him, Before the cock crow,'" (in St. Mark twice) "thou shalt deny me thrice.'" That look-the associations which it called up-was enough. "Peter went out, and wept bitterly."*

SECTION LXXVII.

CHRIST BEFORE CAIAPHAS.

MATTH. xxvi. 57–68; Mark xiv. 53–65; Luke xxii. 66—71; JOHN Xviii. 24.

ND they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled."

66

Annas," says St. John, sent "Him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest." By this time the prin cipal councillors and functionaries, without whose sanction Caiaphas could not act, had been got together, and were present at the ensuing examina

tion.

"Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus to put Him to death."+ Probably they had for some days past been secretly endeavouring to collect evidence against Him; for though their resolution to put Him to death was formed on grounds quite sufficient for themselves, it was necessary to have some charge which would give a fair colour to their measures in the eyes of the people. But evidence of this kind they could not succeed in obtaining. "Yea, though

* Luke, ver. 60-62.

Matth. ver. 59.

many false witnesses came, yet found they none." Many, it seems, were induced by the hope of reward to come forward and prefer some accusation; but either it was too trifling, or, as St. Mark says, the evidence of the two witnesses required by the law would not agree together. At last "there arose certain, and bear false witness against Him, saying, 'We heard Him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands."" This was a distorted account of His figurative language on the occasion of His first public visit to the temple. "But neither so did their witness agree together.”* And if it had been consistent, it would have been difficult to have constructed a capital charge out of such expressions. Stephen, however, was in after times arraigned in these words: "This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law; for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered unto us." So anything which could be made to look like a threat against the temple, might be construed as treason to the national religion and polity.

"And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, 'Answerest Thou nothing? what is it which these witness against Thee?' But He held His peace, and answered nothing." It was beneath His dignity to defend Himself against such unsupported testimony, and before such in

Mark, ver. 57-59.

† Acts vi. 13, 14.

terested judges. "And the high priest answered and said unto Him, 'I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God.'"* To this solemn adjuration the Lord would not refuse the solemn confession of the truth. "Jesus saith unto him, 'Thou hast said" " (equivalent to 'I am' in St. Mark); "nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.'" Yes! they have yet that sight to see! For "behold, He cometh with clouds ; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him."+

"Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, 'He hath spoken blasphemy. What think ye?' They answered and said, 'He is guilty of death.'" The crafty Caiaphas had now obtained what he wanted, an avowal out of the Lord's own mouth. This was enough for the purpose, as far as Jewish opinions were concerned.

But they had still to put their charges into such a shape as should obtain a hearing before the Roman governor, who was not likely to care much about the offence of blasphemy. It is probable that it was when they had retired to consult together on this point, that the Saviour, being left in charge of the insolent menials was subjected to the shameful usage which is recorded by three of the Evangelists.

"And the men that held Jesus mocked Him, and smote Him. And when they had blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face, and asked Him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote Thee?" " All this was evidently in derision of His Messianic claims, which their masters had just rejected with real or pretended horror. St. Matthew adds, "Then did they spit in His face, and buffeted Him," thus by their profane outrages, unconsciously fulfilling the prophecy, "I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not My face from shame and spitting."*

SECTION LXXVIII.

CHRIST BEFORE PILATE.

JOHN Xviii. 28-40; MATTH. xxvii. 1-23; MARK XV. I—14; LUKE Xxiii. I—19.

"Thall of judgment; and it was early; and they

HEN led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the

themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover."

"When the morning was come," says St. Matthew, "all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death; and when they had bound Him"-He having appa rently been for a time released from bonds-" they

* Isa. 1. 6.

led him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor."

Here comes in, in St. Matthew's Gospel, the sad and striking account of the remorse and despair of Judas; see verses 3-10. "Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, 'I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.' And they said, 'What is that to us? see thou to that." " That is your affair, we have got what we wanted, and that is enough for us; what you may feel or fear is nothing to us. This is how Satan and his agents ever treat their victims. "And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.* And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, 'It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.' And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, even unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 'And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.'"

The scruples of the Jewish priests prevented their going into the usual place of audience, "lest they

* St. Peter in his speech (Acts i. 15-20), gives a different account of the death of Judas, and of the transaction respecting the potter's field, and with our imperfect knowledge, we have not the means of reconciling the two statements.