carrying on any fraud, placed them at their post, and sealed the stone which was rolled to the door of the sepulchre.

Thus, what was designed to expose the mission and doctrine of Jesus, as rank falsehood and vile imposture, proved, in fact, the strongest confirmation of the truth and divinity of the same that could possibly be given; and placed what they wanted to refute (which was his resurrection from the dead) even beyond a doubt.

CHAPTER XXXII.

TWO PIOUS WOMEN GO TO VIEW THE SEPULCHRE OF THEIR CRUCIFIED LORD AND SAVIOUR-AN AWFUL PHENOMENON HAPPENS-A MINISTERING

Spirit descends-THE REDEEMER BURSTS THE CHAINS OF DEATH,
AND RISES FROM THE TOMB.

ERY early in the morning, after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, came to visit the sepulchre, in order to embalm our Lord's body; for the performance of which they had, in concert with several other women from Galilee, brought ointments and spices. But before they reached the sepulchre, there was a great earthquake preceding the most memorable event that ever happened among the children of men, the resurrection of the Son of God from the dead. "For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door of the sepulchre, 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:" they fled into the city, and the Saviour of the world rose from the dead.

The angel, who had till then sat upon the stone, quitted his station, and entered into the sepulchre. In the mean time, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary,

were still on their way to the place, together with Salome, who joined them on the road. As they proceeded on their way, they consulted among themselves, with regard to the method of putting their design of embalming the body of their Master into execution; particularly with respect to the enormous stone which they had seen placed there, with the utmost difficulty, two days before, "Who," said they, "shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?" But, in the midst of this deliberation, about removing this great and sole obstacle to their design, (for it does not appear they knew anything of the guard,) they lifted up their eyes, and perceived it was already rolled away. Alarmed at so extraordinary and unexpected a circumstance, Mary Magdalene concluded, that the stone could not have been rolled away without some design; and that those who rolled it away could have no other intent than that of removing our Lord's body. Imag ining, by appearances, that they had really done so, she ran immediately to acquaint Peter and John of what she had seen, and what she suspected; leaving Mary and Salome there, that if the other women should arrive during her absence, they might acquaint them with their surprise, at finding the stone removed, and of Mary Magdalene's running to inform the apostles of it.

In the mean time, the soldiers, who were terrified at seeing an awful messenger from on high roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and open it in quality of a servant, fled into the city, and informed the Jewish rulers of these miraculous appearances. This account was highly mortifying to the chief priests, as it was a proof of our Saviour's resurrection that could not be denied: they therefore resolved to stifle

it immediately; and accordingly bribed the soldiers to conceal the real fact, and to publish every where, that his disciples had stolen the body out of the sepulchre.

While Mary Magdalene was going to inform the disciples that the stone was rolled away from the mouth of the sepulchre, and the body taken away, Mary and Salome continued advancing toward the place, and at their arrival found what they expected — the body of their beloved Master gone from the sepulchre, where it had been deposited by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea; but at the same time beheld, to their great astonishment, a beautiful young man in shining raiment, very glorious to behold, sitting on the right side of the sepulchre.

Matthew tells us, that it was the angel who had rolled away the stone, and frightened away the guards from the sepulchre. It seems he had now laid aside the terrors in which he was then arrayed, and assumed the form and dress of a human being, in order that these pious women, who had accompanied our Saviour during the greatest part of the time of his public ministry, might be as little terrified as possible.

But, notwithstanding his beauty and benign appearance, they were greatly affrighted, and on the point of turning back, when the heavenly messenger, to banish their fears, told them, in a gentle accent, that he knew their errand. "Fear not," said he, "for I know that ye seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said:" and then invited them to come down into the sepulchre, and view the place where the Son of God had lain; that is, to look on the linen clothes, and the napkin that had been about his head, and which he had left behind him when he arose

from the dead; for, to look at the place in any other view, would not have tended to confirm their faith of his resurrection. The women, greatly encouraged by the agreeable news, as well as the peculiar accent with which this blessed messenger from the heavenly Canaan delivered his speech, went down into the sepulchre, when, behold, another of the angelic choir appeared. They did not, however, yet seem to give sufficient credit to what was told them by the angel; and therefore the other gently reproved them for seeking the living among the dead, with an intention to do him an office due only to the latter, and for not believing what was told them by a messenger from heaven, or rather for not remembering the words which their great Master himself had told them with regard to his own resurrection: "Why seek ye the living among the dead? IIe is not here, but 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."

When the women had satisfied their minds by look ing at the place where the Lord had lain, and where nothing was to be found but the linen clothes, the angel who first appeared to them resumed the discourse, and bade them go and tell his disciples, particularly Peter, the glad tidings of his Master's resurrection from the dead that he was going before them to Galilee; and that they should there have the pleasure of seeing him. The reason why the disciples were ordered to go into Galilee, to meet their great and beloved Master, seems to be this: they were most of them at Jerusalem, celebrating the passover; and it may be easily imagined that, on receiving the news of their Lord's resurrection,