I. His bloudy sweat in the Garden.Luke. 22.44

SWeat and blood are the two best emblemes of la­bour and passi­on, of doing and suffering, and so, the best epitomes, or (if you will) iournals of our Saviours life and death; for both made vp the tra­vaylesEsai. 53 11.[Page 2] of his soule; the first he wrote in sweat, the other in blood: his life; what other was it then a cōtinued sweat of passive action,Mat. 4.23. Hee went about alwayes doing good; his death, what, but as incessant a bloodshed of active passi­on?Esai. 53.12 hee powred out his soule to death, nor can wee find any two things in nature that may better serue for the in­dexes, or rather seales, of those his two Testaments, then these two, sweat and blood;Phil. 2.12. that of the Law, wor­king out in sweat saluation with feare and trembling, that of the Gospell, buying it out with blood in price and value; in these two there­fore doth he (here) beginne his passion, it being to bee [Page 3] the execution of both those Testaments; the comple­ment of the one, and supplement of the other: nor is it without yet further mysterie; in these two (Sweat and Blood) begins this our second Adams exe­cution, because in these two (vpon the matter) begins the first Adams sentence; the Sweat of his browes, Gen. 3.19. where­by hee must live the life; the blood of mortality, where­by hee must dye the death: and yet further, that mans ransome and ruine might hold yet a more thorough proportion, both are in a Garden, that as in a Garden man had played the wan­ton with Gods bounty, so in a Garden too, this more [Page 4] then man might play the Champion with Gods fu­ry; it was in a Garden, that God sought man sold to the devill for an apple, Adam where art thou? Gen. 3.9. and 'tis here in a Garden too, that men seeke God sold by a devill, for as very a trifle:Iohn 6.70. Ioh. 18.4.5. whom seeke yee? Iesus of Nazareth. In each Gar­den wee read of a drawne sword,Gen. 3.24. in that by the Cheru­bim, Luk. 22.50. in this, by Peter; that flames, but this wounds; that but menaces, but this maimes; what was in that Gardē but threatend to the first Adam, that was in this Garden suffered by the se­cond; the difference is this, in that first Garden, the sword is still hostily bran­dished, [Page 5] a flaming sword that turned every way, Gen. 3.24. in this se­cond 'tis peaceably put vp, Peter put vp thy sword; so,Ioh. 18.11. nor shall the difference of these two Gardens bee of lesse comfort then is their concord, though in that first Garden of Paradise, the sword still keepes the dis­possessed posterity of Adam from ever (here) returning thither,Gen. 3.24. wee must first passe vnder the Angels sword, the stroke of death; yet to this latter Garden of redempti­on a better Paradise to vs, wee have free and safe ac­cesse, no sword heere threatens, no Angell keepes the doore, hee who is the Angell of the Covenant, Reu. 3.7. both doore of the Fold, and Keeper [Page 6] of the doore, and that with that irresistible key of David, cryes here,Isa. 55.1. come vnto mee all, in a word, as at first in a Garden man was doom'd by God,Mat. 11.2 [...] Gen. 3.19. to earne his bread for life by his Sweat, so in a Gar­den here God earnes for man the bread of life by his Sweat too; nor is it of the browes onely as that, but of the whole body, yea and soule too,Psal. 105.18 the irons entred in­to his soule, Rom. 5.20. nor (that grace might every way superabound sinnes abounding,) shall it bee lesse then a Sweat of blood, that herein bloody murde­rous Caine might have ba­thed his purple soule as well as idle luxurious Adam his; here's for both, both, blood and sweat: and that in the [Page 7] strange abundance of a shoure; nor is it a dewie misty one,Luk. 22.44 but of great drops running downe through his clothes to the ground: but what? bee the pleurisy ne­ver so great, how strange is the phlebotomy? it seemes not to consult, or where the signe lyes, or where the sick­nesse: what the whole bo­dy at once? alas, the least drop of this blood thus dig­nified by that enriching in­terest of vnion: it hath with the God-head, were of price enough, had he so plea­sed, to have ransomed as many worlds of men, as there bee men in this; here seemes a better place, for Iudas his quorsum haec perdi­tio, whitherto tends this waste, Ioh. 12.4. [Page 8] why is hee thus prodigall of his blood thus precious? why inuerts hee so that pro­phesie of all nations flowing vnto him, Esa. 53. by thus profusely flowing at once to all nations: alas wee had all of vs sinned, Rom. 5. and all of vs against all the whole Law, in all the whole man: and therefore so full, so proportionate shall bee the satisfaction, that hee who is all in all and for all, Coll. 3.11. will answereably bleed through­out all the whole body; nor will this our Eliah thinke, this his selfe-sacrifice once offered for all, 1 Kings 18. compleate e­nough, vnlesse he first drench it in a floud of his owne sweat and blood.Heb. 9.28. But, nor is the cure lesse strāge then the Physicke: the Method [Page 9] then the Medicine; as it seemes not to aduise, where the signe lyes, so nor where the sicknesse: 'twas we had surfeited, and doth hee purge? Ours was the fever, and doth hee bleed? oft times a bleeding in the head (Physitians say) is best stopt by striking a veine in the foot, but here the mala­dy is in the foot, the reme­dy in the head: true, but the spirituall blood of Sin, holds a contrary course to that of the body, it flowes vpward against Heaven, the voice of thy brothers blood cries vp to Heaven: Gen. 4.10. therefore to cure that spiritual bloody Issue of the foot, sinne, must the head thus bleed for it; must (I say) not out of any [Page 10] necessity on his side, more then that of his owne de­cree and promise, all the necessity, at least the need, was ours. Saint Austine gives the distinction best, that hee was thus to bleed for vs, (sai h hee) it was on our side, miseranda n [...]c ssitas, on his but miserans volun­tas, on ours a miserable ne­cessity, on his but a com­miserating mercy; and ye [...] so great will hee have, both his mercy, and our sinnes, at once appeare to vs, that hee will give vs the measure of the ones merit in no lesse, then a shoure, of the others guilt in no lesse, then a Shoure of blood. If then in the midst of this Shoure, so plenteous, so precious, [Page 11] wee bee with Gideons fleece, Iudg. 6.40. still dry, what else can wee blame but our owne incapa­cities of this heavenly raine, heres neither want of pow­er, price, or plenty, a Shoure of blood, no nor of pro­mise neither,Psal. 72.6. hee shall come downe (saies David) like the raine into a fleece of wooll: here (in a more heavenly sense) is that raine of Heaven, Deut. 11.11 that the land of promise drinkes, that early and latter raine; early to the Patriarks, latter to vs: here's that dew of Hermon, Psal. 133.3. that fals vpon the Hill of Sion, such as with constant Sion cannot bee removed; here is that Balme of Gilead, that on­ly cures tht daughter of his people; the Oyntment of Aaron, Psal. 133.2 that runnes downe from this [Page 12] Head to the vttermost Skirts of his clothing, the meanest of his members; this blo [...]dy balmy Sweat, it here fals in a Garden, and indeed where ever, it fals in merit and effect 'tis sure to make, though of the barsennest wildernesse of sinne, a fruit­full, a fragrant Garden of grace, that hearbe of grace cannot but grow in that Garden which this Shoure waters.

It had been much, where no outward violence was offered, nor labour sustay­ned, specially in the cold time of night, so cold that hardier Souldiers were faine to have a Fire within doores; abroad too in the raw aire, and on the cooler [Page 13] earth in any sort to have sweat at all: nor is it a thin faint Sweat, not sudor dra­phoreticus, (as Physitians speake) but grumosus, of great drops: and those so many, so violent, as they pierce not onely his skinne, but clothes too: Luk. 22 44. and that in full streames to the ground, and yet may all this fall within the compasse of a naturall possibility, and much exceeds not the fury of a Fever, but a Sweat of blood, as it puts all time and story to seeke for matter of example, so puts it nature and reason to silence too for matter of cause: might hee not well then complaine of his sweat, as of his sorrow, Lam. 1.12. was there ever Sweat like vn­to [Page 14] this of mine? but, alas doth hee not complaine? yes, and 'tis that complaine? of his (if it bee possible let this Cup passe) that speakes his sorrow,Mat. 26.30. his sufferings, yet more then either his sweat or blood; how much lesse is it for a man (in any sort) to sweat, to bleed, ther for a God in the least to com­plaine? 'tis not indeed for a man to conceive, what it is for a God to complaine I will not therefore (with some) call this agony, the sleepe of his divinity, so happily I should my selfe the while but sleepe, and dreame him such a God, as Baal, 1 K [...]ng. 18.27. cry aloud, for it may be hee sleepeth. Whereas hee is the Keeper of Israel, who can [Page 15] nor slumber nor sleepe. I dare not thinke (with Lumba [...]a) any word, much lesse pray­er of his, could proceed, ex impetu naturae sine imperio rationis, nor will I with others define either the causes of this Sweat, or the ingredi­ents of that Cup, Psal. 75.9. (for 'twas a mixt one) so I might easi­ly play the vn ust Steward and write fourescore for the hundred: no,Luk. 16.7 rather let mee call this passage with Esay, the travaile of his soule, the passion of his passion,Esa. 53 11. and conclude of the cause, why hee did complaine, with David, speaking of the cause why (in an other case) hee himselfe did not com­plaine, I was dumbe, Psal. 39.10. and not opened my mouth: because [Page 16] 'twas thou O Lord that didst it; and might hee not well complaine,Lam. 1 13 that God had sent his fire from above into his bones; how truely doth it here appeare in Sweat: might hee not well com­plaine (in his type) that the Irons had entred into his soule, Psa. 105.18 how truely doth it here ap­peare in blood; how iustly too might hee complaine, that his soule was powred out, Psal. 22.14. both like Wax and like Water, here are the very streames or both, Blood, and Sweat. The spirit of a man, (saies Solomon) may sustaine his in­firmities, but a wounded spirit who can beare, such was his: the arrowes of God dranke vp his Spirit: Iob 6 4. and therefore how well might hee say, [Page 17] thy terrors have I suffered with a troubled mind: Psal. 88.16. and yet a­las, all this 'tis but the begin­ning of sorrowes, but the first approaches and offers of that Cup, which afterward hee dranke off, dregs and all to the last drop; but a seri­ous and thoughtfull pre-apprehension of what hee was to suffer, nor doubtlesse could the dexterity and keenesse of that his appre­hension, of what sinne de­serued, but much aggravate what hee suffered; appre­hension, if strong and active, ever gives edge, and sting to misery; 'tis the soundest body is ever most sensible of paine; feare still and fee­ling too, most what take m [...]asure from apprehension, [Page 18] never any man could so fully as hee, apprehend the iust cause of this feare, sins gu [...]lt: and therefore no mar­uaile if never a [...]y did so ful­ly feele the weight of this feare, sinnes horror: passi­ons, of what kind soever, worke ever strongest, on best knowen obiects; the apprehensiue expectation of an evill, is many times little lesse then the present sense; sodaine vnseen evils afflict both slacker and shor­ter, and doe but swallow without chewing; 'tis one of the miseries of being wise, that it armes misery against it selfe, and grinds it into a sharper edge; the edgetooles, which it lends misery to cut its owne fin­gers [Page 19] with, are ever two, ex­pectation, and apprehensi­on; the first ever anticipates, the second exasperates the paine: hence is it, that men feare not hell, because their eyes of faith are not strong and apprehensive enough to foresee it; were that pit of darkenesse, where our sins are to suffer, but in any measure of its true horror (to the life, or rather to the death, and depth) layd open and displayed to our appre­hensions, how would our knees tremble, Dan. 5.3, 4. and enterfeare with Baltazars; how would our Bowels burne with those disciples,Luk. 24.32 and before hand without true repen­tance with Iudas's gush cut, Acts 1. to breake loose (if possible) [Page 20] from those fierce Furnaces of our anguish'd consciences: doubtlesse, no thornes, nor whips, nor nailes drew blood from him with that torture, that the sight of this Cup here doth; it was those over-flowings of our vngod­linesse, Psal. 18 3. that made him thus affraid: But O my blessed Lord and Saviour, thou be­ganst thy passion in a sweat, let mine eyes (Lord) wait ever on thee, Psal. 123.2. as the hand-maids on her mistresse, and not be­ginne their compassion, but in a Sweat too, a Sweat of sorrow and contrition: thine Lord was a bloody one, bee mine so too,Aug. sanguis vul­nerati cordis, otherwise as is praying but from the lips outward, so is weeping but [Page 21] from the eyes outward, either but the sacrifice of fooles, but eye-seruice. Epes. 6.6. O let mee not apprehend what thou suffer'dst for me with­out sorrow, and compassi­on, when as thou thy selfe, Lord, didst not apprehend what I deserued from thee, without feare and horror. Blood (they say) whereas nothing else, can soften the Adamant; if my heart then doe not soften, melt, bleed in all this so plenteous a Shoure, of this so precious blood, what should be left to melt such a heart, so much harder then the nether Mil­stone, but the Fire of Hell? But alas Lord,Ioh. 18.11 wilt thou not drinke of the Cup, which thy Father gives thee? Mat. 26.39 It is not [Page 22] possible, that this Cup passe from thee, vnlesse it passe to mee, and so (alas) Fire and Brimstone, Storme and Tempest, Psal. 11.7. this will be my portion to drinke, and my Cup will bee full; No (Lord) I confesse, I am not able to drinke of this thy Cup, if thou leave but one drop for me, it will vt­terly cast mee into that in­curable Dropsie of Dives, after a despayred drop of water. Luk. 16. No, give mee rather here (Lord) with David, Psal. 42.3. pl [...]n e­ousnesse of teares to drinke, and so, may my Cup over-flow, and spare not, bee thou but the portion of mine inheritance, and of my Cup; Psal. 16 6. and so I shall bee able to pledge thee in this Cup too, alayed, and sugred with thy mercy: so, [Page 23] spare mee not from swea­ting with thee, and if need bee from bleeding too, at least (with thy Apostle) let mee never cease, both to sweat and bleed in that continuall agony of his, the good fight, in that daily martyr­dome of his mortification.2 Tim. 4.7. 1 Cor. 15.31

This fruitfull Shoure (Lord) of thy blessed bloo­dy Swear, as it fell in a Garden, so let it ever plen­tifully fall on the Garden of thy Church, send ever Lord this gracious raine on thine inheritance, Psal. 68.9 to refresh it when 'tis weary: Let one drop (at least) of this so a­bundant, and everlasting Shoure, light on thy owne inclosure: but (alas! in it selfe) a dry and barren wil­dernesse, Psal, 143 6. [Page 24] where no water is, my thorny, yet thirsty heart; so, yet, shall it become a fruitfull, a fragrant Garden vn­to thee, 'tis thou (O Lord) that makest of the barrenest wildernesse, Can. 4.16. a fruitfull Field. Arise O North, and come O South, and blow on this Gar­den, that the spices thereof may flow, in those great slaugh­ters of thy Murderers (O Lord) both at Ierusalem, and Bittere, wherein so ful­ly, both to their owne de­sert and wish, Math. 27.25 thy blood lay so heavily on them, and on their children: 'tis said the Romanes found no such manurance for their Vines, and Gardens, as the blood of Iewes; how much better (in a better sense) will thi [...] [Page 25] better blood of thine, bee for this Vine, this Garden of my soule? How can there in this Garden, thus manured, thus watred, but grow those hearbes of grace, the purging Hysop of repen­tance,Psal. 51. the ever greene time of hope, fading,Leu. 14.4. no not in the stormiest winter of ad­uersity; the Cammomill of Patience, that growes the more 'tis trod on, the true Marigold of Faith, that shuts and opens to none but thee,Mal. 4.2. the Sunne of righteous­nesse, the inclining stooping Violet of Humilitie, the im­bracing clasping Hony­suckle of Charitie, &c. How can it bee (so dress'd) but barren to the weeds of sin­full pleasure, the Onions and [Page 26] Garlike of Egypt, let no Ser­pent (Lord) ever lurke in this Garden, Gen. 3. to reach here any forbidden fruit, and so to o­ver reach the eater; but as in that other Garden, where thou layest entomb'd, they had a Watch and Seale, Mat. 27.59. wher­with to make all sure, that none might steale thee thence; so, in this Garden of my soule (Lord) having both, the Watch of conscience, and the Seale of faith, let me to a better purpose make all so sure, that nothing ever may steale thee hence; but that thou mayest ever say of it, as of thy Spouse, a Garden enclosed is my Sister, Can. 4.12 a Spring shut vp, a Fountaine sealed.

II. Hee is sold and betrayd by Iudas. Luk. 22.47

MAiesty and mercy (in their more happy,Quam ma­le convent­unt & in vna sede— then frequent mixture in one Throne) make vp the strongest guard 'gainst trea­son. Maiesty vsually so be­numbs, and strikes the hand with terror, that it cannot strike,Prov. 20.8. the Kings eye scatters treason from his Throne: Mer­cy so becharmes, and stroakes the heart with love, that it cannot plot,Prov. 25.8. the Kings Throne is established by mercy; But the best Guard is that, which needs no Guard, in­nocence, and yet behold [Page 28] (here) a treason, that breaks through that double Guard of maiesty,Optimum munimen­tum muni­mento non carere. of mercy, and that more privy proofie maile of innocence it selfe too, if maiesty might have daunted it, how must it have shruncke backe its accursed head into abortion? 'tis he who commits no robbery, Phil. 2. in making himselfe equall with God: And yet behold they come against him, as against a theefe, Luk. 22.52 a robber; if mercy might have shamed it, how had it sluncke backe into that vault of darkenesse, whence it came to hide it; 'tis hee who came to seeke, to buy them with his blood, whose blood they have thus maliciously bought, and are now come thus mur­derously [Page 29] to seeke; if inno­cence might have sheelded against these fierie darts of malice, Ephes. 6. let its owne confes­sion iudge him, and it can­not but pronounce him true, a iust man, one in whom preiudice it selfe can find no fault, Mar. 12.14. Mat. 27.24. one against whom en­uy it selfe can find no witnesse: Mar. 14.54. and yet anger is cruell, and wrath is raging, Prov. 27.4. but who can stand before enuy; so prevari­catiuely froward, and vn­winnable is enuy that ever (as the Psalmist speakes) what might bee for her good, Psal. 69.23. is to her an occasion of falling: maiesty, mercy, innocence, make rather but a prey to inuite, then a Guard to a­void her. But yet how ever, Iudas, what could'st thou, [Page 30] enuy in him; his glory, his purse, and his power too, 'twas thine, and made the devils themselues obedient to thee; had not thine then above the rest beene a mercy-proofe,2 Thef. 5. a Spirit-des­pighting heart, it must needs have melted, or recoyld from so blacke a proiect; didst thou not cast out devils in his name, Ioh. 13.27. out of others? what, and now take in the devill into thine owne heart, and cast out him? Thou once (with the rest) leavedst all to follow him, what and now leave him to follow the worst of that all thou had­est left, the devill; how vn­happy, how vnthrifty a change? No, but now thou art become a leader; how [Page 31] poore, how vnworthy an ambition, to leave follow­ing such a Leader, that thou mightest lead such a raskall regiment.Ioh. 13.26. Thou dippedst thy hand in the same Dish of fel­lowship with him: what, and in the same designe of blood too against him? Thou once followedst thy master, and barest the bagge, and wilt thou now change both carriage and leader too: follow the bagge and carry thy master in it, the siluerlings?Ioh. 11.6. Thou barest the bagge, and what was put ther­in: and therefore thy old, quorsum haec perditio, may be turned backe vpon thee in­to a quorsum haec proditio, Mat. 26. whitherto tends this trea­son? want drave thee not [Page 32] to this traiterous sale, as it did (in some sort) hungry Esau, Gen. 25. thou hadst the bagge, or had that beene empty, thou mightest have gone to thy masters other treasury, the fishes mouth for money;Mat. 17.27. the bagge, as it might some way incline thy covetous heart (the Girdle of verity, Ephes. 6. for the most part drawing vsually too much that way, that the bagge hangs) so it doth every way vpbraid thy traiterous sale, a rich man and a theefe, 'tis a pro­verbiall agravation: nor did therein thy masters trust, but the deeper ingage thy truth; what didst thou see in those poore siluershrines of thy idolliz'd Diana, Acts 19.27. co­veteousnesse, worth such a [Page 33] master, thou neededst not this craft to get thy living by (as those Smiths of Ephe­sus) thou hadst a much bet­ter in thy late seruice, hadst thou beene of later dayes, I should have thought thee some popish Merchant of the Temple, Mat. 21. one that had thought to make him a Sa­viour of his siluer, there­with to have bought a Par­don for this, and all thy other sinnes, but if so, the devill too seemes a better chapman for thy turne, hee had offered all the kingdomes of the earth for him,Mat. 4.9. thou sellest him to the Iewes, and thy selfe to the devill too in the bargaine, but for thirtie pence, thy master himselfe had not long since told [Page 43] thee, that the whole world were all too light in scale, but against thy one soule: but alas, to such a master, as many worlds as thou hadst pence, Esay had told thee, they were all but as the dust of the scales, Esa. 40.15. as a drop of the Bucket, thou se [...]lest thy master to his death, that would have sold himself [...] for thy life, thou betrayest him vnto his enemies for thy gaine, that would have rescued thee from thine with his blood. But is this all? No, thou sellest that inualuable pearle, which the wise Merchant sold all he had to buy, Mat. 13.44. and that for a need­lesse, a vselesse trifle; and this makes thy treachery folly, thy gaine losse, thy [Page 35] avarice vnthriftinesse; who, Iudas vnthriftie, that would make money of all, of the oyntment of his master, nay by by a Popish kind of Alchi­my, of his God? yes, vn­thrifty, banckrupted, beg­gered Iudas: hovv quickly vvithout either master or money, hovv vselesse, hovv restlesse is either thy mo­ney or thy selfe, without [...]hy master, how soone art thou as weary of it, as ever [...]hou wert greedy? How much more (anon) weary of it, then of thy master? How much more doth it now vpbraid thee, then ever before inuite thee? can it buy thee such another master, can it all buy thee an houres sleepe, can it bribe [Page 36] thy clamorous tongue of conscience, to a minuts si­lence? Nay, it will no [...] so much as buy thee a haltar, Mat. 27.5. to put a false promising end to thy present miseries, though thou couldest not misse of one else where, to put a true beginning to thy greater tortures; but as if i [...] were doom'd only to the hands of murder, it will no where but whence it came as if it tooke an accursed infection from the fingers it passed through, it may not into the Sanctuary, but must bee ever the price of blood: Mat. 27.8. nor hath it but ever since left this infectious cankar to all ill gotten wealth, 'tis all quick siluer, it will not stay, it will not inrich, [Page 37] it buyes nothing,Acts 1.19. but Acel­dama's, fields of blood, and of confusion, so truely treache­rous prove ever the worldlings, not onely hopes, bu [...] heapes: Iudas did not so much betray his first master Iesus, as this his second master, money, did betray Iudas; Iudas betrayed his master, but into the hands of malice, but gaine betray­ed Iudas into the haltar of despaire; coueteousnesse proues ever in the end most its owne traytor; desire, and hope are still but Bawds, when towards that painted Strumpet, the world: But I cannot so passe (Iudas) the basenesse of thy sale, or blacknesse of thy treason, what, but for thirtie pence: [Page 38] didst thou not value the Box of oyntment at three hundred pence, Mar. 14.5. Io. 11.5. what and thy master but at thirtie? was the wo­mans oyntment so much more worth then the Lords anoynted? Psa. 105.15 couldst thou then hold it lost, that was be­stowed vpon thy master, or if thou didst, hadst thou no way to redeeme that losse, but by selling the Redee­mer? But no maruell, if (when thou once beganst to grudge thy master, ano­ [...]hers charity) thou didst not at length sticke to sell him, for thine owne gaine; hee that holds that waste, which is bestowed on God, his ser­uice or members, 'tis to be seared, hee would fell his God too; but that the [Page 39] world affords but a few chapmen in such a purchase; and yet how much, yet cheaper, viler art thou, in the offer then the price? what will yee give me, Luk. 22. as if the commodity lay vpon thy hands, as if thy master were some peece of vnfa­shionable Shop-rid ware, which thou wouldest faine be rid of at any hand; never fell there such a iewell into the hands of such a Pedler, that so basely way-layes Customers, and prosti­tutes at once, both his will, and ware with, what will yee give? and I will, &c. Mat 26.15. And then no sooner an offer, but a price, no sooner a price, but a sale, no sooner a sale, but a delivery; how soone [Page 40] strikes he it vp a bargaine? and as if hee were yet af­fraid they might draw back, that hee may bee yet more sure, to put all beyond the benefit of error or mistake, hee gives them a signe, whomsoever I shall kisse, Mat. 26.48. that's hee, lay hold of him.

It had beene somtime our Saviours complaint: Simon since I came, Luk. 7.45. thou gauest mee no kisse; but can he find that fault with this sonne of Simon. Luk 22 4 [...]. Hee drawes neere and kisses him. But alas 'tis but with the lips hee drawes neere him, Heb 10. the heart is farre from him, and so better hee had with Peter, followed him a farre off, or with the Prodigall, gone farre from him. Luk. 15.13. Nay, had it beene against him, if [Page 41] openly (as Paul at first) hee himselfe saies,Psal. 55.12. he could more easily have borne it: no, but it was thou my owne familiar friend, whom I trusted, Psal 41.9. which did also eat of my bread, that hath layd great wait for mee: what, Iudas betrayest thou the Sonne of man? what thou, my companion, my choice, my charge, my trust, my treasurer:Luk. 22.48 what and betray­est thou the Sonne of man, thy friend, thy master, thy God, one who; though the Son of God, stucke not to be­come the Sonne of man to live with thee, & for ought thou knowest to die for thee, what, and with a kisse, the pledge of friendship, made the gin of falshood; loves gage become treasons [Page 42] snare; every word is a de­gree in treason, and both vpbraids the deed, and brands the Doer, the price, the offer, the instrument, the Author, the subiect, doe each of them swell, and heighten the treason still to a greater measure, or rather mysterie of iniquity: did hee among the rest of the Apo­stles,Ioh. 13. wash his feet too, what and presently so nimble in the devils errand,Rom. 3.15. so swift to shed blood? The outward act (I see) then of one, grea­ter then a popish Priest, con­fers no grace at all; Iudas that hath his feet washd, hath yet his hand, his heart in blood. How farre doth hypocrisie (often times) goe with, yet short of truth in [Page 43] piety.Luk. 22. Psal. 2.12. David will draw neere vnto the Lord, & so doth Iu­das, David will kisse the Son, least he be angry, and so doth Iudas, Iudas hath his haile, as well as David his hale­luiah;Psal. 51.4. I have sinned is Da­vids confession, after that his sinfull arithmetike, and I have sinned, Mat. 27.4. 'tis Iudas his confession too, after this his accursed treason; the one yet layes hold on the Altar, the other on the Haltar, Mat. 27.5. 'tis not the tongue nor hand, 'tis the heart that seasons devotion; nay how farre in the outward offices of pie­ty doth hypocrisie out-doe the truth it selfe;Io 12. doth Mary thinke it much to kisse his feet, that other woman to touch but the hemme of his M [...]rke [...]. [Page 44] garment: but Iudas will goe on to touch, to kisse his lips, and that with a haile of gra­tulation in his mouth, though there bee a Hell of treason in his heart: Co­mets blaze more a while then fixed Stars, the vnfrui­ted Bough mostly hath the most leafes. How stupid too, how sottish is hypocri­sie, evē in the wisest world­ling? Else, how could Iu­das, having harbour'd such a purpose, but easily con­ceive, how easily his master would perceive this devill of treason, though vnder the likest outside of an An­gell of light, 2 Cor. 11.14 he chose indeed the fittest time the night; but alas! what, what is the darkest night to those eyes, [Page 45] to which the darknes and light are both alike, the darker night was in his heart, yet, nor is that a vaile to [...]hose eyes of his, whose faculty is To search the heart it selfe, and can see into Pharoahs, more inscrutable hardned heart, Exod. 7.13 through that double cloud of Egypts darknesse, and its own: with such over-reach­ing folly, doth God vsually punish hypocrisies, over­weening fraud, that from first deceiving the world, but most it selfe, God suf­fers it to goe on at length, to foole it selfe into a hope of deceiving him too, hast thou not taught in our streets, and have wee not in thy name done miracles, Mat. 25. and cast out de­vils; shall be the hypocrites [Page 46] plea, as if they might possi­bly deceive God, as they had done men: as if the king­dome of Heaven would suffer cousanage,Mat. 11.12. as well as vio­lence, Ier. 17.9. no, the heart (indeed) is deceitfull above all things, and towards all things, save onely him who made it: gifts may blind the eyes of the wise, Iere. 17.11. and hee that gathereth gaine, and not by right, he shall leave it ere hee dies, and at his end shall be a foole (as it fares with Iudas, here) with God 'tis otherwise, he cannot be either blinded with guile, or bribed with gifts; as he hath his Throne in Heaven, so he hath his Theater in the heart, where happily hee may be sometimes vnseene, but never vnseeing.

And now his master is sold, how well may he cry out with Reuben, when they had sold Ioseph, Gen. 37.30 as for me whi­ther shall I goe? Goe hee to them that put him a worke, they (with a carelesse, Matt. 27.4. what is that to vs, see thou to that) send him to the Sanctuary of those his siluer Gods, his hire, that will not steed him neither, he is now more weary of it, then ever gree­dy, more weary of it, then of his master, that leaves him too; but 'tis to one, who will bee sure never to leave him, the devill, nor is hee willing to stay long for him, (no more then he for his hire) but how soone (as Iael to Sisera) iuggler-like doth he change hands fromIudg. 4. [Page 48] the milke, to the ham [...]r from the hire, to the [...], and that leads him to his owne place:Acts 1.2. Poena dam­ni. Poena sen­sus. Where if that the punishmēt of losse be the greater of the two (as Di­vines are of opinion) then how can his bee but the greatest of all other? to see his sometimes fellow Apo­stles on their seates, iudging the twelue Tribes of Israel, Mat. 19.28 and himselfe among his now fellow devils, Ioh. 6.70. trembling at the Barre; to heare his master, who once so kindly gave him the Sop, Ioh. 13.26. and washed his feet, now giving him his sentence to be bound hands and feet, Mat. 10. and cast into vtter darknesse, to see those devils, which before hee had power to cast out, now to have [Page 49] power to cast him into end­lesse torments, where to leave him as his proper place. Acts 1. Let vs cast (at least) a glance of gratulation at our blessed Saviours victorious pati­ence, even in this passage of his passion, whereof what fuller heartier proofe, then that difference of language, which hee vses to those his two Apostles, Peter and Iu­das, Peters compassionate pittie, because it looked with a more tender eye to­wards his masters life, then mans redemption; him he cals devill for't,Mat. 16.23. get thee be­hind mee Satan, thou savourest not the things of God, but man, whereas Iudas his treason, though savoring the things of neither God, nor man, [Page 50] but all divell, yet because it caried though an vnwit­ting bent to mans purposd redemptiō, and that though through so much blood and torment, yet doth hee call him friend:Mat. 26.50. friend wherefore art thou come, and refuses neither his complement, nor kisse; so well might his Spouse say, that hee came skipping on the hils, Cant. 2.8. and lea­ping on the mountaines, 'tis not the lesser hils of his ene­mies malice, nor the grea­ter mountaines of his fa­thers wrath can stop him, but that as a Giant, Psal. 19.5. he will re­ioyce to run his course, though of blood and death; and that with such alacrity and swiftnesse, that even Iudas, who no doubt made no [Page 51] small haste, for (as they say) the devill drave him: Ioh. 13.2. yet him doth hee seeme to tax of sloth,vers. 27. what thou doest doe quickly. But, O my blessed Sauiour, the ransome of my soule,1 Cor. 6. the price of my saluati­on, how infinitly a greater price did my poore wret­ched worthlesse soule cost, that was but a lost Great, not worth the sweeping for,Luke 15. a mite scarce worth the casting into thy treasury, Mar. 12. then did thine owne inestimable selfe, who art the treasury it selfe,Coll. 2.3. the treasuries of wise­dome? was not I bought vn­der the stocke of Heaven, and wouldest thou bee bought with a few crumms of earth; well mightest thou call it (in way of iro­nie) [Page 52] a goodly price that thou wert prized at: Zach. 11.13 but how well mightest thou say of vs;1 Cor. 6.20. yee are bought with a great price; how truely mightest thou call vs,1 Pet. 1.18. a deare, a preci­ous people? And yet (alas) how farre art thou from grudging to vs, even this, thy so much vnderualued cheapnesse? (would wee buy, buy thee but the right way, so farre, that thou be­comest to vs thine owne, yet cheaper Merchant, and Cryer too.Esa. 55.1. Hoe yee that passe by, come and buy without mo­ney. David (Lord) then needs not much complaine, that thou sellest thy people for nought, Psal. 44.13. and takest no money for them; when as thou set­test no higher price vpon [Page 53] thy selfe; and yet how infinitly hast thou improved this thy so much misualued sale, to a ransome great e­nough for the whole world: how mercifully hast thou entitled mee (Lord) who was sold vnder sinne, Rom. 7.14. to this enriching sale and purchase of thy inualuable selfe: and made the Iewes and Iudas in it, but my vnwitting vn­thrifty Factors, and me the happy gainer, by this their vndoeing bargaine? And yet alas, Lord doe I not still (with Iudas) sell thee, still betray thee? if thou be (as thine Apostle cals thee) love, 1 Ioh. 4 8. incharitable avarice still sels thee; if thou be, as thou callest thy selfe, truth, Ioh. 14.6. false hypocrisie stil betraies [Page 54] thee, when I make gaine my godlinesse, 1 Tim 6.6. I must confesse (Lord) I sell thee; when I make godlinesse but my gaine & worldly aduantage, then I must confesse, I doe but betray thee. O let mee never, though (with Iudas) betray as well thy mercy by despaire, as thy truth by hypocrisie: But as when I had sold my selfe vnder sinne, Rom. 7. thou did'st mercifully re­deem me by thy blood, and merit; so grant (Lord) that when ever I shall sell thee for sinne, I may as often re­deeme, Esay 55.1. regaine thee by my faith, and repentance: had Iudas himselfe but found them, hee had found thee, and not lost himselfe: hee did not sinne, no not wrong [Page 55] thee so much by betraying thee (Lord) as himselfe to death; nor his kisse, nor haile, did so much betray, as his either hire or haltar: his despaire more betrayed himselfe, than his treason thee, and that of a better life vnto a worse death, and no maruell, for treason ever in the end proves more the Traytors, then the trusters Traitor.

III. Hee is apprehended in the Gar­den,Luk. 22.54. and thence led bound to the high Priests Hall.

IVdas will now no longer be a Follower but a Lea­der, though hee get but a Leiftenants place to the de­vill by the change; behold while hee yet spake, Luk. 22.47 a company, and hee that was called Iudas, went before them: and now how soone (as David speakes) are his soft words, Psal. 55.22. become very swords, they are come with swords, Luk. 22.52. and staves to take him; so truely doth Iudas his kisse, prove one of Ioabs, in the end, a Stab, and that vnder the fift Rib 2. Sam. 20.10. [Page 57] too; so propheticall was that Proverbe of Solomons, the kisse of an enemy, is worse then the wound of a friend: when hee was kissed, hee complaines, Iudas betrayest thou, &c. Luk. 22.48 But when he was wounded for vs, by vs, hee was dumbe, Esa. 53.7. and opened not his mouth. Israel had long be­fore beene too busie, in bor­rowing the Philistines reli­gion, and now it seemes they will make bold with their pollicie too, their old pollicie, of plowing against Sampson, with his owne Heifer, his owne familiar friend (as our Saviour himselfe com­plaines) like an vntamed Heifer hath lifted vp the heele against him; Sampson, Iud. 14.18. Psa. 41.9. Hos. 4.16. the true Nazarite, Iud. 1 [...]. is here [Page 58] againe taken, bound, abused, blind-folded: innocent Su­sanna (in resemblance, if not tipe) is here once againe by the enuious Elders, bathing in a bloody sweat, surprisd in the Garden, yet not with out some instance of that ever victorious selfe-armed maiesty of innocence, as of the heart-lesse selfe-betray­ing cowardise of guilt, with the least glimpse of which maiesty strucke too, through that thicke Cloud of his now faint agoniz'd yeelding, Luk. 22. forsaken poverty; how are they all with a breath, a word,Ioh. 18.6. a meeke one. I am hee, strucke all backe flat on the ground. And worthily O Lord are they turned backe­ward and put to confusion, Psal. 68. that [Page 59] seeke to doe thee evill, but doth not old Ely fall backe and breake his neck, 1 Sam. 4. at the taking of the Arke of God? and doe these fall and rise againe, that come thus bloodily to take the God of that Arke? the Arke of the Covenant? Here me thinks a rapture of devotion might take leave to chide a while with the earth it selfe, that did inter­pose, and not cleave a sun­der to give way for such murderous miscreants, to drop downe quick to hell it selfe, Ps. 55.16 (as David seemes to wish) whence they first tooke their accursed er­rand; why should it bee more kind to these, then be­fore to Corah, and his ac­complices, why should it [Page 60] not now (as then) bee asha­med of, and so swallow vp quick such a viperous re­proachfull brood of hers, from the vpbraiding light; not staying, as then, their buriall till their death, they mutinied but against Moses: But behold a greater then Mo­ses is here, one who is not comprehended by the Heaven of Heavens, and yet how malefactor-like apprehended by the worst, the very hell of earth, one before whom the Elders of Heaven cast downe their crownes, Reu. 4.10. gainst whom, though how bloodily doe these sonnes of earth lift vp their Swords? Hee that binds even Kings themselues in chaines, and Princes with links of iron: how ba [...]ba­rously [Page 61] is hee here himselfe, bound and led away in cords of thraldome to death, and torture? he that leads Ioseph like a Sheepe, be side the waters of comfort, is (here) led himselfe like a Sheepe to the slaughter, Psa. 23.2. Esa. 53.7. and that into what flouds of blood and torments here, [...]ho would not have pray­ed (with David) Let the s [...]n­tence of guiltinesse proceed a­gainst them: Psa. 41.8. and now that they lye downe, let them ris [...] vp no more, Psal. 55.16 let death come hastily vpon them, and let them goe downe quick into hell. What would flesh and blood in such a case have consulted with, but fire and sword, storme and tempest? here had beene a farre fitter [Page 62] place (in the eye of flesh:) for some of Eliah's fire from Heaven, 2 King. 1.10 to have consumed from off the earth, this traite­rous Captaine with his forces, to have made but one entire Holocaust of them all, to that their bloody fierie God Molech; 1 King. 12 no, but hee is not of [...]hat fierie Spirit, his Miracles hey shall all speake his mer­cy, not one his fury; he is still (notwithstanding all heir worst of malice) not of Eliahs Spirit, but (as he [...] sometime was) in Eliahs vi­sion,1 Kin 19.1 [...] not in the fire or whirle­wind, or earthquake; but in a soft and gentle voice. Friend wherefore art thou come, Mat. 26.50. Luk. 22.53. I taught daily in the Temple, and are yee now come with swords, &c. How much better then [Page 63] David, could hee have de­fied ten thousands, Psal. 3 6. had they hemm'd him in: 'twas from him, that David had both that confidence, 7 and that defence: how easi [...]y could hee (as hee speakes himselfe) have comma [...]ded a Guard o [...] more then twelue legions of Angels, Mat 26.35. and how easily one A [...] ­gell armed with his com­mand,2 King. 19. could destroy an host of men, Zenacheribs story wil­easily confesse? But how then shall the Scriptures be ful­ [...]illed, which had said;Esay 53.7 hee shall bee led as a Sheepe to the slaughter, and as a Lambe dumbe before the Shearers. Triumph not then, yee blacke Guard of hell, of this your redeeming con­quering captive; for did [Page 64] not his owne love to man, and mans debt to the Law, thus arrest, mannackle, lead him more then your, but now prost [...]ate, not word-proofe forces, how much easier thē Sāpson, Iud 15. could this Nazarite have broken your Philistine cords asunder: how easily could hee have done by you, what you had false­ly bragd gainst him: have broken your bonds asunder, Psa. 2.3. and cast away your cords from him; as easily with a word, have throwne yee backe into earth againe, as hee had with award, either first made yee of it,Io. 18.6. or now throwne yee backe vpon it. But if not Eliah's fire, yet in so iust a quarrell, let Peter at least strike with the Sworde: [Page 65] thou thy selfe (Lord) hadst but now asked for swords, and at that late muster of thy Apostles,Luk. 22 31.51. hadst thought two enough, and yet now but one is drawne, and that's too many: even Malchus, his enemies Eare shall prove the cong [...]uence of that his owne stile,Mat. 5.17. a Restorer and not a Destroyer, the heart deser­ued the blow, it fals but on the eare, and is that one blow too much, though in such a reskue? one eare too great a losse,Ephes. 2.14 though for such an Enemy? yes, [...]eter is bound and threatend to the peace,Mat 26.52. by this eternall Peace-maker: put vp thy sword, hee that strikes with the sword, shall perish by it. Who would not here have ex­pected [Page 66] rather an allarme, [...]hen this so yeelding a re­treat; nay a rest [...]ain [...]? had his pretended Vicar beene here in his steed, what fire, and blood, and slaughter, had the quarrell cost? how had Earth, Hell, and Pur­gatory, all three (in right of that his triple Crowne) beene pressed to the ser­uice? mee thinks I heare him vpon the least pretence of such a cause, crying fight on Peter, thou can'st never fight in a better quar­rell, God is with thee: what matter who, or how many be against thee? thou sayd'st, thou wouldst die with mee, Luk. 22. now shew thy selfe a man, both of thy word, and hands at once, now arise Pe­ter, [Page 67] kill and devour; Act. 10.15. have I not set thee over the nations and kingdomes, to root, Ier. 1.10. pull downe, and destroy? Art not thou that Stone, which on whomsoever it fals, Luk. 20. it shall grind to powder? here's no such ma [...]ter, Esay 55.8. Gods wayes are not, as mans wayes, He there­fore will not strike, lest hee loose the victory, hee came not to fight, but to conquer, and his weapon, 'tis not the Sword, but the Crosse, hee will therefore onely let men see that (at strongest) they are but men, Psal. 9.20. while his enemies therefore are driven backe, they shall but fall, Psal. 9 3. not perish at his presence: But that they may know withall, that hee is that true Lion of the tribe of Iudah; thus magnanimously [Page 68] will he spare the prostrate;Reu. 5.5. let that his pretended Vi­car trample on the necks of yeelding Emperours, heell not pursue, no not these his insultant Foes beyond a fall. But what, did that blow that strucke off Malchus his eare, strike out all their eyes too; else how could they see such a fall, such a cure, and not beleeue the Omnipo­tence, of that tongue and hand, that wrought them; hee that could thus with a word strike them backe vpon the earth, Luk. 12. how could they thinke, but that it was the same that (as Esay had told them) should one day smite the earth it selfe with the rod of his mouth, Esay. 11.4. and that could with the breath of his lips, slay the [Page 69] wicked; how could they but beleeue those hands, able to reskue themselues, that could so with a touch re­store his eare? how much easier had it ben to wound, then so to cure? But that gain & malice had wrought their hearts into a temper proof against the proofe of miracles themselues, either of them, wee see can doe it. Gaine in the Gadderens; Enuy in the Pharisees, they see their Swine drownd by those furious, yet to him both yeelding and intrea­ting devils,Luk 8. and yet besought they him to depart their Coasts. Those see Lazarus raised by him, out of the Insatiate, Io. 11.44 Prou. 30.16 yet to him the yeelding graue, and yet gather they immedi­ately [Page 70] a Councell, & conclude. If wee let him thus alone, all will beleeue in him: God on­ly keepes the key of the heart, where hee locks, 'tis not in the power of miracle to open; the secret of the Lord is among them onely that feare him, and to the mccke onely, he will sh [...]w his wayes; 'tis not to all, no not to all that see them; 'tis hee onely that opens that eye, that can see the wondrous things of his law. But O my blessed Lord and Saviour, that art the Lord of Hosts, and God of victory, that makest all thy Souldi­ers (in thee) more then Con­querers, Rom. 8.37. and yet for mee, be­cam'st here a Captive to thine owne Captives; what meanes this sudden change [Page 71] (Lord) but now if it be possi­ble may this Cup passe: Mat. 26.39. And now againe how willingly do'st thou (in a sort) betray thy selfe into the hands of thy Murderers, with an, I am hee whom yee seeke, Iohn 18.5. and a­gaine, if I be he, let these goe their way, hadst thou any worse enemies then these (Lord) to encounter with? (Alas) yes, thy Fathers wrath was a Cup farre more bitter, my sinnes enemies more dreadfull, arm'd with worse weapons then these their swords, and staves; those irons entred into thy very Soule, Psa 105.18 these enemies of thine that here assault thee, cost thee not a word to resist, thou wentst dumbe before these Shearers, and but a word to [Page 72] over throw,Esa. 53. they went backe­ward and fell to the ground, when the wicked came to eate vp thy flesh, Luk. 22. they stumbled and fell: Psa. 27 2. But (alas) those other enemies of thine, of mine, my sinnes, how many words, and wounds, and drops, both of blood and sweat, how many groanes, both of compassion and complaint did they cost thee?Heb. 5.7. They were strong cryes (saies thy Apostle) thou offerdst vp to him, who was able to deliver thee: Thy pa­rents (O Lord) sought thee, and so did Herod too,Luk. [...]. Mat. 2. and so doe these thy Murderers: Herod sought thee in the multitude, these in the Gar­den, but thy parents in the Temple, it lyes not then [Page 73] (Lord) I see so much in see­king thee, as in seeking thee aright: O let mee seeke thee then in thy Temple,Esa. 56.7. thy house of Prayer, that place where thine honour dwelleth, not in the Garden of plea­surous sensuality, not in the multitude of popular cus­stome: so I shall but seeke thee, as Ioseph did his brethren, Gen. 37. vntill I loose my selfe; thine owne parents while they sought thee in the multitude, found thee not, though they sought thee three dayes toge­ther, and that sorowing,Luk 2.48. and therein too how much ap­peares the greatnesse of thy love, when thou wer [...] about thy Fathers busines, and found though by thine own mother, thou answerest her [Page 74] with a how is it that yee sought mee: But when thou wert about my busines, and found though by thy Mur­derers, thou answerest with an,Ioh. 18. I am hee whom yee seeke, as if more glad to bee found for my safty by thy Murde­rers, then for thine owne by thy mother; thou ca­rest not to loose thy selfe, that thou mightst find mee. O let mee not sticke then, to leaue, to loath, to loose my selfe in seeking thee, it is thine owne way, as well in promise, as practise, hee that will loose his life for my sake shall save it; Luk. 14.26. let mee not then with Peter, make flesh mine arme, or thinke a sword a defence enough to save mee, but trusting rather to the [Page 75] arme, then the sword, wher I dare not expect thine arme to guid it, let mee not dare strike with the sword, lest I perish by it, Mat. 26.52. without that arme of thine (Lord) Goliah's sword turnes edge,1 Sam 27. and with it Sauls sword never returnes empty; 2 Sam. 1.22 rather let Peter by the sword of the Spi­rit, thy word,Ephes. 6. cut off mine eare with Malchuses; when with his, it shall harken to the counsell of the vngodly: Psal. 11. And doe thou (O Lord) restore it (as here) by the touch of thy grace, an eare inclin'd, and swift to heare, Iam. 1.19. Rev. 2.29. what thy Sp rit sayes vnto the Churches, that I follow Da­vids Lanthorne, Iohn 18.3. and not Iu­dases, making thy word, and not the wages of iniquity, Ps. 119 105. a [Page 76] Lanthorne to my feet, Psa 119.105. and a Light vnto my path. But canst thou (Lord) bestow thy mercies, thy miracles on Malchus? and lay thy healing finger on him, who came to lay violent hands on thee? Why should I then so much more wrong thy mercy, by despairing, then by sinning, as to think that I can be so sinfull, but that thou canst bee much mo [...]e mercifull, if I can be sorowfull? Is not thy mercy above all thy workes, how much more then above all mine or the devils either in mee? bee my sinnes moun­taines, Mat 17.20. thy finger is able to remove them into that Sea of thy blood, thy hand is not shortned that it cannot save, [Page 77] nor is thine eare heavy that it will not heare; Esa. 59.1. how much rather then will that hand bind vp my broken heart, Psa. 51. then restore that his contumaci­ous eare? art thou still so miraculously mercifull to one so murderously malici­ous, as to heale him, who came to wound thee? It lies not then I see in the sin, but in the Sinner, to shut out thy importunate mer­cy; 'tis his impenitence in the sinne, not thy impati­ence at it, that excludes it, bee it never so great, nor doth the mercy of this thy miracle, or rather the mira­cle of this thy mercy (for to such a one mercy it selfe had beene a miracle) more, teach me faith and hope [Page 78] then art thou thus mercifull to Malchus? Charity is then (I see) as infinite, as eternall, as boundlesse, as 'tis end­lesse; as it (beyond both faith and hope) shall have no end, no not in heaven, so hath it no limits, neither here on earth; when Mal­chus his eare is restored by miracle: what enemie can hunger, that wee may not feed, what iniury, what ene­my, what malice doth not the large armes of charity imbrace? this is the vertue wherein I cannot presse too neere thee: I will not strive too much, to imitate thee, either in the face of thy ma­iesty,Gen. 3. with Lucifer, or braines of thy wisedome with Adam, Ier. 29. or arme of thy [Page 55] power with Nebuchadnezar, or finger of thy miracles with Magus, Act. 8. but in the bowels of thy mercy, those let mee not spare to put on,Luk. 6.3.6. to be merciful, as thou my heauen­ly father art mercifull; of all other vertues, Charity hath no right hand, error's all her extreame, 'tis defect; what excesse shee hath, 'tis not in her owne degrees, but her obiects, faith over­reaches, and hath credulity, as well as infidelity, and fo ha [...]h hope security, as well as despaire; wee read of being wise overmuch, and iust overmuch too, but no where of being overmuch mercifull, mercy hath no excesse, but error.

IIII. Hee is forsaken by his A­postles, forsworne by Peter.

HOwever, yet friends, as they multiply and redouble Ioy, so they di­vide and lessen misery, as in plenty of hearts, they mu­tually reflect the beames of the one, so in plurality of Shoulders, they refract the burdens of the other, his friendly, his faithfull A­postles, then those compa­nions of his life, of his choice, they (no question share with him, as in the glory of his miracles, so in the misery of his sufferings: [Page 81] no,Esa. 63 3. he trod the wine presse a­lone, and there was none to helpe him, yet if not partners with him, can they be lesse, then now Comforters to him in death, as before Compani­ons in life? yes, I found none to comfort mee, Psa. 69.21. no none to pitie me: or if Comforters, how well like Iobs, miserable Com­forters all, nay how much worse then Iobs, his came to him from afarre; Iob. 2.12. but these run, if not so farre, yet faster from him: They did not know Iob on that dunghill of his misery: But these will not know him in this Dun­geon of his Captivity. How well might hee complaine, that hee came to his owne, and his owne would not know him, come hee into the world, [Page 82] his owne creatures, men, dignified not onely by his owne Image, at first, but now how much more in his assumption of theirs? how doe they set at nothing this eternall word, that with a word of nothing, made them? Hee came into the world, and the world received him not. Come hee to his owne na­tion, the Iewes, so much anciently obliged by his choice, renowned by his conquests, indeed by his more frequent, his more fa­miliar revelations, so much that it contracted his stile to (the God of Israel) But now yet further enobled by his parentage, honoured by his birth, influenc'd by his life, and doctrine, that will none [Page 83] of him neither, nor can it afford him better language, then a Glutton, a Winebibber, nay, a Blasphemer, Belzebub himselfe. Come hee to his owne province Galile, and there too being a Prophet, Mat. 13.55. Mar. 6.4. hee is disesteem'd in his owne Countrey, is not this the Carpen­ters Sonne? And here not onely is hee vpbraided of,Luk. 4.23, but by that his poore kind­ [...]ed, Physitian heale thy selfe. Come hee to his owne Ie­rusalem, so much enthroni­z'd by his presence, en­lightned by his Sermons, amazed by his miracles, be­dewed with his teares. O Ierusalem, Ierusalem, Mat. 23.39. how of­ten would I, &c. But thou would'st not; is that all? no,See his ac­cusation. here hee is not onely re­iected, [Page 84] but traduced, and that of no lesse, then trea­son against Caesar, Sedition against the Law, Enmity against the Temple, Blas­phemy against God. Come hee yet neerer to his owne Disciples,2. Tim. 4.10. and many of them Demas-like, fall backe to the love of this present world, Iam. 4.4. which is enmity to him from that time; many (saies the text) drew backe and wal­ked no more with him: Io. 6.66. But however, can his Apostles leave him too; they say no, master to whom should we goe, thou hast the words of eternall life, and yet, like Ionah's Gourd; when the Sun beates hotest on, and there is most need, how soone are they all withred, vanish'd, one [Page 85] betrayes him, another for­sweares him, all forsake him. What his Apostles? that twelue-sign'd Zo [...]iake., wherein this Sun of righte­ousnesse, Mal. 4.2. was to encompasse the whole world with di­vine light, and heate? what and shaken with such a mo­tion of trepidation, as thus exorbitantly, to wander with the inferior Planets, t [...]'other wavering disc [...] ­ples? What the children of light, doe they, to shunne h [...] light it selfe, thus runne into the darke? the truth it selfe seeke corners, Mat. 6.23. if the light it selfe become darke, how great is that darknesse; If the Salt of the world grow vnsauoury, Mat 8.15. wherewith shall it be seasoned. Yet, if the world [Page 86] reiect him, it doth but like it selfe, for (as himselfe speakes) it loves but its owne, and I am not of the world; Io. 1 [...] 29. If the Iewes hate him, 'tis but their old wont, of seeking to kill the Prophets, and to stone such as were sent vnto them; If his countrey men and kindred slight him,M [...]r. 6 5.6 Mat. 13.58. 'tis no so great a wonder, for be­cause of their vnbeleefe, he [...] wrought not many wonders among them. If Ierusalem dis­honor him, the wonder was [...]lready pass'd, how was the faithfull Citie long since be­come an harlot? Esa. 1.20. If the faith of those his weaker Caper­naitish, M [...]t 14. Leu. 26.26 Io. 6. loafe-led Disciples, faint for want of that staffe of its life, bread, no maruell, for such comets blaze, no [Page 87] longer then they are fed: But if these fixed starres be­gin to fall from their Spheare, if these nailes dri­ven in a sure place, begin to start aside, like a broken Bow: Psa 78.58. If these Cedars of Libanon become such reeds shaken with the wind, let him that stands take heed lest hee fall: what, his Apostles, those Secretaries of his mysteries to you it is given to know the secrets of the kingdome, Luk 8.10. with­out Parables. Those Ste­wards of his mercies,Mat 10. whose sinnes you forgiue shall be for­given, those almners of his bounties, those ioynt-wor­ke [...]s with him of his mira­cles, what and now fugitiue desolators of his miseries? had they not all promis'd [Page 88] never to forsake him, what and so soone fly him before they know, either his occasion, or their owne danger? can they so deny their owne words, nay, can they so deny the eternall word, Io. 1. had they not seene him raise Lazarus and o­hers, out of the hands of death it selfe to life, and could they thinke he could not easier release them to liberty, or preserue them to life, from this weaker band of these already word-foild souldiers; had hee not warned them before of his being thus delivered into the hands of men; Luk 23. Ioh. 18.6. they might have poorely pleaded the sudden surprizing strang­nesse of the accident, but [Page 89] hee tels them plainely what to trust to,Io. 16.4. thus must the Son of man be delivered, and hee tels them too, that he had told them it before: Behold, I have told you before, Mat 16 23. and had cald Peter, Devill, for his master spare thy selfe: was their faith but now so strong as to cast out spirits, and is not their love now so true, as to cast out this weake spi­rit, this Ghost of feare?1. Io 4 18. True love (saies one of them) casteth out feare; love is strong as death (sayes Solo­mon) but alas, here how soone doth the least glimpse of death, put it to the death of feare, of flight? And how brainelesse too, as well as heart-lesse, is carnall, worldly feare; how head­longly, [Page 90] how headlessely doth it here run for life, from life; from him, who is life it selfe, for a life, which indeed is the worst of deaths, death eternall, 'tis no other then an vtter losse of his presence. How weakly doe they sticke to die with him temporally, when without him, they can live, neither temporally, nor eternally; was it not e­nough, that when hee was but now a praying, Mat. 26. a swea­ting, that they were all so heavy, as to sleepe. But that now too, when hee is a bin­ding, a suffering, they are all so light, as to runne away; must they not one day sit on Thrones, and iudge the twelue Tribes of Israel, Mat. 19.28. what [Page 91] and now fly from them like guilty, conscious malefac­tors, and so, betray so good a cause to suspition, insulta­tion by so trustlesse a flight. When Israel turne their backes vpon their enemies (saies Ioshua) what shall wee then say: Ios. 7.8. But when these Iudges of Israel thus [...]urne their backs vpon their enemies, nay, vpon their best of friends, their Master, their Saviour, who dares trust to an arme, a heart of flesh; Ier. 17.5. Psa. 11.1. what should wee but say with David, In the Lord put I my trust, as for the children of men, they are all deceitfull vpon the weights, they are altogether, lighter then vanity it selfe. What empty shadowes, bubbles, ciphers are the [Page 92] best of men; summe vp to the fullest worth, but of their personall abilities? how very a Reed shaken with every wind? Mat. 11. Nay, how ve­ry a broken Reed like Egypt, not onely failing, but run­ning into the hand of the Leaner on, is the best of hu­mane courage, strength, faith; If God but with­draw his hand, which only keepes this bruised Reed from breaking. Mat 12.20. How like a child left by man in some rave­nous desert, is man left by God in this wildernesse, the world, not onely not able to helpe himselfe, but sure to betray himselfe a prey to dangers, which hee awa­kens with his owne cryes, and feares, feare makes him [Page 93] fly, and flight makes him meet with more dangers, then hee needs, and some times makes him affraid to fly, and so cowardize disa­bles him from playing the Coward. These Apostles themselues, when left to themselues, those Pillars of truth, what feathers are they in this storme of feare, all feare to follow him, some (it seemes) feare both, to follow, and to leave him too, else why doe Peter and Iohn follow him, and no neer­er; before his death here, how fearefull are they all to follow him? and after death againe, how feare­full are they all without him; they were privately gathred together (saies theIoh. 20 19. [Page 94] text) for feare of the Iewes, and after that, when risen againe; how fearefull are they all againe, to meet him? They were all afraid, supposing that they had scene a spirit. Whether it be to fol­low or fly him, to leave or meet him, still they are affraid, without him; when man leaves God, how timo­rous, how treacherous a Sanctuary hath hee left to fly to? when God leaves man, how slippery, how harmelesse an Altar is left him to catch hold of? How heartlesse is the man, that is godlesse? there is but one onely, that can ei­ther search, or secure the heart, and that is he, who made it.Psa. 18.29. If David can [Page 95] leape [...]ver the wall, 'tis by the helpe of his God, if he be not [...]ffraid though ten thousand should hemme him in, Psa. 3 6. 'tis be­cause the Lord sustaines him. Let but that Lord of his, never so little withdraw his support,Psa. 55.15. and then feareful­nes and trembling comes vpon him, and a fearefull dread o­ver whelmes him; he is hun­ted like a Partridge, on the Mountaines by every Foe, and hee stickes fast in every mire. So little heart of his owne, hath the man after Gods own heart, if left to himselfe, man when hee is left to be his owne God, is not left to bee his owne man. God sometimes (as here by his Apostles) lets vs fall, to let vs see, by whom it is wee [Page 96] stand, to let vs learne the hand that holds vs, to let vs know we are but men, Psa. 9.20. not men without him. These A­postles themselues here, to let them and vs too, to see that they are but the House, and not the Rock: Mat. 16. How fearefull are they, how weather-beaten, when once they had left their master? how resolute againe, how storme-proofe, when once they have received from him the Comforter; what was before their feare, 'tis now their ioy: They depar­ted from the Councell reioycing, Act. 5.41. that they were accounted wor­thy to suffer for his name, and so too in those their disci­pled Successors of those primitive times, it was no [Page 97] other then that Comforter (as they still confess'd) that made their victorious pati­ence, so bravely to out-bid the malice, to blunt the edge of cruelty it selfe, to tire at once the hands and wits of their Tormentors, and (having frustrated their intended pitie at their suffe­rings, into envy at their pa­tience) to sing and triumph in those fierie Chariots of their burning stakes, where­on (Eliah-like they rode to Heaven as Conquerors.2 Kings 2. So important is this divine sup­port, that its withdrawing (wee see) made our Savi­our himselfe to cry out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mee. How very a halfe quench'd cole rak'd [Page 98] vp in the pale cold ashes of distrustfull feare, is the faith of the whole world here become? Twice the truth of Gods second Covenant, more especially, seemes to lye a bleeding;Gen. 2.8. at Isaacs sa­crifice; and these Apostles flight: Isaacs Throat (in whose seed all the nations of the earth were to bee blessed) was not then neerer the knife, then is that of these Apostles faith (by whose seed, the word, that blessing to all those nations was to be conueid. Mat. 28.19) In­to what low wanes doth this Sunne of righteousnesse, Mal. 4.2. when hee pleases to take off his Countenance, suffer our spotted moones of faith to weare into? Nor is it easie to say, whether it bee, [Page 99] more to humble, or hear­ten vs, that he doth it, whe­ther to let vs see our owne weaknesse, or rather his strength in weaknesse? our faith's may bee sometimes a flame, sometimes but a cole; nay sometimes but a sparkle, and yet still a true fire; nay bee it but smoa­king flax, God will not quench it, but can by the breath of his spirit, blow it (as Iohn Baptists) into a bur­ning and a shining light. Mat. 11. God loves to shew his power, in weaknesse, to preserue a whole world in one little Arke: hee affects nothing more, then as to make his preseruations augmentative ever into more; so his aug­mentations (as neere as [Page 100] may be) creatiue from al­most nothing;Mat. 14. hee reaches not out the hand, vntill Peter bee almost suncke: mans ex­tremity is mostly Gods o­portunity; hee is more especi­ally a refuge, 2 Kin. 11.2. (as David speakes) in due time of trou­ble; 'tis in the heart of man, as in the house of David, there may a little Ioash lye hid a long time, in whom Gods promise, and Davids, and his seed's interest may be made good. Be my faith but a mustard seed, Luk. 13. it may yet have life enough to spring, and strength enough to throw the mountaine of my sins into the Sea of my Saviours blood. Every sleeping, nay every swooning is not death, whether in soule or [Page 101] body:2 Cor. 5.7. Wee live not by sense (saies the Apostle) but by saith; and that faith too may live, and yet not bee sensible, no not to the ow­ner:Col. 3.3. Our life 'tis bid with Christ in God: Man cannot be surer vnited to his Savi­our, then in him God was to man, and yet (wee see) there was a time, when hee himselfe felt not that vni­on, but cryed out, my God, my God why hast thou forsaken me.

But O my blessed Lord and Saviour, how froward­ly art thou here dealt with? Thou callest all vnto thee, come vnto mee, Mat. 11.28. all that are heavily laden: Thou art now so thy selfe (Lord) and doe all even thine owne [Page 102] Apostles too runne from thee; and thereby cast yet more weight vpon thee, al­ready panting in a sweat of blood, vnder that heavy load of thy fathers wrath; mans sinne, the peoples fury, the Priests enuy, is not all e­nough? not the malice of thine enemies, without the flight of thy friends; which how tenderly thou took'st, thine owne complaint best speakes:Psal. 88.18. My lovers and friends hast thou put away from mee, and hid mine acquain­tance out of my sight. Wilt thou so (Lord) tread the mine presse alone, Esay 66.3. so ingrosse the whole burden of thy mise­ries, as that not one of thy Apostles shall share with thee, no not in a wound, a [Page 103] stripe, a knocke, a taunt? I see then (blessed Lord) thou needest none of thy Apostles helpe to save mee from suffering, whenas thou neededst, vouchsafedst none of them to assist thee in it; they fly from life, to save themselues from a death temporall. Let mee never then fly to them for life, to save mee from a death eter­nall: no, let mee ever ra­ther doe as they say, master, Ioh. 1. to whom else should I goe, thou hast the words of eternall life; nay, thou art that word of life eternall.

Thou sufferedst (Lord) thine owne Apostles, thus to fall, that I might take the better heed how I stand; let mee not turne then thy grace [Page 104] to them into wantonnesse, Iud. 4. but into watchfulnesse. If thine owne parents loose thee, Luk. 2. thine owne Apostles thus leave thee, how much more should I,Phil. 2.12. worke out my salua­tion with feare and trembling. Let their fall, at most, but raise mee from despaire, when I am downe; let it not cast mee into a presumpti­on of falling, being vp on security of rising againe with them; Let mee never hence take example to fall; because I may rise, but ra­ther to stand, that I fall not, or but to rise when I am falne.

Let my faith (Lord) and love bee ever to thee, like those thy two Apostles, Iohn & Peter, my faith with [Page 105] Iohn, Ioh. 13.23. may it ever leane on thy bosome, possessing in a reve­rent familiarity, the trea­sure of those merits and mercies of thy breast. My love with Peter, let it ever follow thee wheresoever thou goest; But not as hee doth here a farre off, in a cold neu­trall, hal [...]ing indifferency, that's the way to fall at length, with him, flatly to deny thee: But (alas) have I not often with Peter deny­ed thee? If thou bee the truth, every lye denies thee,Ioh. 14. nay, if I bee thy Seruant, doth not very wilfull diso­bedience to thy commands deny thee to be my master; If I bee a master, where is my obedience; 'tis thine owne argument, and claime: how [Page 106] often (Lord) with Peter, hath nothing but my speech bewrayd mee thine, a Galilaean but from the teeth outward; nay, how seldome hath so much as my speech spoke in me any such relation? O let mee ever (Lord) as often deny my selfe, as thee; when e­ver my tongue shall bee so set on fire of hell, Iam. 3.6. with Peters, bee my head too a Fountaine of teares, Ier. 9.1. with Ieremies and Peters too, to quench it with; If at any time I deny thee (Lord) yet doe not thou deny to looke backe on mee, Luk. 22.61. as on Peter, rather frowne on mee, then not looke on mee, and spare not to shame mee, so thou doe amend me, rather pur­sue [Page 107] mee with all thy stormes (with David) then leave me to this one calme of mine owne heart, security;Psal. 88.6. Eccle. 25.15 give mee any plague, save the plague of the heart, any punishment, save that of Davids curse vpon thine enemies,Psal 69.28. of fal­ling from one wickednesse into another, and of Satans stan­ding at my right hand: Bee not so angry with mee, as [...]o take away thine anger, Esa. 1.5. and to resolue not to smite mee any more: Let me fall rather with David, into the hands of God; give mee not over (Lord) into the hands of mine ene­mies to punish mee, those worst Executioners, the ene­mies of mine owne house, of mine owne heart; If thou kill mee, yet (with Iob) will I [Page 108] trust in thee; but if thou wilt not know, not owne mee, alas how can I thy for­wardst, and most promising Apostle, hee that could but now so resolutely walke to thee vpon the water, even he, how soone (when thy countenance is put off him) fals hee to deny thee, by the warme fire? If at any time then, more then other, I feare to deny thee, bee it when I am warmely prosperous, the danger will not bee so great; when I am in danger, in all time of my wealth, good Lord deliver mee. And as prosperity tempts the man: So (Lord I see) society often makes a man to tempt his Tempter: How soone, how busily [Page 109] doth the devill set on [...]eter in the high Priests Hall, how easily doth hee there foile him by the question of a silly girle. Let mee have nothing (Lord) to doe with the stoole of wickednesse, Psa. 94 20. which imagines mischiefe, as a Law; how soone doth Pe­ter himselfe so become companionably wicked, sociably sinfull. And seeing, that when thine owne A­postles left thee, to become their, owne masters, thou iustly left'st them to be come not their owne men; O thou that ever seekest, vntill thou bee refused; art ever found, if well sought, but never leavest, if not first left, seeke mee, find mee, keepe mee, leave mee not [Page 110] to my selfe, left so I be left beside, without my selfe; and yet if at any time, the better to make mee know the hand that holds mee, thou seeme to leave mee for a time, leave mee (but as thou hast promis'd) not com­fortlesse, Ioh. 14. though thou seeme to sleepe in my soule,Mat. 8.24. as some time in the ship: Thou wil [...] awake sure ere it drowne, and so, how ever it bee (as that) full and covered with Waves, Mar. 4.37. yet can it not mis­cary, as long as thou art in it, it caries a more securing fraught, then Caesar with all his fortunes, one who can with a word, both steere the Vessell, and still the Seas.

V. Hee is mocked at, spit on, blindfolded,Luk. 23.63.64. buffeted.

THe Sheepheard is smitten, Zach. 13.7. and the sheepe (wee see) are scattred, and now the Wolfes begin to insult on this their yeelding forsaken prey, this Lambe of God: But was not wicked Cham iustly accurs'd, for mocking, Gen 9. but at his drunken father; And is there not something more then a curse for such as mocke their Almighty Maker, as deride divinity it selfe? that hee whom the immortall Angels adore, the heavenly Elders cast downe Revel. 5. [Page 112] their Crownes to, Reu 5. to whom too earthly Kings owe theirs; 'tis by him they raigne, that hee (I say) should bee thus bayted at the Stake of scorne, exploded thus on the Stage of folly, that hee who is not containd by the Hea­ven of Heavens, should bee thus contemn'd by the dust of earth, trembled at by de­vils, Iam. 2.19. and trampled on by wormes, that he who is both the light of the gentiles, Luk. 2.23. and glory of his people Israel, should yet bee thus made their blindfold buffon,Luk. 22 64 their reproachfull game, and scorne (so farre from either light or glory) 'tis (if it might bee nam'd) such a peece of personall profana­tion, so farre beyond that [Page 113] of tongue, as indeed tongue can no way reach it; Lay but these together,Heb. 1.2.3. the glory of Heaven, and the game, the shame of earth, the wor­ship of Angels, and the scorne of wretches, the ter­ror of devils, and the sport of wormes;Col. 1.15. the expresse Image and wisedome of his heavenly father, and the ex­ploded spectacle and folly to the dust of his owne Foot­stoole: Esa. 66.1. And see if they doe not seeme to stretch Hea­ven and Earth, yet further asunder, to give roome for their distance? But what is it they can find thus to mocke at in him; his words, they were f [...]w; and when any, they were astonishing: Luk. 4.22.32. Mat. 7.28. Mar. 6 [...]. Never man spake like this [Page 114] man, was their owne fre­quent acclamation; his gesture, it was civile, mo­dest; his behaviour hum­ble, meeke; his person, fairer then the sonnes of men: Every thing in him challen­ges admiration, reverence, and takes the heart with an awfull loue; what can they find then, should tickle their derisive, but more ridicu­lous spleenes thus into laughter? Would we haue it in a word; it is his king­dome,Mat. 27.29 haile King of the Iewes. Kings, as they are said to have long armes, and broad hands, for matter of power, and bounty; so they cannot but have weary shoulders, in the continuall guidance of those armes [Page 115] and hands, even in the ful­lest confluence of all possi­ble attendance, reverence, allegiance, love: But alas, when enuy, treason, scorne shall cast yet more weight to that burden; certainely (as the Apostle speakes in another case) they are, of all men, the most miserable; such a Crowne, so wreath'd, so lin'd, not onely with thoughtfull cares and feares, but with contemptuous a­buse and scorne, were not onely not worth the stoo­ping downe to take vp from the ground,— [...]oenas et quidem sol­vet graves-R [...]gnabit (as that experienc'd King spake fee­lingly of his) but rather as Caine complayn'd of his punishment,Gen. 4.13. a burden too great for man to beare.

To see the prevaricate froward implacability of the giddy multitude, this people of the Iewes, at first how loath was God to give them a King? how ever, they'le bee in the fashion, make vs a King (say they) to iudge vs like all the other na­tions; 1. Sam. 8 5.19.20. here hee gives them one, a King above all Kings, a King of Kings; Psa. 99. If they be­leeue, one of the best of their Kings, David, nay a King after their owne hearts too, one, whom, but now, they themselues would have made their King, Io. 6.15. and yet now againe how soone fall they to abuse him, in that very title, which they them­selues would then have gi­ven them, haile King &c. [Page 117] True, they would have made him King, but would not have him to make him­selfe, so how purposelesse, as well as pettish is their malice, as if hee could have beene their King, otherwise then by his owne making? no, 'tis hee alone, that plucks downe one, and sets vp another, 'tis he onely by whom Kings doe raigne, nor could they have any power (as hee tels Pilate) if not given by him from aboue; alas,Io. 19.11. in the high­est degree to have given him the fullest title and ma­iesty of a King; how infi­nitly short a diminution had it beene? how deroga­tive had beene that prero­gative? had hee trod on nothing but Scepters, [Page 118] Crownes, and the necks of Kings, and Emperors; how iustly, how modestly might hee have shaken such dust from off his feet: Mat. 10. But thus to abuse him with the ridi­culous misrule-maiesty of of a mock-King; how infi­nitly wide is it, as well as short: How much more then can bee spoke? well was it in a scarlet Roab that they thus abus'd him, lest happily the conscious gar­ment might have blushd to scarlet at this their more scarlet sinne; If hee will not hold him guiltlesse, that makes a vaine vse, but of his name, how guilty are such as make so vile an abuse of his very person.

The fower things that to [Page 119] Kings, specially, conciliate reverence, and love, as wisedome, power, maiesty, and bounty; all which how cardinally eminent they were in him, bee these, his owne enemies, his iudges; his wisedome even at twelue yeares old in the Temple; all the Doctors wer [...] graveld, all the people astonished at it; Mat. 7.28. he ever sent away the subt­l'st Scribes and Pharisees, and Lawyers, shamefully nonpluss'd; his power had made all to wonder, and de­vils themselues tremble and confesse it, the blind, and lame, and deafe, and dumbe, and sicke, and dead, and Winds, and Seas, all of them had felt it: His maiesty that they themselues had but [Page 120] now tasted of in the Gar­den, the lest glimpse of it had throwne them all backe on the ground, his bounty that of all others could not want witnesses, hee had feasted fower and fiue thousands at a time: Hee never denyed a­ny thing, no not himselfe to any: Come vnto mee all, and buy without money; Esa. 55.1. hee gave himselfe a Ransome? What can they then thus deride in this King; ambition, they cannot,Io. 6.16. hee fled when they themselues would have made him King, vsurpation they cannot;Our of the fishes mouth. how willingly, how wonderfully doth he pay Cesar tribute; alas, hee is as farre from any glory in it, as they from duety to it; otherwise how easily could [Page 121] this Sampson, this Nazarite, how iustly might hee have pluck'd downe the house a­bout the eares of such scoffing Philistines, Iudg 16. and have made (as there) their Thea­ter, their Grave, and turn'd this their comike folly into as tragike a funerall? But they'le try yet further (if possible) to provoke him; and will not empt their nasty mouths, watring af­ter the forbidden fruit of his innocent blood, but on his sacred face, that face before which Angels cover theirs, and yet desire to behold it, so full of maiestike glory,1. Pet. 1.12 that they cannot but through their wings looke on it, and ye [...] so full too of attractive love,Ezek. 1. that they cannot [Page 122] looke off it:Mat. 18.10. They alwayes behold the face of God in Hea­ven: Yet even this face, thus spightfully is it here spit on, even by slime it selfe, steep'd in the loath­some slaver, the froathy scumme of the scummes it selfe of mankind. David complaines that his ene- opened their mouths vpon him, but wee read not that they empted their mouths thus on him, that they gaped on him with their mouths (hee tels vs,Psa. 22.13.) like Ramping Li­ons, not that they spat on him with their mouths, thus like venimous Toads, Stee­phens murderers,Act. 7.54. gnashd on him (saies the text) with their teeth, like angry Curs, but wee read not that they [Page 123] thus spat on him, like poi­sonous Serpents, their v­sage spake but their spight; But this here, both their spight and scorne, and scorne, certainely, ever takes deeper of a mind no­ble and ingenuous, then en­uy: How infinitly wide is this from Magdalens vsage of him? Shee washd his feet with her penitent tears, these dawbe his face with their putrid spittle; but now their vlcerous lungs & mouths have thus over­flowed on him, as well in the rewmatike scumme of blasphemies, and raunts, as of spittle, in the next scene they'le exercise their fists on him, which that they may the better doe with [Page 124] the more sport to them, and spight to him; they first blindfold him; and then buffet him; true, one halfe of that his owne speech they make good, here's no concord indeed, 2. Cor. 6.15. betweene Christ and Belial; but the o­ther halfe, how possibly doe they strive to disprove in thus labouring, to make fellowship betweene light and darkenesse, to blindfold the light it selfe, that light that lightens every one, Io. 1 9. that comes into the world, to darken those eyes, to which the darke­nesse and the light are both a­like; Psa. 80.7. shew vs the light of thy countenance (saies David) and wee shall bee whole, and thou shalt so put gladnesse in­to my heart: How contrary [Page 125] is this their practise to Da­vids prayer? shew vs (say they) (without the light of thy countenance) who smote thee; Luk 22.64. and nothing puts so much scurrilous mirth, and gladnesse into their hearts, as the losse of that light, the hiding of that countenance: the clay should not dispute with the Potter, and say, Ro. 9.20.21 why madest thou mee thus: But here's a stranger kind of dis­putation, from the worke to the Maker, one that concludes in Ferio, in blows vp­on him; and puts him to the answere of a Ridle, who smote him: The Apostle bids vs lift vp pure and vnde­filed hands vnto him; but how contrarily, how lite­rally doe these here (as the [Page 126] Prophet speakes) lift vp their hands against him, to provoke the eyes of his glory? how strange, how vnusuall is the mixture of this their bitter Cup of malice, enuy hatred, scorne; how rarely meete they on any one obiect? Enuy lookes still vpward, and argues, if not ever a su­periority, yet at least a prio­rity in the obiect; hatred that lookes mostly levell, and argues, if not still an e­quality, yet at least a iealo­sy of comming too neere it, but scorne that lookes still downeward, and treads the obiect below the place of reveng, or enmity; and yet all three how strangly doe they here sticke at once in him, their inv [...]nnomd [Page 127] stings? Enuy opens her broadest eye on him in a watchfull malignance, ha­tred shee lifts her heaviest hand against him in a wrongfull violence; and scorne too, spares not to set her insulting foot on him, in a contemptuous disdaine, which how much more it afflicts a generous mind, then the worst of violence, let Sauls death speake: strike mee through with thy Sword (saies hee) to his armour bea­rer, lest these vncircumcised, 1. Sam. 31.4. come and thrust mee through and mocke mee: That their first King fear'd it, and questionlesse this their last King felt their insultation more then their fury, tor­ture, or death. But O Lord [Page 128] how long, Psa. 9.3.4. how long, Lord, shall the vngodly thus triumph, how long shall the wicked Doers speake so disdainefully, and make such proud boasting? How long shall these lying lips thus cruelly, Psa. 31.10. disdainefully, and despightfully speake against the righteous? What emulation is this, that thy patience and humility seem to striue in on this thy willing abase­ment? was it not enough (Lord) for thee to quit the Throne, and to imbrace the footstoole?Io. 16. to become lesse then thy father, lower then the Angels, Heb. 2.9. in all things like man, Heb. 2.17. sinne onely excepted: And certainely Nebuchad­nezars fall from the illustri­ous reasonable Throne, Dan. 4. to the lustrous bruitish Den; [Page 129] was not one rundle of this thy Iacobs Ladder from Hea­ven to earth, Gen. 28. and was not this enough, wilt thou yet lower, and be made as man, so a Seruant of men, a drudge to thy owne creatures,Esa. 53. Phil. 2.7. vas­sailes; (our sinnes made him to serue among vs) is not this enough neither; but that being made a Seruant, and [...]oth knowing and doing thy masters will; nay,Luk. 12.47. making it thy meat and drinke to doe it, yet wilt thou have that de­sert of the tenant Seruant,Io. 4.34. that knowes, and doth it not, bee beaten with many stripes. Is not all this yet enough neither; vnlesse thou be­come yet lower, viler, a worme and no man, carelesly trod on by the foot of pride, [Page 130] as well as wrongfully bea­ten by the hand of malice: Yet had'st thou but stayd e­ven here, thou mightst haue found to all these thy wrongs, and wounds, at lest some pitie; where reveng failes (as in wormes) to strike at the head, there ye [...] pitie mostly failes not, t [...] knocke at the breast fo [...] some compassion and re­morse: But is not all this yet low enough; wilt tho [...] (Lord) bee troden downe yet a step below the condition of a worme, and be­come not onely a man, ser­uant of men, an innocent, yet beaten Seruant, a worme and no man: But at once both the enuy, and the scorne of men? whereas the wrongs [Page 131] and sufferings of the least, the worst of things, find yet some alay in pitie, and remorse, shall thine onely be edgd y [...]t sharper by con­tempt, and insultation? may not thy blood satisfie with­o [...]t thy shame? not their woūds without their scofs? alas no, so low was I falne, that even thus low wert thou faine to seeke me; sin had made mee a mock God; [...]he subiect both of Hea­vens iust disdaine, behold the man is become like one of vs, Gen 3. and of hels abusive disport, eat and yee shall live, and bee like Gods. How mercifully, how proportionably, to ex­piate that my vaine ambiti­on, dost thou therefore thus become for mee, as the ob­iect [Page 132] of Heavens iust wrath, and Hels enuious terror, so of earths derisive scorne too? So low (Lord) even by nature, am I, that I must (with the Prophet) claime kindred with corruption, and call the worme, my brethren, nay (with Bildad) my selfe but a worme: Iob. 25.6. But alas, so much low am I by sinne, that I cannot call my selfe a wo [...]me, not a loving, not a living worme, but dead in trespasses, 1. Tim. 5. and sinnes, leavened with spight and malice: 1. Cor. 5. how mercifully, how needfully didst thou therefore seeke mee thus low in a degree of deiection, below that of a worme, below either mould or mud, in the very bottome of worthlesse a­basement, [Page 133] shame & scorne I was falne a degree (Lord) below that of the Apostles gradation, below that of glorying in my shame, my sin, Phil. 3.19. even to a shaming at my glory, at thee, thy grace, and Gospell at least, at any more remarkable degree of forwardnesse, or zeale to wards it: how often have I, the better to suite mee to my worse company, dissem­bled my selfe yet worse then I have beene? How answearably therefore to expiate that my causelesse shaming, at my truest glory, didst thou thus truely glo­ry in thy desertlesse shame: and so, shamefully foile sin, at and with its owne wea­pons, shame, and scorne? [Page 134] But (alas Lord) have I not as often too with these thy Murderers mock'd, blind­folded, buffeted, spat on thee? What else doth hypo­crisie but mocke thee, and so, how often have I even in my prayers bowed the knee before thee, and not the heart; given thee the empty title of a King, and not the tribute? How often have my soule mouth'e oathes spat the noisom [...] slaver of blasphemy? my wanton prophanesse with thee, and thy word, vented the itching empty froth of scurrilous wit, even in th [...] very face of thy glory; as if I did but practise with my mouth to spit thee out of my heart; And alas what [Page 135] hath my confident secur [...]ty in the secrecy of my sinnes (having in wish, if not opi­nion blindfolded thee) but (vpon the matter) buffeted thee, and put thee, as it were, to ridle who strooke thee? [...]hough my sinnes (Lord) wound thee, yet let not my seruice mocke thee too, let it be (at least) true, though not profitable; 1. Cor. 4 20 thy kingdome it consists in power and not in word: Let my allegiance then (Lord) to it, consist in truth, and not in shew, not in the forme of godlinesse, but the power thereof; so yet, however, thou that (here) didst so freely give thy backe to the Smiters; Esay 50.6. wilt not sure deny it to my burdens; so, thou that didst for mee not [Page 136] hide thy face from shame and spitting in this time of thy [...]rouble,ibid how confidently may I say (with David) that thou wilt not hide thy face from mee in the time of my [...]rouble, thou that gavest thy cheekes thus to the nippers, ibid. and wert not angry: sure thou wilt not withdraw them when (with David) I sha [...]l in a faithfull reverence kiss the Sonne lest hee bee angry [...]hou that didst thus set forth thy face as a flint, to all these their scornefull scoffes, and blowes, how shouldst thou not shew forth the light of that countenance to all my hum­ble suits, and sighs.

VI. Hee is accus'd before Pilate. Mat. [...]7. Luk. 23.

BVt now at length (tyr'd ('t should seeme) with their owne scurrilous folly) they beginne, from making themselues with him guilti­ly, merry, to fall a making him (if possible) seriously guilty, and to that purpose have led him bound from the high Priests Hall to the Governours Pallace, there, to proceed to his accusati­on, and so to his sentence of death; what led them thus to lead him thither for a legall death, was not any love to iustice, but want of power, wee may take their [Page 138] owne wo [...]d for't, It is not lawfull for vs to put any man to death. Io. 18.31. How great is their malice to him, when as cor­rupt as they are, neither their powers, nor wits can stretch their Lawes to their desires against him; and yet rather then faile, thei'le beg, and if need be, brave and threaten the gentile power (though one of their abhominations) into a se­conding their forged accu­sations by a forced sen­tence: If thou let this man goe, Io. 19.12. thou art not Caesars friend.

Fowre accusations wee read of, layd against him, all capitall, Sedition, Se­duction, Vsu [...]pation, Blas­phemy.Luk. 23.5. 1. Sedition, hee stirreth vp the people, teaching [Page 139] throughout all Iury. 2.Luk. 23.2. Se­duction, hee peruerteth the na­tion, forbidding to give tri­bute to Caesar. 3. Vsurpati­on,Io. 19.12. hee saies that he himselfe is Christ, a King; and hee that maketh himselfe a King, spea­keth against Caesar. 4. Blas­phemy,Mar. 14.63.64. what need wee any further witnes, yee have heard the blasphemy. How great, but withall, how false are these their accusations? how much more truely doe they condemne his accu­sers then accuse himselfe? truth though against false­hood it be a party, yet, can it have no other Iudge then it selfe, iectum est mensura sui & curui; doe but at raigne then these accusations be­fore that Iudge, and how [Page 140] easily will they,Reu. 5. like clouds before the Sunne, all vanish? alas, so farre was hee from Sedition, that, though hee taught and stirr'd vp the peo­ple, yet was it to nothing more then loyalty, and sub­iection, owning none for a Disciple of his, that did not beare that yoke, nay not on­ly beare, but were it a Crosse?Mar. 10.21. willingly, take it vp and follow him; so farre from Seduction or peruer­ting the nation, Luk 9.23. either from their Law, or Prince, that certainely neither of them had such another Champion: To the Law hee was Author, Restorer, Fulfiller, how resolutely by his doctrine did hee vindicate and refine it from the [Page 141] drossie glosses of the Phari­sees to its primitive vigour; how absolutely by his life, fulfill it to its vtmost ri­gour; they were the two ends of his comming, preaching, living, dying,Mat. 5.17. to re­store and to fulfill it, to re­store it to vs, fulfill it for vs, but never to destroy it in vs; even of both Lawes, morall, and ceremoniall, hee was both Author, and Fulfiller, though hee tooke away, from the one the curse, from the other the vse, yet hee destroyd nei­ther, the morall he did not finish, but restore, the Ce­remoniall hee did not re­store, but finish, and yet ful­fild both; of the first he was both Obseruer and Resto­rer; [Page 142] of the second the obser­ver & the substance, though it were antiquated after him, yet was it both kept by him, and fulfill'd, nay perfected in him. And for Caesars prerogative, or tri­bute, let not onely his own mouth,Esa 53.9. in which was found no guile, Mat. 22.21 give vnto Caesar what is Caesars, but even the dumbe fishes mouth too, Mat. 17.27. in which was found that mi­raculous mint, that tribute-treasury, speake him how zealously forward? of all those many miracles hee wrought, we read not of a­ny one money-miracle a­mong them, but this, wher­by to pay Caesars tribute; let Iudas and his bag too at once faile him, rather then [Page 143] herein faile, hee will mira­culously fulfill that of the Psalmist, his wonders shall bee seene in the deepe in this, at once,Psa. 107.24. both his power shall speake his will, and his will againe his power. And then for Vsurpation; alas, so farre is he from the least ambition or desire of sove­raignty, that 'tis not all their owne importunity that can draw him the least step to­wards either Throne, or Bench: When a cause is offered, his answere is, who made mee a Iudge over you, Luk. 12.14. wee heare him not com­plaine, who brought me to the barre of accusation; but, who call'd mee to the seat of iudgement? Hee shuns not so much the sen­tence, [Page 146] as the seat, nor doth he lesse shunne their throne, then bench,Io. 6.15. when they would have made him King in steed of flatring them, hee flyes them, and that into the wildernesse, hee chuses ra­ther to live among savadge beasts, then seruile Parasites, and no maruell, his choice may bee without example, but 'tis not without a great instance of lesse danger: Ne­buchadnezar who in the throne among his meal-mouth'd flatterers, was twice vn­mann'd, first into an imagi­ned God-head,Isay. 14.14 I will be like the most high, then into, at least, a conditioned beast­hood, the dew f [...]ll on his back, and hee d d eat g [...]asse with the Oxe, Dan. 4.33. his haires were as Eagles [Page 147] feathers, and his nailes as clawes; yet was hee in the wildernesse among his fel­low bruits, at length againe vnbeasted into his wonted, both humanity and Empire: The flatterers tongue bites deeper then the Tigers tooth, the beasts that bite sorest said the Philosopher) are among the wilder sort, the slanderer, but among the tamer, the flatterer. Lastly for blasphemy, in making himselfe equall with God, how great a blasphe­my, had it beene to have denyed it? truth it selfe must so have denied it selfe, whereas to make himselfe the Sonne of God equall with God, Phil. 2.6. how ever malice may call it blasphemy, [Page 148] truth it selfe tels vs, 'twas not so much as robery: We see then, as how great, so how false too are his accu­sations, as false in proofe, as great in pretence; nor are they more false in, then to themselues. Yet so as the witnesses, sayes the Text, a­greed not among themselues. Mar. 14.50. How vntrust, disioynted is falshood, even in i [...]s com­posures of best skill, care, and preparation; falshood as it can never bee true in it selfe, so is it as seldome true to it selfe, 'its accusati­ons are mostly no lesse re­pugnant to themselues, then reproachfull to the Suffe­rer. Ephraim and Manasses may be both against Iudah, Esa. 7. but before they have done, they [Page 149] will be as much each against other, nay rather then faile, Egyptian will be against Egyp­tian, falshood will find ene­mies among those of 'its owne house 'its owne heard, and heart; there may bee a conspiracy in falshood, but no true concord, 'tis onely righteousnesse and peace shall so kisse each other. Constan­tine might well say, hee could not trust their truth to him, who were not true to his God. Religion is the thoroughest knot of vnity, truth and trust. Truth is a plaine rode, and hath but one straight open path; falshood is a devious l [...] ­byrinth, and hath so many darke, and crooked wayes, so full of error, that 'tis not [Page 150] a little hard for such as tread them, not to loose (if not themselues, at least) one the other in them; falshood, like Vriah commonly caries a message in its owne bosome, 2. Sam. 11. to cut its owne throat with; 'its owne weapon (like Goliah's) serues best to strike off its owne head: 1. Sam. 17. The strongest factions in ill, how like the fire brands of Sampsons foxes are they?Iudg. 15. knit but in the tailes, not heads, not hearts; and how sure in the end (like those) to burne their owne knots asunder; Psa. 68.1. let God arise, and how soone will his enemies bee scattred; the Princes and Rulers may band themselues, Psal. 2.2. and take counsell together (as here) against the Lord and his anointed, but [Page 151] how truely doth hee by them, what they there threaten to him, breake their3.bonds of malice asunder, and cast away these their cords of falshood from him: And with that straight iron rod of truth breake them into irre­concilable,Revel. 2.27. vnsoderable pee­ces of contradiction, like a Potters vessell? Psal. 2 9. and then laugh them to scorne; 4. 'tis as well the mirth of Heaven, as blisse of earth to see and laugh at enuy'es cunningst combinations; or'e reach'd and foold by their owne wit, and fetches, to helpe them breake the thred of falshood, by drawing it out, in fine, 'tis the triumph of truth,Iob 5.13. to take the wise in their owne craftinesse, and make the [Page 152] counsells of the wicked foolish. But wh [...] then seemes he,1. Cor. 3.19. at all these so loud, and blas­phemously false accusati­ons, thus consentingly tongue-tyed? to all their ac­cusations hee answered not a word; Mat. 17.12. same though it often play the curre, and open where shee finds no game, yet a good name is as a preci­ous oynment, Eccles. 7.3. and an oynt­ment corruptible too by the least dead fly; Eccles. 10.1. and wee are to strive (if possible) that e­ven our good be not evill spo­ken of. Was it any froward wearinesse of life, o [...] desire of death, to dispatch him of his torments? no, hee had before wholly be­taken himselfe into the se­verest hands of his, both [Page 153] fathers wrath, and enemies malice; yet, not my will but thine, and 'tis I am hee whom yee seeke: was it then any stupid confus'd inabilitie to acquit himselfe from their accusations? no, their owne repugnance, wee see how easily doth it expugne themselues; no, nor was it that want only wittie fancy of some, that hee was here silent, because his voice, the Baptist, was before slaine by Herod: I am the voice of a Cryer, no, his word is not bound, nor is it confin'd to any voice; hee could here have spoken to them in fire and thunder, as at Sinay; or,Exo. 19. in the mouth of the least babe or suckling have ordained strength, Psa 8.2. strength enough [Page 154] to have laid them at his feet, as hee had done, but now in the Garden. What should then thus make him, as a man that heareth not, Psa. 38.14. and in whose mouth are no reproofes? would we have it in a word, the cause of this his silence, was our guiltinesse; ours, in whose steed here hee stands: wee (in that first fall) were guilty of all these his accusations, of Sedition, Adam and wee in him sedi­tiously fell off from God, and his Lawes: thou shalt not eat, Gene. 3. and sided with that old Mutiner the devill, eat and yee shall live; of Seducti­on, and that both passive and active in Eue, wee were seduced by the Serpent, and in her wee seduced Adam. [Page 155] Vsurpation, what did wee then but traiterously inuade and vsurpe that prerogative, divinely roiall, of knowing good and evill? lastly of blas­phemy, what did we there­by but attempt to make our selues what hee is here vn­iustly accus'd of: equall with God? yee shall bee as Gods knowing good and evill. God then spake it in a iust deri­sion of ambitious man: behold the man is become like one of vs; wee shall now there­fore bee able to say it in a [...]ust devotion of almighty God, behold God is become even like one of vs, an ar­raign'd an accus'd, a see­mingly confus'd Male­factor.

But O my blessed Savi­our, [Page 156] thou that art both Iudge, and Aduocate of that great court of Heaven, and yet for mee becam'st an accus'd, an arraign'd Pri­soner here on earth; what meanes it (Lord) that thou didst once challenge thine accusers, which of you can rebuke mee of sinne, and yet art here thus still silent to all their accusations? didst thou then dare them to ac­cuse thee, and dost thou now not dare, but thus to accuse thy selfe, by this thy defencelesse silence? no (Lord) thou saidst not, which of you can accuse mee? accuse thee (wee see as innocent as thou art) they dare, and doe, but which of you can rebuke mee of sinne, [Page 157] conuince mee of it? true, they laid to thy charge, Psa 35.11. things that thou knewest not: As, if it were enough to excuse, who would be guilty? so, if it were enough to accuse, who could bee innocent? anger is cruell, Prou. 24.4. and wrath is raging: But who can stand before enuy, no not innocence it selfe; If the greene tree, Luk. 23.31. thou (Lord) the true Lau­rell scape not the blasts of malice, what should the dry Stuble expect it, let mee [...]eve [...] expect a third choice, beside either suffering or doing wrong, let mee ever call in question my doing well, if some way I suffer not by it; let mee never thinke to scape the shadow of enuy, vnlesse I quit the [Page 158] Sunshine of innocence: Hee that refraineth from evill, Esa. 58.15. maketh himselfe a prey. But alas Lord, when that old Accuser of the brethren shall lay to my charge things that I too well know;Rev. 12.10. my silence will not bee as thine, pati­ence, but consent, not a will to suffer, but a want what to answere, the wit­nesse, will not then (Lord) as these against thee, con­fute themselues, by their owne discord, no, the bookes will bee laid open, Rev. 20.12. both that greater one of thy omnisci­ence, and lesser one of mine owne conscience, nor w ll their accounts bee more large then their accord strict: thou (O Lord) as si­lent as thou wert, couldst [Page 159] (as thy Prophet speakes of thee) have smitten the earth with the rod of thy mouth, and with the breath of thy lips have slaine the wicked: But alas my mouth will not then bee able to keepe my tee [...]h from gnashing, all the breath of my lips not able to coole their owne tongue; my an­swere cannot bee so much as a request to thee, to par­don mee, but to the deafe regardlesse Rocks and Moun­taines to fall on, and cover me, Revel. 6.1 [...]. vnles thou blot out that hand-writing of accusations, Col. 2.14. that are against mee.

When that adultrous woman (Lord) was brought before thee to bee adiudg'd, thou wrotst with thy finger on the ground, and so send'st away [Page 160] all her accusers with shame: so, when I shall bee then brought before thee to bee adiudg'd, O Lord doe but write my pardon, with the finger of thy mercy, on the ground of thy merits, and so shall all my Accusers bee driven out of thy presence, so, who shall bee able to lay any thing to the charge of thy chosen, Ro 8.33. when 'tis thou that iustifi­est. I will feare thee (Lord) with the good Theefe, see­ing I am in the same accusati­on, Luk 23.40. and I indeed iustly, but thou hast done nothing amisse, mine were the crimes, thine but the accusations, and yet I will no lesse trust in thee (with him) too, for if when thou stoodst at the barre of accusation, thou didst with­out [Page 161] grudging beare my bur­den, sure, when thou shalt sit in the seat of iudgement, thou wilt not sticke to seale my pardon; thine owne still-open wounds cannot but witnesse payment; and where thou thy selfe hast paid the debt, even thy iustice cannot deny to signe the acquittance: when as thou (Lord) who wert here on earth my Atturney, and suffredst for me, and art still in Heaven mine Aduocate, and plead'st for mee, shalt then come in the clouds be­tweene Heaven and Earth to give sentence on mee; what should I feare though the wickednesse of my heeles compasse mee round about, if the faith of my heart can [Page 162] lay hold on thee aboue? thou (O Lord) wilt not, can'st not forget to bee gracious, thou art still the same, when deckt with maiesty and honour, as when cloth'd with reproach and shame; Psa. 35 26. Iesus Christ yester­day and to day, and the same for ever: though here silent to Herod'es itching curiosi­ [...]y after wonders, to the Priests slanderous enuy, to Pilates slavish corruption, to whom thou stoodst, not for thy selfe, nor for mee any way ingadgd, though before these Shearers and Butchers of thy body, Esa. 53.7. thou wert as dumbe, not opening thy mouth, yet before that Sheepheard and Bishop of our soules, 1. Pet. 2 25. thy offended father, to whom I stood guilty, and [Page 163] indebted; then, and now, and ever art thou an impor­tunate, an incessant Inter­cessor; every wound, every drop of blood, in my be­halfe the tongue of a ready Speaker, and that,Heb. 12.24. speaking so much better things then that of Abels, by how much, mercy is above sacrifice; in this of thine (O Lord) there is both, mercy, and sacrifice, a sacrifice that cannot faile of mercy.

VII. Pilate arraies him in Scar­let, Herod in White, both in way of abuse

NOw fals hee into the hands of Pilate, and his souldiers, 'mongst whom hee finds some change, but (alas) no ease; nor is the change much neither, here in Pilates Pallace hee meets with but a second part of that tragike enterlude be­gunne on him, in the high Priests hall; here, hee is againe buffeted, Mat 27.29.30. reviled, deri­ded, and againe spit on, so farre is this Pallace from that his ivory one, in the [Page 165] Psalme, wherein they made him glad, Psa. 45.9. wherein his gar­ments smelt so of mirth, Esa. 53 3. alloes, and Cassia. Here, how tru­ly rather, as the Prophet speakes,Psa. 3 [...].26. is hee made a man of sorowes and reproaches, wherein his garments are besmeard with blood, his face with spittle? If, when I was naked, and yee cloth'd mee not, deserue a depart yee cursed; how much more, as here, when I was cloth'd, yee stript mee naked, and that to cloth mee with re­proach and shame, as with a garment. Pilates garment was of scarlet, Herod's a gor­geous one of white, both hap­pily glorious, rich, and (as will anon appeare suitable, and full of mysterie) they [Page 166] mistooke not then so much the ward-roab, as the wearer, putting it on the wrong way in abuse, and scorne, and so, corruptio op­timi pessima, what is best in the vse, is ever worst in the abuse: But, could they thinke him vnworthy of the richest garment; who cloth's the Lilies of the field beyond the richest Luster of Solomons greatest glory? Luk. 12.27 could they thinke him vnworthy of any garment, the hemme of whose garment was so mi­raculously medicinable a­gainst the bloody issue? Matth. 9. could they thinke any garment worthy of him, whether of white, or scarlet, who only can make the most scarlet sinnes as white as wooll? can [Page 167] they thinke themselues worthy to put on his gar­ment, whose shooe the Baptist (then whō ther was not a grea­ter among men) thinks him­selfe not worthy to loose? Ioh. 1 27. the Scythians, that their blood spilt in battle, might the lesse affright them, had their sheilds still painted red, it may bee some such end in this colour of the garment, might these scar­let minded murderers have, that his blood fetch't with their fists, and whips, might the lesse either affright them with horror, or affect them with pitie, some out of Zachary; where hee is said to bee clothed with filthy garments, conclude the rag­ged, thred-bare filthinesse [Page 168] of these his garments, and so, every thing shall have its severall share, and office in his abuse; the colour that flouts his kingdome, and ambition; the barenesse, his outworne estimation with the people; the ragged­nesse, his late scattred retin­new; the sulliednesse, his stayned, spotted life; as they pretend, a friend to Pub­licans and Sinners: thus, 'tis not enough, vnlesse both more then one garment a­buse him; and one gar­ment more then one way; but Pilate at length finds him a Galilean, and so sends him to Herod; how restlesse is the condition of inno­cence vnder the conduct of malice? the Arke was not [Page 169] more toss'd by the Phi­listines from Aphek to Ashdod, 1. Sam. 5. from Ashdod to Gath, from thence to Ekron, and from thence backe againe to Israel, then is this God of the Arke, this Arke of the Covenant; by these insultant Philistins, enemies to the Common wealth and God of Israel; from the Garden to Caiphas, thence to Annas, then to P [...]late, from him to Herod, and from He­rod backe againe to Pilate; nor is their policy lesse then their malice in these his restlesse transmissions; hereby, they doe not onely the more publish his shame, but by intermission ease each others hands, and spleenes, to fresher on sets, and supplies of torture, and [Page 170] abuse; so that, not onely his torture, but his travaile is their recreation: Herods vsage of him, affords not much variety from Pilates, but as much iniury, hee with his men of warre mocks (saies the text) and sets at nought, Luk 23.11. this God of peace, the Philo­sophers, saies Tertullian, drew him in their pictures, attired by Herod like a foole, with long Asses cares, his nailes pluck'd off, and a booke in his hand &c. However, (no question) He­rods itching expectation of seeing wonders, Luk 23.8. from him, thus, altogether frustrate by this his strange, and sul­len silence, turn'd in the end to vtter rage, and indignati­on; and so, hee was sure to [Page 171] suffer what wrong, or shame, a King was able to inflict; a Tyrant to inuent, the desires of tyranny, if frustrate, turne to fury, 'tis one of the follies of great­nesse, that vsually its flattred power wantons it into; to wit, a vsurpation of com­mand over the wils, as well as powers of their inferiors, both which if not applyed to feed this wolfe that ra­vins thus in the breast of greatnes, such as cannot re­sist, are sure to suffer, if they will not doe; yet, is hee not without his myste­ries in all these miseries, this malice, the second garments they here abuse him in, are a red, and white one, how suitable to that his descrip­tion [Page 172] by his Spouse; my be­loved is white, and ruddy, both the Lilly of the valley, Can. 5.10. and the Rose of Sharon; Can. 2.1. the white garment is an embleme of his spotlesse innocence, the red, of his bloody passion; that of his life, this of his death; thus can God bring light out of darkenesse, and have his mysteries wrapt vp in the malice of his ene­mies; for both on his gar­ment (saies the Apostle) and on his thigh was written a mysterie? Reu. 19.16 what other is his garment but his humanity? the garment of the God­head, wherewith in the A­postles phrase, hee was clo­thed vpon; and what his scarlet garment, but as the case, so the embleme of his [Page 173] wounded body? for being asked,Esa. 63.2.3. how his garment be­came so red? his answere is, because hee had trod the wine­presse alone, and there was none to helpe him, the wine­presse of his fathers wrath, his enemies malice, and so no maruell, if that made his garment so red; for blood came out of the winepresse, Reu. 14.20. e­ven to the Horses bridles: So that, as hee himselfe speaks of the woman,Io. 12.7. that shee anoynted h [...]m aforehand vnto his buriall, so Pilate (in the mysterie) thus cloth's him afore-hand vnto his bloody death, and not to that only, but to those future scarlet bloody victories, of his blessed martyrs, figured be­fore, by those his Spouses, [Page 174] scarlet locks, Can 7.5. and here, by this his owne scarlet gar­ment: Thus, Iosephs bre­thren have no further aime in the bloodinesse of their bro­thers Coat, Gen. 37. then to abuse their father, nor, happly, have these (here) any other end in this bloody colou­red garment, then to deride their Maker: But God the while hath a further reach in both; Iosephs bloody gar­ment shall be a type of this, and this a figure at once, both of the wearers bloody passion, and the Sharers bloody purple persecuti­ons; so that the Apostle might well say, that we are in him more then Conquerors, Ro. 8.37. for in him wee here tri­umph'd in this scarlet roab, [Page 175] even before the battle of his death. So in Pilates Pal­lace too, have wee a right mappe or modell of this wo [...]ld: after they grow weary of thus abusing him; they take off their scarlet Robe againe, Mat. 27.31. hee shall cary no­thing thence, that hee brought not thither, but shoulders torne with whips, temples pierc'd with thorns, beaten, bruised limbs all over; the world is no other, but a place of iniury & abuse, specially to such as belong to him; hee himselfe hath said it,Io 16.33. in the world yee shall have persecution; like Pilates Pallace, wee can cary no­thing out, that we brought not in; but the wounds, and lashes of cares, feares, [Page 178] and sorrowes, the pricking thornes of guilt, remorse, and horror, when wee goe hence wee are stript of all our bravery, and must with our Saviour to Golgotha, the place of skuls, the house of death, and of corruption: nor shall Herods, and Pilates at­tonement, by our Saviours condemnation; (for that ve­ry day they were made friends) be without its mysterie and import neither:Luk. 23.12. Herod a Iew; Pilate a Gentile, and 'tis hee onely that here re­conciles this Iew and Gen­tile, that perswades Iaphet to dwell in the tents of Sem, Gen. 9.27. hee onely is, that corner stone, that vnites both Iewes and Gentiles, Psa. 108.22. in that one spiritu­all building of his Church,1. Cor. 3.9. [Page 179] But O my blessed Lord and Saviour, thou who art the God of glory, and yet be­cam'st for mee a man of re­proaches, Esa. 53. how well mightst thou say, the proud have had mee exceedingly in derision, Psa. 119.51. yet have I not shrinked, not shrinked from death, or torture, or which are worse abuse, and scorne. How frowardly doe men (Lord) strive to abuse thy mercies, to crosse thy blessings? man had at first no sooner put off innocence, but hee put on shame, which thou yet in mercy gavest him cloths to hide: thou gavest him clothes to cover his shame, and hee gives thee cloth's to blazon thine; nay to vpbraid thee with what [Page 180] is not thine, for shame is the fruit of sinne: twas sinne first read Adam, the lecture of his owne shame, and na­kednesse,Gen. 3. who told thee that thou wert naked, hast thou ea­ten? shame and glory, as very enemies as they are (like Herod and Pilate towards thee) have ioynd in clothing mankind, shame first inven­ted cloth's, but glory fashi­ons; shame was the bot­cher, glory the Taylor, and hath trimm'd and multipli­ed shames few plaine leafes and skins in Paradice, into what ward-robes of various and costly folly? But (O Lord) thou art that Lilly of the valleys, Can. 2.1. and so not onely white in innocence, but glorious too in thine owne [Page 181] vnborrowed luster, above Solomon himselfe in the day of his espousals, so that thou neededst not their cloths ei­ther to hide shame, or adde glory; and yet didst not re­fuse them neither; was it to bestow them on me (Lord) that am with Laodicea, poore, Reu 3.17. and miserable, and blind, and naked? at least bestow one of them (Lord) on mee, that scarlet Roab of thy death,Reu. 7.14. [...]nd passion, that I may find welcome at that thy mariage feast of glory: Luk. 3.11. It is thine owne precept, that hee that hath two Coats, should im­part to him that hath none; Iob. 7.1 [...] my life is a warfare (saies Iob) and every battle of the Warriour, Esa. 9.5. (saies Esay) is with garments rolled in blood. This gar­ment [Page 182] of thine Lord, it is vsually called a Roab, Reu. 6.11.7.9 13. Ier. 13.22. Luk. 5.36. and that a long one, long enough to keepe my skirts from being discovered, and my beeles from being bare: Let mee not then (with the selfe-saving Papist) against that thine owne Parable, goe about to put a new peece into the old garment, Gen. 27.27. the new peece of humane merit, in­to that old sufficient gar­ment of thy righteousnesse, so I shall but take away, derrogate from the garment, and those rents of my sinnes, wil [...] become worse, 'tis onely that [...]ragrant rayment, of thine (Lord) my elder brothers, in which I can (with Iacob) get the blessing; strip mee then (I beseech thee of mine [Page 183] owne figleaves, of that gor­geous apparell of pride,Luk. 7.25. of that soft rayment of luxury, of that linsie-woolsy garment of vnhearty,Deut. 22.11. halting in­differency, of that faced cloke of hypocrisie, of that po­pish patched garment of mine owne, or others mer­rits; and cloth mee (like that woman) with the Sun, Reu. 12.1. thy selfe who art the Sun of righteousnesse, Mal. 4.2. this is the on­ly garment; that like those garments of the Israelites, in all the wildernesse of this world, will not wax old, Deut. 8.4. but will be sure to bring mee to that better Canaan above; [...]his is that mantle wherewith (Eliah like) I shall bee able to smite and diuide those ouer­flowing flouds of Iordan, 2. King. 2.8. sinnes [Page 184] and temptations of what kind soever,ver. 11. and so, passe o­ver dry (with him) to ride to Heaven in that trium­phant, fierie Chariot of thy Crosse.

VIII. Hee is crowned with Thornes.Mat. 27.29.

HOw aguish is the tem­per of popular affecti­on, how slippery the te­nure? not many dayes since, they had spread their owne garments, Mar. 11. and Olive branches even vnder the Asses feet, that beare him, and now againe having stript him of his owne garments, Psa. 35 26. to cloth him with rebuke and shame: their Olive branches vnder his Asses feet, are turn'd to Thornes on his owne head, Luk. 19.41. that head, that had beene then for them (with Ieremyes) a Foun­taine of teares; Ier. 9.1. how foone is that their Hosannah turn'd [Page 186] into a Crucifige, their mag­nificat into how wrong, a venite exultemus, their O­lives of peace, and gratula­tion, into Thornes of malice, and abuse? how soone, how vnnaturally doe those their grapes of gladnesse, beare thornes of d [...]spight? so very a Reed shaken with the wind, Luk. 7.24. is the best of these popular interests and de­pendences, or rather like the wind that shakes it? frownes, and favours are the stormes, and calmes of this wind, nor are they more vncertaine, then those of weather, some they raise, but they ruine more, and those mostly whom they most raise, they most ruine: 'tis not for man, to ride long [Page 187] on the wings of this wind, Psa. 18 10 hee rides on stormes like light­ning, that so rides, and like that is vsually spent in a flash, so slippery a Pinnacle, is the bosome of a multi­tude, the standing almost impossible; and as hard the comming downe, without a fall,Mat 4.5. as our Saviour did from his. How ill aduised is the man, that seekes either to build himselfe on the Pil­la [...]s of this sand, or to reade himselfe in the Characters of this dust? 'tis one of the many miseries of great­nesse, that it mostly finds not leasure to acquaint it selfe with it selfe, to seeke it selfe within it selfe, and so seekes it selfe but abroad in the opinions, and tongues [Page 188] of others, and so knowes it selfe but by report, and heare-say; such at best can but live, as if they were but lent to themselues, and what with envies beblurring their vertues, and flatteries bedawbing their vices, shall never set a true coppy of their owne characters. How dangerous, both the error of the tongue, and in­constancy of the heart, are of this popular Hydra, let Herods lowsie fall speake the one,Act. 12 23. Absoloms the other:2 Sam. 18. how many hath it done by, as it here seemes to by our Saviour, slock'd them with greene promising branches of Olives, into intangling, scretching snares of thornes.

But how incongruously [Page 189] improper, as inconstantly trustlesse, are they in this engine of their thorny Crowne? hee came not to take, but to give Crownes, and those Crownes of victory, Rev. 2.10. of life, of glory, Rev. 4.10. and doe they pay him with a Crowne of shame, of death, of torture; can they afford him no rich­er crowne, thē of the hedge, no easier Crowne, then of thornes? a strange, a sharpe, a bloody Coronation, and yet how much lesse sharpe, and bloody, then their more thorny malice, that apply­ed it? because their whips did not reach his head, their nailes could not pierce it without an end of t [...] ­ture; their fists drew not blood enough of it, (gree­dy, [Page 190] it should seeme, of not a little blood from every part of him) they have found out at length this studied torture, to draw that blood out of his head with thornes, which their fists and staves had bruised with blowes. How prag­maticall, and conceited is malice? wee read of many severall Crownes, then in vse among the Romanes, a triumphall, an Obsidionall, a Military, a Navall, Civi­call, Castrensall Crowne; but never of a Crowne of thornes till now; this for matter, both of purpose or patterne, how spightfully vnexampled is it? It wounds his person, and flouts his kingdome at [Page 191] once; what other Kings doe feele but in the metaphor, their Crownes thorny, per­plext and sharpned with scretching cares, and feares, and troubles, that hee finds in the rude, but not blunt letter, his Crowne is such without those cares and anxieties, which other Crownes are wreath'd and lin'd with; and of those too, how could it bee but full, vnder the double bur­den of earths sinne, and heavens anger? yet, is he not, even in this his bloody thorny Crowne (as strange as it is) without either pro­phesie, or type; here hee is a true Lilly among the thornes, Can. 2.2 here is Isaaks Ramme tyed fast by the head in the thornes, Gen 33.13. [Page 188] to be a Sacrifice, a Ransome for vs; nor indeed could they find a fitter engine, or embleme rather, to imprint on him their sharper malice, then this of thornes; accur­sed, accursing thornes, the curse of earth, and fruit of sinne, cursed is the earth, for thy sake, Gen 3.17. [...]. thornes and thistles shall it bring forth: but must the curse of this curse, thornes, light no where but on this sole Author of blisse, must it fall no where but on him, who so iustly gave it? no, hee cannot have mans sinne, but hee must have sinnes curse too, thornes, and this makes him absolute, and compleat in the whole curse of sinne: before the Law thornes [Page 193] were a curse to the earth that bare it; vnder the Law the Tree was a curse to him, that it bare: Deut. 21.23. both wayes, both curses, will he vndergoe; first hee will beare the curse, thornes, then the curse shall beare him; the Tree: no curse shall bee left, to sticke on those blessed of his father; whether before, or vnder the Law. Both which cur­ses, in as much as they were so borne for vs; such blessings to vs, how loath is hee to part with either his Roabs and Scepter, Mat. 27.31. hee is content to leave behind him in the Pallace. But that his Throne the Crosse, and this his Crowne, the thornes, as sharpe, as bloody, as accur­sed [Page 194] as they were, yet these hee caries with him to his death; in these (above all other) chusing to triumph over all those conquer'd powers of darkenesse, Col 2.15. sinne, death, and hell. If mine Aduersary should write a booke against mee (saies Iob) would I not take it vpon my shoulder, Iob. 31.35.36. and bind it as a Crowne vnto mee? So here, his Aduer­saries clap on this thorny Crowne, as a brand of scorne, and torture, and yet (such is his love to vs) whose de­sert it was, that though a curse, hee binds it to him, not onely on his shoulder, as a Crosse to beare it, but on his head too, as a Crowne to tri­umph in it; and makes it a Crowne of more terror to [Page 195] his enemies, then of torture to himselfe; thus for vs hee was not onely (as the A­postle speakes) made a curse, Gen. 3.13. but for vs, hee made the curse a Crowne, our thornes his glory, here, were all the sharper thornes of our sins, and sorrowes, those pricks in the flesh, 2. Cor. 12.7. those buffeting Messengers of Satan, broken, and blunted in his blessed browes, and so, these thornes, which were so sharpe an engine of tor­ture to him, are become to vs, not onely a happy Crowne of triumph, but a rosie garland of delight, a reposefull pillow of rest. The birds (saies Baruk) sate on the thornes in the Orchard. Here are those thornes that [Page 196] every weary bird may sit and rest on; that every pur­sued bird may shelter in, that every fruitfull bird may nestle in; here is that Altar, Psa 14.3. that those sparrowes, and swallowes (as David speakes) have found to build their nests in, nor let him ever thinke herein to have any rest, or shelter, who is not scretch'd and prick'd with the thornes of sorow, and remorse: Would wee then have our blessed Savi­our to weare vs on his head in triumph, would wee be his Crowne,1. Thes 2.19. Phil. 4 1. his Crowne of reioycing; let vs then be­come (with the Baptist) thornes in sharpnesse and austerity of life; let vs not dreame of more Crownes, [Page 197] then crosses, of more crowns of glory, then Crownes of thornes, he is here as in the Canticles, Can. 2.2. Rosa inter spi­nas, and there is no pluck­ing this Rose without some pricking of these thornes; if no conflict, no conquest, and if no conquest, no tri­umph; hee that with the Crosse on his shoulder, Eph. 6. and the Sword of the spirit in his hand followes not our Saviour here in the battle, let him never thinke, that with the Crowne on his head, Rev. 7. and Palme in his hand, hee shall accompany him hereafter in the triumph: hee that in some measure, triumphs not over sinne, here in this Crowne of thornes, shall never triumph over Satan, [Page 198] hereafter in a Crowne of glory; where sinnes power of dominion is not con­querd, that it raigne not here in our mortall bodies, there 'its power of damnation is still in force, that we raigne not hereafter in our im­mortall soules, in such in whom God workes mightily to the aduancing in them of his kingdome of grace, for such, and such onely, he will worke merveilously to the aduancing of them in his kingdome of glory.

But O my blessed, and yet for mee thus accursedly crowned Saviour, my Crown of triumph,Rev. 3.11. and garland of delight, thou once touldst thine Apostle Paul, how hard it was for him, Act 9.5. but with [Page 199] the heele to kicke against the pricks. How much harder is it then (Lord) for thee to have these thorny pricks to bee thus crushd into thy tender head, and yet, didst thou so choicely triumph, and all mine enemies in this sharpe accursed Crowne, that from this of all the rest of thy abusiue tortures, thou wilt not part, no not at death? and can I glory in any thing, Gal. 6.14. but in thy Crosse (with thy Apostle) wherby the world is crucified to me, and I vnto the world? when as thou here hadst no better crowne then my curse; why should I here looke for any better Crowne, then thy Crosse? let mee not thinke then, with those wanton worldlings [Page 200] to crowne mee with the fading Rose-buds of pleasure here, and to bee crown'd hereafter too with that Crowne immarcessible, 1. Pet. 5 4. that fadeth not: no give mee ra­ther here of this thy Crowne (Lord) thy Crowne of thornes, though I deserue not a Crowne as a King, yet I well deserue the thornes as a Sinner, the thornes of compunction, and remorse for sinne. Hedge in my possession with those thornes (Lord) from the trespasses of sinne:Eccles. 28.24. from those other thornes, that would choake the growth of thy word; Luk. 8.7. plant these thorns (Lord) by the water side of true repentance,Psa. 1. so they will bring forth fruit in due [Page 201] season, so I shall even of thornes gather grapes, even a vintage of ioy and gladnesse. O Lord I am but as a bird escaped out of the snare of the Fowler, Psa. 124.6. hide me then (Lord) I beseech thee in these thy thornes, here let mee sit, rest, breed, and shelter; in all my delight and mirth let mee (with the Nightin­gall) ever clap my breast to these thornes, so shall I bee sure to make better musike vnto thee, truer to my selfe, so my mirth shall not bee like the worldlings, a crack­ling of thornes vnder the pot, Eccles. 7.8. a blast, and away, but like that of thy presence, Psa 16.12. fulnesse of ioy, and of thy right hand plea­sures for ever more.

IX. Hee is Sceptred with a Reed.Mat. 27.29

THus farre, they rather mocke him as a false King, then punish him as a true Malefactor; their bow­ings, their buffetings, their Roabes, their Crowne, and this their Scepter, are all no other then the severall acts of this their tragike come­dy, on his flouted king­dome, haile King of the Iewes. This of the Scepter 'tis the last, and worst; this strikes specially at what is neerest him; the mutuall interests betweene himselfe and his followers, his truth, their trust, the Scarlet vpbraids [Page 203] him of ambition, the Crowne of Vsurpation; but this their reeden Scepter of a deceitfull trustlesnesse, that hee was like Egypt, a broken Reed, to such as lea­ned on him, as hollow, as fruitlesse, as helplesse, as a dry sap-lesse Reed; his kingdome suitable to such a Scepter, so that by how much his friends were deer­er to him then his enemies, nay then himselfe, this touch'd him neerer then the rest. But how shamefully the while doe they more befoole themselues in these their conceited scurrilous abuses? that hand into which they have put this weake, this hollow Reed, how easily could it with or [Page 204] without it, as with a Rod of iron breake to peeces, Psa. [...]. as a Pot­ters vessell, that their so re­nowned Romane Scepter? how easily hath it? how easily could hee, that wrought such wonders with a Rod in the hand of Moses, for them, have wrought more, and greater in his owne hand vpon them?Esa. 59.1. the hand of the Lord is not shortned; give him what Scepter they will, it skils not; no matter what bee the Sword, the Scep­ter, so his bee the arme; be it a straw, if in this hand of his, that spans the Heavens, and weighs the Mountaines, Esa. 40.12. how able it is to scatter the proud in the imaginations of their hearts; Luk. 8.51. they them­selues [Page 205] have long since felt, 'tis the weake things of the world, that hee makes to con­found the mighty. In the lat­ter dayes (saies Peter) there shall bee Mockers, 2. Pet. 3.3. that shall say, where is the promise of his comming: But in that last day, when that promise of his comming shall come to passe; what will then be­come of these Mockers? how will they then looke, when they shall see this ve­ry King, whom they now thus scornefully have roa­bed, crowned, and scep­tred;Psa. 104.2. no longer as here cove­red with shame, as with a gar­ment, Psa 35.26. but cloathed with ma­iesty and honour, Psa. 146.13 riding on the wings of the wind, in a Crowne of starres, with an everlasting [Page 206] Scepter in his hand of power and great glory? Psa. 18.10. then how successelesly will they cry vnto the Rocks and Moun­taines to fall on them, Psa. 45.7. and co­ver them from the presence of this Lambe, Rev. 6.16. now dumbe be­fore the Shearers, E [...]a. 33.7. but then with his very voice, glorious and mighty in operation, brea­king the loftiest Cedars, then sitting on the Throne, whom now they have trampled thus low into the dust, how will they then cry out with groning, and anguish of spirit (as the Wise man tels them before hand) saying, this was he whom we had sometime in derision, Wis. 5.3.4.5. and a Parable of reproach; wee fooles counted his life madnesse, and his end without honour, how is he now [Page 207] numbred among the sonnes of God, nay, the only begotten Sonne, the darling, in whom onely hee is well pleased; Luk. 2.22. and then in how iust a requitall shall hee that dwells in Hea­ven laugh them to scorne, Psa. 2.4. the Lord shall have them in derisi­on. Nor if wee looke well into it, shall wee but easily find, even now in respect, but of this his present kingdome of grace; how much weaker, emptier this [...]heir studied device is, then the Reed 'its engine, and no lesse embleme too; their conceited aime herein was to vpbraid his kingdome at once of a deceitfull weaknesse, a hollow emp­tinesse, a dry rewardlesse fruitlesnesse; the vsuall de­fective [Page 208] properties of this their Scepter here, the withred Reed, and what more incongruous to his kingdome then any of these? for the trustfull pro­tection of it, Esay cals it a biding place from the wind, Esa. 32.2. a covert from the tempest: Paul a kingdome that cannot bee shaken, Heb. 12.28. a kingdome that consists not in forme, 1. Cor. 4.20. but in power it selfe; so farre from any hollow Reed-like emptinesse is this king­dome, that in the king­dome there is fulnesse of ioy, Psa 16.12. in the King, the fulnesse of the God head dwelling bodily, Col 2.9. so plenteous in goodnesse and truth, Col. 1.19. that as all our wants can never tire his bounty, so neither can his bounty [Page 209] ever empt his store, hee is a fountaine opened to the house of David, Zac. 1 [...]. and that of water of life, I [...]h. 10. [...]0. and that of life in a­bundance. Their Synagogue 'twas indeed a hollow, empty, Reed-like king­dome; but the stalke to the eare of the Romane Em­pire, but the empty shell, the shadow of what before it had beene: lastly, so farre is this his kingdome from worthlesse, or rewardlesse, fruitlesnesse, that for worth 'tis a treasure, Mat. 13.44. for fruitful­nesse,Luk 13 19. tis a graine of mustard seed; for reward, every Sub­iect is an Heire, a King, more then a Conqueror; so farre is the true Scepter of this kingdome,Ro 8 37. from a Reed sha­ken with the wind, that it [Page 210] commands the Seas and Winds themselues,Luk. 8.24. and they obey it; such a Scepter, as if it doe but touch the Moun­taines, Psa. 104 32 they quake, and smoake, for't, and melt, and skip like Rams; Psa. 114.6. Psa 146.13. Psa 45.7. his Scepter 'tis an ever­lasting Scepter, and of his kingdome there is no end.

Esa 9.7.Yet doth hee not refuse this Scepter, though a weake, hollow Reed, a Reed (they say) of all things easiest kils a Ser­pent; and so, it may bee, how truely (but vnwitting­ly to them) an embleme of the true Scepter of his kingdome, wherewith hee so bruis'd the beads of those Dragons in the waters, the head of that old Serpent the devill, that had so bitten [Page 211] at his heele: Gen. 3. But how vn­weariedly busie is their ma­lice?Mat. 27. they tooke the Reed out of his hand, and smote him with it on the head; 'tis not enough that his hand beare it, vnlesse his head feele i [...] [...]oo; and so it shall both vndermine his reputation, and batter his person, both hame him, and strike him: herein happily they thinke to play the moralists, to let him see that hypocrisie, like the hollow Reed, in the end both shames and punishes the owner; were their instance as divine, as their embleme morall, their conceit were prettie; but how weakly, how wic­kedly doe they faile in the application, in misse-apply­ing [Page 212] the deseru'd effects of hypocrisie, to him who is truth it selfe. And yet this further morall have we out of this their abusive error,Io. 14 that as they three wayes wrong him with the hol­low Reed, and but one with he sharper Speare, the Reed flouts him, the Reed strikes him, the Reed gives him gall and vinegar to drinke; the speare, though seemingly more hostile, wounds him but once; so hollow hypocrisie wrongs him trip'ly beyond open profanesse, hypocrisie with th [...] Reed mocks his kingdome, which consists not in word, and forme, 1. Cor. 4.20. but truth and pow­er; hypocrisie strikes at his head, his omniscience, as [Page 213] if it could not search its hollow heart, hypocrisie gives him vinegar in steed of wine, the degenerate vinegar of falshood, and dissimulation, insteed of the wine of sincerity, and truth. Pauls hostile Speare of persecution turnes at length into his owne heart, to wound it with remorse; whereas Iudas'es hollow Reed of hypocrisie turnes to nothing, but a haltar to hang himselfe with: cer­tainely the devill, hee is never so much Serpent, so much devill, as when a transformed Angell of light, 2. Cor 11.1 [...] never more his owne, more himselfe, then when hee most seemes Gods, the farthest, the surest battery [Page 214] of this old Murtherer, Io. 8.44. is when charg'd (as 'gainst our Saviour) out of Gods owne megazine, with an It is written. Mat 4.6. His deepest mines, are the hollow Reed-like heart of a prayer-preying Pharise, Luk. 20.47. sitting in Moses chaire; of a Fox-l [...]ke Herod, Mat. 23.2. pretending to worship the babe; Mat 2.8. of a painted Iesabell, as well in soule as body, fasting by proclamation, 1. King. 21.9. but, to make the better meale on Naboth's (at once) both blood, and vineyard; of a Locust-like Iesuite,Rev. 9.3. that will gather hemlocke out of Gods owne Garden, his word; and rather then faile, infuse it into his owne Sacrament, the more indis­coverably to poyson his [Page 215] owne anoynted, As they did to poy­son Henry 7 To which purpose they abuse these pla­ces. Psa. 8.6. Psa. 91.13. Luk 22.38. Act. 10 13. fetching darknesse out of light it selfe, teaching Gods word to speake the devils errand; iust as these his Murtherers doe here, striking God with his owne Scepter, his word: hypocrisie 'tis the leprosie among the diseases of the soule, the more white (like Gehesi's,) the more dangerous; how truely doth it (as with this Reed, they thinke to doe by our Savi­our) shame, strike, and de­ceive, the hand, the head, the heart.

But O my blessed Lord and Saviour, thou that art that promised Shylo, from whom the Scepter must never depart, Gen. 49.10. art not thou that greene tree, Luk. 23.3 1 that tree of life? how incongruously [Page 216] then doe they (here) give thee this Scep­ter, of the dry stubble, a dead Reed, do nor the heavenly el­ders cast down their Crowns too, Rev. 5.14. & earthly Kings hold theirs of thine? 'tis by thee thou tell'st them,Psa. 144. that they raigne. Doe not to thy Scepter all other Scepters bow, obey, and owe themselues; they could have no power, if not gi­uen them from above; Io. 19.11. why thē doe they thus poorely crowne, thus weakely scep­ter thee? why did thy head, thy hand, thus willing­ly accept these mockeries of maiesty? was it to shew thou wert a God, as well of the closest thicket, a heart-Searcher, that thy Crowne is of thornes, as of the ope­nest [Page 217] Champion, a God v­niversall, that thy Scepter is a Reed? or rather then thy power, was it to shew thy mercy, that thou didst not burne these crushed thornes, nor breake this bruised Reed; why should I then despaire either of being borne vp in thy hand here, or worne on thy head hereafter; bee I never so naturally an accursed thorne, if thou be in mee, as in that bush of Moses, Exo 3.2. though thou burne mee, thou wilt not consume mee, bee I never so weake a Reed yet if brui­sed, thou wilt not breake me, Esa. 42.3. thou breakest not the bruised Reed, Mat. 12.20. but bindest vp the bro­ken. My soule, I must con­fesse (Lord) tis no other, a [Page 218] very Reed shaken with every wind of temptation, crush'd with every touch of tribula­tion, a Reed not so white vnto the haruest, as dry vnto the fire, not so fit in it selfe for the barne, as the dung­hill, yet 'tis a bruised Reed (Lord) bruised with the weight, the conscience of sinne, and so into thy hands am I (with this thy Scep­ter) bold to commend it, knowing that though (as thine Apostles did by the eares of corne) thou rub it with present smart, and affliction; yet already brui­sed, thou wilt not quite breake it off with vtter destruction, or burne it vp a­mong the tares with vn­quenchable fire, thou shew­est [Page 219] the strength of thy arme (Lord) better in breaking, Luk. 1. and scattering the proud and lofty Cedars of the world; rather in supporting the bending, bruised Reeds of humility; thou that cur­sedst the greene, the leafy fig­tree, Mat. 21.19. do'st here accept the weake, the bruised Reed. But (O Lord) may I not better wonder at, and chide this my wondering, and chiding at the sharpnesse of that thy Crowne, the weaknesse of this thy Scep­ter, that doe my selfe give thee, yet still worse; ma­lice, rancor, and debate, are thornes farre sharper to thee, then those of thy Crowne, and wound thee deeper; those though they [Page 220] drew blood from thee, yet drew they no such com­plaint as these; why persecu­test thou mee? Act 9.4. and what too doth my carelesse aw-lesse neglect of thy lawes, and kingdome, but slight thy Scepter, as if it were as this, some helplesse, dreadlesse straw; not able to bee felt, not worthy to bee fear'd: thus my life what is it but a larger, though lesse prin­ted, lesse studied commen­tary on their broader text; and doth but descant their blunter, harsher plainesong into more variety of abuse? O let my obedience hence­forth (Lord) and awfull re­verence to thy kingdome, speake the power, the ma­iesty, the terror of 'its ever­lasting [Page 221] Scepter: at least, if the obedience of blessed An­gells, Rev. 5. and reuerence of crow­ned Saints out-strip mee in magnifying it's power in glorifying it's Maiestie, yet let not the faith of damned deuils out tremble me at it's terrour,Iam. 2.19. for euen they beleeue it, and tremble at it, and con­fesse it as well their torment as terrour,Luk. 4. art thou come to torment vs before the time? Thy Scepter (O Lord) wherewith thou gouern'st in this thy Kingdome of grace, Dauid tells mee 'tis thy word, Psal 45.5. thy word of meeke­nesse, righteousnesse and truth, whereby thy right hand doth terrible things: and so, thou hast not onely by those strongest of thy creatures, [Page 222] deuils, taught mee to trem­ble at it, but even by the weakest of them how to re­sist those strongest ones; the little Frogge (say natura­lists) when 'tis to encounter her enemie the water ser­pent, armes her selfe with what they here giue thee for a Scepter, a Reed a­thwart her mouth, lest the bigger serpent should swal­low her downe quick: so let mee ever Lord against that old serpent, that Levia­than, Psa. 104.26. that takes his pastime in the waters; arme both my mouth, and heart, with thy true Scepter, that holy reed of thy word, alwayes en­countring him, and his temptations, with that thine owne tryed weapon 'gainst [Page 223] him, a scriptum est, Math. 4. so he shall never be able either to swal­low mee into that bottom­lesse gulph of despaire, or to throw mee downe from that slippery pinnacle of pre­sumption.

X. Hee is reiected,Luk. 23.18. and Bar­rabas released.

WHither will not malice transport them? how farre beyond, not the bounds of charity, of piety, of pitty onely, but of reason too? what more vnreasonable disproporti­on'd peruersenesse? then to giue life to him who gaue others death, Luk. 23.19. Barrabas, a mur­therer, and to him death who gaue others life, Iesus a Sauiour, one that could not onely (as they had of­ten seene) restore such a life as Barrabas could take a­way; but that came to giue such a life, as no Barrabas, [Page 225] no, not that old seditious murtherer from the beginning, Io. 8.44 could any way impeach, life eternall; nay, one that would haue giuen it them, how often? Mat. 23.37. had they found as well hands of Faith to haue applyed his bloud, as of cruelty to haue spilt it; had preiudice but giuen them leaue to haue com­par'd these two obiects of their choyce, malice it selfe could not so haue err'd; our Sauiour could not haue a better foyle to haue re-en­forc'd his luster: Barrabas a murtherer of the liuing; Ie­sus a raiser of the dead, Barra­bas a seditious tumult rayser, Iesus a loyall tribute payer, Barrabas a bloudy reuen­ger, Iesus a Patient, though [Page 226] now what with sweating, bleeding, buffetting, fasting, watching, scourging, crow­ning [...], almost a bloudlesse Redeemer; Barrabas woun­ded, hee healed, Barrabas stole, hee gaue: light and darknesse haue not lesse fel­lowship, 2 Cor. 6.15. Christ and Belial no greater discord, heauen and earth are not so wide as here Vox populi and Vox Dei, Ier. 15.19. the mouth of God (sayes the Prophet) is that which separates betweene the precious and the vile; but here the mouth of the people doth not onely not separate, but preferres the vile to the pre­cious, the Author of sedi­tion, to the Prince of peace, a murderous mutiner, to a mercifull: Maker, a sonne of [Page 227] Belial, to the sonne of God. Heere (indeede) how well might he complaine that he was made a worme and no man, Psa. 22.6. a degree belowe the worst, the scumme of men, Barrabas. Enuie, how ill a Iudge is it, though so good a spy? how blind in choise, though so quick-sighted in discouery? Barrabas the shame, the reproach of man­kind, (as his name imports, and his nature too well ap­plyes) is preferred to Iesus, The glory of his people Israel, Luk 2.32. the light of the Gentiles, the holy one of God, one that iust­ly thought it no robbery to make himselfe equal with God, Phil. 2.5. and yet they make him e­qual with robbers, nay worse then this the worst of them, [Page 228] a Murtherer and Robber too, release vnto vs Barrabas. Here is the full impletion of that prophetike parable of Iotham, the trees of the Forest, Iud. 9.14. have here chosen the bramble, and refus'd the vine, Here,Io. 15.1. is that chiefe corner stone reiected by the foolish builders, Psa 118.22. here 'tis (if we take the exposition of some) that (as our Saviour speakes himselfe of them) they straine at the gnat, and swallow the Cammell; the gnat bites with a kind of buzzing, a fit embleme of the mutiner, who vsually stings by buzzing facti­ous fancies, and big soun­ding hopes into disconten­ted eares: yet, is this gnat Barrabas, thus nicely strain'd [Page 229] at, spar'd, release vnto vs Bar­rabas: whereas the Camell willingly kneeles downe to take on his burden, as fit an embleme of our Saviour, who willingly humbled him­selfe, Phil 2.8. and stoop'd to the bur­den of our sinnes: yet him, how greedily into those open Sepulchers (as the Psal­mist speakes) of their throats doe they swallow and de­voure? crucify him, Psa. 5.10. crucify him. And yet even in this too, had our redemption, how full a correspondence to our ruine? Adam had at first in Paradice preferd that old mutinous Murde­rer the devill, even to God himselfe: eat and yee shall die, Gen. 3. (saies God) eat and yee shall not die (saies the Serpent) [Page 230] but be like Gods, &c. Adam refuses God, and chuses him to trust to, and there­fore will our Saviour to expiate so misualuing a re­iection, once againe bee weighed with a seditious Murtherer, and in their false scales of preiudice and ma­lice found too light: release vnto vs Barrabas, and cruci­fie Iesus: nay, but 'tis not so well neither, the Iewes had a custome, what they held execrable not to name it; grounded ('tis like) on that of the Psalmist, I wil not make mention of their names within my lips: Psa. 16.5. that (as the Wise man speakes the name of the wicked may rot, Prov. 10 7. and so nothing more speakes their spight, then [Page 231] that they vouchsafe not to speake his name, for if wee marke the text, they doe not onely not chuse him, but not name him: 'tis not not Iesus, but Barrabas, Luk. 23.18.21. but not him, but Barrabas, and cru­cify him, as if they meant first to murther his name, [...]nd then his person [...] so after his death too, how ma­ [...]iciously, how disdaine­fully, doe they strive, if [...]ossible, to bury his name, ogether with his body. Sir, (say they) wee re­member that, that deceiver, Mat 27.63. while hee was yet alive, said &c. Not Iesus, but that de­ceiver, as if neither himselfe, nor his name were worthy breath, either his owne, o [...] theirs; as if his n [...]me were [Page 232] some magike spell, and might coniure vp yet more devils in those open Sepul­chers, Psa. 5.10. their throats: that ma­lice that hates the name of an enemy, bewraies at once both folly and fu [...]y. But why? may wee not say (with Pilate) what evill hath hee done? Luk. 23.22. what evill? alas, may wee not better aske (with himselfe) for which of his good d [...]eds is it that they thus maligne him? was it for that there is no name vnder Heaven, by which they can be saved, that there is no name on earth, that they so much hated? so much that they hated to name it: anger is cruell, Prov. 27.4. and wrath is raging, but who can stand before enuy? enuy and innocence (as ve­ry [Page 233] enemies as they are) how frequently doe they meet? even at first in Pa­radice, the devill was neve [...] more enuious, then when Adam was most innocent; en­uy 'tis the Canker-worme in vertues garden, that feeds ever on the fairest flowers, the ripest fruits it yeelds: herefore is God said (in Scripture) of all other sins, most to resist and fight a­gainst those two, Pride, and Enuy, because they of all [...]he rest most strive to resist him; crossing his blessings, [...]ouering, vnworking his miracles, bringing (how aversly to his wont) darke­nesse out of light, turning wine into water, into gall; 'tis the devils last fling at [Page 234] grace; where (as in our Sa­viours temptation on the Pinnacle) hee cannot hin­der it,Mat. 4 6. either to make others enuious, or a mans selfe proud on't: of all other sinnes, Enuy and Pride feed most what on the best, and yet still fare the worst: and, as how spightfully, so how fondly too, how reachlesly (with that an­gry Emperour, wanton'd by his power and greatnes into an imagin'd deity) doe they herein but cast nets in to the Sea, to catch Neptune, and shoote arrowes into the aire, to wound the sun with? in thus maliciously not vouchsafing to give him any name,Phil. 2.9 10 to whom God hath given a name above all names, [Page 235] in bending thus their tongues against that name, at which (spight of their teeth) theirs, and every knee as well in heaven as earth, must bend and stoope.

But O my blessed Savi­our,Rev. 5.5. art not thou that Lion of the tribe of Iudah? how frowardly doe they h [...]re then peruert the iudgement of the Wise? Better (saies So [...]o­mon) is a living dogge then a dead Lion: better say they, is a dead dogge, dead in trespasses and sinnes, Ephes 2.1. dead in law too, then the ever-living Lion of the tribe of Iudah. Release vnto vs Barrabas &c. And yet (Lord) how mer­cifully dost thou gather grapes from their sharpest thornes? how miraculously [Page 236] dost thou still turne not their water, but their worst of gall,Io. 2. to mee into the wine of gladnesse? two no­torious malefactors (to the comfort of all however grievous, if grieved sinners) didst thou by thine owne death free from theirs; this seditious Murtherer here, and that other theefe vpon the Crosse: the one from the death of his body, the other from the death of his soule; both, to assure mee, that 'tis no o­ther then thy death, that can free mee from that death, which is of bo [...]h body, and soule. Redemp­tion is ever most proper in relation to captivity; how early then, how fully dost [Page 237] thou appeare a Redeemer (Lord) that even now, thus long before thy death, hast redeemed this captive wretch, both from death, and durance? nor as Barra­bas is not redeem'd from death onely, but f [...]om Pri­son too; so neither let mee ever thinke, that thou wilt redeeme me from my soules death, vnlesse thou first redeeme my soule, and set it free from sinnes bon­dage; those two powers, of sinne and darkenesse, that of damnation, and the other of dominion, are ioynt and inseparable, and where thou redeemest not from both, thou dost from nei­ther. But (O Lord) to draw yet neerer home, [Page 238] have I never with these thy Murderers prefer'd Barra­bas before thee? alas yes, every wilfull act of sinne, is no other then a sedition, a mutiny against the com­monwealth of my soules Israel, and another Iudas Galilaeus, Act. 5 37. that denies the tri­bute of obedience to thee, the truely high and mighty Caesar; as often then, as I have listned to that old mutinous Murderer, Io. 8.44. in his seditious temptations and neglected thy commands, so often have I chosen Bar­rabas and reiected thee; so that I stand doubly guilty, not onely of sedition a­gainst thee with Barrabas; but of reiection of thee with these thy Murderers, [Page 239] how often hast thou beene, as thou art here to these disdainefull Iewes offred me, and that by thine owne selfe, in thy word, thy Sacraments, and good mo­tions of thy spirit, and that not (as here by Pilate vnto them) to bee releas'd, but to bee bound for my release? come vnto mee all yee that are heavy laden, and I will release you. And what hath my carelesse neglect of those thy free and many offers, but answered (with Pilate here) (as if I knew not what thou were good for) what shall I doe with Iesus that is called Christ? If not worse (with those devils in the Gospell,) what have I to doe w [...] thee? Iesus thou Sonne [Page 240] of God? nay have not many times the secret grudgings of my reluctant soule, ac­counted those thy gracious offers of speedy repentance, but a comming (as those de­vils speake there) to torment mee before the time? before the time of my owne vn­setled setting, age, or sick­nesse, or some other surfet of the world? But (O Lord) Pilate here offred thee but thrice; how much more liberall art thou of thy selfe; how often wouldst thou have gathered mee vnder thy wings, Mat. 23 37. as a hen her chickens? And yet, I would not; nay, thou still offer'st thy selfe, and cryest why will yee die, come vnto me; returne, re­turne: (O Lord) as thou [Page 241] dost mee the grace so free­ly to offer thy selfe to mee, so give mee the grace, as faithfully to [...]eceive thee; otherwise, if thou give mee not both h [...]rt to chuse thee, and han [...] to take thee, thy many offers will bee but to my greater cost, to inhai [...]e the price of Hell.

XI. Hee is condemned by Pilate. Luk. 23.22.

HItherto malice hath given the assault alone, but finding her sharpest firyest darts (as in that passage of his accusation) repell'd,Ephes. 6.16. though not abated by the better temper of his proo­fed innocence, here shee be­gins to backe her selfe with a colourable overture of iustice in his condemnati­on; Pilate is therefore threaten'd into a sentence, and must condemne either our Saviour, or himselfe of enmity gainst Caesar; he that makes himselfe a King (say they) as this man doth, is an [Page 243] enemie to Caesar, and if thou let him goe, thou art not Caesars friend. Pilate is afraid of ei­ther, and would faine spare both, & so condemns both, and of both, chusing rather to spare himselfe then our Sauiour, condemnes him­self more then our Saviour; he knew they had deliuered him to his triall out of enuie ('twas his owne confession) and yet hee deliuers him back to his execution out of feare, and so,Mat. 27.18. the iust pro­nunciation of his innocence more condemnes Pilats sen­tence of guile, then the vn­iust pronunciation of that sentence doth our Saviour of guilt; innocence ever ei­ther absolues the prisoner, or condemnes the Iudge; [Page 244] take him and crucifie him, Ioh 19.6. Luk. 23.14. and yet I find no fault in the man, turnes the point of Pilates tongue into his owne bo­some, and makes the bench the barre; thus as there needed no further confuta­tion of his accusation, then the witnesses owne contra­riety, so there needs no fur­ther condemnation of his condemnation, then the Iudges owne confession. Innocence as she is still her owne rule, so mostly is shee her enemies rack, and many times ouer-rules and winds them vp into a confession of the truth, though of their owne falshood; such an aw­full hand of terrour, and command holds shee even over her enemies, that who [Page 245] is not her seruant, is her slaue, where shee enflames not the heart with affecti­on, yet there shee enforces the tongue by a secret insti­gation, either to confesse her trueth, as here, or to confute it's owne falshood, as in his accusation. Not doth Pilat more condemne then anon execute himselfe, how is he shortly after cru­cified, and torne asunder (Actaeon-like by his owne Curres) feares, and doubts, and iealousies are no other to the guilty,Mat. 27.19. his wifes dreame, and our Sauiours con­fession on the one side, on the other side the peoples wilfull violence,As his sto­ry in Euse­bius more fully re­lates. and Caesars threatned emnity, these after they haue first started him [Page 246] into distraction, how doe they at length (as the Psal­mist speakes of sinne) hunt him into destruction. He feares to condemne him being so innocent, and yet dares not absolue him being so enui­ed, so full of feares, and snares, and straights, are the by-wayes of corruption, vpon the wicked God shall rayne snares (sayes David) so sure is he that with Pilate is vniustly willing to content the people, Psa. 11.7. Mat. 15.15. to sell the blessing of an inward peace, but for a blast of outward favour, and certainely of the two, conscience is a worse ene­mie then Casar, it hath more racks and tortures then Dio­clesian, how great a couple of hells doth guilt at once [Page 247] kindle in her owne little heart, shame and horrour, Mat. 27.24. and how inextinguishable are both their flames? 'tis not all Pilat's water, that can alay the least sparke of either, so true is that of Solomon, Wis. 17 10. it is a fearefull thing when sinne is condemned by her owne testi­monie, and a conscience that is touch'd, ever fore-casts cruell things. And now (alas) what can a little water, what can Iordans flouds, what can ri­uers of wine and oyle doe to­wards the washing of those his stayned hands, that had power to release innocence and did not?Ioh. 19.10. or the cooling of that tongue, or heart [...]hat confessed, Ioh. 19.6. and yet condemn'd it? that pronounc'd at once both his innocence of life, [Page 248] and sentence of death? how trayterous to it selfe as well as timorous in it selfe is guilt? especially that of hy­pocrisie, how wretchlesly doth it most-what ouer-reach, deceiue it selfe? and that with what poore, emp­ty overtures, and slight co­lours of piety? how doth Pilate here striue to shut his owne eyes, that they may not see his owne heart? and 'gainst his owne forc'd con­fession to thinke it cleane to­gether with his washed hands, hee knew they had deliuered him of envie, hee confesses he sound no fault in the man, Mat. 21.18. hee tells him he had power to crucifie or release him, Luk. 23.14. and yet how fondly would he faine to wash away all the guilt [Page 249] of this so vniust a sentence, the satisfaction of their bloud-thirsty enuy, the sup­pression and abuse of his own both confessed know­ledge of our Saviours inno­cence, and boasted power of his deseru'd deliverance, with a little water on his hands? Thus God makes foolish the devises of the wic­ked, Iob 5.13. and takes them in their owne craftinesse (sayes Iob) and therein vsually too, holds not onely a propor­tion of degree, but of kinde too, betweene the sinne and punishment: the hypocrite in the end deceives not so much the world as himself, and at last to punish both, the world's and this his self deceit, God leaues him to [Page 250] thinke that hee can deceive him too; his last plea (wee see) is, hast thou not taught in our streets; and have wee not in thy name done miracles, Mat. 25. and cast out devils? open Lord, open, as if hee thought hee could by such kind of out­ward formalities of religi­on flatter himselfe into Heaven, and blind God and man alike; no, water on the hands of Pilate, or the feet of Iudas either, though by the hands of our Saviour himselfe, while their hearts are foule, doth not so much wash, as staine: the hand without the heart in devotion, 'tis but an Al­tar without a Sacrifice, or but a Sacrifice without fire:1. King. 18. like that of Baals Priests, it [Page 261] plucks not downe from Heaven the fire of acceptance; Lev. 10. but as that of Nadab and A­bihu, the fire of vengeance. And what other are those popish Pilatish washings and sprincklings in the Church of Rome? if not hence, whence elsewhere can they take their warrant? how directly doe they (with Pilate here) when they have crucified to them­selues the Lord of glory, He [...]. 6. and put him to an open shame: nay, not onely (with Pilate) condemned him, but con­demned his suffrings too, as insufficient without the mixture of their owne merit; but (with him) wash, and absolue them­selues, I am free &c. Alas no,Mat. 27.24. [Page 252] every sinne is guilty of this his innocent blood, and can­not (with Pilate) spare it selfe, but by condemning him; nor is this blood of his, though in it selfe, the most innocent that ever was, yet where it staines the most guilty too,Heb. 10.29. though where 'tis spred by the hand of faith, it speake better things then that of Abell; yet where 'tis spilt by the hand of contumely,He [...] 12.24 it both cryes lowder, and staines deeper? 'tis not the waters of Da­mascus, or Iordan, either that can wash away this le­prosie; 2. King. 5. no, both in punish­ment and pardon;Hos. 4 2. blood cr [...] for blood, without blood th [...] is no remission, nothing can wash away the guilt of [Page 253] this blood, but the merit of the same, without which,Heb 9.22. notwithstanding, all his washing, it stucke still on Pilates imbrued hands, nor stai'd it there neither; but how fearefully did it eat yet deeper into his iron bowels? out of which, shortly after falling into a strangely tormenting sick­nesse, hee never gave over vomiting blood, vntill hee therewith vomited vp life and soule and all, and that by selfe done violence, as Eusebius reports his death, blood touches blood, 4.2. saies Ho­sea, which if it be not in re­mission, 'tis sure to be in re­venge; and indeed how iustly, how proportionably doth he loose, what he had [Page 254] so vniustly spilt? blood, how worthily did hee feele what hee did so cowardly feare? death, and that more from his tyrant master, then his almighty Maker; nay, that willing to content his owne slaves,Mar. 15.15. was content to condemne his owne God: how well did those bowels of his deserue tor­ments of their owne; that were not mov'd with al those of our Saviours? how iustly did they vomit forth blood, that had vo­mited forth so vniust, so bloody a sentence? how deseruedly doe those hands spill their owne blood, that had not spar'd their Ma­kers? It is the iustice of di­vine iustice, that her iudge­ments [Page 255] shall not onely pu­nish, but vpbraid the sinne: if Iudas and Pilate loose their compassion, they shall loose their bowels too. Act. 1.1 [...]. And yet how boldly dares hee say,Mat. 27.24. I am free from the blood of this iust m [...]n, see you to it; God made man vpright (saith Solomon) but hee hath sought out many inuentions, how ma­ny to hide the staines, to shift the guilt of his sins? sinne hath many friends, but few owners, many fol­lowers, but 'tis in a gentle­man-like fashion, they'r loath to weare her livery, as that Emperour was wont to say, hee loved the trea­son, but hated the Traitor; so many love the sinne; but all hate to be, or at least to [Page 256] bee thought the Sinner; is Adam call'd to account, hast thou eaten? the sinne is shuff'ld from his hand to the womans, to Gods, the woman that thou gavest mee, Gen. 3.12. gave mee of the tree and I did eat. Is Saul challengd for sparing, where God would slay; the fault is become piety, and laid as a Sacrifice on the Altar? I saved the satiest for a Sacrifice, or if it will not stay there, on the peo­ple.1. Sam. 15.15. I obey'd the people, and heard their voice. Thus Da­vid hath slaine Vriah, ver. 20. and the sword of Ammon, and fortune of the warre must beare the blame;1. Sam. 11. thus Solo­mons harlot hath wip'd her mouth, Prov. 10.20. and 'tis not shee; Pi­late hath wash'd his hands, [Page 257] and hee is free, Mat. 27.24 and blind too, and let them see to it: desire it is the itch of the heart, and if not stopt, tis carching, and at length in­fects the braine too, what men eagerly desire, they ea­sily beleeue: how easily doe indulgence and selfe-love claw d [...]sire into opinion; the foole would faine have it, that there were no God, and at length he dares say it in his heart: Psa. 14.1. Pilate would faine bee free from blood, and now the desires of his heart hath wash'd his hands, and his tongue hath wip'd them, I am free. But is this all, no, that which brands this his sen­tence on our Saviour with as much cruelty, as iniustice, [Page 258] is that (as Saint Luke relates it) his condemnation 'tis a delive y, but how? 'tis not to his owne, but to his ene­mies liberty, to the bound­lesse bonds, and all the possible tortures of their owne wils, and wishes; hee delivered Iesus to their will. A condemnation but to a limitted death;Luk. 23. [...]5 how much pitie had it beene to such a delivery? what so vniust, so vnreasonable a sentence, so insufferable, so insatiable a torture, as to throw inno­cence it selfe on so relent­lesse a Racke, so endlesse a wheele, as the will of ma­lice? to such a wilfull abandoning him to all the mise­ry that malice could inuent, or cruelty inflict; what tor­ment [Page 259] had not beene a lena­tiue and recreation? Dani­els Lions den, the childrens seven-foldly heated fur­nace, Esay's wooden saw, Israels fiery Serpents, Egypts ten plagues, the Spanish in quisition, the Romish pur­gatory, are all as farre short in torture, as the last of them in truth, to this rabid hell of their malicious will; give mee not over to the will of my aduersaries, Psa. 27.14. 'tis the prayer of David: had hee had as many lives, as limbs, and as many limbs as hairs, such was the rancor of their wils against him, as questionlesse, they would not have spar'd one of those liues from death, not one of those limbs from torture, [Page 260] their malice (wee see) sur­uiv'd both his torture, and his life too; after all sense of torture, they pierc'd him with the Speare, Ioh. 19 34. and againe after his death and buriall too, how malic [...]ously doe they suborne false witnesses, Mat. 28 12. to sweare the falshood of his esurrection? so enuious were they even against tha [...] his second life too, that if possible, they will put to death, to the death of sup­pression, and vnbeleefe, his power, as wel as person, and according to that their dou­bled crucifige; Luk. 13 21. crucifie, as his humanity by tortures, so his divinity by slanders; 'twas out of enuy and ill will,Mat. 27.18 that they had first deliver'd him: so much Pilate him­selfe [Page 261] confesses; and shall that ill will of theirs, that was then his Pursivant, bee now his iudge? Accuser and Executioner too? how peruersly doth th [...]s sen­tence on him inuert that his owne petition? insteed of his will bee done by them; here 'tis,Luk. 23.25. their wils be done on him; which in how vnani­mous a conspiracy, as well as emulous contention, they were bent against him; the Evangelist insinuates in cal­ling it their will, not wils. But O my blessed Lord and Saviour, thou that art the Iudge, Act. 10.42 Ioh. 5 27. Ro. 14.9. P [...]a. 82.1.6. both of quicke and dead, and that not onely of men, but of gods too, and that not onely of such, as thou call [...]st gods, Kings, but [Page 262] of such as men call gods, idols, that even on those gods of the nations didst execute iudgement; thou King of Kings, God of gods, and Iudge of Iudges, all whose wayes are iudgement and truth; Deut 32.4. and all whose iudgements, as they are impartiall as the truth, so they are as vnsearchable as the deepe, Ro. 11.33. Psa. 36.6. as irrevocable as time, and as irresistible as death: was it not enough for thee (Lord) to come downe from thy throne of maiesty, Heaven, to thy foot stoole of misery,Esa. 66.1. earth? But wilt thus come downe from thy seat of iudge­ment too, to the barre of condemnation? true (Lord) thou thy selfe had'st said it, that thou cam'st not now into [Page 263] the world to iudge, Io. 12 47. but to saue it. But, was it not abase­ment, not losse enough to have saved the world by, for thee, who art not contain'd by the Heaven of Heavens, to have beene contain'd in so narrow a corner of earth, the wombe; so despicu­ous a corner, the manger? wilt thou not onely be so contain'd, but contemn'd too, and that by wormes of earth, men, but that thou wilt bee thus condemn'd too, and that by the cor­rupt powers of hell and darkenesse? Be it so (Lord) for so it becometh thee to fulfill all righteousnesse, Io 13. thus it be­cometh the Sonne of man to suffer. The same streight, that Pilates power, and the [Page 264] peoples fury had brought him in, into the same (Lord) had thy decree, and my de­sert brought thee, to bee condemn'd, or to con­demne; Ionah, or the whole ship must sinke,Ioh. 11.50. one man must die for the people, or all must perish. Thou (Lord) must either bee condemned by tman, or all mankind by thee, in which so farre art [...]hou from sparing thy selfe according either to this Presidents president, or Pe­ters prayer) that, to spare mee thou didst afford not onely the patience, but the power too, to thine owne condemnation: Pilate could have had no power, if not from above; Ioh. 19.11. let their malice then, and my sinnes have [Page 265] the shame of the fact; 'tis onely thy power and mer­cy that shall ever have the glory of the fruit of this thy condemnation; 'twas thy power onely that could give thee vp into the power of Pilate, thy will that could deliver thee vp vnto the will of the people: Esay. 53.10. how well then mightest thou say, that thou gavest thy selfe a ransome for our sinnes, Gal 1 4. thine onely was the gift, theirs (if not more mine) the guilt; 'twas thou that gavest thy selfe, Pilate gave but the sentence: when I was first (Lord) in Adam, left to mine owne power, and will; how soone did that will betray mee, that power deliver mee vp into the power, and will [...]f mine [Page 266] enemies? how proportio­nately therefore to expiate that my traiterous selfe-de­livery, doth thine owne power and will, thus deli­ver thee vp into the pow­er, and will of these ene­mies of thine? and so thy power bee showne, thy will bee done in my redemption; how well art thou content to have their power and will shewen, and done in thy condemnation? howe­ver (Lord) though I have often condemn'd thee with Pilate; every, the least of my sinnes gives the same sentence on thee, take him and crucify him: yet let me not either by trusting to mine owne, or despairing of thine, condemne both [Page 267] thee, and thy merits too, the one, as worthy of death, th'other, as vnworthy of life, though for the vnwor­thiest Sinner; so, I shall condemne (Lord) both thee and my selfe too, and the last error will be worse then the first: Mat. 27.64. yet neither let mee (with Pilate here) too indul­gently absolue mee, or on any outward formalities of hand-washing devotion say, I am free. Act 24.26. 1. King. 21.27. Heb 12.17. Numb. 23.10. Faelix (I see Lord) may tremble, Ahab may humble himselfe, Esau may weepe, and that for a blessing, Balaam may wish well,Mar. 6 20. to die the death of the righteous, Herod may heare Iohn gladly, Mat. 27 32. and doe many things conformably, Iudas may sorrow, and restore, Ma­gus [Page 268] may beleeue, Act. 8.13. and heare, Pilate may wash and confesse thine innocence, and yet all still in the gall of bitternesse, and blood of iniquitie, Mat 27.24 all may notwithstanding say with those devils, that doe beleeue and tremble, Iam. 2 19. and know thee who thou art; Mat 5.7. what have wee to doe with thee: I see, Lord,Luk. 8 13. the stony ground may heare the word with ioy, and forewardnesse; I see there may bee an enlightning, a kind of partaking of the holy Ghost, Heb. 6 4.5.6. a tasting of the heavenly gift, of the good word of God, and of the powers of the world to come; and yet all short of true repentance. O let me not set that high price of my calling in thee, on those deceitfull termes, that [Page 269] most men doe, a bare pro­fession; an empty title of Christianity, on those slight overtures, those hal­ting halues, those easie coole mediocrities, and in­differences in religion; let mee not thinke any degree of zeale too much to at­tempt, any enough to have attain'd, let mee not say with that rich foole; soule, Luk 12 19 here take thine ease, thou hast enough: Let mee not say with Iudas, of any cost or paines in thy seruice, whi­therto tends this wast; Mar. 14.4. but with those hearty conuerts let mee ever say, what yet shall I doe to bee saved, Act 2.37. Act. 16.30. herein let mee ever thinke medio­crity the worst pollicy, content the worst penury, [Page 270] ever accounting that there is no health to that spiritu­all dropsie, continually to thirst after righteousnesse, al­wayes to pant after thee, Mat. 5.6. Psa. 42.1. as the Hart after the rivers of water, no wealth, to that spiritu­all poverty of being still poore in spirit: Mat. 5.3. let mee never (with Pilate) thinke that I am free from sinne, vnlesse I vse that power I have, Mat. 27.24. Ioh. 19.10. all that I either am, or have, or can, against it.

XII. Hee beares his Crosse.Ioh. 19.17.

HOw mischievously provident is malice? how carefull not to faile of some one or other engine of torture, for every limbe of innocence? thornes for his head, spittle for his face, blasphemies for his eares, blindfoldings for his eyes, nailes for his hands, a whip for his backe, and here a Crosse for his shoulders; and this as it shall more then one where, so it shall more then one way torment him; before it shall beare him, hee shall beare it, and so (Vriah-like) hee shall cary with him the instrument [Page 272] of his owne death; thus will they make good, that their doubled crucifige, cru­cifige, Luk. 23.21. it sha l first crucifie him as a burden, then as a Crosse. Thus wi [...]l they an­tidate his sentence on him, and crucifie him before he comes to his execution: and so his ex [...]cution shall bee a pressing, and a hang­ing too, before hee shall be hung on it, hee shall bee press'd vnder it; 'tis not enough, that it torment him as a malefactor, vnlesse it load him as a beast too, that the greene heavy Crosse might at once both crush in the thornes into his harrowed head, and crush out too the bruised blood out of his furrowed backe, for [Page 273] with their whips (as hee complaines) they had plow­ed vpon his backe, Psa. 129.3. and made long furrowes. But (alas) how infinitly yet more heauy (beyond its owne weight) must this his Crosse be to him; when on it hung, all those swarmes of our heavier sinnes, a bur­den vnder which (if sensi­ble) the Crosse it selfe could not but have groan'd, and split asunder: yet, even in this passage too, had that vaile over their hearts but given them leave to have look'd backe into their Prophet Esay, how easily,2. Cor. 3.15 how fully might they have seene their malicious fin­gers herein too pointed out by prophesie? and the king­dome [Page 274] (saies hee) shall be vpon his shoulder; what is this kingdome, but his Crosse, the standart, and Scepter of this his militant kingdome of grace,Esa. 2 [...].22. and the key too (as the same Prophet elswhere cals it) of that his trium­phant kingdome of glory, the Crosse is now become a kingdome, so much hath this Kingly bearer enebled it, that of the wonted infa­my and curse of theeues, 'tis now become the en­signe, and glory of Empe­rours; how different a kingdome from that of the Popes? there the kingdome caries the King vpo [...] their shoulders, h re the King vpon his shoulder caries the kingdome: nor is it said [Page 275] vpon his shoulders, but shoulder, (as some obserue the text) twas the left shoul­der, his humanity that beares it, that other, his di­vinity, 'twas eternally begot­ten to beare rule, but never borne to beare burden. But, (alas) what with scour­ging, crowning, buffeting, watching, fasting, they haue scarce left him so much blood or strength as to ca­ry himselfe, and must hee yet beare this his heavy Crosse too? yes, till hee faint, and sincke; and lon­ger did they not feare so, to loose the hoped tortures of their nailes, gall &c. Which to prevent, they constraine (saies the text) on Simon, a Cyraenean to beare his Crosse [Page 276] after him, Mar. 15.21 not any way (questionlesse) to ease, but by some intermission or assistance to enable him to yet further tortures; vn­lesse we thinke, they vsed this helpe of Simons, to hasten him to his executi­on, lest Pilate might chance, either to revoke his sen­tence, or to change his death; but whether so, or otherwise to spinne out and wire-draw his tortures: how truely doe they here againe swallow the Cammell, and straine at the gnat: the Crosse was a heathen, a Romane death, and so one of their abominations; th [...]y may not (forsooth) touch therefore this tree of infa­my, but to touch the Lords [Page 277] anointed, Psa. 105.15. Heb 6.6. to crucifie the Lord of glory, they make no scru­ple of at all; therefore is it that they here compell this Cyraenian, not out of any la­zinesse of their owne, or pittie towards him, but on­ly of a superstitious feare to profane, and vnhallow themselues with, but the touch of a gentilish Crosse; nor is it without great mysterie, that 'tis Simon, Mar. 15.21 a Gentile, on whom this bur­den lights; here, wee have the last figure of the Iewes reiection, and the Gentiles intertainement, as to the burden, so to the blessing of the Crosse; here, Ma­nasseh hath againe lost the birth-right, Gen 48.14. Gen. 27 27. Esau both birth-right and blessing, and youn­ger [Page 278] Iacob, the Gentile Church hath gotten the birth-right to this kingdome, the blessing of this Crosse; and iustly doth hee here cast them off, that had first cast him out, hee imparts not his Crosse to this Gen­tile Simon, vntill the Iewes had first thrust him out of their Synagogue, Mar. 15. and now out of their Citie. This bur­den of the Crosse is caried part by Simon, part by our Saviour; for 'tis mostly and best vnderstood, that this word after in the text, implies not a succession of time,Luk. 23.26. but of place, that Si­mon did not at any time ca­ry the whole Crosse, but the hinder part of it after our Saviour, and so Simon [Page 279] as hee beares his Crosse af­ter him, so hee must needs follow his steps too; nor let vs ever thinke to enioy the benefit of his passion, without that of his patterne too, to take vp his Crosse, Mar. 10.21. vn­ [...]esse wee follow him, never o make him a Mediator for [...]ur sinnes, except we make [...]im a Mirror to our lives, [...]s wee have, a come vnto me [...]ll that are heavy laden; so yee have a learne of mee too, [...]or I am humble and meeke, 'tis not so much sinne, as [...]innes burden, or rather burdensomnesse, that makes the soule capable of Christs reliefe,Rom. 13.14. put yee on the Lord Iesus Christ (saies the A­postle) wee cannot doe it without both our hands, [Page 280] the hand of love, as well as that of faith, by imitation of his vertues, as well as application of his merits; the truth of Christianity consists in b [...]ing followers of him, of whom wee are worshippers; otherwise, if we thinke that a Lord, Lord, wee know thee who thou art, Mark. 5.7. will serue the turne (as the devils themselues can say) and worldlings [...]hinke e­nough to doe; how we [...]l may wee say on as they doe there: what have wee to doe with thee, what fellowship hath light with darken [...]sse, the light of a lively faith,2. Cor. 6.15. with the darkenesse of allowed sin, which is indeed the very power of darkenesse; what have wee to doe with him, if wee [Page 281] doe not after him? whe­ther wee follow Simons practise, or our Saviours precept, we may not th [...]nke to take vp his Crosse, and not to follow him. Mat. 16.24. But O my blessed Saviour, however this thy accursed Crosse so much did tortu [...]e thee, both when thy burden, and when thy bearer; yet g [...]ve mee leave a little (Lord) to dry mine eyes with the warmefull benefit of this thy burden, the blessing of this thy Crosse, at least with this wood to take away the bitternesse of these waters of Marah, Exo. 15.25. the despairefulnes and horrour of my teares; what tree in Paradice ever beare such fruit? no, not that of life, Gen. 3.22. that was (at best) but [Page 282] a preseruative of life; but this restores it; though to the (Lord) i [...] beare nothing but the thornes of shame, torture, death, yet to mee how plentifully did it beare the grapes of gladnesse, the Olives of peace, the Laure [...] of triumph? to mee, what other hast thou made it, then the Arke of No [...]h, to save from the deluge of death;Gen 6. the rod of Moses, to deliver mee from the Egypt of sinnes worse bondage; Exo 4. and make way through the red Sea of all afflictions, to that Canaan above, that flowes with that better milke, and hony, innocence and happinesse; that rod that fetches the water of life out of thee, the true Rocke of my [Page 283] refuge, Psa. 18.1. Gen. 28. the Iacobs Ladder that ties earth and heaven toge­ther, and makes them trans­meable, whereby the An­gels become ministring spirits for such as shall be Heires of saluation? Heb 1.14. what other is it but that buckler of thine the true Ioshuah lifted vp against spirituall Na [...]jm? what but that Sword of Saul, 2. Sam. 1.22. and Bow of Ionathan, that never returne empty; wha [...] but that wood of Isaac, which hee caried on his shoulders for a selfe-sacrifice, both wood, and Altar to thee, that one and all-sufficient peace-offring to thy father? what but that key of the house of David to bee laid on his shoulder, Esa. 22.22. wherewith thou openest, and no man shuts, even the gates [Page 284] of Heaven it selfe? O let this Arke (Lord) preserue mee, this rod correct mee, this buckler protect mee, this wood inflame mee, this sword and bowe fight all my quarrells, this ladder con­vey mee to thee, this key open me the way. (O Lord) I am but a stranger here, and with Simon out of my Coun­t [...]ey: Psa 39.14. Spare not here then (Lord) to loade mee with thy crosse, I will not care how much I haue of the burthen of it, so withall I haue of the benefit, let mee not thinke to bee thy Disciple, and not to take vp thy crosse, Mat. 16.24. or to take vp thy crosse and not to follow thee: let mee (with Simon) never leave treading in thy steppes, vn­till [Page 285] I come to Golgotha, Mat 27.33. that place of skulls, the grave.

XIII. The women follow him weeping.Luk. 33.27.

PItty, and of all other fe­minine pitty 'tis the poorest helplessest salve of misery: our Saviour to all these his sorrowes, and suf­ferings, his wrongs and wounds hath none but this, and this so farre from a salve, as 'tis one of his ten­derest sores, Daughters of Ierusalem weepe not for mee. Luk. 23.28 Some Schoole-men haue said it (I know not how warrantably) that the sor­row of his Passion was not so great, as the sorrow of his compassion, how ever, [Page 287] it cannot (questionlesse) but largely adde to, if not ex­ceed it; where the sorrow is great, & the interests neere, (as betweene our Saviour and his Mother with these his other friends) society in sorrow doth not so much divide, as multiply, and mutually reflect it; wee see it in that the Apostle Pauls complaint, in a like but lighter case,Act. 20. What doe yee thus a weeping (sayes hee) and a breaking my heart? but, how great is still his loue, how triumphant above his griefe? in the midst of all his misery hee forgets not mercie, his compassion breakes forth through the thi [...]kest of his Passion, all his sweat and bloud cannot, [Page 288] drowne, all his wrongs and wounds cannot bury the remembrance of his friends, in the midst of all their tor­tures and lowdest out-cries of contumely, of blasphe­mie, hee can heare his fol­lowing friends weeping be­hind him, and neglect all his own sufferings, to com­fort them, Weepe not for me; such is his patience amidst all his tortures, that it tor­tures his tormentours, such his loue that it comforts his comforters, hee hath more compassion on the women that follow him weeping, then on his owne mangled selfe that reeles a­long fainting, bleeding even to, vnto death; hee feeles more the teares that drop [Page 289] from their eyes, then all the bloud that flowes from his owne veines; hee will not vouchsafe a word to Pilat that adiures, Ioh. 19.10. that threatens him, no,Luk. 23.8. nor to Herod that entreates, that soothes him, and yet vnask'd how graci­ously doth he turne about his blessed bleeding face to the weeping women,Ver 28. affording them lookes and words too of compassion, of consola­tion, Weepe not, &c. Hee re­spects then (wee see) teares more then words the teares of silly women behind his backe, then the entreaties, the threats of Governours, of Kings to his face; yet did he not turne his face to them vntill hee heard them weepe; Ver. 27. nor may we ever thinke to [Page 290] see his face in glory, vnlesse wee first bathe our owne in sorrow; hee answeres the weeping women, but not que­stioning Herod, and so, he is ever ready to answere our devotion, bu [...] not our curiosity. Salomon when hee de­dicates the Temple, prayes thus;1. King 8.52. Let thine eyes (O Lord) be open to the supplications of thy seruants; and againe, when Hezekiah prayes in that his sicknes, God (sayes he) hee heard his teares: so here he heares,2. King. 20.5. and turnes to these womens teares without words; what means it that God is said thus to see our prayers, and to heare our teares? Doth he heare with eyes, and see with eares: No; but there­fore [Page 291] 'tis he is said to see our prayers, because none pre­vaile with him, but such as are (in some sort) made vi­sible to his eyes by deedes, therfore to heare our teares, because 'tis they that make the best musick in his eares, and runne the best division on our prayers; if God then doe thus heare best with his eyes, the best way for men to speake, is, with their hands, to put our prayers vnder our hands in deeds, as well as put them vp with our tongues in words, to signe them, as well as signifie them; the wicked (saies Solomon) hee walkes with a froward mouth; Prov. 6.12. let the godly then (his true Antipode) tread opposite [Page 292] to him, and speake with to­wardly feet, that is, turne all his prayers into paths, tread out every word of them in­to steps, so shall God see his prayers before he heare them, and (as by these wo­men here) heare their teares before hee see them.Vid 'tis Solomons owne Phrase, to speake with the feet, and to teach with the fingers: Yee daughters of Ierusalem weepe not &c. 'Twas a woman that had the first, if not the greatest share in the cause of this his death; and there­fore women shall now have the least share in the execu­tion. If a woman conuei'd to man, the fruit of death, a woman conueies to man, this fruit of life too: If the [Page 293] woman at first sin'd most, they're women too, that here weepe most for't: a woman first brought on man the fall, Gen. 3.12. Io. 20.2. and a woman first brings to men the re­surrection. But O my blessed Saviour, thy actions (I meane not thy miraculous or meritorious, but morall ones) as well as thy com­mands are my instructions; and didst not thou thy selfe (Lord) weepe for Lazarus, Ioh 11.35. and for Ierusalem, Luk. 19.41. Deut 34.8. Act. 8.2. all the peo­ple wept at the death of Moses, all the Church at Stephens, the women lamented the death of Dorkas, that had made them garments, Act. 9.39. and yee daughters of Israel (saies Da­vid) weepe for Saul,2. Sam. 1.24. who clo­thed you with scarlet? how [Page 294] much more (Lord) should I weepe at the remem­brance of thy death, who hast woven for mee, and that out of thine owne blood and bowels, that wed­ding garment of righteousnesse, and clothed mee with that richer scarlet dyed in the blood of the Lambe. Mat. 22 11. Rev. 7.14. Didst thou (Lord) so flow vnto mee, and in so many shoures of blood, in the Garden, the Hall, the Palace, the Post, on the way here, and on the Crosse anon, and may I not drop a teare for all those purple streames of thine? weepe not for mee. Yes, (Lord) thou that here look'st backe on the women,Luk. 22.28. because they did weepe, didst looke backe on Peter, Luk. 22.6 [...]. be­cause [Page 295] hee should weepe, and among those thy eight bea­titudes, one is,Mat. 5.4. blessed are those that mourne: no, Lord, thou dost not here forbid mee weeping, onely thou turn'st the streame of my teares the rightway, home­ward, backe into mine owne bosome, pointing me to the true, both cause and subiect of all sorrow, my sinnes, the truest cause too of these thy suffrings; hadst thou suffred thus, vn­willingly, or for thy selfe, I might well have wept for thee; but 'twas for mee (Lord) and that how free­ly how victoriously? I will leave then that weaker, womanish moodinesse of of needlesse pitie at the out­ward [Page 296] sense of thy happy triumphant passion to the sweaty eyes of Monks and Friers, and spend my teares on the more inward cause of it, my sinnes, and so they bee the subiect of my sor­rowes, bee my head (with Ieremies) a Fountaine of teares,Ier. 9.1. my teares a Sea for thee to drive the swin sh heard of my sinnes into,Mat. 8.32. to drowne them all in; so, (with David) bee my tears my meat, my drink, my lodging, feede mee with him,2 King. 20. Psa. 80.5. Psa 42.3. on the bread of teares, give mee plenteousnesse of teares to drinke, water my Couch with teares; Psa. 6.6. so let me (with Hezekiah) turne to the wall and weepe, 2. King. 20.2. to the onely wall, the bulwarke of my [Page 297] safety, and so, every teare shall bee a common shot to batter downe that wall of partition, that is betweene vs; 'tis with her eye (Lord) that thy Spouse doth wound thee, Ephes. 2.14. Can 4.9. 'tis the Sacrifice of a bro­ken, a bleeding heart, that thou wilt not despise. Psa 51.17. O let mee (with Eliah) then first steepe this my Sacrifice in wa­ter, 1 King. 18.34. the water of repentant teares, so, the fire of thy love shall not only accept my Sacrifice, but (as in that of his) licke vp the water too, dry vp my teares, and in the end turne (as at Cana) my water into wine, Ioh 2. my drops of teares, into flouds of ioy. O strike then (Lord) as thou didst at Rephidim, Exod. 17. Psa. 78.17 this rocke of my heart with [Page 298] the rod of true remorse, that this water may gush out: this is that troubled poole of Be­thesda, Io. 5.2. wherein I must plunge my cripled soule, if ever I would have it sound, these are those waters wher­in thou breakest the heads of those spirituall Dragons: Mans life (in Davids com­putation) 'tis iust so long as Ierusalems captivity in Ba­bilon, Psa. 90.10. seventie yeares, and what other is it then a cap­tivity? if not vnder the tyrany of sinnes vtter bon­dage, yet at least vnder the durance, and restraint of many sinfull frailties: whil [...] I live here then, what should I doe but s [...] me [...] by these waters of sorrow? [...]sa. [...]37.1. [...]s for my harpe of mirth, [Page 299] what should I but hang it vp, ver. 2. vntill I come to my Ieru­salem, ver. 4. what should I doe a singing here in a strange land, and that too before the victo­ry, before I have either fought my fight, 2. Tim. 4.7. or finish'd my course.

XIIII. The Souldiers divide,Mat. 27.35. and cast lots for his gar­ments.

IObs miseries were great, and many,Iob 2. and, yet all how far short of these our Saviours? Iobs shirt (as he complaines) was become as stiffe as the coller of his Coat, it appeares then (however, his case were like that his case, his shirt, hard) yet that hee had both a shirt and Coat, to cloth him: our Saviour hath neither left him, vnlesse it bee that of shame, Psa. 35.26. wherewith (as David speakes) they clothed him as with a garment. Iob sate on the dunghill, scraping his sores [Page 301] with a potsheard; Iob 2.8. it appeares then however, his seat were none of the sauouriest, his salue none of the sove­raign'st, yet that hee had a hand at liberty, and a pot­sheard at hand, somewhat to ease him; our Saviour in this his case-lesse case, hath neither hand, nor so much as pot-sheard; nay his strength (as David speaks) 'tis it selfe,Psa. 22.15. dried vp like a pot-sheard, and brought into the very dust of death. Herod and Pilate, Luk. 13. they cloath him (indeed) but 'tis in iest; these strip him, but 'tis in earnest, all have one end, whether they cloth, or strip him, 'tis still to shame him; nor is it any abate­ment, that the garments [Page 302] value might lighten the losse, how much it afflicted him to have his naked bo­dy so immodestly expos'd, to the rude contemptuous eyes of all beholders? let his owne complaint wit­nesse;Psa. 44.16. all the day lo [...]g i [...] my shame against mee, and the confusion of my face covers mee: Mat. 25.35.42. If hee complaine, I was naked, and yee clothed mee not: how much more may hee here complaine, I was clothed, and yee strip'd me naked; and yet to let vs see, how much more obdu­racy towards his poorer members here, afflicts, dis­poils, robs him: then the worst cruelty towards his person, that finds him a se­vere Iudge, I was naked &c. [Page 303] and therefore depart yee cur­sed; Luk. 23.34. when as this finds him an earnest Aduocate, Father forgiue them: God gaue Man clothes in Paradise, Gen. 3. and them how hath hee since abus'd, and alienated from their first institution, from Cove­ring of shame, to the discove­ry of Pride, Shame, and Luxury: Man shall (here) [...]herefore take away Gods [...]wne cloth's, that by the losse of his, hee may expi­ [...]te the vanity of ours: Nor, will this our David, 1. Sam. 17. our Champion, have any of Sauls armour, no, not so much of carnall furniture, as clothes to encounter with that spirituall Goliah, with all his host, onely his sling, and three stones, his [Page 304] Crosse and nailes shall serue the turne. Of all the other passages of his passion, wee find not any so punctually pointed out by prophesie, as this;Psa. 22.18. They parted my gar­ments, and on my vesture did they cast lots: It seeme ra­ther a Hystorie, then Pro­phesie, an Impletion, then Prediction, the mysterie is here no lesse full, and prog­nant neither: our Sav [...]ou [...] had (as their custome was) two garments, the one, a larger vpper garmen [...], the other,Ioh. 19.23. a seame-lesse inner Coat, this was knit through­out, made him by his mo­ther (as antiquity hath possess'd the Church) when hee was a child, and both lasted, and grew with him [Page 305] by miracle: These two garments represent those his two bodies, naturall and mysticall; the outer gar­ment, the embleme of hi [...] naturall body, that is by he Souldiers (here) rent, and torne into fower parts, so was his naturall body in the merit of its sufferi [...]g, into the fower parts of the world; the other inner seamelesse one, that signifies his body mysticall, his Church, this hee weares more inwardly; more neere him, this is kept entire and whole, so much more ten­der is hee of his Church, this body mysticall, then of that his body naturall, that he cares not how much that bee divided, torne a­sunder, [Page 306] to keepe the other whole, so carefull is hee to have this preseru'd (with that his inner garment) from the rents of schismes, and factions; that if Paul breath out threatnings against it, Act. 9 1. hee is strucken blind for't to the ground; ver. 4. where as these Murderers of his, how sa­vadgly doe they wound, & teare that other garment of his body naturall with­out grudge, or checke? These inhumane Souldiers then are not so iniurious to him, as those light heeld, but lighter headed Schis­matickes, that running first out of their wits, and then out of the Church, because it runs not on the giddy wheeles of their owne ver­tiginous [Page 307] fancies, sticke not to rend with schisme, that very garment in the myste­rie, which the Souldiers themselues spar'd; they are not asham'd to tell vs, [...]hat they daily mourne for ou [...] so bespotted, bestrumpeted Church, and dare pretend the Virgin Primitive on for their (alas) how vnstudied patterne for their misspent pitie, how well may our Church answere them, as her Bride-groome did but now the women? Weepe not for mee, but for your selues: But for their mispretended imitation of the Primitive Church, how rather (like Antipodes to it) doe they tread quite opposite; if wee looke [Page 308] backe vpon those primitive times, wee shall find the Churches purity, thus by her selfe describ'd: They continued daily with one ac­cord in the Temple, A [...]. 2.46. and brea­king of bread, did eat their meat at home with gladnesse, and singlenesse of heart; whereas these Church-Rebels, insteed of con [...]inu­ing daily with one accord in the Temple, how doe they daily run in discord out of the Temple? insteed of breaking of bread at home, how doe they breake the b [...]ead of the Church, the staffe of its life, peace and v­nity abroad? and lastly, how frowardly doe they turne their gladsome single­nesse of heart, into a glorious [Page 309] singularity of head? I dare not say (with Paul) I would they were cut off, which trouble you; I will say onely (with David) Let them bee turned backe, that have evill will to Syon, let peace bee within her borders, let her be like Ieru­salem, a Citie, Ioh. 15.12. that is at vnity with it selfe, Ioh. 14.27. this was the command, Legacy, and prayer, of our Saviour himselfe, that shee might bee one, Ioh. 17.11. as hee and his Father are one.

But O Lord, thou that guidest both,Prov. 21.1. the inscrutable hearts of Kings, and (as here) the most savadge hands of Souldiers to spoile, and spare, as thou shal please; ever guid (Lord) my hands to eschew evill, and doe good, Psal. 34.13. my heart, to seeke peace, and [Page 310] ensue it: Let mee neither rend thy garments by schisme, nor rob thee of them by oppression, let me beg them of thee by faith, and prayer; it is thou (Lord) that clothest the Lillies so glo­riously above Solomon: Luk. 12.27. Mat. 22.11. Deut. 10. Psa. 39.14 O cloth mee as graciously, with that richer Roab, that wedding, welcomming gar­ment of thy righteousnesse, thou givest rayment to the stranger (O Lord) I am a stranger vpon earth, as all my Fathers were, give mee of this thy rayment, this only is able to cover my shame, to keepe my skirts from being discovered; Ier. 13.22. 2. King 2.13. thou (Lord) art (with Eliah) gone to Hea­ven, bestow (as hee) this thy garment on thy Seruant, [Page 311] this will (as that) smite and divide the overflowing Iordan of temptations, into a passage; this onely (like those of the Israelites) will not wax old in my Iourney through this worlds wilder­nesse, Deut. 8 4.29.5. but will bring mee to that better Canaan above: at least to stop the issue of my customary sinning, let me by the hand of saith (with that woman) touch but the hemme of thy garment, Mat 5. and I shall bee whole: thy chiefe tormentors (Lord) had thy garments, and can I then misse them? I have c [...]ucified the [...] oftner then [...]hey, and so need them more then they to hide my shame, my sinne; this gar­ment of thy merits Lord, [Page 312] it is (I see) a true golden fleece, and fals (as these thy garments here) vnto the Souldiers share, it must bee wonne, or not worne, though it fall to vs (as these) by lot (wee are elected (saies the Apostle) by lot, yet to none but to the Souldiers lot) if I live not in a conti­nuall warfar against the world,Iob. 7.1. the flesh, and devill, let mee not thinke to weare this scarlet, Rev. 7. if I fight not in that field, let mee not thinke to share in these spoiles. (O Lord) whom have I in Hea­ven, but thee, and what is there on earth, Psa. 73 24. that I desire in com­parison of thee? what should I desire besides thee? thou art food, and clothing, thy flesh (thou saiest) 'tis meat [Page 313] indeed, Ioh 6.55. Ro. 13.14. and thy blood drinke indeed, and (thy Apostle saies) thou art clothing, and bids mee put thee on, and food and rayment, Gen. 28.20. is all both Iacobs wish, 1. Tim. 6.8. and Pauls content­ment; feed me with this food conuenient for mee, cloth me with this fragrant rayment, Gen. 27.27. that can onely win the blessing; so, I shall be better fed then those Israelites, though fed with the food of Angels; Psa. 78.26. so shall I bee better cloth'd, then that woman in Iohns vision, though clothed with the Sun, when, so,Rev 12.1. Ioh 6 48. Mal. 4.2. my food shall bee the bread of life, my clothing, the Sun of righteousnesse.

XV. They Crucifie him.Mat. 27. Luk 23.

DEaths have their diffe­rence as well as lives, lives differ not more in the degrees of glory, and de­light, then deaths doe in the degrees of shame, and torture; nay, some kindes of lives and deaths differ not more each from other, then severall kindes of deaths doe among them­selues: wee read of foure severall kindes of deaths, then in vse among the Iewes, strangling, stoning, fire, and the sword, none of these deaths are t [...]ought bad enough for this Lord of life, but they will borrowe [Page 315] a gentilish death, though from their enemies for such a friend; the Crosse was a death, whether for the paine, the shame, the curse, farre above all other, wee may see it in that the Apo­stles gradation,Phil. 2.8. hee became obedient to death, even the death of the Crosse: how great must needes the shame be of this death? wherein the Crucified were lifted vp as a spectacle to all eyes, and how much yet greater is our Saviours above the others? wee read of no in­sultations, or irrisions, no inscriptions or vpbraydings spent on his companions in this death, herein like ano­ther Beniamin his messe is five times greater then the [Page 316] rest; the curse of this death 'twas worse then the shame, this seemes to be the more inward shame, and conster­nation which the guiltinesse of the death strikes into the soule of the sufferer, hereby, hee was made a curse for vs (sayes the Apostle) for it is written, Gal. 3 13. Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree, yet (as Ierome well distinguishes) the curse is rather the curse then the effect, hee is not therefore accursed, because he hangs, but he therefore hangs because hee is ac­curs'd, otherwise punish­ment should not expiate, but beget guilt, and so still deserve further punishment; therefore did our Saviour thus hang on the accursed [Page 317] tree, because hee had before taken the curse of our sinnes on him, nor is the paine in its kinde lesse then either; now come the barbarous inhumane hangmen and be­gin to loose his hands, but how? alas, 'tis not to any liberty, but to worse bonds, of nayles; then strip they off his gore-glew'd clothes, and with them (question­lesse) not a little of his mangled skin and flesh too in parting, as if 'twere not enough to crucifie him as a thiefe, vnlesse they flea him too as a beast; nay, how much worse then ei­ther do they vse him, when as they flea him while a­live, and after with the speare wound him too [Page 318] when dead? then stretch they him out like another Isaack on his owne burthen, the crosse, to take measure for the holes; and though the print of his bloud on it gave them (questionlesse) his true length, yet how spight­fully doe they take it yet longer then the truth? thereby at once both to crucifie, and rack him; that hee was thus stretch'd and rack'd vpon his crosse, Da­vid gives more then pro­bable intimation, I may tell all my bones, Psal 22.17. and else-where, all my bones were out of ioynt, which how could it other­wise so well be, as by such a violent distortion? where­by it seemes they had made him a living anatomie: [Page 319] nor is it in the lesse sensible fleshy parts of the body, that they drive these their larger tenters, whereon his whole waight must hang, but the hands and feete, the most sinnewy, and conse­quently the most sensible parts of all other, wherein how rudely, and painefully they handle him, appeares too by that of David, Psal. 12.17. foderūt manus, he doth not say, they pierced; but they digged my hands, and feete, the boysterous and vnusuall greatnesse of which their nayles, wee have from ve­nerable antiquity, Constan­tine the great is said to have made of them both a hel­met and a bridle, some say more, how ever, how much [Page 320] it was for his whole body to hang so long, on nayles so rudely driven thorow parts so feeling, how his bodies weight must needes continually stretch the wounds still wider, and so continue on with fresh ad­dition of new torture, their gnawing paines, 'tis a sub­iect fitter for meditation then speech: such as fully to expresse, would require both the eloquence and experience of him that felt it: how should I write on, but that my teares should blot out what I write, when 'tis no other then, he that is thus vs'd,Col. 1.14. who hath blotted out that hand writing of ordi­nances against me: but

O Lord, thou that on [Page 321] that other mount wert so gloriously transfigured, Mat 17. how much againe on this mount have my sinnes disfigured thee, how truly might thy Prophet (here) say of thee, that there was no forme left in thee, Esay 53.2. nor beauty for which thou shouldst be desired; what else appeares but bleeding vaines, bruised shoulders, rawe scourged sides,Psa. 129 3. fur­rowed backe, harrowed tem­ples, digged hands and feete, Psa. 22.17 distorted, disfigured limbes all over? shame, griefe, and paine, emulously, striving, which shall have the grea­test share in thee their pro­strate prey, their facile trampled spoyle, and cap­tive. O Lord, in thee it is I live, and for mee it is thou [Page 322] diedst, and wilt thou dye none but the worst of deaths, that of the crosse, because 'twas due to mee, and can I (here) live any but the best of lives, that of grace, it being so due to thee? how free, how hap­py an exchange hath the merits of thy sufferings made with those of my sinnes? in steed of death, life, and in that death of thine, and life of mine, for shame, glory, a Kingdome of glory; for paine, pleasure, the pleasures of thy right hand for evermore; Psal. 26.12. for the curse, the blessing, blessednesse it selfe; Exo. 21.24. how farre is this from that old equality,Lev. 14.20. an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; how much better like Sampsons [Page 323] riddle, Iud. 14.14. out of the Eater (here) comes meate, out of strength, sweetnesse, out of devouring death the bread of life, out of the strength of malice, the sweetnesse of mercy, light out of darknesse. When my sins (Lord) here layd thee on the Altar of thy Crosse, (it seemes) they did not onely nayle, but racke thee vp a­bove thine owne naturall dimensions: but when thou shalt enter into iudgement with thy servant; alas (Lord) thou wilt not neede any tenter-hookes of rigour to reach those sinnes of mine, the least of them being done against so great a God, can­not but deserve the greatest of thy iudgements; for length, eternity will but [Page 324] serve, for depth hell it selfe, for breadth if mountaines could be perswaded to fall on to cover them, Rev. 6. they could not. Rather (O Lord) as that Steward take the bill and write but fourescore for the hundred; Luk. 16.7. and yet (alas) nor will that serve turne nei­ther, no, rather with that Lord of that other Steward, dash quite out the score, Mat. 18.28. for­give the whole debt, shouldst thou leave (Lord) but any, alas, I am not able to answere thee for one of a thousand. Was it because they were so many, that I cannot count all my sinnes, that thou sufferedst thus to bee rack'd,Psal. 22.17. that thou could'st count all thy bones? my sinnes in­deede are many, so many, [Page 325] that they exceede not onely my acquittance, but ac­count, how ever, yet, my dayes are but fewe, though I cannot count my sins then, yet teach mee to number my dayes (with David) that I may apply my heart to wise­dome. Psal. 90.12. Thy wounds (Lord) are both the treasure, Mat. 13.44. and foundation of thy Church, how well then for their vse, as well as widenesse, is it said,Mat. 16.18. that they digged thy hands and feete. O let mee not sticke with the wise Mer­chant, to sell all, rather then not purchase this field where this treasure lyes. Psal. 22.17. There in those rich mynes of thy wounds, let me by a lively faith digge for this invalu­able everlasting treasure of [Page 326] thy merits, though they digged through (Lord) they have not stolne away this trea­sure, Mat 6.20. Zech. 13.1. 'tis a fountaine opened to the house of Iudah, how tru­ly may I say (with David) but in a happier sense, the proud have digged pittes for me; Psa. 119.85 on this digg'd foundation, let me build my house, it is the rocke, 'gainst which, let the flouds beate never so much,Mat. 16.19. they shall not prevaile.

XVI. Some vpbraid him on the Crosse,Mat. 27. Mar. 15. and dare him to come downe, others that passe by, wagge their heads at him, and revile him

THere is nothing more naturall to man, then if not to helpe, yet at least to p tie misery though ne're so guilty, and if misery bee [...]oth obiect, and motive e­nough of pitie, what mise­ [...]y so moving, so melting, is this, as all this of our Saviours? nor is misery (here) the onely motive neither, here is innocence it selfe in all this misery, and if mise­ry may move pitie, innocence [Page 328] may challenge it. How well might our Saviour complaine, that there was no mans sorrow like vnto his; Lam. 1.12. others sorrowes are at least somewhat blunted with pitie, but his edgd and pointed yet sharper by scorne, and insultation. Nor is it barely so neither, but a kind of strange a [...]d vnusuall mixture of scorne, and enuy in one vpbraiding, 'tis a medly of them both; but what can they vpbraid him with, hee saved others; Luk. 23.35. what better testimo­ny, as of his power and mercy, so of his innocence too, then, that enuy it selfe (that same broad eyed Lin­ceus) can not find a greater beame in his eye then his, sa­ving [Page 329] others? what better confession could they have made of that which [...]ere while Pilate confess'd, that they had delivered him of en­uy, Mar 15. [...]0. the enuy which they beare his power, and good­nesse, in saving others; spight it selfe (spight of i [...]s owne teeth) cannot, but stile him a Saviour; so then when they would have had Pilate to have altred the inscription of his accusation, Ioh. 19 21. if they would have had it done aright, hee should have made it, Iesus of Nazareth, that saved others; for that now appeares to bee the true cause of their malice, and his death, and so (in­deed) it was, as well in his owne end, as their enuy; [Page 330] therefore did hee die, that hee might save others, but now (say they) hee can not doe as much for himselfe, himselfe hee can not save, Luk. 23.35. while they thinke to vp­braid his power, how plainely doe they speake his mercy, in doing more for others then himselfe, that hee could have done as much for himselfe, nothing but a Iewish vailed heart could bee infidell in, specially having seene him to have freed so many from those stronger bonds of death, 2. Co. 3 15 the grave, and the devill too: Mat 1. Mar. 5. So reachlesse is their malice, that they have nothing, to vpbraid his power with, but his owne mercy; therefore is [Page 331] it that hee will not save himselfe, that hee may thereby save others. From vpbraiding, they next fall to daring (the vsuall Me­thode of malice) and what is it they dare him to, to come downe from the Cross [...], If thou b [...]e the Sonne of God come downe; alas,Mat 27.40. could they thinke it ha [...]d for him to come downe from a chip of wood, that they them­selues could put vp, who came downe from the throne of Heaven, to which they, and it were but of the dust of the foot-stoole? could not the Heaven of Heavens containe him, and can a few nailes, thinke they, detaine him? no, hee could as ea­sily have come downe from [Page 332] their Crosse,Mat. 4 as from the devils Pinnacle, but that hee came to set vs free who were in bondage, by this his willing thraldome, and by this captivity of his, to lead captivity it selfe captive: 'twas our sinnes, and his love that stucke him faster to his Crosse, then all their cords and nailes; if his flesh hee tooke from vs bee fastned to it with three nailes, his love hee beares to vs, is nailed to it with many times three thousand sinnes; no, had hee liv'd but th [...]se three houres on earth, and all the rest of his three and thirtie yeares on his Grosse, and in all that torture hee now is in, 'tis not all the teares of men, [Page 333] nor prayers of Angels, much lesse the darings of enemies, that can fetch him downe, so much hath his love to vs enamourd him of this his now espoused Crosse, and turn'd all those his rackings on it into im­braces, that nothing shall now divorce him from it, but death.

If thou bee the Sonne of God (say they) come downe, how weake, as well as wic­ked are their provocations? If thou bee the Sonne of God? Whereas, because hee is the Sonne of God, therefore is it, that he will not come downe; had hee beene but the Sonne of man alone, and able, hee would have beene glad to his [Page 334] owne ease, if not glory to have taken them to their word, but being the Sonne of God, thus brauely is he able to slight their tortures, and temptations both; But how plainely doe they herein the while make good that his owne herauldry on them; and rightly father themselues, yee are of your Father the devill, for yee doe, as he hath done before yee, Ioh. 8.44 not long before hee had temp­ted him much what in the same stile; If thou be the Sonne of God, Mat. 4.3. saies hee, cast thy selfe downe, and 'twas from the Pinnacle, where hee himselfe had brought him, how neere tread they in this their Fathers steps? If thou be the Sonne of God [Page 335] say they) come downe, and 'tis from the Crosse, where they themselues have put him; nor, doe they follow that their Father of lies, more in the provocation it selfe, then the annexed pro­mise, I will give thee all the kingdomes of the earth (saies hee) wee will beleeue (say they) nor was that further from his power,Mat 27.40. then this from their purpose; they beleev'd him not (wee see) when hee rose vp from the stronger grave; how much lesse had hee come downe from this easie blocke? this, how fearefull a flight had it beene from death? that, how powerfull a con­quest was it of it? how tru­ly did hee therein prove [Page 336] himselfe,Mar. 3.27. that stronger man in his owne Parable, in bin­ding so that strong man death, and that in his owne house, the grave. No, 'tis to bee thought rather, that they would have had him downe, but to have doubl'd and renew'd his tortures, to have crucified him a­gaine indeed, as the [...] had before in word, crucifie him, crucifie him. Luk 23.21. And (alas) how vnhappy a miracle had it beene to vs, that they here tempt him to? how well was it for vs, that they sped not?Mat. 27.25. his blood bee vpon vs, and on our children; 'tis a peece of holy oratory, a iust prayer to this so vncha­ritable an imprecation, so fearefull a curse, for (alas) [Page 337] had hee not more suppor­ted his staggering Crosse, then it him, how could it possibly have stood vnder such Mountaines of sins? it must so, have left fall all our severall burdens vpon our owne backes, and then, O wretched men, Rom. 7.24. that wee had beene, who should have delive­red vs from those burthens of our death! (questionlesse) it was no other then a sugge­sted stratagem of the devils, now beginning to feele what a conquest the crosse thus enabled with this its burthen, would shortly win over him with all his powers of darknesse; if they then dare him to come downe, let vs rather desire him to goe further vp on this Ia­cobs [Page 338] ladder of his crosse,Gen. 28.12. that when (as hee speakes him­selfe) he is lifted vp, hee may draw vs vnto him, if they dare him to come downe from his crosse to them, let vs pray him rather to take vs vp thither to him, that where he is there might we be also. Ioh. 17.24. But is it not enough that the spectators thus vp­brayd, and dare him, vnlesse the passers by too wagging their heads revile him, Mar. 15.29 is't not enough that his fearefull Apostles flye him, the mournfull women grieve him, the busie Actors at once torment, deride, blas­pheme him, the envious lookers on vpbrayd him, but that the carelesse pas­sers by too reproach and [Page 339] flowt him?Lam. 1 12. O all yee that passe by (sayes he) behold and see my sorrowe, and yet be­hold those that here passe by doe behold, but to re­vile and scorne it; even such as are not so farre in­gag'd (they thinke) in the cause, as to bee permanent spectators, yet can bee as malicious to the person, as to bee impudent revilers, though they have not as much leasure as to stay, yet will they haue as little mo­desty as to rayle, they will not faile in that, though they take it out in their way, as Shimey did by Da­vid, rayling as he went. 2 Sam. 16.13. Mar. 15.29. And what is their invective? Ah thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it againe in three [Page 340] dayes, save thy selfe. What speech can possibly be more perplext and woven with falshoods, impossibilities, and contradictions, hee ne­ver said hee would destroy, but destroy yee this Temple, Ioh. 2.19. and yet therein neither did their false witnesses agree. Mar. 14.59 How full of impossibility is it too and contradiction? thou that destroyest the Temple, Ioh. 2.21. save thy selfe: whereas that selfe of his was the Temple that hee spake of, hee spake (sayes the Text) of the tem­ple of his body, which if hee should now have saved, and not suffered it first to be de­stroyed, how could he have made good his word of building it againe in three dayes? Therefore will he, [Page 341] must he, not now save him­selfe, because hee had pro­mis'd to build himselfe a­gaine, which had beene im­possible had he not first bin destroyed; to restore, ne­cessarily implyes a destru­ction; to restore then, and not to bee first destroyed, must needes imply a con­tradiction; but no mervaile falshoods, impossibilities, and contradictions, are but the vsuall figures of this kinde of rayling rethorike; and for their literall temple too, seeing they will needs wrest his speech to it, they have (or may) by this time find what ominous Ravens they have herein beene to themselves in the destructi­on of that temple too, and [Page 342] that not in word onely, but in type and figure, what better figure could they give then these their sha­king heads of the shaking, and then a staggering head of their Iudeah, Ierusalem, and of the head of that, their temple, and of the head of that, their law, and of their being shortly after shaken over the whole earth, without Head, or Governour; how emulous is every member of malice in an in­dustrious contention for the mastery in mischiefe? their hearts in malice, their hands in torture, their tongues in taunts and bla­sphemies, their heads will not be behind, neither in the sweat of invention to [Page 343] put the rest a worke, and those who have no braines to straine in invention, yet will not faile to shake their empty heads in derision: how well might the Pro­phet say, Hee shall beare the reproach of all the people. But O my blessed Lord and Sa­viour, what difference is this betweene thine and o­thers sufferings? those of others draw at lest pitty and condolement, and must thine onely provoke insul­tation, and contempt? Dost thou except nothing but sin in making thee like men, Heb. 2.17.4.15. and doe men adde an other ex­ception, of suffering to that of sinne, not vouchsafing to make thee like other men in that common, poore, [Page 344] cheape reliefe of pitty, if not thy misery, yet might thy confessed mercy finde some pitty, he saved [...]ers, no, but himselfe (say they) hee cannot save. Luk. 23.35 Thy actions (Lord) alas, they are bounds, how much too narrowe for thy attributes, whether of will or power? from what thou do'st, to what thou canst do, to argue negatively, argues little Sophistry, but much blasphemy; that thou wilt do no more then what thou do'st, 'tis folly to presume; but that thou canst doe no more then what thou do'st, 'tis Atheisme but to ima­gine; alas, how easily couldst thou (here) have come down from the cross, how much easier (for mat­ter [Page 345] of paine if not power) then thou went'st vp? how easily could'st thou (here) have done by them, what they had bragg'd they would do by thee, have bro­ken their bondes asunder, Psa. 2.3. and cast away their cords from thee, 'tis thou (Lord) that bindest Kings with chaines and Prin­ces with linkes of iron; who though now thou bee thy selfe fast bound in misery and iron, Psa. 107.10 yet art thou s [...]ill as free from being any way power­bound here on the Crosse, as on the Seas before, where windes, and waves, Mat. 8.17. and all obey thee? how very threds of sand, are mans strongest bonds, when in those Samp­sons hands of thine, that mea­sure out the Heavens with a Esay 40.12. [Page 346] span, and weigh the mountaines in scales, and hold the waters in their hallowe. I will make thy will then (Lord) the rule of thy iustice, but not thine actions the limits of thy power,Deut 8 18. Psa. 36.5. as thy mercy is in and above all thy work [...]s, so thy power is still both in, and beyond them, in which though many times thy purpose may reserve, or su­spend, or proportion the outward act to the capaci­ty, or occasion of the sub­iect, yet nothing can con­fine thy power,2 Tim. 2 9. thy word 'tis not bound (sayes thy Apo­stle) how much lesse thy power? thou art the Sonne of God, and therefore how easily could'st thou have come downe? and yet how [Page 347] much more powerfully didst not? how much more strongly did'st thou prove thy selfe the Sonne of God, against all their torturings, temptings, darings, by stay­ing on the Chariot of thy crosse, & therin leading cap­tivity it selfe captive, then by comming downe, & so, en­thralling vs by thy yeeld­ing freedom? how meteor-like a blaze had'st thou so appear'd, in loosing the height, the region of this thy suffering, and yet con­quering triumph? where­as, thus staying, how fixt a starre do'st thou appeare, nay,Mal. 4.2. how true a Sunne of righteousnesse (like the Sunne by Ioshuah,) thou hast beene pray'd to stand still, Mar. 10.49. by blind [Page 348] Bartimeus (like the Sun by Hezekiah) to turne backe too, Luk. 24.29. by the Disciples iourneying to Emaus; but to bee drawne from this thy spheare, thy crosse, couldst never, but how truly (like the Sunne go­ing forth in his might, Psa. 19 5. didst thou still reioyce as a Gyant to runne thy course, though in bloud, and torture. Some­times I see (Lord) thou canst give in anger, so thou gavest this people a King in thy wrath; 1 Sam. 10. and sometimes againe thou canst deny in mercy, how mercifull a de­niall was this in not com­ming downe from thy crosse? with how much more mercy didst thou de­nie this suite, then thou could'st graunt it? how mi­serably [Page 349] would wee many times entangle our selves, should wee sit downe and obtaine our owne wishes? O thou Altar, thou anker of my soule, give me but to serve and trust thee, and I aske no more, for my other desires I will assure me that thou wilt heare them either to my wish, or to my better welfare, thou hast promi­sed to cast in all things vse­full to the seeking of thy king­dome, Mat. 6.33. Rom. 8.28. and to make all things worke together for the best of those that love thee, what bet­ter way then that of thine to enioy all things? hath not he all things to whom all things worke together for his best? should I have them mine owne way, in [Page 350] my power, my possession, my table (happily) would become my sn [...]re, Psal. 69.23. a [...]d those things which might be for my wealth, would be to mee an occasion of falling; how much (Lord) of anxious imperti­nent discontent, and melan­cholly would be saved, if men would be thus perswa­ded, that thou who hast thus promised, who lov'st them bet er then they can themselves, who knowest better then themselves their true wants, and carest more then themselves for their fit supplies, could not faile? how ever, though I aske what is above my merrit, yet let mee not aske (as these doe here) what is a­gainst thy mercy; though [Page 351] my sinnes be dishonourable to thee, disadvantageable to my selfe, yet let not my suites be so too; my sins will pluck downe vengeance e­nough vpon mee without my prayers; had their de­sires, their darings pluck'd thee downe from the crosse, how irrecoverably had we all falne from blisse? What they then entertain'd with [...]haking heads of derision,Mar. 15.29 thy constancie, and patience, that, let vs entertaine with shaking, trembling hearts of devotion, ever magnify­ing thy constant victorious love herein towards vs, that could so sufferingly out­doe, the vtmost, not onely of their doings, but da­rings too.

XVII. His company in death,Mat. 27.38. Luk. 23.32. Theeves.

VVHen misery, yet failes of releefe, the two things that vsually somewhat allay it, are pitie, and company, only these two in all these his miseries, our Saviour has, or rather (indeed) suffers, and that not lesse by them, then with them, the pitie 'tis but that of women, the company, but this of Theeues, either, so farre from any alay, as they prove not the least corisines, heart-sores in his suffrings; yet did not that compassion of the women, so much exasperate the [Page 353] sense, as this his company of theeves, doth the shame of his death; there is not a passage in his whole passion, that seemes to take dee­per of him, then this of his scandalous vpbraiding com­pany; this was it he seemes to grudge at in the Garden, that they came out against him, as against a Theefe, Ma [...]. 26.55. or Robber; how much more, that hee here suffers a­mongst, amiddst, above them, as their chiefe; this drew from him that better blood of his reputation, and good name; and yet shall it bee as not without prophesie,Esa. 53.12. hee was numbred among Transgressors, so, nor without tipe, or mysterie; here wee have Ioseph onceGen 40. [Page 354] againe betweene two Male factors, the one miscaries, the other is saved; and as that was a figure of th [...]s ex­ [...]cution, so is this of that last iudgement; here wee have the Iudge too in the midst, on the Throne of his Crosse, the good on his right hand,Mat. 25.33.the bad on his left: These [...]hree trees here in Caluary [...]nswere to those three in [...]aradice, [...]en. our Saviours to [...]he tree of life, the forbidden tree of death, to the bad [...]heeues, the alowed tree for food to the good ones, th Crosse well taken vp, and borne (as here by this bet­ter Theefe) 'tis no o [...]her, then a tree of speciall fruit and food, affliction 'tis the diet of the soule, suffring is [Page 355] the fruit of the spirit, Gal. 5 22. the first Adam plaid the ill husband with that his Vineyard, and so (as in the Parable) was turned out, but this second Adam, how much better did hee husband this Vine of his Crosse, manuring it with his blood, hedging it with his thornes, pruning it with his nailes, watering it with his teares, to an im­provement of bearing not the wonted curse, and fruit of death, but now the bles­sed fruit of life and glory: nor is this his companies fel­lowship, but language to vpbraiding,Luk 23.39. one of them (saies Luke) railed on him, even the dying too, as well living, find both list, and leasure even in death to tor­ture [Page 356] him, hee that is in the same condemnation, and much what condition with him, is so farre from ioyning with him in compassion, as hee rather ioynes with his enemies in contempt; that heart is desperately deper­dit, that affliction hardens, such is this Theefes; nor can that affliction bee but insufferably irksome, that misery it selfe insults o're, such is our Saviours; bu [...] what is [...]his his railing insul­tation: If thou be the Christ save thy selfe and vs, what better prayer? what better subiect, then this of saluati­on; save, what better order then this; thy selfe and vs. No, but as God likes no prayer that is not without [Page 357] faith, so hee likes no faith [...]hat is not without these ifs, prayer without faith doth not so much implore as tempt, and faith not with­out an if, doth not so much trust as try; God tels vs his way [...]s are not as mans, Esa. 55.8. though in humane affaires, triall before trust bee the safer pollicy, yet in divine ones, trust before triall is the safer piety; to try God before wee trust him, doth not onely bespeake his de­niall, but his anger; and how reachlesse too, as well as succeslesse, is faithlesse prayer? If thou be the Christ save thy selfe (saies infideli­ty) whereas, because thou art the Christ anoynted to the office of a Saviour, there­fore [Page 358] thou wilt not save thy selfe that thou maist save vs (saies faith);Mat 4.3. If thou be the Christ, make these stones bread, so the devill in the wilder­nesse;Mat. 27.40. If thou bee the Sonne of God come downe, so the peo­ple; but now, If thou bee the Christ, save thy selfe and vs, so this Theefe here; If thou bee, it is the tempting, da­ring, vpbraiding, but not the praying stile. On the other side againe how won­derfull is the free and feare­lesse faith of the other, his fellow Robber, but not Re­viler? that dares a vow our Saviours innocence, and therein the Rulers malice, Pilates iniustice, both, their guilt of guiltlesse blood, e­ven on the very racke of [Page 359] torture,Luk. 23.41. this man hath done nothing amisse, (Lord) re­member mee when thou com'st into thy kingdome, ver. 42. that be­leeues him a Lord, whom he sees a captive, that proclaimes his kingdome in the midst of his thraldome, that desires to be remem­bred by him, when he him­selfe complaines of being forgotten of his Father, Mat. 27.46. that begs, and that, no lesse then a kingdome of him, whom hee heares a begging, a litle water for his owne thirst, Ioh. 19.28. that can see his glory through so many, such thicke clouds of his present misery; yet is not his faith so miraculous as our Savi­ours mercy; how vnwor­thily preiudic'd by the di­spaire [Page 360] of any, he that askes water gives heaven, and that at the first aske, and that first not till the last gaspe; that with that Steward (in his owne Parable) in paying the Labourers, Begins with this, the last that came into the Vineyard lifting him (with Ioseph) out of the Dungeon to the throne, Gen 40. that gives him, who had not d [...]sern'd to live on earth with men, eternally to live in Heaven with God, like a cunning Watchmaker contriving in him all the spring it selfe, faith together with all those wheeles of saluation, Voca­tion, Iustification, Sanctifica­tion, Glorification, in so nar­row a compasse, as the houre of death.

But O Lord thy word (I see) doth not more con­demne despaire, then doe thy workes, when as thou diedst not only as a Sinner, and by Sinners, but for Sinners, and in the midst of Sinners, why should I think that thou didst not die for mee, though the greatest of Sinners? where sin abounds, grace often (as in David, Rom 5.20 in Paul, in Magdalen,) super a­bounds, how much doth sin here abound; a Theefe on either hand, Murtherers round about thee, and yet grace, the Fountaine of grace; thy blessed selfe in the midst, and that lifted high­er then the rest, still pray­ing, still giving amongst them, grace here not onely [Page 362] super abounds but triumphs o­uer sin: and yet, (Lord) Let mee not therefore sinne; that grace may abound, Rom. 6.1. though thy mercy bee above all thy workes; yet art thou iust too in all thy wayes: Deut 32.4. thou snatch­edst this one Theefe from the gallowes thus to glory, that none should despaire, and but one (that wee read of) that none should pre­sume; I will not expect a­nother Asse should speake, because Balaams did so;Num 22.28. Princes are vsually more freely facile to the acts of pardon, at times of their Coronations, what thou hast made peculiar, I may not make common, Act. 10.15. I will not so turne thy grace into wanto­nesse, Iude 4. as I may not proscribe, [Page 363] so nor prescribe thy will by thy outward voluntary acts, as I may not thinke, that thou therefore canst not thus save, because thou still dost not, so nor that thou therefore still wilt thus save, because thou here dost. This Theefe (Lord) whom thou thus savedst at first word, and last gaspe, knew thee not till then, let mee not then make his suc­cesse my securiry, my vn­willing knowledge, can have no true confidence of mercy, from the easie par­don of his vnwitting igno­rance; I know (Lord) thou thy selfe hast said it) When­soever a Sinner doth repent him of his sinnes, Exo 18. I will blot all his wickednesse out of my re­membrance; [Page 364] but I know too that thou, who hast made so many promises of par­don to repentance, never mad'st any of repentance vnto sinne; how dare I so draw on mee that curse of thy Apostle by preaching to my selfe another Gospell, Gal. 1.8. then that of thine? thou that still givest pardon to the pe­nitent, dost not still give penitence to the Sinner; true,Ier. 29 13. hee that seekes thee, when ever, if aright, he shall bee sure to find thee, what then? it is as much in thy choice, nay more, whether thou wilt bee sought when lost, then whether thou wilt bee found if sought, thou art the w [...]y, Ioh. 14.6. as well as truth or life, and so, as I can [Page 365] not find thee without thee, who art the truth, so, nor can I seeke thee without thee, who art the way, the way to seeke thee 'tis repen­tance, and that 'tis thine owne gift as well as (that which it seekes) pardon, and thy Spirit breaths, that and all thy other graces as where, so when he lists: were I as sure of as many thou­sand yeares,2. King. 20 6. as Hezekiah was of those his fifteene? In all those thousands I were not sure of the least brea [...]h of that thy Spirit, not of one offer more of grace, thou onely art as both the heart-Maker and heart-Search [...]r, 1. Sam. 16.7. so the heart-Encliner too. Thou suffredst (Lord) thine owne parents [Page 366] to seeke thee three dayes ere they found thee, and that sor­rowing, and dare I presume to find, or seeke thee either, at the vncertaine, ever fly­ing houre of mine owne leasure? true, I shall have more cause to repent to morrow then to day, be­cause I shall have then, both more sinnes to repent of, and lesse time to repent in, but so, I shall have both lesse will, and power too, such an habituall vntoward­nesse to amendment doth every houres delay con­tract in the mind of man, that what is to day but an indisposition, to morrow will bee flat aversnesse. Be­sides, I can not promise my selfe to morrow, why then [Page 367] should I trust my selfe with to morrowes repentance? [...]he longest life 'tis but a multiplied day, what a des­perate vnthriftinesse were it then to loose a day, which lost, I am not sure of ano­ther, which lost, I am sure, so much the easier to loose another, all. O let mee not (as the worlds too frequent custome is) betray toge­ther with my selfe so ne­cessary, and so necessarily sound a duty, as this of re­pentance, to those vncer­taine crazy times of sick­nesse, age or death; how iustly shouldst thou so (Lord) let mee die forget­full of my selfe, should I live forgetfull of thee, and wound my hatry scalpe, Psa. 6 [...].21. should [Page 368] I so goe on in my wickednesse; the devill I (see) was too hard for man at his best in Paradice: how much easier will hee bee, when hee is falne to the worst, nay, when falne from that fall in Paradice, when periere rui­nae, the very ruines of that strength in Paradice are ruin'd too, as in age, or sick­nesse, times not only dange­rously vncertaine, but cer­tainely vnseasonable for a matter, whose high impor­tance, and needfull industry implores the vningagedst vacancy, the vnabatedst vi­gour, the man it selfe of man to mannage it; nor, can it indeed well be called repentance, which the win­ter of age or sicknesse [Page 369] weares a man into, where lies the conquest when sin cashers our vns [...]ruiceable forces? necessity as it hath no Law with man, so nor laud or allowance with God; what lets vs (saies Seneca) to call Lucius Sylla, still a Tyrant, though hee gave over killing when hee had no more enemies? and what lets him to bee a Sinner still, that leaves not sinne vntill it leave him? hee that doth not sinne, on­ly, because hee can not, he doth sinne still, although he doe not, in ill as well as good, thou acceptst (Lord) the will for the deed: 'tis true, that true repentance is never too late, and 'tis as true, that late repentance is [Page 370] seldome true;Eccl. 18.26. let me take then the Wise mans coun­sell, humble my selfe before I am sicke, and while I yet can sinne shew my condition, 'twas the first fruits thou requi­redst in thy Sacrifice,Exo. 23. re­iecting the blemished, and blind, Lev. 23. and lame. O let mee not thinke to sacrifice my youth, my strength, my health to sinne, and hell, and to lay mine old withred bones on thy Altar; but (with hearty David) bee it ever my resolution,Psa. 63.1. O Lord thou art my God, early will I seeke. Let mee heare thee now while 'tis called to day, while thou standest at the doore of my heart, Rev. 3.20. and knockest for entrance, lest thou at last, when the night is come, [Page 371] heare not mee, when I shall stand without (with those foolish Virgins) and knock, Mat. 25. but without entrance; if this Theefe fare thus well, let mee not thence fare the worse, let mee hereby learne to blesse, to trust, but not to tempt thy mercy.

XVIII. The Place,Ma [...]. 27.33. Golgotha.

INto what poverty as wel as passion did his love, and our sinnes sinke him? what lower degree of po­verty, then to take his be­ginning in a Stable, to make his end on a dunghill? hee is borne among beasts, hee lives among Publicans, hee dyes among Theeves, and he is buried too in a shrowd and grave of almes, his birth is without a Cradle, his life is without a house, nay, without a hole to lay his head in, Math. 8.20. his death without a bed, his buriall without a ragge or grave of his own; nay, as well the glory, as [Page 373] basenes of this circumstāce, the Place of his death shall both contribute to his shame? where did he thus ignominiously suffer?Act. 26.26. 'twas not in a corner (as Paul speaks to Agrippa in another case) but in Ierusalem, the eye, and, [...]t this time of the Passover, the Theater of the world; obscurity is the maske of [...]hame, emi [...]ence the He­rauld that blazons and dis­playes it, so God tells Da­vid, when hee meant fully [...]o shame him before all Israel and before this Sunne. But where abouts in this vni­versall confluence of all na­tions was it, that he suffers all this? not in a glorious Palace, or fragrant Garden, but on a nastie, putrid [Page 374] dung hill Golgotha, among the grave lesse bones of in­famous malefactors; be­fore the greatnesse, now, the guiltinesse of the place shames him. Iobs case was lamentable, when hee sate on the dunghill scratching his sores with a potsheard, Iob 2.8. and the wormes gnawed his flesh, but here 'tis worse, this dunghill of our Saviours affords him not so much ease as (with Iob) to sit, he hangs on ten­ [...]er [...], and his very strength it selfe 'tis no better, dried vp (as the Psalmist speakes) like a Potsheard, Psa. 22 15. and alas how much more worse vermine then those Iob felt doe here teare, and mangle him? nay, the worst of wormes, our sinnes doe gnawe and eate [Page 375] into his very soule the irons entred into his soule; and yet,Psa. 105.18. that he may be compleate in suffering, he will dye no where but in Golgotha a dunghill; Adam had sinn'd in all his sences, and there­fore this our second Adam, [...]hat all our sinnes might dye, will have all his senses suffer, his eyes had before suff [...]red darkning, his eares blasphemies, his tast gall, his feeling whippes, and buffets, thornes, and nayles, nor shall his sense of smelling scape nei [...]her, that shall suffer too, if not from the persons, yet from the place, a noysome, loathsome dunghill. Nor shall this circumstance a­mong the rest bee without either significance, or type, [Page 376] hee will rather dye in stink­ing Golgotha, then pleasant towred Ierusalem, to signifie, that sinful pleasures though n'ere so glorious, are more loathsome to him, then the noysom'st dunghill of dead mens bones, those living painted Sepulchers, Mat 13.27. the Pha­rises were more vnsavourie to him, then the dead Se­pulcher-lesse carcasses of Golgotha. Wee vsually cast out vnserviceable trash to dunghills, wee were all no better, vnprofitable, vse­lesse trash cast out of Gods house, Paradise, into the dunghill of the world, thi­ther therefore comes he in­to the dunghill to seeke vs, and there finding vs dead, Ephe. 2.1. and withered, rotten in [Page 377] trespasses and sinnes, 1 Tim. 5. hee in­spires vs with his owne breath, revives vs with his owne bloud, nourishes vs with his owne flesh, re­deemes vs with his owne death, lodges vs in his own wounds. Hee will not be crucified in walled Ierusa­lem, but in open Golgotha, not on the ground but aloft in the ayre. The common'st element of all the rest, to shew the vnlimited vni­versality of his deaths me­rit, in him there is neither bond nor free, rich nor poore, Iew nor Gentile. And for type the sinne offering (wee know) was to be,Lev. 10.3. Heb. 13.11. a bullock without blemish offered vp without the campe, Deut. 16.5. nor was the Passover to bee offered [Page 378] within any of their gates. Here is our Saviour with­out spot, or blemish, offered vp (as the Apostle speakes in relation to that sacrifice) without the gate; Deut. 16.12 hee that would have a share in this sinne offering, must goe out of the Campe, Ver. 13. out of the world (at least) in affection, vsing it, 1 Ioh 2. as if he vs'd it not; as an enemie at distance, the love of the world it is enmitie with God, Iam. 4.4. with him then, [...]nd to him, let vs goe forth (as the Apostle speakes) without the Campe bearing hi [...] reproach, Heb. 13 13. offering vp with him our selues as quicke and lively sacrifices to him,Rom. 12.1. which let vs (with him) not think to doe in the pleasurous Ie­rusalem of the world, but in [Page 379] the crucifying Golgotha of a spirituall death to sinne, for although hee here offered vp himselfe once for all, so that,Heb. 7 27. there remaines no more sacrifice for sinne; yet still re­maines there due from vs selfe-sacrifices of thankes, of praise, and gratulation, [...]hough not of merit and expi [...]tion, and these too must be like those other slaine, and mortified; or else theyle be as farre from be­ing acceptable, as they are from being expiable, as far from pleasing, as deserving: but

O my blessed Lord and Saviour, thou that didst both so much deserve to please, and please to deserve so much for mee, who to [Page 380] become a Saviour to me in thy death, becam'st not on­ly a suiter to me in thy life, but (alas) how vnwearied a seeker of mee both in life, and death? was it not e­nough (Lord) for thee as a prodigall to have receiv'd me or as a lost sheepe to have sought me in the wildernesse, Luk. 15. Math. 4. as thou didst when thou there didst fast; or as a lost groat, Luk 1 [...].8. to have swept the house for me, as when thou whip­pedst thence the merchandise, M [...]th. 21. but being vnsavourie salt, and so good for nothing, but to be throwne out to the dung hill. Mat. 5.13. Didst thou come thither too to seeke, to save, to season mee againe? to Gol­gotha? O let me not thinke any place too farre, any [Page 381] paines too much, any con­ditions too lowe to seeke thee, let me seeke thee eve­ry where,Math. 17. in the mountaine where thou prayedst, shinedst, by devotion, admiration; in the Garden where thou sweatedst, bleededst, Luk. 22. by fight­ing, watching, working out my salvation with feare and trem­bling; Phil. 2.12. in the Parlour where thou communicatedst, Ioh. 13. wash­edst, by charity, humility; in the Temple where thou apposedst, whippedst, Luk. 2. by atten­tion, discipline; in the wil­dernesse where thou fastedst, Math 4. conqueredst, by abstinence, resistance; but especially here in Golgotha, where thou sufferedst, dyedst, Math. 27. and that by faith, and patience, there shall I surest find thee, there [Page 382] shall I be surest to be found of thee, there didst thou stretch widest thine armes of mercy, there didst thou pierce deepest thy bowells of compassion; if the first Adam turn'd Paradise into a Golgotha of death, of sin; yet, how graciously h [...] thou the second Adam (here) turn'd Golgotha into a Para­dise of life, of grace, here growes that tree of life, thy crosse, here flowes that river that waters the garden of thy Church, thy bloud; so much hast thou dignified this infamous dunghill, that the Iewes having turn'd the Temple into a dunghill of Merchandise, Mat. 11.13. of trash, thou turnest this dunghill into a Temple of prayer, and sa­crifice, [Page 383] here didst thou of­fer vp that all sufficient sa­crifice of thine owne preci­ous bloud, here didst thou accept too that welcome sacrifice that thou wilt not de­spise the broken contrite heart of the penitent Thiefe,Psa. 51.16. thou whip'st those that buy in the Golgothard temple, but imbracest him that had stolne in this templed Golgo­tha. O Lord, my heart is a very Golgotha of death, Mat 27.7. an Aceldama of bloud, wash it, as thou didst the one with thy bloud, buy it as thou didst the other with thy price, in this Golgotha let me crucifie my sinnes their male­factors in this Aceldama, Gal 2.19. let me bury thē;Mat. 27.7. they'r strangers to the common-wealth of Israel: Eph 2.12. [Page 384] raise me (O Lord) as some­time thy dead Prophet did the man a burying, 2 Reg 13.21. out of the Golgotha, the grave of sinne, custome in sinning, 'tis a veryer Golgotha of rotten­nesse, a more darksom grave of forgetfulnesse then that of earth, in this grave (Lord) who will remember thee. Psal. 88.10.11.12. This is that land where all good things are forgotten. And see­ing thou powredst out thy bloud, and breathedst out thy soule (here) in Golgotha, among these dead, dry stinking bones, make mee such too (I beseech thee) in­flexible, mortified, vnsa­vourie towards the world, so shall I bee a sacrifice of sweetest savour vnto thee, so shall I be to thee (as Eve to [Page 385] Adam) not onely flesh of thy flesh, but bone of thy bone; Gen. 2.23. and since for me (O Lord) thou didst embrace so much shame, so much paine, so much poverty, as thus to dye on Golgotha, a loathsom dunghill, let me not in case of suffering with, or for thee, cōsult with either ease, glory, or profit, but account (with thy Apostle) all things no better then a Golgotha, losse and dung, Phil. 3 8. that I may win Christ Iesus.

XIX. The Time,Math. 26. the Feast of the Passeover.

NOt long before they had concluded, not on the feast day, Mat. 26.5. for feare of the people, what before reprives him, now reproaches him, at this Feast of the Passeo­ver, all the Tribes of Israel together with Proselytes, and Strangers convented in this one Citty made it the thronged Theater, the eye of the whole world, that therfore, must be the seene, this, the season of his suffe­rings, that all eyes may meete in the common cen­ter of his shame, 'tis not e­nough that his person suffer [Page 387] vnder the spight and tor­ture of some, vnlesse his cause suffer too vnder the sight and prejudice of all; hee had beene long the marke of their owne envie, that's not enough, vnlesse they make him now the spectacle of the whole worlds scorne, therefore is it, that no lesse then the three knowne languages shall all in this the now great Market of the world at once proclaime him guilty; yet,Ioh. 19.20. may we not thinke but that even in this circumstance too of time, his love, and wisedome had their de­signes, as well as their en­vie; lines opposite in their circumference may yet meete in one center, so may [Page 388] their malice and his mercy meete in this resortfull emi­nence of his shame: man had sinned before all Gods Angels, and therefore will he suffer before all Gods peo­ple, the sinne shall not ex­ceede the pennance, no not so much as in number of witnesses, his publique shame, and naked exposall to all eyes, shall proportio­natly expiate Adams guilty leafes and bushes. Gen. 3. But, why not as well after the feast? no,Exo 12.2.14. the Passeover was to be kil'd before the feast kept, both in type,Deut. 16.28. and substan [...]e. Of both lawes, ceremoniall and m [...]rall, hee was both Author, and observe, the morall hee both gave, and restor'd; and the ceremo­niall [Page 389] too, though he did not restore it, yet neither did he destroy it, as it was abol­lish'd through him, and an­tiquated after him; so it was perform'd by him, and fulfill'd in him, so that, even of that law too hee might well give himselfe the stile of a fulfiller, Mat. 5.17. and not a de­stroyer; the migration of a type into its substance, be­ing indeed so farre from a losse of frustration, as it is its truest improvement, and perfection: this l [...]w of the Passeover as it was in man­ner and circumstance cere­moniall, so it was in signi­fication, and substance mo­rall;1 Cor. 5.7. this substance 'twas him­selfe, at approach of which the shaddow was to vanish▪ [Page 390] how doggedly (as in the fa­ble) then, doe they loose the substance, and catch at the shaddowe? how fro­wardly, how vnseasonably goe they about at once to keepe the one, and kill the other? as if there were no time so fit to imbrue their hands in the innocent bloud of this Lambe, truly Paschall, but then, when they were to annoynt their doore-posts with the figurative bloud of that Lambe Sacramen­tall? Some Churches (they say) among the Papists, a­mong other their myracu­lous Reliques have conse­crated, and doe still to this day keepe S^t. Peters some­time healing shaddowe, 'tis hence sure they take both [Page 391] the possibility, and devoti­on, from these our Savi­ours superstitious murthe­rers, who still now celebrate his shadow, after they have crucified himselfe, how truly doe they by him, as he had told them they did by his Prophets, kill him,Mat. 23.29. & yet celebrate his Sepulcher, his empty antiquated shrine, and without him but the wi­dowed, the carcassed Passe­over?Mat. 26.5. Now is their feast of vnleavened bread, and doe they chuse this as a time to sacrifice the life of this bread of life, to their sowred leaven of maliciousnesse; 1 Cor. 5.7.8. this feast they kept in memory of that their deliverance out of Egypt, Lev. 12.23.6. so miraculously and that suddainly wrought, [Page 392] that they had not leasure to leaven their bread at their departure, & can they now at the same feast finde such leasure to feed, to feast their eyes on this so lingring a death, of that so speedy a deliverer? how strangely doe they crosse his bles­sings;Luk. 1.74. he then delivered them out of the hands of their ene­mies, that they might serue him without feare, and will no other then the same time serue turne, to deliver him into the hands of his ene­mies, that they may kill him without pitty? And yet how much water of comfort doth he strike to vs out of this hard rock of their malice.1 Cor. 5.7. Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for vs (sayes the [Page 393] Apostle) which that it may the more fully appeare, the time as well as place shall speake him the reall truth of that Paschall figure; when Israel had first entred Canaan the morrow after the Passeover was celebra­ted, the Mannah ceased,Ios. 5.12. the same is here againe made good in this the true Man­nah which came downe from heaven, he ceases to live, the morrowe after the Passe­over: Nor is it but worthy the observation, that as his death, so was that their fa­tall siege afterward by the Romanes as at the same place, so at this same time of the Passeovers solemni­ties, that as by this generall confluence of all the tribes [Page 394] at this time vnto Ierusalem his shame, so might their ruine be the greater, the pu­nishment oft times suits, as well as equalls the sin, and corresponds to it as well in the kinde, as the degree, the same time doth hee take to give them vp into the hands of the Romanes, which they had done for him, the same Engine of the Ro­manes power, workes both their malice, and their mis­chiefe, and that at the same Passeovers severall annuall celebrations, heere they complaine how great an enemie hee was to Caesar, Ioh. 19.12. how iustly therefore doe they at the same feast after, complaine how great an enemie Caesar was to them? [Page 395] the same feast proclaimes Caesar now their onely King, Ioh. 19.15. and anon their onely ene­mie, so great an enemie, that at length they need no longer crie his bloud be vpon vs, &c. They have bloud enough vpon them of their owne, so much, that the Romanes (as some report) vsually manur'd their fields,Purchas. and Vineyards with it, hed­ging them about many miles in compass with their sculls and carcasses; and of others that dyed not by the sword, so many of them were crucified, that at length there wanted crosses for the bodies,Ioseph. and at last places for the crosses, and of those that more vnhap­pily escaped death, they [Page 396] who had valued our Savi­our at thirty pence, were vsu­ally solde to slavery thirty for a penny, so fully was that their owne valuation, toge­ther with that their accla­mation of crucifying; and imprecation of bloud vpon them, pay'd them home in their owne coyne, to their owne desert, their owne wish; and his their owne time too; when men begin to take pleasure in their sins, God seemes to take a plea­sure too, though not in the death of sinners, yet in the manner of their dying, in making their own tongues, and sometimes their owne hands and actions their Iud­ges, & so (as David speakes) the sentence of their guiltinesse Psal. 41.8. [Page 397] proceedes against them. But

O my blessed Lord and Saviour, thou in whose hands onely are the times and seasons which man may not deter­mine, but must attend. Yet give mee leave to aske thee why thou madest choise of this time of feasting for thy death, was it to solemnize either thy bodies Funeralls, or thy deaths triumphes, no, (questionlesse) rather to vniversalize thy sufferings, the place, the time, the man­ner of thy death, all speake thy purpose of spreading those thy sufferings (to­gether with thine (armes) to receive all that come vnto thee; or didst thou chuse to dye this publique death, thus [...]n the worlds [Page 398] stage set vp as a beacon on the top of the hill, and as an En­signe on the mountaine, to teach me more to shame to sinne, then to suffer, more to feare to commit the one, then to study to conceale the other? or was thy rea­son my desert, the reason of thy choise the desert of my sinne:Psa. 44.26. shame and confusion of face? O let me not thinke to seperate those in practise, which thou at first ioy­nedst in Paradise, sinne, and shame. Yet of the two let me ever feare more the sin then the shame, let me ever (Lord) so live, as I may neither feare to dye, nor shame to live; let mee so dye, as I may neither wish to live longer, or to have [Page 399] dyed sooner. Thou (O Lord) art that true Passeover, 1 Cor. 5.7. which still makest the de­stroying Angell of thy Fa­thers wrath to passe by the dores of my soule without slaughter, and yet,Rev. 3.20. behold thou standst at the dore thy selfe too, and knockest for entrance, as thou art then my Passeover, so (Lord) be my guest too, passe not by thy selfe with­out knocking, without en­tring, knocke on still at this the dore of my soule by thy word, thy spirit, thy mer­cies, thy iudgements,Rev. 3.7. thou that hast the key of David, and openest where none can shut, not onely knock, but enter too; say Ephata, rather then saile, make a forcible entry, thou art that stronger man in thineMar. 3.27. [Page 400] owne Parable, and therfore cause thou art the good sheep­heard, Ioh. 10.11. the t [...]ue owner of this, though so poore a cottage, so vnworthy, Math. 8.8. that thou shouldst come vnder its roofe, and that by many titles of inheri­tance, of purchase, of reco­very, and therefore iustly mayst. O let not that other guest step in before thee, for if I doe euill; s [...]e lyes at the d [...]re too,Gen. 4.7. but is in ambush to invade [...] [...]gainst that and all such entruders, thou who shuttest in the Sea with do [...]es, s [...]ut mee within thy selfe, who art the [...]ile,Ioh. 10.1.9. dore of th [...] Sheepe-f [...]l [...], but when thou (O Lord) shalt knocke; be yee open O yee gates sta [...]d wide open. Psa 24.7. O yee everlasting dores of my soule it [...] the King [Page 401] of glory that would come in: so I have thine owne pro­mise for it,Rev. 3.20. that I shall sup both with and on thee; with thee who art the happiest guest, salvation is this day come vnto this house; Luk. 19.9. on thee who art the truest Passe­over,1 Cor. 5.7. Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for vs, as for other guests,Gen 4 [...].6 into their secrets let not my soule enter, for other feasts their savourie meates let not my soule too well love, Gen. 27.4. after such heavenly Mannah, what neede, what tast is there in the white of an egge? Ioh. 4.14. hee that eates of this bread, and drinkes of this cup, shall never hunger or thirst againe. Luk. 2.43. 'twas at a feast (Lord) thy Parents lost thee, and heere againe 'tis at a feast [Page 402] that thou loosest thy life, and heerein too the Baptist was thy exact fore-runner, Mat. 14.6. in all time of my mirth then, good Lord deliver mee.

XX His Mother he recommends to Iohn, Ioh. 19.26.27. and Iohn to her.

HOw poore a retinnew, doe wee here find a­bout the head of the family, the Lord of glory? how ma­ny can bee content to dwell with him on Mount Tabor, but how few follow him here to Mount Caluary? how close doe they hang on him, while hee gives them bread, but how soone drop they off, when hee himselfe cryes for drinke? Oderunt pannos, (saies the Prophet) they like well his roabs, but not his rags, the Crowne, but not the crosse; [Page 404] how lately did they swarme in that sunshine of Hosan­nah, but how doe they now take shelter in this storme of crucifying? of all those troopes here is left but a few women, but one Ap [...]stle, and yet these two or three being gathred toge­ther, how truely is hee (as hee had promis'd) in the midst of them? Hee that pro­vides not for his family, 1. Tim. 5.8. hath denied the faith; how graci­ous a commentary on that text of his Apostle, & that in his owne example, doth the Author, and obiect of that fa [...]th here give vs? how carefull is hee here to pro­vide for this, though so small a remnant of his scat­tred family? his mother, [Page 405] and disciple, who would have thought hee could have found either list, or leasure, amidst the busie puzle of all these his di­stractive tortures, as to mind any thing beside them? passions, whether of body, or mind, when ex­treame, vsually engrosse all thought, and apprehension to themselues; yet shall not all the power and spight of men, and devils, and sinnes combind in one, so much surprise his plun­ged thoughts, but that they will reflect and cast some rayes of comfort on his distressed friends; hee will not faile however on this, though so restlesse a death-bed of his Crosse, to make [Page 406] his will, and bequeath some legacies: but alas, what hath the Giver of all, now left him yet to give his A­postles, all save Iohn fled, his garments divided, his skin torne, his blood spilt, nothing left about him, but his loving mother, and be­loved disciple; and them not knowing how better to bestow, hee mutually gives each other, Woman behold thy Sonne; Ioh. 19.26. Sonne behold thy Mother. But (alas) how short, how wanting a sup­ply, can any adopted Son bee for one so naturall, so supernaturall, so vnnaturally butcherd? hee that was a valuable exchange for Iohn, and all mankind besides, in satisfaction of his fathers [Page 407] iustice, how lossefull an ex­change must Iohn needs bee for him, in satisfaction of his mothers love? this ho­ly woman, I know she was but a creature, and I know what is not a God, may possibly bee made an Idoll: yet doe I not thinke it any idolatry, or popery, either to commend her sanctity, or commiserate her sorow, so wee neither adore her person, or inuoke her name: the best rule herein is the meane, to make her no more then a woman, nor no lesse then a Saint; how­ever hee can not but bee without naturall affection (which the Apostle rec­kons vp among the greatest crimes) that can considerRom. 1.30. [Page 408] her in the case, shee here stands in without some sim­pathy, some interest, and compassion; who can with dry vningaged eyes consi­der her, her eyes weeping, her feet trembling, her hands wringing, her heart sighing, her soule bleeding drop for drop with her Sonnes body, now swoo­ning with griefe, now a­gaine reviving with love, how could shee chuse loo­king on him thus handled, mangled, without the skin shee bare him in, without the blood shee gave him; without either the milke shee first gave him, or that wine, which afterward hee gave her, glad now to sucke insteed of them their vine­gar, [Page 409] and gall; no longer now in hers, but in the rack­ing armes of his bloody Crosse, hanging on tenters like a parchment skinne a dressing, like a bottle in the smoake. If Peter were so transported with ioy to see him so transfigured on Mount Tabor, how much more is shee with sorrow, to see him thus disfigured on Mount Caluary? how could shee looke on him for griefe, and yet how could shee but looke on him for love; the eye being the minds earnest, and constant messenger in the errands of affection. Mothers vse first to tast their meat vnto their children, nor questionlesse in the mutuall interest of [Page 410] love could shee but tast to him the vinegar, and gall, and what ever other tor­ment hee sufferd, love ever shares with the obiect; no naile can be driven into his hands, but must first pierce her heart, the thornes can not scratch his browes, but they must harrow vp her bowels, no blasphemy or insultation can reach his eares, but must first rend her soule with anguish, and remorse; specially shee ha­ving not onely borne him to all this misery, but her sinnes among the rest ha­ving brought, nay betray'd, condemn'd him to it; nor may it bee thought the least of his suffrings, that in all of the [...] shee thus suffers [Page 411] with him, every teare of hers can not but pierce him, deeper then their speare, not a sigh but more wounds his heart, then all those nailes of theirs his hands; how savadge, how vnlegall is this their cruelty? their Law forbids them to seeth the Lambe in the dams milke; Lev. 19. yet here how vnnaturally doe they at once, both boile this Lambe of God in the mothers teares, and the mo­ther in the Sonnes blood? 'tis the conceit of some, that none of these, that here thus suffringly waited at our Saviours death, did afterward suffer Martir­dome, as all the rest of the Apostles did, and most of the Disciples, such was their [Page 412] suffrance in their atten­dance here, as is pass'd for Martirdome, as well in dig­nity, as torment; it could be no other then a kinde of death, to see life die, to bee eye-witnesses of such a death,Ioh. 14. of such a master, whom they lov'd so well; Sonne behold thy mother. Iohns exchange too fals short of any full supply, as well as Maries, what mo­ther, though his owne could love him so well as such a master? what exchange, what gaine for such a Savi­our could make him any way a Saver?Phil. 3.8. all the world to him 'tis but losse and dung (saies Paul) none cer­tainely, but the gaine of that the same losse, nothing [Page 413] could repaire to him the losse of this his masters life, but the benefit of his death, and therein; how abun­dantly is the plenteous mea­sure of supply to both mo­ther, and friend, heaped vp, shaken together, and running over? (with Themistocles) herein how had they lost, had they not lost? we read not of any dignified with more glorious prerogatives then these two, Mary, and Iohn; the one bare our Sa­viour in her wombe, th'other leaned on his breast, and yet how litle had all this availd them, had not faith, and pi­ety season'd those outward priviledges and made them truely gracious as well as glorious: yea, rather blessed [Page 414] are they that heare the word of God and keepe it. Luk. 11.28. Happier Mary in that shee bare his say­ings in her heart, then him­selfe in her wombe? in that shee partooke of the merit, then in that shee im­parted the matter of his blood; 'twas not so much to the lovingnesse of her mo­therhood,Luk. 1.48. as the lowlinesse of her handmaidship that hee had regard, and that all gene­rations call her blessed. And how much happier Iohn too, in that hee caried our Savi­our in his owne bosome, then in that hee lean'd on his? in that hee lean'd and relied more on his inward bowels of mercy, then on his outward bosome of flesh? what did it steed Saul, that [Page 415] hee was a Prophet? what Iudas that hee was an A­postle? outward graces without inward grace, close without truth, serue but to inhanse and dis-excuse a mans damnation.

But O my Lord and Sa­viour, thou callest thy flocke a litle one, Luk. 12.32. and hadst cold it before, that the Sheepheard being smitten, Zach. 13.7. the sheepe would bee scattred; he [...]e how both little is it, and how scattred? and yet though scattred thus, though smitten into the place of Dragons desolation, how carefull art thou of this thy litle flocke, thy waned family? O Lord I am one of thy family too, though a lame, 2. Sam. 4.4. vnseruiceable Mephi­bosheth, [Page 416] and that by a fall I tooke (as hee) from my nurse, my mother Eve; though a Posthumus borne (with Paul) out of due time; 1 Cor. 15. yet can I not thinke that thou (Lord) who providest so carefully for the fowles of the aire, Luk. 12.24. and grasse of the field, wilt leave mee out of the check-roll of thy providence? no (Lord) I must acknowledge thou hast (as here) by thy best lov'd Apostle Iohn, re­commended, applied mee to a mother, to thine owne Spouse, thy Church. O let mee in all filiall reve­rence and duty, ever adresse mee to her counsell, sub­mit mee to her discipline: It is the foolish Sonne (saies the Wiseman) that despiseth Pe [...]. 16.20.10. [Page 417] his mother, but the Wise Sonne makes her glad. Psa. 90.12. O apply then (Lord) my heart vnto wise­dome, my lips of faith, and love to those two Foun­taines, of true wisedome, those thy two Testa­ments, the two ever­flowing breasts of this my mother, that thence I may sucke the sincere milke of thy word, that I may grow thereby, 1 Pet 2.2. that I may grow (like thee Lord) in favour both with God and man, Luk. 2.52. ever making glad this my mother, thy espoused Church, both the militant one here, and tri­umphant one above, for even,Luk. 15.7. there is ioy too over one Sinner that conuerteth. But (alas Lord) how fondly doe I sometimes sooth my [Page 418] selfe, and thinke how hap­py I should have beene, what wonders I would have done, hadst thou committed to mee (as here to Iohn) the entertainement of such a guest, thy deare and gracious mother? alas, how facile, how sensuall a selfe-deceit is this? when as I have thy mother hap­pily every day at my doores; whosoever makes a conscience of doing the will of thy Father, Mat. 12.47. the same (in thy deviner Heraldry) is thy Mother, Sister, and Brother, and such thou hast commit­ted to my care, and charge, and that with speciall in­stance,Gal. 6.10. specially those of the houshold of faith, such let me ever (as Iohn here doth by [Page 429] thy mother) take home to house, to heart,Ioh. 19.27. so shall I make friends, Luk. 16.9. that will take mee into everlasting habitati­ons. Outward favours (I see Lord) and priviledges, though nere so glorious prevaile not without in­ward grace; nay, they ra­ther disavaile, and aggra­vate; let mee then as not thankelesly or c-slip them, so neither presumptuously o're weene them, but as I would most suspect my purse in a throng, so let me ever doe by that my truest treasure in the fullest throng and confluence of outward blessings,Mat. 13. ever praying with that my mother, the church, in all time of my wealth good Lord deliver mee.

XXI. They give him Gall and Vine­gar,Math. 27. Ioh. 19. to drinke out of a Reed.

TVVas our Saviours complaint elswhere, I was a thirst, Mat. 25.35. and yee gave mee not to drinke, here hee could not so complaine, he hath no sooner said,Mat. 27.48. I thirst, but one straight way runs for gall and vinegar to give him. How Strumpet-like are their grants, worse then their denials? how much worse his supplies, then his wants? how much more may hee here iustly com­plaine (as in the Psalme) when I was thirsty they gave mee gall to drinke; Psal. 69.22. and here­in, [Page 421] how nimble are the feet of malice, though in the crooked by-wayes of dark­nesse?Rom. 3.15. how swift to shed blood? 'tis not enough that they stand in the way of Sin­ners, no,Psa. 1.1. nor walke in the counsell of the vngodly; no pace is swift enough in sins errands vnder that of run­ning, one straight wayes ran, &c. How much doe these malicious wretches out­strip even those the Centuri­ons Seruants in speed and promptnesse; if hee say to one goe, hee goes, but if ma­lice say to one of these goe, hee runs; but alas, how much more, though no­thing but destruction and vn­happinesse bee in their wayes, doth this their readier, [Page 422] heartier speed vpbraid our leaden, entangled slowth in the race of godlinesse? Heb. 12.1. is a Proselite to bee made, Mat. 23.15. how will a Pharise (Iewish, or Romane either) compasse Sea, and land to compasse it? is the wages of iniquity offred, Mat. 26.16. how will a Iudas thenceforth seeke opportunity to betray innocent blood, though of a master, a Ma­ker? is gall and vinegar here to bee vsed in his torture? it shall not want either a thirsty care to entertaine, or an itching foot to runne such an errand; whereas, let God send and guide too Israel, though out of thral­dome and that to Canaan, how doe they grudge, and murmure all the way? is [Page 423] Lots wife sent though out of burning Sodome, Gen. 19.23. yet she must have a glance backward, and at least looke a loath to de­part; let God send vs into his Vineyard (though to worke out our owne saluations) one sayes flatly (as in the Pa­rable) hee will not goe, Phil. 2.12. Mat. 21. ano­ther sayes, I will, but goes not, a third would faine goe, but there is a Lyon in the way, Prov. 22.23 e­very straw in that way is a steeple, every clod a Moun­taine, every brooke an Ocean, and that how full of Remora'es, and Torpedoes of delay? all wee either have, or can, or are, 'tis from him, and so all 'tis due vnto him, and yet all 'tis still vnworthy of him; and yet thus heart-bound [Page 424] is that little all of service that we doe him, wee pray as if wee were afraid to be heard, wee heare as if wee were loath to be sav'd, and generally wee serve him as if wee were loath to please him; if the salt hath lost its savour, what is it else fit for but the dunghill? if the light be darknes, how great is that darknesse? if our de­votions be thus vnseasoned, vnsavoury, vnlightsome, guilty, how great is that guilt. Our naturall indis­sposednesse towards these offices of devotion, toge­ther with our enemies vigi­lant iealousies against them, and vs in them, as they much commend the work, so should they as much a­dresse [Page 325] the doer. Nor is the foote of malice a readier messenger, then its heart a Megazine of such provisi­on, this potion (it seemes) 'twas not now to seeke, one ranne straight-way and fetch'd it, their rockie hearts were ever overflowing fountains of these bitter waters of strife, Num. 20.13. Psal. 140.3 Ioh 19.28. this poyson of Aspes, and yet will not our Saviour to ful­fill his owne Scripture, and ex­piate our thirsting after that Cup of abominations, Rev. 17.4 but thirst after it. And well might he complaine of thirst, having now what with weeping, and watching, and fasting, and sweating, and bleeding, almost all moysture in him quite exhaust; and yet grea­ter is his thirst of soule, then [Page 426] body, more after the im­pletion of our redemption, then any repletion of his owne desires, the necessity of this draught which here he thirsts after 'twas not so much natura (as the Schools speake) as decreti, St. Iohn is herein expresse, therefore is it (sayes he) that hee said I thirst, Ioh. 19.28. that the Scripture might be fulfilled; hee knew well enough, that the drink they would give him, would bee out of that same bitter Marah of their inexhausti­ble malice,Exo. 15.23. hee knew that their Vine was of the Vine of Sodome, Deut. 32.32 that their Grapes were grapes of gall, & their clusters bitter; Deut. 32.33 that their wine was the the poyson of Dragons, and the cruell venome of Aspes; hee [Page 427] knew that if he should aske bread, they would give him a stone, if a fish a Scorpion, hee lookes not from them compassionatly to bee re­leeu'd, but abusively at once tortured, and (as they thought) deluded; hee ex­pects not to gather Grapes frō such thorns, only we had deseru'd it, the Scriptures had said it, that therefore our desert, and his decree might both be fulfill'd, and so himselfe satisfied though still a thirst, (spight of all the knowne, both gall of their bitter sponge, worse poyson of their spongy hearts) hee will thirst, and tast too this their worst of malice; even this Cup too of theirs, as wel as that other of his Fathers [Page 428] shall not passe in that his will, Luk. 21.42. in this his word, in both our desert shall be fully done; nor shall this bitter draught be without its mysterie, as well as Prophesie; what is this their hollow Reed, where with they thus abuse, and torture him, but a pregnant figure of that their Sepul­cher-like Synagogue? that within it's painted our side of superstition, holds no­thing but the rotten carcass of religion; an empty Reed in it's phantastick glosses, a hollow Reed in its dissem­bling gl [...]zings, a dry Reed in it's fruitlesse barrennesse, a knotty sturdy Reed in it's obstinate perversenes, a wa­vering inconstant Reed sha­ken with every winde, Math. 11.7. a trust­lesse [Page 429] broken Reede running into the hand, the heart of him that leanes on't. This Syna­gogue of theirs 'tis no other then the Reede that before flouted his kingdome, and now his wisedome, abusing him with the vinegar of supersti­tion (now vinegar-like de­generate from the true wine of devotion (which once it was) mixt with the bitter gall of scorn, & malice. But

O my blessed Lord and Saviour, thou that art the Well of the water of life, Ioh. 4.14. of which who so drinketh, Ioh. 14.1. shall never thirst againe, the Vine whence flowes that purer Wine, which onely makes truly glad the heart of man; shall not onely men both tast and see how gracious thou the Psa. 34.8. [Page 430] Lord art to them, but wilt thou both see, and here tast too how vngracious, mali­cious they can be to thee? nay, wilt thou not onely take and tast, but thirst after the bitter'st of their malice? but (alas) how much bitte­rer was that mixt cup of thy Fathers wrath,Luk. 22.42. and my sin? that thou seemest a while to shrinke at, but this to thirst after. O let mee ever then consider (Lord) that though my sinnes may seeme to me sweet as stolne waters, Pro. 9.17. yet to thee they are waters of gall, Ier. 9.15. and wormewood, and worse, the vialls of divine vengeance, since my heart then hath beene a fountaine of such gallish waters: O let my head too (with Iere­mies) [Page 431] bee a fountaine of bri­nish teares, Ier. 9.1. that as Elisha hea­led those infectious waters by casting salt into them: 2 Reg. 2.21 so may I these poysonous waters of sinne, by casting on them the salt teares of true repen­tance, and so I may be sure (Lord) my waters shall bee turned into wine (as thou didst by that at Cana) but didst thou thirst more to have my redemption ful­fill'd,Ioh. 2. then thine own wants relieu'd, and shall I not thirst more after the imple­tion of thy will, then of mine owne desires? O let me doe by thee (Lord) as thou by thy blessed Father; ever make it my meate and drinke to doe thy will, Ioh. 4.34. Math. 5.6. ever hunger and thirst after righ­teousnesse: [Page 432] let mee not with those in Amos, Amos 1.7. pant af­ter the dust of this earth, but (with David) after thee as the Hart after the rivers of wa­ters. Psa. 42.1. Let not (Lord I be­seech thee) these their blou­die feete of malice in thy torture, so much shame those of my love in thy ser­vice, theirs are not content with any pace, but running in sinnes errands, where the wages is but death: Rom. 6.23. let not mine be behinde them in the race of godlinesse, 1 Cor. 9.24. where the goale is glory; Heb. 12.1. but with David, let mee not onely walke in the pathes of thy pre­cepts; no, nor barely runne neither in the wayes of thy commaundements, Psal. 19. but with him at lest wish that I had Psa. 55.6. [Page 433] wings like a Dove to flye vnto my rest: and in as much as sinne, specially malice is the gall that still relishes worse with thee then this of their Reede, let mee not onely wish to have wings like a Dove, but strive not to have any gall like the Dove, Mat. 10.16. in innocence and meek­nesse of spirit, nor in that on­ly, but like the Doves be my best musick,Esa 59 11. a mournfull re­morsefull groaning, like the Doves, be my feeding not on the carrion of spirituall corruption, sinne; but on the pure and choycer grain of thy word; like the Dove let me ever love and live in a sociable and peacefull v­nion, with thy flocke; like the Dove, let mee love to sit [Page 434] by the cleare streames of thy Scriptures,Can. 5.12. that therein I may (with the Dove) spye a farre off the least shaddow of that approaching vulture the devill, (like the Dove) let mee ever make my nest in the holes of the rocke; Can. 2.14. thy wounds who art the onely rocke of my refuge; Psal. 18.1. and last­ly (with the pregnant dove) let mee ever bring forth twinnes, Can 4.2. piety, and cha­rity, faith, and re­pentance.

XXII. He bowes downe the head,Ioh. 19.30. and gives vp the ghost.

COnstraint and merit can hardly meet in any the same action, if the will con­curre not death it selfe, 'tis a bare execution and no sa­crifice, therefore will hee lay downe his life himselfe, Ioh. 10.18. no man shall take it from him, therefore will he here bowe downe his head, that hee may give vp his ghost, men may crowne and buffet his head, but they cannot bowe it, man gave him not his life, nor shall he take it from him, he himselfe will give it, he will lay downe his life, bowe downe his head, and give vp his ghost [Page] himselfe: he did not owe it, no, nor did he barely yeeld it, hee freely gaue it; how much of violence have wee here, and yet no coaction? he dyed willingly without constraint, cheerfully with­out murmur, freely with­out either debt of his, or desert of ours, hee bowed downe the head, and gave vp the ghost; in all his Passion, let vs but cast one eye on what hee suffered, the other on how hee suffer'd, and we shall still finde, that though Iudas betray him for gayne, the Iewes accuse him through envie, Pilat condemne him for feare, yet nothing makes him dye but love; and this is it that thus bowes downe hi [...] [Page 437] head, Mat. 11.30. and makes his yoke easie. The crosse was though a painefull, yet a lingring death, the torture being in the parts least vitall, but most sensible, thence was it that most-what this Trage­die had a second part of breaking the legges, when boring the hands and feete, had not dispatch'd the cru­cified; but our Saviour stayes not deathes leasure, but (like David) how re­solvedly doth this Cham­pion of the hoast of Israel meet this threatning Goliah death halfe way? that he did not dye by little and little, faint­ing away (as others) ap­peares plainely in that im­mediatly before his death (sayes Luke)Luk 23.46. hee cryed with a [Page 438] loude voyce, which when he had done, hee presently gave vp the ghost, having first bowed the head, not bowing it because hee already had, but because hee now would give vp the ghost: he bowed the head, and gave vp the ghost. S. Luke cals this that specta­cle,Luk. 23.48. and indeede what ever spectacle so great?Act. 5.9. if for cō­flict here 'tis, the Prince of peace encounters the Prince of darknes, Io. 12.31. Iud. 9. not Michael, but the God of Michael, & al the other Angels fights against the devil, and all his angels, not about the body, but the soule of Moses, and of every faithfull one besides; if for conquest here 'tis too, sin, hell, & the devill with all those his principali­ties and powers of darknes, Col. 2.15. and [Page 439] spirituall wickednesses in high places are brought down, & lie for ever vanquished at the foote of his crosse; if for concourse, the living and the dead too are heere assembled, many of the dead arose (sayes Mathew) if for sorrow?Mat. 27.52. here's sorrow be­yond that of Hadadrim­mon in the valley of Magiddo, Zach. 12.11. the very elements, and hea­vens too beare (here) a part, and put on blacks; if great for subiects? here hee it is that is made this spectacle, to whose eyes all the world is but one spectacle, if for Actors, here both Iewes, and Gentiles, Priests, and Souldiers, friends and foes, nay God, and man have all (though severall wayes) [Page 440] their hands in it?Zach. 13.6.7. 'twas in the house of his friends (as hee complaines himselfe) as well as hearts of his foes, that hee was thus wounded, 'twas by the determinate coun­cell of God (sayes the Apo­stle) as well as the malici­ous councels of men,Act. 2.23. that hee was thus crucified; if great for wonder? heere 'tis, the Author of life, the God of life, Ioh. 14. life it selfe looses, or rather gives his life, the sting of death, 1 Cor. 15.56. the strength of death, death it selfe dyes, and lyes for ever nayl'd to his crosse in his steede, and to make it yet more strange; hee dyes for none, but for them by whom hee dyes, for none but such as kill him, I, who then had [Page 441] not life, yet then gave him his death, and that more then either Iudas who be­tray'd him, or Pilat who condemn'd him, hee could easily have escaped Iudas his treason, or Pilat's sentence: but (alas) how then should my sinnes have escaped the sentence of his wrath, with­out the treason of his death? therefore did he bowe downe his head, because I had lifted vp mine too high, there­fore gives he vp his spirit, be­cause I had given, mine too much downe a subject, a slave to sinne, and Sathan. But,

O my Lord and Saviour, thou Lambe slaine from the beginning, slaine both for,Rev. 5.12. and by me before I had be­ginning, [Page 442] thou that not one­ly before bowedst the heavens to come downe to me,Psa. 18.9.144.5. but that here bowest the head to goe vp for me, vp into the hea­vens to prepare me a mansion with thee,Ioh. 14.2. how fully hast thou here prov'd the devill what thou call'st him, a lyar from the beginning? Ioh. 8.44. All that a man hath (saith he) hee will give for his life, Iob 2.4. when heere thou givest vp the ghost, and life for mee, the least the worst of thine all, and did'st thou thus freely give vp thy life for the redemption of my soule, and can I stick to give vp my life, or what ever else I can, or have, or am, for the testimony of thy name? What should I now feare death for? its [Page 443] sting is gone,1 Cor. 15.56. this serpent can now but hisse at, not hurt me; yet, let mee not, because thou art thus libe­rall of thy life; thinke thou art therefore so lavish of it, as to cast such pearles to swine, Math. 7.6. no, thou art that good Sheep­heard, and givest thy life, Ioh. 10.11. but 'tis but for thy Sheepe; let me not thinke then to be a Shrewe in malice, a Goate in luxury, a Wolfe in cruelty, and how-ever flatter my selfe with a share in this thy free donation; thine ene­mies are by this time wea­ry of torturing, and are (at length) a comming to di­spatch thee, thy friends weary of weeping, and are gone to begge thee, the de­vils (it seemes) weary of [Page 444] tempting, Many (sayes the Text) smote their breasts and returned, Luk. 23.48 thou thy selfe (Lord) if not weary of suf­fering, yet willing to give our living, bowest downe thy head to death, Ver. 45. the Sunne it selfe weary of looking on winkes, the earth weary of supporting, shrinkes, and shrugges for freedome; and am not I yet weary of sin­ning;Heb. 6.6. and so of crucifying againe the Lord of glory? and yet dare I pretend to an in­terest in the benefit of thy death, if not yet weary of the burthen of my sinnes; thou callest none but such as are heavily loaden, Mat. 11.28. if I be not heavily loaden then with the shame, and griefe, as well as the waight of my [Page 445] sinnes but then, thou never calledst mee, and if I come vncall'd, can I expect any better welcome then that garmentlesse guest, Mat. 22.23. friend wher­fore art thou come, take him, bind him hand and foote, &c. [...]hou givest vp thy spirit (Lord) into the hands of thy Father, & so did David, Luk. 23.46. and [...]o Stephen, and so must I by mine too, if ever I would have it happy, thou thy self [...]ast authoriz'd in mee this boldnes, humbly to charge thy Father with my soules custody,Ioh. 17.24.10. Father I will that [...]hose that thou hast giuē me out of the world be with mee where I am, for all mine are thine, [...]f then I be not taken from [...]he lap of the world, and in a devoted propriety given [Page 446] to thee, what hasty familia­rity, what vnprepared rude­nesse were it to commit that soule at last gaspe into his hands, with whom I would not here trust, or ac­quaint it; as I must com­mend my spirit (Lord) in­to thy hands at death, so in life dost thou heere com­mend thy spirit into mine, Yee have received the spirit of adoption, Rom. 8.15. as I vse thy spirit then here in life; so let me expect, thou wilt vse mine at death, let mee entertaine then thy spirit heere with a supper of grace,Rev. 3.20. thou thy selfe hast both bespoke the fare, Ioh. 4.34. and inuited the guest, the meate and drinke thou hast tolde mee, 'tis to doe thy Fathers will, and the guest [Page 447] stands at the dore, Rev. 3.20. and knockes to come in and sup with me, that I may suppe with him, Psal. 24.7. stand open then yee gates, be yee wide open yee everlasting dores of my soule, that this King of glory may come in, that I may entertaine him with this supper of grace, so shalt thou entertaine mee with a supper of glory, that supper of the Lambe in thy new Kingdome, Rev. 19.3. let mee not then quench thy spirit in those over-flowings of vngodlinesse, 2 Thes. [...].19. lest thou quench mine too in that lake that burnes with fire and brimstone. Psal. 18.3. But why Lord doth thy Apostle thus expresly record the bow­ing downe of thy head in death? is it in way of ap­peale, that thy wronged [Page 448] head bowes downe thus on thy guiltlesse bosome, as consciously relying on the innocence thereof? or thy hands fast nayl'd, do'st thou heereby becken a farewell to thy sorrowing friends? or dost thou bowe it down as now at length weary of, and fainting vnder the hea­vie burthen of my sinnes? No (Lord) thou herein ra­ther bowest the necke for me to that yoke of obedi­ence, of obedience to the lawes doome, thy Fathers decree, and my desert; all thy sufferings as they wer [...] meritorious for me, so I see they were monitory to me thy wounded pierced side and bowell [...] preach com­passion, thy not comm [...]ng [Page 449] downe from the crosse though dar'd constancie, thy silence to all their re­proachfull slanders pati­ence, &c. But this bowing downe hath a double lesson, obedience, and humility; how high a degree of obe­dience?Phil. 2.8. hee became obedient to the death, even the death of the Crosse; how lowe a de­gree of humility? so farre from arrogation of what is anothers, as 'tis an abroga­tion of what is thine owne the title of a King do'st thou not stop thine eares (Lord from their scoffes? nor thy mouth from their gall? do'st thou not withdrawe thy shoulders from their whips? nor browes from their thornes nor hands [Page 450] from their nayles? and dost thou yet bowe downe, and decline thy head from the title, and inscription of a King? Iesus of Nazareth the King of the Iewes, didst thou before withdraw thy selfe from the power, Ioh 6.15. and now thy head from the title of a King, and is this the lesson of all other thou bidst me specially to learne of thee who art humble and meeke; Mat. 11 29. and dare I catch more at vaine empty titles of glory, with more pursuit, and edg [...] then at substantiall endow­ments of grace? thou that couldst not dwell with pride (Lord) at first in the same heaven, sure thou wilt not dwell with it now in the same heart, thou that [Page 451] then tumbledst out a proud angell thence, wilt thou ever take in a proud man thither? let me be sure then with thee to bowe downe my head; my heart, before that I give vp my ghost: 'twas ever thy method (Lord) to stoope, that thou might'st rise,Phil. 2.8.9. thou humbledst thy selfe (sayes thy Apostle) and so thou wert exalted: nor is this gesture but very suit­able to the worke in hand; now art thou about to give vp the ghost as a sacrifice for my sinnes, the head therefore shall supply the office of the restrayned knee, and bowe in reverence to so great a sacrifice, and didst thou bowe the head (Lord) in giving thee, and [Page 452] doe any thinke it mu h to bowe the knee in receiving thee? but how well (in many respects) might'st thou say, that thou powredst out thy s ule to death? Esa 53.12. whi­ther wee respect the free­nesse, or abundance of the gift, thy bloud, 'twas nei­ther a strayning, nor a sprinkling, but a free and full powring of it; and didst thou thus give vp thy ghost, thus powre out thy blood, thus freely, thus fully for me? and can I be so eye so hart-bound, as not to powre out some teares to thee? to thee I say, for thee I dare not, thou neither wantest, nor desirest them, nay, thou deni'st them,Luk. 13.28. weepe not for mee, and yet thou allowest, [Page 453] thou enioynest me to weepe for my selfe, Luk 7.38. and commendest the woman for washing thy feete with her teares, and com­mandest her example to re­cord; true (Lord) thy death in respect of thy selfe 'twas free, and willing,Quod amit­titur neces­sarium, Quod emit­titur vo­luntarium. thou gavest vp the ghost, and so I must not lament it, I may not weepe for that which I must pray for, thy will bee done, 'twas my sinnes that made it necessary, and so I may, I must lament it, at lest the cause of it my accurs'd de­sert; lend me then thy foun­tainous eyes (O Ieremy) weepe no more for the captivity of thy people (alas) my harder thraldome vnder the tyran­nie of sinne more needes them,Ier. 9.1. if strangers bereave thy [Page 454] nation of their Countrey; be­hold heere thy Countrey hath bereav'd my God of his life, let vs call our sor­rowes (as Phineas wife her sonne) Ichabod the glory of Israel is departed, 1 Sam. 4.21 both the light of the Gentiles, Luk. 2.32. and glory of his people Israel is here, thus mangled, thus murdered, and that for me the obscure reproach, and shame of mankinde; and yet here is some comfort too, that though the glory of Israel bee departed, Rom 9. and departed too from Israel, yet 'tis to come vnto vs Gentiles, so that wee now have both the light, and the glory, Luk. 1.79. who had long sate in darknesse, and in the shad­dowe of death.

XXIII. The mourners at his death.Mat. 27.52.5 [...]. Luk. 23.44.45.
• The Sunne. , • The Earth. , • The Rockes. , • The Dead. , and • The Vayle.  The Sunne is darkned, the Earth trembles.

THis evill and adulterous generation were ever itching after signes, Mat. 12.38. and they must be signes from heaven, Luk. 11.29. Shew vs (say they) some signe from heaven; 1 Cor. 1.22. And what better signe can they have from heaven then this, that hee was both the world's [Page 456] Creator, who had then said of the heavens, let them be for signes, Gen. 1.14. and it's Redeemer too who had heere done what hee had before said, Behold I cloath the heavens with blacknesse, Esa 50.3. and make sackcloath their covering. If we looke into the Booke of Deuteronomy, wee shall often finde Moses calling heaven and earth to witnesse against Israel, Deut. 30.19 32.1. in case of breaking the covenant between God and them, and indeed what bet­ter witnesses, what witnes­ses so competent? the two properties of a good wit­nesse, are ability, and fide­lity, ability to know what he speakes, fidelity to speak but what hee knowes, Da­vid gives his word for [Page 457] both, for ability, what such witnesse as the Sunne that goes about the earth, Psa. 19.6. sees all things, and nothing is h d from the heate thereof, for fidelity hee calls them the faithfull witnesses of heaven that cannot faile, and how fully doe they heere acquit them­selves, and discharge their surety David of this his suf­frage? the Covenant is here broken, the Arke and Author of the Covenant crucified; nor heavens, nor earth can dissemble it, the heavens ashamed in the behalfe of frontlesse man, put on a mo­dest vayle of darknesse, the earth afraid in the behalfe of wilfull man, trembles with astonishment, the ele­ments of nature cannot but [Page 458] suffer with the God of na­tu [...]e, and for the now vn­naturall prodigy and re­proach of nature, man: the heavens before had in the floud, wept for the sinnes of man, but now they'le put on sadder blackes, and more inwardly though dri­ly mourne, as despairing with all their teares, to drowne so mountaynous a sinne as this, the murther of their Maker; how ready, and addrest an instrument is every creature to Gods will, and glory, save man, who was made to no other end:Ios. 10.12. at that slaughter which sometime Ioshuah had vpon Gods enemies; how like a glad and eager spectator doth the Sunne turne night [Page 459] into day, lest it might loose the sight (as't were) of any the least scene of that Tra­gedy? Againe, at this slaughter here of this our saving Ioshuah, by these ene­mies and fighters against God? Act. 5.39. how like a modest David doth it turne away it's eye from beholding such vani­ty, turning againe the day into night, hanging out a­gainst them Alexander like the last, and blackest flagge of it's defiance darknesse? the heavens (sayes David) declare the glory of God, Psal. 19.1. and (indeede) how well doe they here declare his glory by not declaring their own, this is he that spreads out the heavens as a curtaine, Psal. 104.1 and therfore now they'le spread [Page 460] out a curtayne of darknesse betweene his naked body, and the immodest eyes of men. And (indeede) how pregnantly doe they heere, by turning day into night, condemne of prodigy and vnnaturalnesse this sinne of man, the destruction of his Maker? men goe about to put out the true light, Ioh. 1.4.9. the heavens will therefore put the day, and so vpbrayd with darknesse this their deed of darknesse; and no mervaile 'tis from that Sun of righteousnesse, Mal. 4.2. that this Sun of nature (as the Moone from it) borrowes all its light, how can it then but alike loose its light, when that hath lost his life? how should it but (Moone-like) [Page 461] labour in an eclipse, when such an earth of sinne hath interposed, and broke off the rayes of that eternall Sunne from embeaming this? yet was it not with­out so great a myracle in nature,Dionis. that a Heathen could at first sight say, either the world is ending, or the God of nature suffering; True, at Ioshuah's command the Sun stood still, Ios. 10.12. 2 Reg. 20.10. and at Hezekiah's prayer, it went backward, but vtterly to loose its light (as here) as it seemes more free, here's neither command, nor prayer, so 'tis more myracu­lous, light is in nature more inseperable from the Sunne then motion, That a light should strike Paul blind in his way of persecution, 'twas [Page 462] much, but here's a persecu­tion, and of the same suffe­rer too that strikes the light it selfe, the eye of heaven quite blind. But was it not the greater wonder that it did no more? May it not bee thought that therefore shall the heavens at the last day drop like wax, and guil­tily shrinke and curle vp l ke parchment, Heb. 1 11. that did but wink onely at these wretches, and not spit fire on them, as on those Captaines, 2 Reg. 1.10. and their fif­ties that came to take Eliah? Alas, no; the heavens were not faulty, 'twas our Saviour was not so fiery, let Eliah ride to heaven on a fierie Chariot, hee will not thi­ther but on a bloudy crosse, the heavens know their offices [Page 463] and seasons, Psa. 104.19 and the Sunne it's going downe, and are as ad­drest and ready as the Cen­turion's servants; but hee to shew his mercy did not end, no, not with his life; the Sunne shall but warne, not harme them, it shall not vtterly set in a cloude, Eph. 4.26. or goe downe vpon his wrath, whereas the Egyptians dark­nesse lasted three dayes, this shall but last three houres: if at Ioshuah's valour, then the Sunne stood still amaz'd, no mervaile if at this greater myracle of his mercy it be quite struck blinde with astonishment. And (indeed) how happily to vs did hee here bring (and that how much) light out of this dark­nesse. Here in this darknes [Page 464] was it, that all those dar­some shadowes of the cere­moniall law vanisht, and were lost; they began in darknesse on Mount Sinay, and here againe they end in darknes on Mount Caluary; nor is this darknesse thus a figure of a buriall onely, but of a birth too, as it is a shrowd, or grave of that ce­remoniall darknesse, so is it an ominous figure of the inward darknesse of their with-holden mindes, where­in these heart-vayled Iewes have ever since grop'd even at noone-day; 2 Cor. 3.15. nor doth the Heaven thus better figure the buriall, then the earth the death of that law of ce­remonies; onely whereas the mountaine alone at itsExod. 18.18 [Page 465] birth, travail'd with its throes, and tremblings, here at its death, the whole earth hath its convulsions, shake­ing fits, and pangs of disso­lution; so may this stagge­ring of the earth too bee a pregnant, and threatning fi­gure of the Iewes now gid­dy tottering Synagogue and nation, ready to be shaken over the whole earth. And (alas) how should the earth but thus shake and stagger, when as this it's true Atlas, hath his shoulders thus torn with whips, bruis'd with the crosse, loaden with a double burthen, either so much heavier then the earth it selfe, mans sin, and Gods wrath; no, but that's not it neither,Iob 26.7. for hee hangs the [Page 466] earth (saies Iob) on nothing, it needs no other Pillar but his word, and with it hath he layd (saies the Psalmist) the round world so sure, Psa. 104.5. that it cannot bee mov'd at any time; true, all naturall earth­quakes are but partiall, o­therwise the earth could not still bee the worlds cen­ter, which in nature must bee ever immoveable, no wind or breath can move the whole earth at any time, but that of his word who first made it, and to that 'tis but as the dust of the ballance; Esa. 40.15. but as the drop of the bucket, as the least word of his mouth made it of no­thing, so the least breath of his nostrills could as easily have blowen it back againe [Page 467] into that nothing whereof hee made it, as thus have shaken it out of his place, tremble then thou earth at the presence of the Lord (saies David) at the presence of the mighty God of Iacob, Psa. 114.7. but why then doth it thus trem­ble at his absence, when the glory of Israel is departed? was it to shake from off her weary bosome such a murderous, vpbraiding, burdenous brood of hers; or doth it shake thus in a iust derision of those scorne­full wretches that here shake their empty heads at its almighty Maker? or by sucking into its enriched veines, the quickning blood of life it selfe, is it now growne animate, and mo­tive? [Page 468] or being so made red earth, is it become ano­ther Adam, and now a fal­ling? or doth it feare the fall of that insupportable burthen of our sinnes, from off the weary shoulders of the complaining bearer, might crush it againe into it's wonted nothing? Why h [...]p yee so yee hills, Psa. 68.16.114.6. what ayle yee that yee skip like Rammes, and thou earth that thou trem­blest? hee that makes the question findes (elsewhere) the best answere to it,Psal. 18.7. the earth trembled and shooke, the foundations of the hills moved, and where shaken because hee was wroth; 'tis no other then Gods wrath at mans sinne that shakes the earth, that darkens the heavens, that [Page 469] threatens the foundations of the world, Psal. 18.15. that discomposes the whole course of nature,Rom. 8.22. the whole creature travailes, and groanes vnder the weight of sinne (sayes the Apostle;) how ever with Salomons foole wee make it but our pa­stime, Prov. 14.9. 'tis sinne that curs'd the earth at first, that drown'd it after, that shakes it here, and shall burne it at last; not [...]arth, nor heaven could beare it without a curse, not earth without the curse of thornes, not heaven without this (here) of the tree; he was made a curse for vs. How instructive and exemplary are the lowest, the vnwor­thiest of the creatures to vs, if obseru'd; the dull heavy earth had before [Page 470] taught its issue man, the lessons of a fixed constan­cy, a low'ly humility, a fruitfull pregnancy, an in­genious gratitude in retur­ning heavens influence of raines and dewes, in the in­cense of mists & vapoures, these are not enough vn­lesse it here read him a lecture too of feare, and re­verence, how to worke out his saluation with feare and trembling, Phil. 2.12. how to enter­taine his Saviours passion with a trembling compassi­on.

But O my blessed Lord, and Saviour, what becomes the while of the faces and hearts of men? when the heavens are faine to teach the one shame, the earth, [Page 471] the other feare? the Sunne asham'd to looke on this dismall spectacle of their cruelty winks, the earth affraid to bee made but the stage to it shrinks, and shrugs to bee rid o'nt; and doe men yet goe on in despight of both? how well may the heuaens, and earth say to vs, as the children each to other in the market place: wee have mourned to you, Mat. 11.17. and you have not wept) shall thy dea [...]h (Lord) darken the eye of the seeing Sun, and shall it not wet the eye of the doeing Sinner? how doth the Sun of nature sute it selfe to the Sun of righteous­nesse in being thus blinded? and shall not my more inte­ressed eyes sorrow with [Page 472] such company? without which they can neither sor­row to see, nor see to sor­row? without which they had eternally sorrowed in vtter darkenesse: before that last day (Lord) thou hast told me, the Sun shall be turned into darkenesse, Mat. 24. Mar. 13. and the Moone into blood, and so wert thou before this last day of thy life: turne me so too (Lord) before my last day into that darkenesse of sorrow,1. Cor. 15.15. Ioh. 1.4.9.8.2. that blood of mar­tirdome, that daily martir­dome of Pauls, mortifica­tion: thou often callest thy selfe (Lord) light, and how truely doth it here appeare thou art so? at thy birth thou brought'st light into the world, the night was [Page 473] then turned into day, a light shone vnto the Sheepheards watching ouer their flockes by night, Luk. 2.8.11. and though 'tw [...]re night, yet the Angell tels them this day is borne to you, &c. Then was fulfilled that of the Psalme, the night shi­neth as the day; so, at thy death againe did I thou take the light away with thee that day is here turned into night, here is fulfilled that of the Prophet,Amos. 5.8. then shall I cause the Sun to goe downe, at noone, and I will darken the earth in the cleare day: in as much then (Lord) as it ap­pears that (both in thy birth and (here) at thy death a­gaine) thou art the light that lightens every one that comes into the world; Ioh. 1.9. even so come [Page 474] (Lord Iesu) come quickly in­to my darke, benighted heart. Turne its night of ignorance into a day of true light, and if at any time thou leavest it for a time (as here thou dost the world) turne then as here my day into night, a night not of sinne, but sorrow, let heavi­nesse endure that night, and no joy come vntill the morning, that morning when thou that day-spring from an high shalt againe visit mee; Luk. 1.78. thou shewedst thy selfe Lord to the Israelites by a cloud, Exo. 16.10. Mat. 2. and to those Wise men but by a starre, and here to the Iewes if by the Sun, 'tis but by its darkenesse, not lighit how much more graci­ously, more gloriously [Page 475] do'st thou vouchsafe to shew thy selfe to mee in the bright Sunshine of thy Gospell? how much more inexcusable I, if I walke not, if I delight not in this thy greater light? 1 Ioh. 1. here (I see Lord) what thou meanest by those thy frequent ac­clamations to the heavens and the earth for audience. Give eare O Heavens, and heare O earth &c. Deut. [...]2. Chap 33. And well (Lord) maist thou thus startle and vpbra [...]d deafer man by the Heavens and the earth's thinner-eard attention, they heare thy groanes not without sor­row, trembling, and com­passion, whilst men that cause them slight them, with either, an Idols or an [Page 476] Adders eare, Esa. 44. that cannot or that will not heare; shall the earth tremble more on which, then I for, and by whom thy blood was shed; shall corrupt Foelix tremble at Pauls preaching of iudge­ment, Act. 24 25. and shall not I at thy suffring of execution? shall Balthazar quake so with enter-feering knees & ioynts at the hand writing vpon the wall and not I at thy hands here writing thy last will and testament in blood vpon the Crosse?Dan 5.6. who am I that am but a clod of that earth that here thus trembles, spurnd to dust by euery foot, and then scatterd by every wind, that I should not quake, and tremble with that whole, whereof [Page 477] I am the weakest part; for that head, whereto I am the vnworthiest member? how much otherwise have I vn­made my selfe from what, and whereof thou first mad'st mee, if I tremble not with the earth (here) of which, and at thy death by whom I was made.

XXIIII. The Rockes rend,Mat. 27.51.52. the dead arise.

Ierusalem from its rocky situation is call'd by some Civitas petrosa, the rocky Citie, the inhabitants might as well give it that name, as the soile, its foun­dation was not so stony as the peoples hearts, or ra­ther had their hearts beene but of stone, they had here rent a sunder, as the rocks themselues doe, what should worke on such harder rocks, but the fire of hell, vinegar of teares?As Hanibal through the Alpes. did not the dull earth vpbraid e­nough their relentlesse cru­elty, but must the harder [Page 479] rockes yet further shame them? and (indeede) how fully doe they shame them, how fouly? if men shut their more rocky bowells against their Saviour, as glad to give him his death, the rockes will open their softer bowells to him, as in them proud to give him his grave; he himselfe not long before had said it, if men should hold their peace, Mat. 21.9.16. the ve­ry stones would cry in a con­fession of him, here 'tis made good, the lowder elo­quence of stones, supplies the stupid silence of men, rather then faile, the very rockes will strive to cleave themselves all into mouthes to preach his funeralls, and the Heavens will bee the [Page 480] mourners, and weare the blackes; how more then stony are wee if wee learne not of these stones this du­ty to this our corner stone, Mat. [...]1.40. 1 Pet. 2.7. to rend our hearts in compas­sion at his passion. Iosuah a little before his death, takes a stone and erects it as a wit­nesse betweene God and Israel, Behold (sayes hee) this stone shall be a witnesse vnto vs, Ios. 24.26.27. for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which hee spake vnto vs, it shall therefore be a wit­nesse against you, lest you denie your God, here this our Champion a truer Ioshuah, a little after his death, cleaues the stones, in witnesse that they have more tenderly heard the words which the Lord hath spoken vnto vs, [Page 481] and shall they not rise vp in iudgement, and witnesse a­gainst our more impenitra­ble, immalleable hearts, if they rend not with anguish, if they cleave, they gaspe not in a spirituall thirst af­ter this water of life, his bloud? is that it that these rockes thus gaspe for? or doe they cleave themselves to discover their more harmelesse, softer in sides to this rocke of our defence? Psal. 18.1. or is it (as sometime for Co­rah) to make living graves,Num. 16. to have buried them before their death, who would have kill'd him after his bu­riall,Math. 28.12 swearing him dead a­gaine after he was risen. Or doe the greater rocks break themselves thus smaller, [Page 482] and so fitter, to give them that their owne death of stoning, that death which not long before they would have given him, Ioh. 10.30.31. but now is thought too easie, they had crucified this the chiefe cor­ner stone, 1 Pet. 2.7. and now the stones ambitions (as it were) of re­venge, would faine stone his crucifiers; hee himselfe had not long before told thē, that God was able even of stones to raise vp children vn­to Abraham, here 'tis made good, the children of Abra­ham are growne stones, and therfore God raises of these softer stones more naturall children of Abraham, more filiall in duty, more tender in compassion, in so much, that out of shame, and in­dignation, [Page 483] that stones should thus vpbraid Iudas-like vn­boweld men,Act. 1. Mat 27.52. the very dead will rise in part to supply the deader numbdnesse of the living, resigning their graves to such deader living carcasses, at once to hide, and bury them. Dives was not so very an Infidell in hell, but that he did beleeve that if one should rise from the dead to his living brethren, Luk. 16.30. they would sure beleeve, be­hold here are risen many from the dead, to these more faith­lesse wretches, and yet so farre are they from belee­ving the dead risen, that they fall a suborning the li­ving to sweare that hee him­selfe by whom these rise,Mat. 28.12. was not risen; nor is this [Page 484] myraculous conviction of their infidelity without its speciall prophesie, I will open your graves, Esa. 37.12. and make you to come out of them, and (in­deede) what better proofe that he was that same God, whose property is to kill and make alive, Deut 32.39 1 Sam 2.6. to bring downe to the grave, and to bring vp a­gaine: what better tast or earnest of the power of his death, that hee had by his death put death to death, and led captivity captive, that he was that stronger man (in his owne parable) that had conquer'd and bound that strong man, Luk. 11.21. death, and that in his owne house, the grave, then that it is thus enforc'd to yeeld vp to him its chay­ned captiues? what con­queror [Page 485] ever led such spoiles in triumph? the consumed spoyles of death, and of the grave; the grave whose stile before was the insatiate grave, here, it surfets,Pro. 30.16. and Iudas-like having swallowed this sop, this incorruptible and so indigestible morsell of innocence, vomites vp not onely it, but its owne bowels too, the incorpora­ted dead, and no mervaile if the grave thus surfetted not before vs'd to such fare, but ever feeding with No­ah's Crowe on the carrion of corruption, still but as a wayter on sinnes trencher, never on the bread of life till now; and how early too, as well as fully doth this power, and value of his [Page 486] death breake forth? even to the Thiefe hanging with him on the tree to dye, hee promises the life of glory, and to the bones that lye in their graves already dead, he gives the life nature, and of glory too, these shall take possession with him (in the right of all the rest) some of the resurrection of the bo­dy, some of both body and soule; that all might know there is no hope of either, but by vertue of that his death. But, O my Lord and Saviour, thou the only rocke of defence, Psa. 18.1. and yet a rocke of so much offence too,1 Pet. 2.8. the Lambe slaine from the begin­ning; slaine, and yet alive, and never more living, then now in death; but (Lord) do'st [Page 487] thou shew wonders among the dead, Rev. 5.9. Psal. 88.10.11.12. shall the dead rise vp a­gaine and praise thee, shall thy loving kindnesse bee shewen in the grave, or thy faithfulnesse in destruction, Psa. 30.10. shall thy wonde­rous workes bee knowne in the darke, and thy righteousnesse in the land where all things are forgotten? Yes (Lord) thou shewest wonders (here) a­mong the dead; rockes, and carcasses rend, and rise vp to praise; O Lord, thou art the rocke of my salvation and my refuge, Psal. 18.1. shall I be lesse kinde then to thee, than the rockes? thou art the strength of my life, and shall I be lesse living to thee then the dead? thou mad'st thy peo­ple Israel to sucke oyle out of the flinty rocke, Deu. 32.13. let me sucke [Page 488] out of these rocks this oyle, this benefit to supple, to rend my heart at thy tor­ment, to open it for thy en­tertainement, otherwise if these stones of earth should herein condemne mee, what should I expect for executi­on, Ios. 10.11. but such stones from heaven, as thou somtime show­redst downe on the flying A­morites, and then what rocks shall I call on to hide me from the wrath of thy Throne,Rev. 6.16. when the rocks themselves discover their own in-sides at the horror of thy crosse? thou (Lord) art that true rocke of Rephidim, whence flowes the water of life. Exo. 17.6. 1 Cor. 10 4. Thy Apostle tells me, that rocke was Christ, both a fountaine, and a shelter to all thine, out [Page 489] of this fountaine (Lord) giue me to drink that I never thirst againe, Ioh. 4.15. Exo. 33.22. hide mee in thy secret place, and set mee vp on this rocke of stone, into a cleft of this rocke put mee, as thou didst by Moses, when thy glo­ry passed by, it is the onely hiding place from the storme, and from the tempest. But (O Lord) though the horrour of thy sufferings pierce the rockes above ground,Psa. 88.10.12. shall thy wonderous works be known in the darke too, shall the dead rise vp and praise thee, who will remember thee in the pit? Yes, here are some (it seemes) more mindfull of thee in the darke grave of death, the land where all things are forgotten, then vsually I am of thee in the lightsome [Page 490] spheare of life of know­ledge; if at thy death I start, I rise not out of that more insatiate; darksome, loathsome grave of sinne may not Salomon iustly praise the dead that are already dead, Eccle. 4.2. more then the living that are yet alive? mayst thou not refuse the counsell of those Angels, and doe well to seeke the living among the dead: Luk. 24.5. hee that will not leave a life, for thee, Mat. 10.37 Luk. 14.26. is not worthy of thee, how much more a death, a grave, and that of sinne? if I rise not out of this grave of sinne, how should I ever thinke to bury my dead, my sinnes: in those graves of thy wounds? nor doe these dead (Lord) here only arise, but (as the Text hath it) ap­peare [Page 491] to many, Mat. 27.53. nor let me ac­count my selfe risen from this, grave, vnlesse it appeare in newnesse of life, though as on Lazarus some grave cloathes, Ioh. 11.40.41. some remnants of sinne, will still sticke on me, yet let mee with him the stone of heart-hardnesse, being taken away, Ver. 44. come forth to the light, that the glory of God may appeare, so shall I be sure to have my part in that first resurrection, on which the second death shall have no power, Rev. 20.6. so shall I be able in right of this thy conquest over death, and the grave, to trivmph, and say,1 Cor. 15.55. O death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory.

XXV. The vayle of the Temple is rent from the top to the bottome.Mat. 27.51.

IT was a custome among this people of the Iewes, at the hearing of blasphe­my to rend their garments, wee may see it in the high Priest at that pretence of blasphemy in this our blessed Saviour,Mar. 14.63. how pregnantly, how iustly then doth the temple (here) vpbrayd these their owne blasphemies 'gainst him in this their own custome of rending the gar­ment: And indeede how could it doe lesse? it is the Lord of the Temple that is thus blasphem'd,Ier. 7.4. and can [Page 493] the Temple of that Lord, but suffer with him? if David rend his cloathes at the death of his friend Ionathan, [...] Sam. 1.11 can the Temple doe lesse at the death of its friend Iesus? how true a friend, a Cham­pion both to the Temple, and the Law, let that his zealous vindication of the one from the trash of Mer­chandize and burthens, Luk. 19.45. of the othe [...] from the more pro­phaning, burdening glosses of the Pharises, beare him wit­nesse. Well then might the law, and temple rend this their vayly garment at such a death, of such a friend; so false was that their preten­ded cavill of his emnity to the Temple, that the very Temple it selfe as suffe­ringly [Page 494] conscious of the in­iury, will among the rest, the heavens, the earth, the rockes, the dead, make a mourner too at his fune­ralls; and rend this its gar­ment, as if willing to be rid of so vnseasonable a crimson one, Exo. 36.35. to get one more suitably sad; the Sunne puts on a vayle of darknesse, as other­wise too glorious for such a spectacle, the Temple puts off her vayle of colours, as now too gawdy for such a funerall, all things in their way suffer with him save onely man, for whō only it is he suffers all, he died nei­ther for heavens, nor earth, nor rockes, nor vayle, but for vs men, and for our salva­tion, for vs, and by vs too, [Page 495] if wee beare not then a part in this so vniversall sorrow, what can either their suffe­rings be but to our greater shame, or his but to our greater iudgement? doth hee take vs into the glorious fellowship of the sonnes of God to him,1 Ioh. 3. and doe we exclude our selves out of the com­passionate fellowship of the sonnes, the elements of na­ture towards him? doe we call our selves his followers, his members, and doe wee suffer lesse with him then his insensible by-standers, and spectators? true, the Temple is his house, but wee are his household, 2 Cor. 6.10. and shall the house mourne more at his death then the family? nor are these his mourners [Page 496] without their significance as well as sufferance, the [...]e foure, the heavens, the earth, the rockes, the vayle, as they exemplarily teach vs repen­tance, so extensively doe they teach vs faith, as the burthen, so the benefit of his passion, and that in an effectuall extension of it to some of all these suffering places, in heaven to the Saints, and (as some think) to the Angels in their esta­blishment, in earth both, to the living and the dead too, and among them to some of both kindes,2 Cor. 3.15.16. the heart-vayled Iewes, and the rocke-hearted Gentiles; if the my­sterie hold, the morrall will be this, none share but such as feele his sufferings, to [Page 497] such onely, heav [...]n is ope­ned, the grave conquered, the rocke of all true refuge cleft for them to shelter in, Psa. 181. Exo 33.22. the vayle of all those legall types and ceremonies, rent and done away, so that now this the true holy of holyes, is no longer to them shado­wed, but that now they may looke on him better then the people on his sha­dow.Exo 34.33. Moses when hee then had but talked a while with him, without any other vayle then (what the Apo­stle so call [...]) his owne flesh; here did this Sunne of righ­teousnesse breake forth,Heb 10.20. and dispel that cloud of figures, here did the day spring from on high visite vs, Mal. 4.2. Luk. 1.78. and chase a­way those shadowes of the [Page 498] night, here's the way into the heavenly Sanctuary opened, here the vayle it selfe makes a fall, and reall comentary on that our Saviours last text,Ioh. 19 30. it is finished. If any aske what is finished? the vayle in way of answere rends it selfe assunder to let vs see here finished, the Fathers wrath, the Sonnes suffe­rings, mans redemption, the devils doubts, the Priests designes, the perdictions of the Prophets, the expecta­tions of the Fathers, the curse, and ceremonies of the Law; the curse of the morall, and vse of the ce­remoniall, yet let not any vnhearded, vnheaded, or rather too too heady Schis­matique henceforth con­clude [Page 499] the vselesnesse of all present ceremonies in the Church; let him know that they are but the ceremonies of type, and figure, that are here abollish'd, not those of rite, and order: Vnity it is the ground-weake of nature, the very Atlas of the Beeing of all things; love and order are the two shoul­ders of this Atlas, order protects that vnity that love attracts: were it not for these, how soone would the Church, the world it selfe crumm'l out it selfe into miscarrying factions, fractions of dissolution? even the sacred Trinity it selfe; that architype of vni­ty, is not without order, such order as that equality [Page 500] of Deity permits, an order coordinative, though not subordinative, an order of priority, though not of su­periority; and as in that Kingdome of vnity, so in that other of confusion, hel, there is order too, the devils themselves have their Prince Belzebub, that kingdome of darknesse, Mat. 3.2 [...]. if either devided 'gainst it selfe, or altogether disordered in it selfe could not stand; let the Papist then make his Church (like the mushrome) all head, no bo­dy; the Brownist his, like Pliny's Acephaloi, all body, and no head; let not vs make Christs mysticall bo­dy lesse organicall, then his naturall, but proportionally knit together in the vse-fullRom. 12. [Page 501] variety of the several mem­bers, by the sinewes of love,1 Cor 12.12.18. and order; how weake and superstitiously spleenish thē is the rage of the Brownist 'gainst the Church of God, about her ceremonies, how poorely borrowed from Rome it selfe, who out of hatred to the tyranny of the Tarquins, bannish'd the ve­ry name it selfe in a good Consull, so called; though the vayle be rent, the Tem­ple hath not lost all her o­ther ornaments, in which, so there be in their number paucity, in their nature pu­rity, in their vse decencie, I see no reason why the same God should not now (as heretofore) be worship'd in the beauty (as well as duty)Psa 93.6.96.9. [Page 502] of holinesse: holinesse becom­meth his house, and worship him (sayes David) in the beauty of holinesse. But,

O my blessed Lord and Saviour, thou who art that true holy of holy's, Exod. 36. so long vayl'd, and shadowed by types, and figures, but now pervious to the weakest eye of faith in thy word, & Sa­craments, give me leave to aske thee why thou so long shew'dst the Sunne by a can­dle, thy selfe, the true day light, by these weaker glow-wormes of legall types? Didst thou envie mans hap­pinesse in knowing thee; alas no, 'twas in that know­ledge thou mad'st him hap­py; at the first didst thou need those sacrifices? no, all [Page 503] the beasts of the field are thine, Psa. 50 10. and so are the cattell vpon a thousand hils: rather (ô Lord) to confirme the faith of thine by the exact imple­tion of all those prophe­tike types of thee, in thee, so that if now any vn-Israe­lited Iew have that vnsea­sonable question of Iohns Disciples, still lurking in his heart,Mat. 11.3. art thou hee that should come? the vayle it selfe of all those shaddowish cere­monies that bespoke thee, in way of answere rends it selfe into that confession of the Centurion: Mar. 15.39. truly this is the Sonne of God; the devills themselves have now given over that, there if thou be, Mat 4.3. Iam. 2.19. and confesse, beleeve, and trem­ble, the Israelites garments [Page 504] waxt not old in all their iour­ney,Deut. 8.4. vntill they brought them home to Canaan, nor hath this garment of their Temple but lasted, vntill it hath brought them through the fleeting travaile of their figures, to the flowing Cana­an of his crosse: (O Lord) as thou didst rend this vayle of types to make way for my faith into thee, so rend (I beseech thee) that fleshy vayle of infidelity, of obdu­racie from my heart, 2 Co. 3.15.16. to make way for thy grace in­to it. But did not the bar­barous Souldiers (Lord) spare thy garment whole; how comes it to passe then that this garment of the Temple scapes no better? Wert thou lesse thrifty, or [Page 505] more cruell to this of the Temple, then they to thine? no, but herein more merci­full to me, this garment of the law, 'twas like Adams figge-leaf'd breeches, Gen 3. too short to cover my shame, my sinne; like that covering in Esay, Esa 28 22. Esa. 59.6. so narrowe that I could not wrap mee in it: in that therefore to prevent my trust, didst thou thus rend it, but thine owne the em­bleme of thy all-sufficient merit, how mercifully, how providently didst thou for me keepe that whole? let me not then with the selfe-saving Papist (against that thine owne Parable) goe about to put a new peece into the olde garment, Luk. 5.36. the new peece of mine owne [Page 506] wrought, or bought merit into this old, yet strong gar­ment of thine, what neede I? it is both whole, and large enough, why should I then (as thou speak'st thy selfe) so,Luk. 5.36. rend and take away from the garment, my rents of sinne will so become worse; what should I so doe lesse, if still a patching out this thy garment with shreds of mine owne merit? then give thee the flat lye, and that in those thy last words vpon the Crosse,As the Pa­pists by their do­ctrine of condigne merits. telling thee to thy face, It is not finish'd.

XXVI. His fide is pierc [...]d with the Speare,Ioh. 19.34 whereat there flowes out water and bloud.

THeir Sabath now drawes on, Ioh 19.31. wherein 'twas not lawfull to beare a burthen, that their crosses therefore might keepe their Sabaoth too (so full more of cere­mony, then mercy is su­perstition) they, even the crosses shall not beare their burthens neither on the Sa­bath, but the legges of the crucified are to be broken, the sooner to dispatch them out of the way; but our Sa­viours willingnesse to dye for vs, prevents this their [Page 508] superstitious cruelty, they find him dead to their hands;Ioh. 19.33. yet see how easily desire spreads, and itches into opinion, their owne eyes shall not make them beleeve him already dead, not quite past suffering, vntill they have with a speare search'd for life at the Well head it selfe, the heart: how truely might the Prophet say,Ier. 17. that the sinne of Iudah was written with a pensill of iron; how well might hee himselfe complaine, after all suffering they haue added wounds, sence, or life either, are not bounds wide enough for their ma­lice, his life may, but that has no finitum est, no, not with his s [...]ffering; and yet cannot all their malice [Page 509] breake the least bone of him, how plainely doth he herein prove himselfe the true Passeover, of which not a bone must be broken, Exod. 12. and so of him to the Psalmist. He shall keepe all my bones, Psal. 34.16. so that not one of them shall be broken. It is the generally receiv'd opinion, that the Souldier who gave this wound with the speare, was one Longinus who before this was blind, but by vertue of that preci­ous bloud that (here) sprang out on his eyes, from our Saviours side, hee had his sight restor'd, and was here­vpon converted, and after became Bishop of Capadocia, and in the end dyed a Mar­tyr; how-ever, Physitians (as Austine speakes) are vsu­ally [Page 510] liberal of others bloud, but as sparing of their own; here 'tis not so, insteed of the Patients arme, 'tis the Physitians owne side that bleedes, insteed of a Lan­cet a Speare, and that in the hands of a blinde Chirurgi­on, and yet as blinde as hee was, how right did [...]ee hit the veyne, that veyne which was the fountaine of all our happinesse, of both his Sa­craments forthwith there came out water and bloud. Ioh. 19.34. Here was that fountaine opened to the house of David for sinne and for vncleanenesse, here's bloud to expiate sinne, Zach. 13.1. water to wash away vncleanenesse, what other is it but that ri­ver of Paradise parted into foure streames, flowing into [Page 511] the foure parts of the world? what but the dore of the Ark, of the true Arke of the cove­nant, the onely Arke of safe­ty from the deluge of sinne and death, a dore of vtterance, Col. 4. and of entrance too, whence flowes to vs the water of life, where opens to vs a Sanctuary from all the pur­suits of persecution; the Evangelist might happily have allusion to this vse of it, as of a dore, in vsing that word to expresse it, he sayes not penetravit, but aperuit latus: nor is this wound given but after death, to shew that 'tis by his death onely,Heb. 5. the way is made into the heavenly Sanctuary: thus God brings light out of dark­nesse, and makes the worst [Page 512] of their malice to serve his mercy and our advantage, what they make a wound, he makes a dore, an everlast­ing opened gate of grace, of glory, what they vse as a speare of cruelty, hee makes a key of comfort,Re [...]. [...] a key which onely opens that way into Pa­radise, which the Cheru­bims sword had so long kept shut; this day shalt thou be with mee in Paradise: what other is this speare to vs, but the rod of Moses that fetches the true water of life, Psa 28.4 out of this the onely rocke of our salvation, to make way for vs into the flowing Ca­naan of his side; Eve was built out of Adams side a slee­ping, [...]. and here our Saviours spouse too his Church, is [Page 513] built out of his side a bleed­ing; Adam was first cast in­to a sleepe, and so is he here first cast into the sleepe of death, his death was no o­ther then a sleepe; I lay mee downe and slept: Here Ioab againe strikes Absolom tho­row the side with a speare, hang­ing on the tree by the hayres of his head; when he had taken our sinnes and rebellions on him, our Saviour was a very Absolom, an Absolom the sonne of a King, fayr [...] then the sonnes of men, whose death pacifies the King­dome, 'tis by the hayres of the head too that he hangs thus on the tree, our sinnes he had made his, and they were more in number then the hayres of our heads; by those [Page 514] hayres is it that ou [...] Saviour here hangs faster then by all their nayles, thus the fiercenesse of man shall turne to Gods praise, Psa. 76.10. thus God can turne the bitterest waters of Marah, of malice, into the wholsome streames of his mercies, of his mysteries. But,

(O Lord) thou that brea­kest the bowe, and knappest the speare in sunder; what meanest thou here (Lord) to be thus both tortured living and wounded dead? Wilt thou keepe nothing whole, nor without nor within thee: thy Apostles they are scat­tered in the Garden, thy garments at the Crosse, thy bloud how many wheres? thy skinne they have rent [Page 515] with their whips, thy eares with their blasphemies, thy back they have cloven with their furrowes, Psal. 229.3. thy hands and feete with their nayles, and wilt thou yet have thy heart cloven too by their speare? would they with the sp [...]are kill thy soule too with thy body? what can the speare here search for in thy heart, who onely art the searcher of all hearts? doth it (as David speakes) make inquisition after bloud? Psal. 9.12. alas, how should it hope for any more after all these showers, these flouds alrea­dy spilt; doth it here seeke for thy Disciples? they are fled; is it thy spirit? that is gone to thy Father: thou tellst mee (Lord) of many [Page 516] mansions in thy Fathers house already, and art thou still making more for mee in thine owne heart? thy be­loved Disciple leaned on thy breast, but wilt thou make a dore for me into it, that I may lye yet neerer in thy heart? O let me not or ely (with Thomas) put in my hand, but my heart too into this thy wounded side; as Ioseph did by thee, so doe thou by me (Lord I beseech thee) ever in my greatest distresses take mee from the Crosse, and in this thy Se­pulcher, thy side, give my restlesse heart a reposefull Sanctuary, put me (as thou didst thy servant Moses whē thou passedst by) into a cleft of the rocke, this cleft of thee [Page 517] the true rocke of my refuge, Psal. 11. so shalt thou passe by my sinnes, and I shall see thy glory. One of this side of thine there flowed not bloud alone, but bloud and water, as they flo­wed together out of thy pierced side, so let them ever (Lord) flowe together into my wounded soule, both the bloud of iustifica­tion by faith and the water of sanctification by grace; those which thou hast ioyn'd, let me not thinke to sunder, water and bloud, 'tis thine owne rule, except thou wash me, I can have no share in thee: Io. 13.8. thou art made to vs (sayes the Apostle) sanctification and re­demption, 1 Co. 2. not the one with­out the other, 'tis a safe rule, what thou hast wrought for [Page 518] me, that in some measure thou work'st in me; thou hast not suffered for me, vn­lesse I suffer too vnder the burthen of my sinnes, thou wert not crucified for mee, except I be crucified too to the world, Gal. 6. and it to me, thou dy­edst not for me, vnlesse sin dye dayly in mee, thou hast not risen for mee,1 Co. 15. except I rise too out of the insatiate grave of customary sinning,Pro. 30. and that to newnesse of life, that life of grace here,Psa. 84.12. or never hereafter to that life of glory.

The servant must be as his Master, shall I thinke to be a servant and not a follo­wer, be thou then (Lord) as my price, so my patterne too, as my Mediator so my [Page 519] mirrour, give me not only of the bloud of thy side to expiate my sinnes past, but of the water too that I thirst not after them againe. Ioh. 4. Cu­riosity (Lord) it is the mo­rall speare, that not content with what flowes from thee, presumes to search in­to thy heart for secrets, in some things let mee affect rather a contented igno­rance, then a curious know­ledge, rather modestly doubting with safety, then wittily determining with danger, rather leaving it doubtfull whether or no thou went'st locally into hell, then to goe thither to see, in some things admira­tion is safer piety, then ap­prehension.

XXVII. Ioseph beggs,Ioh. 19.38. and huries his body, when Nichodemus had embalmed it.

WEe reade of three Iosephs in Scripture, all three eminent & choice instruments of Gods glory, and mans good; The first Ioseph made way for Israels reliefe in Egypt, from the fa­mine; the second for Isra­els Saviours escape into E­gypt from the sword, both went into Egypt, the one to get the staffe of life, bread; the other, to preserue the life of life, Iohn. 14. our Saviours. So doth this the third Ioseph, make way for him too, & though neither from famine, nor [Page 521] sword, yet from his thirsty bloody Crosse, to his quiet grave; the first Ioseph brought Israel from Caanan into E­gypt, but this Ioseph brings the Saviour of Israel from the tyranous Egypt of his Crosse, into the Conquered Caanan of his Sep [...]lchre, where hee vanquish'd that same Anak-gyant broode of sinne, death, the deuill and hell, and that in their owne territories the grave: The f [...]r [...]t Ioseph brought Israel to Pharaoh, the second carries this Saviour of Israel from Herod, and this third, beggs him of Pilate; the Iewes buy him of Iudas and kill him, Ioseph begges him of Pilate and buries him, and still how much better is he [Page 522] begd by faith and prayer, then bought in Crucifixes and Pardons; but alas, how much more doth Ioseph cost him, then he Ioseph? he spils his blood for Ioseph, Ioseph spends but a word for him and speeds, but 'twas a bo [...]d one,Mar. 15.43. he went in boldly to Pilate, and asked the body of Ie­sus, nor may we thinke to speed with, or for our Savi­our, without a discreetly resolved boldnesse, he that feares when hee hath to deale with man for God, betrayes the cause to suspi­cion, himselfe to deniall, and vpon the matter God himselfe to the dishonour of vnfaithfulnesse, vnwor­thines, as if he could shrinke from the assistance of his [Page 523] owne ordinance: feare both with God and man e­ver antidates deniall. But what doeth Iosephs faith, and loue Phoenix-l ke take life, but from the ashes of our Saviours death? wee reade of no discouery of ei­ther vntill now, it cannot be dissembled, but that Io­sephs faith was hitherto but smoaking flaxe, or if fier'd, but rak'd vp in the paler ashes of a tongue-tyed feare, yet herein appeares it's trueth, that at length (with Davids) it growes hot within him, and breakes forth,Psal. 39.4. and casteth ovt feare; a friend lo­veth at all times (saith Solo­mon) but if that loue at any time more appeare, be it ra­ther (with Iosephs) in the [Page 524] storme; in Sunne-shine friends, swarme like Bees, and dance like attomes, Io­seph doth not so, him whom he dares scarce ackowledge amidst all the glory of his myracles, him hee dares boldly begge, after all the misery of his sufferings, he is no Capernait, following him when hee gives bread, forsa­king him when hee wants and cryes for drinke; No, he thirstes most after this wa­ter of life, Iohn 4. when that it selfe complaines of thirst, and beggs him now, when hee himselfe is become a beggar, Loue is stronger then death (saith Solomon) such is Io­sephs, death is so far from killing it, as it gives it birth rather, and a kind of post-humall [Page 525] succession. I sayd I will goe vp into the palme tree, G [...]n 7.8. and take hold of the fruit thereof; What is the palme tree, but the Crosse? the palme of our victory and try­umph? What is the fruit it beares, but our blessed Saviour? the first fruits of the resurrection, who ascends but Ioseph? gathering this blessed fruit from this ac­cursed tree, here grapes were gathered from thornes, the true vine it selfe, Iohn 14.1. from this accursed thorne the Crosse, Iosephs ladder here, and that of Iacob are not much vnlike, both reach'd from heauen to earth, yet on Iacobs but the heavenly messengers, on Io­sephs, the heavenly Messiah here descends, nor can it bee [Page 526] conceived that this so pas­sionate an office, could be done by so affectionate a servant, without strong ex­tasies and ruptures of soule, in the preasse and puzle of so many iarring affections, joy, sorrow, horrour, feare, loue, such aemulously stri­ving, wholly to invade and possesse him in it, ioy tryū­phed in the valew of his enriching burthen, hauing now his and the worlds Sa­viour in his trembling armes, for whom he had so prosperously prevail'd with Pilate, and of whom now he was so happily authorized to dispoyle the suffering Crosse (and David-like) to plucke this innocent Lambe out of the rending pawes of [Page 527] this ravening care, nor can it bee, but sorrow and hor­rour should next haue their scaene in his thronged brest, to see him so bor'd, so carv'd, so mangled, so nay­led, that he cannot loosen his body, but he must wi­den his woundes, not able so at once to draw ou [...] all the nayles, but that at last, one must beare his whole waight, and that waight stretch at once still wider, both wound and sorrow: and how could horror then but harrow vp his bleeding soule? to see that the spight­full nayles could not be as driuen, so nor drawne, with­out drawing yet more blood with them, and when the nayles were drawne, to [Page 528] see him still glew'd fast to his iealous Crosse, by his owne blood and goare; but that here sorrow againe seasonably assists, melting with it's warmer teares the glewe of his congealed blood, then steps in feare, vpbraiding the traiterous delay & sloth of sorrow, the disadvantageable curiosity and tendernesse of horror, casting doubts of Pilates per­vertible facilitie to a pos­sible reuocatiō of his grant, or of the Priests malice, or the peoples fury, either pro­bably enough bent, if pos­sibly to disposesse him of the body before buriall, to haue expos'd it to some fur­ther shame, if not torture, but (at length) the last, loue, [Page 529] that conquers all difficul­ties, casteth out feare, 1. Iohn 4. dryes the checke of sorrow, im­masculates the heart of hor­ror, strokes the spleene of joy, becalmes all these gusts of passion, & gently brings him from the racke of his Crosse, (whither malice had beene still a pursuing him, from the cratch of his cradle) at length to the bed of his grave. Then comes Nichodemus with his oynt­ments, Nichodemus who vn­till now durst not owne the Gospell for feare of the Law, comming to our Sauiour in faith, as our Sauiour to the world in judgement,Luke 12.39. as a thiefe in the night, weakely hoping better to find the light by the helpe of darke­nesse, [Page 530] but now no longer sit­ting in darkenesse, Luk. 1. or that sha [...] of death: feare he dares in despight of all the Syna­gogues envy, the peoples fury, Caesars enmity, be­come his Advocates Ad­uocate,Ioh. 7.51. doth our Law iudge a­ny man before it heare him, the Annoynter of the Lords annoynted, and well may hee imbalme his body with his oyntment, who had imbal­med his soule with his blood; nor is he now lesse free, then fearelesse, a hun­dred pound waight of Spike­nard, very costly; and now after they haue all a wh [...]le wept a vye, and therewith together with their sighes washed and dryed him, (nor neede they any thing but [Page 531] those their teares and sighes to thaw the oyntment, and if need had bin to haue sup­plied it) they begin to a­noynt him, his mother at the head, where, as often as she lookes vpon those eyes of his, now darke and shut, wherewith hee sometime shewed regard to the lowlinesse of his handmayd, Luke 1. or on those lips now pale and breath­lesse, which wontedly did but speake the word and it was done, whence sometimes flowed those sayings, which shee so carefully treasured vp in her heart, Luke 2.51. or on rhose tem­ples now scratch'd, harrow­ed with thornes, which were sometimes the trea­sures of wisedome, Col. 2.3. and confuted all the Dostors at twelue yeares [Page 532] old, or on those his armes now stiffe and colde, where­with hee shewed strength, and scattered the proud in the ima­ginations of their hearts: how could shee either chuse but grieve to him, or choose (the eye being the mindes pledge) but to see him that shee might grieve? how could she looke on him for sorrow? how could she look off him for love? how did she strive to breath life into him again with her sighes? how glad would shee have been (Pellican-like) to have fill'd his empty veynes once more with her bloud? then Magdalen shee knowes her place of old, 'twas at his feete, shee was already pra­ctised in the washing them [Page 534] with her teares, and drying them with her hayre and kisses, and now goes but over her old lesso [...] more perfectly, more passionately, her sor­row taking more waight and depth from the occa­sion, how did she chid the cruell nayles, and their har­der drivers, that could so bore, so digge through those feete that never stood in the way of sinners, Psal. 22.17. or trod the path of guile, how did she at sight of them thus pierced, pierce the ayre with her com­plaints, these or the like, (A­las Lord) didst thou com­plaine, thou trod'st the wine-presse alone, it seemes so by thy bloody feete,Esay 63.3. for blood came out of that Wine-presse, Reu. 14.20. even to the horses mouthes; [Page 534] hadst thou th [...]se woundes (sayst thou) in the house of thy friends? The ancient hospi­tallity of friends was shewn in washing, not wounding the feete of their guests, these sure were some such friends as Ioab to Amasa, vnder pre­tence of friendship, how trayterously haue they salu­ted thee too,2. Sam. 20. vnder the fift rib; some such friendlike fiends rather, as thou sometimes dispossessedst me of, which because thou therein brakest their head, they haue thus bruised thy heele: alas Lord, where didst thou tread vpon such aspes and scorpions; Psal. 9.1. hast thou past through some worse wildernesse then thy people Israel met with be­tweene Egypt and Caanan? [Page 535] In all that their journey, thou sufferedst not their feet to swel, alas yes, my sinnes were more fiery Serpents, then those of their wildernesse, and have wounded thee yet deeper too then these, these nayles, and was it I (gainst whom thou didst defeate the foote of pride, Psal. 36. and wert thy selfe feete to the lame, my cripled soule) that did thus pierce thy tender feete, thus wound, thus mangle them, and doe I live to see it? why did ye so erre, ye ac­cursed nayles? twas my heart deserv'd, needed your vtmost sharpenesse to pierce it with compunction; which of you (yee inhumane mur­derers) is not yet so weary as can, or so kind as will [Page 536] drive them yet there, while they are warme with his blood? what better cordial? but the night drawes on, which together with the peoples probable incursion, and Pilates flexible fluctuati­on, to preuēt, they at length enshrowd him, Matthew cals it cleane, Mark fine linnen, nor may we thinke it onely to expresse their devotiō in this office, that their descriptions are thus expresse, tis not certainly without some my­stery, his natural body here­in resembles his mysticall his Church, this hath as it's oyntment, so it's cleane fine linnen too, so hath his Church as the oyntment of doctrine, 1. Iohn 2.20.27. (as Iohn cals it) truth, so the cleane and fine linnen [Page 537] too of discipline, and de­cent ornaments, David cals it the becomming beauty of ho­linesse; Psal. 93.6. the oyntment to pre­serve it from the putrifacti­on of heresie,Psal. 96.9. the linnen from the rents of schisme. And novv follow we him as mourners to the grave, but (here) where are those Egyptian Pyramids, those Mausolaan monuments, the pompe and cost sutable to such a coarse? heres not so much as a grave or shrowd of his owne, both are Iosephs & yet in some respects well suits such a buriall, to such a death, well was he buried in another mans grave, when as he dyed but for o­ther mens sinnes, nor will he now be buried, but in the [Page 538] tombe of an eminent & ho­norable Counsellour, before he had finished the worke of our redemption, he was still in the season of his humili­ation, he will therefore in all birth, life, death, chuse our desert a despicable po­uerty; here hee begins his exaltation, now therefore hee will reasume some glo­ry, and that not without spe­cial prophesie,Isay. 53.9. he shall make his grave with the rich, no nor mystery neither, but to shew that what endes the wickeds, begins the good mans glory, death; so is it of speciall purpose and im­port, that his tombe is of rocke; and that a new one of rocke, to prevent all co­lour of pretensible burgla­ry [Page 539] in his Disciples of break­ing it, and stealing him thence; a new one wherein never man before was layd to over-reach the wit of ma­lice, which might else have pretended some other to have risen thence, or to have beene the rayser as in that grave of Elisha; 2 Reg. 13.21. nor are these circumstances of more politick, then morall vse; here's none of that hy­pocrisie of those Pharisai­call Sepulchers guilded with­out, rotten within, nor like the Arke within and with­out, 'tis both alike, both rocks, and sure ones, though hee was made a curse for vs, Mat 27.66. yet in a kinde of repu­diation of Ierusalem, he will not have her curse though, [Page 540] here's a stone vpon a stone; Gal. 3. nor is the significance lesse of its newnesse then rocki­nesse, in his birth he lay in a wombe wherein never man lay, in his life hee rode on an Asse whereon never man sate, in his death he lay in a tombe wherein never man was layd, that it might appeare hee was in all three, more then man; or more morally to teach vs that in that heart where hee will dwell, hee will have no in-mates, hee brookes no competition, hee is the true owner, and with that right mother will by no meanes yeeld to a di­vision. 1 Reg. 3. But,

O my blessed Saviour, thou to whom the grave is na­ked, Iob 26.6. and there is no cover for [Page 541] destruction, how fondly, how deceitfully doe I somtimes sooth my selfe in thinking what wonders I would have done, had Iosephs case been mine, (alas) how much more neerer, how much more thy selfe are thy now living members, then thy dead, nay, then thy living body vpon earth was (at [...]east) for ma [...]ter of thy care and compassion? in them [...]hou art still a suffering,Act. 9. why persecutest thou mee? in the other, whilst thou wer [...] a suffering,Esa. 50.7. thou mad'st thy face as a flint, and now long since it is finish'd. I need not say (Lord) with Mary, they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where th [...]y have layd [Page 542] him. Thou still lay'st thy selfe at my dores, at my dores both of house and of heart, in thy needy mem­bers, in thy blessed spirit; 'tis thou that art still hungry, Mat. 25.42. naked, sicke in the one; and behold, 'tis thou still stand'st at the dore and knock'st, by the other;Rev. 3.20. the Samaritan's carry­ing the wounded man to the Inne, was a worke as accep­table to thee, as this of Io­sephs carrying thy wounded body to the grave. But have I not beene rather too in officiously forward in burying thee too often (af­ter the Hebrew phrase) out of my sight? 1 Reg out of my mind? how often have I begg'd thee with Ioseph, Iob 26 and refus'd [Page 543] thee offer'd in thy Word, thy Spirit, thy Sacraments? and if receiv'd thee; how soone haue I choak'd the seed of that thy word, Luk. 8. quench'd the motions of that thy spi­rit, 1 Thes. 5. buried the talent of that thy Sacrament? how sel­dome have I (with Ioseph) begg'd, and receiv'd, Math 25. and layd thee vp in the cleane linnen, and new tombe of a heart washed with teares, a spirit renewed by grace? but what? (Lord) didst thou in thy last will so graciously be­queath thy Legacies, thy mother to thy Disciple, and him to her, thy spirit to thy Father, thy Kingdome to the Thiese, thy prayers to thy murtherers, and not a [Page 544] word of thy poore mangled body, or its buriall? was it not enough that thou would'st be borne without a chamber, live without a house, dye without a bed, vnlesse thou be buried too without a shrowd, or grave either, of thine owne? what doe I then a caring thus to live softly, and dye richly? be my life here never so de­spicably poore,Io. 18.11. shall I not be content to drinke of my Ma­sters Cup, who is the portion of mine inheritance & of my cup, Psa. 16.6. without whom,Psa. 11.7. fire and brimstone, storme, and tem­pest, this had beene my portion to drinke, and my cup had beene full? Let me not then with the Epicure, first digge my [Page 545] grave with mine own teeth, and then bury it in mine owne security, but (with Io­seph here) let mee make my grave in the rocke, in thee the rocke of my defence, Psa 18.1. and then (as hee) place it in the Garden of my delight: but what doe I a seeking thee (Lord) in the empty grave with Mary? Thou art risen, thou art not there, risen and gone to heauen, thither let me follow thee,Iob 19.25. I know that there yet my Redeemer still lives, and that I shall see him with these mine eyes, thither being l [...]fted vp, draw me Lord vnto thee, though with Ioseph thou wert th [...]s hated of thy bre­thren, solde, and throwen (as he) into the pit, and dungeon [Page 546] both, the grave, and hell; yet (with Iacob) be it my com­fort,Gen. 45.28 Iesus my Savi [...]ur is yet alive, I shall goe and see him when I dye.