"Deceiv'd by subtle snares of hell, But Satan found a worse reward; Betwixt the woman's seed and thee. The woman's Seed shall be my Son, He spake and bade four thousand years Lo, by the sons of hell he dies; And triumph'd o'er the pow'rs below.* "Jesus Christ, the Conqueror of the prince of darkness, and the Captain of our salvation, exercised his valour and fortitude in the highest degree," "in the time of his last sufferings, when his enemies in earth and hell made their most violent attack upon him, compassing him about on every side, like renting and roaring lious."-Pres. Edward's, on Affections. SERMON XXVI. THE SUBJECT OF THE PRECEDING DISCOURSE CONTINUED. GENESIS iii, 14, 15. And the Lord God said unto the serpent-I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Also, LUKE Xxii, 53. When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hand against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. AS soon as "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us," it was in the heart of Satan to take his life. The devil, however, never meant, that he should die upon the Roman cross. It was an object with that subtle spirit to procure his condemnation for blasphemy, that he might be stoned to death. For Satan knew, that if Christ died upon the cross, the effect would be fatal to his own empire. It was not only predicted that Christ should die; but the manner and circumstances of his death were clearly pointed out in the prophecies of the Old Testament. And that Satan was acquainted with the prophecies, is evident from his dexterity in calling Scripture to his aid, in tempting Christ in the wilderness. Satan said to him, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." He knew, therefore, that if Jesus should be lifted up, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, this would lay a foundation for the salvation of man; but that himself would be involved in ruin. It was an object with the tempter, therefore, if possible, to take the life of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, and so prevent his dying upon Mount Calvary. Jesus, in the covenant of redemption, had consented to die upon the cross, and he knew, that if he did not die "upon the predicted spot," that his precious blood would avail nothing to the interest of man's redemption. If Christ had been slain in the garden, the salvation of man would have failed; and the destruction of Satan's kingdom would not have been effected. For man's redemption and Satan's destruction, it was necessary that Christ be lifted up, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. This being the case, we hear the Son of man saying, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." This Christ knew: and this no doubt Satan knew. Now then was the only opportunity for the Prince of peace, and the prince of this world, to try their strength. For that very night Jesus was betrayed to be crucified. It was, therefore, the policy of Satan, if possible, to take his life before he should be brought to the accursed tree; he therefore came upon him "with all the rage, with all the fury, and with all the malice of devils; with full purpose to dispatch him in the garden." Then it was that Christ experienced the truth of his own prophetic declaration in David, "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of Belial made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me." "When the Son of man was thus assaulted by all the powers of the infernal world, and ready to sink under the pressure of such a mighty power, he called immediately upon God for help to sustain him under this pressure. He did this with the strongest confidence in the faithfulness of his Father, who had said, Because he hath set his love upon me, I will deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him and honour him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him." The Captain of our salvation could have delivered himself, with infinite facility, had he seen fit, out of the hands of all his enemies: 'Yea, his Father would have sent to his assistance, had it been necessary, more than twelve legions of angels.' Hence said Christ to the band which came to take him, when I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: BUT THIS IS YOUR HOUR AND THE POWER OF DARKNESS. Christ, therefore, did not pray the Father that he might not be taken and condemned by the vain Jews, or that he might not be delivered to the rage of the Gentiles to be crucified: for his expiration upon the cross, he wished not to avoid. But the cup which he prayed might pass from him, was the bodily distress which the power of darkness then brought upon him. And he was heard in that he feared; and his holy Father sent an angel from heaven to strengthen him. "The closing up of this trying scene in Gethsemane, and indeed, the whole scene itself, is remarkable for showing Christ to advantage, in his zeal to finish his work upon the cross." The reproof given to Peter shews this zeal. "Put up the sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it?" Peter had unknowingly begun an affray that tended, in its nature, to prevent the decreed cruci fixion. It tended to prevent Christ's drinking the cup then before him, which the Father had given him to drink. No one, surely, can say that this cup was the same, that but a few moments before, Jesus so earnestly prayed might pass from him. The cup now under consideration, is the very cup which the Father gave the Son to drink. And the Son reproved Peter for attempting to prevent his drinking it. If this cup be the same that with strong crying and tears he had prayed might pass from him, then there was manifestly, a very sudden change in his mind, about the drinking of it; which he knew, and declared to Peter, his Father had given him to drink. Every consideration taken from the "lively oracles" and from the nature of things, forbids the admission of such a supposition." A certain English writer observes, if he might so speak, that a necessity was laid upon Christ to drink the cup of the cross, and therefore would never be persuaded to pray to be delivered from it. He knew that thus it must be-because, for this end he came to this hour.' "That cup," proceeds our author, "which he so earnestly prayed to have removed, was not, could not be, his dying upon the cross, is with me past all doubt." What must we say, that our Lord strangely forgot himself when he prayed so earnestly three times successively, to have that prevented, which he had all along, spoken of to his disciples, as a thing absolutely determined? Yea, and that but a few minutes before, having told them the circumstances of Judas' betraying him; having declared at the same time his own resolution, and the event with respect to himself, as well as Judas, Truly the Son of man goeth as it was determined: but woe to that man, by whom he is betrayed; foretelling Peter's denying him, and their being all scattered from him, because it was written, "I will smite the Shepherd," &c. but saith he, after I am risen I will go before you into Galilee; telling them that, that which was written must be accomplished in him; and he was numbered among the transgressors; for saith he, the things concerning me have an end. All this was but a little while before his agony. To which may be added that solemn prayer before his passion, when he prayed for the reward, as having finished the work which the Father had given him to do: |