I thank thee that thou hast heard me and I knew that thou hearest me always. John 11: 42. But it is said Judas was "the son of perdition" [ill fortune]. Does this show that Judas is or will be eternally lost? No. Judas was a man of loss and ill fortune. He was lost to the apostleship and ministry, in which he had previously shared. He was considered a traitor, and abandoned by the church, and by the world. Son of perdition, is a Hebraism, signi fying one that is lost, or a man of ill fortune. All this Judas effectually and sufficiently experienced in this world. Judas was also called a devil (diabolos); that is, an opposer or untrue. But will this eternally damn him? Christ says to Peter, Matt. 16: 23, "Get behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me," &c. Yet no one supposes that Peter is forever lost. But it is said, Matt. 26: 24, "it had been good for that man if he had not been born." These words are not strictly and literally to be interpreted, as they were a proverbial form of speech among the Jews; and every one ought to know that proverbs are not to be literally taken. Dr. Clarke shows the above to be correct. At the end of chap. 1, in Acts, he also says, "The utmost that can be said of 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 that involves the death of the body; but who can say (if mercy was offered to Christ's murderers, . . .) that the same mercy could not be extended to wretched Judas?" He further states that the chief priests were actually more guilty than Judas; and if mercy could have been extended to them (which the Dr. admits was), then Judas did not die out of its reach. "And I contend further " (says the Dr.), "that there is no positive evidence of the final damnation of Judas in the sacred text." See Paige's Selections. Jeremiah cursed the day in which he was born. He says, "Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed," &c. See Jer. 20: 14-18. Pious Job also says, "Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, there is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not the light shine upon it," &c. See Job 3: 1-12. Now, no one will contend that righteous Jeremiah, or pious Job, have gone to an endless hell; yet they curse the day of their birth, and conterd that it would have been good had they not been born. But it is said, Judas "hanged himself," Matt. 27: 5, "And he cast down

the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself." This expression appears to contradict what is said in Acts 1: 18, "Now this man [Judas] purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and, falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out." This account of his end is evidently correct. There is no evidence that Judas hung himself, or that he took his own life in any way. The difficulty is with the expression, "hanged himself," in Matthew. The Greek word apegrato, rendered "hanged himself," has not of necessity that signification. It appears to have the following meaning: he [Judas] went out, being suffocated, or strangled with grief. Campbell renders it "strangled himself;" and says "it may be rendered, was suffocated." Wakefield's version is, "was choked with anguish." Clarke says, "it may be rendered, was strangled." This harmonizes the two passages, and removes the apparent difficulty. Judas was evidently mortified and grieved to excess. In verses 3, 4, it is said, that "when he saw that he [Christ] was condemned, he repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou tc that." Upon hearing this answer, Judas cast down the pieces of silver and went out, not only repenting, but with such highly-grieved, mortified, and wounded feelings, that he was completely suffocated and choked with grief, to that degree, that he actually fell headlong, bursting asunder, and thus expiring in a moment of grief, repentance, and agony. What more pitiable could his condition have been? and what stronger evidence of sorrow and compunction could have been manifested? and he, who feels to pursue and follow him, even into eternity, and further torment him there, must be destitute of all sympathy, and even humanity itself. The motive of Judas in be traying, or delivering up Christ to the Jews, could not have been for the purpose of having him crucified. Judas knew that his Master possessed the power of delivering himself from his enemies, and this he had often seen him perform; but he might have felt somewhat avaricious, and designed the money for his own individual use, but more probably (as he was their treasurer, carried the bag, &c.) that he designed it for the use of the fraternity, or the benefit of the church. But when he saw the result, he was disappointed; he saw that he had misjudged, and was chagrined, mortified, grieved, and

repentant. What more could he have done, on learning his ow frailty and misdoings?

But is is said by the unreflecting, that Judas has gone to an endless hell, because of the expression in Acts 1: 25, "that he might go to his own place." Admitting this phrase to allude to Judas, and what does it prove? Certainly, not that he has gone to an endless hell; for no such place is defined or taught in the Bible. And if it were, it was not pointed to as the place of Judas; for "his own place" could signify no more than to his former state or condition; or, if applied to his death, could imply no more than that he had gone to the state of the dead in general; independently of either rewards or punishments; as is evidently taught in Eccl. 3: 20, "All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again."

But it is thought by some of the best Partialist writers, that the expression, "his own place," does not allude to Judas at all; but to Matthias. Dr. Hammond, Priestly, and others, are of that opinion. Dr. Clarke says, "Should the 25th verse be urged against this possibility (i. e., of the salvation of Judas), 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." Paige's Selections.

The Apostles appeared to be anxious to fill the vacancy, in the loss of Judas. They made choice of two, Justus and Matthias. They then prayed — (not that the Lord would damn Judas — but) that the Lord would show them which of the two should succeed in filling the vacancy; that he (the chosen one) might go to his own place. All the arguments which are brought forward to prove the endless torment of Judas do utterly fail. We might as well, in reality, undertake to prove the endless ruin of any other man, as that of Judas. Hundreds have been more wicked than Judas, of whom it is believed that they are now in heaven. Judas was wicked, and, like every other sinner, suffered in proportion to the nature and demerit of his crime.

In the last place, let us consider, briefly, the more favorable part of his history. Judas was one of the twelve apostles; and in com

mon with all the other apostles, he received the power of working miracles, as evidence of his divine appointment to the apostleship. We have no reason to doubt his zeal, or distrust his faithfulness and assiduity, at least until the time of the betrayal. Long before Judas had transgressed, and before any other than Judas was known as filling his place, Christ, in answer to Peter, said, "Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel," Matt. 19: 28. Christ must here have alluded to the twelve, of which Judas was one, and who also had followed Christ in the regeneration, and was to sit upon one of the twelve thrones. The following facts may now be stated. 1st. Judas was actually one of the twelve apostles, and chosen as such, by Christ himself. 2d. That for a long time, at least, he was as true to his trust, and acted his part in as good faith, as did any other apostle. 3d. That the part he took in the betraying of Christ was the part for which God had raised him up, and that which was predetermined by the counsel of Heaven. 4th. That notwithstanding he was a sinner, yet, that no man ever left the world manifesting greater sorrow for sin, more compunction of heart, deeper contrition, or more regret for offences, than did Judas. 5th. That there is no shade of evidence that Judas will be eternally miserable. 6th. That, in common with all transgressors, he suffered in this world the just demerit of all his crimes. 7th. That the last account of him is, he had gone the way of all the earth - he was dead: and if any one can give a further or better account of him, we will kindly receive it.

CHAPTER XIX.

BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST

SECTION I.

Those passages wherein the expression, BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST, Occurs.

Matt. 12: 31, 32. Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and lasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world [aioni], neither in the world [or age] to come.

Mark 3: 28-30. Verily I say unto you, all sins shall be forgiven unt the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgive ness, but is in danger of eternal damnation [aioniou kriseos]; because they said, he hath an unclean spirit.

SECTION II.

Remarks on the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost

The subject of the "blasphemy against the Holy Ghost" is ofter. brought as an insurmountable objection to the doctrine of universal holiness and happiness. In the first place, we will inquire, upon the admission that the above texts teach the doctrine of endless misery, how many can possibly be exposed to that state?

Christ, in the first place, positively affirms that "all manner of in and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men." "Verily I say