Seneca epist 25. efficere mortem sibi familiarem to make death his companion and as his wife that should euer lye in his bosome that by the continuall sight of death he might be euer kept to abstaine from sinne for the couetous man might be the easier drawne to contemne the trash and trumperies of this vaine and transitorie world if hee did beleeue that hee should presently dye for so prophane Esau sayth Loe I die Facile contem nit omnia qui credit se cito moritâ—rum Hieron in ep ad Paulin Eccles 10. Incert autâ—r and what good will my Birth-right doe vnto me So the proud man would let fall his Peacocks feathers if he could thinke that hee is but dust and ashes and that when he dieth hee shall inherite wormes as the wise man sayth Omnia Caesar habet sed gloria Caesaris esse desinit tumulus vix erit octo pedum And that if he triumphed in his life like Caesar to bee the sole Monarch of the world yet would his glory soone fayle when death should locke him vp in his coffin and so of all other sinnes the frequent meditation of death is the onely preseruatiue against them For as one truely sayth of himselfe Quum recordor quod sum cinis Et quam citâ— venit finis Sine fine pertimesco Et vt cinis refrigesco When I thinke I am but dust And how soon to earth I must Bernard in carm Then incessantly I shake And as dust it doth me make So questionlesse if wee did continually thinke of death and fixe that fearefull day of Gods iust iudgement before our eyes it would bee a maruelous great meanes to deterre vs from all sinnes And as the meditation of death doth preuent sinne Bosq p. 12. de finibus honorum so it sweetneth death and makes it farre the lesse terrible vnto vs for if our eyes be dead and weaned from beholding vanities The frequent meditation of death is a great meanes to preserue vs from the feare of death our eares from hearing the Syrens songs of sinnefull pleasure and our hearts especially from the loue of vaine and worldly things then certainely they will not being thus mortified and accustomed with this death to sinne bee any whit afrayd of the death of the body which is the reward of sinne but as a horse that is to runne a race hauing often walked his way before is the more fearelesse to goe on when hee comes at the day of triall so the man that is acquainted with the wayes of death through the daily meditation of death is not afrayd to die when he seeth the day of his dissolution Palladius reports it that an Eremite being at the point to die his schollers and friends asked him if death did not seeme terrible vnto him hee smilingly answered that death was no stranger but a most familiar acquaintance to him it was his manuall and his vade mecum his table-booke which he alwayes carried about him and therefore dying he did but now repeate that his old lesson which hee had beene long in learning O that it were so with euery one of vs that throughout all our life wee would learne to die The application of Christs death is the onely cause that maketh vs happie after death Osee 13.14 that hauing made death present with vs before it comes it may neuer proue terrible vnto vs when it comes Of the third the Diuine veritie sayth that the chiefest cause the onely cause indeed of this different effect of death is the application of the death of Christ for it is he that saith O death I will be thy death O graue I will bee thy destruction and therefore as when Alexander ouerthrew the walles of Thebes Phryne a harlot promised to build them vp againe if shee might ingraue vpon them this inscription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alexander battered downe this Wall but Phryne built it vp againe so we may truely say that Eue threw downe these muddie walles of ours but Christ doth rayse them vp for though the wages of sinne are death Rom. 6.23 yet the grace of God brings eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. And the manner how he doth deliuer vs and metamorphose death to become life vnto vs he himselfe doth shew when hee sayth if I be lift vp I will draw vp all vnto my selfe i. e. if I die I will destroy the power of death for so the Apostle sayth That forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood John 8.28 and C. 12.32 Heb. 2.14 15. he himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Deuill and deliuer them that through the feare of death were all their life time subiect vnto bondage 1 Machah 6.46 Iudges 16.30 and therefore as Eleazer by his owne death did put the great Elephat to death and Sampson by pulling downe the house vpon his owne head did put to death all the Philistines so Christ by his owne death did put the deuills Origen hom 8. in Iohan and all the powers of darkenesse vnto death and therefore Origen sayth that vpon the crosse of Christ two were crucified that is Christ and the deuill but after a diuers manner for Christ was crucified visibly and most willingly for hee layd downe his life himselfe but the deuill was crucified inuisibly and most vnwillingly Matth. 12.29 for this strong man armed was faine to bee bound before Christ could spoyle his house And the Lord speaking of his enemies and saying that hee would be vnto them as a Lion Ose 13.7 would obserue them as a Libbard in the way of Ashur doth foreshew vnto vs both the destruction and the manner of the destruction of these our spirituall enemies for in being like a Lion he sheweth their destruction and in being like a Libbard he sheweth the manner The manner how Christ by death ouercame death how hee would destroy them for it is obserued of the Libbard that he vseth this pollicie to kill those Apes that doe molest him first he lyeth downe as dead and suffereth the apes to mocke him and trample him and to insult ouer him as much as they will but when he perceiueth them to be wearied with leaping and skipping vpon him he reuines himselfe on a sudden and with his clawes and teeth he teareth them all to pieces euen so our Sauiour Christ suffered the deuill and death and all the wicked Iewes like apes to mocke him to tread him and trample him vnder feete to crucifie him to burie him to seale vp his graue and to haue armed Souldiers to watch him that hee should not rise any more and it may be to knocke him on the head againe if he sought to reuiue but when hee saw they had done their worst and that they could doe no more Psal 78.66.67 Hee waked as a giant out of
that he had lost the price of that Oyntment wherewith the Woman annointed Christ and which he had valued at three hundred pence went out as I shewed you before and sold Christ for thirty pence and then betrayed him into the hands of sinners Fourthly Christ being treacherously betrayed 4. The desire of the people violently apprehended and most falsly accused by the Sonnes of Belial the High Priests for very malice that they bore against Christ and for feare that the Romans if they let him escape would come and take away that rule and authoritie that was left them thought him worthy to die and deliuered him vnto Pilate and did teach the ignorant ingratefull and vnconstant multitude most earnestly to desire the death of Christ saying Crucifie him crucifie him and therefore Pilate for feare of the Priests and to please the people when he had scourged Christ condemned him and deliuered him to be crucified And yet all these were but instrumentall causes of these manifold sufferings of Christ there were other more efficient and farre greater causes then all these For Secondly The efficient cause of Christ his death The efficient cause of Christ his death Esay 53.10 was God himselfe for so the Prophet Esay saith It pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to griefe to bruise his body with tortures through the malice of the Iewes towards him and to strike his soule with griefe through the mercy of God towards vs. And so the Prophet Ieremie speaking of these sufferings in the person of Christ himselfe saith That they were sorrowes and sufferings Quae fecit mihi Deus Lament 1.12 That God himselfe laide all this punishment vpon Christ Whereby God hath afflicted me God who is termed A deuouring fire and an ouer-flowing torrent of wrath doth now make our Sauiour Christ as the onely Butte to shoote at him all the shafts of his furie he openeth him and powreth into him all the vials of his indignation and as Iob complaineth That the terrors of the Lord did set themselues in array against him So Christ when he saith Mar. 14.34 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My soule is incompassed with sorrowes on euery side sheweth how God had set himselfe against him yea though God afflicteth sometimes in mercy euen as a Father when hee correcteth his dearest Childe yet is he here said to haue done this In the fiercenesse of his wrath And therefore how could Christ choose but suffer for when God will smite who is able either by strength or wit to escape out of his hands Why God afflicted Christ But here it may be well demanded what moued Gods wrath to be thus kindled against Christ for God hateth nothing but sinne and in Christ there was no sinne neither was any guile found in his mouth And therefore seeing God neuer doth as Annas did to cause Christ to be smitten without a cause why should God be so much displeased as thus grieuously to punish his onely Sonne in whom hee was alwayes well pleased and with whom he was neuer in any wayes offended Dan. 9.27 God afflicted Christ for vs and not for himselfe To this wee must answere with the Prophet Daniel that the Messias must be slaine but not for himselfe for hee tooke vpon him the person of vs all and if a man that oweth nothing becomes a surety for a debtor if the principall becomes bankerout the surety shall be compelled to make a plenary satisfaction and he must pay that which he neuer tooke And therefore Christ vndertaking the payment of our debts and to discharge vs from Gods wrath to come Esay 53.4 5 6. He tooke vpon him our infirmities hee was wounded for our iniquities and broken for our transgressions Luc. 22.64 And so if the tormentors should say as once they did Prophesie vnto vs who it is that smote thee We may quickely become Prophets and most truly answere for him that our sinnes smote him our iniquities whipt him our pride crowned him with a crowne of thornes our drunkennesse gaue him that vinegar to drinke and in a word our sinne our grieuous sinne what sinne soeuer it be did thus haynously murther Christ and fast nayled him vnto the Crosse Quia solum peccatum homicida est Our sinnes crucified Iesus Christ For alas it was not Pilate nor Caiphas nor any one of that complicie of confederate Agents that were the efficient cause of his death for they were but the instruments and executioners onely of that punishment which our sinnes the sinnes of each man had laide vpon him and the Executioner cannot be said properly to be the cause of that mans death which by the Law is adiudged to die but to say the truth our sinnes haue killed the Sonne of God And therefore as Nathan said vnto Dauid 2 Sam. 12.7 Thou art the man that did the deede So I may say to euery sinner Thou art the man for whose sinnes God in the fiercenesse of his wrath did thus punish and afflict his onely Sonne O that this would make euery one of vs to crie out with Ionas Propter me haec tempestas I am the cause of all this troubles Ionas 1.12 of all this stormy windes and tempest Take me and cast me into the Sea And as Dauid â—hen he saw the miserable death of the people for his sinne was vexed at the heart and cried vnto the Lord saying Behold I haue sinned and I haue done wickedly 2 Sam. 24.17 but these sheepe what haue they done So I wish that euery one of vs would see it and say it It is I Lord that haue sinned but for this innocent Lambe this harmelesse Doue alas what hath he done And I hope this would make vs to hate and detest our sinnes when we consider that they were the onely murtherers of the Sonne of God You see then that as in the Law it was ordained that a man should bring his Beast to the doore of the Tabernacle and should put his hand vpon the head of it when hee offered the same for a burnt offering vnto God to shew vnto vs that the man himselfe had indeede deserued to die Leuit. 1.4 and that the Beast was onely slaine for his offences So here our Sauiour Christ was put to death not for any cause of his owne but as Saint Peter saith 1 Pet. 3.18 The iust suffered for the vniust he was wounded for our sinnes and crucified for our transgressions But then againe it may be demanded Quest What moued Christ to vndertake our debts Resp why should he vndertake our debt and make satisfaction for our sinnes when as wee had no wayes deserued any kindnesse at his hands and could by no meanes requite so great a benefit I answere That it was requisite and necessary that he should suffer for our sinnes to fulfill the truth of God because hee had promised that the seede of the Woman should breake the
iudged a contempt of knowledge then an ignorance of the trueth And therfore if for our sinnes we pleade ignorance when we might easily haue knowne the will of God if we had had any desire or diligence to search out the same we shall but deceaue our selues and be found guilty of greater condemnation Secondly For the sinnes of knowledge Iohn 9.39 What a fearefull thing it is to commit those sinnes which we know to be sinnes Our Sauiour sayth of the Pharisees that if they were blind they should haue no sinne but because they said they did see therefore their sinne remained For as Adams great perfection both in power and knowledge made his sinne so vnexcusable and the like transcendent excellency of Lucifer made his fall so vnrecouerable so the more noble the more powerfull or the more excellent in knowledge we be the more haynous and intollerable are our sinnes And therefore Saint Chrysostome saith Chrysost hom 5. in Rom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee that hath enioyed more instruction deserues to vndergoe the more punishment if he transgresse and our Sauiour saith Luk. 12.47 that the seruant which knoweth his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes For to him that knoweth to doe good James 4.17 and doth it not to him it is sinne i. e. Sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sinne in the highest degree saith the Apostle And yet as an old man said of the Athenians at the games of Olympus Plutarch in lacon Athenienes norunt quid sit honestum sed eo soli vtuntur Lacedaemonij They knew what was honest but they did it not they were excellent gnostrickes but bad practitioners like the Pharisees that sate in Moses Chaire and taught what was good but did none of those things themselues That we doe those sinnes which we know to be grieuous sinnes So might I say of many millions of men amongst vs they know that swearing and drunkenesse lewdnesse and prophannesse and such like horrible sins are most odious damnable in the sight of God They know the Sabbaoths should be sanctified our poore Brethren should be releeued Rom. 1. vlt. and our good God should be worshipped they know that they which commit such sinnes are worthy of death and that they which doe such workes of pietie shall be sure of life and yet you see how we doe continually commit the one and omit the other Alas beloued we cannot say with Saint Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 we doe it ignorantly We cannot say we know not these things to be sinnes for we know them we doe know them and yet we daily doe them And therefore art thou inexcusable O man Rom. 2.1 whosoeuer thou art that knowest these things Bern. in Cantic Ser. 36. or the like to be sinne and yet wilt fearelesly carelesly commit them then of all other men thou shalt finde thy selfe at last to be most wofull and lamentable for The excellency of our knowledge makes vs the more horrible sinners in the sight of God vt cibus sumptus non decoctus perniciofus est As meate receiued and not digested proues most dangerous or as physicke taken inwardly and not working outwardly proues poysonous so the knowledge of the truth which is the meate and physicke of our soules being receiued in our vnderstanding and not practised in our conuersation will proue to be a most dangerous deadly disease vnto euery Christian soule What the sins of infirmity are 3. We say those are the sinnes of infirmity when in our hearts wee haue an earnest desire to serue our God and to refraine from sinne but through the violence of Satans temptations and the vntamed lusts of our owne flesh which is euer prone to euill and vnapt to good wee either neglect that duty which wee heartily desire to doe or perpetrate those deedes which by no meanes wee would doe for so our Sauiour saith of his Disciples Math 26.41 that the spirit was willing but the flesh was weake So Saint Peter in heart was willing to die with his Master but for feare of death he was driuen to deny him and to sweare that he knew him not Cap 26.14 and so all other Saints of God doe finde that how desirous soeuer they be to doe their duties and to serue their God their flesh is often times weake and vnwilling to performe those good things and most violently strong to draw their vnwilling soules to sinne Aug. de eccles dogmat That no man is free from the sinnes of infirmity And therefore Saint Augustine saith that in respect of this infirmity of the flesh Nullus Sanctus iustus vacuus est peccato nec tamen definit esse iustus quia affectu semper tenet Sanctitatem There is not any Saint that is void of sinne neither yet may he be said for that to be no Saint because in heart and affection he alwayes desireth and to the vttermost of his ability followeth after Sanctity and so Saint Iohn sheweth quod non est homo qui non peccat Iames 3.2 That no man liueth but he sinneth for in some things we sin all i. e. through the infirmity of our flesh and yet he that is borne of God Iohn 3.9 sinneth not that is with his full consent but doth euen then sigh and grieue in spirit when his flesh drawes him on to sinne But that we may the better know those sinnes which though they be enormities in themselues yet may be truely sayd to bee infirmities in the Saints and may stand with grace Galat. 6.1 as they are committed by them it is obserued by Diuines that they are First Such sinnes as are committed of incogitancie Aug. de peccat merit remiss l 2. cap. 2. and besides the purpose generall or particular of the offender i. e. sinnes of precipitation and not of deliberation as Saint Gregorie tearmes them for so Saint Augustine speaking of these sinnes sayth Tentatio fallit praeoccupat nescientes How we may know sinnes of infirmity by foure speciall differences they doe suddenly assault vs and attache vs vnawares and we are as it were ouertaken with the sinne before we can see the sinne So the adultery of Dauid was not thought of before it was suggested and the deniall of Saint Peter was neuer purposed vntill it was acted Secondly Such sinnes as are euer resisted to the vttermost of our abilities before they be committed and yet at last are perpetrated quia tentatio praemit vrget infirmos Aug quo supra because the violence of the temptation subdueth the infirmitie of our flesh Thirdly Such sinnes as haue for their causes some preualent passions in nature as the feare of death in Saint Peter which is the most terrible of all euill sayth the Philosopher and the feare of shame in Dauid which many men doe more feare then death Fourthly Such sinnes as in the reluctation are
that we haue John 1.17 we haue them all through Iesus Christ our Lord. And thus by the helpe of Gods Spirit wee haue thus farre sayled through the boundlesse Ocean of Gods goodnesse and in all this we can shew you no more then little drops of raine or small sparkes of fire What wee should learne from this doctrine of Gods goodnesse in comparison of the huge elements of fire and water so great is his goodnesse and so vnable is our small vnderstanding to apprehend the greatnesse of Gods goodnesse It should teach vs First to be afraid to sinne for there is mercy with God First to be afraid to sinne that he may be feared or if we haue sinned to make vs presently to forsake our sinnes and to be sorrowfull for our offences for the mercy of God leadeth vs to repentance saith the Apostle And herein is the difference betwixt the wicked and the godly mans application of Gods goodnesse First the wicked considereth how gracious and how mercifull the Lord is as well as the best but he maketh the worst vse of this that possible can be for he saith vnto himselfe Ezek. 18.32 that the mercy of God is great and he desireth not the death of a sinner which is most true but then he inferres a most damnable consequence How the wicked doe abuse Gods goodnesse Rom. 2.5 that therefore he may the more boldly goe on in sinne or at least with the lesse feare offend his God and so he maketh the grace and goodnesse of God to be as an horse to carry away his sinnes or as his sole incouragement to goe on in sinne and therby he heapeth vnto himselfe wrath against the day of wrath because as the wise man saith Mercy and wrath come from God and his indignation falleth downe vpon sinners But Secondly the godly considering the goodnesse of God doe thereupon exceedingly feare to sinne because they are loath to offend so good a God The consideration of Gods goodnesse is a meanes to preserue the good men from sinne that hath beene so gracious and so bountifull vnto them and if at any time through their infirmitie they doe offend him they will presently returne to God because they know God is euer ready to receiue them and so they make the consideration of Gods goodnesse to be a hinderance of their sinning and offending God and to be a furtherance of their repenting and returne to God And I would to God wee would all make this vse of the Mercy of God and say with that Christian Poet Ah miser an summi quoniam propensa parentis Ad veniam est bonitas in scelus omne ruis Ah wretched men that we are shall we abound in sinne because God abounds in goodnesse God forbid for that were to turne the grace of God into wantonnes and to abuse his goodnes for our destruction and not to vse it for our saluation And therefore the better God hath beene to vs the more wee should bleed to offend that God we should call to minde if wee can wherein God wronged our names that wee should so often at euery word almost abuse the most sacred name of God or when hee was hard to vs that we should so hardly deale with him as by our sinnes we doe to render him euill for good and hatred for good will Secondly neuer to despaire of Gods Mercie Rom. 5.2 Secondly this Doctrine teacheth vs neuer to despaire of Gods Mercy for where sinne aboundeth grace superaboundeth i. e. though thy sinnes be neuer so great neuer so many yet the Mercie of God is greater and therefore thou art deceiued Caine to say Gen. 4.13 Thy sinne is greater then can be forgiuen thee for though my sinne were greater then euer hath beene committed yet it is not greater then God can forgiue me or though I were neuer so full of sinnes yet is God more full of mercies because no sinnes of man can exceede the Mercy of God Chrysost hom 19. in Gen. as Saint Chrysostome saith and therefore though my sinnes were neuer so many euen as many as haue beene committed in the world since the beginning of the world Esay 44.22 yet seeing the Lord can put them all away like a cloud and though they were neuer so haynous euen as red as scarlet yet seeing the Lord can make them as white as snow I ought neuer to despaire of the grace and Mercy of God Quia semper inueniam Deum benigniorem quaÌ„ me culpabiliorem Because I shall be sure to finde God more Mercifull then I am sinfull as Saint Bernard saith Bernard ser 1. Et quia vberior Dei gratia quam precatio nostra semper plus tribuens quam rogatur And because God is euer reâ—dier to forgiue then we are to craue pardon and doth alwayes bestow more then vsually we desire as Saint Ambrose saith Ambros super Luc. l. 5. Et deserentes se non deserit And doth not alwayes leaue them which forsake him as Saint Gregory saith Sed impios quaerit qui eum non quaerebant But doth oftentimes seeke for those wicked men Greg. ho. 22. super illud Ecce caeperunt excusare c. that neuer sought for him And this is the chiefest end and the rightest vse of the Mercy of God for as Medicamentum propter vulnus The salue is made for the wound and not the wound because I haue a salue so the Mercy of God is taught to heale our wounded soules and not to incourage vs to wound our soules with sinne saith Saint Augustine But here it may be obiected Ob. that there is a sinne against the Holy Ghost which cannot be pardoned and therefore all sinners cannot from hence conceiue hope of pardon I answere first Sol. What the sinne against the holy Ghost is Beza ho. 28. de pass Dom. That sinne is called irremissible three wayes that although we may partly know what this sinne is viz. A willing witting malicious totall apostacie yet I say we can neuer discerne where it is Sine rarissimis inspirationibus Without some rare and speciall inspiration as Beza saith which few or none can now say he is sure of Secondly I say that a sinne may be called irremissible three wayes First Priuatiuely when the sinne by congruence of merit deserues damnation though by the congruence of Gods Mercies it may be pardoned and so are all sinnes irremissible if we consider their iust desert Secondly Contrarily when the sinne doth not onely deserue punishment but also opposeth pardon and refuseth all the meanes of remission and so is the sinne against the Holy Ghost irremissible because it not onely not seeketh but also reiecteth and opposeth pardon Thirdly Negatiuely That there is no sinne in the world but God can forgiue it when the sinne can no wayes be remitted and so in my iudgement is no sinne vnpardonable For though in regard of our impenitency and perpetuall
of Christ differ from ours in three respects First In respect of the obiect for we many times feare where there is no feare and we doe loue the things which we should despise but he onely feared the things that are to be feared and loued the things that are to be loued indeed Secondly In respect of the manner for will wee will we these affections will inuade vs and when they haue once taken hold vpon vs we doe many times feare and loue and hate if not against reason yet surely beyond and beside all reason and so that as we cannot guide them so we cannot leaue them when we would but CHRIST is angry reioyceth feareth loueth when and where and so much as iust reason directeth him for these affections master vs but he mastereth them and therefore Saint Augustine saith that Aug. in Johan potestate non infirmitate turbauit seipsum These affections are rather signes of his omnipotency then arguments of his infirmitie because he mastereth their willingnesse to oppresse him when they cannot find any weakenesse in him to be oppressed Thirdly In respect of the effects for our passions and affections blinde vs so that we cannot see the light of truth in whom we loue we see no sinne our loue is blinde and in whom we hate we can see no goodnesse for malitia corum exaecauit eos the malice of the wicked blindeth them saith the wise man and as the Poet saith of wrath Impedit ira animum ne possit cernere verum That it blindeth our eyes and disturbeth our senses so as wee know not what is what So might I say of feare of loue and of euery other vehement passion Non modo memoriam excutit Plutarch in l. de Fortuna Alexand. sed quoduis constitutum quemuis conatum impedit It doth not onely disturbe our memories but it hindereth all our purposes and indeuours so that in respect of these we forget many times and are hindered oftentimes to doe those things which our selues most of all desire to effect Psal 55.5 and therefore the Psalmist according to the vulgar Latine saith Timor hebetudo mentis venerunt super me contexerunt me tenebrae Fearefulnesse and trembling came vpon me and then darkenesse hath inuironed me or an horrible dread hath ouer-whelmed me and the reason hereof is truely rendred by the Philosopher Auicen rer nat lib. 6. c 5. Quia potentiae naturales intensae mutuo se impediunt The naturall powers stretched to the highest straine doe mutually disturbe and hinder each other to discharge their right functions and therefore exceeding ioy swalloweth vp griefe and so of all the rest Arist aethic l. 7. c. 14. the more intentiue we are to see any thing the lesse able wee are to heare any other thing according to that vulgar saying Pluribus intentus minor est ad singula sensus The sense intent to many things To each one truth it neuer brings But in Christ they could neuer diuert him from his desire they could neuer darken his vnderstanding nor any wayes hinder the execution of his Office Neither concourse of many yea of most contrary passions and affections as loue and hatred ioy and griefe and such like any wayes mitigate or stupifie the sharpenesse or liuely-hood each of other but that euen now when he most feareth this deadly Cup he exceedingly reioyceth at the benefits that he seeth shall accrew thereby And therefore though I easily grant that nature it selfe abhorreth death the soule and body being euer loth to part and euery thing desirous of life yet that death should be thus feared thus prayed against thus melt our Sauiour Christ into such a bloudy sweat I cannot willingly yeeld For Iohn 8.20 First Desiderio desiderauit With a longing desire did hee wish this houre and he calleth it his houre as if in that houre he were to inioy his longing and he makes no more account of his death then of his dipping in the water Luke 12 5. for be calleth the same a Baptisme John 2.4 saying I must be baptized with a baptisme and how am I troubled till that be ended i. e. How am I payned and grieued Iohn 11. not because I must vndergoe it for that is my chiefest desire but because I must stay yet a while Mine houre being not yet come before I may doe it and therefore to this end Quasi ambiens mortem as one that would euer keepe himselfe in his enemies sight or as one desirous to be dissolued he goeth vp vnto Ierusalem he raiseth Lazarus from the dead that the wrath of the Iewes Iohn 13.27 being stirred vp by this present miracle he might be the sooner condemned vnto death he biddeth Iudas to doe quickely what he meant to doe not commanding the Act but as desiring the speedinesse of the Act as Caietan saith and knowing that his howre was at hand and his enemies neere hee saith vnto his Disciples Come let vs goe meet them because they were not so desirous to take him Matth. 26.46 as he was to be taken by them And therefore I cannot see how so much feare of death as to cause such an agony and such a greedy desire of death can stand together especially in such a person whose Passions cannot inuade him beyond the limits of his owne Commission but that we must ascribe farre greater matters to be the causes of this great and fearefull agony Seconly We see his Saints and seruants not onely willing to die but also running with Ignatius vnto the beasts and singing with the Salamander in the midst of the fire and therefore shall we thinke that this heauenly Physitian which healed others would not heale himselfe and which strengthened others to call and cry for death would thus vehemently pray and cry onely for feare of death But to this it is answered The Saints at their death were supported by God that the Saints were supported by the power of his grace and they were enabled by the helpe of his Spirit and therefore no wonder though they desired it but Christ though he was both God and Man yet was he now lest destitute of tâ—e helpe both of God and Man for all his friends forsak't him and the God-head himselfe which was himselfe did now sequester and withdraw all his helpe from this poore destitute and distressed man Iesus Christ and therefore no maruell that he being wholly left to himselfe nay not himselfe but the Humanitie it selfe should be thus moued and troubled at the sight of death I confesse that although Martyres non eripuit God did not deliuer his Martyres from death yet nunquam deseruit He did neuer forsake them at their death Whether Christ was wholly destitute of all assistance from the Godhead but distilled still into their hearts abundant comforts of his heauenly Spirit and it is most true that very much of the influence of Gods comfort and of the
maius opprobrium quo nullum vilius A punishment then which there could not be greater and a shame then which there could not be viler The first which was but the least thing that grieued him yet it caused a colluctation of the flesh with paine Aristot 3. aethic with death because the flesh naturally is desirous to escape them both Et omnium terribilium terribilissimum est mors And of all terrible things death is the most terrible thing saith the Philosopher and therefore the very remembrance of the same Secondly His Shame The Shamefull handling of Christ was more grieuous vnto him then all his corporall sufferings must needs bring a terror vnto flesh and bloud And the second which was the shamefull things that were to be done vnto him to be scorned and scoffed accounted as wicked taken by the wicked and condemned with the wicked and so shamefully handled shamefully deemed shamefully dying did a great deale more perplexe and grieue him then the former any man wishing rather to dye then to suffer shame shame being a greater punishment vnto the minde and soule then any torture can be vnto the flesh Nature alwayes releeueth the part most distressed for nature cleane contrary to the course of the world which alwayes taketh part with the stronger-side and layeth helpe vpon them that are mighty vseth alwayes to assist the weaker part as it appeareth plainely in the letting of bloud in the arme or in any other place for then nature as it doth still send the bloud Quasi agmine facto as it were on heapes from all the parts of the body thither vntill the said rupture be stopped vp againe and so likewise when the heart of man which is the seate of feare begins to be troubled with any vehement or horrible feare then will nature presently collect the bloud about the same for to assist it whereby the face is left pale and all the exterior parts as it were voide of life and when the face of man which is the seate of shamefastnesse and honesty is aspersed with shame and reproach then presently the bloud relinquisheth all the interior parts and gathers it selfe vnto the face as to that part which now hath most need to be sustayned wâ—ereby we truely say that Pallor timentium rubor erubescentium est signum To blush is the signe of shame and to be pale is an argument of feare And therefore though the feare of his punishment and of death did neerely touch him yet to shew that the consideration of this most shamefull handling of him did more perplexe him his bloud did not collect it selfe vnto the heart though the same was much affrighted but leauing the heart as it were destitute of all helpe it flew into his face as vnto that part which for shame of their dispitefull vsage of him had most neede to be assisted and from thence as the pretious oyntment that was powred vpon Aarons head ranne downe vnto his beard and from thence vnto the skirts of his cloathing So this pretious bloud of Christ gushing out chiefly at his face it plentifully trickled downe to the ground Secondly The deferring of his suffering much grieued our Sauiour As the consideration and fore-sight of these things did much grieue him so the dilation and deferring of them did not a little trouble him for as the expectation of death is many times more grieuous vnto the affrighted flesh then death it selfe so was the dilation of that good which was to proceede from his death a great deale more grieuous vnto him then many deaths for hee was most greedy of our saluation and as the Horse made ready vnto the battle and hearing the Trumpets sounding Virgil. l. 4. Aeneid Stare loco nescit micat auribus tremit artus fraena faerox spumantia mandit doth fame and fome and cannot stand but still striueth to goe forward so Christ hauing this baptisme to be baptized with he was exceedingly pained vntill that was ended Quia spes quae differtur affligit animam Because as Salomon saith hope deferred or expectation prolonged languisheth the soule and therefore as Ionas saâ—d Irascor vsque ad mortem I am exceedingly angry euen vnto death that is because death comes not to me for I doe seeke for death and it flies from me so Christ was grieued vnto death Ambr. 7. in Luc. Non ex metu mortis suae sed ex mora redemptionis nostrae Not for any feare of his owne death but by reason of the delaying of our deliuerance from euerlasting death as Saint Ambrose saith What Christ fore-saw in respâ—ct of vs. Secondly As he fore-saw these things in respect of himselfe so in respect of others he fore-saw First the neglecting of his bloud First The small account that many men would make of this his so great a suffering he saw how few would imbrace it and how many would contemne it and therefore when he considered with himselfe Quae vtilitas in sanguine suo What profit might accrew from his bloud knowing that the least drop of it was of sufficient value to saue the whole world and yet by reason of the iniquitie and incredulity of men that all of it being spilt and shed it should notwithstanding saue but a remnant and a small company of men it could not choose but grieue and vexe his righteous soule to see his bloud spilt in vaine for would it not grieue any man to pay an infinite price to saue a base slaue from death and to see that villaine presently cast himselfe to death and with all his strength and wit to seeke the death of his Redeemer this was the case of Christ for he was willing to redeeme vs with his owne most precious bloud and yet he saw the wicked would trample this benefit vnder foot account the bloud of the couenant as an vnholy thing Heb. 10.29 and make none other vse of it but most fearefully to sweare by it and abuse it and so bringing vpon themselues swift damnation and therefore seeing euery sin grieues God this must grieue him most of all O then beloued brethren seeing as it grieueth the Husbandman to see his ground well manured still continuing barren so it is a griefe to Christ to see his bloud grow fruitlesse and that it is a ioy to him by our conuersion to see the fruits of his labours O let vs neuer cause him to say Esay 49.4 In vacuum laboraui I haue laboured in vaine but let vs truely repent vs of our sinnes and faithfully lay hold of his death that so both the Angels and this Lord of Angels may reioyce Secondly He fore-saw the great punishment and aduersitie that should light vpon many men and vpon many sorts of men for The dispersion of the Apostles Zach. 13.7 and by meanes of this his sufferings and his cruell death As First Vpon his owne Disciples and decrest Apostles for I will
yet here they hanged either till their bloud distilled by little and little out of those wounds that were made in their hands and feete or till they died with the extremitie of hunger vnlesse in pittie their tormentors would by violence hasten their much desired death by a butcherly breaking off their legges and so dismembring of their tortured bodies as they did vnto those two theeues that were crucified with our Sauiour And this was the death the accursed base seruile ignominious and most painefull death that our Sauiour Christ was put vnto It is reported of Aristides that he dying by the bite of a Weesell said Aelian de var. Hist lib. 14. c. 4. that his death would haue been more pleasant more acceptable vnto him if he had died more honourably by the clawes of a Lyon or a Libbard and not by the teeth of such a contemptible beast And what a griefe was it vnto the Sonne of God to be put vnto this I know not whether more shamefull or more painefull death And besides it is worth the obseruing All circumstances doe aggrauate the griefe of Christ vpon the Crosse that they crucified him then and at that time when he had deliuered their Fathers out of the Land of Egypt out of the House of Bondage In commemoration of which benefit their Passeouer was to be celebrated and a great concourse of people was then euer present at Ierusalem And further they did not onely exclude him out of their Citie and put him to death without their gates as Saint Paul noteth but they did also consort him with the wicked and crucified him betwixt two theeues so cruelly they did deale and so basely they did esteeme of him Secondly After they had thus nayled him vnto the Crosse in stead of the comfort of pittying him which wee vse to shew vnto the vilest Malefactors in such extremities and which is some kinde of satisfaction vnto the sufferer he findes his friends forsaking him not daring to say Alas for him How they scoffed at Christ vpoÌ„ the Crosse and he seeth his enemies deriding him in the middest of his sorrowes and shaking their heads at him and saying O thou dissembling and disloyall wretch thou sauest others but thy selfe thou canst not saue thou canst destroy the Temple and build it againe in three dayes but thou canst not come downe from the Crosse to preserue thy life for if thou beest the Sonne of God come downe from the Crosse Why Christ came not downe from the Crosse and we will beleeue in thee But to this Saint Ambrose answereth O stulte caece grex sacerdotum nunquid impossibile erat ei de paruo stipite ligni descendere qui descendit è caelorum altitudine O foolish blinde and sencelesse Flocke of Priests doe you thinke it vnpossible for him to come downe from a little piece of wood which came downe from the height of Heauen Non venit vt se liberare qui subseruâ—tute non erat sed vt nos de seruitute redimeret Ambros in 27 Math. or doe you thinke that your bonds or nayles or fastening of him to the Crosse were able to detaine him there when as the Heauen anâ— all the Host of Heauen were not able to hold him from descending from this ascending to the Crosse for hee came not to free himselfe from death but to deliuer himselfe to death tâ—at hee might free vs from eternall death And therefore hee patiently suffered all all paine all contempts and all disgraces yet they still went on from one degree of scoffes vnto another for when he in a most disconsolate state cried Eloi Eloi Lamasabachthani They doe in a most barbarous scoffing manner say Stay and see if Elias will come to helpe him And thus was he flouted and derided by all that beheld him by the Souldiers by the High Priests by them that passed by yea by the very Theeues that were hanged with him And what is this but to adde an vnspeakeable sorrow vnto an insufferable paine and so as Salomon saith to grieue him more and more that was already too much afflicted at the heart How they gaue him vinegar to drinke Thirdly When hee most lamentably in the middest of this hotte and grieuous conflict with Satan sinne and the wrath of God cried I thirst they most despightfully giue him vinegar to drinke a sweete drinke for a dying man to augment his griefe but not to quench his thirst How they diuided his garments Fourthly They take those blessed Garments wherewith he had wrought many a Heauenly miracle and before his face they diuide the same among the wicked and most barbarous bloudy Souldiers And How Christ being dead they still raged against him Fiftly When he was quite dead their malice still remained aliue so that he might iustly say Nec mors mihi finiet iras Saeua sed in manes manibus arma dabant They did most furiously rage against his harmelesse Ghost for though they saw that he was already dead yet still they persecute him Et miles validis ingentem viribus hastam In latus contorsit And one of those immane and bloudy Souldiers pierced his side with such a mighty speare that it made so deepe a wound as that Thomas might well put his hand into the same And thus did our Sauiour suffer in Golgotha in the Fields of Caluarie Diuers obseruable things to be considered First Of all sorts of men Iewes Gentiles Princes of the people Priests Souldiers Masters Seruants Friends Strangers Young Old Male and Female Secondly In all the things wherein it was possible for a man to suffer as first in his friends for they all forsooke him and not one of them assisted him when hee was thus persecuted by his foes Secondly In his good name for they loaded him with lies and accused him of blasphemies Thirdly In his outward goods which we call goods of Fortune for though he had nothing but his cloathes yet they stripped him of his garments and left him starke naked but what had beene abscene for themselues to see in the sight of all men Fourthly In all his sences for his holy eares heard nothing but shamefull reuilings his bright eyes saw nothing but cruell enemies his feeling could perceiue nothing but sharpenesse of nayles his smelling but their stincking spittles and his taste but gall and vinegar Fiftly in all the members of his body How Christ suffered in all the members of his body for his head was wounded with a crowne of thornes his face was defiled with their filthy spittings and most shamefully buffeted with their sacrilegious fists his eyes dazeled with blowes and amazed to see their outragious cruelties his hands and feete nayled vnto the Crosse his heart pierced with a speare and in a word his whole body was so pittifully rent and torne with whippings scourgings that we may truly say Totum est pro vulnere corpus That from the