ched the death-procession pass,
were some, women particularly, who bewailed and lamented the fate to
which Jesus was going. We read of no man who ventured to raise his voice
in protest or pity; but on this dreadful occasion as at other times,
women were not afraid to cry out in commiseration or praise. Jesus, who
had been silent under the inquisition of the priests, silent under the
humiliating mockery of the sensual Herod and his coarse underlings,
silent when buffeted and beaten by the brutal legionaries of Pilate,
turned to the women whose sympathizing lamentations had reached His
ears, and uttered these pathetic and portentous words of admonition and
warning: "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for
yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in
the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that
never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to
say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if
they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" It
was the Lord's last testimony of the impending holocaust of destruction
that was to follow the nation's rejection of her King. Although
motherhood was the glory of every Jewish woman's life, yet in the
terrible scenes which many of those there weeping would live to witness,
barrenness would be accounted a blessing; for the childless would have
fewer to weep over, and at least would be spared the horror of seeing
their offspring die of starvation or by violence; for so dreadful would
be that day that people would fain welcome the falling of the mountains
upon them to end their sufferings.[1303] If Israel's oppressors could do
what was then in process of doing to the "Green Tree," who bore the
leafage of freedom and truth and offered the priceless fruit of life
eternal, what would the powers of evil not do to the withered branches
and dried trunk of apostate Judaism?

Along the city streets, out through the portal of the massive wall, and
thence to a place beyond but yet nigh unto Jerusalem, the cortege
advanced. The destination was a spot called Golgotha, or Calvary,
meaning "the place of a skull."[1304]

CRUCIFIXION.[1305]

At Calvary the official crucifiers proceeded without delay to carry into
effect the dread sentence pronounced upon Jesus and upon the two
criminals. Preparatory to affixing the condemned to the cross, it was
the custom to offer each