all his hosts, that now sought to devour him. In the midst of these accumulated troubles, he felt above all, and deprecated most urgently, the hidings of his Father's face : " My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" " O be not far from me, be not far from me, O Lord''!" The plea, which in this extremity he offered, must not be overlooked ; " Thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns." At the time of his birth had the Father interposed to deliver him from the murderous rage of Herod ; and on many occasions from the Jews who sought his life : and he requested that, if possible, and consistent with the Father's purpose of saving a ruined world, the same pro- tecting hand might be stretched out to save him now; and that the bitter cup, which he was drinking, might be removed from him. If however this could not be vouchsafed to him consistently with the end for which he had come into the world, he was content to drink the cup even to the dregs.
If now the Son of God himself was so pressed with his suiFer- ings, that he besought his Father " with strong crying and tears " either to mitigate the anguish, or to uphold him under it, we can have no doubt but the distress exceeded all that language can express, or that any finite intelligence can ade- quately conceive.]
Now then ask yourselves, my Brethren, in reference to these sufferings, what should be,
n. The feelings which they should excite in our bosom —
If we beheld but a common man enduring exces- sive anguish both of body and mind, we could not but feel some measure of sympathy with him : and, if we ourselves had been the occasion of his suffer- ings, and he were bearing them willingly in our place and stead, we could not but take the liveliest interest in them, both in a way of grief, that we had brouglit them upon him, and in a way of gratitude to him for sustaining them in our behalf. But this Sufferer was none other than our incarnate God, who came down from heaven on purpose to bear our sins in his own sacred person, that he might deliver us from the con- demnation due to them, and procure for us recon- cihation with our offended God. Well then may we behold our Saviour,
d ver. 1, 11, 19.