die, to live with him,-and to pleasure him, thou wouldest not care to live or to die. And what more? as a fire is nourished with some matter that is meet for burning, so this fire, once kindled in our souls, is nourished and fed by the continual presence of God in Jesus Christ, and that precious oil of the Holy Spirit. Further, a flame tends always upward, and it will lift a heavy thing that falls down upon it: ye see a train of powder will blow up a house. We are heavy by nature, and ladened with sin, yet that fire of love will raise thee up, and place thee with the Lord, whom thou lovest, and thine heart will be lifted up to him. There is never one that loves Jesus in the earth, but they are dwelling with him in the heaven, and shall enjoy that presence everlastingly. So ye see what it is to have the heart set on fire till we meet with our Lord, and then our hearts shall have the full fruition of his presence for ever. To this Jesus, with the Father and Holy Spirit, be glory for evermore. Amen. THE FORTIETH LECTURE. OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. MARK, CHAP. XVI. 13. And they went and told it to the remnant; neither believed they them. 14. Finally, he appeared unto the eleven as they sat together, and reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him, being risen up again. LUKE, CHAP. XXIV. 33. And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them. 34. Which said, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35. Then they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. 36. And as they spake these things, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, Peace be to you. JOHN, CHAP. Xxx. 19. The same day then, at night, which was the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and said to them, Peace be unto you.1 The Commentary takes in Mark xvi. 14; Luke xxiv. 36-49; John xx. 19-31, to the end of our 47th Lecture. WE have heard, beloved in Christ, these days past, of the conference which was betwixt Christ and these two disciples, who were going to Emmaus. Christ reproved them sharply, because they thought that Christ being crucified, all hope of redemption was past. Next, he instructed them, affirming, "That it behoved him to suffer, and by suffering to enter into his glory." This is his doctrine, which he proved by many testimonies of Scripture, beginning at Moses, and from Moses he comes to the prophets, interpreting unto them what they had spoken concerning Christ, concerning his passion, and concerning his glory after his passion. For the preaching of the gospel is nothing else but an expounding of Moses and the prophets; and Jesus Christ is the foundation whereupon the doctrine of Moses and the prophets is builded,—he is the end of the law; all tends to him. Thereafter we heard how Christ manifested himself to these disciples; for, "when as he made himself as though he would have left them, being constrained by them, he went in to tarry with them: and as he sat at table with them, in the blessing, and breaking, and distributing of the bread, their eyes were opened, and they knew him." Last, we heard what effects were wrought in them, when they saw he was their Lord and Master. Howbeit he left them, yet they were not sad; but that sight which they got of him left exceeding great joy and comfort in their hearts; and so they call to mind that burning which they found in their hearts when he spake unto them, whereby they are more confirmed, "that it was the Lord that spake to them;" for the burning of the heart which a man will find in himself is a sure token of the presence of Christ. Now, in the text which we have presently read, we have set down their returning to Hierusalem with great expedition, and how they declare to the apostles and others who were there assembled, all things that fell out unto them by the way, these things which they saw with their eyes, and which they had heard with their ears. Thereafter we have set down another appearing of Christ, which fell out this same very time that these two dis ciples are talking together, with the eleven, of these things. Then, to come to the words. It is said, "They rose up the same hour, and returned to Ilierusalem." The circumstance of the time of their returning would be weighed. They make no delay; they stay not all night in Emmaus, albeit it was late, and they were before of intention to have remained there till the morning; but they use all possible expedition, and they rise that same hour to return to Hierusalem, that they might show the disciples what they had heard and seen, and make them partakers of their joy. Compare this their returning to Hierusalem with their coming out of Hierusalem to Emmaus, ye will find a great difference. When they came out of Hierusalem to Emmaus, they went slowly, with sad hearts and sad conference; and when the Lord, whom they supposed to be a passenger, met them, and inquires "what conference that was that they had amongst themselves?" they take leisure enough to tell him the sorrowful news that had fallen out in Hierusalem, of the crucifying of Jesus of Nazareth. But, in their returning to Hierusalem, they make great speed, they go quickly, they go with joyful hearts, hasting to communicate to the disciples the great joy which they themselves had conceived upon the things which both they saw and heard. The lesson is plain. When the children of God are casten down, when their hearts are grieved, when they have no joyful and comfortable news to tell, but sad and heavy tidings concerning Christ and his gospel, and the estate of his kirk, then they will go slowly, and with heavy cheer; they will speak slowly, and with sadness; they will have little pleasure in anything that they do, for the grief of their hearts takes hand and foot from them, so that they can do nothing willingly and with cheerfulness. But, by the contrary, when their hearts are joyful, when they have joyful and comfortable tidings to tell to others of Christ and his kirk, then are they quick and speedy, and cheerful in all their doings; they will go with expedition and cheerfulness, they will speak with cheerfulness, with cheerfulness they will make haste to communicate their joy to others; for the joy which they conceive in their hearts cheers up and encourages all the members of their bodies to do their duty willingly, with cheerfulness and pleasure. Yea, such is the force of the joy in the heart, that it will swallow up and overcome all troubles, all stays and impediments, which can be cast in to hinder a good purpose. And, therefore, if thou seest a man slow to a good action, and namely, to preach the gospel of Jesus, thou hast just occasion to suspect that he hath found little joy in his heart through the gospel; as, by the contrary, if thou seest a man hasten with cheerfulness to preach the gospel, it is a sure token that he hath his heart filled with the sense of joy through the gospel. Now, when they came to Hierusalem, they found the eleven disciples of the Lord, and beside them, they found sundry others "gathered together with them." Appearingly, these men who were gathered together with the disciples, were such as had heard the Lord Jesus teaching when he was conversant in the world, and had found the power of his preaching effectual to their conversion; for as evil men delight in the society of evil men, because conformity in manners makes men to entertain society together, as the harlot with the harlot, the drunkard with the drunkard, the thief with the thief, &c.; even so good men take pleasure in the company of good men, that they may be a mutual furtherance one to another of the glory of God, and their own salvation. When these two disciples find the eleven, and the rest that were with them in Hierusalem, look how they are exercised: they are telling one to another, "that the Lord Jesus was risen indeed." These two disciples came to tell them these news, supposing they had known nothing of them; but they found themselves prevented, they found that the Lord's disciples tell them that same that they came to have informed them of, to wit," that the Lord Jesus was risen indeed." And this they prove by the testimony of Simon Peter, who had affirmed to them, "that he had seen the Lord:" for, among others to whom the Lord appeared after his resurrection, he appeared, in particular, to Simon Peter, as Paul testifies, 1 Cor. xv. 5, where he tells that he was seen of Cephas before he was seen of the rest of the twelve. So these two disciples that |