Let us now turn our attention to, II. The people's rash engagement —
The guilt and punishment of murder were, among the Jews, expressed by " the blood of the murdered person being upon them^" By this imprecation, therefore, the people meant to relieve Pilate's con- science, and to pacify his fears ; engaging, that the crucifixion of Christ should never be considered as Jm act, but theirs; and that the consequences of it, if any, should come, not on him, but on them and their children. But,
What a rash engagement was this !
[What answer would it be to Caesar, if, being summoned to give an account of the injustice committed, and the dis- honour brought thereby upon the whole Roman empire, Pilate should say, ' The people forced me to it?' Were not the people his subjects? and had he not the Roman soldiers at his command, to keep them in awe? To what purpose was he entrusted with this power, if he did not exercise it? Would this promise, of taking the responsibility on themselves, re- move it from him ? Assuredly not : on him, and not on them, would Cajsar's displeasure fall.
But, supposing they could protect him from Caesar's anger, could they heal the wound which this act would inflict upon his conscience ? Would this stern monitor be silent at their bidding? No: its remonstrances would be heard in spite of them ; and to his dying hour would the voice of innocent blood cry out against him.
Thus, as it respected him, their engagement was vain and nugatory ; but not so as it respected themselves : God held them to it : and made them feel the fearful responsibility attaching to it. But a few days elapsed, before they expressed their fears lest their imprecations should be answered S: and before that generation passed away, the Divine judgments came upon them to the uttermost ; insomuch that the Jewish historian, who was himself a spectator of the fact, declares, that such multitudes of the captive Jews were crucified during the siege of Jerusalem, that ' there wanted room for the crosses to stand upon, and wood to make them of Then was their request fulfllled: then was " the blood of Christ on them indeed, and on their children ;" and, from that hour to the present moment, have they been " made an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations^."]
f Matt, xxiii. 35. e Acts v. 28. '> Jer. xxv. 9.
1408. [) Pilate's protest. 587
And how much better are the engagements which many amongst us are ready to take upon themselves ?
[When we endeavour to prevail on persons to act against the convictions of their conscience, w^e are ready to laugh at their scruples, and to ridicule their fears ; and vpith great con- fidence to pledge our words, that their compliance with our advdce will be attended with no bad consequence whatever. But, when we have prevailed over their credulity, can we fulfil our word ? Can we in many cases avert even the tem- poral consequences of their conduct ? How much less can we
silence the clamours of their guilty consciences ! And
least of all can we stand between God and their souls in the
day of judgment
But though we cannot fulfil our engagements to them, we must, together with them, answer for our conduct to God ; and perish under the accumulated guilt of ruining their souls. " Their blood will be required at our hands" ]
Let us LEARN then from hence,
1. To discard the fear of man —
[You see how true is that declaration, that " the fear of man bringeth a snared" Had Pilate in the first instance with- stood, as he ought, the clamours of the people, he had never embrued his hands in the Saviour's blood. He might have fallen a sacrifice to their rage, it is true ; but he would have had reason to all eternity to rejoice that he had died in such a cause. And we would ask of you, What are your feelings now in reference to any sinful compliances you may have been drawn into, or any injuries you may have suffered in conse- quence of your non-compliance? Do you not even now see that it is better to regard God than man"^? Then " fear not man, who can only kill the body; but God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell : yea, I say unto you, fear Him^"