with him. Well, this is our nature, that when we would do the work of the Lord, our corruption defileth it, and oftentimes in doing it we will sin, and we will blot it with some foul blot. And Peter doing this with some preposterous zeal, he is not allowed; for an unclean man, as he is unclean, so he shall make the work of the Lord unclean. So the chief thing that a man should be exercised withal is prayer, that the Lord would sanctify the person, that the work that the Lord hath employed him in may be holily done. And mark, again, the greatest default that was in Peter was his too great zeal. We need not to be afraid for this in this land; nay, we may be afraid for default of it that the work of the Lord should perish, and we are to pray that the king, and those whom he hath employed in this work, may have an upright heart, and such a heart as David and good Ezekias had, a heart loving God, and hating God's enemies; I would not doubt then but the work in his hand should take a good end, and he should report honour and glory. Now, the Lord seeing what Peter did, he forbiddeth him, and showeth a greater anger against him than against Judas. He spake not so angrily against Judas, or any of them that pursued him, as he did to Peter, and he saith, "Put up thy sword into the sheath ;" and then he subjoineth the reason, "Shall I not drink of the cup that my Father hath given me? Thou dost what lieth in thee to hold off the cup, I will drink of the cup that my Father hath given me; of necessity I must drink it, for it was preordinate before all times that I should drink it, and seeing it is so, I will drink it. Shall any thing be en

joined to us to do of necessity, and shall we not do it willingly? The Father hath propined unto me' a bitter cup of affliction, and I shall drink it out, dregs and all."

Matthew, in his twenty-sixth chapter, giveth more reasons wherefore the Lord disallowed Peter, and this is one, he who strikes with the sword at his own hand, whom the Lord hath not armed to strike, he shall be stricken with the sword. It is a dangerous matter to slay, if the Lord put not the sword into

1 i.e. Offered me to drink.

thine hand. Then he gives another reason, will I be defended with the arm of man? No; if I would pray to my Father he would send me twelve legions of angels. And, lastly, saith he, shall not the Scripture be accomplished of me? shall I make the word of the Lord false, which hath foretold of my suffering? and, therefore, stay thy rashness. And note what Luke saith in his chap. xxii. 51, "He takes up the ear, and puts it on again." Ye may see here that the Lord will have no man hurt in his taking; the Lord will have no unjust defence; Jesus Christ will not be defended with unlawful means. He will not be defended with Peter's sword, for he had no power given him of the Lord for to strike, he will not have injury repressed with injury; nay, he will not have the man that hath the just cause to repress an authority. This guard came from the authority, from the Roman empire, and Christ will not have Peter, a private man, to meddle with the superior power; he will not have him to defend him against the authority. It is a dangerous thing to resist authority, albeit it be unlawfully used, and chiefly a private man ; and albeit that the authority had done wrong, yet a man who hath not authority should not repress the injury done by the authority; the Lord will not allow it, the Lord will not have injury repaid by an injury. Well, then, if the Lord will not have a wrong defence against injuries, he will not have a wrong to meet a wrong. What damnation lies on these men who do an injury, and do delight to oppress the innocent? If Peter got such a reproof for the defence of Christ against his enemies, what damnation shall these murderers get who oppress the innocent man? the damnation of these men shall be great. I denounce a heavy damnation against thee; let the king, the magistrates, and all the world, wink at thee, the hand of the Lord shall light on thee. This shall be thy recompence; thou who takest pleasure in oppression shalt be oppressed, the Lord shall thrust down thine head and bloody hand, and shall press thee down forever. The Lord save us from this judgment ! Woe to them that oppress their neighbour, either in word or deed. Now to go forward: "Shall I not drink of the cup that my Father hath given me?" By the cup is understood a measure of affliction,

that the Lord will lay on any man; as a cup is a measure, so the Lord hath a measure of affliction to lay on his own; as the master of a family hath a cup, and drinketh to his family, and says, drink thou this, and drink thou that; even so the Lord is the Master of this world, and he will fill the cup of affliction, and he will say, drink thou this, and drink thou that; and if he propine thee a cup, he will cause thee drink it; all the world cannot save thee, but if the Lord bid thee do it, thou must drink it; he hath commandment over his creatures, and good reason that we do his will, either to live or die, as he pleaseth. If the Lord propine thee with a cup of affliction, if thou drink it not willingly, (here is the danger,) thou shalt be compelled to drink the dregs thereof to thy destruction. Woe is to the soul that will in no measure lay down his neck to that burden; but again, if thou take that cup gladly, as the Lord Jesus did, (he drank the dregs of the bitter cup of the wrath of the Father; yea, he received it gladly, and thanked him for it,) albeit thou hadst bitterness in the beginning, yet in the end thou shalt find joy and sweetness. What followed on that cup? Glory; the more that thou sufferest, if it be patiently, the greater glory shall be to thee. Then seeing that we must also suffer in this world, for it is nothing but a suffering life, (and woe is to thee, that wilt make thy heaven into this world, thou needest not to look for a heaven in the world to come,) whatever we suffer, let us strive against our rebellious nature, (for it is full of rebellion,) and strive to get patience, and say, Lord, I have no patience in mine hand; Lord, give me patience and contentment; let this be our prayer in distress, and they who will seek this, I will promise them the most glorious issue that ever was, the bitterness of the affliction shall not stay that glory. In this world we are all, as it were, on a scaffold to try our faith, and to try our patience, that afterward all our afflictions may be turned in joy and glory, and all the tears that will gush out of thine eyes, the Lord with his hand shall wipe them away, (wilt thou await to see this end ?) and thou shalt never again see dolour nor displeasure.

Now remaineth one thing of the taking of the Lord; then saith

he, “Then the band, and the captain, and the officers of the Jews, took Jesus and bound him." He gave them good leave, or else they could never have bound him; but will ye mark how particularly they are named that took him; there is the band of the men of war, and the captain, and the servants, to let you see, that there was no man that was there, and was partaker of that doing, but the eye of God was on him, and the Holy Spirit recounteth them. Beware ever to be in evil company, if there were never so many in that company; yea, if there were ten thousand with thee, the Lord shall see thee, and judge thee, whether thou be a captain, or a single soldier, or a gudget,' beware to be in evil company; say not, I am not a principal man, but a servant, I must obey the authority, and I must follow my captain; no, that shall be no warrant to thee, for if thou shalt be in evil company, the eye of the Lord shall be upon thee, to judge thee; let none of these worldly excuses move thee, but say, Lord, thou seest whither I go, and with whom I come, and what I come to do, or else thy conscience shall terrify thee, whether thou be highest or lowest in doing an evil fact, the judgment of the Lord shall fall on thee. Now to come to his taking; the Lord is taken willingly, and resists not, and when they bound him, he put out his hands to be bound; look how he points out the suffering of Christ. First, he says he was taken, and then he was bound; think ye this is for no purpose? There is not a word or a syllable lost here; the taking of the Lord, and the laying hands on him, was for our cause, who2 lying under sin, the devil, and death, and this taking recounters3 and meets our taking by the devil and death. Every thing in him and his suffering behoved to meet us and our suffering; he that should redeem us, as we were taken, so it behoved him to be taken, and as we were bound, so it behoved him to be bound, and if his taking and binding had not answered to our taking and binding, he had not been a meet Redeemer for us, and if he had not been bound as we were, we had not been delivered from the bands of sin; albeit it is hard to

1 i.e. A camp-follower.

3 i.e. Counteracts.

" Are lying" is necessary to complete the sense.

him, yet to the sinner it is joyful; and if thou findest thine hands bound hard, "thus the Lord Jesus was a captive bound for thee,” it' would be the joyfullest tidings to thee that ever was. Who is he or she that feel the bands of death and damnation, but this will be joyful tidings to them? and because we feel not this when we hear word of his taking, we take little thought of it, and are so little moved therewith. Therefore, brethren, I recommend this lesson to and myself, seeing we are all sinners lying under sin and death, that we strive to be found in Jesus, that by faith in him we may find his passion, and all the parts thereof, to be forcible and effectual to free and deliver us from the bands of sin and death, and so may be made partakers of life and glory through him. To whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour, praise, and glory. Amen.

you

1 It is superfluous.