thee, by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God." This was the regular form of a judicial oath. Jesus felt bound to reply; and declared that he was not only the Messiah, but that they should witness his glory and exaltation. Upon hearing this, the high-priest declared it to be blasphemy, rent his garments to express his horror, and appealed to the council that no further testimony was necessary. To this they all nounced sentence of death.

assented, and proThen ensued a scene

of outrage which would not be tolerated in the presence of any modern tribunal in the civilized world. He was buffeted, spit upon, derided, and the officers and servants made him their mockery and sport.

If we rightly understand the account, there was now a little pause in the doings of the council; for it is said to have come together again at daybreak, to consult as to the manner of carrying their sentence into execution. By the law of Moses, a person convicted of blasphemy should be stoned to death. But whether the council really did not now possess this power, which is uncertain, or whether they apprehended that the people would rise to prevent them, or whether they sought to gratify their malice by exposing him to a death more cruel and ignominious, whichever the reason might be, they determined

to carry him before the governor on a charge of sedition and treason.

During all this painful scene, no one had appeared for Jesus, no one had spoken for him. Only two of his disciples had even had the courage to follow him. One of these, generally supposed to be John, being known to the high-priest, had found easy admission to his house, and obtained admittance for Peter also. Where John placed himself, he has not told us. Peter mingled with the servants who were sitting around a fire in the hall, and hoped to escape notice while he observed what was going forward. What he saw and heard agitated and intimidated him; so that, when one person after another recognized him as a follower of Jesus, he stoutly denied it; and when at last the proof seemed to be growing stronger, and detection to be unavoidable, he a third time denied it with oaths. At this moment the cock crew, and the recollection of his Master's words and a sense of his own baseness rushed

upon his mind. He looked toward Jesus, and met his eye fixed full upon him. He could not bear it. He rushed out, and burst into tears.

So fell the first and most ardent of the apostles. But he repented, and rose again, and obtained mercy, and lived to compensate for his temporary defection. Not so with that more unhappy man who had deliberately betrayed his Lord. He, in

deed, sorrowed for his sin; but it was the sorrow of despair. When he found that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse; he carried back the money to the priests, declaring that he had betrayed innocent blood; they derided him for his scruples; and he went away in a state of desperation, and destroyed himself.

CHAPTER XX.

JESUS IS BROUGHT BEFORE PILATE, AND CONDEMNED.

THE stated residence of the Roman governors of Judæa was Cesarea, a town on the sea-coast. At the great festivals they came to Jerusalem to enjoy the pomp of the occasion, and attend to the administration of justice. Pilate was accordingly now in the city. He had been governor for about five years; and was acquainted with the peculiarities of the people and of their institutions.

It was yet early in the morning, when the members of the council, removing from the house of Caiaphas, presented themselves with Jesus at the Prætorium, for so the palace of the governor was called. Jesus was led into the presence of Pilate; but his accusers remained without; for they could not enter the house of a Gentile without danger of contracting a pollution which would unfit them for participating in the festival. They could do a great injustice, but they would not endure a small defilement. So much stronger

Matthew xxvii. 11. Mark xv. 1. Luke xxiii. 1. John xviii. 28.

was their superstition than their principle. Accordingly they remained at the tribunal in front of the palace. The governors were accustomed to administer justice in the open air; and the tribunal was erected for that purpose on a pavement of mosaic.

The governor came out to them to inquire into the nature of the accusation; and, being probably desirous to get rid of an affair which he supposed to concern their own peculiar customs, directed them to take Jesus, and deal with him according to their law. They replied that it was not lawful for them to put any man to death. It has been a great question, whether this was true in its full extent, or whether they only meant to be understood as intimating that the offence of Jesus was against the Roman government, and not against their own institutions. They added what is to be considered as their formal indictment: "We found this man perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that he himself is Christ, a king." It was a charge of sedition and rebellion.

Pilate retired, and interrogated Jesus. He did not deny that he was king of the Jews; but he explained that his was a kingdom not of this world, and such as would not at all interfere with the kingdom of Cæsar; adding, that the great office which he had to discharge was that of establish