The Harmony Chronicle and Order of the New Testament, Part 1 · Section 87 – Section 91

The Harmony Chronicle and Order of the New Testament · Part 1 · Section 87 – Section 91

p. 73SECTION LXXXVII.

CHRISTS Resurrection, his first appearing, viz. to Mary Magdalen.

AS for the subsequence of this Section to the preceding, there can be no scruple, but it requires some heedfulnesse, to lay the story in it, in its proper currency, because of some seeming diversities in the four in their relating the story of it.

The Lord of life was under death about 36 hours: and so long was that day wherein the Sun stood still in the time of Ioshua: as Kimchi saith, it is the acknowledgement of the Jews: on Iosh. 10.

Christ himself calleth this space three daies and three nights, Matth. 12.40. whereas it was but two nights and one whole day, and two small parts of two more. And yet herein he speaketh warrantably even by the known and allowed Dialect of the Nation. Both the Talmuds in the Treatise Shabbah per. 9. do dispute about the three daies that Israel separated from their wives before the giving of the Law, Exod. 19.15. and among other things they have these passages: R. Akibah made the day a foreign and the night a foreign And so did R. Ismael. But this is a tradition, R. Eliezer ben Azariah saith, foreign A day and a night make a foreign, and a part of a foreign is accounted as the whole. Observe these last words to the purpose that we are upon: Three naturall daies by this rule were three foreign, and any part of any of these, was accounted as the whole of it.

The Evangelists seem to differ somewhat in the mention of the time of the womens coming to the sepulcher. Iohn saith Mary Magdalen came while it was yet dark. Matthew, when it began to dawn: whereas Mark saith, she and the other women came thither at Sunrising: All which together speak the story to the full to this tenour. That at the dawning, and while it was yet dark, the women as soon as they could see [at the least Mary Magdalen] set out to go to the Sepulchre: and that was at the very instant of Christs rising, when there was a great earthquake and an Angel came and rolled away the stone. Mary Magdalen came from Bethany, from her brother Lazarus his house [if she came from her own home] and the other women were at their severall lodgings, and to get them all together [for they were to go about this work all together] would spend some time: so that though Mary were so early stirring, yet before they were all got together to the Sepulchre it was Sunrising. These women little knew of the watch that was set over the grave, and the sealing of the stone [which was done on the morning of the Sabbath] for all their care is how to get the stone rolled away. When they come there, they finde that done already [and the watch was fled] and the Angel that had rolled it away sitting on it on the right hand of the entring in, and when they were entred in they saw another Angel, which both told them of his being risen. And thus Matthew and Mark that mention but one Angel, are to be reconciled to Luke who speaketh of two.

The women return and tell the Disciples what they had seen, but their words seemed to them as idle tales: yea Mary her self yet beleeved not that he was risen: It is worth studying upon the faith of the Disciples: it was a saving faith in Christ, and yet they beleeved not that he should die till he was dead, nor beleeved that he should rise again, no not when he was now risen.

Peter and Iohn runne to the Sepulchre, and Mary Magdalen follows them: They see the body gone and the clothes lying there [and Iohn proves the first that beleeves his resurrection] and they return home, but Mary staies there weeping still: And looking in, she sees two Angels, the one at the head and the other at the feet where the body had lain [like the two Cherubins at either end of the Ark:] And looking behinde her she seeth Iesus, and thought it had been the Gardiner, but presently knew him, and comes away to bring the Disciples word. Here Matthew speaks short: for he mentioneth but one journey of the women to the grave and back, and saith that as they came back Iesus met them. Whereas Mary had two journeys, and it was she alone that met p. 74him, and that in her second return. As she returned now the watchmen are come into the City, and bribed to deny that he was risen, and so the chief Priests and Elders give money to hire the Nation into unbelief.

SECTION LXXXVIII. LUKE Chap. XXIV. from Ver. 13. to Ver. 36. MARK Chap. XVI. Ver. 12, 13. His second appearing: viz. to Peter and Alpheus going to Emmaus.

THe same day in the afternoon two of them went to Emmaus a Town sixty furlongs, or seven miles and a half from Ierusalem. Iosephus placeth it at the very same distance De Bello lib. 7. cap. 27. calling it there Ammaus, and relating how Vespasian after the destruction of Ierusalem, gave it for the habitation of some of the Roman souldiery left there. But in Antiq. lib. 17. cap. 12. he cals it Emmaus, and relates how it was fired by Varus, &c. It lay in the way towards some part of Galilee, and it may be these two men were now returning home thither, and intended to lodge at Emmaus the first night: but now they stop their journey and return thence the same night to Ierusalem. The two were Peter, and Alpheus the father of three Apostles, who also was called Cleopas. See ver. 18, & 34. of this appearance to Peter, Paul speaks, 1 Cor▪ 15.5.

And that Alpheus and Cleopas were but one and the same person, may not only be conjectured from the nearnesse of the sound, and from their being written in Hebrew with the same letters, foreign but it is made plain in Ioh. 19.25. Where she is called Mary the wife of Cleopas, who in the other Evangelists is clearly evidenced to be Mary the wife of Alpheus, the mother of Iames and Ioses, &c. Mat. 27.56. Mar. 15.40.

SECTION LXXXIX.

His third appearing: viz. to the eleven.

THe connexion is plain in Iohn and Luke: for the former saith, The same day at evening being the first day of the week, &c. And the other, that as they were speaking of his appearing to the two at Emmaus, he came in among them. The first day of the week is an ordinary Judaich phrase foreign; and so they reckon the daies forward foreign The second day of the week. foreign The third day of the week, &c. They that are now so very punctuall to have the daies so named and no otherwise, mistake that for a phrase purely Evangelicall, which indeed is a phrase purely Judaicall.

As they sat at Supper Iesus cometh in among them: shews them his hands and side: eateth with them: openeth the Scriptures and their understandings: breatheth upon them, and saith, Receive ye the holy Ghost, &c. Whosoever sinnes ye remit, &c. This was to interest them in a power and priviledge peculiar and distinct from any they had received yet, and distinct from that they were to receive on Pentecost day, viz. this invested them in power of life and death, to inflict death, or corporall plagues miraculously upon the enemies or disgracers of the Gospel, or to spare them as they should be directed by the holy Ghost, which they here received. The death of Ananias and Saphira was a fruit of this power, as is observed at that story.

Thomas was not present at this time, and yet Mark saith, He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat: and so Luke 24.33. Peter and Cleopas found the eleven gathered together, &c. Nay 1 Cor. 15.5. He was seen of the twelve: The title of the whole Chorus being used, though all were not present.

p. 75SECTION XC. JOHN Chap. XX. from Ver. 26. to the end. His fourth appearing: Thomas now present.

JOHN saith this was After eight daies, which [reckoning the daies current] was that day seven night, or the first day of the week again: a second establishment of that day for the Christian Sabbath. Thomas upon seeing, beleeves, but blessed are they that have not seen yet have beleeved. See 1 Pet. 1.8.

Tanchum. fol. 8. col. 1. R. Simeon ben Lachish saith, A Proselyte is more lovely in the sight of God then all that company that stood at mount Sinai: Why? Because all they if they had not seen the thunders and lightnings and fire, and the mountains trembling, and the sound of the Trumpet, they would not have received the Law: but a proselyte though he see none of these things, yet he comes and gives up himself to God, and takes upon him the Kingdom of heaven.

SECTION XCI. JOHN Chap. XXI. all the Chapter. MATTH. Chap. XXVIII. Ver. 16. Then the eleven Disciples went away into Galilee. A fifth appearing: To seven of the Apostles at the sea of Tiberias, &c.

CHRIST before his death had told them of his meeting with them in Galilee after his resurrection: and when he was risen, he appoints them to a mountain there. They are now come up into the Countrey, and while they wait the time of his appointment, Peter and six other of the Apostles go a fishing: not as their trade now, for they never had been all of them fishers before, but either for a present supply of provision for themselves, or for present imployment till their Master should dispose of them. He had at first revealed himself to three of these seven [nay four, if Andrew were here] by a miraculous draught of fishes, and so he doth to them all now: and who can tell whether they had not some thoughts of that, and some expectation of the like appearing now, which did the rather urge them to this work?

At sea he helpeth them to a marvailous draught of 153 great fishes [so many thousands were the proselytes that wrought for the Temple, only 600 over, 2 Chron. 2.17.] and at land he had provided them a dinner against they came ashore, and dines with them. And this, saith Iohn, was the third time that he shewed himself to his Disciples: which asserts the order of this Section, and sheweth that this was before his appearing to the whole number at the mountain where he had appointed them: The two times that he had appeared to them before this, this Evangelist giveth account of before, namely one time when Thomas was not present, and another time when he was.

After dinner he putteth Peter to a threefold confession, answerable to his threefold deniall, and foretelleth his Martyrdom, but telleth that Iohn should live till he should come: meaning in that sense, as his coming and coming in glory is oft used in the Gospel, namely his coming to take vengeance of the unbelieving Jewish Nation: Peter should be Martyred by them, but Iohn should live to see them receive their deserts.