Then shall they begin to say: to the mountains, Fall on us ; and to the hillsi. Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done is the dry?

And there were also two others, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. , ,

And when they were come unto Golgotha, on mount Calvary, they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall, and when he had tasted thereof he would not drink.

And they gave him wine mingled with myrrh, but he received it not.

And they crucified him, and the two malefactors, one on the right hand, the other on the left.

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 sol. dier a part, and also his coat: now the coat was with, put seam, woven from the top throughout,

"They said therefore among themselves, Let us 'not rent it, but cast lots for it whose it shall be that the seripere might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my gnent amongst them, and for my vesture they did cast lots.

These things therefore the soldiers did : and sitting down they watched him there. s And Pilate wiote a "fiile and put it upon the cross, and the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETI, THB KING OF THE JEWS. : This 'tiile 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,

I 3

Then

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.

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 mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others, him. self he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe bim.

He trusted in God, let him deliver him now if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

And one of the malefactors who was crucified with him railed on him, saying, If thou be CHRIST, save thyself and us. But the other answering, rebuked him, saying, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation ?

And we indeed justly; for we receive the due re. ward of our deeds ; but this man kach done in thing 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, thou shalt 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, and many other women, wko also when he was in Galilee followed him and ministered unto him.

When

a

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 ber unto his own home.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Some of them that stood there when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst.

Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar : and they filled a spunge with vinegar; and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

And the rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

When )seus 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 come mend my spirit; and he bowed his head and gave up

the ghost,

And behold the vail of the temple was rent in two, from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.

Now, when the centurion, who stood over against him, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man; truly this man 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."

END RUJNU 10.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

Avi, mft quor's

The Jews were in great haste to get Jesus dispatch ed; and supposing that he was extremely weak after the sufferings he had endured, they imagined that he would not be e able to walk so fast as they wished him to do; they therefore compelled a poor African, whom they accidentally met, to assist in bearing a heavy piece of wond belonging to the cross, on which he was going to be executed. It is likely, that this incident proved instrumental to the conversion of Simon and his family: for his two sons, Alexander and Rufus, were Christians of some note in the church afterwards.

b

Whilst our blessed LORD proceeded on his melancholy journey,, all but his enemies pathetically lamented His fate; especially those pious women who had long ministered unto him, and now had the zeal and fortifude to follow him. Nor was our LORD unmindful of their affection; for even at the time when he was gong to be put to a cruel and ignominious death,, sorrow for his own sufferings gave way to commiseration for them, and he kindly endeavoured to divert their grief into another channel. Our LORD then repeated his prediction concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, but with no signs of malice or resentment; yet in such striking terms, as were sufficient to excite his followers to pray that they might not be involved in them; and to warn his enemies to endeavour to deprecate the

.

wrath of God. On this occasion, our Lord made use of proverbial expressions, to intimate the extreme disa tress to which the inhabitants of Jerusalem would be exposed. Being childless was reckoned a great curse; therefore a Jewish woman'mast be in very wretched circumstances, who should esteem it a blessing to be so; and none but the most misérable people in the world would wish for the mountains to fall on them, and the hills to cover them. The expression, “ If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry ?" is thought to imply, that if the Jews inflicted such agonies on our Lord, who was free from sin, what might they riot' themselves expect, whose guilt made them proper objects of divine wrath, as dry wood is fie fuel to the consuming fire ? · Mount Calvary was the usual place for executing criminals; it was a little without the city, and seemed a proper spot of ground for the purpose, as, on account of its eminence, the malefactors executed there might be seen at a considera able distance, and by a great number of spectators.

It was eustomary to give to dying criminals a portion of strong wine mingled with spices, in order to stupify their senses, and abate the pain of their sufferings. The soldiers, who attended our Lord, offered him, instead of this, an odious mixture of wine mingled with gall : this he tasted, that he might submit to every circum. stance which the FATHER had allotted him but he would not drink any large draught of it, knowing his doing so' would answer no valuable end... It seems that some of his friends had prepared a cordial cup for him, « bat * he declined this office of humanity, that he might shew himself unappalled by the horrors of instant crucifixion; and that he might fully possess his reason,

'

Bishop Newton's Observations on our Lord's Conduct.