the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, And he was numbered Isa. iii.12. with the transgressors. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they Ps. xxii. 18. did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. And sitting down, they watched him there. And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the super

scription of his accusation set up over his head was, This is JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. And it was written in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city : and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.* Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

SECT. XXIV.

JESUS ON THE CROSS.

(MATT. xxvii. MARK XV. LUKE Xxiii.)

And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself.† If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mock

According to custom, an inscription was affixed to the cross of Christ, to point out the nature of the offence for which he suffered, Pilate, who prepared it, took occasion therein to gratify his scorn of the Jews, and, it may be, his contempt of Jesus. The inscription, however, was a providential acknowledgment by public authority of the validity of Christ's claims as King of the Jews.

The place of crucifixion being near the city, and great multitudes being gathered at Jerusalem to observe the passover feast, it was natural that many should come out to witness the death of one by whom so many remarkable deeds had been performed. The death of Jesus would, therefore, be known over all Palestine, and even in countries beyond.

ing him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him

now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. Ps. xxii. 7, 8. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if ye will have him for he said, I am the Son of God. And the people stood beholding. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,* and saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.† But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing that thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother ! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

SECT. XXV.

JESUS EXPIRES.

(MATT. xxvii. MARK XV. LUKE Xxiii. JOHN Xix.)

And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And the sun was

*It was probably the common drink of the Roman soldiers, cheap acid wine, mingled with water, which at this time, in derision, was offered to Jesus.

Matthew and Mark tell us that both malefactors reviled Jesus. But this is either because they speak in general terms, or because both the malefactors at first joined in the mockery.

Seven sayings of Jesus on the cross are recorded, three of which have now been given :-(1), The prayer for his enemies; (2), The promise to the penitent thief; and (3), The charge to John regarding his mother.

darkened.* And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Ps. xxii. 1. And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.†

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar and straightway Ps. Ixix. 21. one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished; and, when he had cried again with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit : and having said thus, he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in the midst from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.§

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him

About 12 noon the sun was obscured, and there was darkness over all the land until 3 p.m. This was neither due to any kind of eclipse, nor to the deepening gloom which generally precedes an earthquake, but was strictly supernatural -the appointed testimony of sympathizing nature. The mysteries of these three hours of darkness are not revealed. The sufferings of Christ's agonized body, mingled with the sufferings of his sacred soul, the accumulating pressure of the burden of a world's sin, the desperation of Satan's last and greatest assaults, and the withdrawal of Jehovah's presence were mysteries too deep and dread to be recorded or even conceived. But when the darkness began to roll away, one loud cry of unutterable woe and uttermost desolation emanated from the cross. †The meaning of the words uttered was perverted, and the cry of distress and desertion was made the occasion of new insult and ridicule.

When relief from inward agony had come, the cravings of nature returned; and something was sought to alleviate the parching thirst, the usual accompaniment of crucifixion. But the natural expression of Christ's feelings at the moment also brings about the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy.

The sixth voice from the cross was a cry of conscious victory; and then came the seventh and last, in which, with loving resignation, Jesus commends his spirit into the hands of his heavenly Father.

Simultaneously with the expiry of Christ, certain wondrous events occurred to signalize its importance. These, while preternatural indications that Christ's was no common death, were symbolical of most important truths.

? Calvin, Lightfoot, Clarke, Whitby, Greswell, Ebrard, Bengel, and Alford are of opinion that the graves were opened when Jesus expired; but that it was only after his resurrection that the tenants of them also arose and openly appeared. This seems the most natural and scriptural view.

watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed Jesus from Galilee up to Jerusalem, ministering unto him, stood afar off looking on; among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome, the mother of Zebedee's children.

SECT. XXVI. JESUS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS
AND BURIED.

(MATT. xxvii. MARK XV. LUKE Xxiii. JOHN xix.)

JERUSALEM, 6th April, 30 A.D., 5 P.M.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day (for that sabbath was an high day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.* Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water. And he that saw it bear record, and his record is true and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture Exod. xii. 46. should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. Zeck. xii. 10. again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

And

And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, a rich man of Arimathea, a city of the Jews, named Joseph, an honourable counsellor, a good man and a just (the same had not

*The request that the legs of those crucified might be broken was made in order to hasten death. The previous bodily and mental sufferings of Jesus, however, superadded to the ordinary agonies of crucifixion, had already terminated his life; though the Roman soldier thrust his spear into his side to make sure of the fact, thereby affording for all time decisive evidence of his actual death.

:

consented to the council and deed of them): who also himself waited for the kingdom of God, and was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews—this man went in boldly, and besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus.* And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he commanded the body to be delivered. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, that was hewn out of a rock, wherein never man Isa. liii. 9. before was laid, Joseph's own new tomb. There laid they Jesus therefore, and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed, because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses, followed after; and sitting over against the sepulchre, beheld how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the Exod. xx. . commandment.

Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead :

* Pilate was not unwilling that one whom he considered an innocent victim should receive honourable burial, and therefore readily granted the request which Joseph made. How strange that the hands of two members of the very council that had condemned Jesus to death should so tenderly perform the rites of sepulture, and place his body in the new rock-hewn tomb!

It was, and still is, customary in the East for the nearest relative to visit the grave of the deceased and weep there; and so, amid the deepening shadows and gloom of evening, the two Marys here mentioned are depicted gazing through their tears at the place where the body of their Lord had been laid.