Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

47 And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and ■with him a great multitude with Bwords and staves, from the Chief Priests and elders of the peoi)le.

48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.

49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.

50 And Jesus said unto him. Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out Tiis hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the High Priest's, and smote off his ear.

62 Then said Jesus unto him. Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

54 But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes. Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with vou teaching in the temple, and ye laid

I 56 Eut all this was done, that the j Scriptures of the prophets might be! fulfilled. Then all the disciples fori Book him, and fled.

We see in these verses the cup of our Lord Jesus Christ's sufferings beginning to be filled. We see Him betrayed by one of His disciples, forsaken by the rest, and taken prisoner by His deadly enemies. Never surely was there sorrow like His sorrow! Never may we forget, as we read this part of the Bible, that our sins were the cause of these sorrows! Jesus was " delivered for our offences." (Rom. iv. 25.)

Let us notice, for one thing, in these verses, what gracious condescension marked our Lord^s intercourse with His disciples.

We have this poiat proved by a deeply touching circumstance at the moment of our Lord's betrayal. When Judas Iscariot undertook to guide the multitude to the place where his Master was, he gave them a sign by which they might distinguish Jesus in the dim moonlight from his disciples. He said, " Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he." And so, when he came to Jesus, he said, " Hail! master, and kissed him." That simple fact reveals the affectionate terms on which the disciples associated with our Lord. It is an universal custom in Eastern countries, when friend meets friend, to salute one another with a kiss. (Exod. xviii. 7; 1 Sam, xx. 41.) It would seem therefore, that when Judas kissed our Lord, he only did that which all the apostles were accustomed to do, when they met their Master after an absence.

Let us draw comfort from this little circumstance for our own souls. Our Lord Jesus Christ is a most gracious and condescending Saviour. He is not an "austere man," repelling sinners, and keeping them at a distance. He is not a being so different from us in nature, that we must regard Him with awe rather than affection. He would have us rather regard Him as an elder Brother, and a beloved Friend. His heart in heaven is still the same that it was upon eartli. He is ever meek, merciful, and condescending to men of low estate. Let us trust Him and not be afraid.

Let us notice for another thing, how our Lord condeimis those who think to use carnal weapons in defence of Him and His cause. He reproves one of His disciples for striking a servant of the high priest. He bids him " put up his sword into his place." And he adds a solemn declamtion of perpetual significance, " all they that take the sword shall perish by the sword."

The sword has a lawful office of its own. It may be used righteously in the defence of nations against oppression. It may become positively necessary to use it, to prevent confusion, plunder, and rapine upon earth. But the sword is not to be used in the propagation and maintenance of the Gospel. Christianity is not to be enforced by bloodshed, and belief in it extorted by force. Happy would it have been for the Church if this sentence had been more frequently remembered! There are few countries in Christendom, where the mistake has not been made of attempting to change men's religious opinions by compulsion, penalties, imprisonment, and death. And with what effect? The pages of history supply an answer. No wars have been so bloody as those which have arisen out of the collision of religious opinions^ Often, mournfully often, the very men who have been most forward to promote those wars, have themselves been slain. May we never forget this! The weapons of the Christian warfare are not carnal, but spiritual. (2 Cor. X. 4.)

Let us notice for another thing, how our Lord submitted to be made a prisoner of His own free will He was not taken captive because he could not escape. It would have been easy for Him to scatter His enemies to the winds, if he had thought fit. " Thinkest thou," He says to a disciple, " that I cannot pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But bow then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"

We see in those words the secret of His voluntary submission to His foes. He came on purpose to fulfil the types and promises of Old Testament Scriptures, and by fulfilUng them to provide salvation for the world. He came intentionally to be the true Lamb of God, the Passover Lamb. He came to be the Scape-goat on whom the iniquities of the people were to be laid. His heart was set on accomplishing this great work. It could not be done without the " hiding of his power" for a time. To do it he became a willing sufferer. He was taken, tried, condemned, and crucified entirely of His own free will.

Let us observe this. There is much encouragement in it. The willing sufferer will surely be a willing Saviour. The almighty Son of God, who allowed men to bind Him and lead Him away captive, when He might have prevented them with a word, must surely be full of readiness to save the souls that flee to Him. Once more then let us learn to trust Him, and not be afraid.

Let us notice, in the last place, how little Christians know the weakness of their own hearts, until they are tried. We have a mournful illustration of this in the conduct of our Lord's apostles. The verses we have read con- elude with the words, " Then all the disciples forsook him and fled/' They forgot their confident assertions made a few hours before. They forgot that they had declared their willingness to die with their Master. They forgot everything but the danger that stared them in the face. The fear of death overcame them. They " forsook him, and fled.''

How many professing Christians have done the same? How many, under the influence of excited feelings, have promised that they would never be ashamed of Christ! They have come away from the communion table, or the striking sermon, or the Christian meeting, full of zeal and love, and ready to say to all who caution them against backsliding, " Is thy servant a dog that he should do this thing?^' And yet in a few days these feelings have cooled down and passed away. A trial has come and they have fallen before it. They have forsaken Christ.

Let us learn from the passage lessons of humiliation and self-abasement. Let us resolve by God's grace to cultivate a spirit of lowliness, and self-distrust. Let us settle it in our minds, that there is nothing so bad that the best of us may not do it, unless he watches, prays, and is held up by the grace of God. And let it be one of our daily prayers, " Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." (Psalm cxix. 17.)

57 And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Mm away to Caiaphas the High Priest, where the Scribes and the elders were assembled.

58 But Peter followed hhn afar oflF

unto the High Priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.

59 Now the Chief Priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false

60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,

61 And said, This/cZ^ow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

62 And the High Priest arose, and said unto him. Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

63 But Jesus held his peace. And the High Priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

65 Then the High Priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have hoard his blasphemy.

66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.

67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee I

We read in these verses how our Lord Jesus Christ was brought before Caiaphas the high priest, and solemnly pronounced guilty. It was fitting that it should be so. The great day of atonement was come. The wondrous type of the scape-goat was about to be completely fulfilled. It was only suitable that the Jewish high priest should do his part, and declare sin to be upon the head of the victim, before he was led forth to be crucified. May we ponder these things and understand them. There was a deep meaning in every step of our Lord's passion.

Let us observe in these verses, that the chief priests were the principal agents in bringing about our Lord's death. It was not so much the Jewish people, we must remember, who pushed forward this wicked deed, as Caiaphas and his companions, the chief priests.

This is an instructive fact, and deserves notice. It is a clear proof that high ecclesiastical office exempts no man from gross errors in doctrine, and tremendous sins in practice. The Jewish priests could trace up their pedigree to Aaron, and were his lineal successors. Their office was one of peculiar sanctity, and entailed peculiar responsibilities. And yet these very men were the murderers of Christ!

Let us beware of regarding any minister of religion as infallible. His orders, however regularly conferred, are no guarantee that he may not lead us astray, and even ruin our souls. The teaching and conduct of all ministers must be tried by the Word of God. They are to be followed so long as they follow the Bible, but no longer. The maxim laid down in Isaiah must be our guide: " To the law and the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isai. viii. 20.)

Let us observe, in the second place, how fully our Lord declared to the Jewish council His own Messiahship, and His future coming in glory.

The unconverted Jew can never tell us at the present day, that his forefathers were left in ignorance that Jesus was the Messiah. Our Lord's answer to the solemn adjuration of the high priest is a sufficient reply. He tells the council plainly that He is " the Christ, the Son of God." He goes on to warn them that though He had not yet appeared in glory, as they expected Messias would have done, a day would come when he would do so. " Hereafter ye shaU see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." They would yet- see that very Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had arraigned at their bar, appear in all majesty as King of kings. (Rev. i. 7.)

It is a striking fact which we should not fail to notice, that almost the last word spoken by our Lord to the J ew6, was a warning prediction about His own second advent. He tells them plainly that they would yet see Him in glory. No doubt he referred to the seventh chapter of Daniel, in the language that he used. But He spoke to deaf ears. Unbelief, prejudice, self-righteousnoss covered them like a thick cloud. Never was there such an instance of spiritual blindness. Well may the Church of England litany contain the prayer, *' From all blindness, — and from hardness of heart, Good Lord deliver us."

Let us observe, in the last place, how much our Lord endured before the council, from false witness and mockery.

Falsehood and ridicule are old and favorite weapons of the devil. " He is a liar, and the father of it." (John viii. 44.) All through our Lord's earthly ministry we see these weapons continually employed against Him. He was called a glutton, a winebibber, and a friend of publicans and sinners. He was held up to contempt as a Samaritan. The closing scene of His life was only in keeping with all the past tenor of it. Satan stirred up his enemies to add insult to injury. No sooner was He pronounced guilty, than every sort of mean indignity was heaped upon Him. " They spit in his face, and buffeted him." " They smote him with the palms of their hands." They said, mockingly, "Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee?"

How wonderful and strange it all sounds! How wonderful that the Holy Son of God should have voluntarily submitted to such indignities, to redeem such miserable sinners as we are! How wonderful, not least, that every tittle of these insults was foretold seven hundred years before they were inflicted! Seven hundred years before, Isaiah had written down the words, " I hid not my face from shame and spitting." (Isai. 1. 6.)

Let us draw from the passage one practical conclusion. Let it never surprise us, if we have to endure mockery, and ridicule, and false reports, because we belong to Christ. The disciple is not greater than His Master, nor the servant than His Lord. If lies and insults were heaped upon our Saviour, we need not wonder if the same weapons are constantly used against His people. It is one of Satan's great devices to blacken the characters of godly men, and bring them into contempt. The lives of Luther, Cranmer, Calvin, and Wesley supply abundant examples of this. If we are ever called upon to suffer in this way, let us bear it patiently. We drink the same cup that was drunk by our beloved Lord. But there is one great difference. At the worst, we only drink a few bitter drops. He drank the cup to the very dregs.

69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.

70 But he denied before tliem alJ, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid&fvff him, and said unto them that were there. This fellow was, also with Jesus of Nazareth.

72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.

73 And after a while came unto liim they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.

74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him. Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

These verses relate a remarkable and deeply instructive event the apostle Peter's denial of Christ. It is one of those events, which indirectly prove the truth of the Bible.

If the Gospel had been a mere invention of man, we should never have been told that one of its principal preachers was once so weak and erring, as to deny his Master.

The first thing that demands our notice, is the fall nature of the sin of which Peter luas guilty.

It was a great sin. We see a man, who had followed Christ for three years, and been forward in professing faith and love towards Him, — a man who had received boundless mercies, and loving-kindness, and been treated by Christ as a familiar friend, — we see this man denying three times that he knows Jesus! — This was bad. — It was sin committed under circumstances of great aggravation. Peter had been warned plainly of his danger, and had heard the warning. He had just been receiving the bread and wine at our Lord's hand, and declaring loudly that though he died with Him, he would not deny Him! — This also was bad. — It was a sin committed under apparently small provocation. Two weak women make the remark that he was with Jesus. They that stood by say, " Surely thou art one of them." No threat seems to have been used. No violence seems to have been done. But it was enough to overthrow Peter's faith. He denies before all. He denies with an oath. He curses and swears. — Truly it is a humbling picture!

Let us mark this history, and store it up in our minds. It teaches us plainly that the best of saints are only men, and men encompassed with many infirmities. A man may be converted to God, have faith, and hope, and love towards Christ, and yet be overtaken in a fault, and have awful falls. It shews us the necessity of humility.

So long as we are in the body we are in danger. The flesh is weak, and the devil is active. We must never think, ^' I cannot fall." It points out to us the duty of charity towards erring saints. We must not set down jnen as graceless reprobates, because they occasionally stumble and en*. We must remember Peter, and " restore them in the spirit of meekness." (Gal. vi. 1.)

The second thing that demands our notice, is the series of steps hy which Peter ivas led to deny his Lord. -i

These steps are mercifully recorded for our learning. The Spirit of God has taken care to have them written down for the perpetual benefit of the Church of Christ. Let us trace them out one by one.

The first step to Peter's fall, was self-confidence. He said, " though all men should be offended, yet will I never be offended." — The second step was indolence. His Master told him to watch and pray. Instead of doing so, he slept. — The third step was cowardly compromising. Instead of keeping close to his Master, he first forsook him, and then " followed him afar off." — The last step was needless venturing into evil company. He went into the priest's palace, and ^' sat with the servants," like one of themselves.' — And then came the final fall, — the cursing, the swearing, and the three-fold denial. Startling as it appears, his heart had been preparing for it. It was the fruit of seeds which he himself had sown. " He ate the fruit of his own ways."

Let us remember this part of Peter's history. It is deeply instructive to all who profess and call themselves Christians. Great illnesses seldom attack the body, without a previous train of premonitory symptoms. Great falls seldom happen to a saint, without a previous course of secret backsliding. The church and the world are sometimes shocked by the sudden misconduct of some great professor of religion. Believers are discouraged and stumbled by it. The enemies of God rejoice and blaspheme. But if the truth could be known, the explanation of such cases would generally be found to have been private departure from Grod. Men fall in private, long before they fall in public. The tree falls with a great crash, but the secret decay which accounts for it, is often not discovered till it is down on the ground.

The last thing that demands our notice, is the sorrow which Pete/s sin brought upon him. We read at the end of the chapter, " He went out and wept bitterly/'

These words deserve more attention than they generally receive. Thousands have read the history of Peter's sin, who have thought little of Peter's tears, and Peter's repentance. May we have an eye to see, and a heart to understand.

We see in Peter's tears, the close connection between unhappines's and departure from God. It is a merciful arrangement of God, that in one sense holiness shall always be its own reward. A heavy heart, and an uneasy conscience, a clouded hope, and an abundant crop of doubts, will always be the consequence of backsliding and inconsistency. The words of Solomon describe the experience of many an inconsistent child of God, " The backslider in heart shall be filled with his owti ways." (Prov. xiv. 14.) Let it be a settled principle in our religion, that if we love inward peace, we must walk closely with God.

We see in Peter's bitter tears, the grand mark of diflference between the hypocrite and the true believer. When the hypocrite is overtaken by sin, he generally falls to rise no more. He has no principle of life within him to raise him up. — When the child of God is overtaken, he rises again by true repentance, and by the grace of God amends his life. — Let no man flatter himself that he may sin with impunity, because David committed adultery, and because Peter denied his Lord. No doubt these holy men sinned greatly. But they did not continue in their sin. They repented greatly. They mourned over their falls. They loathed and abhorred their own wickedness. Well would it be for many, if they would imitate them in their repentance, as well as in their sins. Too many are acquainted with their fall, but not vrith their recovery. Like David and Peter, they have sinned, but they have not, like David and Peter, repented.

The whole passage is full of lessons that ought never to be forgotten. Do we profess to have a hope in Christ? Let us mark the weakness of a believer, and the steps that lead to a fall. — Have we unhappily backslidden, and left our first love? Let us remember that the Saviour of Peter still lives. There is mercy for us as well as for him. But we must repent, and seek that mercy, if we, would find it. Let us turn unto God, and He will turn to us. His compassions fail not. (Lam. iii. 22.)

1 When the morning was come, all I people took counsel against JestiB to the Chief Priests and elders of the J put him to death:

2 And when they had bound him, they led him awar, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate'the governor.

S Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the Chief Priests and elders,

4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is thai to us? Bee thou to that.

5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

6 And the Chief Priests took the

silver pieces, and said. It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.

7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.

8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.

9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying. And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;

10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.

The opening of this chapter describes the delivery of our Lord Jesus Christ into the hands of the Gentiles. The chief priests and elders of the Jews led Him away to Pontius Pilate, the Eoman governor. We may see in this incident the finger of Grod. It was ordered by His providence, that Gentiles as well as Jews should be concerned in the murder of Christ. It was ordered by His providence, that the priests should publicly confess that the "''sceptre had departed from Judah." They were unable to put any one to death, without going to the Komans. The words of Jacob were therefore fulfilled. The Messiah, "Shiloh, had indeed come." (Gen. xlix. 10.)

The subject that principally occupies the verses we have read, is the melancholy end of the false apostle, Judas Iscariot. It is a subject full of instruction. Let us mark well what it contains.

We see in the end of Judas a plain proof of our Lord's innocence of every charge laid against Him.

If there was any living witness who could give evidence against our Lord Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot was the man. A chosen apostle of Jesus, a constant companion in all His journeyings, a hearer of all His teaching, both in public and private, — ^he must have known well if our Lord had done any wrong, either in word or deed. A deserter from our Lord's company, a betrayer of Him into the hands of His enemies, it was his interest for his own character's sake, to prove Jesus guilty. It w^ould extenuate and excuse his own conduct, if he could make out that His former master was an offender, and an impostor.

Why then did not Judas Iscariot come forward? Why did he not stand forth before the Jewish council, and specify his charges, if he had any to make? Why did he not venture to accompany the chief priests to Pilate, and prove to the Komans that Jesus was a malefactor.? — There is but one answer to these questions. Judas did not come forward as a witness, because his conscience would not let him. Bad as he was, he knew he could prove nothing against Christ. Wicked as he was, he knew well that his Master was holy, harmless, innocent, blameless, and true. Let this never be forgotten. The absence of Judas Iscariot at our Lord's trial, is one among many proofs that the Lamb of God was without blemish, — a sinless man. ir

We see, for another thing, in the end of Judas, that there is such a thing as repentance which is too late. We are told plainly that " Judas repented himself." We are even told that he went to the priests, and said, " I have sinned." And yet it is clear that he did not repent unto salvation.

This is a point which deserves special attention. It is a common saying, " that it is never too late to repent." The saying, no doubt, is true, if repentance be true; but unhappily late repentance is often not genuine. It is possible for a man to feel his sins, and be sorry for them,

— to be under strong convictions of guilt, and express deep remorse, — to be pricked in conscience, and exbibit much distress of mind, — and yet, for all this, not repent with his heart. Present danger, or the fear of death, may account for all his feelings, and the Holy Ghost may have done no work whatever in his soul.

Let us beware of trusting to a late repentance. " Now is the accepted time. To-day is the day of salvation." One penitent thief was saved in the hour of death, that no man might despair, but only one, that no man might presume. Let us put off nothing that concerns our souls, and above all not put off repentance, under the vain idea that it is a thing in our own power. The words of Solomon on this subject are very fearful. He speaks of men who " shall call upon Grod, but he will not answer; who shall seek him early, and not find him." (Prov. i. 28.)

Let us see, for another thing, in the end of Judas, how little comfort ungodliness brings a man at the last We are told that he cast down the thirty pieces of silver for which he had sold his Master, in the temple, and went away in bitterness of soul. That money was dearly earned. It brought him no pleasure, even when he had it.* The "treasures of wickedness profit nothing." (Prov. x. 2.)

* It is a great and undeniable difficulty, that the words quoted as having been used by " Jeremy the prophet," are not to be found in any writings of Jeremiah that we possess, and that they are found in the prophet Zechariah. The following solutions of the difficulty have been suggested.

1. Some think that the prophecy quoted by Matthew was really delivered by Jeremiah, though not written, and only handed down and recorded by Zechariah. In favor of this view, we must remember that we have a snyiiig of our Lord's at Acts xx. 35, which is not recorded in the Go?pel?, and a prophecy of Enoch's in Tude. (Jude 11.)

Sin is, in truth, the hardest of all masters. In its service there is plenty of fair promises, but an uttei dearth of performance. Its pleasures are but for a season. Its wages are sorrow, remorse, self-accusation, and too often death. They that sow to the flesh, do indeed reap corruption.

2. Some think that the name of Jeremiah was applied by the Jews to all that portion of the Old Testament Scripture containing prophecies, and that Matthew did not really mean that Jeremy had de- Kvered the prophecy. This is the view of Lightfoot.

3. Some think that Matthew originally wrote the words *' The prophet," without quoting the name of any one in particular, and that the word "Jeremy" was inserted by an ignorant transcriber. In favor of this view, it is fair to say that the Syriac version, one of the oldest extant, simply says " the prophet," and omits Jeremy's name. The Persian verision also omits it.

4. Some think that Matthew originally wrote the words "Zechariah the prophet," and that some ignorant transcriber changed the word into Jeremiah. In favor of this view, it must fairly be remembered that in manuscripts, names were often written short, and that lOU, and ZOU, are not very unlike.

I offer no opinion on these solutions of the difficulty. A question of this sort, which has puzzled so many interpreters, is not likely to be settled at this period of the world.

One solution of the difficulty I only mention in order to enter my protest against it. That solution was propounded by Augustine, and is adopted by many modern divines. It is simply this, that " Matthew forgot what he was doing and made a blunder. He quoted from memory, and inaccurately. He meant Zechariah and not Jeremiah." I can only say that at this rate we must give up the inspiration of Scripture altogether! K writers of the Bible could make blunders like this, we never know where we are in quoting a text. To use such an argument is putting a sword into the hands of Arians and Socinians, which they know well how to use. Once give up the verbal inspiration of Scripture and we stand on a quicksand.

Are we tempted to commit sin? Let us remember the words of Scripture, " Your sin will find you out/' and resist the temptation. Let us be sure that sooner or later, in this life or in the life to come, in this world or in the judgment -day, sin and the sinner will meet face to face, and have a bitter reckoning. Let us be sure that of all trades sin is the most unprofitable. Judas, Achan, Gehazi, Ananias and Sapphira, all found it so to their cost. Well might St. Paul say, " What fruit had ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed?" (Rom. vi. 21.)

Finally, let us see in the case of Judas, to what a miserable end a man may come, if he has great privileges, and does not use them rightly. We are told that this unhappy man " departed and went and hanged himself." What an awful death to die! An apostle of Christ, a former preacher of the Gospel, a companion of Peter and John, commits suicide, and rushes into God's presence unprepared and unforgiven.

Let us never forget that no sinners are so sinful as sinners against light and knowledge. None are so provoking to God. None, if we look at Scripture, have been so often removed from this world by sudden and fearful visitations. Let us remember Lot's wife, Pharaoh, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and Saul king of Israel. They are all cases in point. It is a solemn saying of Bunyan, '• that none fall so deep into the pit, as those who fall backward." It is written in Proverbs, '' he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." (Prov. xxix. 1.) May we ^11 strive to live up to our light. There is such a thing as sin against the Holy Ghost. Clear knowledge of truth in the head, combined with deliberate love of sin in the heart, go a long way towards it.

And now what is the state of our hearts? Are we ever tempted to rest on our knowledge and profession of religion? Let us remember Judas and beware. — ^Are we disposed to cling to the world, and give money a prominent place in our minds? Again, let us remember Judas, and beware. — Are we trifling with any one sin, and flattering ourselves we may repent by and bye? Once more, let us remember Judas and beware. — He is set up before us as a beacon. Let us look well at him, and not make shipwreck.