not forbear mingling themselves with the dregs of the people upon this infamous occasion. (See Luke xxii. 52.) Now he that betrayed him went a little before the rest of them; and that they might not be mistaken in the person, he had given them a signal by which they might distinguish Jesus from any others who might chance to be with him, saying, He whom I shall kiss at my first entering into the garden, is the person you are commissioned to take; be sure to lay hold of him immediately, and lead him away safely; for he has sometimes made strange escapes from those who have attempted to take him; and if he get away from you after this signal, it will be your fault, and not mine.* And accordingly, being come into the garden, he drew near to Jesus to kiss him, as a signal to the company to seize him; and going directly to him, with an air of the greatest respect, and with the fairest appearances of duty and friendship, he said, Hail to thee, Rabbi, Rabbi! (may the greatest pleasure and happiness continually attend thee!) and upon this he kissed him. But Jesus, well understanding the perfidious purposes concealed under this fond address, answered with great mildness, yet with becoming spirit, and said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? and whence is all this. ceremony and transport? Think of it, Judas! Is

*" (Lead him away safely, for he has sometimes made strange escapes.) Compare Luke iv. 30, John viii. 59, x. 39. I am ready to imagine from this precaution, that Judas might suspect that Christ would on this occasion renew the miracles he had formerly wrought for his deliverance."

this the friendship thou hast so often boasted? Alas! dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss? And dost thou think that he can be imposed upon by this poor artifice? or that God, who has promised him so glorious and triumphant a kingdom, will not punish such baseness and cruelty to him?

"Then Jesus, though he fully understood what was to follow this perfidious salutation, as knowing all the dreadful things that were coming upon him, (being well acquainted with all the circumstances of ignominy and horror that should attend his sufferings; which we should particularly note, it being impossible to enter aright into the heroic behaviour of our Lord Jesus Christ, without carrying this circumstance along with us,) yet did not attempt to escape, or to withdraw himself out of the power of his enemies: nevertheless he determined to show them that he could easily have done it; and therefore, as they now upon the signal that was given them, were drawing near to seize him, he went forth towards his enemies, and said to them with the greatest composure of mind, Whom do you come to seek here? and they were so confounded at the air of majesty and intrepidity with which he appeared, that without saying they were come for him, they only answered him, We are come to seek Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus says to them, You have the person then before you, I am he. And Judas also, who betrayed him, then stood with them; and he who had formerly followed Christ as one of his disciples, now sorted with his open and

*

avowed enemies. Then as soon as he had said to them, I am he, there went forth such a secret energy of divine power with those words, that all their united force was utterly unable to resist it, so that they presently drew back, as afraid to approach him, though unarmed and unguarded, and fell at once to the ground, as if they had been struck with lightning. Yet a few moments after, recovering from this consternation, they arose and rallied again; and then, as they came up the second time, he asked them again, Whom do you seek? and they said to him as before, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus answered them, I have already told you that I am he. If therefore you seek me alone, you may let these my companions and friends go their way in safety. (What magnanimity, what tenderness, was here towards those who had so lately neglected him, sleeping whilst he was in such extreme agony, that yet he would not suffer them to be terrified by so much as a short imprisonment!)† And indeed I shall insist

* 66

(They drew back and fell to the ground.) As there were scribes and priests among them, they must have read of the destruction of those companies which came to seize the prophet Elijah, (2 Kings i. 10, 12:) a fact which bore so great a resemblance to this, that it is an amazing instance of the most obdurate wickedness, that they should venture to renew the assault on Christ after so sensible an experience both of his power and mercy."

"And the words also intimate that he intended presently to dismiss them, as probably not thinking it convenient to appear before his judges with such an attendance. His disciples perhaps might consider this speech as an excuse for their forsaking him; but had they viewed it in a just light, it would rather have ap

upon that as a condition of surrendering myself to you, which you may easily perceive I could refuse if I thought fit. And this he said, that the saying he uttered before might further be illustrated and accomplished, Of those whom thou, my heavenly Father, hast given me, I have lost and will lose none.*

"And then, as he was speaking this, they that were sent to apprehend him, came and laid their hands upon Jesus and took him prisoner, without his making any manner of resistance. Now, upon this, when his disciples saw that they had seized him, and began to apprehend what would be the consequence of these things, they said to him, Lord, shall we smite these impious wretches with the sword? for we doubt not, but as few as we are, thou canst render us victorious over this armed multitude; and without staying for his answer, behold one of them that were with Jesus, even Simon Peter,† having a sword, stretched out his hand and drew it with a rash, inconsiderate zeal, and smote a servant of the high priest, whose name was Malpeared a strong engagement upon them to have waited for that fair dismission which our Lord seemed about to give them."

* 66 Jansenius justly observes, that it was a remarkable instance of the power of Christ over the spirits of men, that they so far obeyed his word, as not to seize Peter when he had cut off the ear of Malchus, or John while he stood by the cross, though they must know them to have been of the number of his most intimate associates."

+"(Even Simon.) None of the evangelists but John mentions the name of Peter on this occasion, which perhaps the others omitted lest it should expose him to any persecution; but John writing long after his death, needed no such precaution."

chus, who was one of the forwardest, and seemed peculiarly officious in seizing Christ; and he struck full at his head, intending to cleave him down; but the stroke glanced a little on one side, so that he only cut off his right ear.

"Then Jesus, being determined to surrender himself into the hands of his enemies, and still to show that such a surrender was the effect not of compulsion but of choice, said unto Peter, Return thy sword into the sheath again; for I will not have recourse to this or any other method of defence-and indeed all who take the sword shall perish by the sword and they that are most ready to take up arms, are commonly the first that will fall by them;-which might be intended as an intimation that the Jews, who were now drawing the sword against him, should ere long perish by it in a very miserable manner, as they quickly after did in the Roman war; and that the sword of divine vengeance, in one form or another, would quickly find out all his enemies. And besides, Peter, dost thou think that I want the aid of thy feeble arm, and that I

* "(Smote a servant of the high priest.) Yet one would have thought, as Bishop Hall observes, he should rather have struck Judas; but the traitor, perhaps, on giving the signal, had mingled himself with the crowd; or Peter might not understand the treacherous design of his kiss; or seeing Malchus more eager in his attack than the rest on Christ, he might postpone all other resentments to indulge the present sally of his indignation. Though this might seem a courageous action, it was really very imprudent, and had not Christ, by some signal influence, overawed their spirits, it is very probable, as the pious Sir Matthew Hale observes, that not only Peter but the rest of the apostles would have been cut to pieces."