what they thought an unanswerable difficulty about the resurrection which they professed to disbelieve. I must refer you to the Gospels themselves for all these interesting conversations; but I may just mention that you will see that his great aim was to teach them that they might, if honest, answer their own questions, and to put them in a dilemma from which they could not escape, without either answering or contradicting themselves.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE LAST DAYS OF OUR LORD'S MINISTRY AND LIFE.

THE discourse which I mentioned as our Lord's latest one, was uttered the last evening that he spent with his disciples before his crucifixion. The occasion of its delivery was their being all assembled to celebrate the Passover; and he then formally instituted the Lord's Supper, which henceforth was to supersede the old festival of the Passover, since he was the true Lamb slain (or, as was meant, designed to be slain) before the foundation of the world. And as the blood of the Paschal Lamb, slain in Egypt, availed to protect the Israelites from death at the hands of the destroying angel, so the blood of Christ was, by his sacrifice of himself, to cleanse from all sin, and save the true church of Christ from eternal death.

At this supper he pointed out the one among his disciples who was about to betray him: and after having, by openly telling him of the base design which he knew was in his mind, given him the opportunity of repentance, he went into the garden of Gethsemane, there to go through that mysterious scene, commonly called the agony in the garden. He was accompanied by the three most beloved disciples; but, as I before told you, they slept at their post of watching, in spite of their master's great sufferings. The pain which he now suffered, seems to have been mental more than bodily; and appears to have been caused by his suffering, as a man, the anger of God, that was due to the sin of the whole human race. Though he knew that he came into the world for the express purpose of bearing the sorrow of that hour, yet so dreadful was it, that his human nature recoiled from the bitterness of the trial, and he prayed, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." There was however sent to him an angel, to strengthen his human nature.

Before the evening was closed, the traitor

who had made his dreadful bargain for thirty pieces of silver, came with a multitude of men, and torches, and weapons, to the place which Judas knew; for he had been accustomed to go thither with his Master, and the rest of the disciples. Our Lord, as if to show them that it was by no power of theirs, or weakness of his, that he was taken, caused them to go backwards, and fall to the ground; but he then made no further resistance. He even forbade it on the part of his disciples, and quietly surrendered himself into their hands. He was then led, as the prophet Isaiah had foretold,

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as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."

After being brought before the high priest, he was conveyed to the Roman governor, because the Jews had no longer the power of life and death in their hands. This judge was Pontius Pilate; and in consequence of Christ's being condemned by him, the death of crucifixion was accomplished as he had foretold; for had he been put to death by the Jews, it would have been by stoning. When Pilate heard that he was of Galilee, he sent him to Herod,

the ruler of that district, who happened to be at that time at Jerusalem. This king had long wished to see our Lord; and he hoped that he would work some miracle, just as a conjuror would, to gratify the royal curiosity. But our Lord divined his motives, and refused to make any answer or to work any miracle, so that he was only insulted by Herod and those around him, and then sent back to Pilate, but with no charge against him. Had Pilate really determined to be his own master, and listened to his own conscience, he would have let our Lord go, for he was convinced of his innocence; and his wife said to him on the judgment-seat, "Have thou nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." But he knew that if he displeased the people, they would probably complain of him to Rome, concerning some mismanagement or wrong-doing in his province; and when it was said to him, "If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar's friend," he was induced to let them do as they pleased, though at the same time he said, "I am free from the blood of this just man; see ye to it." To these words they made the dreadful reply,