When the apoftle would difpofe believers by an argument or motive (which, if we fully understood it, would render all other arguments unneceffary) to endure fufferings and croffes patiently; he fays, Confider him—he uses a word which is properly a mathematical term, denoting the ratio or proportion between different numbers, or figures, q. d. Compare yourselves with him, and his fufferings with your own. Confider who he is, no less than what he endured.

In the apprehenfions of men, infults are aggravated, in proportion to the disparity between the person who receives, and who offers them. A blow, from an equal, is an offence, but would be still more deeply resented from an inferior. But if a fubject, a fervant, a flave, fhould prefume to ftrike a king, it would justly be deemed an enormous crime. But Jefus the King of kings, and Lord of lords, whom all the angels of God worship, made himself fo entirely of no reputation, that the basest of the people, the fervants, the common foldiers, were not afraid to make him the object of their derifion, and to exprefs their hatred in the moft farcaftic and contemptuous manner. It is faid, that he endured

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dured the contradiction of finners. So, perhaps, do we; but we are finners likewise, and deserve much more than we suffer, if not immediately from the inftruments of our grief, yet from the Lord, who has a right to employ what inftruments he pleases, to afflict us for our fins. This thought quieted the spirit of David, when his own fon rose up against his life, and his own fervant cursed him to his face *. But Jefus was holy, harmless, and undefiled, he had done nothing amifs; yet, the usage he met with was fuch, as has feldom been offered to the vilest malefactor. Their cruel and scornful contradiction was, likewife, expreffly and directly against himself; whereas his people only suffer from unreasonable and wicked men, for his fake, and for their profeffed attachment to bim. In the most violent perfecutions, they who could be prevailed on to renounce hisname, and his cause, ufually escaped punishment, and were frequently favoured and rewarded. And this is ftill the ground of the world's displeasure; fierce and bitter as their opposition may feem, the way to reconciliation is always open; they are not angry with us far

*

2 Sam. xvi. II.

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ther than we avow a dependance upon him, and fhew ourselves determined to obey him rather than men. If we could forfake him, their refentment would be difarmed, for they mean no more than to intimidate us from his service. I do not think that they who make peace with the world upon these terms, are esteemed by them for their compliance, but they are feldom disturbed any longer. It is plain, therefore, that if we fuffer as Christians, it is for his fake. He likewife fuffered for our fakes, but how wide is the difference between him and us! We, when the trial is sharp, are in danger of flinching from the cause of our best friend and benefactor, to whom our obligations are fo innumerable, and fo immenfe; whereas he gave himself up to endure fuch things for us, when we were strangers and enemies! He was not only treated with cruelty, but with every mark of the utmost deteftation and fcorn, which wanton, unfeeling, unreftrained barbarity could fuggeft.

1. They began to fpit upon him in the High Prieft's hall. The Roman foldiers likewife did spit upon him, when they had contemptuously arrayed him in a scarlet robe, Z

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and bowed the knee before him, in mockery of his title of King. Great as an infult of this kind would be deemed amongst us, it was confidered as ftill greater, according to the customs prevalent in the eastern countries. There, to fpit, even in the prefence of a perfon, though it were only upon the ground, conveyed the idea of difdain and abhorrence. But the loweft of the people fpit in the face of the Son of God. No comparison can fully illuftrate this indignity. There is fome proportion between the greatest earthly Monarch, and the most abject flave. They did not fpit upon Alexander, or Cæfar, but upon the Lord of glory.

2. They buffeted and beat him on the face, and when he meekly offered his cheeks to their blows, they plucked off the hair. The beard was in thofe times accounted honourable; and when David's fervants were fhaven by the command of Hanun*, they were afhamed to be feen. But Jefus was not fhaven. With favage violence they tore off the hair of his beard. While he like a sheep before the fhearers was dumb, and quietly yielded himself to their outrages.

3. His back they tore with fcourges, as was foretold by the Pfalmift *. The plowers plowed

upon my back, they made long their furrows. The Jewish council condemned him to death, for blafphemy, because he said he was the Son of God. Stoning was the punishment prescribed, by the law of Mofes, in fuch cases †. But this death was not fufficiently lingering and tormenting to gratify their malice. To glut their infatiable cruelty, they were therefore willing to own their subjection to the Roman power to be so abfolute, that it was not lawful for them to put any one to death ‡, according to their own judicial law; and thus wilfully, though unwittingly, they fulfilled the prophecies. They preferred the punishment which the Romans appropriated to flaves, who were guilty of flagitious crimes, and therefore infifted that he should be crucified. According to the Roman custom, those who were crucified, were previously scourged. Thus when they had mocked him, and made him their sport, by putting a crown of thorns on his head, and a reed in his hand for a fceptre, in derifion of his kingly office, he was ftripped and fcourged. It was not unfre

* Pfal. cxxix. 3. ↑ Lev. xxiv. 16. ‡ John xviii. 31. quent

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