him in their Practices; and what can we call this, but Judas-like to betray the Son of Man with a Kifs; to fay Hail-Mafter, and deliver him to be Crucified; to cry Hofanna, and by and by, Away with him; at once to embrace and to deride him; to hug and to contemn him;to bow the knee to him, and mock him; and in imitatation to the rude Soldiery, to cloath him with Purple, and to strike and buffet him.

2. He was betray'd by one, who, by no argument of Love or Mercy, could be wrought into a fincere Reformation: He had seen the Miracles of his Mafter; himself, by his Master's influence, did wonders, and he saw Divinity shine in him nor was Chrift wanting in Warning, Teaching, Inftructing, Entreating and Admonishing of him, yet nothing could prevail with him to purge out the Leaven of Malice and Wickedness; and is not Christ betrayed this way by thousands at this day? He that defpifes you, faith he to his Servants and Inftruments, deSpifes me; and then if his calling to Men, by his Minifters, by fignal Providences, by Mercies, by Afflictions, by their Consciences, by their Infirmities and Sickneffes, Weakness and approaching Death, will not make them fenfible of their Duty; if in despite of his Endeavours to keep them from being undone, they scorn both his Yoke and his Love, what greater Treafon can they be guilty of? especially where they make his Mercy a fhelter for their Sin; are therefore evil, because he is good, and are tempted by his Patience to be refraatory and obftinate.

II. He was betray'd both to wicked Men and Devils. 1. To wicked Men, fuch as the Scribes and Elders of the Jews, his fworn Enemies; and this way he is ftill be tray'd; for though there be no Scribes, no Pharifees at this day, yet there are Atheistical and sensual Men,who feeing Chrift's Religion made a Cloak for ill Defigns, and bad Practices, take occafion from thence to speak evil of it; as David having profeffed much Zeal to God

and

and falling afterwards into very monftrous Sins, made the Enemies of the Lord blafpheme, and laught at the advantages the Jews boafted of, above the Doctrines and Principles of their Neighbour-Idolaters. Indeed to fee Men wicked and vain under a fhew of Piety, and while they profess to be followers of Jefus, live directly contrary to the Example and Precepts of the Holy Jefus, makes that pretended Devotion ridiculous; and inftead of converting Men of loose Principles, drives them farther off, and tempts them to think all Religion to be nothing but a Cheat: And though this Infererence is unjuft and abfurd, yet ftill these dangerous Inferences will be laid at their Door, who either contradicted the Principles of their Religion by their Actions, or made it a Stalking-horse to ill Designs and Purposes.

2. He was betray'd to Devils too, who seeing him in the hands of bloody and barbarous Men, left and forfaken, as it were by Heaven and that Divinity, which dwelt there, took the greater boldness to fet upon him by temptations; and as these foes watch opportunities, and then moleft most, when Men are leaft able to controul their infolence; fo feeing the Saviour of the World thus feemingly forfaken, we may suppose they assaulted him with greater fiercenefs; partly, because his defign had been to destroy their Kingdom; and partly, because he had fo often difpoffefs'd them of their Habitations: It is therefore the Opinion of the Learned Men, that in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Chrift fell into trembling Fits, the Devil appeared to him in a visible and most dismal fhape, which occafions an Angel's descent from above to comfort him; but whether it were fo or no, the Fiend feeing him betray'd, and deliver'd into the Hands of his own Slaves, without all peradventure, triumph'd in his Mifery, and infulted over him with greater fcorn, and in imitation of David's Enemies, cry'd Aha, fo would he have it; fo doth the Hypocrite betray Chrift to the Devil, who hearing the painted Christian talk of Mortification and Contempt of the World, the two fundamental

mental Points of his Master's Religion, and feeing him act point-blank against them, doth not only deride and defpife Religion, but cafts Reproaches on Chrift himself, as if the Motives he was come to give the World, were impotent, and unable to effect that mighty change the Gospel speaks of, and which the Son of God ufed to glory in, while the World was fo happy as to enjoy his Prefence. The Devils rejoice to fee Chrift thus defeated in his grand Designs of Reformation; and tho he is in Glory at this time, yet the Hypocrites Actions raise a Perfecution against him, and puts the Devils upon new Infolencies against his Honour and Majefty; what, fay they, are thefe thy Servants and Difciples; are thefe the Men that are changed from Glory to Glory? What do they more than the Disciples of Hell? And if the little Pleasures of the World, I hold out to them, can preponderate, and do more with them, than the Arguments of thy Death, and the Motives drawn from a glorious endless Life, where is thy Power, or wherein, hath thy Kingdom the advantage of my Empire?

III. He was betray'd partly for filthy Lucre, partly for his unchangeable Integrity.

1. For Filthy Lucre. The love of Money, the root of all evil, was the cause of it. The Thirty pieces of Silver invited the Traitor to this Enterprife: So powerful is Gold and Silver, that at this day it tempts Men to betray the Son of God, for we fee they care not what becomes of Religion, fo their Purfes fwell and are indifferent, whether God's Honour be maintained or no, fo their Corn, and Wine, and Oyl increafeth: This makes Men venture on the fouleft Sins, and draws them into Actions, which should not be so much as named among Chriftians: This tempts them to Opprefs, to Cheat, to Flatter, to Diffemble,to Lie, and to Forfwear themselves, to comply with the finful Humours of Men, and to debase their Souls to the dirtieft and moft difingenuous Actions; yet all this while, fuch will be counted Chri

*- ftians

ftians and Proteftants, and of the true Religion, against which the Gates of Helfhall not be able to prevail.

2. For his unchangeable Integrity. He would not allow Judas to profefs himself his Difciple, and cherish bafe and covetous Defires; the Lord Jefus, that knew his heart,we may fuppofe,bid him either leave the Profeffion, or with his Profeffion, cleanfe the infide of the Cup and Platter; convinced him, that the love of God and that of the World, were incompatible, and did mutually deftroy each other: This the ill-natur'd Difciple could not brook, and because his Master would not give him leave to enjoy God's Favour, and his own Sins together, he be tray'd him. This is the cafe of Counterfeit Chriftians at this day; because Chrift will not permit them to blend his Religion with their delight in Vanity, will not allow them to serve God and Mammon; they expofe his Religion to that contempt and fcorn, we have mention'd, as if they would be reveng'd upon God for being fo unkind to them, as not to permit an Alliance to be made betwixt the Temple of God and Idols, betwixt Chrift and Belial, betwixt Light and Darkness.

IV. Why Christ would institute this Sacrament that very Night, in which he was betray'd, will appear from these following Reafons.

ner,

1. To fhew, That he delighted not in the Death of a Sintherefore the fame Night that he was betray'd, he provided a Remedy that Sinners might not die,and whereby the Offenders might be reftor'd to Life and Happinefs, if they did not willfully reject it. That Pardon and Deliverance, and Freedom from everlasting Death, is offer'd, tender'd, and convey'd, and feal'd in this Sacrament to every Sinner, that is unfeignedly refolv'd to be Friends with God upon his own Terms, is confefs'd by all the Christian World. It was therefore inftituted that Night that Judas did betray him, to fhew, that if even Judas, and all fuch Traitors, that should fome way or other imitate him in his Actions, either had come, or should for the future come and throw away their Wea

pons,

pons, their Enmity and their Arms, quit their Hoftility, and humble themselves before their offended Father,that they shall not Mifs of Mercy and Forgiveness, than which there cannot be a greater fign, that he delights not in their Ruin: That Night when he was perfecuted, to provide a Refuge for his Perfecutors: That Night, when his Enemies were like to practife Treafon, to think on a way how that Treafon might be pardon'd: That Night, when they were going to undo themselves, to provide a Pool in which they might wafh and be clean: This furely fpoke his defire, that they might not die. Wonderful Goodness! He forefaw the Wounds they would give to their Souls, and before they give themfelves thofe Wounds, he prepares a Plaister to heal them; He saw how fierce and violent the Poifon was they were going to take, and at the fame time provides an Antidote: He faw they were going to ftarve their Souls, and at the fame time orders Meat and Drink to be made ready to preserve them from expiring.

2. He inftituted it that very Night to admonish us, that when we come to receive thefe Holy Elements, we fhould remember with Grief and Sorrow, how often we have betray'd his Glory to his Enemies, and by the heinoufnefs of the Sin, be frighted from attempting the like again; and what can be more reasonable at fuch times, than to reflect: Ah, Wretch that I am! How like a Brute bave I lived under the Name of a Chriftian! I have called my Mafter, Lord, and have done mine own Will! I have called him Father, and when he hath bid me work in his Vineyard, have run away! Thave profeffed Love to the Lord Jefus, and been afham'd of him and of his Gospel! I have feem'd a devout Worshipper of him, and been a Stranger to felf-denial ! And when my Profit, Eafe, or Credit, have been in danger, how have I left him with the Difciples, and fled! How have I betray'd him by fuch Cowardice! What occafion of Reproach have I given to his Enemies! How have I hardned others in their Sins by fuch doings! How have I made fenfual Men de fpife that noble Religion, the Son of God fealed with his dearest Blood! And fhall I betray him any longer? Shall I still deliver