bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

graves of these dead; and not one or two, but " many bodies of the saints which slept," were raised to life again. It has been supposed that these were patriarchs, prophets, and saints of the Old Testament; but it seems, rather, that they were saints who had been believers in Christ, for they were personally known to living survivors in Jerusalem. But they did not rise till the third day, after Christ's own resurrection. Naturally so; for, as the early writers observe, He must be Himself "the first-fruits of them that slept." They appeared to many chosen witnesses in Jerusalem, who must have divulged the truth, and who could have contradicted any wrong assertion on this point, at the date at which the Gospel of S. Matthew was written. Had the holy city been (as some say) figuratively that spoken of in Rev. xxi., it is likely there would have been some early tradition concerning their entrance into heaven, rather than into Jerusalem; but the supposition is of later origin. Who they were, who were thus selected as Christ's witnesses, we know not. S. Matthew, who alone records the fact, is the Evangelist to the Jews, who would be most intimately concerned and interested in this event; but he only mentions the bare fact, and that by anticipation of the order of the occasion. Farrar says that the earthquake displaced the great stones which covered the tombs; and, "it seemed to the imaginations of many, to have disimprisoned the spirits of the dead, and to have filled the air with ghostly visitants, who, after Christ had risen, approached to linger in the holy city." What does this mean? S. Matthew says nothing about spirits filling the air, and lingering in the holy city; nor is there any air of mystery and unreality about what he says. It is a pity to evade a difficulty in this shadowy fashion. The statement of S. Matthew is made as distinctly, and as gravely, as any other connected with the crucifixion. But further than this, we know nothing of these saints; the mystery which, in all cases, surrounds the inhabitants of the world beyond the grave, forbids our nearer approach to them. It has been supposed that they rose with their bodies of the resurrection, and went with Christ into heaven. This was the opinion of some of the most eminent of the early writers. It seems, perhaps, unlikely that these saints, who rose with Christ, would be doomed to die again. But we know no more concerning them than concerning Lazarus, the widow's son, and the daughter of Jairus, whom Christ raised from the dead. Tradition asserts that one of these, Lazarus, did die again. The cases, however, of these saints are not exactly parallel. The former, at any rate, were not raised to life by Christ with a spiritual, but with a natural body; and we are told nothing of the body in which these were raised.

43. the holy city.—The term is remarkable as used, at this moment,

Impressions of the Crucifixion.

S. Matt. xxvii. 54-56; S. Mark xv. 39-41; S. Luke xxiii. 47-49.

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things

of a city which had just accomplished the darkest deed ever wrought upon earth, and against which Christ had pronounced so heavy a doom. There seems to be a great sanctity attaching to persons, places, and things set apart for God's service. He is ready to accept, and slow to reject, such devotion of that upon which His name is called. The principle seems to be a general one; innumerable illustrations might be cited from Scripture.

44. the centurion.-The guard under his command were greatly awestricken and impressed; some, perhaps, superstitiously, but others, probably, in a more effective manner. They had no Jewish prejudices to blind their conviction; and they must have noticed that the voices of the Jewish scoffers were stilled by the terror of the signs which had occurred. But the centurion was the most decidedly and really convinced. The earthquake, and the darkness, and other circumstances of awe, excited "fear," or reverence, in them all: but especially the "loud voice," being not that of a dying man, but of one having power, impressed him strongly with a conviction of the Divinity of Christ; and he acknowledged the hand of God, not of the gods of Rome, but of the God whom Christ invoked. He did not scruple to acknowledge the "righteousness," that is, the innocence of Christ, and the justice of His cause; and so the further admission comes naturally (though, from a heathen, not the less candidly): if He is an innocent and just man, He must be what He asserted, and what nature acknowledged Him to be in the face of man's denial; "truly this man was the Son of God.” The words could not have been spoken in their fullest sense, because the centurion did not know God; this occasion being a revelation of Him to his mind. But no doubt he meant that the God he now glorified, and whose Son he owned Christ to be, was the true God, in opposition to all false gods. The Jews had tauntingly said, “ If Thou be the Son of God!" Christ had, to His mind, proved that He was the Son of God. Tradition gives his name as Longinus, and states that he afterwards preached the faith of Christ, and suffered martyrdom in His cause. We may surely hope that God would clearly manifest to this man of candid mind, and noble confession, the full knowledge of the Saviour, whom, whilst rejected by His own people, and put to death, he had yet confessed before the men whose opinion he valued— the men of his own nation and command.

that were done, and that He so cried out, and gave up the ghost, they feared greatly; and he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man: truly this man was the Son of God.

And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts and returned.

And all His acquaintance, and many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee,

45. that he so cried out. (See note 36.) The fact of the great cry before death, so impossible under ordinary circumstances to those dying upon the cross, and the evident power with which Christ laid down His life at His own will, were more convincing to the mind of the centurion, than even the miraculous attestation of nature.

46. to that sight.-The phrase is a very descriptive one. This multitude was a curious and gaping crowd, many of whom had nothing better to do than to come to see "the sight" of the crucifixion. They were not unaware of the claims of Christ, but they had little sympathy with them, and were quite careless of all but the interest of the moment; probably their highest expectation was "to see a sign" from one who had wrought so many deeds of wonder. But these, too, were conscience-stricken and ashamed, and convinced of the evil deed which had been done, and of the righteousness of Christ; they smote their breasts with sadness and remorse, and returned, heavy and dejected, to their homes. Perhaps some of them would fain have recalled the terrible imprecation, "His blood be on us and on our children." We may hope that some returned penitent for their share in this deep sin, and open to conviction of the truth; for upon the preaching of Peter, so shortly afterwards, in one day, about three thousand souls were added to the Church of Christ (Acts ii. 37-41). These sightseers, the centurion, the guard, the faithful women, the penitent malefactor, are all instances of the power of Christ's cross as the touchstone of human hearts. (See note 22.)

47. His acquaintance.-A general term, including all who were favourably disposed towards Him, and reckoned themselves as disciples; who had had many opportunities of knowing Him, and of being benefited by Him. Probably there were some of His Apostles, and some of the seventy, amongst them, with many others who followed His steps. Many of them also were doubtless of the number of those who had raised their voices in His favour on His triumphal entry into the city a few days before (See i. 23); these are spoken of as "the whole multitude of the disciples" (Luke xix. 37).

48. afar off-With the exception of S. John, we do not read that any of the disciples had ventured near the cross: the eleven had not

ministering unto Him: among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses,

all recovered from the terror of their dispersion in the garden of Gethsemane. But some of the women, now" afar off," had stood near the cross shortly before. It does not appear that they were driven away; it is scarcely likely that, if they were permitted to stand near whilst so many voices were mocking our Lord, they would be driven off when the darkness fell, and the voices of malediction were stilled, and conscience was moving in many a breast. It has been suggested, and with great probability, that Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses, retired when our Lord's mother was conducted away by S. John; and, if so, these two, at least, remained amongst the number of faithful who stood within sight, watching earnestly the end.

49. ministering.-Our Lord and His Apostles so entirely gave themselves to the work of His mission, that frequently they had "no leisure, no, not so much as to eat." They had, therefore, no time for the exercise of the calling by which most of them had formerly earned their living. We know, from Luke viii. 2, 3 (where the full phrase, "ministered unto Him of their substance," occurs), that our Lord availed Himself not only of their personal services of kindness and attention, but also of their gifts which many pressed upon His acceptance; though only so far as was necessary. He showed His disciples that though, as a rule of His Gospel, "they who preach the Gospel, must live of the Gospel," they were not to enrich themselves by it; much less were they to hold themselves justified in working miracles in their own behalf, by the power with which they were endowed; for many were willing to minister to them, many thus aspired to win the blessing, "it is more blessed to give than to receive." The rule is an important one, and greatly productive of love and mutual goodwill in the Christian community.

50. Mary Magdalene.-There is naturally much anxiety to inquire into the history of this attached servant of our Lord; but directly we leave the narrative of the Gospels, we fall into conjectures and debate. Her very name is involved in uncertainty: the most natural explanation is that she was "Mary the Magdalene," i.e. "of Magdala," a town or village of Galilee. But some of the best MSS. do not give the word “Magdala,” but “Magada." It is, however, likely that there was such a place, and that it was a tower ("Migdol "), with a hamlet round it; it has even been identified with the modern El-Migdel. Another explanation is that the name was Megaddela, i.e. "the plaiter of hair,” as this fashion was then, it is said, adopted by women of no character. This derivation has its weight with those who identify Mary with the woman who was a sinner," in Luke vii. 37. But the majority of writers deny this identity altogether-it rests on no valid evidence, and is not worth serious thought; it is merely perpetuated

and Salome the mother of Zebedee's children; and many other women which came up with Him unto Jerusalem.

His Side is pierced.

S. John xix. 31-37.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation,

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by the creations of the painter and the sculptor. It appears to have arisen from a misconception of the statement in Luke viii. 2, "out of whom went seven devils," which shows that she was then the unhappy victim of Satanic influence. But we should rather suppose her, from this fact, to have been one of those instances of demoniacal possession, so melancholy and so awful, which our Lord healed. Such persons had generally a consciousness of thraldom; and her deliverance from this terrible bondage would attach her in deepest gratitude to our Lord so long as she lived. She may have lived, during this time of woe, in lonely misery in the watch-tower ("Migdol") spoken of; and the name derived from it may have been retained (like "Simon the leper ") as a memorial at once of deliverance and gratitude. S. Jerome attaches much weight to this derivation, as suggestive of the steadfastness of her devotion to Christ; she stood like a tower, strong in faith. Her personal wealth, and the association of her name with that of women of repute (Luke viii. 2, 3), and the fact of her deriving her name from her locality, and, indeed, the very nature of her awful malady, are decidedly against the notion that she was a sinner." We find her name in repeated connection with those of our Lord's mother, the mother of Zebedee's children, and the mother of James and Joses; and we can well gather from this, that this wealthy and devoted woman had much endeared herself, by acts of benevolence and charity, to the community in which they were so deeply interested-to these holy women: she by love and mercy, they by love and natural relationship; all in the bonds of a common salvation, were united to our Lord and His Apostles. There is one other version of her history, which must be briefly noticed. Some writers have identified her with Mary the sister of Lazarus; but there seems to be no real authority for their doing so. It is, however, extraordinary that whilst, in many points of excellence, devotion, and position, the two characters coincide, there is no mention made of Mary of Bethany amongst the holy women of the crucifixion and resurrection; this circumstance has probably suggested the identification of these Marys. It is a pity that so interesting a speculation is so devoid of foundation. (See also II. i. 34-39, and App. XIII.)