peace with the world upon these terms, are esteemed by them for their compliance; but they are seldom disturbed any longer. It is plain, therefore, that if we suffer as Christians, it is for his sake. He likewise suffered for our sakes; 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 so innumerable, and so immense; whereas he gave himself up, to endure such things for us, when we were strangers and enemies! He was not only treated with cruelty, but with every mark of the utmost detestation and scorn, which wanton, unfeeling, unrestrained barbarity could suggest. 1. They began to "spit upon him" in the high priest's hall. The Roman soldiers likewise "did "spit upon him," when they had contemptuously arrayed him in a scarlet robe, and bowed the knee before him, in mockery of his title of King. Great as an insult of this kind would be deemed amongst us, it was considered as still greater, according to the customs prevalent in the eastern countries. There, to spit, even in the presence of a person, though it were only upon the ground, conveyed the idea of disdain and abhorrence. But the lowest of the people spit "in the face" of the Son of God. No comparison can fully illustrate this indignity. There is some proportion between the greatest earthly monarch, and the most abject slave. They did not spit upon Alexander, or Cæsar, 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 those times accounted honourable; and when David's servants were shaven by the command of Hanun,* they were ashamed to be seen. But Jesus was not shaven. With savage violence they tore off the hair of his beard; while he, like a sheep before the shearers, was dumb, and quietly yielded himself to their outrages. 3. "His back" they "tore with scourges," as was foretold by the Psalmist.† "The plowers "plowed upon my back, they made long their "furrows." The Jewish council condemned him to death for blasphemy, because he said he was the Son of God. Stoning was the punishment prescribed, by the law of Moses, in such cases.‡ But this death was not sufficiently lingering and tormenting to gratify their malice. To glut their insatiable cruelty, they were therefore willing to own their subjection to the Roman power to be so absolute, 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 slaves who were guilty of flagitious crimes, and therefore insisted 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 sceptre, in derision of his kingly office, he was stripped and scourged. It was not unfrequent for the sufferers to expire under the severity and torture of scourging. And we may be certain that Jesus experienced no lenity from their merciless hands. The plowers plowed his back. But more and greater tortures were be * 2 Sam. x. 5. + Psal. cxxix. 3. § John, xviii. 31. fore him. He was engaged to make a full atonement for sin, by his sufferings; and as he had power over his own life, he would not dismiss his spirit, till he could say, "It is finished." And now, to use the words of Pilate, "Behold the man!"* Oh! for a realizing impression of this his extreme humiliation and suffering, that we may be duly affected with a sense of his love to sinners, and of the evil of our sins, which rendered it necessary that the surety should thus suffer! Behold "the Lamb of God," mocked, blind-folded, spit upon, and scourged! Let us add to all this, the consideration of his praying for his tormentors, and we have an example of perfect magnanimity. Shall we then refuse to suffer shame for his sake, and be intimidated, by the frowns or contempt of men, from avowing our attachment to him! Ah! Lord, we are, indeed, capable of this baseness and ingratitude. But, if thou art pleased to strengthen us with the power of thy Spirit, we will account such disgrace our glory. Then we will not hang down our heads and despond, but will rather rejoice and be exceeding glad, if the world revile us and persecute us, and speak all manner of evil against us, provided it be falsely, and provided it be for thy sake! Shall we continue in sin,§ after we know what it cost him to expiate our sins? God forbid ! When Mark Antony addressed the citizens of Rome, to animate them to revenge the death of Cæsar-he enlarged upon Cæsar's character, his great actions, his love to the Roman people, and the evidence he had given of it, in the donations * John, xix. 5. + Luke, xxiii. 34. and bequests he had appointed them by his will, the particulars of which he specified. When he had thus engaged their admiration and gratitude, and they discovered emotions of regret and sensibility, that Cæsar, the greatest character in Rome, who had fought and triumphed for them, and had remembered them in his will, should be slain, Anthony threw aside a cloth, and showed them his dead body, covered with wounds and blood. This sight rendered it needless to say more. The whole assembly united as one man, to search out and to destroy his murderers. The aplication is obvious-May our hearts, from this hour, be filled with a determined, invariable resentment against sin, the procuring cause of the humiliation and death of our best Friend and Benefactor! SERMON XIX. MESSIAH SUFFERING AND WOUNDED FOR US. ISAIAH, liii. 4, 5. Surely he hath borne our grief and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. WHEN Our Lord was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared in glory and conversed with him. Had we been informed of the interview only, we should probably have desired to know the subject of their conversation, as we might reasonably suppose it turned upon very interesting and important topics. The Scripture makes little provision for the indulgence of our curiosity, but omits no thing that is necessary for our instruction; and we learn thus much from it, that they discoursed, not upon the trifling things which the world ac-. counts great, such as the rise and fall of empires; but they spake of the sufferings of Jesus, and of the decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. They spake of his Exodus* (as the word is), his departure out of life, the issue and completion of his engagement for sinners, that is, his crucifixion and death. This is the grand theme of heaven and heaven-born souls. We lately considered the cruel insults MESSIAH submitted to from the servants in the high priest's hall, and from the Roman soldiers. The passage I have now read leads our meditations to the foot of the cross. May the Holy Spirit realize the scene to our hearts! The cross of Christ displays the divine perfections with peculiar glory. Here the name of God is revealed, as a just God and a Saviour. Here the believer contemplates, in one view, the unspeakable evil of sin, and the unsearchable riches of mercy. This gives him the most affecting sense of the misery which he has deserved, while at the same time he receives the fullest assurance that there is forgiveness with God, and discovers a sure foundation whereon he may build his hope of eternal life, without fear of disappointment. From the moment the apostle Paul was enlightened to understand this mystery of redeeming love, he accounted his former gain but loss; his former supposed wisdom no better than folly, and became determined to know nothing, to depend upon nothing, to glory in nothing, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. A representation of the Redeemer's sufferings, capable of exciting tears and moving the passions, * Luke, ix. 31. † 1 Cor. ii. 2.; Gal. vi. 14. |