JESUS came forth wearing the thorny crown and the purple robe; a lamentable spectacle, filled with contempt, and bearing it humbly, to deliver thee from everlasting confusion, and heal the plague of pride, and teach thee to bear all reproaches for His Name's sake, and in all to be humbled.

Pilate said true, "I find in Him no fault at all.” He did no sin, neither was guile found in His Mouth, O Righteous JESUS! what hadst Thou to do with death? We have sinned, and Thou makest atonement for it we owed, and Thou payest.

:

Meditation.

O my God, and my King, Thou didst put Thyself in this condition. They expose Thee thus to Thy

friends and enemies, with Thy hands bound, clothed in a garment of ignominy, crowned with thorns, tortured with the scourge; Thy Face disfigured, and a reed in Thy Hand. And Pilate, yielding to those who mocked Thee, said "BEHOLD THE MAN;" behold the power of Him thou callest a King.

What, then, was Thy confusion, O my Saviour, at being made in this condition, a spectacle to those who a few days before admired Thy works, and Thy doctrine. Impress this ignominious spectacle on my heart; soften its hardness, by Thy Presence, and grant that I may feel the bitterness of Thy Suffering and shame.

Stay, O my soul, and remember that Pilate comprehends not the meaning of the words he utters. The Eternal FATHER speaks, as it were, by his mouth, and says, "BEHOLD THE MAN, Who is not less your Friend than He is My SON. As thy Friend He is like unto thee, and as My SON, He is a partaker of My Divinity, and hence He loves thee with an Infinite love. He is My Well-Beloved SON; and I give Him to thee. What askest thou more? What more can I do for thee? Receive Him, listen to Him, love Him and imitate Him. In Him I give thee all the blessings I possess. I give thee a remedy for all thy evils, a Help in all thy necessities, a Succour in all thy pains, a Consolation in all thy griefs, the Payment for all thy debts, the Mediator for all thy petitions; and because thou canst find in Him all that I have, and all that is necessary for you. See, O miserable man! how much I love thee, since for thy salvation I spared not even My own SON. But see, also,

what thou owest Me. All that I demand of thee is, that thou serve, love, and imitate Him."

What shall I render to Thee, O Eternal FATHER, for this infinite love? I know that for all these blessings Thou askest only myself. What am I then, LORD, to merit Thy regards, and to oblige Thee to overwhelm me with Thy benefits, after such great ingratitude as I have shown.

O my Saviour, although Thou art silent, I hear, as it were, the voice of Thy Precious Blood, saying, BEHOLD THE MAN! Yes, Saviour! it seems to me as if Thou sayest to my soul, "O soul bought with My Blood, complain not with the paralytic of having no man to put thee into the cleansing pool; for behold Me, I am the Man thou seekest, My Blood will cleanse thee from thy sins; thou hast neither merited nor asked it, nevertheless I have prepared it for thee. Where fliest thou when thou goest from Me? What seekest thou when thou seekest not me? What lovest thou when thou lovest not Me? Where canst thou find friends like Me? What father or brother would do for thee what I have done? Remember that I have regarded thy happiness and salvation more than My honour or My life. Come to Me, I will soothe thee, I will love thee, and overwhelm thee with all the delights of My love, and all the riches of My Glory."

Is it possible, O my Saviour, and my GOD! that I have not always loved Thee, that I have offended Thee, that I am far from Thee, O true Friend of my soul? Behold this unhappy man, who has despised

Thee, and repulsed Thee; who has neither hoped in Thee, nor loved Thee; who has run after vanity, and loved that which Thou hatest. But all my miseries cannot take from me the hope and confidence I have in Thy mercies.

Prayer.

I adore Thee, I worship and bow down before Thee, O SON of the living GOD, Redeemer of the world! Who, for our sakes, didst submit to the vile spittings, and stripes of Thy furious enemies; and wast led forth wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, to be a laughing-stock to the infuriated mob. Give me grace to trample under foot all ambition, and all love of the display of the pomps and vanities of this world, and lightly to esteem all the honours of this life; that by a profound humility, and a true estimate of my own vileness, I may continually advance to the glory of eternal blessedness. Amen.

XV. PILATE CONDEMNS THE LORD TO BE CRU

CIFIED.

Prophecy.

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are

healed. All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, 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 openeth not His mouth.

Gospel Harmony.

S. John xix. 6-15; S. Matt. xxvii. 24-27.

When the chief priests therefore and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye Him, and crucify Him: for I find no fault in Him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of GOD. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; and went again into the judgment-hall, and saith unto JESUS, Whence ar Thou? But JESUS gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto Him, Speakest Thou not unto me? knowest Thou not that I have power to crucify Thee, and have power to release Thee? JESUS answered, Thou couldst have no power at all against Me, except were given thee from above: therefore he

that delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from henceforth Pilate sought to release Him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar's friend : whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Cæsar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought JESUS forth, and sat down in the judgment-seat, in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour and He saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Cæsar. When Pilate saw that