CHAP. VII. Of the Places honoured with our Lord's Presence after his 1. Our Lord den on mount Cal he was ON the first day of the week, very early in the morning, Mary Magdalene with some other women came to first appears our Lord's sepulchre; where they found the stone rolled to Mary Magdalene away, and were acquainted by angels, that our Lord in the garwas not there, but was risen from the dead, and were also ordered by the angels to go and tell his disciples, vary, where that he would go before them into Galilee, where they buried. should see him, as he had told them before his death. The women hereupon go, and presently acquaint Peter and John with what had passed; who coming to the sepulchre, found it as the women had said, and so returned again to their own home. But Mary Magdalene staid still at the sepulchre, weeping, because she could neither find her Lord's body there, nor yet learn where it was laid. At length turning herself back, she saw JESUS standing, but did not know him. Then JESUS saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, to whom belonged the garden wherein the sepulchre was, saith unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. JESUS then called her by her name, Mary; whereupon she looking more earnestly on him, knew him, and cried out, my Master. JESUS after this sends her to the disciples with a message, which she accordingly acquainted them with. 2. maus. After this our Lord appeared to two of the disciples, as they were going to Emmaus, whither he went with Of Emthem, and staid there with them till he had made himself" known to them. This Emmaus is by St. Luke said to be a village distant about threescore furlongs, that is PART I. about seven or eight miles, from Jerusalem, to the west of it. It was afterwards made a city, and Roman colony, and called Nicopolis. 3. Of the mount in Galilee, where our Lord ap After this the disciples, according to our Lord's directions, went into Galilee, to a certain mountain, which he had particularly appointed them to repair to, where our Lord appears to them. This mountain is thought peared to by some to be the same whereon he was transfigured, or his Apostles mount Tabor; by others to be the same with the mounsurrection. tain of Beatitudes, lying north of the sea of Galilee, a little beyond Capernaum, and mentioned above, chap. v. after his re 4. Our Lord appears at the sea of Tiberias. 5. not mentioned in the New sect. 1. During the disciples stay in Galilee, our Lord appears again to them at the sea of Tiberias or Galilee, otherwise called the lake of Gennesareth; which is already described, chap. iv. sect. 8. Our Lord was seen at several other times, and thereAt several fore in all probability at several other places; for he was, other places as St. Paul informs us, seen of Cephas or Peter alone, then of the twelve; after that, of above five hundred Testament. brethren at once; after that, of James, the first bishop of Jerusalem; then of all the Apostles, 1 Cor. xv. 5, 6. But the particular places, where he was thus seen, are not recorded in holy Writ, excepting those already mentioned, and the place where he made his last appearance, when he ascended, which remains therefore only to be spoken of. 6. whence our Lord as into hea ven. The Apostles then being returned out of Galilee to Of the place Jerusalem, and our Lord being there on the fortieth day after his resurrection assembled together with them, comcended up manded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, till they had received the promise of the Holy Ghost. After which, having given them such instructions as he thought good, he led them forth to mount Olivet, as far as to Bethany. Here he lift up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass while he blessed them, and they beheld, he was parted from them, taken up and carried into heaven, a cloud receiving him out of their VII. sight. And while they looked up stedfastly towards heaven, CHAP. as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel, who said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same JESUS, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. The Apostles having heard this, adored JESUS; and forthwith returned from mount Olivet to Jerusalem, with great joy, that they had been ocular witnesses of his ascension up into heaven, as he had long since promised them they one day should. Mr. Maundrell says, that the place now-a-days shewn for the place of our Lord's ascension, is at the top of an hill on the mount Olivet; where was anciently a large church, built in honour of that glorious triumph. But all that now remains of it, is only an octagonal (or eight-angled) cupola, about eight yards in diameter, standing, as they say, over the very place where were set the last footsteps of the Son of God here on earth. Within the cupola there is seen, in a hard stone, as they tell you, the print of one of his feet. Here was also the print of the other foot some time since; but it has been removed hence by the Turks into the great mosque on mount Moriah. The chapel of the Ascension the Turks have the custody of, and use it for a mosque. About two furlongs from this place northward is the highest part of mount Olivet, and upon that was anciently erected an high tower, in memory of the two angels that appeared to the Apostles immediately upon our Lord's ascension, saying, Men of Galilee, &c. Acts i. 10, 11. from which the tower itself had the name given it of Men of Galilee! This ancient monument remained till about two years since, when it was demolished by a Turk, who had bought the ground in which it stood. But nevertheless you have still, from the natural height of the place, a large prospect of Jerusalem and the adjacent country. |