32. Their folly being as great as their
blasphemy, they fail to mark that Christ’s words, spoken under
similar circumstances, are always consistent; they cleave to the letter
and ignore the purpose of His words. There is the widest
difference between My soul is sorrowful even unto death St. Matt. xxvi. 38., and Henceforth ye shall see the Son of
Man sitting at the right hand of power St. Matt. xxvi. 64.;
so also between Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away,
from Me Ib.
39., and The cup
which the Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it St. John xviii. 11.? and further between My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me St. Matt. xxvii. 46.? and
Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in
Paradise St. Luke xxiii. 43., and between
Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit Ib.
46., and Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do Ib.
34.; and their
narrow minds, unable to grasp the Divine meaning, plunge into blasphemy
in the attempt at explanation. There is a broad distinction
between anxiety and a mind at ease, between haste and the prayer for
delay, between words of anguish and words of encouragement, between
despair for self and confident entreaty for others; and the heretics
display their impiety by ignoring the assertions of Deity and the
Divine nature of Christ, which account for the one class of His words,
while they concentrate their attention upon the deeds and words which
refer only to His ministry on earth. I have therefore set out all
the elements contained in the mystery of the Soul and Body of the Lord
Jesus Christ; all have been sought out, none suppressed. Next,
casting the calm light of reason upon the question, I have referred
each of His sayings to the class to which its meaning attaches it, and
so have shewn that He had also a confidence which never wavered, a will
which never faltered, an assurance which never murmured, that, when He
commended His own soul to the Father, in this was involved a prayer for
the pardon of others Reading non
desiderasse.. Thus a complete
presentment of the teaching of the Gospel interprets and confirms all
(and not some only) of the words of Christ.