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him there; and set up over his head his accufation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him: one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that paffed by, reviled him, wagging their heads, and faying, Thou that deftroyeft the temple, and buildest it in three days, fave thyfelf: if thou be the fon of God, come down from the crofs. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the fcribes and elders, faid, He faved others, himself he cannot fave: + if he be the King of Ifrael, let him now come down from the crofs, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he faid, I am the Son of God. The thieves also which were crucified with him, caft the fame in his teeth. Now from the fixth hour there was darkness over all the land, unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jefus cried with a loud voice, faying, Eli, Eli, lama fabacthani? that is to fay, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me? Some of them, that stood there, when they heard that, faid, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The reft faid, Let be, let us fee whether Elias will come to fave him. Jefus when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghoft. 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, and the graves were opened, ‡ and many bodies of faints which flept, arofe, and came out of the graves after his refurrection, and went into the holy R 2

If he be the King of Ifrael, S. They fcoffed at the Miracles by which he demonftrated himfelf to be the Meffah, and promised to believe in him on condition he would prove his pretenfions by coming down from the crofs. Though nothing could be more falfe and hypocritical: for they continued in their unbelief, not withstanding Jefus raifed himself from the dead, which was a much greater miracle than his coming down from the Crofs would have been. But, alas! their conditional profeffions of Belief were a mere insult.

And many Bodies of Saints, &c. It should feem, as if these Saints were Difciples, who had died but late. ly. For when they went int the city, they were known by the perfons who faw them; which could not well have happened, had they not been their cotemporaries. By their refurrection it was demonfirated that the power of Death and the Grave was broken; and an earne given of a general Refurrection from the dead.

city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jefus, faw the earthquake, and thofe things that were done, they feared greatly, faying, Truly this was the Son of God.

WH

Monday before Eafter.

For the Epiftle. Ifai. 63. 1.

HO is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his ftrength? I that speak in righteousnefs, § mighty to fave. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat? I have trodden the wine-prefs alone, and of the people there was none with me: *for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will ftain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought falvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their ftrength to the earth. I will mention the loving + kindneffes of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness towards the houfe of Ifrael, which he hath beftowed on them, according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his

Mighty to fave. In this Portion of Scripture Jefus Christ is reprefented to us, by the Prophet, as a Conqueror returning bloody from battle and herein we are led to contemplate the hardships, and the fuccefs, af that combat with the enemies of our fouls, by which he brought Salvation to Mankind. The account of which is given by way of Dialogue.

I have trodden the Wine-prefs alone. That is, none lefs than He who undertook it, was thought proper to procure fo glorious a deliverance for us.

For I will tread them in mine anger, &c. Nothing can be more magnificent and fublime than this defcrip

tion of Chrift taking vengeance upon his Adverfaries: which fhould make every Sinner tremble to provoke the divine difpleafure. For though God is Long-fuffering and of great Goodness to thofe that fear him: yet to his enemies he is, indeed, a confuming fire.

† I will mention the loving kindnefes of the Lord,. These are the words of the Prophet. And if he thought there was fo much reason for thankfuluefs to God for the care he had always taken of his people Ifrael; how much more cause have we to blefs him for the victory which Jefus Chrifthas gained over our spiritual enemies, by his precious bloodshedding, and his glorious Refurrection.

loving kindnesses. For he faid, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: fo he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his prefence saved them: in his love, and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit, therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, Mofes and his people, faying, Where is he that brought them up out of the fea, with the fhepherd of his flock? Where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? that led them by the right hand of Mofes, with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting Name? that led them through the deep as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not ftumble? as a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to reft: fo didft thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious Name. Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness, and of thy glory: Where is thy zeal and thy strength, the founding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards me? are they reftrained? Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Ifrael acknowledge us not: Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer, thy Name is from everlasting. § O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways? and hardened our hearts from thy fear? Return, for thy fervants fake, the tribes of thine inheritance. The people of thy holiness have poffeffed it but a little while: our adverfaries have trodden down thy fanctuary. We are thine, thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name. The Gospel. S. Mark 14. 1.

A

FTER two days was the feast of the paffover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes fought

O Lord why haft thou made us to err, &c. This does not imply that God was the caufe and Author of of the Wickedness of the Jews: but that he feeing their

obftinacy and wilful hardness of heart had suffered them to go aftray, and, in juft judgment upon them, had left them to themselves.

how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they faid, Not on the feaft-day, left there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he fat at meat, there came a woman having an alabafter-box of ointment of spikenard, very precious, and the brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were fome that had indignation within themselves, and faid, Why was this waste of the ointment made? for it might have been fold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor: and they murmured against her. And Jefus faid, Let her alone, why trouble you her? *fhe hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whenfoever ye will, ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: fhe is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I fay unto you, Wherefover this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this alfo that he hath done fhall be fpoken of for a memorial of her. And Judas Iscariot one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he fought how he might conveniently betray him. And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the paffover, his difciples faid unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare, that thou mayeft eat the paffover? And he fendeth forth two of his difciples, and faith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there fhall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And wherefoever he fhall go in, fay ye to the good-man of the house, The mafter faith, Where is the gueft-chamber, where I

*She bath wrought a good Work, &c. This fhews that works of charity are not fo to be attended to, as to forget the offices of piety and religion. For tho' Almfgiving is an important Chriftian Duty; yet he who neglects the religious worship, and fervice of Almighty God, will foon he in great danger of omitting thofe duties which he owes to his neighbour, through want of a proper principle.

↑ And he fought how he might conveniently, &c. Ju

das's intention of delivering up his Mafter, feems to
das's intention
have arifen from an infatiable avarice, and a wilful
oppofition to the courfe of Providence, hoping perhaps
that by putting Jefus into the hands of the Grandees,
he would be laid under a neceffity to prove himself to be
the Meffiah: thinking that if they fhould yield to
Chrift's arguments, the whole nation would immediately
fubmit, and the Difciples raifed forthwith to the height
of their expectations,

fhall eat the paffover with my difciples? And he will fhew you a large upper room furnished and prepared, there make ready for us. And his difciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had faid unto them: and they made ready the paffover. And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they fat, and did eat, Jefus faid, Verily I say unto you, one of you, which eateth with me hall betray me. And they began to be forrowful, and to say unto him, one by one, Is it I? And another faid is it I? And he answered and faid unto them, It is one of the twelve that dippeth with me in the dish. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but wo to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed: good were it for that man if he had never been born. And as they did eat, Jefus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and faid, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he faid unto them, This is my blood of the new teftament, which is shed for many. Verily I fay unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, † until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had fung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. And Jefus faith unto them, All ye fhall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will fmite the fhepherd, and the fheep fhall be fcattered. But after that I am rifen, I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter faid unto him, Although all fhall be offended, yet will not I. And Jefus faith unto him, Verily I fay unto thee, that this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he fpake the more vehemently, If I fhould die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wife. Likewife alfo faid they all.

He will fhew you a large upper Room furnished, That is fpread with a carpet, and having couches placed to lie upon at fupper: for the Eafterns did not fit at table as we do, but lay on couches called Triclinia, because they commonly contained three perfons. These orders from Our Saviour concerning the Pallover, plainly fhew that he foreknew all things that fhould befall him that his

fufferings were predetermined of God, and that he fubmitted voluntarily to them.

Until that day that I drink it new in the Kingdom of God, i. e. till after my refurrection.

If I fhould die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wife. As St Mark's Gofpel is commonly reported to have been wrote under the direction of St. Peter: The

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