so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure,

sealing the stone, and setting a watch.*

As the Jews reckoned their days from sunset to sunset, it may have been during the evening of Friday that the detachment of Roman soldiers was given to watch the tomb. Christ's death was officially ascertained and publicly acknowledged; and the very means which human policy and prudence employed to prevent a resurrection were used by God to authenticate and indubitably establish the statements of Scripture. The more minutely the circumstances attending the death of Christ are examined, the more evidently does the overruling finger of Divine Providence appear,

PART VII.

CHRIST'S RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION Time: FORTY DAYS.

SECT. I. THE WOMEN VISIT THE SEPULCHRE.* (MATT. xxviii. MARK xvi. LUKE XXIV. JOHN XX.)

JERUSALEM, 8th April, 30 A.D.
SABBATH MORNING.

IN the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, having bought sweet spices that they might come and anoint the body of Jesus, came and certain others with them, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? But, behold, there was a great earthquake : for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow; and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And when they looked they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. Then Mary Magdalene runneth, and

* So conflicting seem the different accounts of Christ's appearances after his resurrection, as recorded by the four Evangelists, that no attempt to interlace them, and form out of them a continuous and consistent narrative can be entirely satisfactory. Let it be remembered that we seldom find in the gospels a scrupulous exactness in regard to the number of persons witnesses of an event, and that the mention of one only does not exclude the presence of others. The remembrance of this has led us to adopt the opinion that the four women whose names are given, along with others from Galilee, met by agreement near the sepulchre of Christ at daybreak on Sabbath morning, in order to complete the hasty embalming of the Friday night. Already the Roman soldiers had fled, and their approach was not forbidden. The tomb was found empty, and Mary Magdalene, leaving the rest, hastened to the city to inform the eleven. Meanwhile angels appeared to the ministering women who remained, and afterwards, as they departed, Jesus himself met them.

cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

But the other women, entering into the sepulchre, as they were much perplexed thereabout, saw two men standing by them in shining garments, and they were affrighted and bowed down their faces to the earth. But they said unto the women, Be not affrighted; for we know that ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified. Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, for he is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words. Come, then, behold the place where the Lord lay. But go your way quickly, and tell his disciples and Peter that he is risen from the dead, and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee, there shall ye see him as he said unto you: lo, we have told you.

And they went out quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, for they trembled and were amazed neither said they anything to any man; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail! And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid go tell my brethren, that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

And they returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

SECT. II. PETER AND JOHN VISIT THE SEPULCHRE. (LUKE XXIV. JOHN XX.)

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home, wondering at that which was come to pass.

SECT. III. JESUS APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE. (MARK xvi. JOHN XX.)

But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping; and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary! She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni! which is to say, Master! Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.* So when Jesus was risen early

Mary Magdalene, we presume, had hastened back to the sepulchre after Peter and John, but only arrived after their departure from it. As, inconsolable, she stood weeping by the empty grave, angelic sympathy is first given, and then she is blessed with a personal manifestation of her risen Lord.

The language of Mark might lead us to conclude that this was Christ's first appearance after his resurrection; but by many commentators the expression "he appeared first to Mary Magdalene " is understood to mean that of the three appearances which Mark relates, that to Mary Magdalene was relatively, though not necessarily absolutely, the first. And this is the view which we have adopted.

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the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples as they mourned and wept, that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

SECT. IV. JESUS APPEARS TO PETER AND TO THE TWO DISCIPLES OF EMMAUS.

(MARK XVI. LUKE xxiv. I COR. XV. 5.)

Christ was seen of Cephas.*

After that he appeared in another form unto two of them as they walked that same day into the country to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.† And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were

holden that they should not know him.

And he said unto

them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

* No account is preserved of Christ's appearance to Peter; but the fact is stated by Paul and by Luke, the latter of whom tells us that it had taken place before the visit of the two disciples of Emmaus to the eleven apostles was made.

Emmaus was about eight miles distant from Jerusalem. As the two disciples reached it about sundown, they must have left Jerusalem early in the afternoon. This was, according to our arrangement, Christ's fourth appearance on that day of his resurrection.