is endurance by the power of his
will and zeal for his righteous cause--which was also that of his people
and of God--was unconquerable by all the refinements of cruelty
inflicted upon him by his executioners.

The infliction of "the question" upon Jesus evoked much feeling among
the elders, and they resolved to interfere in his behalf; formally
demanding of Pilate that he should be liberated before the Passover.

When their request was denied by Pilate they resolved to petition that
Jesus should be brought to trial before the Sanhedrim, by whom they did
not doubt his acquittal--which was ardently desired by the people--would
be ordained.

In the eyes of the priests, Jesus was a saint, belonging to the family
of David; and his unjust detention, or--what was still more to be
dreaded--his condemnation, would have saddened the celebration of the
great national festival of the Israelites.

They therefore prayed Pilate that the trial of Jesus should take place
before the Passover, and to this he acceded. But he ordered that two
thieves should be tried at the same time with Jesus, thinking to, in
this way, minimize in the eyes of the people, the importance of the fact
that the life of an innocent man was being put in jeopardy before the
tribunal; and, by not allowing Jesus to be condemned alone, blind the
populace to the unjust prearrangement of his condemnation.

The accusation against Jesus was founded upon the depositions of the
bribed witnesses.

During the trial, Pilate availed himself of perversions of Jesus' words
concerning the heavenly kingdom, to sustain the charges made against
him. He counted, it seems, upon the effect produced by the answers of
Jesus, as well as upon his own authority, to influence the members of
the tribunal against examining too minutely the details of the case, and
to procure from them the sentence of death for which he intimated his
desire.

Upon hearing the perfectly natural answer of the judges, that the
meaning of the words of Jesus was diametrically opposed to the
accusation, and that there was nothing in them to warrant his
condemnation, Pilate employed his final resource for prejudicing the
trial, viz., the deposition of a purchased traitorous informer. This
miserable wretch--who was, no doubt, Judas--accused Jesus formally, of
having incited the people to rebellion.

Then followed a scene of unsurpassed sublimity. When Judas gave his
testimony, Jesus, turning toward him, and