his professed enemies to guard his sepulchre; and their testimony is conclusive in favour of his resurrection. The malicious design of the Jews was, that these soldiers should be witnesses for them that Jesus did not rise from the dead. They continued to manifest their hatred of him even after his death, and thought not his grave a prison sufficiently strong to secure him, unless it were sealed and kept by a strong guard of armed soldiers. The reason of these proceedings they made known to Pilate: " Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command, therefore, that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead. So the last error shall be worse than the first." What efforts did these infatuated Jews make to harden their hearts and blind their eyes that they might not understand the truth! One would almost think it incredible that they should remember our Saviour had said, after three days he would rise again, and after being eye-witnesses to his raising Lazarus out of his grave, and doing many other mighty works among them, should nevertheless presume that a guard of soldiers could cause him to falsify his word! Nay, not all the forces of the Roman empire, nor all the powers of earth and hell combined, could have detained him under the arrest of death. For no sooner did the third day begin to dawn, than he arose in triumph out of the sepulchre, to the

utter astonishment of the soldiers, who became as dead men with fear. Thus the means of security adopted to prevent a fraud, served considerably to establish the fact of the resurrection, for the soldiers, as soon as they had recovered from this fear and consternation, went into the city, and immediately communicated this miracle to the chief priests.

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And such a confession, from such men, would have produced very powerful effects, if their proud and wicked hearts had not led them to resolve never to submit to the sceptre of a crucified Messiah: to them the cross was stumbling block." To prevent the truth being known, they had recourse to the dreadful expedient of bribery and falsehood: 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. There never was a more ridiculous falsehood imposed on any nation! This lie, put into the mouths of the soldiers by the Jews, was a very ill-contrived one. What! a few timorous faint-hearted disciples, in a state of consternation and despair, venture on so bold an attempt as to steal away our Saviour's body, when it was guarded by a band of armed soldiers, who were enemies to them, as well as to their Divine . Master! How is it possible that all these soldiers should be asleep, and none of them be aroused from their slumbers by the noise of the rolling away of so great a stone as was laid at

the entrance of the sepulchre! If the disciples had even attempted to steal away the body of our Saviour, is it at all likely that on entering the sepulchre they would stay there to undress it, and lay the clothes in an orderly manner in one corner, and that they could carry it out without being heard or discovered! And what is still more strange, that soldiers should understand and tell who they were that came while they were fast asleep, and stole away a corpse which they were set to watch and guard! Certainly no man will give credit to the testimony of witnesses who depose things that were done while they were asleep! And how then shall these soldiers, who pretend they were asleep when the theft was committed, be competent witnesses! And if they were not asleep, why did they suffer the body to be taken away? especially as a neglect of duty in this case would be highly perilous. The story is so ridiculous, that instead of disproving, it strongly confirms the truth of our Saviour's resurrection.

His resurrection is attested by the testimonies of his friends both in heaven and in earth. "The angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it." Dr. Macknight observes, "Jesus, by his miraculous power, could easily have rolled the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and therefore the descent of an angel was not necessary in order to that; but it was necessary, among other things, to throw the guards into a consternation before Jesus came

forth, lest they should have been guilty of the impiety of offering to lay violent hands on him, as was done in the garden of Gethsemane, even after he had cast the whole party down on the ground." The Evangelists Luke and John speak of two angels that appeared.

In addition to this descent of angels, we are told, that many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many" who knew them; thus attesting the truth of that most important event. the resurrection of Jesus, and declaring their own deliverance from the grave, as anterior proofs of a general resurrection. As a judicious commentator observes, It is uncertain who these saints were that had this distinguished honour conferred upon them, the Scriptures being entirely silent as to their names. Mr. Fleming conjectures, that they were some of the most eminently holy persons mentioned in the Old Testament; and that, appearing in some extraordinary splendour, they were made known by revelation to certain persons in Jerusalem, as Moses and Elijah were to the disciples at the transfiguration of our Saviour. But Mr. Pierce, Dr. Macknight, and several other authors, think it more probable that they were persons who had recently died, not unlikely such as had believed in Christ, and were well known to surviving disciples. As it is only said, these saints "appeared to many in Jerusalem," but not intimated that they continued with them, it is

probable that they attended their risen Saviour during his abode on earth, and afterward accompanied him in his ascension to heaven, to grace his complete triumph over death and the grave, and all the combined powers of darkness. Our Lord, on leaving the tomb, did not immediately ascend to heaven; but continued on earth forty days, was seen frequently, and conversed with many persons. Those pious women, who went early to the sepulchre with sweet spices to anoint his body, were witnesses of his resurrection. While the soldiers "did shake, and became as dead men," the angel said to the women, "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said: Come, see the place where the Lord lay." The relation given of Mary, and of her recognizing our Saviour, is irresistibly impressive. "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 theim, 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,