Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-03-03

aid land q ag. into Se 1bgn ! 81 and
sSNhS }htod tesSA NWsncss5Rt thoN RAfsJesus
gave him no answer Now it isxery certain, that
when PLATE said to the chief priests and officers
Is Take ye him, and cruelty him, for find fault
in him." be fully intended to be understood IS say
ing This Dust person. Is cr1cifeds lyon hsy do it of
yourselves and upon your heads be the evil of such
wrong and violence, for DO not mean to have the
blood Of this singularly pure being on my hands,
Here then, it may be.observed, Plate had at length
obtained his own consent although very reluc-
tantly to surrender up Jesus to the nsensate Jews
to be cruced. But just at this point in the proceed
ings, let j also be observed, that The Jews an
swered him, We have law, and by our law he
ought to die, because he made himself the Son of
God. When PLATE therefore heard that saying, he
was the more afraid" &c. What saying was that?
and wherefore on that account should he be the
more afraid? The saying was 'he made himself the
Son of God that is, equal soiM God, according to
the peculiar meaning which the Jews gave to that
expressions and, according also, of course, to that
understanding Of it by Pilate-and therefore he
the more afraid Not more afraid of the Jews, GER
tainly for there was no reason why he should be
more afraid Of them afterwards than he was before he
had heard that saying But che was the more afraid"
account of that mysterious presence and power of
truth, whose wonderful influence he had already
felt in such an unaccountable manner, when his
mind was occupied with determining the guilt or in
nocence of the accused. Besides, if Pilates fears
did not arise from this cause but rather from
dread of the Jews, why did he not end them at once
by speedy and unconditional surrender of
Jesus into their hands? Indeed, if he had been,
in Pilates estimation, nothing than poor and
despised Nazarene, would he not have done so? In.
stead of doing this, however he takes Jesus back
into the Judgment hall, where, from the peculiar
nature Of their institutions or traditional supersti
tons the Jews burst not follow, and there earnestly
ard anxously inquiries of him, Whence art thou ?"
nh; nofvn hat
art thou? nor did Plate intend to be so understood,
for he know we'll enough, that Jesus was a jew of
Galiee But it had in fact spiritual meaning, and
was so understood by Jesus, who declined answer
ing it. because he considered the question already
answered, in a manner sufficient for his purposes,
when he told PLATE that his kingdom was not of
this worlo and when, at the same time he permit
ted him to discern the truth of his declaration and
the difference between a spiritual and temporal
kingdom.
While, however, from these considerations prob
ably, Jesus declined answering this question, he
promptly replied to Plate when the subject If the
truth, as it was in him, was presented in another
and different point of view, by Pilates demanding of
him, "Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou
not that have power to cruelty thee, anc have pow
er to release thee?" He then answered, "Thou
couldst have power at all against me, except it
were given thee from above: therefore he that de-
livered me unto thee hath the greater SIM" Now,
here I would ASK did this remarkable assertion of
our Lords displease Plate? 1t ought certainly to
have done so, if he bad been acting the part either
Of doubling philosopher, testy and impatient
Judge, of fearful vascillatng Roman governor,
who in momentary apprehension Of violence
from the mob. or in state of perpetual dread of his
imperious master, Tiberius Caesar. Yet so far from
this being the case it must have had quite the
trary effect. 1t seems not only to have confirmed
and strengthened Plate in his previously expressed
opinion Of Jesus innocence but, it were to have
opened up to him the Of taking even stronger
view Of his extraordinary character and faultess
tnre; for the EVANGELIST says "from thenceforth
Again; when PLATE brought forth Jesus }or the
last time, and said to the Jews, "Behold your king!"
"Shall l cruelty your king?" He said it in good
aith and with earnest desire to serve Jesus. No
other view of the matter is reconcilabe with Pilates
previous good feelings and untirng efforts in his be-
hall with the truthfulness Of the Gospel record,
that from thenceforth Plate sought to release him..
We must not therefore, conclude that PLATE did
this out Of contempt and hatred for the Jews, be-
cause it would fasify both his conduct and the mar
rative of the inspired historian. 1t would do so,
regards the conduct Of Plate by exhibiting his
garng inconsistency in thus at last really knocking
and deriding Jesus, even more than he could posi-
bly, expect to annoy and spite the Jews; while it
would dsprove the Gospel statement by showing
that when Plate attempted in this manner to worry
the Jews. he thenceforth failed to befrend Jesus,
whereas from the time Jesus told Plate "Thou
couldSt have no power at all against me, except II
were given thee from above" that account says,
"thcnceforth PLATE sought to release him."
In this way, too, than in any other, consist
emily with the truth of history and the facts of this
case, we may explain why Plate persisted in wri-
ting "rhis is the king Of the jews" the title to
be affixed to the cross, Notwithstanding the Jews
themselves asked him not to write, "The' king of
the Jews; but that he said am the king of the
Jews" for when PLATE answered, What I have
written, have written "-he meant to be under.
stood as saying what have written, believe; and
the commentators on this portion Of the Gospel ad-
NIT as much, think, when they say: "Piate seem
ed to speak prophetically This is the king of the
Jews they shall have other Messiah forever"
Raleigh, N. c. ClElS.
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