552 The Jews declare, they have no King but Cæfar. Sect. 188. that they might have Execution done, as ufual, he faith unto the Jews, Behold your King. before Noon. And Pilate finding he must, after John XIX. all, yield to the People, and confent to the Death .14. of Jefus, left his former Struggle should be mifrepresented at Rome, was refolved to manage this Incident fo, as to procure from the Jews a publick Acknowledgment of Cæfar's Authority: And therefore, pointing to Jefus, as he now appeared in this mock Pomp of Royalty, he fays to the Jews, who were prefent in vaft Numbers, Bebold your King, if you think fit to own him, as 15 it is faid many of you have done. But they again cried out with Indignation and Difdain, Away with [him,] away with [him ;] we are fo far from owning him, that we defire thee to crucify him. Pilate fays to them, What, shall I crucify your King? How ftrange, and how extravagant a Demand is this? And the Chief Priests answered, in the Name of all the People, We have no King but the Emperor Tiberius Cæfar, whofe Royal Authority we acknowledge, and will always maintain, Matth. 15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate faith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The Chief Priefts answered, We have no King but Cefar. a Pilate faw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather Tumult was made, he took Water, and washed hisHands ing, I am innocent of the before the Multitude, sayBlood of this juft Perfon: fee ye to it. MAT. XXVII.24. When And Pilate feeing that it fignified nothing any XXVII. 24 longer to oppofe the popular Torrent, but that they rather grew more tumultuous by the Delay, was determined however to do all he could, to make his own Confcience eafy in complying with this their unjust Requeft; and therefore he took Water, and washed his Hands in the Prefence of the Multitude (m), faying, I call Heaven and Earth to Witnefs, that I am innocent of the Blood of this righteous [Man ;] look you [to] the Confequences of fhedding [it] and remember you are answerable for them, whatever they may 25 prove. And all the People answered, faying, We will venture thofe Confequences: May his People, and faid, His Blood Blood 25 Then anfwered all the be will be touched on in the Note laft referred to. See a large and accurate View of them, in Wolf. Cur. Phil. Vol. i. pag. 969,———976. (m) He took Water, and washed his Hands, &c.] It is well known, that the Jews in fome Cafes were appointed to wash their Hands, as a folemn Token, that they were not themselves concerned in the Murther committed by fome unknown Perfon: (See Deut. xxi. 6,-9.) But as this was also a Rite that was frequently used by the Gentiles in Token of Innocence, it is more probable, that Pilate, who was a Gentile, did it in Conformity to them. See Grotius, in loc. and Elfner. Observ. Vol. i. pag. 122, 123. (n) May They wish his Blood upon them, and Pilate condemns him. 553 Blood, if innocent, be on us, and on our Children! Sect. 188. and may the Curfe of fhedding it lie upon us throughout all Generations (n)! And when they had faid this, Pilate, who Luk.XXIII. And in purfuance of that Sentence, he released 25 as (n) May his Blood be on us, and on our Children !] As this terrible Imprecation was dreadfully anfwered in the Ruin fo quickly brought on the Jewish Nation, and the Calamities which have fince purfued that wretched People, in almost all Ages and Countries; so it was peculiarly illuftrated in the Severity, with which Titus, merciful as he naturally was, treated the Jews whom he took during the Siege of Jerufalem; of whom Jofephus himself writes, (Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. 11. (al. vi. 12.) §. 1.) that passero aves aupavlo, having been Scourged, and tortured in a very terrible Manner, they were crucified, in the View, and near the Walls of the City; perhaps, among other Places, on Mount Calvary: And it is very probable, this might be the Fate of fome of thofe very Perfons, who now joined in this Cry, as it undoubtedly was of many of their Children. For Jofephus, who was an Eyewitness, exprefsly declares," that the Number of thofe thus crucified was fo great, that "there was not Room for the Croffes to ftand by each other; and that at last, they had "not Wood enough to make Croffes of." A Paffage which, especially when compared with the Verfe before us, impreffes and aftonishes me beyond any other, which I recollect in the whole Story. If this were not the very Finger of GOD, pointing out their Crime in crucifying his Son, it is hard to fay what could deferve to be called fo.-Elfner has abundantly fhewn, that among the Greeks, the Perfons, on whofe Teftimony others were put to Death, ufed by a very folemn Execration, to devote themselves to the Divine Vengeance, if the Perfon fo condemned were not really guilty. (Elfn. Obferv. Vol. i. pag. 123-125.) (0) Defirous to fatisfy the People: To savor wounds.] As his former Adminiftration had given them a great deal of Difguft, he might very probably think it abfolutely neceffary, thus to appease them: Yet they afterwards followed him with their Accufations to his Ruin; and thus by the righteous Judgment of GoD, he loft all the Advantage, which he hoped to gain by this bafe Compliance; as Felix did, when he afterwards injured Paul on the fame unworthy Principles. As xxiv. 27. (p) Having already scourged Fefus: payλλwas.] Many Criticks, and among the reft Elfner, (Obferv. Vol. i. pag. 125.) have thewn, that Scourging used to precede Crucifixion; but as John, who is moft exact in his Account of this Part of the Story, mentions his having been fcourged before, and fays nothing of the Repetition of it, (which, confidering Pilate's Conviction of his Innocence, he would probably fpare,) I chufe to interpret the Word in this Manner, which the Original will very well bear. VOL. II. Аааа (q) They 554 They take off the Purple Robe, and lead him to be crucified. Sect. 188.as they thought proper; and they foon shewed, that their tender Mercies were cruel. Matth. And when the Jewish Mob had thus prevailed, XXVII. 31. after they had mocked and infulted him for a while, juft as the Roman Soldiers had before done in the Prætorium, deriding his Pretences to a Kingdom, and abufing him like the vileft Slave, they took the Purple Robe off from him (q), and having dressed him in his own Garments, they led him away to be crucified, in a Manner which we shall presently relate. John xix. 13. Ver. I. 29. ( L MAT. XXVII. 31. And after that they had mocked him, they took the [Purple] Robe off from him, and put his own Raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. [MARK XV. 20.] IMPROVEMENT. ÉT us now, by a lively Act of Faith, bring forth the Bleffed Jefus to our Imagination, as Pilate brought him forth to the People. Let us with affectionate Sympathy furvey the Indignities which were offered him, when he gave his Back to the Smiters, and his Cheeks to them that plucked off the Hair; and hid not his Face from Shame and Spitting. Mat. xxvii. (Ifa. 1. 6.) Behold the Man, wearing his Purple Robe, and Thorny Crown, and bearing the Reed which fmote him, in his Right Hand, for a Sceptre ! John xix. 5. Behold, not merely the Man, but the Son of GOD, thus vilely degraded, thus infamously abused! Shall we, as it were, increase his Sufferings, and, while we condemn the Fury and Cruelty of the Jews, fhall we crucify bim to ourselves afresh, and put him to an open Shame? (Heb. vi. 6.) Or fhall we overlook him with Slight and Contempt, and hide our Faces from him, who for our fake thus expofed his own? (Ifa. liii. 3.) Ver. 7, 8. 19. Let the Caution even of this Heathen Judge, who feared, when he heard he fo much as pretended to be the Son of GOD, engage us to reverence him; especially confidering in how powerful a Manner he has fince Mat. xxvii. been declared to be fo. (Rom. i. 4.) Let us in this Senfe have nothing to do with the Blood of this just Perfon: But, after our Master's Example, let us learn patiently to refign ourselves to thofe Sufferings, which GOD fhall appoint for us, remembering that none of the Enemies, and none of the John xix. 11. Calamities we meet with, could have any Power against us, except it were given them from Above. How (4) They took the Purple Robe off from him.] It is obfervable, that Matthew (chap. xxvii. 28.) mentions a Scarlet Robe, xoxxivnv xλaμuda, and Mark (chap. xv. 20.) a Purple Garment, Thy @oppupav. I take not upon me to determine, whether either of thefe Words be ufed for the other, waving, as in fome other Cafes, the moft exact Signification; or whether there were two Garments used, a Purple Veft, and over that a Scarlet Robe. However, it is probable, whatever they were, Pilate, or any of his chief Officers, would not cover his bleeding Body with any thing better, than an old, and perhaps tattered Habit, which anfwered their contemptuous Purpose much better, than the best which the Governor's Ward robe could have afforded. (r) Leave Reflections on the Condemnation of CHRIST. Ver. 6. 555 How wifely was it ordered by Divine Providence, that Pilate should be Sect. 188. obliged thus to acquit Chrift, even while he condemned him; and to speak of him as a righteous Perfon, in the fame Breath with which he doomed him to the Death of the moft flagitious Malefactor! And how lamentably does the Power of Worldly Intereft over Confcience appear, when after all the Convictions of his own Mind, as well as the Admonitions of his Wife under a Divine Impulse, he gave him up to popular Fury. Luke xxiii. Oh Pilate, how gloriously hadft thou fallen in the Defence of the Son 24 of GOD! And how juftly did GoD afterwards leave thee to perish, by the Resentment of that People, whom thou waft now so studious to oblige (r)! Who can without trembling read that dreadful Imprecation, May his Mat. xxvii. Blood be upon us, and on our Children! Words, which even to this Day 25. have their remarkable and terrible Accomplishment, in that Curfe, which has pursued the Jews thro' Seventeen Hundred Years. Lord, may it at length be averted, and even turned into a Bleffing! May they look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn, till all the Obftinacy of their Hearts be fubdued, till they bow down in glad Submiffion to that King whom GOD has fet on his holy Hill, and themselves reign with him in everlasting Honour and Joy! SECT. CLXXXIX. CHRIST being delivered up by Pilate to the Rage of the N JOHN XIX. 16. OW after Pilate had paffed Sentence upon Sect. 189. Jews, and had delivered him to the Soldiers to John XIX. bè (r) Leave thee to perish, &c.] Jofephus (Antiq. lib. xviii. cap. 4. (al. 5.) §. 1, 2.) exprefsly affures us, that Pilate, having flain a confiderable Number of feditious Samaritans, was depofed from his Government by Vitellius, and fent to Tiberius at Rome, who died before he arrived there. And Eufebius, probably from Phlegon, (Ecclef. Hift. lib. ii. cap. 7.) tells us, that quickly after, (having, as others fay, been banifhed to Vienne in Gaul,) he laid violent Hands upon himfelf, falling on his own Sword. Agrippa, who was an EyeWitness to many of his Enormities, fpeaks of him, in his Oration to Caius Cafar, as one who had been a Man of a moft infamous Character; (Philo Jud. in Leg. pag. 1034.) and by that Manner of fpeaking, as Valefius well obferves, it is plainly intimated, that he was then dead. Probably the Accufations of other Jews following him, had before that proved his Deftruction. Aaaa 2 16. 556 John XIX. JESUS bearing his Crofs is led away to Golgotha. Sect. 189. be crucified, his Profecutors having gained their Point, haftened his Execution; and having infulted and abufed him, (as was faid before,) they took Jefus, and led him away to that terrible Punishment (a). 16. Luk.XXIII. 32. John XIX. 37. Luk.XXIII. 26. And to expofe him to the greater Ignominy, and to prejudice the People more against him, there were alfo Two other Men, who were condemned to die upon the Crofs for a Robbery, and were well known to be great Malefactors, that were led out of Jerufalem with him, to be executed at the fame Time. And Jefus, thus attended as a Criminal, was led thro' the City, carrying a heavy Part of his Crofs on his Shoulders, according to the Cuftom of those who were to be crucified: And in this Manner he came out towards a Place, which lay on the Western Side of the City, but a little without the Boundaries of it (b), which was called in the Hebrew Language Golgotha, [or] the Place of a Scull; because the Bodies of many Criminals, having been executed on that little Eminence, were buried there. LUKE XXIII. 32. And ́ there were alfo Two other Malefactors led with him, to, be put to Death. JOHN XIX. 17. And he bearing his Crofs, went forth into a Place called the Place of a Scull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha.. LUKE XXIII. 26. And found And as they led him on, Jefus was now fo faint with the Lofs of Blood, fo very fore with the as they led him away, [they Lashes and Bruifes he had received, and fo fatigued with the Load of fuch a large Piece of Timber, (a) They took Jefus, and led him away. J It is evident, this Text is parallel to Mat. xxvfi.. -31. and Mark xv.-20. But I have here, as in fome other Inftances of two or more parallel Paffages, put one at the Conclufion of a former Section, and the other at the Beginning of the next, for a better Connection.I may also add, that this feems to me the exact Place of Mat. xxvii. 3,-10. in which the Evangelift relates the tragical End of Judas; but I hope I fhall be indulged in tranfpofing it, partly, that I may preferve a better Proportion in the Length of the Sections, and chiefly, that I may not interrupt the important Story of Chrift's Paffion: And I more eafily allow myself to do it, because probably the very fame Confideration engaged Matthew a little to anticipate it. Let it only here be obferved, that the Death of this Traitor feems to have happened before that of his Mafter: So fpeedily did the Divine Vengeance purfue his aggravated Crime. (b) Carrying a heavy Part of his Cross, came out &c.] Mr. Lardner has abundantly proved from many Quotations, that it was cuftomary not only for the Jews, (Numb. xv. 35. 1 Kings xxi. 13. As vii. 58.) but alfo for the Sicilians, Ephefians, and Romans, to execute their Malefactors without the Gates of their Cities. (See his Credibility, Vol. i. pag. 209, 210.)What our Lord carried, was not the whole Crofs, but only that tranfverfe Piece of Wood, to which his Arms were afterwards faftened; and which was called Antenna, or Furca, going crofs the Stipes, or upright Beam, which was fixed in the Earth. This the Criminal ufed to carry, and therefore was called Furcifer. See Bifbop Pearfon pag. 203, 204. on the Creed, (c) They |