2. As he was inhumanly abused before he was tried, so he was examined and judged by a court that had no authority to try him. Luke xxii. 66. " As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, M and the chief priests, and the scribes came together and led " him into their council.'" This was the ecclesiastical court, the great Sanhedrim, which, according to its first constitution, should consist of seventy grave, honourable, and learned men ; to whom were to be referred all doubtful matters, too hard for inferior courts to decide. And these were to judge impartially and uprightly for God, as men in whom was the Spirit of God, according to God's counsel to Moses, Numbers xi. 16, &c. In this court the righteous and innocent might expect relief and protection. And that is conceived to be the meaning of Christ's words, Luke xiii. 33. "It " cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem ;* that is, there righteousness and innocency may expect protection. But now, contrary to the first constitution, it consisted of a pack of mali- cious Scribes and Pharisees, men full of revenge, malice, and all unrighteousness : and over these Caiaphas (a head fit for such a body) at this time presided. And though there was still some face of a court among them, yet their power was so abridged by the Romans, that they could not hear and determine, judge and con- demn in capital matters, as formerly. For as * Josephus their own historian informs us, Herod in the beginning of his reign took away this power from them ; and that scripture seems to confirm
* Antiq. lib. 1 4. cap. 205.
£93 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XXIY,
it, John xviii. 31. " It is not lawful for us to put any man to " death ;" and therefore they bring him to Pilate's bar. He alsq understood him to be a Galilean; and Herod being Tetrarch of Galilee, and at that time in Jerusalem, he is sent •:> him, and by him remitted to Pilate.
3. As he was at first heard and judged by a court that had nq authority to judge him ; so when he stood at Pilate's bar, he was accused of perverting the nation, and denying tribute to Caesar, than which nothing was more notoriously false. For as all his doc- trine was pure and heavenly, and malice itself could not find a flaw in it ; so he was always observant of the laws under which he lived, and scrupulous of giving the least just offence to the civil powers. Yea, he not only paid the tribute himself though he might have pleaded exemption, but charged it upon others as their duty so to do, Mat. xxii. 24. " Give unto Caesar the things " that are Caesar's.'1 And yet with such palpable untruths is Christ charged.
4. Yea, and what is more abominable and unparalleled ; to compass their malicious designs, they industriously labour to suborn false "witnesses to take away his life, not sticking at the gros- sest perjury, and manifest injustice, so they might destroy him. So you read, Mat. >:xvi. 59. " Now the chief priests and elders, " and all the council, sought false witnesses against Jesus to put u him to death." Abominable wickedness ! for such men, and so many, to complot to shed the blood of the innocent, by known and studied perjury ! What will not malice against Christ trans- port men to ?
5. Moreover, the carriage of the court was most insolent and base towards him during the trial : for whilst he stood before them as a prisoner, yet uncondemned, sometimes they are angry at him for his silence ! and when he speaks, and that pertinently to the point, they smite him on the mouth for speaking, and scoff at what he speaks*. & To some of their light, frivolous and en- " snaring questions, he is silent, not for want of an answer, but " because he heard nothing worthy of one." And to fulfil what the prophet Isaiah had long before predicted of him ; " He was op- " pressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth : he " is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her " shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth,'1 Isa. liii. 7. As also to leave us a precedent when to speak, and when to be silent, when we for his name sake shall be brought before gover- nors : for such reasons as these he sometimes answers not a word,
* Quia indignant responso judicat majvjestamjalsitatem; non dtfensione desti tutus , sed ut impleretur prophetee oraculum. Par.
SEItM. XXIV. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 29©
and then they are ready to condemn him for a mute. C( Answcrest " thou nothing ? (saith the high-priest) what is it that these wit- " ness against thee 7" Mat. xxvi. 62. " Hearest thou not how " many things they witness against thee ?" saith Pilate, Matp xxvii. 13.
And when he makes his defence in words of truth and sober- ness, they smite him for speaking, John xviii. 22. " And when he " had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by, struck " Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, answerest thou the •" high-priest so ?" And what had he spoken to exasperate them ? Had he spoken impertinently ? Not at all ; what he said was but this, when they would have had him ensnare himself with his own Jips : " Jesus answered, I spake openly in the world, I ever taught " in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always " resort, and in secret have I said nothing. Whv askest thou me ? ■" Ask them that heard me, behold they know what I said ;*" q. d. I am not obliged to accuse and ensnare myself, but you ought to proceed secundum allegata et probata, according to what is alleged and proved. Did he deserve a blow on his mouth for this ? O who but himself could have so patiently digested such abuses I Under all this he stands in perfect innocency and patience, making no other return to that wretch that smote him, but this, " If I " have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil : but if well, why fc smitest thou me ?
6. Lastly, To instance in no more : he is condemned to die by that very mouth which had once and again professed he found no fault in him. He had heard all that could be alleged against him, and saw it was a perfect piece of malice and envy. When they urge Pilate to proceed to sentence him ; " Why, saith he, what *4 evil hath he done ?" Mat. xxvii. 23. Nay, in the preface to the very sentence itself, he acknowledges him to be a just person, Mat. xxvii. 24. " When Pilate saw he could prevail nothing, but that " rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed hia " hands before the multitude, and said, I am innocent of the *; blood of this just person, see ye to it." Here the innocency of Christ brake out like the sun wading out of a cloud, convincing the conscience of his judge that he was just ; and yet he must give sen- tence on him, for all that, to please the people.