R _leaf ulX'.n the. grouno.. Re "finds no fault in Jesus" (ver. 4), but he dares not acquit !um; he is nfra1d ot the men he is t.~1ere to go:vo~n. llc ?'\sts about for u. WBY of escnpo ; he Rt lnsts hits upon the poor expedient of shifting the difficulty to other shoulders. Ho rresent.s to us a "l'"cry pitiable object ss n man who sits in the chair of office and dares not do his duty there. Authority divested of a manly coul'age u.nd shaking with fear of con~equenccs is a deplorable thing. I[. How FEEDLE 1B MERE PASSIONATE VEHF.MENCE! The people, led by the priests were "the more fierce" (vcr. 5), insisting that Pilate should not release the Prisoner 0£ ~'"hose _inn?cence ~e was convinced. We_ see the~, with hatred flashing from their eyes, rndulgmg m frantic gestures of deprecat10n and incitement, loudly clo.mourin11 for the condemnation of the Iloly One. 'l'heir urgency did, indeed, prevail for the mo~nent, as Yebemence frequently does. But into what a dire and terrible mistake it led them! to what a crime were they hastening! what awful issues were to spring from their success\ How truly were they sowing the wind of which they would reap the whirlwind! Earnestness is always admirable; enthusiasm is often a grent power for good; but passionate vehemence is nothing better than a noisy feebleness. It is not the presence of real power; it is the absence of intelligence and self-control. It leads men to actions which have a momentary success, but which end in a lasting failure and in sad disgrace. lll. Bow UKFRUITFOL 1s IDLE CURIOSITY. (Vers. 8, 9.) Herod congratulated himself too soon. He reckoned on having a keen curiosity fully gratified ; he thought he had this Prophet in his power, u.nd could command an exhibition of his peculiar faculty, whatever that might prove to be. But he did not want to a~rive at truth, or to be better able to do his duty or serve his generation; and Jesus Christ declined to minister to his royal fancy. Ho was silent and pa.8sive, though urged to speech and action. Christ will speak to our hearts, and will work for our benefit and blessing whea we approach him in a reverent and earnest spirit; but to a worldly and irrevereut curiosity he has nothing to sn.y. It must retire ungratified, and come again in another mood. IV. How iscoNST.U,""r 1s UNSPIBITOAL FRIENDSHIP I Herod had very little to thank Pilate for, on this occasion; he appears to have mistaken a cowardly attempt to evade duty for a mark of personal respect or a desire to effect a reconciliation (ver. 12). A friendship that had to be renewed, and that was patched up in BO slight a way and on such mistaken ground, would not last long and was worth very little. Friendship that is not built on thorough knowledge and on mutual esteem is exceedingly fragile and of ~mall account. It is only common attachment to the same great principles and to the one Divine Lord that binds together in indissoluble bonds. Sameness of occupa- tion, similarity of taste, exposure to a common peril, or the possessio11 of a common hope,-this is not the rock on which friendship will stand long; it rests on character, and on the character that is formed by close, personal intimacy with the one ti·ue Friend of man. V. How WRONG AND EVEN WICKED IS UNENLIGHTENED SCORN I (Ver. 11.) Quite unimagino.blc is the uproarious laughter and the keen, low enjoyment with which the actors went through this wretched ribaldry, this (to us) most painful mockery. How little did they think that he whom they were BO mercilessly insulting was the King be claimed to be, and was immeasurably higher than the highest of them all I Wrong and wicked is human scorn. Often since then has it mocked at truth and wisdom, and poured its poor ridicule on the head of holiness and true nobility I It is not only tlie "stranger" who may prove to be the "angel una.wa.rcs entertained;" it is also the mo.n whom we do not understand, whom we may think entirely in the wrong, whom we are tempted to despise. Many are the mockers who will be fain, one day, tu receive a crracious pardon from the object of their derision. ,..VI. How MAJESTIC IB srnuTUAL MEEKNEBB! (Ver. 11.) We know well how our Lord bore this cruel trial. "A silent Man before his foes" was he. Able at any moment to brin" them into utmost humiliation, to turn the mocking glance of triumph into the counte;a.nce blanched with unspeakable fear, and the brutal laugh of mockery into a cry for mercy, he stood without a blow, without a word on his own behalf, enduring as one that saw the invisible and the eternal. '!'here is nothing more majestic than a calm endurance of wrong. 'l'o accept without return the strong buffeting of cruelty, to take without reply the more keen and piercing utterance of falsehood, because ~tillness or silence will advance the caUBe of truth and the kingdom of God,- c11. xrnr. 1-GG.] 'l'lrn GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 251
this is to be very" near the throne" on which it is our highe,t ambition to be plnced • it is to be cnrryiag out, most ncceptnbly, t'Je commanchnent of the meek, majesti~ Saviour a~ he say8 to us, " Follow me I "-C.