washing his feet, instead of being, as ufual, the first to speak, applies to the favorite disciple to make the inquiry. Our Lord graciously condescending to relieve their anxious minds, points out the traitor; but in fuch a way, that he himself could not have been certain he was discovered.

27. And after the fop Satan entered "into him. Then faid Jefus unto him, "That thou doeft, do quickly.

66 28. Now no man at the table knew " for what intent he spake this unto him.

29. For fome of them thought, be"cause Judas had the bag, that Jefus had "faid unto him, Buy those things that we "have need of against the feast; or, that "he fhould give fomething to the poor. "go. He then, having received the 'fop, went immediately out and it was 'night."

Christ having given him the fop,' we

are told that Satan entered into him.'

Judas, by his avarice, hypocrify and ingratitude,

gratitude, had made himself a fit dwelling for fuch a guest: Satan was therefore fuffered to take full poffeffion of him; and, no doubt, fuggefted every argument which his malice could furnish, to confirm him in his devilish purpose. His first attack, we may suppose to have been on the ruling paffion of his heart; pointing out to him, that, from Jefus, he could expect neither wealth nor honors; whilst, with the chief priests and rulers, he might make his own terms, by putting into their power him whom they had so long attempted to take in vain, and pass the remainder of his life in ease and affluence. He might, then, urge him to resentment, for the preference which our Lord fhewed to others of his disciples, (which was, no doubt, the cafe, from the knowledge he had of his character); and may be supposed to have clofed the temptation, by urging that, in giving up Chrift, he would do an acceptable service to the religion and laws of his country, which his master was endeavoring to fubvert. To a mind fo perverted as

that

that of Judas, fuch arguments must have been unanswerable; and feeling conscious that he was now discovered, and unable longer to bear the divine looks of the master he was about to betray, he seems to have followed our Lord's advice, To be expeditious in what he meant to do, by going out immediately and making his terms with the chief priests and rulers, to deliver him up to them that very night.

Though the words which our Saviour addreffed to Judas were perfectly intelligible to him, his conscience pointing out their meaning, they were not understood by the reft of the apoftles; who conceived them to relate to fome commiffion Jefus had given him to execute. The communication he had made to the beloved dif ciple, appears to have been private, and not immediately communicated to the others. The fum which he received, as we are told by the other evangelifts, was (acording to prophecy) thirty pieces of filver. St. Matthew, (chap. xxvi. ver. 14. 15.) ftates it thus: "Then one of the twelve, "called

"called Judas Iscariot, went unto the "chief priests, and said unto them, What

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" will ye give me, and I will deliver him "unto you? And they covenanted with "him for thirty pieces of filver."

This appears to be, by the law of Mo. fes, the fixed price for the life of a slave; as we may fee in Exodus, chap. xxi. verse 32.: "If the ox fhall push a man-servant " or maid-servant; he shall give unto their "mafter thirty fhekels of filver, and the ox fhall be ftoned." our bleffed Lord not only fuffered as a malefactor, but was alfo fold, at the price of a flave. There is another prophecy, in the eleventh chapter of Zechariah, (ver. 12. 13.): "And I faid unto them, If ye think

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Thus we fee that

good, give me my price; and if not, "forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of filver. And the Lord "faid unto me, Caft it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prifed at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of filver, and caft them to the potter in "the houfe of the Lord."

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St.

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St. Matthew (chap. xxvii. ver. 9.) adds:
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken

by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they "took the thirty pieces of filver, the price "of him that was valued, whom they of "the children of Ifrael did value."

That Judas Iscariot fhould demand no more of the chief priests for delivering up Chrift to them, than the mere price of a flave's life, when there cannot be a doubt that, rather than have failed in their purpose, they would have gratified his avarice to its utmost extent, ferves to place in the strongest poffible point of view, the over-ruling hand of Providence; which, for the completion of the prophecies, obliged Judas to confine his demand to fo trifling a fum.

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'31. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jefus faid, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

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32. If God be glorified in him, God "fhall alfo glorify him in himself, and fhall "ftraitway glorify him.

Nnn

"33. Little

!