S Reflections on a Refolution to fuffer for CHRIST. IMPROVEMENT. 497 O feeble is the Heart of Man, and yet fo ready to trust to its own Sect. 181. Strength! So gracious is the Lord Jefus Chrift, that great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls, who gave himself to be fmitten for his Flock, when Mat. xxvi. they had forfaken him; and then returning, fought them out again, and fed them in richer Paftures than before! How reasonable is it, that our Hearts fhould be fixed in the most inflexible Refolution for his Service! How fit, that we fhould every one of us fay with the utmost Determination of Soul, Lord, tho' I should die Ver. 35. with thee, yet will I not deny thee! For how could Death wear a more graceful, or a more pleafing Form, than when it met us clofe by our Saviour's Side, and came as the Seal of our Fidelity to him? Surely this is the Language of many of our Hearts before him, efpecially when warmed and animated by a Senfe of his dying Love to us. Yet let us not be high-minded; for Peter after this Declaration denied his Ver. 34, 35. Mafter; and all the Difciples forfook him. Nor, on the other hand, let the View of that Frailty difcourage, tho' it ought to caution us; for the Time came, when each of them acted as they here fpoke; and they who in his very Prefence acted fo weak a Part, thro' the Influences of his ftrengthening Spirit refifted unto Blood, and loved not their Lives unto the Death for the Teftimony of Jefus. (Rev. xii. 11.) CHRIST enters the Garden of Gethsemane, and falls into his Agony there; during which his Difciples fall asleep, for which he gently reproves them, and warns them of the Enemies Approach. Mat. XXVI. 36,---46. Mark XIV. 32,---42. Luke XXII. 40,---46. MAT. XXVI. 36. with them unto a Place called Gethsemane ; that MAT. XXVI. 36. Mat. XXVI. HEN cometh Jefus THEN, after this Difcourfe with his Difci- Sect. 182. ples, Jefus comes with them to the Place we LUK, mentioned above, which was called Gethsemane, 36. as being a very pleasant and fertile Garden (a): and And (a) Called Gethsemane, as being a very pleafant and fertile Garden.] It is well known, fignifies the Valley of Fatnefs. The Garden probably had its Name from VOL. II. its 498 He takes Peter, James, and John with him into the Garden: 36. 37 And as this was a very extraordinary Paffage of his Life, he took along with him Peter, and the two Sons of Zebedee, James and John, who had been Witneffes of his Transfiguration, and were now chosen by him to be Witneffes of his Agony: And as he went on with them towards a more retired Part of the Garden, he began to be in a very great and visible Dejection, Amazement, and Anguish of Mind (b), on Account of some painful and dreadful Senfations which were then impreffed upon his Soul by the immediate Hand of 38 GOD. Then turning to his Three Difciples, be fays to them, My Friends, you never faw me in greater Distress than now; for my Soul is furrounded on all Sides with an Extremity of Anguish and [LUK. when he was at the Place, he] faith unto [his] Difciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. [MARK XIV. 32. LUKE XXII. 40.-] 37 And he took with him Peter, and the two Sons of Zebedee, [James and John,] and began to be for-. rowful, [fore amazed,] and very heavy. [Mark XIV. 33.1 38 Then faith he unto them, My Soul is exceeding forrowful, even unto Death: tarry its Soil and Situation, and lay in fome little Valley between Two of thofe many Hills, the Range of which conftitutes the Mount of Olives; and it is with fome peculiar Reference to this Situation, that fome have rendered it Torcular Olei, or a Fat of Oil. (b) He began to be in great Dejection, Amazement, and Anguifh of Mind.] The Words which our Tranflators ufe here, are very flat, and fall vaftly fhort of the Emphasis of those Terms, in which the Evangelifts defcribe this awful Scene: For Aurea fignifies to be penetrated with the most lively and piercing Sorrow; and anμove to be quite depressed and almoft overwhelmed with the Load: Mark expreffes it, if poffible, in a more forcible and stronger Manner; for exaμledas imports the moft fhocking Mixture of Terror and Amazement ; and epiuos in the next Verfe intimates, that he was furrounded with it on every Side, fo that it broke in upon him with fuch Violence, that, humanly fpeaking, there was no Way of Efcape. I have endeavoured, as well as I could, to exprefs each of thefe Ideas in the Paraphrafe. Dr. More truly obferves, that Chrift's continued Refolution, in the midft of thefe Agonies and fupernatural Horrors, was the most heroic that can be imagined, and far fuperior to Valour in Single Combat, or in Battle; where, in one Cafe, the Spirit is raised by natural Indignation; and in the other, by the Pomp of War, the Sound of martial Mufick, the Example of Fellow Soldiers, &c. (See More's Theolog. Works, p. 38.) -Dr. Whitby will not allow, that thefe Agonies, arofe from the immediate Hand of GOD upon him; which he thinks not to be the Cafe, even of the Damned in Hell. But it seems impoffible to prove that it is not. He rather thinks, it might arife from a deep Apprehenfion of the Malignity of Sin, and the Mifery brought upon the World by it. But confidering how much the Mind of Christ was wounded and broken with what he now endured, fo as to give fome greater external Signs of Distress, than in any other Circumftance of his Sufferings, there is Reason to conclude, there was fomething extraordinary in the Degree of the Impreffion: And it furely comes much to the fame, whether we fay, that GOD by his own immediate Agency impreffed fome uncommon Horrors on his Mind; or that the Strength of his Spirits, and perhaps the Tone of his Nerves, were fo impaired, that the View he had of thefe Things fhould affect him to a Degree of exquifite and uncommon Senfibility. (c) Watch And prays, that tarry ye here, and watch with me: [LUK. and pray, that ye enter not into Temp tation.] [MARK XIV. 34. LUKE XXII.-40.] and was withdrawn from MARK XIV. 35. And he went forward a little,[LUK. them about a Stone's Caft, and kneeled down,] and fell [on his Face Jon the Ground, and prayed, that if it were poffible the Hour might pafs from him. [MAT. XXVI. 39.-LUKE XXII. 41.] 36 And he faid, Abba, Father, all Things are poffible unto thee; [O my Father, if it be poffible,] take away this Cup, [and let it pafs] from me; neverthelefs, not what I will, but what thou wilt. [MAT. XXVI.—39.] if poffible the Cup might pass from him. Mat. XXVI. 38. 499 and Sorrow, which tortures me even almost unto Sect. 182. Death; and I know that the Infirmity of Human Nature muft quickly fink under it without fome extraordinary Relief from GOD; to him therefore I will apply with the greatest Earnestness: And do you in the mean Time continue here, and watch with me (c), confidering how liable we are to be furprized; [and] let me remind you alfo to pray for yourselves, that you may not enter into that dangerous Temptation, of which I have juft been giving you Notice, or may be kept from falling by it. See Mat. xxvi. 3 1. Sect. 181. 36 And going on a little Way from thence into a Mark XIV. more retired Part of the Garden, when he was 35. now withdrawn about a Stone's Throw from the Place where he left them, be first humbly knelt down, and then, as the Ardor of his Devotion increafed, he proftrated himself on his Face to the Ground, and prayed, that if it were poffible, that dreadful Seafon of Sorrow, with which he was then almoft overwhelmed, might be shortened, and pass from him. And be faid, Abba, Father, I know that all Things proper to be done are poffible to thee; and ob my Father, if it be fo far poffible, as to confift with what thy Wisdom has appointed for the Advancement of thy Glory, and the Salvation of thy People, I earneftly befeech thee, that thou immediately wouldft take away this Cup of Bitterness and Terror (d); [yea,] let [it] now pass from me, and let Comfort and Peace return to my Soul: Nevertheless, if thou seeft it neceffary to continue it, or to add yet more grievous Ingredients to it, I am here ready to receive it, in Submiffion to thy Will, and on the whole refolve (c) Watch with me.] Had they done this carefully, they would foon have found a rich Equivalent for their watchful Care, in the eminent Improvement of their Graces by this wonderful and edifying Sight. (d). Take away this Cup.] Nothing is more common, than to exprefs a Portion of Comfort or Diftrefs by a Cup, alluding to the Custom of the Father of a Family, or Mafter of a Feaft, to fend to his Children or Guefts a Cup of fuch Liquor as he defigned for them. See Note (c) on Mat. xx. 22. pag. 266, and compare with the Texts which are there referred to, Pfal. xvi. 5. xxiii. 5. lxxv. 8. Jer. xvi. 7. xlix. 12. Lam. iv. 21. Ezek. xxiii. 32, 33, Hab. ii. 16. and Rev. xiv. 10. xvi. 19. In fome of which Texts there may, perhaps, be a Reference to the Way of executing fome Criminals by fending them a Cup of Poifon; which is well known to have been an Eastern, tho' not (fo far as I can learn) a fewish Cuftom. Rrr2 (e) Watch 500 His Difciples fleep, and are exhorted to Watchfulness. Sect. 182. refolve to fay, Not as I will, but as thou wilt; for tho' Nature cannot but fhrink back from these Mark XIV. Sufferings, it is the determinate Purpose of my 36. 37 Soul to bear whatfoever thine infinite Wisdom And upon this, rifing up from the Ground on which he had lain proftrate, he comes again to the Three Difciples, and notwithstanding the Diftrefs that he was in, and the Command that he had given them to watch, he finds them all afleep: And he particularly fays to Peter, (who had but lately made fuch folemn Proteftations of his peculiar Zeal and Fidelity,) What, Simon, doft thou fleep at fuch a Time as this? and after thou hadst juft declared thy Refolution to die with me, couldft thou fo foon forget thy Promise to stand by me, and not so much as watch or keep awake but for one Hour, when I was in fuch an Agony? And you that were fo ready to join with him in the fame Profeffion, could neither of you be mindful of me, and in this Time of my extream Diftrefs were ye all fo unable to watch one fingle Hour with me? 38 I must again exhort you, to watch and pray with the greatest Earneftness, that ye may not enter into and fall by that Temptation, which is now approaching (e): The Spirit indeed is forward and ready to express the dutiful Regard that you have for me, and I know, your Refolutions of adhering to me are very fincere; but yet, as your' own present Experience may convince you, the Flesh is weak (f), and as you have been fo far prevailed upon by its Infirmities, as to fall asleep at this very unfeasonable Time, fo if you are not more (e) Watch and pray, &c.] How poorly is this Exhortation anfwered by thofe Vigils and Nocturnal Offices of the Romish Church, which are faid to have had their Original from hence? Rhemish Teftam. pag. 79. I think it more proper on a Review, to render las quale in the preceding Verfe, with Dr. Hammond, Were ye fo unable &c. than to retain our Verfion of us, what, which feems a lefs common and lefs forcible Sense. (f) The Spirit indeed is forward and ready, but the Flesh is weak.] So gentle a Rebuke, and fo kind an Apology, (as Archbishop Tillotson very juftly and beautifully obferves,) were the more remarkable, as our Lord's Mind was now difcompofed with Sorrow, fo that he must have the deeper and tenderer Senfe of the Unkindness of his Friends. (See Tillot. Works, Vol. ii. pag. 435.) —How apt are we to think Affliction an Excufe for Peevishness? But how unlike are we to Chrift in that Thought, and how unkind to ourselves, as well as our Friends, to whom in fuch Circumftances, with our beft Temper, we must be more troublesome than we could wish! t (8) Speake He repeats his Prayer with Submiffion to his Father's Will. 501 more upon your Guard, and more importunate Sect. 182. And when he had thus gently admonished 39 And returning back to his Three Difciples, he 40 And having roufed them for the prefent from Mat. XXVI. and (g) Speaking much the fame Words.] It is plain, by comparing ver. 39. and 42. that the Words were not entirely the fame; and it is certain, that Ayos often fignifies Matter: So that no more appears to be intended, than that he prayed to the fame Purpofe as before. (b) Take away this Cup from me.] The obferving Reader will eafily perceive by the Paraphrafe, that I do not fuppofe our Lord here prayed to be excufed entirely from Sufferings and Death. Such a Petition appears to me fo inconfiftent with that steady Conftancy he always fhewed, and with that lively Turn, (John xii. 27, 28. pag. 306.) in which he feems to difown fuch a Prayer, that I think even Hooker's Solution, tho' the best I have met with, is not fatisfactory. (Hooker's Ecclef. Polity, lib. v. §. 48.) It appears to me much fafer to expound it, as Sir Matthew Hale does, (in his Contemplations, Vol. i. pag. 59.) as relating to |
