her, went, in the firft Place, to Peter and John to inform them, intending to go to others with like Notice. But when they found that Peter and John went directly to the Sepulchre, they did, as it was extremely natural for them to do, go after them, to fee the Sepulchre,, which they had left in Fear, but very defirous to view it again in Company of the Men, intending foon to return, and deliver the Meffage to the other Difciples. Upon this Cafe, it is evident, they returned to the Sepulchre before they had delivered their Meffage, as they were required to do, to the Disciples; and St. Matthew might very well confider the Appearance of Jefus, as happening whilft they were employed in carrying the first Meffage. And this accounts likewife for our Saviour's giving them a fecond Meffage, much to the fame Purpose and Import as the first.

2. There is no Reason to think, that St. Matthew's Words are to be taken fo ftrictly, as to limit the Appearance of Jefus to the Women, to the very Moment in which they paffed from the Sepulchre, with the first Meffage to the Disciples.

1. Because there could not, from the first going to the Sepulchre, to the End of the whole Account, including the Appearance to Mary, be more than an Hour at most employed; and Facts, crouded fo close together, are fcarcely ever reported under different Dates.

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2. Because St. Matthew, throwing the whole Tranfaction into one continued Story, would naturally confider no more than the general Order in which Things happened, without diftinguishing the fhort Time, which the whole took up, into different Periods.

3. Because the Language, ufed by St. Matthew, does really import no more than the general Order in which things happened: He fays, ὡς ἐπορεύοντο απαγειλα, as they were going to tell. You have, at ver. 11. the very fame way of fpeaking, πορευομβύων ἢ αὐτῶν. It is the very fame Note of Time; for he fpeaks of the Women's going with the Meffage, and fays, Now when they (the Women) were going, bebold the Watch came into the City, and fhewed the Chief Priests all the Things that were done. Can any one suppose, that the Evangelift means more, than that the Watch went to the City about the fame Time that the Women went to the Difciples? Or if it could poffibly appear, that the Watch were really a Quarter of an Hour fooner or later than the Women; would this, in the Opinion of any Man living, impeach the Credit of the Hiftorian? If any Perfon defires more Inftances of thefe Tranfitions, they occur frequently in St. Matthew, and in other Writers of the New Teftament.

As to the Order in which we have placed the Tranfactions at the Sepulchre, by Compasifon of the four Evangelifts together; it is confirmed and established, beyond all Doubt, by

the

',

the Account which the two Difciples, going to Emmaus, give our Saviour. This, fay they, is the third Day fince the Crucifixion; yea, and certain Women also of our Company made us afonifhed, which were early at the Sepulchre; and, when they found not his Body, they came, fay ing, that they had feen à Vifion of Angels, which faid, that he was alive, And certain of them that were with us, went to the Sepulchre, and found it even fo as the Women had faid; but him they faw not a. Compare this with St. Luke's own Account, and St. John's, as far as it relates to what himself and Peter did at the Sepulchre, and you will find the Facts reported in the fame Order. These two Difciples left Jerufalem as foon as Peter and John had made their Report, and before Mary Magdalene had reported the Appearance of Chrift to her, or had delivered his Meffage to the Difciples Which proves, that the Account, as it flands, in St. Matthew, including the Appearance to Mary Magdalene, was not told to the Difciples at once, but must be accounted for in the manner above-mentioned. Otherwise these two Difciples must have known of the Appearance of Chrift, as well as of the other Circumftances prior to it, which they fo punctually relate.

You fee here plainly, that the two Difciples, speaking of the first Visit the Women made to the Sepulchre, fay, they found not his Body; and

Luke xxiv. 21, &c.
P 2

thence

thence the Confiderer infers, they never faw him; exprefsly contrary to the Account given by St. John, of their fecond Vifit to the Sepulchre. And, for want of obferving the Series of the Story, he goes on mistaking and confounding the Circumstances, which belong to the first and the fecond Vifit to the Sepulchre and triumphs in difcovering Contradictions in the Evangelifts; whereas, in Truth, the only thing he has discovered is, that he does not understand them.

In ftating thus the Series and Order of what paffed at the Sepulchre, there is one Difficulty only to be accounted for, viz. St. John speaks of the Appearance of Jefus to Mary Magdalene only; St. Matthew speaks of it as made to more than one; and St. Mark fays, that Jefus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, which may be thought not to agree with St. Matthew's Account b.

.

Now though St. John fpeaks only of Mary Magdalene, the being the principal Perfon; and it being not at all neceffary to his purpose to mention more (for a Meffage deli vered by her, accounts as well for his going to the Sepulchre, as if it had been delivered by twenty;) yet if you confider what Mary Mag dalene fays herself, it will appear, that the was not alone. Her Words are, they have taken the Lord out of the Sepulchre, and WE know not.

Refurrect. Confid. First Ed. p. 50. Third Ed. p. 34. where

where they have laid him. WE imports that she had others with her at delivering this Me fage; and, if he had, it cannot be fuppofed, that they left her to go alone to the Sepulchre, when the followed Peter and John; or permitted her to stay behind them alone at the Sepulchre. Confequently the Appearance was to Mary Magdalene when others were with her, though the only is mentioned by St. John throughout his Account.

As to St. Mark, he fays, Jefus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. His Meaning is, that the firft Appearance he made was to her; but that it was to her only, he does not fay. And it is manifeft, that the Word firft (Tov) relates to the Order of Appearances; for it follows, ver. 12. after that he appeared in another Form to two of them, and, ver. 14. afterward he appeared unto the Eleven. The first Appearance then was certainly to Mary Magún lene; but whether to her alone, depends upon a careful Comparison of the Evangelifts togcther. And, upon the whole, I think the Ac count here given feems to me to be the mott probable; which I would be understood to fay, without Prejudice to other Interpretations, which many worthy and learned Writers have followed.:

-But let us now look back to the Variations between the three first Evanglifts, which we paffed over before,

1. The