Clothes, usual among the Jews. Such as we find particularly defcribed by St. John, in his Eleventh Chapter; Where he mentions Lazarus coming out of his Grave bound Hand and Foot, and his Face bound about with a Napkin. And, in his Twentieth Chapter, where he teils us, that Peter, after our Lord's Refurrection, went into the empty Sepulchre, and faw the linen Clothes lie in their due order, and the Napkin that was about Jesus's Head, not lying with the rest of the Clothes, but wrapped together in a place by it felf.

2. Secondly, The Next thing obfervable, is the Interment it self, defcribed by Jofeph's laying the Body thus wound and embalmed in his own Tomb. The Jews appear, by many Paffages in the Old Testament, to have been, in all Ages, extremely folicitous concerning the Place of their Burial. Nay, even to have esteemed it a Curse, not to fleep with their Fathers, (as we often find it phrased) that is, not to lie among those of their own Race and Family. Hence fuch, as were Wealthy among them, purchased parcels of Ground; that they might have a Property diftinct from other People, and fuffer none but thofe of their own House to partake in them. The Care

Gen. xxiii.

of Abraham in buying a Field for this purpofe, from the Children of Heth, seems to have proceeded from a defire, that the Bodies of those, who worshipped the One true God, might not be mingled with Idolaters. And possibly the Field mentioned in this Chapter to be bought for bu

Ver. 7.

rying Strangers in, might be intended to hinder Foreigners, or those who were not entirely within the Covenant, from having, even in death, any Fellowship with Them, who look'd upon themselves as a holy and peculiar People of God. But the appropriating Sepulchres to particular Persons and Families, was in use long before our Saviour's time. And this was done, by purchasing some piece of Ground, near their refpective Cities, (for within the Cities none might be buried)

1

buried) and there making a convenient Repofitory for themselves, and those that belonged to them. Such was this of Jofeph, in a Garden, not far from the Place where our Lord was crucified. And, as a Mark of his great Veneration, here he depofited the Body of Jesus, where he designed to lay his Own, and Theirs, whom Nature and Affection had made dearest, and of most honourable regard to him.

Having advanced thus far, I ought not to proceed, before putting you in mind, how unconteftable a Proof these things are, that our Lord's Body was actually dead. Pilate was so cautious in the matter, that he would not grant Joseph's Request, till the Centurion, who commanded the Guard ordered to attend the Execution, had first satisfied him, that Jesus had been fome time dead. Jofeph was his Disciple, and his Friend; and would not have treated the Body of one, whom he honoured and loved, in such a manner, as must needs have destroyed all remains of Life, had there been any in it. And I know not what Proof of this Matter can be possibly defired more, than that a Man's Enemies have the killing, and his Friends have the burying, of him. The One will be fure, not to leave or deliver him up, before he be dead; And the Other will be as careful, not to bury him, till after he is fo.

3. I come now to the Third Branch of my Second Head; Which consists in a Description of the Tomb, wherein our Lord's Body was laid. Every Circumstance whereof is of Weight. And, as the former Particulars abundantly evince the Reality of his Death; So This is a strong Confirmation to the Truth of his Resurrection.

1. Now the Evangelift takes Notice, First of all, That this was a new Tomb; and St. Luke expresses the fame thing, by calling it a Tomb, wherein never man before was laid. The Dead, among the Jews, were unclean; and whosoever touched a Carkass, did thereby

contract a Legal Pollution. It was not therefore fit for

relating to it. The Perfons concerned, The Manner of treating his Body, The Place where it was laid, All contribute great Strength, to those Two most important Articles of the Chriftian Faith, the Death and Refurrection of Jesus. I proceed now, in the Last Place, to lay before you some Reflections from this Subject, and what hath been faid upon it. And they are These, that follow.

1. First, We may learn from hence, why the Christian Church hath been so careful, to infert into her Creeds and folemn Confessions of Faith, this Burial of Christ, as well as his Crucifixion, Death, and Refurrection. Because this hath so close a Connexion, with those other Fundamental Doctrines; that we must have wanted a great and very fubftantial part of the Evidence, both of his being Dead, and of his Rifing again, had we not unquestionable Afsurances of his being Buried.

2. Secondly, Here we have an Example of that common Humanity of burying the Dead. This is what all Countries have, according to their respective Customs, been careful of; as a respect due to that dwelling of Flesh, once honoured with so noble an Inhabitant, as a Rational Soul. And Mankind seem to have been all along very tender, and much concerned for it. This appears, notonly from the Practice of the thing to the generality of People; but by making it a Punishment, and Mark of Infamy and the last Detestation, to deny this Privilege to such Malefactors, as have forfeited all Right to the Respects, which Others challenge from us. Particularly among Chriftians, the Custom of burning the Dead, and preferving their Ashes, hath been disused; and the Bodies of their Deceased are laid up entire in the Grave, with fuch Solemnities, and in fuch Manner, as might intimate their Belief of a future Refurrection. And, tho' the vain Expence of pompous Funerals be one of those Extravagancies, which proceed from Pride and Luxury; yet the Pattern here before us will bear us out in all the Expressions of a decent Respect, for the Memory of Thofe, whom God takes away from us. We are not to be condemned for every fort of Cost upon these Occafions; As may be plainly gathered, from that remarkable Passage, of our Lord's commending highly the Piety of that Woman, who spent Three hundred Pennyworth of Spikenard very precious, to anoint his Body to the Burial. He would not have promised, that this Action should be spread, far and wide as the Gospel itself, in her Praise; He would not have suffered fuch honourable mention to be made, of Jofeph, and Nicodemus, and the Women, who brought Spices and Ointments to his Sepulchre, if these had been blameable Expences. And what this Pattern of Humility and Meekness allowed, it would be too delicate a Niceness in Us to condemn. If the Regard due to a Human Soul rendred fome Respect to the Dead a Principle, which ma- . nifefted itself to the common Sense of all Nations; shall we think, that less Care is due to the Bodies of Chriftians, who once entertained a more glorious Inhabitant, and were living Temples of the Holy Ghost? Those Bodies, which were confecrated to the Service of God, which bore their part in the Duties of Religion, fought the good Fight of Faith and Patience, Self-denial and Mortification, and underwent the Fatigue of many Hardships, and Afflictions, for the fake of Piety and Virtue? Those Bodies, which we own to be still under the Care of a Divine Providence? Surely, what God difdains not to take into his Protection, we ought not to look upon, as Out-caft and common Dung, or despise as unworthy our Regard. Those Bodies, which, we believe, shall one Day be fashioned like unto Chrift's glorious Body, awakened again from their Sleep of Death, have all their scattered Particles of Dust summoned together into due Order, and made Partakers of the same Glory with their immortal Souls, as once they were of the fame Sufferings and Good Works: Those Bodies,

Phil. iii. 21.

A

Easter-Day.

The GOSPEL.

Lmighty God, who through thy only begotten Son
Jesus Chrift, haft overcome Death, and opened

unto us the gate of everlasting Life; We humbly beseech thee, that, as by thy special Grace preventing us, thou dost put into our Minds good Defires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, World without end. Amen.

PARAPHRASE.

1, 2. If then, by the profession of Faith made in your Baptifm, and a newness of Life agreeable thereto, ye are conformed to Christ's

I.

I

The EPISTLE.

Coloff. iii. 1.

F ye then be rifen with Chrift, feek those things which are above, where Chrift fitteth on the right band of God.