hours of study be so profitably spent, that I may feel the benefit of them at my death, and praise theé for them in eternity. Grant this, O Lord, for the sake of thy death and passion. Amen.

CONSIDERATION IX.

THE LAST HOURS OF THE LORD JESUS.

'IN thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, let me never be ashamed: Deliver me in thy righteousness; bow down thine ear to me, and deliver me speedily: Be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock, and my fortress; therefore, for thy name's sake, lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: Thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. I have hated those that regard lying vanities; but I trust in the Lord. I will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy; for thou hast considered my trouble: Thou hast known my soul in adversities, and hast not shut me up in the hand of the enemy; thou hast set my feet in a large room,' (Psalm xxx. 1-9.)

The fifth verse of this Psalm, namely, 'Into thy hand I commend my spirit,' are to be considered as the key to lead us into the right sense of the text; and from these words an attentive mind may easily infer, that this part of the Psalm treats of our ever glorious Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. For as he appropriates to himself the twenty-second Psalm, by borrowing from it these words which he spoke on the cross, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me;' so has he likewise appropriated to himself this Psalm, by saying, Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit.' Hence we may conclude, that Christ is

*Hours signify devotion.

introduced speaking here; who in the first verse of this Psalm says, 'In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, let me never be ashamed: Deliver me in thy righteous. ness, &c.' In these words the suffering Jesus speaks; who, in the last moments of his life, here enters on a new pathetic discourse with his Father, and at length gives up the Ghost, in assurance of a joyful resurrection. In this manner the last moments of the crucified Jesus are here described, which we shall consider as an edifying pattern of the last hours of a dying Christian. In the consideration of this subject, we shall shew,

First, How the Lord Jesus behaved in his last hours.

Secondly, How a dying Christian is to behave in his last hours, and prepare for his approaching death. I. As to the account of Christ's last hours, as prefigured in this Psalm, it contains,

First, His last supplication.

Secondly, His last ejaculation.

First, In his last prayer, which is comprehended in the first four verses of this Psalm, he calls on God for a happy issue of the work of redemption, and places his confidence in his heavenly Father, saying, In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust.'

In these words he reminds his Father, that, hitherto in all the storms with which his human nature had been assaulted, he had made HIM his sole refuge, and firmly trusted that he would deliver him from anguish and death, and at length eminently manifest his glory. And as now in the last moments of his life, even whilst the scoffers are crying out, 'He trusted in God, let him deliver him now, if he will have him,' he persisted unshaken in this confidence; so that his heavenly Father could not but iend a gracious car to the last prayer, which he was now going to offer up to him. On this follow the dying Redeemer's petitions as contained in this Psalm.

The first petition in this prayer is, Let me be never ashamed.' The Son of God, in order to glorify his Father, had delivered himself up to reproach and infamy. He had suffered himself, the night before, to be apprehended as a murderer and a rebel, and to be sentenced to death as a blasphemer. Now, he hangs exposed and naked on an accursed cross, as the vilest of malefactors, and is insulted by all ranks of people. Therefore, he had before said to his Father in another Psalm, (Psalm lxix. 7.) For thy sake I have borne reproach: Shame hath covered my face.' But in these words he properly deprecates eternal shame and confusion, and prays, that in this hour of darkness, the Father would not withdraw his hand from him, nor give him up to eternal reproach; but that by death he would put an end to the raging waves of abuse and insults, with which he had hitherto been covered; that he would glorify him again after all this mockery and reproach; and that he would bring him forth again with honour from the grave, and so manifest his innocence, that they, who should believe in him might not be confounded in their hope; which would inevitably be the case, if he, the Captain of their salvation, should continue in the grave, and be overcome by death. Thus he also prays in the sixty-ninth Psalm: (verse 6.) 'Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of Hosts, be ashamed for my sake; let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.'

The second petition in this prayer is: Deliver me, [namely, from everlasting reproach and the bands of death] in thy righteousness.'

Our Mediator, by his manifold sufferings, which wore soon to terminate in death, had appeased the Divine justice, and made satisfaction to it for the sins of mankind. Therefore he might, with comfort, now appeal to God's righteousness or justice; and require, that it would deliver him from reproach, justify him by the resurrection; and, as it were, give

him his discharge for the ransom he had paid, by declaring him for ever free from all farther claims and demands. Hence he says, 'Deliver me in thy righteousness,' or as it is in another Psalm, (Psalm xxxv. 24.) Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness.'

The third petition in the text is, 'Bow down thy ear to me.' Hitherto God, as a just Judge, had as it were turned aside his ear from our Saviour, without attending to his doleful lamentation: Hence he complains in another Psalm, (Psalm xxii. 2, 3.) 'O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.' But now, he prays, that before the period of his life, his Father would favour him with one gracious look; and fully assure him that the prayer, which the great High Priest offered up for himself and all who should believe in his name, with strong crying and tears, might be heard. Being at this instant descended to the lowest degree of abasement, he prays that the Father would incline down his ear to him; and, as the close of his life drew near, he intreats him that he would 'deliver him speedily,' as it is in the text.

The fourth petition in the text is, 'Be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence, [a fortified, impregnable place] to save me.' Our Redeemer, in his sufferings, was given up by his Father to his inveterate enemies. All the powers of darkness discharged their fury on his soul; and many scurrilous tongues with combined malice cried out, while he was hanging on the cross, He saved others, himself he cannot save.' The soldiers called out, 'l thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself.' Even one of the crucified malefactors joined in the cry, and said, If thou be Christ or the Messiah, save thyself and us.' His confidence in God's assistance being thus assaulted, he prays, 'Save me,' that the slanders

of mine enemies, who say that my soul is to expect no help from thee, may be confuted by real fact. And as our Saviour was now destitute of all human and angelic protection, and exposed naked and defenceless to all the assaults of his enemies, he prays that his heavenly Father would be his rock and fortress; that he would raise him up, bring him into safety, and deliver him from all future assaults of death and hell. Bar to avoid any appearance of complaint against his Ether, as if he had been wanting to shew himself his rock and fortress, he subjoins, 'For thou art my rock and my fortress,' and hast hitherto constantly shewed thys such: Be pleased farther to continue my strong rock us the end of my life, which now approaches. With this we may compare the Messiah's effusions of gratitude, as they are expressed in another Psalm (Psalm xvi. 1, 2.) I will love thee, O Lord, my strength! The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer: My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high

tower.'

The fifth petition of this prayer is, 'For thy name's sake, lead me and guide me.' He now drew near to the end of his toilsome journey, when a sudden darkness and night came upon him. Not only the natural Sun withheld its light at the Divine command, so that horrid darkness obscured the whole country for three hours; but the light of comfort and joy was, as it were, eclipsed in his oppressed soul; and now he was immediately to enter into the gloomy valley of the shadow of death. He therefore supplicates his Father, that he would guide him, as the shepherd does his sheep, and conduct him to the happy end of his tedious, painful journey. This he requests of God for his name's sake; in the glorifying of which he had hitherto been occupied in the work of reconciliation, and whose honour was inseparably interwoven with the happy issue of this arduous work. Hence he says (John xvii. 4, 5, 6.) 'I have glorified thee on earth; I