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p174 [From the French.] I have been thinking lately that the sufferings of Christ in Gethsemane, while anticipating the cross, were much more sufferings from Satan, who, with the power of death in his hand, sought to overwhelm Him with its darkness, so that the fear might be such that He should not offer Himself up. As man, He had overcome the enemy before, so as to be able to introduce blessing here below; but man was not fit for it. He had to establish this blessing by death in another sphere. Satan throws himself in His way to obstruct His path, but he could not succeed in preventing Him from finding God; being in the agony of the conflict, He prayed more earnestly. For Him the cup came from the hand of His Father. Once entirely out of all that, He offers Himself up. When it actually comes, He can speak of it, being no longer in it: "This is your hour, and the power of darkness." Then He passes on to undergo another thing - the direct wrath of God. He drank this terrible cup for us, dear brother; but He also came out of it completely, and Himself committed His soul in peace to God His Father, in the consciousness that all was accomplished. Death now but sets us free to go to Him in that new sphere, where He has for ever left behind the power of the enemy, and where there is nothing but blessing, far from the power of him who used it against Christ.

November, 1849.

[51087F]

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