THE LATE REV. ARTHUR TRIGGS. - The Gospel Magazine

The Gospel Magazine. 347
THE GLORIOUS SUFFERER.
" Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup
which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it? "-JOHN xviii. 1l.
JESUS, the dear Redeemer of all God's elect people, was a Man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief from His youth up. So the spirit
of prophecy testifies in David and by Isaiah. Many a time was He
afflicted from His youth before the ploughers ploughed upon His·
back and made long their furrows (John xix. 1). But until the time
of the text, when He spake these words, His affiictions and sorrows
had not attained to that height of woe they were now approaching unto.
Peter's drawing his sword to defend his Lord and Master from the
hand of His enemies showed the sincerity of his attachment to Jesus,
and a d~termination to protect Him from their wicked design, but
the Lord, in these words, gently rebukes him, refuses the defence of
carnal weapons, and with a touch of His blessed finger completely
heals the man, His enemy, whose ear Peter cut off.
Another sword had been drawn out of its sheath, not like Peter's,
to defend, but to smite the blessed and holy Jesus; and an exquisitely
quickened sense of the approaching stroke about to be inflicted on
Him made His spotless soul sorrowful, even unto death. That was
the sword of divine vengeance spoken of by Zechariah: "Awake,
o sword, against my shepherd, and against the man, my fellow,
saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd" (Zech. xiii. 7).
In this cup was contained God's ,engeance due to the sins of His
elect: "Thou wast a God that forgavest them, though Thou tookest
vengeance of their inventions." Here, as Mr. Hltrt says,­
"Vengeance strove,
And gripped and grappled hard with love."
The full penalty and punishment of His dear people's sins and
transgressions was now due-the time was expired, and their glorious
Surety is met with the demand. For a moment the view and dreadful
sight ·seemed to stagger His holy, harmless, human nature. "0, My
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not
as I will, but as Thou wilt; but. 0 Father, if this cup may not pass
away from Me except I drink it, Thy will be done." In these petitions
of the dear Redeemer we have His strong crying and tears; in them
is expressed the will of Christ, as man, holy, harmless, undefiled, and
separate from sinners, that the awful cup, if possible, should pass
from Him. And here also we have expressPd the submissive will of
Christ as the Father's Servant in the everlasting covenant of grace
and redemption. We here behold, as Isaiah saith, J ehovah's Servant
whom He upholds, as the Surety of and as representing His entire mystic
body, His Elect in whom His soul delighted. "Thy will, as a holy,
righteous God and a God of sovereign mercy to these be done."
This sovereign will of God the Father was given forth in the council
of peace that was between them both, and declared as a decree of
God before time, in these words, " The Lord hath laid upon Him. this
g\OTious '2>ufierer, the iniquity or us an." And the Holy Ghost hath