Looking Unto Jesus

SECT. I. Of the day of Christ 's Sufferings, divided into parts and hours.

THe Son of Righteousness, that arose with healing, we shall now see go down in a ruddy Cloud. And in this Piece, as in the former, we must first lay down the Object, and then direct you to look upon it.

The Object is Jesus, carrying on the work of man's Salvation during the time of his Sufferings; now in all the transactions of this life, we shall observe them, as they were carried on successively in those few hours of his Passion and death.

As this work of man's salvation was great, so we cannot but observe how every piece of it was carried on in its due time, even from eternity to eternity. The very time of Christ's passage depended not on the will of man; for his enemies sought many a time before to slay him▪ as Herod in his Infancy, Matth. 2.16. The Jews in his riper age, when sometimes they took up stones to stone him, John 8.59. and sometimes they would have broke his neck from an hill, Luke 4.29: but his time was not then come. We read of the Paschal Lamb, that it was to be slain on the fourteenth day of the first Moneth called Abib, or Nisan: at the full of the Moon in the evening or between the evenings; some think this Moneth answers to our March, others to our April, I shall not be too curious in the Inquisition; for I think it not worth the while: only this, I cannot but observe, that the same day that the Lamb must be slain, must our Paschal Lamb begin his sufferings; and as then it was full Moon, so it notes unto us the fullness of time which now was come; and as it was in such a Month, as when light prevails against darkness, and everything revives and springs; so Christ by his sufferings was to chase away our darkness and death, and to bring in light and life, and a blessed spring of Grace and Glory; and as it was to be slain in the evening, or between the evening; so must Christ the true Paschal Lamb be sacrificed about the very same hour that the Mystical Lamb was slain: to understand which, we must know, that the Jews distinguished their Artificial day into four parts; from six to nine, from nine to twelve, from twelve to three, from three to eight; this last part was counted the Evening of the Day, and the next three hours the Evening of the Night; now in this last part of the Day used the Paschal Lamb to be slain; and after it was slain, some time was taken up to dress it whole for Supper; so Christ at the fourth part of the day, at their ninth hour, that is, at our three of the Clock in the afternoon, between the Evenings, with a loud voice yielded up the Ghost.

For the whole time of these last and extreme sufferings of Christ, I shall reduce them to somewhat less than one natural day; or if we may take the whole day before us consisting of twenty four hours, and begin with the Evening, according to the beginning of natural days from the Creation (as it is said, the evening and the morning made the first day ). In this revolution of time, I shall observe these several passages.— As.

1. About six in the Evening Christ celebrated, and eat the Passover with his Disciples, at which time he instituted the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and this continued till the eighth hour.

2. About Eight in the Evening he washed his Disciples feet, and then leaning on the Table, he pointed out Judas that should betray him; and this continued until the ninth hour.

3. About Nine in the Evening (the second Watch in the night) Judas that Traitor, went from the Disciples; and in the mean time Christ made that spiritual Sermon, and afterwards that spiritual Prayer recited only by John; John 14, 15, 16, 17 chapt. and this, (together with a Psalm they sung) continued at least until the tenth hour. Thus far we proceeded before we had done with the Life of Christ. That which concerns his Passion, follows immediately upon this; and upon that only I shall take notice in my following Discourse.

This Passion of Christ I shall divide between the night and day. 1. For the night, and his sufferings therein, we may observe these periods, or thereabouts. As—

1. From ten to twelve he goes over the Brook Cedron to the Garden of Gethsemani, where he prayed earnestly, and sweat water and blood.

2. From twelve till three he is betrayed, and by the soldiers and other Officers, he is bound, and brought to Jerusalem, and carried into the house of Annas, who was one of the chief Priests.

3. From three till six, they led him from Annas to Caiaphas, when he and all the Priests of Jerusalem sat upon Jesus Christ; and there it was that Peter denied Christ, and at last the whole Sanhedrim of the Jews gave their consent to Christ's Condemnation.

2. The Night thus dispatched, at six in the morning, about sun-rising, our Savior was brought unto Pilate, and Judas Iscariot hanged himself, because he had betrayed innocent Blood.—About seven in the same morning Christ is carried to Herod, that cruel Tyrant, who the year before had put John the Baptist to death.—At eight of the same day our Savior Christ is returned to Pilate, who propounded to the Jews, whether they would have Jesus or Barabbas let loose unto them.—About the ninth, (which the Jews call the third hour of the day) Christ was whipped, and crowned with Thorns. About ten, Pontius Pilate brought forth Jesus out of the Common Hall, saying, Behold the man; and then in the place called Gabbatha, he publicly condemned Christ to be Crucified. About eleven our Savior carried his Cross, and was brought to the place called Golgotha, where he was fastened on the Cross, and lifted up, as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness. —About twelve (in that Meridian which the Jews call the sixth hour) that supernatural Eclipse of the Sun happened.—And about three in the afternoon (which the Jews call the ninth hour) the Sun now beginning to receive his Light, Christ cried, It is finished; and commending his Spirit into his Fathers hands, he gave up the Ghost.—I shall add to these; that about four in the Afternoon, our blessed Savior was pierced with a Spear, and there issued out of his side both Blood and Water.—And about five (which the Jews call the eleventh, and the last hour of the day) he was buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. —So that in this round of our natural day, you see the wonderful transaction of Christ's sufferings. I shall take them in order, and begin with his sufferings in that night before his crucifying. And Jesus said unto his Disciples, all ye shall be offended because of me this night: and he said unto Peter, that this day, even in this night, before the Cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

SECT. II. Of the Brook over which Christ passed.

THe first passage of that Night, was Christ's going over the Brook Cedron, to the Garden of Gethsemane. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his Disciples over the Brook Cedron, where was a Garden, into which he entered, and his Disciples.

In this passage observe we these Particulars. 1. The River over which they passed. 2. The Garden into which they entered. 3. The Prayer he there made, and the dolours and agonies he there suffered.

1. He and his Disciples went over the Brook Cedron. So it was called (say some) from the same Cedars that grew all along the Banks; or (say others) from the darkness of the Valley, so Kader signifies darkness; and this was done to fulfil a Prophesy; He shall drink of the Brook in the way. By the Brook or Torrent, we may understand mystically the wrath of God, and the rage of men, the very afflictions, which befell Jesus Christ: and by his drinking of the Brook, we may understand Christ enduring afflictions, or (as others) his enduring many afflictions, and not a few. 1. That afflictions are understood by waters, we find it very frequently in Scriptures; The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of Belial made me afraid.—Deep calleth unto deep, at the noise of the water spouts, all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. —And, Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my soul; and, if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,—then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul, then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

2. As waters signify afflictions; so Christ drinking of those waters, it signified Christ's suffering of afflictions; or as others, it signifies Christ's suffering of many afflictions. Thus we find together two words with relation thereunto, are ye able to drink of the cup (saith Christ) that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the Baptism that I am baptized with? He that drinketh, hath the water in him, and he that is baptized, dipped, or plunged, hath the water about him; so it notes the variety or universality of afflictions which Christ suffered; it was within him, and it was about him, he was every way afflicted.

Not to speak yet of those sufferings, which yet we are not come to speak unto; we find here in the way, betwixt the City and the Garden, that Christ went over the Brook Cedron; in the night he wades through cold waters on bare feet; and as he wades through them, he drinks of them, he doth not sip, but drink; he shall drink of the Brook in the way. I know some would not have this Prophesy accomplished till afore Christ's apprehension, when it is said that the rude rout brought him again to Jerusalem, over the Brook Cedron; and then he drunk of the Brook; but I find no mention of this Brook in Scripture at such a time; only now in this way, I find these passages. 1. His Conference with his Disciples as they go along. 2. The Disciples reply upon his Conference. 3. His dolorous passage over the Brook, betokening the very wrath of God.

1. In the way he hath a serious conference with his disciples: so the Evangelist; and when they had sung an hymn, they went out towards the mount of Olives, and then saith Jesus unto them, all ye shall be offended because of me this night; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. Christ now begins the story of his Passion; the shepherd shall be smitten; and he proves it from God's Decree, and from the Prophesy of the Prophet, Zech. 13.7. Awake, O Sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow.—Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered abroad. God the Father is here brought in, as drawing and whetting his Sword, and calling upon it, to do execution against Jesus Christ; God the Father had an hand in the sufferings; It pleased the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him to grief. — I will smite the shepherd, saith God; it was not a naked permission, but a positive decree, and actual providence of God that Christ should suffer; the plot was long since drawn, and lay hid in God's bosom, till he was pleased by the actions of men to copy it out, and to give the world a draught of it. This was not a thing of yesterday; no, no; God spent his eternal thoughts about it; the Story was long since written in Zechariah 's Book, and in the Volume of God's Book; Christ was ordained to be a Lamb slain from the beginning of the world; him being delivered by the determinate council and fore-knowledge of God, ye have taken (saith Peter) and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: the enemies of Christ, though they broke Commands, yet they fulfilled Decrees. Against thy holy Child Jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and people of Israel were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy council determined before to be done. The Story of Christ's sufferings was long since taken up, and resolved on in the Councils of Heaven; and now in the way the only begotten Son which lay in the bosom of his Father, reveals this story; he tells his Disciples, It is written, it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.

2. The Disciples hearing this discovery of the shepherd being smitten, and the sheep being scattered, they are amazed; what shall Christ die? and shall we like cowards run away, and leave him alone in the combat? Peter, who seems boldest, he speaks first; Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. O rash presumption! It appears in these particulars;—1. Peter prefers himself before the rest, as if all the other Disciples had been weak, and he only strong; though all should be offended, yet will not I. 2. Peter contradicts Christ's great discovery of his Fathers great design from all eternity, with a few bragging words; q. d. what though Zechariah hath said it, and God hath decreed it, yet on my part, I will never do it; Though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee. 3. Peter in his boast never mentions God 's help, or God's assistance; whereas in relation to future promises, and future purposes, the Apostles Rule is, ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, and that: So Peter should have said, by God's assistance I will not be offended; by the Lord 's help, I will not deny thee; if the Lord will, I will do this and that; I will live with thee, and die with thee, rather than I will deny thee; but we find no such word in all the Story; and therefore Christ takes him off his bottoms in the first place; Verily I say unto thee Peter, that this night before the Cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice: Oh no, saith Peter; he will not go off his presumptuous confidence; though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee; likewise also said all his Disciples. But I must not dwell on these passages.

3. His dolorous passage over the Brook succeeds; He went forth with his Disciples over the Brook Cedron: I never read of this Brook Cedron, but some way or other it points at the sufferings of our Savior; I shall instance in some places. 1. When David fled from Absalom out of Jerusalem, it is said that all the Country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over; the King also himself passed over the Brook Cedron.—towards the way of the wilderness. In this story we find David passing over this Brook Cedron with bare head and bare feet; and he and all his men weeping as they went up by the Ascent of Mount Olivet: I cannot think but in this, King David was a type of King Jesus: Christ, as another David, with his Soldiers or Disciples, goes out of Jerusalem, bare-head and bare-foot (as this type seems to speak) what weeping was in the way, I cannot tell; but probably sadness was in the hearts both of him and his Disciples; whose conference was of flying, suffering, dying the most grievous death that ever was; all the difference that I find betwixt the type and antitype in this passage, is, in that David fled from the face of Absalom, but Christ goes out of Jerusalem, not to fly from Judas, or the Jews, but rather to commit himself into their hands.

2. When Solomon confined Shimei to his House in Jerusalem, saying, Dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither; for it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the Brook Cedron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die. Now two of the servants of Shimei running away from him, he follows after them, and passing over this Brook Cedron, it became his death; why, here was a type of Jesus Christ; we were those fugitive servants that run away from God; and to fetch us home, Jesus goes over the brook Cedron; rather than he will lose his servants, he will lose his life, All the difference that I find betwixt Shimei and Christ in this, is, in that Shimei was but a wicked man, and yet he died an honorable death, not for his servants, but for his own transgression; but Christ, being a just man (so Pilate 's wife sent her Husband word, Have thou nothing to do with that just man ) he died a most ignominious shameful death, even the death of the Cross, and that not for himself, but for us; He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.

3. When the good Kings, Hezekiah, and Asa, and Josiah purged the City and the Temple of Idolatry, they burnt the cursed things at the Brook Kidron, and cast them therein. And Asa cut down the Idol, and he brought out the Grove from the House of the Lord without Jerusalem unto the Brook Kidron, and burnt it at the Brook Kidron;—and the Priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord, to cleanse it, and brought all the uncleanness that they found in the Temple of the Lord, into the Court of the house of the Lord; and the Levites took it to carry it out abroad into the Brook Kidron.—and they arose and took away the Altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the Altars for Incense took they away, and cast them into the Brook Kidron, or Cedron. All these note unto us, that the Brook was as it were the sink of the Temple, into which all the purgamenta, and uncleannesses of God's house, and all the accursed things were to be cast: and here again was a type of Christ; upon him was cast all the filths of our sins, that as a River or Fountain he might cleanse us from them; in this respect he is said to be made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him: he was made sin for us, and a curse for us, that so he might swallow up Sin and Death, and might be destruction of Hell, and all.

I cannot pass over this passage of the Brook without some Use or Application to ourselves.

1. It informs. Methinks this Valley, and this Brook of Cedron is a right representation of a Christians Life; Jesus went forth with his Disciples over the Brook Cedron: What is our life if we are Christ's, but a passage through a vale of tears, and over a Brook of several afflictions? Many are the troubles of the righteous. The very word Cedron, which signifies darkness, denotes this state, an horror of great darkness was said to fall on Abraham, and then said God, know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years. As God made the evening and the morning the first day, and second day, and third day, &c. See, O the life of God's Saints is as the evening of troubles, and their happiness hereafter is as the morning of Glory; God's worst is first, with those that are his; the way to Canaan is through the wilderness; the way to Zion is through the valley of Baca. Through much tribulation we must enter into the Kingdom of God. In the world ye shall have tribulation, saith Christ; yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution, saith the Apostle;—Our rest is not here in this world; what is this world, but an Ark of travel, a school of vanities, a fear of deceits, a Labarinth of error, a barren wilderness, a strong field, a tempestous sea, a swelling brook, a vale of tears full of all miseries?

2. It reproves. It is the first passage of Christ when he begins his sufferings, to go over the Brook Cedron, and it is the A, B, C of Christianity (as Bradford said) to learn the Lesson of taking up the Cross and following Christ. Surely this world is no place, and this life it is no time for pleasure; God hath not cast man out of Paradise, that he should find another Paradise on this side heaven. Oh why do we seek the living among the dead? Why do we seek for living comforts, where we must expect to die daily? it is only heaven that is above all winds, and storms and tempests, and seas, and brooks, and waves: Oh why do we look for joys in a vale of tears? It was an heavy charge that the Apostle James laid upon some, that they lived in pleasure upon earth, q. d. Earth is not the place for pleasure; earth is the place of sorrow, of trouble, of mourning, of affliction; Remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art Tormented. All the pleasure that wicked men have, it is upon earth; but the condition of the godly is clean contrary: Oh 'tis sad to out-live our happiness, and when we should live indeed, then to want our comforts and our joys. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward; said Christ of Hypocrites; their Heaven is past; they spend their days in wealth, or in mirth (saith Job ) of the wicked, and in a moment go down to the Grave: Alas, their best days are then past, and they must never be merry anymore. Ah fond Fools, of Adam 's seed, to lose Heaven for a little earthly contentment! How should this sour your carnal joys, when you remember, all this is only upon earth, it cannot be forever? there must be a change of all these things; here you laugh, and hereafter you must howl: no sooner death comes, but then you will cry, Farewell world; Oh into what a Gulf am I now falling!

3. It instructs. Ah my Brethren! let's remember, we are pilgrims and strangers upon earth, and our way lies over the Brook and Valley of Cedron; we cannot expect to enter with Christ into glory, but we must first drink of the Brook in the way; (i.e.) we must endure many afflictions, variety of afflictions.—You will say, this an hard saying, who can hear it? I remember when Jesus told his Disciples of his sufferings to be accomplished at Jerusalem, Peter takes the boldness to dehort his Master; Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee; but Jesus thereupon calls him Satan, meaning that no greater contradictions can be offered to the designs of God and Christ, than to dissuade us from sufferings. There's too much of Peter 's humor abides amongst us: Oh this Doctrine of afflictions will not down with Libertines, Antinomians, and the like; and hence we believe we have our Congregations so thin in comparison of some of theirs; they that can break off the yoke of Obedience, and untie the Bands of Discipline, and preach a cheap Religion, and present heaven in the midst of flowers, and strew palms and carpets in the way, and offer great liberty of living under sin, and reconcile eternity with the present enjoyment, shall have their Schools filled with Disciples; but they that preach the Cross, and sufferings, and afflictions, and strictness of an holy life, they shall have the lot of their blessed Lord, (i.e.) they shall be ill thought of, and deserted, and railed against. Well, but if this be the way that Christ hath led us, whilst others abide at ease in Zion, let us follow him in the valley, and over the Brook that is called Cedron.

Thus far have we observed Christ in the way; together with his passage over Cedron: we come now to the Garden, into which he entered, and his Disciples.

SECT. III. Of the Garden into which Christ entered.

MAtthew relates it thus, then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , it signifies in special, a Field, a Village; but more generally a Place, as we translate it; and this place was called Gethsemane (i.e.) a valley of fatness: Certainly it was a most fruitful and pleasant place, seated at the foot of the Mount of Olives: accordingly John relates it thus, Jesus went forth with his Disciples over the Brook Cedron, where was a Garden; many Mysteries are included in this Word; and I believe it is not without reason, that our Savior goes into a Garden. As,—1. Because Gardens are solitary places fit for meditation and prayer; to this end we find Christ sometimes on a Mountain, and sometimes in a Garden. 2. Because Gardens are places fit for repose and rest, when Christ was weary with preaching, working of Miracles, and doing acts of Grace in Jerusalem, then he retires into this Garden. 3. Because a Garden was the place wherein we fell, and therefore Christ made choice of a Garden, to begin there the greatest work of our Redemption: In the first Garden was the beginning of all evils, and in this garden was the beginning of our restitution from all evils; in the first Garden, the first Adam was overthrown by Satan, and in this Garden the second Adam overcame, and Satan himself was by him overcome; in the first Garden sin was contracted, and we were indebted by our sins to God; and in this Garden sin was paid for, by that great and precious price of the blood of God: in the first Garden man surfeited by eating the forbidden fruit; and in this Garden Christ sweat it out wonderfully, even by a bloody sweat: in the first Garden, Death first made its entrance into the world; and in this Garden Life enters to restore us from Death to Life again: in the first Garden Adam 's Liberty to sin brought himself and all us into bondage; and in this Garden, Christ being bound and fettered, we are thereby freed and reduced to liberty. I might thus descant in respect of every Circumstance; but this is the sum; in a Garden first begun our sin, and in this Garden first began the Passion, that great Work and Merit of our Redemption. 4. Christ goes especially into this Garden, that his enemies might the more easily find him out; the Evangelist tells us, that this Garden was a place often frequented by Jesus Christ; so that Judas, which betrayed him, knew the place, for Jesus oftentimes resorted thither with his Disciples; sure then he went not thither to hide himself, but rather to expose himself; and like a noble Champion, to appear first in the field, and to expect his enemies. Thus it appears to all the world, that Christ's death was voluntary. He poured forth his soul unto death (saith the Prophet) he gave himself for our sins (saith the Apostle) nay, himself tells us, therefore doth my Father love me because I laid down my life: no man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. But I will not stay you at the Door; let us follow Christ into the Garden, and observe his Prayer and his Sufferings there.

SECT. IV. Of the Prayer that Christ there made.

JEsus entering the Garden, he left his Disciples at the entrance of it, calling with him Peter, James and John; they only saw his transfiguration, the earnest of his future Glory, and therefore his pleasure was, that they only should see of how great glory he would disrobe himself, even for our sakes.—In the garden we may observe, first his Prayer, and secondly his Passion.

1. He betakes himself to his great Antidote, which, himself, the great Physician of our souls, prescribed to all the world; he prays to his heavenly Father; he kneels down; and not only so, but falls flat upon the ground; he prays with an intention great as his sorrow, and yet with a submission so ready, as if the Cup had been the most indifferent thing in the world. The Form of his Prayer ran thus, O my Father, if it be possible, let this Cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. In this Prayer observe we these Particulars: 1. The person to whom he prays, O my Father. 2. The matter for which he prays; Let this Cup pass from me. 3. The Limitation of this Prayer; If it be possible, and if it be thy will.

1. For the Person to whom he prays; it is his Father: As Christ prayed not in his Godhead, but according to his Manhood, so neither prayed he to himself as God; but to the Father, the first person of the God-head: Hence some observe, that as the Father sometimes saying, This is my beloved Son, he spake not to himself, but to the Son; so the Son usually saying, O my Father, he prays not to himself, but to the Father.

2. For the Matter of his Prayer: Let this Cup pass from me: Some interpret thus; Let this Cup pass by me, Oh that I might not taste it! But others thus; Let this Cup pass from me; though I must taste it, yet Oh that I may not be too long, or tediously annoyed by it! That which leads unto this last interpretation is that of the Apostle, Christ in the days of his flesh offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong cries and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and he was heard in that which he feared, Heb. 5.7. How was he heard? not in the removal of the Cup; for he drank it up all: but in respect of the tedious annoyance or poisoning of the Cup; for though it made him sweat drops of blood, though it grieved him, and pained him, and made him cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Though it cast him into a sleep, and laid him dead in his Grave, and there sealed him for a time; yet presently within the space of forty hours, or thereabouts, he revived, and awakened as a Lion out of sleep, or as a Giant refreshed with wine; and so it passed from him, as he prayed, in a very short time, and by that short and momentary death, he purchased to his people everlasting Life.

3. For the Limitation of his Prayer; If it be possible, if it be thy will: He knows what is his Fathers will, and he prays accordingly, and is willing to submit unto it: if the passing of the Cup be according to the last interpretation, we shall need none of these many distinctions to reconcile the will of God and Christ: If it be possible, signifies the earnestness of the Prayer: and if it be thy will, the submission of Christ unto his Father; the Prayer is short but sweet: How many things needful to a Prayer do we find concentred in this one instance? Here is Humility of Spirit, Lowliness of Deportment, Importunity of Desire, a Fervent Heart, a Lawful Matter, and a Resignation to the will of God. Some think this the most fervent prayer that ever Christ made on earth; If it be possible, O! if it be possible, let this Cup pass from me: And I think it was the greatest dereliction and submission to the will of God, that ever was found upon the earth, for whether the Cup might pass or not pass, he leaves it to his Father; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt, q. d. Though in this Cup are many Ingredients, it is full red, and hath in it many dregs, and I know I must drink, and suck out the very utmost dreg, yet whether it shall pass from me in that short time, or continue with me a long long time, I leave it to thy will: I see in respect of my humanity, there is in me flesh and blood, O! I am frail and weak; I cannot but fear the wrath of God, and therefore I pray thus earnestly to my God; O, my Father, if it be possible, let this Cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.

But what was there in the Cup, that made Christ pray thus earnestly that it might pass from him? I answer,—

1. The great pain that he must endure; the buffetings, whippings, bleedings, crucifying; all the torments from first to last throughout all his body: why all these now came into his mind, and all these were put into the Cup of which he must drink.

2. The great shame that he must undergo, this was more than pain: as a good name is better than precious Ointment, and loving favor better than silver and Gold; so is shame a greater punishment to the mind, than any torture can be to the flesh. Now came into his thoughts his apprehending, binding, judging, scorning, reviling, condemning; and Oh what a bloody blush comes into the face of Christ, whilst in the cup he sees these Ingredients!

3. The neglect of men, notwithstanding both his pain and shame: I look upon this as a greater cut to the heart of Christ than both the former: when he considered, that after all his sufferings and reproaches, few would regard, O this was a bitter Ingredient! naturally men desire, if they cannot be delivered, yet to be pitied; it is a kind of ease, even to find some regard among the Sons of men; it shows that they wish us well, and that they would give us ease if they could; but Oh when it comes to this, that a poor wretch is under many sufferings, and great shame, and that he finds none so much as to regard all this, now verily it is an heavy case; and hence was Christ's Complaint: Have ye no regard, O all ye that pass by the way? Consider, and behold, if ever there were sorrow like unto my sorrow, which was done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the days of his fierce anger. Christ complains not of the sharp pains he endured, but he complains of this, Have ye no regard? He cries not out, Oh deliver me and save me; but Oh consider and regard me; q. d. All that I suffer I am contented with, I regard it not; only this troubles me, that you will not regard: why, it is for you that I endure all this; and do you so look upon it, as if it nothing at all concerned you? Suppose a Prince should pay some mighty price to redeem a slave from death, and the slave should grow so desperate, as after the price paid, to throw himself upon his death, yea, with all the strength and might he hath, to offer a death upon his very Redeemer, would not this trouble? Why, thus it was; Christ is willing to redeem us with his own precious blood, but he saw many to pass by without any regard, yea, ready to trample his precious blood under their feet, and to account the blood of the Covenant as an unholy thing: Oh this was another Spear in the heart of Christ, or a bitter Ingredient in this Cup.

4. The Guilt of sin which he was now to undergo; upon him was laid the iniquity of us all. All the sins of all Believers in the world, from the first Creation, to the last Judgment, were laid on him: Oh what a weight was this! Surely one sin is like a Talent of Lead; Oh then what were so many thousands of millions? The very earth itself groans under the weight of sin until this day. David cried out, that his iniquities were a burden too heavy for him to bear: Nay, God himself complains, Behold, I am pressed under you, as a Cart is pressed that is full of sheaves. Now then, no wonder if Christ bearing all the sins of Jews and Gentiles, bond and free, cry out, My Soul is heavy; for sin was heavy on his soul.—In that I say, all the sins of all Believers were laid on Christ, understand me soberly; my meaning is not that Believers sins were so laid on Christ, as that they ceased to be Believers sins according to their physical and real in-dwelling, but only that they were laid on Christ by Law-imputation, or by legal-obligation to satisfactory punishment. I make a difference betwixt sin, and the guilt of sin; for sin itself is macula, the blot, the defilement, and blackness of sin, which I conceive, is nothing but the absence and privation of that moral rectitude and righteousness which the Law requireth: but the guilt of Sin is somewhat issuing from this blot and blackness, according to which the Person is liable and obnoxious to eternal punishment. Some indeed give a distinction of the guilt of sin; there is reatus culpae, the guilt of sin, as sin, and this is all one with sin, being the very essence, soul, and formal being of sin; they call it a fundamental, or potential guilt; and there is reatus poenae, reatus personae, reatus actualis, the guilt or obligation to punishment, the actual guilt, or actual obligation of the person who hath thus sinned to punishment; and this guilt is a thing far different from sin itself, and is separable from sin: yea, and is removed from sin in our justification. Now this was the sin or guilt, which was laid on Christ, in which sense the Apostle speaks, who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree; how bare our sins on the Tree, but by his sufferings?— And he hath laid on him the iniquity of us all? —how laid on him, but by imputation?— And he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; how made sin for us? surely there was in Christ no fundamental guilt; no, no, but he was made Sin by imputation and Law-account: he was our surety, and so our sins were laid on him in order to punishment, as if now in the Garden, he had said to his Father, Thou hast given me a Body, as I have taken the debts and sins of all believers in the world upon me: Come now, and arrest me as the only pay-Master; lo here I am to do and suffer for their sins, whatsoever thou pleasest, Psal. 40.6, 7, 8. Heb. 10.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Or, as if he had said to his Father thus, I am the sinner, O Father! I am the surety, all my friends wants, and all their debts, let them be laid on me; my life for their life, my soul for their souls, my glory for their glory, my heaven for their heaven: Now this was no small matter; little do we know or consider, what is the weight and guilt of sin. And this was another ingredient, in Christ's Cup.

5. The Power and malice of Satan; the devil had a full leave and license; not as it was with Job; Do what thou wilt, Satan, but save his life; no, no, he had a commission without any such restriction or limitation; the whole power of darkness was let loose to use all his violence, and to afflict him as far as possibly he could; and this our Savior intimates, when he saith; that the Prince of this world cometh: Now was it that the Word must be accomplished, Thou shalt bruise his heel; the Devil could go no higher than the heel of Christ; but whatever he could do, he was sure to do; he had been nibbling a great while at his heel; no sooner he was born, but he would have killed him; and after he fell fiercely on him in the Wilderness, but now all the Power and all the malice of hell conjoins. If we look on the Devil in respect of his evil nature, he is compared to a roaring Lion: not only is he a Lion, but a roaring Lion; his disposition to do mischief, is always wound up to the height: and if we look on the Devil in respect of his Power, there is no part of our souls or bodies that he cannot reach; the Apostle discribing his Power, he gives him names above the highest comparisons; as Principalities, Powers, Rulers of the darkness of this World, Spiritual wickedness above: Devils are not only called Princes, but Principalities; not only mighty, but Powers; not only Rulers of a part, but of all the darkness of all this World; not only wicked Spirits, but spiritual wickedness; not only about us, but above us: they hang over our heads continually; you know what a disadvantage it is to have your enemy get the hill, the upper ground; and this they have naturally, and always. Oh then what a combat must this be when all the Power, and all the malice of all the Devils in hell, should by the permission of God, arm themselves against the Son of God. Surely this was a bitter Ingredient in Christ's Cup.

6. The wrath of God himself; this, above all, was the most bitter Dreg; it lay in the bottom, and Christ must drink it also: Oh the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger; God afflicts some in mercy, and some in anger, this was in his anger; and yet in his anger God is not like to all; some he afflicts in his more gentle and mild, others in his fierce anger; this was in the very fierceness of his anger It is agreed upon by all Divines, that now Christ saw himself bearing the sins of all Believers, and standing before the judgment-seat of God; to this end are those words, Now is the judgment of this World, and the Prince of this World shall be cast out. Now is the judgment of this World, q. d. Now I see God sitting in judgment upon the World; and as a right Representative of all the World of Believers, here I stand before his Tribunal ready to undergo all the punishments due to them for their sins: why, there is no other way to save their souls, and to satisfy justice, but that the fire of thy indignation should kindle against me; q. d. O I know it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God: Oh I know God is a consuming fire; who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him: But for this end came I into the world; O my Father, I will drink this Cup; lo here an open Breast; come, prepare the Armory of thy wrath, and herein shoot all the Arrows of revenge. —And yet, O my Father, let me not be oppressed, subverted, or swallowed, up by thy wrath, let not thy displeasure continue longer than my patience or obedience can endure; there is in me flesh and blood in respect of my humanity, and my flesh trembleth for fear of thee, I am afraid of thy judgments: Oh if it be possible, if it be possible, let this Cup pass from me.

SECT. V. Of the Dolours and Agonies that Christ there suffered

2. CHrist's Passion in the Garden was either before, or at his apprehension; his Passion before is declared, 1. By his Sorrow. 2. By his Sweat

1. For his sorrow; the Evangelists diversely relate it; He began to be sorrowful, and very heavy, saith Matthew: He began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, saith Mark: And being in an Agony, he prayed more earnestly, saith Luke: Now is my Soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour; but for this cause came I unto this hour, saith John. All avow this sorrow to be great, and so it is confessed by Christ himself: Then saith he unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. Ah Christians! who can speak out this sorrow? The Spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded Spirit who can bear? Christ's soul is sorrowful; or if that be too flat, his soul is sorrowful, exceeding sorrowful; or if that language be too low, his soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; not only extensively, such as must continue for the space of seventeen or eighteen hours, even until death itself should finish it; but also intensively, such, and so great, as that which is used to be at the very point of death; and such as were able to bring death itself, had not Christ been reserved to a greater and an heavier punishment. Of this sorrow is that especially spoken, consider, and behold, if ever there were sorrow like unto my sorrow: Many a sad and sorrowful soul hath no question been in the world; but the like sorrow to this was never since the Creation: the very terms of the Evangelists speak no less; he was sorrowful and heavy, saith one: amazed and very heavy, saith another: in an Agony, saith a third: in a soul trouble, saith a fourth. Surely the bodily torments of the Cross were inferior to this agony of his soul; the pain of the body, is the body of pain: Oh but the very soul of sorrow, and pain, is the soul's sorrow, and the Souls's pain. It was a sorrow unspeakable, and therefore I must leave it, as not being able to utter it.

2. For his Sweat; Luke only relates it: And his sweat was as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. In the words I observe a Clymax. 1. His sweat was as it were blood. Ethymius, and Theophilact interpret those words as only a similitude, or figurative Hyperbole; an usual kind of speech to call a vehement sweat, a bloody sweat: as he that weeps bitterly, is said to weep tears of blood. Augustine, Jerome, Epiphanius, Athanasius, Irenaeus, and others, from the beginning of the Church, understand it in a literal sense, and believe it was truly, and properly a bloody sweat; nor is the Objection considerable, that it was sicut guttae sanguinis, as it were drops of blood; for if the Holy Ghost had only intended that sicut for a similitude or Hyperbole, he would rather have expressed it, as it were drops of water, than as it were drops of blood. We all know sweat is more like to water than to blood: Besides, a sicut, in Scripture-phrase, doth not always denote a similitude, but sometimes the very thing itself, according to the verity of it: thus we beheld his Glory, the Glory as it were, of the only begotten Son of the Father.—and their words seemed to them as it were idle Tales, and they believed them not. The words in the Original, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 are the same; here is the first step of this Clymax, his sweat was a wonderful sweat, not a sweat of water, but of red gore-blood.

2. Great drops of blood, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . There is sudor diaphoreticus, a thin faint sweat, and sudor grumosus, a thick, concrete, and clotted sweat; in this bloody sweat of Christ, it came not from him in small dews, but in great drops; they were drops, and great drops of Blood, crassie and thick drops; and hence it is concluded as preternatural; for though much may be said for sweating blood in a course of nature; Aristotle affirms it, and Augustine grants that he knew a man that could sweat blood even when he pleased; in faint bodies a subtle thin blood, like sweat, may pass through the pores of the Skin; but that through the same pores, crass, thick, and great drops of blood should issue out, it was not, it could not be without a Miracle: Some call them grumes, others globes of blood; certainly the drops are great, so great, as if they had started through his skin to outrun the streams and rivers of his Cross.

3. Here is yet another clymax, in that these great drops of blood did not only distillare, drop out; but decurrere, run a stream down so fast, as if they had issued out of most deadly wounds; they were great drops of blood falling down to the ground; here's magnitude and multitude; great drops, and those so many, so plenteous, as that they went through his apparel and all, streaming down to the ground: now was it that his garments were died with crimson red: that of the Prophet, though spoken in another sense, yet in some respect may be applied to this: Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel? and thy garments like him that treadeth the Wine-fat? Oh what a sight was here! His Head and Members are all on a bloody sweat, his sweat trickles down, and bedecks his garments, which stood like a new firmament studded with stars, portending an approaching storm: nor stays it there, but it falls down to the ground: Oh happy Garden watered with such treas of blood! how much better are these rivers than Abana and Pharphar, rivers of Damascus; yea, than all the waters of Israel; yea, than all those Rivers that water the Garden of Eden? —

1. This may inform us of the weight and burden of sin, that thus presseth Christ under it till he sweat and bleed: when the first Adam had committed the first sin, this was the penalty, in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread; but now the second Adam takes upon him all the Sins of all Believers in the world; he sweats not only in his face, but in all his Body. O then, how was that face disfigured, when it stood all on drops, and those drops, not of a watery sweat, but of a gore blood? We see in other men, that when they are disquieted with fear or grief, the blood usually runs to the heart; indeed that is the principal member, and therefore, leaving the other parts, it goes thither, as of choice, to comfort that; but our sweet Savior contrariwise (because he would suffer without any manner of comfort) he denies to himself this common relief of nature; all the Powers of our souls, and parts of our bodies were stained with sin, and therefore he sweats blood from every part; we sin, and our eyes will scarce drop a tear for sin; but his eyes, and ears, and head, and hands, and feet, and heart, and all run rivers of tears of blood for us, even for our sins.—Let Jesuits and Friers in meditating of Christ's sufferings, cry out against the Jews; in this bloody sweat of Christ I see another use; alas! here's no Jew, no Judas, no Herod, no Pilate, no Scribe, no Pharisees? here's no tormentors to whip him; no soldiers to crown his Head with thrones, here's neither nails, nor spear to fetch his blood out of his Body; how comes it then to pass? Is there any natural cause? ah, no: the night is cold, which naturally draws blood inwards; in the open air he lies grovelling on the ground, and there he sweats, and bleeds. O my heart, who hath done this deed? As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing, shall surely die. So said David▪ when Nathan replied upon him, thou art the man. O my heart! my sinful heart! O my sinful, deceitful, abominable heart! thou art the Murderer; thy sins sat upon the heart of Christ, as heavy as a Mountain of Lead or Iron; when none was near, but a few dull, heavy, sleepy Disciples; then all the sins of Believers (and amongst them, thy sins) fell upon the soul of Christ, as so many murderers; and squeezed blood, and made him cry out. My soul is heavy, heavy unto death. Go thy ways now, and weep with Peter, and say with David, I have sinned against thee, Lord. O how should these eyes of mine look upon Christ thus sweating, bleeding, streaming out blood, clods of blood, great drops of blood, from all the parts and members of his Body, but I must mourn over him; as one that mourneth for his only son, but I must be in bitterness, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born?

2. This may inform us of the extraordinary love of Christ. It is said of the pelican, that when her young ones are struck with the tail of some poisonous Serpent, she presently strikes her breast with her Beak or Bill, and so lets out her own blood, as a Medicine for them that they may suck and live; even so Christ seeing us struck with the poison of sin, he is impatient of delay, he would not stay till the Jews let him blood with their whips, and thorns, and nails; I have a Baptism to be baptized with (saith Christ) and how am I straightened till it be accomplished? He is big with love, and therefore he opens all his pores of his own accord, he lets blood gush out from every part, and thereof he makes a precious Balsom to cure our wounds. O the Love of Christ! As Elihu could sometimes say, Behold my belly is as wine, which hath no vent, it is ready to burst like new Bottles; so the heart of Christ was full, even full of love, so full that it could not hold, but it burst out through every part and member of his body in a bloody sweat. I will not say but that every drop of Christ's blood was very precious, and of sufficient value to save a world; but certainly, that blood which was not forced by whips, or thorns, or spear, is to be had in singular honor; as the myrrh, that by incision of the Tree, flows out, is very precious; yet that which drops out of its own accord, is accounted as the first and choice; and as the Balsam, which way soever it come, is sweet; yet that which falls of its own accord, is held the most pure and odoriferous: to this alludes that Apocryphal-saying in Ecclesiasticus, I gave a sweet smell like Cinnamon, and I yielded a pleasant odour, like the best myrrh: the vulgar translates it thus; Quasi Libanus non incisus vaporavi; as the myrrh-tree that is not cut, I evaporated; as if Christ should have said, without any launching, cutting, pruning, out of mere love I poured out my blood upon the earth; this is certain; at this time no manner of violence was offered him in body, no man touched him, or came near him; in a cold night (for they were fain to have a fire within doors) lying abroad in the air, and upon cold earth he casts himself into a sweat of blood; surely love is hot; he had a fire in his brea • that melts him into this bloody sweat; O wonderful Love!

3. This may inform us of the Design of Christ in these very sufferings: Christ weeps (saith Bernard ) not only in his eyes, but in all his members, that with the tears of his body, he might wash and purify his body, which is the Church: or Christ weeps blood, that he might give us a sign of the enemies ruin; sweat in sickness, is as a Crisis, or promising sign, that Nature with all her force hath strove against the peccant humor, and hath now overcome it; so this bloody sweat is a blessed Crisis, or argument of sin decaying, and that the Lamb hath overthrown the Lion As Christ sometimes said; Now is the Judgment of this World, now shall the Prince of this World be cast out, and I, if I be lifted up from the Earth, will draw all men unto me.

SECT. VI. Of Judas's Treason, Christ 's Apprehension, binding and leading unto Annas.

BY this time the Traitor Judas was arrived at Gethsemani, and being near the Garden-door, Jesus goes to his Disciples, and calls them from their sleep; by an Irony (as some think) he bids them sleep on now, and take their rest; meaning if they could for danger, that now was near; but withal he adds, Behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners; rise, let us be going, behold he is at hand that doth betray me. That it might appear he undertook his sufferings with choice and free election, he not only refused to fly, but he calls his Apostles to rise, that they might meet his Murderers. And now they come with Swords and Staves; or as John adds, with Lanthorns and Torches, and (Judas going before them, and drawing near unto Jesus to kiss him) they took him, and bound him, and led him away to Annas first.

In this Period I shall observe, 1. Judas 's Treason. 2. Christ's Apprehension. 3. Christ's binding. 4. Christ's leading to Annas, one of the Chief Priests, as to his first station.

1. Judas 's treason: And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. This Traitor is not a Disciple only, but an Apostle; not one of the seventy, but one of the twelve. Augustine speaks of many offices of Love that Christ had done to Judas in especial manner; he had called him to be an Apostle, made him his Friend, his Familiar, caused him to eat of his Bread, sit at his Table, and to dip his hand in the Dish with him; yea if his Tradition be true, Jesus had delivered Judas often from death, and for his sake healed his Father of a Palsy, and cured his Mother of a Leprosy: and next to Peter, honored him above all other his Apostles. Of this we are sure, that he kissed him, and washed his feet, and made him his treasurer, and his Almoner; and that now Judas should betray Christ; O how doth this add to the sufferings of Christ, and to the Sin of Judas? Behold, a multitude, and Judas in the front: he went before them, tam pedibus quam moribus; in his presence, and in his malice. The Evangelist gives the reason of this, that he might have the better opportunity to kiss him, this was the sign he gave the rout; whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he, lay hold on him; he begins war with a Kiss, and breaks the peace of his Lord by a Symbole of kindness: Jesus takes this ill; What, Judas! betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? q. d. What, dost thou make the seal of Love the sign of treachery? What! must a Kiss of thy mouth be the Key of treason? O what a friendly reproof is here! By way of use.

It were well for the world (saith Chrysostom) especially for the Children of God, that Judas were alone in this transgression that there were no more perfidious, treacherous Persons in it besides himself. But Oh! how fu l is the world of such miscreants? there was never yet an Abel, but he had a Cain to murder him; never yet a Moses, but he had a Jannes and Jambres to resist him; never yet a Joseph, but he had unkind Brothers to envy him; never yet a Samson, but he had a Delilah to betray him; never yet a David, but he had an Ahithophel to hurt him; never yet a Paul, but there was an Alexander to do him much evil; nay it is well, if in every assembly we meet not with a Judas: in civil affairs how many are there that live, and make gain by lying, swearing, cheating, coz • ning, selling away Christ and their own souls for a lesser matter than thirty pieces of Silver? and in religious affairs, how many secure and drowsy professors have we amongst us, that salute Christ both by hearing the Word, and receiving the Seals, and yet in their lives and conversations they deny Christ? They honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far away from him.

2. For Christ's apprehension; then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. They apprehended him whom the world cannot comprehend; and yet before they took him, he himself begins the inquiry, and leads them into their errand; he tells them that he was Jesus of Nazareth, whom they sought: this was but a Breath, a meek and gentle word; yet had it greater strength in it than the Eastern wind, or the voice of Thunder: for God was in that still voice, and it struck them down to the ground. O the Power of Christ! they come to him with clubs and staves, and swords, and he does no more but let a word fly out of his mouth, and presently they stagger, run backward, and fall to the ground. Oh if we cannot bear a soft answer of the merciful God, how dare we so provoke, as we do, the wrath of the Almighty Judge? and yet he suffers them to rise again, and they still persist in their inquiry after him; he tells them once more, I am he; he offers himself, he is ready, and desirous to be sacrificed; only he sets them their bounds, and therefore he secures his Apostles to be witnesses of his sufferings,: In this work of redemption, no man must have an active share besides himself; he alone was to tread the Wine-Press: If therefore ye seek me, (saith Christ) let these go their way; thus he permits himself to be taken, but not his Disciples.

And now they have his leave, Oh with what fierce and cruel countenances, with what menacing and threatening looks, with what malicious and spiteful minds, do they invade and assault our Savior? they encompass him round; then they lay their wicked and violent hands upon him: in the Original, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies a violent taking. One speaks the manner of his apprehension in these words Some of them lay hold on his Garments, others on the h • ir of his head; some pluck him by the beard, others struck him with their impious fists, and being enraged, that with a word he had thrown them backwards on the ground, they therefore throw him on his back, and basely tread him under their dirty feet. Another Author gives it thus; As a roaring, ramping Lion draws along the Earth his prey, and tears it, and pulls it; so they hailed Christ all along the Earth, spitting, buffeting, pulling him by the hair. Another in like manner thus; they all rush violently upon him, they fling him to the ground, they kick him, tear him, spurn him, pull off the hair, both off his Head and Beard. Of every of these passages we find Scriptures full; Many Bulls have compassed me, strong Bulls of Bashan have beset me round, they gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and roaring Lion.

We are apt to cry out on Judas and the Jews; and we think, Oh if we had been in their stead, we should never have done thus; but lay aside a while those Instruments, and look we at the principal cause; had we not an hand in all these actings? did not we conspire his Death, and Apprehension in reference to it? Oh my sins! my sins! these were the Band, the Captain, and the Officers; these were the multitude, a multitude indeed, if I should tell them, I might tell a thousand, and yet not tell one of a thousand; these were the Soldiers that beset him round, the Bulls that compassed him about, the roaring Lions that gaped upon him with their mouths; O my heart, why shouldest thou rise up against the Jews, when thou findest the Traitor, and the whole rout of Officers in thyself? Oh that thou wouldest turn the edge of thy detestation into its right stream and Channel! Oh that thou wouldst remember thy own ways, and all thy doings wherein thou hast been defiled; and that thou wouldst loath thyself in thy own sight for all the evils that thou hast committed!

3. For Christ's binding, the Evangelist tells us, that the Band, and the Captain, and the Officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 they bound his hands with cords; a Type of this was Samson, whom Delilah bound with ropes; so they bound him with ropes or cords, foreshowing hereby that he must die, they never using to bind any with ropes or cords, but those whom undoubtedly they purposed to crucify: Some add the Circumstances of this binding, that they bound him with three cords, and that with such violence that they caused blood to start out of his tender hands; certainly they wanted no malice, and now they wanted no power, for the Lord had given himself into their hands. Binding argues baseness: It is storied of Alexander, that when some Arrow that was shot into him, was to be drawn out, his Physicians advised to bind him; for that the least motion (as they said) would do him hurt; but he answered Kings were not fit to be bound, the power of a King was ever free and safe; And David in his Lamentation over Abner, said, Died Abner as a Fool dieth? thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put in fetters, 2 Sam. 2.33, 34. Fools and Slaves were accustomed to be bound, and so were Thieves; they that open their hands to receive others goods, it is fit their hands should be bound, and tied up; but is our Savior numbered amongst any of these? O yes! In that same hour said Jesus to the multitude, are ye come out as against a Thief, with Swords and Staves? he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a Servant: O wonderful condescension of Christ! O admirable exinanition! he that was eminently just, is reputed a thief; he that was equal with God, is become a Servant; he that was stronger than Samson, and could have broken his cords from off his arms like a thread, he is bound with cords, and as a poor Lamb, he continues bound for the slaughter; and thus began our Liberty and Redemption, from slavery, and sin, and death, and cursings.

But besides these cords, the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , signifies a binding with chains, Mak. 5.3, 4. And some are of opinion, that they shackled both his hands and feet, pedicis & catenis vinctus, Mark 5.4. And others say that they put about his neck a Chain of Iron; and it is not altogether improbable, but they might be as cruel to the Master, as to his Servants: I cannot think they were so enraged against Peter, as they were against Christ; and yet they laid on him two Chains, Acts 12.6. Nor can I think they were so enraged against Paul, as they were against Jesus; and yet the chief Captain took him, and commanded him to be bound with two Chains. And that this might be their dealing with Christ, Judas, by his counsel seems to speak; hold him fast—take him, and lead him away safely, q. d. make him sure, that he escape not out of your hands; he hath deceived you often, and therefore Chain him with an Iron Chain, that will be sure to hold. I cannot pass this without some word to ourselves.

Christ undergoes this restraint that all sorts of persecution might be sanctified to us by his susception. Again, Christ was faster bound with his cords of Love, than with Iron fetters; his love was strong as death; it overcame him who is invincible, and bound him who is omnipotent; the Jews cords were but the Symboles and Figures; but the dear love, the tender bowels of Jesus Christ were the Morals, and things signified: Again, Christ was bound that we might be free: the Cords of Christ were so full of virtue, that they loosed the Chains of our sins, and tied the hands of God's Justice, which were stretched out against us for our sins. Again, he was bound for us, that so he might bind us to himself. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of Love. A strange thing it was, to see the King bound for the Thieves offense; but such was Christ's Love, that he might draw sinful mankind to the Love of him again. Lastly, one good Lesson we may learn from wicked Judas; take him, and lead him away safely:— hold him fast. Come Christians! here's good counsel from a Judas; like another Caiaphas; he Prophesies he knows not what; take him, and lead him away, and hold him fast. It is of necessity that those which spiritually seek after Christ, should take him by Faith, and hold him fast by Love: I will rise now, (saith the Spouse) I will seek him whom my soul loveth; and anon, I found him whom my soul loveth, I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my Mothers House, into the Chambers of her that conceived me. We must arise out of the bed of sin, we must seek Christ in the use of Ordinances, and there if we find him, we must take him, lay hold on him by the hands of Faith, and not let him go; but lead him safely until we have brought him into our Mothers House, into the Assemblies of his people; or if you will, until we have brought him into our souls, where he may sup with us, and we with him.

4. For his leading to Annas, John records it, that they led him to Annas first, for he was Father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was the high Priest that same year. 1. They led him away; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 it refers to the place whence they led him; the Garden was the terminus a quo; there they apprehended him, and bound him, and thence they led him away; but the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , is something more than merely abduco; sometimes it signifies abigo, to drive away, whether by force, or fraud; sometimes rapio ad suplicium, ad judicandum; to snatch away either to punishment, or to judgment: It is said, they drew him away by the hairs of the head, and that they led him in uncouth ways, and through the Brook Cedron, in which the ruder Soldiers plunged him, and passed upon him all the affronts and rudeness which an insolent and cruel multitude could think of. So that now again was the fulfilling of the Prophesy, He shall drink of the Brook in the way, Psal. 110.7. I dare not deliver these things as certain truths; only this I affirm, that they led him, snatched him, hailed him from the Garden back again to Jerusalem, over the Brook and Valley called Cedron, —2. They led him first to Annas; why thither; is a question: the cognizance of the cause belonged not properly to Annas, but to Caiaphas; all that can be said for Annas, is, that he was chief of the Sanhedrim, and Father-in-law to Caiaphas, and to the High Priest the next year following.

Oh when I think of Jesus thus led away to Annas first; when I think of him partly going, and partly hailed forwards, and forced to hasten his Grave-pace; when I think of him thrown into, or plunged in the Waters of the Brook, and so forced to drink of the Brook Cedron in the way: when I think of him presented by a deal of Soldiers, and rude Catch-poles, to this mercenary Annas; and withal, think that I had an hand as deep as any other in these acts; my heart must either break, or I must proclaim it an heart of flint, and not of flesh. Come Christians, let us lay our hands upon our hearts, and cry, Oh my Pride! and Oh my Covetousness! and Oh my Malice and Revenge! Oh my Unbelief! and Oh my Unthankfulness! and Oh my Uncharitableness to the needy members of Christ Jesus! why these were the rout, these were they that led, and dragged, and drew Jesus (as it were) by the hair of his head; these were they that took hold of the chain, and pulled him forwards, and shown him in triumph to this bloody Annas; nay, these were the Judas, Jews, Annas, and all: Oh that ever I should lodge within me such an heart, that should lodge in it such sins, such betrayers, such murderers of Jesus Christ!

But I must remember myself; Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? if ye will inquire, inquire, return, come. We may now suppose it about the third hour, or the last watch; in the Gospel it is called the fourth watch of the night; elsewhere it is called the morning-watch, which continueth till the morning. And of the Acts done in this interval of time, we are next to treat.

SECT. VII. Of Christ's Examination, and Condemnation, with their Appendices.

NOw it was that they led him from Annas to Caiaphas; and presently a Council is called of the High Priests, Scribes, and Elders; these were the greatest, gravest, learned'st, wisest men amongst them, and they all conspire to judge him, who is the great Judge both of quick and dead.—In their proceedings, we may observe, 1. The captious examination of the High Priest. 2. The sacrilegious smiting of one of the Servants. 3. The impious accusations of the Witnesses. 4. The Sentence of the Judges. 5. The perfidious denial of perjured Peter. 6. The shameful delusion, and abuses of the base Attendants.

1. For the captious examination of the High Priest: The High Priest then asked Jesus of his Disciples, and of his Doctrine. 1. Of his Disciples; what the Questions were, it is not expressed; but probably they might be such as these; How many Disciples he had? and where they were? and what was become of them? why he should take upon him to be better guarded than others of greater place and calling? whether it did not savor of sedition and disturbance of the State, to lead about such a Crew of Disciples and followers after him? and what was the reason of their flight? whether it were not a token of their guiltiness of some disorder, or of riotous practices? It is not for me to speak how many Queries the High Priest might make to tempt Jesus; but certainly he was sifted to the Bran, examined to the full of all such circumstances as either might trap Christ, or in the least degree advance and help forward his Condemnation; to this question concerning his Disciples, our Savior answered nothing; alas, he knew the frailty of his followers, he might have said, For my Disciples, you see one hath betrayed me, and another will anon forswear me, he stays but for the crowing of the Cock, and then you shall hear him curse and swear, that he never knew me; and for all the rest, a panic fear hath seized upon their hearts, and they are fled, and have left me alone to tread the Wine-press. Ah no, he will not speak evil of the Teachers of his people; it was grief to him, and added to his sufferings, that all had forsaken him; once before this, many of his Disciples went back, and walked no more with him; which occasioned Jesus to say to the twelve, will ye also go? why no, said Peter then, Lord, whether shall we go? thou hast the words of Eternal Life; and we believe, and are sure, that thou art that Christ the Son of the Living God. Oh Peter, what a strong Faith was that? We believe, and we are sure; but how is it now that ye have no faith? or why are ye so fearful, O ye of little Faith? I believe this sat upon the heart of Christ, and yet he would not accuse them, who now stood in their places, and was accused for them, and for us all; and therefore to that question of his Disciples, he answered nothing.

2. He asked him of his Doctrine; what his questions were of that, are not set down neither; but probably they might be such as these; Who was his Master, or instructer in that new Doctrine he had lately broached? why he did seek to innovate, and alter their long practiced and accustomed Rites? and what ground had he to bring in his own devices in their steads? as Baptism for Circumcision; the Lord's Supper for the Passover; himself and his Apostles for the high Priests and Levites, when neither he, nor most of them were of that Tribe? why he was so bold and saucy (being but three and thirty years of age) to declaim so bitterly and satyrically against the Pharisees, and Sadducees, and Scribes, and Priests, and Elders of the People? Much of this stuff he might bring out in his Interrogatories; that so by his questioning him in many things, he might trap him in something to his confusion and destruction.—And to this question our Savior answers; but Oh how wisely! I spake openly to the World (saith he) I ever taught in the Synagogue, and in the Temple, whither the Jews always resorted; and in secret have I said nothing; why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I said unto them, behold they know what I said: q. d. I appeal to the testimony of the very enemies themselves; thou suspectest me to be a seditious person, and one that plots mischief against the State in secret; I tell thee truth, I speak nothing in secret (i.e.) nothing in the least manner tending to sedition; my Doctrine I brought with me from the bosom of my Father, it is the everlasting Gospel, and not of yesterday; and it contains nothing in it of Sedition, Faction, Rebellion, Treason; ask these mine Enemies, these who have apprehended and bound me, and brought me hither; they know what I said, let them speak if they can, wherein I have transgressed the Law.

2. For the stroke given Christ by that base servant; one of the Officers which stood by, stroke Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, answerest thou the High Priest so? That holy face which was designed to be the object of Heaven, in the beholding of which, much of the celestial glory doth consist; that face which the Angels stare upon with wonder, like Infants at a bright Sun-beam, was now smitten by a base varlet in the presence of a Judge; and howsoever the Assembly was full, yet not one amongst them all reproved the fact, or spake a word for Christ: nay, in this the injury was heightened, because the blow was said to be given by Malchus an Idumean Slave; it was he, whose ear was cut off by Peter, and cured by Christ, and thus he requites him for his Miracle.—Amongst all the sufferings of Christ, one would think this were but little; and yet when I look into Scriptures, I find it much: Thus Jeremy, He giveth his cheeks to him that smiteth him, he is filled full with reproach. Thus Micah speaking of Christ, They shall smite the Judge of Israel with a Rod upon the Cheek; there was in it a world of shame; the Apostle lays it down as a sign of suffering and reproach, if a man smite you on the face. Nothing more disgraceful (saith Chrysostom ) than to be smitten on the Cheek; the diverse reading of the word, speaks it out further; he stroke him with a Rod, or he stroke him with the palm of his hand 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , say some refers to his striking with a rod, or club, or shoe, or pantoffle; or as others, it refers to his striking with the palm of his hand; of the two, the palm of the hand is judged more disgraceful, than either rod, or shoe; and therefore in the Text we translate it, with the palm of the hand he struck at Jesus, (i.e.) with open hand, with his hand stretched out.

The Ancients commenting on this Cuff; Let the Heavens be afraid (saith one) and let the Earth tremble at Christ's patience, and this Servant's impudence. O ye Angels, how were ye silent? how could you contain your hands, when you saw his hand striking at God? —If we consider (saith another) who took the blow, was not he that struck him, worthy to be consumed of fire, or to be swallowed up of earth, or to be given up to Satan, and thrown down into Hell? If a Subject should but lift up his hand against the Son of an earthly Sovereign, would he not be accounted worthy of punishment? how much more in this case, when the hand is lifted up against the King of Kings, and Lord of Lord's? whom, not only men, but the Cherubims and Seraphims, and all the Celestial powers above, adore and worship? Bernard tells us, that his hand that struck Christ, was armed with an Iron Glove: and Vincentius affirms, that by the Blow Christ was felled to the earth: and Ludovicus adds, that blood gushed out of his mouth, and that the impression of the Varlet 's fingers remained on Christ 's Cheek, with a tumor and wan color. I need say no more of this; only one word in reference to ourselves.

Come, look upon this lively and lovely picture of patience; he was struck on the face, but he was never moved in his heart; notwithstanding the abuse, he shown all mildness and gentleness towards his enemies: O what art thou that canst not brook a word, that canst not bear a distasteful speech, that canst not put up the least and smallest offense, without thy wrath and fury? O proud man! O impudent wretch! how art thou so suddenly moved at the least indignity, when thou seest thy Savior quietly suffer great affronts? come learn of Christ; if ever we mean to have a share and interest in his sufferings, let us conform to him in meekness, and patience, in gentleness, and lowliness of mind, and so we shall find rest unto our souls.

3. For the Accusation of the Witnesses; he is falsely accused and charged with the things that he never knew: In his Accusation I observe these things. 1. That they sought false witnesses; for true witnesses they could have none: Now the chief Priests and Elders, and all the Council sought false witnesses against Jesus to put him to death. They were resolved in a former Council that he should not live, but die; and now palliating their design with a Scheme of a Tribunal, they seek out for witnesses. O wonder! whoever heard that Judges went about to inquire for false witnesses, and suborned them to come in against the Prisoner at the Bar? 2. Though many false witnesses came into testify against him, yet they found none; because their witness did not agree together. O the injustice of men in bringing about the Decrees of God! the Judges seek out for witnesses, the witnesses are to seek for proof, those proofs were to seek for unity and consent, and nothing was ready for their purpose. 3. At last, after many attempts came two false witnesses, and said, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the Temple of God, and to build it in three Days. They accuse him for a figurative speech, a trope which they could not understand; which if he had effected according to the Letter, it had been so far from a fault, that it would have been an Argument of his power; but observe their false report of the words he had spoken; for he said not, I am able to destroy this Temple of God, and to build it in three days; but, destroy ye this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up: the allegation differs from the truth in these particulars. 1. I am able to destroy, say they; ay but destroy ye, saith Christ. 2. I am able to destroy this Temple of God, say they; ay but destroy ye this Temple, saith Christ; simply this Temple, without addition. 3. I am able to destroy this Temple of God, and to build it in three days, say they; ay but destroy ye this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up, said Christ: he spoke not of building an external Temple; but of raising up his own body, which he knew they would destroy. These were the accusations of the false witnesses, to all which Jesus answered nothing; he despised their accusations, as not worthy an answer; and this vexed more.—But, 4. Another accusation is brought in; Caiaphas had a reserve, which he knew should do the business in that Assembly; he adjured him by God, to tell him if he were the Christ: I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ the Son of God: The holy Jesus being adjured by so sacred a Name, would not now refuse an answer; but he confessed himself to be the Christ, the Son of the living God: and this the High Priest was pleased (as the design was laid) to call Blasphemy; and in token thereof, he rends is clothes, prophetically signifying that the Priesthood should be rent from himself.

We are taught in all this quietly to suffer wrong: If my Adversary should write a Book against me, surely I would take it upon my shoulder (saith Job) and bind it as a Crown to me; it is impossible, if we are Christ's servants, to live in this world without false accusations: come, let us take heart, and in some cases, say not a word; since he that was most innocent, was most silent, why should we be too forward in our excuses? I know there is a time to speak, as a time for silence; if it may tend to God's honor, and to the spreading of God's truth, and that right circumstances do concur, it is then time to open our mouths, though we let in death. So did our blessed Savior: O let us learn of him, and follow his steps!

4. For the Doom or Sentence of these Judges; Caiaphas prejudging all the Sanhedrim, in declaring Jesus to have spoken Blasphemy, and the fact to be notorious, he then asked their Votes: What think ye? and they answered, and said, he is guilty of Death. They durst not deny what Caiaphas had said; they knew his Faction was very potent, and his malice great, and his heart was set upon the business, and therefore they all conspire, and say as he would have them, He is guilty of Death. Oh here is Jesus's sentence, which should have been mine, He is guilty of Death. But this Sentence was but like strong dispositions to an enraged Fever; they had no power at that time to inflict death, or such a death as that of the Cross, they only declared him apt, and worthy, and guilty of Death.

In the multitude of Counsellers there is safety, saith Solomon; but we must take this in; if it be of good men, and to good purposes: for otherwise, the Meetings, Assemblies, and Councils of the wicked are dangerous and deadly; the Kings of the earth set themselves, and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed. Such Councils we had many in our times. I know not whether we may call them Councils, or struma tantum Civitatis, an ulcerous bunch, raised by the disorder and distemper of the City.

5. For Peter 's denial and abjuration; while these things were thus acting concerning Christ, a sad accident happened to his Servant Peter; at first a Damosel comes to him, and tells him, Thou wast with Jesus of Galilee; and then another Maid tells the by-standers, this fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth: and after a while, they that stood by, spake themselves, surely thou art one of them, for thy speech bewrayeth thee, q. d. thy very Idiom declares thee to be a Galilean; thou art as Christ is, of the same Country and Sect, and therefore thou art one of his Disciples: Peter thus surprised, without any time to deliberate, he shamefully denies his Lord: and, 1. He doth it with a kind of subterfuge, I know not what thou sayest: he seems to elude the Accusation with this Evasion, I know not thy meaning, I understand not thy words, I skill not what thou sayest. 2. At the next turn, he goes on to a licentious boldness, denying Christ with an Oath, I know not the man; and lastly, he aggravates his sin so far, that he grows to impudence, and so denies his Lord with cursing and swearing, I know not the man: here's a Lie, an Oath, and a Curse; the sin is begun at the voice of a Woman, a silly Damosel; not any of the greatest Ladies, she was only a poor serving-maid that kept the doors; but it grew to ripeness, when the Men-Servants sell upon him; now he swears, and vows, and curses himself if he knew the Man. O Peter, is the man so vile, that thou wilt not own him! Hadst thou not before confessed him to be the Christ, the Son of the living God? and dost thou not know him to be Man, as well as God? say, is not this the Man-God, God-Man that called thee, and thy brother Andrew, at the sea of Galilee, saying, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men? Is not this he whom thou sawest on Mount Tabor, shining more gloriously than the Sun? Is not this he whom thou sawest walking on the water, and to whom thou said'st, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water? How is it then that thou sayest, I know not the man? Surely here's a sad example of human infirmity; i • Peter fell so foully, how much more may lesser stars? And yet withal, here's a blessed example of serious, through repentance; no sooner the Cock crew, and Christ gave a look on Peter, but he goes out, and weeps bitterly. The Cock was the Preacher, and the look of Jesus was the Grace that made the Sermon effectual: O the Mercy of Christ! he looked back on him that had forgot himself; he revives his servant's memory, to think on his Master's words; he sends him out to weep bitterly, that so he might restore him mercifuly to his favor again.

Let us learn hence, to think modestly and soberly of ourselves; yea, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall! If Peter could first dissemble, and then lie, and then forswear, and then blaspheme and curse, O let not us be high-minded, but fear; —And in case we fall indeed, as Peter did, yet let us not despair, as Judas did; but still upon our repentance let us trust in God. When Christ looked on Peter, he wept bitterly: notwithstanding our sins are great, yet one look of Christ is full of virtue, and enough to melt us into tears: O let us not sink in despair, but look up to him, that he may look down on us. Pliny tells us of some Rocks in Phrygia, that when the Sun doth but shine upon them, they send out drops of water, as if they wept tears; Peter signifies a Rock, and whilst Peter persisted in his sin of denying Christ, his heart was hard as the Rock; but when Christ the Sun of Righteousness looked uqon him, his heart was softened, and he dropped tears continually. Such is the virtue of Christ's look, it turns the Rock into a standing Water, and the Flint into a Fountain of Waters. —Lastly let us not decry repentance, but rather be in the use, and practice, and exercise of it: Is not here a Gospel precedent? Clement, an ancient Writer, of whom Paul makes mention, Phil. 4.3. expresseth Peter 's repentance to have been so great, that in his Checks he made (as it were) furrows, in which, as in certain Channels, his tears run down; the Text tells us he wept bitterly; and Clement adds, that while he lived, as often as he heard a Cock crow, he could not but weep, and bewail his denial. David is another like example; All the Night, said he, I make my Bed to swim, I water my Couch with my tears, Psal. 6.6. David makes mention of his Bed and Couch, because there most especially he had offended God: It was on his Bed that he committed Adultery; and it was in his Couch, that he designed and subscribed with his own hand, that Uriah must die; and hence is it that he waters his Bed and Couch with his tears; the very sight of his Bed and Couch brings his sin into his remembrance; as the very hearing of the crowing of the Cock, ever after awakened Peter to his task of tears: that Repentance is a Gospel-Duty, we have spoke elsewhere. O take heed of decrying it! as we are often sinning, so let us often repent; it concerns us near to be frequent in this duty of bewailing sin, and turning to God.

6. For the abuses and delusions of the base Attendants offered to Christ; the Evangelist tells us, then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him, and others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee? and as Lude adds, many other things blasph • mously spake they against him; what those many other things were, it is not discovered; only some ancient writers say, that Christ in that night suffered so many, and such hideous things, that the whole knowledge of them is reserved only for the last day of Judgment. Mallonius writes thus, after Caiaphas and the Priests had sentenced Christ worthy of death, they committed him to their Ministers, warily to be kept till day; and they immediately threw him into the dungeon in Caiaphas 's House, there they bound him to a stony pillar, with his hands bound on his back, and then they fell upon him with their palms and fists. Others add, that the Soldiers not yet content, they threw him into a filthy dirty puddle, where he abode for the remainder of that night; of which the Psalmist, Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, and in the deeps; and I sink in the deep mire where there it no standing. Behold the Bed which is Solomon's, or rather, which is Christ's; for a grater than Solomon is here: Behold the flourishing Bed wherein the King of Saints doth lie; surely a place most fordid, full of stench; his other senses had their pain, and his smell felt a loathsome savor, in this noisesome puddle.

But we need not borrow light from Candles, or lesser stars; the Scripture itself is plain: Observe we these Particulars.

1. They spit in his face; this was accounted among the Jews a matter of great infamy and reproach: And the Lord said to Moses, if her Father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? We ourselves account this a great affront, and so did Job; I am their song and their by-word; they abhor me, they fly far from me, and spare not to spit in my face. Oh that the sweet face of Christ, so much honored and adored in Heaven, should be defiled and deformed by their spitting! Oh that no place should be thought so fit for them to void their Excrements and Drivel in, as the blessed face of Jesus Christ! I hid not my face (saith Christ) from shame and spitting: I used no Mask to keep me fair; though I was fairer than the Sons of Men, I preserved not my Beauty from their nasty Flegm, but I opened my face, and I set it as a Butt for them to dart their frothy Spittle at.

2. They buffet him; we heard before that one of the Officers struck Jesus with the palm of his hand; but now they buffet him: some observe this difference betwixt 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; the one is given with the open hand, but the other with the fist shut up; and thus they used him at this time, they struck him with their fists, and so the stroke was greater and more offensive: By this means they made his face to swell, and to become full of Bunches all over. One gives it in thus; By these blows of their fists, his whole head was swollen, his face became black and blew, and his teeth ready to fall out of his Jaws. Very probable it is, that with the violence of their strokes, they made him reel and stagger, they made his Mouth, and Nose, and Face to bleed, and his Eyes to startle in his Head.

3. They covered his face, Mark. 14.65. Several Reasons are rendered for it. As, 1. That they might smite him more boldly, and without shame. 2. That they might not have that object of pity in their view; it is supposed that the very sight of his admirable form, so lamentably abused, would have mollified the hardest heart under heaven, and therefore they veiled and hoodwink'd that alluring, drawing countenance. 3. That they might not see their own filth in his face, however his Beauty was winning, yet they had so bedaubed it with their beastly spitting, that they began to loath to look upon him: It was a nauseous sight (saith one) and enough to make one spew to look upon it. But whether his splendor, or his horror occasioned this veil over his face, this is most certain, that it veiled not their cruelty, but rather revealed it, and made it manifest to all the World.

4. They smote him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee? To pass away that doleful, tedious night, they interchangeably sport at him; first one, and then another gives him a stroke (we usually call it a Box on the ear) and being hoodwink'd, they bid him a-read who it is that smote him. Some reckon these Taunts amongst the bitterest passages of his Passion; nothing is more miserable, even to the greatest misery, than to see itself scorned of Enemies. It was our Savior's case; they used this despite for their desport; with a wanton and merry malice they aggravate their injury with scorn; q. d. Come on, thou sayest thou art Christ the Son of the living God, and therefore it is likely thou art Omniscient, thou knowest all things; tell now, who is it that strikes thee? We have blind-folded thee that thou canst not see us with thy bodily eyes, let thy Divinity aread, guess, tell, prophesy, who is it now that smote thee last? Who gave thee that blow? O Impiety without example! Surely if his patience had been less than infinite, these very injuries would have been greater than his patience. In way of Application.

1. Consider Christians, whether we had not a hand in these abuses; for, 1. They spit in the face of Christ, who defile his Image in their souls, who reject his holy and heavenly motions in their hearts.—2. They buffet him with their fists, who persecute Christ in his Members, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 3. They cover his face, that do not readily and willingly confess their sins, that extenuate their frailties and imperfections, with counterfeit pretexts. —4. They mock and scoff at Christ, that scorn and contemn his Messengers and Ministers; He that despiseth you, despiseth me, saith Christ. O that we would lay these things to our hearts, and see, and observe wherein we stand guilty of these sins, that we may repent.

2. Consider Christians, and read Christ's Love in all these sufferings; O un-heard of kindness, and truly paternal bowels of pity and compassion! whoever heard before of any that would be content to be spit upon, to wipe their filths who spit uppn him? that would be content to be beat, and buffeted, to save them from buffets, who were the buffetters? that would be content to be blind-folded, that he might neither take notice of, nor see the offenses of them that blind-folded him? that would be content to be made a scorn, to save them from scorn, that shall scorn him? Christians! you that take your name from Christ, how should you admire at the infiniteness and immensity of this love of Christ? was it a small thing that the wisdom of God should become the foolishness of men, and scorn of men, and ignominy of men, and contempt of the World for your sins sake: O think of this!

SECT. I. Of Christ 's Indictment, and Judas 's fearful end.

ABout six in the morning Jesus was brought unto Pilate 's house; then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the Judgment-Hall, and it was early.— When the Morning was come, all the chief Priests and Elders of the People took council against Jesus to put him to death; and when they had bound him, and led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the Governor. Then Judas which had betrayed him, hanged himself. O the readiness of our nature to evil! When the Israelites would sacrifice to the Golden-Calf, they rose up early in the Morning; if God leave us to ourselves, we are as ready to practice mischief, as the fire is to burn, without delay. But on this Circumstance I shall not long stay; the transactions of this hour I shall consider in these two passages, Christ's Indictment, and Judas 's fearful end.

In Christ's Indictment, we may observe, 1. His Accusation. 2. His Examination.

In his Accusation we may observe, 1. Who are his Accusers. 2. Where he was accused. 3. What was the matter of which they do accuse him.

1. His Accusers were the chief Priests and Elders of the People; the very same that before had judged him guilty of Death, are now his Accusers before the temporal Judge: but why must our Savior be twice Judged? was not the Sanhedrim, or Ecclesiastical Court sufficient to condemn him? I answer,—He is twice judged; 1. That his Innocency might more appear; true Gold often tried in the fire, is not consumed, but rather perfected; so Christ's Integrity, though examined again and again, by divers Judges wholly corrupt; yet thereby it was not hurt, but made rather more illustrious. 2. Because his firster judgment was in the night, and a sentence pronounced then was not reputed valid; it is said of Moses, that he judged the People from the morning unto the evening; for until night no judgment was protracted. 3. Because, said the Jews, it is not lawful for us to put any man to death. These words had need of exposition; we know Moses's Law prescribed death to the Adulterers, Idolaters, Blasphemers, Man-slayers, Sabbath-breakers: but now the Romans (say some) had come and restrained the Jews from the execution of their Laws; others are of another mind; and therefore the meaning of these words, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death, may be understood (say they) in a double sense: 1. That it was not Lawful for them to put any man to such a death as the Death of the Cross: Moses's Law was Ignorant of such a death; and the words following seem to favor this interpretation, that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die. We read only of four sorts of death that were used among the Jews; as strangling, stoning, burning, and killing with the sword: crucifying was the invention of Romans, and not of Jews. —2. That it was not Lawful for them to put any man to death at such a time: on this day was celebrated the Jews Passover, which was in memory of their deliverance out of Egypt; so that now they had a custom to deliver some from death (the case of Barabbas ) but they could not now condemn any one to death; hence it was, that after Herod the Jew had killed James, he proceeded further, to take Peter; also yet during the days of unleavened Bread, he delivers him to be kept in Prison, intending (saith the Text) after Easter to bring him forth to the People. Pilate, a Gentile, was not tied to these Laws, and therefore they led Jesus from Caiaphas unto the Hall of judgment, or unto Pilate 's House.

2. The place of the Accusation was at the door of the House; they would not go into the Judgment-Hall lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. See what a piece of Superstition and gross Hypocrisy is here! they are curious of a Ceremony, but make no strain to shed innocent blood; they are precise about small matters, but for the weightier matters of the Law, as Mercy, Judgment, Fidelity, and the Love of God, they let them pass; they honor the figurative Passover, but the true Passover they seize upon with bloody and sacrilegious hands.

3. The matter of which they accuse him. 1. That he seduced the People. 2. That he forbade to pay Tribute to Caesar. 3. That he said he was a King. How great? but withal, how false were these their accusations? For the first, Christ was so far from stirring up Seditions, that he strove and endeavored to gather the People into one. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy Children together, even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings, and ye would not? For the second; instead of denying to pay tribute to Caesar, he paid it in his own particular; take twenty-pence out of the fishes mouth (said he to Peter) and give unto them for me and thee; and give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's (said he to the People) and to God the things that are God's. For the third; instead of making himself a King, he professeth that his Kingdom is not of this World; and when they would have made him a King, instead of flattering them, he flieth from them; and that into the Wilderness; or into a mountain himself alone. —Thus much of the Accusation,

2. For his Examination. Pilate was nothing moved with any of the Accusations, save only the third: and therefore letting all the rest pass, he asked him only, Art thou the King of the Jews? To whom Jesus answered, My Kingdom is not of this World, &c. He saith not, my Kingdom is not in this World; but my Kingdom is not of this World; by which Pilate knew well that Christ was no enemy unto Caesar: Christ's Kingdom is spiritual, his government is in the very hearts and Consciences of men, and what is this to Caesar? — Hence Pilate useth a policy to save Jesus Christ; they tell him that Christ was of Galilee; and therefore he takes occasion to send him to Herod who was Governor of Galilee. But of that anon.

How many Lessons may we learn from hence; 1. Christ was accused, who can be free? The chief Priests and Elders of the Jews accused Christ; no wonder if those that are chief and great amongst us, accuse poor Christians: O there's a perpetual enmity between the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent; there is an everlasting, irreconcilable, implacable enmity, and antipathy between Grace and Profaneness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial: As it is reported of Tigers, that they rage when they smell the fragrancy of Spices; so it is with the wicked, who rage at the spiritual Graces of them that are sincere for God.

2. Christ's Accusers would not go into the Judment-Hall lest they should be defiled; the very profane can learn to be superstitious in lesser matters; how many amongst us will make conscience of outward Ceremonies (as of eating meats, observing days) but as for the weightier matters of the Law, Judgment and mercy, they leave them undone?

3. Christ is most falsely accused of Sedition, seduction, and usurpation; it were indeed to be wished, that they who take upon them the name of Christianity, were guiltless of such crimes; but let them look to it, who are such: This, I am sure, was Christ's Rule and Practice; Be subject to every constitution and authority of man, for the Lord's sake. If any dare to resist the Power that is of God, they shall receive to themselves damnation. Nor can we excuse ourselves, because our Governors are not Godly; for all the Governors to whom Christ, and his Apostles submitted themselves, and to whom all those strict precepts of duty and Obedience related in the New Testament, were no better (for ought I know) than Tyrants, Persecutors, Idolaters, and Heathen-Princes.

4. Christ is examined only of his usurpation: Art thou the King of the Jews? the men of this world mind only worldly things: the Apostles so describes them; who mind earthly things. Pilate regards not Christ's Doctrine; but he is afraid lest he should aspire the Kingdom; and concerning this, our Savior puts him out of doubt; My Kingdom is not of this world. As Pilate and Christ, so Worldlings and Christians are of different Principles, they mind earthly things; but our Conversation (saith the Apostle) is in heaven; our conversation (i.e.) the aim and scope of our hearts, in every action, is only for heaven; whatsoever we do, it should some way or other fit us for Heaven; we should still be laying in for heaven against the time that we shall come and live there; we should have our thoughts and hearts set upon heaven: so it is said of holy Mr. Ward, that being in the midst of a Dinner very contemplative; and the People wondering what he was musing about; he presently breaks out, forever, forever, forever; and though they endeavored to still him, yet he still cried out, forever, forever, forever; Oh eternity! to be forever in heaven with God and Christ, how shall this swallow up all other thoughts and aims? and especially all worldly, careful, sinful thoughts, aims, or ends?

2. Pilate having dismissed Jesus, this hour is concluded with a sad disaster of wicked Judas; then Judas which betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, &c. Now his conscience thaws, and grows somewhat tender; but it is like the tenderness of a Boyle, which is nothing else but a new disease; there is a repentance that comes too late; Esau wept bitterly, and repented him, when the Blessing was gone; the five foolish Virgins lift up their voices aloud, when the gates were shut; and in hell men shall repent to all eternity; and such a repentance was this of Judas; about midnight he had received his money in the house of Annas, and now betimes in the morning he repents his bargain, and throws his money back again; the end of this Tragedy was, that Judas died a miserable death; he perished by the most infamous hands in the world (i. e) by his own hands: he went and hanged himself. And as Luke, he fell headlong, and burst asunder in the midst, and all his Bowels gushed out. In every passage of his death, we may take notice of God's Justice, and be afraid of sin; it was just that he should hang in the air, who, for his sin, was hated both of heaven and earth; and that he should fall down headlong, who was fallen from such an height of honor; and that the Halter should strangle that throat, through which the Voice of treason had founded; and that his Bowels should be lost, who had lost the bowels of all pity, piety, and compassion; and that his Ghost should have its passage out of his midst (he burst asunder in the midst) and not out of his lips, because with a kiss of his lips he had betrayed his Lord, our blessed Jesus.

Here's a warning-piece to all the world; who would die such a death for the pleasure of a little sin? or who would now suffer for millions of Gold, that which Judas suffered, and yet suffers in hell for thirty pieces of silver? Now the Lord keep our souls from betraying Christ, and from despairing in God's mercy through Christ. Amen, Amen.

SECT. II. Of Christ's Mission to Herod, and the Transactions there.

ABout seven in the Morning, Jesus was sent to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. The reason of this was, because Pilate had heard that Christ was a Galilean; and Herod being Tetrarch of Galilee, he concludes that Christ must be under his Jurisdiction: Herod was glad of the honor done to him; for he was desirous to see Christ of a long season, because he had heard many things of him, and he hoped to have seen some Miracle done by him. That which I shall observe in this passage, is

1. Herod's questioning of Jesus Christ. 2. Christ's silence to all his questions. 3. Herod's derision; and Christ's dismission back again to Pilate.

1. Herod, questioned with him in many words; what those words were, are not expressed; only we have some conjectures from Luke 23.8. q. d. What! art thou he concerning whom my Father was so mocked of the Wise men? and for whose sake my Father slew all the Children that were in Bethlehem? I have heard thou hast changed water into Wine, and hast multiplied Loaves, whereon so many thousands fed; come, do something at my request, which elsewhere thou hast done without request of any; come satisfy my desire, work now but one Miracle before me, that I may be convinced of thy Divinity. I dare not deliver these words as certain truths, because of that silence that is in Scripture; only we read that he hoped to have seen some Miracle done by him. Herod could not abide to hear his Word, and to bear his yoke: but he was well content to see the works and miracles of Jesus Christ.

2. Whatever his questions were, he answered him nothing: many reasons are given in for this; as, 1. Because he inquired only in curiosity, and with no true intent or end; concerning which, saith the wise man, Answer not a fool according to his folly: And, ye ask and receive not (saith James) because ye ask amiss. 2. Because Christ had no need of defense at all: let them go about to Apologize, that are afraid, or guilty of death; as for Christ, he despiseth their Accusations by his very silence. 3. Because Herod had the year before put John the Baptist to death, who was that Voice crying in the Wilderness; now that Voice being gone, Christ, the Word, will be silent; he will not give a Word. 4. Because Herod had been sottishly careless of Jesus Christ; he lived in the place where Jesus more especially had conversed, yet never had seen his Person, or heard his Sermons. It gives us to learn thus much; that if we neglect the opportunities of Grace, and refuse to hear the voice of Christ in the time of Mercy, Christ may refuse to speak one word of comfort to us in our time of need; if we, during our time stop our ears, God will, in his time, stop his mouth, and shut up the springs of Grace, that we shall receive no refreshment, no instruction, no pardon, no salvation. 5. Because Christ was resolved to be Obedient to his Father's Ordinance, he was resolved to submit to the doom of death with patience and silence; for this purpose he came into the world, that he might suffer in our stead, and for our sins; and therefore he would not plead his own cause, nor defend his own innocence in any kind; he knew that we were guilty, though himself was not.

3. This silence they interpret for simplicity; and so, 1. They despised him. And, 2. they dismissed him; And Herod with his men of war set him at naught, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. They arrayed him with a white, glittering, gorgeous raiment: the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , signifies gorgeous, bright, resplendent, such as Nobles and Kings used to wear: The Latins sometimes render it, splendidam vestem, and sometimes candidam, or albam vestem, we translate it a gorgeous robe; and the Ancients call it a white robe; in imatation whereof the Baptized were wont to put on a white raiment, which they called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; but whether it were white or no, I shall not controvert: The Original yields thus far, that it was a bright and resplendent garment, such as came newly from the fulling: many mysteries (if it be white) are found out here; some say, this held forth the excellency or dignity of Christ: White color is most agreeable to the highest God; he many times appeared in white, but never in any other color; and the Saints in heaven are said to be clothed in long white Robes: and Peers, Kings, and Coesars were usually clothed in white, saith Jansen: Others say, this held forth the innocence of Christ, and that they were directed herein by Divine providence, declaring plainly against themselves, that Christ should rather have been absolved as an innocent, than condemned as a malefactor.—But to leave these mysteries, the meaning of Herod was not so much to declare his excellency, or innocence, as his folly, or simplicity; certainly he accounted him for no other than a very fool, and idiot, a passing simple man. The Philosophers (says Tertullian) drew him in their Pictures, attired by Herod, like a fool, with long Asses ears, his nails plucked off, and a book in his hand, &c. O marvelous madness! Oh the strange mistakes of men! in his life time they account Jesus a glutton, a drinker of Wine, a Companion of Sinners: a Blasphemer, a Sorcerer, and one that cast out Devils through Belzebub, Prince of Devils: yea, and one that himself was possessed with a Devil. And now towards his death he is bound as a thief, he is struck in the house of Caiaphas as an arrogant and saucy fellow, he is accused before the Sanhedrim of Blasphemy; he is brought before Pilate as a malefactor, a mover of sedition, a Seducer, a Rebel, and as one that aspired to the Kingdom; he is transmitted unto Herod as a jugler to show tricks; and now in the close of all, he is accounted of Herod and his men of War, as a fool, an idiot, a brute, not having the understanding of a man. But soft Herod; is Christ therefore a fool, because he is silent? and art thou wise, because of thy many words, and many questions? Solomon a wiser man than Herod, is of another mind: In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin, but he that refraineth his lips is wise. Again, he that hath knowledge spareth his words, and a man of understanding is of a cool Spirit; even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. Ah poor Herod, consult these texts, and then tell me who is the fool? what? thou that speakest many words, and questionest about many things which in time will turn to thy greater condemnation, or Christ Jesus that was deeply silent to the worlds eternal Salvation? Paul was of another Spirit, and of another judgment concerning Christ, in him was knowledge; nor is that all, in whom was wisdom and knowledge; nor is that all, in him were treasures, and all treasures of wisdom and knowledge; In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; and yet that is not all neither, not only is wisdom in him, but he is wisdom itself (for that is his name and title in the book of Proverbs ) and yet by Herod and his Courtiers he is reckoned, arrayed, and derided as a mere simple man.

2. They dismissed him; in this posture they sent him away again to Pilate, to all their former derision they added this, that now he was exposed in scorn to the boys of the streets. Herod would not be content that he and his men of war only should set him at naught, but he sends him away through the more public, and eminent streets of Jerusalem, in his white garment, to be scorned by the people; to be hooted at by idle persons; And now was fulfilled the Prophesy of Christ, I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.

Of this let us make some use. Was the eternal Word of God, and the uncreated wisdom of the Father reputed a fool? no wonder if we suffer thousands of reproaches; We are made a spectakle unto the World, and to Angels, and to men; we are fools for Christ's sake, saith the Apostle.— We are made as the filth of the world, and are the off-scouring of all things unto this day. Christians must wear the bage and livery of Jesus Christ; we cannot expect to fare better than our Master, why then should we despond? I never knew Christians in better heart, than when they were styled by the Name, of Puritans, Precisians, Hypocrites, Formalists, or the like.

2. Let us not judge of men and their worth by their outside garments; wisdom may be, and often is clad in the Coat of a fool. As beggarly bottles ofttimes hold Rich Wines; so poor robes contain sometimes many precious Souls; in right judgment we should look only to the mind, and soul, and inside of a man, yea, to the hidden man of the heart: and for ourselves, we should look to the inward, and not to the outward adorning: men, and women especially have rules for this, Your adorning let it not be that outward adorning, of platting the hair, and of wearing of Gold, or of putting on of apparel, but let it be in the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible. Oh what is it for a man to be clothed in Gold, whiles his soul is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked?

3. Let us admire at the condescension of Christ, who for our sakes came down from Heaven to teach us wisdom; and for us who were fools indeed, was content to be accounted a fool himself; yea, and if need had been, would have been ready to have said with David, I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in my own sight. I know this Doctrine is an offense to many; Christ Crucified is unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. To tell natural men (such as Herod, and his men of war) that this same Jesus whom they mock, and set at naught, is the Son of God, and Savior of the World, they cannot believe; it is plainly evident, that not many Wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called; but God hath called the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; why this is the fruit of Christ's condescension, called the foolishness of God; wisdom itself was content to be counted a fool, that those who are accounted the foolish things of the world, might be wise to Salvation.

4. Let us search whether Herod and his men do not keep a rendezvouz in our hearts; do not we set Christ at naught? do not we mock him, and array him in a gorgeous robe? whatsoever we do to one of the least of his Saints, he tells us that we do it to himself, Matt. 25.40, 45. and have we not dealt thus with his Saints? have we not dealt thus with his Ministers? when Elisha was going up to Bethel, there came little Children out of the City, and mocked him, and said unto him, go up thou bald-head, go up thou bald-head. A reproach of bald-head, round-head, given to a faithful Elisha, or Minister of Christ, proclaims you as bad as those little Children, yea, as bad as Herod, and his men of war; such Herod 's were a little before the destruction of Jerusalem, some there were then that mocked the Messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his Prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. O take heed of this sin, banish Herod out of your hearts, or Christ will never lodge there: ruin without remedy will seize on those souls, that Herod like mock the Messengers of God, what is it but to mock the Messenger, the Angel of the Covenant, even Christ himself? as Herod sent Christ away, so let us send Herod away, and give him a dismission out of our doors.

SECT. III. Of Christ and Barabbas compared; and of the question debated betwixt Pilate and the Jews.

ABout eight in the morning our Savior Christ is returned to Pilate; who propounded to the Jews, whether they would have Jesus, or Barabbas let lose unto them. Ye have a custom (saith he) that I should release unto you one at the Passover, will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again. saying, not this man, but Barabbas; now Barabbas was a Robber. It is supposed that in this passage Pilate endeavored Christ's liberty, He knew that for envy they had delivered him, and he saw that Herod had sent him back again uncondemned, and therefore now he propounds this medium to rescue him from their malice, Whom will ye that I release unto you, Barabbas or Jesus, which is called Christ? In the prosecution of this passage, I shall observe, 1. Who this Barabbas was. 2. What is the difference betwixt him and Christ. 3. How they vote. 4. Pilate's quaere upon the vote. 5. Their answer to his Quaere. 6. His reply unto their answer. 7. Their reduplication upon his reply.

For the first, what was this Barabbas, but a notable Prisoner? Matth. 27.16. One that had made insurrection, and who had committed murder in the insurrection? Mark 15.7. One that for a certain sedition made in the City, and for murder was cast into prison? Luke 23.19. one that was a robber or an high-way thief? John 18.40. one that was the greatest malefactor of his time? and must he be taken, and Jesus cast? must he be saved, and Christ condemned?

For the second, what the difference is betwixt him and Christ, let us weigh them in the balance, and we may find; 1. Barabbas was a thief, and by violence took away the bread of the needy, but Christ was a feeder and supplyer of their needs. 2. Barabbas was an high-way thief, wounding them that travelled by the way; but Christ was the good Samaritan that healed such, binding up their wounds, and pouring into them Wine and Oil. 3. Barabbas was a murderer, and had slain the living; but Christ was the Savior, restoring life unto the dead. 4. Barabbas was a seditious tumult-raiser, he made a certain sedition in Jerusalem; but Christ was a loyal tribute-payer, and his commands were, give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. 5. Barabbas was a bloody revenger, a man of blood, that hunted after blood; but Christ was a meek and quiet spirit, and what with sweating, binding, buffeting, bleeding, was now become almost a bloodless Redeemer: light and darkness have no less fellowship, Christ and Belial no less discord; here's a competition indeed, the author of sedition with the Prince of peace; a murderous mutiniere, with a merciful mediator; a son of Belial with the Son of God.—

3. For their votes, they give them in us; Not this man, but Barabbas, q. d. let us have him crucified who raised the dead, and him released who destroyed the living: let the Savior of the world be condemned to death, and the slayer of men be released from Prison, and have his pardon. A strange vote, to desire the Wolf before the Lamb, the noxious and violent before the righteous and innocent: here was the Prophetick parable of Jotham fulfilled, The trees of the forest have chosen the bramble, and refused the Vine; —

But there is something more observable in this vote; the Jews had a custom not to name what they held accursed; I will not make mention of their names within my lips; and surely this speaks their spite, that they will not vouchsafe to speak the Name of Jesus; the cry is not thus, Not Jesus but Barabbas; but thus, Not this man, not this fellow; but Barabbas; as if they meant first to murder his Name, and then his Person.

4. For Pilate 's quaere upon the vote, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? Pilate gives him his name to the full, Jesus, who is called Christ; his name is Jesus Christ. There is more pity in a gentle Pilate, than in all the Jews; in some things Pilate did Justly, and very well; as first, he would not condemn him before his accusations were brought in; nor then neither before he was convicted of some capital crime; and because he perceives that it was envy all along that drove on their design, he endeavors to save his life by balancing him with Barabbas; and now he sees that they prefer Barabbas before Jesus, he puts forth the question, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? q. d. I know not what to do with him, it is against my light to condemn him to death, who is of innocent life: I could tell what to do with Barabbas, for he is a thief, a mutiniere, a murderer, a notable malefactor; but there is no such thing proved against Jesus, who is called Christ, What then shall I do with him?

5. For their answer to this quaere, And they all said unto him, let him be crucified. This was the first time that they speak openly their design; it had long lurk'd within them that he must die a cursed death, and now their envy bursts, and breaks out with unanimous consent, and cry, Let him be crucified. O wonder! must no other death stint their malice but the Cross? other deaths they had in practice, as the towel, stoning and beheading; more favorable, and suitable to their Nation; and will they now pollute a Jew with a Roman death? Magna crudelitas, &c. a great cruelty; they sought not only to kill him, but to crucify him, that so he might die a lingering death. The cross was a gradual and slow death, it spun out pain into a long thread, and therefore they make choice of it, as they made choice of Jesus; let him die, rather than Barabbas, and let him die the death of the Cross, rather than any other speedy, quick, dispatching death.

6. Eor Pilate's reply unto this answer, Why? what evil hath he done? he was loath to satisfy their demands, and therefore he questions again, What must he die for; was it meet that he should condemn one to death, and especially to such a death, and no crime committed? Come on (saith Pilate) what evil hath he done? Augustine upon these words.

Sometimes the Jews themselves could say, He hath done all things well, he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. Surely he hath done all things well; he stilled the winds, and calmed the seas; with the spittle of his mouth he cured the blind; he raised the dead, he prayed all night; he gave grace, and he forgave sins; and by his death he merited for his Saints everlasting life: why then should he die, that hath done all things well? no wonder if Pilate object against these malicious ones, What evil hath he done?

7. For their reduplication on his reply, they cried out the more, saying, let him be crucified. Instead of proving some evil against him, they cried out the more; as Luke, They were instant with loud voices; they made such a clamour, that the earth rang with it, the cry was doubled, and redoubled, Crucify him, Crucify him; twice Crucify him, as if they thought one Cross too little for him. O inconstant favor of men! their Anthems of Hosanna, and Benedictus not long since joyfully spoken, are now turned into jarring hideous notes, Let him be crucified. And now is Pilate threatened into another opinion, they require his judgment; and the voices of them, and of the Chief Priest prevailed; so it follows, and when he saw he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, why then Barabbas is released unto them, and Jesus is delivered to be scourged,

I would not dwell too long on Pilate, the high Priests, and Jews, the application is the life of all.—Now then—

1. Give me leave to look amongst ourselves, is there not some or other amongst us that prefer Barabbas before Jesus? O yes! those that listen to that old mutinous Murderer in his seditious temptations; those that reject the blessed motions of God's own Spirit, in his tenders and offers of Grace; those that embrace the world with its pleasures and profits, and make them their portion; all these choose Barabbas, and reject Jesus Christ, little do we think that every willful act of sin, is a sedition, a mutiny against our souls, another Judas Galileus that stirs up all the passions of our mind against our Jesus. I cannot but think what drawing, and soliciting of our souls is made by virtue and vice in our passage towards the other world: on the one hand stands vice with all her false deceits, and flatteries, her tempatations are strong, Come let us enjoy the good things that are present, and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth, let us fill ourselves with costly Wine and Ointments, and let no flower of the spring pass by us, let us crown ourselves with rose-buds before they be withered, let none of us go without his part of jollity let us leave tokens of our joyfulness in every place; for this is our portion, and our let is this. On the other hand stands Virtue, or Grace with all the promises of future happiness, she points at Jesus, and cries, O come unto Christ and live; Wisdom is better than rubies, her fruit is better than Gold, yea than fine Gold, and her revenue than choice Silver; they that love Christ shall inherit substance, and he will fill them with treasures, even with durable riches. But Oh how many thousands, and ten thousands that neglect this cry, and follow vice? what millions of men are there in the world that prefer Barabbas before Jesus? if we proclaim it in our pulpits that Christ is the chiefest of ten thousands, that he is fairer than all the Children of men, that he is the Standard-bearer, and there is none like to him: that if you will have but Jesus Christ, you need no more; yet do not many of you say in your hearts, as Pilate here, What shall I do with Jesus that is called Christ? or as the devils said elsewere, What have we to do with thee Jesus thou Son of God? nay, hath not many times the secret grudgings of your reluctant souls accounted the gracious offers of speedy repentance to be but as a coming of Christ to torment you before your time? Why alas, what is this now but to prefer Barabbas before Jesus? you that swear as the Devil bids, and as Christ forbids, you that profane Sabbaths, that revel, drink to excess, or it may be to drunkenness, surely your vote goes along with the Jews, Not this Man, but Barabbas.

2. Give me leave to look on the love and mercy of God in Christ; our Jesus was not only content to take our nature upon him, but to be compared with the greatest malefactor of those times; and by public sentence, yea votes and voices of the People, to be pronounced a greater delinquent, and much more worthy of death than wicked Barabbas. O the love of Christ! we read in Leviticus, that in the days of the cleansing of the Leper, the Priest was to take two Birds (or two Sparrows) alive, and the one of them must be killed, and the other being kept alive, must only be dipt in the blood of the Bird that was slain, and so it must be let loose into the open field. Barabbas say some; but all Believers say we, are that live Sparrow; and Jesus Christ is the Sparrow that was slain; the lot sell upon him to die for us; all our sins were laid upon his soul: so that in this sense Jesus Christ was the greatest sinner in the World, yea, a greater sinner than Barabbas himself, and therefore he must die, and we being dipt in the Blood of Christ must be let loose, and set at liberty! was not this love? he died that we might live; it was the voice of God as well as men, Release Barabbas, every believing Barabbas, and crucify Jesus.

SECT. IV. Of Christ Stripped, Whipped, Cloathed in Purple, and Crowned with Thorns.

ABout nine (which the Jews call the third hour of the day) was Christ stripped, whipped, clothed with purple, and crowned with thorns; in this hour his sufferings came thick. I must divide them into parts, and speak of them severally by themselves.

1. When Pilate saw how the Jews were set upon his death, he consented, and delivered him first to be stripped. Then the Soldiers of the Governor took Jesus into the common Hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of Soldiers, and they stripped him. They pulled of his clothes, and made hm stand naked before them all; He that adorns the Heaven with Stars, and the Earth with Flowers, and made coats of skins to clothe our first Parents in, is now himself stripped stark naked; I cannot but look on this as a great shame: it appears so by our first Parents Adam and Eve, who no sooner had sinned, and knew themselves naked but they sowed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons. If Adam was so ashamed of his nakedness before his own Wife (who was naked too, as well as he) what a shame, and blush was it in the face of Christ, when in the common Hall in view of the whole band, or company of Soldiers, he stands all naked? My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me, saith David in the Person of Christ. It is reported, in the Ecclesiastical story, that when two Martyrs, and holy Virgins (they call them Agnes, and Barbara ) were stripped stark naked for their execution, God pitying their great shame and trouble, to have their nakedness discovered, made for them a veil of light, and so he sent them to a modest, and desired death; but our Savior Christ, who chose all sorts of shame and confusion, that by a fullness of suffering he might expiate his Fathers wrath, and consecrate to us all kinds of sufferings and affronts, he endured the shame of nakedness at the time of his scourging; see here a naked Christ, and therein see the mercy of Christ to us; he found us like the good Samaritan, when we were stripped, and wounded, and left half dead, and that we might be covered, he quietly suffered himself to be divested of his own robes; he took on him the state of sinning Adam, and became naked, that we might first be clothed with righteousness, and then with immortality; oh what a blessed use may we make of the very nakedness of Christ?

2. Pilate gave him to be scourged; this some think he did upon no other account, but that the Jews being satiated and glutted with these tortures, they might rest satisfied, and think themselves sufficiently avenged, and so desist from takeing away his life. That he was scourged is without controversy, for so the Evangelist relates, Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him: and that Pilate might give him to be scourged on that account is very probable, because that after the scourging, he brings him out to the Jews, proclaiming, I find no fault in him; and before his scourging, he speaks it more expressly, He hath done nothing worthy of death, I will therefore chastise him, and release him. And it adds to this, that howsoever the custom was, that those that were to be crucified must first be whipped, yet if they were adjudged to die, their stripes must be less, and if they were to be set at liberty, they must be beaten with more stripes; And Pilate endeavoring to preserve his life, they scourged him above measure, even almost to death.

In this scourging of Christ I shall insist on these two things; 1. The shame. 2. The pain.

1. For the shame, it was of such infamy that the Romans Exempted all their Citizens from it. Is it lawful for you (said Paul) to scourge a man that is a Roman?—And when the Centurion heard that, he went, and told the chief Captain, saying, take heed what thou dost, for this man is a Roman; the Romans looked upon it as a most infamous punishment, fit only for thieves and slaves, and not for free-born or privileged Romans; and the Jews themselves would not suffer it above so many stripes, lest a brother should seem vile unto them; If a wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the Judge shall cause him to lie down,—forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed, lest if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee. Whipping is so unworthy a punishment, that only children, bondslaves, and rogues were used to be corrected therewith, especially if they exceeded the number of forty stripes; when Paul was thus used, he tells us, Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Theophilact says they would not exceed that number, lest Paul should have become infamous, and ever after uncapable of public office, and hoping they might have regained him, they would not brand him with that note of infamy. O then if one stripe above forty was so infamous amongst the Jews, what shame, what infamy was this, when so many scores, hundreds, and thousands of stripes (as some reckon them) were laid on Jesus Christ? and yet our Lord doth not disdain to undergo them for our sakes, he bears in his body those wounds and stripes that we had deserved by our sins.

2. For the pain; this kind of punishment was not only infamous, but terrible; no sooner the Soldiers had their commission, but they charged, and discharged upon him such bloody blows, as if he had been the greatest offender, and basest slave in all the World. Nicephorus calls these whippers bloody Hang-men, by the fierceness of whose whipping many had died under their hands.

The Scripture tells us, that He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him, and with his stripes we are healed; he was wounded, bruised, chastised, whipped with stripes; if you would know with how many stripes? some reckon them to the number of the Soldiers, Six hundred and sixty, or a thousand stripes? others reckon them according to the number of the bones, compacted in man's body, which say Anatomists are two hundred and sixty, and Christ having received for every bone three stripes according to the triple manner of his whipping, they amounted in all to seven hundred and eighty stripes; others reckon them to five thousand, above the forty which the Jews were commanded not to exceeed in.—And the truth is, if the whole band of Soldiers were the whippers of Christ (as some would have it) I cannot see but his stripes might be more than so; when the Son of an Israelitish woman blasphemed God, the Lord said to Moses, Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp, and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him; now Christ had said before all the band, that he was the Son of God, which they called Blasphemy; and therefore why might they not all (according to this Law) lay their hands upon him, and fall upon him if not with stones (which now was turned into whipping) yet with rods, whip-cords, and little chains?

I shall not contend about the number of his stripes; but this is certain, that the soldiers, with violence and unrelenting hands, executed their commission; they tore his tender flesh, till the pillar and pavement were purpled with a shower of blood; and if we may believe Bernard,

A scourging able to kill any man, and would have killed him, but that he was preserved by the Godhead to endure, and to suffer a more shameful death.

We may read here a Lecture of the immense love of God in Christ to us poor Gentiles; he is therefore whipped that he might marry us to himself, and never reject us, or cast us off: we read of a Law in Moses, that if a man took a wife, and hated her, and gave occasions of speech against her, and brought an evil name upon her undeservably; that then the Elders of the City should take that man, and chastise him, — and she should be his wife, he might not put her away all his days. There is a great mystery in this ceremony; for that man (say some) was Christ, who by his incarnation betrothed unto himself the Gentile Church, but he seems to hate her, and to give an occasion of a speech against her, and to bring an evil report upon her, as Into the way of the Gentiles ye shall not go, and into the City of the Samaritans ye shall not enter; and it is not meet to take the Children's bread, and to cast it unto dogs. And now he is accused before the Elders, now he is whipt and chastised, and commanded by his Father to take her to his wife, and not to put her away all his days. I know there is much unlikeness in this mystery, for Christ was not whipt for calling the Church adulterous, that indeed was chaste; but he was whipt to present the Church as a chaft Virgin to his Father, that indeed was adulterous, Oh he loved the Church, and gave himself for it; — that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish; this was the meaning of Christ's whipping, The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes are we healed. Come then, and let us learn to read this love-letter sent from Heaven in bloody characters, Christ is stripped who clothed the Lilies of the Field; Christ is bound hand and foot, his hands that multiplied the Loaves; and his feet that were weary in seeking the straggling sheep; Christ is scourged all over, because all over we were full of wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores, and there was no way to cure our wounds, but by his wounds, our bruises, but by his bruises, our sores, but by his sores; O read, and read again, Christ is whipped, belly, back, side, from his shoulders to the soles of his feet, the lashes eating into his flesh, and cutting his very veins, so that (as some say with much confidence, though I know not with what truth) the gashes were so wide that you might have seen his ribs, and bones, and very inwards; what, was there ever love like unto this lov • ? had he not been God as well as man, he could never have had in his heart such a love as this; O it was a divine love, it was the love of a Jesus, a love far surpassing either the love of men, or women, or of Angels.

3. They put upon him a Purple Robe, or a Scarlet Robe. John calls it Purple, and Matthew Scarlet; howsoever some difference may be, yet because of their likeness, they are put sometimes one for another, They put upon him a Scarlet robe, it is in the Original a Scarlet Cloa •• it was a loose short garment, at first used only by Kings or Emperors, and the color of it was suitable to Christ's condition, for he was now purple all over, as well within it, as without it; his body and his garment were both of a deep died sanguine color. Some out of Zacharias, where it is said that Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, conclude the old, ragged, thread-bare filthiness of his robe; so that everything shall have its office and several share in his abuse; the color and the manner of the garment flouts his Kingdom; the bareness, his outward estimation with the people; the raggedness, his late scattered retinue; the fulledness, his stained, spotted life, as they pretended, saying, He was a Friend of Publicans and Sinners —but out of this darkness the Lord can bring light, he hath his mysteries wrapped up in the malice of his enemies; for both on his garment, and on his thigh was written a mystery; and in this sense, what other is his garment but the emblem of his humanity? and what is his scarlet garment, but the emblem of his wounded body? that as he spake of the woman, She anointed him aforehand unto his burial; so Pilate in the mystery clothes him aforehand unto his bloody death.

4. They platted a Crown of Thorns, and put it upon his head; a goodly Crown for the King of Kings, we read of many sorts of Crowns, as of the Triumphal, Laurel, Naval, Mural, &c. but never till this did we read of a Crown of Thorns; a Crown it was to delude him, and a Crown of Thorns to torment him; in this we may read both his pain and shame: 1. For his pain, it bored his head saith Osorius with seventy and two wounds; Bernard speaks of many more, mille puncturis, &c. I know not what ground they have to number them; but certainly many wounds they made, and the rather may we say so; because that after they had put it upon his head, they took a Reed and smote him on the head: (i.e.) they smote him on the head to fasten the Crown of Thorns upon him surer, and to imprint it deeper, till as some think it pierced his very Skull. 2. Nor was it only pain, but shame; when Jotham put out his parable to the men of Shechem; The Trees (said he) went out on a time to anoint a King over them, and they said unto the Olive-Tree, reign thou over us, but the Olive-Tree said unto them, should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honored God and Man, and go to be promoted over the Trees? And the Trees said unto the Fig-Tree, come thou and reign over us, but the Fig-Tree said unto them, should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the Trees? Then said the Trees unto the Vine, come thou and reign over us, and the Vine said unto them, should I leave my Wine, which cheereth God and Man, and go to be promoted over the Trees? Then said all the Trees unto the Bramble, come thou and reign over us; and the Bramble said unto the Trees, if in truth ye anoint me King over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow, and if not, let fire come out of the Bramble, and devour the Cedars of Lebanon. As Jotham put out this parable in scorn of Abimelech, so the Soldiers in scorn put on Christ's head this Bramble Crown: q. d. Come, thou sayest, thou art King of Jews, and therefore we will make thee a Crown of Bramble, King of Trees; by which means they protest against Christ as a feigned fabulous King, as if he were no fitter to be King of Jews, than the Bramble was to be King of all the Trees in the forest.

How many lessons might we draw from hence? they put upon his head a Crown of Shame, of Death, of Torture; who came to give us a Crown of Victory, of life, of glory. 2. Our sins caused the Earth to bring forth Thorns, and Briers, and our Savior must wear them, both to take away our sins, and in the issue to take away sins curse, Thorns, or Briars, or whatsoever. 3. From the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, we were full of sin, and Christ accordingly must shed his Blood from head to foot; their Whips did not reach his head, their nails could not pierce it without an end of torture; but now they draw blood from it, with Thorns; the whole head is sick, saith the Prophet of us; and the whole head of Christ is bruised with Thorns to cure our sickness. 4. Christ is not crowned with Thorns without a Prophesy, or a Type; here he is a true Lily among Thorns; here he is as Isaac 's Ram tied fast by the head in Thorns; he was ever intended to be a sacrifice, and a ransom for our sins, and to that purpose he was caught in a thicket, he was crowned with Thorns. 5. O what a shame is it for any of us to crown our heads with Rose-buds, (as the wanton worldlings could say) afo • e they are withered, to spend our time in vanity, Folly, Sin, when Christ our Lord had such a grove of Thorns, growing on his sacred head? The Disciple is not above his Master, nor the Servant above his Lord, it is enough for the Disciple to be as his Master, and the Servant as his Lord; if our Lord and Master was crowned with Thorns, surely the Members of Christ should not be soft, delicate, and effeminate, wholly sensual, or gi •• n up to pleasures. 6. As every bird sitteth upon the Thorns in the Orchard, so let us draw near, and make our nests in these blessed Bushes; let us abandon all the colors of other Captains, as the World, Flesh, and Devil; and let us keep close to the royal Standard of our King; under these Throns we may find shelter against all our enemies; from these Thorns we may undoubtedly gather Grapes, even a vintage of spiritual joy and gladness.

SECT. V. Of Christ brought forth, and sentenced.

ABout ten Christ was brought forth and sentenced. 1. For his bringing forth, I shall therein observe these particulars. As—

1. We find Pilate bringing forth Jesus out of the common Hall, and showing this sad spectacle to all the People; Then came Jesus forth, wearing the Crown of Thorns, and the purple Robe, and Pilate saith unto them, behold the Man: he thought the very sight of Christ would have moved them to compassion; they had lash'd him almost unto death, they had most cruelly divided those azure channels of his guiltless Blood, they had clothed him with Purple, crowned him with Thorns; and now they bring him out by the hair of the head (say some) and expose him to the Public view of the scornful company, Pilate crying unto them, Behold the man, q. d. Behold a poor, silly, miserable, distressed man, behold I say, not your King, to provoke you against him, nor yet the Son of God, which you say he makes himself to be; but behold the man, a mean man, a worm, and no man; behold how he stands disfigured with wounds, behold him weltering and panting, in a crimson river of his own gore blood; and let this sufficient, yea, more than sufficient punishment suffice to satisfy your rage, what would you have more? if it be for malice that you are so violent against him, behold how miserable he is; if for fear, behold how contemptible he is: As for any fault whereby he should deserve his death, I find no fault in him; he is a Lamb without spot, a Dove without gall; O come and behold this man, I can find no fault in him. Some Doctors affirm that while Pilate cried out behold the man, his servants lifted up the purple robe, that so all might see his torn, and bloody, and macerated body; he supposed his words could not so move their hearts, as Christ's wounds, and therefore said he, Behold the man; as if he had said again, Look on him and view him well, is he not well paid for calling himself King of the Jews? now see him stripped, and whipt, and crowned with thorns, and scepter'd with a reed, anointed with spittle, and clothed with purple; what would you more?

2. We find the Jews more enraged against Jesus, When the chief Priests and Officers saw him; they cried out saying, crucify him, crucify him. The more Pilate endeavors to appease them, the more were the people enraged against him; and therefore they cry away with him,