rejection of the true Meffiah was their crime, and the fol lowing of falfe Meffiahs to their deftruction was their punifhment. They bought Jefus as a flave; and they themTelves were afterwards fold and bought as flaves, at the lowest prices. They preferred a robber and murderer to Jefus, whom they crucified between two thieves; and they themselves were afterwards infefted with bands of thieves and robbers. They put Jefus to death left the Romans fhould come and take away their place and nation; and the Romans did come and take away their place and nation*. And what is still more striking, and still more ftrongly marks the judgment of God upon them, they were punished with that very kind of death which they were fo eager to inflict on the Saviour of mankind, the death of the cross; and that in such prodigious numbers, that Jofephus affures us there wanted wood for crosses, and room to place them inf.

The history then proceeds as follows: "Then releafed he Barabbas unto them; and when he had fcourged Jefus, he delivered him to be crucified." It was the custom of the inhuman Romans to fcourge their criminals before they crucified them; as if the exquifite tortures of crucifixion were not fufficient without adding to them those of the fcourge. But in this instance the Roman foldiers went further ftill; they improved upon the cruelty of their mafters, and to torments they added the most brutal 'mockery and infult. "Then the foldiers of the governor took Jefus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of foldiers; and they stripped him, and put on him a fearlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, faying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they fpit upon him, and took the reed, and fmote him on the head. And after they had mocked him, they took -the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to be crucified." One haftens ov this fcene of infolence and outrage with averted eyes, and can hardly bring one's mind to believe that any thing in

* Newton on Prophecy, vol. ii. p. 355

† De Bell. Jud. 1. v. c. xi. p. 1247. Ed. Huds.

over

the shape of man could have rifen to this height of wanton barbarity. What a difference between this treatment of an innocent and injured man, to that of the vileft crimi nal in this country previous to his execution; and how ftrongly does it mark the difference between the fpirit of Paganism and the fpirit of Chriftianity!" And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, him they compelled to bear his crofs." It was ufual for criminals to bear their own cross; but when they were feeble (as the blessed Jefus might well be after all his bitter fufferings) they compelled fome one to bear it for him; and this Cyrenian was probably known to be a favourer of Chrift. "And when they were come to a place called Golgotha, they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall;" a kind of ftupefying potion, intended to abate the fenfe of pain, and to haften death. "And they crucified him, and parted his garments, cafting lots; that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the prophet, "They part ed my garments among them, and upon my vefture did they caft lots." This is a prediction of king David's, in the 22d Pfalm. "And fitting down, they watched him there; and fet up over him his accufation, written, This is Jefus, the King of the Jews; for in extraordinary cafes it was ufual to place fuch infcriptions over the criminal; but with regard to this, a remarkable circumftance occured. We learn from St. John, that many of the Jews: read this infcription, which gave them infinite offence; as being a declaration to all the world that Jefus really was their king. The chief priefts therefore came to Pilate, and begged of him to alter the infcription; and instead of writing, "This is the King of the Jews," to write, “He faid I am the King of the Jews." Pilate, who put up this infcription out of mockery, now retained it, like a true Roman, out of obstinacy. "What I have written

(fays he, peevishly) I have written; and it fball stand;" unconscious of what he was faying, and of his being overruled all the while by an unseen hand, which thus compelled him to bear an undefigned testimony to a most important truth; that the very man whom he had crucified as a malefactor, did not merely say that he was the king of the Jews, the true Meffiah, but that he really was fo.

Then were two thieves crucified with him, the one on the right hand, the other on the left." This was done with a view of adding to the ignominy of our Saviour's fufferings. But this act of malignity, like many other instances of the fame nature, anfwered a purpose which the authors of it little thought of or intended. It was the completion of a prophecy of Ifaiah, in which, allud ing to this very tranfaction, he fays of the Meffiah," he was numbered with the tranfgreffors*." They then continued their infults upon him, even while hanging in ago ny upon the cross, as we find related in the five following verfes: We are then told, that " from the fixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour." The fixth hour of the Jews correfponds to our twelve o'clock, and their ninth hour of course to our three. There was therefore a darkness over all the earth, from twelve at noon till three in the afternoon. This darkness must have been fupernatural and miraculous. It could not be an eclipse of the fun, because that cannot happen but in the new moon; whereas this was at the feaft of the Passover, which was always celebrated at the full moon. It is tas ken notice of by feveral ancient writers, both Heathen and Chriftian; and Tertullian exprefsly declares, that it was mentioned in the Roman archivest. From whence it appears, that it was not confined to the land of Jedæa, but extended itfelf, as it is expreffed by St. Luke, over all the earth.

We

And about the ninth hour Jefus cried with a loud voice, faying, "Eli, Eli, lama fabachthani "that is to fay, "My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me ?” are not from hence to imagine, that Jefus meant by these words to exprefs any diftruft of God's favor and kindness towards him, or any apprehenfion that the light of his countenance was withdrawn from him. This was impoffible. He well knew, that under the load of affliction which for the falvation of mankind, he voluntarily took upon himself, he was ftill his heavenly Father's "beloved Son, in whom he was well pleased." Thefe expreffions therefore of feeming defpondence, were nothing more

* Ifaiah, liii. 12.

Tertull. Apol. c. 21. Luke, xxiii. 44.

BB

than the natural and almost unavoidable effufions of a mind tortured with the acuteft pain, and hardly confcious of the complaints it uttered; of which many fimilar inftances occur in the Pfalms. Indeed thefe words themfelves are the beginning of the 22d Pfalm, which perhaps qur. Lord recited throughout, or at leaft undoubtedly meant to apply the whole of it to himself. And this very Pfalm, although in the outfet it breaths an air of dejection and complaint, yet ends in expreffing the firmeft truft in the mercy and the protection of God. And our Lord himself, when he breathed his laft, commited himself with boundless confidence to the care of the Almighty. "Fath er, into thy hands I commend my fpirit*.”

Then fome of them that stood there, when they heard him crying out: «Eli, Eli," deceived by the fimilitude of the found, faid This man calleth for Elias. And ftraitway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink." This as St. John tells us, was done in confequence of Jefus faying, "I thirst." The rest said, “Let be; let us fee whether Elias will come to fave him." "Jefus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, gave up the ghoft." This was about the ninth hour, or three in the afternoon. And as he was crucified at the third hour, or at nine in the morning, he had hung no less than fix hours in agonies upon the crofs. And this, let it never be forgotten, was for us men, and for our falvation!" And behold the vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the faints which flept, arose and came out of the graves after his refurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

Such were the convulfions into which the whole frame of nature was thrown, when the Lord of all yielded up his life.

3. The vail of the temple, we are told, in the first place, was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom.

* Luke, xxiii, 46.

The Jewish temple was divided into feveral parts; the most facred was called the Holieft, or the Holy of Holies, into which none but the high-priest might enter, and that only once in a year. It was confidered as a type of heaven; and was separated from what was called the holy place, or the place where divine worship was celebrated, by a curtain of rich tapestry, which is here called the vail of the temple. This vail, when our Saviour expired, was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom; by which was fignified the abolition of the whole Mofaic ritual, the removal of the partition between Jew and Gentile, and the admiffion of the latter (on the terms of the Gofpel covenant) into heaven, or the Holy of Holies. "And the earth did quake, and the rocks rent." This earthquake is mentioned by heathen authors as having, in the reign of Tiberius, destroyed twelve cities in Afia*. "And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the faints which flept arofe, and came out of the graves after his refurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." Who the holy perfons were which then arose from their graves must be matter of mere conjec but most probably some of those who had believed in Chrift, fuch as old Simeon, and whofe perfons were known in the city.

ture;

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jefus, faw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this man was the Son of God."

The centurion here mentioned was the Roman captain, who, with a guard of foldiers, was ordered to attend the crucifixion of Jefus, and fee the fentence executed. He placed himself, as St. Mark informs us, over against Jesus. From that ftation he kept his eye conftantly fixed upon him, and obferved with attention every thing he faid or did. And when he saw the meeknefs, the patience, the refignation, the firmness, with which our Lord endured the most excruciating torments; when he heard him at one time fervently praying for his murderers, at another

*Taciti Annal. 1. ii. c. 47. Suet. in Tib. vi. 448. Plin, Nat. Hift. 1. ii. c. 84.