16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. @ Mark xiv 1. Luke xxii. 1. John xiii. 1.-b Ps. ii. 2. John xi. 47. Acts iv. 25, &c.-e Mark xiv. 3. John xi. 1, 2, & xii. 3.-d ch. xxi 17.-e John xii. 4.-ƒ Deu. xv. 11. John xii. 8.-g See ch. xviii. 20; & xxviii 20. John xii. 33; & xiv. 19; & xvi. 5, 28; & xvii. 11.- Mark xiv. 10. Luke xxii. 3. John xiii. 2, 30.-i ch. x. 4. k Zech. xi. 12. ch. xxvii. 3. Reader. The piece of silver mentioned in the text, ver. 15, was the shekel, a Jewish coin, in value about two shillings and threepence of our money. So that the thirty pieces of silver (the price of a slave; see Ex. xxi. 32), for which Judas betrayed our Lord, amounted to about three pounds, seven shillings, and sixpence. According to some calculations, the amount is a little more. The coin may have been a stater, instead of a shekel; in value about the same.-See Zechariah xi. 12-17. READER.-Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this that this woman hath done be told for a memorial of her. St. Mark adds our Saviour's brief, but affecting, remark, so full of encouragment for all those whose means are slender, while their love is sincere and their intentions bountiful, - "She "She hath done what she could." Mark xiv. 8. Grace finds a way to exert itself in every estate where it exists, and regulates the soul according to the particular duties of that estate. Whether it find a man high or low, a master or a servant, it requires not a change of his station, but it works a change on his heart, and teaches him how to live in it. A skilful engraver makes you a statue indifferently of wood or stone or marble, as they are put into his hand; so grace forms a man to a Christian way of walking in any state. There is a way for him in the meanest condition to glorify God, and to adorn the profession of religion; no state so low as to be shut out from that. And a rightly informed and rightly affected conscience towards God shows a man that way and causes him to walk in it. As the astrologers say that the same stars which made Cyrus to be chosen king amongst the armies of men when he came to be a man made him to be chosen king among the shepherd's children when he was a child; thus grace will have its proper operation in every estate. In this men readily deceive themselves; they can do any thing well in imagination, better than the real task that is in their hands. They think that if they had the abilities and opportunities that some men have, they would do much more for religion and for God than they do; and yet they do nothing but spoil a far lower part than that which is their own and is given them to study and act aright in. But our folly and self-ignorance abuse us. It is not our part to choose what we should be, but to be what we are to his glory who gives us to be such. Be thy condition ever so mean, yet thy conscience toward God, if it be within thee, will find itself work in that. If it be little that is entrusted to thee, in regard of thy outward condition, or any other way, be thou faithful in that little, as our Saviour speaks, and thy reward shall not be little; he will make thee ruler over much.-LEIGHTON. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? The person that ventured on this height of impiety was Judas Iscariot, a man who by this treason hath indeed left an everlasting name behind him, but such an one as all ages must detest, and talk of with greater in dignation than the heathen did of Herostratus, who, to make himself illustrious by doing mischief, burnt the famous temple of Diana. By By this man the ever-blessed Jesus was betrayed; and some may see in this glass their own treachery and deformity. He was betrayed by one who made profession of religion, but was a hypocrite; that is, his actions contradicted his profession,-professing one thing he did another, and seeming to be good he proved a devil. Hypocrisy at this day makes men traitors to Christ; even their coming to the temple of the Lord, and adhering to their known sins,-their frequenting the ordinances of God, and being unconcerned at his promises and threatenings; their believing the articles of religion and acting contrary to the design of them; their finding fault with those sins in others which they have no aversion from in themselves; their speaking honourably of God with their lips, and dispensing with affronts put upon him in their practices. What can we call this but, Judas like, to betray the Son of man with a kiss; to say Hail, Master, and deliver him to be crucified? He was betrayed by one who, by no argument of love or money, could be wrought into a sincere reformation. He had seen the miracles of his master; himself, by his master's influence, did wonders, and he saw Divinity shine in him. Nor was Christ wanting in warning, teaching, instructing, entreating, and admonishing him, yet nothing could prevail with him to purge out the leaven of malice and wickedness. And is not Christ betrayed this way by thousands at this day? If his calling to men, by his ministers, by signal providence, by mercies, by afflictions, by their consciences, by weakness, and approaching death, will not make them sensible of their duty; if, in despite of his endeavours to keep them from being undone, they scorn both his yoke and his love, what greater treason can they be guilty of? Especially where they make his mercy a shelter for their sin; are therefore evil because he is good, and are tempted by his patience to be refractory and obstinate.-HORNECK. And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.-Thirty pieces of silver invited the traitor to this enterprise. "The love of money is the root of all evil.” So powerful is gold and silver, that at this day it tempts men to betray the Son of God. They care not what becomes of religion, so that their purses swell; and are indifferent whether God's honour be maintained or no, so that their corn and wine and oil increaseth. This makes men venture on the foulest sins, and draws them into actions which should not be so much as named among Christians. This tempts them to oppress, to cheat, to flatter, to dissemble, to lie, and to forswear themselves, to comply with the sinful humours of men, and to debase their souls to the most dishonourable actions. Yet, all this while, such will be accounted Christians!-HORNECK. HYMN. Prepare a thankful song To the Redeemer's name ; He laid his glories by And shame and death endur'd, And now he pleading stands The Holy Ghost he sends Our stubborn wills to move, O may we not refuse Such rich unbounded grace, § LXXXIII. NEWTON. As we abhor and detest the treason of Judas, so let us take heed that we do not become guilty of it ourselves. We are not in a capacity of acting that very treason which this false disciple did, because Christ is not now on earth, and the circumstances of time, place, and government differ. Yet that treason may be acted over again, by a behaviour and conversation agreeable to that of Judas. Let us not fall into the snare into which that unhappy man fell. His end, his despair, the terrors of his mind, the torments of his conscience, the contempt and scorn of God and men into which he rushed, are sufficient discouragements from that hypocrisy 17 Now the first day of which drove him on to those precipices. the feast of unleavened bread To maintain invincible loyalty to our great master, is not only our duty but our interest. To promote whatever makes for his honour and glory is that which becomes us, not only as we are his subjects, but as we are redeemed with his blood. So great a mercy ought to crush every rebellious thought in our minds.— HORNECK. CHAP. XXVI. 17-35. Christ eateth the passover; instituteth his holy supper. the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. 20 m Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 23 And he answered and said, "He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but P woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. 25 Then Judas which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I He said unto him, Thou hast said. 26¶And as they were eating, 'Jesus took bread, and I blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; 'this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink ye all of it; с 31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 34 Jesus said unto him, " Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. / Ex. xii. 6, 18. Mark xiv. 12. Luke xxii. 7.-m Mark xiv. 17-21. Luke xxn. 14. John xiii. 21.- Ps. xli. 9. Luke xxii. 21. John xiii. 18.- Ps. xxi 1s. liti. Dan ix. 26. Mark iv. 12. Luke xxiv. 235, 26. 46. Acts xvii. 2,3; xxvi. 22, 23. 1 Cor. xv. 3.-p John xvii. 12.-9 Mark xiv. 22. Luke xxii. 19.- 1 Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25.- Many Greek copies have, gave thanks. See Mark vi. 41.al Cor. x. 16.- Mark xiv. 23,-u See Exod. xxiv. 8 Lev. xvii. 11.- Jer. xxxi. 31.-y ch. xx. 28. Rom. v. 15. Heb. ix. 22-z Mark xiv. 25. Luke xxii. 18.-a Acts I. 41-6 Mark xiv. 26.-1 Or, psalm.—c Mark xiv, 27. John xvi. 32.-4 ch. xi. 6.-e Zech. xiii. 7.- ch. xxviii. 7, 10, 16. Mark xiv. 28; & xvi. 7.-g Mark xiv. 30. Luke xxii. 34. John xiii. 38. Reader. There can be little need of explanation of the plain, but affecting and solemn, details which are here set before us. Any person of common capacity, and honest mind, who has been instructed in the truths of religion without an admixture of popish superstition, may easily understand what our Lord meant when he said of the bread and the wine, which he appointed as memorials of his death, "This is my body, This is my blood." It was the same as though he had said, This is a sign or token of my body broken, and my blood poured out:-just as when we read in Ex. xii. 11, "It is the Lord's passover" we understand those words to mean, It is a sign or token of the Lord's passing over the houses of the children of Israel. honour, ease, and pleasure have but gently knocked at the door, and thou hast listened, and heard, and run to open to them. See where thy love and thy treasure lies.— HORNECK. They were exceeding sorrowful; and began every one of them to say unto him. Lord, is it I? Self examination is the only way to come to a right knowledge of ourselves. Yet how careless, O my soul, hast thou been of this duty! How easily mightest thou have found that thou wert guilty of such a sin, and didst transgress such a command; but thou wouldest not. How much better is it to be acquainted with our own hearts than to be strangers to ourselves! And what danger dost thou involve thyself in, for want of this holy search! How dost thou prepare for self delusion! The disease being known, it may be cured; but, lying hid, it kills, and The words "new testament" in destroys, when we think all safe. verse 28 mean " new covenant." The hymn which was sung by our Lord and his disciples (v. 30) consisted probably of Psalms, 113118, which were usually sung by the Jews at the Passover. READER. The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples.-How often, O my soul, hath the great Master attempted to enter into thy heart, and to make that How easy a matter were it, to inquire whether thou art that hypocrite, that unprofitable servant, that loiterer, that slothful person, that busy body, which the Holy Ghost condemns. Yet thou hast shunned this search, and been afraid of it, as of prison; whereas it was the only medicine from which thou mayest promise thyself a happy recovery.-HORNECK. The Son of man goeth, as it was his guest-chamber! And how ill-written of Him. It was wickedly natured hast thou been in refusing and maliciously done by men against so great a guest, whose presence him; but it was determined, wisely would have enriched thee with in- and graciously, by his Father, with |