The Harmony of the Gospels IN THE HOLY HISTORY OF THE Humiliation and Sufferings OF Jesus Christ FROM HIS INCARNATION TO HIS DEATH and BURIAL Published by JOHN ELIOT Teacher of the Church in Roxbury Act. 3.18 But these things which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his Prophets that Christ should suffer he hath so fullfilled BOSTON Printed by John Foster in the Year 1678. VVE having perused this Pious Discourse concerning The Suffâ—rings of Christ and observed the Dilligence and Prudence of the gracious and worthy Author in compiling It having in the reading of it both affected and edified us We are perswaded through the Blessing of him that hath put it into the heart of the Reverend Author to lay out himself this way it will serve to promote the Honour of Jesus Christ and the good of Souls and therefore do affix our IMPRIMATVR THOMAS THACHER JAMES ALLEN VRIAN OAKES INCREASE MATHER WHat better and more seasonable Subject canst thou Christian Reader exercise thy soul about in these black and suffering dayes then in the sufferings of our Lords Jesus Christ Behold here thou art presented with the holy Hystory thereof the particular heads whereof see in this Table The Contents Cap. 1. By way of Preface p. 1. Cap. 2. The History of the wonderful Conception of Jesus Christ and the sad afflictions and sufferings that attended the same pag. 5. Cap. 3. The History of the Birth of Jesus Christ and the wonderful things that attended it pag. 10. Cap. 4. The first bloody persecution that befel our Lord Jesus when an Infant by the cruelty of Herod pag. 13. Cap. 5. The return of Jesus out of Egypt to Israel the Church of God pag. 17. Cap. 6. The History of the holy life of Jesus while he was a Child pag. 18. Cap. 7. The History of one famous act of wisdome and grace which Jesus did at twelve years of age pag. 25. Cap. 8. The History of the holy conversation of Jesus Christ all the time of his youth p. 30. Cap. 9. The History of some of the sufferings of Iesus Christ in the whole course of his life pag. 34. Sect. 1. The poverty of Jesus Christ pag. 35. Sect. 2. The low despised condition of Iesus Christ pag. 39. Sect. 3. The sufferings of Jesus Christ in the form of a Servant pag. 43. Sect. 4. The sufferings of Iesus Christ in bodily infirmityes pag. 46. Sect. 5. The sufferings of Iesus Christ under reproaches pag. 53. Sect. 6. The sufferings of Iesus Christ under ungrateful disacceptance p. 56. Sect. 7. The sufferings of Iesus Christ under Temptations pag. 57. â—ap 10. The sufferings of Iesus Christ in the Garden pag. 66. â—ap 11. The sufferings of Iesus Christ before the Council of the Iews pag. 74. Sect. 2. The first act of the Council pag. 76. Sect. 3. The second act of the Council pag. 77. Sect. 4. The third act of the Council pag. 79. Sect. 5. The fourth act of the Council pag. 80. Sect. 6. The fifth act of the Council pag. 81. Sect. 7. The sixth act of the Council pag. 82. The History of Iudas pag. 84. â—â—p 12. The sufferings of Iesus Christ under Pontius Pilate pag. 86. The second act of Pilate pag. 88. The third act of Pilate pag. 90. The fourth act of Pilate pag. 91. The fifth act of Pilate pag. 94. The sixth acâ— of Pilate pag. 96. The seventh act of Pilate his yielding to condemn Iesus Christ pag. 99. Pilates check pag. 100. Cap. 13. The History of their crucifying of Iesus Christ pag. 104. Sect. 2. The gracious deportment of Iesus Christ in going to Golgotha p. 106 Sect. 3. Their arriving at Golgotha and setting up the Cross pag. 107. Sect. 4. Their cruel execution done upon the blessed person of our Lord p. 109 Sect. 5. What our Lord Iesus did while he was hanging upon the Cross p. 111 Sect. 6. The vile behaviour of the Iews pag. 114. Cap. 14. The last part of the suffering of our Lord Iesus upon the Cross 116. where the last words of Iesus Christ upon the Cross are opened 125. Cap. 15. The wonderful works of God at his death and his honourable buryal pag. 125 Sect. 2. Of the Reverent Buryal of our Lord Jesus pag. 128. Sect. 3. The Sufferings of Jesus Christ after he was dead and buryed p. 130. Errata PAg. 31. l. 8. for after r. often pag. 39. l. 16. for pure r. poor pag. 74. l. 31. for successively read successfully pag. 83. l. ult put the Comma at me pag. 87. l. 19. for thereof read therefore pag. 92. l. 40. for instructing read instancing pag. 99. l. 15. for refuse read release pag. 110. l. 8. for fast r. fact The Harmony of the GOSPELS in the holy History of the Humiliation and Sufferings of Jesus Christ From his Incarnation to his Death and Burial Cap. 1. By way of Preface THE Commemoration of the Humiliation Sufferings and Death of Jesus Christ is a principal part of the Food of Faith whereby we live in Christ walk with him and worship him And to the end that we might so live walk and worship he hath instituted the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper in his Church to be an eminent part of his worship and hath said 1. Cor. 11.24 25 26. Take eat this doe in remembrance of me take drink this doe in remembrance of me for so oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye doe shew the Lords death till he come And his death is inclusive of all his Suâ—ferings This part of instituted worship is of great account in the eye of Christ for which cause he was pleased to institute it himself and hath ordered it to be often celebrated and it is the moâ—t peculiar worship in the Church in the holy communion of Saints on earth next beneath our communion in heaven So heavenly a work it is to commemorate the Suâ—ferings of our Lord Jesus Christ Yet have I observed both by mine own heart and others that we are very incident to be narrow hearted slite and formal in this service Faith feeds but little for want of an inlarged commemoration of the history of the Humiliation and Sufferings of Jesus Christ the commemoration whereof is the proper peculiar and great service that we are commanded to attend in that Ordinance for Christ saith do it in remembrance of me and of my sufferings And though the breaking of the bread and pouring out of the wine do chiefly signifie and represent the death of Jesus Christ as being thâ— consummation of all his sufferings yet they do also comprehend and signify all his sufferings from his Incarnation to the grave the History whereof is dispersed in the Scriptures and for the help of my faith and the faith of the Church whom the Lord hath committed to my charge I have according to my poor measure endeavoured to gather the parts of the History thereof and lay them together and may my poor labour herein
on the Cross and the writing was JESVS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS This Title then read many of the Jews for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the City and it was written in Hebrew and Greek and Latine Then said the chief Priests of the Jews to Pilate Write not the King of the Jews but that be said I am King of the Jews Pilate answered What I have written I have written The place out of which they lead him was the City that he might fulfil the Types of Scriptures that he might be a sin offering to cleanse away the sins of the people The manner of his going was bearing his Cross bearing the imputation the guilt and the reproach of sin and the curse of God for it signified by his hanging on a Tree The place whither they carry him is Golgotha the place of a scull where many dead mens bones weresome heaped up some scattered about and that made the place ceremonially unclean and that gave name to the place And as it was ceremonially a filthy place so civilly it was no better a place of reproach disgrace dishonour a place where the worst and vilest malefactors were punished and executed the filthiest place in the world There our Lord Jesus suffered the punishment of our sin shewing us the just desert of our sin When they were come to Golgotha before they laid hands on the blessed person of our Lord Jesus they made preparation 1. They set up the Crosses the Cross of Jesus they set in the midst and the Malefactors one on the right hand the other on the left yet set his Cross in the chief place as the greatest Malefactor which though they did it out of envy to disgrace him in the vilest manner they could yet God permitted it so to be done out of infinite wisdome and justice For by imputation he was the greatest of sinners seeing all sin met in him was laid upon him and laid to his charge Isai 53. Their Crosses were set so near together that they could all speak to each other as appeareth in the sequel 2. They affixed a Title at the top of Jesus Christ his Cross to shew the cause for which he dyed Math. 27.37 and Mark 15.26 whether they did so to the other it it is not said but so they did to Iesus Christ and this matter Pilate ordered and over-ruled And it being an eminent part of the History noted by all the Evangelists and notified all the world over I shall therefore distinctly set down the History of it in seven particulars 1. The author actor and doer of it was Pilate had it been in the power of the Priests it should have been other then it was as we shall see in the History of it 2. He positively asserts and proclaimeth him to be the King of the Iews that is Christ the Messiah and Saviour of the World 3. He doth make this proclamation to all the World in these three most general known languages Hebrew Greek Latine one or other of which most men knew 4. The nearness of that populous and frequented City Ierusalem gave opportunity to many of all Nations to read this Title So that the same thereof was notified to all the World and by this it appeareth that it was inscribed with great and legible Letters which might be seen and read at a distance 5. This inscription was a sharp and sore rebuke to the Iews to the high Priests Scribes and Pharisees that they should crucifie their own Lord Saviour and King whom they looked for to redeem Israel but they looked with a misguided Eye and therefore knew him not 6. They felt the sting of this rebuke and winched at it they were displeased and requested Pilate that it might be altered which might easily be done by adding a word or two viz. he saith I am King of the Iews but that word would have quite altered the sense and the truth 7. Pilate was resolute and unmoveable What I have written I have written and this resolution of his seemeth to be well grounded 1. Because he was convinced of the Truth of it for Iesus Christ had fully asserted to him his kingly Office Pilate with an historical Faith believed it 2. He saw that the Iews needed such a check who had forced him to do that which he had no heart to have done only by his respect to Cesar they intrapped him Thus we see Christ made a Sin-offering carried out of the city and setteth up the banner of Salvation in Golgotha and Golgotha was the first place where the Grace and Kingdome of Jesus Christ was most solemnly published to all nations in the most general known languages Ye Pilate is a resolute publisher of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ In Golgotha Jesus Christ suffered and laid the foundation of the Gospel Church In our sacramental celebrations of the sufferings of Jesus Christ we converse with Jesus Christ in Golgotha And to doe that well effectually is an eminent work of Christianity Sect. 4. Their cruel Execution done upon the blessed Person of Jesus Christ MAth 27.34 35 36. They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with Gall and when he had tasted thereof he would not drink And they crucified him and parted his Garments casting Lots that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet They parted my garment among them and upon my vesture did they cast lots And sitting down they watched him there When they had made all things ready they laid hands on his blessed Person and the first thing they did was they gave him the cup of death to drink which he tasted saith Mathew but refused to drink viz. a draught of it saith Mark. A tast of that cup was enough That he should taste death this was a significant act which respects all that followed This is the Preface of death put for the whole This is that Cup of which Jesus Christ spake before Mat. 20.22 23. Can ye drink of the Cup that I shall drink namely this cup of death and be baptized with the baptisme that I shall be baptized with viz. with mine own blood running down my face from the wounds which my thorny crowns caused This is the cup that Iohn speaketh of Ioh. 18.11 The Cup which my Father giveth me to drink shall I not drink it And this he speaketh to quiet Peter when he would have fought for him This is the cup that he had prayed thrice a little before that it might pass from him Math. 26 39.40 but he submitted to his fathers will and now behold he tasteth of it It is the preface and first act of his death The matter of this cup saith Mathew was vinegar and gall Math. 27.34 Mar. 15.23 saith Wine mixed with mirrhe all is one for vinegar is sower wine and that mixed with gall or mirrhe or with both It seems it was the Romane manner of executing Malefactors for Iob. 19.29 There was a vessel of
his Saints compleat Arms even the whole Armour of God and weapons of war that are mighty through God none of our Enâ—mies are able to stand before them the Devil himself will fly from that Christian that is expert to use and improve the Sword of the Spirit the Word of God T mptation is Gods School wherein he doth train up his Children to prepare and sit them for Service on Earth and for glory in heaven when Jesus Christ himself was entering upon his publick Ministry he began in the School of Temptations he began also with fasting and prayer he exercised these preparatories together and come forth of the School eminently filled with the Spirit yea he was fillâ—d with the Spirit when he entered into this School Luk. 4.1 and Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wildern ss The Spirit of God doth attend and assist such as are in Temptations and doth furnish them unto such Services and sufferings as the Lord shall please to call them unto Temptations are Gods usual preparatories of his Children for great services when God was about to call up Abraham to be a Father of the faithful a Corner stone in subordination to Iesus Christ of that Church in which Iesus Christ came into the world and to be a Father in the holy line of the promised Seed we may see that God prepared him for these great services by great Temptations and tryals When God was about to call up Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt to change the Church polity to be Gods Instrument to create new heavens and a new Earth to erect the Church and common wealth of Israel glorious services we see that God prepared him for all this by great Temptations and Tryals When God was about to call up David to make great Reformation in the Church of Israel to gather up and settle all the scattered parts of Gods instituted worship and fix it in a Temple and to erect a typical Kingdome of Iesus Christ and to fix the line of the Incarnation of the promised seed all of them very great and eminent services with sundry more that I name not only include them in these generals I say when God was about to call up David to these great services O what a storm of Temptations did he arise through When Solomon was called to finish what his Father David had begun in building the Temple and setting in order the fixed national worship of God We read little of his passing through Temptatious to humble and prepare him But we read much of his sensuality whereby he so stained the glory of his high services that it should raise thankfulness to God that pleaseth to call us up to services of renown through a field of very great Temptations We see in our present subject touching the sufferings of Christ that when the Lord was calling him up to that greatest and most honourable of services that ever was performed unto the Lord in this world viz the Redemption of man and the salvation of souls Iesus Christ entered upon the service through many tribulations and temptations it is an experimental saying of holy men that prayer meditation and Temptation make a good Christian a good Minister a good Magistrate it fitteth a soul for any service that the Lord shall call him unto Temptations are humbling providences they are rods of correction and Instruction that wean us from all kind of self confidence or self seeking they rectifie and purge us in our grounds and ends in all our motions and when a Christian is duly sanctified in his grounds and ends he is a fitted instrument to glorify God in any service whatsoever The less of man the more of God Furthermore we see that when Christ was about to enter into this difficult field of Temptation he first received the Sacrament of Baptism to fulfill all righteousness no other Gospel Sacrament being yet instituted Federal Sacramâ—ntal Communion with God doth greatly strengthen Faith We see also that when Jesus Christ was entering into the field of Death he first exercised sacramental Communion with God yea double sacramental communion with God He first eat the Passover and then instituted and celebrated the Lords Supper then entred upon his garden conflict and Agony all the suffering that followed even to his Death By these Examples of Jesus Christ when Gods people are to enter upon any great design especially when they goe upon hazzard of their life they will if they can orderly and regularly receive the Sacrament before they enter upon their design Get as near to God as you can True it is that many doe this superstitiously regard not the regular receiving the Sacrament in the Communion of the Church but minister it in private or in a sick mans chamber but consider that these errors and abuses cannot frustrate the effect of Gods institution regularly attended unto Mans lye doth not make Gods Truth of none effect Rom. 3.3 4. Jesus Christ his thus arming and fitting himself when he was entering upon his greatest Temptation and upon his last conflict with Death it self is ground sufficient for our regular attending upon the Lord in our great concernments in like manner as he did Our coâ—enant communion with God sealed with a divine instituted Seal regularly adminiâ—tred is to be numbred among the greatest external means of Grace for the confirmation of our Faith The evidences of our Faith have the broad Seal of hâ—aven affixed to them And that is also set on by the efficacy of the Spirit who sitteth in his Sealing-Office in the administration of the Sacrament and ratifieth the application of the publick Instituted Seal unto the Soul in particular unto which act of the Spirit in the administration of the Sacraments when a poor doubting trembling Soul doth reverently attend he shall find such an efficacy of the sealing Spirit in his Soul as shall inable him to go away as Hannah did when she received Ely his blessing 1 Sam. 1.18 so the woman went her way and did eat and her countenance was no more sad when we celebrate the death and sufferings of Jesus Christ in our Sacramental Communion with God it doth revive our damped and discouraged Faith it seals our inseperable union to Jesus Christ inabling us to say what shall seperate me it doth also quicken animate and encourage Faith to venture upon the greatest most difficult and dangerous enterprize when called thereunto it enables the Soul to say my life is not dear to me so I may but finish the Lords work unto which he hath called me whatever Sufferings sorrows Tryals Temptations I am thereby exposed unto When Faith is strengthned all grace is on the thriving hand because it is the work of Faith to goe forth to Jesus Christ and fetch out of his fulness whatever Grace we want and to fetch supply to enable us unto any Service in doing or suffering the good
pleasure of the Lord whatever it be Jesus Christ hath suffered Temptations deeper then any ever did and therefore experimentally knoweth how to relieve us CAP. X. The Sufferings of Jesus Christ in the Garden I Contract pass over many things in the Sufferings of Christ come to his last Sufferings in the last twenty hours of his life in this world which last Sufferings were begun in the Garden and finished at Golgotha In the Garden he suffered a Soul Agony under the sence of the Curse and punishment due to the sin of Man and under the sense of the bitter cup of death which he was now going about to drink And no sooner was there an Intermission of the rigour of that Agony but presently he was betrayed and fell into the hands of his Enemies that sought his life I shall briefly touch some parts of the History to shew how and when he came into this garden and how he was there betrayed 1. The Covetousness of Judas and a desire to pilfer and rob the bag which Jesus his Master had trusted him with was the bottome wheel of this Treason as appeareth Joh. 12.4 5 6. Then said one of his Disciples Judas Iscariot Simons son which should betray him why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor This he said not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief had the bag and bare what was put therein It is a dangerous temptation to a covetous man to carry another mans Bag. Mathew sayes Math. 26.8 the Disciples had indignation shewing that Judas spake from an heart filled with anger and disdain against his Master that had caused him to lose such a fat gob of gain and the rest of the Disciples in their innocency were led to consent to Judas Mark 14.4 saith some of them had indignation but John sheweth that it was the spirit of Judas that so vented himself and why he did so The rest that consented to him were only such as were misled in their ignorance of Judas his treachery So soon as Judas had thus vented his indignation the Devil entered into his Soul and suggested to him how he might have his gains made up that he had now lost he might get a great piece of money if he would but goe to the chief Priests and offer to betray his Master to them And that it was thus Luke testifieth Luk. 22.3 4. Then entered Satan into Judas Iscariot being one of the twelve and he went his way and communed with the chief Priests and Captains how he might betray him unto them Both Mark and Luke say they promised him money but Mathew tels the Sum they bargained for Math. 26.15 for thirty pieces of silver And now his covetous heart was fatted but he must be sure to perform his bargain else he should not have his wages therefore now he studied and watched for an opportunity to doe what he had agreed to doe The love of money may well be said to be the root of all evill Satan can bring about a covetous heart to run himself into horrid sins for small gains Did he esteem the bloud of a man of his Lord and Master our Saviour at no greater price But so it was prophesied Zach. 11.12 13. We see also what a dangerous thing it is to suffer our hearts to be blown up into indignation for the loss of an opportunity of getting gain especially unjust gain for the Devil hath an open door thereby to enter into the Soul and to put them upon some wicked designs 2. The execution of this treason this bloudy bargain was also done in a devillish Fury viz. because Jesus Christ discovered his treason and him to be the Traitor before all the Disciples to his disgrace Math. 26.25 Then Judas which betrayed him said Master is it I Ah bold wretch whose Conscience is sâ—ared with pieces of silver That which Jesus answered was Thou sayest it Yet this was not so full a discovery he made a shift to bear that but the full discovery is recorded by John who was a Speaker in the matter Joh. 13.23 ad 28. Now there was leaning on Jesus bosome one of his Disciples whom Jesus loved Simon Peter beckned to him that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake he then lying on Jesus breast saith unto him Lord who is it Jesus answered he it is to whom I shall give a Sop when I have dipped it And when he had dipped the Sop he gave it to Judas Iscariot the Son of Simon And after the Sop Satan entered into him Then said Iesus to him that thou doest do quickly This Sop did so plainly discover Iudas that the Devill entered with it and swelled his heart into a resolution of a present execution of his bloudy bargain and treason O what a Soul did this man eat the Passover withall Hypocrites though they love their Sins and designs yet they cannot abide to be seen and discovered The discovery of a bloudy Plot will make an Hypocrite rage as it did Judas but it will make a godly heart very thankful to God that hath prevented his sin as it was with Daâ—id 1 Sam. 25.32 33. when Abigail did prevent him from murdering Nabal Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who sent thee this day to meet me blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou that hast kept me this day from coming to shed bloud When the Spirit of God enters with preventing Counsel the effect is gracious But if Satan enter with the discovering Sop he will blow up Hell fire in that bosome as it was with Jâ—das 3. When Judas went out in that deâ—illish Fury that Satan had blown up his heart into it was night Ioh. 13.30 A fit season for Traitors and Hypocrites to act their designs and works of darkness in It was after day-light was shut in for then it is said to be night it might be near eight of the Clock for he tarried untill the Passover was celebrated And when Jesus Christ meaneth to institute the Gospel Sacrament of his Supper he first hushed and hasted away Judas and when he was gone then he instituted the Lords Supper and finished it with a Psalm and after it he had that gracious Conference recorded by John in Chapters 13 14 15 16. And after all this he uttered that gracious mediatorial Prayer Chap. 17. All these were most heavenly Preparatoryes for his own Sufferings and the Sufferings of his Disciples which were not small And although that word be recorded Ioh. 14.31 arise let us go hence yet they did not goe prâ—sently for they went not till that Prayer Cap. 17. was uttered as appears Joh. 18.1 when Jesus had spoken these words he went forth though some of the discourse in these Chapters might be discoursed by the way By this pattern of Christ his celebration of the Supper here is much instruction how we ought to keep our Sacramental Communion
such liquor ready Whether it was in favour or rigour and terror it is not said but sure they did nothing in favour to Jesus Christ and Christ doth bitterly complain of it Psal 69.21 as we shall afterwards see 2. The time that this act of death was done unto our Lord Jesus in giving him the cup of death was at the beginning of the sixth hour Mark 15.25 saith it was the third hour but that maketh no difficulty it is easily reconciled for at the end of the third hour the sixth hour began and that lasted till the ninth hour so the Jews they divided the time of the day And that Mark so intended appeareth because at this very instant when they give the cup of death unto Jesus Christ the Sun blushed and hid his face under a black vaile of darkness as being ashamed to look upon this abominable act that these wicked men were about and the exact time of the beginning of this darkness is expressly said to be at the beginning of the sixth hour Math. 27 45. Mark 15.33 This darkening of the Sun was a divine and miraculous Testimony from God against this wicked fast which one would think might have terrified them from proceeding but seared Consciences feel nothing This darkness was not an Ecclipse of the Sun by the interposition of the Moon because it was the middle of the Moneth and the Moon was about the Full. Again it was not a natural Ecclipse because this darkness lasted three hours which never any natural Ecclipse did or can do Besides Ecclipses are unperceivable at the beginning and end but this darkness began as it seemeth to me in its height and so continued at the same height from the beginning to the end When they began and gave Jesus Christ the Cup of death it grew suddenly dark and about the time that Jesus Christ dyed it was light again both the periods of the darkness were eminently observable It was not a total darkness as night is by the absence of the Sun for it is said Joh. 29.20 many did read the supersciption upon the Cross of Iesus Christ Also Iesus saw his mother and the Disciple whom Iesus loved standing by her Joh. 19.26 and Iesus saw the Souldiers dividing his garments and casting lots on his vesture as the Prophesy intimateth Psal 22.18 It was an extraordinary and amazing darkness to reprehend their violent cruel and bloody act which they were doing in laying hands upon the spotless Lamb of God it was the hour and power of darkness wherein the Prince of darkness had got down the Lord of glory under his mercyless hands It was an universal darkness for if the body of the Sun be darkened the Moon and Stars that receive their light therefrom must needs be also in a like proportion darkned obscured Some holy Divines say that this darkning of the sun was a visible sign of Gods desertion and hiding his face from Jesus Christ all the time of his suffering upon the Cross 3. The wicked Murderers are undaunted they goe on with their work they had in hand they strip off his garments and crucifie him naked unless they had so much modesty as to cover shame for all the Evangelists put the parting of his garments at or about the beginning of the time of his hanging oâ— the Cross If they had his garments he was naked putting upon him as much indignity shame as they could 4. They lifted him up on high that they might fasten him to the cross This was typified by lifting up the brazen serpent in the wilderness as Jesus Christ himself testifieth Ioh. 3.14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up Ioh. 8.28 When ye have lifted up the Son of man then shall ye know that I am he Ioh. 12.32 33. I when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me This he said signifiing what death he should die By his so dying he was made conspicuous to all the world and he draweth all his Elect effectually and a great part of the world visibly to follow him Isai 45.22 Look unto me all ends of the earth and be saved 5. They first nailed his two hands upon the stretch unto the two wings of the â—ross Psal 22.6 His hands are said to be pierced first before his feet 6. When his hands were nailed they let him drop and hang with the whole weight of his body upon his pierced hands nailed to the tree Yea not only so but they pulled and stretched him they struck all his bones and joynts out of joint viz. his Wrists Elbows shoulder-bladâ—s Hips Knees Ancles Psal 22.14 17. All my bones are out of joynt I may tell all my bones they look and stare upon me They start out of place upon the wrack These things are said in the Prophesy and done in the history and so are many thing more besides these now named 7. When they had wracked his body into that stretch then they nailed his feet Psal 22.6 His feet are said to be pierced and nailed after his hands in that wracking and tormenting stretch 8. Thus he is nailed unto and hanged upon a tree that is the wood of a tree 1. Pet. 2.24 And so he was made a curse for us Gal. 3.12 For it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree 9. They set a Watch and Guard about him Mat. 27.36 Sitting down they watched him there He that had the charge of that was a Centurion with his band of Souldiers whose Charge was to keep peace and order It was a prudent point of the Romane Goverment and might be done by such as were not accessary to the sin in putting Jesus Christ to death And we shall hear further of this Centurion hereafter Sect. 5. Where we shall consider what our Lord Jesus Christ did as he was hanging on the Cross viz. 1. He forgave his Persecutors 2. He took loving and tender care for his widdow mother 3. He took tender care for the Salvation of the penitent Thief 4. The rest of the 3. hours from the 6t to the 9th hour he spent silently in his most bitter agonies at the 9th hour he spake four words then dyed We shall also take notice of the behaviour of the Jews all this time which to see and hear was no small part of the sufferings of Jesus Christ Luk. 23.34 And Jesus said Father forgive them they know not what they doe This is recorded as the first word that Jesus Christ spake upon the Cross All the time they were abusing wracking and tormenting him he was silent as a Lamb And when he spake these were his words when they had done the worst they could against him he forgave them and prayed his father to forgive them Where we have to consider 1. His own act of forgiving them is implyed in an eminency in his applying himself to his Father to pardon them
not befal Jesus Christ God hath excepted sin Heb. 4.15 Jesus Christ his humane nature was like unto us in all things except sin he could not sin therefore he could not be dead in sin he was every way fitted to be a sacrifice for sin and he did dye for sin without any defilement by it He dyed for sâ—n to satisfie justice if he had dyed in sin he should have offended Justice thereby and then how should he have satisfied Justice The Lamb of God that was to be a sacrifice for sin was to be spotless and without blemish had he dyed in sin he should have been a spotted sacrifice and unaccepted 2. That which Jesus Christ could neither be do nor suffâ—r without sin that he neither was did nor suffered The Lamb that suffered for sin to take it away must himself be without sin and must suffer only that which he is capable to suffer without sin To satisfie justice for sin by dying for sin that was the work which Jesus Christ performed and Justice was satisfied with it 3. To be dead in sin final separation from God desperation c. nâ—ither the excellency of his person nor his glorious production nor the quality of his Office nor the work which he had undertaken could admit any such thing to befal him But all the Essential punishment due to the sin of man he was willing to suffer to the utmost Heb. 10.5 and did so to the full satisfaction of Justice Justice required that he should dye but did not require that he should sin nor did Iustice require that he should dye eternally if he have once paid the debt of death Iustice was satisfied and gave him a discharge that he might rise a Conqueror 4. There have been four wayes of the production of man 1. Adam was created by God out of the dust and he was made spotless 2dly Eve was created by God out of the rib of man and she was made spotless though the weaker vessel 3. All the stock of mankind are produced by the conjunction of man and woman and all defiled with sin 4. Iesus Christ was produced of a woman without man by the power of the Holy Ghost and he is spotless full of grace and truth and hereby was a capable subject to have sin imputed to him and to be made a sacrifice to God for sin Iesus Christ suffered all sinless punishment But when sin is punished with sin that punishment Iesus Christ is uncapable to suffer nor is it a necessary kind of punishment to be suffered in way of satisfaction for sin Because it is secondary a consequent of sin Instance 4. Man is punished with total and final separation from God and despair Iesus Christ was not so punished Answ Jesus Christ suffered dereliction and separation from God as we shall anon see to the utmost that was possible and necessary for the satisfaction of Justice but total and final was neither necessary nor possible and had it been so then sin and death had overcome him But he hath overcome sin and death and satisfied justice which could not have been if he had totally and finally sunk under it Sect. 3. Touching the first word Jesus Christ spake about the ninth hour THe Essential parts of the sinless punishment of sin which Jesus Christ sufffered are two the punishment of loss and the punishment of sense which appeareth Math. 25.41 46. depart ye cursed into Everlasting fire The punishment of loss firstly chiefly falleth upon the Soul which nextly hath communion with God and the body herein suffereth secondarily by participation and sympathy with the Soul as it was in the garden where the body was under no sense of punishment saving by participation with the Soul and that was so deep that it made him sweat drops like blood abundantly So that the punishment of loss is a Soul Agony The punishment of sense doth firstly nextly fall upon the body and reacheth to the Soul secondarily by its participation with the body The efficacy of both these together met upon Jesus Christ when he was upon the Cross to the uttermost extremity First the punishment of loss desertion and dereliction of God fell upon him and he conflicted with it in his three hours silence The issue up-shot last stroak and finishing whereof Jesus Christ uttered and expressed in that exclamatory roaring expostulation Eli Eli lamasabachthani I call it exclamatory because the Evangelists so express it he cryed out with a great voice I call it roaring because the Prophesy so calleth it Psal 22.1 the voice of my roaring when he spake these very words The original words are more full I call it expostulation because the words are expostulatory why hast thou forsaken me for opening this here be four considerations 1. The question springeth not out of doubting or not knowing the cause of his sufferings and of Gods dereliction and forsaking of him as if some strange and unlooked for matter had befallen him Far be it from us to think so Jesus Christ knew that he was now under the curse of the Law under the execution of Justice under the wrath of God as our Surety There be divers kinds of Rhetorical questions in all discourses and writings and many in the Scriptures see a tast if any please to turn to 1 Pet. 4.17 18. Rom. 8.35 1 Cor. 12.29 30. Psal 2.1 and a thousand more These are Rhetorical questions to express in a word some great matter that would require many words to express it at large nay more then can be expressed or conceived Such is this expostulatory question of Jesus Christ when he was in the depths of misery why hast thou forsaken me to express the extream dolor and bitter sense that he had of the Fathers dereliction of him his Fathers forsaking him was the bitterest cup that ever he tasted He tasted the vinegar cup of death but one drop of this is more bitter then all their gall vinegar to teach man what a dreadful thing it is to be seperated from God and to assure us that he did bitterly experience what it is it is penal Hell This question is to express the uttermost and deepest degree of desertion next unto desperation Psal 22.11 trouble and anguish and none to help It is to express that it is infinitely more deep then humane nature could have born had it not been supported by the divine nature unto which he was pâ—rsonally and inseparably united he hung over and looked down into the bottomless gulf of seperation from God This desertion was not total nor final neither could it be so nor did it need to be so because Justice was infinitely satisfied with that measure that it was But it was to the uttermost degree next unto total so much as it could be or needed to be 2. The second consideration he doubles his out-cry with a claiming and catching hold on his Interest in God saying Eli Eli my God my God like a man sinking into