the hall, and were fat down together, Peter fat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he fat by the fire, and earneftly looked upon him, and faid, This man was alfo with him. And he denied him faying, Woman, I 'knów him not. And after a little while another faw him and faid, Thou art alfo of them; and • Peter faid, Man, I ain not. (This reply furely was not made to a maid.) And about the space of one hour after, another confidently affirmed, faying, Of a truth this fellow alfo was with him, for he is a Galilean. And Peter faid, Man, I know not what thou fayeft. And immediately 'while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the • Lord turned and looked upon Peter. (By this it

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appears they were in the fame room. No mention is made of the porch, Peter's oaths, or that

the cock crew more than once.) And Peter ré'membered the word of the Lord, how he had

faid unto him, Before the cock crow thou fhalt deny me thrice, And Peter went out and wept bitterly.' We will now examine John's record of this matter. He gives us an account of Peter's introduction, ch. xviii. v. 15. ¶ And Simon Peter

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followed Jefus, and fo did another difciple. That 'difciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jefus into the palace of the high prieft. But Peter ftood at the door without. Then went out that other difciple which was ⚫ known unto the high priest, and spake unto her • that

L4

that kept the door, and brought in Peter.

(This other disciple probably was Judas; who, 'traitor as he was, introduced Peter, that he 'might have an opportunity, which otherwife he might not, of difgracing himself.) Then faith 'the damfel that kept the door unto Peter, Art

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not thou also one of this man's disciples? (Also, feems to imply, that fhe, as well as her master, knew the other to be fo, And if that other was not Judas, why did Peter fuppose himself in greater danger, and endeavour to prevent a discovery by the odious means of lies, oaths, and curfes?) He faith, I am not. And the servants and officers ftood there, who had made a fire of coals, for it was cold, and they warmed

themselves. And Peter stood with them, and ' warmed himself.' Here John goes on with the examination of Jefus, and at the 25th verfe refumes St. Peter's ftory- And Simon Peter stood

and warmed himself: and they said therefore unto him, Art not thou alfo one of his difciples? He denied it, (no oath) and said, I am not. One of the fervants of the high priest's,

being kinfman to him whofe ear Peter had cut off, faith, Did I not fee thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again, (no curfing or fwearing) and immediately the cock crew.' Here St. John ends St. Peter's story without any comment. He neither mentions Jefus looking upon Peter, at this critical juncture: Peter's re

collection

collection of the prophecy, or his contrition upon seeing or hearing it thus fulfilled. In this story it is obfervable that Mark is the only hiftorian who tell us that Jefus faid to Peter-Before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice and he, in conformity to this prophecy, affures us the cock did crow twice. Matthew fays the prediction was this night before the cock crow, thou 'fhalt deny me thrice.' Luke in ftrong unequivocal terms, fays- the cock fhall not crow this day, before thou fhalt thrice deny that thou knoweft me.' If St. Mark miftook the prophecy; was his accomplishment of it, mistake, or deSign?

Chapter Verfo

We will now proceed with St. Matthew's account of the second examination. 'When the xxvii. I ' morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took council against Jefus to put him to death. And when they had • bound him they led him away to Pontius Pilate the (Roman) governor. (Here the narra⚫tive is interrupted and the story of Judas concluded in an improper place.) Then Judas ' which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought ' again the thirty pieces of filver to the chief " priests and elders faying, I have finned in that I ⚫ have betrayed the innocent blood. (Query, was this betraying confined merely to the discovery of his perfon, or did it extend to his doctrine,

' &c.)

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Chapter Verfe &c.) And they faid, What is that to us ? fee 5 "thou to that. And he caft down the pieces of filver

xxvii.

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in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged bimfelf. And the chief priests took the filver pieces, and faid, it is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took council, and bought with them the Potster's Field, to bury ftrangers in. Wherefore

that field was called the Field of Blood unto 9 'this day.' And in this, Matthew adds-was fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah. This prophecy, if it may be fo called, is taken from Zachariah ch. xi, v. 12. And this ftory of Judas's repentance, &c. is not recorded by Mark, Luke, -or John. But in the Acts of the Apostles, wrote by Luke, we are told part of this story, in a very different way. He fays-that soon after the afcenfion; the eleven being affembled together with the mother and brethren of Jefus, the women and others, about one hundred and twenty. Peter ftood up in the midft and addreffed them thus⚫ Men and brethren, this fcripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghoft, by the mouth of David, fpake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jefus. For he was numbered with us and had ⚫ obtained part of this miniftry. Now this man purchafed a field with the reward of iniquity: and falling beadlong, he burft afunder in the midft, • and all his bowels gufhed out. And it was known

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to all the dwellers at Jerufalem, infomuch that the field is called in their proper tongue Acel< dama, that is to fay, the Field of Blood.' For it is written in the Book of Pfalms- Let his habitation be defolate, and let no man dwell therein. And his bishoprick let another take.' Picked out of different Pfalms, without any connection; and though it may be difficult to make out the accomplishment of the first part; St. Peter removed every difficulty with refpect to the latter, by proceeding immediately to the election.) In this story, how are we to account for the material difference between Matthew and Luke? The former fays-that when Judas found they had condemned Jefus, he not only repented that he had betrayed him, but brought again the money for which he did it, threw it down in the temple before the chief priests, declared his fenfe of the crime, departed thence, and hanged himself. Upon which, the chief priests, knowing that as this money was the price of blood, it was not lawful to put it into the treasury: applied it for the purchase of the Potter's Field. Now in Luke's account, we have not the least intimation of Judas's repentance, or of his returning the money on the contrary, it is faid, that with the faid money he himself purchased the field and adds the catastrophe-Not that he went and banged bimfelf, but that he fell headlong, burft afunder in the midft, and all his bowels gushed out. This difference