April 29

So they went and made the Sepulchre secure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. — Matthew 27:66.

THE prodigies attending Christ's death must have produced peculiar sensations in the minds of Christ's murderers. Happy if, like the Centurion, they had been convinced, and owned Jesus as the Son of God. Instead of this, they blindly persevere in closing their eyes against the light, and madly persist in rejecting the counsel of God against themselves. They now, therefore, apply to Pilate, that he would take care and secure the body of Christ, lest he should be removed by his disciples, and they should say he had risen from the dead. Pilate, doubtless, would treat their fears with contempt; but, nevertheless, he yielded, and allowed them to go and make the sepulchre secure. We now witness the stone at the mouth of the tomb receiving the impress of the Roman signet, and a guard of soldiers is fixed to watch the sepulchre. How effectually were they thus serving the cause of Christianity! But for this extreme care, they might indeed have said that Christ had been stolen away. But who should dare to break the seal? Who would encounter the soldiery, in attempting to steal Christ's body? Yet how vainly were they opposing the designs of Jehovah. How infatuated were they to take counsel against the Lord, and against his anointed. As well might they have prevented the appearance of the orb of day as the rising of Christ from the dead. "He that sitteth in the heavens did laugh; the Lord held them in derision." Now human malignity had effected its utmost against the Saviour. His blood is spilt — his death is effected. And now, too, human sagacity has employed all its resources, to prevent his friends from deceiving the world by asserting his resurrection. His body they have in their own possession — the tomb is sealed and watched — the

Jewish rulers and priests are trying to efface the remembrance of his death, in observing the duties of their high sabbath—time is silently rolling on, we must wait for the first day of the week to confirm the Jews in their sentence against Christ, or to realize his divine mission, by his resurrection from the dead.