[They who know not Christ, are wholly under the power of Satan 8; but they who are Christ's, have a watchful and almighty guardian. Our Lord provided for Peter's safety, before Peter even knew his danger. Thus " will he keep the feet of all his saints." He will suffer none of them to be plucked out of his handh. If he permit Satan to sift them, it shall be only for the removing of their chaff1. _ He has pledged his word for the security of the weakest of his people k. Let us therefore commit ourselves entirely into his hands. Let us beg him to remember our unworthy names in his inter- cessions, and to deal with us as with Joshua of old1 — ]
g 2 Tim. ii. 26. h John x. 28.
1 Compare 2 Cor. xii. 7. with Heb. xii. 10, 11. k Amos ix. 9.
i Zech. iii. 2—4.
Christ's sufferings in the garden.
Luke xxii. 39 — 46. And he came out, and went, as he was was wont, to the Mount of Olives,' and his Disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me : nevertheless not my will, but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strength- ening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly : and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his Disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, and said unto them, Why sleep ye ? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
IT was foretold of the Messiah, that he should be " a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief:" and we are informed that he had scarcely come into the world before his life was sought for, and he was carried by his parents a fugitive to a foreign land, in order to escape the cruel effects of Herod's jealousy. During the four years of his ministry, much is told us of his trials: but the principal scene of them was reserved for the close of his life. We propose to contemplate them, from their commencement in the garden of Gethsemane till the time that he expired
1577.] Christ's sufferings in the garden. 107
upon the cross. At present we shall confine our attention to the words before us ; in which we may- see,
I. The tremendous sufferings of our Lord —
Now, beyond any former period of his life, " were the troubles of his heart enlarged." That I may bring them before you the more distinctly, I will call your attention to three things ;
1. The terms by which his sufferings are described in the inspired volume —
[If we look into the Prophets who foretold those suffer- ings, we shall see that they almost exhaust the powers of lan- guage in order to convey some idea of their inconceivable greatness. The Psalmist, personating the Saviour, says, " The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid : the sorrows of hell compassed me about ; the snares of death prevented mea." " My heart is sore pained within me ; and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me ; and horror hath overwhelmed meb." " The waters are come in unto my soul : I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying : my throat is dried : mine eyes fail while I wait for my Godc." To mention only one passage more, the Sa- viour complains, " I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint : my heart is like wax ; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws ; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death d." Who that reads such passages as these, is not prepared for that distressing appeal, " Was ever sorrow like unto my sorrow, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger e ?"