Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

SECT. V. Of the Dolours and Agonies that Christ there suffered

2. Christ's Passion in the Garden was either before, or at his apprehension; his Passion before is declared, 1. By his Sorrow. 2. By his Sweat

2. CHrist's Passion in the Garden was either before, or at his apprehension; his Passion before is declared, 1. By his Sorrow. 2. By his Sweat

¹1. For his sorrow; the Evangelists diversly relate it; He began to be sorrowful, and very heavy, saith Matthew: He began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, saith Mark: And being in an Agony, he prayed more earnestly, saith Luke: Now is my Soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour; but for this cause came I unto this hour, saith John. All avow this sorrow to be great, and so it is confessed by Christ himself:² Then saith he unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. Ah Christians! who can speak out this sorrow? The Spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity,³ but a wounded Spirit who can bear? Christ's soul is sorrowful; or if that be too flat, his soul is sorrowful, exceeding sorrowful; or if that language be too low, his soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; not only extensively, such as must continue for the space of seventeen or eighteen hours, even until death it self should finish it; but also intensively, such, and so great, as that which is used to be at the very point of death; and such as were able to bring death it self, had not Christ been reserved to a greater and an heavier punishment. Of this sorrow is that especially spoken, consider, and behold, if ever there were sorrow like unto my sorrow: Many a sad and sorrowful soul hath no question been in the world; but the like sorrow to this was never since the Creation: the very terms of the Evangelists speak no less; he was sorrowful and heavy, saith one: amazed and very heavy, saith another: in an Agony, saith a third: in a soul trouble, saith a fourth. Surely the bodily torments of the Cross were inferior to this agony of his soul; the pain of the body, is the body of pain: Oh but the very soul of sorrow, and pain, is the soul's sorrow, and the Souls's pain. It was a sorrow unspeakable, and therefore I must leave it, as not being able to utter it.