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CHAPTER VI,

THE HISTORY OF THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST, A FURTHER CONFIRMATION OF THE DIVINE

AUTHORITY OF THE GOSPEL.

IN the history of the life of our blessed Lord, we have seen that the Evangelists have given us the picture of a man altogether wise and holy, perfectly meek and gentle, full of the utmost tenderness to the afflicted, abounding in mercy to the poor, and forgiveness to the penitent; but severe to the proud, the hypocritical, and the envious. To these virtues they have added great patience, astonishing firmness, and wonderful prudence; a wisdom which surprised his hearers, and confounded his enemies; and a perfect knowledge of events, past, present, and to come; with the power of working miracles.

It now remains for us to see how far the circumstances of his death are in unison with those of his life. This, every one will most difficult part of the history.

allow to be the

We have many

instances on record of those who made a shining figure in their career through life, miserably dis

appointing the world at the closing scene; leaving the historian to relate their dismay at the approach of the king of terrors, or to throw a veil of silence over their entrance into the dark valley.

The death of Jesus Christ was cruel and ignominious, accompanied with every circumstance capable of overwhelming the soul of man. trayed by one disciple, denied by another, deserted by all, mocked and insulted both by his own nation and the Romans; nailed to a cross, the punishment inflicted only on slaves and robbers; there expiring in bitter agony, a spectacle to all people! the Jews preferring a murderer to him, their everlasting King! the same persons who had marvelled at his miracles, glorying in his death, and reviling him in his direful anguish!

Let us for a time fix our thoughts on the firmness, with which this Divine Person drinks the bitter cup. While expiring in the midst of torture, he prays for his murderers, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And breathes out his soul in saying, "Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit +."

The Evangelists teach us, that Jesus, far from turning his eyes from death, had considered the subject attentively and constantly, without having for a moment been drawn from the

purposes

of his

*Luke xxiii. 34.

+ Luke xxiii. 46

ministry by its terrors. He often foretold to his disciples that he must die at Jerusalem. He knew that he should be delivered by the Jews to the Gentiles, and by them be put to an open shame; that he should be rejected by both governors and people. This he had predicted in many parables. By his perfect knowledge of these coming events, we must be fully persuaded that his death was voluntary; that he could readily have avoided it, if he had chosen to do so. Throughout the whole we behold an overruling Providence in Jesus Christ, working all things together, according to the predictions of the Prophets, for the salvation of mankind. More than once, we know, that the enemies of Jesus were withheld from executing their vengeance from fear of the people. More than once, we are taught, that he concealed himself from them, because "his hour was not yet come; " but when he in his Divine wisdom saw fit, we find him submitting to be led to crucifixion as a Lamb to the slaughter, first having told his disciples, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father *."

* John x. 17, 18.

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The death of Jesus was not the natural decay of the mortal body, after a lengthened number of years. It was not the effect of disease on the constitution after months of suffering; neither was it an effort of extraordinary courage, produced by an ambitious representation of greatness of soul, making a sacrifice of the short remainder of a sorrowful life to exist in the annals of fame. Our Lord laid down his life in the fulness of his strength, in the flower of his age, in the midst of usefulness; he died a violent and ignominious death by the hands of public executioners. He willingly submitted to this, that the eternal purposes of Almighty God, for the salvation of sinful man, might be carried into effect. He knew that he must suffer at Jerusalem; he went there openly; he celebrated the passover for the last time with his disciples; he disclosed to Judas that he was acquainted with the treacherous purpose to betray him, which lurked in his heart; he in the most solemn manner instituted the holy Eucharist, in memory of his approaching death; and then he prepared for the awful event, He did not go to death as the blind man, who, seeing no danger, rushes fearlessly to the edge of the precipice; he went not vain gloriously, despising the suffering. On the contrary, "being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling

down to the ground *." Yet he approached the hour of suffering with a resignation and firmness, which mere humanity could not have produced. We may admire the greatness, with which heroes have devoted themselves for the good of their country; but they have thrown themselves into danger armed with every defence, which the policy of man could invent. We may behold with astonishment the false heroism which leads some men to rush unbidden into the presence of their Maker, while we shudder with horror at the awful consequences to their eternal souls: but these people have no religion; they have discarded every right feeling, and they are left to all the direful effects of an evil heart of unbelief t.

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But the pious, the holy Jesus, he who was God and man united, he who could command the universe, he who could require myriads of angels to minister unto him, met death for our sakes, with every circumstance calculated to make it terrible, that he might make the satisfaction which the justice of God required for sinful man; and, painful as the suffering was to his human nature, in

Luke xxii. 44.

+ I speak not of those unhappy beings whom it has pleased Almighty God, through disease, or some other cause, to deprive of reason, and who in that state may have been led to attempt self-destruction.

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