562

The Soldiers divide his Garments by Lot.

23.

SECT. CXC.

CHRIST's Garments are divided by Lot; and while he is
himself infulted on the Cross, he fhews his Mercy to the
Penitent Thief. Mat. XXVII. 35,---37. 39, 44.
Mark XV. 24. 26. 29,---32. Luke XXIII. —34,---43.
John XIX, 19,---24.

JOHN XIX. 23.

Sect. 190. THE Soldiers therefore, when they had thus crucified Jefus, took his Garments, which acJohn XIX. cording to Cuftom they had stripped off, that the Shame of fuffering naked might be added to all the Agony of the Crofs; and, as it was ufual for the Executioners to have the Garments of the Criminal whom they put to Death, they made four Parts of his Clothes, affigning to each Soldier of the Quaternion employed on that Occafion a Part, and cafting Lots upon them which of the four each Man fhould take: And [they took] alfo the Veft, or inner Garment; now the Veft had one curious Circumftance attending it, viz. that it was without any Seam at all, being woven from the Top 24 throughout in one whole Piece (a).

And as

this was confidered by them as more valuable than
ordinary, they said therefore one to another, Let us
not fpoil this Coat, as we must do if we go about
to tear it into four Parts, but let us caft Lots for
it, whofe the whole of it shall be: And accord-
ingly they did fo, that the Scripture Spoken by the
Prophet David in the Perfon of the Meffiah,
might thus be literally fulfilled, which faith, (Pfal.
xxii. 18.) "They divided my Garments among
"them, and caft Lots for my Vesture (b)."

Thefe

Things

(a) Woven from the Top throughout in one whole Piece.] Perhaps this curious Garment might be the Work, and Prefent of fome of the pious Women, who attended him, and minifered to him of their Subftance. (Luke viii. 3.) The Hint here given of its Make, has fet fome mechanical Heads to work, to contrive a Frame for weaving fuch a Veft; and a good Cut of it may be feen in Calmet's Dictionary, on the Word Veftments; Vol. iii. pag. 119. (b) They divided my Garments among them, &c.] We are no where told, that David's Goods were plundered; and there are feveral other Paffages in the xxiid Pfalm, particularly

The Title of King of the Jews is put over him on the Cross.

563

therefore the Soldiers did. Things therefore the Soldiers did, tho' with the Sect. 190. [MAT. XXVII.—35.]

37 And fet up over his Head [the Superfcription of] his Accufation written, THIS IS JESUS [JOH. OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. XXIII. 38.— JOHN XIX.

[MARK XV. 26. LUKE

-19.]

JOHN XIX.-19. And

Pilate wrote [the] Title, and put it on the Crofs.

utmost Freedom as to themselves, yet by the fe

24.

cret Difpofal of Providence, which by an undif- John XIX.
cerned Influence on their Minds led them to act,
in a remarkable Correfpondence to the Divine
Oracle. And having done thus, they fate down Matth.
near the Cross, and guarded him, and the other XXVII. 36.
Two, that none might come there to rescue them,
before they were quite dead (c).

And as the ufual Method was in Cafes of Cru- 37
cifixion, they put upon the Cross over his Head a
Superfcription (d), containing the Subftance of his
pretended Crime, written in these remarkable
Words, THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.

And indeed John XIX.

it was Pilate who wrote [this] Title, and ordered 19.
them to put it on the Cross; which howfoever it
was defigned by Pilate as a Reproach to Jefus,
was in effect a Declaration of his real Character;
and by the fecret Providence of GOD, he was
thus led in a remarkable and publick Manner to
proclaim the Kingdom of Chrift, while he meant
only to expofe and ridicule his Title to it.
Many of the Jews therefore that came up to the 20
Feaft of the Paffover, read this Infcription; be-
caufe the Place where Jefus was crucified, was
near to the City, and lay but juft without the
ters Gates. And that the Infcription might be gene-
rally understood, it was expreffed by Pilate's Or-

20 This Title then read many of the Jews: for the Place where Jefus was crucified was nigh to the City: and it was written in [Let

der

that in which Mention is made of piercing his Hands and his Feet, to which no Circumftance of David's perfonal Sufferings feems to have borne any Refemblance. It therefore seems to me exceeding probable, that in this Scripture, and fome others, the Mind of the Prophet was thrown into a preternatural Extafy, in which, on fome fecret Intimation given to him, that he therein perfonated the Meffiah, he wrote exprefsly what the Spirit dictated, without any particular Regard to himself; fo that David might, for any thing I can find, with equal Propriety have written fuch a Pfalm, if his whole Life had been as profperous and peaceable, as the Reign of Solomon his Son. (Compare 1 Pet. i. 10,-12.)

(c) That none might come to refcue them, &c.] This was the more neceffary in this Kind of Execution, because the Wounds given in Crucifixion were not generally mortal. The Perfon crucified died partly by the Lofs of Blood, if any large Vefel was pierced by the Nails, when Nails (as here) were used; but chiefly, by the violent Distortion of the Limbs, which were ftretched forth as on a Rack; a Circumftance, which muft, no doubt, occafion exquifite Anguish.

(d) They put over his Head a Superfcription.] This Bishop Pearfon (on the Creed, p. 205.) and Mr. Lardner, (Credibility, Vol. i. Book i. chap. 7. §. 10.) have abundantly proved to be ufual, in Cafes of any extraordinary Punishment.

564

He is infulted by the People in his Sufferings,

Sect. 190. der in Three Languages, and written both in ters of Hebrew, [and] Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin Letters, fo that Greek, [and] Latin. [LUKE XXIII. -38.] it might easily be read by Jews, Romans, and moft other Foreigners (e).

John XIX.

20.

Matth.

21

Now it is remarkable, that when this Infcription was drawn up, the Chief Priests of the Jews were very much offended at the Form in which it was expreffed; and therefore objected against it, and faid to Pilate, Do not write, The King of the Jews; for we entirely difown him under that Character, as thou well knoweft; but rather write, that he faid, I am the King of the Jews. 22 But Pilate, displeased at the Importunity by which, contrary to his Inclination and Judgment, they had extorted from him the Sentence of Death he had paffed upon Jefus, answered with fome Warmth, What I have written, I have written, and whoever may object against it, I am determined it fhall ftand as it is.

XXVII. 39.

When therefore they were unable to procure any Alteration, they were determined publickly to turn it into a Jeft; and therefore fome of them went in Perfon to Calvary, to infult and scoff at Jefus even in his last Moments. And the common People, that food beholding the Execution, reviled him; and even they that passed by on the Road blafphemed him, shaking their Heads at 40 him, in a haughty infulting Manner,

And Saying, Ab thou vain Boafter, that wouldst destroy the Temple, and build it again in Three Days! let us now fee if thou canft fave thyself; and if thou art indeed the Son of GOD, give us a Proof of thy Power now, and come down from the Cross; for in thy prefent Circumftances that will be the moft proper Miracle thou canft work in Confir41 mation of thy pretended Miffion. And in like manner alfo the Chief Priests, together with the Scribes and Elders, and the Rulers alfo themfelves,

the

Priefts of the Jews to Pilate,
Write not, The King of the
Jews; but that he faid, I
am King of the Jews.

21 Then faid the Chief

(e) In Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.] It was written in Latin, for the Majefty of the Roman Empire; in Greek, for the Information of the vaft Numbers of Hellenifts that ufed that Language, as indeed moft Provinces of the Roman Empire did; (fee Brerewood's Enquiries, chap. i-iv.) and in Hebrew, as it was the vulgar Language. Thus the Infcrip tion fet up in the Temple, to prohibit Strangers from coming within thofe facred Limits, was written in all those three Languages. Jofeph. Bell. Jud, lib. vi, cap, 2. (al. vii. 4.) §. 4.

and is derided by the Chief Priests and Rulers.

him, and] [mocking faid among themselves,] with the Scribes and Elders, [MARK XV. 31.- LUKE XXIII. -35--1

42 He faved others, him

felf he cannot fave: If he be [LUK. Chrift, the Chofen of GOD,] the King of Ifrael,

let him now come down from the Crofs, [LUK. and save himself,] [that we may see, ]and we will believe him. [MARK XV.—31, 32.LUKE XXIII. —35.}

565

Matth.
XXVIL 41.

the Malice of whofe Hearts had made them to Sect. 190. forget the Dignity of their Characters, and to attend among the Mob upon this bafe and barbarous Occafion, joined with them in their Scoffs, and with a fcornful Sneer derided him; [and] mocking faid one to another, Ay, this is be 42 that faved others, [and] undertook to give them perfect Deliverance and everlasting Happiness, but now you fee, he cannot fave himself from the moft infamous Execution: If he be really the true Meffiah, the Elect of GOD, and in Consequence of that Divine Choice be the King of Ifrael, as he has fo often pretended, let him now come down from the Cross, [and] fave himself from Death, that we may fee a Demonstration of his faving Power, and we will then believe him (f). Nay, 43 they were at once fo profane and fo ftupid, as faid, I am the Son of GoD. to borrow on this Occafion the Words foretold by David, (Pfal. xxii. 8.) and to fay, "He trufted "in GOD, and boafted of his Interest in him; "let him deliver him now, if he will have him, "or if he delighteth in him ;" for he has often faid, I am the Son of GOD: The Priefts themfelves not obferving, that this was the very Language, which the Murtherers of the Meffiah are there defcribed as ufing.

43 He trufted in GoD, he will have him: for he

let him deliver him now, if

LUKE XXIII. 36. And

the Soldiers alfo mocked

offering him Vinegar,

And the Soldiers alfo, who kept Guard at that Luk, XXIII. him, coming to him, and Time, joined with the reft of the Spectators, and 36. fcornfully mocked him; coming to him, and offering him Vinegar to drink in the midst of his Agonies; (compare John xix. 29. Sect. 191.) And Say- 37 ing, as the Rulers and People had done, If thou art really, as thou haft frequently pretended, the King of the Jews (g), before thou undertakest

37 And faying, If thou be the King of the Jews, fave thyself.

to

He faved others, &c.] Nothing could be bafer, than thus to upbraid him with this faving Power, which was not a vain Pretence, but had produced fo many noble and stupendous Effects. And it was equally unreasonable, to put the Credit of his Miffion on his coming down from the Crofs: A vigorous Spring might poffibly have forced the Nails from the Hands and Feet of a crucified Perfon, fo that he might have leaped from the Crofs. What Chrift had fo lately done before their Eyes, and in part on themselves in the Garden, was a far more convincing Difplay of a Divine Power, than merely to have defcended now. could have been. And tho' they promise upon this to believe him, there is no Room to think they would have yielded to Conviction; but all they meant was to infult him by it, as, thinking it impoffible he should escape out of their Hands.

(g) If thou art the King of the Jews.] As this Claim feemed to them the most dero

gatory

566

One of the Malefactors reviles him; the other is penitent,

Sect. 190. to deliver them, fave thyself from our Power, and fo begin to affert thy Claim to a supream Authority.

Luk.XXIII.

39.

And one of the Malefactors alfo (b), who hung on the Cross with him, regardless of that Innocence and Dignity which Jefus manifested under all his Sufferings, and unaffected with a Senfe of his own aggravated Guilt, upbraided him with the fame [Reproach, and] fcornfully blafphemed him as an Impoftor, faying, If thou art the Meffiah, why doft thou not fave thyself, and us, who are now 40 dying with thee? But the other, awakened to a Senfe of his Sin, and convinced in his Heart that Jefus was indeed the promifed Meffiah, anfwered his Companion, and rebuked him, faying, Doft thou not fear GOD, even now when thou thyfelf art in the fame Condemnation? In fuch an awful Circumstance as this, doft thou dare to increafe thy Crimes with thy dying Breath, and to behave thyself fo infolently in the immediate View 41 of GOD's righteous Tribunal ? And we indeed are justly thus condemned; for we receive no more than what is due for the notorious Crimes we have committed: But this [Man] has done nothing by any means amifs, nor is there the leaft Infolence or Abfurdity in that high Claim which he has made, tho' Appearances be for the present fo 42 much against it. And having thus rebuked his Companion, and teftified his full Perfuafion of the Innocence of Jefus, he then directed his Difcourfe to him, and faid to Jefus, looking upon him with the humbleft and the most contrite Regard, Lord, tho' this Wretch derides thy Miffion, I firmly believe it; and I beg, that thou wouldft graciously remember me, when thou comeft

into

factors [alfo] which were hanged, [or crucified with him, caft the fame in his Teeth, and] railed on him, faying, If thou be Chrift, fave thy felf and us. [MAT. XXVII. 44. MARK XV. -32.]

39 And one of the Male

40 But the other answer

ing, rebuked him, saying, Doft not thou fear GoD, feeing thou art in the fame Condemnation?.

41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due Reward of our Deeds: but this

Man hath done nothing amifs.

42 And he faid unto Jefus, Lord, remember me when

thou comeft into thy Kingdom.

gatory to the Roman Authority, it is no Wonder, that the Soldiers grounded their Infults on this, rather than on his profeffing himself the Son of GOD.

(b) One of the Malefactors alfo.] We are told indeed by Matthew, in the Plural Number, that the Thieves caft the fame in his Teeth; and Mark alfo fays, that they that were crucified with him, reviled him: And hence fome infer, that he who afterwards proved penitent, at firft joined in the Blafphemy: But had that been the Cafe, furely Luke, in fo particular a Narrative as his, would not have omitted it. I therefore rather conclude with moft Criticks, that it is what is commonly called an Enallage of Numbers, the Plural being (as elsewhere) put for the Singular. (See Note (f) on Mark xiv. 5. Sect. 145. pag. 285. and Note (a) on Mark i. 21. Vol. i. Sect. 35. pag. 208.

(i) When