to keep the aromatics in contact with the flesh. From John xix. 39, 40. we learn that a mixture of myrrh and aloes of one hundred pounds weight, had been applied to the body of Jesus when he was buried. And that a second embalmment was intended, we learn from Luke xxiii. 56. and xxiv. 1. as the hurry to get the body interred before the sabbath, did not permit them to complete the embalming in the first instance. See an account of the mode of embalming among the Egyptians, in the note on Gen. L. 2. and 26. Verse 60. Laid it in his own new tomb] To all human appearance the body of Christ must have had the same burial place with those of the two robbers, as he was numbered with the transgressors, and suffered with them; for then he was a sacrifice, bearing the sin of the world in his own body on the tree;-but now the sacrifice is offered, the atonement made and accepted, he is no longer to be enrolled with the transgressors, and according to a prophecy delivered nearly seven hundred years before that time, he is to have the burying place of a rich man. See Isai. liii. 9, 10. Had our Lord been buried in the common burial ground of the malefactors, his resurrection could not have been so distinctly remarked, as the chief priests would never have thought of sealing the stone | there, or setting a watch; but now that the body is got into the hands of a friend, they judge it necessary to make use of these precautions, in order, as they said, to prevent imposture; and from this very circumstance the resurrection of Christ had its fullest evidence, and was put beyond the power of successful contradiction. What a number of objections would not human prudence have made to Joseph's conduct, had he consulted it on this occasion? It would have represented to him, that "this was to expose himself, to bring himself into trouble, to render himself suspected, to put himself out of all capacity of doing good, to ruin himself irrecoverably, and now it could do no good to his teacher, he is now dead, and needs no longer any office of kindness from men." There is, sometimes in our whole life, but one opportunity in which God designs signally to employ us; and through our general backwardness to every good work, we are for reserving ourselves to other opportunities, in which God neither requires nor will accept our services. Rolled a great stone to the door] Some are of opinion that this tomb was cut down into the rock, perpendicularly from the surface; and that the great stone spoken of here, covered over the entrance to it. The stone, no doubt, was intended to secure the place as much as possible. Verse 61. Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary] The nother of James and Joses, ver. 56. The mother of our Lord had probably, by this time, been taken home to the house of John. See John xix. 26, 27. Sitting over against the sepulchre.] These holy women, filled with that love to their Lord which death cannot destroy, cleaved to him in life, and in death were not divided. They came to the grave to see the end, and overwhelmed with sorrow and anguish, sat down to mourn. Verse 62. The next day] This was the seventh, or Saturday, and might be what we should term the evening of the sixth, or Friday, because the Jews always ended their day when the sun set, and then began the next. That followed the day of the preparation] That is, of the sabbath. The victuals, &c. which were to be used on the sabbath by the Jews, were always prepared the preceding evening before the sun set. It is of this preparation that the Evangelist speaks here; and it is the same which is mentioned by Mark, chap. xv. 42. by Luke, chap. xxiii. 54. and by John, chap. xix. 31. But there was another preparation which happened in the same day: viz. The preparation of the pass-over; this began about twelve o'clock, and continued till four, the time in which they ate the paschal lamb. See John xix. 14. Verse 63. Sir, we remember, &c.] While these wicked men are fulfilling their own vicious counsels, they are subserving the great cause of Christianity. Every thing depended on the resurrection of Christ; if it did not appear that he rose from the dead, then the whole system was false, and no atonement was made. It was necessary therefore that the chief priests, &c. should make use of every precaution to prevent an imposture, that the resurrection of Christ might have the fullest evidence to support it. See on ver. 60. The word Kug, is here very properly translated Sir, which, in many other places, is as improperly translated Lord. When a Roman is the speaker, or the person addressed, Kugs should always be translated Sir: when strangers, address our Lord, the word is a title of civil respect; and should, in general, be translated in the same way. After three days I will rise again.] This they probably took N n A watch is set, A.M.4033. A. D. 29. CCII. 1. come by night, and steal him away, go your way, make it as sure as ye A. M. 40 3. A D. 29. An. Olymp. CCII. 1. 66 So they went and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a An. Olymp. and say unto the people, He is risen b a John 11. 48, &c. & 12. 32. 2 Thess. 2. 11. b Dan. 6. 17. from his saying, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will build it up. If so, they destroyed, by their own words, the false accusation they brought against him to put him to death; then they perverted the meaning, now they declare it. Thus the wise are taken in their own craftiness. Neither the Devil nor his servants ever speak truth, but when they expect to accomplish some bad purpose by it. Verse 64. Lest his disciples come by night] Nuxtos by night,|| is wanting in ten of the uncial MSS. and in several others, and in most of the Versions. Erasmus, Aldus, Bengel and Boghard, with Griesbach, leave it out of the text. Verse 65. Ye have a watch] The Jews had a corps of Roman troops consisting of several companies, as a guard for the temple, Acts iv. 1. These companies mounted guard by turns, see Luke xxii. 4. Some of these companies which were not then on duty, Pilate gave them leave to employ to watch the tomb. Verse 66. Mude the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.] Or rather, made the tomb secure by the guard, and by sealing the stone. I follow Kypke in construing Ta της κουστωδίας, with ησφαλίσαντο. The guard was to take care that the disciples should not steal him away; and the seal which was probably the seal of the governor, was to prevent the guards from being corrupted so as to permit the theft. So every thing was done which human policy and prudence could, to prevent a resurrection, which these very precautions had the most direct tendency to authenticate and establish. How wonderful are the wisdom and goodness of God! and how true is it, that there is neither might nor counsel against him. 1. The death of Christ was ordered so as to be witnessed by thousands and if his resurrection take place, it must be demonstrated; and it cannot take place without being incontestible, such are the precautions used here to prevent all imposture. 2. The more the circumstances of the death of Christ are examined, the more astonishing the whole will appear. The death is uncommon-the person uncommon-and the object uncommon; and the whole is grand, majestic, and awful. Nature itself is thrown into unusual action, and by means and causes wholly supernatural. In every part, the finger of God most evidently appears. 3. How glorious does Christ appear in his death! were it not for his thirst, his exclamation on the cross, and the piercing of his side, we should have found it difficult to believe that such a person could ever have entered the empire of death; but the divinity and the manhood equally appear, and thus the certainty of the atonement is indubitably established. 4. But who can reflect on the state of the poor disciples, during the whole of the time in which our blessed Lord lay under the empire of death, without sharing their sorrows! When he expired on the cross, their expectation was cut off'; and when his body was laid in the grave, their hopes were buried: and nothing but the resurrection of Christ from the dead, could have given a resurrection to their hopes. It is true they had heard him say, that he would rise again the third day; but in this it is evident, their faith was very imperfect; and the uncertainty, perplexity, anxiety, and distress which they, in consequence, must have suffered, can neither be described nor imagined. Though we know the glorious result, yet who can help sympathising with the pious father, the virgin mother, and the disconsolate disciples! CHAPTER XXVIII. The resurrection of Christ declared by an angel to the two Marys at the sepulchre, 1-6. They are commissioned to announce this to the disciples, 7. They go, and are met by Christ himself, who promises to meet the disciples in Galilee, 8-10. The watch go into the city, and report to the chief priests what had taken place, 11. They give them money, to say that his disciples had stolen the body by night, while they slept, 12-15. Christ meets the eleven disciples in a mountain of Galilee, 16, 17. He gives them a commission to preach the gospel throughout the earth; to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and promises to be with them to the end of the world, 18-20. ed from GOD, out of heaven, for this very purpose. It is likely that the angel had descended, rolled away the stone, and was sitting on it, before the women reached the tomb. sumed the appearance of a young man. Verse 1. In the end of the sabbath] O↓e de σaßßarwy. After the end of the week; this is the translation given by several eminent critics and in this way the word of is used by the Verse 3. His countenance] His appearance, n idea autou; most eminent Greek writers. Thucydides, lib. iv. chap. 93. || or, his face, for so the word is used in some of the best Greek ans nμegas of n—the day was ended. Plutarch, o Twy Bao-writers. It seems from Mark xvi. 5. that this angel had asAtws xeover-after the times of the king. Philostratus, o Tw Teox-after the Trojan war. See Rosenmuller. In general the Jews divided their natural day which consisted of twenty-four hours, into day and night. Their artificial day began at the rising, and ended at the setting of the sun; all the rest of the time, from the setting to the rising of the sun, they termed night: hence the same word in Hebrew, signifies both evening and night, Gen. i. 5. Mark vi. 47. Matthew has employed the word in this extensive sense here, pointing out the latter part of the Jewish night, that which immediately preceded the rising of the sun, and not that first part which we call the evening. The transaction mentioned here, evidently took place early on the morning of the third day after our Lord's crucifixion; what is called our Sunday morning, or first day of the next week. Like lightning] Coruscations of glory continually flaming from his face. This might produce the confusion mentioned ver. 2. His raiment white as snow] He was clothed in garments emblematical of the glad tidings which he came to announce. It would have been inconsistent with the message he brought, had the angel appeared in black robes, such as those preposterously wear, who call themselves his successors in the ministry of a once suffering, but now risen and highly exalted Saviour. But the world is as full of nonsense as of sin; and who can correct and bring it to reason and piety? Verse 4. The keepers—became as dead men.] God can by one and the same means, comfort his servants, and terrify his enemies. The resurrection of Christ is a subject of terror to the servants of sin, and a subject of consolation to the sons of God; because it is a proof of the resurrection of both, the one to shame and everlasting contempt; the other to eternal glory and joy. Came to see the sepulchre.] That is, they set out at this time in order to visit the tomb of our Lord, and also to weep there, John xi. 31. and to embalin the body of our Lord, Luke xxiv. 1. St. Matthew omits Mary Salome, mentioned Verse 5. I know that ye seek Jesus] Speaking after the by Mark; and Joanna, the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, manner of men, these women deserved to be the first witmentioned by Luke. The other Mary was the wife of nesses of the resurrection of Christ: during life they minis Cleopas, and mother of James and Joses, mentioned before, tered to him, and in death they were not divided. They atchap. xxvii. 56. Were not Mary and Salome two distinct persons? tended him to the CROSS, notwithstanding their attachment Verse 2. A great earthquake] Euμos; a shaking or com- to him exposed them to the most imminent danger; and now motion of any kind: probably the word means no more than they come to watch and weep at his TOMB. The common the confusion caused among the guards by the angel's appear-opinion is, that women are more fickle and less courageous ance; all this had taken place before the women reached the than men. The reverse of this I believe to be the truth, in sepulchre. those who are thoroughly converted to God; and who, previously to conversion, whether man or woman, can be trusted in any case? The angel of the Lord descended from heaven] Matthew is very particular in this, to shew that the word angel is not to be taken in the sense of an ordinary messenger, who might Verse 6. Come, see the place] The tomb in which our have come from Joseph of Arimathea, or from any other; Lord was laid, was no doubt like the rest of the Jewish burybut in the sense of an extraordinary messenger, who descend- || ing places, a receptacle for the several dead of a whole family, divided into separate niches, where each had his place. Come and see the place--was tantamount to, come and see the niche in which he was laid-it is now empty-nor was there any other body in the place, for the tomb was a new one, in which no man had ever been laid, John xix. 41. so there could be no deception in the case. Verse 7. Go quickly, and tell his disciples] Thus these faithful women proclaim the gospel to those, who were afterwards to be the teachers of the whole human race! Behold what honour God puts upon those who persevere in his truth, and continue to acknowledge him before men! That he is risen from the dead] There is a remarkable saying of R. Judah Hakkodesh, which some critics quote on this subject. "After THREE DAYS the SOUL of the Messiah shall RETURN to its body, and he shall GO OUT of that STONE in which he shall be BURIED." Jesus met them] Christ bestows his graces and consolations by degrees, first by his angels, and then by himself. He does not reveal himself to incredulous and disobedient souls; he appears not even to those women till he has tried their faith and obedience by his ministering angels. All hail.] pale pere ge, health be to you! Anglo-saxon. Χαίρετε, be ye safe, rejoice. Verse 10. Be not afraid] They were seized with fear at Goeth before you into Galilee] As himself promised, chap. the sight of the angel; and this was now renewed by this unexpected appearance of Christ. See the note on ver. 8. xxvi. 32. Verse 8. They departed quickly from the sepulchre] At the desire of the angel they went into the tomb, to have the fullest certainty of the resurrection. Fear and great joy] Fear, produced by the appearance of this glorious messenger of God; and great joy occasioned by the glad tidings of the resurrection of their Lord and Master. At the mention of unexpected good news, fear and joy are generally intermingled. Vix sum apud me, ita animus commotus est metu, Spe, gaudio, mirando hộc tanto, tam repentino bono. TERENT. Andr. v. 945. "I am almost beside myself, my mind is so agitated with fear, hope, and joy, at this unexpected good news." Verse 9. And as they went to tell his disciples] This clause. is wanting in the Codex Vatican. and Codex Bera, and in twenty others, and in most of the Versions. The omission is Go tell my brethren] This is the first time our Lord called his disciples by this endearing name: they no doubt thought that their Lord would reproach them with their past cowardice and infidelity; but in speaking thus, he gives them a full assurance in the most tender terms, that all that was past, was as buried for ever. Verse 11. Some of the watch] Or guards. Probably the rest still remained at the tomb, waiting for orders to depart; and had sent these, to intimate to their employers the things that had taken place. Verse 12. With the elders] That is, the senators of the great Sanhedrin or Jewish council of state; elsewhere called the elders of the people; they could now meet, as the sabbath was over. Verse 13. His disciples came by night] This was as absurd as it was false. On one hand the terror of the disciples, the smallness of their number (only eleven) and their almost total want of faith. On the other, the great danger of such a bold enterprize, the number of armed men who guarded the tomb, the authority of Pilate, and of the Sanhedrin, must render such an imposture as this utterly devoid of credit. Stole him away while we slept.] Here is a whole heap of absurdities. 1st. Is it likely that so many men would all fall asleep in the open air, at once? 2dly. Is it at all probable that a Roman guard should be found off their watch, much less asleep, when it was instant death, according to the Roman military laws, to be found in this state? 3dly. Could they be so sound asleep as not to awake with all the noise which must be necessarily made by removing the great stone, and taking away the body? 4thly. Is it at all likely that these disciples could have had time sufficient to do all this, and to come and return without being perceived by any person? And 5thly. If they were asleep, how could they possibly know that it was the disciples that stole him, or indeed that any person or persons stole him! for being asleep, they could see no person. From their own testimony therefore, the resurrection may be as fully proved as the theft. Verse 14. If this come to the governor's ears] Pilate-we will persuade him that it is for his own interest and honour to join in the deception-and we will render you secure—we will take care that you shall not suffer that punishment for this pretended breach of duty, which otherwise you might expect. Verse 15. Until this day.] That is to say, the time in which Matthew wrote his Gospel; which is supposed by some to have been eight, by others eighteen, and by others thirty years after our Lord's resurrection. Verse 17. But some doubted.] That is, Thomas only at first doubted. The expression simply intimates, that they did not all believe at that time. See the same form noticed on chap. xxvi. 8. and chap. xxvii. 44. Verse 18. And Jesus came and spake unto them] It is supposed by some, that the reason why any doubted, was, that when they saw Jesus at first, he was at a distance: but when he came up, drew near to them, they were fully persuaded of the identity of his person. All power is given unto me] Or, All authority in heaven and upon earth is given unto me. One fruit of the sufferings and resurrection of Christ is represented to be, his having authority or right in Heaven to send down the Holy Spirit-toraise up his followers thither-and to crown them in the kingdom of an endless glory. In Earth, to convert sinners-to sanctify, protect, and perfect his church; to subdue all. nations to himself: and, finally, to judge all mankind. If Jesus Christ were not equal with the Father, could he have claimed this equality of power, without being guilty of impiety and blasphemy? Surely not: and does he not, in the fullest manner, assert his Godhead, and his equality with the Father, by claiming and possessing all the authority in heaven and earth? i. e. all the power and authority by which both. empires are governed? Verse 19. Go ye therefore] Because I have the authority aforesaid, and can send whomsoever I will, to do whatsoever I please :-teach, pantevoate, make disciples of all nations, bring them to an acquaintance with God, who bought them, and then baptize them in the name of the Father. It is natural to suppose, that adults were the first subjects of bap-· tism; for as the Gospel was in a peculiar manner sent to the Gentiles, they must hear and receive it, before they could be expected to renounce their old prejudices and idolatries, and come into the bonds of the Christian covenant. But certainly no argument can be drawn from this concession against the baptism of children. When the Gentiles and Jews had received the faith and blessings of the Gospel, it is natural |