e smite with the sword? And one of them smote the
servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus
answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and
healed him. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains
of the temple, and the elders who were come to him, Be ye come out
as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with
you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but
this is your hour, and the power of darkness. Then took they him,
and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house: and
Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the
midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among
them. But a certain maid beheld him, as he sat by the fire, and
earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.
And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. And after a
little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them.
And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour
after, another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this
fellow also was with him; for he is a Galilean. And Peter said,
Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet
spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter;
and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto
him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter
went out, and wept bitterly. And the men that held Jesus mocked
him, and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they
struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is
it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spake
they against him. And as soon as it was day, the elders of the
people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and
led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us.
And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: and if
I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter
shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto
them, Ye say that I am. And they said, What need we any further
witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.

THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER

THE EPISTLE. 1 Cor. xi. 17.

In this that I declare unto you, I praise you not; that ye come
together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all,
when ye come together in the church, I hear th