cating to Tiberius, the pretentions of a defcend- Chapter Verfe ant of David to the throne of Ifrael ?-Contempt *. And was it poffible this contempt fhould have remained in their minds if they had feen thefe awful, thefe alarming spectacles exhibited in the hour of his death? Nay, had they been informed of them, would they not have made enquiry as to its truth? and upon conviction; Would they? Could they, confiftent with their duty or fafety, have concealed it from the emperor? Juftin Martyr, Tertullian, and other Christian writers, have difgraced themselves by endeavouring to fupply this information for Pi

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We will now proceed with St. MatthewWhen the evening was come, there came a xxvii. 57 rich man of Arimathea, named Jofeph, who falfo himself was Jefus' difciple. (A concealed 4 one.) He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jefus then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.' Mark's account coincides with this, but is more copious, viz. And when the { even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counfellor, which was alfo waiting for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body

of Jesus.' (I see not wherein the boldness of this

act lay if he was a difciple of Jefus ; it was fecretly (John tells us) for fear of the Jews. This fear of the Jews is a little problematical Matthew tells us, he was a rich man, and in that cafe, there was a certain preliminary article not eafily digefted Sell that thou haft, give to the poor, and follow me :' He however appeared be fore Pilate, as a counsellor of the Jews, and not as a disciple of Jefus.) And Pilate marvelled

if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion he asked him whether he had 'been any while dead? and when he knew it of

the centurion, he gave the body to Jofeph.' Here we find Pilate would not fuffer the body to be removed till he was fatisfied the fentence had been fully executed and of whom does he make this enquiry? Why of the centurion, whose duty it was to fee it done; the centurion who did fee it done, and who (according to Matthew) ftruck with fear at the awful fpectacle, exclaimed- Truly this was the Son of God: and yet it feems he here contented himself with fimply affuring the governor that Jefus was really dead. So circumstanced, and thus called upon, could he have fuppreffed the amazing particulars? It was his duty to have related them; and had he done it, we furely fhould have been told the effect it had upon the humane Pilate. The honourable counsellor, Jofeph the difciple

• Vide Page 94.

was

was prefent; He could want neither abilities or Chapter Verfe inclination to defcribe this fcene to St. Mark, who in courfe would have recorded it. Neither Matthew, Luke, or John, mention this enquiry. Luke fays- And behold there was a man named Jofeph, a counsellor, and a good

man, and a juft: the fame had not confented to the counfel and deed of them, he was of Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who alfo himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jefus,' John fays After this, Jofeph of Arimathea;

being a difciple of Jefus, but fecretly for fear of the Jews befought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jefus: and Pilate gavė him leave.' So far we find a general harmony in this affair; though fome record particulars omitted by others. We will now proceed with Matthew

-When Jofeph had taken the body, he wrap- xxvii. 59

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ped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb. (How happened Jofeph of Arimathea to have a tomb in the fuberb of Je• rufalem?) Which he had hewn out in the 'rock. (If for this purpose, he must have been

very expeditious) And he rolled a great stone to the door of the fepulchre, and departed. ' And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other 'Mary, fitting over against the fepulchre.' Mark fays And he (Jofeph) brought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen,

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and laid him in a fepulchre which was hewn out of a rock; and rolled a ftone unto the door of the fepulchre. And Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jofes, beheld where he 6 was laid.' Luke fays- And he (Jofeph) took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a fepulchre, that was hewn in ftone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.

And the women alfo which came with him from 'Galilee, followed after, and beheld the fepul

chre, and how his body was laid; and they ❝ returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and refted the fabbath day, according to the commandment.' John fays He (Joseph) 'came therefore and took the body of Jefus. And there came alfo Nicodemus, (which at the first came to Jefus by night) and brought a 'mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jefus, and wound it in linen clothes, with the fpices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified, there 6 was a garden, and in the garden, a new fepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jefus therefore, because of the Jew's preparation day; for the fepulchre was nigh at hand.' Here we find fome differences. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, fay the body was depofited by Jofeph of Arimathea. John fays it was

done

done by Jofeph; and Nicodemus a Pharifee and Chapter Verse ruler of the Jews; and adds, that the latter brought with him about an hundred pounds of myrrh and alloes (which they likewise call spices) and which they used about the body conformable to the Jewish cuftom. Nothing is faid about fpices by Matthew or Mark; Luke fays, the two Marys, after feeing the body intombed, went home to prepare fpices and ointments. Matthew fays the fepulchre belonged to Jofeph, and was hewn by him out of a rock. Mark, Luke, and John fay not fo; though the latter is very particular in defcribing the place, and intimates that it was chofen, as being contiguous to the place of execution, on account of the Sabbath's approach. We will now return to St. Matthew, who records an anecdote, which though an interefting matter,

is omitted by the other three, viz.-' Now the xxvii.

next day that followed the day of the prepara

tion (I cannot make out,what day is here meant) the chief priests and Pharifees came together funto Pilate, faying, Sir we remember that that deceiver faid, while he was yet alive-After three days, I will rife again-Command therefore that the fepulchre be made fure until the 'third day, left his difciples come by night and fteal him away, and fay unto the peopleHe is rifen from the dead: fo the last error fhall be worse than the first. Pilate faid-ye have a watch, go your way, make it sure as you

can.

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