Ver.i2. the i7tbChapterof St. JOH1Vr 177 own Colours, he defpaired, and ganged himJèlf. God's Wrath and Sin are exceeding terrible, when they are charged on the Confcience. Life is fweet, and Man's Nature is afraid of Death ; it mutt be fore great Matter that mull: caufe a Man to make an -end of himfelf; and yet fo great was his Defpair, that he was his own Deftroyer. Ufually it is thus with grievous Sinners, they dream of nothing but Mercy while they live, and when they come they die, have nothing but Wrath and Hell : their prefump- tion of Mercy doth but provide Matter for Defpair. He repented, confefied his Sin, reltored the thirty pieces of Silver : Convi &ion, Confeffion, Refitution are good, vet do not always lead to God. John t6.-8. When he is come, he will reprove the World of Sin, of Righteoufnefs,' and of Judgment. This is as Water out of a Still, that is forced by Fire, not as Water out of a Fountain. 2.' We now come to his Punithment. His Temporal Judgment you have recorded : Mat.' 27. 5. He cafi down the pieces of Silver in the Temple, and departed, and went and hanged himfelf. The Pleafures of Sin are very fhort; in the Midnight h'e receiveth the Mony,and in the Morning hangeth himfelf The Pleafures of Sin are but for a Seafon,Heb, 11.26. Till we fin, Satan is a Parafite ; but when once we are in the Devil's Hands,he turnsTyrant ; as an Angler,when the Fi(h hath fwallowed the Bait,difcovers himfelf; or as an Hunter lies out of fight, till the Bean is gotten into the Toil, then he fhouts and triumphs over the Prey. Prov. 20.17. Bread of Deceit is fweet to a Matt: but af- terwards his Mouth !hall be filled with Gravel. [He went and hanged hinsfelf;] a Man will endure the greaten Evils, rather than the Gripes of an awakened Confcience, it is worfe than all the Racks and Strappado's in the World. A Man may make Ihift with other Calamities. Prov. 18. 14. The Spirit of a Man will fnfiain his Infirmity; but a wounded Spirit who can bear ? When once he hath broken his Peace, and run into God's difpleafure; Oh then, who can (land under it ? Job 7. 15. My Soul chufeth firangling, and Death rather than Life. Death, the moil violent and molt difgraceful, is more welcome to them than Life in fuch a cafe, when a Man's Thoughts become his Hell; and where-ever he goeth, he carrieth his Hell about with him. He hanged himfelf; The event of Sin is always deadly to the Sinner. yudas becometh his own Executioner, Non potreit pejore manu perire ?Um fat, non debuit tamen. He could not die by a wor- fer Hand. God cannot want Infruments to punifh Sinners, he can arm our own Hands and Thoughts againf our felves ; Judas was his own Judg, and his own Exe- cutioner. There is another Circumftance in his Death 5 As t. 18. And falling headlong, he burp afunder in the midfi, and all his 'Bowels gufbed out. The Rope breaking, he fell down, and then that accident befel him. God fuiteth Puni(hments to Sins, to Phew his detefation of Hypocrify. He turns the Traitor in and out; he was outwardly an Apafile, inwardly a Traitor ; therefore his Bowels and Inwards are now poured forth. And then follows the Infamy of it, Ads 1. 19. And it was known unto all the Dwellers at Jerufalem, infemech as that Field is called in their proper Tongue, Aceldama, that is to fay, The Field of Blood. Thus God will do, pour lhame and contempt upon them that are falle to him. Prov. 26. 25, 26. When he fpeaketh fair, believe him not, for there are feven Abominations in his Heart : Whofe Hatred is covered with Deceit, his Wicl¿ednef fliall be fbewed before the whole Congregation. Firft or laft the Mask thall fall off, and a Man !hall be betrayed to fhameand infamy. Of the Woman, whom Judas envied, Chrift faith, Mat. 26. 3. verily I fay unto you, Wherefoeverthis Gofpel (hall be preached in the whole World, there fliall alfo this, that this Woman hath done, be told for a Memorial of her. As the Memorial of the Jun doth not go into the Grave with hir,fo neither the Infamy of the Wicked ; here is an everlafing'Inftmy upon Judas. Judas is remembred in the Lord's Supper The Lord Jefss, the fame Night in which he was betrayed, took Bread, 1 Cor. t I. 23. as Pilate is remembred in the Creed. But all this is nothing to Hell, he is gone to his own place, where we mutt leave him as the lrf: Fruits of Reprobates. (ife. Let us hate thole Sins that brought Judas to deftru &ion. If you imitate him, you make him your Patriarch. We all defy his Memory, but we love his Practices. Every one that heareth the Name of a Chrifian, would have nothing to do with Ju- das. Abandon his Sins; You have heard what they are. a. Covetqufnefs. It is the Root of all Evil. This is that which betrayed Chrift ; Let us turn our difpleafure upon the Sin, rather than the Perfon', it made an Apofile to become a Devil. We finial( it with ái gentle Cenfure, as if it were but a little Evil. Oh, you do not know how far this may carry you! Pfal. lo. 3. The Wicked Z z z boafletb
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