Mark unseason 343 He repeats his prayer with submission to his Father's will. sect. but for one hour, when I was in such an agony? clxxxii. And you that were so ready to join with him in the same profession, could neither of you be XIV.37. mindful of me; and in this time of my extreme distress were ye all so unable to perform your re solution as not to watch one single hour with 38 me? I must again exhort you to watch and 38 Watch ye, and pray with the greatest earnestness, that ye may temptation : the spirit pray, lest ye enter into not enter into and fall by that dangerous temp- truly is [willing], but tation which is now approaching : the spirit the flesh is weak, indeed is forward, and ready to express the duti- [Mat. XXVI, 41.) ful regard that you have for me, and I know your resolutions of adhering to me are very sin. cere; but yet, as your own present experience may convince you, the flesh is weak; and as you have been so far prevailed upon by its in. firmities, as to fall asleep at this very able time, so if you are not more upon your guard, and more importunate in seeking for assistance from above, it will soon gain a much greater victory over you. 39 And when he had thus gently admonished 39 And again he them, he went away again the second time, to a time), and prayed, and went away (the second little distance from them, and prayed as he had spake the same words, done before, speaking much the same words, or (saying, O my Father, if this cup may not expressing himself to the like effect, with the pass away from me, may be to flesh and blood. 40 And when he re. found them asleep again; for the fatigue and turned, he found them aslecp again (for their trouble they had lately undergone had exhaust, eyes ed e Watch and pray, &c.] How poorly is loison very justly and beautifully observes), this exhortation answered by those vigils were the more remarkable, as our Lord's and nocturnal offices of the Ronesh church, mind was now discomposed with sorrow, which are said to have had their original so that he must have the deeper and ten. from hence! Rhemish. Testam. p. 79.-1 derer sense of the unkindness of his friends. think it more proper, on a review, to ren (See Tillots. Works, Vol. II. p. 435.) der xlws 8% boyurule in the preceding verse, How apt are we to think affliction an excuse with Dr. Hammond, Were ye so unable, for peevishness ! But how unlike are we to &c. than to retain our version of ylws, Christ in that thought, and how unkind to whal, which scems a less common and less ourselves, as well as our friends, to wbom, forcible sense. in such circumstances, with our best temi The spirit indeeel is forteard and ready, per, we must be more troublesome than but the fiesh is weak.) So gentle a rebuke, we could wish! and so kind an apology (as Archbishop Til & Speaking Mark Mat. XXII.42 An angel appears to strengthen him in his agony. 319 eyes were heavy); nei. ed their spirits, and their eyes were quite weigh- Sect: ther wist they what ed down with weariness and sorrow: and he ad- clxxxii. to answer him. (Mat. XXVI. 43.] monished them again as before ; and they were into the same fault again. Mar. XXVI. 44. And, having roused them for the present from And be left them, and their sleep, he left them; and went away, again, XXVS. prayed the third time, and prayed the third time, speaking mucá the 4+ saying the same words; same words as before, or offering petitions to the Lukk XXII. 42. same effect 8 : Saying, Father, if thou pleasest Luke Saying, Father, if thou to take this away cup from me, and to excuse be willing, remove this cup fronisme; never- me from the continuance of this bitter anguish theiess, dot my will and distress", it is what would greatly rejoice me, and with due submission I would bumbly ask it ; nevertheless, as I said before, not my will, sistance against the powers of darkness, which such holy consolations as were most proper to 44 And, being in animate his soul in such a struggle . Yet, with an agony, he prayed all these assurances that he was still the charge more earnestly: and his of heaven, and quickly should be made victori but thine be done. ous : Spenking much the same words.] It is combat in which he was now actually enplain, by coinparing ver. 39 and 42, that gaged. (See Limborch's Theol.lib. iii. cap. ihe words were not entirely the same ; and 13, § 17.) This throws great light on it is certain that any oiten signifies mat Heb. v. 7, He was heart in that he feared, ter ; so that no more appears to be intend- Since the former editions I have had the ed than that he prayed to the same purpose pleasure to find this interpretation beautias before. fully illustrated and judiciously confirmed h I thou pleasest to take away this cup by the learned Dr. Thomas Jackson, in his from me.) The observing reader will easily Works, Vol. 11. p. 813,817, 947. perceive by the paraphrase, that I do not i An angel from heaven strengthening suppose our Lord here prayed to be excused him.] Some of the ancient Christians thought entirely from sufferings and death. Such a it so dishonourable to Christ that he should petition appears to me so inconsistent with receive such assistance from an angei, that ihat steady constancy he always shewed, they omitted this verse in their copies ; as and with that lively turn (John xii. 27, 28, Jerom and Hilary inform us. It is indeed p. 170) in which he seems to disown such wanting in some manuscripts : but far the a prayer, that I think even Hooker's Suid greatest number of copies have it; and could tion, though the best I have met with, is Hilary have proved it a spurious addition, not satisfactory. (Hocker's Eccles. Polily, he would, no doubt, have done it, since it lib. v. § 48.) It appears to me much safer so directly contradicts the wild notion de 10 expound it, as Sir Matthew Hale does seems to maintain, that Christ was incapa. (in his Contemplations, Vol. I. p. 59), as ble of any painful sensations. (See Dr. relating to the terror and severity of the Mill, in loc.) XX 2 k His SECT. clxxxii. and was come to his 350 He tells his disciples that the traitor was coming. ous over all, his terror and distress continued ; sweat was as it were and, being in an unspeakable agony, he prayed great: drops of blood falling to Like yet more intensely than before, insomuch that, ground. XX11.41 thongh he was now in the open air, and in the cool of the night, his sweat ran off with uncom- bowed himself to the earth k. rose up from prayer, conflict, he came back to his disciples the third time, and, notwithstanding the repeated admo- disciples, (MARK, the nitions he had given them, he again found them third time,] he found sleeping ; for their senses were quite stupified, row, (MAT. XXVI. 46 and their spirits exliausted with sorrow. And 45.- MARK XIV.41.] he said to them, Ilhy do you still go on to sleep at 46 And said unto such a season as this? This drowsy disposition rise and pray, lestye them, Why sleep ye? makes it necessary to renew my exhortation, and enter into temptation. to call upon you yet once more to arise and pray that you may not enter into a circumstance Mat. of very dangerous temptation. But as all this MAT. XXVI. 45. XXVI. did not sufficiently rouse them, and he knew And he them, Sloep on now, those that came to apprehend him were just now and take your rest; entering the garden, he altered his voice, and (it is enough;} besaid to them in an ironical manner, You may [come], and the Son now sleep on if you can, and take your rest as long of man is betrayed inas you please. I have been calling you to watch; to the bands of sinbut it is now enough; for this season of watch hers; (MARK XIV, -41.] into saith unto 45 hour is * His sweat was as it reere great drops of the former says he was now surronnded blood, &c.] Many expositors have thought, with a mightyhost of devils,who exercisedall as Mr. Le Clerc did, that the expression their force and malice to persecute and dis[o drws avle woso spoje bob espans'] only tract his innocent soul; and the latter sup. implies that his drops of sweat toere large poses that Satan hoped, by overpowering and clammylike clots of gore : but Dr. Whitby him here, to have prevented the acconobserves that Aristotle and Diodorus Siculus pliament of the prophecies relating to the both mention bloody sweats as attending manner and circumstances of his death. some extraordinary agony of mind; and I (See Scotl's Christian Life, Vol. III. p. 149, find Leti, in his Life of Pulie Sertus V. p. and Fleming's Christology, Vol. II. p. 130.) 200, and Sir John Chardin, in his History of But however this be, I can hardly ibink, as Persia, Vol. I. p. 126, mentioning a like Dr. Scott suggests, that there was some suphenomenon; to which Dr. Jackson (in pernatural agency of those evil spirits in the his Works, Vol. II. p. 819) adds another drosesiness of the disciples, since the sacred from Thuanus, lib x. p. 221.- Dr. Scott historian is silent on this head, and refers it and Mr. Fleming both imagine that Christ to another cause. now struggled with the spirits of darkness : clxxxii. Reflections on Christ's agony in the garden. 351. into the hands of the most inhuman sinners ; SECT. 46 Rise, let us be Arise, therefore, and let us go along with them going: behold, he is whithersoever they shall lead us; for behold, he tray me. [ MARK XIV. that betrayeth me is just at hand. Accordingly XXVI. 42.] Judas and his retinue immediately appeared, and 46 seized him in the manner which will be next related. at band that doth be. Mat. IMPROVEMENT. Luke xxii. Mark On the most transient survey of this amazing story we cannot but fall into deep admiration. What a sight is here! Let our souls turn aside to behold it with a becoming temper: and surely we must wonder how the disciples could sleep in the midst of a Mat: xxvi. scene which might almost have awakened rocks and trees to 40, 43 compassion. Behold the Prince of life, God's incarnate and only-begotten Son, drinking of the brook in the way (Psal. cx. 7); and not only tasting, but drawing in full draughts of that bitter cup which bis 41, 42 heavenly Father put into his hands on this awful occasion. Let us behold him kneeling, and even prostrate on the ground, and there pouring out bis strong cries and tears to him that was able to xiv. 35 save him from death. (Heb. v. 7.) Let us view him in this Luke bloody agony, and say, If these things be done in the green tree, what xxii. 44 shall be done in the dry? (Luke xxiii. 31.) If even Christ himself was so depressed with sorrow and amazement, and the distress and anguish he endured were such, that in his agony the sweat ran from him like great drops of blood, when our iniquities were laid upon him, and it pleased the Father to bruise him, and to put him to grief (Isa. liii. 6, 10); how must the sinner then be filled with horror, and with what dreadful agonies of anguish and despair will he be overwhelmed, when he shall bear the burden of his own iniquities, and God shall pour out all his wrath upon bim? Behold, how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! (Heb. 8. 31.) Here was no buman enemy near our blessed Redeemer; yet such invisible terrors set themseloes in array against him, that his very soul was poured out like water ; nor was there any circumstance of his sufferings in which he discovered a greater commotion of spirit. Nevertheless, his pure and holy soul bare all this without any irregular perturbation. In all this he sinned not by a murmuring word, or an impatient thought: he shone the brighter for the furnace of affliction, and gave us at once the most wonderful and the most amiable pattern of resignation to the Divine dis-39, 42 posal, when he said, Father, not as I will, but as thou wilt.—May this Mat. xxvi, 38 952 Judas comes to the garden with soldiers to seize him. SECT, this be our language under every trial! Lord, we could wish it clxxxii. was; and we would maintain a holy watchfulness over our own souls, that it may be so! But in this respect, as well as in every 41 other, we find that even when the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. How happy is it for us that the blessed Jesus knows our frame, and has learnt, by what he himself suffered in our frail nature, to make the most compassionate allowance for its various infirmities! Let us learn to imitate this his gentle and gracious conduct, even in an hour of so much distress. Let us bear with and let us pity each other, not aggravating every neglect of our friends into a crime; but rather speaking of their faults in the mildest terms, and making the most candid excuses for what we cannot defend. Let us exercise such a temper, even in the most gloomy and dejected moments of life; which surely may well be expected of us, who ourselves need so much compassion and indulgence almost from every one with whom we converse; and, which is infinitely more, who owe our all to the forbearance of that God, of whose mercy it is that we are not utterly consumed. SECT. CLXXXIII. Jesus is betrayed by Judas, and seized by the guard, to whom, after glorious displays of his power, he voluntarily surrenders himself, and is then forsaken by all his disciples. Mat XXVI. 47–56. Mark XIV. 43–52. Luke XXII. 47-53. John XVIII. 2-12. John XVIII. 2. John XVIII. 2. clix. NOW when our Lord was thus retired to the AND Judas also which garden, Judas also that betrayed him knew betrayed him, knew the place : the place ; for Jesus often resorted thither in com- for Jesus oft times reJohn XVII. 2 pany with his disciples“, and had particularly sorted thither with his done it again and again since his coining up to disciples, spend this passover at Jerusalem. (Compare 3 Luke xxi. 37. p. 263.) Judas therefore taking . 3 Juidas then, hav.. with bim a band (of soldiers), or a Roman co ing received a band of men and officers from hort, with their captain (see ver. 12), and some the Jewish a Jesus often resorted thither with his dis- bable Christ might exert some miraculous riples.] It was probably a garden which he power over his own animal nature to longed to one of Christ's friends, and to strengthen it for such difficult services, and which he had a liberty of retiring whenever to preserve it in health and vigour; other. he pleased. And here accordingly he olteu wise the copious dew's which fall by night used to spend some considerable time in in those paris must have been very dan. prayer and pious converse, in the evenings gerous (as I have elsewhere hinted, sect. or nights after bis indefatigable labours in ixxxvi. notec), especially when the body the city and temple by day. It is indeed was heated by preaching in the day, and amazing how fiesh and bloodconld go through often by travelling several miles on foot. such incessant fatigues; but it is very pro b Hed |