SECT. I.-JOHN, xx. 1-18. "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together, and the other disciple did out-run Peter, and came first to the sepulchre; and he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth 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. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed; for as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead: then the disciples went away again unto their own homes. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping; and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white, sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain; and they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended unto my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God

and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her."

From this passage of the gospel of Saint John, it is evident, 1st, that Mary Magdalene had not seen any vision of angels, before she ran to Peter; and consequently, that she was not of the number of those women who went into the sepulchre, and were there told by an angel that Jesus was risen: for had she, before she went to Peter, seen any angels, she would certainly have added so extraordinary a circumstance to her account; and had she been informed by an angel that Jesus was risen, she could not have persisted in lamenting at not being able to find the body; nor have inquired of him, whom she took to be the gardener, where he had put it, that she might take it away. It is also farther observable, that when, after her return to the sepulchre with Peter and John, and their departure from thence, she saw a vision of angels, she was standing without, at the sepulchre, weeping; that stooping down, and looking (not going) into the sepulchre, she saw two angels in white, "sitting, the one at the head, the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain," who said no more to her than, "Woman, why weepest thou?" To which she answered, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." From all which circumstances it appears, 2dly, that neither after her return to the sepulchre with Peter and John, was she with those women who went into the sepulchre, &c.; that she had not heard any thing of Christ's being risen from the dead; and that therefore those women, who were told by an angel that he was risen, were not at the sepulchre when she returned thither with Peter and John. And indeed, from the whole tenor of the abovecited passage of Saint John's gospel, throughout which no mention is made of any other woman besides Mary Magdalene, it is more than probable she was alone when she saw the angels, and when Christ appeared to her immediately after. That she was alone when

Christ appeared to her, is plainly implied in what Saint Mark says, (xvi. 9,) who tells us expressly, that Christ appeared first to Mary Magdalene, which, had she been accompanied by the other women, could not have been spoken of her with any propriety of speech. In the 3d place, it is plain from the above relation, that the angels were not always visible, but appeared and disappeared as they thought proper; for John and Peter going into the sepulchre saw no angels; but Mary, after their departure, looking in, saw two, one sitting at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

SECT. II.-LUKE, Xxiv. 13-24. "The same day two of them (the disciples) went to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs, and they talked together of all these things that had happened. And it came to pass that while they communed together, and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them; but their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk and are sad? And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering, said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, 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 besides 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."

The latter part of this passage, which contains an abridgment of a report made by some women to the apostles before these two disciples had left Jerusalem, suggests the following observations: 1st, The angels seen by these women at the sepulchre told them that Jesus was alive, whence it follows, that this report was not made by Mary Magdalene; for the angels which she saw said no such thing to her. 2dly, As there is no notice taken of any appearance of our Saviour to these women, it is also evident, that this report could not have been made by the other Mary and Salome, to whom, as they were going to tell the disciples

the message of the angel which they had seen at the sepulchre, Jesus appeared, as I shall presently shew from Saint Matthew. 3dly, There were therefore several reports made at different times to the apostles, and by different women. At different times; for the two disciples, who, before they left Jerusalem, had heard the report now under consideration, had not heard those of Mary Magdalene, of the other Mary, and Salome. By different women; for it having been just now proved, that this report could not belong to either of the lastmentioned women, it must have been made by some other; and no other being named by any of the evangelists but Joanna, it came in all likelihood from her, and those that attended her. 4thly, Some of the disciples, upon hearing this report," went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said," that is, in the most obvious sense of these words, they saw the body was gone, and they saw some angels. But I shall not insist upon this interpretation, but only observe, that if Peter be supposed to have been one of those disciples who, upon this information of the women, went to the sepulchre, this must have been the second time of his going thither. That Peter went a second time to the sepulchre I shall shew more at large, when I come to consider the former part of this chapter of Saint Luke.

These several conclusions being admitted, I think it will be no difficult matter to defend the evangelists against the imputation of contradicting each other, in the accounts they have given of what happened on the day of the resurrection. For unless authors, who relate different and independent parts of the same history, may, for that reason, be said to contradict each other, the evangelists, I will be bold to say, stand as clear of that charge, at least in that part of their writings which we are now examining, as any of the most accurate historians either ancient or modern; as I shall now endeavour to prove, by considering and comparing the several relations of this day's events in the gospels of Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke, and Saint John. That written by Saint John I have already produced, so that there will be no occasion for inserting it again in this place; those of Saint Matthew and Saint Mark I shall produce and examine together, for reasons which will be evident hereafter.

SECT. III.-MATTHEW, Xxviii. 1-17. "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre. And behold there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow; and for fear of him

the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay: And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail! And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted."

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MARK, XVI. 1-14. "And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him; and very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away, for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment, and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: He is risen, he is not here: Behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man ; for they were afraid. Now when Jesus was risen, early in the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned

and wept. And they, when they heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that, he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue; neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven, as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen."

I shall range the observations I intend to make upon the several particulars contained in these two passages, under three heads. 1st, Of such circumstances as are related by one of these evangelists, but omitted by the other; the 24, Of such as they both agree in; and the 3d, Of such as seem to clash and disagree with each other. 1st, The several particulars of the earthquake, the descent of the angel from heaven, his rolling away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and sitting upon it, and the terror of the soldiers who guarded the sepulchre, are related only by Saint Matthew; as are likewise the appearances of our Saviour to the women, and to the eleven disciples in Galilee, and the flight of the guards into the city, and all that passed between them and the chief priests upon that occasion. On the other hand, Saint Mark alone makes mention of the women's having bought spices, that they might come and anoint the body of our Saviour of Salome's being one of those women-of their entering into the sepulchre, and seeing there a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garmentof the appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene, to the two disciples who were going into the country, and lastly to the eleven as they sat at meat. As not one of all these circumstances can be proved to contradict or even disagree with any particular, which either of these evangelists has thought fit to mention, no argument against the reality or credibility of them can be drawn from their not having been taken notice of by both; unless it can be made appear, that a fact related by one historian, or one evidence, must therefore be false, because it is passed over in silence by another. Saint Matthew wrote his gospel first, within a few years after the ascension of our Lord; this gospel Saint Mark, who wrote his some years after, is said to have abridged; though this, I think, is said with very little propriety. For how can that book be styled an abridgment, which contains many particulars not mentioned in the original author? That Saint Mark relates many circumstances not taken notice of by Saint Matthew, will easily appear to any one who shall take the pains to compare them together; and of this, to go no farther, we

Saint Matthew wrote his gospel at the request of the Jewish converts, who having lived in that country where the scene of this great history was laid, were doubtless acquainted with many particulars, which, for that reason, it was not necessary to mention. This will account for the conciseness, and seeming defectiveness of his narrations in many places, as well as for his omitting some circumstances which the other evangelists thought proper to relate. Saint Mark composed his for Christians of other nations, who, not having the same opportunities of being informed as their brethren of Judea, stood in nced of some notes and comments to enable them the better to understand the extract, which Saint Mark chose to give them out of the gospel written by Saint Matthew. It was therefore necessary for Saint Mark to insert many particulars, which the purpose of Saint Matthew in writing his gospel did not lead him to take notice of. Allowing these evangelists to have had these two distinct views, let us see how they have pursued them in the passages now under consideration.

That the disciples of Jesus came by night, and stole away the body while the guards slept, was commonly reported among the Jews, even so long after the ascension of our Lord as when Saint Matthew wrote his gospel, as himself tells us, (xxviii. 15.) To furnish the Jewish converts with an answer to this absurd story, so industriously propagated among their unbelieving brethren, and supported by the authority of the chief priests and elders, this evangelist relates at large the history of the guarding the sepulchre, &c. the earthquake, the descent of the angel, his rolling away the stone, and the fright of the soldiers at his appearance, who shook and became as dead men. And indeed, by comparing this relation with the report given out by the soldiers, it will easily appear on which side the truth lay. For as there is nothing in the miraculous resurrection of our Lord so repugnant to reason and probability as that the disciples should be able to roll away the stone which closed up the mouth of the sepulchre, and carry off the body of Jesus, unperceived by the soldiers, who were set there on purpose to guard against such an attempt; so is it also evident, that the particulars of the soldiers' report were founded upon the circumstances of this history. In this report three things are asserted, namely, That the disciples stole the body, that they stole it in the night, and that they stole it while the guards were asleep. That Jesus came out of the sepulchre before the rising of the sun, Saint Matthew informs us, who says, that the earthquake, &c. happened at the time when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary set out in order to take a

view of the sepulchre, which was just as the day began to break. This fact was undoubtedly too notorious for the chief priests to venture at falsifying it, and was besides favourable to the two other articles: This therefore they admitted; and taking the hint from what the soldiers told them of their having been cast into a swoon or trance (becoming like dead men) at the appearance of the angel, and consequently not having seen our Saviour come out of the sepulchre, they forged the remaining parts of this story, that his disciples came and stole him away while they slept. They took the hint, I say, of framing these two last mentioned articles from that circumstance related by Saint Matthew, of the "keepers shaking and becoming like dead men" upon the sight of the angel; for throughout this whole history there was no other besides this, upon which they could prevaricate and dispute. The stone was rolled away from the sepulchre, and the body was gone; this the chief priests were to account for, without allowing that Jesus was risen from the dead. The disciples, they said, stole it away. What! while the guards were there? Yes, the guards were asleep. With this answer they knew full well many would be satisfied, without inquiring any farther into the matter; but they could not expect that every body would be so contented; especially as they had reason to apprehend, that although the soldiers, who had taken their money, might be faithful to them, keep their secret, and attest the story they had framed for them, yet the truth might come out, by means of those whom they had not bribed; for Saint Matthew says, (xxviii. 11,) that some of the watch went into the city, "and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done." Some therefore remained behind, who probably had no share of the money which the chief priests gave to the soldiers; or if they had, in all likelihood it came too late; they had already divulged the truth, as well from an eagerness, which all men naturally have, to tell a wonderful story, as from a desire of justifying themselves for having quitted their post. The chief priests, therefore, were to guard against this event also; in order to which nothing could be more effectual than to counterwork the evidence of one part of the soldiers, by putting into the mouths of others of them a story, which without directly contradicting the facts, might yet tend to overthrow the only conclusion which the disciples of Jesus would endeavour to draw from them, and which they were so much concerned to discredit; namely, that Jesus was risen from the dead. For if the disciples and partisans of Jesus, informed by one part of the soldiers of the several circumstances related in Saint Matthew, should urge these miraculous events as so many proofs of the resurrection of their