hold on Eternal Life, which they never had any hope of before. But how do Men let flip the Opportunities God puts in their Hands! So have I, my blessed Jefus, many a time, when I have been in a good frame, when thou haft put good Thoughts and Refolutions in my Heart, what Opportunities had I to make my self for ever! But I have return'd to the love of the World, despised thefe Opportunities of Grace, and juftly deferved, thou fhouldft deny them me for ever! Dear Saviour! visit me once more with thy Salvation, with the Day-fpring from on high, and I will admit thy Beams into my Soul, that I may be enlighten'd, edified, fanctified, and preferv'd for ever! .

33. And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they Crucified him, and the Malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

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Ere begins the A&t, at which Heaven and Earth stood amaz'd! What a Spectacle was here! The Son of God nail'd to the Crofs, and hanging betwixt two Thieves! Did not the Hands of the Soldiers, that nail'd the Saviour of the World to the Crofs tremble? Did not their Hearts fail them, when they tied him to the Tree?No,their Hearts were Flint and Adamant.No other could have been engaged in the Service. O wonderful ftupidity! they knew not what Flefh they touch'd. They knew not it was a Body fram'd by the Holy Ghost, and the Fruit of the Virgin's Womb! Here, O my Soul, here the work of thy Redemption is commenc'd! O look upon the Heavenly Creature that hangs here, and think what Riches are treasured up in his Crofs! Here he fhew'd himself a Mediator indeed, hanging in the middle, betwixt a Penitent and a Prodigal, betwixt Heaven and Earth, betwixt the Living and the Dead! They crucified him! What did the Angels think, to see their Lord and Mafter thus used! What doft thou think of it, O my Soul! Job's Friends feeing the greatnefs of

his Misery, fate filent by him in the Duft feven days. ook, O my Soul, upon this Object, fit filent, and admire, for thy Lord's Grief is great.

34. Then faid Jefus, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.

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Ord Jefus! What a Miracle of Mercy doft thou work here! I know not, which is the greater wonder, thofe thou didft formerly, when converfant on the Earth, or that which I fee now perform'd on the Crofs. To pray for Men, who had abused thee to a Prodigy! To beg of thy Father to forgive their Infolencies, and not to exclude them from the possibility of Repentance! Can I think of this, and not believe, that this was to teach me how I must behave my self towards thofe that have done me wrong? Canft thou forgive fuch Injuries, and shall not I forgive them that trefpafs againft me? One would have thought, that these Affronts and Indignities, which were offer'd to thee, would never have been forgiven! yet they are no fooner offer'd, but thou intercedeft for their Remiffion! O let no Injury that's henceforward offer'd me, feem too big for Pardon! O let me freely pafs by the Offence committed against me, that my Father which is in Heaven, may forgive me my Tref paffes.

35. And they parted his Garments, and caft Lots.

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Hat a rich Spoil did these Soldiers get, and they knew it not! If a good Chriftian, that understood the great Mystery of Godliness, had got fuch a Treasure, how would he have valu'd it! What Joy, what Comfort would it have been to fuch a Soul! Not that there is any great Virtue in the Clothes of the Son of God; A man might have kept them, and yet by leading an ill Life, have perish'd eternally, but

who

who would not have preferved thefe precious Relicks, if he had known what Perfön it was that wore them! It would have done him good to have look'd upon them; and admirable Reflections he might have made upon them! But to Men that knew not God, these things were of no value. O my Soul! Thou haft not priz'd the good things thy God hath bequeathed to thee. How little haft thou valued the Means of Grace thy, Saviour left behind him! Henceforward learn, to make a better Ufe of them, that they may be Health to thy Navel, and Marrow to thy Bones.

35. And the People food, beholding; and the Rulers alfo, with them, derided him, faying, He faved others: Let him fave himself, if he be Chrift, the Chofen of God.

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T could not but caufe ftrange Admiration, to fee him who had been known to be a Prophet, mighty in Word and Deed, come to fuch a doleful and dreadful End! But for any Man to be fo impudent, as to deride him in his Mifery, this was extraordinary bold and infolent. Yet, men that have done a very ill thing, think themselves obliged to justifie it by their Gestures and Actions; partly to keep themselves from Reproach, and partly to quiet their unruly and tumultuous Confciences. O my Soul! dread these things, as Hell-fire; and let not Sin reign in thy Mortal Body, left thou be tempted to stand in it, and to think well of it, and defend it, and by that means make thy Cafe defperate, and thy Disease remedilefs and irrecoverable.

36. And the Soldier alfo mocked him, coming to him and offering him Vinegar.

10 give a dying Man Vinegar, is, to increafe his Torment, and mocking of his Mifery. To add Affliction to Afiction, hath been counted inhumane

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by most Nations, How like Beafts and Brutes doth want of Religion make Men! Nothing makes them act more rationally than Religion. Religion is the Image. of God; and he that practiseth it, cannot but be like God. Omy Jefus ! Give me fuch a Senfe of it, that it may shine through my Actions, and People may fee whofe Child I am. Oh, when fhall my brutish, my beastly Affections die! When fhall I imitate my Father which is in Heaven; and act like a Perfon who hath a Soul infused from above, the Gift of the Father of Lights, with whom there is no Variableness, nor Shadow of Turning!

37. And faying, If thou be the King of the Jews, fave thy felf.

A Frothy Humour, to what Inconveniencies doth it

lead Men! It makes them speak ill of God before they are aware; and while they give way to their Jests, they very often affront Religion, and Holiness, that is its individual Companion. O my Saviour! Give me a ferious Temper,gravity of Behaviour,fobriety of Speech, difcretion in my Words, and confideratenefs in my Carriage. Let me not dare to offend thee, to please Men; nor attempt to make the Company I am in merry, with breaking Jefts upon things, at which the holy Angels Tremble,

38. And a Superfcription also was written over him in Letters of Greek and Latin, and Hebrew, This is the King of the Jews.

OW doth God concur with the A&tions of finful

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Pilate, when he writ this Title over the Crofs, in all thefe Languages, perhaps did it only to gratifie his Humour; but God fo directed it, that all Nations intimated by those Languages, might read there, that this Je fus was the Saviour of all the World; and that no Na

tion was excluded from a Title to the Merits of his Cross and Paffion. O Jefu! thou art no refpecter of Perfons: But in every Nation, whofoever ferves thee, and works Righteoufnefs, is accepted of thee. As poor, as mean, as inconfiderable as I am, yet if my Heart be upright toward thee, thou wilt receive me, and love me. Oh, give me fuch an Heart as thou delightest to dwell in. And if thou art in me, I fhall poffefs a Treafure, which the Moth cannot corrupt, and Thieves cannot steal away.

39. And one of the Malefactors which were hanged, railed on him, faying, If thou be Chrift, fave thy Self.

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THat Rudeness was this! Strange! That his Mifery fhould not make the Wretch more modeft! But this Concern was only for this prefent Life; All that he defired, was,to be free from his prefent Pain, that he might purfue his fenfual Inclinations, as formerly. How may a Man's Senfuality be known by his Talk! O my Soul, look well to thy Words and Difcourfes. If thy Heart be touched with a fenfe of a future glorious Life, thy Tongue will delight to fpeak of it. If thou have an averfion from fuch Difcourfes, all thy Profeffions of eternal Life will be meer Wind and Air: From the Abundance of the Heart, the Month Speaks. If Heaven and a glorious Eternity hath poffeffed thy Heart, thou wilt find Opportunities to utter thy inward Feelings of thofe things with thy Tongue.

40. But the other answering, rebuked him, saying, Doft not thou fear God, feeing thou art in the fame Condemnation?

Riendly Reproof is a great Duty: Yet, Q my Soul! how loth haft thou been to give it ; and how loth halt thou been to take it, when this precious Balm hath been pour'd out upon thy Head, by a charitable Neigh

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