not a malefactor, they would not have brought Him thither. Pilate would admit of no such vague accusation, but bade them take Him and judge Him according to their own laws. The Jews replied, that they had no longer the power of sentencing any man to death, the punishment which was His due; they then began to accuse Him of crimes against the state. "We have found Him," said they, "perverting our nation, forbidding tribute to be paid to Cæsar, and saying that He is Christ the King." Pilate went into the hall again, and calling our Lord, asked Him if He was a king. He answered, "I am; but My Kingdom is not of this world: if it were, My servants would have prevented My being delivered to the Jews. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, that I might give testimony to the truth.” "What is the truth ?" replied Pilate and without waiting for an answer, he went out again to the Jews, and declared that he found nothing to condemn in their prisoner.

The Jews being apprehensive lest Pilate should set Him free, grew more earnest, and tumultuously cried out, that He had been stirring up the people to sedition through the whole country of Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem. Upon the mention of Galilee, Pilate asked if Jesus was not from that province, and being told that He was, he sent Him away to Herod, the ruler of Galilee,* who was at that time in Jerusalem. Herod had heard much of Jesus Christ, and was glad of the opportunity he had long wished for, of seeing Him, for he hoped our Lord would work some miracle in His presence. When Jesus was brought before him, Herod asked Him many questions, but receiving no answer, treated Him as a simpleton, and after exposing Him in a white robe to the mockery of his guards, sent Him back to Pilate. Pilate then once more assembled the Chief Priests, the magistrates, and the people, and told them that there were no grounds for the charge they had brought against Jesus; that Herod, also, was of the same opinion, and had sent Him back uncondemned.

Pilate, therefore, as far as he could do so without exposing himself to danger, tried every expedient to set Jesus free; for

* See p. 457.

JESUS BEFORE PILATE.

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he plainly saw that the Jews had accused Him from mere spite and envy. At the time of the Passover, it was customary for the Governor to release some one of the prisoners, whom the people might choose. There was then in prison a notorious criminal, by name Barabbas, who had committed murder in a seditious riot. With this miscreant, the worst and most odious of men, Jesus was set in competition for the people's choice. Pilate asked them which of the two he should release, Jesus or Barabbas. "Not Him," they cried, "but Barabbas." It was in vain to represent the innocence of the one, and the guilt of the other. "Away with Him," they cried; "give us Barabbas: away with Jesus to be crucified."

Pilate was distressed; he was doubtful whether to resist or to yield. He was in hopes of moving them to compassion, and of inducing them to ask for the release of the innocent if they should see Him suffer; and, therefore, he ordered Jesus to be scourged. Our Lord was, therefore, led into the Prætor's court, He was there stripped, and tied to a pillar, and a band of soldiers were ordered out to glut their cruelty upon Him.

Judas seeing the violence of these proceedings, and being tortured with remorse at the heinousness of his treason, brought back to the Chief Priests and Elders the thirty pieces of silver for which he had sold his Master. "I have sinned," he exclaimed, "in betraying innocent blood." "What is that to us ?" they replied, "look thou to it." Whereupon he threw down the money in the Temple, and then went his way, and in despair hanged himself.

Thus Judas Iscariot, from being an Apostle, became the worst of reprobates. Unfaithful to the grace of God, he at first became a murmurer against the honours done to Jesus Christ: his avarice then prompted him to sell his Master to the Jews, and despair made him end his criminal career by suicide. The enemy of our salvation still tries by the same arts to lead men gradually from their duty, and to plunge them into vice. In the beginning he conceals the malice of his intentions; he discloses not the abyss into which he intends to throw his victims; he clothes the sin in such deceitful colours, that its enormity is not fully seen until the

sinner has already yielded to the temptation. He then artfully removes the veil, and displaying the real malice of the sin, he so magnifies the difficulty of repentance, and so exaggerates the rigours of God's justice, that he frightens the sinner from repentance, and drives him to despair. If they would avoid this dismal gulf, grievous sinners ought to dwell upon the enormous crimes they have committed no longer than may be useful in helping them to repent; they ought then to look up with confidence to the Divine mercy; God is always good and merciful to the repenting sinner: He who has suffered and died for sinners never rejects the sighs of an humble and contrite heart.

Behold the Man !-Matt. xxvii.

When the soldiers had satiated their barbarity with whips and scourges upon the body of Jesus, they proceeded to other acts of cruelty and insult. They wove a crown of sharp thorns and set it upon His head; they threw an old purple garment round His shoulders, and put a reed, by way of sceptre, in His right hand; they bent their knee in derision, as before a mock King; they spat upon Him, they smote Him on the face, and taking the reed from His hand, they struck Him on the head, saying: "Hail! King of the Jews!"

The sad condition to which our Lord was then reduced, moved the heart of Pilate, and he was in hopes that the sight of so piteous an object might excite the compassion also of the Jews. With that view he led Him forth, and showed Him to the people, saying: "Behold the Man!" But no sooner had our Lord been thus placed before the infuriated rabble than their cries were heard from every side, "Crucify Him! crucify Him!" Pilate pleaded for Him, and asked what wrong He had done. He has called Himself the Son of God," they cried, "and according to the Law, therefore, He ought to die." When Pilate heard this, he grew more and more alarmed· he entered the hall again, and asked Jesus from whence He was; Jesus gave him no answer. "Dost Thou not

answer me," said Pilate, "and knowest Thou not that I have power either to crucify or to release Thee ?" "Thou wouldst not have any power against Me," replied our Saviour, "unless it were given thee from above." The Jews continued crying out to Pilate, "If thou release this man, thou art no friend of Cæsar's: for everyone who maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar."

Pilate then took his place on the official seat of justice, and proceeded to pass sentence on our Lord. He turned to the Chief Priests, "Behold your King!" "Away with Him!" cried out the Jews, "away with Him! Crucify Him!" "Shall I then crucify your King!" said Pilate. "We have no King," replied the Priests, but Cæsar." These words awakened the fears of Pilate, who, as an ambitious courtier, was not disposed to risk either his fortune or his favour with the emperor for the sake of doing justice or of protecting the innocent. He called for a basin of water, and, as if he could thus clear himself of the guilt of the crime which he was going to complete, he washed his hands before the people, and declared himself innocent of the blood of that Just Man. "His blood be upon us and upon our children," cried the hardened Jews. Pilate then, according to their request, released Barabbas, and delivered Jesus unto them to be crucified.

This weak compliance of Pontius Pilate, in opposition to the dictates of his own conscience, is a melancholy proof of the sway which ambition and self-interest have over the minds of worldly men. The innocence and the sacred character of Jesus Christ, had little influence with a man who was ready to sacrifice everything but his own interests. Pilate had, indeed, some natural inclination to protect oppressed innocence; but this lost all influence over him the very moment he was threatened with the emperor's displeasure; nor was it restored even by the solemnity of a warning which his wife was inspired to give him, to beware of having anything to do with the Just Man who had been accused before him.

Great resolution is necessary to save us from being drawn from our duty by worldly considerations. The advice of friends, and our own natural inclinations are insufficient,

without the grace of Jesus Christ to aid and support our feeble efforts. Pilate had the grace which was abundantly sufficient to have preserved him from the sin, but his own co-operation was wanting. It is our duty, therefore, to watch and pray, not only that we may receive the graces of Jesus Christ, but also that we may be faithful in co-operating with the graces that we receive.

Jesus carries His Cross.-Matt. xxvii.

The Jews having at length obtained from Pilate the sentence for which they had striven with so much obstinacy, proceeded at once to put it into execution. They had already prepared a cross, the ignominious instrument of

their barbarity: this they laid upon the shoulders of our Blessed Lord, that He might Himself carry it to the hill of Calvary, the place set apart for public executions. Two thieves were condemned to be crucified at the same time; so that the words of Isaias were literally fulfilled, in which the Prophet foretold that the Messias should be ranked with the wicked.

He, therefore, went forth bearing His cross, burdened with our iniquities, as the Prophet said, and carrying all the woes that a sinful world had heaped upon Him. He went