1. Some say his Desertion was nothing else but his being left to the Will and Power of his Enemies, to crucify him; and that he was then deserted, when his Divine Nature suspended the exercise of its Omnipotency so far, as to deliver up his Body to a reproachful Death, so to make way for this Oblation and Sacrifice for the Redemption of Mankind. God could many ways have protected Christ, and hindered his ⟨p. 164⟩Passion. Mat. 26. 52, 53. Thinkest thou, that I cannot pray to my Father, and he shall give me more than twelve Legions of Angels? But how then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? If the Lord had seen it fit to glorify Himself by the Deliverance, rather than the Sufferings of Christ, he could have found ways and means enough to save him; but how then could our Redemption be accomplished? Christ himself by his Divine Power could have protected his bodily Life; for he telleth us, Joh. 10. 18. No Man taketh my Life from me, but I lay it down of my self. I have Power to lay it down, and I have Power to take it up again. But it pleased God to appoint, and Christ to submit to another Course, and therefore was he so far deserted, and left in the hand of his Enemies. He telleth them, Luk. 22. 53. This is your Hour, and the Power of Darkness. This, some say, was all Christ's Desertion; and that he cried out with a loud voice, in the hearing of all, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? to give notice of the Price that was to be paid for our Ransom. He complained not of the Jews that had accused him, nor of Pilate that condemned him, nor of Judas that betrayed him; but of God, that had forsaken him, and left him in the hands of his Enemies, as if this were the most grievous thing to the Son of God. But certainly, this was not all; the Desertion was not only in his outward Estate, and with respect to bodily Death, for these Reasons.
1. Some say his Desertion was nothing else but his being left to the Will and Power of his Enemies, to crucify him; and that he was then deserted, when his Divine Nature suspended the exercise of its Omnipotency so far, as to deliver up his Body to a reproachful Death, so to make way for this Oblation and Sacrifice for the Redemption of Mankind. God could many ways have protected Christ, and hinder'd his ⟨p. 164⟩Passion. Mat. 26. 52, 53. Thinkest thou, that I cannot pray to my Father, and he shall give me more than twelve Legions of Angels? But how then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? If the Lord had seen it fit to glorify Himself by the Deliverance, rather than the Sufferings of Christ, he could have found ways and means enough to save him; but how then could our Redemption be accomplished? Christ himself by his Divine Power could have protected his bodily Life; for he telleth us, Ioh. 10. 18. No Man taketh my Life from me, but I lay it down of my self. I have Power to lay it down, and I have Power to take it up again. But it pleased God to appoint, and Christ to submit to another Course, and therefore was he so far deserted, and left in the hand of his Enemies. He telleth them, Luk. 22. 53. This is your Hour, and the Power of Darkness. This, some say, was all Christ's Desertion; and that he cried out with a loud voice, in the hearing of all, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? to give notice of the Price that was to be paid for our Ransom. He complained not of the Iews that had accused him, nor of Pilate that condemned him, nor of Iudas that betrayed him; but of God, that had forsaken him, and left him in the hands of his Enemies, as if this were the most grievous thing to the Son of God. But certainly, this was not all; the Desertion was not only in his outward Estate, and with respect to bodily Death, for these Reasons.
