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instead of employing this cold, abstract manner of stating the principle involved in his conduct and in theirs, he draws a heart-affecting picture of a disobedient son reducing himself to the last extremity of wretchedness, but at length brought to feel the claims of duty, returning in humility and good earnest to his father, making appropriate confessions, and supplicating parental pity and forgiveness. He presents to our view the father running, with all the tenderness of a father's heart, to meet the child's return, and in the most convincing manner assuring the broken-hearted prodigal of a welcome reception. He then presents to us an elder son, making cold and heartless inquiries, becoming angry at the father's demonstrations of joy, and needing to have his father expostulate with him.

Now, while this parable so triumphantly vindicates the Saviour's conduct, it also furnishes an affecting spectacle of a true penitent. But this specimen of true repentance was subsidiary to his main design, and should not be regarded as the leading object of the parable. It may, however, be separated from the whole parable and be regarded as, in itself, unfolding the views and feelings of a penitent towards God. Yet, when read in the connection in which it occurs, and as only a part of the parable, it should not be explained by itself, as though it exhibited the chief design of the Saviour. It was only subsidiary to his main design, which was to show the propriety of his associating with publicans and sinners who had been reclaimed from the error of their ways, or who, at least, felt such an interest in his instructions as to be promising objects of his attention.

There is a general caution which it may be well to bear in mind respecting the interpretation of parables; namely, we ought not to deduce from them doctrines which are aside from, or additional to, their real design. A doctrine thus deduced may be true, and may be amply sustained by the Scriptures. But, unless it is obviously recognized in a given parable, we should not feel at liberty to use that parable in defending it. If the object of the parable can be distinctly perceived, let us adhere to that object, and not add to the parable another, even though it may be a connected, object. Take, for illustration, the parable of the growing plant (Mark 4: 26-29); the parable of the

mustard seed (Matt. 13: 31, 32); and that of the leaven (Matt. 13: 33). These were designed to show the extension of the Messiah's cause and its ultimate triumph. Let us not employ them as teaching the certain ultimate sanctification of each believer and his perseverance in grace unto eternal life. Because, these parables would hold good in the view for which the Saviour presented them, even though it were not true that each real saint will be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. The Messiah's kingdom might, in general, be a spreading kingdom destined to ultimate victory, even though some particular Christian should fail of attaining its blessings in heaven.

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ARTICLE II.

JUDAS ISCARIOT, ONE OF THE TWELVE DISCIPLES.

THE history of our Saviour's intercourse with Judas Iscariot, as given in the New Testament, presents some interesting and remarkable facts; and in these facts some solemn and affecting instructions and warnings. The present article is devoted to the statement and use of these.

Christ did unquestionably call Judas Iscariot, among others, to be with him, as a disciple, Mark 3: 13-19. "And he goeth up into a mountain and calleth unto him whom he would and they came unto him; and he ordained twelve that they might be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils." Following this passage, are given by Mark the names of these "twelve," among which we find that of Judas Iscariot. He unquestionably, therefore, belonged to the first company of chosen disciples of Christ; was admitted into their company by the Saviour himself. From the Gospel of Luke (6: 12) it also appears that previous to calling these twelve, and Judas among them, our Saviour spent a whole night in prayer to the Father. From Luke's Gospel it

also appears probable that Judas was present when Christ "lifted up his eyes on his disciples" and pronounced the benedictions recorded in chapter 6, verses 20 to 23.

This man was employed by Christ as a member of the company of twelve, in teaching and working miracles. Thus writes Luke, 9: 1, et seq., "Then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases, and he sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick, &c., and they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing, every where." Nothing appears but that Judas shared in this authority, miraculous power, and work of preaching, equally with the other eleven. Nor does there appear to have been any distrust of him, at this time, by the other disciples.

Our Saviour committed to Judas a particular trust, additional to the general one he gave him in common with the other eleven; that of treasurer. John 12: 6, "He had the bag (or purse), and bore what was put therein." Confirmation of this fact appears in that, when our Saviour said to him, in connection with giving him the sop, "that thou doest do quickly," "some of them thought that Jesus had said to him, buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or that he should give something to the poor."

All this time, however, as it subsequently appears, our Saviour perfectly understood the character of Judas; and this fact, of course, is inferable from the divine omniscience of Christ. John 6: 64, "Jesus knew, from the beginning, who they were that believed not, and who should betray him." Long before his death, he said to the twelve, on one occasion (John 6: 70, 71), "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve." And while they were together on the evening of the passover, and after Christ had washed the feet of the disciples, he said (John 13: 10, 11), " And ye are clean, but not all; for he knew who should betray him; therefore, said he, ye are not all clean."

Jesus Christ permitted this man to have the same external privileges with the other disciples. During three whole years of his own public ministry, he allowed Judas

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to be with him and the eleven others, to listen to his instructions, to witness his miracles, to behold the excellence of his example and the glory of his character. At the paschal supper he was allowed to eat and drink with the Saviour and the eleven. His feet, with those of the others, were washed by the condescending Saviour.

Jesus Christ showed most remarkable forbearance to Judas uniformly, down to the time of his own betrayal by him. "Six days before the passover," our Saviour, with his disciples, was at the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus; at which time (John 12: 3) "Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment." Judas said, "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.” The only notice which Christ took of this speech of the traitor was, "Let her alone; against the day of my burying hath she kept this; for the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always." A word from Christ would have disclosed, upon the spot, the hypocrisy and thievish disposition of the man. But the Saviour allowed him to pass without any thing said, applicable to him more than to the rest, to those who were his friends.

This

As the time of this man's consummation of his wickedness drew near, our Saviour did speak in most impressive language, in the presence of Judas, of his real character, and of the disclosures he would make of himself. was done, by Christ, in a manner adapted to arouse the conscience of Judas, while yet he made no exposure of him, personally. After having said to the twelve, respecting his instructions (John 13: 17), "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them," he immediately adds, "I speak not of you all; I know whom I have chosen," meaning who were his true disciples; and then refers to the prophecy, about to be fulfilled, "He that eateth bread with me, hath lifted up his heel against me." And there sat the guilty man in whom that Scripture was to be fulfilled. Still, there appears nothing denunciatory or accusative in the Saviour's treatment of Judas, at this time. He simply announced the fact. A few moments passed, and after some further instructions given by

Christ, again, it is written, "Jesus was troubled in spirit; and testified and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me." And still he forbears from a personal application to Judas, of that which was so solemnly true. His words were as applicable to any one of the twelve as to another; "one of you shall betray me." And his language had this effect, that the disciples "looked one on another, doubting of whom he spoke." He continues to spare Judas the pain and disgrace of an exposure; and for wise and salutary purposes, lets the premonition take effect upon the eleven true disciples; so that "they began every one of them to say, Lord, is it I?" He does not relieve their solicitude and fear in the least, by telling them who it was; except that, privately to John, who was next him and inquired, "Lord, who is it?" he said, "He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it." When he had done this, John was the only disciple who knew the meaning of it. And when, at last, Christ said to Judas, in relation to his execution of his perfidious design, "That thou doest, do quickly," "no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him," John excepted, to whom the Saviour had just given the intimation.

The Saviour, it appears, had now given to Judas the fearful intimation that all restraints on his actions were removed. It was as though he had said to him, "You have played the hypocrite till you have provoked the divine abandonment of you to yourself and to ruin; now do your worst" not a permission or direction to sin; but a prediction of the awful certainty that he would sin, to the disgrace of his profession, the blasting of his name to all generations, and the destruction of his own soul.

This was followed, as the reader will recollect, by the, immediate departure of Judas from the company, to go to the chief priests; the institution of the sacrament of the Supper, and our Saviour's administration of it to the eleven faithful disciples; his counsels to them, which compose the remainder of the 13th with the 14th, 15th and 16th chapters of John; Christ's intercessory prayer with and for his disciples, which is the 17th chapter; his departure with the disciples to the garden of Gethsemane, and his prayers, and agonies of soul there. During this time, Judas was transacting with the chief

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