evening of the same day unto the eleven, mentioned by St. Mark xvi. 14, and Saint Luke xxiv. 36, and Saint John xx. 19. Saint Luke and Saint John plainly enough describe the time of this appearance; and that Saint Mark means the same appearance may be collected from our Saviour upbraiding the eleven, "because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen;" which shows that this was the first time he had appeared to them himself. 5. The appearance to the eleven when Thomas was with them, (John xx. 26,) which was eight days after. 6. The appearance to the seventy disciples at the sea of Tiberias, (John xxi. 1.) 7. The appearance in Galilee mentioned expressly by Saint Matthew only, but referred to, Acts i. 4. 8. The appearance at Jerusalem before his ascension, (Acts i. 6.) It is plain this appearance was at Jerusalem; for (ver. 4,) our Lord orders the apostles to tarry at Jerusalem; and that he met them just before his ascension is evident, (ver. 12,) for they returned to Jerusalem, from whence they had followed him to Mount Olivet, to be witnesses of his ascension. I omit the relation of appearances given by Saint Paul, (1 Cor. xv.) for his account creates no difficulty. The time of the first five appearances is clear enough. The sixth, which is the appearance at the sea of Tiberias, was before the command given them not to depart from Jerusalem, for after that command they could not have gone to the sea of Tiberias. The seventh then was that wherein they received the command to stay at Jerusalem, and was the appearance appointed in Galilee by our Lord in his lifetime, and by the angels at the sepulchre. The eighth was the last, and is rightly placed as to the order of time and as to the place; for it followed the injunction to stay at Jerusalem, and was that wherein our Lord ascended, which was the last appearance to the apostles. Let us see now whether by this light we can account for the manner in which the evangelists relate these appearances. If you read Matthew by himself, you have an account of one appearance only. The same may be said with respect to Mark and Luke, who both seem to speak of the same appearance, but manifestly a different one from that of Saint Matthew, which was in Galilee; whereas the other was at Jerusalem. How comes it now to pass that these evangelists mention each of them but one appearance, if there were indeed so many more? The truth is, that the evangelists did not write full histories of our Saviour's life, but short annals or commentaries; and sometimes contracted into one discourse or narration things relating to the same matter, though spoken or done at different times. What Saint John says of his own gospel, "Many other signs did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book," (John xx. 30,) may be said very fairly of the rest. The words of Saint John follow immediately after the account he has given of the appearances to the disciples after the resurrection, and probably referred to the omission in his gospel of many other appearances made to the disciples. Now, though Saint Matthew reports only the appearance in Galilee, and Saint Mark and Saint Luke seem to report only that on the day of the resurrection at Jerusalem; yet Saint Mark has given a plain intimation of that in Galilee, by the message from the angels to the disciples; and Saint John has reported and distinguished three appearances, and given notice that there were others not written in his book. Saint Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, has referred to several appearances, telling us that "Jesus showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God," (Acts i. 3.) You have here a concise general account of our Lord's appearing to his disciples, and of the subject-matter of his discourses to them at those times, that he spoke "of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." After this general account he mentions two distinct appearances, which were necessary to be taken notice of, to introduce the account he had to give of the ascension. The first is that wherein he orders them to "tarry at Jerusalem;" the second is that at Jerusalem, when he took leave of them and ascended. The first of these appearances is remarkably introduced, verse 4, "and being assembled together with them;" the original is, nal συναλιζόμενος : supply αὑτοὺς; which words are properly to be rendered, " and having assembled them together.' ."* The other appearances recorded seem to be accidental, by our Lord's coming in when the eleven were not together; but this is spoken of as a meeting summoned by himself, and was, I doubt not, that meeting which he had appointed the day of his resurrection, by the message sent to the disciples by the angels and by himself, and is the very same meeting in Galilee mentioned by Saint Matthew. At this meeting Saint Luke says, * Vide Grotium in loc. the disciples received the order to tarry at Jerusalem; after which they could not travel into Galilee, as they were commanded, and consequently this appearance was itself the appearance at Galilee ; or happened after it, which there is no reason to think. The disciples being thus ordered to Jerusalem, repair thither. "When they therefore were come together, they asked him, Wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (ver. 6.) This question was not asked at the assembling mentioned (ver. 4,) which is clearly distinct from that mentioned (ver. 6,) for what occasion was there to mention again their coming together, after we had been just told they were together? Had it been said, "then they asked," &c., it would have been a continuation of the discourse with the same assembly; but when their meeting together is so distinctly mentioned, it shows it to be another and a different meeting, after the disciples were got together at Jerusalem. At this meeting our Lord assured them they should receive power by the coming of the Holy Ghost, then led them to Bethany, or Mount Olivet, and in their presence ascended. Let us examine now how far these particular accounts will enable us to adjust the abridged narration of our Saviour's appearances in the first three evangelists. The fullest is that of Saint Luke; he mentions our Lord's appearing to the eleven, and those with them in the evening of the resurrection. But it is manifest, under that appearance, he brought together the sum of what was done and said by our Saviour, during his abode on earth after the resurrection. For he begins to speak of his appearing the day of the resurrection, (xxiv. 38,) and continues his narration to the ascension, (ver. 51.) He tells us himself in the Acts, that there were forty days between the resurrection and ascension. It is undeniable then that his account in the gospel is an abridged account of what passed in our Lord's meeting his disciples during that time; and this clearly appears to be the case by comparing his abridged account with the more particular accounts already mentioned. Luke xxiv. from verse 36 to 40, inclusive, you have the same account of what passed at the first -appearance which Saint John gives. At verse 49 you have what passed at the meeting in Galilee, mentioned by Matthew and Luke. At verse 50, 51, you have what】 passed at the last meeting at Jerusalem, before the ascension mentioned in the Acts, and referred to in Saint Mark. John xx. 19. 20. Matt. xxviii. Acts i. 6-9. Saint Luke says that our Lord came to the eleven just as the two disciples had reported what had passed in the journey to Emmaus; and as our Lord expounded to them the Scriptures and ate with them, so now he gives the same evidence and the same exposition of the Scriptures to the rest and surely it was a natural thing to take up the same discourse, and open the understanding of the eleven, as he had opened the understanding of the two before, and to give them the same evidence of the reality of his resurrection, and this takes up from verse 41 to 48. Saint Mark's narration is shorter than Saint |