New-York tribune., 1878-04-19


become the synonym fOf treachery. For his
sake his whole nation has been held accursed
for generations.
| Yet Judas, like the rest of us, was baby
once upon his mothers knee; a boy with boy
ish impulses and affections. There is no record
of any abnormal development of vice or
cruelty in him while he was the daily com
panion OF The Lord and His friends. lie bad,
ms far as we can learn, but one besetting sn-
the greed for money He was neither sensual
ist, murderer, nor brutal-he was thief
lie held the bag as they jOurneyed. and the
lingering of the few poor coins had the effect
upon him of that deadly poison, the touch of
which kills by paralysis. lie was benumbed
in heart and soul. He rose up and sat down
with the spirit of all good, and he thought
only of bis bag. He touched every hour the
Elder Brother of mankind. He saw the multi
tudes crowding about Him, moved by mighty
faith; the blind saw, the dying were healed,
the dead were brought back from the grave.
The whole world stood waiting to know IL
this were the Saviour for whom it had tarrled
so many ages and this poor creature turned
his back on it ALTO count his money.
The man must have known he would
die some day The most vicious OF us
know that, and struggle madly for "A
vague chance of existence hereafter. Beside
Judas, visible, tangible, stood the Divine
Helper-the way to unending life I; q word from
HIS lips would have made certain eternity for
this His follower. For thirty coins he gave
ND this chance forever; he put out this light
which shone for him and for the world. When
the Son of God hung upon the cross, when
the earth shook and the sun bid its face, aud
the dead rose in horror from their graves,
this Hebrew began to sec the real value of
his money. lie understood now the misuse
he had made of his mean life, aud creeping
outside of the darkened city over which lay
the shadow from Calvary, he put an end to
it. Where he has gone no curious eye can
follow. Near Jerusalem to this day is shown
Il ghastly gray abyss-the Potters Field
heaped for ages with the bones of the dead.
1t seems fitting that the thirty pieces of silver
should be thus sunk into eternal decay and
corruption.
Now, there il no man living to-day so
vicious that his worst enemy would accuse
him Of a likeness to Judas. And yet, is not
the Saviour alive and at work in the streets
of Ncw-YOrk this morning, as then in Jeru-
salem Who is the Helper now of the lame,
the blind, the dyingl Who calls our dead
out Of the grave to life again? When we go
to church this morning, or sit in our own
house or office, is not Che spirit Of all good, Of
honor, truth, love- the guide to sure high life
beyond death, beside us, close at hand The
very miracle of the spring, the rain, the sun
tell us of His presence. Since we were children,
have we not heard His secret voice begging
us to come to Him We are blind and deaf
and Indifferent to it. Why2 The stocks, the
fee, the invoice of goods to which we give
our waking thoughts-what are they but
the money which Judas made his god We,
too, carry the bag. We finger the coins
arcedily. Let God 20 on with his miracles,
let the poor crowd about Him; the bag is our
business We. being disciples, see that our
Master is being thrust out Of the church, ont
of society, out OF literature We pay HIM
formal homage in church and 90 out to barter
honor and honesty for the thirty pieces Of
silver on which we have set our hopes
Judas also did not forget to kiss the Master
before be betrayed Him to his enemies.