In the mean time, the Lamb of God left his cause to defend itself, under the protection of his heavenly Father; not only because himself was determined to die, but because if he had not, those premises could never have inferred it. But this silence of the holy Jesus fulfilled a prophecy, it made his enemies full of murmur and amazement, it made them to see that he despised the accusations, as certain and apparent calumnies; but that himself was fearless of the issue, and, in the sense of morality and mysteries, taught us not to be too apt to excuse ourselves, when the semblance of a fault lies upon us, unless, by some other duty, we are obliged to our defences; since he, who was most innocent, was most silent: and it was expedient, that, as the first Adam increased his sin by a vain apology, the silence and sufferance of the second Adam should expiate and reconcile itd. 3. But Caiaphas had a reserve, which he knew should do. the business in that assembly; he adjured him, by God, to tell him if he "were the Christ." The holy Jesus, being adjured by so sacred a name, would not now refuse an answer, lest it might not consist with that honour which is due to it, and which he always paid, and that he might neither despise the authority of the high priest, nor, upon so solemn occasion, be wanting to that great truth, which he came down to earth to persuade to the world. And, when three such circumstances concur, it is enough to open our mouths, though we let in death. And so did our Lord, confessed himself to be "the Christ, the Son of the living God." And this the high priest was pleased, as the design was laid, to call " blasphemy;" and there they voted him to die. Then it was "the high priest rent his clothes;" the veil of the temple was rent when the passion was finished; the clothes of the priests at the beginning of it: and as that signified the departing of the synagogue, and laying religion open; so did the rending the garments of Caiaphas prophetically signify, that the priesthood should be rent from him, and from the nation. And thus the personated and theatrical admiration at Jesus, became the type of his own punishment, d Taciturnitas Christi apologiam Adæ absolvit.-S. Hieron. in Marc. • Conscidit vestimenta sua, ostendens turpitudinem suam, et nuditatem animæ, et mysterium manifestans, conscindendum esse sacerdotium vetus.— Origen. Idem ait S. Hier. and consigned the nation to deletion: and usually God so dispenses his judgments, that when men personate the tragedies of others, they really act their own. 4. Whilst these things were acting concerning the Lord, a sad accident happened to his servant Peter: for, being engaged in strange and evil company, in the midst of danger, surprised with a question without time to deliberate an answer, to find subterfuges, or to fortify himself, he denied his Lord shamefully, with some boldness at first, and this grew to a licentious confidence, and then to impudence, and denying, with perjury, that he knew not his Lord, who yet was known to him as his own heart, and was dearer than his eyes, and for whom he professed, but a little before, he would die; but did not do so till many years after. But thus he became to us a sad example of human infirmity; and if the prince of the apostles fell so foully, it is full of pity, but not to be upbraided, if we see the fall of lesser stars. And yet, that we may prevent so great a ruin, we must not mingle with such company, who will provoke or scorn us into sin; and if we do, yet we must stand upon our guard, that a sudden motion do not surprise us or if we be arrested, yet let us not enter farther into our sin, like wild beasts intricating themselves by their impatience. For there are some, who, being ashamed and impatient to have been engaged, take sanctuary in boldness and a shameless abetting it, so running into the darkness of hell to hide their nakedness. But he also, by returning, and rising instantly, became to us a rare example of penitence; and his not lying long in the crime did facilitate this restitution. For the spirit of God being extinguished by our works of darkness, is like a taper, which if, as soon as the flame is blown out, it be brought to the fire, it sucks light, and, without trouble, is re-enkindled; but if it cools into death and stiffness, it requires a longer stay and trouble. The holy Jesus, in the midst of his own sufferings, forgat not his servant's danger, but was pleased to look upon him when the cock crew; and the cock was the preacher, and the look of Jesus was the grace that made the sermon effectual: and because he was but newly fallen, τον τρόπον αι σκιαὶ τοῖς σώμασιν ἕπονται, οὕτως αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ταῖς ψυχαῖς àxoλovdovciv. — Agapet. Diac. Capit. admonit. 69. Leo Serm. 9. de Pass. Dom. et Euthym. in hunc locum. and his habitual love of his Master, though interrupted, yet had suffered no natural abatement, he returned, with the swiftness of an eagle, to the embraces and primitive affections of his Lord. 5. By this time suppose sentence given, Caiaphas prejudging all the Sanhedrim; for he first declared Jesus to have spoken blasphemy, and the fact to be notorious, and then asked their votes; which whoso then should have denied, must have contested the judgment of the high priest, who, by the favour of the Romans, was advanced, (Valerius Gratus, who was president of Judea, having been his patron,) and his faction potent, and his malice great, and his heart set upon this business; all which inconveniences none of them durst have suffered, unless he had had the confidence greater than of an apostle at that time. But this sentence was but like strong dispositions to an enraged fever; he was only declared apt and worthy for death, they had no power at that time to inflict it; but yet they let loose all the fury of mad men, and insolency of wounded smarting soldiers: and although, from the time of his being in the house of Annas, till the council met, they had used him with studied indignities; yet now they renewed and doubled the unmercifulness, and their injustice, to so great a height, that their injuries must needs have been greater than his patience, if his patience had been less than infinite. For thus man's redemption grows up, as the load swells which the holy Jesus bare for us; for these were our portion, and we, having turned the flowers of Paradise into thistles, should, for ever, have felt their infelicity, had not Jesus paid the debt. But he bearing them upon his tender body with an even, and excellent, and dispassionate spirit, offered up these beginnings of sufferings to his Father, to obtain pardon even for them that injured him, and for all the world. 6. Judas now, seeing that this matter went farther than he intended it, repented of his fact. For although evil persons are, in the progress of their iniquity, invited on by new arguments, and supported by confidence and a careless spirit: yet, when iniquity is come to the height, or so great a proportion, that it is apt to produce despair, or an intolerable condition, then the devil suffers the conscience to thaw and grow tender; but it is the tenderness of a bile, it is : soreness rather and a new disease; and either it comes when the time of repentance is past, or leads to some act which shall make the pardon to be impossible: and so it happened here. For Judas, either impatient of the shame, or of the sting, was thrust on to despair of pardon, with a violence as hasty and as great as were his needs. And despair is very often used like the bolts and bars of hell gates; it seizes upon them that had entered into the suburbs of eternal death by an habitual sin, and it secures them against all retreat. And the devil is forward enough to bring a man to repentance, provided it be too late and Esau wept bitterly, and repented him, and the five foolish virgins lift up their voice aloud, when the gates were shut, and in hell men shall repent to all eternity. But I consider the very great folly and infelicity of Judas: it was at midnight he received his money in the house of Annas, betimes in that morning he repented his bargain; he threw the money back again, but his sin stuck close, and, it is thought, to a sad eternity. Such is the purchase of treason, and the reward of covetousness; it is cheap in its offers, momentary in its possession, unsatisfying in the fruition, uncertain in the stay, sudden in its departure, horrid in the remembrance, and a ruin, a certain and miserable ruin, is in the event. When Judas came in that sad condition, and told his miserable story to them that set him on work, they let him go away unpitied; he had served their ends in betraying his Lord; and those that hire such servants, use to leave them in the disaster, to shame, and to sorrow: and so did the priests, but took the money, and refused to put it into the treasury, because it was "the price of blood&;" but they made no scruple to take it from the treasury, to buy that blood. Any thing seems lawful, that serves the ends of ambitious and bloody persons, and then they are scrupulous in their cases of conscience, when nothing of interest does intervene for evil men make religion the servant of interest, and sometimes weak men think, that it is the fault of the religion, and suspect that all of it is a design, because many Indè sacerdotes, pretium quòd sanguinis esset, Juvencus. Hist. Evang. lib. iv. great politics make it so. The end of the tragedy was, that Judas died with an ignoble death, marked with the circumstances of a horrid judgment, and perished by the most infamous hands in the world, that is, by his own. Which, if it be confronted against the excellent spirit of St. Peter, who did an act as contradictory to his honour, and the grace of God, as could be easily imagined; yet, taking sanctuary in the arms of his Lord, he lodged in his heart for ever, and became an example to all the world, of the excellency of the Divine mercy, and the efficacy of a holy hope, and a hearty, timely, and an operative repentance. 7. But now all things were ready for the purpose, the high priest and all his council go, along with the holy Jesus, to the house of Pilate, hoping he would verify their sentence, and bring it to execution, that they might once be rid of their fears, and enjoy their sin and their reputation quietly. St. Basil affirms, that the high priest caused the holy Jesus to be led with a cord about his neck, and, in memory of that, the priests, for many ages, wore a stole about theirs. But the Jews did it, according to the custom of the nation, to signify he was condemned to death: they desired Pilate that he would crucify him, they having found him worthy. And when Pilate inquired into the particulars, they gave him a general and indefinite answer; "If he were not guilty, we would not have brought him unto thee:" they intended not to make Pilate judge of the cause, but executor of their cruelty. But Pilate had not learned to be guided by an implicit faith of such persons, which he knew to be malicious. and violent; and, therefore, still called for instances and arguments of their accusation. And that all the world might see with how great unworthiness they prosecuted the Messias, they chiefly there accused him of such crimes, upon which themselves condemned him not, and which they knew to be false, but yet likely to move Pilate, if he had been passionate or inconsiderate in his sentences; "He offered to make himself a king." This discourse happened at the entry of the prætorium; for the Jews, who made no conscience of ↳ Non potuit Judas pejore manu perire, et quamvis sceleratum occiderit, non debuit tamen. — S. August. de Civit. Dei, lib. i. c. 17. In Mystagog. Eccles. Author. Com. in Marc. apud S. Hieron. |