Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-04-22

ueNlI aye. my Iflenu. tntt Is true.
But Christ did not call Judas IL devil in
the sense that he was in the beginning
any different from any other of the
apostles. Indeed, l know he was Just
about the same. The apostles ut that
time honored and respected Judas so
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 a 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 no
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 int his possession.
only maddened his passions. Methinks
can see him at night counting the
gold while his companions slept. "Ah,"
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; l must have gold.
must have gold. even IL do destroy
Christ to get it," Listen. Let me trace
the downfall of Judas-first. the hon
Ored apostleship; second, the election
to the treasurcrship Of the apostolic
band; third. the hugging of the gold
Gags to satisfy the cravings Of his de-
geloping avarice: fourth. the protest
because the box of ointment of spike
Christ's head; fifth. the selling Of
Chrst's life for thirty pieces of silver.
Judas was not n 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 he dsHe against Christ is done
by his apostates and not by his out and
out bitter enemies. For weeks and
months. as l said before. the high
priests We're 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
a prophet" What Is the meaning of
this? They dared not touch him.
Christ's beneficiaries ut 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 Il spy. what would
commanders tent would have been seen
5000 poor fellows pleading and pray
ing and threatening One soldier would
say: "She nursed me through u fever
and saved my life. She shall not diew
Another would say: she held my hand
xx.In off Shn 81
not die!" Another would have said:
"She bandaged my eyes, blasted by
the gunpOwder explosion. 1t 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 cleansed would
have risen up and cried out: He shall
not die! He shall not die" But when
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 tried
by night. He was crucified 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 u 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 of
his 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 God, my brain Is craZed! Let me
die" But to be sorry for past sin Is
not enough Remorse is not salvation
through Christ DIR. 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