Nicodemus, as hitherto a concealed disciple of Jesus Christ, compared with his regular followers, especially with those who had always ministered to him of their substance before, might be regarded as a kind of stranger. The duty of embalming the dead body of Christ belonged rather to such as had ministered to its wants while alive.

But even the piety of these disciples themselves under the circumstances of the case, in the absence of the necessary preparations, and in the momentary expectation of the sabbath, would have no other alternative, except to defer the last honours to his memory until the first convenient opportunity-which could not be earlier than the beginning of the first day of the week. At that time, however, both the sense of duty and the fervour of attachment would urge them to the speedy resumption of offices, which the emergency of the occasion had compelled them to suspend until then; and the dead body having been, as it was, a day and two nights in the grave, the necessity of the case itself would dictate the expediency of no further delay.

considered an extraordinary thing that the body of our Lord, so embalmed and disembowelled, in three days and three nights should not have been long enough in the grave to see corruption.

The custom of the Jews from the remotest antiquity appears to have been to bury their dead with, or in, sweet spices: but there is not the least allusion in the Old Testament to the further accompaniment of disembowelling.

A pious mind revolts at the idea of the body of our Lord being subjected to any such treatment: nor does it soften

its repugnance to the idea of such treatment, that it was only intended, and not executed, in his instance.

The practice of the Romans at this time, a practice very likely to be common throughout their dominions, if they did not themselves borrow it from the East, was only to anoint the bodies of their dead with liquid perfumes, and to burn odours. of various kinds along with them: though it is true that the Romans, generally speaking, burnt the same bodies on funeral piles; which the Jews did

not.

That they had conceived the design of revisiting the tomb, and completing the process of the embalment, so early as the eve of the sabbath, though they might defer its execution until the morning after the sabbath; appears not only from the mention of their being present at the interment of our Lord in general, but more especially from the stress which is laid on their observing or taking notice of the tomb, and how the body was deposited in it. This would not be so distinctly specified, except to prepare us for their subsequent visit.

The sabbath did not expire until sunset on Saturday in Passion-week: and some of the number, having waited too long in the garden (which is an argument of the lateness of the burial) the day before, had even then their spices to procure. The process of embalment itself would have taken up time; and had it been attempted on the night of the sabbath, it must have been performed in the dark. The watch too, which had been planted at the grave either in the course of the morning, or directly after the arrival of the evening, of Saturday, until it was disturbed by the apparition of the angel, would have effectually prevented any access to the sepulchre; and the Providence of God, in order to the fulfilment of prophecy, which required that the body of Christ should continue untouched in the grave three days and nights, would doubtless take care that none, whether friend or enemy, should prematurely interfere with its repose. And this was one natural consequence of our Lord's dying upon the Friday. Had not that been the case, the visit of the women, though with the most pious intention, would probably have been made on the following morning, and not upon the morning but one after.

We need not be surprised, therefore, that our Lord's

female disciples, though they might have formed the design of embalming his body as early as the evening of Friday, should yet not be able to execute their purpose before the morning of the Sunday at the earliest. Of the setting of the guard meanwhile, and of the sealing up the entrance of the sepulchre, (which, though they did not interfere with the conception, would necessarily have prevented the accomplishment, of their purpose,) if they took place at the time we have conjectured, they could not be aware beforehand; and it would seem they were still in ignorance even on the morning of their visit.

Now, upon the assumption of a design like this, conceived by the women, who attended our Lord's last moments on the evening of Friday, but not executed, nor capable of being executed, before an early hour on the morning of Sunday, the harmony of the course of events upon that morning, relating to the visits to the tomb, must be constructed.

For first, the number of these women was considerable; and indeed the resort of females to the several feasts, especially to the Passover and the Scenopegia, though voluntary on their part, was almost as great as that of the men. Besides those who are mentioned by name, many others are alluded to in general terms, as they who had attended upon and ministered to our Lord in Galilee, and had come up with him on this occasion to Jerusalem. All these, or most of them, must have concurred in forming the resolution in question.

Secondly, these women, as believers in Jesus and followers of Jesus in common, either would be known to each other, or would not. If they were not known to each other, though they might all have concurred in forming the same design, it cannot be supposed that they would all act in concert to execute it. Hence,

though all might have gone to the tomb, and all have finally been assembled at the tomb on the morning in question, they might set out at different times, and would set out in different parties; and consequently they might arrive at different times, as they would in different parties. But if they were known to each other, though they might have agreed to act in concert to execute, as well as concurred in conceiving, the design of their visit, still if some lodged apart from the rest, or they belonged to different Paschal companies, their agreement would extend no further than an appointment to meet at the tomb by a certain hour on the morning specified: in which case, some might be earlier in arriving than others; though, if nothing had occurred to prevent their waiting for the rest, all might have met there at last.

Thirdly, there are only two parties of women of which any evidence is found in the Gospel accounts; one of which we may call the party of Salome, and the other the party of Johanna. The former is the party in St. Matthew or in St. Mark; the latter is the party in St. Luke: for though St. Matthew and St. Mark mention others in common with St. Luke, and St. Luke mentions others in common with St. Matthew and St. Mark, they only mention Salome, and he only mentions Johanna. These two parties were distinct and either, as consisting of persons unknown to each other, acted entirely independently throughout, or, if they consisted of persons known to each other, they set out at different times and from different places;. and so arrived at the sepulchre at different times. This conclusion we may confirm as follows:

I. It is a kind of presumptive argument in its favour, that the party of Salome appears to have consisted, and is certainly specified as consisting, of three

individuals only; Salome, Mary of Magdala, and Mary the mother of James and Joses: the party of Johanna is not specified by name; but in general terms, and under the description above given, it is said to have included many; which I think must mean more than three. Among these, if we compare Luke viii. 2, 3, Susanna would probably be one.

II. It is a similar presumptive argument, that Salome and the second Mary; the former a person of some consequence and the mother of two of the Apostles, the latter a near relation of the Virgin's, the mother also of one Apostle and the wife of Cleopas; would probably lodge not with the rest of the disciples, but with the Eleven; who seem, like our Saviour, to have lodged somewhere by themselves.

III. According to St. Luke, the party of Johanna got their spices ready on the day of the Preparation, as soon as they returned from the garden, after the burial but before the sabbath: and rested, as he expresses it, subsequently during the sabbath, according to the commandment: whereas it is expressly affirmed by St. Mark, xvi. 1, that the party of Salome did not get their's ready until after the sabbath; that is, until a night and a day later: διαγενομένου τοῦ σαββά του......ἠγόρασαν ἀρώματα, ἵνα ἐλθοῦσαι ἀλείψωσιν αὐτόν. This must be sufficient to prove that the two parties were so far distinct, and acted independently of each other. There would be time enough, even after sunset on the sabbath, both to purchase and to prepare what would not be wanted for use before the next morning. But had not this party been a different one from the other, and detained longer than that in the garden on the evening of Friday, they too, we may reasonably infer, would have bought and prepared their spices before the sabbath. This very circumstance of a sepa