2. The person against whom it is commissioned, "My shepherd, and the man that is my fellow." This shepherd can be no other than Christ, who is often in Scripture styled "a Shepherd, yea, the chief Shepherd, the Prince of pastors." Who redeemed, feeds, guides, and preserves the flock of God's elect. 1 Pet. 5:4; John, 10:11. This is he whom he also styles the man his fellow his other self. You have the sense of it in Phil. 26. He was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Against Christ his fellow, the delight of his soul, the sword here receives its commission.

3. You have here the consequence of this deadly stroke upon the Shepherd: the scattering of the sheep. By the sheep understand that little flock, the disciples, which followed this Shepherd till he was smitten, that is, apprehended by his enemies, and they were scattered; they all forsook him and fled. Thus Christ was left alone, amidst his enemies. Not one dare make a stand for him, or own him in that hour of his danger.

4. Here is a gracious mitigation of this sad dispersion, "I will turn mine hand upon the little ones." By little ones he means the same that before he called sheep; but the expression is designedly varied, to show their feebleness and weakness, which appeared in their relapse from Christ. And by turning his hand upon them, understand God's gracious restoration, and gathering of them again after their sad dispersion, so that they shall not be lost, though scattered for the present. For after the Lord was risen, he went before them into Galilee, as he promised, Matt. 28:10; and gathered them again by a gracious hand, so that not one of them was lost but the son of perdition. Hence I observe that Christ's dearest friends forsook and left him alone, in the time of his greatest distress and danger.

And here let us inquire who were the sheep that

were scattered from their Shepherd, and left him alone? what was their sin in so doing; and what the causes, and the issue of it?

I. Who were the sheep thus dispersed and scattered from their Shepherd when he was smitten? It is evident they were those precious ones that he had gathered to himself, who had long followed him, and dearly loved him, and whom he loved. They were persons that had left all and followed him, and, till that time, faithfully continued with him in his temptations, Luke, 22:28; and were all resolved so to do, though they should die with him. Matt. 26:35.

II. But did they indeed adhere faithfully to him? No, they all forsook him and fled. These sheep were scattered. This was not indeed a total and final apostasy, yet it was a very sinful and sad relapse. For,

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1. It was against the very articles of agreement which they had sealed to Christ at their first admission into his service; he had told them, in the beginning, what they must resolve upon; If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Luke, 14:26, 27. Accordingly they submitted to these terms, and told him they had left all and followed him. Mark, 10:28. Against this engagement made to Christ, they now sin.

2. It was against the very principles of grace implanted by Christ in their hearts. They were sanctified persons, in whom dwelt the love and fear of God. By these they were strongly inclined to adhere to Christ in the time of his sufferings, as appears by the honest resolves they had made. Grace strongly inclined them to duty; their corruptions swayed them the contrary way. Grace bade them stand; corruption bade them fly. Grace

told them it was their duty to share in the sufferings as well as the glory of Christ. Corruption represented these sufferings as intolerable, and bade them shift for themselves whilst they might. So that they sinned against light and the loving constraints thereof. I grant it was a sudden, surprising temptation, yet it cannot be imagined that for so long a time they were without any debate or reasonings respecting their duty.

3. It was much against the honor of their Lord and Master. By their sinful flight they exposed the Lord Jesus to the contempt and scorn of his enemies. This some conceive is implied in the question of the highpriest; "The high-priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine." John, 18: 19. He asked him of his disciples, how many he had, and what was become of them now? And what was the reason they forsook their Master, and left him to shift for himself when danger appeared? But to those questions Christ made no reply. He would not accuse them to their enemies, though they had deserted him. But, doubtless, it did not a little reflect upon Christ, that there was not one of all his friends that dared own their relation to him in a time of danger.

4. It was against their own solemn promise made to him before his apprehension, to live and die with him. They had given their word, that they would not desert him; "Peter said to him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples." Matt. 26: 35. Here they break their promise to Christ, who never did so with them. He might have told them when he met them afterwards in Galilee, as the Roman soldier told his general, who refused his petition after the war was ended, I did not serve you so at the battle of Actium.

5. It was against Christ's heart-melting expostulations with them, which should have abode in their hearts while

they lived. For when others that followed him went back, and walked no more with him, Jesus said to these very men that now forsook him at last, Will ye also go away?"-John, 6: 67. Will ye also forsake me? Whatever others do, I expect better things of you.

6. It was against the warning of a late direful example in the fall of Judas. In him, as in a glass, they might have seen how fearful a thing it is to apostatize from Christ. They had heard Christ's dreadful threats against him. They were present when he called him "the son of perdition." John, 18: 11. They had heard Christ say of him, "Good had it been for that man, if he had never been born." An expression that might alarm the deadest heart. They saw he had left Christ the evening before. And that very day in which they fled, he hanged himself. And yet they fly. After all this they forsake Christ.

7. It was against the law of love, which should have knit them closer to Christ, and to one another. If, to avoid the present shock of persecution, they had filed, yet surely they should have kept together, praying, watching, encouraging, and strengthening one another. But as they all forsook Christ, so they forsook one another; for it is said they should go every man to his own, and leave Christ alone." John, 16: 32; that is, saith Beza, every man to his own house, and to his own business.

8. Their departure was accompanied with some offence at Christ. For so he tells them, "All ye shall be of fended because of me this night." Matt. 26:31. The word is, σavdaobebe, you shall be scandalized at me, or in me. Some think the scandal they took at Christ was this, that when they saw he was fallen into his enemies' hands, and could no longer defend himself; they then began to question whether he were the Christ or no, since he could not defend himself from his enemies. Others more rightly understand it of their shameful flight

from Christ, seeing it was not now safe to abide longer with him. As he gave himself up, they thought it advisable to provide as well as they could for themselves, and somewhere or other to take refuge from the present storm, which had overtaken him. But what were,

III. The grounds or reasons of their forsaking him? 1. God's suspending aids of his grace. They were not wont to do so. They never did so afterwards. They would not have done so now, had there been influences of power, zeal, and love from heaven upon them. But how then should Christ have borne the heat and burden of the day? How should he have trod the wine-press alone? How should his sorrows have been extreme, unmixed, unmitigated, if they had adhered faithfully to him? No, no, it must not be; Christ must not have the least relief or comfort from any creature; and therefore, that he might be left alone, to grapple hand to hand with the wrath of God and of men, the Lord for a time withholds his encouraging, strengthening influences from them; and then, like Samson when he had lost his locks, they were weak as other men. "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might," saith the apostle. Eph. 6:10. If that be withheld, our resolutions and purposes melt away before temptation, as snow before the sun.

2. The temptation was great. As they were weaker than they were used to be, so the temptation was stronger than any they had met. It is called "Their hour and the power of darkness." Luke, 22:53. A sifting, winnowing hour, verse 46. Oh it was a dark and cloudy day. Never had the disciples met such a whirlwind, such a furious storm before. The devil desired but to have the winnowing of them in that day, and so would have sifted and winnowed them, that their faith had utterly failed, had not Christ secured it by his prayer for them.