was not then in conjunction, but in the full; and the darkness was prodigious, in the nature as well as in the degree of it. This miraculous darkness is supposed to have been universal, and is recorded by Pagan writers. It is said that Dionysius the Areopagite, being in Egypt, and observing this strange darkness, cried out to his friend Apollophanes, That either God himself suffered, or sympathized with the sufferer.

Maria. How long did this darkness last?

Aunt. From the sixth to the ninth hour; that is, from twelve o'clock at noon till three in the afternoon. All this time our blessed Lord continued suffering; but the pain which he endured in his body was the least of his sufferings.

George. What other way did he suffer?

Aunt. In his soul. I would have you read the 53d chapter of Isaiah, where you will see the sufferings of our Lord described: in the 10th verse, it is said, Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. And God did not spare his own Son. As he had undertaken to die for sinners, the stroke of justice, deservedly our's, was inflicted upon him; and under the weight of our guilt, he cried out, Eli! Eli! lama sabachthani? My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me? Some of the spectators, hearing the words Eli! Eli! thought he called for Elias to help him in his distress. Then Jesus, that the scriptures might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. And some gave him vinegar that he might drink; others said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come and help him. Jesus, having tasted the vinegar, said, It is finished. Then, with a strong voice, he cried, Father, into thy

hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he gave up the ghost. His death was immediately followed by a most terrible earthquake, which rent the rocks asunder; and the graves were opened, and many of the saints arose: the veil of the temple also, which separated the sacred Mosaic mysteries from the eyes of the people, was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; shewing that God had forsaken his former residence, and put a period to all the temple ministrations; the prophecies and types concerning the Messiah being all fulfilled, and the great sacrifice offered.

George. It was enough to make the people think the judgment-day was come!

Aunt. They were full of terror and consternation. The centurion and soldiers cried out, Certainly this was the Son of God. And the people, when they beheld these things, smote their breasts, and went away in great amazement. The Jews requested Pilate that the bodies might not continue on the cross, but that their legs might be broken to hasten their death, and their bodies taken down, as the next day was the sabbath. This was immediately executed on the two thieves; but the soldiers, finding Jesus already dead, instead of breaking his legs, one of them pierced his side with a spear, and forthwith came thereout blood and water. Thus was that scripture fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken; and another scripture which saith, They shall look on him whom they have pierced. Among the disciples of our Lord there was one, named Joseph, of Arimathea, a city of Judea, a man of wealth and honour, and one of the rulers in Jerusalem.

George. Where was he when our Lord was condemned?

Aunt. We are told that he did not consent to the judgment which was passed on Jesus; most probably he absented himself through fear of the Jews. But, on the death of his dear Master, he was filled with more courage, and went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus, that he might give it an honourable interment. The governor hesitated, questioning whether he was dead so soon; but being assured by the centurion that he was, he commanded the body to be given to Joseph, who, taking it from the cross, wrapped it in fine linen clothes. Nicodemus the ruler, who came to Jesus by night, willing to share with Joseph in the last mournful acts of friendship to their Lord and Master, brought a mixture of aloes and myrrh, about a hundred pounds weight. And they two wrapped up the body with the perfumes and spices, bearing it away to a garden near at hand, belonging to Joseph, where was a new sepulchre, which he had hewn out of a rock. There they carefully laid the body of Jesus, rolling a large stone upon the mouth of the sepulchre.

Mary Magdalene, and the other women, who were present at our Lord's death, attended his burial also, designing to bring new spices after the sabbath for the farther embalming him; by which they testified their affection to him, but not their expectation of his resurrection.

Lucy. How the enemies of our Lord must triumph!

Aunt. They did: but they remembered what the disciples and followers of Jesus appear to have for

gotten. Our Lord had given them peculiar demonstrations of his divinity, and that he could not be holden of death: but they, overwhelmed with sorrow at what had befallen their Lord, could not, think of any thing to comfort them: all their hopes were dead, and they remained in desponding unbelief.

George. But what was it that the Jews remembered?

Aunt. They went to Pilate and told him, that the impostor he had lately condemned (by which they meant Jesus) had said in his life-time, that he would rise again in three days; they therefore desired Pilate to give command, that the sepulchre should be watched by a strong guard till the third day was past, to prevent his disciples from stealing the body by night, and persuading the people he was risen from the dead. Pilate, accordingly, gave them a guard, and told them to secure the tomb: upon which the rulers went with the soldiers, and set a seal upon the stone.

Lucy. Then, instead of the friends of our Lord watching for his appearance, he was surrounded by enemies.

Aunt. This tended to render the truth of our Lord's resurrection the more indisputable. But the relation of that important event we must leave till our next meeting.

DIALOGUE XIV.

Aunt. NOTWITHSTANDING all the care of the rulers to secure the tomb, when the time came,

in which our Lord triumphed over death, no bars or bolts could confine him; but he came forth in terrible majesty, the earth quaking as at his death. At the same time an angel descended from heaven, and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it: his countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as

snow.

Maria. What a fright the guards must be in!

Aunt. They trembled, and became as dead men: but when they were recovered, they went into the city, and told the chief priests the things which they had seen.

George. They could not deny the testimony of so many witnesses.

Aunt. But they bribed the soldiers to say that his disciples came and stole him away while they slept. Lucy. Was it not death for a soldier to sleep on duty?

Aunt. It was; but they obviated this difficulty by assuring them, that if it came to the governor's ears, they would secure them from punishment. The soldiers took the money, and did as they were instructed. Our Lord's resurrection was followed by that of many of the saints who appeared to several persons in the city.

Maria. But did the women go to the sepulchre with the spices as they intended? or were they intimidated by hearing of the guard being there?

Aunt. They knew nothing of the guard or seal, their conversation by the way being how they should remove the stone from the tomb. When they came they found neither guard nor stone to hinder their