Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

436 Book iV. --,----- -~----~- j!,ootdng unto 'jdu.s. Chap. 1. ~eCt. 7 . ~ug.t"llo~>•· inChrifl: hebefpaking his Difciples thus, bch.!dmyhands and my fm. rh.c · 1 ;. I . ~" '""'"· ftlf, handle me And (cc, q. d. come, let yo11r Jingcrsenter into thefe prints of rh, n.<ylts ~:::~ u • '4·39· let )'our hAnds be thmjl into the depths of thu wound ; come and open tbefe holCf ;~my handr, open thu wound m my fide; .I wdl not deny th~t to my Dlfciplcsfor th!ir f"ith, wbzch I denyed not to muu enemus :n thc1r. rage; open, and feel till you come to the very bone, that fo both b•nes and wounds may wnnefs, that I am he that liverh, and WIM d<nd, Rev.I.IB. 11ndbehold I am alive for evermore,Amen. Vft. _What teO:imonies are here to convince _the world of Chrift's rrfurredion ? furel this argues the .goodgefs of God, that ll:nves thus wonderfully wi1h tbe weak faith {r :a~~~~: J~. thofe that are hts. At. firfi: he appeared ro one, even to Mary Magda!c 11 ; and af!er he appeared to two, fauh 111atthnv, 10 M'") Magdalen, ! and the other M ary· dr to three. faith A!~rk_, to (vfary Magda/en, Mary the- mother' of James, and Salo.~e, bur .of rlus apparition he 16 feen uf ten at leaft ;_and to confirm their faith, not a con_ fiderable ctrcumfl:ance muO: be wammg ; here 1s ume, and place, and perfons ro whom he appears, and the manner how he appears, he ll:ands in the midfl to be feen of all he fpeaks to them, bre:uhs on them, eates with them, and lhews them his lJands and his fide; 0 the wonderful condefcemions of Chrift l what h' lps doth he continu: ally afford to beget in us faith ? if we are ignorant he in!lruC!s us, if we err he reduceth us, if we fin he corect< us, if we ll:and he holds us up, if we fall dow~ he lifts us up again, if we go he leades us, if we come to him he is ready to receive us ; there's nor a pa.ITage ofChrift_ betwixt _him and hi.s, but !cis an ar~ument of love, and a meanes etther of begenmg, or of tncreating faah : Q then believe in ChriO: yea believe. t_hy part in the death and refurredion of Jefus Chrift _; conlidering tha; thefe apparmons were not only for the Apoflles fakes, but 1f Chnll: be thine, they were for thy fake, that thou mightef! believe, and be faved. But I !hall have oc– calion to fpeak more of this in the Chapter following. So much of the fecond ~J?parition as it is recorded by the Evangelill: !ohn. SECT. VII. Of Chrifl s apparition to all hi< .Apojlles. I Mediately after this apparition to his ten Apoftles, _the .next i~ to all his Apoflles, not one bemg afufent ; and after etght dayes, agam hz< Difc.ples were within, And Thom"' ..,;th them , then came refm, the doors being jhut, and flood in the midft, and Joh.10 ·' 6 •' 7• foid peace be unto you; then faith he to ThomtU, re~~ch hither thy jingtr, and behold my Ver.a~, >9• hands; and reach hither tby h1111d, and thruft it into my fide, and be not faithle{s, B~<t believing ; ""d ThomiM anfwered, 11nd (aid unto him, my Lord, and my God ; l efm faith unto him, ThomM, bc.aufe thou haftfcen me, thou hajl believed, bleffid are they ttha have not feen, and yet hAve believed. In the whole ftory we have Chrift's apparition, and the fruits of ir. r.Fortheapparition(asintheformer)we have, 1. The time, 2 . The place, 3· Th~ perfons to whom he appeared, and, 4· The manner how he appeared. r. For the time, and after eight dayes; it was on the fame day feaven-nighc after Rev. 1 10 ; the former apparitions, which was the firfl: day of the week, and now becaufe of his refurrection, and apparitions, called the Lord's day ; I WM in the Spirit on the Lord's day: (this in my apprehenlion) makes much for the hopourof the Lord's day: the firft aiTembly ofthe Apoftles, after Chrift's death, was on the 6r!t day of the week; and the fecond Church affembly that we read of, was again on the firfl: day of the week, And after eight days ; a fign that t_he Lord's;day.Sabbath was on the firft day infl:ituted, and thatthe more folemn alfembh~sofGods people, were hence-forth to be on the Lord's days. Ir is an ufual obfcrvatton, that thmgs 11nd perfons which are named the Lord's, are 'facrtd and venerable, in an high degree ; as the grace of our Lord, Rom. 16. 24. the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Cor· 3· 17. the beloved of,the Lord,Rom.J6.8.the glory of the Lord,2 Cor.3.18.the Word ofthe Lord,I Tim.6.3.the cup tfug dt: 'Vt:rh. i!popo.S"m, 1$. of the Lord 1Cor I I .27 .Augujfinc tells us that the Lord's re[urrefli.on promi(ed 111 Anmrnal, d"), and th•t it confecrated Jtnto w the Lmls day. Su~ely then thtsday n:ull:needs be ve– nerable and a folemn day amon!! us Chriftians. Now u was that as the rtling of the Sun ' · • • ~ · - - - - difpellerh

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