drink, wine, mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.' This feems likewife unafked, and previous to his faftening. Luke fays- And ⚫ the foldiers also mocked, coming to him, and ' offering him vinegar.' This feems likewise unafked, but after he had been fome time upon the crofs; enduring, not only pain, but the scoffs and infults of the rulers and people. St. John fays After this Jefus, knowing that all things were now accomplished; that the fcriptures might be fulfilled, faith-I thirft. Now there was fet a veffel full of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyffop and put it to his mouth. When Jefus therefore had re'ceived the vinegar, he said, It is finished. And

he bowed his head, and gave up the ghoft.' Here we are told that Jefus did afk for the beverage whatever it was, and his motive for fo doing is affigned. We are likewife told that he did receive or drink it; and the time fixed, by John, is just before he expired. I cannot pass this account, without remarking the impropriety of all the evangelifts, in faying, as they do in many parts of their gofpel, fuch and fuch things were done That the fcriptures might be fulfilled'inftead of faying-Thus, or in this, were the fcriptures fulfilled. Its prefent form might lead an unbeliever to fufpect that Jefus, having af fumed the character of the promised Meffiah, endeavoured that the actions of his life, and cir

cumftances

cumstances of his death, fhould correfpond with Chapter Verfe the Jewish prophecies of that Meffiah. We will

now purfue Matthew's hiftory of what enfued

upon the death of Jefus And behold the vail xxvii. 51

of the temple was rent in twain, from the top

to the bottom. (Was it poffible to behold this

from Golgotha ?) And the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened, and many bodies of faints which flept, arofe, ⚫ and came out of the graves after his refurrection,

(that was polite) and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. (After which, we may fuppofe, they peaceably retired again to their respective graves, as we hear no more of them.) Now when the centurion, and they ⚫ that were with him watching Jefus, faw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, faying-Truly this was the Son of God.' St. Mark, if he did copy, here falls short of his original; he fays- And the ⚫vail of the temple was rent in twain, from the

top to the bottom. And when the centurion which flood over against him, faw that he fo cried out (My God, my God, why haft thou • forfaken me?) and gave up the ghost, he said; Truly this man was the Son of God.' An excellent reason, and well expreffed: here is no menof an earthquake, rending the rocks, or opening the graves; and as to rending the temple' vail, he could not fee it. What fays Luke upon

tion

52

53

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this fubject

Now when the centurion faw what was done (no earthquake mentioned) he glo'rified God faying, Certainly this was a righteous

man. Certainly this was a very reasonable conclufion. St. Luke has this fingular and extraordinary addition And all the people that came together to that fight, beholding the things which were done, fmote their breafts, and returned.' St. John, though prefent, fays not a word upon this interesting subject. He records neither the darkness; the rending of the temple vail; nor even the earthquake which (according to Matthew) produced fuch tremendous effects: therefore we are not to wonder that the poor centurion is unnoticed. He however gives us an anecdote upon which the fulfilling of two prophecies depended, and therefore wonderful that it fhould be omitted by the other three. It is, that the foldiers after breaking the legs of the two thieves, finding Jefus already dead, brake not his; but one of them pierced his fide with a fpear, in the prefence of John, who fays- These things

were done, that the fcripture fhould be fulfilled

A bone of him fhall not be broken.' And

again, another fcripture faith They shall look on him whom they pierced.' Matthew proceeds And many women were there, beholding afar off, (notwithstanding the darkness) which followed Jefus from Galilee, miniftering unto him. Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary

6

• the

the mother of James, and Jofes: and the mother of Zebedee's children. (Why not the wife of Zebedee? if she was fo.) Mark fays⚫ there were alfo women looking on afar off, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the 'mother of James the lefs; and of Jofes, and Sa

lome: who alfo when he was in Galilee followed him, and miniftered unto him: and many other women which came up with him unto Jerufalem.' (Would not those women have been better employed at home? and was the idea of decency, the fame in that age as it is in this) Luke fays- And all his acquaintance, ' and the women that followed him from Galilee, 'ftood afar off beholding these things.' Thus we find Matthew, Mark, and Luke, though they differ as to the number, and particular women; unite in faying they stood afar off, beholding 'these things,' Notwithstanding the darkness they all had recorded. John who was prefent, but records nothing of the darkness, fays—' Now

there ftood by the cross of Jefus, his mother, and

his mother's fifter, Mary the wife of Cleophas, ' and Mary Magdalene.' What followed could not poffibly have happened, had they stood afar off. Nor is is it very probable that it did happen in darkness. Thefe difcordant circumftances relative to the darkness; John's total omiffion of it: The earthquake and its tremendous effects, defcribed fo fully by St. Matthew, only noticed

by Mark and Luke faying The vail of the temple was rent.' And paffed wholly unnoticed by John, who, and him only of the evangelifts, was prefent when these very extraordinary things are faid to have happened-naturally produce a doubt in the mind, as to their reality. These doubts will not be removed by any information to be derived from what is called Prophane Hiftory. In an age of science and learning, how did these things efcape the knowledge of the wellinformed hiftorians who wrote in the reign of Tiberius Nay at this very time Seneca, and the elder Pliny, were each recording, in a very full and accurate manner, every phenomena of nature, which they had obferved, heard of, or learnt from hiftory. In a Roman province could two, fuch as thefe are faid to have been, pafs neglected by a Roman governor; whofe duty it was, at ftated times, to tranfmit an account of every material occurrence which happened within his jurifdiction? These were not only within his jurisdiction, but under his eye; not only under his eye; but were (according to Matthew and Mark) the confequences of his own act of authority. What then occafioned his withholding this intelligence? Not the fear of punishment for confenting to the death of an innocent man, a Jew. Jefus was accused of sedition and treafon; either of which was death by the Roman laws. What withheld both Pilate and Herod from communi