purpose in hand in shewing that this Doctrine is in it self false When God was about to send Moses to the Israelites in Egypt Ex. 4.1 we find Moses objected and said they will not believe me Hereupon God bids him cast his rod upon the ground and the rod was turned into a serpent And this that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers v. 5. c. hath appeared unto thee saith God to Moses After this the hand of Moses was turned leprous and restored again upon which Moses is told that if the Israelites would not believe him upon the first v. 8. that they should believe the voice of the latter sign Moses tells Pharaoh that at his request the plague of frogs should be removed Ex. 8.10 that thou mayst know says he that there is none like unto the Lord our God So far it is evident that Moses wrought signs to procure belief But let us follow Moses out of Egypt into the Wilderness and see whether it be true which Maimon affirms that those Miracles were not wrought to gain belief to his Prophecy I shall content my self with one of the Miracles which Maimon himself mentions as a work that Moses did to serve a present necessity and not to gain credit to his Prophecy And that is the Miracle which was wrought upon occasion of the rebellion of Corah and his company Now it is very evident from the Text that that Miracle was wrought to assert the Prophecy of Moses as well as the right of Aaron as will appear from the words of Moses to Corah and his company Numb 16.5 To morrow says he the Lord will shew who are his and who is holy and will cause him to come near unto him even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him Again when those evil men were about to be swallowed up we find Moses saying Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to doe all these works for I have not done them of mine own mind If these men dye the common death of all men or if they be visited after the visitation of all men then the Lord hath not sent me v. 28 29 30. But if the Lord make a new thing and the Earth open her mouth and swallow them up with all that appertain unto them and they go down quick into the pit then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. Hence it is evident that the Miracle confirmed the Mission of Moses and so had a direct tendence to gain credit and belief unto his Prophecy and that a Miracle is a good confirmation of a Doctrine No wonder then that we find our Saviour frequently appealing to his Miracles as the evidences of his commission I have says he greater witness than that of John for the work which the father hath given me to finish Joh. 5.36 the same works that I doe bear witness of me that the father hath sent me Again we read elsewhere to the same purpose Then came the Jews round about him and said unto him how long dost thou make us to doubt If thou be the Christ tell us plainly And thereupon it follows presently Jesus answered them Joh. 10.24 25. I told you and ye believed not The works that I doe in my father's name bear witness of me Again Believe me that I am in the father and the father in me or else believe me for the very works sake And in another place our Saviour says Joh. 14.11.15.24.10.37 38. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did they had not had sin Again if I doe not the works of my father believe me not but if I do though ye believe not me believe the works that ye may know and believe that the father is in me and I in him Besides we find that men were greatly convinced by the Miracles which Jesus wrought when he had miraculously fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes as it is said then those men when they had seen the Miracle that Jesus did said Joh. 6.14.2.11.23 this is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world And when he had turned water into wine 't is said that his disciples believed on him And when he was at Jerusalem at the Passover in the feast-day many believed in his name when they saw the Miracles which he did The works of Jesus were very convictive and great was the evidence that they were attended with When our Saviour raised the widows son of Naim There came a great fear on all Luk. 7.16 and they glorified God saying that a great Prophet is risen up among us and that God hath visited his people To this purpose Nicodemus tells our Lord. Joh. 3.2 Rabbi say he we know that thou art a teacher come from God And then follows that which gives him the ground of this perswasion of his For no man can doe those Miracles which thou doest except God be with him And the blind man who was restored to sight speaks to the same purpose Joh. 9.32 33. Since the world began says he it was not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind If this man were not of God he could doe nothing whence it appears that the people were greatly convinced by the works which they saw Jesus doe Indeed our Saviour appeared in a mean and poor condition in the world he was reproached and traduced and accused by evil men But then the works which he did which were the works of the spirit did clear and justifie our Saviour 1 Tim. 3.16 And to this sense I understand the Apostle's words where he tells us that God was manifested in the flesh and adds that he was justified in the spirit Or justified and cleared from false accusations by the spirit ' Ev signifies by Matt. 17.21 ch 23. v. 16. Luk. 4. v. 1. Heb. 1.1 Matt. 12.28 For so those words may be rendred which we render in the spirit It was we know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the spirit of God that Jesus cast out Devils His miraculous works did proceed from the spirit of God And he was justified by that spirit when he wrought miracles This is no new interpretation We find it in one of the ancient Fathers He was justified by the spirit i. e. by the divine spirit he wrought miracles But if I cast out Devils by the spirit of God says he It was therefore demonstrated and plain by miracles that he was true God Theodoret in 1 〈◊〉 c. 3. v. 16. and the Son of God Thus the Centurion by the Cross when he saw the earthquake and the darkness said This of a truth is the Son of God The Holy Spirit did acquit our blessed Saviour from the aspersions which were cast upon him And may very well be said to be an Advocate to our
R. Solom R. Bechai in Deut. 16.6 But R. Solomon upon those words speaks more explicitly and plainly still At even c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He tells us that in these words we have three several times placed before us 1. The time of sacrificing or killing the Paschal Lamb at even i. e. after the sixth hour of the day and onward 2. The time of eating it and that is when the Sun sets 3. The time of burning the remainder and that is the season in which they came out of Egypt And to the same sense R. Bechai interprets these words 3. That though these three several times be laid before us viz. the Even Sun-set and the Season in which they came out of Egypt yet is there no need to understand any of them as belonging to the sacrificing the Passeover but the even onely Thou shalt sacrifice the Passeover at even i. e. post declinationem solis as Lyra interprets it well For though it follow at the going down of the Sun c. it does not therefore hence follow that those words relate to the same matter For the proof of this I shall need go no farther than to the second verse of this Chapter there it is said Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passeover unto the Lord thy God of the flock and the herd Where 't is evident that the flock relates to the Passeover onely according to the law Exod. 12.3 5. And therefore the herd must belong to some other matter and therefore the Jews understand it of the Chagigah or the other offerings which were offered up during the Passeover So that by this time it will not be hard to understand what is meant by between the two evenings which was also the time of the daily evening sacrifice Num. 28.4 which was wont to be offered up about our three in the afternoon or their ninth hour which was also a stated time of prayer Act. 3.1 It is evident that the time between the first deelining of the Sun to its setting is that time which is between the two Evenings And then our three a clock or their ninth hour when the day consists of twelve hours is the exact middle between the two Evenings Let us now see how well the time of Christ's death agrees with this And that it seems to do very exactly for besides that he was Crucified at the Passeover so he seems to have dyed about that moment of time when they were wont to slay the Paschal Lamb which as I have shewed was about their ninth hour They begin to Crucifie him at the third hour of the day Mark 15.25 at the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole land untill the ninth hour v. 33. at the ninth hour he cries out my God my God c. v. 34. and presently upon that we read that he gave up the Ghost v. 37. And that all this happened before the latter Evening and so consequently between the two Evenings appears from v. 42 43. where we read that when even was come Joseph begs the body of Jesus So that Christ our Passeover the great Antitype of the Paschal Lamb dyes between the two Evenings And as in other particulars our Lord did fully answer what was typified of him in that Sacrifice so he does also in the time of his death which was about the ninth hour which was the precise time of slaying the Paschal Lamb. Thirdly The place of our Saviour's death This was also prefigured of old and fulfilled in the death of Jesus We know that the Sacrifices of old were not to be offered up any where but within the camp at first and afterwards at Jerusalem the place which God had chosen to place which God had chosen to place his name there Our Lord who was to suffer and to be slain a Sacrifice for our sins did suffer in that place In that City he was accused and condemned and abused and afterwards without the Gate he suffered death as some of the Sin-offerings under the Law of Moses were burnt without the Camp The City of Jerusalem answered to the Camp in the Wilderness and what was done without the Camp at first was when Jerusalem was chosen to be done without the Gates of the City Heb. 13.11 Fourthly let us consider still more particularly the manner and circumstances of the death of Jesus and we shall find what was of old predicted and prefigured was fulfilled in our Jesus As for example That he was betrayed by his own Disciple the Evangelists report And this the Psalmist had foretold long before in these words Mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted which did eat of my bread hath lift up his heel against me And what St. John reports is very remarkable to this purpose when our Saviour had told his Disciples that they were not all clean intimating that one of them should betray him he tells us what our Saviour adds I speak not of you all I know whom I have chosen but that the Scripture may be fulfilled he that eateth bread with me hath lift up his heel against me Now says our Saviour I tell you before it come that when it is come to pass ye may believe that I am he v. 18 19. His meaning is that they should be confirmed in their belief of him when they should compare the treachery of Judas which was predicted by the Psalmist and foretold by himself Joh. 18.2 with Psalm 41.9 Joh. 13.10 11. That he was betrayed for thirty pieces of Silver we read in the Gospel and the same was foretold by the Prophet Zechary and not onely that but also the use that this money was put to viz. the buying the Potters field Matt. 26.15 and 27.7 8 9. with Zechar. 11.12 13. That he was crucified between two Thieves the Evangelists report and the Prophet long before had foretold that he should be numbred with transgressors And our Saviour a little before his death tells his Disciples of it in these words Luk. 22.37 For I say unto you that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me and he was reckoned among the transgressors For the things concerning me have an end Matt. 27.38 with Isai 53.12 When he was upon the Cross there was given him Vinegar to drink and no less was foretold by the Psalmist in my thirst they gave me Vinegar to drink And our Saviour's thirst at that time was to verifie that prediction Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished and that the Scripture might be fulfilled saith I thirst Upon which they gave him Vinegar to drink This is the more remarkable still because it was contrary to the constant custome and courtesie of the Nation to give him that was condemned to die Vinegar to drink For whereas such a sharp liquor is apt to awaken to a sense of pain the Jews were wont to give such persons a stupifying or Narcotick potion to ruffle and disorder their minds that they
much and more as we have for other things of the truth of which we neither do nor can reasonably make any manner of doubt as much as we can reasonably desire or expect And what that is we may learn from the following particulars 1. We have the most unexceptionable humane Testimony that can be desired that Jesus did rise from the dead For we have it from them who saw him and conversed with him to whom he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs being seen of them forty days From them who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead That there was such a persons as Jesus and that he died the Jews themselves do not deny That this Jesus did rise again we have the greatest assurance from those who saw him Act. 1.3 and ch 10.41 First he appeared to Mary Magdalen and to other Women And this appearance to Mary Magdalen was his first appearance Mark 16.9 Joh. 20.14 Matt. 28.9 Secondly he appeared to two of his Disciples going to Emmaus And they were Peter and Cleophas That Cleophas was the same with Alpheus as may be collected from Joh. 19.25 compared with Matt. 27.56 and Mark 15.40 and this appearance seems to be that which the Apostle mentions when he saith that he was seen of Cephas Luk. 24.13 18 34. 1. Cor. 15.5 Thirdly he appeared to the Eleven so indeed they are called though it is certain that there were but ten of them present at that time For Thomas was absent And yet St. Paul saith he was seen of the twelve And Thomas is called one of the twelve when yet the whole number was at that time but eleven Luk. 24.33 36. Joh. 20.19 Maâ—k 16.14 Joh. 20.24 1 Cor. 15.5 There is no cause that any man should upon this account Scoff at the Scriptures or call in question their divine authority Had the Writers of these books been evil and crafty men had they combined together to put a cheat upon the World they might easily have avoided such occasions of offence And it is to me no little argument of the truth of what they affirm that they all agree in the main and differ at the same time in some circumstances of delivering it down to us The difficulty before us is very small They are called the twelve because that was the full number of the Apostles of Christ before the defection and death of Judas as well as after the election of Matthias And nothing is more common than to call a society of men by that number of which they consist and by which they are generally called even when the intire number is not made up But then they are by the Evangelists called eleven that being the full number when Judas was gone off And Thomas may well be said to be one of the twelve with respect to the full number which was at first The Jews of all men have no reason upon this account to disparage the Evangelists because they do in this matter speak after the manner of those writings which the Jews allow to be divine The Sons of Jacob tell Joseph when they supposed him to be dead that they were twelve brethren when they acknowledge that one was dead The youngest this day is with our Father and one is not And though they were eleven as they verily beleived yet they call themselves the twelve brethren as they were at first And when the twelve Sons of Jacob are reckoned up it is said these are the Sons of Jacob which were born to him in Padan-Aram And yet it is evident that eleven onely of the twelve were born there This may seem too great a digression and therefore I return and shall under this head onely add that all these appearances of our Lord happened upon the same day that he rose from the dead Gen. 42.13 and ch 35.26 Joh. 20.24 Fourthly he appeared to the disciples when Thomas was with them and this was as it is very probable the week after his Resurrection and upon the first day of the week Those words in St. John after eight days will very well bear this sense Joh. 20.26 Fifthly he appears again to seven of his disciples at the Sea of Tyberias The occasion of their being there seems to be this It is well known that our Saviour had told his disciples that after his Resurrection he would go before them into Galilee After Christ was risen the Angel bad the women go and tell his disciples and Peter that they should see him in Galilee as he had said unto them Accordingly the disciples go down thither to meet their Lord while they were there and waited for the appearance of Jesus Peter and six more go a fishing and then Jesus appeared to them of which we have a more particular account Joh. ch 21. With respect to this appearance St. John says This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples after that he was risen from the dead And so indeed it was the third time of his appearing to the greater number of his disciples though he had appeared before to Mary Magdalen at first and to two of his disciples Peter and Cleophas at another time So that though I reckon this the fifth appearance of Christ yet it is still but the third time which he shewed himself to the greater number of his disciples Joh. 2.1 1. Matt. 28.16 Matt. 26.32 Mark 16.7 Joh. 21.14 Sixthly our Saviour appeared again to the eleven disciples at the mountain in Galilee This Galilee was the Countrey in which he had lived where he was well known where he had done many miracles and whence he had chosen several if not most of his disciples This was a more solemn appearing of our Lord It was by appointment and it was foretold before his death and his followers are reminded of it after his Resurrection and it is very probable that at this time it was that he appeared to five hundred at once which will still speak this appearance the more conspicuous and remarkable Matt. 28.16 17.1 Cor. 15.6 Seventhly He appeared to James and to all the Apostles We have an account of his appearing to all the Apostles upon his ascending up to Heaven 1. Cor. 15.7 Act. 1.1 Here are a great number of very unexceptionable witnesses They were those who knew him before those who saw him and conversed with him They saw him often and a great number they were that did so It is not onely reported by a few terrified Women or a Melancholick follower or two but all his Apostles who had conversed with him for a considerable time and many others who knew him well bear witness to this truth 2. We have also the Testimony of an Angel who told the Women that sought the body of Jesus He is not here for he is risen Nor is it one Angel onely but two as appears from the other Evangelists These Angels who are not sent upon mean and
entrance into the world to his going out The meanness of his Birth did not protect him from being persecuted by Herod He was after this a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and there hath been no sorrow like unto his sorrow He fasted and was tempted he was acquainted with hunger and with thirst with great poverty and contempt He met with false friends and implacabe enemies He was always doing good and recieveing evil And after all at the close of his life he was a most eminent sufferer If there be any suffering in great pains and agonies in being scoffed and derided in being buffeted and scourged in a bloudy sweat or a bitter cup In a crown of Thorns in the Spear and in the Nails He suffered if to be forsaken and betrayed to be unpitied in trouble and to be denied to be flouted and scoffed at be any thing of a suffering He suffered if to die be to suffer and to die upon a Cross among malefactors If the bloud of the Cross if the shame and curse of it if the pain and scandal of it speak any sufferings our Lord did indeed suffer From the sufferings of our Jesus it does appear that he is the Christ I do not mean that the bare sufferings of Jesus are an argument that he is the Christ For sufferings are not a sufficient argument alone And though the Messias were to suffer yet so might and so did Impostors also But as the Messias was to suffer so it was predicted what he should suffer and we shall find that our Jesus did suffer those very things which the Messias was to suffer and all things duely considered we shall find this especially in conjunction with what hath been and is to be said a very good proof that Jesus is the Christ And this I take to be the meaning of our Saviour's words to his Disciples going to Emmaus Ought not Christ to have suffered These things And of his words to the Apostles afterward Thus it is written and Thus it behoved Christ to suffer Luk. 24.26 46. St. Peter tells the Jews that those things which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his Prophets that Christ should suffer he hath so fulfilled Act. 3.18 Our Saviour himself said Thus it must be Mat. 26.54 56. To the same purpose we find the Disciples saying For of a truth against thy holy Child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together for to doe whatsoever thy hand and thy Council determined before to be done Act. 4.27 28. We shall find afterward that Jesus did suffer all that which the Christ was to suffer And some of these sufferings were such as were not likely to have been the portion of Jesus But so it was though Herod and Pontius Pilate though the Jews and the Gentiles had an hand in the sufferings of Jesus they did at the same time though they designed it not fulfill some Prophecies of old and this was so eminently done that we have from hence a very great proof that Jesus is the Christ I shall not look over all the sufferings of Jesus from the time of his birth to the moment of his death I shall begin no sooner than the last week of his life and shall more especially consider those particulars which attended upon his death We have a remarkable Prophecy in the Prophet Zechariah and the words are these Rejoice greatly O Daughter of Zion shout O Daughter of Jerusalem Behold thy King cometh unto thee He is just and having salvation lowly and riding upon an Ass and upon a Colt the foal of an Ass That this place is a prophecy of the Messias no Christian can doubt and the Jew ought not to deny R. Solomon confesses frankly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. It is impossible to interpret it but of King Messiah R. Solom in Zech. 9.9 And as it is very agreeable to the words to expound them of the Messias These words of R. Solomon are translated by Raymundus in his Pugio fidei pag. 656. in to words which contradict the sense of them viz. Non potest hoc exponi de Rege Messia when he affirms that they ought not to be expounded of any other person And that the Jews do understand these words of the Messiah is â—â—â—ved at large by Bochart de S. S. Animalibus lib. II. c. 17. so it well agrees with the sense of the Ancient Jews too For it was the sense of the Jews that this place was meant of the Messias and we find among the writings which we have of theirs plain intimations of it There is a fabulous relation that the Ass which Abraham sadled Gen. 22. was created on the evening of the Sabbath Pirke R. Eliezer cap. 31. and that Moses rode upon the same Ass when he came into Egypt and farther the Son of David shall ride upon the same they say hence it is said Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Zion c. From this fabulous relation it is evident that this place was understood of the Messias Beresith Rabb in Gen. 49.11 To the same purpose the words are understood by another ancient writer who represents it as the sense of their Rabbins It was upon the tenth day of the first month when our Saviour rode upon an Ass into Jerusalem and fulfilled this Scripture and in the Passeover-week in which he suffered Our Saviour was now ready to be Sacrificed for us and as the Paschal Lamb in Egypt was taken up on the tenth day so did our Lord our Paschal Lamb on that very day present himself in that City where the same week he was sentenced to death For the rest of the words of the Prophecy they do very well agree to our Jesus as it is certain they were meant of the Messias Thy King cometh unto thee he is just and having Salvation lowly Never were there any persons to whom these words could so duely belong as our blessed Saviour He was a King indeed and denies it not before Pontius Pilate though he professed that his Kingdom was not of this world As such a person the Messias was promised of old and it was foretold that he should erect an everlasting Kingdom in the Prophet Daniel The Jews expected a temporal Prince indeed they being themselves a carnal people Our Lord did not appear like an earthly Prince but as one born from Heaven and that would erect an heavenly and spiritual Kingdom in the world A King he was in the best and the highest sense and when he was crucified the main of his accusation written on his Cross was that he was King of the Jews That he was just malice it self cannot deny of our blessed Saviour He was for giving both God and Caesar their due He paid Tribute when it was demanded and would not excuse himself from the publick payment to which he was not yet strictly obliged And
office too mean for us in which we may do any good office to one another Here is enough to extinguish for ever all our ambition and pride and contempt of our poor Brother Nothing that we can do can be called a great condescension after this humiliation of the Son of God IV. Of resignation to the will of God This our Lord was the most conspicous mirrour and example of He was a man sin onely excepted like one of us sensible of hunger and thirst of pain and sorrow and these things pained his flesh as they do ours His soul was sorrowfull and very heavy His sweat was like drops of bloud great was his agony and his sorrow beyond expression He saw before his eyes a most painfull and a most shamefull death He is about to drink a most bitter cup. These things were grievous to his humane nature and therefore he prays that if it were possible this cup might pass from him but after all he submits himself to the will of God Not as I will but as thou wilt And how instructive is this to us We sinners may be ashamed to murmur when our Lord resigned himself Well may we submit under our little and deserved evils when he that was without fault resigned himself up to God Mat. 26.39 V. Of the greatest Charity to Mankind Greater love than this hath no man than that he lay down his life for his friend This is the highest flight of friendship and we have but a very few examples in our books of such a Degree of Charity Some few I'll grant have done this none have gone beyond this besides our Lord Jesus For he died for his Enemies and for the Ungodly This example should constrain us to do good to all even to evil men and to our greatest Enemies Rom. 5.6 VI. Of the greatest fortitude and the truest courage He bore witness to the truth with his bloud and was stedfast in the profession of it to his last breath The most sharp and shamefull death the most barbarous usage and treatment could not prevail upon him to deny the truth or to fall into an impotent passion and revenge himself He does in cold bloud chuse rather to dye the worst kind of death than to quit the profession of the truth or to destroy his Enemies This is indeed an argument of true greatness of mind We are much mistaken in our conceit about Valour or fortitude To Forgive an Enemy and to chuse to dye rather than to do an evil thing speaks a generous and a great mind and is a certain proof of Courage and true Fortitude But he is a man of a weak mind who will do an evil thing to save his life and revenge himself upon him that affronts him or does him wrong Revenge speaks a defect of wit and courage The meanest creatures they are who are peevish and waspish and prone to bite him that toucheth him Leniter qui saeviunt sapiunt magis Anger resteth it in the bosom of fools Non est magnus animus quem incurvat injuria They are but little and feeble folk that are ruffled by every injury or calumny The more impotent and weak any creature is the more easily provoked and nothing is a more certain sign of a narrow and mean soul than is revenge Quippe minuti Semper infirmi est animi exiguique voluptas Ultio continuò sic collige quòd Vindicta Nemo magìs gaudet quà m faemina c. Well so it was our Saviour shewed great Courage and resolution and hath given us therein a great example of Christian fortitude and resolution I shall now make some application of what hath been said I. What hath been said may serve to recommend to us a suffering condition which Christ hath sanctified by his own Sufferings When we suffer we are like the Author and finisher of our faith It becomes us not to be dismayed with our sufferings who profess a faith in a crucified Redeemer For by sufferings our Religion was planted by sufferings it grew up and prevailed in the World This was the way in which Jesus went before us into his glory And if we suffer with him we shall likewise be glorified together It is no little comfort to us to think that our Lord hath led us the same way and that he did overcome the world after this manner which is indeed the noblest conquest of it II. We may hence be exhorted to a frequent mediation of the death and sufferings of Jesus Christ Form what hath been said it appears plainly that we are nearly concerned in these things For Christ did not suffer upon his own account but upon ours and we are very much concerned in the benefits of his death 1. As we expect our pardon upon the account of his merit and satisfaction He was a sacrifice which made attonement and expiation for our crimes as he died for our Sins 2. As we hope for an eternal inheritance upon the account of the death of Christ who hath made way for us by his death and by death entered himself before into an eternal inheritance 3. As we are confirmed in the truth of his holy Religion by the Testimony of his bloud with which this new covenant between God and man was ratified and confirmed 4. As we are constrained by the glorious example he gave us in his sufferings to patience and charity and self-resignation c. of which he hath given us the most powerfull example III. We may hence be exhorted to a frequent and diligent partaking of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper which is appointed as a standing memorial of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ We ought not onely to embrace but welcome all these opportunities as those which lead us to the contemplation of Christ's death upon which our hopes to depend It is an unspeakable privilege that we are admitted to this favour And had we the due sense which we ought to have upon our minds of the love of God in giving us his Son and the love of our Lord in giving up himself to death for us and the unspeakable benefits which thence accrue to us we should need no words of persuasion no law or secular interest to invite us to the doing of that which is so plainly our duty and so much our interest to doe Our spiritual hunger and thirst are the onely safe and lasting principles as well as the acceptable ones from whence we ought to be moved If our souls be once possessed with an ardent love of God and our Blessed Saviour we shall not make excuses and shall be so far from that that it will not be an easie thing to stay away and nothing less than a violent detention will keep us back And thus I have from the sufferings of Jesus made it appear that he is the Christ Before I proceed to speak to the resurrection of Jesus I shall say something of his Burial Of the Messias it was foretold