246 The NEW and COMPLETE LIFE of our BLESSED LORD that if it was pofhible, or confinent with the falvation of the world, he might be delivered from the fufferings which were then lying on him : it was not the fear of dying on the crofs which made him fpeak or pray in fuch a manner ; to fuppofe this, would infinitely degrade his charaaer, make his fufferings as terrible as poffible, and clothe them with all the aggravating circumfiances of dinrefs ; yet the bleffed Jesus, whole human nature was nrength- ened by being conneaed with the divine, could not fhrink at the proppe& of fuffer- ings, or betray a weaknefs which many of his followers, who, though -mere men, were mangers to ; having encountered more terrible deaths without the.leanemo- tions. He addreffes his divine Father with a- figh offervent wifhes, that the cup might, if poflìble, be removed from him : in the Greek, it is, °° O that thou wouldeft re- move this cup from me." And having firff kneeled and prayed, he fell profirate on his face, accompanying his addrefs with due expreffionsof refignation, adding im- mediately, Neverthelefs, not as-I will, but as thou wilt. Having prayed, he returned to his difciples, and finding them afleep, he Paid to Peter, Simon, fleepf thou? Couldell not thou watch one hour? Cann thou To foon forget thy Matter? Thou Who fo lately boafiedof thy courage and connancy in my fervice. However, in his greaten difirefs, he ne- ver loft fight of that kind concern he had for his difciples : Watch ye, he lays, and pray, left ye enter into temptation. Nei- ther was he on thofe extraordinary oc- caftons, in the .lean moved with the offences which they had committed through frailty and human weaknefs : on the con- trary, was always willing to make excufes for them ; alleging in their defence, that the'pirit truly was ready, but theft was Weak. It feems, from thefe particulars, that he fpent force confiderable time in his addreffes, becaufe the difciples fell afleep in his abfence, and he himfelf retired again topray; for the forrows of our Lord con- tinning to increafe upon him, affefted him to fuch a degree, that he retired a fecond time, and prayed to the fame purpofe, faying, O my Father, sf this cup may not pa's away from me; except I drink it, thy will be done. After which he returned again to them, and found them afieep, for their eyes were heavy. He returned thus frequently to his difciples, that they, by reading his dithers in his countenance and gefiure, might be witneffes of his paflìon, which proves that his pains were beyond defcription intenfe and complicated ; foi he went away the third time to pray, and notwithnanding an angel was fent from heaven to comfort and firengthen him, yet they overwhelmed him, and threw him into an agony ; upon which h fiill continued to pray more earnenly : but the fenfe of his fufferings fiill increafing, they firained his whole body to fo violent a degree, that his blood was preffed through the pores. ofhis fkin, which they pervaded, together with his fweat, and fell down in large drops on the ground: And he left them, and went away again. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, flrengthen- ing hint. And being in anagony, heprayed, more earn f ly : and hisfweat wasas itwere great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Thus did he fuller unfpeakable forrows in his foul, as long as the divine Wifdom thought proper. At length he obtained relief, being heard on account of his perfeéf and entire fubmiffion to the will of his heavenly Father : And when he rote up from prayer, and was come to his difciples, he found them fleeping for for- row. This circumfiance Thews how much. the difciples were affeéfed with their Mat- ter's fufferings : the fenfations of grief which they felt on feeing his unfpeakable dinrefs, fo overpowered them, that they funk into veep. Our bleffed Saviour for the laft time came to his diféiples, and feeing them afleep, he Paid, Sleep on now, and takeyour r f : behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into . the hands of 'inners. Rip, let us be going:
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=