when he was smitten unjustly before the very seat of justice, he made no other reply than this; "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but, if well, why smitest thou me?" Thus in the midst of all the cruelties and indignities that could be offered him, he never once uttered an angry, a vindictive, or an unadvised word.

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Indeed there was not only a submission, but a perfect willingness, on his part, to bear all that he was called to suffer. When first he became our surety, and it was proposed to him to assume our nature for that purpose, he replied, Lo, I come, I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart." When Peter would have dissuaded him from subjecting himself to the miseries which were coming upon him, our Lord rebuked him with a just severity, as the very first-born of satan; since none could more effectually do the part of satan, than he, who should attempt to divert him from his purpose of suffering in the place of sinners. "With great earnestness did he desire to eat the last passover with his disciples," and "to be baptized with his bloody baptism;" yea, and "was greatly straitened till it should be accomplished." He might easily have escaped, when Judas with a band of soldiers came to apprehend him in the garden; but, notwithstanding "he knew all things that were coming upon him," he voluntarily went up to them, and asked them, whom they sought: and, after he had shewn them by one exercise of his power that he could easily have struck them all dead upon the spot, even as Elijah had done before him, he gave himself up into their hands, stipulating however for his disciples, as he had long since done (in effect) with his heaverly Father for us, "If ye seek me, let these go their way." At the time of his death also, to convince the people that his nature was not exhausted, he with an exceeding loud voice committed his spirit into his Father's hands, shewing thereby that no man took his life from him, but that he laid it down of himself: and the evan

gelist particularly marked this by saying, "He dismissed his Spirit."h

In the midst of all his sufferings he abounded in expressions of love to his very murderers. When he came within sight of that infatuated, that malignant city, instead of feeling any resentment, he wept over it, and pathetically lamented the invincible obstinacy which would shortly involve it in utter ruin. Many, even thousands of its blood-thirsty inhabitants, were interested in that intercessory prayer, which he offered on the very eve of his crucifixion; the blessed effects of which were fully manifested on the day of pentecost. While he yet hanged on the cross, instead of accusing them to his Father, he prayed for them, and even pleaded their ignorance in extenuation of their guilt; "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And after he had risen triumphant from the grave, he still manifested the same unbounded compassion, directing his disciples to make the offers of salvation first to that very people, who had treated him with such consummate cruelty; and to assure them, that the blood which they had shed, was ready to cleanse them from the guilt of shedding it.

Such was the behaviour of our blessed Lord, every way suited to his august character, and calculated to promote the great ends of his mission: for while, by his sufferings, he paid the penalty that was due from us, and thus "finished transgression, and made an end of sin," he fulfilled also the obedience which the law required, and "brought in for sinners an everlasting righteous

ness."k

This subject, replete with wonder, affords us, first, an occasion for thankfulness.

-Let us for a moment endeavour to realize our state before God. We have sinned againt him: we have multiplied our transgressions: they are more in number than the stars of heaven, or the sands upon the sea shore. We owe to God a debt of ten thousand talents; and are un..

h Matt. xxvii. 50. 'Apnxe tò tæveõμa. * Dan. ix. 24.

i Luke xxiv. 47.

CXC. OUR LORD'S TRIAL AND EXECUTION.

1sai. liii. 8. He was taken from prison and from judg ment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgressions of my people was he stricken.

IT' has been generally thought, especially among heathen writers, that if virtue could be set before the eyes of men, and exhibited by some pattern of perfect excellence, it would conciliate the esteem of all, and be held in uni versal admiration. But Socrates entertained a very dif ferent opinion: he thought that if any person possessed of perfect virtue were to appear in the world, his conduct would form so striking a contrast to that of all around him, that he would be hated, despised, and persecuted, and at last be put to death; because the world could not endure the tacit, but keen reproofs, which such an example must continually administer. Experience proves that the opinion of this great philosopher was founded in a just estimate of human nature. Such a light did come into the world: "it shone in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not:" the workers of iniquity hated the light, and endeavoured to extinguish it, though their malicious attempts served but to make it burn with brighter lustre. The Lord Jesus was none other than virtue itself incarnate; and his enemies abundantly justified the opinion of Socrates; for they combined against him, and treated him with unexampled cruelty, and slew him. The extreme injustice of their conduct towards him is strongly marked in the words before us; which, on account of their intricacy, we shall explain, and as replete with useful instruction, we shall improve.

I. To explain them.

Commentators have differed much in their interpretation of the former clauses of the text; some referring them to the exaltation of Christ, and others to his humiliation. According to the former, they import that God would raise him from the dead, and give him an inexpressible weight of glory, together with an innumerable seed, who should, as it were, be born to him. But we very much

than any of the heroes of antiquity riding in their triumphal car, and dragging captive princes at their chariot wheels! If then we would be truly great, let our first victory be over our own spirit. Let us "possess our souls in patience," that, " patience having its perfect work, we may be perfect and entire lacking nothing." "If our enemy hunger, let us feed him; if he thirst, let us give him drink; that by so doing we may heap coals of fire on his head" to melt him into love. Let us "not be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."" Difficult, no doubt, this conduct is: but can we want an inducement to it, when we reflect how Christ has loved us, and given himself for us? Should we think it much to forgive our fellow-servant a few pence, when we have been forgiven ten thousand talents? Let us remember that all our professions of faith, if we be destitute of this love, are vain and worthless. "If we could speak with the tongues of men and angels, or had faith to remove mountains," or zeal to endure martyrdom, yet if we wanted the ornament of a meek, patient and forgiving spirit, we should be “ only as sounding brass, or as tinkling cymbals." God has warned us, that, as the master seized his unforgiving servant, and cast him into "prison till he should pay the utmost farthing;" "so will HE also do unto us, if we forgive not from our hearts every one his brother their trespasses. "Let us then set Christ before our eyes: let us learn of him to forgive, not once, or seven times, but seventy times seven; or, to use the language of the apostle, let us "be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. "P

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CXC. OUR LORD'S TRIAL AND EXECUTION.

1sai. iii. 8. He was taken from prison and from judg ment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgressions of my people was he stricken.

IT' has been generally thought, especially among heathen writers, that if virtue could be set before the eyes of men, and exhibited by some pattern of perfect excellence, it would conciliate the esteem of all, and be held in universal admiration. But Socrates entertained a very dif ferent opinion: he thought that if any person possessed of perfect virtue were to appear in the world, his conduct would form so striking a contrast to that of all around him, that he would be hated, despised, and persecuted, and at last be put to death; because the world could not endure the tacit, but keen reproofs, which such an example must continually administer. Experience proves that the opinion of this great philosopher was founded in a just estimate of human nature. Such a light did come into the world: "it shone in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not:" the workers of iniquity hated the light, and endeavoured to extinguish it, though their malicious attempts served but to make it burn with brighter lustre. The Lord Jesus was none other than virtue itself incarnate; and his enemies abundantly justified the opinion of Socrates; for they combined against him, and treated him with unexampled cruelty, and slew him. The extreme injustice of their conduct towards him is strongly marked in the words before us; which, on account of their intricacy, we shall explain, and as replete with useful instruction, we shall improve.

I. To explain them.

Commentators have differed much in their interpretation of the former clauses of the text; some referring them to the exaltation of Christ, and others to his humiliation. According to the former, they import that God would raise him from the dead, and give him an inexpressible weight of glory, together with an innumerable seed, who should, as it were, be born to him. But we very much