But what effect should this reflection have upon our hearts? Should it difpofe us to join with the difputer of of this world in doubting or denying the wisdom of the Almighty in the mode of our redemption, and in quar relling with the means he has made use of to fave us, because they appear to our weak understanding strange and unaccountable? Shall the man who is finking under a mortal disease, refufe the medicine which fhall infallibly. restore him, because he is ignorant of the ingredients of which it is composed? Shall the criminal who is condemned to death, reject the pardon that is unexpectedly offered. to him, because he cannot conceive in what manner and by what means it was obtained for him? Shall we who are all criminals in the fight of God, and are all actually (till redeemed by Chrift) under the fentence of death; thall we ftrike back the arm that is graciously ftretched out to fave us, merely because the mercy offered to us is fo great that we are unable to grafp with our understanding the whole nature and extent of it? Shall the very magnitude, in fhort, of the favor conferred upon us be converted into an argument against receiving it; and fhall we determine not to be faved, because God chufes to do it, not in our way, but his own? That our redemp-tion by Chrift is a myftery, a great and astonishing myftery, we readily acknowledge. But this was naturally to be expected in a work of fuch infinite difficulty as that of rendering the mercy of God in pardoning mankind, confiftent with the exercife of his juftice, and the fupport of his authority, as the moral Governor of the world. Whatever could effect this muft neceffarily be fomething far beyond the comprehenfion of our narrow understandings; that is, must neceffarily be myfterious. And therefore this very circumstance, instead of fhocking our reafon, and staggering our faith, ought to confirm the one, and fatisfy the other. After the crucifixion of our Lord follows the account of his burial by Jofeph of Arimathea, who went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jefus ; and having obtained it, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the fepulchre, and de parted. On this. I fhall make no other obfervation, than that it was the exact fulfilment of a prophecy in Ifaiah, where, fpeaking of the promised Meffiah, or Chrift, it is faid, "he fhall make his grave with the rich*." And accordingly Jofeph, we are told, was a rich man, and an honourable counsellort. Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation (that is on the Saturday) the chief priests and Pharifees came together unto Pilate, faying, "Sir, we remember that that deceiver faid, while he was yet alive, after three days I will rife again. Command therefore that the fepulchre be made fure until the third day, left his disciples come by night and steal him away, and fay unto the peo ple, he is rifen from the dead; fo the last error fhall be worse than the firft. Pilate faid unto them, Ye have a watch, go your way, make it as fure as ye can. So they went, and made the fepulchre fure, fealing the ftone, and fetting a watcht." Here wee fee the chief priests using every poffible precaution to prevent a fraud. For this purpose they went to Pilate to beg for a guard, immediately after our Lord was buried. It is indeed here faid that they went the next day that followed the day of the preparation, the day on which Jefus was crucified. This looks, at the first view, as if the sepulchre had remained one whole night without a guard. But this was not fo. The chief priests went to Pilate as foon as the fun was fet on Friday, the day of the prepara. tion and crucifixion; for then began the following day, or Saturday; as the Jews always began to reckon their day from the preceding evening. They had a guard therefore as foon as they poffibly could, after the body was depofited in the fepulchre; and one cannot help admiring the wif dom of Providence in so disposing events, that the extreme anxiety of these men, to prevent collufion, fhould be the means of adding the teftimony of fixty unexceptionable witnesses (the number of the Roman foldiers on guard) to the truth of the refurrection, and of establishing the reali ty of it beyond all power of contradiction. It is only + Matth. xxvii. 57. Mark, xv. 43. Matth. xxvii. 62-66. * Ifaiah, liii. 9. neceffary to add on this head, that the circumftance of fealing the stone was a precaution of which feveral instan ces occur in ancient times, particularly in the prophecy of Daniel, where we read, that when Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, a ftone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den, and the king fealed it with his own fignet, and with the fignet of his lords, that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel*. The chief priests having taken these precautions, waited probably with no fmall impatience for the third day after the crucifixion, when Jefus had foretold that he should rife again, but when they made no doubt that they fhould find the body in the fepulehre, and convict him of deceit and imposture. On the other hand, it might naturally be imagined that the difciples, after having received from their Lord repeated affurances that he would rise on the third day from the dead, would anxiously look for the arrival of that day, with a certain confidence that thefe promises would be fulfilled, and that they fhould fee their beloved Master rescued from the grave, and restored to life. * But this seems to have been by no means the real state of their minds. It does not appear that they entertained any hopes of Jefus's refurrection. Shocked and confound. ed, and dismayed at finding him condemned to the ignominious death of the cross, they forgot every thing he had faid to them refpecting his rifing again. When therefore he was led to punishment, they all forfook him and fled. Most of them feem to have kept themselves concealed during the whole time of Jefus being in the grave, and to have given themselves up to forrow and defpair. They had not even the courage or the curiofity to go to the fepulchre on the third day to fee whether the promised event had taken place or not. When two of them going to Emmaus met Jefus, their converfation plainly fhewed that they were disappointed in their expectaions. "We trufted (faid they) that it had been he which fhould have delivered Ifrael+;22 + Luke xxiv. 21. * Daniel, vi. 17. and when the women who had been at the fepulchre told the apostles that Jefus was rifen, "their words feemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not*." The women, it is true, came to the fepulchre early in the morning of the third day; but they came to embalm the dead body, and of course not with the hopes of feeing a living one. So far then is perfectly clear, that the difciples were not at all difpofed to be over credulous on this occafion. Their prejudices and prepoffeffions lay the contrary way; and nothing but the most irresistible evidence would be able to convince them of a fact, which they appeared to think in the highest degree improbable. Let us now then fee what this evidence of the refurrection was. In the beginning of the 28th chapter, on which we are now entering, St. Matthew informs us, "that in the end of the fabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week; that is, according to our way of reckoning, very early on the Sunday morning (our Lord having been crucified on the Friday) came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, the mother of James and Jofes, to fee the fepulchre, and (as we learn from the other evangelifts,) they brought with them the spices they had purchased to embalm the body of Jefus. And behold there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord defcended from heaven, and came and rolled back the ftone from the door, and fate upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as fnow. And for fear of him the keepers did fhake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered, and faid unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye feek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here; for he is rifen, as he faid. Come, fee the place where our Lord lay; and go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is rifen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee ; there ye fhall fee him. fhall fee him. Lo! I have told you. And they departed from the fepulchre with fear and great joy, and * Luke xxiv. 11. did run to bring his difciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold Jefus met them, faying, All hail; and they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then faid Jefus unto them, be not a fraid. Go, tell my brethren, that they go into Galilee, and there fhall they fee me* " This is the relation given by St. Matthew of our Lord's first appearance, after his refurrection, to the women who came to the fepulchre. The accounts given by the other three evangelifts are fubftantially the fame, though differing in a few minute circumstances of no moment, which however have been very ably reconciled by many learned men. I fhall therefore wave all difcuffions of this kind, and confine myself to the main fact of the refurrection, in which all the evangelifts agree, and of which the proofs are numerous and clear. The principal and most obvious are thofe which arife from the various appearances which Jesus made after his refurrection to various perfons, and at various times. The first was to Mary Magdalen alonet. The second, to her in company with several other wo men, as we have juft feent. The third, to Peters. The fourth, to the two difciples going to Emmaus||. The fifth, to the apoftles in Jerufalem, when they were affembled with the doors fhut on the first day of the week; at which time he fhewed them his hands and his feet, pierced with the nails, and did eat before them¶. The fixth, to the apoftles a fecond time as they fate at meat, when he fatisfied the doubts of the incredulous Thomas, by making him thruft his hand into his fide**. * Matth. xxviii. 1-10. ** Matth. xxviii. 9. Luke, xxiv. 13. + Mark. xvi. 9. SI Cor. xv. 5. John, xx. 19. Luke, xxiv, 37-43 |