to bear them. And though we must not expect to have an angel sent from heaven to support us, as was done to Jesus, yet we may expect, and expect with confidence, that a more than angelic comforter, even the Spirit of God, will shed his healing influence over our souls, and preserve us from sinking even under the severest trials.

And there is still one further lesson of no small importance, which this part of our Saviour's history may teach us.

Extreme affliction, as we all but too well know, has a natural tendency, not only to depress our spirits, but to sour our tempers, and to render us fretful and irritable, and severe towards the failings of others. But how did it operate on our blessed Lord? Instead ofinjuring, it seemed rather to improve the heavenly mildness of his disposition, and to make him more indulgent to the failings of his followers. For when in the very midst of all his anguish, they could so far forget his sorrows, and their own professions of attachment

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to him, as to sink into sleep, how gentle was his reproof to them for this want of sensibility and attention to him : "Could you not watch with me one hour?" And even this affectionate rebuke he imme diately tempers with a kind excuse for them: "the spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak."

I now proceed in the melancholy narrative. " And while he yet spake, lo! Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they and laid hands on Jesus, and took him."

" And behold, one of them which were with Jesus (St. Peter) stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest (whose name was

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Malchus) Malchus) and smote off his ear." Here again we see the warmth and vehemence of Peter's temper, which prompted him to a well-meant, though injudicious display of his zeal in his Master's cause. "Then said Jesus unto him, put up again thy sword into its place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?"

From this reproof to Peter, we are not to infer that the use of the sword in selfdefence is unlawful; but that the use of it against the magistrate and the ministers of justice (which was the case in the present instance) is unlawful. It was meant also to check that propensity, which is but too strong and too apparent in a large part of mankind, to have recourse to the sword on all occasions; and more particularly to restrain private persons from aveng ing private injuries, which they should rather leave to the magistrate or to God; for " Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord*." In all such cases, they who take the sword unjustly and rashly will probably, as our Saviour here forewarns them, perish with the sword; with the sword of their adversary, or of the magistrate. That denunciation might also allude to the Jews who now seized on Jesus ; and might be meant to intimate to his disciples, that it was perfectly needless for them to draw their swords on these miscreants, since they would all perish at the siege or capture of Jerusalem by the sword of the Romans.

If it had been the intention of Providence to protect Jesus and his religion by force, there is no doubt but a host of angels would have been sent to defend him, as one was actually sent to comfort him. But this would have defeated the very purpose for which he came into the world, which was, that he should " make his soul an offering for sint." The prophets

foretold (more particularly Isaiah and Daniel) that he should do so. And beside this, nothing could be more abhorrent, from the spirit of his religion, than force, violence and bloodshed. These instruments of destruction he left to fanatics and impostors. The only weapons he made use of were of a different nature; the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith and the armour of righteousness.

"In that same hour said Jesus to the multitude, Are ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves, for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the Temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled; (which, as I have already observed, predicted his sufferings and his death.) Then all his disciples forsook him and fled." Here we have the exact completion of that prophecy which he had just before delivered, that all his disciples should be offended because of him; that is, should desert him that very night. And that this prediction was so