The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-28
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 MOCK TRIALS OF JESUS
 Matthew 26:57-6s-November 1

Matthew 26 :5I 5I-6S-November
 As lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as sheep before its shearers is dumb. so He opened not Ills mouth. - Isaiah 5s:7.
 Justice is quality of mind which nat urally and properly comments itself to every rational being. civilized or heathen Every nation strives. therefore, to have just laws upon its statute books; and it must be admitted that many of the laws of the world. including those of Lycurgus and of Caesar. have manifested much wis., dom and much justice.
 But Jewish law, given by God Himself at Mount Sinai at the hand of Moses, properly claims the highest place; and the laws of all nations in any degree claiming to recognize Christianity proper ly seek to represent the principles of jus tioe on the highest plane. Nevertheless, when 1t comes to the interpreting of these laws and their application to individual cases. we find that everywhere there is a tendency to make excuse and depart from the laws and from the principles of justice. under the claim that the oircum- stances and conditions of the case make necessary such violation of law and just principles.
 The story of the conviction of Jesus unjustly. by Jewish court and in vio- lation of Jewish law. must not surprise us nor be thought different from what hau occurred. and what will likely yet occur. in numerous cases in other courts.
 An Illegal Arrest
 Jesus was arrested. neither by Pilate' s orders nor by Herods nor by their soi- diers, but at the instance of the high oluded that the life and ministry of Jesus were inimical to what they considered to be the best interests of Judaism. The murder of Jesus was plotted in advance. But the murderers sought some excuse for their conduct. as all murderers do; and, being politicians. they sought also an outward form or semblance of justice, having regard for the opinions of others of tenderer conscienees than themselves.
 Under the charge of the priests were a number of men who served as policemen in the temple and It's precincts These were the servants of the high priest; and, armed with maces. swords and lanterns, they followed Judas, who knew before- hand that on this particular night Jesus did not Intend to go to Bethany as usual. but purposed to rendezvous with His dis- ciples in the Garden of Gethsemane.
 They brought Jesus directly to the house of Annas, a superannuated high priest. whose son-in-law. Caiaphas. officiated in hiG afaaA mn oil x,,t, ton of Jesus. but met with little success, and turned Him over to Caiaphas, whose house adJoined. being in the same court yard. There, at probably o'clock in the morning, the sannedrin had gathered.
 The plot for Jesus death was deeply laid. The hours since the time when Ju- das had left Jesus and the other apostles at the passover supper were spent in as- sembling the sanhedrin from their vari- ous homes fin the city. Conditions were considered desperate enough to justify ell this arrangement for the murder of Him who 'spake as never man spake'- because He taught the people and be- cause His teaching was weakening the power of the scribes and Pharisees and of the traditions of the elders.-John 7.46; Matthew 2e:55
 The theory of erroneous religious teach ings is that ignorance and superstition are necessary for the preservation of sacer- dotal power. Thus always has error hated the truth; thus always has darkness hated the light. The condemnation of Jesus was merely another triumph of darkness over the light. Yet 1t was a tri- umph only in appearance; for Gods plan was being carried out The great sin attonement was thus being arranged for. the result of which will be the ultimate overthrow of sin. satan and death, and the establishment of righteousness and truth worldwide and everlastingly.
 An Iniquitous Trial
 Tho sanhedrin was composed of 70 of the most influential Jews, an ecclesiastical court. whose voice properly had great weight with the Roman governor. Pilate, in whose hands alone lay, at this time, the power of life or death.
 Caiaphas not only filled the office of high priest, but in this particular he act ed as prosecuting attorney. While gath ering tho sanhedrin, he had not been for getful to collect witnesses, who are said to have been suborned or bribed to give their testimony. Of course, no attempt was made to bring before the sanhedrin any of those whom Jesus had relieved from the power of evil spirits, nor any of those whose blind eyes He had opened or whose deaf ears He had unstopped nor any of those whom He had awakened from the sleep of death. The high priest knew, for instance, about the case of Lazarus; but he desired no such testimony. He and his associates were bent upon murder to be accompanied in an apparently Judicial form.
 Caiaphas called the witnesses, but found that their testimonies were self1contra- dictory; and 1t was a part of the Jewish law that at least two witnesses must agree before any matter could be consid cred proven. Finally, two partly agreed had misunderstood Jesus. However, their testimonies were too slight to make a basis for conviction.
 Al last resort, Caiaphas attempted to get Jesus Himself to say something wbich he could construe to be blasphemy. To the various questions Jesus answered nothing. Finally Caiaphas exclaimed. ''I adjure Thee by the living God, tell us truly, art thou Messiah?" It would not do for Jesus to fall to answer this oues- ton. To have done so would have been to fall to give proper witness to the san dedrin He therefore avowed that Gaia phAs had expressed tho truth in what he had implied.
 Anxious to grasp the opportunity of calling this statement blaspheny, Gaia phas leaped to his feet; but Jesus proceed ed to say. Hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven Affecting great horror. Caiaphas dramati- cally tore his priestly garments, as im- plying that what he had heard was some thing awful indeed. Turning to the san hedrin he inquired. What further need have we of witnesses? Ye yourselves have heard His blasphemy. What think yep tr AVcx t. A