Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-03-12

the symbol of love and devotion.
We are amazed, we shudder at the
perfidy of the act, the treachery
of the man, the singing insult of
the deed. 1t was midnight when
the traitor led the armed mob into
the garden. When he found Christ
awake he became cautious, He
did not point Him out and direct
the mob to seize Him. He kept
the mob back in the dark, and
then advanced to greet the Master
az a loving disciple. Pretending
to be q devoted friend, he walked
up to the Savior and kissed Him.
We wonder that his limbs did not
refuse to carry him, that he did
not utterly break down in his
tracks. The thing is abhorrent. And
it was to such treatment the Lord
was subjected in His work of
bringing salvation to the race of
men.
How did the Savior act under it
all? we can only surmise His con-
tinued affection as He appealed
TO the traitors reason and con-
science in those words Of wounded
love: Betrayest thou the Son of
Man with a kiss? 1t was the last
appeal of love to a heart already
hard.
What shall we say of the re-
morse of the betrayer, and the vio-
lent end of the man? His distress
of mind does not indicate any
change of heart. Sin never APP
&c fE,a hnFarn
it is committed. Before the deed
is done we think of the gain; the
transgression is insignificant Aft
erward, the gain is so contempti-
BILE, thirty pieces of silver, maybe,
and the sin so awful. 1t was not
until after Nero had murdered his
own mother that the enormity OF
his sin appeared. And so with the
crime of Judas. When he saw the
thing he had actually done even
his soul shuddered. And he was
led to give that eloquent testimony
to the Son of God: ! have betrayed
innocent blood. And Judas was
well qualified to speak. He could
have said: | have seen this man in
private, witnessed His miracles,
listened to His prayers, observed
Him in the quiet hours, and | say,
He is innocent.
And the end? Filled with
helpless. hopeless despair, with
hell in his heart, and the price of
blood in his hand, he rushed head
long into the temple, threw down
the thirty accused coins upon the
floor, and then rushed out again
and hanged himself, going to his
own place. A sudden fall? No
fall is sudden. 1t is preceded by
repeated but secret transgressions.
Judas was lost by a daily falseness
and disloyalty to Christ. The other
disciples were probably stunned by
the deed; but Judas had been pre-
pairing for it through months. He
fell by degrees, as every man who
sins falls. 1t is by silencing the
conscience. making compromises
with right, apologizing for neglects,
deviating from the truth that we
prepare ourselves for the grevious
falls into wrong. Men sell Christ
today for less than Judas got; sell
Him to the highest bidder, and
have nothing to show for it but
scared conscience, troubled heart.
"a depraved will. We sell Christ
when we stifle our convictions,
modify our principles, conceal the
cross, hide our faith, to escape
some inconvenience or embarrass-
ment. Beware of trifling with
conscience.
Why was Judas lost? Not be-
cause he betrayed Christ, but be-
cause having betrayed Him he
never asked to be forgiven. Our
only safety is in keeping close to
the Christ OF the cross. We may
fall like Peter. though God forbid,
but we cannot be lost like Judas