the price of blood. And they took counfél, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury frangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. (Then was fulfilled that which was fpoken by Jeremy the prophet, faying, And they took the thirty pieces of filver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Ifrael did value; and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.) And Jefus ftood before the governor: and the governor asked him, faying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jefus faid unto him, Thou fayeft. And when he was accufed of the chiefpriefts and elders, he anfwered nothing. Then faith Pilate unto him, Heareft thou not how many things they witnefs against thee? And he answered him to never a word; infomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. Now at that feaft the governor was wont to release unto the people a prifoner, whom they would. And they had then a notable prifoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate faid unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, oṛ Jefus which is called Chrift? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he was fet down on the judgment-feat, his wife fent unto him, faying, Have thou nothing to do with that juft man: for I have fuffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priefts and elders perfuaded the multitude that they should alk Barabbas, and deftroy Jefus. The governor answered and faid unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I releafe unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate faith unto them, What fhall I do then with Jefus which is called Christ? They all fay unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor faid, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, faying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate faw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and wafhed his hands before the multitude, faying, I am innocent of the blood of this juft perfon: fee ye to it. Then anfwered all the people, and faid, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then releafed he Barabbas unto them:

L

and when he had fcourged Jefus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the foldiers of the governor took Jefus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of foldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a fcarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, faying, Hail, King of the Jews. And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and fmote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came ont, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his crofs. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to fay, A place of a fkull, they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall: and when he had tafted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, cafting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vefture did they caft lots. And fitting down, they watched him there; and fet up over his head his accufation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him: one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that paffed by, reviled him, wagging their heads, and faying, Thou that destroyeft the temple, and buildest it in three days, fave thyfelf. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the crofs. Likewife also the chief priests mocking him, with the fcribes and elders, faid, He faved others; himself he cannot fave. If he be the King of Ifrael, let him now come down from the crofs, and we will believe him. He trufted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he faid, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, caft the

Scourged Jefus] The Romans firft fcourged the criminals whofe punifhment was crucifixion.

Band] Theophylact tells us it confifted of 200 foldiers.

His accufation] The Romans were accuftomed to set forth the cause of punishments in a few words; or to proclaim it by a herald.

fame in his teeth. Now from the fixth hour there was darknefs over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jefus cried with a loud voice, faying, Eli, Eli, lama fabachthani? that is to fay, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken, me? Some of them that food there, when they heard that, faid, This man calleth for Elias. And ftraightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The reft faid, Let be, let us fee whether Elias will come to fave him. Jefus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghoft. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened and many bodies of faints which flept, arofe, and came out of their graves: after his refurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jefus, faw the earthquake, and thofe things that were done, they feared greatly, faying, Truly this was the Son of God.

the

Monday before Eafter.

The Epistle. Ifaiah lxiii. 1.

HO is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed

his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his ftrength? I that speak in righteoufnefs, mighty to fave. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat? I have trodden the wineprefs alone, and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in

Darkness] A miraculous and very fenfible diminution of the fur's light: but not caufed by an eclipfe of the fun, as the pallover was always kept at the full-moon.

Ninth bur] Three o'clock in the afternoon; the hour of the Jewish evening facrifice. The third hour, when our Lord was crucified, was the Four of morning facrifice; nine o'clock in the morning.

Vinegar] The common drink of the Roman foldiers was called pofca, Fegar mingled with water.

my fury, and their blood fhall be fprinkled upon my gar ments, and I will ftain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought falvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. I will mention the loving-kindneffes of the Lord, and the praifes of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath beftowed on us, and the great goodness toward the houfe of Ifrael, which he hath beftowed on them, according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his 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 faved 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 himfelf an everlasting Name? That led them through the deep as an horse in the wilderness; that they fhould not tumble? As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caufed him to reft: fo didft thou lead thy people, to make thyfelf a glorious Name. Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holinefs, and of thy glory: Where is thy zeal, and thy strength, the founding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies toward me? are they reftrained? Doubtlefs 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 ever lafting. O Lord, why haft thou made us to err from thy ways? and hardened our heart from thy

fear? Return, for thy fervants' fake, the tribes of thine inheritance. The people of thy holinefs 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 Gofpel. St. Mark xiv. 1.

AFTER two days was the feaft of the paffover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priefts and the fcribes fought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death, But they faid, Not on the feast-day, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany in the houfe of Simon the leper, as he fat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster-box of ointment of fpikenard 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 wafte of the ointment made? For it might have been fold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor: and they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone, why trouble ye 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 fhe could: fhe is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily, I fay unto you, Wherefoever this Gofpel fhall 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 priefts, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promifed 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 disciples 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: