the World Seeing therefore he hath been condemned for us in High Treason both against God and Man seeing he hath endured the Punishment for all our Rebellions What have we any further to answer His Obedience hath made Satisfaction for our riotous Rebellion By his Condemnation are we acquitted his Condemnation at a Tribunal on Earth has acquitted us before thy Tribunal in Heaven His Sufferings are a sufficient Discharge between us and thy Justice and his Love is a sufficient Discharge between his Sufferings and us because his Love â—…eh nothing for all hiâ—… Sufferings but only that we love him again O what an unspeakable Obligation is this not only to love our Sâ—…iour but to love him above and before all one would think it were impossible to do any otherwise thâ—…n to love him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Glory and Majesty to suffer so much â—…sery to save us from eâ—…l Damâ—…tion O good Jesus O Health of our Souls havâ—… Mercy upon â—…s we beseech thee and help us to strike this Fire within our Hearts let our Souls be satisfied with thy sacred Love Thou art O Lord our 〈◊〉 out last End the Mark â—…hether we aim the Poâ—…t whereto we saâ—… the Ferm the Râ—…t of all our Desires Wherefore then do we not love wherefore do we not desire thee with that ardency wherewith all Creatures do love and desire the place of their Rest The Fire and the Air do overthrow Mountains rend up Rocks shake the whole Earth to break forth to their Natural Places wherefore do not we break through all Impediments all Hinderances and leave all Creatures to come to thee who art the only place both of our Refuge and Rest O our Desires O our sweet solace our assured stâ—…ength wrap our Souls in the Flames of thy Love that all careless coldness may be consumed thereby possess our Souls so intiâ—…ely with that Divine Fire that we may have no sense of any worldly things Most Sweet Loving Beautiful Noble Rich Wise Glorious and worthy to be both loved and adored O life of our Soul who didst die to give us Life who didst die to kill death mortifie us wholly even our Wills and all our evil Inclinations and whatsoever is ours within us Then revive us again in thy lively Love by uniting all the Faculties of our Souls unto thee and making them obedient to thy Will Seeing we have so rich a Treasure so liberal a Distributer of the same how is it possible we should not rise in Hope Justice hath sound out a way to strike the Innocent and cannot Mercy find a means to save the Guilty Assuredly yes for it is a greater Miracle that God should be condemned and crucified than that Man should be acquitted and live If therefore we have the greater we have no cause to sear the less for Justice has executed her Severity upon the Innocent and Mercy will shew her Favour upon Offenders Yea if it was Justice that the Innocent should be condemned and executed for to make Satisfaction for Sin it is Justice also that the Offenders for whom he suffered should be discharged from that Debt that the voluntary Surety hath fully paid Therefore although Grace is not due to a Sinner as a Sinner yet it is due to him as he is redeem'd It is Mercy that a Sinner should be saved in respect of the Sinner but it is Justice in respect of Christ the Just was handled as a Sinner that Sinners might be accepted of as just foâ—… it is not agreeable to Justice that one Offence should be twice punished Hâ—… hath joyned he hath united himself to us As he cannot be condemned again so cannot we likewise be condemned except we break Union and wilfully fall from him O let us admire love and adore this great Love of our Lord Jesus Christ and then we shall never break Union with him or fall from him but be inâ—…allibly saved by him The Sentence of Death being given forth against Jesus they laid that heavy Tree upon his Shoulders that had been unmercisully battered with Whips torâ—…enting him not only with the Sight but the Weight of that which was appointed to be the Instrument of his 〈◊〉 Which painful Burthen with â—…he sull Weight of all our Sins he refused 〈◊〉 to take upon him but went on his way with great Alaâ—…ity both in Love towards us and in Obedience to satisfie his Father's Justice as a true Isaac bearing the Wood for the Sacrificing of himself But whither doth our Lord go What has he to do upon this stinking Hill of Calvary which being a place of common Execution is tainted with puâ—…rified Bodies To be sure he will find there no sick Persons to cure no Devils to cast out no Temples wherein to teach but there he will find Dead to raise and Sinners to forgive there he will find many scattered Souls of executed Offenders which expect his coming which as the true Elizeus thy dead Body should restore them to Life What should all this mean that our Saviour has not only made choice of an infamous Death but of an infamous Place the Place was infamous but the Death was accursed for cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree It did not satisfie his Love to die for us but he must die the most accuâ—…sed death to assure us thereby that he had delivered us from the Malediction of the Law Certainly our Saviour's Death containeth many Mysteries It is not enough for us to say that he died for us but we are further to consider how ye would die which was by the ignominious death of the Cross with whom also even with Malefactors When in the principal strength and beauty of his Age In what Year in the great Year of Jubilee Upon what Day at the great Solemnity of the Passover even when they did celebrate the Figure of him In what place on the Mount of Calvary only made glorious by his Death He was neither privily made away nor tumultuously slain he dyed not in a Corner that dyed for all the World he was condemned in the publick place of Judgment and suffered upon the common place of Execution upon a Day and a Year of the greaâ—…est Solemnity that could be God set him upon the Stage of the Woâ—…ld to declare as well his Fury against Sin as his Love and Mercy towards Sinners O glorious Calvary where the Prince of Light did encounter and overcome the Prince of Darkness where at one instant our Life for a time ended and our Death did for ever dye Therefore let us not only seek our Saviour in the Temple but upon Mount Calvary for in the Temple he scourged Sinners but upon the Mount he died for them upon that he opened his Arms to embrace them It was objected against him that he was a Friend to Publicans and Sinners True he was a true Friend to them indeed but his Friendship did never more plainly appear than in this Action and upon this place
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THE SON of GOD Shed without the Gates of Jerusalem For the Redemption of Lost and Undone SINNERS Whereby his great Love to Mankind is Undeniably Manifested In these following PARTICULARS His Agony in the Garden being betrayed by Judas being falsly accused before Annas Caiaphas Herod and Pilate his being Scourged Scorned and Spitefully Used his Condemnation and Going to Execution how he was Crucified of his being Reviled and Pardoning the Thief upon the Cross and of his giving up the Ghost All which is Practically Applyed and Improved for the bringing of Sinners out of the Way of Sin and Hell into Wisdom's Ways Whose Ways are Ways of Pleasantness and all her Path's are Peace By that Eminent Divine Mr. John Hayward The Tenth Edition London Printed for Robert Gifford in Old Bedlam without Bishopsgate 1699. Price bound â—â—s TO THE Christian READER Dear Hearts BY the reading of this small Treatise you may in some measure be made sensible of what Christ hath done for you in order to your everlasting Salvation Wherein his great Love is manifested unto all For greater Love hath no Man than this to lay down his Life for his Friends but he hath laid it down for his greatest Enemies to redeem them from everlasting Destruction By these sad and dolorous Sufferings of our Saviour we may see also what a dreadful and Soul-destroying thing Sin is that nothing but the precious Blood of the eternal Son of God could make Satisfaction for it Oh what Cause have we then to admire and adore the mighty God of Heaven for his infinite Mercy towards us in sending his Son his only begotten Son Christ Jesus to redeem us from Death and Hell Seeing such great things have been done for us let us make it our daily Practice and Business to walk in some measure answerable to them That we may so do is and shall be the hearty Prayer of your Soul 's Cordial Friend JOHN HAYWARD OF Our Saviour's Agony IN THE GARDEN Matth. Chap. 26. Ver. 38. Then saith he unto them My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death tarry ye here and watch with me AND not designing to take notice of the Meanness of his Birth and that continual Course of Sorrow and Misery that attended the former part of his Life wherein he took upon him not only the Form of a Sinner but a Servant I shall consider the time only towards his Death wherein in a most especial manner his great love to Mankind is manifested For as every natural Motion groweth more ardent towards the end so the Love of Christ towards the true Church his Spouse Not that he loved us better in the latter part of his Life but it did then most appear As some sort of Fire the more Water is thrown upon it the hotter it burns so both the Apprehension and Presence of Death was so far from lessening his Love that it did rather encrease it Therefore as in all the Passages of his Life so more especially towards his Death all his Doctrine was Holy Just and Good Milk for the Weak Meat for the Strong Medicine for the Sick not too deep for the Simple nor too shallow for the Wise but as a Ford wherein the Lamb may wade and the Elephant swim all his Actions were the Works of Justice and Mercy Examples of all Vertues but most especially of Humility which is the Foundation of all other Vertues as Love Pity and Compassion whereof our Miseries stood most in need His Life was so Pure and Holy that by that Example he hath set us we may plainly see what is either wanting or amiss in our selves even the Book which the Prophet Ezekiel speaks of That he saw Ezek. 2. written within by Instruction without by Example of Life wherein we have what to contemplate what to imitate and what to admire So that whosoever doth not only study but like the Prophet seek he shall attain inestimable both Knowledge and Vertue When our Saviour begun his Passion in the Garden of Gethsemane he was accompanied with those three Disciples who not long before had seen his Glorious Transfiguration upon Mount Tabor to the end that seeing so great a Change they might be sensible of the greatness of God's Severity and of his Love O Treasure of Heaven O Light and Life of the World How was his Glory obscured his Strength abated his Courage appaled insomuch that he did acknowledge to his Disciples that his Soul was heavy unto death Our Saviour began his Conflict with Prayer giving Example to us in all our Troubles to do the like teaching us also in what manner we ought to pray first in that he did fall prostrate upon the Ground he did thereby instruct us that with the greatest Humility and Reverence we must present our selves before the Majesty of Almighty God Secondly by his earnest praying with what fervency of Spirit we ought to beat at Heaven Gates Thirdly by his often praying we have an Example of Perseverance until he that doth engage us to beg shall let us have his Favour so far as to obtain Lastly He hath taught us to renounce our own Wills and to resign our Desires to the pleasure of Almighty God These things if at all times we endeavour to perform but especially in the Agonies of Death the Angels will certainly come to comfort us for God will cerly send us strength to bear what he is not pleased to remove But wherefore did our Saviour pray That if it were possible this Cup might pass from him Did he not freely and voluntarily offer up himself for Sin to save Sinners yes desirously for no necessity could be cast upon him no complaint of Justice because he was innocent no necessity through weakness because he was Almighty for he had twelve Legions of Angels at his Command but it was to comfort and strengthen his weak-hearted Members that their Courage might not be cast down under any Tryal or Tribulation that God might call them to And also he did hereby declare That he did bear the natural Weaknesses of our Flesh For none can possibly imagine the greatness of those Sorrows and Miseries that he went through Lastly he would manifest to us That he did consist of two Natures and two Wills not so separate as to make two Persons nor so confounded as to make one Nature and Will but distinguish'd in their essential Properties and Operations In his Humane Will he did pray to avoid this Cup in his Divine Will he did desire it He did desire Death in regard of the end but in regard to it self he did pray to avoid it Yet his Humane Will was not contraâ—…y or repugnant to his Divine Will Yet being surprized with the fear of Death through the frailty of his Hamane Will he seemed not to think of that which he perfectly did know not as drawing or declining from his Father's Will but forthwith resuming his Resolution submitted himself to his Decree
so much as one Drop unto thee unless it be in exchange of everlasting Life Of the Death of our Saviour and how they opened his Side with a Spear Matth. 27. 50. Jesus when he hath crye again with a loud Voice yâ—…lded up the Ghost AFter when Jesus knew that all things were performed he cried with a loud Voice and bowed his Head and gave up the Ghost and the Sun was darkened the Veil of the Temple rent through the midst John 19. 30. And the Earth did quake and the Stones were cloven and the Graves did open and many Bodies of the Saints which slept arose and came out of the Graves after his Resurrection and appeared unto many Luke 23. Matth. 27. When the Centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the Earthquake and the things that were done they feared greatly and said Truly this Man was the Son of God What is this O gracious Lord God! who ever saw two such Contraries combined together Whoever saw such Misery joyn'd to such Might when was so great Glory accompanied at any time with so great Grief Who is he that is so humble and yet so high Who is so powerful and yet so poor He that is contemned on Earth is honoured in Heaven he that is fastned naked to the Cross maketh the Earth to quake he that died raised the Dead to Life O our sweet Saviour thou didst now manifestly declare who thou wast and wherefore thou camest into the World The Centurion and they that were with him did acknowledge thee to be the Son of God and the Dead whom thou raisedst to Life did testifie that thou camest to overcome Death We will make no account of the Jews scoffing at thee seeing the Heavens the Earth the Living and the Dead did witness for thee And thus likewise in all the other Passages of his Life our Saviour did so bear and behave himself that he never did so high a Miracle but therein his Humanity did appear nor did he ever so mean a Work but his Divinity did therein shine All his Actions participated of both his Natures in every thing that he did or suffered the Glory of the one was joined with the Humility of the other It was great Humility to be conceived but it was great Glory to be conceived by the Holy Ghost It was great Humility to be born but it was great Glory to be born of a pure Virgin It was great Humility to be born in a Stable but it was great Glory to be worshipped of the Wise Men. It was great Humility to lie among Beasts but it was great Glory to be honoured by the Angels It was great Humility to be circumcised but it was great Glory to be named Saviour It was great Humility to be baptized among Sinners but it was great Glory that the Heavens opened and that the Spirit visibly descended upon him Lastly it was great Humility to die upon the Cross but it was great Glory that both Heaven and Earth were disturbed thereat That all Creatures adored his Death except Man only for whom he died The Sun beholding his great Creator naked drew in his Light to cover him with Darkness for as our Saviour was betrayed apprehended scorned reviled spit upon and buffeted in the Night so it was not inconvenient that the residue of this Work of Darkness should in Darkness be accomplished even as he said to the Jews Luke 22. 52. This is your very hour and power of Darkness But let us consider here are three Miracles before us First That this Eclipse of the Sun happen'd on the Fourteenth Day of the Moon that is in the full Opposition of the Sun and the Moon Whereas natural Eclipses happen in their Conjunction when the Moon is directly interposed between the Sun and our Sight It continued the space of three Hours whereas natural Eclipses continue not above the fourth part of an Hour and hardly that It was a total Eclipse which never happened by the Interposition of the Moon by reason it is so far inferiour to the Sun in magnitude What then shall we say but that the Sun drew in his Light because it should not display so sad a Spectacle That the Heavens hid their Beauty and suited themselves to their Makers State that they covered the Body of Jesus that was sacrilegiously used with Darkness as with a Veil One Star shewed the Glory of the Lord at his Nativity but the most glorious Star peâ—…formed this Service at the time of his Death neither was this Darkness ever better resembled than by the Darkness that was spread over the Land of Egypt but now over Goshen where the Jews did inhabit At this time the Land of the Jews only was darkned and all other Countries remained Light And that time the true Light was only among the Jews since this time they have been the greatest Strangers to it And at the end of this Darkness when Jesus cried with a loud Voice and yielded up the Ghost the Earth trembled also and the Rocks did rend whereof in the Land of Jewry in the Kingdom of Damascus and in the Mountains of Arabia Monuments and Accounts of it remain unto this Day Therefore do not think O ye Jews as his Life ended so did his Power He that laid down his Life retaineth his Power both in the Heavens and upon the whole Earth and was a less Matter to rise again than to suffer himself to die You cannot say that these things which were done at the very Hour of his Death were done by any ordinary means wherefore you must acknowledge in him Divine Majesty or Devilish Malice in your selves You were maliciously bent against him indeed but if all Men in the World oppose and be against him you see by what means he is able both to declare his Glory and his Power when no Man either durst or would open his Mouth in his Defence He did but utter his Voice and Five great and terrible Tongues did speak for him The Sun which is the lively Lamp of the World the Earth the Rocks the Veil of the Temple and the Dead when all Men were silent the Elements the Stones the Dead did speak they all preached his Mercies and thundered forth his Threatnings O good Jesu it was a great Voice indeed whereat the principal Powers of Heaven Earth and Hell diâ—… shâ—…ke which did astonish the Living and the Dead As the Cry of our Sins did reach to the Justice of thy Father so did thy Voice reach to his Mercy Thou didst cry with a great Voice to call the Living and summon the Dead that if any should lose himself if any would not be converted to thee it should not be because he was not called but because he would not come But woe be to every Soul which is not converted which will not come woe be to every Soul that is not moved at this Voice this mighty Voice O crucified Jesu have Mercy upon us poor
every part of our Redeemer's Body Take a little touch of that Grief which did lie so heavy upon him whose Power sustaineth the Heavens that it made his Soul heavy unto death being so deeply drowned in the Nature of Man that he seemed to forget that he was God Let us accuse and condemn our selves of all manner of unworthiness and take up with a godly Sorrow both for love to our Saviour and in hatred to our Sins the one for suffering for our sakes and the other for being the only cause of it and let us not be like to the Disciples that were with our Saviour who fell into a sound and secure Sleep whilst their Master both watched prayed and sweat a bloody Sweat for their Redemption He was like a loving Father who spares no pains to get Bread for his Children whilst they remain free both from Trouble and Care If drowsiness of Spirit overcomes thee pray to God to awaken thee with his Heavenly Voice if that will not do to make you smart with the Rod of Affliction that so you may watch and pray lest you fall into Temptation Let us by this grievouâ—… Agony that vexed his Soul by that terror and trembling that wholly possess'd his Body and by all the pains wherein he was plunged for us detestable Sinners beseech him that in the last hour of our lives when Fears and Distresses come upon us that he would give us stedfast strength and confidence in his Mercy that in that hour when we are leaving the World he would not leave us and in this fearful Conflict not to forsake us but send his holy Angels to assist us and to minister Courage and Comfort to us that no Temptations of the Devil may prevail against us but that he would be pleased to arm our Hearts with Humility and Patience that they be not distracted or distempered with any fear of Grief but that in all things our Desires may be conformable to his Will Let us implore his Goodness to give us such constant courage such hope such love towards him that the weaknesses of our Flesh may not be overcome by any fear of Death but we may both safely and sweetly pass from the Society we have with thee here by Grace to the Society which the Saints enjoy with thee in Glory Mat. 26. 48. Of our Saviour's being sold betrayed and apprehended Matt. 26. 47. And while he yet spake lo Judas one of the twelve came and with him a great multitude with Swords and Staves from the Chief Priests and Elders of the People BUT when the Son of God did in so high a degree both love and value the Sons of Men that he thought nothing painful to himself that might be profitable to them yet see how the Sons of Men did either value or love the Son of God they took all Occasions first to slander him and afterwards to slay him they sold him one to another for thirty Pieces of Silver O devilish and malicious Spirits to hate the Author of our eternal Salvation As no means are thought bad enough to bring him to his Death so to undervalue the Lord of all Creatures as not many Beasts are sold at so base a Price O infinite inequality of Affection between God and Man God came to save Man and Man goeth about to destroy God God bought Man with the dearest Drops of his Blood and Man sold God for Thirty Pieces of Siver O the Love of the Lord Jesus was great when he came to redeem those that were lost and the Saviour of the Redeemed how great was his Love to come into the World when he had no need nor we any Merit to sanctifie it with his Justice to enrich it with his Grace to enstruct it with his Doctrine to confirm it by his Example to redeem it with his Blood that as by the Pride of one who being but Man did aspire to be God we were condemned so by the Humility of another who being God became Man we should be saved Being sold at the Price of Thirty Pieces of Silver to such cruel Merchants as desire no Profit by him but his Life the Traytor Judas whose Feet a little before he had washed came unto him attended with a bloody Band And how willing our Saviour was to embrace his Passion did appear by his voluntary presenting himself to them and in that he turned not away his Face from this barbarous Beast that came to kiss him But O innocent Lord What hast thou to deal with Traytors and Tormentors What Courtesie between the Lamb and the Wolf What Commerce between God and Belial Our Saviour did not only permit Judas to kiss him but he did also smite his obstinate Heart with this soft Speech Friend wherefore comest thou dost thou betray the Son of Man with a Kiss But wherefore did our Saviour call Judas Friend when he had betrayed him To testifie that altho' the Knot of Friendship was broke on his part yet on our Saviour's it remained whole and entire to reduce him again to his Friendship for if he could have said without despair with holy David I have sinned he should presently have heard I have forgiven If our Saviour had kissed Judas he should never have despaired or destroyed himself for his Kisses inspire Life and therefore the Spouse beginneth the most excellent Canticle with these Words Cant. 1. 1. Let him kiss me with the Kisses of his Mouth 1 John 4. 10. It is he that hath loved us first Ephes. 1. 4. It is he that hath chosen us and not we him Or if Judas had kissed him as the Psalmist speaks of Psalm 2. 12. Kiss the Son lest he be angry That is if with sincerity of Soul he had rendred him that Faith and Homage that is due to him it had gone well with him but because he was like one of those whom the Prophet speaks of Isa. 9. This People approach to me with their Mouths and their Hearts are far from me because he came with a treacherous Hypocrisie this Kiss could draw no Vertue from him but turned it to his Condemnation O cursed cruelty cursed because obstinate cruel because unjust which neither the Power of a Miracle was able to astonish nor the Kindness of a Benefit could any way appease But they proceeded notwithstanding to lay Sacrilegious Hands upon him as upon a Malefactor to bind his Holy Hands which had wrought so many Miracles among them with rough and knotty Cords his Disciples either forsaking of him or falling off from him and to lead him away in a more opprobrious manner than the Ark of the Testimony was taken and carried away by the Uncircumcised Philistines Poor and miserable Jews whom do you thus hale away Against whom have you taken up Arms Your Prisoner hath made you Captives he whom you have bound with Cords hath chained you with Fetters of Iron he hath been to you as a Bait or a Hook that taketh the Takers Never
with all Fear and Reveâ—…ence we weep and worthless Worms prostrate our selves before thee O Lord Jesus Christ and give unto thee most humble Thanks for thy exceeding Mercy and Love towards us What have we Lord that we have not received from thee For thou art All our Creator Redeemer Sanctifier and Glorifier for thou hast given to us both the State of Nature and of Grace and hath also prepared for us the state of Glory and because to this high End many Means are required of thy infinite Goodness thou art unto us as well the Means as the End thou art our Defender our Keeper our Governour the merciful Scourge of our Sins the Curer of our Infirmities the Instructor of our Ignorance the Director of our Knowledge and Power thou sustainest thou stirrest thou orderest and helpest us in all our good Endeavours Thou art our Lord and our God even all the Goodness that we have and all that we can expect How our Saviour was crucified Matth. xxvii 35. And they crucified him and parted his Garments casting Lots that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet They parted my Garments amongst them and upon my Vesture did they cast Lots WHen he came to Mount Calvary there was the bloody Banner displayed there planted he the Tree of Life the Fruit thereof expelled the Poyson which the Fruit of the forbidden Tree had wrought Gen. 28. 12. And he dreamed and behold a Ladder set upon the Earth and behold the Angel of God ascending and descending on it Then pitched he the Ladder which Jacob saw but in a Vision the top whereof reached up to Heaven whereupon not only the Angels go up and down with our Prayers unto God and his Mercies unto us but God himself descended to Man and Man ascended up to God And first to make his Death the more reproachful they stripp'd him of all his Garments which the Soldiers cast Lots for yet altho' the Law commanded that Malefactors should be crucified yet it did not command they should be crucified naked Wherefore then O good Jesus was this Extremity used against thee Were thy Executioners so covetous as to enjoy thy Apparel or were they so cruel to encrease thy Shame Or wouldest thou testifie thy Love in that thou wouldest not be exempted from any Ignominy we had deserved and in that thou didst discover thy naked Flesh and not hide any part of thy Body from us as before it had been covered with Figures and Ceremonies as with a Veil When Adam had sinned he would have hid himself from the Presence of God because he was naked being then attached with Impurity of Soul as well as Obscenity of Body which are the chief Causes of Shame but our Second Adam took both this Sin and this Shame upon his naked Body to carry them to the Cross and to crucifie them with him Assuredly O our Salvation howsoever thy Body was naked of Apparel it was loaded with our Sins as thy Apostle St. Peter saith 1 Pet. 2. 24. He bare our Sins in his Body on the Cross. For who could have violated thy Holy Members if thy Father had not found our Offences in them if he had not found this Accusation against thee This Man receiveth Sinners and harboureth Malefactors Didst thou not know O our Redeemer that in whose Hands the Thest is found he must be answerable for the same Should not the Father handle thee as a Sinner seeing he findeth thee so charged with Sins The Justice of thy Father findeth all our Sins upon thy Body executed upon thee and crucified them and thee together Hereby thou hast given us Example First to be merciful towards the Needy seeing that out of Compassion to us thou hadst no Pity upon thy self but wert cloathed with our Sins and our Shame to clothe us with thy Innocency and Glory Secondly To moderate our Desires in the vain either Bravery or Glory of this World the Bellows of Pride and of Presumption which do not only clog but quench the Devotion of our Spirits even as a Tree by having many superfluous Branches becometh less fruitful and as a Lamp which with a little Oyl is cherished but choaked with much For thou camest into the World to encounter their principal Evils Pride Avarice and Riot which proceed from the love of three things as Honour Riches and Pleasure all which are Branches of one Stock namely the love of our selves which is the universal Root of all Sins from these Branches all forbidden Fruit all the Choak Pears of this Life are gathered Against these thy Lise Doctrine and Death did chiefly tend Then they stretched his naked Body upon the hard Death-bed of the Cross and fastned it thereto with blunt and rough Nails driven through his Hands and through hiâ—… Feet out of which Wounds issu'd goldeâ—… Streams Zacb 11. Like the four Rivers oâ—… the Garden of Eden to water and fructifâ—… the whole World And with such Rage did the murdeâ—…ous Jews hunt and thirst after the Blood of Jesus that within the space of three Hours after they had brought him to Pilate he was accused condemned scourged despitefully used and lastly fastned to the Cross. Then they raised him up between two Thieves and placed him in open view to be tormented with a cruel â—…ingering Death the whole Weight of his Body bearing downwards and rending wider the Wounds of his Hands and Feet which by the Tenderness of the Sinews are the most sensible Parts of the whole Body Having also to encounter with he World and the Devil who is the Prince of the World with Death also and with Sin which is the Cause of Death Alas how far is the Madness of the World how far is the Love and Liberty of Christ extended Was God thus angry against Sin Would â—…o other Satisfaction seâ—…ve Was the Juâ—…tice of God so rigorous Was the Reâ—…emption of Man so preciouâ—… One Disoâ—…edience was sufficient â—…osed thâ—…y Manâ—…nd and were all these â—…hese â—…equisite or their Redemption 〈◊〉 Lord for Experience teacheth us That it more easie to ruinate than to repair One Fire brand is sufficient to destroy a whole City which cannot without much Time Toil and Cost be repaired O most righteous and upright Judge how merciful wert thou towards Sinners and how severe against thy own Son He was born in great Baseness the World no sooner received him but iâ—… persecuted him and chased him into foreign Countries As his Body grew so encreased hâ—… Burden both of Labours and Wants uâ—…til in the end he was betrayed to hâ—… Enemies by one of those that were hâ—… Followers Is any thing more admirabâ—… than this Liberty was sold Liberaliâ—… tied Innocency accused Justice coâ—…demned and Life executed Is any thiâ—… more admirable The Wisdom of tâ—… Father was derided his Power beate and bound his Beauty defiled his Glâ—…ry with Reproaches and Reproofs obsâ—…red Is any thing yet more admirablâ—… God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God was scourgâ—… God 〈◊〉
vain Fear Above all deliver us from thy Wrath and from thy Curse and from the inseparable Companion thereof eternal Death Let some small Drops of thy most precious Blood distil into our Souls that we may present it to thy Father in full satisfaction for all our Sins Give unto us the full Fruit of thy Death Grace here and Glory hereafter O Lord Jesus O the Salvation of our Souls behold we come to thee as we are poor vile Creatures we make bold to approach to the Rivers of thy Mercy to the sweet Streams of thy Grace to the true Son of thy Justice whose Beams are spread over the whole World and giveth great Light to all those who do not wilfully shut their Eyes Behold we prostrate our unworthy Souls at thy Feet we do not revile but we praise and adoâ—…e thee we do not mock but we mourn at thy Passion O thou who wert pitiful to thy Enemies be not hard to thy Supplicants thou who didst pray for them that reproached thee pray for us that pray unto thee lift up thy Voice unto thy Father for us and cease not till he hath forgiven us Of our Saviour's pardoning the Thief his tasting of Vinegar how he cried to his Father Luke 23. 43. And Jesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise WE are further encouraged O our Redeemer to crave not thy Prayer only but also thy Pardon by Example of the Thief that died with thee who although he had spent his Life in all manner of Debauchery and Wickedness yet when he desir'd thee thou didst presently return answer This Day thou shalt be with me in Paradise O sweet Word O Heart nothing so tender thy Lips are the Honey-comb Honey and Milk do flow from thy Tongue thou didst pray for Sinners upon the Cross to shew thy self our Advocate Thou didst pardon Sins to shew thy self our Judge What is this O liberal Loâ—…d how marvellous are thy Mercies towards us To those who mocked reviled and blasphemed thee thou madest no answer but when the Thief prayed to thee his Petition was no sooner made but forthwith it was granted Thou gavest more also than he did desire the Thief desired thee only to remember him and thou didst give him the Kingdom of Heaven But when O gracious Lord Even that present Day With whom Even with thy self implying hereby that the same Glory thou didst enjoy thou wilt give to thy Elect for which Reason they are called Co-heirs with thee Rom. 8 27. This Glory and Felicity is perfect in thee and from thee distributed in measure as from the Head to the Members What would'st thou deny us or what would'st thou not give unto us if we were to thee such Servants as thou art unto us a Lord Seeing thou art so bountiful and ready to forgive such open Offenders which although it ought not to encourage us to defer our Repentance until the end of our Lives because of this Conversion of the Thief as it was the last Work thou didst in thy Life so it was not the least Yet it may encourage us never to think our Sins too great or our time too short to obtain thy Pardon Come unto him then all ye that are feeble hearted and never think you shall be damned See what a Lover of Men he is how desirous of our Salvation see how easie to be entreated for the greatest Matters and how ready to give his Glory at the first Request He seeketh all Occasions he desireth nothing more than to bestow it upon us He forgave David his Sin upon the fiâ—…st acknowledgment He gave to the Thief his Kingdom upon the first desire He that is so inclinable to forgive Sins and to give Glory wherein can he be hard or unkind to us If ye will say ye have done little Service whereby he should hope for so high a Reward Fear not it sufficeth that you have a desire to serve him This is a Property of him That he is liberal and merciful for which Vertues he is especially commended not so much to regard the Work of our Bodies as the Willingness of our Minds He so thirsteth after the Salvation of our Souls that he often accepteth our Purpose for Performance it sufficeth many times that we are prepared in Will the rest he doth supply by his Grace His gracious Goodness perfecteth what we have and supplieth what we want Be not therefore affrighted at his terrible Justice but rather comforted let them fear who are stubborn and flinty-hearted who will not be converted and come to him who follow Vanity with all their Might who boldly sin and then say What Evil have I done Let them tremble who are so far from calling upon him as they will not know him It is dreadful for such to fall into his Hands But they who are smitten with Sorrow for their Sins they who arise and return to him let them be encouraged with this That he that hath drawn them will certainly receive them It is not the Thief alone who was received but let all Sinners be brought forth and there is not one that can be named were he never so great who truly repented and was converted but he was justified He so loveth converted Sinners that if it were necessary so to do he would rather suffer death again than consent that one of them should be damned O happy Thief how pleasant were thy Pains how delightful was thy Death being assured thou shouldest â—…orthwith reign with him in Heaven who suffered with thee and for thee upon Earth The other Thief demanded of Christ to be delivered from the Cross and it was conditional if thou be the Son of God he desired neither as he should nor what he should But the converted Thief having heard him openly profess That his Kingdom was of another World desired no bodily Benefit but only to be remembred of him when he came into his Kingdom Pilate in his Tribunal the People standing by and the Thief in Fetters heard these Words of Jesus But Pilate contemned him the Multitude mocked and the Thief only believed in him Assuredly O good Jesus thou art a most invincible King otherwise thy Children could not be able to sustain their continual Combats nor ever be drawn out of the cruel Bondage of Satan Nor Pilate would not have written upon the Cross altogether against the advice of the Jews Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews But the same Spirit that guided Pilate to pronounce him innocent guided him also to write this Inscription And in truth the Hebrew Word Messias and the Greek Word Christ which signifies anointed was the Original of the Unction of the Hebrew King Yet our Saviour was not declared by his Name to the Fathers at the first to Adam and the Patriarchs he was revealed under the Title of The Seed of the Woman Jacob called him Sheloh but to David this Son was promised under the Figure and
Sinners that are prostrate before thee and let our humble Voices enter into thy Ears that thy mighty Voice may sink into our Souls Give unto us a true Sense of these thy Sufferings both of Compassion as it is reason that the Members should condole with the Head and also of Fear that our Minds be not more heavy than the Earth that trembled that our Hearts be not more hard than the Stones that did cleave and that our Souls be not more fleepy than the Dead that did arise at the Power of thy Passion O great Redeemer of the World if all Creatures did fear thee when hanging upon the Cross what will they do when thou shalt come to Judgment If thou wert so mighty in thy greatest Weakness what wilt thou be in thy greâ—…test Glory If these Effects did accompany the Works of thy Mercy and the Voice of thy Love where with thou didst call all Men to come to thee what will the Work of thy Justice do and the Voice of thy Fury Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire We adore and admire thy Blood thy Death thy Burial thy victorious Resurrection thy Ascension into Glory By these we are refreshed from these we draw the Breath of Life O our Saviour we desire thee only we offer up our selves wholly unto thee we want nothing we wish for nothing but only thee for thou alone art sufficient for us thou art our King our Lord our Tutor our Governour our Father the Paradise of our Hearts the Nest where our Souls shall rest for ever the Haven wherein we shall be saved the Glass wherein we shall behold our selves the Staff that only stayeth us the Tréasure whereto we trust Who is so liberal as he who hath given himself for so vile Creatures Who so loving as he who hath not spared himself for his very Enemies O most gracious Lord and loving Father who despisest none that comes to thee but dost rather help them and accompany them and lead them in the way receive our loose or lost Souls which seek after thee raise us up by the virtue of thy Passion from the death of Sin and by the same Virtue endow us with Wisdom and Strength that by the one we may prevent and by the other resist the Attempts of our most dangerous Enemies the Flesh the World and the Devil The Flesh idle and voluptuous the World vain and curious the Devil subtle and malicious Grant unto us by the same Virtue that the Yoke of thy Commandments may be sweet and the Burthen of thy Cross light unto us that we may contemn the trifling Vanitis of this World and not weakly yield to the Calamities or vain Pleasures of this Life but that with unmoveable Minds we may bear the one and forbear the other All this was done against Jesus upon the Day of the Preparation for the Passover according to the corrupt Tradition of the Jews for Jesus who most punctually observed the Law had eaten the Passover the Day before and because the Day following was an high Sabbath and the Law had ordained That the Body of the Offender should not hang all Night upon the Tree the Jews desired of Pilate that the crucified Bodies might not hang upon the Cross being very scrupulous in small Matters but had wide and naughty Consciences in Matters of Weight Against Jesus they made particular Suit that his Sepulcher should be made sure for three Days lest his Body might be taken away because he had said that within three Days he would rise again to Life So they buried him in a Garden close adjoining to the City whereby the Providence of God did cut off many Cavils and Doubts which might have been made in case his Body had either been removed far off or secretly buried or left abroad In this Garden Josâ—…ph of Arimathea in his Liâ—…e time had built his Tomb which doubtless he did to put himself in remembrance of Death in the vâ—…y midst of his Delights but the entombing this Body of Jesus in this Garden in the midst of our chiefest Delights should make us always mindful of his Death His Body was richly dressed to the Funeral that the Prophecy of him might be fulfilled Isa. 53. 9. His Grave shall be with the Rich at his Death And further to manifest the same unto us which he spake upon the Cross that he had accomplished his Charge that the terrible Tempest of his Sufferings he had fully boâ—…n that his Honour and Estimation was then to follow To instruct us also that the difference between Men and Beasts doth not determine with our Lives but that the Dead are to have honest Respect not only out of particular Kindness or of Blood not only out of general Humanity engraved by the Finger of Nature in all Men but also out of Christian Duty partly in regard of the many Graces imparted to the Bodies of Men in this Life and partly to testifie our Faith of the Resurrection and Hope of Glory in the Life to come And also his Body was put into a new Sepulcher wherein no dead Body had been laid before to the end that his Enemies should not suspect or surmise that he raised some other to Life as he did the dead Body of Elizeus and not himself Lastly they stopped the Mouth of the Sepulcher with a great Stone which could not without great force and noise be rolled away they sealed this Stone and set a Guard of their own Men at Arms about it to make sure as they thought that his Body should not be taken away but as it usually falleth out that the greatest Enemies of the Truth are the greatest means to advance it so the Seals and Guards did the more evidently seal the Resurrection of Jesus than all the other Circumstances besides They did evidently declare That he was not carried to the Sepulcher as a Captive but that as a Victor he pursued Death to his Cavern and Fort namely the Grave And there gave him so deadly a Wound that he should be no more Death but the Entrance into Life But when he that would not descend from the Cross did rise out of his Grave when he had broken the Chains of Death when he was returned with Daniel out of the Lion's Den and with Jonas out of the Whales Belly they corrupted the Watch to say That whilst they slept his Disciples came and stole him away And this was the Accomplishment of their Malice this did set them altogether without excuse this is also the nature of Sinners in a desperate degree who in despite of God and their Consciences will not fear to offend whatsoever Sin they are not able by some colour to defend they will endeavour by another Sin to conceal But O good God how blind is Malice What so absurd What so senseless which it will not say or do either to attain or maintain some deviâ—…sh Design For if the Disciples had stollen away the Body of Jesus