I have told you." As they were returning to the city for the purpose of executing these commands, Jesus himself met them and saluted them. He then gave them the same directions they had received from the angel, to send the disciples into Galilee. The women returned to the disciples who had assembled after the Sabbath, and related what they had seen but the hearers were slow to believe, and thought they laboured under some delusion. Two of them, however, Peter and John, had the curiosity to run to the sepulchre, which, to their great surprise, they found vacant; the shroud and grave-clothes also were not confusedly thrown about, but folded up separately. They brought back this intelligence to the rest of the apostles, but this confirmation could not dispel either their sorrow or their unbelief, until Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and, having graciously saluted them, bade them be of good cheer, for he was alive again, and, according to his promise, would shortly meet them in Galilee. In the mean time the terrified guards hastened to acquaint the chief priests and rulers with what had happened a council was immediately summoned, and after some debate they resolved to bribe the soldiers to perjury by giving them a large sum of : money, on the express condition of their reporting that "while they were asleep, the body was stolen by the disciples of Jesus." This story, though manifestly absurd,-for how could the soldiers tell what happened while they were asleep?-was long circulated among the Jews, and was the excuse commonly made for their incredulity in the days of St. Matthew. In the evening of the day of the resurection, two of the disciples were going on foot to the village of Emmaus, about seven or eight miles from Jerusalem, and as they walked along, naturally conversed about the strange reports they had heard. While they were thus reasoning, Jesus himself joined them, but they were supernaturally prevented from recognizing him. Accosting them as if he was a stranger, he said, "What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?" one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered, " Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?" Jesus enquired, "What things?" they replied, " Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have : crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre ; and when they found not his body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not." Jesus then said, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" Our Lord continued expounding the prophecies concerning the Messiah, until they reached Emmaus, where he seemed disposed to part from them. They requested him to stop; he sat down with them at table, and began breaking bread, as was his usual custom. Their eyes were immediately opened; they recognized their Lord, and, at the same time, he vanished from their sight. Though the shades of night were beginning to fall, the two disciples resolved upon returning to Jerusalem for the purpose of communicating the joyous intelli K |