the council of the Seventy, requested that he might be permitted to have the body of Jesus: his request was complied with; and he caused the body to be immediately buried in an entire new sepulchre of his own, and closed the tomb by rolling a great stone to the door of it. The Jews, in order to make assurance double sure, and that the disciples of Jesus might not by any means be able to steal away the body from the sepulchre, entreated Pilate, the Roman governor, to set a guard of soldiers about the sepulchre, and themselves sealed or fastened the stone that was placed against the door of it, in the securest way possible, Early on the first day of the week (that is, on our Sunday morning, and the third day from the crucifixion, Jesus being crucified on the Friday, the day before the Jewish Sabbath), there was (a violent earthquake, and an angel rolled back the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and sat upon it: his countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

the keepers shook for fear, and Jesus rose and departed." (Matt. xxvii. 1—4.) Soon after this event, early on the Sunday morning, some pious women, Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James and Salome, came with spices and ointments to preserve the body; but they perceived the stone removed from the door of the sepulchre, and an angel told them that Jesus was risen, and enjoined them. to inform his disciples instantly of this event. Upon receiving this account from the women, two of the disciples, Peter and John, went to examine the matter; and upon coming to the sepulchre and going in, they found the linen clothes, in which Jesus had been buried, and the napkin that had been wrapped round his head, and were convinced that "Jesus was risen." (John, xxii. 10.) 9.

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These, indeed, were strong proofs of the resurrection of our Lord; but none had yet seen him, neither did they know what was become of him. The evi

dences of our senses are those we most wish for. Our Lord appeared to Mary Magdalen, and afforded her that evidence. She informed the disciples that she had seen the Lord. This was early in the morning of Sunday. On the same day he also appeared to two of his disciples' on their way to Emmaus. And in the evening he appeared to his disciples assembled, without Thomas: thus he appeared three times on one day. Eight days after this first Sunday, he appeared again, to satisfy the incredulity of Thomas. And soon after he appeared again at the sea of Tiberias, to seven of his disciples. The next appearance of our Lord was to the eleven in Galilee; after that he appeared to them, and five hundred, at Bethany, near Jerusalem, when he ascended. He was also seen of James, probably during the abode of the disciples at Galilee. All these knew him: they did not doubt of his person: they declare positively and implicitly that it was Jesus whom they saw. The infal

lible proofs that it was Jesus, and not a spirit, that it was the identical Jesus who had been crucified, dead, and buried, are these they saw him; they touched him; he spoke to them; he ate with them all functions of sense. But, to proceed:

"Being seen of them forty days." You are aware how ignorant and uninformed the followers of our Lord were during his lifetime, They had no fixed nor settled principles. Their faith was of a very unstable kind. As the disciples, were ordained to be the preachers of the Gospel in all the world, and to be the instruments in the hand of God to turn many from darkness to light; it was expedient that they should have a clear and distinct knowledge of all truths necessary for the important office with which they were shortly to be invested. Accordingly, our Lord, after his resurrection and after their departure into Galilee, frequently condescended to visit them, during the space of forty days,

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the time that elapsed between his resurrection and ascension. In these delightful and sacred interviews, St. Luke in. forms us, that Christ spake to his dis ciples" of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."

Now, the kingdom of God is either his kingdom on earth, the church militant; or the kingdom of heaven, the church triumphant. We may suppose, that our Lord discoursed of each of these to his disciples.

1st, We may suppose that he spake to them respecting his kingdom on earth, or the church militant, as it is commonly called. It was of this church that the Apostles and disciples of our Lord were to be the founders; it was, therefore, necessary that they should draw their instructions from the fountain-head.

Our Lord, in all probability, showed them in the clearest manner how all the prophecies, from the first delivered to Adam after the fall, to the last uttered by Malachi, had their completion in him.