mong the Fathers, that every one of the great Lines in the Scheme of our Redemption, was fet for us to copy after: And, that the principal Actions of our Bleffed Saviour are to be look'd on, not only as Hiftorical; but full of Mystical Inftruction, and Intimations of fomewhat to be done by every Chriftian too, in Correfpondence with their great Mafter. Nor is this to be thought a flight of warm Zeal. For Scripture it felf abundantly juftifies that Notion; which is indeed the plain Importance of feveral Paffages to the Romans, Galatians, and Coloffians. Now, as at other times the Apoftle enlarges, concerning our being crucified, dying, and rifing again with Chrift; So, in the Sixth to the Romans, he mentions, Being buried with Chrift by Ver. 4. Baptifm into Death; and again, in the Second to the Coloffians, Buried with Him in Baptifm, Ver. 13. wherein alfo ye are rifen with him. Our Thefe Expreffions, whatever Allufion they may have to that Ceremony, used in hotter Climates, of immerfing the Body of the Baptized Perfon entirely: (which answers to the Burial of Chrift; as Emerging out of the Water again resembles his Rifing out of the Grave) Yet do they certainly imply a great deal more. Sins are faid to be born by Christ in his own Body on the Tree, the Body of Sin to be crucified with him; And, by parity of reafon, to be buried in his Grave. As therefore, in the Profeffions of Faith made at Baptifm, every Christian declares his Belief, that the Body of Christ was really dead and buried; So he obliges himfelf, to effect that upon his Own Sins and Lufts, which actually paffed upon Chrift's Natural Body. That is, to mortify and kill his corrupt Affections and Defires; and not fuffer them to act, and move, and draw him into Sin; any more than the Carkafs, when the Sou! is gone, and it is laid into the Earth, can any longer perform the Offices of a living and animated Body. poffible Conviction fhould be given to the World, of thefe two most important Paffages. Were we not well affured of his being really dead; We could not be certain, that an Atonement was made for the Sins of the World. And, had we any reasonable ground to doubt the Truth of his Refurrection, we could not depend upon that Atonement being accepted. Now what the Holy Spirit hath thought fit to record of his Burial, is fo ordered, as to leave no juft Sufpicion, Either that our Lord's Body was not actually dead, or that the fame Body, which fo died, was not actually reftored to Life again. This is what the Gofpel for the Day gives very full Evidence of. Efpecially, when confidered with its parallel Texts in the Other Evangelifts. Which I fhall call to my Affiftance, in fuch manner, as may beft conduce to the making both this Death, and Refurrection, of our Lord beyond all Contradiction clear, from his Burial now before us. Now here we muft obferve, 1. First, The Perfons concerned in this Action. And, II. Secondly, The feveral Circumftances of the Action it felf. After which, III. Thirdly, I fhall leave the whole upon you with fome practical Inferences. Ver. 57. I. I begin with the Perfons concerned in this Action, The Principal of which was Jofeph of Arimathea. Of whom the Gospels give us this farther Defcription, that he was a rich Man, and an honoure ble Counsellor, a juft Man and a good, One, who had not confented to the Counsel an Deed of them who perfecuted and codemned Jefus to Death; but was himfe a Difciple of His, though fecretly for fear of the Jew. In All which Paffages there is fomething material; A I fhall fhew, by fpeaking very briefly to Each of them. as they lie in order. John xix. 28. H Ifa. liii. 9. Deut. xxi. 23. His Riches and Honourable Station are mentioned, Not out of any Vanity and Oftentation, that a Perfon of fo confiderable a Figure fhould pay refpect to the Body of our Blessed Master: But, partly to intimate the interest and easy access he found with Pilate; and partly to fhew, how ftrangely God brought about an ancient Prophecy concerning the Meffias, that, notwithstanding the infamous manner of his dying, he fhould yet make his Grave with the Rich at his death. Now this in it felf was a moft unlikely thing. For the Bodies of them that were crucified, did, by the Roman Laws, hang upon the Gibbet, exposed to all the Injuries of Weather, and a Prey for ravenous Beafts and Fowls of the Air. And, tho' the Jewish Inftitution did not allow of this Severity to the Dead; yet did they ufually bury their Malefactors, in fome publick, neglected, and ignominious Place. Hence the Jews themfelves befought Pilate, that all the Bodies might be taken away, to prevent the profanation of their Great Feftival, and the Breach of God's Ordinance, by their continuing upon the curfed Tree. And thus they difpofed of the two Thieves in all probability, as was ufual in all other Cafes of this Nature. But the making a diftinction between Them, and Jefus who was crucified with them, was the Act of Jofeph. He applied himself to the Governor, in whofe difpofal the Bodies of executed Perfons were; and he treated it with that becoming Honour, which we fhall have Occafion to obferve by and by. In the mean while, we are to take notice, that the next Character, under which we find him, is that or a Counsellor. Which denotes him to have been a Member of the Jewish Sanhedrim; That very Affembly of Chief Priefts and Rulers, which laid wait for Jefus: Which charged him with Blafphemy; Which used him with fo much Cruelty and Contempt; Which, when their own Power would not extend to inflict that Death determined for the Meffias, arraigned him of Sedition before Pilate: And, when he faw through the thinnefs of this frivolous pretence, and was difpofed to releafe him, inftigated the People to accept of a Robber and a Murtherer; and to demand, that He might be crucified. So that, when the Apoftles had told us, that this Perfon was one of that Body; It was but neceffary to acquit him from the Imputation of the common Guilt; to fatisfy the World, that, tho' he was of them, he did not act with them. And for this reason St. Luke clears him of having any hand in their Villanies, and diftinguishes him from his wicked Fellows; by faying, that he was a good Man and a just, and had not confented to the Counsel and Deed of the reft. Nay, St. Matthew adds here, that, He himself was Jefus Difciple, but yet with fome degree of Infirmity; for St. John tells us, it was fecretly for fear of John xii. 42. the Jews. Many fuch he tells us, there were, among the Chief Rulers, who were convinced by his Doctrine and Miracles. But they kept their Opinion to themfelves, and had not the Courage to own it publickly. How long the Reft walked under this Difguife, we know not. But it may well seem strange, that Jofeph, who never durft openly profefs a regard to Jefus, while living; fhould now, when he had fuffered all the Ignominy of a Malefactor, and his Enemies. thought they had effectually rid their hands of him, not ftick to intereft himself for the honourable Interment of a dead Mafter. That He fhould expofe himself to the Infults and Contempt of his Brethren, for a Teacher, in all appearance loft and gone; Who had not the hardinefs to acknowledge him, while the Power of his Instructions and Miracles fpoke him more than Man, and had gained him a general Admiration. And yet, (to fee the Efficacy of thofe Impreffions, which God makes upon our Minds, even at the most unlikely Seasons of prevailing) This Man, who durft not join with Mul tudes titudes before, in paying Jefus the leaft refpect, ventures now to stand single; goes in boldly to Pilate, as St. Mark expreffes it; and does the Office, ufual for deareft Friends and Relations. He begs the Body, that he might vindicate it from the contemptuous ufage of common Malefactors; And thus to declare, that he thought him a Person, so distant from what he had been reprefented, and put to death for; as even to be worthy the highest Honours his Condition was capable of, and received with all the Affection and Refpect, due to his own Kindred and Family. For all this is intended by laying him in his own new Tomb, and by thofe other Circumftances, contained in the Action it felf. 2. St. John adds, that Nicodemus likewife contributed to this Funeral, by bringing a great quantity of Spices and Ointments, and fo Embalming the Body, as the Custom of that Country was, to preferve it from Corruption. All which feems to imply, that the Saying of Jefus, fo often repeated, of his rifing again the third Day, had made but flender Impreffion upon them. As we indeed fhall find hereafter, it did upon the Apoftles themselves. God in his Wifdom fuffered them to be unmindful of, or very little affected with, a Perfuation, which had rendred all this Care unneceffary; that so this Infenfibility, or Forgetfulness, might make way for more fatisfactory and unquestionable Proofs of his Son's Refurrection. I proceed now to my Second Head, where it will be neceffary to obferve thefe Few following Particulars. 1. First, The Preparation of the Body for Burial. 2. Secondly, The Interment it felf. 3. Thirdly, The Defcription of the Place, where he was laid. 1. First, Here is the Preparation of the Body for Burial, expreffed by wrapping it in a clean linen Cioth. By this, no doubt, we are to understand all the burying 004 Clothes, |