our family as have not been equally fuccefsful with ourselves? (St. John's firft epistle, chap. iii, ver. 17.) But whofo hath this "world's good, and feeth his brother "have need, and fhutteth up his bowels "of compaffion from him, how dwelleth "the love of God in him?”

"28. After this Jefus, knowing that "all things were now accomplished, that "the Scripture might be fulfilled, faith, I "thirst.

66

66

66

66

29. Now there was fet a veffel full of vinegar and they filled a fpunge with vinegar, and put it

put it to his mouth.

66

upon hyffop, and

"30. When Jefus, therefore, had re"ceived the vinegar, he faid, It is finished: " and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghoft."

66

In Pfalm Ixix. verfe 21. we find David, speaking in the person of the Meffiah, say:

66

They gave me alfo gall for my meat;

" and in my thirft they gave me vinegar

" to

to drink." When therefore this, which was the last of the prophecies refpecting the Meffiah previous to his death, was accomplished, our bleffed Lord 'bowed his head,' in token of obedience to the will of his Father, and gave up the ghoft.' This should teach us, in all fituations, even under the feverest trials, that it is our duty to fhew the utmost refignation and reverence to the will of God, in our outward actions as well as in our hearts. The other three evangelifts mention That our Lord cried with a loud voice and then gave up the ghoft; and St. Mark makes this one of the proofs by which the centurion was convinced of his being the Messiah.

To understand this rightly, we must confider the nature of the death by crucifixion. In this mode of punishment, the life was not taken away by any fudden or violent means, but was worn out by excess of pain and fatigue; so that the strength must be totally exhausted, and the perfon rendered incapable of any exertion

of

of voice, sometime before his fpirit took its departure. The centurion, therefore, who had probably been used to attend crucifixions and knew the effect of that mode of punishment, hearing our Lord cry out with a loud voice, which proved his strength not exhausted, and seeing him on the instant expire, was convinced that his life was at his own difpofal (a power which he knew belonged to God alone) and that he laid it down voluntarily.

"31. The Jews, therefore, because it was the Preparation, that the bodies "should not remain upon the cross on the fabbath-day, (for that fabbath-day was

66

an high day,) besought Pilate that their "legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

66

"32. Then came the foldiers, and brake "the legs of the first, and of the other "which was crucified with him.

66

33. But when they came to Jesus, "and faw that he was dead already, they

"brake not his legs:

66 34. But one of the foldiers with a "spear pierced his fide, and forthwith "came thereout blood and water.

66

35. And he that faw it bare record, " and his record is true; and he knoweth "that he faith true, that ye might believe.

66

36. For these things were done, that "the Scriptures fhould be fulfilled, A "bone of him fhall not be broken.

66

66

66 37. And again, another scripture faith,

They fhall look on him whom they pierced."

The pafchal lamb was a type of Christ, and whatever is faid of that applies equally to him: thus, in Exodus, ch. xii. ver. 46. it is faid: "Neither fhall ye break a bone "thereof." Pfalm xxxiv. ver. 20. "He

66

keepeth all his bones; not one of them " is broken." Alfo, in Numbers, (ch. ix. ver. 12.) where the pafchal lamb is again spoken of, it is directed that they shall not break any bone of it. That the foldier did not break the legs of Jefus, as well as the others', was, evidently, from an over-ruling

Power

Power preventing him, that every part of Scripture refpecting the Messiah might be fulfilled. The prophecies, likewise, respecting the piercing of our Lord's fide, are equally worthy of note: (Zechariah, ch. xii. ver. 10.) “And I will pour upon the ❝house of David, and upon the inhabi

t

tants of Jerufalem, the spirit of grace

and of fupplications: and they fhall look " upon me whom they have pierced, and "they shall mourn for him, as one mourn"eth for his only fon, and shall be in bit"terness for him, as one that is in bitter"nefs for his firft-born." This prophecy (although, doubtless, alluding to a more general converfion of the Jews at a future period) may be faid to have taken place, in part, at the very time; for we are told by St. Luke, (chap. xxiii. ver. 48.); “And "all the people that came together to that

66

fight, beholding the things which were "done, fmote their breafts and returned." Among those described in the above verse were, probably, many who had reviled and infulted our Lord during his trial and in