What ! did he now repent of his engagement ? Was all he said before but a flourish, before he saw the enemy ? Doth he now begin to wish to be disengaged, and that he had never undertaken such a work? Is that the meaning of it? No, no, Christ never repented of his engagement to the Father, never was willing to let the burden lie on us, rather than on himself ; there was not such a thought in his holy and faithful heart ; but the resolution of this doubt depends upon another distinction^ which will clear his meaning in it;
1st, You must distinguish of prayers. Some are absolute and peremptory; and so to have prayed that the cup might passj would have been chargeable with such absurdities, as were but now mentioned : others are conditional and submissive prayers, " If u it may be, if the Lord please.11 And such was this, if you be willing ; if not, I will drink it. But you will say, Christ knew what was the mind of God in that case ; he knew what transac- tions had of old been betwixt his Father and him ; and therefore though he did not pray absolutely, yet it is strange he would pray conditionally it might pass. Therefore in the
%d Place, you must distinguish of the natures according to which Christ acted. He acted sometimes as God, and sometimes as man. Here he acted according to his human nature ; simply expressing and manifesting in this request the reluctancy it had at such suffer- ings : wherein he shewed himself a true man, in shunning that which is destructive to his nature.
As Christ had two distinct natures, so two distinct wills. Anci
276 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE; SERM. XXII.
(as one well observes) in the life of Christ, there was an intermix- ture of power and weakness, of the divine glory, and human frail- ty. At his birth a star shone, but he was laid in a manger. The devil tempted him in the wilderness, but there angels ministered to him. As man he was deceived in the fig-tree, but as God he blasted it. He was caught by the soldiers in the garden, but first made them fall back; So here, as man he feared and shunned death ; but as God-man he willingly submitted to it.
" It was (as * Deodatus well expresses it) a purely natural de- " sire, mere man, by which for a short moment he apprehended " and shunned death and torments ; but quickly recalled himself* " to obedience, by a deliberate will, to submit himself to God. " And besides that, this desire was but conditional, under the will " of God, accepted by Christ ; but from the contemplation of u which he was a while diverted by the extremity of horrors ; " therefore there was no sin in it, but only a short conflict of na- " ture, presently overcome by reason, and a firm will : or a small " suspension, quickly overcome by a most strong resolution, Fi- u nally, this sacred deliberation in Jesus was not made simply, or " in an instant, but with a short time, -and with a counterpoise, " which is the natural property of the soul in its motions, and vo- u luntary actions."
In a word, as there was nothing of sin in it, it being a pure and sinless affection of nature ; so there was much good in it, and that both as it was a part of his satisfaction for our sin, to suffer in- wardly such fears, tremblings, and consternations : and as it was a clear evidence, that he was in all things made like unto his brethren, except sin. And lastlv, as it serves notably to express the grievous- ness and extremity of Christ's sufferings, whose very prospect and appearance, at some distance, was so dreadful to him.
If the learned reader desire to see what is further said oil this point, let him read what the judicious and learned Parker, in his excellent book de descensu -f-, hath collected upon that case.
Fourthly, Let us consider the manner how he prayed, and that was,
1. Solitarily, He doth not here pray in the audience of his disciples, as he had done before, but went at a distance from them. He had now private business to transact with God. He left some of them at the entering into the garden ; and for Peter, James, and John, that went farther with him than the rest, he bids them remain there, while he went and prayed \. He did not desire
* Deodati Annot. in Mat. xxvi. 59. f Parker de descensu, lib. 3. p. 192, &c.
t He seeks relief to grief, by prayer, in which, that he might be more at liberty, be retires a little.
SERM. XXII. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 277
them to pray with him, or for him ; no, ho must tread the wine- press alone. Nor will he have them with him, possibly lest it should discourage them to see and hear how he groaned, sweat, trembled, and cried, as one in an agony, to his Father.
Reader, there are times and cases, when a Christian would not be willing, that the deafest and most intimate friend he hath in the world, should be privy to what passes betwixt him and his God.
2. It was an humble prayer ; that is evident by the postures into which he cast himself : sometimes kneeling, and sometimes pros- trate upon his face. He creeps in the very dust, lower he cannot fall ; and his heart was as low as his body. He is meek and low- ly indeed.
3. It was a reiterated prayer ; he prays, and then returns to the disciples, as a man in extremity turns every way for comfort: so Christ prays, " Father, let this cup pass," but in that the Father hears him not; though as to support he was heard. Being denied deliverance by his Father, he goes and bemoans himself to his pensive friends, and complains bitterly to them, " my soul is ex- " ceeding sorrowful even imta death." He would ease himself a little, by opening his condition to them; but alas, they rather in- crease than ease his burden. For he finds them asleep, which oc- casioned that gentle reprehension from him, Mat. xxvi. 40. " What, could you not watch with me one hour ?" What, not 'watch with me ? Who may expect it from you more than I ? Could you not watch ? lam going to die for you, and cannot you watch with me ? What ! cannot you watch with me one hour ? Alas ! what if I had required great matters from you ? What : not an hour, and that the parting hour too ! Christ finds no ease from them, and back again he goes to that sad place, which he had stained and purpled with a bloody sweat, and prays to the same purpose again. 0 how he returns upon God over and over, as if he resolved to take no denial ! But, however, considering it must be so, he sweetly falls in with his Father's will, Thy will be done.