Morning

“His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Luke 22:44

The mental pressure arising from our Lord’s struggle with temptation, so forced

his frame to an unnatural excitement, that his pores sent forth great drops of

blood which fell down to the ground. This proves how tremendous must have been

the weight of sin when it was able to crush the Saviour so that he distilled

great drops of blood! This demonstrates the mighty power of his love. It is a

very pretty observation of old Isaac Ambrose that the gum which exudes from the

tree without cutting is always the best. This precious camphire-tree yielded

most sweet spices when it was wounded under the knotty whips, and when it was

pierced by the nails on the cross; but see, it giveth forth its best

spice when there is no whip, no nail, no wound. This sets forth the

voluntariness of Christ’s sufferings, since without a lance the blood flowed

freely. No need to put on the leech, or apply the knife; it flows spontaneously.

No need for the rulers to cry, “Spring up, O well;” of itself it flows in

crimson torrents. If men suffer great pain of mind apparently the blood rushes

to the heart. The cheeks are pale; a fainting fit comes on; the blood has gone

inward as if to nourish the inner man while passing through its trial. But see

our Saviour in his agony; he is so utterly oblivious of self, that instead of

his agony driving his blood to the heart to nourish himself, it drives it

outward

to bedew the earth. The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours him out upon the

ground, pictures the fulness of the offering which he made for men.

Do we not perceive how intense must have been the wrestling through which he

passed, and will we not hear its voice to us? “Ye have not yet resisted unto

blood, striving against sin.” Behold the great Apostle and High Priest of our

profession, and sweat even to blood rather than yield to the great tempter of

your souls.

 

Evening

“I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately

cry out.”    –   Luke 19:40

But could the stones cry out? Assuredly they could if he who opens the mouth of

the dumb should bid them lift up their voice. Certainly if they were to speak,

they would have much to testify in praise of him who created them by the word of

his power; they could extol the wisdom and power of their Maker who called them

into being. Shall not we speak well of him who made us anew, and out of stones

raised up children unto Abraham? The old rocks could tell of chaos and order,

and the handiwork of God in successive stages of creation’s drama; and cannot we

talk of God’s decrees, of God’s great work in ancient times, in all that he did

for his church in the days of old? If the stones were to

speak, they could tell of their breaker, how he took them from the quarry, and

made them fit for the temple, and cannot we tell of our glorious Breaker, who

broke our hearts with the hammer of his word, that he might build us into his

temple? If the stones should cry out they would magnify their builder, who

polished them and fashioned them after the similitude of a palace; and shall not

we talk of our Architect and Builder, who has put us in our place in the temple

of the living God? If the stones could cry out, they might have a long, long

story to tell by way of memorial, for many a time hath a great stone been rolled

as a memorial before the Lord; and we too can testify of Ebenezers,

stones of help, pillars of remembrance. The broken stones of the law cry out

against us, but Christ himself, who has rolled away the stone from the door of

the sepulchre, speaks for us. Stones might well cry out, but we will not let

them: we will hush their noise with ours; we will break forth into sacred song,

and bless the majesty of the Most High, all our days glorifying him who is

called by Jacob the Shepherd and Stone of Israel.