三月二十四日

就因他的虔誠蒙了應允。（來5:7）

這虔誠（或譯恐懼）或許是因為惡魔暗示他已被完全離棄而發生的。或許有比這更苦的試煉，但完全離棄確實是最厲害的一種。撒旦說：“你看，你的朋友都哪裡去了！你父的慈面已經不再光照你，他的天使不再伸手幫助你。天堂已遠離你，留下你獨自一人。看看你的知交，都有什麼用呢？瑪利亞的兒子，看看你的好友雅各，看看你所愛的門徒約翰和勇敢的使徒彼得，正當你受苦時不都打盹睡覺嗎？看哪！天上地下沒有一個同情你的，地獄也都攻擊你。我已傾巢而來，我已發令叫一切黑暗的君王現在都來對付你，我們一矢不費，單用陰間的權勢就能制服你。你這孤伶人，你該怎麼辦呢？”或許，這就是當時的迷惑。我們想是的，因為有一位天使從天上顯現，加添他的力量，挪去他的恐懼。他在恐懼中便蒙了應允，他不再孤獨了，整個的天堂與他同在。這或許就是他三次來到門徒那裡的緣故——哈爾特（Hart）的詩說：

“他三次往返，似求人臂援。”

或許他要看看到底是否一切人都離棄了他，他看到他們都睡著了，但他想到他們的沉睡不是因為負義，而是因為憂傷過甚，或許因此得到些微安慰。他們心靈雖然願意，肉體卻軟弱了。無論如何，他在恐懼中蒙了應允。耶穌在他悲傷至極時蒙了應允；我的心哪！你也必蒙應允。

March 24

"He was heard in that he feared." --Hebrews 5:7

Did this fear arise from the infernal suggestion that He was utterly forsaken. There may be sterner trials than this, but surely it is one of the worst to be utterly forsaken? "See," said Satan, "thou hast a friend nowhere! Thy Father hath shut up the bowels of His compassion against thee. Not an angel in His courts will stretch out his hand to help thee. All heaven is alienated from Thee; Thou art left alone. See the companions with whom Thou hast taken sweet counsel, what are they worth? Son of Mary, see there Thy brother James, see there Thy loved disciple John, and Thy bold apostle Peter, how the cowards sleep when Thou art in Thy sufferings! Lo! Thou hast no friend left in heaven or earth. All hell is against Thee. I have stirred up mine infernal den. I have sent my missives throughout all regions summoning every prince of darkness to set upon Thee this night, and we will spare no arrows, we will use all our infernal might to overwhelm Thee: and what wilt Thou do, Thou solitary one?" It may be, this was the temptation; we think it was, because the appearance of an angel unto Him strengthening Him removed that fear. He was heard in that He feared; He was no more alone, but heaven was with Him. It may be that this is the reason of His coming three times to His disciples--as Hart puts it--

"Backwards and forwards thrice He ran,

As if He sought some help from man."

He would see for Himself whether it were really true that all men had forsaken Him; He found them all asleep; but perhaps He gained some faint comfort from the thought that they were sleeping, not from treachery, but from sorrow, the spirit indeed was willing, but the flesh was weak. At any rate, He was heard in that He feared. Jesus was heard in His deepest woe; my soul, thou shalt be heard also.