do we deny Christ as he did-as he did in the first instance.

Or, If by the same powerful engine in the hands of the god of this world, we are lured to the commission of sins which our conscience condemns, or dissuaded from forsaking those of which we have repented then do we deny Him as did he on the second and subsequent occasions. .

:

Or, If in compliance with a fashionable Latitudinarianism, we would appear less religious than we are, or are ashamed of the strictness of our principles: then again we deny Christ, and as effectually as in words- -as if we said with Peter "I know not the Man!"

May the thought of how often we have done so, humble us effectually, as it did the Apostle, and lead us to seek the mercy which he found, and which awaits every returning disciple, as well as every repentant sinner!

THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

XVI. HIS TRIAL.

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ST. LUKE Xxii. 66--xxiii. 3.

"And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people, and the chief priests, and the scribes, came together, and led him into their council, Saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I "tell you, ye will not believe: and if I also ask you, ye will not answer 66 me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right "hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son "of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. And they said, "What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of "his own mouth."

"And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate, "And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow per

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verting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cesar, saying "that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked him, saying, "Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, "Thou sayest it."

We have already seen that those who arrested Jesus (it being then about midnight) "brought Him into the High-priest's house," (ver. 54), where they waited for day to assemble the council; and where, meantime, he was subjected to all manner of indignity by the soldiers who guarded Him; who "mocked

"Him and smote Him: and when they had blind"folded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked "Him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? "And many other things blasphemously spake they "against Him." (ver. 63-65). And thus we are brought to the next Event connected with His Passion, namely, His TRIAL,—an event the importance of which it is impossible duly to estimate: inasmuch as in very deed it may be said, that, not Christ, but the Truth which He came to reveal, the object of our Faith, was for trial; and on the issue was suspended, not His life only, but the life of the world,—of all for whom He came to give that life a sacrifice.

It should be observed, then, in order clearly to understand this transaction and its momentous results, that, (as briefly stated in the section now read), our blessed Redeemer was arraigned and tried two different times, before two different tribunals, and on two quite distinct charges: which accordingly will require our separate attention. And

I. First, as this Evangelist proceeds to tell us in the verse next following those just quoted-" As "soon as it was day the Elders of the people and "the Chief-priests and the Scribes came together,

"and led him into their council,"

that is, the great council of the nation called "The Sanhedrim," as the Original reads for the word "Council:" and here we are presented in their very first proceeding with an awful specimen of the extent to which opposition to the Truth can harden the heart, the lengths in iniquity to which resistance to the Light may lead men,-in the fact of this august council, assembled under the show of administering justice, actually seeking false witnesses against the victim of their malicious prosecution, as supplied by the narrative of St. Matthew ch. xxvi. 59-61: "Now the "chief priests and elders, and all the council, sought "false witness against Jesus to put Him to death; "but found none: yea, though many false witnesses "came, yet found they none. At the last came two "false witnesses, and said, This fellow said, I am "able to destroy the temple of God, and to build "it in three days." But neither did these two last agree, as St. Mark observes (ch. xiv. 58, 59)—giving different versions of His words and neither of them the true one; and thus the Sanhedrim were only fulfilling unconsciously the Prophecy of Ps. xxxv. 11, in which the Saviour says-" False witnesses did "rise up they laid to my charge things that I knew "not." In vain also, we find, did the High-priest endeavour to induce our Lord to reply to those

charges: "And the High-priest arose and said unto "Him, Answerest thou nothing? What is it which "these witness against thee?" They carried with them their own refutation, and therefore "Jesus held his peace." (St. Matt. ib. 62, 63).

Foiled in this conspiracy, the High-priest now has recourse to a measure which he knew was likely to draw forth from Himself a confession upon which to found an accusation: "And the High-priest" (continues St. Matthew) "answered and said unto "Him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou "tell us whether thou be the Christ (i.e. the Messiah) "the Son of God." This form of address (it may be mentioned) was equivalent to putting a person upon oath; besides which, the question in this instance relating-not to a false accusation, butto the Truth, the solemn appeal thus made would afford to Jesus the opportunity he would have desired of bearing His testimony to it; as he afterwards said to Pilate-" To this end was I born, and "for this cause came I into the world that I should "bear witness to THE TRUTH." He therefore answers at once and explicitly: "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said;"— It is even so: I am the Messiah, the Son of God.' But He goes farther: "Nevertheless" or (as we should read) "Moreover I say unto you, "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on