women's, of his having risen, run to the sepulchre, and find the body removed according to their information, and wondering at what was come to pass, return home. (Luke, xxiv. 12; John, xx. 3. 10.) The resurrection having been stated to the disciples at Jerusalem, at this period, (Luke, xxiv. 22. 24,) Cleophas and his companion leave their brethren, to go to Emmaus. Mary Magdalene goes again to the sepulchre, tarries there after the Apostles, (John, xx. 11,) and converses with the two angels, who had before appeared to the women. Turning herself back, she perceives Jesus, who gradually makes himself known unto her; she consequently hastens to the city, and announces this, his first appearance to the disciples, but they believe not. (Mark, xvi. 9. 11; John, xx. 11. 18.) The other women, having told the disciples of his resurrection, continue in the city, whilst Peter and John visit, and Mary Magdalene revisits, the sepulchre. Jesus meets Peter and John on their way back to the city, and requests them to direct his disciples to depart into Galilee. (Matt. xxviii. 9, 10.) This is his second appearance. The guards about this time leave the neighbourhood of the sepulchre, and inform the Jewish rulers of what had occurred within their knowledge. (Matt. xxviii. 11. 15.) According to Paul, (1 Corinth. xv. 5,) the third appearance to Cephas; and the fourth, to the two who some time prior to this left their brethren, to proceed to Emmaus; who, immediately returning to Jerusalem, relate it to the other disciples, and are not credited. (Mark, xvi. 12, 13; Luke, xxiv. 13. 36.) The last time of his being seen on the day of his resurrection, being the fifth, was by the Apostles, as they sat at meat, in the absence of Thomas. (Paul, 1 Corinth. xv. 5; Mark, xvi. 14. 18; Luke, xxiv. 36. 49; John, xx. 19. 23.) This concludes the great and glorious transaction

of the important day on which Jesus rose from the dead. About the eighth day after his resurrection, he again, the sixth time, appears to the disciples, when Thomas was present. (John, xx. 24. 29.) His seventh appearance occurs between the eighth and the fortieth day, at the sea of Tiberias, to his disciples, (Matt. xxviii. 16; John, xxi. 1. 24;) and his eighth, to them upon the mountain in Galilee. (Matt. xxviii. 16. 20.) Paul, (1 Corinth. xv. 6,) relates his having been seen of above five hundred brethren at once, many of whom, at the time of his writing this epistle, were living witnesses to this, the ninth appearance. His tenth is to James; and his final appearance, being the eleventh, is to the Apostles, on the ascension. (1 Corinth. xv. 7; Acts, i. 3. 12; Mark, xvi. 19. 20; Luke, xxiv. 50. 53.)

The above account was arranged by Benson and Newcome, from the Sacred writers.

RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. Examination of the witnesses thereof. Ques. 1. Were you all personally acquainted with Jesus Christ before his death? Numbers of us were.

2. Were you, whose names are mentioned by Matthew, as Apostles, in his 10th chapter, verses 2, 3, 4, personally acquainted with him? We were.

3. Were you all present when he was crucified? No; only some of us.

4. Did any of you take him out of the grave? No! No!

5. Why not? 1. We were too much afraid after we saw what was done to our Master, to go near him at the time. 2. Because we did not clearly understand what he meant by "rising again." 3. For the best of all reasons, because (if we were so inclined) having a

dead body with us, instead of serving our cause, would have completely ruined it.

6. Did the Jews, think you, get possession of the dead body? They never once even pretended they did; for, had they got it, nothing would have been easier for them, than to produce it as evidence against us, when we, in a few days afterwards, boldly affirmed in their presence, that he, whom they with wicked hands had slain and crucified, was alive.

7. Did any of you go to the sepulchre after he was buried? Yes, several of us.

8. Who went first? Mary answers-I went with several women at day break with the spices, &c. to see where he was laid, and to anoint the body.

9. What did you, Mary, and the women, see there? We all saw that the stone was removed away; and I, without waiting a moment, ran back to tell the disciples, leaving the women at the sepulchre.

10. Whom did you first tell? 11. What then did you do?

Peter and John.

Being overcome with

running and anxiety, I rested a little; but Peter and John

ran off to the sepulchre.

12. What then did you do? After a short time I proceeded again to the sepulchre; but by the time I had got there, the women, and Peter and John, had gone away.

13. What then occurred? As I was weeping at the sepulchre, I looked into the sepulchre, and saw two angels in white, one at the head, and the other at the feet, of where Jesus had lain.

14. Who else was then with you? I have before said, I went this time alone, and met none of the women or disciples there.

15. Did the angels say any thing to you? Yes, they asked me why I was weeping? and I replied, "they have

taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him."

16. Did any thing else occur? I happened to look back, and saw a man standing behind me, (whom I thought was the gardener,) and I said to him, “If, sir, you have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him?" He replied, “ Mary,” upon which I immediately knew it was the Lord. So far Mary.

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17. But, Matthew, how do you reconcile your account of the matter with what Mary has just testified? Very easily indeed, thus; I stated that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, (I saw no necessity for mentioning the other women,) went to the sepulchre, and so Mary has just related. I then related what the angel said to the women, (not to Mary,) for she, as she stated, had run off to tell Peter and John; and also how the Lord met them, and what he said to them on their way home. So far Matthew.

18. But, St. Mark, you have stated that the women came to anoint the body, while Matthew says they came to see the sepulchre? Verily I have, and what then! who could doubt, but in coming to anoint the body, they also came to see the sepulchre !

19. But you say, they went into the sepulchre, and saw a young man sitting on the right side; while Matthew states, they saw the angel sitting on the stone of the door of the sepulchre. I said so, and say so still, and in so saying, I do not contradict Matthew; for Matthew thought proper to speak of the angel they saw at the door of the sepulchre, but he neither said they did not enter the sepulchre, nor that they did not see another angel inside; now I related what they saw when they went into the sepulchre, and not what they saw at the sepulchre, which Matthew related. So far Mark.

20. But, Luke, you say, that when the women went into the sepulchre, they saw two men, or angels, in shining garments; while Mark says, they saw but one. St. Mark never said, there was but one angel in the sepulchre; he only spoke of the one angel who first addressed them inside the sepulchre; but did not say there was only one there, much less that only one spoke to them inside.

21. But, Luke, you say, that when Peter went into the sepulchre, he did not see any angels there. I did say so, and John also corroborates that statement; and who says Peter saw any angels in it? for, I suppose, you cannot doubt, how angels might be there when the women went in, and not there when Peter and John arrived.

22. But, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, how do you account for this apparent contradiction of statement? why did you not take care to guard against being misunderstood? The case was thus: "Mary, with the other women, went at about daylight, to see the sepulchre and to anoint the body of Jesus. The moment Mary saw that the stone was rolled away from the door of the sepulchre, she ran off to Peter and John: while she was gone, the women saw what Matthew, Mark, and Luke relate; while John omitted all account of the women, relating only what Mary did and saw. Thus there were paid three visits to the sepulchre. 1st. By all the women. 2. By Peter and John. 3. By Mary the second time alone.

23. Why did you not take care to guard against being misunderstood? Because our Divine Master commanded us to state facts, and facts only, whether they appeared against, or in favour of his cause.

24. But how came you all to give different accounts of Christ's last commission? We never stated that any