In the history of the passion you will find that our Lord Jesus was exercised with all kind of temptations ; alfronted by men, assaulted by the powers of darkness, deserted by his own disciples — one of them denied iiim, another betrayed him, but all fied. And thus he was not only ' rejected of men,' but was stricken, and smitten, and forsaken of God. This was as gall and vinegar to his wounds, the passion of his passion. The world's cruelty and Satan's rage had been nothing, if the brightness of the divine presence had not been eclipsed. When the j>eople were set against him — ' His blood be upon us and our
Mat. XXVII. 46.] the ninth sermon. 265
children ' — he complained not of that. When * friend and lover were afar off,' he doth not complain of that. Judas, why hast thou betrayed me ? Peter, why hast thou denied me ? Disciples, why have ye for- saken me ? But when God was withdrawn, ' My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? ' This is his bitter complaint now.
The words, then, are Christ's complaint, not of God, but to God. In them observe : —
. 1. The circumstance of time when this complaint was made : about the ninth hour.
2. The matter of it : God had foi'saJcen him.
3. The manner of it : with vehemency, and yet with faith. There was faith in it, for he saith, 3Iy God. The vehemency is seen in the extension of his voice : he cried with a loud voice ; and by the ingemi- nation of the name of God : my God, my God.
1. The circumstance of time : about the ninth hour. We read in the former verse, that ' from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.' At the passion of Christ the earth trembled, the sun seemed to be struck blind with astonishment, and the frame of nature to put itself into a funeral garb and habit, as if the creatures durst not show their glory while God was manifesting his anger for sin, and Christ was suffering. After three hours' dark- ness, he complaineth not of that, but of the sad eclipse that was upon his own spirit.
2. The matter complained of : ivhy hast thou forsaken me ? It is not an expostulation, so much as a representation of the heavy burden that was upon him. Questions among the Hebrews imply earnest assertions; as Ps. x. 1, 'Why standest thou afar off? Why hidest thou thyself in the time of trouble ?' that is. Lord ! thou hidest thy- self from me. So Ps. xliii. 2, ' Why go I mourning, because of the oppression of the enemy ? ' that is, I do go mourning. The case is represented in such forms of speech.
3. The vehemency.
[1.] In the extension of his voice. Great griefs express themselves by strong cries ; for burdened nature would fain have vent and utter- ance. And the apostle taketh notice of this circumstance, //.era Kpavyr]<i i(7')(ypa<;, Heb. v. 7, ' He offered prayers and tears, with strong crying.'
[2.] In the ingemination of the name of God : My God, my God. These possessive particles are words of faith striving against the temp- tation. He had great trouble of spirit, but to that he opposeth his interest : My God, my God. In the bitterest agonies Christ despaired not, but still had a most firm persuasion of God's love to him, and necessary support from him. But all showeth the trouble was not light, but heavy and grievous.
Doct. That Christ, as suffering for our sins, was really deserted for a time, in regard of all sensible consolation. I. What was Christ's desertion ? II. Why it befell him.
III. What use may we make of it ?
I. What was Christ's desertion ? I shall, for more distinctness, handle it negatively and affirmatively.
266 THE NINTH SERMON. [MaT. XXVII. 46.
First, Negatively.
1. It was not a desertion in appearance or conceit only, but real. We often mistake God's dispensations. God may be out of sigbt, and yet we not out ot mind. When the dam is abroad for meat, the young brood in the nest is not forsaken. The children cry as if the mother were totally gone, when she is employed about necessary business for their welfare. ' Sion said. The Lord hath forsaken me, my God hath forgotten me,' Isa. xlix. 14, 15. In the misgivings of our hearts God seems to have cast off all care and thoughts of us. God's affectionate answer showeth that all this was but a fond surmise : ' Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb ? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.' So we think that we are cut off when God is about to help and deliver us, Ps. xxxi. 22. Many times we think he has quite cast us off, when we are never more in his heart. Surely, when our affections towards God are seen by mourning for his absence, he is not wholly gone ; his room is kept warm for him till he come again. We mistake God's dispensations when we judge that a forsaking which is but an empty- ing us of all carnal dependence : Ps. xciv. 18, 19, ' When I said, My foot slii)ped, thy mercy, 0 Lord, held me up. In the nmltitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul.' He is near many times when we think him afar off; as Christ was to his disciples when their eyes were withheld that they knew him not, but thought him yet lying in the grave, Luke xxiv. 16. But this cannot be imagined of Christ, who could not be mistaken. If he complained of a desertion, surely he felt it. It was a real desertion. He could not misinterpret the dispensation of God he was now under, for such misapprehensions are below the perfection of his nature.