before they were inflicted ! Seven hundred years before, Isaiah had written down tlie words, " I hid not my face / from shame and spitting/' (Isai. 1. 6.)
Let us draw from the passage one practical conchision. Let it never surprise us, if we have to endure mockery, *and ridicule, and false reports, because we belong to Christ. The disciple is not greater than His Master, nor the servant than His Lord. If lies and insults were heaped upon our Saviour, we need not wonder if the same weapons are constantly used against His people. It is one of Satan's great devices to blacken the charac- ters of godly men, and bring them into contempt. The lives of Luther, Cranmer, Calvin, and Wesley supply abundant examples of this. If we are ever called upon to suffer in this way, let us bear it patiently. We drink the same cup that was drunk by our beloved Lord. But there is one great difference. At the worst, we only drink a few bitter drops. He drank the cup to the very dregs.