The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-04-18

the sense that he was In the beginning
any different from any other Of the
apostles. Indeed, l know be was just
about the same. The apostles at that
time honored and respected Judas sc
much that they made him their treasur.
err He was their almoner; he handled
all their moneys. He was not impul-
sive like Peter. He was calm, cool
calculator Why, If Peter had been
elected treasurer in Judas place, the
first ten beggars who came to him
would have got all that he had, and nc
provision would have been left for the
needs Of the little company. The rea-
son Judas was elected treasurer was
because at first he was loyal to his
Master and he was very careful in
handling the funds.
The Sin of Judas.
But when Judas began to look after
the money the old latent sin Of his life
grew warmer and budded and sprout-
ed. Covetousness was Judas sin. Ev-
cry penny, every piece Of silver and
gold which came into his possession,
only maddened his passions. Methinks
l can see him at night counting the
gold while his companions slept. All"
he kept saying to himself. III this gold
was only mipe" This passion, this
evil passion, kept growing and growing
upon him. 1t kept growing upon him
just as the desire for gold or fame or
social position may have been growing
upon you. Once Judas would have
knocked a man down who would have
placed menacing or murderous hand
upon his Christ. But now he kept say
ing: Gold, gold; I must have gold. I
must have gold, even If do destroy
Christ to get it." Listen! Let me trace
the downfall of Judas-frst, the hon
ored apostleship; second, the election
to the treasurership of the apostolic
band; third, the hugging Of the gold
bags to satisfy the cravings Of his de-
veloping avarice; fourth, the protest
because the box of ointment of spike
nard, very precious, was poured upon
Christ's head; fifth, the selling Of
Christ's life for thirty pieces of silver
Judas was not devil always. Judas
went down to the betrayal step by step.
He went down to the betrayal Of Christ
as some of us are going, slowly, surely.
awfully, Economically, step by step.
step by step.
The field of blood teaches us. in the
| next place, that the most awful danger
that can be done against Christ is done
by his apostates and not by his out and
out bitter enemies. For weeks and
months, as I said before, the high
priests were trying to take Christ and
cruelty him. But when they sought to
lay hands upon him they feared the
multitudes, because they took him for
prophet" What is the meaning Of
this? They dared not touch him.
Christ's benefciaries at that time
would have risen up and swept the
high priests and the Pharisees from off
the earth.
A Superstition.
Surprising toward the close Of the
Crimean war the English general had
given orders that Florence Nightingale
was to be shot as a spy, what would
have happened? Methlnks about the
commanders tent would have been seen
5000 poor fellows pleading and pray
ing and threatening One soldier would
| say: "She nursed me through fever
and saved my life. She shall not dier'
Another would say: "She held my hand
when they cut off my leg. She must
not der Another would have said:
''She bandaged my eyes, blasted by
| the gunpowder explosion. It was on
| account Of her care that I now can
see." So those whose limbs Christ had
Strengthened and those whose eyes
Christ had opened and those whose lep
| rous skin Christ had eieansed would
have risen up and cried out: HE shall
not die! He shall not der But whea
Judas led the Roman officers by night
to the garden Of Gethsemane and show
ed where Christ was in retreat then
Jesus was taken by stealth and tried
while Jerusalem slept. He was triel
by night. He was crucif1ed on the
early morning. Oh, my friends, shall
it be that you and as apostates have
betrayed Christ into the hands of his
enemies?
Another thought: "Aceldama-that Is,
the field of blood"-teaches that re-
morse for sin committed does not
necessarily wipe OF the record of that
sin from the Lambs book Of life: Ju-
das was sorry for his sin. No sooner
had he given that betraying kiss than
he would have been willing to cut off
bis right arm to have undone the dam
age. He flung the money back into the
priests faces. He did more than that.
Lacerated and agonized on account Of
his mental sufferings, he went forth and
hanged himself. He practically said:
O Gcd, my brain is crazed! Let me
der But to be sorry for past sin ID
not enough. Remorse is not salvation
through Christ. DR.. Whitley well said
in one Of his sermons, Judas had a
sight and sense of sin, but no appre-
hension Of the mercy of God in Christ,
and so he pinned away in his iniquity."
O man, today you are sorry for your
SINS You are sorry because they drag
ged you down and down and down.
| nrt q ro yoy. mora than sorry9 A 70 vo,1