The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 522

lutoly olone. St. Lulce nnmee the clistance, suffered (Hob. ii.10; v. 8). By thia passr1g-e "Ho wae withdrn.wn from thorn Bbout a the Monophysite and Monothelite heresies etone'e on.et." Dy some clericBI error the a.re o!carly refuted, the two natures and two genuine reacling, Trpo,/\8wv, "having gone wills of Christ being plainly displayed. The forward," hne been nlterecl in moet of the three 1tpost.\es saw only some part of their best manuscripts into Trpo,re/\8wv, "having Master's intense agony, and heard only approached." There can be no doubt that some broken utterances of his supplication; thie latter rencling is erroneous; and it is hence them are some slight variations in the well, ae oooasion bicle, to call attention to synoptical accounts. St. Mark doubtless de- possible mistakes in the most important rived his acoonntimmediatelyfrom St Peter; uncials. Fell on hie fo.oe, and prayed. He the otb&r synoptists from some other source. prostrated himself on the ground in utter Ver. 40.-He cometh unto the diaoiples. a.basement and desolation, yet in submission He rose from praver and returned to his withal In thie terrible orisie there is no three apostles, seeking tl.teir sympatby ancl resource but prayer. The shadow of death the comfort of their presence in his lonely enveloped 1.tim, wave and storm rolled over deHolation. J'indeth them asleep; al.ee]>ing. bis soul; yet out of the deep he oallec\ unto The comfort which bis man's nature craved the Lord. In the Epistle to the Hebrews was denied him. St. Luke, the physician, (v. 7, 8) eome affecting details are ad,led, says that the disciples were "sleeping for "Who in the days of hie flesh, when he had sorrow." Some great mental shock, some offered up prayers and eupplica.tiona with poignant distress, often produces a bodily strong crying and tears unto him thn.t wae stupor and sleep; but this is scarcely a able to save him from death, and having valid ex:cUBe for such insensibility at this been heard for bis godly fear, though he was terrible crisis, especially as the Lord had a Son, yet learnerl obedience by the things urged them to watch (ver. 38). Th,-y had which he suffered." 0 my ·Father (ndnp bad a very trying day; Peter and John µov). The personal pronoun is omitted in had undergone much bodily fatigue in some manuscripts, but it has high authority. preparing the last Supper; they were all Only on this occasion and in his great weary, full of grief, and weighl'd down by prayer (John x:vii.) does Christ so address foreboding; it was no wonder that they the :Father, bis human nature in the depth succumbed to these in.11.uenoes, though we of suffering retaining still the sense of this migl,t have ex:pected that such as they paternity. St. Mark bas, "Abbe., Father," would have risen superior to them. " The as if be spake for the Hebrew race and the simple law, that ex:traordinary tension Geutile world. If it be possible ; i.e. if there raises the highly developed spiritual life, is any other way in which man may be while it stupefies the less developed, finds saved and thou be glorified; if there is here its strongest illustration in the almost any other mode of redemption. It is the absolute contrast of spiritual watchfulness ory of humanity, yet conditioned by perfect and sleep " (Lange). Saith unto Peter. submission. Let this cup pass from me. Peter l.tad been moat forward in profession The "cup" is the bitter agony of his Pas- (vers. 33, 35); so Christ addresses him first. sion and death, with all their grievous ac- The other two, James nnd John, had buldly companiments (see eh. x:x:. 22, and note asserted that they were able to drink of there). All heroism and manly endurance in Christ's oup of suffering ( oh. x:x. 22); so the face of pain and death Christ exhibited they e.re inol u<led in the tender reproach. to the full; but the elements of suffering in What (o~-r01<), oould ye not watch with me 1 his case were different, and fraught with So, could ye not, etc.? Is it so that? Are exquisite torture (see above, on "fer. 28). ye unable to do even this little thing for Buch was tl.te anguish that it would have me? Truly l\ pathetic reproof I 0'le hour. tlren separated soul and body-of such rigour It may be that this first stage of the agony that "bis sweat became as it were great had lasted for an hour, but the term is more drops of blood falling down upon the probably indefinite; or it may refer to the ground "-bad not an angel appeared from whole time of trial. heaven to strengthen and support the faint- Ver. 41.-Watoh (ye) and pray. A sum- ing human life (Luke x:x:ii. 43, 44). Never- mary of Christian duty. We.tobfulness sees theless not as I will, but as thou wilt. In temptation coming; prayer gives strength this prayer are shown the two wills of Christ, to withstand it. The npostles needed the the human ond Divine. The natural shrink- injunction at this moment; for their grent ing of the human soul from ignominy and trial was close at hand. That ye enter not torture is overborne by entire submission to (in order that ye may not enter) into tempta- and compliance with the Divine purpose. tion. The phrase is usue.lly interpreteu to So it is said that the Captain of our salva- mean either to fall into temptation, to be tion wns made perfect through sufferings, tempted, 01· to run wilfully into temptation; learned obedience by the things which he but it seems to be better, with Grotius, tc,  6'.::tl THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [en. xxvx. 1-76.