infeparable union that it had with the divine nature: infomuch, that the confusion and distraction of his foul under it, and the struggling and grappling of his foul with it, did make fuch an impreffion upon his body, that the like was never before or fince. The feafon of the year was cold, for fo it appears. The fervants and officers had made a fire of coals, for it was cold 1;' and the feason of the time was cold, it was, as near as we may guefs, about midnight, when the fun was at his greatest distance, and obftructed in his influence by the interpofition of the earth; for it appears they came with lanthorns and torches when they apprehended, him 2. And he was brought to the high-priest's hall, a little before cock-crowing, after fome time had been spent in his examination 3. And yet for all this, fuch is the agony and perturbation of our Saviour's foul, that in this cold season it puts his body in a fweat, a sweat of blood, great drops of blood, drops of blood falling down to the ground; and certainly it was no light conflict within that caused such a strange and unheard of fymptom without. Certainly the ftorm in the foul of Chrift muft needs be very terrible, that his blood, the feat of his vital fpirits, could no longer abide the fense of it, but started out in a sweat of blood, and fuch a fweat, that was more than confiftent with the ordinary conftitution of human nature. And during this time, even from the eating of the paffover until this third addrefs to his Father was over, the fuffering of our Saviour lay principally, if not only in his foul. Almighty God was wounding of his fpirit, and making his foul an offering for fin and though the distinct and clear manner of this bruifing of our Saviour's foul cannot be apprehended by us; yet furely thus much we may conclude concerning it. 1. 'He was 'made fin for us, that knew no fin 4." He stood under the imputation of all our fins; and though he were perfonally innocent, yet judicially, and by way of in 1 3 1 John xviii. 18.2 John xviii. 9. Matth. xxvi. 60. 4 2 Cor. v. 21. terpretation, terpretation, he was the greateft offender that ever was; for the Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us 'all1.' 2. And confequently he was under the imputation of all the guilt of thofe fins; and ftands, in relation unto God, the righteous Judge, under the fame obligation to whatfoever punishment the very perfons of the offenders were, unto the uttermoft of that confiftency that it had with the infeparable union unto the Father. And this obligation unto the punishment could not choofe but work the fame effects in our Saviour, as it must do in the finner, (defperation and fin excepted) to wit, a fad apprehenfion of the wrath of God against him. The purity and juftice of God, which hath nothing that it hates but fin, muft pursue fin wherever it finds it. And as when it finds fin perfonally in a man, the wrath of God will abide there fo long as fin abides there; fo when it finds the same fin affumed by our Lord, and bound as it were to him, as the wood was to Ifaac when he was laid upon the altar, the wrath of God could not choofe but be apprehended as incumbent upon him 2, till that fin that by imputation lay upon him were dif charged. For as our Lord was pleased to be our rẻpresentative in bearing our fins, and to stand in our ftead, fo all these affections and motions of his foul did bear the fame conformity, as if acted by us: as he put on the perfon of the finner, fo he puts on the fame forrow, the fame fhame, the fame fear, the fame trembling, under the apprehenfions of the wrath of his Father, that we must have done: and fo as an imputed fin drew with it the obligation unto punishment, so it did, by neceffary confequence, ráise all thofe confufions and ftorms in the foul of Chrift, as it would have done in the perfon of the finner, fin only excepted. 3. In this garden, as he ftands under the fin and guilt of our nature, fo he ftands under the curfe of our nature, to wit, a neceffity of death, and of undergoing the wrath of God, for that fin ! Isaiah, liii. 6. * impending over him. 2 whofe whose punishment he hath undertaken for us. The former, the diffolution of his body and foul, by a most accurfed death; and the latter, the fuffering of his foul; and this latter he is now under. God is pleafed to inflict upon him all the manifeftations of his wrath, and to fling into his foul the sharpest and severest reprefentation of his difpleasure that might poffibly befall him under that bare imputed guilt, confidering the dignity of his perfon. And furely this was more terrible to our Saviour than all his corporeal fufferings were: under all those not one word, no perturbation at all, but ‘as a fheep before his fhearers is dumb, fo he opened not his mouth' but the fenfe of the difpleafure of his Father, and the impreffions that he makes upon his foul, those he cannot bear without forrow, even unto death, without most importune addreffes to be delivered from them, and most strange concuffion and agony upon his foul and body under the fenfe of them. And the actual manifestation of the wrath of God upon his Son confifted in these two things principally. 1. Filling the foul with strange and violent fears and terrors, infomuch that he was in an amazement and confternation of the fpirit; the paffion-pfalm renders it, My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels 1.' The God of the fpirits of all flesh, that knows how to grind and bruise the spirit, did bruise and melt his foul within him with terrors, fears, and fad pre-apprehenfions of worse to follow. 2. A fenfible withdrawing, by hafty and fwift degrees, the light of the prefence and favour of God. He is forrowful and troubled, and he goes to his Father to defire it may pafs from him, but no answer; he goes again, but yet no anfwer; and yet under the preffure and extremity, he goes again the third time with more earneftness, agony, in a fweat of blood, yet no, it cannot be; and this was a terrible condition, that the light of the countenance of the Father is removed from his Son, his only Son, in whom he 1 Psalm, xxii. 14. was the very was well pleased, his Son whom he had heard always. And when he comes to the Father under the greatest obligation that can be, with the greatest reverence, with the greatest importunity; once, and again, and a third time; and that, filled within with fears, and covered without with blood, and yet no answer; but all light, and accefs with favour intercepted, with nothing but blackness and filence. Certainly this was a terrible cup, yet thus it was with our Saviour Chrift; the light of the favour of God, like the fun in an eclipfe, from inftitution of the facrament, began to be covered one degree after another; and in the third addrefs to the Father in the garden, it was even quite gone: But at that great hour, when our Saviour cried, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me?' then both lights, that greater light of the favour of God to his only Son, together with the light of the fun, seemed to be under a total eclipfe; and this was that which bruifed the foul of our Saviour, and made it an offering for fin; and this was that which wrung drops of blood from our Saviour's body; before the thorns, or whips, or the nails, or the spear had torn his veins. And now, after this third application for a deliverance from the terrible cup of the wrath of God, and yet no difpenfation obtained, he returns to his miferable comforters, the three difciples; and he finds them a third time afleep. Thefe very three difciples were once the witneffes of a glorious transfiguration of our Saviour in the Mount, and in an extafy of joy and fear, they fell on their faces 1. And now they are to be witnesses of a fad transfiguration of their Lord under an agony and fweat of blood; and now under an extafy of forrow they are not able to watch with their Lord one hour. Our Saviour calls them, but whilft they were scarce awakened, they are roufed by a louder alarm. Whilft he yet fpake, Judas, ' one of the twelve came, and with him a great multi 1 tude, tude, with fwords and ftaves from the high priests ',' ⚫ with lanthorns and torches 2.' And though this was little in comparison of the ftorm that was in our Saviour's foul; yet fuch an appearance, at fuch a time of the night, and to a perfon under fuch a fad condition, could not but be terrible to flesh and blood; especially, if we confider the circumstances that attend it. 1. An apostle, one of the twelve, he it is that conducts this black guard-Whomfoever I fhall kifs, that fame is he, hold him faft 3;'-one that had been witnefs of all his miracles, heard all his divine fermons, acquainted with all his retirements; he, whose feet his master with love and tenderness had washed; who within a few hours before had fupped with him, at that fupper of folemnity and love, the paflover; this is he that is at the head of this crew: Certainly this had in it an aggravation of forrow to our bleffed Saviour, to be betrayed by a disciple. 2. The manner of it, he betrays him by a kiss; an emblem of homage and love is made ufe of to be the fignal of fcorn and contempt, as well as treachery and villany. 3. Again, the carriage of his difciples, full of rafhnefs, and yet of cowardice; they ftrike a fervant of the high-prieft, and cut off his ear 4, which, had not the meeknefs and mercy of our Saviour prevented by a miraculous cure, might have added a blemish to the sweetnefs and innocence of his fuffering? He rebukes the rashness of his difciple, and cures the wound of his enemy. Again, of cowardice: "Then all the difciples 'forfook him and fled 5; and Peter himself, that but now had profeffed the refolution of his love to his mafter, follows but afar off 6, in the pofture and profeflion of a stranger and a spectator. So foon was the love and honour of a master, deferved by fo much love, and purity, and miracles, loft in the fouls of the very difciples. 1 Matth. xxvi. 47. 2 John xviii. 3. 3 Matth. xxvi. 48. 4 Matth. Matth. xxvi. 56. Matth. xxvi. 58. xxvi. 51. After |