his crucifixion; which was a Roman punishment; it being the custom to hang up the person naked upon the cross.

After the soldiers had with inexpressible cruelty scourged Christ, they crowned him with thorns, and clothed him in a purple robe; all which was done by way of scorn. They put a reed, or rod, into his hand, instead of a sceptre; which, when they had done, then they, by way of scorn and rude derision, bowed the knee before him, crying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spat upon him, and took the reed or rod and smote him on the head, riveting as it were the crown of thorns, and fixing them thereby deeper into his sacred temples; and they smote or boxed him on the cheeks. Pilate orders Christ, thus miserably scourged, to be brought forth, that he should be presented, as a sad spectacle to move the Jews to pity and commiseration. And our Lord "came forth wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe, upon which Pilate saith unto them, "Behold, the Man!'"

But, though a man of sorrows; his

soul wounded, his body bruised, his blood streaming down his blessed cheeks; his face and eyes swoln, his body being as it were almost bathed in his own blood, which might appear to view, when the purple or scarlet robe was thrown back, yet this sight does but increase their rage and clamour: "they cried out, Crucify him, Crucify him." Pilate vindicates Christ's innocency; upon which the Jews exhibit a charge of blasphemy against him, which put the governor upon going again to the judgment-hall, where he interrogates Christ on this fresh accusation ; to which our Lord makes no reply. Pilate then proudly boasts of his authority, as having the power of our Lord's life and death in his hand; which caused our Saviour to break silence, informing him, that his delegated power over him was from above; and he said to the go"He who delivered me unto vernor, thee hath the greater sin." Upon this, Pilate sought again to release him; but through the importunity of the Jews, and from fear of their accusing him of being no friend to Cæsar, as they prefer a mur

derer to Jesus, he condemned our Lord, and delivered him to be crucified.

On this they immediately led him away to the place of execution; he bearing a part of his own cross, to which he was to be nailed. But they took off the purple robe from Christ, before they led him forth to execution, and put his own raiment on him; and on his arrival at Golgotha, he was again stripped; which, if we consider his bruised, mangled, wounded body, must be like flaying him alive; since the clothes must be as though they were glued to his body, by means of the copious effusion of his clotted precious blood; therefore his wounds may be conceived to be torn open afresh by pulling off his garments.

His body, which was immaculately pure and holy, the immediate formation of the Holy Ghost, in which dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead, was stretched on the cross, his arms distended, his hands nailed, his feet bored with pins of iron, and the cross, with his body fastened to it, lifted up; when it fell into the pit digged for it, inexpressible anguish must

Lord in

be felt and experienced by our his humanity! How are both his sufferings in soul and in body at this time most pathetically expressed in the following words: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth unto my jaws; and thou hast brought me to the dust of death."

As he hung upon the cross, the people, rulers, and soldiers, mocked and reviled him; and on it he hung from nine o'clock in the morning, till three in the afternoon; and for his greater disgrace, two thieves were crucified with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

Our Lord having hung from nine o'clock to twelve, the Sun was darkened; and he underwent an eclipse, all divine consolations being suspended, he actually felt and sustained in his own soul the whole confluence of divine wrath; for three hours he opened not his mouth. At the close of these tremendous hours, he cried out, "My God, my God, why

hast thou forsaken me?" He was, as. one expresses it, forsaken of God in regard of the sensible comforts of his presence, though not in regard of the invisible sustentations of his soul. The union of the two natures was not dissolved, but the comforts of the Father's presence were suspended. Christ (says a worthy man, the learned Charnock) endured all 'the law imposed upon sinners; whether ' in regard of loss by desertion, or in rex gard of sense by malediction. Hence ' he is said to be made a curse. (Gal. iii. 13.) He is also said to be made sin. ' (2 Cor. v. 21.) And if so, he bore the punishment due to us; since the law 'threatened a curse, and Christ bore the curse according to the threatening of the law; he suffered that which the law ' demanded of us, and was made such a curse as the law required. He suffered 'those agories which were of the nature ' of the torments of hell, and that deser6 tion of God, which is the sting of hell.'

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Now, our Lord having, in every faculty of his soul, and every member of his body, suffered and sustained all that'