influence to make him the object of general contempt. And left the extremity of his torments, should awaken fentiments of commiferation in the multitude, they were the firft, and the loudeft, in reviling him, as he hung upon the cross.

2. The populace derided him. They had been inftigated by the priests to demand his death of Pilate, when he was defirous of difmiffing him, and, rather, to infift that Barabbas fhould be spared *. The populace, though no less ignorant, were lefs malicious, than their leaders. At different times, when they heard his public difcourfes, and faw his wonderful works, they had been ftaggered and constrained to fay, Is not this the Son of David? and not many days before, the popular cry had been strongly in his favour+; though quickly after, it was, Crucify him, crucify him ‡. As the fea, though fometimes smooth, is always difpofed to obey the impulfe of the wind, fo the common people, though easily roused to oppose the truth, would, perhaps, be quiet, if they were left to themselves; but there are feldom wanting artful and defigning men, who by a pretended regard for religion, *Matt.xxvii,20. + Matt,xxi. 10,11. Luke xxiii. 21.

and

and by misrepresentations, work upon their paffions and prejudices, and stir them up to a compliance with their purposes. The priests by degrees, wrought the populace up, first to reject MESSIAH, and then, to join their leaders, in mocking and deriding him.

3. The Roman foldiers, who had contemptuously clothed him with a scarlet robe, and bowed the knee before him, in derifion, continued to mock him when hanging upon the crofs. The Romans, to whom many monarchies were become fubject and tributary, affected to despise the name of king. And they held the Jewish nation in peculiar contempt. The title, therefore, of king of the Jews, affixed to his crofs, afforded them a fubject for the keenest sarcasm.

4. Yea, fuch is the hardness of the human heart, that one of the malefactors *, who was crucified by his fide, unaffected with his own guilt, and infenfible of the just judgment of God, and of the account he was foon to render at his awful tribunal, feemed to seek fome relief in the midft of his agonies, by joining with the priests and people, in railing on the innocent Jefus, who was fuffering be* Luke xxiii. 39.

fore

fore his eyes. Thus he was the object of universal derision. They who were at the greatest distance in character and sentiment, who differed from, defpifed and hated each other, on other accounts, united as one man, in expreffing every poffible mark of hatred and scorn against him, who had done nothing amifs.

II. They fhewed their fcorn in the most pointed and cruel manner. Not only they, who had clamoured for his death, derided him, but others, who were only paffing by upon their ordinary occafions, could not pass on till they had stopped a while to insult him, wagging their heads, and reminding him of what he had formerly faid, and charging him with the fuppofed folly and arrogance of his claims. They jefted upon his wants; when he faid, I thirft, they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall. They jested upon his words; when he uttered his dolorous complaint, Eli, Eli, lama fabaƐthani, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me? fome of them, with a malicious turn, (which poffibly was applauded for wit by others) from the found of the beginning of the fentence, took occasion to fuggeft, that by saying Eli, Eli,

he

he called for Elias, the prophet, to come to his affiftance. Alas! of what dreadful malignity and obduracy is the heart of man capable? How may we conceive the heavenly hoft to have been affected with this fcene, when they beheld their Lord, the object of their worship and fupreme love, thus treated by finners? But it behoved him thus to fuffer*, for he had undertaken to expiate the fins of many of his murderers, and to offer fuch fatisfaction to the juftice and law of God, as might render it confiftent with his holiness and truth, to pardon the vileft offenders, who fhould truft in his name, in all future ages. Therefore there was no voice, arreft, or interpofition from the heavenly world-thus he must be tormented, thus he must be fcorned, and fufpended as a spectacle to angels and to men, till he had paid the full price of redemption, and could fay, It is finished. Then, and not till then, he bowed his head, and breathed out his fpirit into his Father's hands. There were, however, atteftations to his dignity, in this his lowest state. He fhewed, by his gracious answer to the penitent malefactor, that he had still authority upon earth to forgive

* Luke xxiv. 26.

fin, and to fave to the uttermoft. And the fun withdrew his light, and the rocks rent, though daring finners derided and mocked.

norance.

III. The bulk of the people bore their part in this tragedy, through precipitation and igIn his prayer for their forgiveness (a prayer which was fignally anfwered after his aicention he mentioned the only extenuation their wickednefs could potfibly admit, Thy knew not what they did. It was otherwile, with thote, who were principally concerned in procuring his death. Long before, when they could not deny the reality of his miracles, they afcribed them to the agency of Beelzebub. By this malicious, wilful oppofition, to the ftrongest evidence of fact, against the conviction of their own minds, and by their violent, determined rejection of his miffion, they committed the unpardonable fin. They fpoke and finned against the Holy Spirit. This fin no one can have committed, while he is fearful left he has committed it, for it effentially confists, in a deliberate and wilful refufal of the only means of falvation. It is the fign of final abfolute impenitence. They who had thus ascribed his miracles to Beelzebub, expreffed the fame height of enlightened