fountains of living waters, where thy saints shall thirst no more, (Rev. vii. 16, 17.)

Lastly, When a pious Christian farther considers, that the Lord Jesus publicly made known his thirst that the Scripture might be fulfilled; it being expressly said by the Evangelist, that he cried out, I thirst;' he admires the reverence which the eternal WORD of God expressed for the written Word of God. Jesus well knew, that this declaration of his thirst would draw on him a fresh insult; yet he was far from declining any additional suffering, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, and that the truth of it might be confirmed by a new seal. O preserve me from undervaluing the Word of the living God, or contemptuously using it as a dead letter! Grant that I may rather honour it as the voice of the Supreme Majesty of heaven, and choose it for the rule of my faith and practice; and that I may be willing to suffer any thing, that the Scripture may be fulfilled in me. 'For they that will live Godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution,' (2 Tim. iii. 12.)

IV. We come, in the fourth place, to consider the insult offered to our blessed Lord, by giving him vinegar to drink. For when the soldiers heard the languishing Jesus complain of thirst, they filled a spunge with vinegar [which was in a vessel at hand, as it was at that age the common drink for soldiers,] and put it on a reed, or, according to St. John, a stalk cut from a large hyssop shrub, and held it up to his dry and parched lips by way of derision, instead of a cordial to support his drooping spirits.

Here a devout soul is amazed, on the one hand, at the obduracy and barbarity of the human heart, and that these wicked men should be so utterly void of humanity and compassion; and, on the other hand, at the greatness of our Saviour's love to mankind, who endured all this for our sake. Our blessed Saviour, by this circumstance of his passion, also fulfilled the Scripture, which he himself inspired;

where he appoints this kind of suffering for himself, and says by the mouth of the Psalmist, In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink,' (Psalm lxix. 21.) He likewise confirmed his own words to his disciples: 'I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine,' (Matt. xxvi. 29.) O dearest Redeemer, thanks be to thee for thine inconceivable love! Every thing which was transacted on the cross, was done for my good. It was out of love to me, that thou wast thirsty; it was out of love to my soul, that thou didst drink. Grant, that when thou thirsteth in thy poor members, I may relieve and comfort them, not with vinegar, but to the best of my power. But if the world should give me a disagreeable sour potion in my distress, may it be sweetened by the memory of thy love and patience!

But the astonishment of a pious Christian will yet encrease, when he calls to mind that the Jews, who stood about the cross, still mocked thee, our dear Redeemer! For while the soldier was pressing the spunge filled with vinegar to his sacred mouth, they called out in a deriding manner, 'Let him be; let us see whether Elias will come to save him!' According to St. Mark's account, the inhuman soldier likewise joined in the mockery. In these words the spirit of reviling had inserted his venomous sting; for by this the Jews intimated, that the Lord Jesus was a false Messiah; who, since no body acknowledged him on the cross, expressed a desire that Elias would come and perform a miracle, by taking him down from the cross, and by that means declare and constitute him the Messiah. O my Saviour! must then all the waves and storms of affliction, with combined impetuosity, pass over thee in the last moments of thy life? Has it cost thee so dear to open the consolatory spring of life to me, a wretched worm, that my fainting soul. may be refreshed with goodness and mercy? Eternal thanks be to thee for such transcendent love! Grant that I may readily determine to bear the most disagree

able sensations, in following thee; and not think it strange that the world should embitter any cordial it offers me, and, under the show of a kind office, should grieve my soul with mockeries and insults. O preserve me in the hour of suffering, and grant that I may not turn my confidence from God to the creatures! Though the world slander and revile me, I will wrap myself in silence, and refer the manifestation of my innocence to thee.

V. Lastly, All these sufferings of our Saviour were succeeded by the separation of his soul and body, by a blessed, but torturing death. After Jesus had received the vinegar, nothing further remained to be transacted or suffered on the cross. He had now drunk off the cup of sufferings; the law was fulfilled; sin was sealed up, the guilt of it atoned for, and the punishment endured.

O the joy of a faithful soul, at hearing his Saviour cry out, It is finished!' Ever praised be thy name, O my God, that I have a complete Mediator, who, by offering one great sacrifice, hath perfected forever all those that are sanctified,' (Heb. x. 14.) Therefore, O thou ALPHA and MEGA, I will in faith embrace thee, the great author and finisher of my faith. Thou hast finished whatever appertained to my redemption; this thy meritorious work I will produce at the Divine tribunal, and with it cover the defects of my imperfect obedience. Grant, O my Saviour, that the work of grace may be also finished in me. Give me not only to will and believe; but likewise to do and accomplish what thou commandest, according to thy good pleasure; and grant that I may keep the faith, and at last obtain the crown of righteousness.

And now our blessed Redeemer prepares himself for death. Here the pious soul wonders at the resignation, which his Saviour displays at the hour of death. The evangelical history informs us, that he again cried with a loud voice, and said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit; and having said this, he bowed

his head, and gave up the ghost.' Here we may recollect a former saying of the Lord Jesus, namely, 'No man taketh my life from me; but I lay it down. of myself,' (John x. 18.) He delivered up his soul as a precious pledge into the hands of his Father, from whom, he knew, he should again receive it on the third day. Thanks be to thee, O Saviour, says the pious soul, for entering so willingly on death. Thanks be to thee, that with thy soul thou hast also recommended my soul into the hands of the Father. O my Saviour, extirpate from my heart all fear of death; and let thy willingness to die also work in me a willing desire to depart, and to be with thee.

But this loud cry, with which our Saviour gave up the ghost, probably proceeded from extreme pain and agony. The death which HE suffered was quite dif. ferent from that of his followers. Death, when it attacked him, was not divested of its sharp sting, which the Mediator was severely to feel. The pains of death came on him, as the pains of birth on a woman in travail. He was to taste of death in all its bitterness; and by that means, to extract its sting and disarm it, (1 Cor. xv. 55.) so that it might be changed into a tranquil sleep to believers. Thanks be to thee, O my Saviour, who by thy death hast taken away the power of death, and hast divested him of his sting, so that I need no more be afraid of it. May thy last words be my light, when death shall oppress my soul with gloomy horrors! O eternal Word, let thy loud cry speak for me, when my power of speech shall fail; and may I in my death enjoy the fruit of thy victory over death; so that even the last shout of thy host with which thou shalt come to judgment, instead of terror, may be a sound of joy and exultation to me..

THE PRAYER.

LORD Jesus, bless to our souls this Consideration. of thy last sufferings; and grant that it may leave on our hearts a holy and lasting impression. May these

hours of study be so profitably spent, that I may feel the benefit of them at my death, and praise thee for them in eternity. Grant this, O Lord, for the sake of thy death and passion. Amen.

CONSIDERATION IX.

THE LAST HOURS OF THE LORD JESUS.

'IN thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, let me never be ashamed: Deliver me in thy righteousness; bow down thine ear to me, and deliver me speedily: Be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock, and my fortress; therefore, for thy name's sake, lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: Thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. I have hated those that regard lying vanities; but I trust in the Lord. I will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy; for thou hast considered my trouble: Thou hast known my soul in adversities, and hast not shut me up in the hand of the enemy; thou hast set my feet in a large room,' (Psalm xxx. 1-9.)

The fifth verse of this Psalm, namely, 'Into thy hand I commend my spirit,' are to be considered as the key to lead us into the right sense of the text; and from these words an attentive mind may easily infer, that this part of the Psalm treats of our ever glorious Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. For as he appropriates to himself the twenty-second Psalm, by borrowing from it these words which he spoke on the cross, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me;' so has he likewise appropriated to himself this Psalm, by saying, 'Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit.' Hence we may conclude, that Christ is

*Hours signify devotion.