Sepulchre,  a  place  for  the
burial  of  the  bodies,  bones,  or
aihes  of  the  dead.  All  nations
have  fhewn  particular  reverence
and  refpedt  to  the  dead :  Hence
Sepulchres  have  always  been  held
facred,  and  the  care  of  them
dleemed  a  religious  duty  y  which


SEP

feems  to  be  grounded  on  a  belier*
of  the  foul's  immortality.    The
Sepulchres  of  the  Hebreivs  in  ge-
neral were  hollow  places  dug  cut
of  rocks.     1l\\m%  Abraham  is  faid
to  bury  Sarah  his  wife  in  the  cave
of  Macpelah,  Gen.  xxiii.    19.      In
fuch  Sepulchres  too  the  bodies  qf
Lazarus  and  Je/us  Chriji  were  bu-
ried,  Johnx\.i%.  Mattheivxxvu.
60.     And   the  fame  cullom  pre-
vails, in  the  Eaftern  coijntries,  to
this  day,  according  to  the  account
of  Mautt^irel  and  other  travellers.
But  fometimes  their  graves  were
dug    in    the   ground,    commonly
without  their  towns.     Some  hewn
ftone   was    ufually   put   over   the
graves,   to   fignify   to   pafTengers
that   they    were   burying  places,
that  they  might  not  inadvertently
violate  the  reding  places  of  the
dead,    or   pollute   themfelves    by
touching  them.     With  the  fame
intention  they  took  care  to  whiten
the  Sepulchres  anew  every  year  on
the  15th  o{  February,  Matth.  xxii.
