Saying, say ye his disciples came by night
They charged them to tell every one that should ask them about
this affair; and even publish it every where, that the disciples
of Christ came in the dead of the night,
and stole him away while we slept:
which was a very unlikely thing, and a foolish scheme this, for
such a body of men to form. There is no show of probability in
it, that the disciples, who were intimidated by the taking and
putting Christ to death, and were now shut up in a house, for
fear of the Jews, that these should venture out in the night, to
take away the body of Christ, which was decently and honourably
interred in a garden of one of his disciples: and when they knew
it was guarded by a company of Roman soldiers; and who besides
had no notion of his resurrection from the dead, nor never
thought of it till he was risen, and therefore would never
attempt any thing of this kind, in order to give out such a
report. Moreover, had they took it away by stealth, it is not
reasonable to think that they would afterwards have reported such
a lie every where, that he was risen from the dead, when they
were sure to obtain nothing by it, but reproach, afflictions,
persecutions, and death: add to this, that this was never
objected to them by their worst enemies, when they most strongly
asserted his resurrection: nor was it a feasible account, or well
put together, with respect to the watch. It can hardly be thought
that they should be all of them asleep at once; and if they were,
it is much they were not awaked by the coming up of the
disciples, and the rolling away of the stone, and the bustle
there must be in taking up the body, and carrying it away; and
besides, if they were asleep, and continued so, what is their
evidence good for? for how could they know that his disciples
came and took him away? if they awaked, though too late, and saw
them at a distance, why did not they pursue them, who might
easily have been overtaken with such a burden? at least, why did
not they search their houses for the body? and take up both the
women and the disciples, and prosecute them for it? and yet
nothing of this was done. Besides, how came the linen clothes to
be left behind? why did they take the napkin from his head, and
give themselves all that trouble to unwrap the body, and carry it
away naked? It is clear the chief priests themselves were
convinced in their own minds, that he was truly risen, or they
would have punished the soldiers severely for their sleep and
negligence, and would never have given them money to spread such
a story.
