592 Reflections on the miferable End of Judas. Sect. 193. letting loofe his own Thoughts upon him, to prey upon his Heart like fo many hungry Vulturs, and make him a Terror to others, and an Execu tioner to himself. Ver. 4. Ver. 5. 'Ver. 64. Ver. 63. We muft furely admire the Wisdom of Providence, in extorting, even from the Mouth of this Traitor, fo honourable a Testimony of the Innocence of Jefus, tho' to his own Condemnation. And who could have imagined, that the Supream Court of Ifrael itself fhould have been fo little impreffed with it, as coldly to anfwer, What is that to us? See thou to that. Is this the Language of Rulers, yea, of Priests? But they had caft off the Fear of that GOD, whofe Minifters they were, and had devoted themfelves to Gain and Ambition. They therefore felt no Remorse, even when Judas trembled before them, and appeared almost distracted, under the Senfe of a Crime, in which they had been Confederates with him. But their Confciences were feared as with a red hot Iron, and all their familiar Converfe with Divine Things ferved only, in fuch a Circumstance, to harden their Hearts; as tempered Steel gathers Strength from the Furnace and the Hammer. Judas repents; he confeffes his Crime; he throws away the Reward of his Guilt: Yet was there nothing of Godly Sorrow in all this. Despairing, he becomes his own Executioner; and flies to Death, and to Hell, as a Refuge from the Rage and Fury of an awakened Confcience. Fatal Expedient thus to feal his own Damnation! But the righteous Judgment of GOD erected him as a Monument of Wrath, and verified our Saviour's Declaration, It had been good for that Man, if he had never been born. (Mat. xxvi. 24. and Mark xiv. 21. pag. 435.) Tremble, oh our Souls, at this Thought! that Judas, even one of the Twelve, fhould fall into fuch Depths of Sin and Ruin! May we each of us be jealous over ourfelves! and may we never prefume to cenfure whole Bodies of Men for the Fault of particular Members, when we find there was a Traitor and Reprobate among the holy Band of the Apostles. We see the reftlefs and implacable Malice of Chrift's Enemies, which purfued him even to his Tomb, and there endeavoured to blaft his Memory as an Impoftor. They demanded, and procured a Guard for his Sepulchre. And here alfo we have a repeated Inftance of God's taking Ver. 65, 66. the Wife in their own Craftiness. (Job v. 13.) The Seal, and the Guard ferved only more fully to atteft the Doctrine of Chrift's Refurrection, which they were intended to overthrow, and to grace the Triumph they oppofed. Thus fhall all the Rage, and all the Artifice of his Enemies, at length, promote the Purposes of his Glory: Thus fhall Meat at length come out of the Eater, and Sweetness out of the Strong. (Judg. xiv. 14.) The Wrath of Man, oh Lord, fhall praife thee; and the Remainder of it fhalt thou refrain, and fhalt triumph over it, either by thy Grace, or thy Vengeance. (Pfal. lxxxvi. 10.) SECT. After the Sabbath, the Women go very early to the Sepulchre. 593. SECT. CXCIV. CHRIST rifing from the Dead, the Guards flee away in Aftonishment: Mary Magdalene finding the Sepulchre open, calls Peter and John, who having entered into it, return; while CHRIST himself makes his Firft Appearance to her. Mat. XXVIII. 1,---4. Mark XVI. 1, 2.- 3, 4. Luke XXIV. 1, 2. 12. John XX. 1,-17. MARK XVI. 1. was paft, Mary Magda AND the Mother of James, and 2-And very early in the Morning, [JOH. when it was yet dark,] [as it began MARK XVI. 1. AND when the Sabbath was over (a), which Sect. 194. Mark XVI. ended in the Evening, (as was often obferved And accordingly they were all ready before it 2 (a) When the Sabbath was over.] This, which Mark expreffes by dayevoueRY TO TACCal, Matthew exprefles by another Phrafe, ofs ca66alwv, in the End of the Sabbath, or when the Sabbath, (and confequently the preceding Week, of which the Sabbath was the laft Day) was over; as in Philoftratus, ole uusnpiav is, when the Mysteries were ended. So that the Controverfy between Majus and Wolfburg, on this Subject, seems needlefs; as the Criticism of the former, who fuppofes thefe Words in Matthew to belong to the Clofe of the former Chapter, and to refer to the Time of Sealing the Sepulchre, is very unnatural ; as Wolfius has fhewn, in his learned Note on Mat. xxviii. 1. (b) They bought more Spices &c.] Luke had before observed, (Chap. xxiii. 56. pag. 584.) that they prepared Spices and Ointments, and then refted the Sabbath Day according to the Commandment: And Mark here fays, that dayevouers calcals, when the Sabbath was over, nyoçasav, they bought, [not, they had bought] Spices, and then (ver. 2. very early in the Morning) came to anoint him. This I look upon as a ftrong Intimation, that fome Time after Six in the Evening, (on what we call Saturday Night,) when the Sabbath was over, as it was then lawful to perform any common Work, their generous Hearts prompted them to purchase a larger Quantity of Aromatick Drugs for this pious Purpose. VOL. II. Ffff (c) Some 586 Mat. xxvii. 60. Judas repents, when JESUS was condemned. Sect. 192. left him in the Sepulchre of Jofeph, whom they expected to have seen on the Throne of David?We leave for the prefent his Enemies in Triumph, and his Friends in Tears, till his Refurrection; which foon confounded the Rage of the former, and revived the Hopes of the latter; Hopes, which must other wife have been for ever intombed under that Stone, with which they now covered him. But happy and comfortable is the Thought, that this his tranfient Vifit to the Grave has (as it were) left a Perfume in the Bed of Duft, and reconciled the Believer to dwelling a while in the Place where the Lord lay! SECT. CXCIII. Judas confeffing his Guilt, returns the Money he had received from the Chief Priests, and then bangs himself. The Jews. the next Day demand, and procure a Guard to be fet on: CHRIST's Sepulchre. Mat. XXVII. 3,-10. 62,, to the End. H MAT. XXVI. 3. Sect. 193. great (a) Then Judas, &c.] For the proper Place of this Story, which is here inferted out of its Order, fee Note (a) on John xix. 16. pag. 556. Matthew has introduced it immediately after the Jews had delivered Jefus to Pilate; but after this, the Jews were fo intent on perfuading Pilate to confent to his Death, that there was hardly Time for the Sanhedrim's adjourning to the Temple, where this Occurrence happened, before they had prevailed with Pilate to condemn him; and as Judas muft have often heard his Mafter fay, he should be crucified, Pilate's Order for his Execution must have more fenfibly affected him, than the Jews paffing Sentence on him, who had not then the Power of putting any one to Death. The Word Tol, then, with which the Evangelift begins this Story, may be taken in fome and brought again the Thirty Pieces of Silver to the Chief Priefts and Elders, 4 Saying, I have finned, in that I have betrayed the innocent Blood. And they faid, What is that to us? fee thou to that. 587 Matth. 3. He returns the Money to the Priests, and goes and bangs himself. great Terror and Agony of Confcience; and re- Sect. 193. penting of the fatal Bargain he had made, whereby he had brought fuch a Load of Guilt on his XXVII. own Soul, he carried back the Thirty Pieces of Silver, which they had given him, to the Chief Priefts and the Elders, while they were together in the Temple that Morning; for they reforted. thither with a fpecious Appearance of Piety, before they followed. the Multitude to Calvary to fee the Execution. And coming in among 4 them in a wild Disorder, he faid to them, Oh Sirs! I have finned in a moft defperate Manner, in that I have betrayed innocent Blood to you; for I am well convinced, that Jefus my Master has done nothing to deserve this Punishment, to which you have delivered him; and I am not able to bear the Thought of the Concern I have had in it. And they answered with the fteady Coolness of those who knew no Shame or Remorfe for their Wickedness, What [is that] to us, whether thou thinkeft him innocent, or not? See thou [to that:] It is fufficient for us, that we know he is Guilty, whether fuch a Wretch as thou art, approveft, or condemneft our Sentence. And 5 throwing down the Pieces of Silver Money in the Temple, in their very Prefence, with all the Marks of Agony and Diftrefs, he withdrew; and going away to the Brow of a Hill, in fome retired and melancholy Place, be there banged himself; but the Rope breaking by the Force with which he threw himself off, he fell down the Precipice, and burst asunder with the Force of his Fall, fo that all his Bowels gushed out (b); and he lay expiring, 5 And he caft down the ple, and departed, and went Pieces of Silver in the Tem and hanged himself. fome Latitude, to introduce the Mention of an Occurrence, which happened about that Time, whether a little before or after, and need not be interpreted with fo much Rigour, as to determine it to an Affertion of observing the exactest Order in all Circumstances. See Note (a) on Mat. xxvii. 27. pag. 545. (b) And going away, he banged himself; but the Rope breaking &c.] This Method, which Mr. Le Clerc (Harm. pag. 527.) and feveral other learned Criticks have taken, of reconciling Matthew with what is afterwards faid of this Fact, Alts i. 18. (that falling headlong, he burft afunder in the midft, and all his Bowels gushed out ;) appears to me much preferable to that of thofe, who would render any calo, he was ftifled, or fuffocated with Excess of Grief; (fee La Motte of Infpir. pag. 155.) a Verfion, which none of the Authorities I have feen, feem fufficient to juftify. Nor is it neceffary to fuppofe with Dr. Lightfoot, (Hor. Hebr. on Mat, xxvii. 5. and Acts i. 18.) that Judas was carried away by the Devil, and Eeee 2 Strangled Mark XVI. 2. 594 Sect. 194. towards the First Day of the Week, they went to V vift the Sepulchre, bringing the Spices with them, which (as was faid before,) they had prepared to embalm the Body of Jefus, and which indeed were a confiderable Weight: And fome [others] of their Female Friends went alfo with them to affift on this Occafion (c). An Angel had been there before, and rolled away the Stone. 3 to dawn towards the Firft Day of the Week,] [LUK. XXIV. 1. JOHN XX. And as they were advancing towards the Sepulchre, they were not under any Apprehenfion from the Soldiers that were fet to guard it, who had been ftationed there without their Knowledge on the Sabbath-Day; (Sect. 193. pag. 590.). but remembring the Stone that was placed at the Mouth of it, they faid among themselves, Who fhall roll away the Stone for us from the Door of the Sepulchre, which all of us together have not 4 Strength to remove? For they had feen Nico- -4 For it was very great. demus and Jofeph ftop up the Entrance with it; and it was indeed very large and heavy. But this Perplexity of theirs was altogether needlefs; for GOD had provided a very extraor dinary Way to remove that Obstruction. And, behold with due Regard and Admiration, it was this: There was but a little before they arrived there, a great Earthquake, (which would naturally awaken the Guards, if any of them had fallen afleep ;) and very awful and astonishing were the Circumstances that attended it; for an Angel of the Lord defcending from Heaven bad Matth. approached behold, there was a great Earthquake; for the Angel of the Lord defcended from MAT. XXVIII. 2. And Heaven, (c) Some others of their Female Friends went alfo with them.] It was indeed a Circum ftance of Decency, confidering the Office they were intending to perform, that the Men, and the Women fhould perform their respective Parts in it by themselves; which accordingly the Evangelifts plainly intimate they did. Their fetting out alone was a remarkable Inftance of their Zeal and Courage: Perhaps fome Appointment might be made with Peter and John, (who were early up, as it fhould feem, on this Occafion,) either to meet them, or come after them, to affift in removing the Stone, tho' not in embalming the Body.I think Majus and Elfner juftly obferve, that the xxiii Chapter of Luke fhould not have ended at the Place it does; for here, as in feveral other Places, a Sentence is divided: [To μεν σαββάλον ησυχασαν, τη δε μια των σαββάτων - ήλθον &c.] Such Divifions are great inftances of Negligence in the Perfon by whom they were first made; but in a Work like this Harmony, they are lefs material, and hardly in fome Cafes avoidable. I have here rendered the Word nalov, went, (and have likewife explained the Word 20 in the fame manner in the first Verfe of this Section,) which agrees better with the Order of the Story, and is frequently the Senfe, in which our Tranflators have rendered it elsewhere. See Mat. xii. 9. xiii. 36. xiv. 12. Mark iii. 19. Luke ii. 44. xiv. 1. John iv. 45. vi. 17. Acts iv. 23. xxviii. 14. (d) They |