to give a sure Testimony to both as well as learn the Subject of their Imitation and Hope Ye blessed Spectators how different was this Sight from that which so lately fill'd your Eyes when you f Matt. 17.2.3 saw his face shine as the Sun and his Raiment white as the Light and Moses and Elias talking with him He receives no Honour now from the Father and that excellent Voice is silent which proclaim'd him the g Matt. 17.5 beloved Son of God and that his Name was h Joh. 12.28 Glorified in him Nor from his Face do there dart any chearful Rays nor do his Garments appear Glorious nor the Heavenly Courtiers wait upon him but as a Man dastitute of all Help he begins to be i Mark 14.33 afraid to be sorrowful and afflicted shewing in himself what usually happens to those who are no more than Men at the approach of so great a Tempest The Evangelists have in such Language declar'd his Agony as cannot but raise in us the highest Admiration of the Bitterness of his Passion He began to be k Matt. 26.37 sorrowful saith St. Matthew to be sore l Mark 14.33 amazed saith St. Mark to be very m Ibid. heavy say both and yet these Words in our Translation come far short of the n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Original Expressions which render him suddenly upon a present and immediate Apprehension possest with Fear Horrour and Amazement encompass'd with Grief overwhelm'd with Sorrow prest down with Consternation and Dejection of Mind tormented with Anxiety and Disquietude of Spirit This he first exprest when he said to his Disciples My Soul is o Matt. 26.38 exceeding sorrowful and lest they should not fully apprehend the Excess added even unto Death as if the Pangs of Death had already encompast him and the Pains of Hell had got hold upon him He weâ—â— but a little farther before he said the same to his Father p Matt. 26 39. falling upon his face and praying with q Heb. 5.7 strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from Death Nor were his Cries and Tears sufficient Evidences of his inward Sufferings nor could the Sorrows of his Breast be poured forth either at his Lips or Eyes but the innumerable Pores of all his Body must give a Passage to more lively Representations of the bitter Anguish of his Soul and his r Luke 22.44 Sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground according to that of the Psalmist Å¿ Psalm 22.14 I am poured out like Water all my bones are out of joynt My Heart also in the midst of my Body is even like melting Wax His Heart melting as it were with Fear and Astonishment and all the Parts of his Body at the same time inflam'd with Anguish well might that Melting produce a Flowing and the inflam'd and rarefi'd Blood force it self a Passage through the numerous Pores But neither will these Expressions give us a true Sense of the height and bitterness of his Grief unless we also consider the Occasions of it for God laid on him the t Isai 53.6 Iniquities of us all and as we were oblig'd to be sorry for our particular Sins so was he to be grieved for the Sins of us all If then we consider the Perfection of his Knowledge he understood all the Sins for which he suffered all the Evil and the Guilt all the Offence against the Majesty and Ingratitude against the Goodness of God which was contain'd in the Sins of all Men past present and to come If we look upon his absolute Conformity to the determined Will of God he was inflam'd with most ardent Love he was most zealous of his Glory and most studious to preserve that Right which was so highly violated by those Sins If we look upon his Relation to the Sons of Men he lov'd 'em all far more than they did themselves he knew their Sins were of themselves sufficient to bring Destruction upon their Bodies and Souls and at the same time consider'd them he so dearly loved as lying under God's Wrath whom he so truly worshipped and all was heightned with the great habitual Detestation wherewith his Innocent Nature abhorred Sin If we consider all these Circumstances we cannot wonder at his excessive Sorrow For if the true Contrition of one single Sinner bleeding under the Sting of the Law only for his own Iniquities all which notwithstanding he knoweth not cannot be performed without great bitterness of Remorse what Bounds can we set to that Grief what Measures to that Anguish which proceeds from a full Apprehension of all the Transgressions of so many Millions of Sinners Add unto all these Apprehensions the immediate hand of God pressing upon him all this Load laying on his Shoulders at once a heap of all the Sorrows which can happen to any of the Saints that he being touch'd with the u Heb. 2.17 18.4.15 Feeling of our Infirmities might become a merciful High-Priest able and willing to succour them that are tempted And from hence we must conclude That the Saviour of Man as he took upon him the whole Nature of Man so he suffer'd in whatsoever he took in his Body by Infirmities and external Injuries in his Soul by Fear Astonishment and Sorrows in both by unknown and inexpressible Anguishes Behold O ye Faithful the Baptism of your Redeemer and think not any longer the Way strait through which you are to enter into Life Behold how he is * Luke 12.50 straiten'd till it be accomplisht and never do you sink under any Discouragement from working out your Salvation with Fear and Trembling What matter is it how much or what we suffer in this Life so at length we may arrive at a Blessed Eternity Prayer And while we behold our Sins which are the Cause of all thy Sufferings O thou afflicted Jesu Grant that our imperfect Sorrow and Contrition may be heightned by thy Example and accepted in Union and Confederacy with it It was because the temporal Misery of a finite Creature could never satisfie for the Infinite Guilt of Sin contracted by offending an Infinite Majesty that thou vouchsafedst to make an Equivalent Ransom by the Dignity of thy Person suffering In this thy Love is all our Confidence in full Assurance of it we approach the Throne of Grace and we bessech thee That we may find Help in the Time of Need. SECT IX Of Christ's Prayer in his Agony and his admirable Resignation of himself to God WHen the Holy Jesus had tasted this bitter Cup being himself the great Physician of Souls he betook himself to that Universal Antidore which he had prescrib'd to all the World For having commanded his Disciples to x Luk. 22.40 watch with him and to pray lest they fell into Temptation forasmuch as vain is the Prudence of Flesh and unprofitable all carnal Help unless God be present
Waters Now are our Pains profitable our Tears acceptable our Groans audible our Grief pacifieth God and purgeth the Heart hereafter there shall be weeping without Comfort and gnashing of Teeth and irremediable Vexation Prayer Gracious Redeemer the Fountain of Pardon I have sinned against thee in denying thee by my works and estranging my heart from thee who art desirable above all things And where shall I find punishment enough to avenge me of my self and tears sufficient to wash away my guilt Every slight Worldly sorrow is apt to draw plenty of Waters in mine Eyes but when I would weep for my Sins which are the greatest Calamities either my Eyes are dry or my Tears too few to bewail so many provocations O merciful Saviour break this heart for thou only canst do it with thy compassionate Look and melt it into Tears of true Contrition That since I cannot be Innocent yet I may be Penitent and what is wanting in my Repentance may be supplyed by thy Mercy and I may owe my Salvation to thy boundless Liberality SECT XIX Of the Barbarity of the Multitude towards Christ. JEsus had pity upon his offending Servant but his own Innocence found none among his Enemies who begin now to treat him with all the Circumstances of Scorn Cruelty and Diabolical Malice O God! What Frenzies and what Furies are there in a Brutish Multitude when it is once let loose The Lamb of God himself is not secure from their Insults What barbarous Passions what blind Will what enchanted Desires after inhumane Cruelty towards their own Image They b Mat. 26.67 spit in his Face in whose presence the Angels ravisht with wonder do cover their Faces with their Wings and have no sweeter Extasies than the Admiration of his Beauties They c Luk. 22.64 blindfold his Eyes the Light of whose Countenance the Fathers have so much desir'd to see They d Mat. 26.67 strike and buffet him with the Palms of their hands who descended from Glory to heal them by his Stripes They sport themselves in Railery with the Eternal Word who In the beginning e John 1.3 4. made all things and in whom was Life and that Life the Light of Men saying f Mat. 26.68 Prophesie unto us thou Christ who is he that smote thee And many g Luk. 22.65 other things which neither the Prophets did foretell nor the Evangelists have related did they blasphemously speak against him Thus did our Lord h Isai 50.6 give his Back to the Smiters and his Cheeks to them that pull'd off the hair and hid not his Face from Shame and Spitting Thus did his i Psal 118.12 Enemies come about him like Bees regardless whether they lost their Fruitfulness for ever so they might infix in him the Sting of their Malice Thus did he pass the sorrowful Night among the k Psal 57.5 Children of Men that were set on fire whose Teeth were Spears and Arrows and their Tongue a sharp Sword made the extream Scorn Contempt and Sport of the most insolent and insulting Enemy Go now ingrateful and Perfidious Sinner seek and Covet the Pleasures of this Life while Christ suffers these Indignities for thy sake Behold what miserable Comforts he has in this Passover which to his People was a Festival of the greatest Joy See here what Returns of Gratitude they make for all the inestimable Benefits they have received This night was the Blood of the Typical Lamb sprinkled upon their doors and sav'd 'em from Destruction and now they tarnish with the Filth of their Infernal Mouths the Mirrour of Angels the true Lamb and condemn him to Destruction who came to save them from Damnation And has he been less kind to thee or hast thou been more grateful to him O the unaccountable Perversness of Man O the Ineffable Long-Suffering of Christ For what wonder had it been had he again destroyed the World for so great an Affront and Wickedness as this But thus the Scriptures were to be fulfilled and thus it l Luk. 24.46 behoved Christ to suffer Prayer O my Soul what wilt thou say Thy Redeemer is mockt thy Master is spit upon thy Lord is smitten thy Christ is vilified more than ever was any Man and of all these Indignities thy Sins are the Cause For if thou hadst not sinned nor thy Forefathers the innocent Jesus had never thus suffer'd His manifold Miseries are the several Indications how wicked how Guilty how full of Sin thou art and always hast been For as abject as thy Saviour did appear before his Adversaries so vile wert thou truly before God and must for ever have appear'd before thy Tormentors in Hell if he had not transferr'd these Sufferings upon himself and his Righteousness upon thee I will prostrate my self in Dust and Ashes I will humble my Spirit with Abstinence and Sorrow My Tears shall be my Meat Day and Night and I will ever call upon God till of his Mercy he speak Peace unto me I will follow my Jesus sorrowing and embrace his Cross and confess him dying for me till he assist me with his Grace and receive me with his Mercy and turn my temporal Sorrows into everlasting Joys SECT XX. Of the Prosecution of Christ before Pilate and the miserable Despair of Judas thereupon WHile our Saviour was passing the sorrowful Night vilified spit upon buffeted and mockt as the very Scorn of Men and the Out-cast of the People Fame which is more speedy than a thousand Posts and has abundance of Voices to make it self heard had dispers'd the News through the whole City and the People m Luke 22.66 rais'd early in the Morning by various Reports and restless Expectations flockt together and the Council re-assembled so much the more incens'd by how much their Witnesses had failed and Christ had answer'd prudently and suffer'd patiently hoping by the semblance of a judicial Process they might persuade Pilate whose Authority they were to use to accept their Examination and Conviction without Enquiry And Christ is n Luke 22.66 brought again bound before 'em that at least they might satisfie their Cruelty in seeing him if they could not their Malice in falsly accusing him For as the Force of Love has this Effect that it sufficeth not to have once seen its beloved so Envy and Hatred desire more and more to reiterate their Cruelty upon what they hate And because Christ had as yet only confest himself the Son of God and Judge of the World which would bear but little stress before Pilate who was a Pagan and Idolatrous and whose Religion maintain'd the frequent Descent of the Gods they worshipt they urge him again with the former Question Whether he were the Messiah or Christ saying o Luke 22.67 Art thou the Christ tell us For the promis'd Messiah in Scripture being there also called the p John 1.49 King of Israel if he confest himself to be the Messiah they would by consequence
combine to destroy the Heir of the m Isal 5.7 Vineyard of God and of whom the Prophets said n Psal 140.3 They had placed the Poyson of Serpents upon their Lips o Isai 5.7 I expected Justice and behold a cry p Jer. 12.8 My Heritage is unto me as a Lion in the forest it crieth out against me and therefore have I hated it For thus in the height of their wicked Imprecations they furiously persecute Christ to his Cross crying out the more q Mat. 27.22 23. Let him be crucified let him be crucified Why r Mat. 27.23 saith the Governour what evil hath he done and a Å¿ Exod. 13.21 third time declares I have found no cause of Death in him I will therefore chastise him and let him go When he saw the implacable Rage of the Jews neither to be restrained by force nor persuasion he hop'd a lesser Draught of his Blood might stop the Fury and Rapidness of their Passion and that by exposing his Body to Scourges the Roman Usage to Malefactors he might avoid the greater Evil of condemning him to Death and that when the Jews should see him so tormented they would relent in Pity and their Cruelty abate Thus he who cloaths all was despoiled of his Garments and confounded before the People who covers our Confusion and bound to a Pillar who went before them by day in a Å¿ Exod. 13.21 Pillar of a Cloud to lead â—em the way and by night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light to go by day and night that they might escape their Enemies and his Body which was the most sacred Temple of the Deity torn with vehement Stripes from unrelenting Hands till the Pavement was purpled with a Shower of holy Blood and his Person more beautiful than the Sons of Men wholly deform'd and hardly to be known according to what himself had t Mark 10.34 Luke 18.33 foretold of his being deliver'd to the Gentiles to be scourg'd and the u Isai 53.5 Prophesie of Isaiah long before his Incarnation He was wounded for our Transgressions he was bruised for our Iniquities the Chastisement of our Peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed For if Christ had not sustain'd for us this Denudation and Confusion we could never have been cloathed with the Garment of his Righteousness or been able to have appear'd unblameable before God's Justice Seat in Heaven Behold therefore O! my Soul with devout Meditation this Portion of the Sufferings of thy wounded Jesus which was the Wonder and Astonishment of Heaven and Earth Behold with what profound Humility and Silence the great Lord of the World condescends to undergo the Punishment of Slaves Behold with what a sweet Patience this innocent Lamb yields to have his Body plow'd and furrow'd by merciless Infidels Behold him naked helpless and unpitied whilst the furious Executioner tears his Skin and tender Flesh with forked Scourges to satisfie the Cruelty of a barbarous Multitude Prayer Grant me O my God who hast laid such Severities upon thy only and beloved Son that I may never think any Austerity Mortification or Pennance too much to be undergone for that great Guilt which I have contracted by my Sins and for which it was necessary my Redeemer should thus be punished And whatsoever shall be wanting in my Sufferings for the Iniquities I have committed heal with the Stripes of this bruised Love who came to shed his Blood a Ransom for the World That owing the Cure and Salvation of my Soul to such an inestimable Remedy as that I may for ever Praise thee for thy incomparable Mercy SECT XXIX Of the Injuries done to Christ by the Roman Soldiers AFter this the Soldiers who because of the frequent Seditions and Tumults of that Nation were quartered at Jerusalem and now especially call'd together to curb the prodigious Concourse at the Feast hoping by an extraordinary and cruel Officiousness to receive a liberal Reward from the Jews whom they saw so inveterately set against him take him and use him in that inhumane manner we should hardly believe were it not faithfully Recorded They strip him and put on him a * Mat. 27.28 Scarlet or x John 19.2 Purple Robe such as their Commanders used to wear jeering him by this as Herod had done by the white and when they had platted a y Mat. 27.29 30. Crown of Thorns in stead of a Royal Diadem they put it on his Head and a Reed in his Right Hand for a Scepter All to signifie he had made himself a King but that his Kingdom was as weak and vain as those Ridiculous Emblems of his Royalty And they bow the Knee before him with a contumelious Address and mock him with a reproachful Salutation saying Hail King of the Jews And then they spit upon him and strike him with z Mat. 27.30 Reeds and their a Joh. 19.3 Hands upon his Head pressing his Temples with a thousand Punctures and forcing the Blood under the Crown of Thorns to descend upon his Cheeks and mix with his Tears and the loathsome Spittle of the People till he became truly what the Prophet had describ'd him b Isai 53.2 Without form or comeliness and to those that saw him there was no Beauty that they should desire him Prayer Whither O whither Thou great Martyr of Love shall thy Humility descend thy Piety proceed thy Compassion extend I have been proud and thou art humbled I have been wicked and thou art punished I that am a lost Man have been the Cause of all thy Weaknesses and Afflictions It is thy Love and my Iniquity which has brought thee thus low Teach me I beseech-thee to apprehend the Baseness of my Sin in proportion to the Calamities thou hast suffered for me that I may hate the Cause of thy Sufferings adore thy Mercy and imitate thy Graces For Lord what is thy Servant that thou should'st suffer one Stripe or the least Irrision for so poor a Creature And how great a Misery must it be to provoke by Sin so great a Mercy as thou hast reveal'd But thy Love is infinite and I am Dust and Ashes Let thy Holy Spirit support and sanctifie me and suffer thy self to become the Object of my present Dolours that thou mayst hereafter be the Fountain of my everlasting Joy SECT XXX Of Pilate's fourth Declaration of Christ's Innocence OUR Saviour thus c Isal 53.3 despised and rejected of Men bearing our Griefs and carrying our Sorrows Pilate thought it impossible to behold him without Pity and once more brings him forth to shew him to the People hoping so sad and miserable a Spectacle would not only draw Tears from the Eyes of the Beholders but even Showers of Blood from their Hearts and a fourth time publickly declares him innocent and that he ought no further to proceed against him d Joh. 19.4 5. saying Behold I bring him forth unto you that ye
a Psal 109.6 Let Satan stand at his right hand Prayer Great Judge of all Men Thou hast made but two Ends one in Heaven and the other in Hell one with thy self and the other with the Devils and all our Motions are always tending to these We no sooner leave thee the Center of our Happiness but we wander into those unfortunate Labyrinths of Misery which lead at last to the Abyss of Torment O let me abide for ever in thy Presence fixed there by a strong Faith an earnest Hope and an endless Charity that the Suggestions of Satan may never have Opportunity to withdraw me from those Pleasures which are at thy Right Hand but passing the time of my Sojourning here in Fear and Caution assisted by thy Grace and guided by thy Spirit I may safely arrive at the Consummation of thine Elect. SECT V. Of the miserable Departure of Judas from the Presence of Christ and his selling him to the Chief Priests AGitated by the Prince and Powers of Darkness b Joh. 13 30. He went out immediately and it was Night hoping to cover himself with the Shades of that to act his more horrible and black Designs But alas poor Disciple where can he find Rest who goes out of the Presence of his Saviour How can he chuse but stumble and fall who hideth himself from the Sun of Righteousness who is absent from the Light of the World who wanders out of the way of Life who is beyond the Voice of that Word which only succours instructs and guides A lost Sheep out of the Care of the Shepherd will soon meet with the Infernal Lion and the Opportunity will invite him to the Assault The Devil was a c Joh. 8.44 Murderer from the Beginning and never fails to promote any Evil Purpose takes hold on this Advantage to ruin Judas the Jewish Nation and if it were possible the Messiah He leads this fugitive and desolate Wretch with the strong Chain of imaginary Profit his d 1 Tim. 6.10 surest Snare to draw us from the Faith to the Chief Priests who out of e Joh. 11.47 Mark 11.18 Envy to Christ's Miracles had frequently taken Counsel to put him to Death and waited only for an Opportunity in the f Mat. 26.5 Absence of the People As was the Seller such were the Buyers the Chief Priests and Elders of the People excecated by the just Judgment of God to g Mat. 23.22 fill up the Measure of their Fathers Iniquity Otherwise they could never have found fault with Innocence deny'd the Truth or envy'd a Divine Power all employ'd only to do them good So far does the Punishment of Sin reach to many h Exod. 20.12 Generations of them that hate God Which made the Evangelical Prophet foretelling the coming of Christ foretell also the Blindness and Obduracy of this People i Mat. 13.14 15. From Isa 6.9 10. Their Heart is waxen gross their Ears are dull of hearing and their Eyes they have closed lest at any time they should see with their Eyes and hear with their Ears and understand with their Hearts and be converted and I should heal them A mutual Inclination soon makes a Bargain Judas says k Mat. 26.15 What will you give me And they knowing his avaricious Mind covenant with him for Thirty Pieces of Silver l Dr Hammond in loc Which according to the Greek and Latin Manuscripts being equivalent to Staters or Shekels amounted to Three Pound Fifteen Shillings which was the common Price of a Servant in those days a Freeman being valued at twice that Rate So truly did he who was in the m Phil. 2.7 Form of God and thought it no Robbery to be equal with God make himself of no Reputation and take upon him the Form of a Servant that he might exalt us to the Privilege of of Sons So sordid and vile the Heart of the Betrayer to undervalue his Master in the Bargain of his Blood How unlike was this Action to that of the n Luk. 7.37 Noble Convert o Mat. 26.13 never to be forgotten while the Gospel shall be preached who when Jesus was in the House of Simon the Leper came with an p Mark 14.3 Alabaster Box of Ointment of Spikenard very precious and worthy the greatest Monarchs for such had Cambyses sent to the King of Ethiopia and when she had first shed a Flood of Tears enough to q Luk. 7.38 wash his Feet and had wiped them with her hairs and kissed his Feet in an Extasie of Love Sorrow and Admiration she brake the Box and poured it upon his r Mat. 26.7 head and Å¿ Luk. 7.38 anointed his feet to the great amazement of all the Beholders and t Mark 14.4 indignation of some who lookt upon it as Wast It had not yet been used to anoint the Feet of Kings and was afterwards when received into the Roman Prodigality by Otho in Honour of Nero lookt upon as a Prodigy of unnecessary Profusion But she thought nothing rich enough for his Sacred Feet whom she acknowledged above all the Potentates of the Earth and not to be valued but to be loved above her Life She now melted in the Limbeck of holy Desire and her Heart distilled out by her Eyes her Hairs which were the Nets wherein so many Captive Souls had sigh'd under the Yoke of wanton Love are now trampled under the Feet of her Conqueror the Kisses which carried the Poyson of a Luxurious Passion now breath from her nothing but the Delicacies of Chastity her pleasing Odors which were before vow'd to Sensuality are now become the sweetest Exhalations and bring an odoriferous Perfume to Christ Judas on the contrary thought it more worth than his Head and under pretence of Charity to the Poor because he was a u Ioh. 12.5 6. Thief and had the Bag and bare what was put therein would have had it sold that he might have stoln from the Price Covetousness aims at base and low Purchases whilst Holy Love is great and comprehensive and designs at nothing less than Infinity The Love of God is a Holy Fountain limpid and pure sweet and salutary lasting and eternal The Love of Money is a vertiginous Pool sucking all into it self to destroy 'em it is troubled and uneven gidy and unsafe serving no end but its own and that in a restless and unequal Motion The Love of God spends itself upon him to receive again Reflections of Grace and Benediction the Love of Riches spends all its Desires on it self to purchase nothing but unsatisfying Instruments of Exchange supernumerary Provisions and Occasions of Sin and ends in Dissatisfaction Emptiness of Spirit and a bitter Curse O ye unhappy Treasures of the World which cause the same Barrenness in the Hearts of Men as ye do in the Mountains in which ye grow and consume all Natural and Divine affection and become the * 1 Tim. 6.10 Root of all
imply he maintain'd himself to be the King of Israel from whence they would accuse him of Rebellion against Caesar Which Question as it did not much differ from the former so neither did our Saviour's Answer to it excepting that he added ' q Luk. 22.67 68. If I tell you you will not believe me And if I also ask you you you will not answer me nor let me go He expected no Answer but Irrision and Blasphemy whatsoever he should have spoken about his Divinity and more Madness and Sin in the People whose only Satisfaction was to have him crucified They were not now likely to believe his Words who had resisted his mighty Works to which he had r John 10.25 appealed as the best Evidences of his Commission nor to answer any point about his Person who had so often been Å¿ Mat. 21.27 Mark 12.37 Luk. 14.3 posed that they t Matt. 22.46 durst not ask him any more Therefore he only forewarns 'em again of his future Power which he should receive from God to judge their Iniquities u Luk. 22.69 Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sit on the Right hand of the Power of God appealing to their Consciences whether they did not think him the true Messiah by the Miracles they had seen and heard which now they would have him say not for their Conviction but for a Cause of his Condemnation For they were so far from giving Ear to any Apology that all was interrupted with the clamorous noise of * Luk. 22.71 What need have we of any further Witnesses for we our selves have heard him of his own Mouth Upon this they x Mat. 27.2 bind him a third time for many were the Chains from which we were to be loosed and lead him with a y S. Basil in Mystagog Eccles Author Com. in Marc. apud S. Hieron Cord about his Neck from the Spiritual to the Civil Power Which Judas perceiving who had been the Author of all this Mischief and having heard nothing from others laid to his Charge worthy of Death to which he saw he was condemn'd but from his own Mouth many Revelations of Power and especially of Judgment which he could not stifle he z Mat. 27. â— repented himself of being the Instrument of so damnable a Machination and prodigious Impiety and brought again the thirty Pieces of Silver to some of the Chief Priests and Elders who remain'd in the Temple upon account of the Feast a Matt. 27.4 saying I have sinned in that I have betrayed the Innocent Blood an undeniable Testimony against all the Blasphemy of the Jews and cast down the Pieces of Silver in the Temple Which Money in the use to which it was presently dispos'd for they would not suffer the Price of Blood to come into the Treasury fulfill'd a most eminent Prediction of b Zech. 11.13 Matt. 27.9 Zechariah concerning the Price of our Saviour's Blood for with this they bought the Potter's Field to bury Strangers in which is c Mat. 27.8 call'd the Field of Blood to this day There is an active Principle in Man's Breast that seldom suffers daring Sinners to pass in quiet to their Graves which Satan makes use of when it is too late to repent to drive those to Desperation whom he caused to sin When the Iniquity is come to so great a proportion as to produce Despair and an intolerable Condition then he suffers the Conscience to thaw and grow tender that filling the Soul with a raging Sorrow he may secure it against all Retreat by some Act which may render the Pardon impossible The Conscience of the Betrayer now awakned with the Horrour of the Fact which was continually before his Eyes began to rouse and follow close and the Man was unable to bear up under the furious Revenges of his own Mind as it happens in all willful and deliberate Sins especially that of Blood which is wont more sensibly to allarm the natural Notions of the Mind and to excite in us the Fears of present Judgment Did ever any harden himself against God and prosper And indeed how should he when he carries about with him such a powerful Executioner in his own Bosom In the Moment he affronts the Dictates of his Conscience he bids Adieu to all true Quiet and exposes himself to the severe Resentments of a self-torturing Mind a Torment infinitely beyond what the most ingenious Tyrants ever could contrive For nothing so effectually invades our Ease as the Reproaches of our own Mind from which it is impossible we shou'd lye hid The Wrath of Man may be endur'd but the Irruptions of Conscience are irresistible and oft reduce a Man to such Distresses as make him chuse Death rather than Life But his Masters incurious of those Hellish Torments which Judas felt within because their own were not yet begun and unable to contradict him as to the quality of the Purchase which they could not really deny to be Guiltless dismist him scornfully d Matt. 27.4 saying What is that to us See thou to that If his Blood be innocent the greater is thy Sin We employ'd thee ignorantly and have been punctual in our Agreement and are out of the Reach of the Law We see by this the miserable Estate of all those who commit Wickedness for the Favour of others They are presently derided hated and forsaken by those very Persons in whose Cause they committed it And like to 'em are all they who frame their Fortune upon Vice they build on Abysses or Foundations of Sand they sow Wind and reap Tempests their Hopes are but Clouds swell'd with Vapours which burst consume and come to nothing Never had any Man good Fortune in Impiety whatever Advantage he might at first propose It is the Spiders Web and an Act of Violence He shall not cover himself with his Work nor shall it save him from Destruction He has lost his Conscience and has nothing to gain for nothing remaineth for him but Unhappiness Or rather did he gain the whole World yet would he be the greatest Loser because he has lost his own Soul And now the Apostate reduced to these Streights terrified in his mind instigated by the Devil and finding no Consolation but amazing Reproofs from those very Persons he had serv'd against his Conscience all he could hope for was to find some shelter where he might hide his guilty Head But ah miserable Man what Darkness can cover him who has a thousand Torches in his own Breast to lay open the Guilt of his Crime Who flies out of the Presence of his God since every place is Hell where God is not The most Peopled Cities are solitary Desarts if the God of Comfort be not there and the most dreadful Solitudes and least inhabited Grots become Courts and Palaces by the Residence of his Spirit All Reposes are Disquiet all Peace is but War all Honours are Contempt Parents are traiterous Brothers
Unhappiness of Atheistical Greatness NOW Pilate was glad to hear of g Luke 23.6 Galilee for he was desirous to clear himself of this dangerous business where he saw he must either condemn the Innocent or displease the whole Nation of the Jews And forasmuch as Herod was his h Luke 23.12 Enemy and i Matt. 14.1 Tetrarch of Galilee where Christ was k Matt. 21 11. born in Nazareth and opportunely at l Luke 23.7 Jerusalem by reason of the Feast he endeavours to turn him over to him And Herod at first as m Luke 23.8 Joyfully received him for he was desirous to see him of a long season because he had heard many things of him and hoped to have seen some Miracle done by him it was that Herod who had n Matt. 14. beheaded John Baptist the forerunner of Christ for testifying against his incest and now out of a vain Curiosity to see Christ and some of his Miracles so much famed abroad and not for any intention to learn the truth of his Doctrine he o Luke 2â— â— questioned with him in many words to which our Saviour would answer nothing He judg'd him unworthy so great a satisfaction who had shed the blood of his Innocent Servant and knew his crime and yet persever'd in it and now sought after Vanity and not the Truth Simplicity in Intention and Purity in Affection are the two wings which lift us up from Earth One intends God the other apprehends him But instead of these there is a Vain levity in the hearts of some great Men who think their Power Riches and Honor so many warrants for Lightness and Infidelity and that because they are above the Vulgar they may mock at what is Sacred rendring their Religion an empty Speculation and their hearts destitute of saving Practice They may seek for Miracles but none shall be given them but what amazes the rest of the World their Execation in common Duties as a punishment of their Insolency and Pride against so many opportunities as their Riches â—â—forded them to minister to the 〈◊〉 of the Giver Hereby it come◠〈…〉 that the greatest 〈…〉 have oftimes the 〈…〉 Grace of God and Blood Spirit Extraction and Wealth are for the most part but a fair Object where misfortune appears with the greatest Deformity The Sun is wont to make his rarest productions in the most unknown places in the World and the Spirit of God never works more Miracles then in the Souls of those Persons whom the World knows not or despises Unhappy Herod where are the Priviledges of thy Nobility and what is the Advantage of thy Birth so long as thou leadest a wicked Life In vain it is for thee to hope for any thing from Christ while thy heart is full of Vanity Adulteries and Murthers Christ will not speak but where the Conscience hears and where he finds an Inclination to Truth nor can he work his Miracles in those Regions where infidelity p Matt. 13.58 binds his hands He would answer to Pilate who had respect for Truth and in whom he found some inclinations to Justice but not to thee whose Levity Profaneness and continually repeated Crimes have rendred unworhty of the Favours of Heaven Prayer O! thou high and lofty one that inhabitest Eternity who dwellest in the High and Holy Place with him also that is of a contrite and humble Spirit Suppress in thy Servant all proud Thoughts vain Desires and wanton Curiosities and keep my Soul in an humble frame that I may be ready to learn not to dispute the Mysteries which thou a God of Truth and Goodness hast revealed Enlighten my Blindness quicken my Dullness support my Frailties disperse my Passions free me from Prejudices which hinder my sinful Nature from ascending to thee and thy Holy Spirit from descending on my Soul SECT XXVI Of the Indignity done to Christ by Herod and his Officers BUT while the Lamb of God is silent his malicious Prosecutors grow louder and louder The q Luk. 23.10 Chief Priests and the Scribes stood and vehemently accused him They could bring no other Pretence of Crimes than what they had done before Pilate but hoping to prevail with Herod by Importunity they repeat and aggravate them with incessant Noise And Herod according to his natural Levity the Type of such as jest at sacred things a ridiculous Soul feeble and languishing in the Relishes of God asks nothing Seriously but only derides and makes sport with him chiefly because of his Title of a King which he thought did only properly belong to r Act. 12.1 himself And An evil Prince saith Solomon has Evil Ministers As did Herod so did his Men Å¿ Luk. 23.11 of War They lookt upon Christ as impotent and despicable because he would work no Miracle before them and as a Fool that he would not answer nor defend himself against their railing Accusations And therefore put upon him a t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 23.11 white Garment to signifie that he had arrogated Greatness among the People for such the u Jam. 2.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nobility of the Jews wore that all who saw him might take notice of him q Luk. 23.10 and ask What Fool that was and whither they were carrying him and what were the Reasons of his Disgrace and thereby draw upon him an universal Contempt In this opprobrious manner as they thought but indeed the Symbol of his Purity and Innocence they sent him * back again to Pilate We read he was once weary in his Journey being subject to the Infirmities of our Nature he had x Heb. 2.16 assumed and was forced to y John 4.6 rest himself upon Jacob's Well And how much more now must he needs be tired being thus harass'd and afflicted without Intermission of Travel and Shame He had been forc'd out of the Garden to Annas's House thence to Caiaphas and there tormented all night early in the morning hurried again to the Council from thence to Pilate from him to Herod there mockt and set at nought and now dragg'd back again in a ludibrious Vesture But had we not sinn'd he had not thus suffer'd or had he been Guilty they had been less enraged But because he was unlike them they hated to see him and fearing his escape were more vehemently enflam'd Nevertheless all this was designed by Providence that Christ being tried before so many Judges might clearly manifest his Innocence to the World and that passing through all sorts of Affronts and Scorns he might Sanctifie our Tribulations and teach us to endure and suffer our selves to be despised in a Religious Cause and when it happens otherwise to remember our dearest Lord for a President of bearing it with admirable Simplicity and Equanimity of Deportment Prayer O suffering Jesu thou Doctor of Patience with humble Sighs I implore thy Grace to furnish me with the same Meekness of Spirit that I may