view, a more intimate knowledge of their master's mental agonies than the rest of their brethren. This is a method which the divine wisdom has always observed in its proceedings. Abraham was appointed by God to be the father of the faithful; but at the same time, that patriarch passed through such trials, as, in the judgment of Luther, not one of his descend- . ants would have been able to bear. Paul was most eminently distinguished and blessed in his apostolic office; but he also laboured and suffered more than all the other Apostles. In like manner Luther was prepared for the important work of the Reformation by great and arduous trials. Could we, without labour or conflict, attain to such a high pitch of holiness, and be made such illustrious instruments in the hands of God, most of us would willingly be admitted to such a degree of Divine favour; but such a signal favour of God is dealt only to such as he has tried and approved.

II. The vehemence of the internal sorrow and anguish of our blessed Lord, as described by the Evangelists, was such, that he both felt it inwardly, and likewise discovered it by his words.

1. That he felt it inwardly appears from these words, And he began to be sorrowful, sore amazed, and very heavy.' These expressions first teach us, that the blessed Jesus voluntarily endured his agony. He began to be sorrowful,' which words denote a spontaneous action. This is not a mere Greek phrase, according to which, the words,' he began to be sorrowful,' may likewise import he grew sorrowful. In this most remarkable history, the Holy Spirit has not inspired a single expression without design. By this expression is rather signified that Christ, in taking on himself this sorrow, not rashly but deliberately and willingly, gave himself up to the Divine justice; for in the whole transaction he acknowledged his Father acting as judge. The expres

sion, 'he began' occurs long before, (Matt. xvi. 21.) From that time Jesus began to show to his disciples, how he must go up to Jerusalem and suffer many things,' &c. Now as the words he began to be sorrowful' include both an active and passive sense, so through every part of our Saviour's passion, both active and passive obedience are always connected.

The sorrow of the blessed Jesus is further represented as very bitter and vehement. The Evangelists use different phrases to express the anguish of his soul: 'He began to be overwhelmed with sorrow; to be sore amazed; to be troubled and seized with fear and dread;' as it is said of St. Paul when frightened by a sudden flash of lightning, he spoke trembling and astonished, (Acts ix. 6.) and likewise of the women when surprised by the appearance of an angel at the sepulchre. (Mark xvi. 5.) He began to be sore amazed,' which word in the original denotes the most painful anguish of soul and depres sion of spirit, Thus we see how attentive the Evangelists were in searching out the most expressive words to describe, in some faint manner, this vehement agony of his mind. For as man, in whose stead this sacred person offered himself, consists of soul and body, the representative was likewise to suffer in soul and body. These words are illustrated at large in the passion-Psalms, where the anguish of Christ is very pathetically represented. (Psalms xviii. 5, 6, 8. xl. 13. lxix. 2, 3, 15, 15. lxxxviii. 4, 5, 8, 16, 17, 18.) Moreover it is also mentioned by the Evangelists, that,

2. He discovered this anguish by his words, And Jesus said unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch with me.' By this our blessed Lord intimates two things.

First, he signifies what had already befallen him. This is a very remarkable circumstance, that Christ

informs his disciples of his agonizing condition. Had he here been as a mute lamb, we should never had any knowledge of this mystery. It is he himself who makes known his sorrow; which was not only to come to pass, but likewise to be declared to us. The first belongs to the merit of Christ, the second gives us grounds for appropriating his merit to ourselves, without which there is no salvation for us. Thus Christ here shews himself both priest and prophet; and at the same time that he acquires the merit, he also provides for the appropriation of that merit to mankind, to which the way is prepared by declaring it to his disciples. Admirable display of infinite love and consummate wisdom!

But what does he say to his disciples? My soul is sorrowful, even unto death.' The chief seat of his agony was his soul, which was subject to the like passions with ours. His soul was now, as it were, hemmed in with sorrow, like a city closely besieged and pressed on all sides by the enemy; as the Messiah is introduced pouring forth his complaints in these words: (Ps. xl. 12.) Innumerable evils have compassed me about.' And this sorrow was unto death, that is, it was so great that it might have broken his heart, and thus have brought on his death; or because it would not cease till death put an end to it. Thus here he already felt the whole weight of it. Whatever is meant by death here rushed at once on the blessed Jesus; for the soul may suffer more in an instant, than the body in a long succession of many years.

Secondly, He makes known what he requires of the disciples, tarry here, and watch with me.' He does not require them to be sorrowful, amazed, and heavy; but only to stay and watch with him, that they might be witnesses of his agony, and prepare and arm them. selves against the trial which was also coming on them. By this he manifested their frailty; and by

this mournful spectacle, the pride of relying on their natural strength was mortified. Hence let us learn :

That Christ in the internal sufferings of his soul is to be considered as bearing the sins of the whole world, and the wrath of God in our stead. This is the principal doctrine inculcated by this terrible circumstance, without which all the mystical and moral speculations which the most subtile genius can produce will be of no avail. Our eyes must therefore be enlighted by the Holy Spirit, that we may view Christ in his sorrows as the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.' (John i. 29.) Other martyrs have gone cheerfully to tortures and death; whence then arises such sorrow and trembling here? Is the chief of all martyrs more timorous and faint-hearted than they? Is he afraid of the Scourgs of contumely, or of death? God forbid! His fear arises from quite another cause. He was to suffer a death which was not yet divested of its sting; whereas their death had before-hand lost its sting in Christ. God placed him before his judgment seat, and caused him to feel that dreadful wrath which burns to the lowest parts of hell. If a malefactor, sentenced to a temporal death, is often almost distracted with fear; let it be considered what terror and consternation must have filled the soul of the blessed Jesus, when eternal death was not only adjudged to him instead of all mankind, but also inflicted on him in the severest and most sensible manner. He had now nothing before him but God's awful tribunal, and horrible imagery of the sins of the whole world. How does a single sin oppressing the conscience so torment a man, that no place can afford him refuge or peace? And were only the accumulated sins committed within a great city in the space of one year, to be placed before the eyes of a pious soul, with what pungent sorrow would it not be affected? But here our blessed Lord, by the light

of his omniscience, had present to his mind the sins of the whole race of mankind. What grief and anguish therefore must this dismal spectacle have occasioned in his soul. Now this circumstance is to be improved,

1. For promoting a salutary contrition and sorrow. Behold, wretched man! thou committest innumerable sins with pleasure, and the Son of God must expiate them with such inexpressible pain. Art thou not concerned to cause such heaviness and sorrow to thy Lord and Saviour? When a criminal is to undergo an uncommon punishment, we conclude that he must have committed some attrocious crime; but our blessed Lord has not suffered for his own, but our trespasses. Therefore let the greatness of his sorrow inform thee how horrible sin must be, which could provoke the righteous God to inflict such rigorous punishment on his only son. What thou seest him endure here, thou thyself oughtest to have suffered. With this anguish and sorrow thou shouldest have been oppressed to all eternity. And, indeed, all this agony, in an eternity of darkness and torment, await those sinners who will not, by faith and repentance, make themselves partakers of the fruits of Christ's sufferings. Therefore, O sinner, forbear to heap up treasures of wrath, which an infinite and omnipotent God will pour upon thee, if by this agony of his son thou art not moved to sorrow and repen

tance.

2. For promoting a true and lively faith. Behold, thou that hast a sincere hatred against sin, here thy sins lie on the head of that sacred victim, the Lamb of God. They are included in the heavy load which oppresses him. They have no more right in thee; fear not, thou shalt never be made to atone for them. God is not unrighteous to demand of thee a debt, which his Son has generously discharged by his anguish and sorrow. In this mirror acknowledge thy