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What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver: And he promised, and from that time he sought opportunity how he might conveniently betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

LUKE XXI. 37, 38.

And in the day-time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

We see with what unremitting vigour the great Author and 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 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.

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 apostle base enough to accept it. Blush, O ye heavens, to have 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). Let the fatal fruits of his covetous disposition, instigated by Satan, be marked with abhorrence and terror; and if we see this base principle harboured in the breasts of those who call themselves the disciples and ministers of Christ, let us not wonder if by God's righteous judgment they are given up to those excesses of it which bring upon them lasting infamy and endless perdition.

SECTION LXXXVII.

MATT. XXVI. 17-20.

MARK XIV. 12-17.

LUKE XXII. 7-18.

Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed, the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare for thee that thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, Peter and John, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in; and wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the good man of the house: the Master saith unto thee, My time is at hand, I will keep the passover at thy house; where is the guest-chamber where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. And his disciples went forth and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them and they did as he had appointed them, and they made ready the passover.

MATT. XXVI. 20. MARK XIV. 17. LUKE XXII. 14--18.

And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And when the hour was come he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

We may well assure ourselves, that the same Divine penetration and prophetic discernment which enabled the blessed Jesus thus circumstantially to foretel to his disciples those

most contingent occurrences which were to determine the place where they should prepare the passover, would also open to him a prospect of all that was to follow. All the scenes that were to be passed through on this fatal night, and the succeeding black and bloody day, were, no doubt, attentively viewed: the agony of the garden, the traiterous kiss of Judas, the cowardly flight of all the other apostles, the insults of his seemingly victorious and successful enemies, the clamorous accusations, the insolent buffetings, the scourges, the thorns, the nails, the cross, and all that he was to endure upon it from the hand of God and men. Yet behold, with all these in his view, he goes on with a holy alacrity, and this sun of righteousness, rejoiceth as a champion to run his race! (Psalm xix. 5.) Yea, when he is sitting down to the paschal supper, (though therein was exhibited, in a most lively emblem, the bitterness of his own sufferings,) he utters these gracious and emphatical words, With desire J have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.

SECTION LXXXVIII.

JOHN XIII. 1-17.

Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciple's feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter said unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord,

not my feet only, but also my hands, and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.

So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master, and Lord and ye say well, for so I am. If I then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

But let us turn our eyes to him whom we justly call our Teacher and our Lord; for surely, if any thing can effect a cure, it must be actions and words like these. The great Heir of all things, invested with universal dominion, and just returning to his heavenly Father to undertake the administration of it in what a habit, in what an attitude, do we see him! Whom would a stranger have taken for the lowest of the company, but him who was high over all created nature? Blessed Jesus, it was not so much any personal attachment to these thy servants, as a regard to the edification of thy whole church, which engaged thee to this astonishing action: that all thy ministers, that all thy people, in conformity to thy example, might learn a readiness to serve each other in love!

But why are we so slow to receive this lesson? And why is our practice often so contrary to it? Surely to cleanse us from these dregs of pride and carnality we need in a spiritual sense to be washed by him. Let us gladly submit to that washing, if we desire to secure any part in him. Which of us in this view may not see reason to cry out with Peter, Lord, not our feet only, but also our hands and our head? May our whole nature be thus purified! and, warmly emulous of conforming to so bright an example, may we ever be maintining a watchfulness over our own spirits; correcting the first appearances of irregularity, and washing away every lightest stain which our feet may contract in this various journey! So shall we be great in the sight and favour of our Master; and, num

bering ourselves among the least of his servants, shall be distinguished by peculiar honours, in proportion to the degree in which we think ourselves most unworthy of them.

SECTION LXXXIX.

MATT. XXVI. 21-26. MARK XIV. 18-22. LUKE XXII. 19-23. JOHN XIII. 18-30. 1 COR. XI. 23, 24. AND as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; This is my body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me.

But behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined; but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and as they sat and did eat, he testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you which eateth with me shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake; and they began to inquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing; And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him one by one, Lord, is it I? And another said, Is it I? And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth his hand with me in the dish; the same shall betray me. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. Now there was

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