his concern, that their happiness for a little interrupted the feeling of his pains, and engrossed his thoughts.

A little before he expired, Jesus repeated the first verse of the twenty-second Psalm, pronouncing it in the Syriac dialect, which was the common language of the country, and speaking with a loud voice, that all who stood around might hear him distinctly, and know that he was the person spoken of by David. Matt. xxvii. 46. And about the ninth hour, (Mark, at the ninth hour) answering to our three in the afternoon, Jesus cried with a loud oice, saying, Eli. Eli, (Mark, Eloi, Eloi) lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, ruhy hast thou forsaken me? Or as others would have it translated, My God, my God, to what a degree, or to what a length of time, hast thou forsaken me! For lamina in the Hebrew has this signification. Accordingly Mark, in the parallel passage, has rendered it by es The Either way translated, our Lord's words must be viewed in the same light with his prayer in the garden. For as that prayer expressed only the feelings and inclinations of his human nature, sorely pressed down with the weight of his sufferings, so his words on the cross proceeded from the greatness of his sufferings then, and expressed the feelings of his human nature, viz. an exceeding grief at God's forsaking him, and a complaint that it was so. But as his prayer in the garden was properly tempered by the addition of the clause, " Yet not as I will, but as thou wilt;" so his complaint on the cross may have been tempered in the same manner, perhaps by his repeating the following third verse of the Psalm, though the evangelists have not mentioned it particularly for that in the inward disposition of his mind Jesus was perfectly resigned, even while he hanged on the cross, is evident beyond all doubt, from his recommending his spirit to God in the article of death, which he could not have done had he either despaired of the Divine favour, or been discontented with the Divine appointments. The sufferings which made our Lord cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? were not merely those which appeared to the spectators, viz. the pains of death which he then underwent. Many of his followers have suffered sharper and more lingering bodily torture, ending in death, without thinking themselves on that account forsaken of God; on the contrary, they both felt and expressed raptures of joy under the bitterest torments. Why then should Jesus have complained and been so dejected under inferior sufferings, as we must acknowledge them to be, if there was nothing here but the pains of crucifixion. Is there any other circumstance in his history, which leads us to think him defective in courage or patience? In piety and resignation came he behind his own apostles? Were his views of God and religion more confined than theirs? Had he greater sensibility of pain than they, without a proper

balance

balance arising from the superiority of his understanding? In short, was he worse qualified for martyrdom" than they? The truth is, his words on the cross cannot be accounted for but on the supposition that he suffered in his mind pains inexpressible, inflicted on him by an immediate interposition of the power of God, the nature and intenseness of which cannot, in the language of men, be more justly or more emphatically expressed, than by the metaphor of God's forsaking him. Some think Jesus on this occasion repeated the whole xxiid Psalm. And to be sure, as it is composed in the form of a prayer, it must be acknowledged that no address could be more suitable to the circumstances wherein our Lord then was, or better adapted to impress the minds of the beholders with becoming sentiments. Nevertheless, the things mentioned by the evangelists as next happening, were of such a kind that they must have followed immediately upon the repetition of the first three or four verses of the Psalm. It is probable, therefore, that he stopt there. Perhaps it was not his intention to go farther. For as it was the custom of the Jews, when they quoted large portions of Scripture, to mention only the first verses or words of the passage, such of his hearers as knew these to be the first verses of the xxiid Psalm, would easily understand that Jesus meant to apply the whole Psalm to himself. And as it contains the most remarkable particulars of our Lord's passion, being a sort of summary of all the prophecies: relative to that subject, by citing it on the cross, and applying it to himself, Jesus signified that he was now accomplishing the things therein predicted concerning Messiah. Farther, as the Psalm is composed in the form a prayer, by citing it at this time, Jesus also claimed of his Father the performance of all the promises he had made, whether to him or to his people, the chief of which are recorded in the latter part of the Psalm. Mark xv. 35. And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias, (Matt. This man calleth for Elias.) Though Jesus spake in the vulgar dialect, some of the people present did not understand him; for they fancied that he called on the old prophet Elijah to help him. Hence some have conjectured, that they were Roman soldiers who thus misunderstood Christ's words. The conjecture, however, cannot be admitted, unless these soldiers were proselytes, and had learned the language and religion of the Jews more perfectly than is reasonable to suppose. We may therefore believe it was our Lord's own countrymen who gave their opinion concerning the meaning of his words. And though they misunderstood him, it may have arisen neither from their ignorance of the language in which he spake, nor from their hearing him indistinctly, for he spake with a loud voice, but from their not considering that he was repeating the words of the xxiid Psalm. Moreover, into this mistak VOL. II. 4 A

the

they would the more easily fall, if his pronunciation was Eli, Eli, as Matthew has represented it, and not Eloi, Eloi, as in Mark. See Prelim. Observ. I. For thus they would imagine that he cried, "Elias, Elias, why hast thou forsaken me ?" John xix. 28. After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst: Jesus knowing that he had now accomplished every thing required by God of the Messiah, and foretold by the prophets, excepting that circumstance of his sufferings which was predicted Psal. Ixix. 21. In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink;" in order to give occasion to the accomplishment of this likewise, he said aloud, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar. The Roman soldiers always drank their water mixed with vinegar; for which purpose they usually carried vinegar with them in vessels when on duty. Matt. xxvii. 48. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, (John, on hyssop, and put it to his mouth) and gave him to drink. They put the spunge, as John tells us, upon hyssop, i. e. a stalk of hyssop, called by the other evangelists Ka, which signifies not only a reed, but the stalk of any plant. For that hyssop was a shrub, appears from 1 Kings iv. 33. where it is reckoned among the trees. This office they did to Jesus, not 80 much from pity, as to preserve him alive, in hopes of seeing the miracle of Elijah's descent from heaven. Mark observes, that the person who gave Jesus the vinegar, accompanied that action by (xv. 36.) saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. But Matthew attributes that saying to the persons who stood by. Matt. xxvii. 49. The rest said, Let be; let us see whether Elias qvill come to save him. It seems they repeated the words of him who administered the vinegar, expressing their desire likewise that Jesus should be kept alive as long as possible, to see if Elias would come and rescue him. John xix. 30. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: The predictions of the prophets are all ful filled, and the redemption of the world is finished, to accomplish which I came into the world. Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us, that in speaking these words, Jesus cried with an exceeding loud voice; probably to shew that his strength was not exhausted, but that he was about to give up his life of his own accord. Having thus shouted, he addressed his Father with a tone of voice such as is proper in prayer. Luke xxiii. 46. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. John xix. 30. And he borved his head, and gave up the ghost; leaving us the best pattern of a recommendatory prayer article of death. While Jesus breathed his last, the vail of the temple was mi

in the

raculously

raculously rent from top to bottom, probably in presence of the priest who burnt the incense in the holy place at the evening sacrifice, and who, no doubt, gave an account of it when he came out; for the ninth hour, at which Jesus expired, was the hour of the evening sacrifice. Matt. xxvii. 51. And behold, the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, 52. And the graves in the rocks were opened, and many bodies of saints which slept arose, 53. And came out of the graves after his resurrection. These graves were opened by the earthquake at his death, but the dead in them did not come to life till his resurrection; for Jesus himself was the first-born from the dead, Col. i. 18. and the first fruits of them that slept, 1 Cor. xv. 20.—and went into the holy city, i. e. Jerusalem, called the holy city on account of the temple and its worship: and appeared unto many. It would seem that these saints were disciples who had died but lately. For when they went into the city, they were known to be saints by the persons who saw them; which could not well have happened had they not been their contemporaries. And as the rending of the vail of the temple, intimated that the entrance into the holy place, the type of heaven, was now laid open to all nations, so the resurrection of a number of saints from the dead, demonstrated that the power of death and the grave was broken; the sting was taken from death, and the victory wrested from the grave. In short, our Lord's conquests over the enemies of mankind were shewed to be complete, and an earnest was given of a general resurrection from the dead. Mark xv. 39. And when the centurion (Matt. and they that were with him, watching Jesus) which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, (Matt. saw the earthquake, and those things that were done) Luke xxiii. 47. He glorified God, (by) saying, Certainly this was a righteous man, (dos) the character which Pilate's lady had given of him before he was condemned, Matt. xxvii. 19. According to Mark, he said likewise, xv. 99. Truly this man was the Son of God, or Messiah. From this it would appear, that the centurion was a proselyte to the religion of the Jews, and acquainted with their opinions. Matthew says, they that were with the centurion joined him in this declaration, xxvii. 54. They feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. Luke xxiii. 48. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned: The people who came to behold this melancholy spectacle, were wonderfully affected when Jesus gave up the ghost. They had been instant with loud voices to have him crucified, but now that they saw the face of the creation darkened with a sullen gloom during his crucifixion, and found his death accompanied with an earthquake, as if nature had been in an

agony

agony when he died, they rightly interpreted these prodigies to be so many testimonies from God of his innocence; and their passions, which had been inflamed and exasperated against him, became quite calm, or moved them in his behalf. Some could not forgive themselves for neglecting to accept his life, when the governor offered to release him; others were stung with remorse for having had an active hand, both in his death and in the insults that were offered to him; others felt the deepest grief at the thought of his lot, which was undeservedly severe; and these various passions appeared in their countenances, for they came away from the cruel execution pensive and silent, with downcast eyes, and hearts ready to burst; or groaning deeply within themselves, they shed tears, smote their breasts, and wailed greatly. The grief which they now felt for Jesus was distinguished from their former rage against him by this remarkable character, that their rage was produced entirely by the craft of the priests, who had wickedly incensed them; whereas their grief was the genuine and natural feeling of their own hearts, greatly affected with the truth and innocence of him that was the object of their commiseration. Wherefore, as in this mourning flattery had no share, the expressions of their sorrow were such as became a real and unfeigned passion. Nor was this the temper only of a few who may be thought to have been Christ's particular friends. It was the general condition of the people, who had come in such numbers to look on, that when they parted after the execution they covered the roads, and as it were darkened the whole fields around. Luke xxiii. 49. And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off beholding these things. Who these acquaintance were, Matthew and Mark inform us. Matt. xxvii. 55. And many women were there (beholding afar off) which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him; (Mark, who also when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him.) 56. Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, (Mark, James the less) and Joses, (probably this is she who is said, John xix. 25. to have been our Lord's mother's sister, and who is there called, Mary the wife of Cleophas) and (Mark, Salome) the mother of Zebedee's children. Mark xv. 41. And many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem. The three evangelists agree in affirming that these women stood afar off, looking on. Yet this is not inconsistent with John xix. 25. where our Lord's mother, and her sister Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene, are said to have stood beside the cross. They were kept at a distance a while, perhaps by the guards, or they were afraid to approach. But when the greatest part of the soldiers were drawn off, and the eclipse was begun, they gathered courage, and

came