The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…

2. The gesture he used in prayer, viz. He felt on his face and prayed. Even the more grievous the distress was upon him, the more humbly did he demean himself towards God: When his heart was so heavy, nothing but praying to God would help him; for he had made his moan to the Disciples, and that eased him not. Nor doth he rest in that, simply to pray, but his Agony being great, he applies himself to that gesture might best fit the greatness of his distress, to teach us what we should do, when our hearts are heavy, and how we should strive to enlarge our affections, and suit our whole behaviour in Gods presence according to his hand upon us, or the great need we have of his help.

2. The gesture he vsed in prayer, viz. He felt on his face and praied. Euen the more grieuous the distresse was vpon him, the more humbly did he demeane himselfe towards God: When his heart was so heauy, nothing but praying to God would helpe him; for he had made his moane to the Disciples, and that eased him not. Nor doth hee rest in that, simply to pray, but his Agonie being great, hee applies himselfe to that gesture might best fit the greatnesse of his distresse, to teach vs what we should doe, when our hearts are heauy, and how we should striue to inlarge our affections, and suit our whole behauiour in Gods presence according to his hand vpon vs, or the great need we haue of his helpe.

3. What befell him when he went to pray, viz. a most grievous Agony in soul, which with such speed increased upon him, that he cried out to his Disciples, that his soul was every way compassed about with sorrow even unto the death, and he sweat in that Anguish very blood, as is noted by the Evangelist, and he was marvellously amazed and afraid. Now if any ask, what made our Saviour ¹fall into this perplexity? I answer, that we must not think, that it was the fear of bodily death that thus affrighted our Saviour, seeing we know that the Martyrs that were infirm men, did yet embrace death without these Agonies: though by the way we must remember, that it is a thousand times more easy to suffer the death of a Martyr, than for Christ to suffer bare death of any kind, because Martyrs in death are freed from the guilt of all their sins, whereas Christ in death, as our surety, stands charged with sin: but it was not the fear of death thus troubled our Saviour; he had many other more dreadful things to think of: As first, the tyranny