deeper still into his soul, and wrung from his wounded spirit that bitter, dolorous cry,-" My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me; so far from the words of my roaring? My strength is dried up like a potsherd, my tongue cleaveth to my jaws. Thy rebukes have broken my heart." *

At the ninth hour, which was the time of the evening sacrifice, the dying Lamb, knowing that one only passage of Scripture remained to be accomplished concerning his atonement, said," I thirst." A sponge filled with vinegar was immediately put on a stem of hyssop, and raised to his lips. He received it with the triumphant exclamation,—“ It is finished!" and bowing his head in token that his death was voluntary, like a conqueror retreating with immense spoil from the field, He cried with a voice that penetrated heaven, earth, and hell, and proclaimed that Satan was vanquished," Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Then, yielding up his soul as a sin-offering to God, it winged its flight to paradise, precisely at the hour when the evening lamb was being sacrificed in the temple,— the substance coinciding with the shadow.

“'Tis finish'd—so the Saviour cried,
And meekly bow'd his head, and died:
'Tis finish'd—yes, the race is run,
The battle fought, the victory won.

* Ps. xxii. 1, 15.

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'Tis finish'd-all that heaven decreed,
And all the ancient prophets said,
Is now fulfilled as was design'd,
In me the Saviour of mankind.

“'Tis finish'd—this my dying groan,
Shall sins of every kind atone;

Millions shall be redeem'd from death,
By this my last expiring breath.”

Prodigies attended the death of the holy Saviour. The land of Judea was convulsed with an earthquake while his holy soul was being presented to the Father as a sin-offering. Mount Calvary and the adjoining rocks were split asunder, and the sepulchres burst open, and many of the departed saints arose from the bed of death, after his resurrection, and appeared to their friends in the holy city. The temple

heaved and shook to its foundation. The veil of the holy of holies was rent from the top to the bottom, and disclosed to open view the cherubim and the mercy-seat, thus signifying that the way into heaven was now opened through the veil of Christ's lacerated flesh, which that beautiful curtain symbolized,-"The covering cast over all nations" was virtually "destroyed, and the rebuke of God's people" taken away.* Inanimate nature evinced an emotion, at the humiliation and sufferings of its Creator, which infatuated man-the noblest work of his hands-had shown himself incapable of feeling.† * Isai. xxv. 7, 8. + Matt. xxvii. 45–52.

"The rocks can rend, the earth can quake,
The seas can roar, the mountains shake;
Of feeling all things show some sign
But this unfeeling heart of mine.
To hear the sorrows thou hast felt,
Might cause the very stones to melt;
But I can read each wondrous line,
And nothing move this heart of mine.
Eternal Spirit-mighty God,

Do thou apply the Saviour's blood;
'Tis his rich blood, and his alone,

Can melt and move this heart of stone."

It affords some relief to the dark picture of human depravity, that the Roman centurion and his quaternion, who were on duty, "watching Jesus," were seriously impressed by his peaceful, holy, and heavenly demeanour, and by the prodigies which attested his Divine nature. "They feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God." A conviction which was most probably strengthened by the preaching of the glorious Gospel throughout the empire. "And all the people who believed in Him, and the women who came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned to their homes with weeping and bitter lamentations." *

* Luke xxiii. 47-49.

THE law of Moses allowed no one to hang on a tree after sunset, and as it was on the eve of a passoverSabbath that Jesus made his soul a sacrifice for sin, the Jewish rulers, who were strictly scrupulous concerning ceremonial observances, demanded of Pilate, that his corpse and those of the two thieves might be taken down from their crosses. Pilate acquiesced in their desire, and gave orders to the soldiers to remove them. They had the precaution to ascertain that they were all quite dead, and "brake the legs of the two malefactors, but overruled by an invisible power, they touched not the sacred feet of the Lamb of God," that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "a bone of Him shall not be

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broken." Instead of testing his death by the ordinary process, one of the soldiers plunged a spear into his side, which penetrating the pericardium, wherein water is always lodged, would have cut asunder the last thread of life had He not been "dead already." "And forthwith came thereout blood and water," flowing from a heart of infinite compassion and sensibility, broken with grief, and crushed with the burden of imputed sin, transferred to Him as the surety of sinners.*

Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable and wealthy senator, innocent of the crimes of the Sanhedrim, and a secret disciple, possessed a residence, or at least some landed property near to Mount Calvary. In a garden belonging to him there, was a rock of solid stone, mound-like in form and appearance, wherein he had recently caused a tomb to be hewn out, and lined with marble. He is said to have been "waiting for the kingdom of God," and resolved to bestow on his crucified Lord a suitable interment in this new sepulchre. Having great influence with the Governor, he went boldly to him "and craved" the precious "body." Readily disposed to gratify him, Pilate immediately inquired of the centurion, "whether He had been any while dead?" and on being answered in the affirmative, gave orders that his remains should be committed to Joseph. Having thus obtained permission to per

* Ps. lxix. 20..