word, Thy glory, and to be the teachers of Thy truth; nor suffer them to be either destroyed by the malice and violence, or corrupted by the evil customs and opinions of a preverse and wicked generation.

Holy and Almighty Father, all those whom thou hast given me, who hath embraced my doctrine, and obeyed it, I desire that Thou wouldest make them partakers of the same happiness with myself, and exalt them to behold the incomprehensible glory which I had with Thee, in Thy eternal love, before the foundation of the world.

This prayer being ended, Jesus and his disciples came down from the mount of Olives, into a field below, called Gethsemane, through which the brook Cedron ran, and in it, on the other side of the brook, was a garden called the Garden of Gethsemane. Here he desired his disciples to sit down, till he should retire to pray, taking with him Peter, James, and John, those three select disciples.

He now withdrew from them about a stone's cast, and he found it necessary to retire and pray, that if it were possible, or consistant with the salvation of the world, he might be delivered from the sufferings which were then lying on him. The blessed Jesus, whose human nature

was strengthened by being connected with the divine, could not but shrink at the prospect of such sufferings as he had to endure. He addressed his divine Father, saying, "O that thou wouldest remove this cup from me!" And having first kneeled and prayed, he fell prostrate on his face, adding immediately, "Not as I will, but as Thou wilt."

Having prayed, he returned to his disciples, and finding them asleep, he said to Peter, "Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest thou not watch one hour?" "Watch ye," he added, "and pray, lest ye enter into temptation."

"And he left them again, and went away. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood, falling down to the ground.

And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow. "Sleep on now," he added, "and take your rest; behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE BLESSED REDEEMER IS TAKEN BY A BAND OF SOLDIERS, AT THE INFORMATION OF THE TRAITOR JUDAS-HEALS A WOUND GIVEN TO THE HIGHPRIEST'S SERVANT BY SIMON PETER FULFILMENT OF OUR LORD'S PREDICTION CONCERNING PETER-THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD IS ARRAIGNED AT THE BAR OF THE SANHEDRIUM, AND TRIED BY THE JEWISH COUNCIL.

JUDAS, knowing the garden of Gethsemane, and the usual time of his Master's repairing thither, informed the chief priests and elders that the proper time for apprehending Jesus was now come. Judas having thus received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, they went thither with lanterns, and torches, and weapons. When they approached the spot, Judas (who was at the head of the band) suddenly ran forward, and coming up to Jesus, said, "Hail, Master! and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" Before, however, Judas could reply, the band (who had fixed their eyes on the person he had kissed) arrived, and surrounded Jesus.

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Jesus, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am hę. And Judas also, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground." Our Lord expressed his willingness to fall into their hands. "If, therefore, ye seek me, let these go their way."

At length, one of the soldiers, rudely caught Jesus and bound him; upon which Peter drew his sword, and smote off the ear of Malchus, the high priest's servant. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou, that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be ?"

He was yet tenderly inclined to prevent any bad consequences which might have followed from Peter's rashness, by healing the servant, and adding, in his rebuke to him, a declaration of his willingness to suffer. "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" "Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

Then the band, and the captain and officers, took Jesus, and bound him." But it was not the cord which held him; his infinite love was by far the stronger bond. He could have broken those weak ties, and exerted his divinity in a more wonderful manner; he could have stricken them all dead, but he patiently submitted to this, as to every other indignity which they chose to offer him; so meek was he under the greatest injuries.

They first led Jesus to Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year. But he refusing singly to meddle in the affair, they therefore took Jesus to Caiaphas himself, who had advised the council to put Jesus to death, even admitting he was innocent, for the safety of the whole Jewish nation. He seems to have enjoyed the sacerdotal dignity during the whole course of Pilate's government in Judea ; for he was advanced by Valerius Gracchus, Pilate's predecessor, and was divested of it by Vitellius, governor of Syria, after he had deposed Pilate from his procuratorship.

Among those of the adherents of Jesus, who on recovery from their panic, followed the band who had their Master in bondage, were Peter and another disciple. The latter being acquainted at the high priest's, got admittance for himself first,