228 The NEW and COMPLETE L IFE of our BLESSED LORD on, and had withdrawn himfelf, the priefts might have argued with great plaufibility, both in their own court and before the governor, that for a man's difciple to re- quire the judges to bring him to condign punifhment, branded him with fuch a fuf- picion of guilt, as was almoft equal to a full proof: alfo, when Judas returned to them with the money, declaring that he had finned inbetraying the innocent blood, inlead of replying, What is that to us, fee thou to that? it was the molt natural thing in the world to have upbraided him with the lain he had put upon his Matter's cha- raaer, by the contraa they had made with him. It is true, they called the money they gave him, the price of blood ; but they did not mean this in the flriaeft fenfe, as they had neither hired Judas to affaflinate his Matter, nor can they be fuppofed to have charged themfelves with the guilt of murdering him : it was only the price of blood, confequently being the reward they had given to the traitor, for putting it in their power to take away the life ofCHRIS T, under the colour and form of public juftice; nay, it may be even doubted, whether Judas alced the money, as a reward of his fervice : he covetoufly, indeed, kept it, and the priefts, for that reafon, called it the price ofblood. Judas, in fhort, knew that the rulers could not take away the life of any perfon whatfoever, the Romans having deprived them of that 'power ; and, therefore, could have no defign of this kind in delivering him up : not to mention that it was a com- mon opinion among thè Jews, that the Meffiah could never die, an opinion which Judas might eáfily embrace, having feen his Matter raife feveral perfons, and among the reif, one who had been in the grave no lefs than four days. It is probable that the traitor's intention in betraying his Matter, was that mentioned above, from his hanging himfelf, when he foundhim condemned, not by the governor, but by the council, whofe prerogative it was tojudge prophets. Had Judaspropofed to take away the life of his Mater, the fentence of condemnation paffeduponhim, inftead of filling him with defpair, muff have gratified him, being the accomplilh- ment of his projea: whereas, this circum- fiance is thewn to have been perfealy natural, by the light wherein I have en- deavoured to place his condua. Having been witnefs to the greateff part of our Lord's miracles, and having expe- rienced the certain truth of them, in the powers that had been conferred upon himfelf, Judas could never think that the council would have condemned him as an impoftor, far lefs as a blafphemer; he knew him to be perfealy innocent, and expeaed that he would have wrought fuch miracles before the council, as should have con- ftrained them to believe : therefore, when he found that nothing of this kind was done, and that the priefts had paffed the fentence ofcondemnation upon him, and were carrying him to the governor to get it executed, he repented of his raft and covetous projea, came to the chief priefts and elders, the perfons to whom he had betrayed him, offered them their money again, and folemnly declared the deepefl conviaion of his Maffer's innocence, hoping that they would have defiled from the pro- fecution; but they were obflinate, and would not relent : upon which his remorfe arofe to fuch a pitch, that, unable to fup- port the torments of his confcience, he went and hanged himfelf. Thus I think it probable, that the traitor's intention in delivering up his Matter, was not to get him punifhedwith death, but only to lay him under a necefl'ity of proving his pre- tenfions before the grandees, whom he had hitherto fhunned ; thinking that the whole nation would immediately have fubmitted, and the difciples have been raifed forth- with to the fummit oftheir expeaations, if they had yielded. But this account of Judas's condua, is by no means calculated to leffen the foul- nefs of his crime, which was the blackel imaginable : for, even in the light above mentioned,
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