the multitude to choose Barabbas, a notorious robber and murderer, as the object of their clemency, in preference to him whom but a few days before they had ushered into Jerufalem, with the utmost acclamations of joy and reverence, as the king of the Jews. And although the greatest vengeance was denounced by the Jewish law against the shedding of innocent blood, yet the and madness was rage inflamed to such a height, that when Pilate declared himself convinced of his innocence, and that no part of the guilt of the blood of fo just a person should rest on him, they all exclaimed, as with one voice, "His blood be on us, and on our "children." (St. Luke, chapter xxvii. verse 34.) It is needless, in this place, to remind my readers how completely this curfe has been fulfilled upon this illfated race. Now was the time when the prophecy of Daniel was to be fulfilled, (chap. ix. ver. 24.): Seventy weeks are deter"mined upon thy people and upon thy 66 holy city, to finish the tranfgreffion, and "to make an end of fins, and to make "reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring "in everlasting righteousness, and to feal "up the vision and prophecy, and to "anoint the Moft Holy." The Messiah himself fulfilled the whole of the Jewish law, and then abolished it; laying down his life for the fins of the whole world; and, after his glorious refurrection and afcenfion, he sent the gift of the holy Ghost, for the propagating and establishing of his divine gospel; which enfures the pardon of all iniquity, upon fincere repentance and amendment of life. This brings juftification, by the free grace of God, in Christ Jesus, our righteousness ; who having fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his life and death, they, confequently, were then brought to an end. May we all be ranked amongst the faithful, who are to enjoy those unspeakable bleffings which Christ has purchased for us by his most precious death, refurrection and afcenfion: grant this, moft merciful Father, Father, for the sake of the fame, thy Son our Lord; to whom, with Thee, and the Holy Ghost, be all honor, glory, praise and thanksgiving, world without end. Amen. CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD. 66 1. 66 ST. JOHN, CHAP. XIX. TH HEN Pilate, therefore, took Je- "2. And the foldiers platted a crown "of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 66 66 3. And faid, Hail, king of the Jews! and they fmote him with their "hands." 66 That the Roman governor should allow fuch cruelties to be exercised on a prisoner under trial, feems very furprizing, particularly as we may fee by all Pilate's actions that he wished to fave our Lord's life: this leads to the fuppofition that he per mitted him to be 'fcourged' and otherwife cruelly and infultingly treated, with the hope that, by gratifying their malice fo far, fome fpark of compaffion might be excited in the breasts of his merciless perfecutors, and that he might prevail on them to spare his life; but this, like all his other endeavors, proved fruitless, and only made them the more outrageous, and increased their defire to add fresh infults to the meek and humble Jefus; who fuffered himself to be led "as a lamb to the flaughter; and as a fheep before his "fhearers is dumb, fo opened he not his "mouth." How muft it have filled the beholders with astonishment and wonder, to see the very person who had done fuch miraculous and merciful acts amongst them, fubjected to fuch accumulated and unheard-of infults! But those emblems of royalty with which the Jews in derifion infulted our bleffed Lord, were all shortly turned into real dignities: the crown of thorns' was foon converted into rays of glory, and the reed mentioned by St. Matthew |