254 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE of our BLESSED LORD 4u8r-' C H A P T E R XXXVI. JESUS is led before Pilate: judos relents, carries back the Money, and hangs himfelf: The Governor refutes to judge our blued Saviour, declares him innocent, and fends him to Herod ; who, after hearing his Accufers, fends him back again. rT t-LE Saviour of the world, whom -a the whole Jewifh nation had fo long expeEted, having been thus con- demned by the Sanhedrin, they confulted together, and refolved to carry him before the governor, that he likewife might pafs fentence on him. The Roman governors ofJudea generally refided at Ca:farea ; but at the great feafts they came up to Jeru- falem, to prevent or fupprefs tumults, and to adminifter juftice: it beinga cuflom for the Roman governors ofprovinces to vifit the principal towns under their jurifdiEtion on this latter account. Pilate, being ac- cordingly come to Jerufalem fome time before the feaft, had been informed, pro- bably by Jofeph of Arimathea, of the great ferment among the rulers, and the true charafer of the perfon on- whole ac- count it was railed ; for he entertained a juft notion of it: he knew that for envy they had delivered him. He knew the caufe of their envy, was impreffed with a favourable opinion, of JEsus, and wifhed, if poffible, to deliver him from his vile perfecutors, who fought to put him to death. The Jewith council, early in the morn- ing, brought Jesus to the hall ofjudgment, or governor's palace. They themfelves, however, went not into the hall, but flood without, left they fhould be rendered incapable of eating the paffover, by be- ing defiled. Judas Ifcariot, who had delivered his Matter into the hands of the council, finding his projef turned out very different from what he expelled, was filled with the deepeft remorfe for what he had done. He faw all his golden dreams of temporal honours and advantages funk at once to nothing; he faw his kind, his indulgent Matter condemned, and forfaken by all his followers. He faw all this, and deter- mined to make all the fatisfaEtion in his power for the crime he had committed : accordingly, he carne and confeffèd openly his fin before the chief priefts and elders, offered them the money they had given him to commit it, and earnefily wilhcd he could recall the fatal tranfailion of the preceding night. It fermi he thought this was the molt public teftimony he could poffibly give of his Mailer's innocence, and his own repentance : I have, Paid he, committed a molt horrid crime, in be- traying an innocent man to death. But this moving fpeech of Judas had no e£ felt on the callous hearts of the Jewillr rulers : they affirmed, that however he might think the prifoner innocent, and for that reafon had finned in bringing the fentence of death upon his head, they were not to 'blame; becaufe they knew him a blafphemer, who deferved to die : What is that to us? fail they, fee thou to that. Nay, they even refufed to take back the money they had given him as a reward
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