But let us enquire how the Lamb of God behaved his occasion. The Evangelists inform us, that Then he had tasted thereof, he would not drink; hat he received it not.' Thus he tasted this bitnauseous draught, and permitted some drops to sten his parched mouth; but he refused to drink the bitter potion which was offered to him. At same time, the hand of God restrained the brutal mies of the blessed Jesus, so that they did not comhim to drink the mixture they had prepared for

But we are not to suppose that our blessed Saviour sed to take this cup out of mere delicacy, because taste displeased him: He did it rather from wise just motives. We have observed above, that h liquors were given to malefactors to drink, just ore they were executed, with a double view; which either to intoxicate the malefactor's senses; or to ow him into such a stupor, as to make him less sible of the pangs of death; or perhaps to hasten death, that he might be sooner out of his pain. But ther of the two last could take place in our blessed iour; and probably it was the least of his enemies' entions to alleviate or shorten his pains. At least, did not desire to lessen his sufferings; but was ing to feel them to the last instant of his life, and, our good, to taste and swallow death in all its bitness, (Heb. ii. 9.) He was induced by the most alted love, to offer up himself to his Father amidst most painful sensations, and voluntarily to lay vn his life in the hour which he had appointed for The first motive to drink this potion was likese incompatible with our blessed Saviour's charac: For he was resolved to preserve his soul in sodecent and foolish, that he might curse his enemies, behave like a frantic person. But this expectation of the devil and our Saviour's enemies, was baffled; for Jesus declined drinking the liquor, which had been prepared in order to make him an object of ridicule. These were probably the wise motives of our blessed Lord's behaviour on this occasion. Hence we may learn these truths,

.. 1. It is the temper of the world to endeavour, that every thing may be embittered and rendered disagreeable to the members of Jesus Christ.

Of this we have a notorious instance in the behaviour of our Saviour's enemies. The men of this world cannot find it in their hearts to shew the smallest, and most usual kind offices, to the godly; and when there is an unavoidable necessity of so doing, they are very industrious so to embitter every indulgence shewn them, that the children of God shall be little the better for it. All their cordials are mingled with gall, and in all their consolations there is a large portion of vinegar; and even under the specious appearance of doing good, they endeavour to molest and afflict them. To this hardship the servants of God must inure themselves; and they may be assured once for all, that, instead of any comfort from the world, all they have to expect is an increase of their reproach and misery. Their glorious chief fared no better; and therefore they are not to expect any other treatment. 2. Jesus Christ, by tasting the bitterness of this nauseous potion, was to expiate the voluptuous deli

The Lord also thus threatens sinners, 'I will feed this people with wormthem water of gall to drink,' (Jer. ix. erness which would have been our our Mediator has once tasted, in order ate all the sins of the penitent, to adthe sweets of Divine comfort at the nd to give them an antepast of eter

flect ye, who still drink the intoxicatan, what the blessed Jesus suffered to - right to the grace of God, and his ons. Oh forbear thus greedily to ke water, (Job xvi. 15.) which will bitterness perhaps in this world, and ure without end! be not afraid of the godly sorrow, which is far preferable etness of sinful pleasures. Is it not for a short time, than to grieve forbetter here to drink a bitter potion p of Christ, and afterwards to be eterI with the delights of paradise, than d with the cup of sin? as for you, who Le love of God, and the sweetness of , know that you owe this to the bit

eifixion itself. St. John, who is known to have been present, describes this transaction in a very succinct manner, 'where they crucified him.' It seems as if this Evangelist, when he was going to describe this bloody and barbarous action, was so affected with the melancholy subject, that the tender love he bore to his divine master would not suffer him to dwell upon the particulars. The Roman manner of crucifying malefactors was as follows. The cross being first raised perpendicularly, and firmly fixed in the ground, the criminal who was to be fastened on it was stripped naked, and so exposed to the public view, without the least covering. Then the soldiers lifted him on a piece of timber, which projected from the erect beam of the cross, like a kind of seat, and so placed him on it, that the legs hung down on each side of this seat. Then they proceeded to stretch out the upper part of the body, and to extend both arms; and, having first bound them to the transverse beam of the cross, nailed them to it with large ironnails, driven through the palms of each hand. Lastly, the legs were stretched out; and being placed close to each other, each of them was separately nailed to the perpendicular beam of the cross. In this ignominious and painful manner, according to the most probable conjectures, was the Lord of life crucified.

But the extraordinary pain and ignominy with which this punishment was attended, will appear more evident, if we consider,

I. That the person who was to be crucified was stripped from head to foot, and thus was fastened to the cross quite naked, in the sight of a vast number of