have assumed contrary to the Word of God, is likely to be restrained by wholesome laws. Nothing can equal their violence to oppose all such necessary restrictions. Oh, that men would shew such a zealous attachment for true liberty! such an inflamed desire of being released from the bonds of satan! Oh, that this desire would prompt them to prostrate themselves before God, to lift up their voice, and with tears implore him, that he would deliver them from the thraldom of their sins and pernicious lusts, and 'make them free by the Son, that they may be free indeed, (John viii. 36.)

II. We come, in the next place, to consider how Pilate conducted this affair. The people having claimed the observance of this old custom, he immediately sent for Barabbas from the prison, where he had hitherto been kept, and ordered him to be exhibited to public view, placing him near Jesus. Then Pilate put this question to the people, 'Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? Will ye that I release unto you the king of the Jews?" Never were two persons of characters so different placed on the same footing; one being the eternal Son of God, who was a pattern of the most perfect innocence and holiness, and the other a notorious robber, murderer, and rebel.

At first sight, this scheme of Pilate seems very well concerted. For,

• First, He confines the choice to two persons, namely, Jesus whom he knew to be innocent, and who, by healing the sick, raising the dead, &c. had endeared himself to the people; and an infamous malefactor who had committed murder, shed innocent blood, and had been taken in the very act of rebellion.

ato perpetrate ?
by this action obscures the innocence of
having borne a public testimony of it,
ing of which Divine Providence, at this
specially, was concerned. For had this
ate succeeded, and the people demanded
ght be released, it might have been said
Priests, &c. that popular clamours had
1 that it was not because of his inno-
esus had been released, but because he
- by the people; who had before opposed
rried to prison, and consequently ob-
course of justice. Thus Pilate, in this
to have been an engine of satan, who,
ngs, wanted to fix a blemish on the in-
as conqueror.

unjust expedient, he precludes himself ortunity of urging any thing further in Saviour's innocence, with proper vigour For after the Jews, had once desired be released to them, Jesus stood actually and rejected, by the majority of the

ed contrary to the true interest of the th; for by the hopes of escaping pu

1

earn:

First, That he who consults other men in dubious cases, without any regard to God's will, which is the Supreme rule for our behaviour and conduct, will be overcome by the first temptation that assaults him.

Pilate asks the people, Will ye that I release unto you Barabbas, or Jesus?" whereas he ought to have acted according to the Roman law, or the dictates of his own conscience, for both of them informed him that the innocent ought to be released. There are still too many nominal Christians, who are such slaves to men; many who, from a servile desire of pleasing others, stick at no kind of injustice in private life; many judges who accommodate themselves more to the corrupt taste of others than to the unalterable rule of rectitude. That these sins might be forgiven to those who are heartily sorry for them, the Supreme Judge and Prophet has suffered, and been sentenced to death, through his judge's pliableness to the will of others.

Secondly, Christ by these circumstances of his passion has expiated many sins committed by men, on condition of faith and repentance.

- 1. He has expiated our arrogant desires, when, seduced by self-love, we are for appearing better, more wise, more learned, or more pious, than we in reality are. We are fond of comparing ourselves with those that are worse than we are. In order therefore to atone for this haughty desire of our heart, Christ suffered himself to be shewn in public and ranked with the most abandoned malefactor.

2. Our blessed Saviour has expiated our desire of

....

licy, which generally give an ill appearance to a od cause.

4. He has expiated that depravity which, from a sire of ingratiating oneself with men, and gaining eir favour, gives up the cause of Christ and his embers to the option of a licentious populace, from nom no justice is to be expected,

5. He has expiated that depravity by which men frequently act contrary to conviction, and rather nform to the opinions of other people, than the dices of their own conscience. As these sins conbuted to aggravate the sufferings of the innocent sus, it should inspire us with an utter detestation, d sincere repentance, of them.

III. We are further to observe the intimation hich God gave Pilate on this occasion. The ac unt of this remarkable incident is mentioned only 7 St. Matthew, who relates it thus: 'When he was t down on the judgment-seat, his wife sent unto m, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just an; for I have suffered many things this day in a ream, because of him. Thus God gave Pilate an Amonition, and made his own wife the instrument to onvey it, who in this affair was free from all preju ce or partiality; for she was not of the Jewish region, nor did she know whether Jesus was guilty or nocent. But, as her husband had been disturbed his rest by the early application of the High Priest nd Elders, she continued in bed for some time afr; and falling asleep again, she had a very uneasy ream, in which she probably saw, as in a vision, the -hole trial of Jesus before her husband; how a man erfectly innocent was brought before Pilate, and he