The harmony of the Gospels in the holy history of the humiliation and sufferings…

Answ. 1. Because Jesus Christ doth undertake and undergo that great Office of a Mediator betwixt God and man, to reconcile them and make peace, and that he might pacify God towards man, he must pay all the debt that man oweth to God, he must satisfy and pacify Divine justice, by suffering the penalties of the broken Law; he must undergo all the punishment which man is most justly obliged to suffer, man himself is never able to do this, Jesus Christ, God and man he only is able, and is willing to do it, and therefore he willingly drinketh that Cup of Sufferings to the very bottom, Joh. 18.11. the Cup which my heavenly Father hath given me to drink, shall I not drink it? this reason is general to all the sufferings of Christ, and therefore a good reason of this part of his sufferings.

Answ. 1. Because Jesus Christ doth undertake and undergo that great Office of a Mediator betwixt God and man, to reconcile them and make peace, and that he might pacifie God towards man, he must pay all the debt that man oweth to God, he must satisfie and pacifie Divine justice, by suffering the penaltyes of the broken Law; he must undergo all the punishment which man is most justly obliged to suffer, man himself is never able to do this, Jesus Christ, God and man he only is able, and is willing to do it, and therefore he willingly drinketh that Cup of Sufferings to the very bottom, Joh. 18.11. the Cup which my heavenly Father hath given me to drink, shall I not drink it? this reason is general to all the sufferings of Christ, and therefore a good reason of this part of his sufferings.

2. Jesus Christ drank deep of this Cup of sorrows and infirmities, that he might in his own person experience the difficulties of a sickly, crazy, infirm body, that he ⟨p. 51⟩might be experimentally moved to pity, succour, bear with, and relieve such as labour under such a state and condition. And he is the rather careful in tis matter, because it is the general and common Rod wherewith he doth chastise all his people, at one time or other; sicknesses are common to all, and in all Ages, now tis is a great comfort, that the heart of Christ is tenderly compassionate over all that are in such a condition, out of his own experience.