ensinpleid fast see thee in the garden with him! Peter then denied again, and immedi ately the cock crew." The words of Malchus's kinsman bringing to Peter's remembrance what he had done to that servant, threw him into such a panic, that when those who stood by repeated the charge, he impadently denied it: He even began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak." For, when they heard Peter deny the charge, they supported it by an argument drawn from the accent with which he pronounced his answer. Surely, thou art one of them, for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto; so that, being pressed on all sides, to give his lie a better colour, he profaned the name of God, by imprecating the bitterest curses on himself, if he was telling a falsehood; perhaps, he hoped, by these acts of impiety, to convince them effectu ally, that he was not CHRIST's disciple.

This zealous apostle thus denied his Master three distinct times, with oaths and asseverations, totally forgetting the vehement protestations he had made a few hours before, that he would never deny him. He was permitted to fall in this manner, to teach us two lessons; first, that whatever a person's attainments might have been formerly, if once he passes the bounds of innocence, he commonly proceeds from bad to worse, one sin naturally drawing on another, for which reason the very least appearances of evil are to be avoided, & the greatest humility & self-diffidence maintained in the second place, we may learn, that no sinner who repents, and has confidence in the goodness of God, should ever despair; for he no sooner denied his Master the third time, than the cock crew, and awakened in him the first conviction of his sin: And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had. said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly." St. Luke is the only evangelist who has preserved this beautiful circumstance of CHRIST's turning and looking on Peter. The members of the council who sat on JESUS, were placed at the upper end of the hall; in the other, were the servants with Peter at the fire; so that JESUS being probably placed on some eminence, that his judges, who were numerous, might see and hear him, could easily look over towards Peter, and observe him denying him, and in passionate terms, loud enough to be heard, perhaps over all the place. The look pierced. him, and, with the crowing of the cock, brought his Master's prediction fresh into his mind. He was stung with deep remorse; and, being unable to contain himself, he covered his face with his garment to conceal the confusion he was in, and going out into the porch wept very bitterly. All this passed while the priests examined JESUS with many taunts and revilings; & while the most zealous of CHRIST's disciples was denying him with oaths and imprecations, the others insulted him in the most inhuman manner. Thus a complication of injuries, insults, and indignities, was at one time heaped upon the blessed Redeemer, the meek and mild JESUS. the suffering and wonderfully-patient Son of the adorable Majesty of heaven.

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The Trial of JESUS before the Sanhedrim, or grand Council of the Jeros.

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THE band of soldiers having seized Jesus, led him to the high priest's house, where all the chief priests, the Scribes, and the elders were assem

bled: "And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people, and the chief priests, and the Scribes came together, and led him into their council." Probably the trial did not begin immediately on our Lord's arrival; for though many of the Judges were at the high priest's before him, some persons of distinction might be absent, whose coming, the rest were out of respect, inclined to wait for; but as the pas:over was at hand, they had no time to lose; so that as soon as the council was fully met, the trial was begun: "And the high priest asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine." They enquired of him what his disciples were, and for what end he had gathered thein, whether it was to make himself a king, and what the doctrine was which he taught them? In these questions there was a great deal of art; for as the crime laid to our Saviour's charge was, that he had set up for the Messiah, and deluded the people, they expected he would claim that dignity in their presence, and so would on his own confession, have condemned him, without any further process. This was unfair, as it was artful and ensnaring: to oblige a prisoner on his trial to confess what might take away his life was a very inequitable method of proceeding and Jesus expressed his opinion thereof with very good reason, and complained of it, bidding them prove what they had laid to his charge by witnesses: “Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why asketh thou me? Ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold they know what I said." It was greatly to the honour of our blessed Redeemer, that all his actions were done in public, under the eye of all his enemies; because, had he been carrying on any imposter, the lovers of goodness and truth had thus abundant opportunities of detecting him with propriety: he therefore, in his defence appealed to that part of his character; yet his answer was construed disrespecful: for, "when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by, struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, answerest thou the highpriest so?" To which he meekly replied with the greatest serenity" If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou Ine ?" Shew me, prove before the court, wherein my crime consists, or record it in the evidence on the face of my trial; which if thou cannot, how can thou answer this inhuman treatment to a defenceless prisoner, standing on his trial before the world, and in open court, and striking me undeserv edly ?

In this instance, JESUS became an example of his own precept; and if a man smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matt. v. 36. bearing the greatest injuries with an unprovoked patience, worthy of the meek lamb of God.

JESUS having declined answering the questions, whereby the council expected to have drawn from him an acknowledgment of his being the Messiah, they proceeded to examine many witnesses to prove his having assumed that character; as they considered such a pretension as blasphemy in his mouth, who being only a man, according to their opinion, could not without the highest affront to the Divine Majesty, pretend to the title of the Son of God, as it belonged only to the Messiah. But in this examination they acted like enraged persecutors, rather than impartial judges, forming the questions in the most artful manner, in order if possible, to draw expressions from them which they might pervert into suspicions of guilt, as some foundation of condemning Jesus, who had so long and faithfully laboured for their salvation. Their witnesses however disappointed them, some disagreeing in their story, and others mentioning things of no manner of importance.

At last two persons agreed in their depositions, namely, in hearing him say, that he was able to destroy the temple of God, and to raise it in three days. But this testimony was absolutely false; for our great Redeemer

never said he could destroy the temple of Jerusalem and build it up in three days, as they affirmed. It is true after banishing the traders from the temple, when the Jews desired to know by what authority he undertook to make such a reformation, he referred them to the miracle of his resurrection; saying "Destroy this temple," (pointing probably to his body.) "and in three days. I will raise it up." The witnesses, therefore, either through malice or ignorance, perverted his answer into an affirmation, that he was able to destroy, and build the magnificent temple of Jerusalem in three days; and the Judges considered that such an act could only be performed by Divine Power, interpreted his assertion as blasphemy.

Our Saviour, during the whole time, made no reply to the evidences that were produced against him, which greatly provoked the high priest, who supposing that he intended by his silence to put an affront on the council, rose from his seat, and with great perturbation, demanded the reason for so remarkable a conduct: Answerest thou nothing, said he, what is that which these witness against thee? And some of the council added, Art thou the Christ ? To which our blessed Saviour answered, If 1 should tell you plainly, you would not believe me; and if I should demonstrate it to you by the most evident and undeniable arguments, ye would neither be convinced nor release me,

After these things, the high-priest finding it impossible to ensnare JESUS and being desirous of rendering the trial as short as possible, said to him, I adjure thee solemnly by the dreadful and tremendeous name of God, in whose presence thou standest, that thou tell us plainly and truly, whether thou art the Messiah, the son of God? This question was artfully contriv ed; for if JESUs should answer it in the affirmative, they were ready to condemn him as a blasphemer; if in the negative they intended to punish him as an impostor, who had deceived the people by accepting from them the honours and titles of the Messiah.

The blessed JESUS was not, however, intimidated by the consequence attending his confession of the truth; for being thus adjured by the chief magistrate, he immediately confessed the charge, adding, ye shall shortly see a convincing evidence of this truth, in that wonderful and unparalleled destruction which I will send upon the Jewish nation; in the quick and powerful progress which the gospel shall make over the earth; and finally in my glorious appearance in the clouds of heaven at the last day, the sign you have so often demanded in confirmation of my being sent from God. This answer of our great Redeemer, caused a number of them to cry out at once, as astonished at the supposed blasphemy," art thou the Son of God!" To which our blessed Saviour replied, "ye say that I am; a manner of speaking among the Jews, which expressed a strong affirmation.

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The high-priest, on hearing this second assertion, rent this clothes with great indignation, and said unto the council, Why need we trouble ourselves for any more witnesses? Ve yourselves, nay, this whole assembly are witnesses, that he hath spoken manifest and notorious blasphemy; what think ye! To which they all replied, that, for assuming to himself the character of the Messiah, he deserved to be put to death.

The servants and common people then began to fall upon him as a man already condemned; spitting upon him, buffeting him and offered him alt manner of rudeness and indignities; they blindfolded him, and some of the council, in order to ridicule him for having pretended to be the great Prophet, bid him execute his prophetical gift, in declaring by whom he was smitten. Surely those miscreants could hardly invent any thing more expressive of the contempt in which they held our great Redeemer's pretensions to be the Messiah.

Thus was the great Judge of all the earth placed at the bar of frail mortals, falsely accused by the witnesses, unjustly condemned by his judges, and barbarously insulted by all. Yet, because it was agreeable to the end

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CHAPTER XXXVI.

Jesus is led before Pilate: Judas relents, carries back the Money, and hangs himself: The Governor refuses to judge our blessed Saviour declares him innocent, and sends him to Herod who, after hearing his Accusers, sends him back again.

THE Saviour of the world, whom the whole Jewish nation had so long expected, having been thus condemned by the Sanhedrim, they con sulted together, and resolved to carry him before the governor, that he likewise might pass sentence on him. The Roman governors of Judea generally resided at Cæsarea; but at the great feasts they came up to Jeru salem to prevent or suppress tumuits, and to administer justice: it being a custom for the Roman governors of provinces to visit the principal towns under their jurisdiction on this latter account. Pilate, being accordingly come to Jerusalem some time before the feast, had been informed, proba bly by Joseph of Arimathea, of the great ferment amongst the rulers, and the true character of the person on whose account it was raised; for he entertained a just notion of it: he knew that for envy they had delivered him." He knew the cause of their envy, was impressed with a favourable opinion of JESUS, and wished, if possible, to deliver him from his vile persecutors, who sought to put him to death..

The Jewish council early in the morning, brought Jesus to the hall of judgment, or governor's palace. They themselves, however, went not into the ball, but stood without, lest they should be rendered incapable of eating the passover, by being defiled.

⚫ Judas Iscariot, who had delivered his Master into the hands of the council, finding his project turned out very different from what he expect ed. was filled with the deepest remorse for what he had done. He saw all his golden dreams of temporal honours and advantages sunk at once to nothing; he saw his kind, his indulgent Master condemned, and for saken by all his followers. He saw all this, and determined to make all the satisfaction in his power for the crime he had committed: according ly, he came and confessed openly his sin before the chief priests and elders, offered them the money they had given him to commit it, and earnestly wished he could recall the fatal transaction of the preceding night. It seems he thought this was the most public testimony he could possibly give of his Master's innocence, and his own repentance: I have, said he, committed & most horrid crime, in betraying an innocent man to death. But this moving speech of Judas had no effect on the callous hearts of the Jewish rulers; they affirmed, that however he might think the prisoner innocent, and for that reason had sinned in bringing the sentence of deali upon his head, they were not to blame; because they knew him a blasphe mer, who deserved to die: "What is that to us!" said they, "see thou to that Nay, they even refused to take back the money they had given him as a reward for performing the base act of betraying his Master, who had deserved from him the best of treatment.

Convinced now, that it was not in his power to assist his Saviour, Judas's conscience, being stung with remorse, lashed him more furiously an before, suggesting thoughts, which by turns, made the deepest wounds

in his soul. The innocence and benevolence of his Master, the many favours he himself had received from him, and the many kind offices he had done for the sons and Daughters of affliction, crowded at once into his mind, and rendered his torment intolerable. He was, if we may be allowed the comparison, like one placed on the bank of the infernal lake. Racked with these agonizing passions, unable to support the misery, he threw down the wages of his iniquity in the temple, and confessing at the same time his own sin, and the innocence of his Master, went away in despair and hanged himself. Thus perished Judas Iscariot the traitor, a miserable example of the fatal influence of covetousness, and a standing monument of divine vengeance, to deter future generations from acting in opposition to the dictates of conscience, through a love of the things of this world; for which this wretched mortal betrayed his Master, his Friend, His Saviour, and accumulated such a load of guilt on himself, as sunk his soul into the lowest pit of anguish and despondency. The people gathered up the pieces of silver cast down by Judas, & delivered them to the priests, who, thinking it unlawful to put them into the treasury because they were the wages of a traitor, agreed to lay them out in purchasing the potter's field, and to make it a common burial-place for strangers. This the evangelist tells us was done, that a particular prophecy relating to the Messiah might be fulfilled:" And they took the thirty pieces of silver,' the price of him that was valued, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed it." This prophecy is found in Zachariah, but by a mistake of sʊme copyist, the word Jeremy is inserted in the Greek manuscripts of St. Matthew's gospel; unless we suppose with the learned Grotius, that this remarkable prophecy was first made by Jeremiah, and afterwards repeated by the immediate direction of the Spirit, by Zachariah; and that therefore, the evangelist has only ascribed the prophecy to it's original author; but however this be, the prophecy is remarkably fulfilled and the evangelist puts the truth of this part of the history beyond all manner of exception, by thus appealing to a public transaction.

We have before remarked that the chief priests and elders refused to go themselves into the judgment hall, lest they should contract some pollution in the house of an Heathen, which would have rendered them unfit for eating the passover. The same reason also hindered them from entering the governor's palace on other festivals, when that magistrate attended in order to administer justice: a kind of structure was therefore erected, adjoining to the place, which served instead of a tribunal or judgment-seat. This structure, called in the Hebrew Gabbatha, was finely paved with small pieces of marble of different colours: being always exposed to the weather. Perhaps, it resembled a stage but larger, open on all sides, and on one part of it a throne was placed, whereon the governor sat to hear causes." One side of this structure joined to the palace, and a door was made in the wall, through which the governor passed to the tribunal. By this contrivance, the people might stand round the tribunal in the open air, hear and see the governor when he spake to them from the pavement, and observe the whole administration of justice, without danger of being defiled either by him or any of his attendants.

The great Redeemer of mankind was brought before this tribunal; and the priests and elders having taken their places around the pavement, the governor ascended the judgment-seat, and asked them what accusation they brought against the prisoner? Though nothing could be more natural than for the governor to ask this question, yet the Jews thought themselves highly affronted by it. They probably knew his sentiments concerning the prisoner, and therefore considered his question as intended to insinuate, that they brought one to be condemned, against whom they could find no accusation. Pilate might indeed speak to them in a stern manner, and by that means sufficiently indicate his displeasure: but, how

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