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verfe. 9, And having rifen upon the first morning of the fabbath, he appeared first to Mary

Luke 24. 1. And upon the first of the fabbaths, being the depth of the morning, they came to the fepulchre.

John 20. 1. And upon the firft of the fabbaths, Mary Magdalene cometh early, being yet darkness, unto the fepulchre.

Acts 20. 7. And upon the firft of the fabbaths, the disciples coming together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.

1. Cor. 16. 1. 2. And of the collection for the faints, as I have ordained in the churches of Galatia, fo do ye. According to the first of fabbaths, let every one lay by him in ftore.

These paffages are elliptical, and are to be fupplied out of Mofes, who divides evening and morning into two as above. And according to that divifion, they will read thus.

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Matthew 28. 1. And the laft evening of the fabbaths, dawning into the first morning of the fabbaths, Mary came to the fepulchre.

Mark 16. 2. And exceeding early, upon the firft of the fabbaths they came to the fepulchre, the fun then eafting, or afcending.-verfe 9. And having rifen upon the first morning of the fabbath day.

Luke 24. 1. And upon the first morning of the fabbaths, being the depth of the morning, they came to the fepulchre.

John 20. 1. And upon the first morning of the fabbaths, Mary cometh early, being yet dark, or darkness.- verse 19. Being therefore evening, upon that very day, that firft of the fabbaths, came Jefus and flood in the midft.

Acts 20. 7. And upon that day, that firft of the fabbaths, Paul preached.

1. Cor. 16. 2. According to the first day of the fabbaths.

The

The adjective MIA, one, or firft, is left without its fubftantive, becaufe more than one belongs to it; and must therefore be fupplied by the attentive and judicious reader. As, for inftance, first morning, first evening, for day of the week, first day of the chriftian fabbaths, first day of the refurrection-ftate, and confequently, by way of emphasis, first, and highest, and greatest of days.

The above paffages are plainly intended to affert the refurrection of Chrift from the dead, and precifely to fix the date of it. And, if I am not miftaken, it is done with great criticism and emphasis, as we might naturally expect an event of fuch moment to be. The evangelifts tell us, that it was in the morning; in the first morning, the space between midnight and fun-rifing; that it was not the light part of the first morning, but the dark, even darkness itself; and not only fo, but that it was the depth of the darkness of the first morning. The depth of morning darkness is midnight, wherein we are at equal diftance from the light of the paft, and fucceeding day.

Speaking in the vulgar ftile, the fun defcends

E 2

from

from the meridian, down the western hemifphere, till he comes to the bottom or depth in the midnight point, which Luke calls the depth of darknefs; and as soon as he paffes that point, he is then eafting or afcending up the eaftern hemifphere, and ufhering in the first morning. The women fet out toward the monument in the depth of the darkness, and arrived there as Mark expreffes it, exceeding early, the fun then beginning to afcend. That is, they reached the place just after the fun had entered the eaftern hemifphere; and when they came they found the ftone rolled away from the fepulchre, the guard gone, and confequently the resurrection paft. This fixes the date of the refurrection with clearness and certainty. Mark fays that he rose in the first morning, and not before the moment that that ushered in the morning, had arrived. And the reft of the Evangelifts, by the arrival of the women, prove, that it could not· be many minutes after the morning commenced. Says Mark, he rose in the first morning, and not before; fays John, it was not light, but in the darkness of the morning; fays Luke, it was in the depth of that darkness; but fays Mark, we do not mean by this to fix the midnight moment

for

for the arrival of the women, but a few minutes after, exceeding early, the fun having but just entered the eastern hemifphere. It was then they came to the fepulchre, and found the refurrection already paft. Thus, this most folemn and momentous of all events is critically and clearly dated, and fixed to be precisely at twelve o'clock, Jerufalem then forming the midnight point.

Again, these fcriptures fix the date of Chrift's appearance afterwards, both to the women and to the difciples. He appeared firft to the women, to Mary Magdalene at least, and probably to fome others, within the first morning, a little before fun rifing. And to the difciples within the first evening of the fame day, fometime before fun fet. And the reason of fixing the date of this fo carefully is, to blame and disgrace the negligence of the disciples, and to reward and honor the courage and refolution of the women. The women acted worthily, and the men mean and cowardly; and therefore the women have the honor of seeing him firft.

Another thing to be observed in the words is,

that

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