platted a crown of thorns, and placed it on his head, put a reed in his hand for a sceptre, and bent before him in mockery, saying, 'Hail, king of the Jews!' They also spat upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head. Pilate suffered all this to be done, and then went forth again to tell the people that he found no fault in Jesus, and brought him out, wearing the mock ensigns of royalty, and said, 'Behold the man!' There seems to have been in this action, bitter scorn of both our Lord and his persecutors.

When the Chief Priests and officers saw him, they cried out, Crucify him.' Pilate was still unwilling to condemn him: but they again accused him of blasphemy, and said that by their law he ought to die; and thus alarmed Pilate, lest he should refuse a proper demand. He, therefore, once more led Jesus into the Prætorium, and questioned him; and again, finding nothing but innocence, gentleness, and candor in him, he again sought to release him. But the Jews cried out, 'If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar's friend; every one who maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar.' When Pilate heard

that, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down on the judgment-seat, which was in a place called the pavement, in front of the Prætorium, and said, 'Behold your king!' But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him!' Pilate said, 'Shall I crucify your king?'

The Chief Priests answered, 'We have no king but Cæsar.' Then he condemned him to be crucified.

And thus ended the pretended trial of our blessed Lord, in which not even the shadow of justice was preserved, which was only made the means of bringing about that destruction which was determined on from the beginning, by the Sanhedrim, or highest Jewish tribunal, which ought to have been the safeguard of the rights and liberties of every Jew. It is expedient for us,' said one of their number, 'that one man should die for the people, that the whole nation do not perish.' To this the others consented, and they rested not until they had fulfilled this counsel.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE CRUCIFIXION.

THEY led Jesus away from the judgment-seat to crucify him. At first he bore his cross himself; but as they went, they found a man named Simon, an inhabitant of Cyrene, coming from the country, and made him carry the cross after Jesus. There followed him a great multitude of people who remembered his kindness, and venerated his holiness. Women smote their breasts in sign of their grief, and wept for the pain and shame that were so unworthily inflicted upon him. He turned to them and said, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.' He then referred to the dreadful miseries which he saw coming upon them. There is a street in Jerusalem, through which he is supposed to have been passing when he said this; it is called the mournful road:' but we see that his mourning was not for himself, but for others; he forgot his own approaching sufferings in his deep compassion for theirs.

He was taken to a hill just outside the city walls, called Golgotha, or the place of a skull, because it was a burial place, or because the hill was in the shape of a skull. It is also sometimes called Calvary. There they crucified him, and two robbers with him, one on either hand. Not even then did his kindness forsake him, or his thoughtfulness for others: he prayed for those who put him to his cruel and lingering death, saying, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'

He

Pilate ordered an inscription to be placed, according to law, upon the cross of Jesus. caused it to be written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, that all who passed by might be able to read and understand it. It was this: 'Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.' The Chief Priests besought him to alter it, and to write instead, 'He said I am king of the Jews.' But Pilate refused, saying, 'What I have written I have written.'

The soldiers divided his garments among themselves, casting lots for his vest, which was woven in one piece. The people stood looking on, and with the rulers scoffed at him, saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and

buildest it again in three days! save thyself and come down from the cross.' 'He saved others, himself he cannot save. If he is the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him now deliver him, if he delighted in him for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'' They thought that they had triumphed completely they rejoiced in the success of their wickedness: they turned the very piety of his noble heart into a weapon for piercing his soul amid his bodily agony. The soldiers, in the wantonness of their hard-heartedness, followed their malignant example, and said, 'If thou art the king of the Jews, save thyself.' Nothing less could be expected from them. One of the robbers too railed at him, and bade him save himself and them; but the other said, 'Dost not thou fear God, since thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly for we are receiving the reward of what we have done; but this man hath done nothing amiss.' And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.' Jesus answered that he should be with him in paradise.