The characters of the crucifiers.

Their characters common.

and dreadful in the extreme, it does not thence follow that as sin it was very extraordinary. Certain sinful propensities and passions in that case led to consequences, which cannot in ordinary cases flow from them. But precisely the same principles and passions may reign in the heart, and load it with an equal burden of guilt, though the circumstances in which the actor is placed, may be such as entirely to modify, or even effectually to restrain the results. If we wish then to derive the intended advantage from this portion of Scripture history, we must consider these things,- we must make these discriminations, between the sin itself, and the particular forms in which, from the peculiar circumstances of the case, it then assumed. We must look at the characters of the actors, rather than their deeds; for in character, we may be similar to them, though from the entirely different circumstances in which we are placed, we have not, and we never can have the opportunity to commit the crimes they perpetrated. I shall endeavor, therefore, as I go on to the examination of the story, to bring to view, as clearly as possible, the characters of those concerned in it: with particular reference, too, to the aspects which similar characters would assume at the present day. If I am not very greatly deceived, Pontius Pilate and Judas Iscariot, and even the Roman soldiers, have far more imitators and followers, than is generally supposed, and that too, within the very pale of the Christian church.

We left the Savior, at the close of the last chapter, going out, late at night, with his disciples, from the place where they had held their last assembly. They passed out of the gate, and went down the hill, across the rivulet which flowed through the valley, and ascended the mount of Olives on the other side. One however was absent.

Judas Iscariot.

His probable character and plans.

Judas Iscariot, it will be recollected, had left the assembly some time before. He had his arrangements to mature for delivering the Savior to the soldiers appointed to make him prisoner. It seems that the leading priests had been desirous of taking him, for the purpose of bringing him to trial, but they did not dare to do it openly, for fear of an uproar among the people; their only other plan, therefore, was to find out his private retreats, and send an armed band for him at some time when he was alone with his friends. This plan it was difficult to execute, for Jesus generally withdrew himself very privately, when his work was done, and they did not know how to find him. Judas relieved them of the difficulty.

But who was Judas? let us look a little at his history and character.

There seems to be no evidence against the supposition that he was just such a man as any other of those worldly professors of religion, which are to be found by thousands in the Christian church at the present day. It is plain that he was not that abandoned and hardened reprobate which he is very generally supposed to have been: if so, he would not have hung himself, when he found what were the consequences of his crime. It does not seem to be at all improbable, that, when he joined the Savior's cause, he thought he was sincere. A man would not be likely to connect himself with such a cause for the express purpose of making money. This is possible, but certainly very improbable. It seems far more reasonable to suppose, that he became a professed disciple, as thousands do at the present day, with his heart unchanged, though not aware of his own true character.

They who have a strong love for the world, have often no uncommon share of worldly wisdom; or, at least, those who love money know well how to take care of it; and

Trust conferred upon him.

His present followers.

The church

In

Judas, like many others since his day, was appointed to a trust which proved a very dangerous one to him. fact, the very love for such a trust which fitted him to discharge the duties of it succesfully, made those duties very dangerous to him. It is altogether probable that love of money acquired its ascendency over him very gradually. It almost always does. Very few persons have the hardihood to unite themselves with the Christian church deliberately, with the design of making their connexion with it a mere source of profit; but very many who join it professedly with other designs, do, in fact, gradually turn their connexion with it to this purpose. They are deceived at first about the sincerity of their motives; they feel some sort of interest in religion, which interest they mistake for genuine piety; but as it is without foundation it soon disappears, the world gradually regains its hold, and as it comes back and fixes its reign, it leads the man to avail himself of every advantage which he can derive from his new position, to increase his own earthly stores. At first he does this without particular injury to the cause he has espoused, but soon the claims of interest and of his master's service come into slight collision. The latter yields, though he is so blinded he is not aware of it. The cases become more frequent and more decided; but the progress of blindness goes on as fast as the progress of sin, so that he continues undisturbed, though he is as really betraying the cause of his master, as if he was actually guiding an armed band to his private retreat.

There is no end to the cases which might be stated in exemplification of this. We will suppose one or two. A question arises in a certain town about the erection of a place of public worship. The situation of the building will affect the value of the property in its vicinity, and a certain wealthy professor of religion, with reference solely to this effect upon his property, is determined that

Various ways of betraying Christ's cause.

The worldly pastor.

the building shall be in one place, while the rest of the church are determined it shall be in another. To make the case simple, we will suppose that the majority are guided by good principles in their selection, that they consult the best interests of the Savior's cause in the decision they have made, and consequently that the fault is all on the side of the single wealthy man. Such is however his influence, that he can throw embarrassment, and insuperable difficulty in the way of the rest. He divides the Savior's friends, alienates one from another, and is thus the instrument of destroying the peace of the church, and extinguishing the light of its piety. Years do not heal the wounds he makes in the Savior's cause. He betrays it, and he betrays it for money,- just as truly as if he had been directly bribed by thirty pieces of silver to deliver up his Lord. In fact he does even a greater injury than that; and it is by no means certain, which will be found to have incurred the heaviest doom, he who sold the Savior's life to Roman soldiers, or he who, from the same motive, turns traitor to the church, and breaks down the barriers for the admission of spiritual foes. The latter certainly betrays a more valued object, and delivers it too, to more dreadful foes; for Jesus Christ has given most abundant proof that he loves the church far more than his own personal safety, and that he fears discord and hatred and spiritual death, far more than the insults and injuries of Roman soldiers, or even than the unutterable sufferings of hour after hour upon the cross.

But let us take another case. It is that of a worldly pastor, who consents to receive in charge a branch of his master's church, when his motive is his pay. He neglects his appropriate work, and devotes his time and his attention, and gives all his heart to the work of increasing his stores. He does it privately and silently, but the world around him soon understand it. They are

The merchant.

The probable intentions of Judas.

quick to perceive hypocrisy, and to detect the true character of worldliness, however dexterously it may clothe itself in the garb of piety. The money-getting disciple thinks, perhaps, that all is going on well. He performs his duties with punctilious formality, but his heart is not in the work, and the souls within his influence are only chilled by the coldness of the form. In a word, the cause committed to him is betrayed, it is betrayed, too, for money; and if it is true that in the sight of God, the heart, and not the particular acts by which the heart may manifest itself, is the criterion of character, he must expect to stand with Judas when the time of reckoning shall come.

How many times has a man of business, professing to love the Savior, betrayed his cause by violating his principles, and brought open disgrace upon it, in the eyes of the world. He deals in commodities which are destructive to the souls and bodies of men, or he acts on principles which are entirely inconsistent with christian character. Unjust, oppressive, and miserly, he disgraces the name which he has hypocritically assumed. But he accomplishes his object;-he acquires the money for which he is willing to sell his master's cause. Even Judas was paid. He secures also his other object, of being called a Christian. He however betrays the cause. For the mass of mankind bring down their conceptions of religion to the rank of the lowest pretender to it whom they can find; so that he who serves the world and sin, while he pretends to be a Christian, does not generally disgrace himself, he degrades Christianity. Still he accomplishes his objects. He is called a Christian, and makes his money; but he must rank among the traitors at last.

Judas had no idea, probably, that any very serious consequences would have resulted from what he was about to do He might have known, indeed, had he