48. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?

49. I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.

50. And they all forsook him, and fled.

51. And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body: and the young men laid hold on him.

52. And he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.s Among the many things which might be attended to in this passage, we will fix on one: on the advice and warning given by our Lord to his disciples before they entered on the approaching scene of trial. From the agony of his own prayer, he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and said unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch with me one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. This he said, foreknowing, what they did not equally understand, the temptation to which they would be exposed, and forewarning them that they could only be enabled to overcome such difficulties, by habitual prayer and watchful

ness.

So that here a lesson is left for the Christian in

all future ages. His spirit is ready. It is implied in his being an intelligent Christian, that his spirit is ready; that he "consents to the law, that it is good;" that he purposes to obey the will of God. But his spirit can hardly be more ready than that of

5 This circumstance seems to be related, to show the general confusion and alarm of the moment.

the disciples, who had all said, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee;" and one of whom drew a sword in his Master's defence, and, surrounded as they were, smote a servant of the high-priest, and cut off his ear. Yet there was still something within, which would render them unable to act according to their better purposes, and obey the dictate of their consciences when the trial came. The flesh is weak. So it appeared, too clearly, when they all forsook him, and fled; and when Peter afterwards denied that he had ever "known the man."

What is this but a picture of the broken resolutions and repeated transgressions, on which a Christian has too often reason to look back, and which, when it is too late, he laments in vain ?

Therefore is he warned to watch and pray, that he enter not into temptation. In actual temptation, there is little opportunity for the exercise of those means by which men are enabled to overcome it. Prayer and watchfulness are the discipline by which they are made capable of resistance; capable of using their arms, when the enemy actually advances and the combat begins. In order to be prepared for that trial, they must use constant vigilance over the besetting sins of their state, habits, disposition: must foresee temptation, and habitually pray, that with it "a way be made to escape, that they may be able to bear it;" that in the hour of danger, such thoughts, such resolution, such inward strength may be supplied by the Spirit, as shall enable them to "withstand in the evil day."

"Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about

with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance."6

LECTURE CX.

JESUS IS ARRAIGNED BEFORE THE HIGH-PRIEST

PETER DENIES HIM.

MARK XIV. 53-72.

(Matt. xxvi. 57-75. Luke xxii. 54-61. John xviii. 15-27.)

53. And they led Jesus away to the high-priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.

54. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high-priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.

55. And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. 56. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.

57. And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,

6 Eph. vi. 14-18.

58. We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

59. But neither so did their witness agree together.

60. And the high-priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

61. But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high-priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

62. And Jesus said, I am : and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

63. Then the high-priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?

64. Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.

65. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

Thus did the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his Anointed. The whole proceedings are full of injustice, malice, and cruelty. False witnesses rose up against him, and laid to his charge things that he knew not. And when he affirmed the fact, that he was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed, the high-priest accused him of blasphemy. In what other words could he declare the truth? They might indeed have repeated the ques tion put to him before, "What sign showest thou, that we may see and believe thee?" And there was a ready answer, "The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me." But prejudice and hatred do not wait for reason. All the bad passions are here in full exercise: and we can

not wonder at the dreadful consequences by which the Son of man confirmed his truth and his divinity, and did come with the right hand of power, leading on the Roman army, and "miserably destroyed those wicked men, and burnt up their city."

But such judgments are "his strange work." His object is mercy and pity. Let us be wise in time, and secure on our side that power, which is intended not to consume men's lives, but to save them.

66. And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high-priest :

67. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.

68. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.

69. And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.

70. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.

71. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

72. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

We now see the force of our Lord's previous warning: Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. Not long before, it had seemed impossible to Peter, that he should deny his attachment to his Lord. Though I should die with thee,