the stone removed, and of Mary Magdalene's running to inform the apostles of it.

In the meantime the soldiers, who were terrified at seeing an awful messenger from on high roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and open it in quality of a servant, fled into the city, and informed the Jewish rulers of these miraculous appearances.

This account was highly mortifying to the chief priests, as it was a proof of our Saviour's resurrection that could not be denied; they therefore resolved to stifle it immediately, and accordingly bribed the soldiers to conceal the real fact, and to publish everywhere that his disciples had stolen the body out of the sepulchre.

What! the body taken away while the place was guarded by Roman soldiers! Yes, according to these wise priests, the disciples stole the body while the soldiers slept! A story so inconsistent, and which so evidently carries the marks of its own confutation with it, deserves

no answer.

The priests themselves could not be so stupid as not to foresee what construction the world would put upon the account given by persons who pretended to know and tell what was done while they were asleep.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE ANGEL ADDRESSES THE PIOUS WOMEN-TWO DISCIPLES GO TO THE SEPULCHRE-JESUS APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE-AFTERWARDS TO A COMPANY OF WOMEN-PETER MEETS HIS LORD AND MASTER AFTER HIS RESURRECTION.

WHILE Mary Magdalene was going to inform the disciples that the stone was rolled away from the mouth of the sepulchre, and the body taken away, Mary and Salome continued advancing towards the place, and at their arrival found what they expected, the body of their

beloved Master gone from the sepulchre where it had been deposited by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea; but at the same time beheld, to their great astonishment, a beautiful young man in shining raiment, very glorious to behold, sitting on the right side of the sepuichre.

But notwithstanding his beauty and benign appearance, they were greatly affrighted, and on the point of turning back, when the heavenly messenger, to banish their fears, told them, in a gentle accent, that he knew their errand. "Fear not," said he, "for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said:" and then invited them to come down into the sepulchre, and view the place where the Son of God had lain.

The women, greatly encouraged by the agreeable news, as well as by the peculiar accent with which this blessed messenger from the heavenly Canaan delivered his speech, went down into the sepulchre, when, behold, another of the angelic choir appeared! who gently reproved them for seeking the living among the dead, with an intention to do him an office due only to the latter, and for not believing what was told them by a messenger from heaven, or rather for not remembering the words which their great Master had himself told them with regard to his own resurrection.

When the women had satisfied their minds by looking at the place where the Lord had lain, and where nothing was to be found but the linen clothes, the angel who first appeared to them resumed the discourse, and bade them go and tell his disciples, particularly Peter, the glad tidings of his master's resurrection from the dead; that he was going before them to Galilee, and that they should there have the pleasure of seeing him.

The women, highly elated with the news of their Lord's resurrection, left the sepulchre immediately, and ran to carry the disciples the glad tidings.

During these transactions at the sepulchre, Peter and John, having been informed by Mary Magdalene, that the stone was rolled away, and the body of Jesus not to be found, were hastening to the grave, and missed the women who had seen the appearance of angels.

The disciples being astonished at what Mary Magdalene had told them, and desirous of having their doubts cleared up, made all the haste possible to the sepulchre; and John being younger than Peter, arrived at the place first, but did not go in, contenting himself with stooping down and seeing the linen clothes lying, which had been wrapped about our Saviour's body. Peter soon arrived, and went to the sepulchre, when he saw the "linen clothes lie and the napkin that was about his head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself."

Our Lord left the grave-clothes in the sepulchre, probably to show that his body was not stolen away by his disciples, who in such a case would not have taken time to have stripped it.

Besides, the circumstances of the grave-clothes induced the disciples themselves to believe when the resurrection was related to them; but at that time they had not any suspicion that he was risen from the dead.

These two disciples having thus satisfied themselves that what Mary Magdalene had told them was really true, returned to their respective habitations; but Mary, who had returned, continued weeping at the door of the sepulchre. She, had, it seems, followed Peter and John to the garden, but did not leave it with them, being anxious to find the body.

Accordingly, stepping down into the place to examine it once more, she saw two angels sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They were now in the same position as when they appeared to the other women; but had

rendered themselves invisible while Peter and John were at the sepulchre.

To

Mary, on beholding these heavenly messengers dressed in the robes of light, was greatly terrified. She turned herself about, and saw Jesus standing near her; but the terror she was in, and the garments in which he was now dressed, prevented her from knowing him for some time. Jesus repeated the question used before by the angel: "Woman, why weepest thou ?" which Mary answered, Sir, if his body be troublesome in the sepulchre, and thou hast removed him, tell me where he is deposited, and I will take him away. But our blessed Saviour, willing to remove her anxiety, called her by her name, with his usual tone of voice. On which she immediately knew him, and falling down before him would have embraced his knees. But Jesus refused this compliment, telling her that he was not going immediately to heaven.

The women, on their arrival, told as many of the disciples as they could find, that they had seen at the sepulchre the appearance of angels, who assured them that Jesus was risen from the dead. This new information astonished the disciples exceedingly; and as they had before sent Peter and John to examine into the truth of what Mary Magdalene had told them concerning the body being removed out of the sepulchre, so they now judged it highly proper to send some of their number to see the angels, and learn from them the joyful tidings of that great transaction of which the women had given them an account.

This second deputation from the apostles did not go alone; for as Mary Magdalene returned with Peter and John, who were sent to examine the truth of her information, so the women who brought an account of the appearance of angels, in all probability returned with those who were sent to be witnesses of the truth of their

report. About the time that the disciples and women set out for the sepulchre, Peter and John reached the city; but passing through a different street, did not meet their brethren. The disciples having a great desire to reach the sepulchre, soon left the women behind, and just as they arrived, Mary Magdalene, having seen the Lord, was coming away. But they did not meet her, because they entered the garden at one door while she was coming out at another. When they came to the sepulchre they saw the angels, and received from them the news of their blessed Master's resurrection; for St. Luke tells us, "They found it even as the women had said." Highly elated with what they saw, they departed and ran back to the city with such expedition, that they gave an account of what they had seen, in the hearing of the two disciples, before Mary Magdalene arrived.

In the meantime the company of women, who followed the disciples, happened to meet Peter and John. But they had not gone far from the sepulchre before Jesus himself met them, and said, "All hail!" On which they approached their great Lord and Master, "held him by the feet and worshipped him."

This company of pious women having tarried some time with Jesus on the road, did not arrive with the joyful tidings of their great Master's resurrection till some time after Peter and John; and perhaps were overtaken by Mary Magdalene on the road, unless we suppose that she arrived a few minutes before them. But be that as it may, this is certain, that they arrived either at or near the same time; so that their accounts of this miraculous event tended to confirm each other.

The disciples were now lost in astonishment at what the women had related; for the Evangelists tell us that they believed not. Peter, indeed, to whom the angel sent the message, was disposed by his sanguine temper