proofs of his Godhead : they saw him transfigured on Mount Tabor, his face shining brighter than the meridian sun, and his garments all illumined by the radiant effulgence of his Deity ; and they heard the Father's voice from heaven attest- ing him to be his only, his beloved Son\ This vision was vouchsafed to them for their more perfect satisfaction : and they record the circumstance in proof, that what they reported concerning him they kneic to be trueb.]
2. His matchless perfections —
[Not they only, but his very enemies, were astonished at his wisdom, and constrained to confess, that " never man spake like him." His power and goodness were alike manifest in the authority which he exercised over diseases, devils, and the very elements. Hence, on different occasions, his Disciples ex- pressed their full conviction that he was the promised Messiah, the Saviour of the world : " We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living Godc."]
3. His shameful death —
[His crucifixion was seen by all : but there were some circumstances connected with his death, which tended very strongly to corroborate the opinion which his Disciples had formed of him. The effusion of blood and water from his wounded side in two distinct streams, particularly impressed them with the idea, that he died to cleanse men, not only from the guilt, but also from the power and pollution, of sind. And the prodigies preceding and following his dissolution were such, that the Centurion who attended the crucifixion exclaimed, Truly this was a righteous man, this was the Son of Gode.]
4. His triumphant resurrection —
[At the precise moment of his resurrection, none were present except the soldiers who were placed to guard his tomb : but within a few hours he was seen by several of his Disciples : and for the space of forty days he appeared to them on a great variety of occasions f. By these manifesta- tions of himself, the incredulity of the Apostles was over- comes; and much stress was laid upon them by the Apostles in confirmation of their wordh.]
5. His glorious ascension —
8 Matt. xvii. 2. Mark ix. 2, 7. b John i. 14. 2 Pet. i. 16 — 18.
c Matt. xvi. 16. John vi. 69.
d John xix. 34 — 37. with 1 John v. 6
e Matt, xxvii. 54. Mark xv. 39. Lukexxiii. 47.
f Acts i. 3. s John xx. 24—28.
!l 1 Cor. xv. 3—8. Acts x. 40, 41.
\SS l JOHN, IV. 14. [2456.
[Many were permitted to behold this glorious event: and this, together with the descent of the Holy Spirit whom Christ had promised to send down, convinced the Disciples, beyond a possibility of doubt, that Jesus was the Christ. From this time, (the time of the Spirit's descent,) the Apostles began to preach Christ as the Saviour of the world : and they constantly tounded their testimony upon the fact of their having been eye-witnesses of every thing that they declared \ Indeed, such stress did they lay on this circumstance, that, in choosing a successor to Judas in the apostleship, they took care to have one who was on a par with themselves in this particular1": and, in speaking of Christ, they dwell on this circumstance with most triumphant satisfaction1. It was for the purpose of qualifying Saul to bear the same convincing testimony, that the Lord Jesus appeared personally to him in the way to Damascus"1: and, when his ministry was undervalued on account of his supposed inferiority in these respects, he tri- umphantly appealed to his opposers, " Am I not an Apostle? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord" ?"
If then such a number of faithful witnesses, all concurring in the same testimony, and all qualified to give their testimony from a personal inspection of the things attested, can establish any truth whatever, we must confess that the fact asserted in the text is established beyond the possibility of doubt, and that " God the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world."]