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cause it was the Jews preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.' Indeed, these pious persons, who thus took care of our Saviour's burial, had but little time left. It was within an hour or two of sunset, when the Jewish Sabbath began, for which some previous preparation was also required. Now as time did not permit them to carry the body of Jesus to any place at a greater distance from Golgotha, there was a necessity of making choice of the nearest sepulchre at hand. But God had before taken care to provide a tomb for his Son in Joseph's garden, which was contiguous to Mount Golgotha. This circumstance likewise signified, that the place where Jesus Christ suffered the greatest ignominy was contiguous to that, which was to be the first theatre of his glory.

II. The interment of our blessed Lord is briefly related by the Evangelist, in these words: 'There laid they Jesus.' The wealthy Jews were not buried in the manner usual among us, by putting the corpse into a coffin, letting it down into the ground, and co vering it with earth; but every family of distinction had a kind of vault, consisting of long, narrow cavities cut in a rock. In one of these cavities or niches, which served for a sarcophagus or tomb, the corpse, which was wrapped or wound in linen grave-clothes, was put. In this manner the body of the Lord Jesus was laid in one of the cavities of Joseph's new sepulchre. The hatred of his enemies intended him another kind of burial. According to the custom of the Jews, he would, as a crucified person, have been thrown into a pit on Mount Golgotha, among the bodies of the most infamous malefactors, and a little earth sprinkled over him. But his state of abasement being now finished, every thing was to tend to his glorification. For the honourable burial of Christ was a kind of intermediate space between his state of abasement, and his exaltation; and therefore it was accompanied, as it were, with the dawn of his approaching glory.

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III. Let us, in the last place, take a view of the different behaviour of the friends and enemies of our blessed Lord on this occasion.

First, Let us consider the behaviour of his friends. These were,

1. Joseph and Nicodemus; of whom it is said, That, after anointing Jesus, wrapping up his body in fine linen, and laying it in the cavity of a rock, they rol. led a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. Their view in this was to prevent the enemies of our Lord from going into the tomb, lest in their rancour they should abuse even his dead body. Therefore they rolled a great stone before the door of the sepulchre. In the same manner St. John says of Lazarus's sepulchre, (chap. xi. 38.) 'That it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.' Thus they securely shut up the Lord Jesus in the sepulchre, without entertaining any hopes that he would ever rise again, or come out of it alive.

2. Among our Saviour's friends were several devout women, some of whom had followed him from Galilee. For, as they had been witnesses of the death of our blessed Lord, and stood over against his cross when he gave up the ghost; so they are here witnesses of his burial. These women 'sat over against the sepulchre, and beheld where, and how, his body was laid.' They were the more careful in observing the place, that they might find it again; for they were in some measure strangers at Jerusalem. Now it affords us a further testimony of the reality of our Saviour's death, that these his zealous friends were so near at the time of his burial. For they never would have permitted him to be interred in the sepulchre, had they seen the least signs of life in him. But St. Luke further observes, 'That they returned, and prepared spices and ointment,' i. e. they went into the city; and bought some precious ointment and spices, before it was night, and consequently before the Sabbath began, in order to anoint the

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g the law, must have powerfully like a magnet, have drawn their Dulchre. Such was the behaviour -iends at his burial. We come to

behaviour of his enemies on this were,

Lests and pharisees; who did not let

the Lord Jesus rest even on the gh the devout women mentioned ar respect to the commandment, by bath. His enemies went early in Sabbath to Pilate, and, instead of uties of the day, proposed to him - we remember that that deceiver yet alive, After three days I will mand therefore that the sepulchre , until the third day; lest his disat, and steal him away, and say unto risen from the dead: So the last e than the first.'

his application to Pilate was, that t on the tomb of Jesus, and a party ed to watch it. In order to induce with their request, they alleged

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* The first was, the prophecy of Jesus, that he would rise again the third day after his death; which they had observed and retained better than his own disciples. They could not repeat this prophecy without an invective against Jesus, though he was dead, for they call him a deceiver. But this circumstance of their extreme caution, even after his death, concerning him, whom they exclaim against as a deceiver and false prophet, shews that they had in reality quite another opinion of Jesus, though this testimony of their conscience was at present suppressed.

The second reason that they alleged was, their apprehension that our Saviour's disciples would commit some fraud, would come clandestinely and roll away the stone, carry the body away, and lay it in some other unknown sepulchre; and then spread about a report that he was risen from the dead. Thus the innocent disciples were, like their Lord and master, looked upon as evil-doers and impostors. They had been hitherto accounted a simple, and timorous set of men; but now, such stratagems are apprehended from them, as required great address, courage, and resolution. These false ideas concerning our blessed Lord's disciples proceeded from an ill-grounded fear. This fear had conjured up phantoms and chimeras before their eyes; though they accused the Christians of being the most visionary set of people in the world.

The third reason they alleged to induce Pilate to secure the sepulchre, was the danger, that the last error would be worse than the first.' That is, the report of Jesus being risen again on the third day would, probably, have a worse effect on the people, than his preaching while alive. Thus, these hypocrites intended to oppose the decree of God concerning the resurrection of our blessed Saviour, in order to justify their wicked proceedings in the eyes of the world. But we may reckon among the enemies of the blessed Jesus,

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against the Lord, and against his Messiah or Anointed, (Psalm ii. 2. Acts iv. 25, 26, 27.) As he had be fore been prevailed on by these rulers to order the crucifixion of Jesus; so he is now further solicited by them, to endeavour to prevent his resurrection from the dead. It was not indeed his own interest, that it should be said he had allow ed of the crucifixion of so innocent and holy a man, who afterwards rose again from the dead. Therefore he very willingly consents that a party of Roman soldiers, at the expence of the chief priest and elders, should watch the sepulchre, and secure it in the best manner, as the Jews themselves should direct. The chief priests were overjoyed when they obtained this permission, and posted a guard before the sepulchre; and lest they should be bribed to open the tomb, they took the precaution even to seal the stone. Thus, they thought themselves sure of having prevented the resurrection of Jesus, and that they had secured his sacred body in the bands of corruption. These their wicked contrivances were predicted in scripture long before; for the Messiah is introduced in the Psalms, making this complaint: 'They devise my hurt, and now that he lieth, [say they] he shall rise up no more,' (Psalm xli. 7, 8.)

But O what a miracle of Divine wisdom! how deep soever the devil lays his snares, God baffles him by his own instruments; for all these dispositions of our blessed Lord's enemies serve only to confirm the truth of his resurrection, which his heavenly Father had long before sealed and decreed. In order to make his triumph more illustrious, God so directed contingencies, that the enemies of Christ should receive advice of his resurrection from their own watch; who now with ghastly countenances and trembling limbs come and acquaint them, that Jesus, without any human aid, had broke open the sepulchre, and come forth quite alive; and that at the same time a heavenly effulgence, and a terrible earthquake, had very near struck them