248 The NEW and COMPLETE L. I F E of our BLESSED LORD was in confederacy, advanced towards him a fecond time: Then alked he them again, Whom feek ye? And they faid, Jefus of Nazareth. Jefas anfwered, I have told you, that I am he; expreffing again his willingnefs to fall into their hands : If therefore ye leek me, let there go their way. If your bufinefs be with me alone, fuffer my difciples, to pars : for the party had furrounded them alto. He feems to have made this requefl to the foldiers, that the Paying might be fulfilled which. he fpake, Of them which thou gave me have I loft none. For as he always proportions the trials of his people to their ftrength ; fo here he took care that the difciples fhould efcape the florm, which none but himfelf could bear. Some of the foldiers, more daring than the refl, at length rudely caught JEsus, . and bound him : upon which Peter drew his fword, and fmote off the ear of thehigh- prieft's fervant, who probably was 'hewing greater forwardnefs than the reft in this bufinefs : Then Simon Péter, having a fword, drew it, and fmote the highprig's fervant, and cut off his right ear; the f r-: vanes name was Malthus. The enraged' ápoille was on the point of Tingly attack- ing the whole band, when JEsus ordered him to (heath the fword, telling him, that his unfeafonable and imprudent defence might prove the occalon of his defiruc- tion : Then faid Jefas, unto him, put up again thy fword into his place : for all they that take the fword,fhall peY2 h with thefword. He told him likewife, that it implied both a difiruft of the Divine Provi- dence, which can always employ a variety of means for the fafety of good men, and alto his, ignorance in the Scriptures : ,TIzinkeit thou, faid he, that. I cannot now pray to my Father, and he 'hall prefently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then fhall the Scriptures beful- filled, that thus it muff be? Matt. xxvi. 53. 54 Legion was a Roman military term, be- ing the name which they gave to a body 3 of five or fix thoufand men ; wherefore, in regard that the band, which now furrounded them, was a Roman cohort, our Lord might make ufe of this term by way of contrafl, to chew what an inconfiderable thing the cohort was, in comparifon of the force he could fummon to his affìfl= ante; more than twelve legions, not of foldiers, but of angels. He yet was ten- derly inclined to prevent any bad conk quences, which might have flowed from Peter's rafhnefs, by healing the fervant,. and adding, in his rebuke tò him, a de- claration of his willingnefs to fuffer: The cup which my Father has given me, fhall I not drink it? Our Lord's healing the ear of Maichus, by touching it, feems to imply, that he created a new one in the place of that which was eut off; but though he per- formed the cure fame other way, it equally demonflratcs both his goodnefs and his power. No wound or diftemper was in- curable in the hand of JEsus; neither was any injury fo great that he could not forgive. Itfeems fomewhat furprifing, that this evident miracle did not make an impreflion upon the chief priefts, efpecially as our Lord put them in mind at the fame time of his other miracles ; for ha- ving firfl faid, Stffer ye thus far. ; .and he touched his ear, andhealed hint; he added, Be ye cone: out, as againft a thief, with fwords and Raves? When Iwas daily with you in the temple, yejiretcheel forth no .hands againit me: but this is your hour, and the power of darknefs, Luke xxii. 51, 52,- 53. They had kept at a diflance during the attack, but drew near, when they under- flood that JEsus was in their power; for they were proof againft all conviçtion, be- ing obflinately bent on putting him to death. And the difciples, when they faw their Mailer in the hands of his enemies, forfook him and fled, according to his pre- diftian ; notwithftanding they might have followed hint without any danger, as the priefts had no defign againft them: Then ail the difciplesforfookhim, and fled. Then the
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