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During the ten days stay and continuance of the apostles at Jerusalem, before the feast of Pentecost, a motion was made among them for filling up the vacancy in the sacred college of the apostles, which was occasioned by the death of the traitor Judas; and here we have observable,
1. The person that made this motion, St. Peter: In those days Peter stood up, and said. Whence the church of Rome would infer his supremacy, byt very groundlessly.
For St. Peter's being the chief speaker, and sometimes the sole speaker, is not to be attributed to his superiority; but,
1. To his seniority, he being probably elder than the rest.
2. To his apostolical office! he was appointed to be the first and chief minister of the circumcision, to preach among the Jews: and therefore no wonder that Peter if first mentioned, when any thing relating to the Jewish affairs is recited.
3. His forwardness to speak and act for Christ and his interest, may be imputed to his repentance, it being but necessary that he, who had so scandalously fallen, should, by his future zeal, convince the world both of his repentance and recovery.
And accordingly he speaks, acts, and labours more abundantly than all the apostles; not that the rest were idle or insignificant; for they were equal with him, having an equal authority, an equal gift of miracles, an equal number of tongues, and equal power to preach the gospel, an equal wisdom in preaching of it:
For the reasons above mentioned, St. Peter spake and did so much; having dishonoured Christ before by his cowardly denial of him, he now resolves to signalize himself by shewing extraordinary measures of zeal nad activity for him.
Observe, 2. The honourable office and station which Judas once had; He was numbered with the apostles, and obtained part of that ministry with them. Judas though (secretly) a thief, a traitor, yea, a devil, yet had he by Christ's own choice, a part or office in the apostolic order.
O Lord! how possible, and yet how sad is it to preach to others, and to become castaways ourselves! to prophecy in thy name, and yet to perish in thy wrath! to cast devils out of others, and yet be cast to the devil ourselves! to have our ministry blessed to others comfort and salvation, and at the same time to minister to our own condemnation! Quistalia fando temperet a lachrymis?
Observe, 3. Judas's sin described; He was guide to them that took Jesus, verse 16. A guide to the chief priests in thier counsels, as to the manner of apprehending Christ; and a guide to the soldiers, as to the time and place of his apprehension.
Note thence, That there cannot be a greater sin, than for a person to be a guide and leader of others into sin. Woe to magistrates! woe to ministers! woe to parents! that are found guilty of this sin.
Observe, 4. Judas's punishment declared;
1. He was hanged or strangled; some think by his own hand: others by the devil's. No doubt that Satan, who had so great a hand in his sin, had more than a finger in his punishment. Of all mortals, no wretch ever deserved so direful a fate as this traitor Judas: And doubtless it was the dreadfulest that the devil could inflict.
2. It is added, that he burst asunder, and his bowels gushed out. The rope, or that to which it was fastened, breaking, he fell down headlong, and burst asunder, and his bowels gushed out. A just and suitable punishment for his want of bowels to his kind and innocent Master.
3. He went to his own place; that is, he went and was sent to hell and damnation, the proper place for the son of perdition: called his own place, because of his own choosing, of his own deserving, of his own procuring; it was what he had purchased to himself by the wages of iniquity, and justly deserved for his final impenitency.