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Lu.xxiii.51. (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed Jerusalem. of them ;)

little notice of them, and continued weeping in deep thought
and distress, till Jesus appeared, and made himself known to
her in those very remarkable words, John xx. 17. which Mr.
West illustrates with some very peculiar observations (g). Leav-
ing her very suddenly, our Lord appeared to the other Mary
and Salome, whom he permitted to embrace his feet, comforted
them under their fear, and renewed the assurance the angel
had given them, that he would meet his disciples in Galilee.
While these things were passing at some distance, and the
scene at the sepulchre was clear, Joanna and the women who
brought the spices, (and of whom Luke only writes) came, and
entering into the sepulchre, at first saw no one in it, till the
two angels, who a few minutes before had apeared to Mary
Magdalene, made themselves visible to Joanna and her attend-
ants, and assuring them of the resurrection of Jesus, reminded
them how it had been foretotd by himself, with the previous
circumstances of his sufferings, but gave them no charge con-
cerning the information to be carried to the apostles; that
having been committed to the others. Yet (as it was natural
te suppose they would) some of this second company ran to
the city, and, by whatever accident it happened, reached the
eleven, and some other disciples who were with them, before
the two Maries and Salome arrived, telling them, (which was
all they could tell them) that they had seen a vision of angels,
who asserted that Jesus was alive. Peter on this ran a second
time to the sepulchre, (Luke xxiv. 12.) and not entering as
before, but only stooping down and looking into it, he saw no
angels, or any thing else but τα οθόνια κειμενα μονα, but only
the linen clothes lying there, on which he returned; and just
on his making that report, the two disciples who went that day
to Emmaus, or some from whom they received their informa-
tion, (Luke xxiv. 22-24.) left the place before the arrival of
the two Maries and Salome; who, retarded, as was hinted above
by some unknown accident, (perhaps by guessing wrong
as to the place where they might find the largest company to-
gether,) at last, however, reached them, and made abundant
satisfaction for the little delay, (for all might perhaps have
passed in an hour,) by assuring them, not only that they also
had seen an angel who informed them of their Lord's resurrec-
tion, but that Jesus himself had appeared to them, and had
even permitted himself to be touched by two of them."

This is Mr. West's scheme of this important story; and the
reader will perceive, that it chiefly differs from that of Dr. Dod-
dridge in these two circumstances:-That it supposes the
women to have made two different visits to the sepulchre, and
in consequence of that, two distinct reports; whereas his
unites them, (though he does not suppose they all came together,
but that they met there :) and that it also makes Peter to have
run to it twice, of which there can be no reasonable doubt,
though Dr. Doddridge, before he perused Mr. West's plan, had
incorporated Luke's account with that of John, relating to his
running thither with John, on Mary Magdalene's first report.

Dr. Townson prefaces his plan by observing, that the chief difficulties which occur in the evangelical history of the Lord Jesus, from his death to his ascension, are found in the morning of his resurrection. The events related of it fell within a short space of time, and were nearly coincident, or quickly successive to each other. They are told briefly, and but in part, by the evangelists, with few notes of time or order in the Gospel re

Lu.xxiii.52. This man

lative to another. It cannot therefore excite surprise, that
learned men have judged variously of their connection, and
have pursued different methods of reducing them into one nar-
rative. Many of them have succeeded so far as to shew by a
very probable arrangement, that the Gospels are wholly re-
concileable with each other.

This is an important point; yet what may suffice to prove
that there are no characters of disagreement in the facts re-
corded, may not quite satisfy us that they are altogether rightly
methodized.

Mary Magdalene is mentioned by St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. John, as going early to the sepulchre on the first day of the week. St. Mark joins two others with her; Mary the mother of James, and Salome the mother of Zebedee's children. He names these three; and his context will not allow us to suppose that there was any other person of their party. St. Luke, who speaks of a greater number of women going to the sepul chre, has so guarded his account of them as not to include the three just mentioned: and what is said by him of their vision and behaviour at the sepulchre, is totally unlike any thing that is related of the two Maries and Salome. If these things can be made appear evident, from a comparison of the evangelists, we must then, in justice to them, consider the women as going to the sepulchre in a less and larger company.

I shall now subjoin, however, a summary of the arrangement proposed both by Dr. Townson and Mr. Cranfield, and add a table of Scripture passages. The reader will be then able to perceive, at one view, the variation of the arranger from both, and his agreement or disagreement with either. The following is a summary of Dr. Townson's proposed arrangement.

Section I-Friday evening.

Our Lord's disciples, and the women that had followed him
from Galilee, were not absent from his crucifixion,
66 They
stood beholding afar off."

Only his Virgin Mother, Mary her sister, mother of James
and Joses, and Mary Magdalene, with the disciple whom Jesus
loved, and to whose protection he then recommended his
mother, are mentioned as venturing to approach his cross.

But when Joseph of Arimathea had obtained leave from Pilate to inter the body, the Galilean women in general followed it to the sepulchre, and saw where, and how it was laid. They then hastened to the city, to purchase and prepare spices that evening, for anointing it as soon as might conveniently be done after the Sabbath; which, as beginning about sun-set, was then coming on. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, two of those who had been standing by his cross, did not depart with the rest. They continued "sitting over against the tomb."

Section II.-Saturday.

Towards the close of this day, which was the Jewish Sabbath, the Chief Priests and Pharisees, with Pilate's permission, set a guard upon the sepulchre, which was to secure it till the end of the third day.

The same evening, when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, who had lost their opportunity before, bought their share of spices, with the concurrence of a third, Salome, the mother of Zebedee's children, who had probably been engaged the foregoing evening in attending and supporting the mother of our Lord, whom he had recommended to the protection of her son, the beloved disciple.

M m

Jerusalem.

Mar.xv. 43. came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the Jerusalem, body of Jesus.

Section III.-Sunday Morning.

Very early the next morning, and probably before the time settled for opening the sepulchre, these three women hastened to visit it by themselves.

The two Maries set out before it was day-light, I presume because they lodged further from the sepulchre than Salome, whom they called upon to accompany them; and while they were on their way, an angel descended, and rolled away the stone that closed the entrance of the tomb, and Christ arose.

The guard, terrified at the sight of the angel, retired from the sepulchre as he approached it, and when they were a little recovered from their consternation, quitted the garden in which it stood.

The women arrived when the soldiers were gone, and at the rising of the sun. On drawing near to the sepulchre they perceived that the stone was rolled away; and Mary Magdalene, concluding that the body was removed, hurried back to tell Peter and John.

When she was gone, the other Mary and Salome came to a resolution of examining more exactly; and ventured into the sepulchre, in the first part of which, it being divided into two, they beheld an angel sitting on the right side, who bade them not be afraid, assured them that Jesus was risen from the dead, and sent a message to his apostles by them. Having heard his speech, they hastened out of the sepulchre, and to a distance from it, with fear and great joy.

Soon after came Peter and John; and having inspected the tomb, without seeing the angel, or speaking to the women that had seen him, departed.

Section IV.-Sunday Morning.

Mary Magdalene followed, as fast as she was able, and when they went away, staid behind weeping at the sepulchre; then, after a little pause, stooped down, and looked into the tomb, where two angels were sitting, who asked her why she wept? to whose question having returned an answer expressive of her anxiety about the body of her Lord, she drew back, and saw him standing by her, but at first did not perceive who he was. He quickly made himself known to her, and sent a message to his apostles by her.

Section V.-Sunday Morning.

Mary Magdalene, in going to communicate her happy intelligence to them, fell in again with her two friends, the other Mary and Salome. In their way Christ met them, and bid them, All hail! He then permitted them to embrace his feet, and repeated the substance of the message to the apostles, which the angel, seen in the sepulchre, had delivered to the two latter. While these things were doing, a party of the guard came into the city to the Chief Priests, by whom, and a council of the elders called together, they were instructed what report they should spread on this occasion.

Section VI.-Remaining Transactions of Sunday Morning. Another company of women, at the head of whom was Joanna, came now to the sepulchre. Some of these had been ready to set out early for it.

But while they were collecting their whole party, and proceeding slowly in waiting for each other, the time which they had probably agreed on for meeting there to anoint the body, might be a little past. They therefore expressed no wonder, as had the former party, at seeing the tomb open. Their sur

Joh. xix.38. [and] besought Pilate, that he might take away the body Jerusalem. of Jesus:

prize was, when they had entered and searched it, not to find
the body of the Lord Jesus; when two angels stood by them,
and assured them that he was risen, and reminded them of a
prophecy concerning his own death and resurrection, which
they had heard him utter in Galilee. The women recollected
the prophecy, and went and reported "all these things unto the ́
eleven, and to all the rest."

Other evidences of the Lord's resurrection had been laid be-
fore them by the two Maries and Salome, but to little purpose.
So strong were their prejudices, that the words of the women
seemed to them as idle tales.

Yet St. Peter was so struck with their accounts, that he ran to the sepulchre, to see if he could there behold the angels of whom they had spoken.

Section VII.-Sunday Afternoon and Evening,

It is not said in what time of this day our Lord appeared to St. Peter; but it was probably after Cleophas and his companion were set out from Jerusalem. These two were joined on the road by a stranger, whom they discovered at Emmaus to be the Lord himself. On this discovery they hastened back to Jerusalem, to the apostles assembled privately with some others of the disciples, and found them in possession of the fact respecting St. Peter. They then began to relate their own story, when the Lord himself stood in the midst of them, and having composed their minds, alarmed at his appearance, and having satisfied their doubts, left them full of joy that they had seen the Lord.

Section VIII.-The six Days following that of the Resurrection,

It is not recorded that our Lord shewed himself to any of his disciples during this interval. He seems to have left them to the testimony of those who had seen him; and they endeavoured to persuade their brethren of the reality of his resurrection, but without working a thorough conviction in their minds. Among those who had been absent when he appeared on Sunday night, was St. Thomas, who spoke his own and the sentiments of others in declaring, that nothing short of ocular demonstration could clear up his doubts.

Section IX.-The Octave of the Resurrection.

On this day the apostles were assembled, probably in the same place, plainly at Jerusalem, and with others of the disciples, when the Lord came to them as before, the door being again fastened, and reproved them, at least, in addressing himself to St. Thomas," for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen." St. Thomas with all humility confessed his offence, and no more difficulty remained with him and those of the company who were in the same situation. It is likely that our Lord now appointed the time and place in Galilee, where they should see him again. Section X. The time in which the disciples were in Galilee. The apostles then left Jerusalem, and went into Galilee; and it seems as if they were allowed to communicate the design of their going to many of the followers of Christ, and that a multitude of them resorted to the mountain in Galilee, where he had promised to meet them. As soon as they beheld him, they paid their adoration to him. Some, however, that had not seen him before, and then saw him at some distance, were not without their doubts of his bodily presence. But he graciously came and conversed with them, and satisfied all, that it was be

Mark xv.44.

And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and Jerusalem. calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead?

himself, risen from the dead. He then declared, that all power
was given unto him in heaven and in earth.

Section XI.-The Disciples still in Galilee.

Before the disciples quitted Galilee, our Lord again shewed
himself to seven of them by the lake of Tiberias. He there sig-
nified in what manner St. Peter should die, and that St. John
should long survive.

Section XII.-From the Return of the Disciples to Jerusalem,
to the Ascension.

The disciples went back to Jerusalem, earlier I presume than
was necessary to prepare for the feast of the Pentecost, Acts xx.
16. and that therefore they went by a divine direction.

While they were assembled there, Christ instructed them in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God; and when the fortieth day, including that of his resurrection, was come, he led them out as far as to Bethany; and he lifted up his hands and blessed them: and, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven, and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The disciples having paid their adoration to him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and passed their time in the temple, praising and blessing God, and preparing their hearts for the promised descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, who was to enable them to go forth and preach the glad tidings of salvation successfully to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles.

Mr. Cranfield has arranged his harmony in twelve sections, the titles of which sufficiently explain the alterations he proposes in the disposition of events given by his learned prede

cessor.

Section I.-The women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome,) set out to view the tomb-an angel descends-opens the tomb-Christ rises from the dead.

Section II.-The women arrive-and see the stone taken away -Mary, concluding that the body of Christ had been removed runs to inform the disciples-the other two women remain behind-the transactions at the tomb during Mary Magdalene's absence.

Section III.-Peter and John, in consequence of Mary Magdalene's report, set out with Mary Magdalene for the sepulchrethey examine the tomb, and depart-Mary Magdalene stays at the tomb-Christ appears to her.

Section IV.-Mary Magdalene goes with the message she received from Jesus, and falls in with the other Mary and Salome, who were waiting for her at some distance from the sepulchre Jesus appears to the three, and sends a message to the disciples -as they are going, the watch report to the Chief Priests-the transactions at the tomb.

Section V.-Beside the three women already mentioned, another company of Galilean women arrive after these events at the sepulchre-what then took place at the tomb-Luke collects briefly the testimony of both the parties-the disciples continue incredulous-some of the disciples visit the tomb.

Section VI.-Christ appears to St. Peter-the two going to Emmaus-who go to the disciples-Christ appears to all.

Section VII. The rest of the disciples are incredulous—particularly Thomas.

Section VIII.-Christ appears to all-Thomas believes.

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