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Chapter 22
137
was beside His son, and He is beside every soul that struggles with
discouragement and difficulty (
Letter 106, 1896
).
42, 43. Gabriel Strengthened Christ
—In the supreme crisis,
when heart and soul are breaking under the load of sin, Gabriel is
sent to strengthen the divine sufferer, and brace Him to tread His
bloodstained path. And while the angel supports His fainting form,
Christ takes the bitter cup, and consents to drink its contents. Before
the suffering One comes up the wail of a lost and perishing world,
and the words come from the blood-stained lips, “Nevertheless, if
man must perish unless I drink this bitter cup, Thy will, not Mine,
be done” (
The Signs of the Times, December 9, 1897
).
43. Life Hid in Christ Cannot Be Touched
—The strength
given to Christ in the hour of bodily suffering and mental anguish
in the Garden of Gethsemane, has been and will be given to those
who suffer for His dear name’s sake. The same grace given to Jesus,
the same comfort, the more than mortal steadfastness, will be given
to every believing child of God, who is brought into perplexity and
suffering, and threatened with imprisonment and death, by Satan’s
agents. Never has a soul that trusts in Christ been left to perish. The
rack, the stake, the many inventions of cruelty, may kill the body,
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but they cannot touch the life that is hid with Christ in God (
The
Signs of the Times, June 3, 1897
).
44 (
Philippians 2:5-8
;
Hebrews 2:14-17
). Christ Took No
Make-believe Humanity
—Of Christ it is said, “And being in an
agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great
drops of blood falling down to the ground.” We need to realize the
truth of Christ’s manhood in order to appreciate the truth of the above
words. It was not a make-believe humanity that Christ took upon
Himself. He took human nature and lived human nature. Christ
worked no miracles in His own behalf. He was compassed with
infirmities, but His divine nature knew what was in man. He needed
not that any should testify to Him of this. The Spirit was given Him
without measure; for His mission on earth demanded this.
Christ’s life represents a perfect manhood. Just that which you
may be, He was in human nature. He took our infirmities. He was
not only made flesh, but He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh.
His divine attributes were withheld from relieving His soul anguish
or His bodily pains (
Letter 106, 1896
).