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to adopt him for their master, yet he too well knew, at the same time, how much his benevolent purpose would be defeated by a sinful and adulterous world, and how many, in defiance of all his care and suffering, would be resolute to perish. This, some think, will account fully for the extreme anguish which he appears to have undergone. However this be, it was to this garden of Gethsemane (a place it seems to which he frequently resorted) that Judas conducted those persons whom the priests and elders had commissioned to apprehend him. Now it had been agreed that Judas should point out Jesus to them by kissing him, which he accordingly did, saying at the same time, " Hail, master!" to whom our blessed Lord returned this mild answer-" Friend, wherefore art thou come? "is it to betray the Son of Man with a "kiss?" His disciples, however, when they saw their beloved master seized, were

SERM.

XIV.

not

XIV.

SERM. not so patient; and one of them, Peter, drew a sword and cut off the ear of a servant belonging to the high priest for this he was reprehended by Jesus, and ordered to put up his sword: "Thinkest thou" added he" that I cannot now pray to my Father, " and he shall presently give me more "than twelve legions of angels ? but how "then shall the prophecies be fulfilled, "which foretell my death?" At the same time, he touched the servant's ear, and miraculously healed it! He then addressed himself to those who were sent to apprehend him, and thus expostulated with them-" Are ye come out against me as

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against a thief, with swords and with

staves? why did you not take me in the

day while I was teaching (as I constantly

did) in the temple ?-but this is your

hour; and ye are permitted to do this, "that the scriptures may be fulfilled."It was now that, according to his predic

tion, all his disciples deserted him. Peter, SER M. however, and one of the others, followed

him at a distance to the high priest's house, whither he was conducted; and it was here that, as our Lord had foretold, Peter three times denied that he was acquainted with him; and immediately the cock crew; and Jesus, at the same time, casting a reproachful look upon him, his conscience smote him and he went out and wept bitterly. But the high priest, and the other rulers of the Jews, are now assembled in council, and Jesus is brought before them:-to the questions which are put to him, he answers very sparingly, well knowing how little it would avail him; he, however, denied not that he was the Son of God, but asserted that hereafter they should be convinced of it, when they saw him sitting at the right hand of God, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Upon this, the high priest declared that he had spoken blasphemy; and

they

XIV.

SERM. they all clamorously gave their opinion XIV. that he was deserving of death; and they

began to insult him in various ways, some spitting on him, some buffeting him, and some covering his eyes, and then calling on him to prophesy, to tell by inspiration, who it was that struck him. But it was now morning, and by this time the Roman governor was sitting in his judgment hall; they therefore take Jesus, and bind him, and conduct him thither. To understand this, you must remember that the Jews had been conquered by another nation, called the Romans, and were now entirely subject to them, and were even governed by an officer set over them by that nation: this officer was, at this time, Pontius Pilate. It is probable that they had not the power of determining in capital cases, but merely of trying such smaller offences as might deserve punishments short of death; and, accordingly, being resolved to be satisfied

with

XIV.

with nothing less than the destruction of SERM. Jesus, they were obliged to have recourse to the Roman magistrate. It is observable, that when they came before him they changed the ground of their accusation; at the high priest's house, they had only charged Jesus with styling himself the Christ, and the Son of God, and with saying that he would destroy the temple; but, when they are before Pilate, they allege that they found him perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar (the Roman emperor, who was Pilate's master) and, likewise, that he pretended to be a king. The two first of these accusations were manifestly false, and on the last they put a wrong construction; for Jesus had all along been a peaceable and quiet subject: and though he justly might style himself a king, he always, as he did to Pilate, confessed that his kingdom was not of this world. In general, however,

he

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