call our afflictions severe, when we "consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself?" Heb. xii. 3.

*

As the psalm does not refer to the whole of the period in which our blessed Lord hung upon the cross, the reader is requested to set before his mind part of the previous history and circumstances. It is supposed that our Divine Surety was crucified about, or not long after nine o'clock in the morning. Immediately on his being nailed to the cross, we conceive that our merciful High Priest prayed for his murderers, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," Luke xxiii. 34. After he had hung some little time on the cross, our Lord affectionately consigned his mother to the care of the beloved disciple John,

saying to the one,

"Behold thy son,'

and to the other, "Behold thy mother," John xix. 26, 27. Next after this, and before mid-day, it is probable that our Lord accepted the prayer of the penitent thief with this gracious assurance, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise," Luke xxiii. 43. At the sixth hour, that is, in our reckoning, at twelve o'clock, the supernatural darkness commenced. Instead of meridian brightness, there was a solemn gloom for about three hours. The moon being then at the full, this darkness could not possibly be caused by an eclipse, which, besides, never continues for so long a period. From twelve o'clock till three our blessed Lord appears to have been silent, enduring a great inward conflict. About the ninth hour, that is, about three o'clock, he gave utterance

B

to his feelings in the first words of this psalm, My God! my God! why

hast thou forsaken me?" From this we infer that he applied the psalm to himself. And as it was usual at that period for the Hebrews to quote the commencement of a psalm in an audible manner, in order that those around might join in its mental or vocal repetition, we have some reason to conclude that our dying Redeemer occupied his thoughts with "speaking to himself," and to God, in the words of this psalm, Eph. v. 19. The applicability of every sentence of it to his condition, strengthens that opinion. This is the view attempted to be set forth in the following exposition. We conceive that our Lord, while under the darkness and desertion, repeated, after his loud cry, the remainder of this psalm, and that in the

19th, 20th, and 21st verses, he pled so importunately for the immediate return of his Father's comforting presence, that light breaks forth instantly, and then he mentally exclaimed, "Thou hast heard me." The supernatural gloom was dispelled from the face of nature, and the light and peace of the Father's countenance were restored to the heart of Christ. In gratitude and joy our Lord continued to repeat to himself the remainder of the psalm,-expressly declared that "God hath not hid his face from him," verse 24; and he affirmed his determination to fulfil his vows. As he repeated this thought of the 25th verse, we conceive that in accordance with it, Jesus exclaimed, "I thirst," for St. John informs us that this was prompted rather by a sense of duty, than an impulse of nature. Continu

ing the course of the psalm, the Saviour's heart was comforted with the vision of joy that was set before him, Heb. xii. 2. He saw of the travail of his soul, Isa. liii. 11, and was satisfied to witness the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, and all nations rendering the homage of Christian worship, ver. 27-29. He beheld his seed celebrating his righteousness through time and through eternity, and exulting in the glorious truth that he had perfectly "fulfilled it," ver. 31. Here the psalm terminates, and we conceive that our blessed Master, as if satisfied with this sight, and conscious that all the work of suffering and of obedience in his mortal life was completed, now gave utterance to the second" loud voice," and, in accordance with this everlasting testi