Jerusalem. And they stripped him, and they put on him a Matt. xxvii. scarlet robe 19, a purple robe, 28. John xix. 2. And when they had platted a crown of thorns", Mat.xxvii. 29. upon the cross. To the time employed in the trying, condemning, and scourging of these men, (according to the Roman law,) may we not reckon another full hour? In the meanwhile Christ was guarded by the soldiers; into whose hands therefore he was delivered at seven, or rather earlier. 3. When Pilate had taken his seat on the tribunal, to pronounce sentence of death on Christ, he was interrupted by the message of his wife; still hesitating -he again expostulated with the Jews, and declared the innocence of Jesusand, when he could prevail nothing, he washed his hands before the multitude, and then decreed his condemnation. These various particulars might altogether occupy about another hour, and they bring us again to the same point—within half an hour of six. Here then the computations meet, whether we reckon on from the Proi, or back from the third hour: by either account, Pilate "sat down in the judgment seat" between six and seven in the morning. The conjecture of Grotius, adopted by Dr. Randolph, and other learned men, is very ingenious; but is unsupported by authorities. The Jews, he observes, divided the day into four quarters, as they did the night; each consisting of three hours; and, whatever was done within the space of one of these quarters, might be reckoned to the hour at which the quarter began, or at which it ended. The second quarter began at the third hour, about which time it was supposed our Lord was condemned, and it ended at twelve; about which time he was crucified. St. John mentions the time of his condemnation, St. Mark of his crucifixion. St. John distinguishes the beginning of the second quarter of the day by its latest term, the sixth hour; and St. Mark the conclusion of it, by its earliest term, the third hour. But this hypothesis appears much too forced to be tenable. 19 There is no greater difference between the meaning of the words KóKKIVŋY and Toppúρov, than there is if one English reader should say a red robe, and another a reddish robe; or than if one French author should use the word rouge, and another rougeatre.-Pilkington, notes to sect. 442. 20 Thorns were the first produce of the earth after the fall of man, and they were worn by our Lord, as a part of his punishment. They were the first fruits of the curse, and were appropriately placed on the head of the sacred victim. Bishop Pearce and Michaelis are of opinion that the crown of thorns was not intended to be an instrument of punishment or torture to his head, but rather to render our Lord an object of ridicule; for which cause they also put a reed in his hand, by way of sceptre, and bowed their knees, pretending to do him homage; and that the crown was not probably of thorns, in our sense of the word. Mark xv. 17. and John xix. 5. term it orégavov ákávðivov, which might be translated an "acanthine crown," or wreath formed out of the branches of the herb acanthus, or bear's foot. This is a prickly plant, though not like thorny ones, in the common meaning of that word. Some are of opinion that the plant was similar to that which we call holly: Mat.xxvii. 29. they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right Jerusalem. hand and they bowed the knee before him, Mark xv. 19. [and] worshipped him, Mat. xxvii. 29. Matt. xxvii. 30. John xix. 4. John xix. 5. John xix. 6. John xix. 7. John xix. 8. John xix. 9. John xix. 10. John xix. 11. John xix. 12. John xix. 13. and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews. And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the Chief Priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid ; ; And went again into the judgment-hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer 21. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Cæsar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judg they say that it was selected on account of its resemblance to laurel, with which conquerors were crowned; and they think that the opinion has given rise to the name; holly, quasi holy, in reference to the use made of it on this occasion. 21 Our Lord would not reveal his dignity to Pilate, because he would not have believed him, and because, as a judge, Pilate was only concerned with his innocence neither had the time come, for an appeal to the Gentiles. Jerusalem. t Matt. xxvii. 31. ment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, And it was the preparation of the passover, and John xix. 14. But they cried out, Away with him, away with John xix. 15. him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The Chief Priests answer- Then delivered he him therefore unto them to John xix. 16. be crucified. MATT. xxvii. part of ver. 26, 27. 26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him 27 and gathered unto him the whole band. MARK XV. part of ver. 15, 16. ver. 17, 18, and part of ver. 19. 15-released Barabbas unto them-delivered Jesus-to be crucified. 16 the soldiers-into the hall 17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, 18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! 19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him— bowing their knees JOHN xix. ver. 2. and part of ver. 3. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! SECTION XVI. Christ is led away from the Judgment-Hall of Pilate to Mount Calvary. MATT. XXVII. 31, 32. MARK XV. 20, 21. LUKE Xxiii. 26-33. And they took Jesus, and led him away. John xix. 16. Mat. xxvii.31. they took off the purple from him, and put his Mark xv. 20. own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place John xix. 17. called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha And as they led him away, Lukexxiii.26. as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Mat. xxvii.32. Simon by name : Lukexxiii.26. they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian 22, Mat. xxvii. 32. him they compelled to bear his cross. Luke xxiii. 26. and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. Luke xxiii.27. Luke xxiii.28. Luke xxiii.29. Luke xxiii.30. Luke xxiii.31. Luke xxiii.32. 31 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him: But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. "Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. Jerusalem. Ian. ii. 19. Hos. x. 8. For if they do these things in a green tree, x1 Pet. iv. 17. what shall be done in the dry? 38. " And there were also two other malefactors led y Matt. xxvii. with him to be put to death. MATT. xxvii. part of ver. 31, 32. they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32 And MARK XV. part of ver. 20, 21. 20 And when they had mocked him 21 z And they compel one Simon, a Cyrenian-to bear his cross LUKE xxiii. part of ver. 26. 26-coming out of the country. 22 By comparing these two passages we obtain one of those innumerable minor, yet important proofs of the authenticity of the Scriptures, which demonstrate the impossibility of their being forgeries. St. Luke, who wrote for the Gentiles of Asia, merely mentions the name and country of Simon, who was probably known to the early Christians by character. St. Mark, however, who addressed himself at the dictation of St. Peter (by whose name therefore this Gospel might more properly be called) to the converts at Rome, adds, that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus, the latter of whom being a well known member of the Roman Church, inquiries might be made by the people, of Rufus himself, respecting the circumstances of the crucifixion, which he in all probability would have received from his father. Rufus is saluted by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (ch. xvi. 13.) which was written many years after the Gospel of St. Mark. z Matt. xxvii. 32. Jerusalem. a John xix.17. SECTION XVII. Christ arrives at Mount Calvary, and is crucified. MATT. xxvii. 33, 34, 37. MARK XV. 22, 23, 26, 28. LUKE a xxiii. 33, 38. And when they were come to a place called Matt. xxvii. Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 33. They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with Matt. xxvii. gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would 3. not drink. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with Mark xv. 23. myrrh: but he received it not 23. 23 ON MATTHEW XXVII. 34. AND MARK xv. 23. The Jews always gave wine with incense in it, to stupify and intoxicate the criminal. The custom originated in the precept, (Prov. xxxi. 6.) "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish," i. e. "to him who is condemned to death." It would appear from the preceding narrative, that three potions were certainly offered to our Lord, two when he arrived at Golgotha, (Matt. xxvii. 34. and Mark xv. 23.) and the third after he had been for some time on the cross. The first draught, vinegar mingled with gall, was most probably offered to him in malice, and derision of his sufferings; our Lord refusing to drink of it, the intoxicating draught, which was usual on such occasions, was then presented; but he declined tasting of either, and drank only of the third, the vinegar, or posca, the common drink of the Roman soldiers; and which was placed in a vessel near the cross, for their accommodation. He was faint and exhausted in body; and though his powers of mind were the same, he required that his humanity should receive the refreshment proffered to him by the bystander. Although, as we have seen, there appears no difficulty or discrepancy in the accounts of St. Matthew and St. Mark, Michaelis does not hesitate to assert, that there exists a manifest contradiction. He has consequently endeavoured, by conjecture, to reconcile the supposed difference, and has had the singular misfortune to be refuted by himself; by his editor Bishop Marsh, who has substituted an equally untenable conjecture; and, lastly, by the critic of both, Archbishop Laurence. After comparing the two accounts of St. Matthew and St. Mark, Michaelis decides that St. Mark has given the correct history, and that St. Matthew's Gospel, which was originally written in Hebrew, was inaccurately translated into Greek. He supposes that the words used in the Hebrew Gospel of St. Matthew, were such as agreed with the account given by St. Mark, and at the same time were capable of the construction which was put on them by St. Matthew's Greek translator. Suppose St. Matthew wrote, which signifies "sweet wine with bitters," or "sweet wine and myrrh," as we find it in Mark; and Matthew's translator overlooked the yod in ; he took it for æ♫, which signifies “vinegar;” and “bitter," he translated by xodǹ, as it is often rendered in the Septuagint. Nay, St. Matthew, he proceeds, may have written xn, and have still meant to express sweet wine;" if so, the difference only consisted in the points; for the same word, which, when pro |