diator, for our sins, clauita on the mom VES

before the spiritual court of the Jews; and the civil tribunal of Pilate and Herod.

:

It now remains, that we consider his sufferings on Mount Golgotha, the place appointed by the infinite wisdom of God for the conclusion of our blessed Lord's meritorious afflictions. The beginning of this remarkable transaction runs thus.

'Then the soldiers took the purple robe off from Jesus, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And Jesus went forth, bearing his cross. And there were also two other malefactors led with him, to be put to death. And as they led Jesus away, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who passed by, coming out of the country: And they laid hold on him, and compelled him 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,' &c. (Matt. xxvii. 31, 32. Mark xv. 20, 21. Luke xxiii. 26-32. John xix. 16, 17.)

These words exhibit to us the mournful procession of the blessed Jesus to his crucifixion. Our blessed Lord had, in his former sufferings, been forced to take several painful and ignominious walks. From the mount of Olives he had been hurried, bound as a prisoner, to Annas; from Annas to Caiaphas, from ■ years before, issued an order, That uld be executed until ten days after en pronounced upon him. But the ict did not extend to murderers and idged necessary for the public tran delinquents should be immediately Our blessed Saviour therefore was not ivilege; for he had been indicted as ion and a rebel, and one whom the nding out of the world with all possia pest to the commonwealth, and a wish church. Nay, they urged the - with such vehemence, that he was orders for the immediate execution of No one offered to prepare Jesus for nterposed in his favour, or spoke a ton or comfort to him; but he was death with the utmost precipitancy, ast all hopes of amendment, and unotice of the humane and charitable. d in no need of comfort or preparaor he was long since prepared for it, abmission and willingness to suffer; imself all human comforts, that he rus a right to expect divine conso

no time for recollection, or preparation for death. Thus every circumstance of our blessed Saviour's sufferings is a source of comfort and blessing to his Followers.

But now let us take a nearer view of the last mournul walk of the blessed Jesus, to his execution. By the above account we may see,

First, How, and in what manner, he was led to Golgotha.

Secondly, The company which attended him thither.

Thirdly, What happened to him by the way. Fourthly, What our blessed Lord said, as he was Led to his crucifixion.

I. As to the manner in which our blessed SaviOur was led away to execution, the evangelical hiscory informs us, that he was clothed in his own raiment, and bore his cross. That he was led away clothed in his own raiment, we are told by St. Matthew and St. Mark, in these words: 'Then the solliers took the purple robe off from Jesus, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.' The Lord Jesus had, a little before, among other mockeries and insults he endured in Pilate's Judgment-hall, been dressed up in an old purple mantle; and in this garb he was afterwards led away, and made a show of to the whole Jewish people, as a mock king. But now as he was to be carried to the place of execution, the soldiers took off from him this purple mantle, and put on him his own upper garment, that he might be the more easily known by the spectators; since it is probable, that his sacred face was

insolent soldiers, as it must have sible pain to the Lord Jesus, by tearpes and wounds. So dearly did it God to recover for us the original garinnocence! Oh, that we may never rel, without thinking of this painful r blessed Saviour! Certainly, such a ust be a powerful check to suppress wanton, and aspiring thoughts. sus being again clothed in his own ss was laid on his shoulders; and thus himself to carry that heavy piece of he was to be crucified, to Golgotha. ■ among the Romans, that the crimibe crucified, usually carried his own ace of execution. But as the cross ong beam of timber, and a short transcriminal, in carrying the cross, had led, and the transverse piece fastened the long beam was laid on his back ody, so that he dragged the lower end on the ground. To this the blessed when he forewarns Peter, that he be crucified; 'When thou shalt be stretch forth thy hands, and another and carry thee whither thou wouldest now he first bears it on his sacred shoulders, while pain and ignominy attend his weary steps in this mournful walk. How often must our blessed Savie our's knees, already so spent and enfeebled as to be scarce able to bear his own body, have sunk under this oppressive weight! At the same time, to drag after him that instrument of punishment on which he was to be crucified, as an aborrence and execration to all the people, was a circumstance of the most sensible reproach and ignominy. Oh, the inconceivable depth of the humiliation of the Son of God, who goes forth in the appearance of a wretched slave condemned to death, and bearing his own cross! Nay, this was the more painful to our blessed Saviour, who was the surety of mankind, as it was a peculiar punishment of sin; so that on this cross he was to become a curse for us, to be forsaken of God, and as it were to taste the bitterness of eternal death. From this circumstance of our Saviour's passion, we shall deduce the following truths:

1. The mournful walk of our blessed Lord to the place of his crucifixion, has been productive of many comforts and blessings to mankind.

Every step in this painful walk was marked with blood; but at the same time, every step dropped down comfort to our souls. Many painful, weary steps did the blessed Jesus take in his sufferings for our sake; but all would have availed us nothing, had he not determined on this last sorrowful walk. We were all under sentence of death; and this sentence could no other way be reversed, than by our Mediator's suffering himself to be led to death in our stead.