soon as it was day, after a very short recess, the elders of the people, and the chief priests, and the scribes, who made up the Sanhedrim, assembled together, and they led Jesus away from the house of Caiaphas the high priest to their council, or to that magnificent chamber where their court assembled to sit for the dispatch of public business. And, producing what imperfect evidence they had, to give some colour to their proceedings, while no regard was shown by Jesus to such false and frivolous accusations, the high priest stood up in the midst of the council, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it that these men testify against thee? Is it true or false? But Jesus knowing how vain it would be to plead for himself in so unrighteous a court, whose members were determined to condemn him, was silent, and made no reply. And they said to him, Why art thou so much upon the reserve? Dost thou give up the pretensions thou hast formerly made, or dost thou still maintain them? If thou art indeed the Messiah, tell us plainly, and it will bring matters to a short issue.* And he said to them, (with that firmness and composure which pervaded his whole conduct under these arduous trials,) If I tell you ever so plainly, I know that you will not believe; and if I also ask you, wherefore it is that you persist in this unreasonable

*

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(If thou art the Messiah tell us.) Probably these wretches hoped to gain a great advantage against Jesus either way: if he confessed it, they would condemn him on that confession; and if he denied it, they would expose him on that denial, as afraid to maintain the pretensions he had made.”

infidelity, you will only overbear me with renewed violence, and will neither answer me nor dismiss me. And again the high priest answered and said to him, Think not that such evasions will suffice in an affair of such importance as this; thou knowest I have a way of coming at the certain truth, and therefore I adjure thee in the most solemn manner, by the name and authority of the living God, whose high priest I am, and to whom He has committed the power of administering this oath, that thou tell us directly, in the plainest terms, whether thou be the Messiah, the Son of the ever-blessed God, or not? And Jesus (though still struggling with the anguish He endured from deprivation of his Father's consolation, the close approach of all those tremendous sufferings He had so earnestly deprecated; though knowing the open avowal of his divinity would supply his malignant foes with the pretence for satiating their blood-thirsty malice, and that the immediate consequence would be the infliction of the most excruciating tortures,) not for a moment suffering these evils to surmount his virtue and heroic magnanimity, flinched not from painful dutyto this end was He born, and for this cause came He into the world, that he should bear witness unto the truth. Amidst his tormenting trials He witnessed a good confession--with the most unparalleled intrepidity, nobly and boldly replied

*" (To whom he has committed the power of administering this oath.) That the Jewish high priests had indeed such a power, may appear from comparing Exod. xxii. 11. Lev. v. 1, and Prov. xxix. 24. xxx. 9."

unto the artful interrogatory, Art thou the Son of God? I am, (Mark)-Thou hast said right, and mentioned me by my true and proper title; for I am indeed the Messiah: nor will I ever recede from that claim; and, moreover, though you may now condemn me to death for asserting it, yet I solemnly declare to you all, that hereafter the day will come, when ye shall see the Son of man, who now stands in this despised and lowly form at your tribunal, exalted to all the dignity and glory which that high title imports, sitting at the right hand of the majesty of God, and coming with irresistible strength in the clouds of heaven, to judge his proudest enemies.*

"And upon this, as they were anxiously desirous to make sure of so important a confession, they pressed him with the question again; and all said, as in amazement, Art thou then really the Son of God, who is promised under the character of the Messiah? and wilt thou actually abide and stand by this profession that thou art? And he said to them, I will never retract it; ye say right, and may be assured that I am. Then the high priest, with all the hypo

* "6 (Ye shall see the Son of man.) There seems a plain reference there, to the view in which the Son of man is represented in Daniel vii. 13, 14, where he is said to come with the clouds of heaven, to receive a dominion, &c. or to appear as God did on mount Sinai, in a chariot of clouds, attended by angelic hosts. Our Lord looked very unlike that person now; but nothing could be more awful, majestic, and becoming than such an admonition in these circumstances. Dr. Whitby excellently proves, in his note on Matt. xxvi. 64, that the righthand of power is a phrase equivalent to the right-hand of God."

critical forms of pious indignation, rent his clothes, as in grief for the great dishonour done to God by so false an oath,* and so presumptuous a claim, as he pretended this to be. And he said, He has now spoken the most direct blasphemy, in professing himself to be the Son of the most high God; what further need have we of witnesses? Behold now you have heard his blasphemy with your own ears, what think ye therefore as to the punishment he deserves? They answered and said, He is guilty of the most notorious of all crimes, and deserves immediately to be put to death: what need have we indeed of any further testimony, for we ourselves have heard it from his own mouth? And thus they all con

capital crime, and ac

demn him as guilty of a cordingly sentence was passed upon him; no witness appearing in his defence, and none daring to plead his cause, though some of the council, who had a friendship for him, and particularly Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, disapproving these unrighteous proceedings, either absented themselves or withdrew. (Compare Luke xxiii. 50, 51, and John xix. 38.)

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Then the men that attended the court, and had

*" (Rent his clothes.) Though the high priest was forbidden to rend his clothes in some cases, when others were allowed to do it, (Lev. xxi. 10,) yet in case of blasphemy or any public calamity, it was thought allowable, (see 1 Mac.xi.71,) and Joseph. Bell. Jud. lib. ii. 15, s. 2, 4. Caiaphas therefore, by this action, expressed in the strongest and most artful manner, his horror at hearing so vile a wretch as he pretended Jesus was, thus claiming the sovereignty over Israel, and a seat at the right-hand of God; and this when adjured upon oath on so solemn an occasion."

Jesus in custody, finding him condemned by the Sanhedrim, insulted him with renewed injuries and affronts, and carried that insolent usage yet further than they had done before; for some of them, with rude indignity, began even to spit in his face and buffet him; and others scornfully abused and beat him; and in derision of his title to the character He claimed, having covered his eyes, the officers and servants struck him on the face with the palms of their hands, and on the head with staves, and in a scoffing and contemptuous manner asked him, saying, Now show us how thou canst divine; and if thou art indeed the true Messiah, prophesy to us, O thou Christ, who is he that smote thee? Such were the vile indignities they offered him, and many other things they blasphemously spake against him; so that, on the whole, had He been the vilest malefactor, they could not have used him worse; and common humanity, even in that case, would not have allowed of such barbarous insults.

"Thus was the patient Lamb of God surrounded by his blood-thirsty enemies; thus did the dogs encompass him, and the strong bulls of Bashan beset him on every side. (Psal. xxii. 12, 16.) Thus was He brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. (Isa. liii. 7, 8.) (Isa. liii. 7, 8.) He was taken from judgment, and suffered the worst kind of murder, even that which had the appearance of being legal. But those gentle words which He dropped in the midst of all the injuries which were offered him, are surely worthy ever to be recorded and remembered. It had always been