and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and 1225- APOSTLES, &C. 227 it may be alked, what other motive can be affgned for his conduct.? The evangelic St. John tells us, that he was of fo covet- ous a difpofition, as to fteal money out of our Lord's bag; and hence we have fuffi- cient reafon to believe, that he fir!? followed JESUS, with a view of obtaining riches and other temporal advantages, which he ex- pected the Meffiah's friends would enjoy : it likewife authorifes us to think, that as he had hitherto reaped none of thefe ad- vantages, he might grow impatient under the delay; and the rather, as Jrsus had lately difcouraged all ambitious views among!? his difciples, and neglected to em- brace the opportunity of erecting his king- dom, which was offered him by the multi- tudewho accompanied him into Jerufalem, with lhouts, and crying, Hofanna to the Son of David. His impatience, therefore, becoming exeeffive, infpired him with the thought of delivering his Matter into the hands of the council, firmly perfuaded that he would then be obliged to affutne the dignity of the Meffiah, and confequently able to reward his followers : for, as this court was coinpofed of the chief priefts, elders, and Scribes, that is, the principal perfons of the facerdotal order, the repre- fentatives of the great families, and the doctors of the law ; the traitor did not doubt that his Matter, when brought be- fore fo auguft an affembly, would affect his pretenfions to the title of Meffiah, prove his claim to their full conviction, gain them over to his intereft, and immediately enter on his regal dignity. And though he muff be fenfible, that the meafures he took to compafs this intention were very offenfive to his Mailer; yet he might think the fue- cefs of it would procure his pardon from fo compaffionate a Mailer, and even re- commend him to favour. In the mean time, his project, however plaufible it might appear to one of his turn, was far from being free from difficulty ; and, therefore, while he revolved it in hisown mind, many things might occur to nagger his refolution. At length, thinking himfelf affronted by the rebuke of Jesus, at the time when the woman anointed the head of his Matter, he was provoked to execute the refolution he had formed of obliging him to alter his meafures. Riling, therefore, direchly from the table, he went immediately into the city, to the palace of the high-prieft, where he found the council affembled, confulting how they might take Jesus by fubtilty, in the abfence of the multitude. To them he made known his intentionofdelivering his Mafter into their hands ; and undertook, for a fmall fum of money, to conduct a band of armed men to the place where the Saviour of the world ufually fpent the night with his difciples, where they might apprehend him without the leaft danger of a tumult. Thus the great deceiver of mankind tempted him to commit the hor- rid action, by laying hold of the various pallions that now agitated the traitot's breath. It may be gathered from the nature of the contrail, that thefe were really the motives which induced Judas to betray his Matter: What will ye give me, fáid he, and I will deliver him unto you? He did not mean that he would deliver him up to be put to death ; for though the priefts had confulted among themfelves, how they_ might deftroy JESUS, they had not been fo abominably wicked as to declare their intention publicly: they only propofed to bring him to a trial for affuming the=cha- rafter ofthe Meffiah, and to treat him as it fhould appear he deferved. The offer, therefore, which Judas made them of de- liveringhim up, was in conformity to their public refolutions; nor did they under- fland it in any other light : for, had the priers thought that his defign in this was to get his Matter punifhed with death, they muff alfo have thought he believed him to be an impocor; in whichcafe, they would doubtlefs have produced him as one of their principal evidences, no perfon being more proper to bear witnefs again!? any criminal than his companion. Or, fop- pofingJudas repented before the trial came on,
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