Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-04-20

gold while his companions slept. "Ah,"
ho kept saying to himself. 'Yf this gold
was only miDe." This passion, this
evil passion, kept growing and growing
upon him. It kept growing upon him
tust as the desire for gold or fame or
social position may have been growing
upon you. Once Judas would have
knocked man down who would have
placed a menacing or murierous hand
upon his Christ. But now he kept say.
ing: Gold. gold; must have gold. I
must have gold, even II do destroy
Christ to get it," Listen! Let me. trace
the downfall Of Judas-tirst. 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-
vcloping avarlce; 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 stop.
lie went down to the betrayal of Christ
as some Of us arc 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
a prophet" What IS the meaning Of
this? They dared not touch him.
Chrlsts bencficinries 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 tho
Crimean war the English general had
given orders that Florence Nightingale
was to be shot as a spy, what would
have happened7 Methinks about the
commanders tent would have been seen
5000 poor fellows pleading and pray
ing and threatening. One soldier would
say; "She nurscd me through Il fever
and saved my life. She shall not die."
Another would say: She held my hand
when they cut off my leg. She must
not die" Another would have said !:
"She bandaged my eyes. blasted by
the gunpowder explosion. 1t was on
account Of her care that / 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 cieansed wouk
have risen up and cried out: He shat
not die! lie shall not die But when
Judas led the Roman officers by night
to the garden of Gethsemane end 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 crucitied on the
early morning. Oh, my friends, shall
it be that You and I as apostates have
betrayed Christ into the hands Of his
enemies?
Another thought; "tAceliama--that ia,
the field Of blood'-teaches that re-
morse for sin committed does not
necessarily wipe Off the record Of that
sin from the Lambs book of life. Ju-
Gas 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 undono 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 craZcd! Let me
die But to be sorry for past sin Is
not enough. Remorse L. not salvation
through Christ. DR.. Whitley we'll said
In one of his sermons, Judas had
sight and sense of sin, but no appre-
hension Of the mercy Of Cod in Christ.
and go he pined away il his iniquity."
o man. today you are sorry for your
sins. You are sorry because they drag
ged you down and down and down.
But are you more than sorry? Are you
ready to renounce them and to plead
with God for pardon through the blood
Of Christ? This pardon Is offered TO all
who come In Christ's name. Remotse
for sin does not necessarily mean sol
walton by faith. There are two facts
10 the life Of the prod!gal son I would
have you we'll bear In mind. The one
Is, he was sorry; the second fact, he
arose and went back to his fathers
house. Oh. my brother. will you repent
OF your sins? VIII you do more than
that? VIII you turn your back upon
sin and look Mt the loving, forgivlng
face Of Jesus Christ?
Gods Love Never Wanes.
But the last thought to me is the
sweetest Of all. Standing by "Acelda-
is. the field Of blood"-I find
that. no matter bow much we have
sinned. God never loses his love FOR the
sinner. God loves us and clings to US
in exactly the same way rs a mother
clings to her children. asked n dear
friend Of mine some time ago who
was The fav0ritc among her many chill
dren. She answered, Il love the young
est best until he Is grown. and the alb
sent one best until he returns, and the
sick one best until he gets we'll" Yes,
J said to myself. "And the prodigai
best until he comes back TO d mothers
love" So God clings to his Maynard
ones The more we sin the more no