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(SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK.) Jerusalem.

LUKE.

CH. XXIII. 26-33.

29 For behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.*

30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.t

31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

32 And there were also two others, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

33 And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary,

JOHN.
CH. XIX. 16, 17.

went

forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha.

(SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK.) Jerusalem.

CH. XXIII. 33, 34, 38.

33

There

CH. XIX. 18-24.

18 Where they crucified him, and they crucified him, and the malefactors; two other with him, on either side one on the right hand, and the other one, and Jesus in the midst. on the left.

34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

38 And a superscription also was written over him, in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

• Is. liv. 1.

19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

:

20 This title then read many of the Jews for the place where Jesus was + Hos. x. 8.

ference of arrangement; for the order in which two sentences, or the several members of the same sentence, are disposed by St. Matthew, is, in several places, inverted by St. Mark. And with regard to his actions, though the most material parts of whatever they were going to relate must command their attention, yet there was no such superior attraction in one specific number and order of secondary circumstances, as could turn their thoughts absolutely and exclusively to them. This is plain from instances to the contrary. One Evangelist is sometimes distinct, while another is concise; and describes what the other passes over. TOWNSON, pp. 60-1.

We may reasonably suppose St. Matthew to have cited the Hebrew,-St. John the Greek, and St. Mark the Latin, which was the shortest, and without mixture of foreign words. St. Mark is followed by St. Luke; only that he has brought down "THIS IS from above, as having a common reference to what stood under it. NEWCOME.

H H

MATTHEW.

CH. XXVII. 35-38.

§ 153. The Crucifixion.

MARK.

CH. XV. 24-28.

38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him: one on the right hand, and another on the left.

27 And with him they crucify two thieves, the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.

28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.*

§ 154. The Jews mock at Jesus on the cross.

CH. XXVII. 39-44. 39 And they that passed by, reviled him, wagging their heads,

40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the

cross.

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

He commends

CH. XV. 29-32.

29 And they that passed by, railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, 30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.

31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking, said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.

42 He saved others; himself he 32 Let Christ the King of Israel cannot save. If he be the King of descend now from the cross, that we

* Is. liii. 12.

John xix. 23, four parts.] We have here an incidental allusion to a practice well known at that time. The malefactor about to be crucified, having borne his own cross to the place of execution, was stripped, and made to drink a stupefying potion; the cross was then laid on the ground, the sufferer distended upon it, and four soldiers, two on each side, were employed in driving four large nails through his hands and feet. For this service they had a right to his clothes as a perquisite. See Dr. Harwood's Introd., cited in HORNE's Introd., vol. i. pp. 94, 95,

Luke xxiii. 36, vinegar.] Here the common drink of the Roman soldiers is offered by them to Jesus on the cross, while they are deriding him; which is a different act from that in Matt. xxvii. 34, 48, as appears by the place assigned to it. NEWCOME.

Luke xxiii. 39, one of the malefactors.] What was true of only one of the malefactors,

(SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK.) Jerusalem.

LUKE.

JOHN.

CH. XIX. 18-24.

crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

22 Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written.

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers

did.

his mother to John. (SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK.) Jerusalem.

CH. XXIII. 35-37, 39-43.

35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,

37 And saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself.

39 And one of the malefactors, which were hanged, railed on him,

is attributed to both in the concise relations of Matthew and Mark; the plural being often used in the Gospels for the singular. This the Evangelists themselves show in some instances. Compare Mark vii. 17, and Matt. xv. 15; Mark v. 31, and Luke viii. 45; Matt. xiv. 17, and Mark vi. 38, Luke ix. 13, John vi. 8, 9; Matt. xxvi. 8, and Mark xiv. 4, John xii. 4; Matt. xxiv. 1, and Mark xiii. 1; Matt. xxvii. 37, and John xix. 19; Matt. xxvii. 48, and Mark xv. 36, John xix. 29. See also Luke xxii. 67. In the following places, the plural is used, while the sense shows that one is spoken of. John xi. 8, Luke xx. 21, 39, and xxiv. 5, Matt. xv. 1, 12.-The Evangelists, therefore, when from attention to brevity they avoid particularizing, often attribute to many what is said or done by single persons; nor does any striking peculiarity in the case omitted, lead them to deviate from their manner; for instance, the case of Judas, Matth. xxvi. 8, and the parallel places. NEWCOME.

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§ 155. Darkness prevails. Christ expires on the cross.

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CH. XV. 33-37.

33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land, until the ninth hour.

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.

36 And one ran and filled a spunge + Ps. xxii. 1.

Luke xxiii. 44, over all the earth.] The objection urged by infidels, upon this passage, against the veracity of the Evangelists, from the silence of profane writers concerning so remarkable an event, is met and answered by Bp. Watson in his Reply to Gibbon, Let. 5. See also HORNE's Introd. Vol. 1. p. 210-216. The word translated earth, in Luke, is

his mother to John. (SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK.) Jerusalem.

LUKE.

CH. XXIII. 35-37, 39-43.

saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself

and us.

JOHN.
CH. XIX. 25-27.

40 But the other answering, rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

(SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK) Jerusalem.

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the same which is rendered land, in the others, and applies equally to both. Taken in the latter sense, it may limit the darkness to Judea. But the Evangelists do not mention the degree of darkness; if therefore it was slight, though it extended over the whole globe, the objection of its not being recorded by Pliny or Seneca vanishes at once.

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