Of his sufferings the Sacred writers give us no description. There is no awakening of our human sympathies with the sufferer. Not such was the purpose of their Scripture narratives. Yet how affecting is the idea of those sufferings which is incidentally conveyed to us by the words of Jesus, after his resurrection, 'Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands!'*—those hands which were scarred by the nails that had been driven through them, by way of fastening him to the stake, where he was left to die in lingering pain. What an overpowering mystery!-that thus atonement was made for the sins of the whole world!-that by these stripes we are healed! When we think of Calvary and the cross thereon, the words of Jacob concerning another holy spot of earth, may well rise to our lips, 'How dreadful is this place!-this is the gate of Heaven!'† THE EJACULATION ON THE CROSS. Ver. 34-37. 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? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. *John XX. 27. + Genesis xxviii. 17. The words uttered by our Saviour on the cross are from the beginning of the twenty-second Psalm. Of all the Scriptures the Psalms appear to have been most frequently quoted by our Lord, and, it is probable, by the Jews generally. As has been observed already, more than once, they occupied in their literature that place, which national songs and works of mere amusement occupy in the literature of all other nations. Indeed, one main purpose for which these beautiful compositions were designed by the Holy Spirit who made them Scripture, (the remark applies still more to the Song of Solomon,) might have been that particular cultivation of mind, which would qualify the Jews at large to be hearers of the Messiah. The Jews had no literature besides their Scriptures; and it would seem, that, by these portions of Holy Writ, more especially, the popular mind was made familiar with expressions and habits of thought, which became, in the fulness of time, a ready medium for Gospel instruction. Jesus, on the Cross itself, applies to his own case words of the Psalmist, written on some occasion of great distress. Literally the words imply a desertion by the Almighty of the complainant, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' nor can there be any reason for attempting to force on them, in our Saviour's application of them to himself, a less obvious exposition, and to make them merely expressive of excessive anguish of spirit.* Indeed, there is, * See Bishop PORTEUS's Lectures on St. Matthew, Lecture xxii. if we reflect, much reason against adopting this view. Jesus throughout his ministry, was, in various ways, declaring his divine nature. He was also, as continually speaking of God as 'his God;' e. g. 'I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.'* Now, in like manner, he addresses Him most emphatically, 'My God, my God,' as if implying, that some divine assistance, which was not afforded, might have saved him from that hour. In short, Jesus sometimes spoke as if God were speaking, on other occasions his language is that of a man. He has thus guarded us from falling into either of two erroneous views of him, to which we were liable. Had he always spoken as God, his body, and much more the nobler qualities of his human mind, might have been regarded as a part of the Divine nature, and man himself, to a certain extent, the literal image and counterpart of his Creator. Had he always spoken of God as his God as well as ours, he might have appeared to us only like any other inspired messenger of God. His character as the Immanuel; the union of the divine with the human nature, which rendered the latter perfectly good and holy, and fitted it for its part in the great mystery of * John xx. 17. Dr. Arnold has remarked,-'He never addressed God but by the title of Father, except in those memorable words on the cross, when for our sakes he endured that God should hide his countenance from him, and called upon him, not as his Father, but as his God who had forsaken him.'-Sermon xxx. p. 361. the redemption; all this would have been concealed under a veil; and all this, we are sure, it is requisite for us to have known, whatever parts of the wonderful scheme of grace may be hidden from us in this our stage of trial and earthly darkness. On the cross, and in death itself, he was still the Immanuel; but it was not God who suffered, God who died. He expressed, in the words of the Psalmist, suffering beyond mere man's endurance, and which possessed an efficacy that belongs not to mere human suffering; but it was the man Christ Jesus who so endured for our sakes, and by whose stripes we are healed. THE TWO MALEFACTORS WHO WERE CRUCIFIED WITH JESUS. Ver. 27, 28, 32. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. The two malefactors who were crucified with Jesus are here called thieves. The original word, however, which is so translated in our English Bibles, does not mean thieves, but robbers. Our Lord's being associated with these criminals in his death was, as the Evangelist instructs us, divinely foretold, 'The Scripture was fulfilled which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.'* He who was 'holy, harmless, un *Isaiah liii. 12. defiled, separate from sinners, was numbered with those who transgress against the law both of God and of man; he who was 'meek and lowly in heart,'t who was brought as a lamb to the slaughter,'‡ was numbered with ruffian banditti, whose 'feet are swift to shed blood.'§ According to St. Mark, and St. Matthew also, these fellow-sufferers of our Lord railed at him. The Evangelists, however, must be understood as expressing themselves generally, and not as meaning that both the malefactors reviled him. St. Luke is more explicit, and tells us that One of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation ? And we, indeed, justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.|| The application of this part of the narrative to two different classes of sinners, is clear. In accordance with the general tenor of Gospel teaching, we may learn from it, that the sinner who turns to the Saviour with repentance and faith, will be saved through the efficacy of his Cross; not the scoffing and impenitent sinner. The specific application of it to cases of *Heb. vii. 26. § Rom. iii. 15. + Matth. xi. 29. ‡ Isaiah lii. 7. |