will. The will of Christ was eet, not on submission only, but on active obedience to the will of the Father. In Gethsemane the resolve had no present actual pain to battle with, only tho nnticipation of it. At Calvary the will wae borne upon by actnal intense, overwhelming, physical pain; it had to struggle to hold its own. The text represents a supreme moment, when intense pain eeemerl to force the will aside, and darken the soul with II moment's shade. Can we estimate what dying is in its influence on the will? What is dying when it comes consciously to a man in full health? No falling asleep, and passing away; but the soul in some awful way dropping down, losing everything-light, breath, God, all; passing under, and in that dread moment seeming to be left in utter desolation, If we could know what that means, we should begin to understand our Lord's great cry. It is a dying man's cry. II. MANIFESTLY TfilS WAS THE DEATH OF TlIE SECOND MAN,THE LORD FROM lIEAVEli', This is a Scripture term. It is the peculiar relation which Christ bears to us that gives his death-scene its profounder significance. He has undertaken for man the removal of sin, and that undertaking of necessity brings him into contact with sin, and makes its consequences and its burdens rest on him. Christ undertook the work of saving men from sin ; that is, of saving the life of love and obedience to God in their souls from being utterly crushed out by sin. Then he must come into conflict with it. Its burden of disabilities must lie on him. He must keep his own soul-trust and obedience while all the burden, disability, agony, death of sin, buffet him. If he can keep his obedi- ence and his love perfect under the worst that sin and Satan can do, then he breaks their power over man for ever-he breaks that power for us. Sin so far succeeded as to kill the body, sin failed utterly to touch the soul ; in the last moments the soul is full of affection and devotion-it cries, " My God, my God 1" So the power of sin was broken. Man is freed, in Christ's triumph, from the soul-bondage hitherto laid on by sin. Christ was made perfect, through his sufferings, to become the " Bringer-on of sons to glory." He is" able to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God through him."-R.T. Ver. 54.-The natural impression of the Crucifixion. We may call it the natural impression, because it was made on an outsider, who had come into no relations with Christ, and is not likely to have had any prejudices either for or against him. It was made on a Roman officer, who would be calm and self-restrained, inclined indeed to be cynical, familiar with death-scenes, and hardened by the familiarity, and not at all susceptible of emotional influences. We can easily see what the Crucifixion was to the Marys, who stood watching it through the telescope of their tears from afar off; but it surprises us to find what a power it had on that cold and self-restrained Roman. The man appears before us but for a moment, and then vanishes for ever away. But the vision of him reminds us that the cruoified Christ has been a larger, wider power in the world than we have reckoned who did but count the number of his professed adherents. The truth is larger than we have ever thought it to be, which Jesus uttered when he said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." I. WHAT IMPRESSED THE CENTURION AS BO STRANGE? Remember he had seen criminals die before that day. Watching Jesus, he was smitten with the conviction, "That Man is not a criminal." 1. He contrasted him with the two thieves who were being crucified with him. There was a calm dignity about Jesus which the other sufferers did not and could not show. Compare the things spoken. Thieves reviled ; Jesus reviled not again. 2. He could compare Jesus with other victims he had cruci- fied. And the comparison had to be a contrast, a most striking a.nd impressive con- trast. Account must be taken too of the influence on the Roman of the darkened sky and the quaking ground. II. WHAT WAB THE IllPBESSION PBODUCED ON THE CENTURION? St. Luke reports him as saytng, "Truly this was a righteous Man." He felt his innocence. A Roman would not put our high meaning into the term "Son of God." What he felt was that the man was a. victim, a sacrifice; he was suffering no just reward of his deeds. The natural impres.1 ion of the Crucifixion confirms our view of Jesus as "holy, harmless. undefiled, separate fro~ sinners," and fit to be, what he was, the world's &crifice fQI' ain.~R. T, 638 THE GOSPEL ACOORDING TO ST. MIAT'l'HEW, [o&. xxvu. 1-66.
Ver. 6T.--Joseph's OJ11IOl"ttm-ity. The entire forsakina of our Lord's apostles and uisciples has not been sufficiently considered. It must have been one of thci sorest ingredients in his bitter cup of woe. Not one of them came into any relation with hie suffering-time. They must have been wholly bewildered by their fears. They left their Master to the tending of strangers, if he had any tending at all. Dut we m11,y do honour to Simon of Cyrene and Joseph of .Arimathrea, who found their opportunity. I. JosEPH's WEAKNESS IN NOT ACKNOWLEDGING CHRIST DEFORE. Whatever allow- 11,nces we may be able to make for him, it certainly was a weakness-it nlwaye is 11, weakness-to try to be a BUret disciple. Joseph was placed in very difficult circwn- stancee. He was a member of the Sanhedrin. He must have known of the schemes of the high priest's party. His soul must have revolted agaiust them, nnd yet be dared say nothing. He was not strong man enough to brave opposition. He was a timid soul; but, like timid sonls, he oould on occasion do a strangely brave thing. "Spirit was willing, but flesh was weak." II. JOSEPH'& COURAGE IN ACKNOWLEDGING CHRIST AT LAST. For in going to Pile.te, as a known member of the council, to beg the body of Jesus, Joseph declared himself. Pilate would qnite understand that he cared for this "Enthusiast." .And Joseph was obliged to do this publicly, so the news of his request would be spread abroad; and our Lord's enemies would not be satisfied until they found out what had become of the dead body. This act of Joseph's, we may be sure, made him a marked man henceforth in the council He confessed Jesus by his act. Ill JosEPH's ONE ACT IN THE SERVICE OF CHRIST. It w11,s precisely the thing which only a man having the authority and the wealth that he had could do. 1. l;hrist's body had to be saved from insult, and not one of his disciples dare advance to claim it. If it had been left to the Romans, it would have just been flung; with the other bodies, into the common pit, or burned in the valley of Hinnom. Joseph did this good service-he saved it from desecration. 2. Christ's body ought to have the honourable burial of a king, and the kindly tending of loving hands. Joseph provided both. Gentle handling, reverent preparing, tender carrying, loving burial in his own new tomb.-R T.