Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

4. For the manner how he appeared; it appears in these passages: 1. He stood in the midst. 2. He said peace be unto you. 3. He showed unto them his hands and his side.

4. For the manner how he appeared; it appears in these passages: 1. He stood in the midst. 2. He said peace be unto you. 3. He shewed unto them his hands and his side.

1. He stood in the midst. Herein he represents himself as a common good;¹ things placed in the midst are common; and he stands in the midst as a common Saviour: and hence it is that our faith is called a common faith,² to Titus my son after the common faith: ³and our salvation is called a common salvation I gave all diligence to write unto you of the Common salvation. And in that way as salvation is common, Christ Jesus is called a common Saviour; behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy which shall be to all people; for unto you, (unto all you) is born in the City of David a Saviour, ⁴which is Christ the Lord. This posture of Christ (standing in the midst) declares that he despiseth none, but that he takes care of them all. Some observe, that all the while Christ was on earth, he most-what stood in this posture; at his birth he was found in a stable in the midst of beasts;⁵ in his Childhood he was found in the Temple in the midst of the Doctors; in his manhood, John the Baptist told them, there standeth one in the midst of you, whom ye know not; and he said of himself, I am in the midst of you as one that sieveth; at his death that very place fell to his turn: for they crucified him in the midst betwixt two theeve, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.