idolaters,-worldly pleasure-lovers and bigotted ascetics, -the friends of so called liberal views and the most determined opponents of all changes,—all ranked together against evangelical religion. One common hatred binds them together. They hate the cross of Christ. To use the words of the apostles in the Acts: "Against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, are gathered together." (Acts iv. 27.) All hate each other very much, but all hate Christ much more.

The true Christian must not count the enmity of the world a strange thing. He must not marvel, if like St. Paul at Rome, he finds the way of life, a "way everywhere spoken against," and if all around him agree in disliking his religion. (Acts xxviii. 22.) If he expects that by any concession he can win the favour of man, he will be greatly deceived. Let not his heart be troubled. He must wait for the praise of God. The saying of his Master should often come across his mind: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (John xv. 19.)

NOTES. LUKE. XXIII. 1—12.

1.- Unto Pilate.] Pilate was the Roman governor of Judæa. Without him the Jews had no power to put our Lord to death. The mere fact that they were obliged to apply publicly to a foreign ruler for the carrying out their murderous plan, was a striking proof that the "sceptre had departed from Judah," and the time of Messiah had come. (Gen. xlix. 10.)

2.-[Perverting...forbidding to give tribute.] The duplicity and dishonesty of this charge are evident. When the enemies of our Lord wanted to bring Him into disfavour with the Jews, they had asked Him "if it was lawful to pay tribute unto Cæsar." (Luke xx. 22.) But now when they want to make Him out an

offender at the bar of the Roman governor, they charge Him with forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar the Roman emperor. The falseness of the charge is as striking as its dishonesty. 3.-[Thou sayest it. This is the remarkable saying which St. Paul refers to, when he tells Timothy that our Lord "before Pontius Pilate witnessed good confession." (1 Tim. vi. 13.) But we must remember that St. Luke only reports a portion of what our Lord said. The Gospel of St. John contains other particulars which are not reported here. (John xviii. 28-38.) 4.-I find no fault in this man.] It is clear that Pilate said this after the conversation with our Lord, reported by St. John, and after satisfying himself that He claimed no temporal kingdom, and was not such a King as would interfere with the Roman authority. He had in particular heard our Lord's words, "My kingdom is not of this world." (John xviii. 36.)

5.-[They were the more fierce.] The Greek word so translated, means literally, "they grew more strong, more violent, more urgent, they persisted in their accusation."

7.-[He sent him to Herod.] This Herod was Herod Antipas, the same Herod who put to death John the Baptist. He was son of Herod the Great, who caused all the children under two years of age to be murdered at Bethlehem, and uncle of Herod Agrippa, who slew James the apostle with the sword, and would have slain Peter if he had not been miraculously delivered from prison.

The family of the Herods was Idumæan. They were all decended from Esau, the father of Edom. This circumstance is noteworthy, when we see their unceasing enmity against Christ and His people. The seed of Esau seems to carry on the old enmity against the seed of Jacob.

8.-[Exceeding glad...desirous to see...heard many things, &c.] The expressions in this verse are very remarkable. They bring before us the fearful history of Herod's sins, and throw light on the power of conscience. Herod had not forgotten John the Baptist and his testimony. Moreover he had probably heard much about our Lord from his steward Chuza, whose wife Joanna was one of our Lord's disciples. (Luke viii. 3.) 9.-[He answered him nothing.] It is probable that it would have been useless to answer Herod's questions. Herod had heard the truth often from John the Baptist's mouth. What he wanted was not more knowledge, but a heart and a will to act upon what he knew.

10.—[The chief priests and scribes stood.] It is clear that these bitter enemies of our Lord followed Him from place to place, and from court to court with their accusations. The great additional fatigue which this going backwards and forwards from

one ruler to another must have entailed on our Lord, should be remembered in estimating the whole amount of His sufferings. 11.- With his men of war.] The Greek word so rendered, means literally, "his armed force," or "guards." Of course we cannot suppose that Herod had a large army with him. soldiers around him were only his body guard or escort.

The

[Set him at nought...mocked...gorgeous robe.] It is evident that Herod regarded our Lord as little better than a foolish, fanatical and contemptible person, a person to be mocked and ridiculed, but not to be feared. The gorgeous, or shining robe put on Him, was probably such as candidates for high office used to wear. It was intended to ridicule His supposed claim to be a King, and to show that Herod thought it absurd. Thus was our Lord made "a scorn of men, and the outcast of the people." (Psalm xxii. 6.)

[Sent him again to Pilate.] It is worthy of remark that we are specially told that neither the ruler of Galilee, nor the ruler of Judæa, could find any fault in our Lord. In Galilee most of His miracles had been wrought, and much of His time spent. Yet the ruler of Galilee had nothing to lay to His charge. He was to be crucified as "a lamb without blemish or spot." 12. [Pilate and Herod were made friends.] It is doubtless true that neither Pilate nor Herod were afraid of Christ, or were animated by any special feeling of hatred towards Him personally. But it is no less true that they agreed in despising Him, and insulting Him, and were utterly unbelieving as to His claim to faith and respect. Their reconciliation therefore on the occasion of His trial, is a fact that is very significant and instructive.

It is certain that the circumstance struck the apostles very much. They regarded it as a fulfilment of part of the second Psalm. They mentioned in prayer to God the union of Pilate, Herod, and the Jews against their Master. See Acts iv. 23-30.

I mention this, because there is a disposition in some quarters, now-a-days, to deny the significance of the reconciliation of Pilate and Herod, and the correctness of the lesson commonly drawn from it. The comment of the Holy Ghost on the trans action outweighs all the reasonings of man.

Theophylact remarks on this verse, that "It is matter of shame to Christians, that while the devil can persuade wicked men to lay aside their enmities, in order to do harm, Christians cannot even keep up friendship in order to do good."

LUKE XXIII. 13–25.

13 And Pilate, when he had called, in the city, and for murder, was cast together the Chief Priests and the into prison.) rulers and the people,

14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:

15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.

16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)

18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas :

19 (Who for a certain sedition made

20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. 21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.

22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.

23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the Chief Priests prevailed.

24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will:

WE should observe, for one thing, in this passage, what striking testimony was borne to our Lord Jesus Christ's perfect innocence by His judges.

We are told that Pilate said to the Jews, "Ye have brought this man unto me as one that perverteth the people and behold I having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: no, nor yet Herod." The Roman and the Galilean governors were both of one mind. Both agreed in pronouncing our Lord not guilty of the things laid to His charge.

There was a peculiar fitness in this public declaration of Christ's innocence. Our Lord, we must remember, was about to be offered up as a sacrifice for our sins. It was meet and right that those who examined Him should formally pronounce Him a guiltless and blameless person. It was meet and right that the Lamb of God should be found by those who slew Him "a Lamb without blemish

and without spot." (1 Pet. i. 19.) The over-ruling hand of God so ordered the events of His trial, that even when His enemies were judges, they could find no fault and prove nothing against Him.

The circumstance before us may seem of trifling moment to a careless Bible reader. It ought however to commend itself to the heart of every well-instructed Christian. We ought to be daily thankful that our great Substitute was in all respects perfect, and that our Surety was a complete and faultless Surety.-What child of man can count the number of his sins? We leave undone things we should do and do things we ought not to do, every day we live. But this must be our comfort, that Christ the Righteous has undertaken to stand in our place, to pay the debt we all owe, and to fulfil the law we have all broken. He did fulfil that law completely. He satisfied all its demands. He accomplished all its requirements. He was the second Adam, who had "clean hands and a pure heart," and could therefore enter with boldness into God's holy hill. (Psalm xxiv. 4.) He is the righteousness of all sinners who believe in Him. (Rom. x. 4.) In Him all believers are counted perfect fulfillers of the law. The eyes of a holy God behold them in Christ, clothed with Christ's perfect righteousness. For Christ's sake God can now say of the believer, "I find in him no fault at all."

Let us learn, for another thing, in this passage, how thoroughly the Jews took on themselves the whole responsibility of our Lord Jesus Christ's death. We are told that when Pilate was "willing to release Jesus," the Jews "cried, saying, crucify him, crucify him!" Again, we