power, or, perhaps, it was a custom originating with the Jews, and intended to call to mind the Exodus.

"Barabbas.”—Mark says he "lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection."

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Envy,"-rather, hatred, malice.
Him,”—Christ.

PILATE'S WIFE'S MESSAGE.

(c. xxvii. 19.)

"When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him."

This incident is peculiar to Matthew.

"Pro

"His wife,"-Claudia Procula, said to have been a selyte of the Gate." We have, in this mention of Pilate's wife, an incidental proof of the Evangelist's truth; for it was not till the reign of Tiberius that the wives of governors were allowed to accompany their husbands to their provinces.

"Just "-innocent.

"This day,”—i.e., this morning; it was still very early. "In a dream."-Great faith was placed in dreams, the Romans being especially superstitious on that head.

PILATE'S SEVENTH AND LAST INTERCESSION FOR CHRIST'S RELEASE.

(c. xxvii. 20-25.)

"But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.

The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said Barabbas.

Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children."

Matthew, Mark, and Luke narrate this last attempt of Pilate they agree in the main.

Matthew alone narrates Pilate's washing his hands, and the people accepting the responsibility of the deed.

"What evil hath he done"?-No satisfactory evidence of sedition, or assumption of kingly authority, in opposition to Rome, had been proved against Christ.

"He took water hands," a method of expressing innocence prescribed, in the Law, to the elders of a place, as part of the rites in expiating a murder, when the criminal was unknown. The Jews would understand the force of Pilate's act.

"I am innocent," &c.-He was not innocent. He declares Christ to be "just:" as an upright judge his duty was to acquit Him, "but he feared the people," and valued office more than justice.

"His blood," &c.,-an imprecation that has been fearfully fulfilled!

CHRIST IS SCOURGED, (FOR THE SECOND TIME), AND DELIVERED TO THE PEOPLE, TO BE CRUCIFIED.

(c. xxvii. 26.)

"Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified."

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Scourged."-The Roman manner of scourging was with the lictors' rods; but Pilate had no lictors, as he was only a sub-governor, and therefore the task fell to the soldiers. Scourging always preceded Roman crucifixions.

P

CHRIST CROWNED AND MOCKED.

(IN THE PRETORIUM.)

(c. xxvii. 27–31).

"Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet 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, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him."

Matthew and Mark narrate these particulars, and are almost identical.

"The common hall."-Mark has, "the hall called Prætorium." It was the judgment-hall, in the Governor's

house.

"Unto,"-should be, against.

"The whole band,"-the cohort.

Stripped him,"-probably of the robe Herod had put on Him.

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"A scarlet robe."-Mark has "purple," which is more correct. Purple" was used to designate any colour having red in it, whence "scarlet" was called "purple." The latter was the regal colour amongst the Romans, and white amongst the Jews. The purple robe put on Christ was meant as a mock-royal garment, and was, probably, an officer's old war-cloak.

"A crown of thorns,"-formed, probably, of the Nabca Palinurus Athenæi, or Zizyphus Spina Christi. The plant has soft, round, pliant, branches, covered with small, sharp, spines, and deep-green, glossy, leaves, like the ivy, whence it resembles a victor's wreath, and would well fulfil its mocking purpose, while, at the same time, inflicting great suffering.

"A reed in his right hand,"—as a sham sceptre.

EPITOME OF EVENTS, FROM CHRIST'S BEING BROUGHT BEFORE PILATE, UNTIL HE IS LED AWAY TO CRUCIFIXION,-matters found in Matthew alone being in Italics, and those recorded by him in common with others, or by others alone, being followed by the names of the narrators.

Pilate comes out to the Deputation

وو

John.

do.

do.

converses privately with Christ intercedes for Christ the first time Christ scourged, and mocked, the first time. brought forth by Pilate, who intercedes for Him the second time

وو

intercedes the third time

formally sits down to try Christ

do.

do.

do.

do.

do.

Christ officially arraigned before Pilate. Matthew,
Mark, and Luke.

Pilate intercedes the fourth time

Pilate intercedes the fifth time

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the sixth time.-Matthew and Mark.

Pilate's wife's message to her husband.

Pilate intercedes the seventh time.-Matthew, Mark,

and Luke.

Pilate washes his hands.

Christ scourged, and delivered to be crucified.
All the Evangelists.

Christ crowned and mocked by the soldiers.
Matthew and Mark.

The Crucifixion, and Events therewith connected.

(c. xxvii. 31-56.)

(The same plan is followed here, as under the head of Christ's Trial before Pilate,-and the same remark, as to what need not be studied, holds good.)

CHRIST GOES TO CRUCIFIXION.-HIS CROSS

BORNE BY SIMON.

(c. xxvii. 32.)

"And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

All the Evangelists narrate that Christ was now led away to crucifixion. John omits the incident of Simon: the other three give it with slight differences.

"A man of Cyrene."-Cyrene was a city of Libya, in N. Africa. Here were settled numbers of Jews, whose males would attend the Passover. Simon was now on his way to Jerusalem for this purpose; Mark and Luke distinctly state that he was "coming out of the country."

"Simon by name."-Mark calls him "the father of Alexander and Rufus."

If, as seems clear, Mark wrote his gospel at Rome, these two sons of Simon must have been Christians residing, and well-known, in the Imperial City. That this was the case is further evident from Paul's writing, in his Epistle to the Romans, "Salute Rufus, chosen in the Lord."

It would seem that this enforced service, which brought Simon to contemplate Christ, issued in salvation for his own household, and for many others at Cyrene,-for Cyrenians are mentioned, in Acts, amongst the earliest preachers to the Gentiles, and, in the same book, " Lucius of Cyrene " is named as a prophet and teacher in the Church at Antioch.

"To bear his cross."-John says, further on in his narrative, that Christ "went forth bearing his cross." It would appear that, at first, Jesus carried His own cross; but, worn out with preceding watching and suffering, and having to bear His burden uphill, He, doubtless, was unable to proceed, and Simon was pressed into the service of the soldiers. He did not, however, carry the cross entirely himself, for Luke says he bore it after Jesus,-i.e., Christ continued to sustain one end, and Simon the other, behind our Lord.

Christ's bearing His cross was prefigured by Isaac carrying the wood for his typical sacrifice.

Luke tells us that

"A great company" followed Christ, weeping; and that