Cæsar, or the tranquillity and happiness of the Jews; and therefore do not see how I can with any justice condemn him to die. But his accusers refused to acquiesce in this, and advanced a

"How much exactness in the ceremonials of religion may be found in those who have even the most outrageous contempt for its vital principles and essential duties! yea, how much of that exactness may be made subservient to the most mischievous and diabolical purposes! These wolves in sheeps' clothing would not enter into the house of a heathen, lest they should be polluted, and become unfit to eat the Passover; yet they contrive and urge an impious murder, which that very heathen, though he had much less evidence of Christ's innocence than they, could not be brought to permit without strong reluctance, and a solemn though vain transferring of the guilt from himself to them. Justly might our Lord say, in the words of David, They laid to my charge things which I knew not. (Ps. xxxv. 11.) But what can defend the most innocent against malicious slanders and defamations? Or who can expect, or even wish, wholly to escape, when such accusations are brought against Christ, even by the rulers of his nation, who should have been men of distinguished generosity and honour? But instead of this, they were all an assembly of murderers, and lay in wait for their prey, like so many devouring lions. Pilate would renew the examination of the cause, and so far he acted a cautious and an honourable part; yet, alas! how many that set out on such maxims want courage and resolution to pursue them! But the courage of Christ never failed. He witnessed before Pontius Pilate the good confession we have now been reading, and owned himself a king, though at the same time He declared, (what it were to be wished all his followers had duly regarded,) that his kingdom is not of this world. Greatly do we debase it if we imagine it is; and most unworthy is it of those who call themselves the ministers of his kingdom to act as if they thought it was. Christ came to bear witness to the truth; and a careful attendance to his testimony will be the best proof we can give that we love the truth, and the best method we can take to make ourselves acquainted with it. And of so great import

more circumstantial charge against him, and became still more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, and gathering up followers everywhere by the way, to the apparent danger and damage of the state.

"And when Pilate heard them speak of Galilee, he presently inquired if the man whom they had brought before him was a Galilean. And finding that he was of that country, and therefore that he properly belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, who was the tetrarch of Galilee, he willingly embraced this opportunity to clear himself of so perplexing an affair, and immediately sent him away to Herod,*

ance is the truth, that it surely deserves the attentive inquiry and the zealous patronage of the greatest and the busiest of mankind. Let us not, therefore, when we begin to ask what it is, like Pilate, hurry on to some other care before we can receive a satisfactory auswer, but joyfully open our minds to the first dawnings of that celestial day, till it shine more and more to irradiate and adorn all our souls. On the whole, imperfect as the character of this unhappy governor was, let us learn from him candidly to confess the truth, so far as we have discovered it. Let us learn more steadily than he to vindicate the innocent and worthy, and on no terms permit ourselves in any degree to do harm to those in whom, on a strict and impartial inquiry, we can find no fault."

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(He sent him to Herod.) It may not be improper, for the sake of those who are less acquainted with the Jewish history, to observe that this was Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, by whom John the Baptist had been beheaded, and whom Christ had justly represented as a fox. (Luke xii. 32.) He was son to Herod the Great, under whom Christ was born; and uncle to Herod Agrippa, (by whom James was beheaded, and Peter imprisoned,) who was eaten by worms, (Acts xii. 2, 3. 23,)

who being himself a Jew, was also at Jerusalem in those days, having come up to celebrate the Passover there. And when Herod saw Jesus, he rejoiced exceedingly; for he had a long time been very desirous to see him, because he had heard much concerning him in Galilee; and he now hoped that he should have an opportunity so far to satisfy his curiosity, as to see some miracle done by him; and might be able also to determine whether He was, as he had once suspected, John the Baptist risen from the dead. And he examined him in many words, concerning a variety of particulars both as to his pretensions and the proof of his mission, as well as the tenor of his doctrine. But as Jesus knew this was not a proper time and circumstance to enter into those questions, of which Herod long ago might have been sufficiently informed, He gave him no answer.

"And the chief priests and scribes, whose malice had prompted them to attend him thither, stood in the presence of the king, eagerly accusing him of the same crimes which they had before charged him with, in their application to Pilate. And Herod, with those of his soldiers who now attended him as his life-guard, looked upon Jesus with disdain, and treated him in a very contemptuous manner, like a poor incon

and great uncle to that Agrippa, who was by Paul's discourse almost persuaded to become a Christian. (Acts xxvi. 28.) Christ's arraignment before him, when He was sent back uncondemned, was a great additional proof of the falsehood of those accusations which the Jews had brought against him as a seditious person, and particularly as one who had stirred up the people in Galilee."

siderable creature, who no way answered the account they had heard of him, neither saying or doing anything to gratify their curiosity; and having derided him for pretending to be a king, (as it was urged by his accusers he had done,) in public contempt of that claim, whatever it was, Herod clothed him with a splendid robe,* and sent him back to Pilate; thereby intimating that he left him to do what he pleased with his prisoner, but that for his own part he apprehended his pretensions to royalty worthy of derision, rather than serious resentment. And whatever Pilate's real intentions were, the compliment of sending Jesus to be examined by him, was so well taken by Herod, and Herod's sending him back to the Roman governor was, on the other hand, such a public instance of regard to him, that the same day Pilate and Herod became friends, and were reconciled to each other: for before this they were at enmity between themselves. And Pilate having received an account of what had passed before Herod, called together the chief priests and the rulers, and with them the

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*" (A splendid robe.) This expression does not so properly signify (as Le Clerk renders it) a white robe; nor was it, as he supposes, intended as a declaration of his innocence; it was rather some gorgeous garment which belonged to Herod, or some of his officers, and was perhaps grown old; and they clothed him with it in derision of his having pretended to be a king. This usage was extremely insolent; perhaps the remorse of conscience which Herod had felt on account of the murder of John the Baptist might render him cautious how he joined in any attempt on the life of Jesus, which we do not find that he did."

rest of the people who had appeared against him as his accusers, and said to them, You have brought me this man, Jesus of Nazareth, as one that has perverted the people, and taught doctrines injurious to your religion, and also to the civil peace and the Roman government; and, behold, I have examined him both in your presence and in private, and heard all that could be alleged against him; but I must solemnly declare that I have found no crime in this man as to the things that you have charged him with; nor can I in my conscience think that you have made good any of the accusations you have brought against him; nor yet has Herod been able to make any such discovery, for I sent you to him with the prisoner, that you might do your utmost to convict him before that prince, who being a person of your own religion, and well acquainted with your laws and customs, might have known more of the matter than myself; and yet, behold, it appears to have been Herod's judgment that nothing worthy of death has been done by him; for instead of sending him back like one who deserves a capital sentence, he has treated him like an idiot rather than a traitor, so as plainly to show that he thinks him merely the object of ridicule, or to deserve at most but some slight punishment; and therefore when I have chastised him by scourging, which will be an admonition to him for the future not to use those wild enthusiastical expressions, which have given so much umbrage and suspicion, I will let him go. And I believe you may depend upon it, that He will give us no further trouble; nor would He