said, "Hail, Master!" and kissed Him. The loving Saviour said to him, "Friend, wherefore art thou come ? Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?" These kind and gentle words were enough to melt a heart of stone; but Judas was too wicked to feel them.

The men then seized our Lord and Saviour, and bound His sacred Hands and Feet with cords, as if He had been a thief. St. Peter could not bear to see his Saviour treated thus, so he drew his sword, and cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant. Our Lord, always ready to do good, touched the man's ear, and healed it. And He rebuked St. Peter, saying, "Put up again thy sword into his 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?" In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, "Are ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled.

Our blessed Saviour could have destroyed His enemies in a moment; but He knew that if He did not die on the cross, no man could ever go to heaven. He therefore willingly suffered, that we might be saved.

43. ST. PETER DENIES HIS LORD, AND THE

WICKED MEN MOCK HIM.

THE meek and holy Saviour was now led to the house of the high priest. St. Peter followed Him a long way off, and went into the hall to warm himself by the fire. As he stood there, one of the servants said to him, "Thou wast also with Jesus of Nazareth." But Peter said, "I know Him not." A little while after, two other servants said the same. Then Peter declared with an oath, saying, "I know not the Man." As soon as he had denied the Lord Jesus the third time, he heard the cock crow. He then remembered that Jesus had said, "Before the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice;" and he went out and wept bitterly.

What a lesson does this teach us! If we would be faithful to our Saviour, we must

pray to God to help us, or we shall fall as St. Peter did; and perhaps we may never have grace to repent of our sin.

The chief priest, and the scribes, and Pharisees all met together to put the Lord Jesus to death. Now many false witnesses came, to accuse our Lord of things which He had not done. They knew that He never did any thing wrong, so they were obliged to get witnesses who would not speak the truth. But our Lord Jesus was calm, like an innocent man; and He made no answer to His wicked enemies. The high priest stood up and said to Him, "Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against Thee?" The Lord did not answer him. The high priest then said, I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us whether Thou be the Christ the Son of God." Jesus replied, "Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Here

after shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of Power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." When the high priest heard this he rent his clothes, saying, "What further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard His blasphemy. What think ye?" They answered and said, "He is guilty of death." Then these wicked men blindfolded our Lord and Saviour, and struck His holy Face, before which the angels in heaven bow down. And some of them spat upon Him, and beat Him with their fists. The high priest ought to have been the first to worship the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, and to teach the people to do so, instead of which he was the first to condemn Him. The Lord Jesus was not angry with them; but He bore it all with meekness and patience, that He