wretched." We utter sentiments just, honorable refined, lofty,but, somehow, when a truth presents itself in the shape of a duty, we are unable to perform it And so such characters become by degrees like the artificial pleasure-grounds of bad taste, in which the waterfall does not fall, and the grotto offers only the refreshment of an imaginary shade, and the green hill does not strike the skies, and the tree does not grow. Their lives are a sugared crust of sweetness trembling over black depths of hollowness; more truly still," whited sepulchres," fair without to look upon, within full of all uncleanness.'

It is perilous, again, to separate thinking rightly from acting. He is already half false who speculates on truth, and does not do it. Truth is given, not to be contemplated, but to be done. Life is an action, not a thought; and the penalty paid by him who speculates on truth is that by degrees the very truth he holds becomes to him a falsehood.

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There is no truthfulness, therefore, except in the witness borne to God by doing His will, to live the truths we hold, or else they will be no truths at all. It was thus that He witnessed the truth. He lived it. He spoke no touching truths for sentiment to dwell on, or thought to speculate upon. Truth with Him was a matter of life and death. He perilled His life upon the words He said. If He were true, the life of men was a painted life, and the wees: He denounced unflinchingly would fall upon the Pharisees. But if they were true, or even strong, His portion in this life was the Cross.

Who is a true man? He who does the truth and never holds a principle on which he is not prepared in

hiry hour to act, and in any hour to risk the consequences of holding it.

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I

make, in conclusion, one remark. The kingly character of truth is exhibited strikingly in the calm ness of the bearing of the Son of Man before His judge. Veracity is not necessarily dignified. There is a vulgar effrontery, a spirit of defiance which taunts, and braves, and challenges condemnation. It marks the man who is conscious of sincerity, but of nothing higher, whose confidence is in himself and his own honesty, and who is absorbed in the feeling, "I speak the truth, and am a martyr."Again, the man of mere veracity is often violent, for what he says rests upon his own assertion; and vehe mence of assertion is the only addition he can make to it. Such was the violence of Paul before: Anai nias. He was indignant at the injustice of being smitten contrary to the law; and the powerlessness of his position, the hopelessness of address, joined to a conviction of the truth of what he said, produced that vehemence.

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It has been often remarked that there is a great difference between theological and scientific con troversy. Theologians are proverbially vituperative: because it is a question of veracity the truth of their views, their moral perceptions, their intellect ual acumen. There exists no test but argument on which they can fall back. If argument fails, all fails. But the man of science stands calmly on the facts of the universe. He is based upon reality. AH the opposition and controversy: in the world cannot alter facts, nor prevent the facts being manifest at last. He can be calm, because he is a witness for the Truth.bu

In the same way, but in a sense far deeper and more sacred, the Son of Man stood calm, rooted in the Truth. There was none of the egotism of self conscious veracity in those placid, confident, digni fied replies. This was not the feeling, "I hold the truth," but "I am a witness to the truth." They might spit upon Him-kill Him-crucify Him give His ashes to the winds:-they could not alter the Truth by which He stood. Was not that His own feeling? "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

There was the kingly dignity of One who, in Life and Death, stood firm on Truth as on a Rock.

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In the name of Christ, I respectfully commend these thoughts, for the special consideration of the present week, to those who will be pledged by oath to witness to the whole truth they know, and nothing but the truth to those who, permitted by the merciful spirit of English jurisprudence to watch that their client, if condemned, shall be condemned only according to the law, are yet not justified by the spirit of the life of Christ in falsifying or obscuring facts; and who, owing a high duty to a client, owe one yet higher to the truth: and, lastly, to those whom the severe intellectual, and, much more, moral training of the English bar has qualified for the high office of disentangling truth from the mazes of con flicting testimony.

From the trial-hour of Christ, from the Cross of the Son of God, there arises the principle to which all His life bore witness: that the first lesson of Chris tian life is this, Be true; and the second this, Be true; and the third this, Be true.

XX.

[Preached November 7, 1852.]

THE SCEPTICISM OF PILATE.

JOHN Xviii. 38. —“Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?"

take of the spirit in Some of the best

THE lesson which we are to draw from this verse must depend upon the view we which the words were spoken. commentators conceive them to have been words of mockery; and such is the great Lord Bacon's view. "What is Truth?' said jesting Pilate, and would not wait for a reply."

In all deference to such authority, we cannot believe that this sentence was spoken in jest. In Pilate's whole conduct there is no trace of such a tone. It betrays throughout much of uncertainty, nothing of lightness. He was cruelly tormented with the perplexity of efforts to save his prisoner. He risked his own reputation. pronounced Him, almost with vehemence, innocent. He even felt awe, and was afraid of Him. In such a frame of mind, mockery was impossible.

He

Let us try to comprehend the character of the man who asked this question. His character will help us to judge the tone in which he asked. And his char

acter, the character of his mind and life, are clear enough from the few things recorded of him. He first hears what the people have to say; then asks the opinion of the priests -- then comes back to Jesusgoes again to the priests and people —— lends his ear listens to the ferocity on the one hand, and feels the beauty on the other, balancing between them; and then he becomes bewildered, as a man of the world is apt to do who has had no groundwork of religious education, and hears superficial discussions on religious matters, and superficial charges, and superficial slanders, till he knows not what to think. What could come out of such procedure? Nothing but that cheerlessness of soul to which certainty respecting anything and everything here on earth seems unat tainable. This is the exact mental state which we call scepticism.

Out of that mood, when he heard the enthusiast before him speak of a Kingdom of the Truth, there broke a sad, bitter, sarcastic sigh-"What is Truth?" Who knows anything about it? Another discoverer of the undiscoverable! Jesting Pilate ! — With Pilate the matter was beyond a jest. It was not a question put for the sake of information; for he went imme diately out, and did not stay for information. It was not put for the sake of ridicule; for he went out to say, "I find no fault in him.” Sarcasm there was, perhaps; but it was that mournful, bitter sarcasm, which hides inward unrest in sneering words: that sad irony, whose very laugh rings of inward wretched.

ness.

We shall pursue, from this question of Pilate's, two lines of thought.