11. In this agony of agonies and all other, we learn, by our Saviour's example, to have recourse unto prayer; he prayed in the garden, he prayed on the cross, to show that in times of distress we should principally apply ourselves to prayer. Moses prayed at the sea; Daniel prayed sitting amongst the lions1; Job on the dunghill2; Peter at midnight, when he was in the prison3; and here Christ our Saviour in his agony, when he not only prayed, but prayeth with great fervency, prayeth alone, to show that the mind is most elevated unto God, when we go aside to pray, as he himself here prayeth; and how we are heard. So doth he withal exhort his disciples to pray that they enter not into temptation: and surely no better remedy against temptation than prayer, which is the very whip and scourge of evil motions; for when the thief heareth the good man of the house to cry and call for help, he thinks there is no tarrying for him, if good friends be within hearing. "Cornelius, Cornelius, thy prayers are come up before God+:" Wouldst thou exercise thyself in a spiritual life? pray: wouldst thou attain the sweetness of heavenly things? pray wouldst thou have God help thee in time of extremity? pray: wouldst thou be

2 Job ii. 8.

1 Dan. vi. 16.
3 Acts xvi. 25.

4 Acts x. 4.

delivered from temptation? pray. Between Babylon and Jerusalem there is a trusty messenger that often passeth thither, is well acquainted in the king's court, and very gracious with the king himself, for he shall have audience and dispatch as soon as he comes. This messenger is prayer, and even in the silence of the night ascendeth unto secret places, and cometh unto God himself. Moses praying upon the mount, hath the rod of God in his hand, we praying have hold on the cross of Christ crucified. The brethren of Joseph besought him to show them favour; if not for their own sake, yet for their father's sake; "Joseph heard them and wept."5

CHAPTER XVIII.

That Christian men may take comfort amidst the calamities of this life by that of our Saviour―John xiv. 1. Let not your hearts be troubled; where he armeth his disciples with consolation against troubles.

"GIVE wine (saith Solomon) to those that have grief;" Christ seeing his disciples have grief of heart, (for why, the Shepherd being taken away, the sheep will be scattered",) he

5 Gen. 1. 17. 6 Prov. xxxi. 6.

7 Matt. xxvi. 31.

gives them the sweet wine of consolation against the troubles of the world, saying, "You believe in God, believe also in me1," &c. By which comfortable exhortation, he that knew their troubled hearts, partly in that he had said, one of them should betray him, and partly also in that he had told them he must shortly depart from them, began now to make their hearts pacified by a most loving and sure repose in him, "You believe in God, believe in me also" as if he should have said: Be it the world hate you, whom I have separated from the world, for all this let nothing dismay you: your victory is your faith2, you are left to the injuries of men; he that is with you is greater than all that is against you, "Let not your

hearts be troubled."

Here Christ comforteth his apostles, not so much by taking away the afflictions of the world, that they have them not; as by strengthening them when they come, that they faint not to the outward man he foretelleth a cross; but to the inward man a stay, or comfort: a cross to the outward man, that it exult not; comfort to the inward man, that it languish not; and this he inferreth, saying, "Let not your hearts be troubled."

2. In this of our Saviour, we see that his exhortation tendeth to the pacification of their

hearts, not that they should not be troubled at all, for that is above human nature; himself (as we have heard) was troubled in his agony; but the trouble here spoken of is that which hindereth reason, dismayeth the understanding, is opposite to peace and tranquillity of mind. When the soul is cast down with distrust and heaviness, by reason of the discomforts of the world, to shake off all this with a confidence in Jesus Christ, it is said, "Let not your hearts be troubled: you believe in God, believe in me also."

3. A noble prince sometime of great devotion and valour, seeing his army much dismayed, when they beheld the huge multitude of their enemies coming toward them, perceiving by their countenances his soldiers' hearts began to fail them, ascending to an eminent place, maketh them a very hearty oration, which he drew unto three heads: first, their cause was just, and that God was wont to prosper just enterprises; secondly, that their enemies were those whom his and their ancestors (who now bare arms with him) had often foiled; thirdly, that being so few, if they prevailed against that huge multitude, the victory would be glorious; howsoever, for himself he would die in the battle, or return with triumph. His oration was no sooner ended but a voice was heard throughout all the army,

every one crying, Forward, forward! The event was, they happily prevailed.

A multitude of crosses and calamities are ready to assail us in open field, which may cause our hearts to be troubled; but a most noble champion have we that assures us that our cause is just, our enemies those whom all God's servants have ever resisted; if we prevail, our conquest will be heavenly: our champion himself will live and die in our defence, why should our hearts be troubled? nay, we have won the day; "you shall have troubles in the world, but be of good comfort, I have overcome the world1:" Forward, forward in the name of God.

2."

4. Because Christ knew the hardness of suffering, therefore where he speaks of suffering with him, there he speaks also of sitting with him in his kingdom, "You shall sit upon seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel 2;" like the physician, who is wont to mix sweet syrups with his bitter potions, that the patient may be the more willing to receive them. The labours are great, but yet the joy greater that they have who love God; and by this we see how Christ comforteth his apostles, not by promising to take all troubles from them, but when troubles come, to assist and aid them.

1 John xvi. 33.

2 Luke xxii. 29, 30.