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they all condemned him to be guilty of death. 65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

Here we have the history of our Saviour's examination before the high-priest and council, who set up all night to arraign and try the holy and innocent Jesus; for, lest his death should look like a downright murder, they allow him a mock-trial, and abuse the law by perverting it to injustice and bloodshed. Accordingly false witnesses are suborned, who depose that they heard him say, he would destroy the temple, and build it again in three days. It is not in the power of the greatest innocence to protect the most innocent and holy person from slander and false accusation; yea, no person is so innocent and good, whom false witness may not condemn. Observe, 2. Our Lord's meekness and patience, his silence under all these wicked suggestions and false accusations: Jesus held his peace, and answered nothing, ver. 61. Guilt is naturally clamorous and impatient; but innocency is silent, and careless of misreports. Learn hence, That to bear the revilings, contradictions, and false accusations, of men with a silent and submissive spirit, is an excellent and Christ-like temper. Our Lord stood before his unjust judge, and false accusers even as a sheep before the shearer, dumb, and not opening his mouth; even then when a trial for his life was managed most maliciously and illegally against him: When he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not. May the same humble mind and forgiving spirit be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus! Observe, 3. That although our Saviour was silent, and made no reply to the false witnesses; yet now, when the question was solemnly put by the high-priest, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? He answered, I am. Thence learn, That although we are not obliged by every ensnaring question to make answer, yet we are bound faithfully to own, and freely to confess, the truth, when solemnly called

thereunto: when our silence will be interpreted a denial of the truth, a dishonour to God, a reproach and scandal to our brethren, it will be a great sin to hold our peace; and we must not be silent, though our confession

of the truth hazards our liberty, yea, our life. Christ knew that his answer would cost him his life, yet he durst not but give Jesus said, I am. it: Art thou the Son of the Blessed? Observe, 4. The crime which the high-priest pronounces our Saviour to be guilty of, that of blasphemy; He hath spoken blasphemy. Hereupon the high-priest rends his clothes: it being usual with the Jews so to do, both to show their sorrow for it, and great detestation of it, and indignation against it. Observe, 5. The vile affronts and horrid abuses which the enemies of our Saviour put upon him, they spit in his face, they blindfold him, they smite him with their hands, and in contempt and mockery bid him prophesy who it was that smote him. Verily there is no degree of contempt, no mark of shame, no kind of suffering, which we ought to decline, or stick at for Christ's sake, who hid not his face from shame and spitting upon our account. Observe, 6. The high-priest rends his clothes at Christ's telling him, ver. 62. Ye shall see the Son of man sitting on God's right hand, and coming in the clouds of heaven. And well might his clothes and his heart rend also. It was as if our Lord had said, "I that am now your prisoner, shall shortly be your judge. I now stand at your bar; and, ere long, you must stand at my tribunal. Those eyes of yours that now see me in the form of a servant, shall behold me in the clouds, at the right hand of your God, and my Father."

66 And as Peter was beneath in

the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high-priest: 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. 68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. 69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. 70 And he denied it again. he denied it again. And a littl after, they that stood by said agai to Peter, Surely thou art one of them for thou art a Galilean, nd thy speech agreeth thereto. 71But he began to curse and to year,

saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. 72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

This last paragraph of the chapter gives us an account of the fall and rising of Peter; of his sin in denying Christ, and of his recovery by repentance. Both are considered distinctly in the notes of St. Matt. xxvi. 69. that which is here farther to be taken notice of, is as followeth. Observe, 1. That amongst all the apostles and disciples of Christ, we meet not with any so extraordinary, either for faith or obedience, as St. Peter. He was an early professor, St. Matt. iv. 18. and a glorious confessor, St. Matt. xvi. 16. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Which confession of his faith, like a rock, was to be the foundation of the gospel church in all ages; and Christ was pleased to put that honour upon Peter, as to use his ministry, in first laying the foundation of a christian church among the Jews and Gentiles, he being the first preacher to them of that faith which he did here confess. To the Jews, Acts ii. where we read of three thousand souls converted and baptized; and to the Gentiles, Acts x. in the conversion of Cornelius and his friends, whom God directed to send, not to Jerusalem for James, nor to Damascus for St. Paul, but to Joppa for Peter; whom Christ had appointed for that work, that he might tell hin words by which he and his household should be saved. Observe, 2. The great and mighty courage which was found in St. Peter. 1. At the command of Christ he adventures to walk on the waves of the sea, Matt. xiv. 28. being firmly persuaded, that whatsoever Christ commanded his disciples to do, he would give them strength and ability to perform. And, 2. It was a noble courage which enabled him to say, Though I die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. No doubt the good man really resolved to do as he said, little suspecting that he should, with horrid oaths and bitter imprecations, deny and abjure his dying Master. "Lord! how prone are we to think our hearts better than they are! our grace stronger than it is! Not all the instances we have of human frailty in our. selves, or all the scars, marks, and wounds,

upon some of the best and holiest of men, by reason of their sad and shameful falls, will sufficiently convince us of our wretched impotency, and how unable we are to do impaired strength.' good or resist evil, by our own shattered and 3. An undaunted courage, and heroic greatness of mind, appeared in this apostle, when he told the Jews to their faces that they were guilty of murder, and must never expect salvation any other way, than by faith in that Jesus whom they had ignominiously crucified, and unjustly slain. Nor did St. Peter say this in a corner, or behind the curtain, but in the sanhedrim, that open court of judicature, which had so lately sentenced and condemned his Lord and Master. Observe, 3. St. Peter's profound humility and lowliness of mind: it was a mighty honour that Christ put upon him in making use of his ministry, for laying the foundation of a christian church, both among Jews and Gentiles. And, accordingly, Cornelius, Acts x. would have entertained him with expressions of more than ordinary honour and veneration, falling down at his feet, and ready to adore him; but this humble apostle was so far from complying with it, that he plainly told him that he was no other than such a man as himself. And when our Lord, by a stupendous act of condescension, stooped so low as to wash his disciple's feet, St. Peter could by no means be persuaded to admit of it, neither could be induced personally to accept it, till Christ was in a sort forced to threaten him into obedience, and a compliance with it, St. John xiii. 8. Observe, How admirable was his love unto, and how burning his zeal for, his Lord and Master, insomuch that he could and did appeal to his omnisciency for the truth and sincerity of it; Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. It was love that caused him to draw his sword in his Master's defence against a band of soldiers, and an armed multitude. It was love that caused him to adventure on the greatest difficulties, and to expose his life to the greatest hazards. It was love that caused him to engage so deep, as to suffer and die, rather than deny him. These were his exemplary virtues. His failings were these: First, too great a confidence of his own strength, notwithstanding Christ had particularly told him that Satan had desired to winnow him as wheat. None are so likely to be overcome by a temptation, as those who are least afiaid of it; none so ready to fall, as those that think it impossible to fall. It is a dan

gerous thing to believe, that because we have long kept our innocence, we can never lose it; and to conclude, because we have been once or twice victorious over temptations, we must be ever conquerors, 1 Cor. x. 12. Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall; that is, let him keep a jealous eye upon the weakness and inconstancy of his nature, and with a believing eye look up to the power and promise of God, that he may be preserved from falling, and presented faultless in the day of Christ. Secondly, His fears overcame his faith. The insolent affronts offered to his injured Master caused him to forget his former resolutions, and instead of being a valiant confessor, he turns a shameful renegado, renouncing him for whom a little before he resolved to die. Learn hence, That slavish fear is a most tumultuous and ungovernable passion; its powerful assaults not only vanquish the strongest reason, but sometimes overcome the strongest faith. It is a weapon which the tempter uses, to the discomfort of some, and destruction of others, and therefore ought to be guarded against by those who set any value on the peace and comfort of their souls. Thirdly, One sin drew on another; his sinful equivocation in saying, I know not the man, prepared him for a downright denial, and that for an abjuration of him, with an imprecation and an anathema, swearing that he knew not the man. "Ah Peter! is this thy owning thy Lord? Is this thy not being offended, though all should be offended? Is this thy dying with him, rather than deny him? What! hast thou forgot all thy promises and engagements to him, and all the dear and sweet pledges of his love, so lately shown to thee? Surely I have learnt from thy example, that it is as dangerous to trust an heart of flesh, as to rely upon an arm of flesh; for had not thy denied and forsaken Master prayed for thee, and timely succoured thee, Satan would not only have winnowed thee like wheat, but ground thee to powder." Fourthly, Observe how many complicated sins were included in this sin of Peter's. The highest ingratitude to his Master; unpardonable rashness, in venturing into such company, tarrying there so long, and without a call; making bold with a temptation; and for a time there was impenitence and hardness of heart. It is holy and safe to resist the beginnings of sin; if we yield to Satan in one temptation, he will certainly assault us with more and stronger. Peter proceeded here from a denial to a lie, from a lie to an

oath, from an oath to a curse. Let us resist sin at first: for then have we most power, and sin has least. And the Lord looked on Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, and went out, and wept bitterly. Observe, If Christ had not looked towards Peter, Peter would never more have looked after Christ; nor was it barely the turn of Christ's bodily eye that wrought this disciple to a sorrowful remembrance of his sin; had not this outward look been accompanied with the inward and secret influences of his Spirit, it had certainly proved ineffectual. Christ looked on Judas after his treason; aye, and reproved him too: but neither that look nor that reproof did break his heart. As the sun with the same beams softens wax and hardens clay, so a look from the same Christ leaves Judas hard and impenitent, and melts down Peter into tears. Though none can say, that tears are always a sign of true repentance, yet certainly when they flow from a heart duly sensible of sin, and deeply affected with sorrow, it administers matter of hope that there is sincere repentance. Peter, after he had wept bitterly for sin, never more returned to the after-commission of sin; but he that was before timorous as an hare, became afterward bold as a lion. He that once so shamefully denied, nay, abjured, his Master, afterwards openly confessed him, and sealed that confession joyfully with his blood. It is usually observed, that a broken bone once well set, never more breaks again in the same place; a returning backslider, when once restored, contracts such an hatred of former sins, as never, never more to run into the commission of them. Let St. Peter's fall then be a warning to all professors against presumptuous confidence, and his restoration be an encouragement to all backsliders to renew their faith and repentance, Amen.

CHAP. XV.

AND straightway in the morning

the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

The foregoing chapter gave us an account of Judas's treason, in delivering our Saviour into the hands of the chief priests. In this chapter we find our holy Lord brought by the chief priests unto Pontius Pilate the Roman governor, in order to his condemna

tion. Whence observe, That it has been the old policy of corrupt church-governors to abuse the power of the civil magistrate, in executing their cruel and unjust censures and sentences upon holy and innocent persons. The chief priests and elders do not kill our Saviour themselves, for it was not lawful for them to put any man to death, being themselves under the power of the Roman government; accordingly they deliver Christ over to the secular power, and desire Pilate, the civil magistrate, to sentence and condemn him.

2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the king of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things; but he answered nothing. 4 And Pilate answered him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. 5 But Jesus yet anBut Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.

It is very observable how readily our Saviour answers before Pilate: Pilate said, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it; or, it is as thou sayest. But to all the accusations of the chief priests, and to all that they falsely laid to his charge before Pilate, our Saviour answered never a word. He answered Pilate, but would not answer the chief priests a word before Pilate; probably for these reasons, because his innocency was such as needed no apology; because their calumnies and accusations were so notoriously false, that they needed no confutation; to show his contempt of death, and to teach us by his example, to despise the false accusations of malicious men, and to learn us patience and submission, when for his sake we are slandered and traduced; for these reasons our Saviour was as a deaf man, not answering the calumnies of the chief priests: but when Pilate asks him a question, which our Saviour knew that a direct answer to would cost him his life, Art thou the King of the Jews? he replies, I am. Hence, says the apostle, 1. Tim. vi. 13. that Jesus Christ before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. Teaching us, That although we may, and sometimes ought, to hold our peace, when our own reputa

tion is concerned, yet must we never be silent when the honour of God and his truth may effectually be promoted by a free and full confession: For, says Christ, whosoever denies me before men, him will I deny in the presence of my Father, and before all his holy angels.

6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever 7 And there was they desired.

one, named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. 8 And the multitude, crying aloud, began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. 9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. 11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. 12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? 13 And they cried out

14 Then Piagain, Crucify him. late said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. 15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

Now at the feast, that is, at the feast of the passover, which by way of eminency is called the feast, the governor used to release a prisoner; possibly by way of memorial of their deliverance out of Egypt: accordingly Pilate makes a motion that Christ may be the prisoner set at liberty in honour of their feast; for he was sensible that what they did was out of envy and malice. Observe here, 1. What were the sins which immediately occasioned the death of Christ : they were covetousness and envy. Covetousness caused Judas to sell him to the chief priests, and envy caused the chief priests to deliver him up to Pilate to crucify him. Envy is a killing and murdering passion;

Envy slayeth the silly one, Job v. 2. That is, it slayeth the silly person who harbours this pestilent lust in his breast and bosom; being like a fire in his bones, continually preying upon his spirits; and it is also the occasion of slaying many an holy and innocent person; for who can stand before envy? The person envying wishes the envied out of the way, yea out of the world; and, if need be, will not only wish it, but lend a lift upon occasion towards it also. Witness the chief priests here, whose envy was so conspicuous and barefaced, that Pilate himself takes notice of it; he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. Observe, 2. How unwilling, how very unwilling, Pilate was to be the instrument of our Saviour's death. One while he expostulates with the chief priests, saying, What evil hath he done? Another while he bids them, Take him and judge him according to their law. Nay, St. Luke says, that Pilate came forth three several times, professing, that he found no fault in him, Luke xxiii. From hence, note, That hypocrites within the visible church may be guilty of such tremendous acts of wickedness, as the consciences of infidels and pagans without the church

may boggle at, and protest against. Pilate, a pagan, absolves Christ, whilst the hypocritical Jews, that heard his doctrine, and saw his miracles, do condemn him. Observe, lastly, How Pilate suffers himself to be overcome with the Jews' importunity, and, contrary to the light of his own reason and judgment, delivers the holy and innocent Jesus, first to be scourged, and then crucified. It is a vain apology for sin, when persons pretend that it was not committed with their own consent, but at the instigation and importunity of others; such is the frame and constitution of man's soul, that none can make him either wicked or miserable without his own consent. Pilate, willing to content the people when he had scourged Jesus, delivered him up to be crucified. Here observe, That as the death of the cross was a Roman punishment, so it was the manner of the Romans first to whip their malefactors and then crucify them. Now the manner of the Roman

Scourging is said to be thus: "They stripped the condemned person, and bound him to a post; two strong men first scourged him with rods of thorns, then two others scourged him with whips of cords full of knots, and last of all two more with whips of wire, and therewith tore off

the very flesh and skin from the malefactor's back and sides." That our blessed Saviour was thus cruelly scourged by Pilate's command, seems to some not improbable, from that of the Psalmist, Psal. cxxix. 3. The ploughers ploughed upon my back, and made long furrows: which, if spoken prophetically of Christ, was literally fulfilled in the day of his scourging. But why was the precious and tender body of our holy Lord thus galled, rent, and torn with scourging? Doubtless to fulfil that prophecy, Isa. l. 6. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: that by his stripes we might be healed; and from his example learn, not to think it strange if we find ourselves scourged with the tongue, with the hand, or with both, when we see our dear Redeemer bleeding by stripes and scourges before our eyes.

16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall called Pretorium; and they call together the whole band. 17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head; 18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of

the Jews!

19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and, bowing their knees, worshipped him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.

The next part of our Saviour's sufferings consisted of cruel mockings: he had owned himself to be the King of the Jews; that is, a spiritual king in and over the church: but the Jews expecting that the Messiah should have appeared in the pomp of an earthly prince, and finding themselves disappointed of their expectation in our Saviour, they look upon him as a deceiver and impostor; and accordingly treat him as a mock-king, with all the marks of derision and scorn; for, first, they put a crown upon his head, but a very ignominious and painful one, a crown of thorns; they place a sceptre in his hand, but that of a reed; a robe of scarlet or purple upon his body; and then bowed their knees before him, as they were wont to do before their princes, crying, Hail, king. Thus were all the marks of scorn imaginable

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