loving kindneffes. For he faid, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: fo he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love, and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit, therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, Mofes and his people, faying, Where is he that brought them up out of the fea, with the fhepherd of his flock? Where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? that led them by the right hand of Mofes, with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting Name? that led them through the deep as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? as a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to reft: fo didft thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious Name. Look down from heaven, and behold from. the habitation of thy holiness, and of thy glory: Where is thy zeal and thy ftrength, the founding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards me? are they reftrained? Doubtless thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Ifrael acknowledge us not: Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer, thy Name is from everlasting. § O Lord, why haft thou made us to err from thy ways? and hardened our hearts from thy fear? Return, for thy fervants fake, the tribes of thine inheritance. The people of thy holiness have poffeffed it but a little while: our adverfaries have trodden down thy fanctuary. We are thine, thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name. The Gospel. S. Mark 14. 1.

AR

FTER two days was the feast of the paffover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes fought

O Lord why haft thou made us to err, &c. This does not imply that God was the cause and Author of of the Wickedness of the Jews: but that he feeing their

obftinacy and wilful hardness of heart had suffered them to go aftray, and, in juft judgment upon them, had left them to themselves..

how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. But they faid, Not on the feast-day, left there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he fat at meat, there came a woman having an alabafter-box of ointment of spikenard, very precious, and the brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were fome that had indignation within themselves, and faid, Why was this waste of the ointment made? for it might have been fold for more than threè hundred pence, and have been given to the poor: and they murmured against her. And Jefus faid, Let her alone, why trouble you her? *fhe hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have

the poor with you always, and whenfoever ye will, ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: fhe is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I fay unto you, Wherefover this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this alfo that he hath done fhall be fpoken of for a memorial of her. And Judas Iscariot one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. † And he fought how he might conveniently betray him. And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the paffover, his difciples faid unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare, that thou mayeft eat the paffover? And he fendeth forth two of his difciples, and faith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there fhall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And wherefoever he fhall go in, fay ye to the good-man of the house, The mafter faith, Where is the gueft-chamber, where I

* She bath wrought a good Work, &c. This fhews that works of charity are not fo to be attended to, as to forget the offices of piety and religion. For tho' Almfgiving is an important Chriftian Duty; yet he who neglects the religious worship, and fervice of Almighty God, will foon te in great danger of omitting thofe duties which he owes to his neighbour, through want of a proper principle.

↑ And he fought how he might conveniently, &c. Ju

das's intention of delivering up his Mafter, feems to have arifen from an infatiable avarice, and a wilful oppofition to the courfe of Providence, hoping perhaps that by putting Jefus into the hands of the Grandees, he would be laid under a neceffity to prove himself to be the Meffiah: thinking that if they should yield to Chrift's arguments, the whole nation would immediately fubmit, and the Difciples raifed forthwith to the height of their expectations,

*

fhall eat the paffover with my disciples? And he will fhew you a large upper room furnished and prepared, there make ready for us. And his difciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had faid unto them: and they made ready the paffover. And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they fat, and did eat, Jefus faid, Verily I fay unto you, one of you, which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be forrowful, and to say unto him, one by one, Is it I? And another faid is it I? And he answered and faid unto them, It is one of the twelve that dippeth with me in the dish. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but wo to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed: good were it for that man if he had never been born. And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and faid, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new teftament, which is fhed for many. Verily I fay unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. And when they had fung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. And Jefus faith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the fhepherd, and the fheep fhall be scattered. But after that I am rifen, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter faid unto him, Although all fhall be offended, yet will not I. And Jefus faith unto him, Verily I fay unto thee, that this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he fpake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wife. Likewife alfo faid they all.

He will fhew you a large upper Room furnished, That is fpread with a carpet, and having couches placed to lie upon at fupper: for the Easterns did not fit at table as we do, but lay on couches called Triclinia, because they commonly contained three perfons. Thefe orders from Our Saviour concerning the Pallover, plainly fhew that he foreknew all things that fhould befall him that his

But

fufferings were predetermined of God, and that he fubmitted voluntarily to them.

+ Until that day that I drink it new in the Kingdom of God, i. e. till after my resurrection.

↑ If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wife. As St Mark's Gofpel is commonly reported to have been wrote under the direction of St. Peter: The

And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he faith to his difciples, Sit ye here, while I fhall pray. And he taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and faith unto them, My foul is exceeding forrowful unto death; tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed, that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father; all things are poffible unto thee; take away this. cup from me: nevertheless, not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh and findeth them fleeping, and faith unto Peter, § Simon, fleepeft thou? couldeft not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, left ye enter into temptation: The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the fame words. And when he returned, he found them afleep again (for their eyes were heavy) neither wift they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and faith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your reft: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of finners. Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. And imme

diately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with fwords and ftaves from the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders. And he that betrayed him, had given them a token, faying, Whomsoever I fhall kifs, that fame is he; take him, and lead him away fafely. And as soon as

account of this denial of Jefus here, is a remarkable proof of his humility and fincerity. For, had he been otherwife difpofed, it would have been very natural for him rather to have concealed a circumftance fo mortifying to human pride but, instead of being filent on this head, he relates this event with fome aggravating particulars not mentioned by the other Evangelifts. Such, for instance, is his being fo very positive in his refo-, lution of not denying his Mafter; of which we have no reafon to doubt ofthe fincerity: yet they are a lamentable proof of the want of felf-knowledge.

§ Simon, fleepest thou? could't not thou watch one hour? Asif he faid, "O Peter, Is thy attention to my welfare so foon wearied out? Doft thou fleep regardless of

"thy Master's forrows? Thou who so lately boastedst of "thy courage and conftancy in my fervice." Had Peter awoke, during this reproach, it furely must have pierced him to the heart.-But who must not be touched with the kind and compaffionate excufe which our Lord makes amidst all his afflictions, for the frailty and weakness of his Difciples! The Spirit truly is ready but the Flesh is weak. As if he had faid, "I know very well "that your profeffions were fincere for my fervice:

but, alas! it is too plain, (fuch is human weakness) "that unless good refolutions be improved and con"firmed by watchfulness and prayer, they will foon fall "to the ground.”

he was come, he goeth ftraightway to him, and faith, Mafter, mafter; and kiffed him. And they laid their hands on him, and took him. *And one of them that ftood by, drew a fword, and smote a fervant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. And Jefus anfwered and faid unto them, Are ye come out as against a thief, with fwords and with ftaves to take me? I was daily with you in the temple, teaching, and ye took me not: but the Scriptures muft be fulfilled. And they all forfook him, and fled. + And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him. And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. And they led Jefus away to the high priest, and with him were affembled all the chief priests, and the elders, and the fcribes; and Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the fervants, and warmed himfelf at the fire. And the chief priests, and all the council fought for witness against Jesus to put him to death, and found none. For many bare falfe witness against him, but their witnefs agreed not together. And there arofe certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard him fay, I will deftroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. neither fo did their witness agree together. And the high priest flood in the midft, and asked Jefus, faying, Anfwerest thou nothing? - what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and faid unto him, ‡ Art thou the Chrift, the fon of the bleffed?

But

Cloth in which he had been lying, and having a respect for Jefus, followed him, forgetting his drefs.

Art thou the Chrift the Son of the Blefed? The craft of the Question lay in this, that if Jefus answered, in the affirmative, they would condemn him as a Blafphemer, but if in the negative, they propofed to punish him as an Imp ftor, who, by accepting the title of the Meilah, had deceived the people.