502 An Angel appears to ftrengthen him in bis Agony. Sect. 182. and with due Submiffion I would humbly afk it; me; nevertheless, not my nevertheless, as I faid before, not my Will, but Will, but thine be done. Luke XXII. 43. thine be done. And in this laft Address his Combat was fo violent and fevere, that he was almost overwhelmed; and therefore for his Affistance against the Powers of Darkness, which united their Force against him in the most terrible Manner, there appeared to him an Angel from Heaven, ftanding near him in a visible Form, and Atrengthening him by that fenfible Token of the Father's Protection and Favour, and fuggefting fuch holy Confolations as were most proper to 44 animate his Soul in fuch a Struggle (i). Yet with all these Affurances that he was ftill the Charge of Heaven, and quickly fhould be made victorious over all, his Terror and Diftrefs continued; and being in an unfpeakable Agony, he prayed yet more intenfely than before, infomuch that tho' he was now in the open Air, and in the Cool of the Night, his Sweat ran off with uncommon Violence; yea, fo ftrong was the Commotion of animal Nature, that Blood was alfo forced thro' the Pores together with the Sweat; which was as it were great Drops of Blood falling down from his Face, and dropping in Clots on the Ground, as he bowed himself to the Earth (k). And 43 And there appeared an Angel unto him from Heaven, ftrengthning him. 44 And being in an Agony, he prayed more earneftly and his Sweat was as it were great Drops of Blood falling down to the Ground. He was to the Terror and Severity of the Combat in which he was now actually engaged: (See (i) An Angel from Heaven ftrengthening him ] Some of the antient Chriftians thought it fo difhonourable to Chrift, that he should receive fuch Affiftance from an Angel, that they omitted this Verfe in their Copies; as Ferom and Hilary inform us. It is indeed wanting in fome Mannfcripts: But far the greatest Number of Copies have it; and could Hilary have proved it a fpurious Addition, he would, no doubt, have done it, fince it fo directly contradicts the wild Notion he feems to maintain, that Christ was incapable of any painful Senfations. (See Dr. Mill, in loc.) (k) His Sweat was as it were great Drops of Blood.] A great many Expofitors have thought, as Mr. Le Clerc did, that the Expreffion [o idpas aux wσe Deoμco apatos] only implies, that his Drops of Sweat were large and clammy like Clots of Gore: But Dr. Whitby obferves, that Ariftotle and Diodorus Siculus both mention bloody Sweats, as attending fome extraordinary Agony of Mind; and I find Leti in his Life of Pope Sixtus V. pag. 200. and Sir John Chardin in his Hiftory of Perfia, Vol. i. pag. 126. mentioning a like Phoenomenon. Dr. Scot and Mr. Fleming both imagine, that Chrift now ftruggled with the Spirits of Darkness: The former fays, he was now furrounded with a mighty Host of Devils, who exercifed all their Force and Malice, to perfecute and diftract his innocent Soul; and the latter fupposes, that Satan hoped, by overpowering him here, to have prevented the Accomplishment of the Prophecies relating to the Manner and Circumftances of his Death. (See Scot's Chriftian Life, He tells bis Difciples, that the Traitor was coming.. 45 And when he rose up from Prayer, and was come to his Difciples, [MAR. the third Time,] he found them fleeping for Sorrow, 46 And faid unto them, Why fleep ye? rife and pray, left ye enter into Temptation. [MAT. XXVI. 45.—MARK XIV. 41.-] MAT. XXVI-45. And he faith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your Reft: [it is enough;] behold, the Hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed in Luke XXII. 503 And rifing up from Prayer, he came back to his Sect. 182. Difciples the third Time, and notwithstanding the repeated Admonitions he had given them, he again 45. found them fleeping; for their Senfes were quite ftupified with Sorrow. And he faid to them, 46 Why do you still allow yourselves to fleep at fuch a Seafon, as this? This drowsy Difpofition makes it neceffary to renew my Exhortation, and to call upon you yet once more, to arife and pray, that you may not enter into a Circumstance of very dangerous Temptation.. But as all this did not Mat. XXVI. fufficiently roufe them, and he knew those that 45. came to apprehend him were just now entering the Garden, he altered his Voice, and faid to them in an Ironical Manner, You may now fleep on if you can, and take your Reft as long as you please. I have been calling you to watch; but it is now enough; for this Seafon of watching is over, and I have no further Need to prefs you to it: You will now be roufed by another Kind of Alarm, than my Words can give you; for behold, the long expected Hour is at length come, and the Son of Man is even now betrayed into the Hands of the moft inhuman Sinners: Arife therefore, and 46 behold, he is at hand that let us go along with them whitherfoever they shall lead us ; for bebold, he that betrayeth me is juft at band. Accordingly Judas and his Retinue immediately appeared, and feized him in the Manner which will afterwards be related, to the Hands of Sinners. [MARK XIV.—41.] 46 Rife, let us be going: doth betray me. [MARK XIV. 42.] IMPROVEMENT N the most tranfient Survey of this amazing Story, we cannot but turn afide to behold it with a becoming Temper: And furely we must wonder, how the Disciples could fleep in the midft of a Scene, which Mat. xxvi. might almost have awakened Rocks and Trees to Compaffion. Behold 4o, 43′ the Prince of Life, GOD's Incarnate and Only-begotten Son, drinking of the Brook in the Way, (Pfal. cx. 7.) and not only tafting, but drawing in full Draughts of that bitter Cup, which his Heavenly Father put into Luke xxii. his 41, 42. Vol. iii. pag. 149. and Fleming's Chriftology, Vol. ii. pag. 130.) But however this be, I can hardly think, as Dr. Scot fuggefts, that there was fome fupernatural Agency of thofe Evil Spirits in the Drowsiness of the Difciples, fince the Sacred Hiftorian is filent on this Head, and refers it to another Cause. 44. 504 Sect. 182. his Hands on this awful Occafion. Let us behold him kneeling, and even proftrate on the Ground, and there pouring out his frong Cries Mark xiv. and Tears, to him that was able to fave him from Death. (Heb. v. 7.) Luke xxii. Let us view him in this bloody Agony, and fay, If thefe Things be done in the green Tree, what shall be done in the dry? (Luke xxii. 31.) If even Christ himself was fo depreffed with Sorrow and Amazement, and the Distress and Anguish of his Soul were fuch, that in his Agony the Sweat ran from him like great Drops of Blood, when our Iniquities were laid upon him, and it pleafed the Father to bruise him, and to put him to Grief; (Ifa. liii. 6, 10.) how muft the Sinner then be filled with Horror, and with what dreadful Agonies of Anguish and Defpair will he be overwhelmed, when he fhall bear the Burden of his own Iniquities, and GOD fhall pour out all his Wrath upon him? Behold, how fearful a Thing it is, to fall into the Hands of the living GOD! (Heb. x. 31.) Reflections on CHRIST's Agony in the Garden. Mat, xxvi. 38. Ver. 41. Here was no Human Enemy near our Bleffed Redeemer; yet fuch invisible Terrors fet themselves in Array against him, that his very Soul was poured out like Water; nor was there any Circumftance 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 finned not by a murmuring Word, or an impatient Thought: He fhone the brighter for the Furnace of Affliction, and gave us at once the most wonderful, and the most amiable Pattern Ver. 39, 42. of Refignation to the Divine Disposal, when he faid, Father, not as 1 will, but as thou wilt. May this be our Language under every Trial! Lord, we could wish it was; and we would maintain a holy Watchfulnefs over our own Souls, that it may be fo: But in this Refpect, as well as in every other, we find that even when the Spirit is willing, the Flesh is weak. How happy is it for us, that the Bleffed Jefus knows our Frame, and has learnt by what he himself suffered in our frail Nature, to make the most compaffionate Allowance for its various Infirmities! Let us learn to imitate this his gentle and gracious Conduct, even in an Hour of fo much Diftrefs. Let us bear with, and let us pity each other, not aggravating every Neglect of our Friends into a Crime; but rather fpeaking of their Faults in the mildeft Terms, and making the most candid Excufes for what we cannot defend. Let us exercife fuch a Temper, even in the most gloomy and dejected Moments of Life; which furely may well be expected of us, who ourfelves need fo much Compaffion 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 whofe Mercy it is, that we are not utterly confumed. SECT. Judas comes to the Garden with Soldiers to feixe him. CHRIST is betrayed by Judas, and feized by the Guard, to JOHN XVIII. 2. 2. 3 505 NOW when our Lord was thus retired to the Sect. 183. Receffes of the Garden. And immediately, while he was yet fpeaking to Mark XIV. his Difciples, and giving them the Alarm menti- 43. oned in the Clofe of the laft Section, behold, this very (a) Jefus often reforted thither with his Difciples.] It was probably a Garden, which belonged to one of Chrift's Friends, and to which he had a Liberty of retiring whenever he pleased. And here accordingly he often used to spend fome confiderable Time in Prayer and pious Converfe, in the Evenings, or Nights, after his indefatigable Labours in the City and Temple by Day. It is indeed amazing, how Flesh and Blood could go thro' fuch inceffant Fatigues; but it is very probable, Chrift might exert fome miraculous Power over his own Animal Nature, to ftrengthen it for fuch difficult Services, and to preferve it in Health and Vigour; otherwife the copious Dews, which fall by Night in thofe Parts, muft have been very dangerous, (as I have elsewhere hinted, Sect. 86. Note (c),) efpecially when the Body was heated by preaching in the Day, and often by travelling feveral Miles on Foot. VOL. II. Sss (b) Had Mark XIV. 43. 506 Sect. 183.very Judas, one of the Twelve Apostles, came into the Garden, and with him a great Multitude of Perfons of very different Stations and Offices in Life, who were fent with Authority from the Chief Priefts, and Scribes, and Elders of the People; and more effectually to execute their Orders, they were armed with Swords and Staves, to feize him by Violence, if any Refistance should be made to the Attempt: And there were also with them fome Perfons of fuperior Rank and Quality, who, full of impatient and malicious Zeal, could not forbear mingling themselves with the Dregs of the People, upon this infamous Occasion. 44 (See Luke xxii. 52. pag. 51.) Now be that betrayed him went a little before the rest of them; [and] that they might not be mistaken in the Perfon, he had given them a Signal, by which they might diftinguish Jefus from any others who might chance to be with him (b), faying, He whom I fhall kifs at my first entering into the Garden, is the Perfon you are commiffioned to take (c): Be fure therefore to lay hold of him immediately, and lead him away fafely; for he has fometimes made ftrange Efcapes from those that have attempted to take him, and if he get away from you after this Signal, it will be your Fault, and not mine (d). And accordingly being come into the Garden, he drew near to Jefus to kiss him, as a Signal to the Company to feize him; [and] going directly to him, with an Air of the greatest Refpect, as if he had been impatient of his Abfence during thofe few Hours which had paffed fince he faw him laft, and was quite tranfported with Joy to meet him again, he said, with the He appoints a Signal to diftinguish JESUS, 45 faireft Twelve, came,] and with him a great Multitude with Chief Priefts, and the Scribes, and the Elders [of the People.] [MAT. XXVI. 47. LUKE XXII. 47.-] Swords and Staves, from the 44 And he that betrayed him [LUK. went before them, and] had given them a Token, faying, Whomfoever I fhall kifs, that fame is he; take him, [hold him faft,] and lead him away fafely. [MAT. XXVI. 48. LUKE XXII. -47.-1 45 And as foon as he was come, he [LUK. drew near goeth ftraightway to him, unto Jefus to kiss him; and] and (b) Had given them a Signal.] As thofe that came to apprehend him were Stangers to Jefus, and it was now Night, and there were Twelve Perfons together, probably dreffed much alike, fuch a Signal might be thought more neceffary. (c) He whom I fhall kifs is the Perfon.] It is indeed probable, as Dr. Guyfe, and others, obferve, that our Lord in great Condefcenfion had used (according to the Jewish Cuftom,) to permit his Difciples thus to falute him, when they returned to him after having been any Time abfent. (d) Lay hold of him, and lead him away fafely.] Compare Luke iv. 30. John viii. 59. x. 39. I am ready to imagine from this Precaution, that Judas might fufpect, that Chrift would on this Occafion renew the Miracles he had formerly wrought for his own Deliverance; tho' he had fo exprefsly declared the contrary. See Mat. xxvi. 24. p. 434. (e) Doft |