This worthy counsellor having obtained his request, repaired to Mount Calvary; and, being assisted by Nicodemus, took the body down from the cross. The latter was formerly so cautious in visiting Jesus that he came to him by night. But in paying the last duties to his Master, he used no art to conceal his design. He shewed a courage far superior to that of any of his apostles, not only assisting Joseph in taking down the body of Jesus from the cross, but bringing with him a quantity of spices, necessary in the burial of his Saviour.

Accordingly they wrapt the body with the spices in fine linen, and laid it in a new sepulchre, which Joseph had hewn out of a rock for himself. This sepulchre was situated in a garden, near Mount Calvary: and, in which having carefully deposited the body of the blessed Jesus, they fastened the door, by rolling to it a very large stone. "And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed." Matt. xxvii. 59, 60.

Oh! what a wonderful spectacle was now exhibited in this memorable sepulchre! He who clothes himself with light, as with a garment, and walks upon the wings of the wind, was pleased to wear the habiliments of mortality, and dwell among the prostrate dead! Who can repeat the wondrous truth too often? Who can dwell upon the enchanting theme too long? He who sits enthroned in glory, and diffuses bliss among all the heavenly host, was once a pale and bloody corpse, and pressed the floor of this little sepulchre !

O death! how great was thy triumph in that hour! never did thy gloomy realms contain such a prisoner before-Prisoner, did I say? No, he was more than Conqueror. He arose far more mighty than Sampson from a transient slumber; broke down the gates and demolished the strong holds of those dark dominions. And this, O mortals! is your consolation and security. Jesus hath trod the dreadful path, and smoothed it for your passage. Jesus, sleeping in the chambers of the tomb, has brightened the dismal mansion, and left an inviting odour in those beds of dust. The dying Jesus is your sure protection, your unquestionable passport through the territories of the grave. Believe in him, and they shall prove a "highway to Sion;" shall transmit you safe to Paradise. Believe in him, and you shall be no losers, but unspeakable gainers by your dissolution. For hear what the oracle of heaven says on this important point: "Whoso believeth in me shall never die." Death shall no longer be inflicted as a punishment, but rather youchsafed as a blessing. The exit is the end of their frailty,

is the pre

and their entrance upon perfection: their last groan is the lude to life and immortality.

But to return. The women of Galilee, who had watched their dear Redeemer in his last moments, and accompanied his body to the sepulchre, observing that the funeral rites were performed in a hurry, agreed among themselves, as soon as the Sabbath was passed, to return to the sepulchre, and embalm the body of their dead Saviour, by anointing and swathing him in the manner then common among the Jews. Accordingly they retired to the city, and purchased the spices necessary for that purpose; Nicodemus having furnished only a mixture of myrrh and aloes.

During these transactions, the chief priests and pharisees, rcmembering that Jesus had more than once predicted his own resurrection, came to the governor, and informed him of it, begging, at the same time, that a guard might be placed at the sepulchre, lest his disciples should carry away the body, and affirm that he was risen from the dead. This happened a little before it was dark in the evening, called "the next day that followed," by the Evangelist, because the Jewish day began at sunset.

This request being thought reasonable by Pilate, he gave them leave to take as many soldiers as they pleased, out of the cohort, which at the feast came from the castle of Antonia, and kept guard of the porticoes of the temple. For that they were not Jewish but Roman soldiers, whom the priests employed to watch the sepulchre, is evident from their asking them of the governor. Besides, when the soldiers returned with the news. of our Saviour's resurrection, the priests desired them to report that his disciples had stolen him away while they slept: and to encourage them to tell the falsehood boldly, promised that if their neglect of duty came to the governor's ears, proper methods should be used to pacify him, and deliver them from any punishment: a promise which there was no need of making to their own servants.

The priests having thus obtained a guard of Roman soldiers, men long accustomed to military duties, and therefore the most proper for watching the body, set out with them to the sepulchre; and to prevent these guards from combining with the disciples in carrying on any fraud, placed them at their post, and sealed the stone which was rolled to the door of the sepulchre.

Thus what was designed to expose the mission and doctrines of Jesus, as rank falsehood and vile imposture, proved in fact the strongest confirmation of the truth and divinity of the same, that could possibly be given; and placed what they wanted to refute (which was his resurrection from the dead) even beyond a doubt.

CHAPTER XLI.

Two pious Women go to view the Sepulchre of their crucified Lord and Saviour.-An awful phenomenon happens.-A ministering Spirit descends.-The Redeemer bursts the chains of death, and rises from the confines of the grave.

VERY early in the morning, after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary came to visit the sepulchre, in order to embalm our Lord's body; for the performance of which, they had, in concert with several other women from Galilee, brought ointments and spices. But before they reached the sepulchre, there was a great earthquake preceding the most memorable event that ever happened among the children of men, the resurrection of the Son of God from the dead. "For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and sat upon it; 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;" they fled into the city, and the Saviour of the world rose from the dead.

The angel, who had, till then, sat upon the stone, quitted his station, and entered into the sepulchre. In the mean time Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, were still on their way to the sepulchre, together with Salome, who joined them on the road. As they proceeded on their way, they consulted among themselves, with regard to the method of putting their design of embalming the body of their Master into execution; particularly with respect to the enormous stone which they had seen placed there, with the utmost difficulty, two days before. "Who," said they, "shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? For it was very great."-But in the midst of this deliberation about removing this great and sole obstacle to their design (for it does not appear they knew any thing of the guard) they lifted up their eyes, and perceived it was already rolled away.

Alarmed at so extraordinary and unexpected a circumstance, Mary Magdalene concluded, that the stone could not have been rolled away without some design; and that those who rolled it away could have no other intent than that of removing our Lord's body. Imagining, by appearances, that they had really done so, she ran immediately to acquaint Peter and John of what she had seen, and what she suspected; leaving Mary and Salome there, that if the other women should arrive during her absence, they might acquaint them with their surprise, at find

ing the stone removed, and of Mary Magdalene's running to inform the apostles of it.

In the mean time, the soldiers, who were terrified at seeing an awful messenger from on high roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and open it in quality of a servant, fled into the city, and informed the rulers of these miraculous appearances. This account was highly mortifying to the chief priests, as it was a proof of our Saviour's resurrection that could not be denied they, therefore, resolved to stifle it immediately and accordingly bribed the soldiers to conceal the real fact, and to publish every where, that his disciples had stolen the body out of the sepulchre.

What! the body taken away while the sepulchre was guarded by Roman soldiers? Yes, the disciples stole the body while the soldiers slept! A story so inconsistent, and which so evidently carries the marks of its own confutation with it, that it deserves

no answer.

The priests themselves could not be so stupid as not to foresee what constructions the world would put upon the account given by persons who pretended to know and tell what was done while they were asleep.

CHAPTER XLII.

The angel addresses the pious Women.-Two disciples go to the Sepulchre.-Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene.-Afterwards to a company of Women.-Peter meets his Lord and Master, after his Resurrection.

WHILE Mary Magdalene was going to inform the disciples that the stone was rolled away from the mouth of the sepulchre, and the body taken away, Mary and Salome continued advancing towards the sepulchre, and at their arrival found, what they expected, the body of their beloved Master gone from the place where it had been deposited by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea; but at the same time beheld, to their great astonishment, a beautiful young man, in shining raiment, very glorious to behold, sitting on the right side of the sepulchre.

Matthew tells us that it was the angel who had rolled away the stone, and frightened away the guards from the sepulchre. It seems he had now laid aside the terrors in which he was then arrayed, and assumed the form and dress of a human being, in

order that these pious women, who had accompanied our Saviour during the greater part of the time of his public ministry, might be as little terrified as possible.

But notwithstanding his beauty and benign appearance, they were greatly affrighted, and on the point of turning back, when the heavenly messenger, to banish their fears, told them, in a gentle accent, that he knew their errand. "Fear not," said he, "for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said:" and then invited them to come down into the sepulchre, and view the place where the Son of God had lain: that is, to look on the linen clothes, and the napkin that had been about his head, and which he had left behind him when he arose from the dead: for to look at the place in any other view would not have tended to confirm their faith of his resurrection.

The women, greatly encouraged by the agreeable news, as well as by the peculiar accent with which this sweet messenger from the heavenly Canaan delivered his speech, went down into the sepulchre, when, behold, another of the angelic choir appeared.

They did not, however, yet seem to give sufficient credit to what was told them by the angel; and therefore the other gently chid them for seeking the living among the dead, with an intention to do him an office due only to the latter, and for not believing what was told them by a messenger from heaven, or rather for not remembering the words which their great Master himself had told them with regard to his own resurrection. "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."

When the women had satisfied their minds by looking at the place where the Lord had lain, and where nothing was to be found but the linen clothes, the angel who first appeared to them resumed the discourse, and bade them go and tell his disciples, particularly Peter, the glad tidings of his Master's resurrection from the dead; that he was going before them to Galilee; and that they should there have the pleasure of seeing him.

The reason why the disciples were ordered to go into Galilee to meet their great and beloved Master seems to be this: they were now most of them in Jerusalem, celebrating the passover; and it may be easily imagined that, on receiving the news of the Lord's resurrection, many, if not all, would resolve to tarry in Jerusalem, in expectation of meeting him there: a thing that must have proved of great detriment to them, at that time