xxvi. 19. yea, he is the fountain of gardens, Cant. iv.

15.

As to the manner of our Lord's funeral, feveral things may be observed.

1. Jofeph, infpired with an undaunted courage, went to Pilate, and boldly asked the dead body of Jefus. Though, while our Redeemer lived, Jofeph was fo far funk under the power of fear and cowardice, that he acted only as his fecret difciple, yet now when he is dead, holy boldness and courage rose to fuch a pitch in his fpirit, that he openly asked his body of Pilate, in order to a decent interment. Tho' he might have formed a party to have carried it off by violence, yet he rather chose to do it in a regular and peaceable manner; and therefore made a dutiful application to Pilate, who was the proper perfon to be addreffed on this occafion, in regard he had the difpofal of the body. In things wherein the power of the civil magiftrate is concerned, due regard muft be had to that power, and nothing done to break in upon it.

2. Upon this application, Pilate very readily granted Jofeph the body of Jefus, in order to its being decently interred. Perhaps by this ftep he imagined to do fomething towards atoning that guilt wherewith his confcience charged him in condemning an innocent perfon. But whatever might be in this, it is certain, that, in Jofeph's petition and Pilate's ready grant of it, honour was done to Chrift, and a teftimony borne to his integrity.

3. Jofeph having obtained his defire, inftantly repaired to the accurfed tree, from which he took down the body of Jefus; and, mangled and macerated as it was, carried it in his arms to a place proper for its being dreffed, Thus did he act under the prevailing conduct of the deepeft and deareft love to his Re

deemer.

1

4. Our Redeemer's body being brought into fome adjoining houfe, it was washed from blood and duft,

and then wound in linen with fpices, as the manner of the Jews was. But why did Jofeph and Nicodemus make all this ado about the body of Chrift? Tho' perhaps in this their management we may difcern the weakness of their faith, for a firm belief of the refùrrection of Chrift the third day would have faved them this care and coft, and have been more acceptable than all fpices; yet herein we may evidently fee the ftrength of their love, together with the value they had for his perfon and doctrine, which was no way leffsened by the reproach of the crofs.

5. The time of our Lord's burial was on the day of the preparation, when the fabbath drew on; and this was the reason that they made fuch hafte with the funeral. Though they were in tears for the death of Chrift, yet they did not forget the work of an approaciring fabbath; but fet themselves with all convenient fpeed and care to prepare for it.

6. The company who attended our Redeemer's fu'neral, was not any of the difciples, but only the women who came with him from Galilee, who as they ftaid by him while he hung upon the crofs, fo they followed him all in tears, beheld the fepulchre where it was, which was the way to it, and how his body was laid in it and all this they were led to, not by their curiofity, but by their affection to the Lord Jefus, which was ftrong as death, cruel as the grave, and which many waters could not quench.

7. The Redeemer's funeral was actually folemnized; for after all the above circumftances were over, then they acted as is related John xix. 41. 42. Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden; and in the garden a new fepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jefus therefore, because of the Jews preparation day, for the fepulchre was nigh at hand, There laid they Jefus, i. e. the dead body of Jesus. Some think that the calling of that Jefus intimates the infeparable union between the divine and human natures in his bleffed perfon, Even this dead body

was Jefus a Saviour; for his death is our life. Thus without pomp or folemnity is the body of Jefus laid in the cold and filent grave. Here lies our Surety arrefted for our debt; fo that if he be released, his difcharge will be ours. Here is the Sun of righteoufnefs fet for a while, to rife again in greater glory, and fet no more. Here lies a feeming captive to death, but a real conqueror over death. Yea here lies death itself flain, and the grave conquered. Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jefus Christ.

SEVENTHLY, Our Redeemer continued under the power of death for a time. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, Matth. xii. 40. For clearing the import of Chrift's continuing under the power of death for a time, confider,

1. That death hath a very strange and ftrong power in the world, which invades and prevails against all the children of men. For what man is he that liveth, and fhall not fee death? fays the pfalmift. This interrogation plainly imports, that no man, high or low, great or fmall, rich or poor, can poffibly cover himself from. the ftroke of death. And no wonder; for, as the apoftle tells us, death bath reigned from Adam, Rom. v. 14. The empire of death hath made an univerfal fpread through the face of the carth, and, with an unrelenting fury, bears all the fons of men before it. And it is no way ftrange it be fo, feeing it acts under the conduct of heaven's irrepealable decree, It is appointed unto men once to die, Heb. ix. 27.

2. That the empire, power, and dominion of death was introduced into the world by in, Rom. v. 12. By one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin, and fo death palled upon all men, for that all have finned. The wages of fin is death. And therefore man no fooner gave into apoftafy from his Maker, but the awful fentence went forth, Duft thou art, and unto duft halt thou return, Geu. iii. 19,

3. That our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of life, fell under the power of death, and that in its most frightful and amazing form: for he died the painful, the curfed, the fhameful, and lingering death of the crofs; and this he did not by constraint, but with the utmost chearfulness.

4. That it was for the fins of his elect people that the Lord of life came under the power of death. Their fins were imputed to him: He was made fin for us, fays the apoftle, who knew no fin. Because their fins were imputed to him, therefore death, the punishment of fin, came upon him. He was not only wounded for our tranfgreflions and bruifed for our iniquities, but he died for our fins. He bare the fins of many; and for the tranfgreflions of his people was he ftricken, yea ftricken even unto death.

5. That though our Redeemer continued under the power of death, yet it was only for a time. Though this king of terrors brought the King of glory down to the gloomy fhades of the grave, yet he could not hold him long there. Hence the apoftle fays, Acts ii, 24. God loofed the pains of death, because it was not pos fible that he should be holden of it. Chrift was imprifoned for our debt, and thrown into the hands of death; but divine juftice being fatisfied, it was not poffible that he fhould be detained there, either by right or by force; for he had life in himself, and in his own power, and had conquered the prince of death.

6. That the time of our Redeemer's being under the power of death was only till the third day. For he rofe the third day after his death; which was the time he had often prefixed, and he kept within it. He was buried in the evening of the fixth day of the week, and rofe in the morning of the first day of the following week; fo.that he lay in the grave about thirty-fix or thirty-eight hours. He lay fo long, to fhew that he was really and truly dead, and no longer, that he might not fee corruption.

If it fhould be afked, What were the reasons and ends of this amazing humiliation of the Son of God? I answer, That Christ humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the crofs,

1. That he might fatisfy divine juftice in the room and ftead of an elect world. When man by fin rebelled against his rightful Lord, incensed juftice called aloud for vengeance upon the atrocious offender; and had its rigorous demands been anfwered, all the race of mankind had perished in the depths of death and damnation for ever. But Chrift, by the whole scene of his humiliation, has fo fully answered all its demands of his chofen, that it can crave no more. For he by his obedience and fatisfaction, as the Surety of unjuft finners, has fo perfectly paid all their debt, that justice is completely atoned and pacified. Hence our Redeemer drew his laft breath on the crofs with thefe words, It is finished.

2. To confirm and feal his teftament. He had bequeathed many great and glorious legacies to his cho. fen; all which had failed for ever, if by his death he had not ratified and confirmed this his teftament. For where a teftament is, there must also of necefhty be the death of the teftator. For a teftament is of force after men are dead: otherwife it is of no strength at all whilft the teftator liveth, Heb. ix. 16. 17. Wherefore that our Lord's teftament might in that refpect be made good, he fealed it with his heart's blood; This cup, fays he, is the new testament in my blood, i. e. the new teftament, which is ratified by my blood.

3. To conquer and fubdue the devil. This malicious and fubtil enemy of mankind had by his craft and power brought the whole race of Adam in fubjection to his empire, reigning over and leading them captive at his pleasure. But our Lord through death destroyed him that had the power of death. It is true, the crucifying of Jefus was the devil's plot; for he put Judas upon betraying him, the Jews upon accufing him, Pilate upon condemning him, and the folVOL. II.

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