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tainly so thou art also one of them, and deservest to suffer with thy master." Peter being now exceedingly alarmed, and wishing to throw off all suspicion of his belonging to Jesus, again denied in the strongest manner, even with an oath, and said to his accuser, "Man, why dost thou talk thus? I solemnly declare, and call God to wit. ness, that I am not one of them, and do not so much as know the man."

This positive denial seemed to lull the suspicions of the company for the present; but, about an hour afterwards, another man in the company detected him, and affirmed that he was indeed a follower of Jesus, and that his dialect, which was that of Galilee, betrayed him; for it was understood that our Lord's disciples were chiefly of that district. At this moment, one of the domestic servants of the High-Priest, and a relation of Malchus, whose ear had been cut off by Peter, pressed the charge home upon him, and said, "How can you have the effrontery to deny it? Take care what you say, Did not I myself see you in the garden with him?" Then Peter, terrified to the last degree, denied it again more violently than ever; and that he might no more be called in question, began to curse and swear, solemnly imprecating the judgments of God upon himself, if he knew any thing about Jesus. And having thus repeatedly denied his master in this shocking manner, he immediately went out; and at that moment, according to the warning first given him, the cock crew the second time. But just before he withdrew, our Lord having been examined, was brought back through the hall, and probably was within hearing, when Peter thus ungratefully and profanely denied him. He turned about, and looked at Peter, with such a mixture of earnestness and tenderness in his countenance, as, through the energy of the Spirit that attended it, pierced him to the heart; so that when Peter recollected what our Lord had first said to him when he predicted his fall, he could no longer bear the place, or stand in the presence of his injured Master, but, overwhelmed with grief and shame, and covering his head with his mantle, he went out

and wept bitterly, earnestly intreating the divine pardon for so great and inexcusable a sin.*

The priests and elders having condemned Jesus for the pretended crime of blasphemy, consulted together again, and resolved to carry him before the governor, that he likewise might give sentence against him. They could not otherwise accomplish their purpose; the power of life and death being now taken out of their hands. "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment, the prætorium, the governor's palace," John xviii. 28. From the history of the Acts it appears, that the Roman governors of Judea resided commonly at Ce, sarea, and that there was only an inferior officer in Jerusalem, with a single legion to keep the peace of the city. At the great festivals, however, they came up to prevent or suppress tumults, and to administer justice. Accordingly it is insinuated, John xvii. 39, that Pilate was wont to give judgment in Jerusalem at the passovers: "Ye have a custom that I should release unto you one at the passover." Being come, therefore, as usual, a while before the feast, Pilate heard of the stir that was among the rulers, and was informed of the character of the person on whose account it was made. It seems Nicodemus, or Joseph of Arimathea, or some other friend, had told him of the affair; for he entertained a just notion of it," He knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy." Having purified themselves in order to eat the passover, they would not enter the palace which was the house of a heathen, for fear of contracting de

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Sin. The admonition of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor. x. 12,) him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall," is strongly enforced by this affecting story. Self-confidence, cowardice, needless association with the enemies of Christ, are evils which the example of Peter should teach us to shun. Who can help saying, when such a champion falls, "Lord, what is man!" What is our boasted strength but weakness! and if we are left to ourselves, how do our most solemn resolutions melt like snow before the sun. Let us then watch and pray, lest we enter into temptation; and if, at any time, temptation has prevailed, let us like Peter retire from the snares and business of life, and weep bitterly for our transgressions.

filement. They stood, therefore, before the palace waiting for the governor, who on such occasions came out to them.

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And now Judas Iscariot, who had delivered his Master into the hands of the council, finding his project turn out quite otherwise than he expected, was pierced with the deepest remorse. Therefore, to make some reparation for the injury, he came and confessed his sin openly be fore the chief priests, and offered them the money with which they had hired him to commit it, earnestly wishing that they would take it back. But they would not relax their sentence in the least, nor abate the violence of their malicious prosecution; affirming, that notwithstanding he might think the prisoner innocent, and for that reason had sinned in bringing mischief upon him, they were not to blame, because they knew him to be a blasphemer who deserved to die. And they said, "What is that to us? see thou to that." When Judas found that he could give his Master no help, his conscience being enraged, lashed him more furiously than before, suggesting thoughts which by turns made the deepest wounds in his soul. Wherefore, unable to sustain the misery of those agonizing reflections, he threw down the wages of his iniquity in the temple, probably in the treasury before the Levite porters and others who happened to be there, with a confession of his sin and of his Master's innocence, then 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 the Divine vengeance. The thirty pieces of silver which Judas threw down in the temple, were gathered up and delivered to the priests; for they consulted

*Hanged himself. Peter seems to give a different account of the traitor's death, Acts i. 18. Falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out." To reconcile these two passages, it is only necessary to suppose that Judas hanged himself on some tree growing out of a precipice; and that the branch breaking, or the knot of the handkerchief, or whatever else he hanged himself with, opening, he fell down headlong, and dashed himself to pieces, 50 that his bowels gushed out.

among themselves about the use they were to make of the money, and at length agreed to buy the potter's field with it, for burying strangers in, who happening to die at Jerusalem had no burial place of their own. "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 historian's mentioning the purchasing of the potter's field with the money for which Judas betrayed his Master, being a public appeal to a very public transaction, puts the truth of this part of the history beyond all manner of exception.

Jesus being carried into the palace, and the priests with the multitude having taken their places round the tribunal, the governor came out, and said, "What accusation bring ye against this man?" John xviii. 29. They answered, haughtily, and said unto him, "If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him unto thee." Then said Pilate unto them, "Take ye him and judge him according to your law." But the priests peremptorily refused this proposal, because it condemned the whole of their procedure, and told him that it was not lawful for them to put any man to death; by which they insinuated that the prisoner was guilty of a capital crime, that he deserved the highest punishment, and that none but the governor himself could give judgment in the cause. "The Jews, therefore, said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." The evangelist observes, that the Jews were directed thus to speak and act, that there might be an accomplishment of the divine counsels concerning the manner of our Lord's death; of which counsels Jesus himself had given frequent intimations in the course of his ministry. "That the saying of Jesus might be ful

Jeremy. How this transaction comes to be connected with a prophecy spo ken by Jeremiah, is not easily accounted for, as the prophecy cited is found in the writings of Zechariah only. The Syriac version indeed has only, "which was spoken by the prophet." If this be the genuine reading, it proves that the name Jeremiah was inserted by some officious transcriber.

filled which he spake, signifying what death he should die." Thus was the governor's first attempt to save Jesus frustrated.

Pilate being obliged to proceed to the trial, the Jews began and accused Jesus of seditious practices, affirming that he had used every method to dissuade the people from paying taxes to Cæsar, whose revenue, Pilate was particularly bound to take care of; also that he had af fected regal power, under pretence of being their Messiah, in open contempt of the Emperor's majesty, and of his governor's authority. But though they spake as if they had tried him upon those articles and convicted him, it was altogether false; neither offered they any proof in support of what they alleged. "Then Pilate entered into the judgment-hall again, and called Jesus, and asked him, saying, Art thou the king of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest;" that is, according to the Hebrew idiom, "It is as thou sayest." St. John tells us that our Lord added, Dost thou ask this question of thine own accord, because thou thinkest that I have affected regal power; or dost thou ask it according to the infor mation of the priests, who affirm that I have acknowledged myself to be a king?" Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?*" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Dost thou think that I am acquainted with the religious opinions and disputes of the Jews? Thine own nation, and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me, as a seditious person, one that assumes the title of king: what hast thou done to merit the charge of sedition ?" Jesus answered, "Though I have acknowledged to you that I am a king, I am no raiser of sedition, for 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: I would have endeavoured to establish myself on the throne by force of arms." But as I have done neither, it is evident, therefore, that the kingdom which I I claim is not of this world. Pilate therefore said unto

* Me. John xviii. 34, &c.

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