Seuen goulden candlestickes houlding the seauen greatest lights of Christian religion shewing vnto all men what they should beleeue, & how they ought to walke in this life, that they may attayne vnto eternall life. By Gr: Williams Doctor of Divinity

CHAP. I. Of the sufferings of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.

* 1.1SEcondly, We are to consider the sufferings of this Person, Iesus Christ. Thus it behoued Christ to suffer: Well might it haue agreed with his excellent Nature, to haue conferred benefits, and to bestow gifts on the Sonnes of men; but to suffer torments, and to endure all indigni∣ties at the hands of sinnefull men, is strange and admirable; so incompetible is the Person and the Passion of Iesus Christ. And yet if we diligently obserue all those Tragicall Scenes that are seene in the Records of the Euangelists, and marke all the dole∣full passages of his whole life, euen from the first houre of his birth, vnto the last moment of his breath; we shall finde the same to be nothing else, but a Mappe of miseries, or a tempestuous Sea of all calamities: for he was no sooner borne, but hee beganne to

beare our sorrowes; he was cast into a Cratch,* 1.2 the breathings of the Beasts perhaps did warme his cloutes, to preserue his life; and he liued not long, but hee suffered the effusion of his bloud, and the sharpenesse of circumcision: He was no sooner circumci∣sed, but he was designed vnto the slaughter; Herod seekes his life, and hee will slay all the Children of Bethlehem, or he will put this Childe vnto the Sword: And therefore in the middest of Winter, he must flie to Egypt to saue his life; there hee liued a while, and hee must needes liue poore: for they that haue no∣thing among their friends, may very well bee thought to haue lesse among strangers; when he returnes, he must retire himselfe into corners, for feare of Archilaus;* 1.3 and when he begins to shew himselfe to the World, hee must beginne to combate with the Diuell; he is no sooner baptized,* 1.4 but he is tempted forty dayes together, without meate, without drinke, without sleepe: and he can no sooner beginne to publish the glad tidings of saluation, but they presently accuse him of sedition; His friends say hee is madde, his enemies say he hath a Diuell: All seeke his life,* 1.5 and this is the summe of his whole life, Pouertie and miserie, hun∣ger, thirst, weakenesse, wearinesse, reproaches, lyings, slaunders, and what not?

Yet all these sufferings were but flea-bitings,* 1.6 they were but tastes of that bitter Cuppe, whereof hee sucked out the very dregges and all.

• 1. In the Garden of Gethsemane.
• 2. In the presence of his Iudges.
• 3. In the Mount of Caluerie.

These were the places of his torments, and in all these places we must consider, both the greatnesse of his griefe, which is, Pae∣na sensus, the paine of feeling; and the smalnesse of his comfort, which is, Paena damni, the paine of leesing: And therefore by Gods assistance, I will chiefly insist vpon those sufferings that he suffered in these places.

First, It is concluded of all Diuines,* 1.7 that the sufferings of Christ was both in soule and body; sorrowes of soule, and paines of body: for, He hath carried our sorrowes, saith our Translation; our paines, saith another: to shew, that whether wee regard his disconsolate soule, or his tender body, it was a painefull and a sor∣rowfull suffering; so painefull, and so sorrowfull, that as it was

well-neere intolerable vnto him, so it is almost incredible vnto vs: for though at the bringing of Christ into the world, to bee the Sauiour and Redeemer of his Church, the Prophet Esay saith,* 1.8 How beautifull vpon the mountaines, are the feet of them that bring these glad tidings of peace? i. e. How ready is euery man to embrace this newes; yet when he goeth about to expresse the manner of our diliuerance, by such sorrowes, paines, and suffe∣rings,* 1.9 he makes a stand, and saith Who beleeueth our reports? For,

* 1.10First, I told you before, that this sufferer was a God, blessed for euer; and the God-head is impassible: no sorrow, no griefe, no paine could fasten vpon the Deity; and therefore how could our Sauiour suffer? To this the Prophet answereth, Sa∣crifice and burnt offerings thou wouldst not haue; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉;* 1.11 but a body hast thou ordained me; (as both the Septuagint and the Author to the Hebrewes hath it) Nam cum mortis acu∣leum, non possit accipere natura deitatis; nascendo tamen, suscepit de nobis, quod pati posset pro nobis, For seeing the Deity could not suffer death; The Word was made Flesh, that hee might goe the way of all flesh, and make a passage vnto his Passion, that so hee might really suffer,* 1.12 and not appeare to suffer, (as Saint Hillary, o∣therwise a most excellent Author, doth imagine:) And indeed Hoc primum tormentum, & magnum mysterium, quod passibilis factus est; This was his first suffering torment, and an vnspeakeable mystery, that he was made able to suffer torments.

* 1.13And we say that Christ suffered, not in respect of his Diuine nature; but in respect of his humane nature; for though the Deitie was in the sufferer, yet was it not in the suffering; though it was in the Body of Christs Passion; yet was it not in the Passion of Christs Body; but the humanity onely suffered, and the omnipotency of the Deity sustained the impotency of the Humanity; and while the flesh groaned vnder the anguish of his Passion,* 1.14 and cryed, Father if it be possible, let this Cup passe from me; and so breathed out that mournfull complaint; My God my God,* 1.15 why hast thou forsaken me? Yet then the Deity tri∣umphed ouer all the bitternesse of death, and the enemies of our flesh.* 1.16 And this is excellently expressed by Damascen, saying; Quomadmodum si quis ignito ferro superinsundat aquam; Euen as if a man should poure water vpon a red-hot-iron, that which is

passible or capable to suffer by the water, that is, the heat & fire, is extinguished; but the iron remaineth still sound, and impassi∣ble; because the water hath no power to corrupt it; euen so the Humanity of Christ may suffer paine and death, but the Deity in∣seperably vnited vnto the same, can notwithstanding suffer no manner of Passion. And,

Secondly, As it is a thing incomprehensible, (and therefore may well haue a quis credidit? who hath beleeued our report?) that God should be made passible, so it is a thing more incredible,* 1.17 that he being iust, being King, being Priest, being God, should notwithstanding really suffer; yea, so suffer, as to be destitute, afflicted, and tormented; and so tormented, that the Prophet Esay may fitly call him, Virum dolorum, A man of sorrowes; as if he had beene wholly composed of miseries;* 1.18 and the Prophet Ieremy truely demaund, Si fuerit dolor, sicut dolor suus? if euer there was any sorrow like vnto his sorrow:* 1.19 yet behold he was op∣pressed and afflicted, saith the Prophet; and the Lord did afflict him in the day of the fiercenesse of his wrath: And therefore, let o∣thers wonder at the rising of this Sunne; I admire his going downe; let them maruell, to see him layed in the cratch, I much more to see him nayled vpon the Crosse;* 1.20 and let them admire to see him sleeping betwixt two beasts, and I will much more ad∣mire to see him suffering betwixt two theeues: But he was woun∣ded for our trangressions, and he was bruised for our iniquities, saith the Prophet; and therefore, let vs the rather giue the more heed vnto those things that he suffered for vs; least the neglect and not regarding the same, shall adde wrath vnto our soules, in the day of wrath.

Well then, seeing the Sonne of God was made passible, apt to suffer, and that he knew his time was drawing neere, that hee must suffer, he went out of the house, out of the Citie,* 1.21 into the gar∣den of Gethsemane, saith the Euangelist.

First, He went out of the house where they had eaten the Passeouer.

First, Least his Hoste that had so kindly receiued him into his house, should any wayes for his sake be vnkindly vsed of his enemies: so sacred a thing was the law of guests among the an∣cients, that neither the Lodger, nor the lodged would hurt each

other if they met in the open fields,* 1.22 vnder the Colours of two deadly enemies: and therefore Lot offered his owne Daugh∣ters vnto the Sodomites,* 1.23 rather then they should abuse those Strangers that were come vnder his roofe: and the Poet notes it, as an argument of the great perfidiousnesse of the most corrup∣ted latter age;* 1.24 Non hospes ab hospite tutus; That there was no truth betwixt the Hoste and his Ghest.

* 1.25Secondly, Least (as Sertorius was found of Perpenna amongst his banquets, he might be accused to be a Wine-bibber, and bee said to be a boone-companion, and be a president of ill example vnto others; if he had beene found in the Inne amongst his Guests: for it is a great deale fitter to finde a Scholler in his stu∣dy, then in the Tauerne.

* 1.26Secondly, He went out of the Citie, out of that famous Citie Ierusalem.

* 1.27First, Least any commotion or tumult should be raised; so dearely did this Prince of Peace, affect and seeke to preserue the Peace of Ierusalem: for they would haue taken him many times, but they feared the people; therefore he goeth out of the Citie, that they may doe it without feare, i. e. without feare of sedition.

Secondly, To shew that as they had shut him out of their hearts; so now, he begins to depart out of their walls. Egressus est à filia Sion omnis decor eius:* 1.28 and so all the glory of Sion is de∣parted from them, and as the Poet saith of Troy:

—Ruit Ilium, & ingens gloria Teucrorum,—

We may say the same of Ierusalem:* 1.29 the time of her desolation draweth neere, and it must bee made an heape of stones: Be∣cause,* 1.30 now God, which had been the vpholder of them, was gone out of their wals, and departed from them: and therefore wee should euer take heed, that we shut not Christ out of our hearts, least he will hereupon shut vs out of his fauour.

Thirdly, He went into the Garden of Gethsemane.

First, That, as our fall was in a garden, so the worke of our Redemption should first begin in a garden.

Secondly, That his enemies might the more easily find him:

for it was a place that he had often frequented,* 1.31 saith the Euan∣gelist; and therefore he went not there as seeking to hide him∣selfe, but rather to expose himselfe, and like a noble Champi∣on, to appeare first in the field, and to expect his enemies: for, although they sought him like a Partridge vpon the mountaines; yet, noluit dolo teneri ne derogaretur praescientiae plenitudo; Hee would not be craftily taken in a net by a guile; least that might be derogatorie to his omnisciency: and therefore knowing they were desirous to take him, he goes to meete them into the garden of Gethsemane.

And as soone as euer he came into the Garden,* 1.32 Ecce hostem inuenit; behold his enemy was there as soone as he; for he be∣gan presently, Cantristare, & pauere, & moestus esse; To be trou∣bled in soule, saith Saint Iohn; to be in anguish of mind, saith Saint Marke, and to be in an agony, saith Saint Luke, and to haue his soule exceeding sorrowfull vnto death, saith Saint Matthew.

Alas, what shall we say to this? for the spirit of man will sustaine his infirmities but a wounded spirit who can beare? yet behold his Spirit, his Soule is sorrowfull vnto death: no doubt but his A∣postles saw it, yet like a barrell full, and wanting vent, hee must needes burst forth, and confesse it;* 1.33 he doth not here Aeneas-like, dissemble his griefe with a fained countenance; his sorrow is greater then can be contained; for it is vnto death, that is, not onely extensiuely such as must continue for the space of sea∣uenteene or eighteene houres, euen vntill death it selfe shall finish it; but also intensiuely, such and so great as that which is v∣sed to be at the very point of death, and such as were able to bring death vnto me, were I not reserued to a greater and a hea∣uier punishment.

And therefore he kneeled downe, and fell grouelling vpon his face, and said, Father if it be possible, let this Cup passe from me;* 1.34 and there praying, he fell into a dreadfull agonie, his thoughts were troubled, his spirits affrighted, his heart trembled, his pores opened; Et totus sudore defluit; and he sweat great drops of bloud, that streamed downe to the ground: and so panting, hee prayed, and sweating still he prayed, and the more hee was affli∣cted, the more he prayed, and fainted, as it were in the bathe of his owne bloud; weeping, not onely with his eyes, but euen

with all his members,* 1.35 as Saint Bernard saith: And therefore the end of his Passion must needes be mournefull, when the begin∣ning of it is so fearefull; and the cause of this agony must needs be supernaturall, when it proceeds so contrary to the course of nature: for it was in a cold season, in the open ayre, (and they were faine to make a fire within doores,) without any exercise, without any man neere him to offer him violence; and there∣fore naturally he should be inclined to a cold chilly operation, rather then to a bloudy sweating agony; yea not onely to sweat some cold, thinne, faint sweat, which is called sudor diaphoreti∣cus, but in such abundance of great drops (saith the Euange∣list) that they were able to die his garments with crimson red; according as the Prophet Esay saith, (though properly in an∣other sense, yet in some respect may be applyed to this) Where∣fore art thou red in thine apparell,* 1.36 and thy garments like him that treadeth in the Wine-fat: And as the Christian Poet Houedemi∣us saith,

* 1.37Cum cor sentit amoris gladium, Cruor carnis rubricat pallium.

When through loue, his hearts-vaine bled, It dyed his garments crimson red.

And that these drops did not onely distillare, drop out, but decurrere, runne and streame downe so fast to the ground, from all the pores of his body, as if they had issued out of most dead∣ly wounds.

* 1.38It is well obserued, by our learned Bishop of Winchester out of Saint Hierome, and the Chaldee paraphrast, that the greatnesse of his sorrow melted him, so as if he had stood by some burning furnace, which was able to cast him into that sweat, and to turne that sweat into drops of bloud: and it appeares the rather, be∣cause the Prophet Ieremie saith in the same place, that a fire was sent into his bones, and that might well melt all his mar∣row, and cause the bloud to distill from his flesh, and to tric∣kle downe to the ground: O happy garden watered with such teares: thou must needes surpasse the garden of Eden, that was watered with foure goodly riuers; for this bloud of Christ, doth speake better things,* 1.39 and bring forth better fruits, then the bloud of Abell: for that cryed out of the earth for vengeance, against

his brother; but this cryeth for mercy vnto all the earth; euen to his enemies; Father forgiue them,* 1.40 for they know not what they doe: and whereas our fruitfull Land, (the Land of our hearts) was made barren, for the sinne and iniquity of our fore-Father, to bring forth thornes and thistles (sinnes and wickednesse) yet now being watered with these heauenly showers of his bloud, he maketh it very plenteous, to abound in all grace and god∣linesse.

But alas, [Quest.] what was the cause that should make him so super∣naturally to sweat so strangely, to kneele so deuoutly, and to pray so earnestly; that, if it were possible, that houre might passe from him?

Thomas Aquinas answereth,* 1.41 that the cause of all passions is to be considered; either

• 1. Ex parte obiecti: In regard of the obiect. Or,
• 2. Ex parte subiecti: In respect of the subiect.

That as in the conception of gold in the bowels of the earth, there is Aestus solaris, & ignis subterranius; A concurren∣cy of the heate of the Sunne from aboue, with a sulphurious fire from below; So in the Passion of our Sauiour Christ, we must know, that in respect of the obiect, he saw the Diuine wrath from aboue, ready to be powred forth for the sinnes of men; and in respect of the subiect, hee saw the Church which was his body, so iustly punished by this wrath of God; and all that punishment to alight on him which had vndertaken to satisfie Gods Iustice, and to free his members from euerlasting torments.

And therefore no doubt but the cleere sight,* 1.42 and the deepe consideration of that Cup, which he was so sheerely to drinke vp, was the cause that made him both so vehemently to pray a∣gainst it, and ••lso in the vehemency of the feare of it, to be in such perplexed agony, as thereby to sweat the drops of bloud.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of the suffe∣rings of Christ.
• * 1.2

  That the whole life of Christ was but a con∣tinuall suffe∣ring.
• * 1.3

  Matth. 2.23.
• * 1.4

  Chap. 4.2.
• * 1.5

  Iohn 8.48.
• * 1.6

  Christs chie∣fest sufferings in these three speciall places.
• * 1.7

  That Christ suffered both in soule and body.
• * 1.8

  Esay 52.7.
• * 1.9

  Esay 53.1.
• * 1.10

  The first de∣gree of Christs suffering was that he was made passible.
• * 1.11

  Leo Ser. 8. de Passione.
• * 1.12

  Hillar. de Trin. lib. 10.
• * 1.13

  That the Hu∣manity onely suffered.
• * 1.14

  Matth. 26.39.
• * 1.15

  Matth. 27.46.
• * 1.16

  Damasc l. 3. c. 26. de fide Orthodoxa.
• * 1.17

  Heb. 11.37.
• * 1.18

  Lament. 1.12.
• * 1.19

  Jbidem.
• * 1.20

  The conside∣ration of Christs suffe∣ring admira∣ble.
• * 1.21

  Why Christ went out of the house be∣fore he was taken.
• * 1.22

  Valerius Maxi∣mus. l. 5. 1.
• * 1.23

  Gen. 19.
• * 1.24

  Ouid. Met. l. 1.
• * 1.25

  Plutar. in Sert.
• * 1.26

  Why Christ went out of the Citie.
• * 1.27

  Theophil. in Mar. 14.
• * 1.28

  Lament. 1.13.
• * 1.29

  Luke 19.44.
• * 1.30

  Excessere om∣nes ad••tis aris∣que relictis, dij, quibus imperi∣um hoc stete∣rat.
• * 1.31

  Why Christ went into the Garden of Gethsemane.
• * 1.32

  What befell vnto Christ in the Garden. John 12.27. Mar. 14.35. Luke 22.42. Matth. 26.38. Prou. 18.14.
• * 1.33

  Spem vultu si∣mulat, premit altum corde do∣lorem.
• * 1.34

  Matth. 26.39.
• * 1.35

  Bern Ser. 3.
• * 1.36

  Esay 63.2.
• * 1.37

  Sudor fluit vn∣di{que} riuis, san∣guineae manant tanquam de vulnere guttae.
• * 1.38

  Wynton in Ser. sup. Thren.
• * 1.39

  Heb. 12.24.
• * 1.40

  Luk. 23.34.
• * 1.41

  Resp.
• * 1.42

  The cause of Christ his agony in the Garden.