The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 540

was heard in thnt ho feared " (Heb. v. 7). As the angels ministered to him, the, Almighty Son of God, aftor his temptation, so now in his agony one angel comforted him, the Comforter of nll. He submitted to receive strength and comfort from his angels. 'l'hey·wm cnlm onr spirits in our death-agony if we are truly his. The Lord offered up the prayer of holy resignation, "0 my Father, if this cnp may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." Perfect pr•ace can be found only in perfect resignation to the blessed will of God. Again he came to the three disciples, seeking their sympathy, and doubtless seeking to prepare them against the coming temptation. But again they were asleep, for their eyes were heavy. God can comfort; his angels can by his appointment succour and derend us; man can do little for us in the hour of death. (4) The third prayer. "He went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words." Hid people often follow his example. They are conscious of great poverty of thought; they find it hard to express the yearnings of their souls in words, especially in times of deep affliction. Often they can only repeat again and again the same simple ejaculation. H is enough. God re~ards not the form of words, but the earnestness of the supplication. Again, for the last time, the Lord returned to the three apostles. "Sleep on now," he said," and take your rest." He needed their sympathy no longer; the time for watching with him was past. His hour was come, and he was ready. He had schooled his hnman will by a mighty effort into complete resignation, into absolute harmony with the Father's will. The struggle was over; he had " trodden the winepress alone; " he was cairn: in perfect self-ma~tery. 'l'he disciples could help him no more, even by sympathy; they might take their rest while they could. The Lord, in his tenderness, had compassion on their weaknese. Possibly there may have been a certain interval of time between those words and the appearance of the traitor. 'l'be Lord, perhaps, stood or sat watching his sleeping apostles, and awaiting the approaching band. When he saw them near he roused the sleepers: "Rise," he se.id, "let us be going;" and he went forward in majestic calmness to meet the danger. LEssoNs. 1. The Lord's dread agony calls upon us for deep and reverent sympathy. 2. It calls upon us for confession and hatred of those sins which added to his burden of woe. 3. It calls upon us for resignation and submission of our earthly will to the holy will of God. 4. It teaches us in our extremest sufferings al ways to pray-to pray more earnestly. Vera. 47-56.-The apprehension of our Lord. I. THE BETBA, AL. 1. The approach of Judas. The three evangelists describe him as "one of the twelve." They add this description, not for the sake of accurate identification, for his treachery had been already mentioned, but to set forth the blackness of his guilt. Holy Scripture commonly use~ a certain stern simplicity in speaking of great offences. There is a depth of mea.ning in those few simple words, "one of the twelve." He we.s the most conspicuous person among the advancing group; his sin was the deadliest. He knew the perfect bolhess of the blessed Master; he had been admitted into his friendship; he had listened to his words of heavenly wisdom, and seen his works of almighty power and love; he had lived for two years and more_in the immediate presence of that life of wondrous purity and beauty. And now he is to teach us the solemn lesson that the heart of man is indeed deceitful above all thing~, and desperately wicked; that it can continue bard &nd selfish and impenitent in spite of the greatest possible religious privileges. He came, e.nd with him e. great multitude-Roman soldiers, officers of the temple, serve.ate of the chief priests. It may be they feared resistance from the Galilreans or other adherents of the Lord; it may be they feared him. Many of them had heard of his miracles; Judas knew that he had stilled the tempest, that he had raised the de1d. He trusted, it seems, to numbers, to earthly weapons. Strange folly, almost incredible in one who had known so much of Christ; but he was blinded by Satan, to whom he had sold himself. 2. The traitor's kiss. He gave them a sign. The Roman soldiers, perhaps others also, did not know the Person of the Lord. 'l'be sign was to be a kiss. The traitor had known the Lord intimately; he had been, it seems, on the same footing of affectionate friendship with him as the rest of the twelve. He would kiss him now for the last time; but thnt last kiss would be, not the kiss of peace, but the deadly breath of helliHh treachery, the cold, wicked kiss of hypocrisy-the kiss of death. Re :11.l.TTHEW-IL 2 N 646 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTIIEW. (oB. x.xv1. 1-7&.