from the Father, and helped Him to end His direful task with prayers of less terrible protest. But when He arose and wiped the sweat from His face He found blood mingled with it; it was oozing out from every pore. "And His sweat became as drops of blood trickling down upon the ground." The spasms of His heart had driven the blood of the Saviour with such force as to cause it to overflow its channels.

If Jesus had suffered an indescribable agony in the Garden, He also had gathered an increase of courage from His fortitude and His prayers. For when He realized that His hour was at hand He arose, wiped the blood-stained sweat from His face, and calling to His Apostles to follow Him, calmly advanced towards His enemies to give Himself up to them. There shall be no further sign of fear in Him, or of other emotion, till all things are accomplished."

Strengthened in soul by this mighty prayer, though doubtless quite worn out in body, the Saviour returned the third and last time to His Apostles and findeth them sleeping from sorrow," for it is known that excessive grief often brings on a dozing state. "He saith to them: Sleep ye now and take your rest." This indicates a further conference with the angel, or the quiet passing of some interval of time before the arrest of Jesus. Finally, knowing that the traitor and his band of soldiers were approaching, He awakened the three Apostles, saying, "It is enough, the hour is come"; they all returned to the olive grove and awakened the other eight, and then He moved out calmly at their head to meet His foes. "Behold the Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go. Behold he that will betray Me is at hand.”

CHAPTER XXXIX.

JESUS IS BETRAYED WITH A KISS.

Matt. xxvi. 47-50; Mark xiv. 43-46; Luke xxii. 47-48 ; John xviii. 2-9.

THE traitor must have led his band to the Garden across a bridge lower down the brook Cedron than the one used by Jesus and His disciples earlier in the evening, if the tradition is true which marks the spot of our Saviour's arrest south of the enclosure of olive-trees. The traitor had many times prayed there with his Master. "And Judas also, who betrayed Him, knew the place, because Jesus had often resorted thither together with His disciples." He knew the way by night as well as by day, but they took lanterns, lest Jesus should be hidden in some of the dark ravines or grottoes. "Judas therefore, having received a band of soldiers and servants from

the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons." He led a detachment from the Roman garrison, a part also of the armed guard or police of the Temple, and with them went some of the priests themselves; it was their servants who carried the bludgeons. The soldiers could easily be had, for all this week they were held in readiness day and night to quell disturbances incident to the great gathering at the paschal solemnities.

That the arrest should be sudden, and if possible bloodless, was doubtless the purpose of all concerned in it, especially

the Roman officers. Hence the kiss of Judas as a means of identifying Jesus. It was the usual mode of greeting between the loving Master and His Apostles on meeting after a separation. It was an aggravation of Judas's treachery, the same mouth spitting out the venom of treason, "Hail, Rabbi!" while it mocked the victim with a kiss. The caress of love shall be the stab of treason.

[And Judas] went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss him. [For he] had given them a sign, saying: Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he; lay hold on him and lead him away carefully. And when he was come, immediately going up to him, he said: Hail, Rabbi! and he kissed him. And Jesus said to him: Friend, whereto art thou come? Judas, dost thou betray the Son of Man with a kiss? Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forward and said to them: Whom seek ye? They answered him: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith to them: I am he. And Judas also who betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said to them: I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Again therefore he asked them: Whom seek ye? And they said: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered: I have told you that I am he; if therefore you seek me, let these go their way; that the word

The patient meekness of Jesus was never better shown than in His receiving that kiss, and addressing might be fulfilled which he said : Of them

Judas with the holy name of Friend.

whom thou hast given me, I have not lost
any one. Then they came up and laid
hands upon him and held him.

The questions which He asked, the
absence of all anger in His sad words, associated with
the power of His very glance to cast His enemies to
the ground, and, had He so willed it, to annihilate
them, to say nothing of His full liberty to escape, and
finally His loving care that His disciples should go un-
molested-all this forms a scene of marvellous affec-
tion, as well as a vivid contrast between perfect love
and satanic hate.

Jesus delivers Himself to them now, though many times before He had released Himself. Then they had the will, but He had withl:eld from them the power. Now He has the power to save Himself, but He has not the will. He had surrendered to His Father before doing so to them. "The chalice which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" They bind the hands of Jesus. Herein He gives us a lesson of how far obedience may lawfully be carried; for He allows His omnipotent hands to be

bound, and by such atrocious wretches as these, that He may be wholly submissive to His Father's good pleasure.

The avarice which actuated the awful treason of Judas is all the more fearful because in contrast with one of our Saviour's conspicuous virtues, love of poverty and contempt for riches.

The greatest crime ever committed was this betrayal; and it was conceived and determined in the holiest sanctuary ever known to men, the personal company of the Son of God. Was there ever a spectacle equal to this embrace of Jesus Christ and Judas, the one whispering a last appeal for repentance, and the other thinking only of finishing his horrible work of betrayal?

CHAPTER XL.

THE RESISTANCE OF THE APOSTLES AND THEIR FLIGHT.

Matt. xxvi. 51-56; Mark xiv. 47-52; Luke xxii. 49–53 ; John xviii. 10, 11.

WHEN Jesus was seized the disciples were still close to Him. They were not to slink away in "And they that were about Him,

utter cowardice.

seeing what would follow, said to Him: Lord, shall we strike with the sword? Peter, ever eager and rash, waited not for an answer. "Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and struck the servant of the High-Priest, and cut off his right ear. And the name of the servant was Malchus." Bloodshed, thus adding its furious stimulus, increased the excitement together with the confusion of voices and the crowding in of the guards and attendants. But the calm tones of the Master arose, saving His foolhardy followers