prison, and to death. And He said, I tell thee, Peter, that this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest Me. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with There is always the same danger, often the same sad fall, before those who, in excitement and rash zeal, vow everything to a cause whose cost they have not reckoned, and who know not the weakness of their own nature. They serve sadly to point the apostolic caution, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." We notice the contrast between the trouble of the Saviour's soul in His agony, and His thrice repeated and earnest prayer, and the presumptuous confidence of Peter, who had not counted the cost of fidelity, and had not measured either his own strength or that of the adversary.

13. I tell thee, Peter.-Our Lord only thus addresses Peter on this single occasion. In doing so He recalls the hour when He gave the name Peter (Matt. xvi. 18), on his confessing the name of Christ with a distinctness and faith which none other had shown; and in sad contrast to his then grand confession of Christ would be his base denial of his Lord. But the application of the warning, conveyed in this emphatic use of the name Peter, bears also the promise that, in a return to the bold confession of Christ, by which he had won the name, should lay his future strength, which (as regarded his own power) he had proved in failure.

14. this night.-The day was reckoned from six o'clock, or sunset, in the evening; consequently this expression, at the time our Lord spoke, limits the duration of Peter's constancy to about a hour or two. The cock crows at midnight; but the second time of crowing, just before the day dawns, is the usual time spoken of as "the cock-crowing." The Jewish watch, so called, forms the interval between midnight and daybreak. (See xviii. 119.) Peter, therefore, first denied our Lord within a very short time of his profession of singular fidelity; and then the second and third time, at a sufficient interval for him to have recovered from the cowardice into which he had been surprised. But, instead of this, he deliberately repeated his denial; and it was only when the cock crew the second time that he looked up and met his Lord's eye, and was shamed, and repented. How great must have been the comfort afforded to the penitent amongst the "lapsed," in the early ages, by this incident in Peter's discipleship!

15. the more vehemently.-Nothing but a sad and painful experience would convince Peter of his real weakness, and save him from a sadder and irretrievable fall in the future, by teaching him that he must depend only on his Lord. The Saviour thought for others, and showed this tenderness over the weakness and baseness of His disciples, in the very hour of His own absorbing agony. There never was unselfishness such as His.

Thee, yet will I not deny Thee in any wise. Likewise also said all the disciples.

And He said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said He unto them, But now,

16. I will not deny.—(See xxiv. d. 36, 37.) It is difficult to be certain that Peter was now cautioned for the second time. Many writers have concluded that there was only one such scene, and that it is recorded with variations, by the Evangelists. But the first of the cautions (for we consider them distinct), as recorded by the accurate S. John (ch. xiii. 38), is evidently placed in a different connection. He there wants to follow Christ at once, asking whither He is going, and professing his own readiness to give up life for His sake. This was just after Judas had gone out, and before the institution of the Lord's Supper, and the last discourses, and Christ's prayer. Peter's second and similar profession of devotion was on the way to Gethsemane, as the other three Evangelists record. S. John evidently supplements the account given by the other three, of this particular period of our Lord's life; they are perhaps more anxious to show the connection of one event with another, he to give the exact order of time where they had left it unsettled. It would be perfectly natural that our Lord should give this caution once; and then, noticing how entirely Peter had failed to take it home to himself, repeat it, as did Peter his profession, with increased earnestness. S. Augustine (and, after him, Greswell) thinks that there were three occasions on which our Lord foretold this fall. If so, the cautions would be three, the denials three, and our Lord's questions, after the resurrection, at the Lake of Galilee three.

17. likewise. Here, as on several occasions, we find Peter had acted as spokesman on behalf of those who were not less devoted in their attachment, though less zealous in the profession of it.

18. when I sent.-(See Matt. x. 5-10.) Our Lord was now about to send His Apostles forth for the second time. Whilst they were with Him, He provided for their necessities and for their safety. But He reminds them of that first mission, and asks them if, whilst absent from Him, they had suffered any distress or privation: for then His protection had been with them, His Spirit had gone with them; they had needed neither money, nor clothing, nor food; all was arranged by His Providence. But now there would be no miraculous interposition in their favour; they would not find all things ready, and men's hearts towards them. They (and the rule extends itself to their successors in the Gospel mission in every age) must neglect nothing in providing for their own necessities; they would find His certain blessing on their endeavours, but no miracle would obviate the necessity of their onerous labours.

he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in Me, And He was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning Me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And He said unto them, It is enough.

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19. no sword.-Gk." and he that hath not " (i.e. means to purchase), "let him sell his garment, and buy a sword." He who has a purse and money may buy this necessity for self-defence; he who has not, had better part with his spare garment, and buy it. This direction, coupled with our Lord's rebuke to Peter when he drew the sword in His behalf, has given rise to much perplexed comment. The direction appears to be a general one, to meet a general necessity; self-defence would be necessary and lawful for the protection of life. The Christian must not be an aggressor; but he must not throw away the life which is valuable in the service of his Master. The very attitude of self-defence is often sufficient; but the use of the sword, that is, of weapons of selfdefence generally, may be resorted to. The urgency of the case is marked by the command to procure this sword of defence, even at the cost of the garment. Several of the German commentators have interpreted this spiritually, as the sword of the Spirit;" but it is evidently as literal an expression as purse, and scrip, and shoes; " and the reference to the requirement of those common necessities on the former occasion marks their literal sense here. It is noticeable that men and societies who advocate peace at any price, generally display a very sensible and literal regard to the injunction to provide purse, and scrip, and shoes;" they are not amongst the poorest, the worst fed, or the meanest clothed of the Christian community. It is clear that our Lord, in this command, is not referring to any present need of arms in His own defence; but to the future generations of His disciples, and in correction of any expectation that they might be included in the terms of His primary commission to the Apostles. (See note 18.) "When the Prince of Peace bade His followers sell their coats, and buy a sword, He meant to insinuate the need of those arms, not their improvement; and to teach them the danger of the time, not the manner of the repulse of danger." (Bp. Hall.)

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20. have an end. They are now in course of immediate completion, and will forthwith be finished; it is therefore evident that our Lord did not propose any struggle against them on the part of His followers.

21. two swords.-These they now produce; not unwilling, perhaps, to show that they had thought of this necessity, being armed, like many

XXVIII.

GETHSEMANE.

THE AGONY.

S. Matt. xxvi. 26-36; S. Mark xiv. 32-42; S. Luke xxii. 40-46 ;
S. John xviii. I, 2.

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, where was a garden, into the which He entered, and His disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed Him, knew the place for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with other travellers who feared to fall among thieves; perhaps also somewhat in the spirit of the remark concerning the few loaves and fishes in John vi. 9: 66 What are two swords, at such a crisis as this, and in the face of such foes?" Their reply shows that they misapprehended the spirit of Christ's remark. He had said enough to show them that His submission to death was God's will and His own determination, and therefore to come to pass. He could not, therefore, be speaking now of the sword with a view to any change of purpose; but, as they proved unable to receive His meaning, He did not now explain it, but left it to be recalled and made clear afterwards by the teaching of the Spirit.

22. enough. Not merely enough for any present purpose, or enough to show them how unequally they would contend against the powers of evil by mere human might; perhaps in some such way, at the moment, the disciples understood the remark. But it appears rather the remark of one who waived the subject, as being one that His hearers did not enter into, and which the present opportunity did not allow of pressing further.

1. Gethsemane. (See App. XV.) The meaning of the word is an "oilpress; "the enclosure called a garden was, no doubt, in this instance, an olive-yard. It lay at the foot of the Mount of Olives, just across the brook Cedron. An Eastern garden is generally an enclosure planted with shady trees, fruit trees, and flowering shrubs.

2. knew the place. It was an aggravation of the treachery of Judas that he did not scruple to guide his confederates to this place, hallowed by many a remembrance of kindly converse with his Lord.

3. ofttimes. Knowing what would happen on this spot, our Lord had consecrated it as a "place where prayer was wont to be made" by Him on many a previous occasion. Memories of things done on earth attach themselves strangely to localities: deeds of crime, or of heroism, or of piety, are imperishably connected with such places. And so there are places hallowed by converse with God, where prayer seems most natural, and where God's presence seems to linger. Such thoughts may consecrate even the particular place in a room where we

His disciples. And He saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

And He taketh with Him Peter, and James, and John, are accustomed to kneel down in private prayer. God is everywhere; but there seems to be both a special presence and a hallowed groundprivileges, these, not to be despised.

4. sit ye, etc.-Not to be too literally understood. Christ told them to remain there, whilst He went to prayer. At such a time there might be hope that they would pray with Him, or watch over Him, keeping a vigil of prayer near their Lord. He might have bidden them watch in prayer, whilst He entered into the mortal agony of His Passion; but He says simply, "Remain here, whilst I pray yonder;" leaving all else to their sympathy and appreciation of the present crisis. He then adds that for their own sake, as He had just forewarned them of their weakness, they should pray against temptation.

5. enter into.-This seems at first a caution given to them all; afterwards more specially repeated to the three disciples who were privileged to be witnesses of His agony. The expression is a peculiar one; it seems to denote a coincidence of the internal will with temptation externally presented to them. If they were watching in prayer, this could not well be; the temptation might assail them, but they would not enter into its snare. If they were careless and prayerless, the temptation would involve them, body and spirit, and they would fall. It was, therefore, not the temptation against which they were to pray, so much as that they might not, by coincidence of will, enter into it. There is the same distinction in the petition in the Lord's Prayer; we are not taught to pray that we may never be tempted, but that we may not be suffered to fall under temptation. Trial is ordained for all; temptation is permitted to try all; our prayer should be that we may stand firm against the temptation, and be victorious. See James i. 12, who (v. 14) explains that the temptation to be dreaded and shunned is when a man "is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed."

6. Peter, James, and John.-St. Paul says of these Apostles (Gal. ii. 9), they "seemed to be pillars." Peter, the foremost in profession; and the two sons of Zebedee, who had declared themselves able to drink of the cup of which He should drink, and to be baptized with the same baptism with their Lord; John being the "beloved disciple," and perhaps the foremost in personal devotion to Christ. These should be called on to do Him prominent service afterwards; and they are now witnesses of His agony, that they may know that they have a severe struggle before themselves, and that it cannot be maintained in self-dependence. These three had before been specially honoured; once, as witnesses of the first miracle of resurrection (Mark v. 37);