31.

32.

33.

In the mean time, the Jews, not knowing that Jefus was dead, and wifhing the bodies to be removed before the fabbath, (which being in the paffover week, was a fabbath of more than ordinary folemnity,) begged Pilate to order the legs of the criminals to be broken; that if there fhould be any remains of life in them, on their being taken down fooner than ufual, they might not be able to escape. The foldiers accordingly broke the legs of the two criminals who were executed with Jefus; but finding that Jefus himfelf was certainly dead, they thought it unneceffary to break his legs: one of 34. them, however, thruft a fpear into his fide, from which iffued blood and water. stances the writer of this account bears teftimony to the truth of them. On the two laft he lays a particular stress; the former completing that prophetic type of the pafchal lamb; of which a bone was not to be broken: and the latter fulfilling a prophecy of Zechariah, they fhall look on him whom they have pierced.

All these circum-
himself faw, and

At Arimathea lived a perfon of fome confequence, whose name was Jofeph. He was a difciple of Jesus; but through fear of the Jews, had kept his opinions to himself. At his mafter's death, however,

34. Anatomifts obferve that from the appearance both of blood and water, it was plain the heart was pierced; and of course that Jefus was dead.

36. Ex. xii. 46. 37. Zech. xii. 10.

35.

36.

37.

38.

he

39.

40.

41. 42.

CHAP.

he affumed new courage, and gave a noble inftance of his faith. In the midft of all that ignominy and general disappointment which overwhelmed the caufe of Jefus, during the short period between his death and refurrection, this man, preferving his faith entire, went boldly to Pilate, and begged leave to take the body from the cross, that it might not be dif graced by being caft out among common malefactors. In this pious office he was affifted by Nicodemus, another fecret disciple, who brought with him a large quantity of spices, fuch as were used commonly in embalming. Thefe two took the body from the crofs; and as it was late in the evening before the fabbath, and they were preffed for time, they wrapped it up only in linen with the fpices, intending afterwards to embalm it properly. Having done this, they laid it in a new fepulchre in a garden, near the place of execution, where it lay during the fabbath.

On the morning after, very early, Mary MagdaXX. len, who had feen where the body had been depofited,

1. 2.

This was

39. About an hundred pounds weight, fays the text. indeed a very large quantity. But the Jews eftimated their refpect by the quantity of fpices ufed in embalming the body of the deceased. Weftein quotes a paffage from the Talmud, in which it is faid, that eighty pounds of spices were used at the funeral of Gamaliel. Bowyer fubftitutes a reading, which makes the fenfe thus: a mixture of myrrh and aloes, of about a pound each. But the Jews used fometimes not only to anoint the body, but to lay it in a bed of fpices: fee 2 Chron. xvi. 14, where the funeral of Afa is defcribed.

1. The Jewish fabbath was Saturday. The morning after, therefore, anfwers to our Sunday; which, from the great event of Chrft's refurrection, became the Chriftian fabbath.

went

AN

3.

4. 5.

6.

went to the fepulchre, and found the ftone removed which had clofed its mouth. At this fhe was greatly disturbed, and ran to tell Peter and John what she had feen, who immediately haftened to the fepulchre. John arriving first, looked in, and faw the linen clothes lying in order, Peter coming afterwards, entered the fepulchre, and faw the clothes lying, as John had defcribed them, and the napkin folded by itself, which had been bound round the head. John also then went in, and comparing all 8. things together, began to be convinced, that Jefus was rifen for of that full conviction, which he might have had from the prophets, he had yet no idea. With this imperfect information, the two dif ciples returned to their brethren.

After they were gone, Mary, who still continued in great affliction about the place, went again to the fepulchre, and looking in, faw two angels fitting, one at the head, the other at the feet, where the body had lain. On their inquiry into the cause of her distress, she told them her great disappointment at not finding the body. Then turning from the fepulchre, fhe faw Jefus himself standing before her,

9.

10.

12.

13.

14.

II. There is much difficulty in reconciling St. John's account of Mary, with the accounts of the other evangelifts. They all agree that Mary faw the angels: but they differ as to the point of time. Nor do I fee how this matter can be reconciled with any appearance of probability. We are constrained therefore, I think, in this paffage, as in many others, to allow the variations of the evangelifts in trifling matters, and confider them only as attentive to the grand points they had in view. See a note on Matt. xxviii. 1.

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Dd

but

15.

16.

17.

but did not know him. On his asking her the caufe
of her forrow, fhe fuppofing him to be the gardener,
defired to know where he had laid the body, if he
had taken it away, and fhe would remove it.
Jefus looking at her, faid, Mary! On this fhe
inftantly knew him, and falling down at his feet,
cried out, in a tranfport of joy, My Mafter and my
Lord! Jefus faid, do not now delay me, you
fhall have other opportunities of feeing me before my
afcenfion. But go now to my brethren, and tell
them, that I am rifen from the dead, and fhall fpeedily
afcend to that gracious God who will be their Father,
as he is mine.

18. 19.

20.

21.

On the evening of that very day (the first day of the week) on which Mary had told these things to the difciples, as they were affembled privately for fear of the Jews, Jefus ftood in the midst of them, and having bleffed them, fhewed them his hands and his fide, which fully convinced them of the reality of his appearance, and threw them into an ecftafy of joy. He then bleffed them again, and told them, he fent them into the world to continue that gracious work of preaching the gofpel which

17. Go to my brethren, &c, There is fomething inexpreffibly tender in this fpeech. Notwithstanding their late fhameful defertion of him. he (who knew the Spirit was willing though the flesh was weak) fends to them in the kindeft manner, and never touches more on their fault. Juft fo the prodigal fon was received. Luke xv. 20.

his Father had intrufted to him: adding, with a fignificant fign of breathing on them, a repetition of the promises of the Holy Ghoft, and of the power of proclaiming remiflion of fins on the terms of the gofpel.

It happened, that Thomas was not with the dif ciples when Jefus first appeared to them. On his being informed therefore of it, he declared, that he would not believe it, unlefs he himself fhould be an eye-witness, and fhould fee the prints of the nails in his hands, and of the fpear in his fide.

A week

after, when the disciples were again affembled in the fame private manner, and Thomas with them, Jefus, as before, appeared among them, and bleffed them. He then gave Thomas the teftimony he required, and bad him be no longer incredulous.

Thomas,
fully

22. The fign of breathing on them, was fignificant, like other figns, in expreffing, as nearly as could be adapted to our conceptions, the operation intended. Thus in another paffage, The avind bloweth, c. fo is every one that is born of the Spirit. We need not fuppofe this is meant as an actual giving of the Holy Ghoft, which was formally given afterwards, but as referring to that future time.

25. All these particulars of the refurrection of Jefus, and of the tranfactions afterwards, are told in the original with that genuine fimplicity which evinces truth, and which no other mode of relation can equal. For the fake of uniformity, however, I am conftrained to adopt a more modern mode of expreffion.

25. Baλw Toy SaxTUλo us should not be rendered, thruft my hands into; but rather, lay my finger upon.

26. And after eight days that is, according to the Jewish reckoning, on the first day of the week, or our Sunday.

28. As a comment on this paffage, I fhall tranferibe the following obfervations from a valuable book. "When Thomas, overcome by the evidence our Lord had given him, and melted

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27. 28.