the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Again he said to them, "This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down. his life for his friends." "If the world

hate you, ye know that it hated me, before it hated "Remember the word that I said

you."

unto you. The servant is not greater than his Lord If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you."

Jesus went away to a place called Gethsemane, close upon the Mount of Olives, taking with him Peter, James, and John, and here he offered up a most earnest prayer to God, that he would glorify the apostles, and preserve them in unity and truth: he prayed not only for the apostles, but for all others who believed in him. After this he went into a garden, to which he and his disciples often resorted, and it was to this garden that Judas brought the band of men and officers who were sent by the chief priests and Pharisees with torches and weapons, to take him. Judas had said to "Whosoever I shall kiss, that same is he:

them,

I

hold him fast." When he came up to Jesus, he said, "Hail, Master: " and kissed him. Immediately the soldiers laid hands on him, and took him away. When Peter saw Jesus led away prisoner, he was so angry that he drew his sword, struck a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear: But Jesus ordered him to put up his sword, and touching the man's ear, it was healed.

Jesus was taken before the High Priest, Caiaphas, and the priests and elders brought all manner of false witnesses against him; but the witnesses contradicted one another constantly, as liars usually do. They accused him of having said that he could destroy the temple of God and build it up again in three days, although it had taken forty years to build. They did not understand that Jesus had been speaking of his own body, and of his rising again on the third day after his death. Then the High Priest said to him, "I adjure thee, by the living God, that thou tell us, whether thou be the Christ the Son of God." Jesus answered, "Thou hast said." The High Priest then rent his clothes, saying, "Behold! now ye have heard his blasphemy: what think ye?" They answered, "He is guilty of death." Then they spat in his face and

buffeted him, and some struck him with the palms of their hands, saying, "Prophesy unto us, thou Christ; who is he that smote thee?" (For they had fastened a bandage over his eyes, so that he could not see who struck him.)

A

Peter and John were the only two of the disciples who had the courage to follow Jesus: the others had all fled when their master was seized. John went into the palace and remained with Christ, but Peter stayed at the door amongst the servants. servant girl came to him and said, "Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth:" but he denied it, saying, “I know not what thou sayest." When he had gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said to those standing round, "This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth." But again he denied it, and said that he did not know Jesus. Then others came to him and said, "Surely thou also art one of them, for thy speech bewrayeth thee." (Peter was a Galilean.) But Peter still persisted, saying, "I know not the man." And immediately the cock crew, "And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly."

As soon as Judas found that the Jews had condemned Jesus, he repented of having betrayed him to them, and carried the thirty pieces of silver back to the chief priests, saying that it was the price of innocent blood, and that he could not keep it; but the chief priests said that was his own concern, and refused to take it. Judas, in despair, hanged himself.

The Jews then led Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, and accused him of forbidding the people to give tribute to Cæsar, and of saying that he was Christ, a King, and the Son of God. But after listening to them and questioning Jesus, Pilate called together the chief priests and rulers of the people and said to them, "Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people, and behold, I having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man, touching those things of which ye accuse him: and lo! nothing worthy of death is done in him: I will therefore chastise him, and release him."

It was a custom at this feast to release one prisoner, and a certain Barabbas had been put into prison for sedition and murder; but so deter

mined were the Jews to destroy Jesus, that they called out with one voice, "Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said, "Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him."

Finding that he could neither convince nor pacify them, Pilate wished them to take Jesus, and judge him according to their own law, but they refused: they said, "It is not lawful for us to put a man to death." Then Pilate asked them again, whether he should release Jesus or Barabbas. They said, Not this man, but Barabbas. Pilate therefore ordered Jesus to be scourged, and the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and put on him a purple robe: then they mocked him and spit upon him, and bowing their knees before him, said, "Hail! King of the Jews." Though Christ had said that he was king of the Jews, he had distinctly said, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."

Pilate went out to the people, and said, "Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I