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268

clxvi.

The passover was now within two days.

SECT of our cloathing to give it to him? And yet he tells us that he is in effect with us in his poor members; and we invent a thousand Ver, cold excuses for neglecting to assist him, and send our compas40 sionate Saviour away empty. Is this the temper of a Christian? Is this the temper in which we should wish to be found at the judgment-day?

44, 45

But we know not Christ in this disguise. Neither did these unhappy creatures on the left-hand know him: they are surprised to be told of such a thing; and yet are represented as perishing for it. Away therefore will all those religious hopes (vainly so called) which leave the heart hardened, and the hand contracted from good works! If we shut up the bowels of compassion from our brethren, how dwelleth the love of God in us? (1 John iii. 17.) Or to what doth the love of Christ constrain us, if it be not to the exercise of gratitude to him, and the offices of cheerful and active friendship to those whom he now owns as his brethren, and whom he will not be ashamed to call so in the midst of his highest triumph? Blessed Jesus, how munificent art thou! and what a fund of charity didst thou lay up in the very words which are now before us! In all ages since they were spoken, how many hungry hast thou fed, how many naked hast thou clothed, how many calamitous creatures hast thou relieved by them! May they be written deep in our hearts, that the joy with which we shall finally meet thee may be increased by the happy effect of this day's meditation!

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SECT. clxvii.

Luke

SECT. CLXVII.

The Jewish rulers consult how they might take Christ, and Judas agrees with them to deliver him privately into their hands. Mat. XXVI. 1-5, 14-16. Mark XIV. 1, 2, 10, 11. Luke XXI. 37, to the end. XXII. 1—6.

LULE XXI. 37.

THUS our Lord ended his discourses on this subject on the third day of the week in which he suffered; and thus he was generally XXI. 37 employed from the time of his public entry into Jerusalem to his last passover: he was teaching by day in the temple. and at night he went out of the city, and lodged at the mount called [the mount] of Olives, in the neighbourhood of which Bethany lay; in the retirement of which, particularly in the garden of Gethsemane, he often spent a considerable part of the night; being desirous to secure that only season of solitude, that he might prepare himself for his approaching

suf

LUKE XXI. 37.

AND in the day.

time he was teach

ing in the temple, and at night he went out, and abode in the mount of Olives.

that is called the mount

269

clxvii.

And the Jewish rulers consult how they might take Christ. sufferings by a proper series of extraordinary SECT. 38 And all the peo- devotion. And as soon as it was light, he returnple came early in the ed to the city; and all the people came early in morning to him in the temple, for to hear the morning to him in the temple, that they might XXI. 38 thus lay hold of every opportunity to hear him; and he was solicitous not to lose any time toat might be improved for so profitable a purpose.

him.

LUKE XXII.

1.

Now the feast of unnigh, which is called the passover, [and was after two days. [MARK XIV. 1.]

leavened bread drew

MAT. XXVI. 1.

And it came to pass, ed all these saying, he said unto his disciples,

when Jesus had finish

2 Ye know that after two days is the feast

of the passover, and the

Luke

XXII. I

Now it may not be improper here to observe,Luke that the feast of unleavened bread, which was commonly called the passover, drew near, [and] was celebrated within two days after our Lord had delivered the prophecies and admonitions so largely recorded above 2.

XXVI. 1

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finish- Mat. ed all these discourses, and the appointed hour for his sufferings was now at hand, he said to his disciples. Ye know that after two days the pass- 2 over cometh; and in the plainest terms I now assure you the Son of man is then to be betrayed Son of man is betrayed to his inveterate enemies, that, according to what I have often told you (Mat. xvi. 21, and xx. 18, 19), he may be put into the hands of sinful men to be crucified: prepare yourselves therefore for that trying season, that you may not be hurried into any thing which you may afterwards have reason to repent.

to be crucified.

3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes,

was called Caiaphas ;

Then that very evening the chief priests of 3 every class, and others employed in distinguished and the elders of the services in the temple, together with the scribes, people, unto the palace and the other elders of the people, who were memof the high-priest, who bers of the grand sanhedrim, assembled together [MARK XIV. 1. not indeed in the temple, where they usually LUKE XXI. 2.-] met, but at the palace of the high-priest, who was then called Caiaphas; (as was observed be4 And consulted fore, John xi. 40, p. 127.) And there they 4 [how] they might entered into a secret conspiracy, and consulted take Jesus by subtilty, [and put him to death.j how they might privately take Jesus by some ar[MARK XIV.-I. tifice, without giving an alarm to his friends, LUKE XXII.-2.-] and might put him to death as soon as possible, which one way or other they were determined

5 But they said, Not to do. But they had such an apprehension of 5 on the feast-day, lest his interest in the people, that some of them among the people: were rather for delaying it, and said, It will be [LUKE more advisable to wait till after the passover,

there be an uproar

a Two days after.] I apprehend that the preceding discourses (from sect. cli.) were delivered on the Tuesday of the week in which he suffered; and he probably uttered the following words that evening,

and

which was just two days before the paschal
lamb was caten.-I do not find that any of
the transactions of the Wednesday are re-
corded besides the general account given
above.

L12

b One

270

Judas comes to them, and agrees to betray him.

XIV. 2. LUKE XXII.

SECT. and not to attempt to seize him at the feast, while [LUKE, for they feared
cixvii. there is such a concourse in the city from all the people.] MARK
Mat. parts; lest the design that we have formed
XXVI.5 against him should be discovered, and, consi-

Luke

dering how popular he is, there should be a tu-
mult raised among the people, either to rescue
him from our hands, or to revenge his death.
Such were the cautious sentiments of some
among them; for they feared the people: but
others pushed the matter on with greater for-
wardness and zeal, and were by no means for
deferring it; to which at length the rest agreed,
upon finding a more favourable opportunity
than they expected, offering itself through the
treachery of Judas.

2.j

LUKE XXII. 3.

4 And he went his

way and communed

with the chief priests

For then, just at that very juncture of time, XXII. 3. Satan, by Divine permission, entered into Judas, Then entered Satan into Judas, sirnamed who was also called Iscariot, and was (as we ob- Iscariot, being [one] served before) one of the number of the twelve of the number of the apostles who were chosen by our Lord from the twelve: [MA T. XXVI. 14-MARK rest of his disciples to the most honourable XIV. 10.-] trust as well as the most endearing intimacy and as this malignant spirit had before suggested to him the horrid design of betraying his Master, he now strongly impressed his mind that during his retirement he might easily find a convenient time for executing it, and might be sure of being well rewarded for it by the rulers of 4 the Jews. And, under this impression, he immediately went away from Christ and his company to the house of Caiaphas, whom he knew and captains, how he to be a most inveterate enemy to his Master; might betray him unto and having found means of introducing himself, 14. MARK XIV.them: [MAT. XXVI. and communicating his general design, he con- 10.] versed with the chief priests and captains of the temple, who were not yet gone away, and deliberated how he might with the greatest convenience and security betray him unto them. Mat. And as the sordid wretch proposed it with a covetous view, before he would come to any agreement with them, he said, without the least appearance of shame or remorse, What are you willing to give me, and I will undertake to deliver him to you at a time and place in which you may effectually secure him without the danger of giving any alarm to the people?

XXVI.

15

b One of the number of the twelve, &c.] This was a circumstance of such high aggravation, that it is observable, each of the

And

MAT. XXVI. 15.. -And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?

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Reflections on the zeal of Christ and the treachery of Judas.

MARK XIV. 11.— And when they heard

it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. [And they covenanted with him for

thirty piecs of silver. [MAT. XXVI.-15. ·LUKE XXII. 5.]

LUKE XXII. 6. And

he promised, and [from that time] sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude. [MAT. XXVI. 16. MARK XIV.-11.]

SO

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clxvii.

Mark

And when they heard his proposal, they thought SECT. [it] very practicable; and they were glad of unexpected an offer from one of his own disciples to facilitate their measures; and therefore XIV.11. readily promised in general to give him a sum of money as a reward for that service; and at last they expressly agreed with him for thirty pieces of silver, which was the price to be paid for a slave who had been slain (see Exod. xxi. 32): and as they proposed it to express their contempt of Jesus, so God permitted Judas, covetous as he was, to acquiesce in that mean and trifling sum (though he might easily have raised it higher), that thus the prophecy might be fulfilled in which it had been particularly specified. (See Zech. xi. 12, 13.)

And he promised to take a punctual care in the Luke affair: and accordingly from that time he dili- XXII. 6 gently sought a proper opportunity to betray him unto them, that they might come upon him privately, and apprehend him in the absence of the multitude: nor was it long before this happened, as we shall quickly relate in its place.

IMPROVEMENT.

xxi. 37

WE see with what unremitting vigour the great Author and Luke Finisher of our faith pressed forward towards the mark, and how he quickened his pace, as he saw the day approaching; spending in devotion the greatest part of the night, which succeeded to his most laborious days, and resuming his work early in the morning! How 38 much happier were his disciples in these early lectures than the slumbers of the morning could have made them on their beds! Let us not scruple to deny ourselves the indulgence of unnecessary sleep, that we may come morning after morning to place ourselves at his feet, and lose no opportunity of receiving the instructions of his word, and seeking those of his Spirit.

Mat.

xxvi.

3, 4

But while his gracious heart was thus intent on doing good, the chief priests and rulers of the people were no less intent on mischief and murder. They took counsel together how they might put him to death: They set upon his head the price of a slave, and find an 14, 15 apostle base enough to accept it. Blush, O ye heavens, to have

eThirty pieces of silver.] A slave was rated by the law at thirty shekels of silver, which, if we reckon them at half a crown (which is supposed to have been about their

been

real value), amounted to no more than
three pounds fifteen shillings of our money; a
goodly price that he was prized at of them.
Zech. xi. 13.

a The

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clxvii.

Jesus sends two of his disciples to prepare the passover.

SECT been witness to this; and be ashamed, O earth, to have supported so infamous a creature! Yet this was the man who but a few days before was the foremost to appear as an advocate for the poor, and to censure the pious zeal of Mary, which our Lord vindicated and applauded (John xii. 4-8. p. 151, 152). Let the fatal fruits of Luke his covetous disposition, instigated by Satan, be marked with abxxii. horrence and terror; and if we see this base principle harboured in 3, 4, 6 the breasts of those who call themselves the disciples and ministers of Christ, let us not wouder if by God's righteous judgment they are given up to those excesses of it which bring upon them lasting infamy and endless perdition.

SECT. clxviii.

Luke

SECT. CLXVIII.

Christ, having directed his disciples where to prepare the passover for him, comes to Jerusalem for the last time before his death, and sits down with them to the celebration of it. Mat. XXVI. 17-20. Mark XIV. 12-17. Luke XXII. 7-18. John XIII. 1.

LUKE XXII. 7.

NOW after this infamous bargain which Judas made with the chief priests to betray into their hands his innocent and Divine Master, XXII. 7, on the fifth day of the week, before the evening when the first day of unleavened bread came, in which, according to the precept of the law, which had expressly limited the time of it, the passover must be killed, or the pascal lamb be slain, in commemoration of the Israelites being preserved from the destroying angel, and delivered out of Egypt, Jesus determined to keep the 8 passover with his disciples. And, that he might in a due manner celebrate it with them, he sent two of his disciples, Peter and John, from the place where he had spent the night before in retirement with them, and said, Go to Jerusalem, and prepare the passover for us, that we may once more eat [it] together.

a The first day of unleavened bread came.] There is no room to question that the time when Christ sent his disciples to prepare the passover was on the Thursday of the week in which he suffered; and though the first day of unleavened bread, most strictly so called, was the fifteenth day of Nisan, and began with the evening that the passover was eaten, yet it is not improba.

And

LUKE XXII. 7.

THEN came the [first]

bread, when the passover must be killed. [MAT. XXVI. 17.MARK XIV. 12.-]

day of unleavened

8 And he sent [two of his disciples], Peter

and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. [MARK XIV. 13.—]

ble that the evangelists might sometimes speak according to the usual way of reckoning days among other nations; and so, as the use of leaven among them was to cease by sun-set at farthest, and they were obliged to eat their supper, which was the chief meal, with unleavened cakes, it might naturally enough be called by this name.

b A

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