Jesus answered the high priest, “thou hast said; nevertheless, I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”[68] This answer was looked upon by the whole assembly as a blasphemy. But the Sanhedrim having no longer the power of life and death, they falsely accused Jesus before the Roman governor of the province of being a disturber of the public peace, and one who, said they, should not pay tribute to Cæsar; and, moreover, called Himself King of the Jews. It is therefore incontestably evident that he was accused of a crime against the state. Pilate being informed that He was a Galilean, sent Him immediately to Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee. This latter, thinking it impossible that a person of Jesus’ appearance should pretend to be the head of a party, or aspire to royalty, treated Him with great contempt, and sent Him back again to Pilate, who had the infamous weakness to condemn Him to death as the only means to appease the tumult raised against himself; more especially as he had lately experienced the revolt of the Jews, as we are told by Josephus. On this occasion Pilate did not show the same generosity which the governor Festus did afterwards. I now desire to know whether toleration or non-toleration appears to be of divine prescription? Let those who would resemble Christ be martyrs and not executioners. CHAPTER XV. TESTIMONIES AGAINST PERSECUTION. It is an impious act to deprive men of liberty in matters of religion, or prevent them from making choice of a God. No God nor man would be pleased with a forced service.—_Apologetic_, chap. xxiv. Were violence to be used in defence of the faith, the bishops would oppose it.—_St. Hilarius_, lib. i. Religion when forced ceases to be religion; we should persuade and not compel. Religion cannot be commanded.—_Lactantius_, lib. iii. It is detestable heresy to endeavor to bring over by violence, bodily punishments, or imprisonments, those we cannot convince by reasoning.—_St. Athanasius_, lib. i. Nothing is more contradictory to true religion than constraint.—_St. Justin, Martyr_, lib. v. Is it for us to persecute those whom God tolerates? said St. Augustine, before his dispute with the Donatists had soured his disposition. Let no violence be done to the Jews.—_The 56th Canon of the 4th Council of Toledo._ Advise but compel not.—_St. Bernard’s Letters._ We do not pretend to overcome error by violence.—_Speech of the Clergy of France to Louis XIV._ We have always disapproved of rigorous measures.—_Assembly of the Clergy, August 11, 1560._ We know that faith may yield to persuasion, but it never will be controlled.—_Fléchier, Bishop of Nîmes, Letter, 19._ We ought to abstain even from reproachful speeches.—_Bishop of Belley’s Pastoral Letters._ Remember that the diseases of the soul are not to be cured by restraint and violence.—_Cardinal Camus’ Pastoral Instructions for the Year 1688._