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We know that

his name will be given us. the hour is come, when the true worshippers must worship the Father in spirit and in truth; and we know that we have an Advocate with him, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who, as our great High Priest and Intercessor, sitteth continually at the right hand of God, to intercede for us, and to render our prayers propitious and available to Salvation.

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SERMON III.

THE REPLY OF CHRIST TO PILATE.

JOHN XIX. 11.

Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore, he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

THERE is somewhat of inconsistency, as it appears to me, between the former part of this sentence, and the conclusion deduced from it. In the course of the narrative, we are informed that Christ, being led before Pilate, and examined as to the accusations brought against him by the Jews, had finally this question put to him:-"Whence art thou?"-to which Jesus gave 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 couldest

have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore, he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." From above, as it is usually interpreted, signifies from Heaven. In this sense of the words, it would appear that this power was conferred upon Pilate by an especial dispensation of Divine Providence, in order to accomplish the terms of our redemption by the sacrifice of Christ. That all the events, indeed, in this stupendous Mystery, as well as the powers with which the several agents in it were invested, had a direct reference to the counsels of the Almighty, and the fulfilment of the prophecies, we are assured by our Lord himself. "Put up thy sword," said he to Peter, who was preparing to repel force by force; "put up again thy sword into its place for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve Legions of Angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"*

There is no doubt that the malice of the Jews, and their persecution of our Saviour, were instruments in effecting the great purpose for which he came into the world.

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But

this did not lessen their criminality: they were just as responsible for the consequences of their malevolence, as if no advantage to mankind had resulted from it. It is the property of an all-wise and all-beneficent Being to bring good out of evil, and to make even the devices of the wicked subservient to his designs in the government of the world. We know that, to punish the disobedience and transgression of his people, God permitted tyrants and idolaters to rule over and oppress them. Nevertheless, as these persons had nothing less in view than the service of God, or the good of mankind, but were actuated only by cruelty and ambition, they experienced (as in the case of Pharaoh and Sennacherib) the most tremendous effects of divine vengeance. In the same action, the views of the Creature and those of the Creator are frequently different. On one side, evil only may be in contemplation; on the other, the evil intended is directed to wise and good purposes: the mischievous contrivances of the wicked are defeated of their object, while the beneficial results of them, by the operation of divine wisdom, never fail to take effect.— "Man's goings are of the Lord;" and though his heart deviseth his ways, yet the Lord directeth his paths;-the way of man is not in himself. "There be many devices in man's

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heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand."*

Thus it is evident that, however instrumental was the malicious conduct of the Jews, in fulfilling the decrees of the Almighty, their guilt was equally inexcusable, as though no beneficial effects had been derived from it; nor was the sin less of the traitor, who delivered up his master to persecution and to death. But, if not the less, was it therefore the greater? How does it follow, that

because Pilate was also an unconscious instrument of fulfilling the divine counsels ; because “he could have had no power at all against Christ, except it had been given him from above," (that is, as the words are usually understood" from Heaven;") he, therefore, who delivered Christ unto him, "had the greater sin?" Let us see whether, by a somewhat minute examination of our Saviour's Passion, as recorded by the several Evangelists, we may not find an interpretation of the words "from above," by which the latter part of this Text of Scripture may be more clearly and intimately connected with the former.

It appears that after the multitude which came with Judas had laid hold on Jesus, they

* Prov. xx. 24-xvi. 9-xix. 21.-Jer. x. 23.

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