Apostate mortals! a few hours ago ye listened with rapture to his heavenly discourses, beheld with transport the many salutary miracles wrought by this benevolent Son of the Most High, and earnestly importuned him to take possession of the throne and sceptre of David! Now nothing will satiate your infernal malice, but his precious blood! But remember, ye miscreants, ye monsters to human form, that this same Jesus, whom ye beheld with such contempt before the tribunal of the Roman governor ; this Jesus, whose blood your infernal mouths so loudly requested, shall one day come in the clouds of heaven to take vengeance on his enemies! And how will ye be able to bear the sight of his appearance, when the very heavens themselves will melt at his presence, "the sun become black as sackcloth of hair," the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fly from their spheres? How will ye then repent of your unjust demand, and call to the mountains and rocks to fall on you, and hide you from the presence of that immaculate Lamb of God, the tremendous Judge of the whole earth.

Pilate himself was astonished at this determination of the multitude, and repeated his question; for he could hardly believe what he had himself 'heard. But on their again declaring that they desired Barabbas might be released, he asked them, what he should do with Jesus, which is called 'Christ? as if he had said, you demand that Barabbas should be released ; but what shall I then do with Jesus? you cannot surely desire me to crucify him, whom so many of you have acknowledged as your Messiah? “But

No. 16.

they cried, saying, crucify him, crucify him. Then Pilate saith unto them, why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, crucify him."

They were so resolutely determined to have him destroyed, that notwithstanding the governor urged them again and again to desire his release, declared his innocence, and offered several times to dismiss him, they would not hear it, uttering their rage, sometimes in hollow, distant, inarticulate murmurs, and sometimes in furious outcries: to such passions raised by the craft and artful into such a pitch were their sinuations of their priests.

Pilate, finding it therefore in vain to struggle with their prejudices, called for water, and washed his hands before the multitude, crying out at the same time, that the prisoner had no fault, and that he himself was innocent of his blood.

By this action and declaration, Pilate seems to have intended to make an impression on the Jewish populace, by complying with the institution of Moses, which orders, in case of an unknown murder, the elders of the nearest city to wash their hands publicly, and say, "Our hands have not shed this blood." And in allusion to this law, the Psalmist says, "I will wash mine hands in innocence." According, therefore, to the Jewish rite, Pilate made the most solemn and public declaration of the innocence of our Dear Redeemer, and of his resolution of having no hand in his death.

But notwithstanding the solemnity of this declaration, the Jews continued inflexible, and cried out with one voice, "His blood be on us and our children." Dreadful imprecation! It shocks humanity! An imprecation which brought on them the dreadful vengeance of Omnipotence, and is still a heavy burden on that perfidious people!

The governor, finding it impossible to

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alter their choice, released unto them Barabbas. Andas it was the general practice of the Romans to scourge those criminals they condemned to be crucified, Pilate ordered the blessed Jesus to be scourged, before he delivered him to the soldiers to be put to death.

The soldiers having scourged Jesus, and received orders to crucify him, carried him into the Prætorium, or common hall, where they added the shame of disgrace to the bitterness of his punishment; for sore as he was, by reason of the stripes they had given him, they dressed him in a purple robe, in derision of his being king of the Jews. Having dressed him in this robe of mockmajesty, they put a reed in his hand, instead of a sceptre, and after platting a wreath of thorns, they put it on his head for a crown ; forcing it down in so rude a manner, that his temples were torn, and his face besmeared with his most precious blood. To the Son of God in this condition, the rude soldiers bowed the knee, pretending to do it out of respect, but at the same time gave him severe blows on his head, which drove the prickles of the wreath afresh into his temples, and then spit on him to express their highest contempt.

The governor, whose office obliged him to be present at this shocking scene of inhumanity, was ready to burst with grief. The sight of an innocent and virtuous man treated with such shocking barbarity, raised in his breast the most painful sensations of pity. And though he had given sentence that it should be as the Jews desired, and had delivered our dear Redeemer to the soldiers to be crucified, he was persuaded, that if he shewed him to the people in that condition, they must relent, and petition him to let him go.

Filled with this thought, he resolved to carry him out, and exhibit to their view, a spectacle capable of softening the most inveterate, obdurate, enraged enemy. And

in order to render the impression still more poignant, he went out himself, and said unto them, Though I have sentenced this man to die, and have scourged him as one that is to be crucified, yet I once more bring him before you, that I may again testify how fully I am persuaded of his innocence and that ye may yet have an opportunity of saving his life.

As soon as the governor had finished his speech, Jesus appeared on the pavement, his hair, his face, his shoulders all clotted with blood, and the purple robe bedaubed with spittle. And that the sight of Jesus in this distress might make the greater impression on the people, Pilate, while he was coming forward, cried out," Behold the man!" As if he had said, Will nothing make you relent? Have ye lost all the feelings of humanity, and bowels of compassion? Can you bear to see the innecent, a son of Abraham, thus injured?

But all this was to no purpose. The priests, whose rage and malice had extinguished not only the sentiments of justice, and feeling of pity natural to the human heart, but also that love which countrymen bear for each other, no sooner saw Jesus, than they began to fear the fickle populace might relent; and therefore laying decency aside, they led the way to the multitude, crying out with all their might, Crucify him! crucify him!

Pilate, vexed to see the Jewish rulers thus obstinately bent on the destruction of a person, from whom they had nothing to fear that was dangerous, either with regard to their church or state, passionately told them, that if they would have him crucified, they must do it themselves; because he would not suffer his people to murder a man who was guilty of no crime.

But this they also refused, thinking it dis honourable to receive permission to punish a person who had been more than once pub

licly declared innocent by his judge. Besides, they considered with themselves, that the governor might afterwards have called it sedition, as the permission had been extorted from him. Accordingly, they told him that even though none of these things alledged against the prisoner were true, he had committed such a crime, in the presence of the council itself, as by their law deserved the most ignominious death. He had spoken blasphemy, calling himself the Son of God, a title which no mortal could assume, without the highest degree of guilt: "We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God."

When Pilate heard that Jesus called himself the Son of God, his fear was increased. Knowing the obstinacy of the Jews in all matters of religion, he was afraid they would make a tumult in earnest; or perhaps he was himself more afraid than ever to take away his life, because he suspected it might be true. He doubtless remembered the miracles said to have been performed by Jesus, and therefore suspected that he really was the Son of God. For it was well known that religion, which the governor professed, directed him to acknowledge the existence of demi-gods and heroes, or men descended from the gods. Nay, the heathens believed, that their gods themselves sometimes appeared upon earth in the form of men.

Reflections of this kind induced Pilate to go again into the judgment-hall, and ask Jesus from what father he sprung, and from what country he came? But our blessed Saviour gave him no answer, lest the governor should reverse his sentence, and absolutely refuse to crucify him.

Pilate marvelled greatly at his silence, and said unto Jesus, Why dost thou refuse to answer me? you cannot be ignorant that I am invested with absolute power, either to release or crucify you. To which Jesus

answered, I well know that you are Cæsar's servant, and accountable to him for your management. I forgive you any injury, which, contrary to your inclination, the popular fury constrains you to do unto me. Thou hast thy power from above, from the emperor; for which cause, the Jewish high priest, who hath put me into thy hands, and by pretending that I am Cæsar's enemy, forces thee to condemn me, or if thou refusest, will accuse thee as negligent of the emperor's interest; he is more guilty than thou. "He that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."

This sweet and modest answer made such an impression on Pilate, that he went out to the people, and declared his intention of releasing Jesus, whether they gave their consent or not. Upon which the chief priests and rulers of Israel cried out, "If thou let this man go thou art not Cæsar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar." If thou releasest the prisoner, who hath set himself up for a king, and endeavoured to raise a rebellion in the country, thou art unfaithful in the interest of the emperor thy master.

This argument was weighty, and shook Pilate's resolution to the very basis. He was terrified at the thought of being accused to Tiberius, who, in all affairs of government always suspected the worst, and punished the most minute crimes relative thereto with death.

The governor being thus constrained to yield, contrary to his inclination, was very angry with the priests for stirring up the people to such a pitch of madness, and determined to affront them.

He therefore brought Jesus out a second time into the pavement, wearing the purple robe and the crown of thorns; and, pointing to him, said, "Behold your king?" ridiculing their national expectation of a Messiah.

This sarcastical expression stung them to the quick, and they cried out, "Away with To him, away with him, crucify him. " which Pilate answered, with the same mocking air, Shall I crucify your king ? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Cæsar." Thus did they publicly renounce their hope of the Messiah, which the whole economy of their religion had been calculated to cherish: they also publicly acknowledged their subjection to the Romans: and, consequently, condemned themselves, when they afterwards rebelled against the emperor.

We cannot help observing here, that the great unwillingness of the governor to pass sentence of death upon Jesus, has something in it very remarkable. For, from the character of Pilate, as drawn by the Roman historians themselves, he seems to have been far from possessing any true principle of virtue. To what then could it be owing, that so wicked a man could so steadily adhere to the cause of innocence, which he defended with uncommon bravery, and perhaps would never have abandoned it, had he not been forced by the threatenings of the chief priests and rulers of Israel? And when he did yield, and passed sentence of death upon our dear Redeemer, why did he still declare him innocent? This can certainly be attributed to no other cause than to the secret but powerful direction of the providence of the Almighty, who intended that, at the same time his Son was con. denned and executed as a malefactor, his innocence should be made appear in the most public manner, and by the most authentic evidence, even that of the judge himself. It was the power of the Almighty that set bounds to the inveterate malice and fury of the Jews, that would not suffer them to stain the innocence of the blessed Jesus, at the same time they deprived him of his life; but said to their boisterous malice, as he had before said to the foaming billows of the ocean, "Hitherto shalt thou come, and

It is not to be expected that the ministers of Jewish malice remitted any of the circumstances of affliction, which were ever daid on persons condemned to be crucified. Accordingly Jesus was obliged to walk on foot to the place of execution, bearing his cross. But the fatigue of the preceding night spent without sleep, the sufferings he had undergone in the garden, his having been hurried from place to place, and obliged to stand the whole time of his trials; the want of food, and the loss of blood he had sustain ed, and not his want of courage on the occasion, made him faint under the burden of