Matthew Poole and continuators on John 12:27

27 Now is my soul troubled , and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour ; but for this cause came I to this hour .

By Soul, is not here to be understood onely the sensitive part of the Soul, but his whole human Soul. So Chap. 13.21. He was troubled in Spirit. Our inward troubles arise from our passions; and there are passions of grief and fear, which give us most of our inward trouble; Fear respecteth some evil at a distance from us; Grief is caused by evil fallen upon us, or so near, that we seem already to be in the Power of it. The word here used is, [non-Latin text not transcribed] which signifieth no mean, but a great, and more than ordinary degree of trouble▪ Christ was greatly troubled, tho not so as we sometimes are, when our trouble leadeth us to despair: Christ was capable of no sinful trouble. Hence two questions arise, 1. For what the Soul of Christ was troubled? 2. How such a degree of trouble could agree to the Lord Iesus Christ? He tells us, Matth. 26.38. That he was exceedingly sorrowful, so as sorrow was one part of his trouble; and we may learn from what he afterward saith in this verse, Father save me from this hour; that Fear made up the other part of it. He was grieved, and he was afraid, some say it was at the apprehension of that miserable Death he was to die; others say at the sense of the Divine Wrath which he was to undergo, Death being not yet overcome, and his conflict with his Fathers Wrath for the sins of men, being yet to be indured; tho Christ at this time was in the most perfect Obedience to his Fathers Will, offering up a most acceptable, and well-pleasing Sacrifice unto God; yet he sustaining our persons, had a conflict to indure even with his Fathers Wrath upon that account, tho not upon his own personal account; for so he was at this time doing that which was most acceptable, and well-pleasing in his sight. As to the second question, nothing could be more agreeable than this to Christ, both with respect to his human Nature, which had the same Natural (tho not sinful) Infirmities which other men have; and with respect to his design and end, to help and relieve his people under their troubles of Spirit; and as the Apostle saith, to deliver them, who through fear of death, are all their life time subject to bondage. So as this trouble of Spirit, agreed to him both as man, and as Mediator; but there must be a vast difference observed betwixt this trouble [illegible: 1 word] Spirit in Christ, and that which is in us. Our tro[illegible: 2 letters]les are upon reflections for our own sin, and the Wrath of God due to us therefor[illegible: 1 letter]; His [illegible: 1 letter]rouble was for the Wrath of God due to [illegible: 1 word] for our sins. Our troubles are, because we have personally grieved God; His was, because those given to him (not he himself) had offended God. We are afraid of our Eternal Condemnation; he was onely afraid by a Natural fear of Death, which naturally riseth higher, according to the kind of Death we die. Our troubles have mixtures of despair, distrust, sinful horrors; there was no such thing in his trouble. Our troubles in their Natural tendencies, are killing and destroying; onely by accident, and the wise ordering of Divine Providence, prove advantageous, by leading us to him, as the onely remedy for troubled Souls. His trouble was in the very nature of it, not on[illegible: 1 letter]ly pure and clean, but also [illegible: 1 letter]anative and healing. But that he was truly troubled, and that in his whole Soul, and that such a trouble did very well agree, as to the human Nature he had assumed, so to his Office, as our Mediator and Saviour, and the foundation of a great deal of peace, quiet, and satisfaction to us, is out of question. The chastisement of our peace in this particular lay upon him; and they were some of those stripes of his, by which we are healed: and saith he, What shall I say? It is the natural Language of a Spirit troubled

Father save me from this hour. This hour of my Passion; it is the same with that in our Saviours last Prayer, Let this cup pass from me; and m[illegible: 1 letter]st be understood with the same Qualifications there expressed, If it be thy will, If it be possible &c. By his blessed example he hath taught us, under the distresses of our Spirits, whether to flie, what to do? For my love (saith David of his Enemies, Psal. 109.4.) theyare mine enemies, but I give my self unto prayer: I give up my self to Prayer. God hath bidden us, Psal. 50.15. Call upon him in the day of trouble; and Saint Iames saith, Is any man afflicted? Let him pray. Herein Christ hath himself set us an example, that we should follow his steps. But how doth our Saviour pray, to be saved from that hour? when for this cause he came into the World. Here was in Christ a Conflict, between the Flesh and Spirit; not like ours, which is betwixt corrupt Flesh and the Spirit, but betwixt his natural Flesh, and the natural Affections of it, and his Spirit, that was (fully conform to the Will of God, and gets a present Conquest.

But for this cause (saith he) I came to this hour; he checks himself, correcteth the Language of his Natural flesh, acquies[illegible: 1 letter]eth, rejoyceth in the Will of God. I was not (saith he) forced, I came of my own good will to this hour; and I came on purpose to die for my people.