heauenly power so goe like dogges to their vomite spues out the light they had receiued they are as guiltie of the blood of Christ as Pilate trampe the blood of the Couenant vnder their feete Woe to them that resist the Gospell woe to the apostate Lordes of this Land for thus resisting the light there is no light but this to leade thee to heauen I denounce woe to them if they continue the treasure of wrath and woe shall bee heaped on them they shall be as guiltie as Iudas or Pilate or the Iewes hastie sudden shall be their judgement except the Lord preuent them with repentance they their posteritie shall be cursed vnderly a terrible vengeance Woe to their friends who will joyne with them Separate thee frō them as thou wouldest see saluation Away out of Babylon Yee would thinke this a light worde Let his blood bee vpon our head As they wish the blood of the innocent to light on them so it neuer leaues them nor shall neuer leaue so many of them as repented not the blood of the innocent shall lye vpon their backes euerlastingly This should learne vs to take good heed to our wordes it was but a worde to cast off the God of glorie and to take on a Tyrant They got Caesar to be their King and he spoyled them Take good heede to thy words for thou who vsest against thy selfe imprecations and cursings and wilt say God plague mee Gods vengeance light vpon mee I giue my soule to the Deuill if this or that be not Well hast thou giuen thy soule to the Deuill he shall get it hast thou taken a curse vpon thy selfe thou shalt bee cursed it is a wonder that the earth should not open to swallowe such men The Lord makes these thinges to come to passe nowe and then Hee makes the cursed creature that vses such speaches to bee a terrible example And if thou be a prophane person who wilt say I giue my soule to the Deuill I saye and if the Deuill get thee not then and thou be not thrust into Hell but gettest repentance it is a wonder Such is the judgement of God that oft times He will let no reuersion be except that earnestly thou seeke for grace and mercie the Lord I say shall make that worde which thou sakest to haue no reuersion wilt thou or wilt thou not but like as thy foule mouth spake it so thou shalt bee giuen to the Deuill for there is nothing more effectuall to a mans destruction than the wordes which proceede out of his owne mouth Well Pilate is lying in securitie and hee thinkes himselfe well enough when he hath once disburthened himselfe he sits downe and giues out sentence and absolues a seditious vagabonde He letteth Barabbas loose vnto them Woe to them who will absolue a seditious lowne and a murtherer The next thing is more woefull he begins to giue out the sentence against the innocent he comes on and strikes Him hee scourges Him this is the seconde time and when hee hath done hee giueth Him into the handes of the Jewes to satisfie their wicked appetite As long as thou hast a wakened conscience and so long as it telles thee This is good and this is euill thou wilt not goe so boldly and forwardly in euill Well is that bodie who hath a wakened conscience suppose it terrifie thee and holde thee waking But after it bee once lulled in a sleepe and securitie then thou runnest on as the arrowe doeth out of the bow to a mischife there is nothing to holde thee but thou runnest swiftly to mischiefe Ephes 4.19 After they once lost feeling they ranne out to all wantonnesse commiting all vncleannesse with griedinesse There was neuer any creature so griedy of any thing in the world as men who liue without conscience will be of filthinesse As thou wouldest keepe thy selfe so keepe feeling in thy conscience count it more precious than all thinges in the worlde Nothing can guarde thy soule from Sathan but the approbation of a feeling conscience Thou wilt come out with thy Pearles and with decked cloathing but if thou want this conscience thou art a preye to the Deuill Fy on these men who lye in such a senselesnesse shame and confusion shall light vpon them Was there euer such a dead and senselesse Generation as this It is a token that Hell is ouer-taking them seeing they lye all in such a senselesse securitie Marke notes a word here that would bee considered Chap. 15. vers 15. Pilate did this to gratifie an euill people hee would not displease the Jewes This is the common fashion of Princes to seeke to be populare to seeke the fauour of the people Looke that a Prince seeke not by euill meanes the fauour of the people for he will hang an innocent man and let a murtherer goe free for the fauour of the people thou buyest it too deare with the losse of the fauour of God Woe be vnto the man though he were a King that mischieuously falles abacke from the Trueth and so looses the fauour of God for the fauour of Idolaters But will yee come on yet Got Pilate the fauour of the people No they persecuted him to the death they delated him to the Emperour and hee was banished and for feare of greater shame hee put handes in himselfe and slew himselfe Yea if he were all the kings in the world who seekes to gratifie a wicked people in an euill cause namely in Idolatrie and if the LORD haue not mercy on him that same people shall be his destruction The Lord graunt Kinges and Princes to see that howbeit they haue the fauour of the people by vnlawfull meanes and want the fauour of God that all the fauour of the people that they can haue without Gods fauour is nothing that they may seeke Gods fauour aboue all things And the Lord be mercifull to our King for Christes sake To whom be all Honour and Glory foreuermore AMEN THE XIII LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST MATTH CHAP. XXVII verse 27 Then the Souldiers of the Gouernour tooke IESVS into the common hall and gathered about him the whole bande verse 28 And they stripped him and put about him a skarlet robe verse 29 And platted a crowne of thornes and put it vpon his head and a reede in his right hand and bowed their knees before him and mocked him saying God saue thee King of the Jewes verse 30 And spitted vpon him and tooke a reede and smote him on the head verse 31 Thus when they had mocked him they tooke the robe from him and put his owne rayment on him and led him away to crucifie him verse 32 And as they came out they found a man of Cyrene named Simon him they compelled to beare his Crosse MARC CHAP. XV. verse 16 Then the souldiers led him away into the hall which is the common hall and called together the whole band verse 17 And clad
and therefore I deserued not death yet it is not so euill as malice for whereas malice prouokes the wrath and judgement of the Iudge for it is a terrible thing to haue an malicious heart and of set purpose to sinne against the Iudge Ignorance will mooue the Iudge to pitie and commiseration and so ye see the LORD seeing the poore ignorant multitude Hee pities them and as Hee pities them so Hee prayes for them Ignorance mooued Him to pittie and to praye for them In a worde The Christian man that is persecuted wrongfullie either hath to doe with malicious men wee may finde this in experience ere wee die who persecute of malice or with enemies who are not so much malicious as ignorant if hee haue to doe vvith malicious persons patience is required but if hee haue to doe with ignorant bodies then not onelie patience is required but also rueth and loue Wouldest thou haue patience then commit vengeance vnto Him vvho judges justlie for if thou vvouldest bee patient looke to thy GOD and saye I commit thee in the hands of the Iudge And if thou haue to doe vvith an ignorant see that thou bee pittifull looke to the ignorance of them that persecute thee and thou shalt not so soone looke to their blindnesse but thou shalt not onelie bee patient but also pittifull and the ignorant vvill seeme to bee miserable and to bee pittied for this is certaine that the innocent man vvho is persecuted is not so much to bee pittied as hee vvho of blinde ignorance persecutes him Alas What is to bee pittied but that vvhich procures damnation before GOD So ignorant blinded bodies are moste to bee pittied Nowe consider howe all rankes and sortes of people shame Him and first Pilate shames Him and commaundes an inscription and title to be vvritten on the Crosse bearing the crime and cause of His death It is saide that Pilate the Iudge Writeth a title to bee fixed on the Crosse and bee writeth it in Hebrew and in Grecke and in Latine to the ende that men of all Languages might reade it and vnderstand it and the effect thereof is this IESVS of Nazareth the King of the Jewes This was in Hebrewe in Greeke and in Latine three Languages to bee read by Hebrewes Graecians Romanes There is no question but this was written according to the fashion of that time for among the people of GOD both the judgementes and also the punishmentes vvith inscriptions containing the cause thereof vsed to bee publicked And this vvas a commendable and allowable custome that vvhen a man vvas condemned to die they alwayes vsed to put vp an inscription containing the crime and cause to testifie that hee vvas vvorthilie executed According hereunto they handle the Lord IESVS for they lead y e whole proces in the sight of y e people went not into a corner to judge Him but in the presēce of y e whole people they led Him out of the Portes of Hierusalem to execute Him Reade of this custome Iosh Chapter 7. verse 19. Of Achan who stolle the Babylonians garment how hee was judged of the whole people Read of that blasphemer in the wildernesse Leuit. 24.23 how before the whole people hee was executed publikly Reade of Ionathan how hee was judged and condemned of his father Saul in the sight of the whole people 1. Sam. Chapter 14. verse 5. As the Iudgement was publicke so they vsed to put an inscription aboue them to testifie to the people their crime and the cause of their death that they died justly It is no small matter to slay a man albeit hee were the poorest that euer was and there is not a Prince in the face of the earth that may slay a man without a good cause No not the Emperour hath that power And as no man should bee slaine lightly so if there bee a just cause of execution the man may not be executed priuily at the pleasure of the Iudge but if there bee good justice the Iudgement must be before the people The people haue their owne right and entresse in judgement seates Yee know in that great Iudgement of the world which shall be at the latter day not one shall be judged and condemned without the approbation and consent of the whole Elect which shall stand round about their Lord. Then how much more hath the people at the least the best part entresse in earthly Iudgements to see good administration of justice and Iudgement and that the Iudge vse no Tyrannie This then was the cause of this Inscription euen that the cause of the death of Iesus should bee made manifest to the people according to common commendable custome But Pilate had another respect Pilate did this not so much that the people should know the cause of His death for his conscience tolde him that He was innocent as he put it vp to reuenge him on the malicious Iewes who compelled him against his heart and conscience to condemne Him Hee will haue this put vp that their King was hanged and that they hanged Him with their owne hands But GOD hath His part heere and all was gouerned by that heauenlie Prouidence Neither is Pilate nor the Iewes heere so much to be looked to as the dispensation of the Father As Pilate did it for one ende so the LORD did it for another ende Men will doe a thing vpon an euill intent GOD will doe the same thing by a wicked instrument to His good ende by His effectuall prouidence Hee will haue this to be put vp to ratifie the Heauenly and Spirituall Kingdome of IESVS CHRIST and Hee vvill let them all see that IESVS is the onely King and inspeciall by this inscription the LORD vvill haue it testified to the vvorlde that as IESVS hung vpon the Crosse vvith paine and shame that so likewise vpon the same Crosse He triumphed gloriously ouer His enemies ere Hee came to Heauen on the Crosse Hee gotte victorie and Hee triumphed ouer them all and ledde them all captiues on the Crosse as it is vvritten to the COLOSS. CHAP. 2. VERS 15. More than this The LORD did it to this ende To fore-shaddowe that the preaching of the Kingdome of IESVS CHRIST to followe on His Ascension should bee to all Nations Kingdomes and Languages for immediately after that Hee passed out of the vvorld IESVS vvas proclaimed to all Nations the King of Glory and continues to this day and shall bee for euer Pilate is a preacher heereof albeit hee haue little minde of it but hee vvas like Caiaphas vvho prophesied that it vvas expedient that one shoulde die for the sinnes of the vvhole people CHAP. 11. VERS 40. And this is done by the speciall prouidence of GOD no doubt The constancie of Pilate in his sentence and vvriting notwithstanding the strong opposition of the Scribes and the High Priestes vvho desired him to alter and change the title and for that vvhich vvas vvritten by Pilate to vvit This is
power of GOD and liueth nowe in glorie at the right hande of the Father How great a power must this bee that proceedeth out from Christ glorified Alas if the worlde saw this if the blinde men saw the thousand part of that terrible power that commeth from Iesus Christ glorified thinke ye that for all the world they durst confederate with the King of Spaine the Pope and his power and enterprise anie thing against Christ and his Church but alas this blindnesse and induration letteth them not see nor feele but in the ende they shall feele it if the Lord in mercie conuert them not to their euerlasting shame confusion Well to goe forward IOHN to this purpose alleadgeth an olde prophecie which was prophecied before of Iesus Christ long before hee came into the world and this is the prophecie Of them which thou gauest me haue I lost none Nowe Iohn draweth this prophecie to the preseruation of Christes disciples at this time because the disciples that were concredite vnto him escaped at this time Marke Brethren It is true indeed that the prophecie properly is to be vnderstood not so much of a safetie in this life presently as of a spirituall safetie to life euerlasting this is the meaning Yet it hath pleased the Spirit of God to apply this prophecie to this bodily preseruation the cause is this At this time the bodily safetie of his disciples importeth that spirituall safetie the life to come as by the contrarie the indangering of the present life indangered the life to come If the disciples had bene taken at this time to haue suffered with their Master they had all reuolted and denied their Master Wee may see the proofe of this in Peter and so they had hazarded not onely this life but also the life to come because that the disciples were as yet but children in Iesus Christ and were not strengthened enough with the power of Christ and woe is to that soule that will denie Iesus Christ and chiefly in death There is not one who will suffer their litle finger only to be burnt for the cause of Christ except he be strengthened with the power of Iesus Christ and there is not one that will now suffer affliction but they who are guarded with the power of God and therefore yee see heere Gods mercie towardes his disciples This is the mercifull dealing of God with his owne hee will neuer let one of his owne bee tempted but hee will giue them power to beare out the temptation and Hee will neuer suffer them to be tempted till He giue them abilitie and when Hee hath giuen them strength then the LORD will lay on the burthen It is a wonderfull thing the heauier the burthen be that the Lord layes on his owne the greater strength Hee giues them to sustaine it The world hath wondered at the Martyres of God who had so great comfort in the time of their burning in the fire and how in suffering they would sing Psalmes vnto their latter breath The world wondereth at this The heauier that the death hath bene the greater hath the power of God bene and the greater hath the life of Iesus beene in the Martyres And these disciples whom he spared now when He saw that they were ripe Spared He them then No no what was the whole lifetime of the disciples after that Christ departed out of this world but a perpetuall suffering till the life was taken from them they died all by persecution and then by the lossing of this life they got life euerlasting in dying they died not but in dying they entered into a more glorious life So this is that mercifull power of God It appeares that in this countrey there is litle ripenesse because of this litle suffering and therefore the Lord hath dealt mercifully with vs and in great mercie hath holden mens handes off vs therefore wee should pray if it shall please him to bring any to the triall to suffer for his glorious Names sake Lord I am not able to behold the sight of the fire much lesse to suffer the crueltie of the fire therefore if thou wilt haue mee to suffer giue me strength whereby I may bee able to suffer Now I goe to Peters part he setteth downe his action certainly it is worth nothing albeit it seemeth to bee verie zealous What doeth hee hee hath a sword about him he seeing them rush on his Master shevveth his manhood And he striketh the seruant of the high Priest whose name was Malchus and he cut off his right eare The rest of the Euangelists Mat 26. Marke 14. Luke 22 speake of some thing that was done before this When the Lord was communing vvith them that tooke Him then comes the traitour Iudas to the Lord and cryes Rabbi Rabbi Master Master with that he kisseth Him now this was a signe that hee had giuen vnto his companie that that man whome hee should kisse was the man that they should take Now what doth the Lord He makes no signe of anger and there is none of vs but wee thinke that He should haue vttered great anger to the traitour fie on thee traitour for of all men he is most detestable but the Lord in mildnes meeknes of Spirit for all this whole time He takes purpose to suffer patiently as Esay sayeth Hee was as a Lambe before the shearer as a sheepe led to the slaughter openeth not his mouth He sayes friend betrayest thou the Sonne of man with a kisse He assayeth if the conscience will bee brought to remorse There is a wonderfull patience of God to the most vile sinner whē he hath giuen them a signe the whole companie russhed vpon Him Then the disciples said Master shal we defend thee by the sword but Peter not staying vpō an answere he was hardie striketh off the eare of Malchus the high Priests seruant Nowe Brethren albeit that this Malchus the high Priests seruant deserued that not only his eare should be cut off but also that the head the life should be taken from him for he was in a very euill action indeed he was cled with authority but with an euill authoritie if thou hadst the authoritie of all the kings in the world it wil neuer excuse thee before God if thou shouldest get a subscriptiō to do euil against an innocent man the Lord shall not alow thee but His judgmēt shal ouertake thee whether Peter did this of zeale for no doubt he loued his Master exceeding well he would haue had his Master out of his hands yet for all this the Lordes owne wordes testifie that this fact of Peter is to be condemned If ye will examine the zeale it is a very preposterous and vnskilfull zeale the zeale is nothing worth if a man go beyond the boundes of his calling What was Peter but a priuate man this cōpany being sent by the Magistrats superior power Peter ought not
to haue resisted them to recompense this injurie by reason of his calling albeit it was the greatest injurie that euer was done in the world Then the words of Christ doe declare that he did it of blindnesse for hee did that lay in him to stay the worke of the redemption of the world hee tooke no heede to his hand Now to marke something There is nothing more common to men than this to cloake their actions with the pretence of zeale he or she will say I did it of zeale but the Spirit of God in this place and marke it letteth thee see if thy zeale be a naked zeale if it go beyond the bounds of thy calling albeit it be in a good cause yet thy zeale is worth nothing if thy zeale be with ignorance if thou hast not the warrand of this worde thy zeale is of no value it will not warrand thine action if yee would haue surer rules of actions nor zeale is take heede to thâ—se two thinges First to thy calling Looke that thou go not beyond the bounds of thy calling Shalt thou that art a priuate man strike with a sworde Is that thy calling Then next to Gods word What auaileth it vnto a man to goe forward in blindnesse if he be not illuminate with the light of God it is but a blinde zeale and if thou wouldest haue thine actions well ruled then take that lanterne of the word going before thee to warrand thy conscience in all thy proceedings for of all graces this is one of the greatest to haue the worde of God thy warrand in all thine actions As for zeale I cast it not awaye it is ouer rare to be casten away for it is a speciall grace of God but take heede if thou wouldest haue zeale looke that it be moderate and passe not the boundes of thy calling and then looke that thou haue a warrande of the word of God looke that the eye of thy soule bee illuminate Ioyne these two together and then goe forwards to the worke of the Lord. Certainly experience hath taught vs that this zeale hath had an euill successe no man by this zeale did euer get commendation of God It may be that men will runne forwards rashly in zeale and will haue a good entrie but the ende will tell thee that it was but foolish hardinesse it will forthinke them And no doubt Peter when hee got this answere of his Master he repented No man hath neede to finde fault with men of this age for there are few Peters nowe adayes where yee shall finde one like Peter who hath zeale ye shall find ten who haue none The zeale of God is awaye that did eate vp the heartes of the men of God of old Then againe ye shall see in this fact of Peters Peter was a good man and one who loued Iesus Christ very well and hee was loath to leaue Him and when as the Lord said to His disciples Will yee depart also from mee Peter answered and saieth LORD Whither shall wee goe thou hast the wordes of life hee was verie loath to depart from Him And this action also which hee hath in hand is a good action in the defence of Christ Yet for all this in this good action and in the cause of God see how hee is miscarried the Lord findeth fault with him Well this is our nature that when we would doe the worke of the Lord our corruption defileth it and oftentimes in doing it we will sinne and we will blot it with some foule blotte And Peter doing this with some preposterous zeale he is not allowed for an vncleane man as hee is vncleane so hee shall make the worke of the Lord vncleane So the chiefe thing that a man should be exercised withall is prayer that y e Lord would sanctifie the person that the worke that y e Lord hath employed him in may be holily done and marke againe the greatest default that was in Peter was his too great zeale We need not to be afraide for this in this lande Nay we may be afraide for default of it that the worke of the Lord should perish and wee are to pray that the King and those whom he hath employed in this worke may haue an vpright heart and such an heart as Dauid and good Ezechias had an heart louing God and hating Gods enemies I would not doubt then but the worke in his hande should take a good end and hee should report honour and glorie Now the Lord seeing what Peter did Hee forbiddeth him and sheweth a greater anger against him than against Iudas Hee spake not so angrylie against Iudas or any of them that pursued Him as Hee did to Peter and He sayeth Put vp thy sword into the sheath and then he subjoyneth the reason Shall I not drinke of the cuppe that my Father hath giuen me Thou doest what lieth in thee to holde off the cuppe I will drinke of the cuppe that my Father hath giuen me of necessitie I must drinke it for it was preordinate before all times that I should drinke it and seeing it is so I will drinke it Shall any thing be injoyned to vs to doe of necessitie and shall we not doe it willingly The Father hath propined vnto mee a bitter cuppe of affliction and I shall drinke it out dregges and all Matthew in his 26. Chapter giueth mo reasons wherefore the Lord disallowed Peter and this is one Hee who strikes with the sword at his owne hande whom the Lord hath not armed to strike he shall be strucken with the sword It is a dangerous matter to slay if the Lord put not the sword into thine hand then he giues another reason will I be defended with the arme of man No if I would pray to my Father Hee would send me twelue legions of Angels and lastly sayeth He Shall not the Scripture bee accomplished of mee Shall I make the worde of the Lord false which hath foretolde of my suffering and therefore stay thy rashnes And note what Luke sayeth in his 22. Chapter verse 51 He takes vp the eare and puts it on againe Ye may see here that the Lord will haue no man hurt in his taking the Lord will haue no vnjust defence Iesus Christ will not bee defended with vnlawfull meanes He will not bee defended with Peters sword for he had no power giuen him of the Lord for to strike He will not haue injurie repressed with injurie Nay He will not haue the man that hath the just cause to represse an authoritie This guarde came from the authoritie from the Romane empire and Christ will not haue Peter a priuate man to meddle with the superiour power He will not haue him to defend Him against the authoritie It is a dangerous thing to resist authoritie albeit it be vnlawfully vsed chiefly a priuate man and albeit that the authoritie had done wrong yet a man who hath not authoritie should not represse
hurt him not which are done by the hands of the Emperour Who executes them in the Inquisition The Kinges the Popes holy hāds are cleane of all Excuse as they will I pronounce and the Lord shall ratifie it in that Great day that they are greater murtherers than the secular power Away with their vaine excuses When they haue murthered the man they will put the fault in the Magistrate Wil God accept such excuses In the next vers Iohn subjoynes wherfore y e Iewes would not take vpon them to judge of y e life or death of Iesus Christ and saies that they answered so that that might be fulfilled that the Lord spake signifying what death he should die When He was conuersant with His Disciples He fore-told them that He should die vpon the Crosse Now the Iewes will not take vpon them the right of the judging Him that these words might be fulfilled If the Iewes had taken it vpon them they would not haue crucified him because it was not vsuall among the Iewes they vsed to stone a deceiuer or blasphemer to the death according to the lawe as they did Steuen afterwards This death of the Crosse was familiar and vsuall among the Romanes Then Brethrē we see here the God of Heauen is the disposer of the whole action of the persecution passion of Christ what euer be mans part There is not a word vttered nor an action done either by Pilate or any of the Iewes which the Lord did not dispose All that Pilate did all that the Iewes did as that spitting and buffeting of Christ were all disposed by the Lord And this is it that ye reade in that prayer in y e Acts of the Apostles cap. 4. vers 28. The princes of the earth are gathered against thine anointed Herode Pilate and the Gentiles Whereto That they should doe that thing that thine hand and thy councell hath ordained Neither Herode Pilate nor any of the Iewes or Gentiles did anie thing in this execution but that vvhich God appointed The vnderstanding herof serues to this that there was nothing done to our Redeamer but that which His father appointed they were but persecuters appointed by God euen as the hang-man the Iewes Pilate Herod were like as many hangmen to execute that decree of God This would seeme a very light word that the Iewes say We haue no power to sit ouer the life or death of men yet this is a meane whereby the Lord bringes to passe that forme of Cursed death Brethren we may speake as lightly of thinges as wee please and many times to little purpose but there is nothing that passes GODS decree Looke to that prouidence that GOD hath in His creatures The LORD disposes the lightest wordes that thou speakest He rules thine hand so that whatsoeuer thou doest He makes al to effectuate produce that which He hath decerned the thing that thou wilt speake or doe it will serue for some purpose to Him how beit little for thee In the meane time let no man thinke that when men speake or doe euill that they shall bee the more excusable for if there were no more but this it shall make thee vnexcusable because in speaking euill and in doing euill thou hast not the LORD before thine eyes Thou doest it not for obedience to His vvill Take this lesson Let euerie man and vvoman take good heede that they bee vvell exercised and if our GOD employe vs let vs take good heede that vvee bee in a good seruice in speaking good and doing good Lende not thine heart thine hande nor thy tongue to the Deuill in vnrighteousnesse And seeing thou canst not sleepe from morning to euening but must bee speaking and doing praye that the LORD maye employe thee to doe vvell and to speake vvell and saye LORD let mee bee an instrument to doe well And more in doing vvell bee not content of the outwarde face of the action but in doing vvhether it bee little or much goe euer to the heart and see the disposition thereof and looke thou doe it in sinceritie hauing regarde to GOD. Thinke it not enough and if the LORD vvorke a good vvorke by thee as an instrument but looke still that Hee vvorke in thee that thou mayest finde a good motion in thine heart For alas vvhat auaileth the outwarde action if the heart bee foule vvhich defileth all Indeed vvee maye not thinke that there is anie perfection in vs or in our actions in this life but this is the perfect ground that makes that action to smell sweetelie in the sight of GOD to vvit Faith in IESVS CHRIST If that thou findest that thou hast IESVS CHRIST in thine heart by Faith albeit vvith great vveakenesse in thy selfe yet in CHRIST all the imperfection and vveakenesse is hidden and vvhen the action commeth before the LORD it is pleasant and acceptable to Him All thinges are pleasant that come to the Father thorowe the Sonne there is the grounde of all grace and acceptation Sticke to the LORD IESVS and haue Him not in thy mouth onelie as the Hypocrites doe but let Him also bee inclosed in thine heart and dwell therein for then thou shalt bee acceptable to GOD through Him To vvhome vvith the Father and the Holie Spirit bee all Praise Honour and Glorie for euer and euer vvorlde vvithout ende AMEN THE SIXT LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XVIII verse 33 So Pilate entered into the common Hall againe and called IESVS and saide vnto him Art thou the King of the Iewes verse 34 IESVS answered him Sayest thou that of thy selfe or did other tell it thee of mee verse 35 Pilate answered Am I a Iew Thine owne nation and the high Priests haue deliuered thee vnto mee What hast thou done verse 36 IESVS answered My Kingdome is not of this world if my Kingdome were of this world my seruants would surely fight that I should not bee deliuered to the Iewes but nowe is my Kingdome not from hence verse 37 Pilate then saide vnto him Art thou a King then IESVS answered Thou sayest that I am a King for this cause am I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse vnto the trueth euerie one that is of the trueth heareth my voyce THE last day Brethren we entered into the suffering of Christ vnder Pontius Pilate the Romane Gouernour Ciuill Iudge in Iudeae for the time Iesus is led into the Common Hall to the House of Iustice as ye heard where Pilate sate Now Pilate is not rash in judging but before he sit downe to judge hee will haue an inditement and will see what things the Iewes haue to lay to the charge of the Lord He saw the accusers of Him the Iewes in multitudes he saw no accusation therefore he goes out vnto them because they would not come to him and asketh what accusation haue they against Him hee receiueth little answere or at least little
King he should haue asked what a King He was where his kingdome was that He might haue gotten a part of it there is y e coÌ„fessioÌ„ that Iesus gaue vnder Pontius Pilate as is saide 1. Tim. 6.13 Pilate should haue bin inquisitiue of these things and followed out that purpose about his kingdome but he breakes off the conference by an accusation of Iesus An earthly hearted man knowes not things heauenly so he cannot speake of them but rather he will stay an heauenly purpose Ye see earthly hearted men when one will begin to speake of heauenly things hath no more pleasure in them than Pilate had begin once to speake of heauenly things to a prophane man then he cannot keepe purpose with thee but hee will breake off purpose speake of earthly things Paul 1. Cor 2. sets down the grouÌ„d here The naturall man sayes he knowes not the things of the Spirit of God yea he will wonder what that means when thou speakest of Heauen yea he hath no power nor spirituall sense for they are but foolishnes to him the most wise things of God are but foolishnes to the naturall man he delites not in them because he hath not tasted how sweet the Lord is So Pilate interrupteth Christ Christ answeres He sayes Thou sayest that I am a King In the which answere the Lord denies not that He is a King but He takes the mouth of Pilate to be witnes that He was a King Then he lets vs see for what cause He came into the world not to be an earthly King Came I into the world but that I might beare witnesse of the trueth I came not to be an earthly King as other Kings are but I came from the throne of a King a glorious Kingdome that I may play the part of a seruaÌ„t in bearing witnes to the trueth Iesus Christ was God equall with the Father thought it no robberie but He made Himselfe of no reputation by taking on the forme of a servant Phil. 2.6 As though he would say I came into the world tooke on the flesh of man to be a seruant to my Father to be a witnes to the trueth then He subjoynes lest that Pilate should thinke that office of litle effect that He laboured in vaine sayes They who are of veritie to wit begotten of the word the immortal seed of the word of God for by veritie here is meant the word of veritie as Chap 17. vers 17. preceeding They heare my word He draweth neâ—re vnto Pilate if thou be such an one as is begotten of the trueth thou wilt heare my word albeit Christ be stayed from speaking Pilate would haue put Him off Hee leaues not but speakes againe to Pilate He would haue winne Pilate it had bene possible Albeit we be interrupted when we speake of heauenlie things to profane men and women wee ought not to leaue off by the example of Christ but howbeit wee bee interrupted wee should returne againe and follow out the thing we haue begun to see if some wordes will sinke in their hearts or if they will not returne that they may be vnexcusable Speake of Christ and of Heauen it shall neuer be in vaine but as Paul saies 2. Corin. 2. it shall bee a sweet odour to God either to their saluation or damnation that God may be glorified either in mercy in winning of them or in justice in their perdition And therfore it is good to speake of things HeaueÌ„lie the soule is nourished therby A man that redresses himselfe to a kingdome would euer take delite to speake of it if thou hast no pleasure at no time to speake of Heauenly things it is a sure token that thou hast no part of that kingdom thou hast neuer tasted the sweetnes of it for they who haue tasted thereof will haue somtimes a delite to speake of thinges Heauenly and will desire that sincere milke of the word as Peter speakes So if thou findest the worde of life sweet why shouldst thou not desire it continually for it is that only food by the which y e life of God is nourished within thee here and one day it shall present vnto thee such satiety of all pleasure and joy in the face of God as the heart cannot thinke of now howbeit thou gettest but scant in this world Alas that we should let such a joy passe away for fault of feeling tasting What is the veritie saies Pilate he askes this not with pleasure but loathing disdaining taries no answere but goes his way His stomack loathes Christ Then in Pilate we haue an example of naturall men if any will speake of things Heauenly vnto them of Christ and of His benefits they will stay the speach so farre as they can and if thereafter any will insist and yet speake on then at the last if thou wilt vrge them they must speake something but they will speake as Pilate did lightly and disdainfully and when they haue asked they will leaue off and will not care for an answere but askes for the fashions cause when they are constrained thereunto We are by nature like to Pilate either we will not speake one word of things Heauenly or else if wee bee compelled to speake and wordes bee throwne out of vs wee will speake with a loathing and disdaining of the heart There vvas neuer any thing in the world that could moue the naturall man more to loathing than y e word of God he will heare it with such disdain that when one thing is saide in word hee will say another in heart and he vvill thinke him vvho teaches him the most foolish man in the vvorld And he vvho is vvisest if he be not regenerated and renewed hee shall count Christ and things Heauenly most foolish A simple bodie is sooner vvonne than hee vvho is vvise in his owne conceit in the vvorld If thou vvouldest be an hearer or speaker of Heauenly things striue alwayes to get a reformation of thine own corrupt nature and let thy meditation and prayer be thus Lord reforme mine heart that thy vvord maye bee fruitfull in mee so that both I may heare vvith pleasure and also that the vvords come not from the teeth forward but from the deepnes of mine heart when I speake of Thee and things Heauenly that so thy vvord may edifie both mee and others It is a more dangerous thing to come to heare if vve be not duely prepared than to tarrie away and better not to speake at all than to speake of thinges Heauenly vvithout the inward sense of the heart Now the Lord grant vs grace that in hearing speaking of things Heauenly vve may haue this Heauenly disposition in some measure for Christes sake To vvhom vvith the Father and Holy Spirit be all Praise Honour and Glory both now and euermore Amen THE SEVENTH LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XVIII verse 38 Pilate said vnto him What
the word of God and by that Spirit as ye would see life and if yee put it out the Lord shall make you as senslesse as a beast They cried both but Pilate cries Judge ye him They crie crucifie him Pilate cries I find no fault in him worthy of death What euer be Pilates part who was a judge what euer was the part of the Iewes the accusers the Lord hath His part also in it and hee appointes it by His eternall decree the houre was come and Hee will haue His onely begotten Sonne to die for the sinnes of the world and He will be glorified in His death at this houre and He will not haue Him to die as one worthie of death in Himselfe but like an innocent in the sight of the world Now looke to this wisdome that his innocencie should appeare He will haue the Iudge protesting His innocencie oftentimes before He should die On the other part Hee will haue the conscience of the High Priests scraped out and He will haue them getting His blood if the High Priests conscience had beene wakned Iesus had not died at this time for the sinnes of the worlde and therefore to the ende that He should die He hardened the hearts of the accusers When any innocent man suffers and chiâ—fly for Christ the Lord hath disposed the worlde so that Hee hath made some to testifie of the innocencie of the Martyres and some hath Hee hardened to seeke the blood of the Martyres that He might be glorified Looke to Daniel Darius had a conscience of his innocencie but the Princes had hardened hearts Daniel 6.1 Looke when Paul was accused the Romane Gouernours Lysias Felix and Festus had a conscience of the innocencie of Paul but the High Priestes persecutes Him to the death When a malefactor sufferes the Lord will not vse this manner of doing He will not haue the Iudge to testifie the mans innocencie where there is none but he willl let him die and suffer like a murtherer an oppressour or a blasphemer as he is in very deed hee will haue Iudge accusers and all men conspire together to take awaye such pestes from the earth Therefore if there were no more but this if wee must die it should moue vs to die in a good cause and the best cause is the cause of Iesus Christ Take heede that thou suffer not like a nocent and guiltie person but like an innocent so thy death shall be glorious it is a paine to die and a greater paine to die for an euill cause Now the Priests answere Wee haue a lawe and according to our lawe Hee merites the death they challenge not a lawe to crucifie Him or any power to punish Him capitallie for all power of this was taken away from them by the Romanes yet for all this they forget not the right of their lawe That the blasphemer should die the death according to this lawe they affirme Him worthie of death So Brethren What euer Pilate can doe or say to mitigate and to asswage their malice speake what he can speake they continue in hardnes against Christ looke what blindes them The word of God that should make them to see it it blindes them and they vse it to their blinding All the things in the world yea the best thinges the very word of God serues to wicked men for nothing els but for their farder induration the more they seee the blinder they are they will read but the more they reade the blinder are they for why they abuse the word they will not make it a rule to direct their affections and actions but they abuse it to their fantasie makes a slaue of it Looke to the Papists this day they abuse the old and new Testaments they make them to serue their appetites they interpret expone and applie the word as they please they make the word of God the author of their lies I affirme that the word of God doth nothing to the Papists but blinde them it had bene good for them that they had neuer seene heard nor read the Scripture of God Write on say on this shall bee verified one day but let vs consider their reasoning The lawe ordaines that the blasphemer shall die the death but so it is that this man is a blasphemer for Hee hath made himselfe the Sonne of God therefore He should die y e death If ye looke the ground the general No maÌ„ can find fault with it for it is set downe in y e Law Leuit 24.14 but come to the applicatioÌ„ where they subsume Iesus is a blasphemer there they faile for Iesus was is and shall be that only begotteÌ„ Son of God therefore the conclusion is false that Hee ought to die the death So yee see the generall is true but the assumption and the conclusion is a lye In wicked men yee shall finde this that no man will laye downe fairer generalles out of the worde of God than they no man will doe that better but come on to the application there they goe astraye they applie not right but they applie either to this affection or that As for example The murtherer should die the death if there be an hatred in them against the man they will applie it vnto him but by the contrarie if hee bee a kinsman or a friende they will say this man is no murtherer howbeit hee bee as great a murtherer as Barabbas was and therfore he should not die Take heed to thine heart and thinke it not enough to knowe the generall to bee true but take heede to thine heart and to the affections thereof that they maye bee sanctified and chiefely thou who art a Iudge looke that thine heart bee free of hatred and of peruerse loue or else thy loue thine hatred and thy peruerse affections shall bee poyson to thee and shall blinde thee and shall make thee pronounce false judgement For what auailes knowledge what auailes it thee to haue a great light in thine head either thorowe nature or yet thorowe the worde of God if thou wantest reformation and sanctification to thine affections all is for nothing True Christianitie stands in the reformation of the heart and without this all the knowledge in the Scripture shall poyson thee to the death for except thou be reformed it had bene better for thee that thou hadst bene ignorant and neuer seene the Scripture Nowe to goe forwarde When they haue answered Pilate hee continues and it is said when he heard that that man was the Sonne of God if hee had a conscience before now he hath a greater conscience Euen as whatsoeuer Pilate can speake to the hie priests did no more but hardeÌ„ them on so all the wordes they vse to put out his conscience stirres it vp and wakens it the more Indeede they sought by all meanes to blotte out his conscience And all the doing of a consciencelesse man is to blinde thee and put out thy conscience like as his
the day in the which He was crucified MARKE names it to haue bene about the third houre of the daye which according to our reckoning and our fashion of diuiding of the daye fell about the twelfth houre of the daye which manifestes a verie hastie dispatch and a short space betwixt the doome and the execution yea all this matter was very hastilie dispatched for Hee was taken in the night in the which Hee gotte no rest but was hurried first to Annas and from him to Caiaphas Hall and then before Pilate the Romane Iudge and there before him condemned So that Hee is taken in the night and the next day before twelue a clocke Hee is crucified In the night Hee is taken and brought before the Iudge The accusation passeth The doome is giuen and He is crucified on the morrow following before twelue of the clocke Nowe to passe by the malice of the Jewes and their earnestnesse to haue the Lord put to death we shall marke that all this judgement wee maye see the swiftnesse of the wrath of the Father which pursued the Sonne because He bare the sinnes of the worlde It lets vs see plainlie that the judgement that shall bee in the latter daye to the which this is proportionate it is a type of the latter judgement that judgemeÌ„t also I say shall passe ouer swiftlie and the reprobate in that judgement when the Lord is once entred into judgement shall not gette leaue nor leasure to draw their breath till they be casteÌ„ into Hel. And after that the terrible Iudge shall once enter into accompt with them and giue out that sentence Depart from mee yee cursed of my Father with the Deuill and his angelles immediatelie those damned soules shall bee hurled to Hell If the wrath was so swift vpon the Sonne of God Himselfe what shall bee the swiftnesse of the wrath vpon the reprobate in that Great daye Then come to the Text which we haue read and to goe forwardes to speake of the thinges and circumstances that fell out in the time that the Lord did hang quicke nayled vpon the Crosse for as I haue already declared Hee hung the â—pace of three houres quicke nayled vpon the Crosse ere Hee gaue vp the ghoste The first thing we haue to speake of is concerning the two Thieues that were crucified with Him the one at the one hande and the other at the other hand Next wee shall speake of that prayer that Iesus conceiued whilest Hee was hanging on the Crosse before His enemies And thirdly wee shall speake of that title and inscription that Pilate commanded to bee fixed on the Crosse to wit IESVS of Nazareth the King of the Iewes and this contained the crime and cause of His suffering Last wee shall speake of the diuiding of His garmentes and howe they cast lottes on His coate All these heads are plaine they offer plaine doctrine Then to come to the first It is saide that They crucified with him two thieues two vagabondes two throat-cutters and they crucified the one of them at his right hand and the other at his left hand And Hee hung on the Crosse in the middest betweene them both They crucifie not the Lord Iesus Himselfe alone but betwixt two Thieues and not at the side but one of them at each side and Him in the middest gâ—uing out thereby to bee vnderstood by all the worlde who looked on Him and there was an hudge multitude of Iewes Romanes and Gentiles looking on that of all Malefactors He was the greatest Brethren I see this thorowe all the Historie of the Passion of Iesus Christ euer His dolour encâ—easses till it come to the ende to the height And I see this that as His paine growes continually So shame is heaped on His head continually and whilest Hee is hanging on the Crosse at the same time the greatest shame is heaped on His head for Hee hanges vpon the Tree betwixt the euill doers as Prince of all euill doers in the worlde To let you see that as the paine of the reprobate shall bee extreame so the shâ—me and confusion that they shall suffer in Hell shall passe all measure In this circumstance as in all the rest I looke not so much to the Iewes and to their malice as I looke to His Father in Heauen to His wrath and to His Iustice it is Hee who is the chiefe worker of all these things All theâ—e men Pilate Herode the men of warre and the High Priestes they are like as many burrioes to that Iudge The LORD hanges on the Crosse in extreame paine of bodie and soule and as Hee hanges in extreame paine so there is extreame shame joyned with it Nowe if the shame and paine was extreame it must followe that Hee bare an extreame but then of sinne these goe together in GODS Iustice extreame burthen of sinne extreame paine and extreame shame for the Iustice of GOD requires that extreame sinne bee punished by extreame paine and shame It is true the Martyres suffered greater shame paine than euer murtherer did or malefactour yet it followes not that their sinne was greater than the sinne of them who suffers not so great paine Why The Martyres suffered not for sinne Non eo nomine Neuer a Martyre suffered for sinne but for the testimonie of the same Lord Iesus Christ who suffered for their sinne and therefore in their suffering they had an exceeding great joy assuring them that they had a remissioÌ„ of their sinnes in the blood of the Lambe IESVS CHRIST But IESVS CHRIST suffered for sinne Eo nomine it is one thing to a sinner to suffer it is another thing to suffer for sin No if the Lord make thee to suffer for the least sin if it were but for an euill thought thou shalt feele howe terrible a Iudge Hee is The LORD suffers and is shamed for sinne the Lord IESVS suffered extreame shame and paine therefore the consequent followes He bare an extreame but then of sinne When I looke to this vtter shame as I call to minde all the sinnes that IESVS suffered for so chiefly I looke to that high pride of Adam and of vs all in Adam whereby wee aspire to bee like to that High and glorious Majestie that pride whereby we would haue spoyled that great GOD of that honour and glorie which was due to Him Therefore in this vtter shame the Father of Heauen meetes randers and requites that high pride of Adam and for that Hee heapes shame on the head of His Sonne As thou aspirest to dishonour Him by pride so Hee meetes thy pride in His deare Sonne If thou be not found in IESVS in that great day the prouder thou bee in the worlde the greater shall be thy shame beside that vnspeakable torment of soule and bodie Now will yee see in this extreame paine shame that the Lord suffers how the wonder of our saluation is wrought it is so farre from that that it is wrought
they would say It is impossible to Him who now hangs so ignominiously to saue Himselfe After them came the men of warâ—e and in derision They offer Him vineger to drinke And they say this is very like a King How can He doe the dutie of a King to deliuer the people who cannot deliuer Himselfe This they saide because Hee had called Himselfe a King to the prejudice as they thought of Cesars Kingdome And lastly one of the thieues rayled on Him to wit He that hang at His left hand saying So like as thou art that Christ who can neither saue vs nor thy selfe Nowe because the rayling of the whole is all to one effect therefore shortly I shall obserue some things in generall as the Lord shall offer In all this rayling out against Him yee see the extreame humiliation of IESVS CHRIST for our sinnes Hee is made of no reputation No He is trodde on as a worme And no question that extreame torment of bodie was not so grieuous to Him as was this rayling on Him They speake to Him as a verie reprobate and so farre as lay in them they endeuoured to make Him to despare of all helpe So yee may seee this rayling was a thing most grieuous to Him And Dauid beeing His type he complaines on this shame that they heaped on Him in the 22. Psalme All this lets vs see howe dearely the Lord hath bought our life and Saluation And wee are more than miserable if we see not this And also it lets vs see what should haue become of vs if He had not satisfied for vs and what should become of thee if thou bee not in CHRIST in that great day And it tells thee seeing all this is for thy sinne that thou shouldest haue a sadde heart to haue such a Redeemer made such a spectacle and thou shouldest groane vnder the burthen of sinne and when thou readest of the Crosse thine heart should bee sorrowfull that euer thou shouldest haue moued the GOD of glorie to such vengeance of His deare Sonne for thee Thinke not that euery man shall bee relieued of his sinne by Him No onlie those who learne to groane vnder the burthen of their owne sinnes by the which they haue pierced Him and turne to the LORD vnfainedly and get fauour So if thou learnest not at one time or other to groane vnder the burthen of thy sinne thou shalt neuer be relieued by Him But to marke something of this railing I see that these things they cast vp to Him is the verie verdict whereupon they accused Him They accused Him because He called Himselfe the Christ and because He called Himselfe the King of the Iewes and because He said that He would destroy the Temple and build it vp againe the third day So the very thing y t they cast vp to Him in despite is y e very crime wherefore they condemned Him Men would thinke y t it should haue coÌ„tented them to had Him hanging in torment but Brethren alas the malice of the enemies of Iesus Christ is endlesse there is none end of it it will not bee the death of one Christian y t wil satisfie them it wil not be thy blood that wil quench their thirst but in thy torment they will raile on and striue to cause thee to despare that thy soule may perish There is such an extreame despite in their heartes that they would haue thine ashes and thy bones to be exponed to opprobrie and shame which hath lyen so long in the graue See wee not this howe the bones of faithfull Christians haue beene taken vp and burnt by the Antichrist The LORD saue vs from their crueltie But here I lift vp mine eyes and looke vnto GOD. The Lord Iesus He suffered most justly who was cled with our sinnes and bare them on the Crosse for our cause and it learnes thee this that if thou sufferest opprobrie and shame and men raile on thee that thou goe euer to see if thou be in Christ in thy suffering for if thou be out of Christ woe is to thee for that is but the beginning and forerunner of that paine and shame that thou shalt suffer in Hell I tell this more in that latter day when y e reprobate shal be coÌ„demned their sin which was the cause of their death shall euer be had in memory but if once thou goest to Hell y e remembrance of thy sin shall neuer be buried but thy verdict shal be cast in thy teeth thy coÌ„science shal taunt thee and shal say to thee Murtherer thou delitedst in murther now goe to murther nowe free thy selfe out of Hell if thou canst and to them who followed Harlots Thou delitedst in Harlotrie and in offending of GOD thou vvho couldest not bee satisfied in pleasuring thy foole lustes nowe satisfie thy selfe vvith these extreame tormentes nowe goe to thy harlotrie let see And to the blasphemer Thou delitedst in blaspheming of GOD nowe let see if thou dare blaspheme goe thy way nowe and blaspheme And to the Idolater Thou delitedst in worshipping of Idolles and leftest the worshipping of the true GOD nowe goe thy waye to Idolatrie c. Nowe woulde to GOD the worlde coulde thinkâ— Hell to be earnest This torment and rayling in the death of CHRIST is an image of the torment of Hell I see heere further that besides this there is a grounde of all their opprobrie to wit that shamefull Crosse which IESVS was hanging on They thought that seeing IESVS was crucified it was impossible for Him to cast downe the Temple and to build it vp againe They thought it was impossible for Him to saue the worlde seeing Hee coulde not saue Himselfe and that Hee coulde not doe the duetie of a King vvho was alreadie hanged How becomes it a King to bee hanged The cause of their offence vvas that shame which Hee suffered and that they sawe that Hee could not deliuer Himselfe The Crosse of Iesus is foolishnesse to the worlde blessed are they who will not take offence at the Crosse of Christ Looke howe they are deceiued in their judgements Because the Crosse was the onely meane whereby Hee shoulde haue done all things when Hee was hanging was He not destroying the Temple of His body that after three dayes by His glorious resurrection Hee might builde it vp againe And when Hee was on the Crosse did Hee not the office of Christ that is of an anointed Priest for then Hee was offering that Sacrifice of His body to the Father And was He not by the Crosse purchasing to Himselfe and to vs a glorious Kingdome Yea on the Crosse Hee like a glorious King triumphed ouer the Deuils and made an open shew of them for Hee had a battell with the Deuils on the Crosse and triumphed ouer them all Col. 2.15 This same blindnes of the world remaines still in it for when the world sees a body vnder afflictioÌ„ in pouerty buâ—nt or martyred for Christs sake then the world thinkes
it that we count not much of them but that â—e behold that heauenly life Paul 2. Cor. 5.16 When he was speaking of the redemption that the Lord bought with His precious blood sayes From henceforth I will knowe no man according to the flesh and if I did know Jesus sometimes according to the flesh now I will not know Him hee giues a reason Who euer is in Christ let him bee a newe creature the olde creatures are past away behold all things are made new Fye on thee that hast thine heart fixed on these earthly thinges and forgettest Heauen This for the stile that He giues her Come to the words He sayes Behold thy sonne As if He had said Woman I am to depart this life and I put Iohn in my stead and I ordaine him to take the protection of thee and to doe the dutie of a sonne to thee in my steade then Hee turnes Him to Iohn and Hee sayes Beholde thy mother As if Hee had said I goe out of the world and I leaue my mother to thee and I ordaine that thou be a sonne to her and she a mother to thee and that thou keepe her and intertaine her so long as thou and she liue together It may be asked The LORD IESVS CHRIST going to Heauen might Hee not from the Heauen haue kept His owne mother might Hee not haue taken the defence of His owne mother might He not haue preserued Her from all dangers No question He might haue kept her well eneugh yet He committes her to Iohn whom Hee loues because He loues His mother well Hee commends her to a man whom He loued intierely He will not contemne the ordinarie meanes and manner of doing this same Hee does dayly the LORD IESVS hath power to saue His Church and all the members of the same to protect and defend them but He will not contemne these ordinarie meanes He will haue euery one to keepe another as Hee commended His mother to Iohn to bee kept And woe bee to thee who may if thou keepe none And namely the LORD hath a care of that infirme sexe that women bee kept by the protection of men who are faithfull She who is kept vnder the protection of any in the worlde let her giue CHRIST glorie for it for it is by His direction as Marie was directed to Iohn Consider heere further The LORD at this time is in the seruice of His heauenly Father and there was neuer a man so occupied in His life as He was at this houre and He was neuer so occupied all His time as now and Hee was now occupied chiefly in suffering It is an easie thing to bee occupied in performing duties of the seruice of GOD in respect of suffering it is a sore thing to suffer as to be cast in a fire to bee nailed on a Crosse yet in suffering albeit He is occupied so that He forgets His owne selfe yet when Hee sees His mother Hee forgets not her I would all men should marke this lesson The malediction of GOD shall fall on these that deserue the curse of their mother who glorie in it let them glorie in it as they will our dutie to GOD prejudges nothing our dutie to father or mother thou was neuer so occupied in the seruice of GOD as was Iesus Christ at this houre who in the middest of all this did His dutie to His mother and Christ will let vs see that our dutie to our GOD stands well with our duetie to man Wilt thou pull the first and the second Table asunder the one from the other Wilt thou say that the first prejudges the second thou doest lie But looke the order That CHRIST keepes in these duties doth He first His dutie to His mother No first He doth His dutie to His Father Hee is obedient to His Father to the death and in the middest of that obedience to the Father Hee doth His dutie to His mother Beginne at thy GOD if thou wouldest doe thy dutie and next come to man and if thou passest by GOD to doe thy dutie to man thou shalt doe nothing of loue nor of sinceritie Fye on thee and that loue and that dutie thou vtterest to man followe not on that loue thou bearest to GOD and wilt thou say this I see my dutie to the King and to my father bindes me I will doe my dutie to them and last I will serue GOD any thing will serue Him wilt thou jest so with the LORD I say to thee if thou beginnest at man euen at the King or at thy father or mother and postpone the LORD I say to thee the LORD will haue none of thy seruice And if thou hatest not sayes CHRIST father and mother for my cause thou art not worthie of mee Luke 14.26 Then what shall become of them who preferre father and mother to GOD he is but a knaue that will take on him the name of a Christian and will serue men before GOD No that name shall turne to thy shame Therefore vnder the paine of thy life doe thy dutie first to GOD and then for GODS cause doe thy dutie to man that GOD may haue the glorie of it Further there are some in the houre of death that will take so litle care of the worlde and of them whome they leaue behinde them that they are destitute of naturall affection that they regard not if they die though all the world should fall in one moment for men wanting that naturall affection will say What care I if once I bee gone from the world Nowe there are others albeit they loose not altogether that naturall affection who haue their senses so occupied and exercised about the present paine that they will not know their parents kinsfolks or any that appertaine vnto them Who was euer in such a paine as Iesus was And yet out of the middest of torment of blasphemies of wrastling with death euerlasting with the wrath of the Father and with all the Infernall powers Hee is carefull of His Mother No man was euer borne that had such a naturall affection as Hee no sonne in this worlde euer loued his mother so well as Hee And except thou be in Iesus Christ and He sanctifie thy affections that in the houre of death thou mayest sleepe in Him sweetly either thou shalt loose altogether this naturall affection or else it shall bee suffocate that albeit thy Parentes and all thy kinred were about thee thou shalt haue no care of them No thou shalt not once by thine head and countenance vtter anie meaning that thou hast a care of their weale IESVS CHRIST honoured His Mother beyonde anie man euen on the Crosse in such a paine and such a displeasure And this testifies that naturall affection was greater in Iesus than in anie man Further Seeing Iesus from the Crosse in shame in torment in that fearefull battell c. commendes His Mother to Iohn it telles vs that the duety which wee owe to
good many suters to crucifie Him many suters to breake Him many suters to hold Him down in the graue ye read of none but of one Ioseph vvho makes sute to get the dead body of Iesus buried Read all the Ecclesiasticall Histories and ye shall finde these same things that fell out in Christ to haue fallen out in His members when a godly man hath beene drawen out before the ciuile Iudge or to martyrdome there hath bene sundrie suters for him some suters good some euill yet euer moe euill than good Therefore a Pâ—ince or Magistrate was neuer in such danger in any judgement as wheÌ„ he gets a good man fallen in his hands Pilate was neuer in such danger as he was into through this action for it lost him his life present the life to come When the action of a thiefe or a murtherer comes before a King there is no such danger but when a godly man is brought before him for the cause of CHRIST then he should take good heede where he shall get one to giue him a good counsell he shall get many to giue him euill counsell many shal crie crucifie Him woe to him if he assent as Pilate did for he shall inuolue himself in that same guiltines with them that cried crucifie him It is true indeede that Pilate granted a good suite hee gaue leaue to Ioseph to burie the body of Christ yet did this any good to Pilate saued it him No Thinkest thou when thou hast executed an innocent that thou doest enough when thou hast giuen His bodie to bee buried No that shall not excuse thee nor free thee from guiltinesse O how gâ—eat and weightie is the burthen of Magistrates Therefore they had neede euer to haue good men about them and we should pray the Lord earnestly to guide them and direct them in judgement This much for the suters now come to the sute the wordes are these The deceiuer said whilst as He was aliue that within three dayes He should rise command therefore that the sepulchre bee made sure vntill the third day lest His disciples come by night and steale Him away and say to the people that He is risen froÌ„ the dead so shall the last eâ—rour be worse than the first In effect this is as much as if they had said these wordes this man said that He should rise the third day therefore appoint Him a guard to testify of His glorious resurrectioÌ„ y e Lord so directed their words albeit their meaning was flat contrarie Marke therefore a good lesson euer more the Lord hâ—th snared the reprobate in their wicked deuises hath euer turned them from that mischieuous end they aymed them to the manifestation of His owne glory The Priests Pharises thought to obscure y e glorie of Christs resurrection if it had lyen in their hands to hold Him by force in the graue but the Lord who workes light out of darknesse makes their sute to serue for the clearer manifestation of His resurrection for they could haue done no more for the manifestation of His resurrection if they had bene hired for that purpose so looke what interprise wicked men will deuise to dishonour Him I say the Lord shall turne it in end to His glory but to their destruction I will say further it may seeme marueilous peruerse deuises of the wicked often times do serue more to His glory than the good purposes deedes of the godly for it is not a greater glory to GOD to bring light out of darknes than to bring light out of light the Lord is a most skilfull and mightie workeman Hee makes His glory to appeare by bringing light out of darknesse by bringing life out of death and by calling the thinges that are not as if they were all the deuises of the wicked are darknesse the doings of the godly are light so the Lord will sometimes bee more woÌ„derfully glorified in the doings of the wicked than in the doings of the godly But this doth y e wicked no good nor it serues nothing for their benefite for in y e meane time they are more malicious against y e Lord than euer they were they call Him a deceiuer this is a wonderfull thing they saw the Lords povver in obscuring of the sun in renting of the rockes in opening of the graues they saw His great glory shine in all these wonders yet such is the maliciousnes of these wicked men they call y e Lord of glory a deceiuer in so doing not onely they oppone themselues against God but also they doe so far as in them lay as to haue spitted in the face of God yet these miserable creatures I meane the Scribes Pharises came not on a suddaintie to this extreame maliciousnes but they shew some meane small beginnings of it wheÌ„ Christ first manifested Himselfe began to preach amongst them then they proceeded froÌ„ worse to worse continually all the time He was conuersant amongst them thereafter in His Crosse death they taunted mocked Him put Him to the most shameful death they could deuise now when He is buried laid in y e graue they vtter more maliciousnesse than euer they did they come to the extremitie of maliciousnes and induration they call the Lord a deceiuer Cursed be y t mouth that calles the Lord a deceiuer as Paul sayes He that loueth not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be anathema maranatha 1. Cor. 16.22 This lets vs see the nature of their sinne it was a sinne against the Holy Spirit and this is the nature of that sinne when once thou shalt enter in it thou vvilt hardly get backe againe vntill thou commest to extreame excecation and induration to thine euerlasting destruction My lesson is this If the Lord giue vs grace to learne it When it pleases the Lord to shine vnto thee albeit thou vverest a King or Earle or Lord looke as thou vvould eschevv Hâ—ll damnation that thou repine not to this light but greedily embrace it and vvalke in it for if thou step forvvard in repining thou shalt haue an hard backe-comming againe and thou shalt come from excecation to excecation vntill thou come to vtter destruction Novv I doubt not but ye are sorrovvfull vvhen ye heare the Lord a deceiuer yee are sorrovvfull to heare light called darknesse but comfort our selues vvith this the Lord vvho vvas free of all guile and deceit suffers Himselfe to bee called a deceiuer to purge vs from guile and deceit for it might seeme marueilous that the Spirite of God shoulde register this name of a deceiuer suppose they called Him a deceiuer for this name defiles the aire to call the Lord of Trueth a deceiuer Yet no question the Spirite hath left it in register to bee hearde and read of all Christians to the ende of the worlde that thou mayest knowe what the Lorde hath suffered for thee And doubtlesse this name was heauier to Him
from morning till euening we should vvonder at that God and his works at that mighty GOD whom the Prophet calles Deum admirabilem To goe forward The Lord who knew all things for all thinges are naked to His eyes He knew better what was done than Cleopas did yet Hee will not take vpon Him that Hee knevv He misknowes them and He askes What are these things Marke it Brethren Hee got a rough and sharpe answere before and yet Hee leaues not off Hee will not leaue them but Hee beares vvith their infirmities and novv Hee giues another pull to the heart deales againe vvith them that they should povvre out their sadnesse and griefe to Him No if thou pertainest to the Lorde Hee vvill not leaue thee for an hard meeting suppose thou dravvest abacke Hee vvill giue thee another pull Albeit wee be vnfaithfull sayes the Apostle yet the Lord abideth faithfull Change as thou wilt the Lord shall neuer change but remaine ay constant in mercie to His ovvne till they be perfected and crovvned vvith glorie Then Cleopas seeing him to bee troubled with a stranger at the last hee must tell the vvordes that he and his companion vvere speaking as they vvent on the way Marke this lesson Repine as thou vvilt when the Lord dravves thee at the last thou must yeeld But vvhat is the cause that any sinners vvill yeelde vvhen the Lord dravves Euen the secret operation of His Holy Spirit and if he that drew them by the vvorde had not a secret power and operation by His Spirit in their hearts they vvould neuer haue yeelded Albeit the LORD vvould prooue them by speech and language albeit Hee vvould exhort them admonish them threaten them yea and scourge them to come to Him and vvell is the soule albeit it be scourged yea if it vvere harled thorovv the middes of Hell if it were thorow neuer so great difficulties in the world if once it get grace to come to Him yet none outward thing will make vs to come to Him it is the inward draught of His Spirit that makes vs to come to Him and drawes vs by the eye by the eare and by the hand if He take vs not by the hand we can neuer come to Him It is saide in the 2. Chapter to the Romanes and the 4. verse Hee drawes the reprobate and calles them but all that calling is but outwarde Hee vvill scourge them and dravv them outwardly but Hee neuer puts the feeling of His holy Spirit in their heartes and so they can neuer come to Him therefore whē the Lord is outvvardly drawing and calling thee say alwayes this Lord draw thou mine heart inwardly by thine Holy Spirit or els it will bee long ere it come to thee if all the sicknesses all crosses troubles scourges judgements that can bee and all this preaching that I heare will neuer cause mee come to thee except thou draw mine heart Now to come to the vvords that Cleopas speakes there is none of them but they vvould be marked he beginnes and rehearses to Him the vvhole summe of these things that hee and his companion had bene speaking and he propones them summarily he sayes All the things we haue spoken was Concerning Iesus of Nazareth Alas fewe of vs take pleasure to talke of Him therefore when the Lord comes takes thee by the hand looke thou mayest say Lord I haue bene talking of thee in some measure for as sure as the Lord laid to His eare to heare what Cleopas and his companion talked as sure He layes to His eare to heare vvhat thou speakest Then vvhen he hath tolde the generall hee lets the stranger know what a man Iesus vvas and then he telles shortly what had befallen him these two dayes and after he speakes of the effects that it had wrought in his heart and in the heartes of His disciples to wit that He was no Redeemer This is the whole conference I shall goe thorovv this conference as God shall giue the grace and as time shall permit First in describing of Him hee calles Him Iesus of Nazareth That was the stile hee gaue Him Marke it The first thing that hee speakes to Him is an vntrueth he calles Him Iesus of Nazareth No doubt he thought He had beene borne at Nazareth suppose they had the Prophecie that Hee should be borne at Bethlehem in Iuda Micah Chapters verse 2. and that He vvas borne there The ground of this errour that vvas amongst the Iewes vvas because of Ioseph and Marie dwelt at Nazareth and Iesus was brought vp there with them that false rumor spred that Ioseph vvas His father and that He was borne there but He was not borne there I grant it is true that after His resurrection Peter in the Actes and the Apostles themselues called Him Iesus of Nazareth as Cleopas here calles Him Iesus of Nazareth Also Paul in the twentie sixe Chapter of the Actes of the Apostles and the ninth verse calles Him Iesus of Nazareth but neither Peter nor Paul spake this of ignorance as if Hee had bene borne there but because they to vvhome they spake knewe Him best vnder that name they submitted themselues to their capacitie But as for Cleopas he knevve no better for he thought indeede that Iesus had bene borne at Nazareth so the first word he speakes is plaine vntrueth so yee see what it is to judge vvith the multitude The Papists will send thee to beleeue that which the multitude beleeues and makes the multitude a token of the true Church but thou shalt be beguiled with the multitude and if thou follovvest them because they walke in the broad vvay thou shalt perish vvith them Next consider His description Hee calles Him Vir Propheta Indeede He failed not in this stile Hee was a man and was a man indeede blood and bone as we are yet there is a defect in this vvord Cleopas knewe no more but that He vvas a man hee knew not that He was GOD and man in one person It is true Peter in the 2. of the Actes calles Him Vir Propheta yet hee knew Hee was the Sonne of GOD blessed for euer so as in the first wordes there is an vntrueth so in the next wordes there is a defect I marke this to let you see the ignorance that was in them before the LORD ascended to the Heauen It was a wonder that they who walked so long with Him should haue beene so ignorant the third time he calles Him A Prophet Indeede He was such a Prophet as was neuer before nor after Him yet there is a fault here he giues Him the greatest stile he thought Hee had but Hee had farre greater stiles for Hee is not a Prophet onely but also a Mediatour King and High Priest Then hee comes on and hee telles what a Prophet Hee was saying that Hee was powerfull in word and deede Nowe would to GOD we could speake of Him in loue with this poore man
retuâ—ne to Hierusalem with great joy when they come there they goe vp to an vpper chamber but they stay not there but they goe to the Temple remain there continually praising lauding God and last they went out preached the Gospel euery where and the Lord gaue them a good successe for He wrought with them and confirmed the word with signes that followed Luke in th' Acts telles vs that while they looked stedfastly toward heauen as he went behold two men stood by them in white apparell As they were worshipping Him the Lord sent incontinent from His Heauenlie Throne Legates Ambassadours And who were they eueÌ„ Angels two in number and in forme outward shape like to men therefore they are said to be two men and were clothed in white and glorious apparell Marke the lesson in a word Christ sits no sooneâ— down at the right hand of the Father but He makes His disciples whom Hee left in the earth behind Him not only to know y t He had a kingly power whereby He commands the very Angels themselues but also to know that singular care affection that Hee caried to them which He testifies by sending these Angels from heauen for their cause for their consolation This kingly power of Christ this care that He hath of His own continues eueÌ„ this day in the Kirk euery of y e faithful find the proofe experience of it to their great joy comfort Now let vs see what these Angels say to y e Apostles in their speech to them First they reprooue then they comfort them first they said Ye men of Galile why stand ye gazing vnto Heauen they reprooue them because they stood idly gazing looking to the heaueÌ„ whereas the Lord had coÌ„manded them to returne to Jerusalem that there they might wait for the Spirit that was promised them that hauing gotten the Spirit they might goe out to the world preach the Gospâ—l to euery creature as the Lord had commanded them This reproofe of th'Angels imports that they contented themselues too much w t idle looking gâ—â—ing that they were too vnmindfull of that great high calling whereunto the Lord had ordained them Of this reproofe we learn this lessoÌ„ it is not the Lords wil that any maÌ„ should be idle in the world nor that he content himselfe w t a bare idle contemplatioÌ„ of y e creatures of God No not of y e best of them it is not the Lords will y t we stand idly gazing vpon the very heauens whereunto the Lord hath ascended now is in glory No it is His will that all men all their dayes be painfully exercised in some calling wherein they may both glorifie God doe good vnto men Indeed it is true it is the Lords wil that men should alwaies haue their affectioÌ„s set aboue their hearts lifted vp to heaueÌ„ that they haue their eyes set vpon God vpon Christ vpon that glory which is to be reuealed but in the meane time while men are thus exercised they should be exercised likewise in some honest lawful calling Th' Apostle Paul by his practise lets vs see what should be the behauiour of a Christian While hee looked not to the things that are seene but to the things that are not seene 2. Cor. 4.18 While he choosed to remoue out of the body to go dwell with Christ 2. Cor. 5.8 While he minded not earthly things but had his conuersation in heauen from whence he looked for his Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus Philip. 3.20 contented hee himselfe thinke ye with this speculation Was he in the meane time idle had he not another calling Yes hee was very diligently exercised in the Ministry For sayes he we couet that both dwelling at home remoouing from home we may be acceptable to Him for we must all appeare before the Iudgement seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill therefore knowing that terrour of the Lord we perswade men bring them vnto the faith 2. Cor. 5.9 10 11. So Paul wheÌ„ he was looking to heauenly things he was in the meane time diligeÌ„tly exercised in his Apostleship in bringing men to Christ eueÌ„ so it becomes euery faithfull man so to haue his heart his affections set vpoÌ„ heauen heauenly things y t in y e same meane time in some honest lawful calling he may be doing some good in y â— earth on the other part wheÌ„ he is busie labouring exercised in his calling he shuld haue his eyes lifted vp to God should haue his heart his affections conuersatioÌ„ in y e heauens for except that in all things which we do we haue y e Lord His glory before our eyes it is not possible y t we can do any thing well vprightly Then in a word ye see here y e Lord by these Angels coÌ„demnes idle speculatioÌ„ coÌ„templatioÌ„ without any exercise in any lawfull calling This serues to coÌ„demne these idle bellies y e Monks of y e Romane Kirk who coÌ„tent theÌ„selues w t bare idle speculatioÌ„ hauing no regard in y e meane time y t they may be exercised in any lawful calling wherin they may either glorify God or do good to meÌ„ yea they are so far froÌ„ doing good y t by y e coÌ„trary they hurt y e Kirk of God exceedingly by bringing in their dreames faÌ„tasies y t they haue deuised in their idle braines to corrupt peruert mens minds y e Lord neuer allowed nor blessed such a life y e Lord abhors such idlenes if y e Angels reproue y e Apostles for gazing to heaueÌ„ where they saw w t their eyes y e Lord Iesus to ascend which by appearaÌ„ce to maÌ„s judgment was a very good exercise to haue their hearts fixed on Christ their eyes vpoÌ„ y e place whither He ascended what wold y e Angels say to these idle belly gods who withdraw theÌ„selues froÌ„ all honest callings liue vpoÌ„ y e sweat of other meÌ„s browes vnder y e preteÌ„ce of spiritual exercise now after y e Angels haue reprooued y e Apostles next in y e 2. part of their speech they raise theÌ„ vp coÌ„forts theÌ„ while they say This Iesus which is taken vp froÌ„ you into heauen shall so come as ye haue seene Him goe into heauen They comfort them by putting them in hope that Hee shal returne yea returne in glorie and such a glorie as they saw Him ascend vvith and so vpon hope of His glorious returning in that great daye they wil th'Apostles to comfort themselues against all trouble distresses that they might be subject vnto y e time of their remaining in y e earth Whereupon we may perceiue what is the ground whereupon the solide consolation of a Christian soule arises It arises euen
places of the Newe Testament as namely 2. COR. 12.4 where PAVL speakes of his rauishing to Paradise and also REVEL 2.7 But to leaue the vvordes and to come to the meaning This Paradise signifies none other thing but that House of the Father in the which is manie mansions as wee saide in the foureteenth Chapter Nowe woulde yee knowe the place of it PAVL saies It is farre aboue these visible heauens where Christ himselfe ascended EPHES. 4.10 It is the place of the Throne of that Majestie of that Glorie and of that euerlasting rest of the Kirke of Iesus Christ and of His Sainctes where they shall rest in a wonderfull glorie euerlastinglie The vvorde is borrowed from that Paradise that Parke of pleasure in the vvhich ADAM and EVAH vvere planted to liue in a vvonderfull pleasure for euer if they had stoode vvithout sinne But to come to the matter First in this answere that the Lord makes to the penitent Thiefe yee may see a vvonderfull readinesse in Christ to heare the petition of a miserable sinner for hee hath scarcely spoken the worde when the Lord makes an answere and no maruell for Hee that preuentes thee with grace ere thou thinkest of grace Hee will followe after with grace Hee who giues grace to begge grace Hee will giue a gracious answere ROMAN 8.26 The Spirite of GOD interceadeth for vs with sighes vnspeakeable That is the first grace Then hee subjoynes The Lord who searcheth the heart knoweth the sense and meaning of his owne Spirite There is the seconde grace Thou shalt not so soone open thy mouth to speake to Him with the Spirite but Hee shall as soone heare thy vvorde thou shalt not so soone haue a meaning but it shall as soone touch the heart of the Lorde as it touches thine heart because it is not thy spirite but the Lordes Spirite who speakes in thee So all the difficultie and hardnesse is to gette the first grace to praye there is no difficultie of the next And there are wonderous fewe vvho gettes this grace to begge to sigh to sobb c. yea where one hath it ten wantes it and when this is once gotten the other followes of its owne will for if thou askest spirituall graces of necessitie thou shalt gette thy petition graunted And if wee aske earthly thinges either shall wee gette our petition or else the Lord once shall shewe vs why Hee will not graunt it and so wee shall haue contentment to vndertake His will and shall heartily thanke Him There is more yet in this answere Besides this easinesse to heare marke an abounding mercie and exceeding liberalitie of the Lord passing aboue the petition The Thiefe onely prayed the Lord to remember him when He came in His Kingdome The Lord aunsweres Beholde euen I giue thee more than thou requirest for thou shalt be with me this day in Paradise so thou needest not to feare that I forget thee The Thiefe seekes but a little thing the Lord giues him more than hee can seeke the hande of the Lorde is not so scarce Wilt thou seeke a litle thing the Lord shall giue a thousand times more than thou canst seeke the Lord hath neither scant nor want Brethren the glory which we shall finde one day shall bee greater than we can looke or hope for in this world No things Heauenlie which He shall giue surmountes further aboue our capacitie than the Heauen does aboue the Earth Yea if thou speakest of earthlie things findes not many by experiēce that they get such an estate in the world as they would neuer haue looked or hoped for I sought but life saies Dauid Psal 21. 5 yet the Lord gaue me to be a king that is He gaue me not only a priuate obscure life but a glorious life in the sight of the people Besides this easinesse and liberalitie of the Lord to grant to a poore man aboue that that he durst presume He prescribes no time but this same day I know not if he durst haue bene so bold as to haue sought such a time that same day Marke further here a wonderfull power in the Lord at that time when Hee was in a most vile and ignominious death which was the image of Hell to pull a man quicke on the Crosse to breake Him on a Crosse The Lord is weakned the Iewes thought more of the dirt they trode on than of Iesus yet ye see what a wonderfull power which strikes out from Him to the thiefe this is the power of a King This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise What Emperour durst speake this Yea He vtters the power of GOD Himselfe This promise is proper to GOD only to promise participation of that heauenly Kingdome What Angell durst doe this None but the eternall and immortall GOD. It is true the LORD Iesus whilst as Hee hang vpon the Crosse was wonderfully weakned and that glorious Godhead that dwelt in the humane Nature kept it selfe closse for a time and held in the beames of His glorie for a time within that vaile of His bodie for if Hee had not kept closse that Glorie of His Godhead the world could not haue crucified Him yet He kept Him not so closse but in the Crosse Hee manifests Himselfe Hee does the part of a King and fought a fiercer battell than all the Kings in the world Hee fought against all the enemies and in the ende Hee triumphes in that Crosse as in a Chariote and leades them all as thieues before Him And if there were no more to shewe that Hee was a King than this hastie conuersion of the thiefe it may tell you if Christ had such a power whilst as Hee hang in such weaknesse on the Crosse What power hath He now when He is in the Heauen exalted in the Throne of glorie If it bee so that wee feele not CHRIST powerfull in vs to life as the thiefe felt Blame not IESVS as if Hee wanted power sufficient nowe in glorie who had such power in His humilitie but blame thy selfe Thou wants that which the thiefe had thou wants Faith in Christ glorified the thiefe may shame thee who beleeued in Him whē He was in extreame ignominie Then to end all this y t hath bin spokē of this answere in a word Seeing y e Lord of lords y e Lord Iesus is so readie Neuer was there King so ready to heare a subject as Iesus is if thou werest the vilest bodie that goes a Thiefe a Harlot c. yet if thou wilt saye this Lord remember on mee and giue mee a part of thy Kingdome if thou prayest to Him from a penitent heart with confidence and assurance I promise vnto thee Heauen and Earth shall goe together ere thou vvantest thine asking Seeing our Lord Iesus is so liberall then seeke more than enough more than a Kingdome and thou shalt get more The only cause why we want is in vs we haue no hearts to seeke it And last Seeing He is so
powerfull let vs seeke from Him with this assurance that Hee can giue all thinges which either wee can seeke or can conceiue and that according to His effectuall power working in vs. Now I end with this History of the Thiefe I come to the other History concerning that recommendation that Iesus makes of His Mother Marie to John His Disciple whom Hee loued The Lord Iesus hanging on the Crosse in extreame torment paine He is not only a sufferer howbeit indeed He sufferes all extreamitie but in suffering Hee does manie workes First Hee does like a King in giuing life and glorie to the Thiefe All the Kinges in the Earth in their Royall Robes shall not doe so much as Hee did on that vile Crosse Nowe next Hee vtters a verie naturall and louing affection to His Mother who bare Him when He is to depart out of this life and to be taken away hastily He is carefull how shee shall liue when Hee is gone from her To come to the Historie Wee haue first the occasion that bringes on this and secondly the commendation it selfe and thirdly how Ihon accepts of her As concerning the occasion There standes by the Crosse a man and three women whilest the LORD is hanging quicke in extreame torment Hee spyes out these foure persons MARIE His Mother and MARIE His Mothers Sister that is her kinswoman according to ther HEBREVV phrase who was either the Wise or the Daughter of Cleopas and MARIE MAGDALENE a kinde vvoman out of vvhom He had casten seuen deuils kindnesse meetes kindnesse Their heartes vvere vvith Him howbeit Hee vvas hanging vpon the Crosse Then if thou canst doe no more vnto Him yet follow Him with these women to the death of the Crosse There are three Maries better Maries were neuer in the world and Iohn whom here he calles the disciple whō Jesus loued this stile he gets in y e Gospel because as Iesus loued him entirely so hee findes this loue deeply setled in his soule well is he that finds that the Lord loues him All the Kingdoms in the Earth are nothing in respect of that sense Well These are the foure that are standing by the Crosse together As for Iohn I see now certainely this doing of his in the following of the Lord this standing by the Crosse shewes albeit that Faith in Iesus Christ in the heart of Iohn and all the rest was wonderfully smoothered for all were offended in Him that night yet that Faith in his heart was not altogether quenched No it was not quenched in one of the Apostles nor in Peter who denied Him To speake of Iohn Thinke ye that except hee had had Faith that euer hee would haue followed Him to the Crosse and except hee had beleeued that Iesus after such a death should haue risen againe in glorie except he had looked for a glorious resurrection that euer hee could haue beholden such a miserable spectacle Faith gaue him boldnesse to follow Christ to the Crosse Hope furnished him comfort when he beheld Him in ignominie and paine These three women vtters a tender and louing heart towards Him Brethren if there had bene no more but this naturall loue that a mother beares to the sonne Marie would neuer haue followed her Sonne to such a vile death if shee had not beleeued that death should haue turned into such a glorious Life Would she haue stood beside her Sonne and seene Him torne and rent quicke in such torments What mother would haue done it 1. Thess 4.13 ye read what Paul writes to them I would not haue you ignorant that yee mourne not for them which are asleepe as the Gentiles who are desperat in their displeasure If thou haue but a naturall loue in thine heart when thou seest him or her whom thou louest depart that loue shall worke but impatiencie in thee a desperate displeasure that is if with that loue thou haue no hope of a glorious resurrection desperate shall be thy dolour and it were better for thee to want thy naturall affection Indeede it is true our Faith and Hope of glorie after this life will not extinguish the naturall loue neither puts it away the dolour that one should haue I desire not that a man should bee senslesse without loue and I count more of a stone than of one without loue and better were it that that person were a stone So I say Faith and Hope will not extinguish displeasure but it will mitigate it so that in a wonderfull heauinesse it will finde joy and thou wilt say albeit wee sunder nowe the day will come wherein wee shall haue a joyfull meeting Come yet to these women They may teach all men and women to the end of the worlde Thinke yee not that they should haue bene terrified at such a Crosse and that Marie should haue thought shame of her Sonne so shamefully tormented and railed out on by all men Well then if these women by the sight of that shameful death of Iesus Christ on the Crosse are not terrified nor diuerted from following albeit they saw His glorie to come but very obscurely and if their hearts were knit with Him whilst as Hee hang on the Crosse and there was neuer a band so surely knit as their hearts were with Him Fye on all men and women after these women who will thinke shame of the Crosse of Christ albeit they haue greater presence and sight of the glorie of Iesus Christ than these women had Shall a sillie worde shall the sword shall the fire terrifie thee And if it bee so these same women shall stand vp and condemne thee in that great day Now let vs consider these wordes whereby He recommends His mother to Iohn The Lord as He is looking from Him He sees these foure standing together for wicked scorners stood together so the godly who mourne for Christ drew together and Hee directs His speech to two of them First to Marie and next to Iohn Woman He sayes Beholde thy sonne poynting to Iohn not to Himselfe This stile that He giues her would not be passed by He calls her not mother but Woman and this is the common stile which Iesus gaue her whilst as He was in the world it lets vs see whilst Iesus was in the worlde as at all times so especially at the houre of death whilst Hee is liuing in the world He had His eyes raised vp from all earthly and carnall things which men in this life count much of as are mother sonne daughter husband wife kinred Countrie And by His example Hee would teach vs when we are here to know none according to the flesh No not Christ Himselfe for in Heauens there shall bee neither father nor mother nor husband nor wife but we shall be all olde things which accompanie the olde creature beeing abolished like Angels in Heauen Therefore Iesus as a patterne teaches vs this to turne away the eye piece and piece from this Earth all that is in