our Saviour, and hears the dreadful threatenings denounced against him, that it had been better for him that he had never been born, yet he is no more blanked than innocence itself. Resolute sinners run on desperately in their evil courses, and with open eyes see and meet their own destruction, without being either dismayed at it, or concerned about it. This shameless man had the impudence to say to our blessed Saviour, Master, is it I? Our Saviour gives him a direct answer, Thou sayest it. Did not Judas (think we) blush extremely, cast down his guilty eyes, and let fall his drooping head, at so galling an intination? Nothing less; we read of nothing like it. Lord, how does obduracy in sin steel the brow, and make it uncapable of all relenting impressions! Observe lastly, How our Saviour prefers nonentity before damnation: It had been better for that man if he had never been born. A temporal, miserable being, is not worse than no being; but eternal misery is much worse than nonentity: better to have no being than not to have a being in Christ. It had been better for Judas that he had never been born, than to lie under everlasting wrath.

22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 23 And he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.

Immediately after the celebration of the passover, our Lord institutes his holy supper; in which institution we have observable, the Author, the time, the elements, and ministerial actions. Observe here, 1. The Author of this new sacrament: Jesus took bread. Note thence, That to institute a sacrament is the sole prerogative of Jesus Christ. The church has no power to make new sacraments: it is only her duty to celebrate those which our Saviour has made.

Observe, 2. The time of the institution: the night before his passion; The night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took bread. Learn thence, That it is very necessary, when sufferings are approaching, to have recourse to the table of the Lord, which affords both an antidote against fear, and is a restorative to our faith. Observe, 3. The sacramental elements: bread and wine; bread representing the body, and wine the blood, of our dear Redeemer. Observe, 4. The ministerial actions: the breaking of the bread, and the blessing of the cup. As to the bread, Jesus took it; that is, set it apart from common use, and separated it for holy ends and purposes. He blessed it; that is, prayed for a blessing upon it: and brake it; thereby shadowing forth his body broken upon the cross: and he gave it to his disciples, saying, This broken bread signifies my body, suddenly to be broken upon the cross, for the redemption and salvation of a lost world; Do this in remembrance of my death. As to the cup, Christ having set it apart by prayer and thanksgiving, he commands his disciples to drink all of it; and accordingly they all drunk of it, says this evangelist and our Saviour gives his reason for it, ver. 24. For this is

:

my

blood of the new testament, which is shed for the remission of sins; that is, the wine in this cup represents the shedding of my blood, by which this new covenant between God and man is ratified. and confirmed. Whence we gather, That every communicant hath as undoubted a right to the cup as to bread, in the Lord's Drink ye supper: all of this, says Christ: therefore to deny the cup to the common people is sacrilege, and directly contrary to our Saviour's institution. And Christ calling the cup the fruit of the vine, affords a strong argument against the doctrine of transubstantiation: thus, "That

which after consecration remains the fruit

of the vine, is not substantially changed

into the blood of Christ. But Christ called the wine in the cup the fruit of the vine after consecration: therefore that which Christ gave the apostles to drink, was not substantially changed into his blood. Wine is metaphorically called the blood of the grape; why may it not, by a like metaphor, be styled the blood of Christ?" After the celebration was over, our Saviour and his disciples sung an hymn, as the Jews were wont to do at the passover the six eucharistical Psalms, from the 113th to the 119th

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the place where our misery began, as the first scene of human sin and misery was acted in a garden, so does our Lord choose a garden for the fittest place for his agony and satisfactory pains to begin in. Again, this garden was a place of privacy and retirement, where our Lord might best attend the offices of devotion preparatory to his passion. St. John xviii. 2. tells us, That Jesus oft-times resorted to this garden with his disciples, and that Judas well knew the place. It is evident then that Christ went not into the garden to shun his sufferings, but to prepare himself by prayer to meet his enemies. Observe, 2. The time when he entered into the garden for prayer: it was in the evening before he suffered; here he spent some hours in pouring forth his soul to God; for about midnight Judas, with his black guard, came and apprehended him in a praying posture. Our Lord teaching us by his example, that when imminent dangers are before us, especially when death is apprehended by us, to be very much in prayer to God, and very fervent in our wrestlings with him. Observe, 3. The matter of our Lord's prayer; that if possible the cup might pass from him: and he might be kept from the hour of suffering, that his soul might escape that dreadful wrath at which he was so sore amazed. "But what! Did Christ then begin to repent of his undertaking for sinners? Did he shrink and give back when it came to the pinch ?" No, nothing less; but as he had two natures, being God and man, so he had two distinct wills: as man, he feared and shunned death; as God-man, he willingly submitted to it. The divine nature, and the human spirit of Christ, did now assault each other with disagreeing interests. Again, this prayer was not absolute, but conditional, If it be possible, Father, if it may be; if thou art willing, if it please thee, let this cup pass; if not, I will drink it. The cup of sufferings we see is a very bitter and distasteful cup; a cup which human nature abhors, and cannot desire, but pray against; yet God doth put this bitter cup of affliction into the hands oft-times of those whom he doth sincerely love; and vhen he doth so, it is their duty to drink with silence and submission, as here thir Lord did before them; Father, let thecup pass; yet not my will, but thine bene. Observe, 4. The manner of our prayer in the garden: and here we

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3.

may remark, 1. It was a solitary prayer, he went by himself alone, out of the hearing of his disciples. The company of our best and dearest friends is not always seasonable; there is a time to be solitary as well as to be sociable; there are times and cases when a christian would not be willing that the most intimate friend he has in the world should be with him, to hear what passes in secret between him and his God. 2. It was an humble prayer, that is evident by the postures into which he cast himself; sometimes kneeling, sometimes lying prostrate upon his face; he lies in the very dust, and lower he cannot lie; and his heart was as low as his body. It was a vehement, fervent, and most importunate prayer: such was the fervour of our Lord's spirit, that he prayed himself into an agony. O let us blush to think how unlike we are to Christ in prayer, as to our praying frame of spirit. Lord! what deadness and drowsiness, what stupidity and formality, what dulness and laziness, is found in our prayers! how often do our lips move, when our hearts stand still: 4. It was a reiterated and repeated prayer; he prayed the first, second, and third time, for the passing of the cup from him; he returns upon God over and over again, resolving to take no denial. Let us not be discouraged, though we have sought God often for a particular mercy, and yet no answer has been given in unto Our prayers may be answered, though their answer for the present is suspended. A prayer put up in faith, according to the will of God, though it may be delayed, it shall not be lost. Our Saviour prayed the first, second, and third time, for the passing of the cup; and although he was not heard as to exemption from suffering, yet he was heard as to support under suffering. Observe, 5. The posture the disciples were found in when our Lord was in this agony, praying to his Father: they were fast asleep. Good God! could they possibly sleep at such a time as that was? When Christ's soul was exceeding sorrowful, could their eyes be thus heavy? Learn thence, That the best of Christ's disciples may be, and oft-times are, overtaken with infirmities, with great infirmities, when the most important duties are performing; He cometh to his disciples, and finds them sleeping. Observe, 6. The mild and gentle reproof which he gives his disciples for their sleeping: Could ye not watch with me one hour? Could ye not watch when

us.

your Master was in such danger? Could ye not watch with me, when I am going to deliver up my life for you? What, not one hour; and that the parting hour too? After his reprehension he subjoins an exhortation; Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; and superadds a forcible reason, For though the spirit be willing, yet the flesh is weak. Thence learn, That the holiest and best resolved christians, who have willing spirits for Christ and his service, yet in regard of the weakness of the flesh, or frailty of human nature, it is their duty to watch and pray, and thereby guard themselves against temptation; Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; for though the spirit is willing, yet the flesh is weak.

43 And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he take him, and lead him away safely. 45 And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. 46 And they laid their hands on him, and took him. 47 And one of them

that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to

take me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not but the scriptures must be fulfilled. 50 And they all forsook him, and fled.

The hour is now almost come, even the hour of sorrow which Christ had so often spoken of: Yet a little while, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners; for while he yet spake, cometh Judas with a band of soldiers to apprehend him. It was the lot and portion of our dear Redeemer, to be betrayed into the hands of his mortal enemies by the treachery of a false and dissembling friend. Here we have observable, 1. The traitor.

2. The treason. 3. The manner how. 4. The time when this treasonable design was executed. Observe, 1. The traitor: Judas. All the evangelists carefully describe him by his name, Judas; by his surname, Judas Iscariot; lest he should be mistaken for Jude, the brother of James. Almighty God takes great care to preserve the names of his upright-hearted servants. He is farther described by his office, One of the twelve. The eminency of his place and station was an high aggravation of his transgression. Learn hence, That the greatest professors had need be very jealous of themselves, and suspicious of their own hearts, and look well to the grounds and principles of their profession; for a profession begun in hypocrisy will certainly end in apostasy. Learn farther, That persons when they meet with temptations exactly are never in such imminent danger, as suited to their master-lusts. Covetousness was Judas's master-sin; the love of the world made him a slave to Satan, and the devil lays a temptation before him exactly suited to his temper and inclination; and it constantly overcomes him. pray we, that we may be kept from a strong and suitable temptation; a temptation suited to our inclination and predominant lust and corruption. Observe, 2. The treason of this traitor Judas: he led on an armed multitude to the place where Christ was, gave them a signal to discover him by, and bids them lay hands upon him, and hold him fast. Some conjec

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ture, that when Judas bade them hold Christ fast, he thought they could not do it; but that as Christ had at other times conveyed himself from the multitude, when they attempted to kill or stone him, so he would have done now: but his hour was self to be delivered by the treachery of Junow come, and accordingly he suffers himdas into his enemies' hands. And this his treason is attended with these hellish aggravations; he had been a witness to the miracles which our Saviour had wrought by his divine power, and therefore could not sin out of ignorance: what he did was not at the solicitation and persuasion of others, but he was a volunteer in this service; the high priests did not send to him, but he went to them, offering his assistance. no doubt it was a matter of surprise to the chief priests to find one of Christ's own risciples at the head of a conspiracy aganst him. Lord! how dangerous is it to alow ourselves in any one secret or open sin!