that of the third sort. And now we are arrived at the last sad scene in that shocking drama. Criminals usually carried their cross, or the cross-beams of it, as they went to execution ; hence the term furcifer, or cross-bearer. Jesus, exhausted by all he had previously endured, and crushed beneath that heavy cross, sank by the way. Simon, an African Jew, is impressed into the service (ayyapetove., send out a mounted courier, from the mounted ccuriers ready to carry the royal despatches in Persia ; then force to do service, compel) ani compelled to carry the Saviour’s cross. Jesus is fastened to that cross ; his hands and his feet are pierced with nails; the cross is hoisted, and with a rude and sudden dash it is sunk deep into the earth. There the bleeding Victim hangs, his bones disjointed, his veins broken, his wounds freshened, his skin livid, his face wan, his strength exhausted; blood flows from his head, blood from his hands, blood from his feet, blood from his opened side, There he hangs, wounded, tortured, fainting, bleeding, dying. There he hangs upon that cursed tree, the passers-by reviling him and wagging their heads, soldiers mocking him, rulers deriding him, malefactors railing on him,—a fearful fourfold mockery. He is offered vinegar and gall (or wine and myrrh, ¢.e. wine myrrhed, or made acid), but, in the first instance, will not drink, lest it should blunt the pain of dying or cloud his faculties ; “The cup that my Father yave me, shall I not drink it?” He suffers the withdrawment of his heavenly Father’s countenance, and in consequence exclaims, “ Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ? ”—“ My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” At length, with a loud voice, he cries out, “Tt is finished!” and bows his head in death. We do not marvel at the accompanying circumstances, strange and marvellous as they were. No wonder the sun drew back from the spectacle, and shrouded his glorious rays in darkness, rather than gaze on such ascene, No wonder that dense darkness settled on the land for three long hours, No wonder earth trembled and quaked in horror at the foul deed that had been done. No wonder that rocks rent and graves opened, and the tenants of the tomb came forth as though in consternation, shocked at human sinfulness, and in sympathy with the heavenly Sufferer. No wonder the veil of the temple, strong and thick, is torn in twain from top to bottom, for the humanity of the Saviour is torn with thorns, and smitings, and nails, and spear-thrust; while he is pouring out his life unto death. 4, The tnscription. The main part of the superscription, viz. “The King of the Jews,” is found in the record of each evangelist—the same in all and correct in each. In one it is completed by the name, “ Jesus,” which a Roman, proud of the purity of his speech, and jealous of preserving it, naturally enough left out of the Latin title; in another it is supplemented by the name of the place, “ Nazareth ;” while the words “This is ” are only introductory. Otherwise the inscription was trilingual, and exactly recorded as written in the three languages by three of the evangelists respectively, while St. Mark records the actual charge—the superscription of his accusation (airlas) common to them all; and this was the assumption of royalty. 5. The time of the crucifixion. The crucifixion really commenced at 9 am. ‘The darkness began at noon; death took place at 3 pm. The apparent discrepancy between the synoptists and John xix. 14 is not to be removed by the similarity of the Greek numerals for six and three (s’ and 7) respectively, and the supposed substitution or rather misreading of the former for the latter in the Johannean Gospel. The reconciliation is more probably effected by a difference of time-reckoning—the synoptists adopting the Jewish and St. John the Roman method. Thus the delivery and preparations began at 6 a.m. according to the latter.
IL. Tue DESIGN OF THE crUCIFIxION. 1. Not for personal chastisement. The design could not in any sense be for personal chastisement, for Jesus had been “ holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners ;” it is expressly stated, too, that he was “ cut off, but not for himself.” Neither could it be as an example, for the example of One per- fectly innocent suffering so severely would only discourage the guilty, and might well drive them to despair ; for if this were done to a green tree, what would be done to a dry —if the guiltless suffered so fearfully, what might the guilty expect? Besides, if Christ suffered as an example, what possible good could his example do to those that lived before his day ? Neither was it for confirmation of his teaching—to confirm the doctrines which he taught and seal them with his blood; for some of the prophets had done this before him, several of the apostles did so after him, and the martyrs all down the ages have suffered in like manner. And yet, though thus entitled, according to the
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838 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. [ou. xv. 1—47.
theory in qnestion, to stand on the same platform with Jesus, of none of them could it ever be asked, with the expectation of an affirmative answer, “ Was he crucified for you ?