36

Then cometh Jefus with them to a place called Gethsemane, and faith to his difciples, Ŝit ye here, 37 while I go and pray yonder. And taking with him Peter and the two fons of Zebedee, he began to be for38 rowful and in deep anguifh. Then faith he to them,

My foul is exceeding forrowful, even unto death: tarry 39 ye here, and watch with me. And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, faying, O my Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pafs from me; yet 40 not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh to the difciples, and findeth them alleep, and faith to Peter, What! Could not ye watch with me one 41 hour ? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the fpirit indeed is willing, but the flesh 42 is weak. Again going away the fecond time he pray

ed, faying, O my Father, if this cup cannot pafs from 43 me, unless I drink it, thy will be done. And coming

he findeth them afleep again; for their eyes were 44 weighed down. And leaving them, he went away again, and prayed the third time, faying the fame 45 words. Then cometh he to his difciples and faith to them, Sleep on now and take your reft: Behold the hour is come, and the Son of man is betrayed into the

V. 36. Then cometh Jefus to a place called Gethsemane-That is the Valley of Fatnefs. The garden probably had its name from its foil and fituation, laying in fome little valley between two of thofe many hills, the range of which conftitutes the Mount of Olives.

V. 37. And taking with him Peter and the two fons of Zebedee-To be witneffes of all; he began to be forrowful and in deep anguish-Probably 'from feeling the arrows of the Almighty ftick faft in his foul, while God laid on him the iniquities of us all. Who can tell what painful and dreadful fenfations were then impreft on him by the immediate hand of God The former word in the original properly fignifies, to be penetrated with the most exquifite forrow; the latter, to be quite depreft, and almost overwhelmed with the load.

V. 39. And going a little farther-About a stone's caft: (Luke xxii. 41.) So that the apoftles could both fee and hear him fti!. If it be poffible, let this cup pass from me-And it did pafs from him quickly. When he cried unto God with frong cries and tears, he was heard in that which he feared. God did take away the terror and severity of that inward conflict.

V. 41. The fpirit-Your fpirit: ye yourselves. The flesh-Your nature. How gentle a rebuke was this, and how kind an apology! efpecially at a time when our Lord's own mind was fo weighed down with forrow.

V. 45. Sleep on now, if you can, and take your reft-For any farther fervice you can be of to me.

V. 50. The

+ Mark xiv. 32.

Luke xxii. 40.

46 hand of finners. Rife; let us be going: behold he that betrayeth me is at hand.

47

+ And while he was yet fpeaking, lo Judas one of the twelve came, and with him a great multitude with fwords and clubs from the chief priests and elders of 48 the people. Now he that betrayed him, had given them a signal, faying, Whomfoever I fhall kifs, is he; 49 feize him. And forthwith coming to Jefus, he said, 50 Hail, Mafter, and kiffed him. And Jefus faid to him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they up 51 and laid hands on Jefus, and took him. * And behold one of them that were with Jefus, ftretching out his hand, drew his fword, and ftriking the fervant of 52 the high priest, cut off his ear. Then faid Jefus to him, Put up again thy fword into its place; for all they 53 that take the fword fhall perifh by the sword.

Think

pre

eft thou that I cannot afk my Father, and he will fently fend me more than twelve legions of angels ? 54 But how then fhall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be done?

55 In that hour Jefus faid to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a robber, with fwords and clubs to take me? I fat daily with you teaching in the temple 56 and ye apprehended me not. But all this is done, that the fcriptures might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples

forfook him and fled.

V. 50. The heroic behaviour of the bleffed Jefus, in the whole period of his fufferings, will be observed by every attentive eye, and felt by every pious heart: although the facred hiftorians, according to their ufual but wonderful fimplicity, make no encomiums upon it: with what compofure does he go forth to meet the traitor? With what calmness receive that malignant kifs? With what dignity does he deliver himself into the hands of his enemies? Yet plainly fhewing his fuperiority over them, and even then leading as it were captivity captive!

V. 51. And one of them, ftriking the fervant of the high-priest-Probably the person that feized Jefus firft; Cut off his ear- -Aiming, it feems, to cleave his head, but that by a fecret providence interpoling he declined the blow.

V. 52. All they that take the fword-Without God's giving it to them; without fufficient authority.

V. 53. He will presently give me more than twelve legions of angelsThe leaft of whom, it is probable, could overturn the earth and destroy all the inhabitants of it.

+ Mark xiv. 43. Luke xxii. 47. Luke xxii. 49. John xviii. 10.

V. 57. They

* Mark xiv. 47.

John xviii. 2.

Mark xiv. 48,

Luke xxii. 52.

57 + And they that had apprehended Jefus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the fcribes 58 and elders were affembled. But Peter followed him afar off to the high priest's palace, and going in, 59 fat with the fervants, to fee the end. Now the chief

priefts, and elders, and all the council sought false wit60 nefs against Jefus, to put him to death. But found none; yea, though many falfe witneffes came, yet found they none. At laft came two falfe witneffes, 61 And faid, This fellow faid, I am able to destroy the 62 temple of God, and to build it in three days. And

the high priest rifing up faid to him, Answereft thou 63 nothing? What do these witness against thee? But Jefus held his peace. And the high priest answering faid to him, I adjure thee by the living God, to tell us, 64 if thou art the Chrift, the Son of God? Jefus faith to him, Thou haft faid. Moreover I fay to you, Hereafter fhall ye fee the Son of man fitting on the right-hand of power, and coming upon the clouds of 65 heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, faying, He hath spoken blafphemy; what further need have 66 we of witneffes ? Behold now ye have heard his

blafphemy. What think ye? They anfwering faid, 67 He is worthy of death. Then did they fpit in his face 68 and buffet him, and others smote him, Saying, Prophefy to us, thou Chrift, who is he that fmote thee?

V. 57. They led him away to Caiaphas-From the house of Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas to whom they had carried him first.

V. 58. But Peter followed him afar off-Variously agitated by con flicting paffions: love constrained him to follow his master; fear made him follow afar off. And going in, fat with the fervants-Unfit come panions, as the event fhewed.

V. 60. Yet found they none-On whofe evidence they could condemn him to die. At last came two false witnesses-Such they were although part of what they faid was true; becaule our Lord did not speak fome of those words at all; nor any of them in this fenfe.

V. 64. Hereafter fhall ye fee the Son of man-He fpeaks in the third perfon, modeftly, and yet plainly: Sitting on the right-hand of powerThat is, the right-hand of God: And coming upon the clouds of heavenAs he is reprefented by Daniel (ch. vii. 13, 14.) Our Lord looked very unlike that perfon now! But nothing could be more awful, more majestic and becoming, than fuch an admonition, in fuch circumftances.

V. 65. Then the high priest rent his clothes-Though the high priest was forbidden to rent his clothes (that is, his upper garment) in fome cafes where others were allowed to do it, (Lev. xxi. 10. yet in cafe of blafphemy

✈ Mark xiv. 53. Luke xxii 54. John xviii. 12.

69 Now Peter fat without in the hall. And a maidservant came to him, faying, Thou also was with Jefus 70 of Galilee. But he denied before all, faying, I know 71 not what thou fayeft, And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid faw him, and faid to them that were there, this fellow alfo was with Jefus of Nazareth. 72 And again he denied with an oath, I know not the 73 man. And after a while they that ftood by, came and faid to Peter, Surely, thou art alfo one of them; for 74 thy fpeech discovereth thee. Then began he to curfe ́and to fwear, I no not the man. And immediately the 75 cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jefus, who faid to him, Before cock-crowing thou wilt deny me thrice. And going out he wept bitterly.

XXVII. In the morning, all the chief priests and elders of the people confulted together against Jefus, to put 2 him to death. And having bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

3

Then Judas who had betrayed him, feeing that he was condemned, repenting himself, brought back the thirty pieces of filver to the chief priests and elders, blafphemy or any public calamity, it was thought allowable. Caiaphas hereby expreffed in the most artful manner, his horror at hearing fuch grievous blafphemy.

V. 67. Then-After he had declared, he was the Son of God, the Sanhedrim doubtlefs ordered him to be carried out, while they were confulting what to do. And then it was, that the foldiers who kept him, began these infults upon him.

V. 72. He denied with an oath-To which poffibly he was not unaccuftomed, before our Lord called him.

V. 73. Surely thou art alfo one of them; for thy speech discovereth thee -Malchus might have brought a ftronger proof than this But fuch is the over-ruling providence of God, that the world, in the height of their zeal, commonly catch hold of the very weakest of all arguments against the children of God.

V. 74. Then began he to curfe and to fwear-Having now quite loft the reins, the government of himself.

V. 1. In the morning-As the Sanhedrim used to meet in one of the Courts of the temple, which was never opened in the night, they were forced to stay 'till the morning, before they could proceed regularly, in the refolution they had taken to put him to death.

V. 2. Having bound him-They had bound him when he was first apprehended. But they did it now afrelh, to fecure him from any danger of an escape, as he paffed through the streets of Jerufalem.

V. 3. Then Judas, Seeing that he was condemned-Which probably he thought Chrift would have prevented by a miracle.

V. 4. They

* Mark xv. 1. Luke xxii. 66. xxiii. 1. ‘John xviii, 28,

4 Saying, I have finned in betraying innocent blood. 5 And they faid, What is that to us? See thou to it. And having thrown down the pieces of filver in the temple, he withdrew and going away hanged himself. 6 And the chief priests taking the pieces of filver, faid, it is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because 7 it is the price of blood. And having confulted together, they bought with them the potters field, to bury fo8 reigners in. Wherefore that field was called, the field 9 of blood unto this day. Then was fulfilled what was fpoken by the prophet, saying, * And they took the thirty pieces of filver, the price of him that was valued, 10 whom they of the children of Ifrael did value, And gave them for the potters field, as the Lord commanded me.

11

And Jefus ftood before the governor. And the governor queftioned him, faying, Art thou. the king of the Jews? And Jefus faid to him, Thou fayest. 12 But while he was accused by the chief priests and 13 elders, he answered nothing. Then faid Pilate to him, Heareft thou not, how many things they witness against And he answered him to never a word, fo that the governor marvelled greatly.

14 thee?

15

+ Now at every feaft the governor was wont to releafe to the people a prifoner, whom they would.

V. 4. They faid, What is that to us-How eafily could they digeft in nocent blood. And yet they had a confcience! It is not lawful (say they} to put it into the treafury-But very lawful to slay the innocent!

V. In that part of the Temple, where the Sanhedrim met.

V. 7. They bought with them the potters field-Well known, it feems, by that name. This was a small price for a field fo near Jerufalem. But the earth had probable been digged for potters veffels, fo that it was now neither fit for tillage, nor pafture, and confequently of small value. Foreigners-Heathens efpecially, of whom there were then great numbers in Jerufalem.

V. 9. Then was fulfilled-What was figuratively reprefented of old, was now really accomplished. What was spoken by the prophet-The word Jeremy, which was added to the text in latter copies, and thence received into many tranflations, is evidently a miftake: for he who fpoke what St. Matthew here cites (or rather paraphrases) was not Jeremy, but Zech

ariah.

V. 10. As the Lord commanded me-To write, to record.

V. 11. Art thou the king of the Jews?-Jefus before Caiaphas avows himself to be the Chrift, before Pilate to be a king; clearly fhewing thereby, that his answering no more, was not owing to any fear. V. 15. At every feaft-Every year, at the feaft of the paffover. V. 18. He Zech. xi. 12. + Mark xv. 6. Luke xxiii. 17. John xviii 39.