The Newtown bee., 1895-03-29

well as in Nature, that like seeks like. | The pure society of Jesus was no place for the evil thoughts that were rising in Judas breast. By a natural drawing he | found the chief priests, who, in secret | session, were even then planning how they might put out of the way this dis turber of the peace. The priests were
 glad" Dastardly crime had found the tool for it's accomplishment. A chance was opened to Judas to have his sweet revenge on the man who had dashed to atoms his dearest hopes, and he had It.
 The rest of the sad story the world knows by heart; how the bargain for be- trayal was sealed by the offer of 30 pieces of silver; how at the head of a band Of rough soldiers and officers of the Temple guard Judas sought Jesus perhaps first in the room where an hour before he had left the disciples bending to hear the un- speakably sweet farewell's that fell rom their Great Teachers lips; finding them gone, how, with lanterns, though there was the bright light of the paschal moon, he went to search in the familiar haunt of Christ he knew so well at the foot of Olivet; how Jesus presented Himself of His own will, and how for fear of His august presence the brave soldiers of Rome fell backward, amazed at the deed they were about to do; and how Jesus was hasted away before the Sanhedran, at l o'clock that Friday morning, by a mock trial, to be condemned, while Jeru- salem, with his hosts of Galilean friends,
 was sleeping.
 Judas had had his revenge, because he ina gined himself cheated of his throne in the earthly kingdom of the l2 tribes of Israel. He soon found he had cheated himself. ''Evil premeditated is evil at it's best,'' says Principal Fairbairn in his
 study of Judas's character, attractive, desirable, full of promises; evil perpe
 trated is evil at it's worst, hideous, hate
 ful, stripped of it's illusions. In his an
 ger at finding Jesus not to be the Christ
 he had hoped for, Judas had deserted and
 betrayed Him in the calm that succeed ed he awoke to the realities about him.
 There are moments that are big with
 eternities, when the walls self has built
 around the spirit fall, and the infinite re-
 alities of God stand clear before the soul.
 Such was the moment after the betrayal to the betrayer. In it he knew at once himself and Jesus, saw his lost oppor- tunity and his awful crime" Remorse, stinging, biting, gnawing remorse seem- ed devouring his very vitals.
 THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN ABLE
 to deride at the paying of 300 pence for
 an act of loving service to his Master was
 weaker than a babe now that he had giv-
 en up his Master to his foes. Of course
 the heartless priests had no sympathy for
 him wicked men never do for those they | have cajoled to ruin; he cast the hated silver at their feet, and the hangman's | moose, swung by his own hand, threw him out of the world, an unloved and guilty suicide.
 We may shrink from applying lessons, | to ourselves from life like this. We
 involuntarily shudder as we even speak
 the name; and, though we avow our
 selves the weakest of Christians, we say "There's nothing in this life that has any
 connection with me-" None of us can
 ever sink to the depth of sin to which Ju- das fell; but the passions that rule in
 men, though they express themselves in
 manifold form, are much the same from
 one age to another. Let me then draw | some lessons from our study and I leave you to decide whether they fittingly ap- l ply: First, then, notice, Judas succeed l ed; but bad mans success is always a
 most dismal failure. Practised from the beginning in weighing the chances and providing for contingencies, he had laid
 his plot deeply and we'll No detail is
 omitted; the band of soldiers who shall put the stamp of officialism upon the pro- cedure and at the same time repress any | attempt at rescue ; the swords aud slaves, should they have to resort to force; the
 lanterns and torches, with which to light | up the dark hiding places of the garden |; 1 the cords or chains, with which to bind
 their prisoner; the kiss, which should be
 the signal to arrest; and, back of all these,
 the chief priests are keeping their watch, | ready for the mock trial, for which the suborned witnesses are even now rehears. l ing their parts. Could any program be
 more complete? and how easily it was
 carried through! Christ even assisted it's effective working; He offered no resist | ance. Not flaw! Not break As 8 l skillful plan, in it's formation, we should | have to confess it remarkable; in it's exc cution, admirable. But yet what dis | nal failure! Those who would seek some
 excuse for Judas, to relieve him of por- | tion of his terrible guilt, say the plan | succeeded better than he anticipated He merely wanted to glut his revenge
 he had no idea the betrayal would end in
 a tragedy; and, when that was found in- | evitable, he rushed to suicide.
 THERE PROBABLY IS MUCH OF TRUTH
 in this; but it only makes this fact stand
 out all the more in clearer light, that the | success of a bad man must always end in
 total, irremediabe disaster. Again and again the world seems to conquer in the | fight of truth and wrong; but, when the | smoke of conflict clears aways, and men | look back through the calm view of ages, I it is seen that God has only another time caused the wrath of man to praise Him, and their base designs to wheel into line, ! to aid in the unstayed march of His King dom.
 Judas gained his cause. Yes, but what 1 was that gain? Answer, 30 pieces of sil- yer. But is that all? Oh no, he gained, | too, shame and remorse and awful an- guish and the suicides rope and six feet of earth in the potter's field. That was
 what he gained by being successful 5 l SIS 60 in money and eternal infamy and everlasting shame and never-ceasing con- tempt. Yes, even in this world the gains of sin are very, very small; even in this world the losses of sin are very, very great-but what of the next, what of the next? There is no gain left there to the sinner, the laughter is all left behind, the sorrow alone remains. Satan never fulfills half his promises.
 A little boy with his father was cross ing the great desert of Arabia, It was bright, beautiful day; and, even on that arid waste, the child found inclination to romp and play. Suddenly he glanced AdA auCaus " uys iooh AdoICis iooh! nt exclaimed, ssee that beautiful temple''
 And sure enough, in plain sight, was temple of wondrous construction. It's
 massive pillars reared themselves high toward the sky; it's graceful minarets and towers swung like spiders webs in air; from iEs halls and doorways seemed to issue strains of entrancing music
 .Come, father, let's hurry on that we may see this beautiful temple,n cried the eager boy, and his willing feet soon left