Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

Considerations on the death

CHAP. I.

and final state of Judas Iscariot.

curable disease: and it came to pass that, after the end of two years, HIS BOWELS FELL OUT, by reason of his sickness; so he died of sore diseases; en bethachaluim, with inflammations, or ulcers. The death of Herod was probably of the same kind, Acts xii. 22. That of Aristobulus, as described by Josephus, WAR, book i. chap. 3. is of a similar nature: having murdered his mother and brother, his mind was greatly terrified, and his bowels being torn with excruciating torments, he voided much blood, and died in miserable agonies. Again, in his ANTIQ. book xv. chap. 10. sect. 3. he thus describes the death of Zenodorus: "His bowels bursting, and his strength exhausted by the loss of much blood, he died at Antioch in Syria."

Taking it for granted, that the death of Judas was probably such as related above; collating all the facts and evidences together, can any hope be formed that he died within the reach of mercy? Let us review the whole of these transactions.

Messiah, would be a secular kingdom; and that his own secular interests must be promoted by his attachment to Christ. Of this mind all the disciples seem to have been, previously to the resurrection of Christ. 2. From long observation of his Master's conduct, he was now convinced, that he intended to erect no such kingdom; and that consequently the expectations which he had built on the contrary supposition, must be ultimately disappointed. 3. Being poor and covetous, and finding there was no likelihood of his profiting by being a disciple of Christ, he formed the resolution (probably at the instigation of the chief priests) of betraying him for a sum of money sufficient to purchase a small inheritance, on which he had already cast his eye. 4. Well knowing the uncontrollable power of his Master, he might take it for granted, that though betrayed, he would extricate himself from their hands; and that they would not be capable of putting him either to pain or death. 5. That having betrayed him, and finding that he did not exert his power to deliver himself out of the hands of the Jews; and seeing from their implacable malice, that the murder of his most innocent Master was likely to be the consequence, he was struck with deep compunction at his own conduct, went to the chief priests, confessed his own profligacy, proclaimed the innocence of his Master, and returned the money for which he had betrayed him; probably hoping that they might be thus influenced to proceed no farther in this unprincipled business, and immediately dismiss Christ. 6. Finding that this made no impression upon them, from their own words, What is that to us? See thou to that; and that they were determined to put Jesus to death, seized with horror at his crime and its consequences, the remorse and agitation of his mind produced a violent dysentery attended But, II. Judas might have acted a much worse part than with powerful inflammation (which in a great variety of cases, he did, 1. By persisting in his wickedness. 2. By slanderhas been brought on by strong mental agitation) and while ing the character of our Lord, both to the Jewish rulers and the distressful irritation of his bowels obliged him to with- to the Romans; and had he done so, his testimony would draw for relief: he was overwhelmed with grief and aflic-have been credited, and our Lord would then have been put tion, and having fallen from the seat, his bowels were found to have gushed out, through the strong spasmodic affections with which the disease was accompanied. I have known cases of this kind, where the bowels appeared to come literally away by piece-meal.

I. It must be allowed that his crime was one of the most inexcusable ever committed by man: nevertheless, it has some alleviations. 1. It is possible that he did not think his Master could be hurt by the Jews. 2. When he found that he did not use his power to extricate himself from their hands, he deeply relented that he had betrayed him. 3. He gave every evidence of the sincerity of his repentance, by going openly to the Jewish rulers, (1.) Confessing his own guilt; (2.) Asserting the innocence of Christ; (3.) Returning the money which he had received from them; and then, (4.) the genuineness of his regret was proved by its being the cause of his death.

to death as a malefactor, on the testimony of one of his own disciples; and thus the character of Christ and his gospel must have suffered extremely in the sight of the world; and these very circumstances would have been pleaded against the authenticity of the Christian religion by every infidel,

Now, when we consider that the word arraro, Matt.in all succeeding ages. And, 3. Had he persisted in his xxvii. 5. which we translate hanged himself, is by the very best critics thus rendered, was choaked; and that the words of the sacred historian in this place, falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out, may be no other than a delicate mode of expressing the

circumstance to which I have alluded under observation 6.

evil way, he might have lighted such a flame of persecution against the infant cause of Christianity, as must, without the intervention of God, have ended in its total destruction: now, he neither did, nor endeavoured to do any of these things. In other cases, these would be powerful pleadings. Judas was indisputably a bad man; but he might have

perhaps this way of reconciling and explaining the evange-been worse: we may plainly see that there were depths of list and historian, will appear not only probable, but the wickedness to which he might have proceeded, and which most likely. To strengthen this interpretation, a few facts were prevented by his repentance. Thus things appear to may be adduced of deaths brought about in the same way || stand previously to his end. But is there any room for hope with that, in which I suppose Judas to have perished. The in his death? In answer to this, it must be understood, 1. death of Jehoram is thus related 2 Chron. xxi. 18, 19. And That there is presumptive evidence that he did not destroy after all this, the Lord smote him in his bowels with an in-\|himself; and, 2. that his repentance was sincere. If so, was

Considerations on the death

THE ACTS.

and final state of Judas Iscariot.

And whosoever does not attend to the honour of his Crea-
tor, it were better for him had he never been born."
In SHEMOTH RABBA, sect. 40. fol. 135. 1, 2. it is said,

better for him had he never come into the world."

In VAYIKRA RABBA, sect. 36. fol. 179. 4. and MIDRASH COHELETH, fol. 91. 4. it is thus expressed, "It were better for him had he never been created; and it would have been better for him had he been strangled in the womb, and never have seen the light of this world.”

it not possible for the mercy of God to extend even to his case? It did so to the murderers of the Son of God; and they were certainly worse men (strange as this assertion may appear) than Judas. Even he gave them the fullest proof" Whosoever knows the law, and does not do it, it had been of Christ's innocence: their buying the field with the money Judas threw down, was the full proof of it; and yet, with every convincing evidence before them, they crucified our Lord. They excited Judas to betray his Master, and crucified him when they had got him into their power, and therefore St. Stephen calls them both the betrayers and murderers of that Just One, Acts vii. 52. in these respects they were more deeply criminal than Judas himself; yet even to those very betrayers and murderers, Peter preaches repentance,|| with the promise of remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, Acts iii. 12-26. If then, these were within the reach of mercy, and we are informed that a great company of the priests became obedient to the faith, Acts vi. 7. then certainly Judas was not in such a state as precluded the possibility of his salvation. Surely the blood of the covenant could wash out even his stain, as it did that more deeply engrained one, of the other betrayers and murderers of the Lord Jesus.

Should the 25th verse be urged against this possibility, because it is there said that Judas fell from his ministry and apostleship, that he might go to his own place, and that this place is hell: I answer, 1. It remains to be proved that this place means hell; and, 2. It is not clear that the words are spoken of Judas at all, but of Matthias: his own place meaning that vacancy in the apostolate, to which he was then elected. See the note on ver. 25.

To say that the repentance of Judas was merely the effect of his horror; that it did not spring from compunction of heart; that it was legal, and not evangelical, &c. &c. is saying what none can with propriety say, but God himself, who searches the heart. What renders his case most desperate, are the words of our Lord, Matt. xxvi. 24. Woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born! I have considered this saying in a general point of view, in my note on Matt. xxvi. 24. and were it not a proverbial form of speech among the Jews to express the state of any flagrant transgressor, I should be led to apply it, in all its literal import, to the case of Judas, as I have done in the above note, to the case of any damned soul: but when I find that it was a proverbial saying, and that it has been used in many cases, where the fixing of the irreversible doom of a sinner is not implied, it may be capable of a more favourable interpretation than what is generally given to it. I shall produce a few of those examples from Schoettgen, to which I have referred in my note on Matt. xxvi. 24.

In CHAGIGAH, fol. ii. 2. it is said, "Whoever considers these four things, it would have been better for him had he never come into the world, viz. That which is above; that which is below; that which is before; and that which is behind.

In SOHAR GENES. fol. 71. col. 282. it is said, "If any man be parsimonious towards the poor, it had been better for him had he never come into the world." Ibid. fol. 84. col. 333. "If any performs the law, not for the sake of the law, it were good for that man had he never been created." These examples sufficiently prove that this was a common proverb, and is used with a great variety and latitude of meaning; and seems intended to shew, that the case of such and such persons was not only very deplorable, but extremely dangerous; but does not imply the positive impossibility either of their repentance or salvation.

The utmost that can be said for the case of Judas is this: he committed a heinous act of sin and ingratitude; but he repented, and did what he could to undo his wicked act: he had committed the sin unto death, i. e. a sin that involves the death of the body; but who can say, (if mercy was offered to Christ's murderers, and the gospel was first to be preached at Jerusalem, that these very murderers might have the first offer of salvation through him whom they had pierced,) that the same mercy could not be extended to wretched Judas ? I contend, that the chief priests, &c. who instigated Judas to deliver up his Master, and who crucified him; and who crucified him too as a malefactor, having at the same time, the most indubitable evidence of his innocence, were worse men than Judas Iscariot himself; and that if mercy was extended to those, the wretched penitent traitor did not die out of the reach of the yearning of its bowels. And I contend farther, that there is no positive evidence of the final damnation of Judas in the sacred text. I hope it will not displease the humane reader, that I have entered so deeply into the consideration of this most deplorable case. I would not set up knowingly, any plea against the claims of justice; and God forbid that a sinner should be found capable of pleading against the cries of mercy in behalf of a fellow culprit. Daily, innumerable cases occur of persons who are betraying the cause of God, and selling, in effect, Christ and their souls for money. Every covetous man, who is living for this world alone, is of this stamp. And yet, while they live, we do not despair of their salvation, though they are continually repeating the sin of Judas, with all its guilt and punishment before their eyes! Reader, learn from thy Lord this lesson, blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. The case is before the Judge; and the Judge of all the earth will do right.

Account of the descent of the

CHAP. II.

Holy Spirit on the day of pentecost.

CHAPTER II.

The day of pentecost being arrived, and the disciples assembled, the Holy Spirit descended as a mighty rushing wind, and in the likeness of fiery tongues sat upon them; in consequence of which, they were all enabled to speak different languages, which they had never learned, 1-4. An account of persons from various countries who were present, and were astonished to hear the apostles declare the wonderful works of God in their respective languages, 5-12. Some cavil, 13. and are confounded by Peter, who asserts, that this work is of God; and that thereby a most important prophecy was fulfilled, 14-21. He takes occasion from this to preach Jesus to them, as the true Lord and only Messiah, 22-36. The people are alarmed and convinced, and enquire what they shall do, 37. He exhorts them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, that they may receive remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, 38-40. They gladly receive his word, about three thousand are baptized and added to the church in one day; they continue stedfast in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, 41, 42. The apostles work many miracles; and the disciples have all things in common, and live in a state of great happiness and christian fellowship, 43-47.

[blocks in formation]

NOTES ON CHAP. II.

Verse 1. When the day of Pentecost was fully come] The feast of pentecost was celebrated fifty days after the passover; and has its name πεντεκοστη from πεντηκοντα fifty, which is compounded of TEVTE five, and norra the decimal termination. It commenced on the fiftieth day, reckoned from the first day of unleavened bread, i. e. on the morrow after the pascal lamb was offered. The law relative to this feast is found in Lev. xxiii. 15, 16. in these words: And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall he complete: even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days. This feast was instituted in commemoration of the giving the law on Mount Sinai; and is therefore sometimes called, by the Jews, 1 now shimchath torah, the joy of the law; and frequently, the feast of weeks. There is a correspondence between the giving of the law, which is celebrated by this feast of pentecost, together with the crucifixion of our Lord, which took place at the pass-over; and this descent of the Holy Spirit, which happened at this pentecost. 1. At the pass-over, the Israelites were delivered from Egyptian bondage this was a type of the thraldom in which the human race were to Satan and sin. 2. At the pass-over, Jesus Christ, who was typified by the pascal lamb, was sacrificed for the sin of the world, and by this sacrifice, redemption from sin and Satan is now procured and proclaimed. 3. On

the pentecost, God gave his law on Mount Sinai, accompanied with thunderings and lightnings. On the pentecost, God sent down his Holy Spirit, like a rushing mighty wind; and tongues of fire sat upon each disciple, in order that by his influence, that new law of light and life might be promulgated and established. Thus, the analogy between the Egyptian bondage and the thraldom occasioned by sin; the deliverance from Egypt, and the redemption from sin; the giving of the law, with all its emblematic accompaniments, and the sending down the Holy Spirit, with its symbols of light, life, and power, has been exactly preserved. 4. At the Jewish pass-over, Christ was degraded, humbled, and ignominiously put to death: at the following festival, the pentecost, he was highly glorified; and the all-conquering and ever-during might of his kingdom then commenced. The Holy Spirit seems to have designed all these analogies, to shew that through all preceding ages, God had the dispensation of the gospel continually in view; and that the old law and its ordinances were only designed as preparatives for

the new.

They were all with one accord in one place.] It is proba ble that the ALL here mentioned, means the 120 spoken of chap. i. 15. who were all together at the election of Matthias. With one accord, quolupador; this word is very expressive; it signifies that all their minds, affections, desires, and wishes were concentered in one object, every man having the same end in view; and having but one desire, they had but one

Account of the descent of the

A. M. 4033.
A. D. 29.

[blocks in formation]

CCII.1.

tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon | Holy Ghost, and began to speak with An. Olymp. each of them. other tongues, as the Spirit gave

[blocks in formation]

a

4 And they were all filled with the them utterance.

CCII. 1.

a Ch. 1. 5. Mark 16. 17. ch. 10.46. & 19.6.|| 1 Cor. 12. 10, 28, 30. & 13. 1. & 14. 2, &c.

prayer to God, and every heart uttered it. There was no person uninterested; none unconcerned, none lukewarm; all were in earnest and the Spirit of God came down to meet their united faith and prayer. When any assembly of God's people meet in the same spirit, they may expect every blessing they need.

both the Scriptures, and the Jewish writings amply prove. Thus God manifested himself to Moses, when he appointed him to deliver Israel, Exod. iii. 2, 3. and thus he manifested himself when he delivered the Law on Mount Sinai, Exod. xix. 16-20. The Jews, in order to support the pretensions of their Rabbins, as delivering their instructions by divine authority and influence, represent them as being surrounded with fire while they were delivering their lectures; and that their words, in consequence, penetrated and exhilarated the souls of their disciples. Some of the Mohammedans represent divine inspiration in the same way. In a fine copy of a Persian work, entitled Ajaeeb al Makhlookat, or Wonders of Creation, now before me, where a marred account of Abraham's sacrifice, mentioned Gen. xv. 9-17. is given, instead Verse 2. A sound from heaven] Probably thunder is of the burning lamp passing between the divided pieces of meant, which is the harbinger of the divine presence.

In one place. Where this place was, we cannot tell: it was probably in the temple, as seems to be intimated in ver. 46. where it is said they were daily, opofvpadov ev Tw iEpw, with one accord in the temple; and as this was the third hour of the day, ver. 15. which was the Jewish hour of morning|| prayer, as the ninth hour was the hour of evening prayer, chap. iii. 1. it is most probable that the temple was the place || in which they were assembled.

the victim, ver. 17. Abraham is represented standing between four fowls, the cock, the peacock, the duck, and the crow, with his head almost wrapt in a flame of lambent fire, as the emblem of the divine communication made to him of the future prosperity of his descendants. The painting in which this is represented, is most exquisitely finished. This notion of the manner in which divine intimations were given, was not peculiar to the Jews and Arabians; it exists in all countries; and the glories which appear round the heads of Chinese, Hindoo, and Christian saints, real or supposed, were simply intended to signify, that they had especial intercourse with God; and that his Spirit, under the emblem of fire, sat upon them and became resident in them. There are numerous proofs of this in several Chinese and Hindoo paint. ings in my possession: and how frequently this is to be

Rushing mighty wind] The passage of a large portion of electrical fluid over that place, would not only occasion the sound, or thunder, but also the rushing mighty wind; as the air would rush suddenly and strongly into the vacuum occasioned by the rarefaction of the atmosphere in that place, through the sudden passage of the electrical fluid; and the wind would follow the direction of the fire. There is a good deal of similarity between this account, and that of the appearance of God to Elijah, 1 Kings xix. 11, 12. where the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire, were harbingers of the Almighty's presence, and prepared the heart of Elijah to hear the small still voice; so, this sound, and the mighty rushing wind, prepared the apostles to receive the influences and gifts of the Holy Spirit. In both cases, the sound, strong wind, and fire, although natural agents, were super-met with in legends, missals, and in the ancient ecclesiasnaturally employed. See the note on chap. ix. 7.

Verse 3. Cloven tongues like as of fire] The tongues were the emblem of the languages they were to speak. The cloven tongues pointed out the diversity of those languages; and the fire seemed to intimate, that the whole would be a spiritual gift, and be the means of bringing light and life to the souls who should hear them preach the everlasting gospel in those languages.

Sat upon each of them.] Scintillations, corruscations, or flashes of fire, were probably at first frequent through every part of the room where they were sitting; at last these flashes became defined, and a lambent flame, in the form of a cloven tongue, became stationary on the head of each disciple; a proof that the Spirit of God had made each his temple or residence. That unusual appearances of fire were considered emblems of the presence and influence of God,

tical books of the different Christian nations of Europe, every reader acquainted with ecclesiastical antiquity knows well. See the dedication of Solomon's temple, 2 Chron. vii. 1—3.

The Greek and Roman heathens had similar notions of the manner in which divine communications were given strong wind, loud and repeated peals of thunder, corruscations of lightning, and lambent flames resting on those who were objects of the Deity's regard, are all employed by them to point out the mode in which their gods were reported to make their will known to their votaries. Every thing of this kind was probably borrowed from the account given by Moses of the appearance on Mount Sinai; for traditions of this event were carried through almost every part of the habitable world, partly by the expelled Canaanites, partly by the Greek sages travelling through Asiatic countries in quest of philosophic truth; and partly by means of the Greek version

The apostles speak various languages;

A. M. 4033.

A. D. 29.

An. Olymp. salem, Jews, devout men, out of every

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

5 And there were dwelling at Jeru- multitude came together, and were

A. M. 4033. A. D. 29.

b

confounded, because that every An. Olymp. man heard them speak in his own lan

CCHI. 1.

a Gr. when this voice was made.

b Or, troubled in mind.

of the Septuagint, made nearly 300 years before the Chris-name of tongue to most things which terminate in a blunt tian æra.

A flame of fire seen upon the head of any person, was, among the heathens, considered as an omen from their gods, that the person was under the peculiar care of a supernatural power, and destined to some extraordinary employment. Many proofs of this occur in the Roman poets and historians. Wetstein, in his note on this place, has made an extensive collection of them. I shall quote but one, which almost every reader of the Eneid of Virgil will recollect:

Talia vociferans, gemitu tectum omne replebat:
Cum subitum, dictuque oritur mirabile monstrum.
Namque manus inter, mæstorum ora parentum,
Ecce levis summo de vertice visus Iüli
Fundere lumen apex, tactuque innoxia molli
Lambere flamma comas, et circum tempora pasci.
Nos pavidi trepidare metu, crinemque flagrantem
Excutere, et sanctos restinguere fontibus ignes.
At pater Anchises oculos ad sidera lætos
Extulit, et cælo palmas cum voce tetendit :
Jupiter omnipotens-

Da auxilium, pater, atque hæc omina firma.
VIRG. EN. ii. v. 679.

While thus she fills the house with clamorous cries,
Our hearing is diverted by our eyes ;
For while I held my son, in the short space
Betwixt our kisses and our last embrace,
Strange to relate! from young Iulus' head,
A lambent flame arose which gently spread
Around his brows, and on his temples fed.
Amazed, with running water we prepare
To quench the sacred fire, and slake his hair;
But old Anchises versed in omens, rear'd

His hands to heaven, and this request preferr'd:

If
Confirm the glad presage which thou art pleas'd to send.

any vows almighty Jove can bend,

DRYDEN.

There is nothing in this poetic fiction which could be borrowed from our sacred volume; as Virgil died about twenty years before the birth of Christ.

It may be just necessary to observe, that tongue of fire, may be a Hebraism: for in Isai. v. 24. vx pw leshon esh, which we render simply fire; is literally a tongue of fire, as the margin very properly has it. The Hebrews give the

point: so a bay is termed in Josh. xv. 2. lashon, a tongue. And in ver. 5. of the same chapter, what appears to have been a promontory is called □ leshon hayam, a tongue of the sea.

It sat upon each] That is, one of those tongues like flames, sat upon the head of each disciple: and the continuance of the appearance, which is indicated by the word sat, shews that there could be no illusion in the case. I still think that in all this case, the agent was natural, but supernaturally employed.

Verse 4. To speak with other tongues] At the building of Babel the language of the people was confounded; and in consequence of this, they became scattered over the face of the earth at this foundation of the Christian church, the gift of various languages was given to the apostles, that the scattered nations might be gathered; and united under one shepherd and superintendent (TIGNOTOS) of all souls.

As the Spirit gave them utterance.] The word arogleyYerba, seems to imply such utterance as proceeded from immediate inspiration, and included oracular communications.

Verse 5. Devout men, out of every nation] Either by these we are simply to understand Jews who were born in different countries, and had now come up to Jerusalem to be present at the pass-over, and for purposes of traffic: or proselytes to Judaism, who had come up for the same purpose: for I cannot suppose that the term άνδρες ευλαβεις devout men, can be applied to any other. At this time there was scarcely a commercial nation under heaven, where the Jews had not been scattered for the purpose of trade, merchandise, &c. and from all these nations it is said, there were persons now present at Jerusalem.

Verse 6. When this was noised abroad] If we suppose that there was a considerable peal of thunder, which followed the escape of a vast quantity of electric fluid, and produced the mighty rushing wind already noticed on ver. 2. then the whole city must have been alarmed: and as various circumstances might direct their attention to the temple; having flocked thither, they were further astonished and confounded to hear the disciples of Christ addressing the mixed multitude in the languages of the different countries from which these people had come.

Every man heard them speak in his own language.] We may naturally suppose, that as soon as any person presented himself to one of these disciples, he, the disciple, was im

« AnteriorContinuar »