that Jesus would die. Perhaps he had never believed before that it would be really so. He might think He would escape from the hands of his wicked enemies. But now a dreadful horror took hold of his mind. He brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests, cast them down in the Temple, and went out and hanged himself.

I must just stop to show you the difference between Peter's sorrow and Judas's sorrow. St. Paul tells us of two kinds of repentance (2 Cor. vii. 10)—"Godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world." Peter's was godly sorrow. He really mourned over his sin, and he spent all the rest of his life in the service of his Saviour. The sorrow of Judas was the sorrow of the world, in which there was no sorrow for sin; and this works death.

And now the blessed Jesus was standing before Pilate. Pilate asked him many questions, but Jesus answered nothing. If you look at Isaiah liii. 7, you will see that this was foretold of Him:

"As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not his mouth."

The wicked King Herod was at Jerusalem, and Pilate sent Jesus to him to be questioned. Herod, you remember, had long wished to see Jesus, and now he was very glad. He hoped he should see a miracle done by Jesus. But Jesus was again quite silent-"He opened not his mouth." This made Herod very angry. He brought in his soldiers that they might mock the Saviour. Then, putting on Him a robe of bright colors, he sent Him back to Pilate. Now, I think that Pilate wished to set Jesus free. His wife, too, had sent to him to beg he would not have anything to do with that just man. had had a dream about Him which had distressed her mind very much. So Pilate went out to the people, who were gathered together in great numbers, and told them he could find no fault in Jesus. When they heard this, they all cried out, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." Now, it was the custom at the Feast of the Passover that some

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one prisoner should be set free. Pilate asked them, "Shall I set this man free?" "No, no," said the people, "we will not have this man; we will have Barabbas." Now, Barabbas had been cast into prison for committing murder. He was a robber, too; and yet they would rather have this wicked man set free than the holy and blessed Jesus.

When Pilate saw that they were determined to kill Jesus, he took water and washed his hands before all the people, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person; see ye to it." All the people cried out with one voice, “His blood be on us and on our children." They meant they were quite willing to bear all the guilt of putting Jesus to death.

Oh! how little they knew what they were saying. Oh! what dreadful sorrow did they bring on themselves and on their children. Up to this very time (that is, for more than eighteen hundred years) the poor Jews have been suffer

ing the wrath of God which they then called down on their heads.

Then Pilate had Jesus scourged. (Why did he do this if knew He was innocent?) And he gave Him up to the will of the people. The whole band of soldiers were now gathered round the Saviour. They stripped Him, put on Him a scarlet robe (which only kings wore), plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head, put a reed in his right hand, and bowed the knee, mocking Him, and saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they spat on Him and smote Him on the head. When they had mocked and tormented him as much as they pleased, they stripped Him again and put his own robe on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

Oh dear children, are not your hearts very sad? See how this blessed Lamb of God suffered for you. Do you not hate sin? It was that which nailed your Saviour to the accursed tree.

CHAPTER XXXI.

JESUS CRUCIFIED.

By this time, you may be sure, the Saviour's` body was worn out with fatigue. He set out, bearing his own cross; but before He had carried it far, his cruel enemies found that He would faint under the weight. They therefore laid it on a man named Simon, who was coming out of the country. He bore it to a place called Golgotha. There they gave the blessed Jesus vinegar and gall to drink, but He would not drink. The limbs of the Saviour were then stretched on the cross and nailed to it. Then it was lifted up, and firmly set in the ground. This was at twelve o'clock at noon. Two thieves were crucified, one on each side of Jesus. One of these, in the midst of his own agony, mocked Jesus. The other was led, at this last hour, to feel his sinfulness, and to look on Jesus as his Saviour. While all