sense of the love of God, or of peace with him." P. 278. And again, "Nothing would be so ruinous to our profession, as once to suppose it is an easy matter, a thing of course, to maintain our peace with God. God forbid but that our utmost diligence and confinued endeavours to thrive in every grace, should be required thereunto." Ibid. I add one more specimen of Calvinistic impiety on this point, from Richard Alleine's Vindiciæ Pietatis,* Part III. p. 299. "Look not that your Lord would so far countenance your declinings to a more fleshly careless state, as to smile upon you in such a frame. God will not be an abettor to sin. Count upon it, that your grace and peace, your duty and comfort, will rise and fall together. Suspect those comforts that accompany you into the tents of wickedness, and that forsake you not, when you forsake your God." I can scarcely forbear remarking, that I never saw such expressions of incautious confidence in any Calvinistic hymn book, and that even in respect of the future, as well as the present, as in Mr. Wesley's. At the same time I may add, that endeavouring to judge impartially as to the state of religion in his connection, many of whose followers and ministers I highly esteem; it seems to me, that the greatest danger to which persons are exposed among them, is that of their being led to indulge a groundless confidence of safety, too often founded on impressions on the imagination, suggesting to the mind,Now you are justified, or sanctified, or made perfect in love.' And I confess, I have been induced to apprehend, that the doctrine of falling from grace, does an essential Ejected from Batcombe. Joseph Al. leine, of Taunton, married his daughter. injury among many people of that denomination, in this way. It prevents them from learning wisdom from experience. If they believed that all true converts would persevere, they must be induced to be more cautious in determining who is converted, by finding that so many of whom they hoped well do not persevere. But when they have decided that a man has received grace, their notion of falling from grace solves the difficulty, and too many are as ready to pronounce a man safe, upon superficial evidence, as they were before they met with such disappointments. Connecting the doctrine of general Redemption, or the idea that the Saviour in laying down his life a ransom for many, had no more intention of saving one than another; with that notion of faith, which, one hundred and fifty years ago, was considered an essential branch of Antinomianism, viz. That Christ died for me, which he must have done, if he died equally for every man; they assume that this person is safe; he now has grace, though he may fall from it to-morrow. Very many Arminians, I am satisfied, would utterly reprobate the impiety of Mr. Thompson, one of the first partisans of Arminianism in England, who would sometimes indulge himself in criminal excesses, and then say, 'It is true, I am a child of the devil to-day, but I have free-will, and can make myself a child of God to-morrow.' For such a man we would by no means make pious Arminians accountable; nor are we answerable for those miserable men who pervert what are called Calvinistic principles; but God is our witness that we are therefore attached to what we call the doctrines of grace, because we believe and feel that they are doctrines according to godliness. Oh that Bishop Watson had given as decided evidence of his piety as being numbered amongst them. Calvin and Beza, Usher and Leigh- The sin, for the commission of ton, Owen and Edwards, Newton which Judas is distinguished, conand Scott, and thousands more, sisted in betraying his Lord. It whom he thus ventures to charge will here be necessary to make a with impiety! few preliminary remarks, which, though generally known, will be required in order to place the subject in a proper point of view. The Jews, it is generally known, had long expected the Messiah, they Bristol. THE TRAITOR. J. R. "Judas by transgression fell, that he were encouraged in this expectation might go to his own place."-Peter. IN looking upon the punishments which are inflicted upon our fellowcreatures for the commission of crime, we have different feelings according to the different degrees of malignity which we conceive to be attached to the crimes of which they have been guilty. If, for instance, a person suffers greatly for a crime which is not aggravated in its nature and circumstances, we feel for him commiseration; whereas, when an individual has committed a crime of great iniquity, we acquiesce in his punishment as just, and in some cases we cannot think of the criminal without disgust and horror; conceiving that the perpetration of crimes for which he suffers, indicates a more than common degree of mental obduracy and of desperate depravity. It is with such feelings that we think of Judas, his crime exhibits such a degree of finished impiety, that we cannot think of it without indignation and fear; these, indeed, seem to have been the general feelings respecting him in the days of the apostles: hence we find, that the evangelists seldom mention his name without adverting to his sin; three of them enumerating the names of those disciples of the Saviour who were called apostles, add, when they mention Judas, "which also was the traitor,"--they thus express their detestation of his transgression, and his unworthiness of by the promises and the prophecies of their law, and about the time of Christ's incarnation, a general expectation prevailed that he would soon present himself. Jesus at length appeared claiming that character-when he entered upon his public ministry he chose twelve persons, whom he named apostles, to accompany him in his labours, and to assist him in his work. Judas was one of these apostles, he was chosen to this office by Christ, and appears, from his being intrusted with the office of treasurer to the rest, to have been considered as not one of the least. It is, moreover, well known, that the claims and preaching of the Saviour highly offended the scribes and pharisees, and rulers of the Jews, who would willingly have put an end to his preaching, by putting an end to bis life; but they feared the people. The common people, who heard him without prejudice, and who saw the miracles which he did, heard him gladly, and looked upon him as a great prophet, if not as indeed the Christ. In proportion as they were confirmed in their regard to Christ, the enmity of the scribes and pharisees increased; but they knew not how to accomplish their diaboli cal purpose: they watched him, they had recourse to stratagem, trying to lay hold of something in his conversation which might have been construed into treason, seeking to entangle him in his talk; but it was all in vain, his most inveterate ene- trembling hand, knocks for admismies could not convince him of sin; sion at the door of some Jewish he challenged them to do it on one ruler; where having entered with occasion, but they were silent. It all the composure which it was posis our painful task to record, that sible for him to assume, he unfolds what could not be effected by the his accursed design; he went-to enemies alone, of Christ, was at betray unto them his Lord-sad length accomplished by one of his errand! but they were glad, and professed friends. Judas, knowing covenanted to give him money, and the disposition of the Jewish rulers, he promised and sought how he conceived and indulged the iniqui- might conveniently betray him unto tous thought of betraying his master them, An opportunity was all that into their hands! Of betraying Judas now wanted, and one prehim, but in what way? not by point- sently offered. In Matthew xxvi. ing out any duplicity in the designs of Christ, not by coming forward to prove that the charge which had been brought against him was true, viz. that he cast out devils by Beelzebub, not by shewing that he was indeed an impostor; no, this he could not do, or gladly would he have done it; but he concludes to betray him into their hands" in the absence of the multitude.” Luke xxii. 6. To lay hold of him in the absence of the multitude, was the chief difficulty in the way of Christ's enemies, and Judas engages to remove it In Mark xiv. 10. we have an account of the manner in which he went to accomplish his wicked purpose; and in John xiii. 30. we are told when it was. "He then having received the sop went immediately out, and it was night." A very suitable time for the execution of so foul a deed, a deed, at the perpetration of which Judas himself would have blushed, we are ready to conceive, had it not been for the vail of darkness which surrounded him, Methinks I see the traitor stealing through the streets and lanes of the city with hesitating step, feeling, through fear, an occasional moment ary indecision as to whether or not he should put his cruel design into execution; but receiving a new impulse to iniquity from that depravity which reigned within him, he, at length, with palpitating heart and we are told, that Jesus went with his disciples into the garden of Gethsemane; here was an opportunity. Judas knew the place, procures from the chief priest "a band of men and officers ;" and, just after that sad conflict in which Jesus had sweat, as it were, great drops of blood, before that perspiration had been wiped from his sacred temples, Judas appears at the head of an armed multitude, and by a sign, which had been previously agreed upon, delivers his master into their hands! Two principles seem to have instigated Judas to the commission of this crime, these were, covetousness and revenge; he appears to have been impelled to it by covetousness. That this was the governing principle of his mind, is attested by the evangelists, when Judas found fault with Mary for anointing the feet of Jesus; he urged as the reason of his chiding her, that the ointment might have been sold and given to the poor; but three of the evangelists assert, that he said this, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bear what was put therein. John xii. 4. This disposition, accompanied with an idea that Christ was about to establish a temporary kingdom, induced him, in all probability, to become a disciple of his at first, and it seems likely, that the same dispo sition, in connexion with his subtlety, brought him in possession of "the bag;" and when he found that his carnal views of Christ's kingdom were incorrect and unfounded, that there was no emolument of a worldly nature connected with his service, he seems to have concluded to relinquish his discipleship; but his covetousness suggests the desirableness of gaining something before he leaves the service of Christ, and his depravity fixes upon the infamous crime of betraying his Lord, as the most likely, if not the only method, of satisfying his desires; and he went and sold him for thirty pieces of silver, a sum equal to about four pounds of English money. This sum appears, however, to be but small, to be received by Judas for selling his master; and this leads to the supposition, that he was induced to this act by revenge as well as covetousness. Covetousness seems to have led him to form the design at first, and this seems finally to have been connected with resentment. Jesus Christ had manifested, some time before he was betrayed, an intimate knowledge of the traitor. "I have chosen," said he, “ you twelve, and one of you is a devil;" such an expression from the lips of injured goodness and truth, must have greatly irritated the mind of Judas; and in particular, was this the case at the Last Supper. He was then pointed out by Jesus as the ungrateful wretch, and he heard the most dreadful judgments pronounced upon himself; and this seems to have filled his mind with the keenest desires of resentment, so that he rises from the table in a rage, and goes immediately and puts his purpose into execution. The aggravations of his sin were very great, and were most strikingly glanced at in our Lord's address to Judas, when he appeared at the head of the armed force who came to apprehend him. Luke xxii. 48. "Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" here every word is emphatical and deserves attention. Jesus notices the peculiar character of the crime itself,TM“Judas betrayest thou, &c. &c." This was one of the greatest offences against the person of Christ which he could possibly commit. Judas is here charged, not with his dishonesty in regard to the contents of the bag, not with his having merely deserted Christ and gone back to his former associates and engagements, but with having, in addition to his dishonesty and desertion, betrayed his Lord into the hands of his enemies. Of all crimes which one person can commit against another, that of treachery seems to be the most flagrant; it acts in secret, and it is next to impossible to guard against its consequences. A traitor, unlike an honourable enemy who gives notice of his attack, and opportunity to prepare for it, comes upon us like a dark assassin, unawares; treachery breaks all sacred bonds, making use, frequently, of even the kindness of another to bring about his destruction. This was the sin of Judas. "Betrayest thou the Son of man." Christ notices in this address, The peculiar manner in which the crime was committed. "Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" This is supposed to have been the usual method of salutation betwixt Christ and his disciples, it was expressive of the truest affection, it was intended as a pledge of the sincerest regard, particularly by the person who gave the kiss to another; this Judas did when he led the armed force to apprehend Christ, he went to Jesus and said, "Hail master," and kissed him. What treachery was here! treachery continued to the last! we should have supposed, that having united himself with Christ's enemies, Judas would have thrown off the disguise of attachment to him; but no, he fixes upon this expression of love itself, as the mark which should direct the bitterest enemies of Christ to his master to be the victim of their rage: we should have thought, that having deserted the Saviour, Judas would not have dared again to confront his master; what could the monster mean, unless to mock the Redeemer and to put him at defiance; rather perhaps, he was so infatuated as to hope, that by this one bold step, of saluting his master in this way, his sin in betraying him would be undiscovered, and this expression of affection be received by Christ as sincere; but Christ soon undeceived him, "Judas," said he, "betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss ?" The character of the person whom Judas betrayed suggests another aggravation of his offence. The person betrayed by Judas was "the Son of man." It is worthy of remark, how Jesus, as to this, expresses himself in his address to the traitor. He might have said, "Do you betray me? I who have treated you with uniform kindness and friendship?" But instead of this he says, 66 Betrayest thou the Son of man?" Now this appellation was expressive of Christ's Messiahship, the disciples of Christ always considered him to be "the sent of God." They were mistaken, it is true, with reference to the particular object of his mission into our world, but they never questioned his being the Messiah: when Christ, on one occasion, put the question to them, "Whom do ye say that I am?" They answered, "Thou art the Christ." This was their settled opinion, the confirmed conviction of their minds; and it is very evident, that Judas must have been conscious of this, as well as the rest of the apostles. He, as well as they, had seen the proofs which Christ had given of his being the Messiah. He, as well as the rest of the apostles, had received from Christ power to work miracles, Luke ix. 1. Now when we look at the case in this way, to what an awful magnitude does the sin of Judas increase in our conceptions. It was betraying him, who was not his master only, but him whom Judas himself could not but be conscious was "the Christ, the Son of the living God!" It was to the magnitude of the sin, considered in this point of view, that Christ referred at the Last Sup per. Mark xiv. 21. "The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born." And to this especial aggravation of his offence Jesus referred, with striking emphasis in the garden when he said to Judas, "Betrayest thou the Son of man?" The last thing which our Lord's address to Judas at this time suggests to us, is, The character and situation of the traitor himself. What was he? An officer to the Roman governor? A servant to one of the chief priests? No, he was one of Christ's own family, a disciple, nay, an apostle of Christ! What an aggravation of his crime was this! Jesus himself was troubled in spirit on this account, and said, "One of you shall betray me." Upon this Jesus lays an emphasis in his address to Judas, Betrayest thou the Son of man?" This touched the tender heart of Christ. "For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: but it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in company." Psalm lv. "He that eateth bread |