meaning: for it is not pretended that they say, that Christ had not a
real human body after the resurrection; nor is it pretended they had
any such thought, except only upon the first surprize of seeing him,
and before they had examined him with their eyes and hands. But
something they have said, which the Gentleman, according to his notions
of philosophy, thinks, implies that the body was not real. To clear
this point, therefore, I must lay before you the passages referred to,
and consider how justly the Gentleman reasons from them.

The first passage relates to Mary Magdalene, who, the first time
she saw Christ, was going to embrace his feet, as the custom of the
country was: Christ says to her, [John 20:17] Touch me not, for I am
not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren and tell them,
etc. Hence the gentleman concludes, that Christ's body was not such an
one as would bear the touch. But how does he infer this? Is it from
these words Touch me not? It cannot be: for thousands say it every day,
without giving the least suspicion, that their bodies are not capable
of being touched. The conclusion then must be built on those other
words, For I have not yet ascended to my Father. but what have these
words to do with the reality of his body? It might be real or not
real, for anything that is here said. There is a difficulty in these
words, and it may be hard to give the true sense of them; but there is
no difficulty in seeing that they have no relation to the nature of
Christ's body; for of his body nothing is said. The natural sense of
the place as I collect, by comparing this passage with Matthew 28:9 is
this. Mary Magdalene, upon seeing Jesus, fell at his feet, and laid
hold of them and held them as if she meant never to let them go:
Christ said to her, "Touch me not, or hang not about me now; you will
have other opportunities of seeing me for I go not yet to my Father:
lose no time then but go quickly with my message to my brethren." I am