to credit him? And why should not every one to the end of time demand for himself the same evidence that he did ? But our Lord was pleased to gratify his unreasonable desire ; and by thus extorting from him an acknowledgment of his resur- rection, he has given to the world such a proof of it as incre- dulity itself can now no longer withstand.]
Thomas, overcome by this evidence, shews in his acknowledgment,
II. The faith it should produce in us —
It is not an assent to the mere fact of Christ's resurrection that is required of us, but,
1. An assent to all those truths which the resur- rection of Christ was intended to confirm —
[Our Lord referred men to his resurrection as the proof of his Messiahship, and as the evidence that the religion which he established was of. God. Accordingly, we must consider every word of Christ as confirmed beyond all doubt, the very moment we acknowledge the truth of his resurrection. The divinity of his person, as " Emmanuel, God with us;" the nature of his death, as " a propitiation for the sins of the whole world;" the certainty of acceptance to all that should believe in him ; together with the whole plan of the Gospel sal- vation; must be regarded as inseparably connected with that event, and infallibly established by it ]
2. A cordial approbation of them —
[To suppose that the words of Thomas were a mere exclamation, only shews to what miserable shifts Socinians are reduced, in order to maintain their views of Christianity. For, not to mention that such an horrible profanation of God's holy name could not be supposed to issue from an Apostle, in the very presence of his Lord, under such peculiar circumstances, we are expressly told that Thomas addressed those zvords to our Lord himself; and consequently they can be interpreted in no other way than an acknowledgment of Christ as " his Lord and his God." And here we may observe, that Thomas does not merely acknowledge Christ from the conviction of his mind, in the same way as the worshippers of Baal acknow- ledged the supremacy of Jehovah, " The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God1;" but with most affectionate endear-
c 1 Kimjs xviii. 39.
1732.1 Thomas's unbelief reproved. 221
ment claims him as his Lord, and his God. Thus must we do: we must receive him as our God and Saviour, determining to rely on him alone, to confess him before the whole world, to consecrate to him all our powers both of body and soul, and to glory in him as " all our salvation and all our desire." The language of our hearts must be, " Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire be- sides theed."]