and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST; and his APOSTLES; &c. Ej exprefftttgthe moft afleEtionate regard both for her and for them: for that the might have fome confolation to fupport her under the greatnefs of her forrows, he told her, the difciple whom he loved would, for the fake of that love, fupply his place to her after he was taken from them; even the place of a fon; and, therefore, he defired her to confider him as fuch, and expeEt from him all the duties of a child: Woman, faid he, behold thy ion ! This remarkable token of filial affection towards his mother, was not the only in- fiance the dying JESUS gave of his fincere love for his friends and followers ; the be- loved difciple had alfo a token of his high efleem he fingled him out as the only perfon among his friends, to fupply his place with regard to his mother. Accord- ingly, he defired him exprefsly to reverence her in the fame manner as if (he had been his own parent : a duty which the favourite difciple gladly undertook; for hecarried her with him to his houfe, and maintained her fromthat hour to the dayof her death ; her hulband Jofeph having been dead force time before. We have nowbefore us an evident proof, that, in the midil of the heavie(t fufferings human nature ever fuftained, the ble(lèd JESUS demonftrated a divine flrength of benevolence ; even at -the time when his own diftrefs was at the higheft pitch, and nature was dreffed in the robe ofmourning for the fufferings ofher great Creator: his friends had fo large a (hare ofhis concern, that their happinefs interrupted the fharp- nefs of his pains, and for a fhort time en- groffed his thoughts. Now the moment when JESUS fhould refign his foul into the hands of his hea- venly Father approached, and he repeated part at leafs of the twenty-fecond Pfalm, uttering with a loud voice thefe remarkable words, Eli, Eli, lama fabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why haft thou fo?/ken me? Or, My God, my God, how long a time haft thouforfakenme ! as the words may be rendered. No. 23. It is believed by fome, that our bleffed Saviour repeated the whole Pfalm, as it was cuflomary with the Jews, in making quotations, to mention only the firfl words of the pfalin or fePion which they cite. If fo, as this pfalm contains the moll re- markable particulars ofour dear Redeemer's paillon, being as it were a fummary of all the prophecies relative to that fubjeEt, by repeating it on the crofs, the bleffedJesus fignified that he was now accomplifhing the things that were predi&ed concerning the Meffiah. And as the pfalm is com- pofed in the form of a prayer, by pro- nouncing it at this time; he alfo claimed of his Father, the performance of all the promifes he had made, whether to him or to his people ; the chief of which are re- corded in the latter part of the pfalm above mentioned. When force of the people; who flood by, heard our bleffed Saviour pronounce the firít words of this pfalm, they mifun- derflood him, probably from their not hearing him diflinEtly, and concluded that he called for Elias ; upon which one of them filled a. fpunge with vinegar, put it on.a reed, and gave him to drink, being defirous of keeping him alive as long as poffible, to fee whether Elias would come to take him down-from the crofs. But as foon as JESUS had tailed the vinegar, he faid, It is fined: that is, the work of man's redemption is accomplifhed ; that great work which the only begotten Son of God came into the world to perform is finifhed. In (peaking thefe words, he cried with an exceeding loud voice, and, after that, he addreflèd his Almighty Father in words which form the bell pattern of a recommendatory prayer at the hour of death : Father, into thy hands Icommendnzy f/irit; and havinguttered thefe words, he bowed his head, and yielded up the ghoft. At the very inflant that the bleffedJesus refigned his foul into the hands of his hea- venly Father, behold! the vail ofthe temple was miraculoufly rent from the top to the bottom ; probably in the prefence of the 3 U prieft
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