Mtxxvii.51. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain Jerusalem. Lu.xxiii.45. in the midst,

Mtxxvii.51. from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and

52.

Mtxxvii.54.

the rocks rent;

And the graves were opened;
Now when the centurion

Mar.xv. 39. which stood over against him,

Mtxxvii.54. and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earth-
quake, and those things that were done,

Mar. xv. 39. saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost,
Mtxxvii.54. they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of

God.

Lu.xxiii.47. he glorified God, saying, Certainly, this was a righteous

man.

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

49.

Mar. xv. 40.

And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less, and of Joses, and Salome, Mtxxvii.56. the mother of Zebedee's children.

Mar.xv. 41. who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women, which came up with him unto Jerusalem.

Joh. xix. 31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath-day (for that sabbath-day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

But one of the soldiers, with a spear, pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water.

And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true; and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

And again, another Scripture saith, They shall look on
him whom they pierced.

MATT. xxvii. ver. 45. part of ver. 46. ver. 47. part of ver. 50. ver.
55. and part of ver. 56.

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the
land unto the ninth hour.

spirits of mere men are in general violently separated from
the body, in a way over which they can have no control:
it was for our Lord only to die as the Prince of Life, by an act
of supernatural power, and to separate, at his own pleasure,
and at his own command, the spirit from the body.

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Jerusalem. saying that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou for

saken me?

47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.

50 yielded up the ghost

55 And many women were there, beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him;

56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother
of James and Joses, and-

MARK XV. part of ver. 33. 36. ver. 37, 38. and part of ver. 39, 40,
33 there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth
hour.

36 And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it
on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see
whether Elias-

37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

39 And when the centurion-he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

40 There were also women looking on afar off

LUKE Xxiii. part of ver. 44, 45, 46, 47.

44 And it was about the sixth hour

45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was
rent-

46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice-
47 Now when the centurion saw what was done-

JOHN Xix. part of ver. 29.

29 and they filled a sponge with vinegar

CHAPTER VIII.

From the Death of Christ till his Ascension into Heaven.

SECTION I.

Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus bury the body of

MATT. xxvii. 57-60.
50-54.

Christ.
MARK XV. 42-46.
JOHN XIX. 38-42.

LUKE XXiii.

Joh. xix. 38.
Mar. xv. 42.

And after this
Now when the even was come', because it was

1 When our first parents disobeyed the command of God, we are told, that their eyes were opened. The word in the original language (a), which is thus rightly translated, is applied to the breaking forth of a flower from its calyx. The proper meaning therefore of the passage seems to be, that as a flower bursts forth at the appointed season from the darkness and imprisonment of the inclosing calyx, so did our first parents enter upon an entirely new mode of existence, when they had taken of the forbidden fruit. We are unable to form any adequate idea of their condition in a state of innocence,

Our

Mark xv42. the preparation, that is, the day before the sab- Jerusalem, bath,

notions are so uniformly derived from experience, that we can.
not, from the intended indefiniteness of the language of Scrip-
ture, represent to ourselves the primeval innocence, and hap-
piness of a sinless state. Whatever it might have been, the
narration of the Fall assures us of this important fact, that their
condition in their new existence, arose out of the state of their
minds, in their former paradise. They desired evil, before
they committed an act of sin, and thus began an unfitness for
remaining in a spiritual and perfect state; they accomplished
the act which was forbidden, and thus completed that unfitness.
The account of the Fall shews us that the principle of evil,
being admitted into the heart, and ruling there, renders man
unfit for the immediate presence of God, in a spiritual or
heavenly condition, and therefore banishes us from heaven by
its own nature and those, therefore, who die under its influ-
ence, carry with them into an invisible state, an eternal inca-
pacity for the enjoyment of the Christian heaven. As our first
parents carried with them, into the new and fallen condition,
into which sin had brought them, the memory of their trans-
gression, the consciousness of the justice of God, and all the
same powers of reasoning, will, reflection, and the other in-
tellectual faculties, which they had before exercised and per-
verted-in like manner shall all their descendants enter upon
their future life, with the consciousness of their relative situa-
tion with respect to the Almighty, with the memory of the
actions done in their state of probation, and with all the
powers and faculties which now enable him to think, act, and
reason. If the soul is immortal, its properties and powers
must be immortal also. The man continues the same, both in
the present and future stages of his existence, so long as the
same consciousness, memory, and powers are united (b.)

The doctrine of the resurrection of the body is, without any
exception, the most important in the inspired volume, and as
such, a visible demonstration of its truth has been vouchsafed
to us in the Patriarchal, the Levitical, and Christian dispensa-
tions. The resurrection of the body of Christ, is an earnest
of our own resurrection, and shews us in what form we shall
arise from the dead: for we are assured that we shall be like
unto him. As the second Adam rose from the dead with a real
body, so shall he also "cause the fashion of our body of humi-
liation to be made like unto his body of glory, according to the
energy of his power, subduing all things to himself (c)." The
resurrection shews to us the manner in which we shall be clothed
with a body, which shall be suited to the invisible world. It
has completed the chain of evidence which convinces us of our
immortality. It demonstrates, by an undeniable fact, the cer-
tainty of our future existence, and the contemptible idiotcy of
those who live in this stage of their being without preparation
for the next. It is the one indissoluble link which unites heaven
and earth.

In proportion to the importance of this fundamental doctrine has ever been the discussion respecting its evidence and truth. Various objections have been, at various times, adduced, for the purpose of impugning the truth of the different accounts of the resurrection given by the evangelists. These may be all classed under the separate heads of-difficulties arising from the conciseness and studied brevity of the evangelists -from the accounts of the angels, whether they were the

Mtxxvii.57. there came a rich man of Arimathea,

same or different-from the terms used by the evangelists to de-
note the respective times, when the several parties who at
tended at an early hour at the sepulchre, set out, or arrived
there and likewise the difficulty which arises from the descrip-
tion of the tomb. These objections will be discussed in the
notes to this chapter, which has been arranged after a most
careful and repeated investigation of the several plans of har-
monies, proposed by the principal writers on the subject. It
may, however, be necessary to premise, with respect to the
first principal difficulties now mentioned, that the evangelists
wrote without any intention of giving a harmonized narrative
of all the occurrences which took place on the morning of the
resurrection. Each mentions more particularly the circum-
stances which he considered most important to be known, by
those whom he addressed; and, in most instances, one seems
to supply what the other had omitted.

The intention of St. Matthew was, to counteract the impres-
sion produced by the falsehoods of the High Priests, and the
keepers of the sepulchre. St. Mark notices those things of
which St. Peter, under whose inspection his Gospel was
written, must have been an eye-witness: and St. Luke takes up
the narrative of events on the day of the resurrection where
St. Matthew left off, and introduces another party, who came
later to the sepulchre; and adds some things which took place
on that day, which St. Matthew had omitted. John added
some events in which himself had been more especially con-
cerned, and which he had witnessed.

:

The second difficulty, the appearances of the angels, has been considered as the most important, but without just reason. We are unacquainted even with the laws of animal life; we know of some facts, and deduce some inferences, but of the laws of life we still remain ignorant. It ought not therefore to excite surprise that we cannot comprehend the laws of angelic life. These beings might have become visible or invisible at pleasure; or they might at pleasure have altered their appearance. The same angel spirit who assumed a terrible countenance to overawe the guards, might have put on a mild and tranquil aspect when he addressed the women. Other angels might have been attending, though they were invisible while their companions spoke and though a short time only elapsed between the arrival of the second party, and the departure of the first, no difficulty can be justly drawn from the inquiry whether it was the same angel or another. The general conclusion however is, that the angels of St. Matthew and St. Mark were different. The angel mentioned by Matthew xxviii. 1. sate in the porch of the tomb and had assumed a terrible appearance to overawe the guard; but the angel, Mark xvi. 5. was another within side the sepulchre, in the inner apartment. The two angels spoken of by John, xx. 11. were seen some short time after those mentioned by Matthew and Mark, (Matt. xxviii. 1. and Mark xvi. 5.) but whether they were the same, or different, cannot possibly be ascertained. Neither can it be aflirmed of the angels which manifested themselves to the second party of women, recorded by St. Luke xxiv. 4. were the same or different. They are represented as appearing like lightning, with a raiment white as snow-as young men clothed in long white garments, the appointed guardians of the crucified body of their Lord, and the happy spectators of his glorious and triumphant victory over death, and the powers of darkness.

Jerusalem.

Lu.xxiii.51. a city of the Jews:

The third difficulty, respecting the time, will be discussed in the notes to the seventh section.

The fourth difficulty is local, and has arisen from want of sufficient attention to the particular structure of the holy sepuchre; which consisted of two parts, the porch, or antichamber, a room about nine feet square, capable of holding about a dozen persons; from which a narrow passage, not exceeding three feet in height, and two in breadth, led into the inner vault, or tomb, where the body was deposited, and which was eight feet long and seven feet wide. Matthew critically distinguishes rapos, "the tomb," from “μvnμeïov," the sepulchre in general. The other evangelists use μvñμa, and μvnμetov indiscriminately (d). This difficulty will likewise be more particularly considered in the notes to the second section.

In reply, however, to all the general objections which have been made to the minor circumstances here alluded to, we may assert, with the utmost boldness and confidence, that we have abundant and every requisite evidence, to convince us of the truth and certainty of the fact, of the resurrection of the body of Christ. It would be impossible to enumerate the many writers who have illustrated this subject, and demonstrated the certainty of the fact. The last (e) who has discussed it has considered the various proofs, as they may be derived,

1st. From the prophecies of Jesus, that at a certain time he was to rise from the dead, conjoined with his wisdom.

2d. From the fact that at this precise time his body was, by the confession of all who had access to know, not to be found in the sepulchre in which it had been laid, although the most effectual precaution had been taken to prevent its removal.

3d. From the positive testimony of the disciples, that after this time they frequently saw him, conversed with him, and received from him those instructions upon which they acted in publishing bis Gospel.

4th. From the success which attended their preaching, founded upon the alleged fact that he had actually risen.

All of which arguments are considered at great length, in an admirable and forcible manner. Mr. Horne (ƒ) too has summed up the collective evidence in support of this great event, with his usual perspicuity. If we peruse, he observes, the history of that event with care, we must conclude either that Christ arose, or that his disciples stole his body away. The more we consider the latter alternative, the more impossible it appears. Every time, indeed, that our Saviour attempted to perform a miracle, he risked his credit on its accomplishment: had he failed in one instance, that would have blasted his reputation for ever. The same remark is applicable to his predictions: had any one of them failed, that great character which he had to support, would have received an indelible stain. Of all his predictions, there is none on which he and his disciples laid greater stress, than that of his resurrection. So frequently, indeed, had Jesus Christ publicly foretold that he would rise again on the third day, that those persons who caused him to be put to death were acquainted with this prediction; and, being in power, used every possible means to prevent its accomplishment, or any imposition on the public in that affair.

After the crucifixon and death of Christ, the chief priests applied to Pilate, the Roman governor, for a watch, and sealed the sepulchre in which the body was deposited. By this guard of Roman soldiers was the tomb watched; and on the resur

Jerusalem.