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MATT. XXVII. 51-56. MARK XV. 38-41. LUKE XXIII. 47-49.

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain, in the midst, from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened; and 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.

Now when the centurion which stood over against him, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, they feared greatly; and the centurion glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man; Truly this man was the Son of God. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts and returned.

And surely we, when we return from such a view of it as this, have reason to smite upon our breasts too, and to be most deeply affected with what we have heard and seen in this lively description. Let us set ourselves as with the mother of Jesus, and the beloved disciple, at the foot of the cross and see whether there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow, wherewith the Lord afflicted him in the day of his fierce anger. (Lam. i. 12.) Well might the sun grow pale at the sight; well might the earth tremble to support it! How obdurate must the hearts of those sinners be, who could make a mock of all his anguish, and sport themselves with his dying groans! But surely the blessed angels who were now, though in an invisible crowd, surrounding the accursed tree, beheld him with other sentiments: admiring and adoring the various virtues which he expressed in every circumstance of his behaviour; and which, while the sun of righteousness was setting, gilded and adorned all the horizon. Let us likewise pay our homage to them, and observe with admiration his tenderness to his surviving parent; his meekness under all these injuries and provocations; his steady faith in God in an hour of the utmost distress; and his concern to accomplish all the pur poses of his life, before he yielded to the stroke of death.

Yet with what amazement must the holy angels hear that cry from the Son of God, from the darling of heaven, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me! Let not any of the children of God wonder if their heavenly Father sometimes withdraw from them the sensible and supporting manifestations of his presence, when Christ himself was thus exercised; and let them remember that faith never appears with greater glory than when, in language like this, it bursts through a thick cloud, and owns the God of Israel, and the Saviour, even while he is a God that hideth himself from us. (Is. xlv. 15.) May we, in our approaching combat with the king of terrors, find him enervated by the death of our dear Lord, who thus conquered even when he fell! May we thus breathe out our willing and composed spirits into our Father's hands, with a language and faith like this, as knowing whom we have believed, and being persuaded that he is able to keep what we commit to him until that day! (2 Tim. i. 12.)

SECTION CXIV.

MATT. XXVII. 55-61.

MARK XV. 40-47. LUKE

XXIII. 49-56. JOHN XIX. 31-41.

AND all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee ministering unto him, stood afar off; among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome the mother of Zebedee's children: and many other women were there, which came up with him unto Jerusalem, beholding these things.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath-day, (for that sabbath-day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water.

And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true; and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye

might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

And after this, when the even was come, behold, there came a rich man of Arimathæa, a city of the Jews, named Joseph, an honourable counsellor, and he was a good and a just man. The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them: but also himself waited for the kingdom of God, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews. This man went in boldly unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus, that he might take it away. 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 him leave, and commanded the body to be delivered to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down.

And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, which he [Joseph] had hewn out in the rock, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore, because of the Jews' preparation-day, and the sabbath drew on: for the sepulchre was nigh at hand; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre : and there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary the mother of Joses, sitting over against the sepulchre, and beheld how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments: and

rested the sabbath-day, according to the commandment.

We have seen the sorrows of our expiring Lord: let us now, like these pious women, raise our eyes to him with an holy and unfeigned affection, and behold him pale and breathless on the accursed tree. Let us view him by faith, till the eye affects the heart, and till we learn to glory in nothing but his cross, whereby the world may be crucified to us, and we may be crucified to the world. (Gal. vi. 14.)

How wonderfully does the providence of God appear to have regarded the body of Jesus, which had so long been the temple of the indwelling Deity; even when it was deserted of that Spirit which had lately animated it; and while it hung (amazing thought, that it ever should have hung!) between the bodies of two thieves on a cross, without the gates of Jerusalem! He, who has all hearts in his hand, interposed by a secret but powerful influence on the soldiers, who brake the legs of the malefactors, to spare those of Christ; that so nothing which looked like a prophecy of him should want its proper accomplishment. But his side was pierced; and how deep was the wound, when immediately there came out of it blood and water! Happy emblem of the blessed effect of his death! He came both by water and blood (as he who saw and testified this important fact leads us to improve it, 1 John v. 6.); and by this means at once atones the injured justice of God, and purifies the souls of them that believe in him.

Our indignation rises against the man that could, by such an cutrage as this, abuse the dead body of our Redeemer: but oh, let us seriously remember the hand which our sins had in all that was now done. He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: (Isa. liii. 5.) And therefore it is said concerning those on whom the ends of the world are to come, that they shall look on him whom they have pierced and mourn. (Zech. xii. 10.) May we mourn over him with a genuine evangelical sorrow, when we consider whom we have pierced; and how deep and how often we have pierced him; and upon what slight temptations; and under how many engagements rather to have bathed his wounds with our tears, and even to have exposed our own hearts to the sharpest weapon by which the madness of sinners might have attempted to injure him.

The boldness of Joseph, and even of Nicomedus himself, deserves our notice on such an occasion. They are not ashamed of the infamy of his cross, but come with all holy reverence and affection to take down those sacred remains of Jesus; nor did they think the finest linen, or the choisest spices, too valuable on such an occasion. But who can describe their

consternation and distress when they saw him, who they trusted should have delivered Israel, a cold and bloody corpse in their arms; and left him in the sepulchre of Joseph, whom they expected to have seen on the throne of David!

MATTHEW XXVII. 62-66.

Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, 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. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as you can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

We see the restless and implacable malice of Christ's enemies, which pursued him even to his tomb, and there endeavoured to blast his memory by fixing upon him the character of an imposter. They demanded, and procured a guard for his sepulchre. And here also we have a repeated instance of God's taking the wise in their own craftiness. (Job v. 13.) The seal and the guard served only more fully to attest the doctrine of Christ's resurrection, which they were set to overthrow, and to grace the triumph they were intended to oppose. Thús shall all the rage, and all the artifice of his enemies, at length promote the purposes of his glory: thus shall meat at length come out of the eater, and sweetness out of the strong. (Judges xiv. 14.) The wrath of man, O Lord, shall praise thee; and the remainder of it shall thou restrain, and shalt triumph over it, either by thy grace, or by thy vengeance. (Psalm lxxvi. 10.)

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