doctrine and send it backe againe to hell from whence it came and let vs rely vpon the all-sufficient merites of Christ his sufferings for the saluation of our soules assuring our selues that Hee was made vnto vs Wisedome 1. Cor. 1 30. and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption Let vs acknowledge with that blessed Martyr Lambert in the midst of the fire * Foxe martyrol None but Christ None but Christ Secondly this great price that our Sauiour hath payed for our Redemption should mooue vs to godlie sorrowe and remorse for our sinnes It is true that the very bare consideration of our Sauiour Christ his sufferings without any respect to vs should worke sorrow and commiseration in our hearts For who is so hard-hearted that can but reade or heare the Storie of Abraham about to sacrifice his innocent sonne Isaac or the selling away of poore Ioseph by his most vnnaturall and cruell Brethren or the fearefull torments which many of the Martyres haue suffered and endured at the hands of cruell and bloody tyrants not be moued to ruth compassion Nay who can endure to behold euen notorious malefactors executed for their iust deserts without some sense of sorrow For the communion and mutuall participation of nature doeth so affect vs as wee thinke that part of our selues suffereth in them yea that very humanity that is bred with men cannot but bee troubled at the torments of brute beasts But when wee shall consider that our Sauiour suffered all that he suffered for our sakes and for our sinnes much more then ought we to greeue and sorrow It was ordained in the Law that when a man brought a beast to the doore of the Tabernacle for a burnt Offering he should put his hand vpon the head of it Leuit. 1 4. Thereby acknowledging that hee had deserued to die that the beast was to be slaine for his offences So should wee acknowledge that Christ was put to death nor for anie desert of his owne for as we haue heard before he was altogether without blemish but onely for our sinnes When Dauid saw the miserable death of his people by the pestilence and considered that his sinne in numbering of his men was the cause of it his tender heart was vexed within him and with great remorse hee cried thus vnto the Lord Behold I haue sinned yea I haue done wickedly 2 Sam 24 17. but these Sheepe what haue they done In like manner we haue all cause with bitternesse of heart to cry out in this case It is we Lord that haue sinned it is wee that haue done wickedly as for this innocent Lambe Christ Iesus alas what hath he done But that we may be the better affected it shall not be amisse a litle to consider the greeuousnesse of his sufferings And that will appeare first by the generality of them and that in diuers respects First hee suffered of all kinds and sorts of men Hee suffered of the Gentiles and of the Iewes of the Princes and of the people of masters and seruants of his acquaintance and strangers of male and Female So hee suffered in all things wherein it is possible for a man to suffer He suffered in his friends and followers who seeing him apprehended and carried away They all forsooke him and fled Mat. 26 56 58 Onely Peter followed him but it was a farre off and afterwardes most shamefully denied him He suffered in his good name which was wounded with blasphemies and reproches For besides the shameful indignities that were offered him whē hee was arraigned before the High-Priests and Pilate when hee hanged vpon the crosse and deserued to bee pittied of all that had but common humanity he was flouted and derided and scoffed at by all that behelde him a Lu. 23 36 37 by the souldiers b Ma. 27 41 42 by the high-Priests c Luk. 23 35. by them that stood and looked on d Math. 27 39 40. by them that passed by e Math. 27 44 Luke 23 39. yea by the very theeues at least by one of them that wer crucified with him He suffred also in his outward things such as he had for though he had nothing but the clothes to his backe Math. 27 35. yet the Souldiers stript him of them shared and diuided them before his face Thirdly he suffered in al his outward senses and in all the members of his body His glorious head was wounded to the braine with a crown of thorns his faire face was horribly defiled with the filthy spittings of the Iewes his bright eyes dazeled and languished in his head to beholde the outragious cruelty of his Tormentors his holy eares were wounded to hear the insulting blasphemies of the Iewes his sacred mouth which taught men all truth was put out of taste with Gall and vineger his hands which wrought so manie famous myracles and his feete that had wonderfully walked vppon the Sea were fastened vnto the Crosse with sharp nailes His blessed heart that was neuer defiled with the least euill thought was pierced with a speare In a worde his whole bodye was pittifully rent and torne with whipping and scourging so that we might say of him as the Prophet saith in another case Isaiah 1 verse 6. From the sole of his foote vnto his head there was nothing whole in him but woundes and swelling and sores full of corruption Secondly the bitternesse of his passion will appeare by considering the kinde of death that he suffered and that was the death of the crosse which the Apostle added as an augmentation of his torments Philip. 2 8. Hee became obedient saith hee to the death euen to the death of the Crosse Now the death of the crosse was most greeuous in many respects First because it was an accursed death As the Apostle sayth Cursed is euery one that hangeth on a tree Galath 3 13. Not that all that were hanged if they did vnfeignedly repent were reiected and forsaken of God but because that kinde of punishment was accursed and hatefull to God and a spectacle of horrible malediction We do not reade any such thing of other kinde of punishments as stoning to death burning slaying with the sword c. onely God pronounced the hanging on the crosse to bee execrable and accursed And therefore Constantine the Great that good and mild Emperor * Tripartit histor lib. 1. cap. 9. made a law wherein he forbad that any Christian should be hanged vpon the crosse Secondly because it was also an ignominious and a shameful death For it was principally inflicted vpon slaues and seruants and therefore was called a seruile punishment either for accusing of their Masters or conspiring theyr death or for running away Such as were free men though otherwise verie vile and base were seldome punished with it vnlesse it were for some heinous and notorious crime As for robbery and therefore there were two robbers crucified with him Or
whereby both his iustice might be satisfied his mercy might take place namely that the Son of God taking our flesh vpon him should in it suffer the death that was due to our sins that as man had trespassed so man might make satisfaction And therefore in this respect it was necessarie that Christ should dye for vs. As Hilary saith well In Mat. 26 42 Therefore could not the cup passe from him but hee must drinke of it because we could not be recouered but by his passion But that wee may not bee mistaken in this point we are to know that there are diuers kindes of necessitie First there is an absolute necessity when a thing in regarde of the nature of it cannot be otherwise Thus the Sun doth necessarily shine in the Firmament thus the fire doeth necessarily burne and the night doeth necessarily followe the day Secondly there is a necessity of constraint Thus a Malefactor necessarily goeth to prison because hee is forced whether hee will or no. Thirdly there is a necessitie in respect of the end and thus armour and weapons are necessarie for him that goeth foorth to fight In the first sence there was no necessity that Christ should suffer For as wee haue heard before GOD had a thousand other wayes to redeeme man by if it had pleased him Neyther was it necessary in the second sence because God cannot be compelled by any power or violence But in the third sence it was necessarie because GOD had so decreed and appointed it And indeede this was the most conuenient and necessarie meanes of our redemption that could bee both in respect of God and also in respect of vs. There are many Reasons why it was most conuenient in respect of God As first in respect of his truth God had foretold in his Word and promised that it should bee so Hee was wounded for our transgressions saith the Prophet Isaiah ch 53. ver 5. Hee was brokē for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was vppon him and with his stripes we are healed And therefore our Sauiour Christ appearing to the two disciples that went to Emmaus and perceiuing that they began to stagger and doubt of his resurrection Lu. 24 25 26. saide vnto them O Fooles and slow of heart to beleeue all that the Prophets haue spoken Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things and to haue entred into his glory And when Peter had drawne his sword and began to fight in his quarrell hee telleth him that He could pray to his Father and he would giue him more then twelue legions of Angels Mat. 26 53 54 But how then saith he should the Scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must be so Marke heere the Scriptures haue saide that Christ must die the Prophets had foretold as much and God is alwayes true in his word therefore it must bee so Secondly in respect of his Iustice which as wee haue heard already did require that the same nature that had offended the maiesty of God should also make satisfaction Thirdly in respect of his mercy For seeing it was in his power to destroy all mankind and that iustly too it was an euidence of vnspeakable mercy to make choise of one to be punished instead of many Fourthly in respect of his wisedome which tempered and allayed the rigour and seuerity of his iustice with the sweetnesse of his mercy so that in the sufferings of Christ there was neither cruelty nor remissenesse Psalme 85 10 but as Dauid saith Mercy and trueth haue met together Iustice and peace haue kissed one another Fiftly in respect of his hatred of sin for the destroying whereof he would haue his onely begotten Sonne to be put to death Will not all men say that that man beareth a deadly hatred to his enemy that if he cannot otherwise come at him will cast a speare through the sides of his sonne to kill him So the Lord to testifie his great hatred against our sins hath wounded his owne Son to death for the abolishing of them And therefore by the way wee see how lamentable the estate of desperat sinners is who knowing how the Lord hateth sinne wil yet notwithstanding continue in sinne and drinke iniquitie euen like water Iob 15 16. as Iob saieth They shall finde vnlesse they preuent it in time by speedy and vnfeigned repentance Psalme 5 5 6 that as God hateth all them that worke iniquity so in the end hee will destroy them Sixtly and last of all in respect of his loue to man For rather then we miserable sinners should perish as wee had deserued hee suffered his onely begotten Sonne whom he so often calleth his Beloued Sonne Math. 3 17. and 17 5. Coloss 1 13. and the Sonne of his loue or his deere Sonne to bee crucified for vs. And therefore our Sauiour Christ himselfe saith Iohn 3. verse 16. GOD so loued the world that is so admirably so wonderfully so exceedingly that hee gaue his onely begotten Sonne c. Rom. 5 8. And the Apostle saith God setteth out his loue towards vs as it were vpon a stage that all the worlde may take notice of it seeing that while wee were yet sinners Christ dyed for vs. And indeede it was farre greater and more aboundant loue that he spared not his owne Sonne but gaue him for vs all to death as the Apostle sayeth Rom. 8 verse 32. then if hee had released and acquitted vs without anie satisfaction So that we may now worthily say with the Apostle Ephe. 2. verse 4. God which is rich in mercie through his great loue wherewith he loued vs c. There was no way in the world whereby he could haue more manifested his exceeding loue vnto vs then by this Secondly in respect of vs. This was the most conuenient meanes for our saluation that could bee as Saint Augustine hath worthily declared in many places * De Trinit lib. 13. cap. 10. It was possible saith hee for GOD to whose power all things are equally subiect to haue found out another way of our redemption then the incarnation and death of Christ But there neyther was nor could bee a more conuenient meanes to heale our miserie For what was so necessarie to rayse vppe our hope and to free and set at libertie the mindes of poore men being cast downe with the condition of their mortality from despairing of immortality as to shew vnto vs how highly GOD esteemed vs and how much he loued vs And what could be a more manifest and euident token heereof then that the Sonne of God beeing immutably good abiding in himselfe that which hee was and receiuing from vs and for vs that which he was not without any detriment or losse to his nature was content to take part in our condition and without any euill desert of his owne to beare our sinnes and miseries c. And in another place * Ibid. Cap. 16 Why should not the
for rebellion and sedition and therefore they wrote in the Title ouer his head Iesus of Nazareth Ioh. 19 19 21 the King of the Iewes which the Priests of the Iewes would haue altered Write not say they King of the Iewes but that he said I am King of the Iewes as if hee had indeede affected the kingdome For they accused him when as they first brought him to Pilate Luke 23 2. Wee found this man peruerting the people and forbidding to pay tribute to Caesar saying that he is Christ a King Or for false witnesse or murther c. And therefore it was called * Et nodum in formis lethitrabe nectit ab alta Virgil. a foule and ill-fauoured kinde of death by reason of the infamy and disgrace wherewith it was accompanied Last of all because it was a most painefull death For they were fastened to the crosse with great nails which were driuen thorough their hands and their feete the most sensible parts of all the body because they are most full of sinewes And then the whole weight of their body hanged by these parts which could not but make their paine intollerable Besides it must needs be an increase of their torment * Morsque minu◠Daenae quam mo ra mortis hale that it was so lingering a death In other kinds of death a man is quickly dispatched and soone rid out of his paine but heere they were very long a dying for they hanged either till their blood distilled by little and little out of these woundes in their hands and feet other parts of their bodies rent with whipping or til they died with hunger vnlesse in pitty their tormentors by violence hastened their death by breaking off their legs as they did to the Theeues that wer crucified with our Sauiour or by some other course * Illis ego de Libya natum iurabo leaena Arcadiasque inter delituisse lupas Cui tua crux lacrymas non mouerit ô bone Christe Ille erit ferro durior chalybe Rauisius Textor Apoc. 19 5. Surely he that is not affected with the consideration of these things sheweth himselfe strangely fearefully obdurate But though these things wer terrible yet this was not al. Ther was far more in the sufferings of Christ then these outward torments For he wrestled with the wrath of God that was due to our sins as it is said in the Reuelatiō that he trod the wine-presse of the fiercenes wrath of almighty God And this appeareth Luke 22 44. first because he was in an agony Now an agony is a sudden horrible feare which surprizeth the hart when a man is to enter into som great conflict But there can be no conflict in the worlde so great as to grapple with the intollerable wrath of GOD as Dauid saith Psal 76 7. Thou euen thou art to be feared and who can stand in thy sight when thou art angrie Secondly Luke 22 44. because as is saide His sweat was like droppes of blood trickling downe to the ground We may imagine it was no small paine that forced this sweate from him For it was not some little dew that stood vppon his face nor some few small drops that fell from him but it was as one calleth it a showre or rather a streame of blood And therefore Isaiah 53 3. no maruell if the prophet call him A man full of sorrowes Thirdly because an Angell was sent from heauen to comfort him Luke 22 43. And last of al because when he hanged vpon the crosse he cried out with a loud voice My God Math 27 46. Heb. 5 7. my God why hast thou forsaken me And that with strong crying teares as the Apostle saith All these laide together doe make it euident that it was more then an ordinarie torment which he endured For many of the Martyrs supported by the Spirit of God nay many malefactors by their natural fortitude haue endured far greater things in their bodies So that our Sauiour might truely say in this case as it is in the Lamentations of the Church Lamen 1 12 Behold and see all ye that passe by if there bee any sorrow like vnto my sorrow which is done vnto mee wherewith the Lord hath afflicted mee in the day of his fierce wrath The consideration of these things should intenerate our harts and worke them to remorse Shall he suffer all these things for our sinnes and shall not we whose sinnes they are bee moued and affected Shall his heart bleede for vs and shall not our harts bleed with sorrow for our owne sinnes Shall not wee cause our bed euery night to swim Psalme 6 6. and water our couch with teares of contrition Pliny writeth of the Adamant Lib. 37. Cap. 4. that though it bee so inuincibly hard as neither the force of the Hammer nor the heate of the fire can worke anie thing vpon it yet if it bee steeped in the warme blood of a Goate it may be broken And surely if the blood of Christ cannot supple and soften our hearts wee are deuils incarnate The Prophet Zechariah saieth That they shall look vpon him whom they haue pierced and they shall lament for him Zechar. 12 10. as one mourneth for his onely sonne and be sorrie for him as one is sorry for his first borne Therby giuing vs to vnderstand that no sorrow in the world should goe so neere our harts as the sorrow for our sinnes whereby we haue pierced and wounded our blessed Sauiour Wee reade in the story of the passion Luk. 23 44 45 that the Sun in the firmament with-drew his light as greeuing to behold so wofull a spectacle Math. 27 51 The earth moued as it were with piety trembled quaked and the graue stones were clouen asunder yea Iudas that vile Traitor that betraied sold him Math. 27 3. whē he saw the indignities that were offered vnto him his heart relented and he was touched with remorse What hearts haue we then of oake or brasse or of marble that can see the torments that he suffered for in the gospel it is as liuely described to vs Gal. ◠1. as if we had stoode at the foot of Mount Caluary and had seen him crucified with our own eies that wee can see him lie groueling on the ground all in a bloody sweat that we can behold him crowned in scorne derision with a crowne of thorns buffetted with fistes spitted vpon whipped and scourged with roddes and at the last haled vpon the crosse there hanging in greeuous misery crying out as we haue heard in the horrour and anguish of his soule My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and not be touched with compunction Thirdly the consideration of these intollerable sufferings of our Sauiour Christ should teach vs for euer to detest sinne seeing no other expiation could be made for it And indeed as Origen saith wel
at other times when his houre was not come ohn 8 59. As when they tooke vp stones to cast at him he hid himselfe and went out of the Temple And at another time and 10 39 40 when they went about to take him hee escaped out of their hands and went beyond Iordan Ioh. 11 53 54. c. And when they consulted together to put him to death when hee had raised Lazarus he walked no more openly among them but went thence into a Country nere to the wildernes and there continued with his Disciples But now the time being come indeede which his Father had appointed hee neuer seeketh any starting holes but goeth to a knowne place that he might lye open to his enemies And afterwards when Iudas and his companie came to apprehend him Ioh. 18 3 4. with Lanthornes and Torches and Weapons hee neuer sought to escape their hands but came forth and offered himselfe vnto them saying Whom seeke ye Like a stout and a valiant Champion hee entreth the Listes as to an open combate And indeede if he had beene vnwilling to dye all the power in the world could not haue put him to death as may appear by many examples When he had preached a sermon in the Synagogue at Nazareth Luke 4 29 30 which had netled all his hearers and they being full of wrath were minded to cast him headlong from the edge of the hill whereon their Cittie was built He passed through the middest of them and went his way they could not all hurt him And when Peter at the time of his apprehension drew his sword and beganne to lay about him he biddeth him put vp his sword into the sheath Thinkest thou sayth he that I cannot now pray to my father Mat. 26 53 54 and hee will giue mee more then twelue Legions of Angels If it had pleased him hee could haue had all the Angels in heauen come to rescue him But hee needed not the helpe of Angels his owne power was sufficient if hee would haue vsed it For when they came to take him though they had weapons and he were altogether naked and vnarmed yet hee did but speake a word to them telling them he was the man they sought presently they all went backwardes and fell to the ground That mans presumption as Bernard saith * Vt cognesceret humana prae sumptio nihil se posse aduersus te nisi quantum permitteretur à te Feria 6. in Parase might know that they could doe nothing against him but what they were permitted by him He blew them away with the breath of his mouth as with a strong whirlewinde The lightning of his countenance and the thunder of his voice cast theÌ„ headlong to the ground He could as easily haue cast them into hell but his desire was onelie to conuince their consciences and to let them see their presumption And therfore it is saide so often that hee gaue himselfe for his Church Ephes 5 2 25 Titus 2 4. Luke 22 19. And in the institution of his last supper he saith This is my bodie whieh is giuen for you This serueth to commend vnto vs the singular loue of our Sauiour towards vs as himselfe sayth Greater loue then this hath no man Iohn 15 13. then when a man bestoweth his life for his frends The highest loue of Christ is set out in the highest degree for there can bee no greater euidence of loue then to lay downe a mans life And this the Apostle respected when he saide Galath 2 20. Hee hath loued me and giuen himselfe for me If his life had beene taken from him against his will it had not bene such an argument of his loue but in that hee was so willing to die for vs it was the greatest loue that could be And therfore Bernard saith well * Amor â—uuâ— nescivit habere modum c. de caena Dom. ser 12. Lacrymae dicant quia voces explicare desistunt Thy Loue knew not how to keepe any meane or measure Thy Charity O Christ could not containe it selfe within the bounds How great that loue was which Christ by dying shewed towards vs no man liuing is able to expresse let teares shew it when words cannot vtter it And a little after * Conscientia mihi testis est O Iesu quid fecerim tibi c. Ser. 13. My conscience is my witnesse O Iesus what I haue don to thee thy crosse doth giue testimony what thou hast done for me Thou wast God and I a man and yet thou God wast made man for me Thou wast the Creator and I thy creature and yet thou hast vouchsafed to redeem me Thou wast the Lord and we thy seruants yet thou hast vouchsafed to saue vs. For vs strangers thou becamest a stranger for vs exiled persons thou becamest an exile for vs that were poore thou becamest poore for vs base wretches thou becamest base for vs that were mortall thou diddest not onely become mortall but diedst for vs and that not any kinde of death but a most cruel a most bitter a most shamefull death euen the death of the crosse What could he haue done more for vs that hee hath not done How could he loue vs more then hee hath loued vs And againe * Parum suit charitati tuae c ser 6. in parasc It was but a small matter to thy loue to appoint Cherubim or Seraphim or one of the angels to accomplish the work of our saluation but thou thy self hast vouchsafed to come vnto vs. And being God of infinite glory thou didst not despise to bee made a contemptible worme and being Lord of all thou wouldest appeare as the fellow-seruant of thy seruants The like example cannot bee found in any historie For as the Apostle saith Doubtlesse one wil scarse die for a righteous man Roman 5 7. It is hard to finde one that will hazard his life for a iust and a good mans fake redeeme his safety by his own death It may be there be some that will run and ride and peraduenture bee at cost with their purses to do him good but when it commeth to the life once O that is sweete Skin for skinne Iob 2 4. and all that euer a man hath will he giue before he part with his life There are indeede some examples among the heathen of such that haue aduentured their liues for others As the three Curiatij * Liu Dei 1. l. 1 and the two Horatij that for the liberty of their Countrey died in single combate And Decius the Consull * Val. Max. l. 5. cap. 6. that for the Roman army deuoted himselfe to death And M. Curtius * Ibid. who for his countreyes sake cast himselfe into the pestilent lake And Codrus the King of the Athenians * Herodotus who for the preseruation of his kingdome offered himselfe to the swords of his enimies * Virgil