al course, and caused such agonising sensations
throughout his countless wounds, that he bowed his head, and remained
as if dead for more than seven minutes. A pause ensued; the
executioners were occupied with the division of his garments; the
trumpets in the Temple no longer resounded; and all the actors in this
fearful tragedy appeared to be exhausted, some by grief, and others by
the efforts they had made to compass their wicked ends, and by the joy
which they felt now at having at last succeeded in bringing about the
death of him whom they had so long envied. With mixed feelings of fear
and compassion I cast my eyes upon Jesus,--Jesus my Redeemer,--the Redeemer
of the world. I beheld him motionless, and almost lifeless. I felt as
if I myself must expire; my heart was overwhelmed between grief, love,
and horror; my mind was half wandering, my hands and feet burning with
a feverish heat; each vein, nerve, and limb was racked with
inexpressible pain; I saw nothing distinctly, excepting my beloved
Spouse hanging on the cross. I contemplated his disfigured countenance,
his head encircled with that terrible crown of thorns, which prevented
his raising it even for a moment without the most intense suffering,
his mouth parched and half open from exhaustion, and his hair and beard
clotted with blood. His chest was torn with stripes and wounds, and his
elbows, wrists, and shoulders so violently distended as to be almost
dislocated; blood constantly trickled down from the gaping wounds in
his hands, and the flesh was so torn from his ribs that you might
almost count them. His legs and thighs, as also his arms, were
stretched out almost to dislocation, the flesh and muscles so
completely laid bare that every bone was visible, and his whole body
covered with black, green, and reeking wounds. The blood which flowed
from his wounds was at first red, but it became by degrees light and
watery, and the whole appearance of his body was that of a corpse ready
for interment. And yet, notwithstanding the horrible wounds with which
he was covered, notwithstanding the state of ignominy to which he was
reduced, there still remained that inexpressible look of dignity and
goodness which had ever filled all beholders with awe.

The complexion of our Lord was fair, like that of Mary, and slightly
tinted with red; but his exposure to the weather during the last three
years had tanned him considerably. His chest was wide, but not hairy
like that