610 Matth. The Soldiers return, and make their Report to the Priests. Sect. 196. recollect themselves, as to the Excuse they should make for its being broke open, and the Body XXVIII. 11. being gone, as it would foon be known that it was: And they came therefore into the City, and told the Chief Priests, from whom they had received their immediate Charge, all that had happened; and urged how impoffible it was for them to make any Oppofition, in the Prefence of the Angel, who fhook the very Earth with the Terror of his Appearance, and therefore might be eafily fuppofed to take away all Power of Refiftance from them. And thus these ignorant and ftupid Heathen became in effect the first Preachers of Chrift's Refurrection, and were Witneffes of the Truth of it to the most inveterate of his Enemies (a). 112 This Report could not but ftrike the Chief Priests into fome Amazement and Confufion; and therefore they immediately convened the Sanhedrim: And having met together with the Elders of the People, they deliberated upon it, and confulted among themselves, what they should do in fo perplexing an Emergency; and particularly, whether they should difmifs the Guards with a Charge to conceal the Story they had told them, or should accufe them to the Governor, and attempt to punish them for neglecting their Duty: But confidering the Manner in which the Governor had appeared affected towards Jefus, and the many Prodigies which had attended his Death, by which Pilate's Conscience must have been in fome Degree awakened; and alfo knowing they had no pofitive Proof of any Negligence or Treachery in the Soldiers, they refolved to commence no Prosecution against them, and to pafs it City, and fhewed unto the that were done. 12 And when they were affembled with the Elders, and had taken Counsel, they gave (a) These ignorant and ftupid Heathen became in effect the first Preachers &c.] Such News, coming from fuch Perfons, muft undoubtedly throw the Priests into inexpreffible Confufion; but it is remarkable, that neither, the Soldiers, nor the Priefs were converted, by what the one faw, or the other heard. Perhaps the Soldiers might think, that Jefus was, like fome of their fabulous Heroes, the Son of fome Deity, who brought him to Life again; but instead of imagining themselves concerned in the Purposes of his Refurrection, they might perhaps abufe their Knowledge of it, to confirm their Belief of fome fuperftitious Tales of their own Priests, which bore fome little Refemblance to it; as thofe of Alceftis, Hippolytus, Hercules, and many others did. See alfo Valer. Max. lib. 1. cap. viii. §. 12. and Plin. Nat. Hift. lib. vii. cap. 52. (b) They They hire them to fay, His Difciples ftole the Body, as they flept. 13 Saying, Say ye, His Difciples came by Night, and ftole him away while we flept. 611 gave large Money unto the it over without any Complaint; but apprehend- Sect. 196. Soldiers, ing that the most effectual Method they could Matth. take would be to endeavour to pervert their Evi- XXVIII.12. dence, they gave [a] large [Sum of] Money to the Soldiers (b): Saying, Since this strange 13 Thing has happened, whether there really was any Sorcery in it, or whether it was merely your Dream (c), it must for the publick Safety be concealed, or the whole Nation will be deluded and undone: We must therefore infift upon it, that neither you, nor your Companions, fay any Thing of what you imagine you faw; but if any should queftion you about it, and pretend that this Jesus is rifen, tell ye them in the general, We were weary with fo long a Watch, and dropped asleep, and we conclude, that his Difciples came by Night, and frole him away while we slept (d). And 14 you have no need to be afraid of being punished your Negligence; for if this fhould come to be heard by the Governor, and he should blame you for fleeping on your Guard, we will perfuade him to make no farther Enquiry about it, and by our Intereft with him will make you eafy and fecure. 14 And if this come to perfwade him, and secure the Governor's Ears, we will you. for And they took the Money that was offered them, and did as they were taught; and accord ing (b) They gave a large Sum of Money to the Soldiers.] Mr. Ditton very well obferves, (in his unanswerable Demonftration of Christ's Refurrection, pag. 296.) that had they not been afraid to put them to Death, as they were Romans, it is very probable that Caiaphas's Maxim, (John xi. 50.) that it was better one Man fhould die, than all the People perish, would have coft fome of them their Lives; at leaft the Commanding Officer, had he been fully in their Power, would have been in imminent Danger. Could they have proved any Neglect, no Doubt thefe Soldiers would have been profecuted to the utmoft; (as Peter's Guards were afterwards, Acts xii. 19.) But, as they were deftitute of all Proof, it was Prudence not to profecute them at all; for had Pilate acquitted them, it would have been in Effect a publick Declaration, that he was convinced, Jefus was indeed rifen. (c) Whether there really was any Sorcery in it, &c.] They muft, to be fure, be puzzled, to account for this ftrange Event; and laying it down as a first Principle," that Jefus must be an Impoftor," they would, to be fure, incline to impute his Refurrection, as they had afcribed his Miracles, to fome Diabolical Operation. It is however probable, that such artful Men might speak of it, in fuch loofe Terms, as the Paraphrafe represents, tho' they could not ferioufly endeavour to perfuade the Guards, they were in a Dream. (d) And fole him away while we fept.] It was ridiculous to pretend to fay with any Certainty, what paffed while they were afleep; fo that this was in Effect only hiring them to fay, that they knew nothing of the Matter, and did not observe any Thing more than ordinary had paffed that Night. How abfurd this Pretence was, a Thousand Circumftances concur to fhew; as moft Writers in Defence of Christianity have demonstrated, and perhaps none, in few Words, better than Bishop Burnet on the Articles, pag. 64, Hhhh 2 (e) Even 15 612 Matth. JESUS appears to Peter, and then to Two Difciples. Sect. 196. ing to their Inftructions, they concealed what they had feen, and pretended that fome of the Disciples must have taken the Advantage of their Weariness and Neglect, and fo have carried off the Body. And, fuch are the Prejudices of that unhappy People, that this Story, wild and fenfelefs as it was, is commonly reported among the Jews even to this Day (e): And they ftill chufe, in Oppofition to the most certain Evidence, to believe this extravagant Suggestion, rather than yield to the Truth of Chrift's Refurrection, tho' folemnly attefted to them, by many who faw and converfed familiarly with him after he was rifen from the Dead; of which Number Peter was one, to whom indeed he appeared first of all the Apoftles (f). (See 1 Cor. xv. 5.) Mark XVI. 12. This happened a few Hours after his Resurrection, on the First Day of the Week; and quickly after this, on the fame Day, he appeared to Two of them, tho' in another Form, or in a different Habit from what he ordinarily wore (g), as they were walking on the Way, taught: and this Saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this Day. MARK XVI. 12. After that, he appeared in another Form unto Two of them, as they walked, and went into the Country. (e) Even to this Day.] This feems to intimate, that Matthew wrote his Gospel feveral Years after our Lord's Refurrection. (f) Peter was one, to whom he appeared first of all the Apoftles.] Tho' the Evangelifts have not recorded the particular Circumftances of our Lord's Appearance to Peter, yet it is evident that he appeared firft to Peter, before he was seen by the left of the Apoftles. (Compare 1 Cor. xv. 5. and Luke xxiv. 34.) Dr. Lightfoot therefore fuppofes, that Peter was one of the Two Difciples to whom Chrift appeared as they were going to Emmaus; and imagines, he was fo earnestly defirous to obtain a Sight of Christ, that upon hearing from the Women, (Mat. xxviii. 7, 8.) that he would go before them into Galilee, where they should fee him, he prefently fet out with Cleopas for Galilee; but having feen him in their Way to Emmaus, they haftened back to Jerufalem to acquaint the Disciples with it; upon which the reft of the Eleven, as they knew of Peter's Journey, when they faw him return fo fuddenly and unexpectedly, cried out, Certainly the Lord has appeared to Simon, elfe he would never have come back fo foon. (See Lightf. Hor. Hebr. on Mark xvi. 13. and Luke xxiv. 34.) But had Peter been one of thefe Two Difciples, it is no Way probable that in the large Account which Luke has given of this Matter, his Name would not have been mentioned, as well as that of Cleopas; or that a Perfon of his Forwardness would have continued filent, and have left Cleopas to carry on the Converfation as the chief Speaker; Nor does it fuit with the Circumftances of the Story, that after Peter's going to the Sepulchre had been related just before, they should here only speak of it, (ver. 24.) as what was done, not by one of themselves, but by certain of them that were with them: or that it fhould be faid, when they returned to Jerufalem, (ver. 33.) that they found the Eleven gathered together, if one of those that returned belonged to that Number, and was one of thefe Eleven. (Compare Note (b) on Luke xxiv. 34. Sect. 198.) (g) He appeared to Two of them, &c.] The only Reafon which Mafius has, (fee Supplem. Critic. Vol. ii. pag. 1788.) for fufpecting, that this Appearance was different from that which Luke defcribes, as made to thofe that were on their journey to Emmaus, (Chap. xxiv. 13,& feq.) is this: The Companions of thefe Two Difciples are reprefented, as not believ ing 13 And they went and told it unto the Refidue: neither believed they them. 613 Mark XVI. 13. The reft are told of it, but do not readily believe them. Way, and going into the Country to Emmaus a neigh-Sect. 196. bouring Village (b). And they went back directly, and told it to the rest of their Companions; yet they did not all immediately believe them, till at length he appeared to all his Apoftles together once and again, and gave them fuch convincing Evidence as they could not withstand. But these Facts are of fo great Importance, that we shall give a particular Narration of each, and first of that which happened on the Way to Emmaus in the next Section.. SUR IMPROVEMENT. URELY there is nothing in the whole Sacred Story, which does Mat. xxviii. in a more affecting Manner illustrate the deplorable Hardness of the 11, 15, Human Heart in this degenerate State, than the Portion of it which is now before us. What but the Teftimony of an Apoftle could have been fufficient to perfuade us, that Men who had been but a few Hours before the Witneffes of fuch an awful Scene, who had beheld the Angel defcending, had felt the Earth trembling, had feen the Sepulchre bursting open by a Divine Power, and had fallen down in helpless Astonishment and Confufion, perhaps expecting every Moment to be themselves destroyed, should that very Day, yea, that very Morning, fuffer themselves to be hired by a Sum of Money to do their utmost to afperfe the Character of Chrift, and to invalidate the Evidence of his Refurrection, of which they were in effect Eye Witnesses? Nay, how astonishing is it, that the Chief Priests themselves, the publick Ver. 12. Minifters of the Lord of Hofts, could act fuch a Part as this? They hear this full Evidence, that he, that Jefus whom they had murthered, was rifen ing the Refurrection of Chrift, when attefted by them; whereas when the Disciples from Emmaus came to make this Report, the reft, before they could tell their Story, faluted them with that joyful Declaration, The Lord is rifen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. (Luke xxiv. 34.) But I apprehend thefe feemingly different Accounts may be reconciled, by obferving, that various Perfons in the fame Company were varioufly impreffed; and that fome of thofe to whom the Travellers from Emmaus came, had, even after their Story was told, fome remaining Doubts, appears from Luke himself. See Chap. xxiv. 37, 41. and Note (a) on Mat. xxviii. 17. Sect. 202. (b) Into the Country to Emmaus &c.] Emmaus was a Village about Sixty Furlongs diftant from Jerufalem, as we are told by Luke, (chap. xxiv. 13.) and Jofephus gives the fame Account of its Situation, Bell. Jud. lib. vii. cap. 6. (al. 26.) §. 6. And therefore, tho' they have been frequently confounded, this must have been a different Place from that which was afterwards called Nicopolis, which lay near the Lake of Gennefareth, at a much greater Distance. from Jerufalem. See Reland. Palaeftin. lib. ii. cap. 6. pag. 427, & feq. 614 Reflections on the Disbelief of CHRIST's Resurrection. Sect. 196. rifen from the Dead; and they well knew, and remembered, that he had himself put the Proof of his Miffion on this very Fact; a Fact, to which the Prodigies at his Death, which they themselves had feen and felt, added an inexpreffible Weight of Probability. Who would not have expected, that they should have been alarmed, convinced, and humbled; that they fhould have turned the remaining Days of the Paffover into a publick Fast, and have folicitously fought out him, who was fo powerfully declared to be the Son of GOD, to caft themselves at his Feet, and intreat his Pardon and Grace! But inftead of this, with invincible and growing Malice, they fet themselves to oppofe him, and bribe the Soldiers to teftify a Lye, the most to his Difhonour of any that Hell could invent. And furely had not Chrift been kept out of their Sight and Power, they would, notwithstanding all this, have endeavoured to bring him down to the Tomb again, on the very fame Principles, on which they would have flain Lazarus after his Refurrection. (John xii, 10.) So true does it appear, in this renewed and unequalled Inftance, that if Men hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded tho' one rofe from the Dead. (Luke xvi. 31.) Ver. 13. Ver. 15. No Question but thefe very Men, when preffed with the Evidences of Christ's Refurrection, anfwered, as fucceeding Infidels have prefumptuously done, "that he should have appeared to them, if he expected they should "believe he was rifen." But what Affurance can we have, that the same Prejudices which overbore the Teftimony of the Soldiers, might not alfo have refifted even the Appearance of Christ himself? Or rather, that the Obftinacy, which led them to overbear Confcience in one Inftance, might not have done it in the other? Juftly therefore did GoD deny, what Wantonness, and not Reafon, might lead them to demand: Justly did he give them up to difhonour their own Understandings, as well as their Moral Character, by this mean and ridiculous Tale, which brought Men to teftify what was done, while they were asleep. The most that Common Senfe could make of their Report, had they deferved the Character of honest Men, would have been, that they knew nothing of the Matter. And we have a Thousand Times more Reason to admire the Condefcenfion of GOD, in fending his Apostles to these wicked Rulers, with fuch additional Proofs and Meffages, than to cenfure his Providence in preventing Chrift's publick Appearance. May he deliver us from the Treachery and Corruption of our own Hearts! May he give us a holy Tenderness and Integrity of Soul, that we may fee Truth wherefoever it is, and may follow it whitherfoever it leads us; left GOD fhould chufe our Delufions, and give us up in his righteous Judgment to believe a Lye, and to think ourselves wife in that credulous Infidelity, which is destroying its Ten Thousands amongst us! SECT. |