Wheresoever this gospel shall preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. benifies and extols it, declaring that she should be rewarded for it with an honourable memorial in all ages of the church: Wheresoever this gospel is preached, this shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. Note hence, The care which Christ takes to have the good deeds of his children not buried in the dust with them, but had in everlasting remembrance. Though sin causes men to rot above ground, and stink alive, and when they are dead, leaves an ignominy upon their graves, yet will the actions of the just smell sweet, and blossom in the dust. Several particulars are observable in this piece of history: As, first, the action which this holy woman performed: she pours a box of precious ointment upon our Saviour's head as he sat at meat, according to the custom of the eastern countries at their feasts. Murmuring Judas valued this ointment at three hundred pence, which makes of our money nine pounds, seven shillings, and sixpence, reckoning the Roman penny at sevenpence half-penny. I do not find that any of the apostles were at thus much cost and charge to put honour upon our Saviour, as this poor woman was. Learn hence, 10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. that where strong love prevails in the heart towards Christ, nothing is adjudged too dear for him, neither will it suffer itself to be outshined by any examples; the Observe here, 1. The person betraying weakest woman that strongly loves our our blessed Redeemer; Judas: Judas a Saviour, will piously strive with the great- professor, Judas a preacher, Judas an est apostle to express the fervour of her apostle, and one of the twelve, whom Christ affection towards him. Observe, 2. How had chosen out of all the world to be his this action was resented and reflected dearest friends, his family and household. upon by Judas, and some other disciples Shall we wonder to find friends unfriendwhom he had influenced: They had indig-ly or unfaithful to us, when our Saviour nation within themselves, and said, To what purpose is this waste? O how does a covetous heart think every thing too good|| for Christ! Happy was it for this poor woman, that she had a more righteous Judge to pass sentence upon her action than murmuring Judas. Observe, 3. How readily our holy Lord vindicates this good woman she says nothing for herself, nor need she, having so good an advocate. First, he rebukes Judas; Let her alone, why trouble ye the woman? Next he justifies the action; She hath wrought a good work, because it flowed from a principle of love to Christ. And lastly, He gives the reason of her action; She did it for my burial. As kings and great persons were wont in those eastern countries, at their funerals, to be embalmed with odours and sweet perfumes; so, says our Saviour, this woman to declare her faith in me as her king and lord, doth with this box of ointment, as it were beforehand, embalm my body for its burial. True faith puts honour upon a crucified, as well as glorified, Saviour. This holy woman accounts Christ worthy of all honour in his death, believing it would be a sweet smelling sacrifice unto God, and the savour of life unto his people. Observe, 4. Our Saviour doth not only justify and defend the action of this poor woman, but mag had a traitor in his own family? Observe, 2. The heinous nature of Judas's sin: he betrayed Jesus; Jesus his Maker, Jesus his Master. It is no strange or uncommon thing for the vilest of sins and most horrid impieties, to be acted by such persons as make the most eminent profession of holiness and religion. Observe, 3. What was the occasion that led Judas to the commission of this sin: it was his inordinate love of money. I do not find that Judas had any particular malice, spite, or ill-will, against our Saviour, but a base and unworthy spirit of covetousness possessed him, and this made him sell his Master. Covetousness is the root-sin. An eager and insatiable thirst after the world, is a parent of the most monstrous and unnatural sins; for which reason our Saviour doubles his caution, Luke xii. 15. Take heed and beware of covetousness. It shows us both the danger of the sin, and the great care we ought to take to preserve ourselves from it. 12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare, that thou mayest eat the passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disci ples, and saith unto them, Go ye into || indeed goeth, as it is written of him : the city, and there shall meet you a but woe to that man by whom the man bearing a pitcher of water: fol- Son of man is betrayed! good were low him. 14 And wheresoever he it for that man if he had never been shall go in, say ye to the good man of born. the house, The Master saith, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them, and they made ready the passover. Observe here, 1. The unexampled boldness of this impudent traitor Judas; he presumed as soon as he had sold his Master, to sit down at the table with him, and did eat the passover with his disciples. Had the presence of Judas polluted this ordinance to any but himself, doubtless our Saviour would never have suffered him to approach unto it. But hence we learn, 1. That nothing is more ordinary than for unholy persons to press in unto the holy ordinances of God, which they have no The time for the celebration of the pass- right, while such, to partake of. 2. That the over being now at hand, Christ sends two presence of such persons doth polute the orof his disciples to Jerusalem to prepare dinance only to themselves; holy persons things necessary in order thereunto. And are not polluted by their sins, therefore here we have observable, 1. An eminent ought not to be discouraged from coming proof of Christ's divine nature, in telling by their presence there. Observe, 2. What them all the particulars which they should a surprising and astonishing word it was meet with in the city, as a man bearing a which dropt from our Saviour's mouth pitcher of water, &c. 2. How readily the amongst his disciples: One shall betray me : Can any heart of this householder was disposed to yea, one of you shall betray me. receive our Saviour and his disciples, and church upon earth expect purity in all its accommodate them with all things needful members, when Christ's own family of upon this occasion. Our blessed Saviour twelve had a traitor and a devil in it? had not a lamb of his own, and peradven-Yet though it was very sad to hear of one, ture no money wherewith to buy one, yet it was matter of joy to understand that he finds as excellent accommodations in there was but one. One hypocrite in the this poor man's house, as if he had dwelt congregation is too much, but there is in Ahab's ivory palace, and had the procause of rejoicing if there be no more. vision of Solomon's table. When Christ Observe, 3. Christ did not name Judas has a passover to celebrate, he will dis-and say, "Thou, O perfidious Judas, art pose the heart to a free reception of himself. The room which Christ will enter into must be a large room, an upper room, a room furnished and prepared: a large room, is an enlarged heart, enlarged with love and thankfulness; an upper room, is an heart exalted, not puffed up with pride, but lifted up by hevenly-mindedness; a room furnished, is a soul adorned with the graces of the Holy Spirit; into such an heart, and only such, will Christ enter. 17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. 19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? 20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. 21 The son of man VOL. I.-30 the traitor," but, one of you shall betray me. Doubtless it was to draw him to repentance, and to prevent the giving him any provocation. Lord, how sad is it for any of thy family, who pretend friendship to thee, to conspire with thine enemies against thee! for any that eat of thy bread to lift up their heel against thee! Observe, 4. The disciples' sorrow upon these words of Christ, and the effect of that sorrow. Their sorrow was (as well it might be) exceeding great: well might the innocent disciples be overwhelmed with sorrow, to hear that their Master should die, that he should be one of themselves. But though should die by treason, that the traitor their sorrow was great, yet was the effect of their sorrow very good, it wrought in them an holy suspicion of themselves, and caused every one to search himself, and say, Master, is it I? Learn hence, That it is possible for such secret wickedness to time and temptation draw it forth. None lodge in the heart we never suspected, till of the disciples suspected, nay, Judas U 2 himself never apprehended, that depth of || iniquity and hypocrisy which was found lodging in him. Yet note, That though the disciples were jealous and suspicious, yet was it of themselves, not of one another; nay, not of Judas himself: every one said, Master, is it I? not, Master, is it Judas? True sincerity and Christian charity will make us more suspicious of ourselves than of any other; it hopes the best of others, and fears the worst of ourselves. Observe, 5. That though Judas sees himself pointed at by our Saviour, and hears the dreadful threatenings denounced against him, that it had been better for him that he had never been born, yet he is no more blanked than innocence itself. Resolute sinners run on desperately in their evil courses, and with open eyes see and meet their own destruction, without being either dismayed at it, or concerned about it. This shameless man had the impudence to say to our blessed Saviour, Master, is it I? Our Saviour gives him a direct answer, Thou sayest it. Did not Judas (think we) blush extremely, cast down his guilty eyes, and let fall his drooping head, at so galling an intimation? Nothing less; we read of nothing like it. Lord, how does obduracy in sin steel the brow, and make it uncapable of all relenting impressions! Observe lastly, How our Saviour prefers nonentity before damnation: it had been better for that man if he had never been born. A temporal, miserable being, is not worse than no being; but eternal misery is much worse than nonentity: better to have no being than not to have a being in Christ. It had been better for Judas that he had never been born, than to be under everlasting wrath. 22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 23 And he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives. Immediately after the celebration of the passover, our Lord institutes his holy supper; in which institution we have observable, the author, the time, the ele ments, and ministerial actions. Observe here, 1. The Author of this new sacra Note thence, ment: Jesus took bread. That to institute a sacrament is the sole prerogative of Jesus Christ. The church has no power to make new sacraments: it is only her duty to celebrate those which our Saviour has made. Observe, 2. The time of the institution: the night before his passion; the night in which he Learn was betrayed, Jesus took bread. thence, That it is very necessary, when sufferings are approaching, to have recourse to the table of the Lord, which affords both an antidote against fear, and is a restorative to our faith. Observe, 3. The sacramental elements: bread and wine; bread representing the body, and wine the blood, of our dear Redeemer. Observe, 4. The ministerial actions: the breaking of the bread and the blessing of the cup. As to the bread, Jesus took it; that is, set it apart from common use, and separated it for holy ends and purposes. He blessed it; that is, prayed for a blessing upon it: and brake it, thereby shadowing forth his body broken upon the cross: and he gave it to his disciples, saying, This broken bread signifies my body, suddenly to be broken upon the cross, for the redemption and salvation of a lost world; Do this in remembrance of my death. As to the cup, Christ having set it apart by prayer and thanksgiving, he commands his disciples to drink all of it; and ac cordingly they all drank of it, says this evangelist: and our Saviour gives his reason for it, ver. 24. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for the remission of sins; that is, the wine in this cup represents the shedding of my blood, by which this new covenant between God and man is ratified and confirmed. Whence we gather, That every communicant hath as undoubted a right to the cup as to bread, in the Lord's supper: Drink ye all of this, says Christ: therefore to deny the cup to the common people is sacrilege, and directly contrary to our Saviour's institution. And Christ calling the cup the fruit of the vine, affords a strong argument against the doctrine of transubstantiation: thus, "That which after consecration remains the fruit of the vine, is not substantially changed into the blood of Christ. But Christ called the wine in the cup the fruit of the vine after consecration: therefore that which Christ gave the apostles to drink, was not substantially changed into his blood Wine is metaphorically called the blood of the grape; why may it not, by a like stand. metaphor, be styled the blood of Christ ?" || the fear of falling that must enable us to After the celebration was over, our Saviour and his disciples sung an hymn, as the Jews were wont to do at the passover the six eucharistical Psalms, from the 113th to the 119th Psalm. From Christ's example we may gather, how suitable it is to sing a psalm after the celebration of the Lord's Supper; how fit it is that God be glorified in his church by singing of psalms; and in particular when the Lord's Supper is celebrated! When they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. Observe here, 1. The warning that our Saviour gives his disciples of their forsaking of him in the time of his sufferings: All ye shall be offended because of me this night. Learn, That Christ's dearest friends forsook and left him alone in the midst of his greatest distress and danger. Observe, 2. What was the cause of their 32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy neither wist they what to answer him. 41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come: behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. flight; it was their fear; the weakness of their faith, and the prevalency of their fear. O how sad and dangerous is it for Our blessed Saviour being now come the best of men to be left under the power with his disciples into the garden, he falls of their own fears in the day of tempta- there into a bitter and bloody agony, in tion! Observe, 3. Notwithstanding our which he prayed with wonderful fervency Saviour's prediction, St. Peter's presump- and importunity to his heavenly Father; tion of his own strength and standing; his sufferings were now coming on a great Though all men forsake thee, yet will not I. pace, and he meets them upon his knees, Learn thence, That self-confidence, and and would be found in a praying posture. a presumptuous opinion of their own Learn thence, That prayer is the best strength, is a sin very incident to the ho- preparative for, as well as the most powliest and best of men. This good man erful support under, the heaviest sufferresolved honestly, no doubt; but too, too ings that can befall us. As to the prayer much in his own strengh. Little did he of our Saviour in the garden, many things think what a feather he should be in the are very observable; as, first, the place wind of temptation, if once left to the where he prayed, the garden. But why power and prevalency of his own fears. went Christ thither? Not, with our first None are so near falling, as those who parents, to hide himself there amongst are most confident of their own standing; the trees of the garden, from the notice if ever we stand in the day of trial, it is || and observation of his enemies: but as a 236 ST. MARK. as well as to be sociable; there are times garden was the place where our misery || seasonable; there is a time to be solitary began, as the first scene of human sin and misery was acted in a garden, so does our Lord choose a garden for the fittest place for his agony and satisfactory pains to begin in. Again, this garden was a place of privacy and retirement, where our Lord might best attend the offices of devotion preparatory to his passion. St. John xviii. 2. tells us, That Jesus oft-times resorted to this garden with his disciples, and that Judas well knew the place. It is evident then that Christ went not into the garden to shun his sufferings, but to prepare himself by prayer to meet his enemies. Observe, 2. The time when he entered into the garden for prayer: it was in the evening before he suffered; here he spent some hours in pouring forth his soul to God; for about midnight Judas, with his black guard, came and apprehended him in a praying posture. Our Lord teaching us by his example, that when imminent dangers are before us, especially when death is apprehended by us, to be very much in prayer to God, and very fervent in our wrestlings with him. Observe, 3. The matter of our Lord's prayer; that if possible the cup might pass|couraged, though we have sought God from him; and he might be kept from the often for a particular mercy, and yet no answer has been given in unto us. Our hour of suffering, that his soul might esprayers may be answered, though their cape that dreadful wrath at which he was "But what! Did Christ answer for the present is suspended. A so sore amazed. then begin to repent of his undertaking prayer put up in faith, according to the Did he shrink and give will of God, though it may be delayed, it for sinners? back when it came to the pinch ?" No, shall not be lost. Our Saviour prayed the nothing less; but as he had two natures, first, second, and third time, for the passbeing God and man, so he had two dis- ing of the cup; and although he was not tinct wills: as man, he feared and shunned heard as to exemption from suffering, yet death; as God-man, he willingly submit- he was heard as to support under suffer ted to it. The divine nature, and the hu- ing. Observe, 5. The posture the disciman spirit of Christ, did now assault each ples were found in when our Lord was other with disagreeing interests. Again, in this agony, praying to his Father: they this prayer was not absolute, but condi- were fast asleep. Good God! could they tional, If it be possible, Father, if it may be; possibly sleep at such a time as that was? if thou art willing, if it please thee, let When Christ's soul was exceeding sorthis cup pass; if not, I will drink it. The rowful, could their eyes be thus heavy! cup of sufferings we see is a very bitter Learn thence, That the best of Christ's and distasteful cup; a cup which human disciples may be, and oft-times are, over nature abhors, and cannot desire, but pray taken with infirmities, with great infirmi against; yet God doth put this bitter cup ties, when the most important duties are of affliction into the hands oft-times of performing; He cometh to his disciples and those whom he doth sincerely love; and finds them sleeping. Observe, 6. The mild when he doth so, it is their duty to drink and gentle reproof which he gives his it with silence and submission, as here disciples for their sleeping: Could ye not their Lord did before them; Father, let the watch with me one hour? Could ye not cup pass; yet not my will, but thine be done. watch when your Master was in such Observe, 4. The manner of our Lord's danger? Could ye not watch with me, prayer in the garden: and here we may when I am going to deliver up my life remark, 1. It was a solitary prayer, he for you? What, not one hour; and that went by himself alone, out of the hearing the parting hour too? After his reprehen of his disciples. The company of our sion he subjoins an exhortation; Watch best and dearest friends is not always and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; |