The Easter Gift/Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces
JUDAS RETURNING THE THIRTY PIECES.
PAINTED BY REMBRANDT ENGRAVED BY W. RADDON.
FISHER, SON & CO. LONDON, 1834 |
JUDAS RETURNING THE THIRTY PIECES.
"Then Judas which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back 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 to that.
"And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."Matthew xxvii. 3-5.
The thirty pieces down he flung, for which his Lord he sold,
And tum'd away his murderer's face from that accursed gold.
He cannot sleep, he dares not watch; that weight is on his heart,
For which, nor earth nor heaven have hope, which never can depart.
A curse is on his memory, we shudder at his name;
At once we loathe, and scorn his guilt, and yet we do the same:
Alas! the sinfulness of man, how oft in deed and word
We act the traitor's part again, and do betray our Lord.
We bend the knee, record the vow, and breathe the fervent prayer:
How soon are prayer and vow forgot, amid life's crime and care!
The Saviour's passion, cross, and blood, of what avail are they,
If first that Saviour we forget, and next we disobey?
For pleasures, vanities, and hates, the compact we renew,
And Judas rises in our hearts—we sell our Saviour too.
How for some moments' vain delight we will imbitter years,
And in our youth lay up for age, only remorse and tears.
Ah! sanctify and strengthen, Lord, the souls that turn to thee;
And from the devil and the world our guard and solace be.
And as the mariners at sea still watch some guiding star,
So fix our hearts and hopes on thee, until thine own they are.