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And Jefus faid, I am; and ye shall see the son of man fitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, and faith, What need we any further witneffes? ye have heard the blafphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. +And fome began to fpit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to fay unto him, Prophefy; and the fervants did ftrike him with the palms of their hands. And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high prieft; and when the faw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and faid, And thou also waft with Jefus of Nazareth. But he denied, faying, I know not, neither understand I what thou fayeft. And he went out into the porch, and the cock crew. And a maid faw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that ftood by, faid again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them; for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. But he began to curfe and to fwear, faying, I know not this man of whom ye fpeak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jefus faid unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. Tuefday before Eafter.

For the Epiftle. Ifai. 50. 5.

HE Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not re-
bellious, neither
turned away
back. I gave my back to the

They all condemned him to be guilty of Death. It fhould have been tranflated, They all agreed that he was guilty of a capital crime, viz. Blafphemy.

+ And fome began to spit on him, &c. &c. Thus was the Judge of the World placed at the bar of his own guilty creatures, falfely accufed by the Witneffes, unjustly condemned by his Judges, and barbarously infulted by all. Yet, because it was agreeable to the end of his coming, he patiently fubmitted. Though with a frown he could have made his Judges, his accufers, and those who had him in cuftody, to drop down dead in a moment, or fhrink into nothing.

And when he thought thereon, Sc. Behold in Peter an eminent example of the vanity of felf-confidence, and of the weakness of human nature, unfupported by God's help! God grant that all who Sin, like Peter, may like him alfo immediately confider their ways and turn their feet unto God's teftimonies, and henceforward glorify their Redeemer even unto Death.

This portion of Scripture contains fo exact a defcription of the barbarous indignities our Saviour fuffered, and of his meek depoitment under them as feems more like a history, than a prophecy which was fulfilled feveral hundred years after.

fmiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked,off the hair: I hid not my face from fhame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me, therefore fhall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that juftifieth me, who will contend with me? let us ftand together; who is mine adverfary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment: the moth shall eat them up. *Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his fervant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him truft in the Name of the Lord, and ftay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compafs yourselves about with sparks; walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This fhall ye have of mine hand, ye fhall lie down in forrow.

A

The Gospel. S. Mark 15. 1.

ND straightway in the morning the chief priests held a confultation with the elders and fcribes, and the whole council, and bound Jefus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, Art thou the king of the Jews? And he answering, faid unto him, Thou fayest it. And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.. And Pilate asked him again, faying, Anfwereft thou nothing? Behold, how many things they witnefs against thee. But Jefus yet answered nothing: fo that Pilate marvelled. Now at that feaft he released unto them one prifoner, whomfoever they defired. And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made infurrection with him, who had committed murder in the infurrection. And the multitude crying aloud, began to defice

S 2

Who is among you that feareth the Lord, &c. i.e. Whofbever feareth God, and obeyeth the Gospel of Jefus Chrift: if they be under grievous troubles; let not their afflictions drive them to defpair: but let them fix a firm dependance on God, for protection and de

liverance.

† And delivered him to Pilate. Thus the Jevs delivered up our Lord to the Romans, and they for that Sin, were, themfelves, afterwards given up into the hands of the Romans.

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him to do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, faving, Will ye that I release unto you the king of the Jews? ($for he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.) But the chief priests moved the people, that he fhould rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered, and faid again unto them, What will ye then that I fhall do unto him whom ye call the king of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate faid unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate willing to content the people, releafed Barabbas unto them, ‡ and delivered Jefus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. And the foldiers led him away into the hall, called Pretorium; and they call together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head; and began to falute him, Hail, king of the Jews. And they fmote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees, worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who paffed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place || Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, the place of a fcull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh; but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, cafting lots upon them,

§. For he knew that the Chief Priests had delivered him for Envy. What pity it was that he who was fo well acquainted with the motive of their accufations against Jefus, fhould yield to the execution of their malicious defigns! But, alas! when ambition and views of worldly intereft have taken poffefion of a Man's heart, he is too often apt to facrifice to them, conscience, integrity, and every good inclination.

And delivered Jefus, when he bad fcourged him, &c. The Romans ufually fcourged the criminals whom they condemned to be crucified. This was the reafon of Pilate's proceeding in that refpect. Thus cuftom contri

₹

what every man should take. * And it was -the third hour, and they crucified him. And the fuperfcription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves, the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the Scripture was fulfilled, which faith, And he was numbered with the tranfgreffors. And they that paffed by, railed on him, wagging their heads, and faying, Ah, thou that deftroyeft the temple, and buildest it in three days, fave thyfelf, and come down from the crofs. Likewife alfo the chief priests mocking, said among themselves, with the fcribes, He faved others, hinfelf he cannot fave. Let Chrift the King of Ifrael defcend now from the cross, that we may fee and believe. And they that were crucified with him, reviled him. And when the fixth hour was come, there was darknefs over the whole land, until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jefus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama fabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me? And fome of them that ftood by, when they heard it, faid, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran, and filled a fpunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, faying, Let alone; let us fee whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jefus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghoft. And the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion which stood over against him, faw that he fo cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

And it was the third hour, and they crucifiea kim. That is, it was the third Jewish hour when he was fixed to the cross-which is about our nine o'clock in the morning.

Sun, never continue above twelve or fifteen minutes. Wherefore it must have been produced by a divine power, in a manner we are not able to explain. To this we may add that Phlegon the Aftronomer, and Freed↑ And when the fixth hour was come there was dark- man of Adrian (as he is cited by Origen) in treating of nefs over all the land until the ninth bour. That is from the 4th year of the 202d Olympiad the 19th of Tibe twelve till three in the afternoon. That this Darkness rius, (fuppofed to be the year in which our Lord was was not occafioned by a natural Eclipfe is evident, be- crucified,) tells us," That the greatest Eclipfe of the cause it was full Moon then. A natural Eclipfe never "Sun that ever was known, happened then; for the happening, except when the Moon is about the change." day was fo turned into night that the stars in the heaBefides, the darkness, occafioned by Eclipfes of the "vens were seen."

Wednesday before Eafter.

The Epiftle. Hebr. 9. 16...

T

HERE. a teftament is, there muft alfo of neceffity be

*WH

the death of the teftator: for a teftament is of force after men are dead; otherwife it is of no ftrength at all whilft the teftator liveth. Whereupon, neither Whereupon, neither the firft teftament was dedicated without blood: for when Mofes had fpoken every precept to all the people, according to the law, he took the blood of calves, and of goats, with water and scarlet wool, and hyffop, and fprinkled both the book and all the people, faying, This is the blood of the teftament, which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover, he fprinkled likewife with blood both the tabernacle, and all the veffels of the miniftry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remiffion. It was therefore neceffary that the patterns of things in the heavens fhould be purified with thefe; but the heavenly things themselves with better facrifices than thefe. § For Chrift is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the prefence of God for us, nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others: for then must he often have fuffered fince the foundation of the world; but now once, in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put away fin by the facrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment: fo Chrift was once

* Where a Teftament is, there must also of neceffity be the Death of the Teftator. St. Paul in order to prove the neceffity of Christ's Death for the establishment of the Gospel, or new Covenant (as it is called) cites as a parallel cafe, what was well known amongst mankind in their worldly affairs, viz. that a common Will or Teftament was of no force till the Death of the Tefta tor. To the fame purpofe he fpoke that the Old Teftament, or first Covenant which was given by Mofes was dedicated by fprinkling it with the blood of flain calves and goats, but that the New Teftament was purified with far better Sacrifices than thefe, even with the pre

cious blood of the Son of God.

§ For Chrift is not entered, c. As the Jewish High Priest entered once a year into the Holy of Holies (the most facred part of the Temple) to make atonement for the Sins of the people, with the blood of flain beafts: fo Chrift has entered, once for all, into the Holy Places of Heaven, there to appear in the prefence of God; where, by the offering of his own blood, he hath obtained eternal redemption for us; of which the aforementioned ceremony, under the law, was but a Figurative reprefentation.