St. John's History is brief, and hath made him omit this clause of the Story, re∣membred in St. Luke, That they came with Spices which they had prepared; with sweet spices that they might anoint him, says St. Mark. Why Joseph and Nicodemus had bought an hundred pound weight of Myrrh, and Aloes, and wrapped them with the body of Jesus, was not that enough? Pardon them if they over-do their part, Amor non credit satis esse factum nisi ipse faciat, says one; cordial love thinks all is not done that should be, unless it self be at the doing. This chargeable spicing and anoint∣ing the dead was in use among the Gentiles, for so they interred their deceased friends, who are men of renown and Nobility. So the Greek Poet reckons this Ce∣remony in the Funerals of Patroclus,, so Virgils Misenus,Aen. lib. 6.Cor∣pusque lavant frigentis & ungunt. Donatus the Grammarian gave no other reason but this, Ut cadavera mortuorum citiù flammam conciperent; To make the Carkasses consume to ashes the faster when they were put upon a pile of wood to be burnt. Although others gather out of the Heathen, that they esteemed it Piety to wash away all filthi∣ness from the Crpses of the deceased; and the Officers that took the care of such things were called Pollinctores quia pollutos ungerent. But, among divine Writers, all do embrace this as a strong conjecture, and indeed not to be denied, that the Ser∣vants of God embalmed, and anointed the dead both in the Old and New Testament in honour of the Resurrection. So Joseph commanded the Physicians to embalm his Fa∣ther: So certain devout Widows washed the body of Tabitha, and laid her forth in an upper Chamber, Acts ix. 37. Let me not omit how Christ himself did approve of that Ceremony while he was living: A woman broke a box of Oyntment of Spikenard very precious upon his head; and when some had indignation at it, he forbad his Disciples to trouble her, saying, She is come aforehand to anoint my body to the bu∣rying, Mar. xiv. 8. That woman spent her cost upon him, when he was alive to give her thanks. Mary came to pour her Spices upon his Grave when she thought he was dead; true Love is munificent to them who are dear unto it when they live, but more abundantly when they are deceased.Now carry your attention with you to the third part of the Text, that no sea∣son was so fit to be watch'd as this, which the women laid hold of, The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalen: This coming was upon the third day after Christ had been laid in the Grave; and it was upon the same day, which from thence∣forth was called the Lords day, wherein our holy Assemblies every week do meet to∣gether; these two things are fit to be examined before I leave the Treatise of this Point. From the beginning of the world was there never any thing of so great ex∣pectation, as the success of this day, whether that, which Christ had so often foretold should come to pass, that he should die, and the third day he would rise again. How busie were the women to come abroad, and try what they could learn? And I verily think the waves of the Sea rowl not about so fast in a Tempest as the thoughts of the Disciples beat within their heart, and earned within them between fear and hope, whether the day were like to prove glorious, or uncomfortable; well, God did rather go beyond his own word than come a whit behind it. He made this third day the most memorable Feast that ever the Sun shined upon. It was a third day when Joseph released his brethren out of Prison, Gen. xlii. 18. On the third day in the morning, after the people had come to Mount Sinai, the Law of God was deli∣vered, Exod. xix. 16. On the third day Esther put on her Royal Apparel, and stood before Ahasuerus, and desired him to be good to her Nation, Esther v. 1. On the third day Abraham came to the place where his faith was tried, and Isaac was restored back again alive, when the sacrificing knife had been at his throat, Gen. xxii. 4. To come near to the mark, the third day Jonas was cast safe upon the Land out of the belly of the Whale; and that was the sign which Christ gave to the Jews, able to convince all infidelity, as Jonas was three days and three nights in the belly of the Whale, and then came forth alive, so Christ burst open the Monument the third day, and appeared unto many.Reason may be busie to enquire why the Son of God prefix'd such a space of time for his Resurrection, before he would quicken his flesh, rather than any other. Certainly, there is but one modest conjecture, which is this, he would lie no longer, than some hours of a third day in the grave, lest he should keep the weak faith of his Disciples too long in suspense, yet sooner he would not open his monument, lest his enemies the Jews should pretend, he was but cast into a swoon by the sharpness of pain, and not truly dead. These following I will allow for ingenuous allusions and no more; that our Redeemers body was bereaft of life unto the third day, to 0