crucified persons might be broken to hasten their death. Pilate consented, and gave the order they desired t but the soldiers appointed to execute it, perceiving that Jesus was dead already, did not take the trouble of breaking his legs, one of them only thrust a spear into his side. The spear, thrust into our Lord's side is thought to have reached his heart; for the water issuing from the wound seems to shew that the pericardium was pierced, and that Jesus had been some time dead. If, however, there had remained any life, this wound must have instantly killed him. It is therefore, in every respect, proper, that this fact should be recorded; and it is accordingly attested by John with the utmost solemnity. These things were done, that the scripture, concerning the paschal lamb, should be fulfilled, a bone of him should not be broken. And again another" scripture [Zech. xii. 10.] saith, they shall look on him whom they pierced.

Among the disciples of Jesus was one named Joseph of Arimathea, a man remarkable for his fortune and office, as he was a rich man, and member of the Jewish sanhedrim. He had nothing to fear from the governor, who had all along laboured to release Jesus; but had reason to apprehend the ill-will of the Jews, for the pious action he was going to perform. Nevertheless, the regard he had for his Master overcame all other considerations, and he asked leave to take his body down; because, if no friend had obtained it, it would have been ignominiously cast out among the executed malefactors. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: for, though he had given orders to break the legs of the crucified persons, he knew they might live some hours in that condition. Aud calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead and when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. In discharging what he supposed to be the last duty to his Master, he was assisted by Nicodemus, who, though he once came to Jesus by night, for fear of the Jews, now showed superior courage to any of the apostles, bringing with him spices for the funeral of our Lord: These two, therefore, taking down the naked hody, wrapped it in linen with the spices, and laid it in a new sepulchre, which Joseph had caused to be erected for himself in his garden. This sepulchre, in which they laid our Lord, was, probably, unfinished, and had not yet got a lock on its door ; therefore they fastened the door by rolling a great stone to it.

A

The Galilean women, who had waited on Jesus in his last moments, and accompanied him to the sepulchre; observing that his funeral rites were performed in a hurry, agreed among themselves to come, when the sabbath was past, and embalm their dead Lord, by anointing and swathing him in a proper manner. cordingly, when he was laid in the sepulchre, they returned to the city, and bought what other spices were necessary for that purpose; Nicodemus having furnished a mixture only of myrrh and aloes.

Ac

Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation, that is, in the evening of the crucifixion, after the sun was set, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again. Command, therefore, that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, he is risen from the dead; so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate, thinking their request reasonable, allowed them to take a sufficient number of soldiers out of the cohort, which, at the feast, came from the castle Antonia, and kept guard in the porticos of the temple ; the priests going along with this party, placed them in their post, and sealed the stone that was rolled to the door of the sepulchre, to hinder the guards from com

bining with the disciples in carrying on any fraud. Thus, (while the "priests cautiously proposed to prevent our Lord's resurrection from being palmed upon the world, resolving, no doubt, to shew his body publicly after the third day as that of an impostor, they put the truth of Christ's resurrection beyond all question, by furnishing a number of unexceptionable witnesses to attest the fact.

CHAPTER XV.,

CHRIST'S SEVERAL INTERVIEWS WITH HIS DISCIPLES, FROM HIS RESURRECTION TO

HIS ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN.

The hypothesis which is followed in this chapter---Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James go out to see the sepulchre, but are terrified by an earthquake--an angel descends, and Jesus arises---on the morning of the first day of the week alt the women go to the sepulchre---they enter, but cannot find the body---Mary Magdalene returns to inform the disciples of this---the women who stay behind see a vision of angels in the sepulchre, upon which they likewise run into the city---Peter and John visit the sepulchre---Mary Magdalene follows them thither, where, after they are gone, she sees first a vision of angels, and next Jesus himself; then runs a second time into the city to inform the rest---the company of women set out for the sepulchre a second time in quest of Peter and John---Jesus meets them, and bids them tell his disciples to go into Galilee, promising to shew himself unto them there---the guards inform the priests of Christ's resurrection---Mary Magdalene and the com- · pany of women return from their several interviews with Jesus---Peter returns to the sepulchre a second time, and as he returns sees the Lord--Jesus appears to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus--he appears to his apostles on the evening of the day whereon he arose, Thomas being absent---he appears to the apostles, and removes the unbelief of Thomas---miraculous draught of fishes---Jesus appears to five hundred of the brethren in Galilee, and after that to the apostle James alone--the ascension.

THE concluding part of the evangelical history, as it is "the most interesting, "so it is usually reckoned the most difficult of the whole. We do not, therefore, deem it safe to advance any hypothesis of our own, but conceive it will be more for the satisfaction, as well as benefit of the reader, to give that of Mr. West, the celebrated translator of Pindar, alleging the principal arguments by which it is supported, and the most important objections that are made against it.

He sets out by endeavouring to ascertain the time when the first visit was attempted to be made to the sepulchre. "Mat. xxviii. 1. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene; and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre; to see if the stone was still at the door; because, by that they would know whether the body was within; for, from John xix. 42,

1

There laid they Jesus, therefore, because of the 'Jews' preparation day, for the sepulchre was nigh at hand,) it would appear, that the friends of Jesus intended to carry him somewhere else; perhaps, because Joseph's sepulchre was not yet finished, being a new one. The women knowing this, had reason to think that Joseph would remove the body as soon as the sabbath was ended. Accordingly, they bought the spices; they judged it proper to send two of their number to see if Jesus was still in the sepulchre, and if he was not, to enquire of the gardener where he was laid, [John xx. 15.] that when the spices were prepared, that is, pounded, mixed, and melted into an ointment, they might go directly to the place and embalm him."

In support of this opinion, it is alleged, that the word translated dawn, ought rather to be rendered draw on, as the first day of the week, according to the Jewish reckoning, began, not at midnight, but at sun-set on the Saturday evening; and that, understanding the expression thus, it expressly affirms the time of this first attempt to visit the sepulchre to have been on that day.

"For these reasons, I think it probable, that the two Marys attempted to visit the sepulchre in the end of the Jewish sabbath, or about the setting of the sun on our Saturday evening. I say, attempted to visit the sepulchre, because it does not appear that they actually went thither. While they were going, there was a great earthquake, viz. that which preceded the most memorable event which ever happened among men, the resurrection of the Son of God from the dead. This earthquake, I suppose, frightened the women to such a degree, that they immediately turned back: or their return may have been rendered necessary by a storm, if this earthquake was attended with a storm or we may espouse the opinion of Hammond and Le Clerc, who interpret the original words in this. passage of a tempest only. As the tempest, therefore, or earthquake, which preceded our Lord's resurrection, was a great one, it could hardly fail to lay the women under a necessity of returning. The guards, it is true, remained at the sepulchre all the while; but there was a great difference between the tempers of the persons, not to mention that the men being soldiers, duty obliged them to keep their post as long as possible. The whole of this account acquires a further degree of probability from the following remark that on supposition our Lord's resurrection was preceded by a tempest, or earthquake, or both, which frightened the two Marys as they went to the sepulchre, and made them turn back, we can see the reason why the women did not go out with the spices till the morning, notwithstanding, according to Luke, they had bought and prepared, at least, the greatest part of them, the evening on which Jesus was buried; and notwithstanding the nature of embalming required that they should make as much. dispatch as possible.

"After the two Marys returned, they went with their companions, and bought what spices were necessary to complete the preparation. So Mark says, xvi. 1. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. Having set out for the sepulchre, in the end of the Jewish sabbath, when the first day of the week was drawing on, by the time that they returned, they found their companions going to buy more spices, the sabbath being ended, and so went along with them, as Mark affirms. For though the storm had hindered them from proceeding to the sepulchre, they might attend their companions without much inconveniency, especially. if the spices were to be had in any shop hard by. While the women were making these preparations for embalming Jesus, he arose from the dead; his resurrection being preceded by the descent of an angel, whose appearance at the sepulchre was

ushered in with a great earthquake, and a storm which lasted several hours. [Mat. xxviii. 2.] And, behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. The angel who now descended, assuming a very awful and majestic form, the guards were exceedingly affrighted. [3, 4] His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. Probably, they fainted away. It is not said at what particular instant Jesus arose, whether it was before the guards fell into the swoon, or after they recovered themselves and fled. Mark, indeed, by observing that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, may be thought to insinuate that the guards did not see him when he arose; yet the evangelist's words do not necessarily imply this; for his meaning may be, that he appeared to Mary Magdalene first of all the disciples only. Besides, though the guards saw him arise, it was, properly speaking, no appearance of Christ to them. However, be this as it will, it is certain that Jesus was arisen and gone before any of the women arrived at the sepulchre. Probably, also, the angel had left the stone on which he sat at first, and had entered into the sepulchre ; for, as we shall see immediately, when he shewed himself to the women, he invited them, not to go, but to come, and see the place where the Lord lay. Besides, when the women observed the stone rolled away from the door of the sepulchre, they saw no angel sitting on the stone, as is evident from their going so briskly forward.

"On the morning of the first day of the week, according to our form of the day, when the weather was become calm, and every thing was made ready, all the women went out together very early, carrying the spices which they had prepared, to the sepulchre, at which they arrived about the rising of the sun. [Luke xxiv. 1.] Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. [Mark xvi. 2.] And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. [John xx. 1] The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre."

That the journey of the women to the sepulchre in the morning, described by Mark and Luke, was made by all of them in one company, and at one time, is highly probable, since the women said to have gone to the sepulchre are the same in the three evangelists, and the time fixed for their journey by such is the same.

r

[Mark xvi. 3.] And, now while the women were going along, they said among themselves, who' shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? for it was very great. It seems, they knew not what had happened: for those of them who had set out the preceding evening had not got to the sepulchre. At length, drawing near, they had their uneasiness removed, the stone was rolled away, and the door open. And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away. [Luke xxiv. 3.] And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. Though they felt all round the sepulchre they could not find the body. Being, therefore, in great perplexity, it is natural to imagine that they would consult among themselves about the steps they were next to take. The issue of their deliberation seems to have been, that Mary Magdalene, whose zeal disposed her cheerfully to undertake the office, should go immediately to the apostles, and enquire of them whether the body had been removed with their knowledge, and where they had directed it to be laid and that, in the mean time, the rest were to search the garden carefully, in order to find it. Coming out of the sepulchre, therefore, Mary Magdalene departed and ran into the city, where she found the apostles, and told them that the body was taken away.