This was a garden at the foot of Mount Olivet; here Jesus, as the SUBSTITUTE of His people, receiving the cup of wrath from the hand of His offended Father. It was the wrath of God, all we had deserved; the punishment we must have endured; the Son of God in our nature, in our stead, for our salvation, was punished by Divine Justice.
No human hand touched Him, no human voice spake to Him, when He sweat great drops of blood falling down to the ground. It was the baptism He expected, and O how great was His love! The baptism He longed to undergo. See the wonderful Sufferer, hear His dreadful groans, listen to His heart-breaking sighs; heaven and hell are astonished, only man remains unaffected.
Beloved, it is our SURETY. He is paying our debt, redeeming our souls, purchasing our happiness, and making our peace. He went to GETHSEMANE that we might not go to hell. He was punished that we might be glorified. Often, very often, visit this sacred spot; here have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings by faith.
O my soul, I charge thee to visit Gethsemane, and visit it very often for fellowship with Jesus!
Go to the garden, sinner; see Those precious drops that flow; The heavy load He bore for thee: For thee He lies so low.
Written by James Smith for his own flock around 1840, but such was the demand that by 1846 over thirty thousand copies where in circulation.
James Smith was a predecessor of Charles Spurgeon at New Park Street Chapel in London from 1841-1850. He also ministered with great blessing in Cheltenham. His devotional, The Believer's Daily Remembrancer, subtitled Pastor's Morning and Evening Visit, was very popular in its own day, and has received a new lease of life through recent republication.
This was a garden at the foot of Mount Olivet; here Jesus, as the SUBSTITUTE of His people, receiving the cup of wrath from the hand of His offended Father. It was the wrath of God, all we had deserved; the punishment we must have endured; the Son of God in our nature, in our stead, for our salvation, was punished by Divine Justice.
No human hand touched Him, no human voice spake to Him, when He sweat great drops of blood falling down to the ground. It was the baptism He expected, and O how great was His love! The baptism He longed to undergo. See the wonderful Sufferer, hear His dreadful groans, listen to His heart-breaking sighs; heaven and hell are astonished, only man remains unaffected.
Beloved, it is our SURETY. He is paying our debt, redeeming our souls, purchasing our happiness, and making our peace. He went to GETHSEMANE that we might not go to hell. He was punished that we might be glorified. Often, very often, visit this sacred spot; here have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings by faith.
O my soul, I charge thee to visit Gethsemane, and visit it very often for fellowship with Jesus!
Go to the garden, sinner; see Those precious drops that flow; The heavy load He bore for thee: For thee He lies so low.