Chapter Verfe and cut off the ear of a fervant belonging to the high prieft. Jefus immediately healed the wounded man, and forbade further refiftance, in these remarkable words- Put up again thy fword,

xxvi.

38

for all they that take the fword fhall perish with 'the fword.' We will now refume St. Matthew 36 Then cometh Jefus with them unto a place called Gethfamane. (Mark likewife calls it Gethfemane. Luke fays it was the Mount of Olives. And John fays it was a garden beyond the brook 37 Cedron) And faith unto the difciples, fit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. (We may suppose, by Matthew's account, that Judas left them at this juncture) and he took with him, Peter, and the two fons of Zebedee (James and John) and began to be forrowful, and very heavy. Then faith he unto them, my foul is exceeding forrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed faying. O my Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pafs from me. Neverthelefs, not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the Difciples (Peter, James and John) and findeth them afleep, and faith unto 41 Peter; What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the fpirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Here I have two obfervations to make. If, as we are taught, Jefus voluntarily offered himself a facrifice for the fins of

39

40

the

the world and the redemption of mankind; how Chapter Verfe happened it, that when the time of trial approach

ed, he wished to avoid it- If it be poffible, let

"this cup país from me.' ftronger, ch. xiv. v. 36.

Mark's record is much

Father, all things are

poffible unto thee, take this cup from me.' If the concluding speech, in Matthew, 'The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,' is given as a folution, I reap no advantage from it; being as incapable of feparating the God-head, and humanity, as I am of putting them together. The other obfervation is; if these words were spoken by Jefus; from whence did the three evangelifts derive their knowledge of them? The three difciples nearest to him, were afleep. Mat

thew goes on-He went away again the fecond xxvi.
time, and prayed faying, O my Father, if this
cup may not pass away from me, except I drink
it; thy will be done. And he came and found
them afleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
And he left them and went away again, and
prayed a third time, faying the fame words.
Then cometh he to his disciples and faith unto
them, Sleep on now and take your rest, behold the
hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed
into the hands of finners. Rife, let us be going:
behold he is at hand that doth betray me. Judas
immediately enters. Mark gives nearly the fame
account. But Luke varies the place and circum-
ftances, ch. xxii. v. 39 to 46. And he came out,

42

43

44

45

46

and

and went as he was wont to the Mount of Olives. And when he was at the place, he faid unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation, and he was withdrawn from them about a ftone's caft, and kneeled down, and prayed faying; Father if thou be willing remove this cup from me: neverthelefs not my will, but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from Heaven. And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly: and his fweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayers, and was come to his difciples, he found them fleeping for forrow. (Sorrow has generally a contrary effect.) And faid unto them-Why fleep ye? Rife and pray, left ye enter into temptation: Judas immediately enters. In this account of Luke's, we find fome particulars are added, and fome are omitted. He fays nothing of Peter, James, and John being feparated from the reft: he fays nothing of the repetition, &c. but he adds the appearance of an angel, the agony, and its extraordinary effects. In Matthew and Mark we read that Jefus having faid to his difciples Sleep on now and take your reft;' immediately added-Rife let us be going.' This abfurdity is not found in Luke. John, who (according to Matthew and Mark, with his brother, and Peter, was selected from the reft, to assist at, or be witneffes of this tranfaction, fays not a word about it; (John, with James and Peter,

were

were likewife felected for witneffes of the trans-Chapter Verfe figuration fcene, and yet John records not a word of either *.) Though he alone gives us the particulars of a very long and interesting discourse made by Jefus to his difciples, previous to his apprehenfion, ch. xiii. v. 31. to ch. xvii. v. 26. This difcourfe being the ground-work of the Trinitarian fyftem, will be properly confidered in its place, together with obfervations that John only records particulars of the life of Jefus previous to the imprisonment of John the Baptist: the miracle of water turned into wine: the ftory of the woman caught in adultery: the raifing Lazarus from the dead, &c. Proceed we now to the different accounts given of the apprehenfion. And firft Matthew's :- And while he yet fpake, lo Judas, one of the twelve, came, and xxvi. with him a great multitude, with fwords and 'ftaves from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him, gave them a fign, faying, Whomfoever I fhall kifs, that fame is he, hold him fast.

And forthwith he

Hail Mafter; and

came to Jefus, and faid, kiffed him. And Jefus faid unto him Friend, 'Wherefore art thou come? Then came they

6

and laid hands on Jefus, and took him.

And

behold one of them (Peter) which were with Jefus, ftretched out his hand, and drew his

47

48

49

50

51

* Vide Pages 88, 89.

• fword,

Chapter Verfefword, and ftruck a fervant of the high priest's,

Then faid Jefus unto

him, put up again thy fword into its place; for all they that take the fword, shall perish 53 with the fword. Thinkeft thou that I cannot

now pray to my Father, and he fhall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels (Poffibly Peter's courage was raised to rashness ' by the expectation of fuch potent auxiliaries) 54 But how then fhall the fcriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? (And how was it that this reasoning escaped him when he prayed fo fervently to his Father that it might not be ful55 filled?) In that fame hour, faid Jefus to the multitudes, are ye come out as against a thief, with fwords and ftaves for to take me? I fat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me, (vide John, ch. viii. v. 59.) but all this was done that the fcriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.

56

Then all the dif

ciples forfook him and fled.' St. Mark's record fays- And immediately while he yet fpake 'cometh Judas one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with fwords and ftaves, from the chief priests, and scribes, and the elders. And he that betrayed him, had given them a token, faying, Whomfoever I fhall kifs, that fame is he take him and lead him away fafely.

6

6

And as foon as he was come, he goeth ftrait

way to him, and faith, Mafter, Mafter, and • kiffed