Forty-ninth Sunday.

THE CRUCIFIXION.

FIRST READING.

"They pierced my hands and my feet."—Ps. 22:16.

WHEN the judgment was over, Pilate gave up our Lord to the four soldiers who were to crucify Him. His cross, a heavy beam of wood, with another fastened across it, was laid on His shoulders, that He might carry it to the place where He was to suffer—a place named Calvary, outside the walls of Jerusalem.

He was so weak and worn out after the long sad night, the being taken from one judge to another, and the beating and tormenting, that He could hardly walk under it; and the soldiers met a man coming out of the country whom they forced to carry it after Jesus.

When they came to Calvary, the soldiers made the blessedJesuslie down on the beam of wood, and they stretched His arms out on the cross-beam, and drove a large nail through each of the palms of His hands into the wood, and another nail through His feet; and then they lifted up the cross, with Him upon it, and planted it in the ground, that He might hang there till He should die.

And all He said while they were thus nailing Him were thewords, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!" That was the great pain He bore to save us!

QUESTIONS.

1. Where was our Lord to be crucified? 2. Who led Him there? 3. Where was it? 4. What had He to carry? 5. But who had to be called to help Him? 6. Why was He so worn out? 7. What had they done to Him? 8. What was the cross? 9. How was He fastened to it? 10. What was done to it then? 11. What prayer did He make? 12. For whom was He praying? 13. For whom was He dying?

JESUS FALLS UNDER THE CROSS.—Luke 23:27, 28.

SECOND READING.

"Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews."—John 19:19.

OVER the head of the blessed Lord on the cross was a tablet, with the words, "Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews;" and on each side of Him was another cross, with a robber upon it.

There He hung patiently, while the chief priests and Pharisees passed by, mocking and laughing at His pain, and crying out, "He saved others; Himself He cannotsave. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him."

Even the robbers at first joined in the cry; but by-and-by one of them began to feel that He who was so patient and so great in all that agony must truly be the Son of God; and he rebuked his fellow, and said, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom!" And the Lord answered, "To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise!"

THE CRUCIFIXION.—John 19:30.

His holy mother had come to stand by the foot of His cross, and with her, her sister and some other women, and His beloved apostle John. The Lord looked down at her, and said, "Woman, behold thy son!" and He looked at St. John, and said, "Behold thy mother!" And John took the blessed Virgin home with him, and was always like a son to her afterward.

At noon-day, a dreadful darkness came over all the earth, and it lasted for three whole hours, as if the very sun mourned for Him who made it. Just at three o'clock, the blessed Lordsaid, "I thirst;" and as one of the soldiers was touching His lips with a sponge full of vinegar, He gave a great sad cry, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me!"

Then presently he added, "It is finished! Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit!" And He cried with a loud cry; and so He, who was God and man in one, died for us men, and for our salvation.

QUESTIONS.

1. What was set up over our Lord's head? 2. Who were crucified on each side? 3. How did the robbers behave at first? 4. How did one change? 5. What did he say? 6. How did our Lord answer? 7. Who were standing by His cross? 8. What did He say to His mother? 9. What did He say to John? 10. What did John do for her? 11. What came over the earth? 12. How long did the darkness last? 13. What did our Lord cry out? 14. How did a soldier try to quench His thirst? 15. What was His sad cry?

THIRD READING.

"And rested the sabbath day."—Luke 23:56.

THERE were some good people even among the chief of the Jews; and two of these, named Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, went to Pontius Pilate, and asked him to let them bury the body of Jesus. People generally were much longer in dying on the cross, so Pilate sent to see if He was dead.

To make sure, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and out came blood and water together. The robbers were still alive, so the soldiers broke their legs, that they might die sooner; and so the repenting one soon went to our Lord in Paradise.

Then Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea took the holy body down from the cross, quite dead. Now, close by, Joseph had a garden, and in it was a cave which he meant to be buried in, but where no one had yet been laid. They carried our Lord's body there; and the good women who followed Him, Mary Magdalene and the rest, wrapped it up in linen cloths and sweet spices.

They wanted to do more for it; but it was getting late on Good Friday evening, and the Sabbath or seventh day was counted from sunset, and then they could do no manner of work. So they had to wait till the Sabbath should be over; and Joseph rolled a great rock to close up the door, and they went away in their grief.

THE BURIAL OF JESUS.—John 19:41, 42.

And then came a guard of soldiers, whom the chief priests had sent to watch the stone, for fear, as they told Pilate, that the disciples should steal the body away in the night. So they put seals, to make sure that no one should move the stone; and the soldiers were set to watch.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who asked for our Lord's body? 2. What did Pilate want to know? 3. How did they make sure that our Lord was dead? 4. What was done to the robbers? 5. Where did Nicodemus and Joseph take the body? 6. To whom did the cave belong? 7. Who were there too? 8. How did they wrap the body? 9. What did they put with it? 10. Why did they not do any more? 11. What day was it? 12. What was the next day? 13. What is the Fourth Commandment? 14. When did the Sabbath begin?

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