coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus ; him they compelled to bear his cross, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, who also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus, turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if it fares thus with the green tree, how will it fare with the dry? And there were also two other malefactors led with him to be put to death.

SECTION CCIV.

Christ arrives at Mount Calvary, and is crucified. MATT. xxvii. 33, 34, 37.

MARK XV. 22, 23, 26, 28.

LUKE Xxiii. 33, 38. JOHN xix. 18-23.

And they bring him to the place Golgotha. And when they were come to the place called Golgotha, or Calvary, that is to say The place of the skull, they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall; and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. So when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side one; even the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and Jesus in

morning, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning, which being on the third day, he rose again. This view appears to myself, and a few other critics, capable of demonstration, as a matter of Biblical truth and historic science.

But while I maintain this theory as the only one which will satisfactorily reconcile the statements of the Evangelists on this point, I have no wish to disturb the venerable ecclesiastical custom of celebrating the death of Christ on Good Friday, though it may be a day after the fact. The grand purpose of the church is that the fact itself should be devoutly impressed on the hearts of people at that sacred season.

the midst. So the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And Pilate wrote the title, and the superscription of his accusation, and set up over his head his accusation written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin, and put it on the cross. And the writing was in letters of Hebrew, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS; and Greek, JESUS THE NAZARITE, THE KING OF THE JEWS; and Latin, THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city. Then said the Chief Priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

SECTION CCV.

Christ prays for his Murderers.
LUKE xxiii. part of ver. 34.

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

SECTION CCVI.

The Soldiers divide and cast Lots for the Raiment of Christ. MATT. xxvii. 35, 36. MARK XV. 24, 25. LUKE Xxiii. part of ver. 34. JOHN xix. 23, 24.

coat.

And they crucified him. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and [they took] also his Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be. And they parted his garments, and cast lots on [one of them] who should take it. So the Scripture was fulfilled, that was spoken by the prophet, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. And it was the third hour [nine a.m.], and they crucified him. And, sitting down, they watched him there.

SECTION CCVII.

Christ is reviled when on the Cross.

MATT. xxvii. 39, 45. MARK XV. 29-33. LUKE Xxiii. 35, 36, 37.

And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ [the Messiah], the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself. And they that passed by reviled him, [and] railed on him, wagging their heads and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the Chief Priests mocking him, with the Scribes and elders, said, among themselves, He saved others; cannot he save himself? If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God: let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they who were crucified with him reviled him; yea the thieves, who were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

SECTION CCVIII.

Christ, when dying, shows mercy to the Penitent Thief.
LUKE Xxiii. 39-44.

And one of the malefactors who were hanged, railed on him, saying, If thou be the Christ, save thyself, and us. But the other [having repented] 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, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.

SECTION CCIX.

Christ commends his mother to the care of John.
JOHN xix. 25, 26, 27.

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas [or Alpheus], and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. SECTION CCX.

The Death of Christ, and its attendant circumstances. MATT. xxvii. 45, 52, 54-57. MARK XV. 33-42. LUKE xxiii. 44-50. JOHN xix. 28-38.

And when the sixth hour was come, and it was about the sixth hour [or twelve at noon], there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour [or three in the afternoon], and the sun was darkened. And at, or about, the ninth hour [or three in the afternoon], Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, to what hast thou abandoned me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of helal, or vinegar and straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and fastened it on a reed of hyssop, and put it to his mouth, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let it be; let us see whether Elias will come to save him, or come to take him down. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit and having said thus, he bowed his head, and expired, and yielded up, and dismissed his spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two, in the midst, from the top to the bottom; and the earth did

U

quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened. Now when the centurion who stood over against him, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, when he so cried out, and expired, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this man was the Son of God; yea, he glorified God, saying, Certainly, this was the righteous man. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. And all his acquaintance, and many women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome, the mother of Zebedee's children, who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women, who came up with him unto Jerusalem.

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparationday, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the sabbath-day (for that sabbath-day was a high-day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they broke not his legs: but one of the soldiers, with a spear, pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water. And he that saw it bore record, and his record is true, and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, so that the Scripture was fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again, another Scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.