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and in this laft ftory I fear he has rather over done it, in telling us that Jefus faid to the penitent malefactor-To day thou shalt be with mẹ in Paradife. This promife, if made at all, was made upon the Friday. Now St. John in his 20th chapter tells us that when Mary Magdalene, after the refurrection, advanced to falute Jefus, he faid to her-' Touch me not, for I am yot yet

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afcended to my Father. This was upon the Sunday following; and that being the cafe, what becomes of the promise? or at least of its accomplishment? St. John though he has omitted, in his account of the crucifixion, the interesting particulars aforefaid; has inferted fome particulars, omitted by the others, but in which he himself was interested, viz.-' Now there stood by the cross of Jefus, his mother, and his mother's fifter, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary 'Magdalene, when Jefus therefore faw his mother, and the difciple ftanding by, whom he loved, (St. John) he faith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy Son.' If these and the following words were not accompanied with particular movements of the head; he must mean himself. Then faith he to the disciple, Behold

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thy mother.' We must however suppose they were fo accompanied, as John tells- From that hour that difciple took her unto his own home.' Whether her husband was living or dead at that time, we have no account. I am inclined to

think he was dead; for the reasons given page 45; and thereto adding the impropriety of this dif pofal had Jofeph been alive.

We will now examine the infcription, wrote by Pilate, and fixed upon the cross above the head of Jefus, viz.

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE

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Luke and John tell us that this infcription was wrote in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Matthew wrote in Hebrew: the other three in Greek; but neither of them understood Latin. The tranflation from Matthew might therefore differ from those of the other three; but how is it that the laft three differ from each other? St. John, who feems to be the only one prefent, and is the only one who informs us that the infcription was wrote by Pilate; gives us this additional anecdote

Then faid the chief priests of the Jews (after 'having read the infcription) to Pilate: Write not the king of the Jews, but that he said, I am king of the Jews.' Pilate anfwered, 'What I have written, I have written.' There is, I think, little doubt that Pilate's motive in this, was to mortify the Jews for their obftinate per

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feverance in obtaining the death of Jefus, con- Chapter Verfe trary to the governor's wifhes, and regardless of his request. We will now proceed to the circumstances which happened at the death of Jefus, in which we fhall find Matthew and Mark fo perfectly agreeing, and their arrangement fo very like; that we may be tempted to fufpect one copied from the other. Luke and John differ, not only from them, but from each other. We will firft take Matthew's account- Now from xxvii. 45 'the fixth hour, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. (Mark fays-over the whole land. Luke fays-over all the earth. John fays nothing about the darkness or earthquake.) And about the ninth hour, Jefus 'cried with a loud voice faying-Eli, Eli, lama 'Sabackthani? that is to fay-My God, my

God, why haft thou forfaken me? Some of 'them that stood there, when they heard that, 'faid, This man calleth for Elias. And ftraightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and 'filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and

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gave him to drink. The reft faid, Let be, let

( us fee whether Elias will come to fave him.

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Jefus, when he had cried again with a loud ' voice, yielded up the ghoft. And behold the ' vail of the temple was rent in twain from the

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top to the bottom.' Thus far Mark's account seems a tranfcript of Matthew's, varying nothing in matter, and very little in form.

little in form.

And here it

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is neceffary to confider the import of Jefus's laft words- My God, my God: why haft thou forfaken me?' This, according to our conceptions, plainly indicates a disappointment: he did not expect to be in these circumstances, or he expected to be better supported under them. 'He 'cried again with a loud voice.' A fecond proof of his human weakness. The fubterfuge of our fchool-men-that he felt like a man, but died like a God is merely pomp of words: that he felt like a man, is evident by the records of Matthew, Mark, and Luke: but that he died like a God, is difproved by two of them. Here we must abandon the Godhead of Jefus, or give up the evidence of two evangelifts Matthew and Mark. Luke fays not a word of this exclamation; nor does John, who was prefent, and who says of himfelf upon this occafion, ch. xix. v. 35, And he that faw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he faith true, that ye σ might believe.' Let us now examine the evidence of these two. The firft fays (ch. xxiii. v. 44) And it was about the fixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the fun was darkened. (Luke only, ' mentions the fun.) And the vail of the temple was rent in the midst; and when Jefus had cried'with a loud voice, he faid-(not the difcontented exclamation recorded by Matthew and Mark but fubmiffively and refignedly-Fa

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•ther,

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ther, into thy hands I commend my fpirit.' Luke adds- And having faid thus he gave up

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'the ghoft.' St. John's record differs from them all. After reciting the difpofal Jefus made of his mother, which I have already noticed, he goes on (ch. xix. v. 28.)- After this Jefus knowing ' that all things were now accomplished, that the fcripture might be fulfilled, faith, I thirft. 'Now there was fet a veffel full of vinegar and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyfop, and put it to his mouth. (This was a humane cuftom, administered upon these 'occafions under an idea that it deadened the pain; or rather-that it rendered the fufferer 'lefs fenfible of it.) When Jefus therefore had

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received the vinegar, he faid-It is finished. "And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.' Here we have not one loud cry: and the last speech is totally unlike the others but we must obferve, that it implies a calm refignation; and in that respect, unites with Luke against Matthew and Mark. It is obfervable alfo (though the matter, compared with the laft, is but of little confequence) how much they differ in the compofition, time, and circumftances, relative to the beverage. Matthew fays-They gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.' This feems to be unafked and previous to his being faftened to the crofs. Mark fays And they gave him to

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• drink,

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