In the midst of these complicated circumftances of anguish and horror, loaded with ignominy, furrounded with enemies, he advances to the scene of execution, ferene and filent, even as the lamb that before her fheerers is dumb. But, though his own fufferings could not induce him to open his mouth, yet compaffion for the train of female mourners that followed his fteps and bewailed his fate, drew from him the language of impaffioned feeling. For, hark! this man of forrows fpeaks! And what? Sure, amidst all these unmerited diftreffes, fome heavy fentence will fall from his lips: a heart thus galled and wounded will vent itself in bitter reproaches of his enemies, or pathetic lamentation of his own fufferings! But, ah! how weakly do we reason from the feelings of our own narrow hearts to thofe of a God of love! With what indifference and compofure does he speak of his own fufferings. Daughters "of Jerufalem, weep not for me, for ye will "foon have a far more important cause of

forrow in the many impending miferies "which will, in a few years, overwhelm your city and nation; when the Roman "eagle shall be raised aloft over the ruins of Jerufalem,

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Jerufalem, and your boasted temple shall "be laid level with the ground. Weep not "therefore for me, who fhall foon triumph "over all the fhort-lived malice of my ene"mies, but rather weep for yourselves and your children, and for the defolation that " is coming upon you,"

rage

But now the end of all his fufferings is approaching! The of his merciless perfecutors, though great, cannot be infinite. He who faid to the proud waves, hither fhall ye go, and no further, hath alfo fet bounds to the madness of the people. Yet what the feeble hand of human vengeance could reach, they wanted not fury and malice to accomplish. For fee! with bloody and unrelenting violence they stretch him on the crofs, with unfeeling barbarity they pierce his hands and feet with nails, with gall and vinegar they mock his thirst, with unparalleled outrage they deride and blafpheme his divine power and godlike benevolence, "he faved "others, himself he cannot fave." And left. any thing should be wanting to finifh_this mafter-piece of horror and inhumanity, to pain they add ignominy, condemning the Lord

of life to die the death, and in the company, of thieves.

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Thus encompaffed with shame and forrows, thus ftricken, fmitten, and afflicted, thus reviled, infulted, and defpifed, after uttering those astonishing words, my God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me;" fee, your Saviour bows the head, and gives up the ghoft! Here then let us close the painful narrative of the cruel transactions of this bitter fcene. But furely we shall but ill discharge the duties of this folemn feason, if we here close our own reflections on the tremendous idea of a God expiring on the cross for our fakes. Look up to that crofs on which your Saviour is fufpended, ye who call yourselves Christians, and afk yourselves thefe interesting and important queftions: Is it nothing to all you that pafs by? Is it nothing that never forrows were like unto his forrows? And have ye no intereft in this man of forrows! Can ye forbear reflecting that it was your tranfgreffions for which he was wounded? Know ye not, that it was your fins, for which he was acquainted with grief? Consider ye not, that it was for you he died, that you might live through him? An act of mercy fo

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new and astonishing, that language must ever fail, and eloquence be ftruck dumb, in attempting to describe it!

With what zeal and gratitude then should the breast of every Chriftian be affected, when he confiders that for him and his falvation this ftupendous act of love was undertaken and accomplished! With what ardour of affection and piety fhould we be filled, when we thus behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us! I am fure, if we are not fo, even inanimate nature may justly reproach our ingratitude and infenfibility. For, whilft the Lord of life expired, the graves opened, the rocks rent, the fun withdrew his shining, as if afhamed that his beams fhould give light to fo horrid a tragedy. How much more then ought we to feel on this occafion, who were the cause and objects of all these fufferings, and whofe crimes could be expiated by no lefs an atonement, than the blood of the Son of God.

Let us then learn ever to value as we ought this our great and truly ineftimable happiness. Let us daily bless and thank that I 3

kind

kind providence, which has bestowed fuch love upon us, which has thus enlightened our hearts with the bright beams of the glorious gofpel, the precious words of eternal life. And let us ever prefs forwards towards that eternal life, the prize of our calling; counting all things but lofs for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus our Lord, σε who died for our offences, and rose again "for our justification."