ather, He would presently give Me more than twelve
legions of angels;" and what against such a force were this
miscellaneous band, numbering at the most the tenth part of a legion of
men? It was inconsistent with Scripture: "How then shall the
Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" It was inconsistent
with His own purpose and His Father's will: "The cup which My Father
hath given Me, shall I not drink it?"

Poor Peter! On this occasion he was thoroughly like himself. There
was a kind of rightness and nobleness in what he did; but it was in the
wrong place. If he had only been as prompt inside Gethsemane to do
what he was bidden as outside it to do what he was not bidden! How
much better if he could have drawn the spiritual sword and cut on the
ear which was to be betrayed by a maid-servant's taunt! Peter's
conduct on this occasion, as often on other occasions, showed how poor
a guide enthusiasm is when it is not informed with the mind and spirit
of Christ.

IV.

Perhaps it was by the recollection of how deeply he had vowed to stick
by Christ, even if he should have to die with Him, that Peter was
pricked on to do something. The others, however, had said the same
thing. Did they remember it now? It is to be feared, not: the
apparition of mortal danger drove everything out of their minds but the
instinct of self-preservation. Sometimes, in cases of severe illness,
especially of mental disease, the curious effect may be observed--that
a face into which years of culture have slowly wrought the stamp of
refinement and dignity entirely loses this, and reverts to the original
peasant type. So the fright of their Master's arrest, coming so
suddenly on the prayerless and unprepared disciples, undid, for the
time, what their years of intercourse with Him had effected; and they
sank back into Galilean fishermen again. This was really what they
were from the arrest to the resurrection.

Here again their conduct is in absolute contrast with their Master's.
As a mother-bird, when her brood is assailed, goes forward to meet the
enemy, or as a good shepherd stands forth between his flock and danger,
so Jesus, when His captors drew nigh, threw Himself between them and
His followers. It was partly with this in view that He went so boldly
out and concentrated attention on Himself by the challenge, "Whom seek
ye?" When they replied, "Jesus of Nazareth," He said, "I am He: if
therefore ye seek Me, let these go