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48. off his ear.

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and said unto them, “ Are (p) ye come out, as against a thief, "with swords and with staves to 49. "take me? I was daily with you "in the temple teaching, and ye "took me not: but the Scrip"tures must be fulfilled." And they (q) all forsook him, and fled. 51. And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and 52. the young men laid hold on him: and he (r) left the linen cloth, 53. and fled from them naked. And they led Jesus away to the high priest and with him were assembled all the chief priests and 54. the elders and the scribes. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and 55. warmed himself at the fire. And the chief priests and all the coun

assume the appearance, &c. of a temporal prince, and his courage might have been raised by what he had seen at the transfiguration, and by what he had seen of the temper of the multitude at our Saviour's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. See Maltby, 137.-1 Jort. Rem. 212. .47. (p) According to Matt. xxvi. 52. and John xviii. II. our Saviour checked Peter, Put up again thy sword into "his place; for all they that take the "sword shall perish with the sword. "The cup which my Father hath given 66 me, shall I not drink it?" And according to Luke xxii. 51. he immediately touched the man's ear, and healed him.

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(r) "Left," &c. This may be men- v. 52. tioned to shew how great their fear was; the young man chose rather to lose the only garment he had than be detained.

(s) "I will destroy," &c. See ante 95, v. 58. note on Matt. xxvii. 40.

(t) "Again," &c. According to the v.6L parallel place, Matt. xxvi. 63. the high priest, upon putting this question, addressed our Saviour with this solemn adjuration, "I adjure thee by the living "God, that thou tell us whether thou "be the Christ the Son of God." And it is supposed, that upon a question so put, no Jew could refuse to answer. Dr. Hammond says, it obliged the person adjured to speak and answer truly, as much as if he had taken an oath. this accounts for our Saviour's answering a question when so put, though till that time he had held his peace, and answered nothing.

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rent his clothes, and saith, "What "need we any further witnesses? ye have heard the (x) blasphemy: what think ye?" And they all condemned him to be 65. guilty of death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, "Prophesy :" and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. 65. And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the 67. maids of the high priest: and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, "And thou also wast with 68." Jesus of Nazareth." But he denied, saying, "I know not, "neither understand I what thou

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v.62.

v. 64.

v.5.

(u) "Sitting on the right hand of "Power, and coming in the clouds of "heaven." Perhaps not literally, but figuratively; with as decisive proofs of his being the Son of God, as if they saw him so sit and come. Our Saviour probably alluded to his coming at the "great "day of the Lord," the time of vengeance on his opponents, when Jerusalem was destroyed, and immense numbers perished elsewhere. See note on Matt. xxiv. 30. ante 70. and on Luke xxi. 25.

ante 29.

(x)" Blasphemy." See post, note on John xix. 7. Bp. Porteus's very able Lecture on the parallel chapter, Matt. xxvi. Lecture 21. is well worth consulting.

(1) A prophetic account of the indignities that should be offered to the Messiah, of his patience and success, and of the confusion of his enemies.

(x)" Opened mine ear," i. e. taken

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agreeth thereto." But he began to curse and to swear, say ing, "I know not this man of "whom ye speak." And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, "Be"fore the cock crow twice thou "shalt deny me thrice." And when he thought thereon, he wept.

Tuefday before Easter.

For the Epistle. Isaiah 1. 5. (y) THE Lord God hath (z) opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I (a) gave my back to the smiters, 6 and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

me to be his servant; and I have dedicated myself to his service. When a bondman preferred perpetual servitude with his master to being made free, the master was to bore his ear through with an awl, and then the bondman was to serve him for ever. See Exod. xxi. 6. Deut. xv. 17. And it is to this practice the prophet here alludes. So Psalm xl. 8. Sacrifice and meat-offering thou "wouldest not, but mine ears hast thou "opened," or pierced; that is, thou hast taken me to be thy servant for ever. Or, "opening the ear" might mean, thou hast made me obedient, hast made me to hear thy commands.

(a) "I gave," &c. The treatment our Saviour received comes fully up to the prophecy. See Matt.xxvii. 26.30, 31. They scourged him, spit upon him, smote him upon the head, mocked him, &c. And see Mark xv. 15. 19.

7. For the Lord God will (b) help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like (c) a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He 8. is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? Let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to 9. me. Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth 10. shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that (d) obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, 11. and stay upon his God. Behold,

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the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him (g) to Pilate. And 2. Pilate asked him, "Art thou "the King of the Jews?" And he answering said unto him, "Thou (b) sayest it." And the 3. chief priests accused him of many things; but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, say- 4. ing, "Answerest thou nothing? "behold how many things they "witness against thee." But 5. Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. Now at 6. that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one, 7. named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude, crying aloud, 8. began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. But 9. Pilate answered them, saying, "Will ye that I release unto you "the King of the Jews?" (for 10.

rely upon human devices and worldly policy.

V. II.

(f) "Walk," &c. i. e. tauntingly. (g)" Delivered him to Pilate." The v.1. chief priest and council of the Jews had before agreed "that he was guilty of "death," Mark xiv. 64. But they had not the power of punishing capitally : they delivered him therefore to Pilate, the Roman governor, who had that power.

(b) "Thou sayest it," i. e. I am. v.2. When the high priest adjured our Saviour to say, whether he were the Christ, the Son of God, St. Matthew states his answer to have been, "Thou hast said." St. Mark states it, "I am." And Luke xxii. 70. when the chief priest and elders asked our Saviour if he were the Son of God, and he answered, “Ye say that I am," they treated his answer as an assertion that he was.

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the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release 12. Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, "What will ye then that "I shall do unto him whom

ye "call the King of the Jews?" 13. And they cried out again," Cru14. cify him." Then Pilate said

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unto them, "Why, what evil hath

"he done?" And they cried out the more exceedingly," Crucify 15. "him." And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had (i) scourged 16. him, to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away into the hall called Pretorium; and they call together the whole band. 17. And they clothed him with pur

ple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head; 18. and began to salute him, "Hail, 19. "King of the Jews!" And they

v. 15.

v.23.

V. 24. v. 28.

smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and, bowing their knees, worshipped

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(k) Wine," &c. According to Matt. xxvii. 34. it was vinegar, not wine. Which it was is immaterial.

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See

(1) Parted his garments." Matt. xxvii. 35. (ante 95.) and note there.

(m) "The Scripture," viz. Isaiah liii. 12. The whole of this prophetic chapter applies so pointedly to our Saviour, that it cannot be too much studied. It begins with an intimation that the Messiah would not be at once acknowledged: "Who hath believed our report," &c. ; that he should for some time have but few followers, "growing up as a tender

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plant, and as a root out of a dry "ground;" that he should have no earthly grandeur, &c. to recommend him, "no form or comeliness, no beauty

him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they a bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, "The place of a scull." And : they gave him to drink (k) wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they (1) parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour; 2 and they crucified him. And the 20 superscription of his accusation was written over, "THE KING "OF THE JEWS." And with 2 him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the Scrip- 20 ture (m) was fulfilled, which saith, "And he was numbered with the "transgressors." And they that 29 passed by railed on him, wagging

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gressions that he should be wounded, "and that by his stripes we should be "healed; that he should make his grave "with the wicked, and yet be with the "rich in his death; that he should never"theless see his seed; that the pleasure "of the Lord should prosper in his "hand; and that by his knowledge he "should justify many," &c. &c. The prevalence of Christianity since his crucifixion has indeed given him seed without number, has prospered the Lord's pleasure in his hand, and has brought many to justification.

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their heads, and saying, "Ah, "thou that (n) destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three 30. "days, save thyself, and come 31. "down from the cross." Likewise also the chief priests, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes, "He saved others; "himself he cannot save. "Christ the King of Israel de"scend now from the cross, that ર we may see and believe." And they that (0) were crucified with 33. him reviled him. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land un34. til the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, "lama sabachthani ?" which is, being interpreted, "My (p) God,

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.36.

v. 38.

v.39.

7.16.

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my God, why hast thou for"saken me?" And some of them

(n) "That destroyest," &c. See note on Matt. xxvii. 40. (ante 95.) (0) 6 They that were crucified with "him." See note on Matt. xxvii. 44. (ante 96.)

(p) "My God," &c. Matt. xxvii. 46.

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See note on

(9) Vinegar." See ante 96. note on Matt. xxvii. 48.

(r)" Veil." See note on Matt. xxvii. 51. (ante 96.)

() "Truly," &c. See ante 97. note on Matt. xxvii. 54.

(t) A continuation of the contrast between the atonement by Christ, and that under the Mosaic dispensation. See ante 89.

(u)" A testament." The word which is here rendered "testament," is in this, and parts of the preceding and following chapter, and elsewhere, rendered "

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nant," Heb. viii. 6. 9. 10.-ix. 4.x. 16. And it is difficult, in our idea of the word "testament," in verse 15. 18. to understand how our Saviour was the Mediator of a new testament, or how the Mosaic dispensation can be called "a "testament." Who, it may be asked, was the testator in either dispensation ?

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Not the Father, for he has never undergone death; not Moses in the first, for that was in force during his life, and the only death there was of bulls and of goats; not Jesus Christ in the second, for he was the Mediator only. The translation of this and the next two verses should perhaps be, "where there is a covenant, (i. e. a covenant of expiation, as this is,

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or a covenant between God and man,) "there must also of necessity be the "death of that which is to be the expiation: "for it is on account of the sacrifices, "the deaths, that the covenant is of "force: for it is of no force so long as "that which is to be the expiation is "alive wherefore, it was not without "blood that even the first covenant was "established." It was probably familiar with the Jews to accompany with some sacrifice whatever they considered a covenant with God: and from Abel's time, the sacrifice of animals was considered acceptable to God. One of the senses of das is," to appease, to satisfy;" and dann may therefore mean an atonement, a satisfaction, or as I have expressed it, "a covenant of expiation." What is translated in the Bible, "after

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