Psalm 51.5 it will not be altogether lost labour to consider whether that Text will not admit of another genuine reading besides that which our Translators render The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here rendred I was fashioned may as well be turned I have been afraid sore troubled grieved c. And so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In sin hath my mother conceived me may be read In sin hath my mother warmed me or Calefacta est mater de me my mother hath been warmed heated by me so Pagnin My mother hath brought me forth with sorrow and pain Cum dolere parturiit me mater so Symmachus and Aquila two of the ancientest Translators as Theodoret cites them So thaet the Text with the Context may admit this Paraphrastical reading i. e. Against thee thee only have I not my mother but I sinned taking all the shame and guilt upon himself not charging his Mother with the cause of his sin against Uriah and his Wife And now behold in by or for this iniquity viz. the sin of evil concupiscence as the Chaldee cals it the Original of his Actual sin I am exceedingly afflicted and very much grieved My Mother indeed brought me forth with sorrowfull labour and painfull Travel Gen. 3.16 for she hath sinned against thee and she perhaps being in sin conceived me But her sin was not the cause of my Adultery and Murther that was my own Act nor did her sin make me guilty for the child shall not bear the iniquity of the Father but when I had lusted I sinned and when I had committed the sin I became liable to the condemnation of death My father and mother are not to be blamed To this purpose Anselmus reasoneth the case If Adam saith he could not traduce or convey over his original Righteousness to his posterity neither could be transmit his original unrighteousness but he could not the one nor the other But this may seem to contradict what was said of Adams begetting Seth. Therefore I say that it is not in the Will and at the pleasure of man to beget Children which shall prove either good or bad however a good or a bad man may beget such as may be good or evil And they are good either as they continue as God made them or else by returning again into that state by Repentance and Faith in Christ or they are bad by consenting unto the motions aâ—d temptations of sin and Satan So Cain was not evil as he came out of Gods hands but as he was born and became a child of the devil That heat wherewith David warmed his mother as Pagnin reads it was not any sin of him in her womb for there the child doth not defile the mother but as they say the mother the child But his mother might well be troubled to see her son commit such hainous sins as Adultery and Murder and say as another doth Prov. 31.1,2,3,4 5. What my son the son of my womb Give not thy strength unto women c. It is not for thee O David my son it is not for thee to commit such wickedness against the Lord who hath saved thee from the Lion the Bear and the uncircumcised Philistin and hath made thee King over Israel it is not for thee so to requite thy God it doth not become thee I am sorry to hear such things of thee So that David might justly complain against himself and say Against thee only have I even I sinned and done this evil in thy fight for which I am now so greatly perplexed and for which my mother is incensed and so highly displeased with me What violence is offered to this Text and Context or to the general scope of the whole Scripture by this manner of reading I do not yet understand This might further be insisted upon but that I am not about a Treatise but a Preface I do not peremtorily and arrogantly impose these things but meekly offer them to the consideration of those who are more learned and illuminate if happily the Truth aud glory of God by this occasion may be brought more to light I know I have trod besides the beaten road but if curiosity and singularity rather then simplicity and integrity were my guides I should not adventure any further 7. Wherefore I rather take that place of the Prophet Ezek. 16. to signifie and demonstrate the corrupt fallen and sinfull state of man into which he is begotten by the deceitfull and destructive spirit after he hath received the natural life from his Parents Not denying but that literally and historically it holds forth the Idolatrous state into which Judah and Jerusalem were then degenerated Canaan signifieth Humility or a Merchant And this spiritual sense seems to be most aimed at by the Allegory For there is a time when we all wander into the land of Canaan when we are seduced by a voluntary shew of Humility Col. 2.18 to become Merchants for Heaven by our chosen Righteousness and legal works are rather Factors for Satan selling our selves to iniquity and sin for naught and parting with our precious souls for no money In this Cananitish Countrey we find ten native lusts answerable to the number of the Inbabitants in Canaan Gen. 15.19,20,21 standing in opposition to the ten Precepts and seed of God These disobedient properties are begotten by that Amorite the vain Talker great Pratler cruel Rebel that Father of lyes the Devil who was a lyar from the beginning who by his sleights and cunning craftiness fair speeches and subtile delusions lay in wait to beguil our first parents and cheat them of the pearl of their innocency being now an Amoritish father unto them begetting them into the disobedience and rebellion of his own nature having been himself a cursed Rebel before To this Amoritish father the Hittite our whorish heart the true Hittite being broken asunder from God joyneth and becomes a mother is bring forth the sinfull brood Lust when it hath conceived bringeth forth sin and when it is finished bringeth forth death James 1.15 And thus we come to be denominated sinners and Children of wrath And so neither do I deny original sin but grant there is a time for sin to have its original and beginning in us as it had in Adam 8. Thus we have found out mans sickness what it is how he catcheth it and is infected with it His Remedy and Recovery is there also described I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness yea I sware unto thee and entred into Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine verse 8. The skirt wherewith God covereth us before he entreth into Covenant with us is the death of Christ the blood of the everlasting Covenant as will appear anon when the signification of the skirt shall be explained I have yet further to shew you that all our freedom from sin is by the death and blood of Christ whether we consider sin First In respect
over me Who foretold it by the Prophet long since Awake O sword against my Shepheard and against the man that is my Fellow smite the Shepheard c. Zach. 13. And if he did not hold my right hand and dispose of me at his pleasure I could break thee as a Potters vessel with the Rod only of my mouth or with one beck or twinkling of mine eye Therefore because I am delivered into thy hands from above for the Father hath delivered me and hath not spared his own Son Rom. 8 do not thou glory and boast so for t is not thy power but Gods permission Besides it is no true power which thou dost exercise over me but Tyranny and Robbery Power is given for the praise and protection of them that do well and for the punishment of evil doers Rom. 13. Thou hast received power yet t is not lawfull for thee to use it as thou listest For as the Law is given or made for the lawless and ungodly only 1 Tim. 1. So the Magistrate hath right to use the Sword only against the wicked Now if he destroy the guiltless with the Sword it is no lawfull power but Tyranny it is Theft not Magistracy Whereas thou art let alone to abuse thy power do not brag and make thy boast of that for the Lord will not suffer the Rod of the wicked to rest upon the Lot of the Righteous Psal 125. Shall the Ax boast it self against him that heweth therewith Isa 10. A Thief hath no power over a true man no Law against an honest man yet he may lay wait for him fall upon him and kill him So thou hast no more power over me but by permission of my Father Hereby 1. Christ doth quell Pilate who boasted so much of his power but abused the same 2. He doth shew him that he did not suffer unwillingly nor was he compel'd to the Cross by mans power but his Fathers pleasure 3. He warneth all Judges that they do not proudly vaunt of their power Also that they should consider and know themselves to be but Judges not Tyrants And that they do not bear the Sword against the godly but against the wicked doers 4. But especially he doth hereby comfort the godly and confirm their consciences letting them know that the Kingdom of the world can do nothing against them but what the Father of his good pleasure alloweth to give them experience of his presence and assistance and to strengthen their Faith Therefore he saith I will be a wall of fire Zach. 2. But Christ tells him further Therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin q.d. Thou hast no power to crucifie me but thou hast much sin in so doing but yet Judas and the Jews have more sin then thou hast For it was he and they that laid hands on me and falsly accused me What they do is out of envy but what thou dost is for fear yet not without sin T is true thou art a friend to innocency but the baseness of the Iews carry thee captive another way They have the Law and do not ignorantly but wittingly abuse the permission of God but thou never hadst that Law and therefore t is not so much folly and malignity in thee to hate the Wisdom or be ignorant of the Sacraments of God Thou committest murther in shedding the blood of a man thou dost not know but they by delivering their King and Lord to death do add Sacriledge to their Murder Where we see that one sin is greater then another sins of knowledge are greater then sins of ignorance So he that sinneth maliciously doth offend more then he that sinneth out of infirmity And a wicked Counsellour doth sin more then an ignorant Prince or Judge A naughty Christian doth sin more then an Heathen and more grievously in the same kind of sin Pilate being troubled at these words of Christ doth labour yet more earnestly to set Christ at liberty For although he was a Heathen yet he was troubled at the denunciation against sin nor would he willingly sin against God although he knew him not no more then the Heathen could know him to wit by the things that are made Rom. 1. Now when the Jews perceived that Pilate was afraid lest he should offend God and polluet himself with sin they recur to the former cavil that he affected and desired a Kingdom that he would fain be King and supplant Caesar which they shew was not safe for him being Judge and Vice-roy to neglect and therefore they threaten him with Caesar that which doth most terrifie and compell wicked Judges If thou let this man go say they c. q.d. If it doth not concern thee that he hath sinned against God yet doubtless it is something to thee that he hath offended against Caesar Thou art a Royalist a Caesarian and dost reside here to the end thou mayest not diminish but defend and encrease the Name Honour Renown and Power of Caesar But this man doth directly set himself against Caesar For Caesars main drift is to be King of Syria especially over us Jews where thou O Pilate dost preside and command in the Name of Caesar Therefore if thou shouldest let this fellow escape and not punish this his affectation to be a King none could think otherwise but that thou thy self also wast Caesars back-friend in that thou dost not punish his open enemy For whosoever maketh himself a King speaketh against Caesar All this they said not for any love to Caesar for they hated him to the death and had often made insurrections against him but out of hatred to Christ only colouring it over with the pretence of Caesars Name and Honour that they might satisfie their lusts upon Christ This is the Weapon that wounded Pilates Justice with this Exclamation his constancy doth flag and shatter in pieces his justice is turned into injustice and all the reason and gravity of this man falls to the ground So that here it is plain that civil Righteousness is not able to hold out a true and full Tryal and so is nothing worth unless it stood it out to the utmost Thus we are now come to an end of that long Dispute of Pilate both with Christ and with the Jews which did wholly tend to the freeing of the innocent It follows therefore When Pilate therefore heard that saying John 19.13 he brought Jesus forth and sat down in the Judgement seat in a place that is called the Pavement but in the Hebrew Gabbatha And it was the preparation of the Passover about the sixth hour and he saith unto the Jews behold your King But they cryed out Away with him away with him crucifie him Pilate saith unto them shall I crucifie your King The chief Priests answered We have no King but Caesar When he was set down on the Judgement seat Mat. 27.19 his Wife sent usto him saying Have thou nothing to do with that just man for
ΣΤΑΥΡΟΔΙΔΑΧΗ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΑΥΡΟÎΙΚΗ THE Doctrine Dominion OF THE CROSSE In an Historical Narration and Spiritual Application of the PASSION of IESUS Written first in Latin by John Ferus Publique Preacher in the City of Mentz Now turned into English for the good of this Nation By Henry Pinnell Together with a Preface of the Translator containing the Necessity of knowing and conforming unto the Cross of Christ Short considerations of Predestination Redemption Free-will and Original sin He that serveth in his Generation faithfully answereth the end of his Creation fully and shall never lose the hope of his salvation finally LONDON Printed by Robert White 1659. THE PREFACE Reader THE Transcription of the following Treatise is an Account of some vacant time when I was sequesterd from other imployment The subject matter of it did generally concur and sute with that state and measure of Faith I was then in and being perswaded that it may yet be usefull for them whose growth in the Mysterie of the Cross is not come to that perfection as not to need Counsell and Encouragement therein I have for their sake made it publique And though I cannot minister to the strong yet I would gladly be serviceable to the weak What I have here prefixt agreeable to the nature of the ensuing Discourse is done to satisfie the desire of many friends and in hope to profit others The sum of what I have to say is comprehended in this Proposition viz. That there is a Necessity of knowing and conforming unto the death of Christ 2. There doth not want full and pregnant proof of Scripture to confirm the Truth of this Proposition It is a faithfull saying For if we be dead with him we shall also live with him If we suffer we shall also reign with him If we deny him he also will deny us 2 Tim. 2.11,12 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death c. If we be dead with Christ c. Rom. 6.5,8 Let none dream of Justification unto life or of the new birth which only entereth into the Kingdom of God without the likeness and image of Christ in his humiliation And therefore the Apostle doth not content himself with the knowledge only that Christ died but desires also a conformity to his death Phil. 3.10 A strong curb and smart scourge to all notional and licentious Gospellers The reasons also of this Proposition are weighty and considerable 1. As first 3. We can have no benefit of the life of Christ but by conformity to his death Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be manifest in our body c. 2 Cor. 4.10,11 What need we carry the death dying and marks of the Lord Jesus in our body and mortal flesh if the life of Christ could otherwise or more easily appear The life of a Believer is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 There 's no coming at the full Glory of this life but by breaking thorow death unto it See Rom. 6.3 c. the place before cited The dead men of God are quickned by the dead body of Christ Isa 26.19 No future Resurrection unto life but by an antecedent death in the body Except the grain of Wheat die it abideth alone and is not quickened John 12.24 1 Cor. 15.36 The touch of a dead Prophet revived the body of another dead man 2 King 13.21 Who is this dead Prophet but the true and spiritual Elisha my Lord that saveth the Lord of my salvation my saving Lord Jesus Christ the great Prophet of the most high God who died for our sins and was raised again for our Justification This Elisha this Jesus let us follow not only from Galilee to Jerusalem but from Jerusalem also here below the outward and litteral Service and Worship unto Mount Calvery and from thence to the Sepulchre thither let us hasten with Mary Magdalen aad the two other Disciples and there let us wait we shall have some Angelical invitation to come near and see the place where the Lord lay The Lord is risen and hath left room enough in his grave to receive all that inquire into the Mysterie of his death Into this Sepulchre let us descend by a true operating saith working a conformity in us unto his death Let us touch not the flesh but the bones of this great Elisha Let us not lay bold on the weakness of the mortal nature but upon the Power of his endless life 2. Secondly 4. Without this conformity there is no freedom from sin We must resist unto Blood striving against sin for without blood there is no Remission And that our minds may not be weary nor faint Let us consider him that suffered such contradiction of sinners Heb. 12.3,4 1 John 1.7 Lev. 17.11 Heb. 9.22 The Prophet Ezekiel describeth the Sickness and Remedy of a sinner under the borrowed speech of a new-born Child Ezek. 16. Which place of the Prophet I think is much mistaken by many who understand it of the natural birth and accordingly from thence conclude all Children guilty of original sin in the common acceptation of it which to me seems most improbable For Children by natural as well as spiritual Propagation are an Heritage and Reward of the Lord Gen. 30.2 Psalm 127.3 Acts 17.28 Our very bodily Being Substance and Existence is the Workmanship of God Psalm 119.73 Psalm 139.5,13,16 Now if Children be guilty of sin as soon as they draw breath yea before they be born this would be some stain upon the Work-manship of God according to whose Will and not according to mans it is that Children are propagated Again One of Gods Laws would be broken by observing another Ordinance of his own which would bring confusion upon the orderly works and methodical ways of God For God hath made a Law That the son shall not bear the Iniquity of the Father Ezek. 18.20 Now if Children should be guilty of Adams sia as soon as they be born it would make many religious and consciencious persons be at a stand concerning marriage which is the first and great Ordinance of God for fear lest they should be Instruments to fill the world with sinners rather than with Saints And indeed how can that state be honorable and the bed undefiled if it should produce nothing but such an unclean Off-spring Heb. 13.4 5. I shall only add this Quaere viz Is Marriage an Ordinance of God instituted among other ends for the propagation of Mankind I suppose it granted I ask then Did God ever make and intend such an Ordinance the observation whereof doth unavoidably increase sin in the world If so How is he acquited fram having a hand in mans sin The wicked heart of man hath shifts and evasions to extenuate and excuse his sin Why He is not so much to be blamed 't was his Fathers and Mothers fault rather then his Hominum quoque
discouragements resolving within our selves that if we may but touch this hem of his garment we shall be whole Mat. 9.20,21 Mar. 5.27,28 For doubtless all that do touch it really truly believingly spiritually and indeed are made perfectly whole Mat. 14.36 17. The necessity of descending into this low estate of self-denial Humiliation Mortification and Death is fully and significantly proposed by our blessed Lord and Redeemer John 10. where he saith that he is the door of the sheep The door is the entrance into the house and is placed in the lowest part thereof at the bottom not at the top of the house Christ is our new and living way When Longinus the souldier pierced his side with the spear there was an entrance a door made for us into the holiest that we might go into it with liberty or boldness to be saved and go in and out and find pasture John 10.7,9 chap. 19.34 Hebrews 10.19,20 18. But wo and alas how many spiritual Thieves and Robbers are there now adays in the world How many pass by the door and seek to climb into the sheep-fold some other way There are too many who profess the death of Christ with their tongue but in their deeds deny and make void the same Men can talk much of free Grace and Justification by the death of Christ but continue hypocrites deceitfull proud envious ambitious covetous contentious c. Corruptio optimi pâ—ssima This is to turn the Grace of God into wanttonness and corrupt the best things which is the worst thing of all These are Thieves and Robbers who think to steal into the Sheep-fold of the divine Nature without crucifying the flash with the affections and lusts Such thieves cannot enter into the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.10 For such men rob Christ of the vertue of his sufferings and death and make him die in vain in that they refuse to fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in their flesh Col. 1.24 and deny to bear about in their body the dying of the Lord Jesus 2 Cor. 4.10 Psalm 76.4 But God is of more Honour and Might then the hills of the Robbers more glorious and more excellent then the mountains of prey he will pull down these mighty ones from their seat he will abase these high lofty vain conceited men and exalt the humble and meek Eph 4.28 Wherefore let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labor in Gods Vineyard doing his work and will not slothfull in this great business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord and working out his own salvation with fear and trembling Romans 12.11 Phil. 2.12 5. Fifthly 19. So long as men continue in the old state of their sinfull nature they can have no assurance of the life to come therefore it is necessary that they know and conform to the death of Christ for the crucifying of that which hindreth their assurance When Hezekiah was sick the sign of his recovery was the Suns going back ten degrees 2 King 20.10 This retrogradation of the Firmamental Sun in the Dyal of Ahaz the Jewish Doctors do mystically apply to the Exinanition of the Sun of Righteousness to Christs emptying himself till he became of no reputation whose declination from the height of his fathers glory till he came under the contradiction of sinners against the shame of the Cross they distribute it into ten degrees The first gradual descent towards his abasement was into an Angel for he is the Angel or Messenger of the great Counsel of God who came out of the bosom of the Father to reveal him unto the sons of men and is as willing a Messenger from man to present his desires with much incense unto God John 1.18 Rev. 8 3. His second descent was into the Patriarcks the figures of himself filling them with the Mysterie of himself for he that ascended did also first descend into the lowest parts that he might fill all things The third degree was in giving the Law in which he spake to the Jews and which was disposed by Angels in the hand of a Mediator Fourthly Into Joshua as being the true Joshna or Jesus that leadeth the whole Israel of God into the spiritual land of Promise His fifth descent was seen in the Judges it being he that governed that people by those men who is the great Judge of the quick and the dead before whose Judgement seat all must appear to give an account of things done in the body His sixth in the Kings of the Jews in whom he reigned over that people as the true and rightfull King of the inward and faithfull Jew Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews was his unrepealable title upon the Cross John 19.19,22 Psalm 2.6 He it is that is set as King upon the mount of Gods holiness to reign in Righteousness Isa 32.1 To be Ruler in Israel Mic. 5.2 Who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19.16 Seventhly In the Prophets It is he that spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been since the world began Luke 1.70 This is the Prophet which Moses said should come up after him whom we ought to hear Deut. 18.15 To fulfill that saying And they shall be all taught of God Isa 54.13 John 6.45 Eighthly In the high Priests for they were all but shadows of whom Christ was the substance read the Epistle to the Hebrews Ninthly In man when he assumed our nature It was for us men and our salvation that the Almighty Word of God leapt down from Heaven like a fierce man of War into the midst of a land of destruction and was incarnate by the holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and pitcht his Tent among us or in us Wisd 18.15,16 John 1.14 Tenthly In his Humiliation unto that ignominious death of the Cross Here was the winter Solstice or shortest day of the year at which time some say Christ was born This is the tenth degree of descent in the Dyal of Ahaz the lowest and utmost declination of thâ— Sun of Righteousness was in his death burial descention into hell 20. What censure soever the eight first Degrees may undergo as Cabalistical conceits is not much material There can be no Dspute about the two last by any that acknowledge Christ to be come in the flesh For he was truly a man in our nature with which nature of ours he harnessed himself like a man of War Exod. 15.3 and fought it out hand to fist in a single Duel with the Devil in which Combate he stood it out unto the death and thereby overcame him that had the power of death to wit the Devil Heb. 2.14 And withal vanquishing death and hell 1 Cor. 15.55 Hos 13.14 Read Col. 2.14,15 Thus he put off his harness of flesh and blood of which he took part with the Children Heb. 2. as well as put it
to shew that it is easie to know but hard to believe and hardest of all to observe and hold it fast that the servant is not greater than his Lord neither should be In outwards none will presume to go before his Lord or fare better than he But in spiritual things we see it far otherwise Every man coveteth and desireth to be in a better condition than Christ For though Christ was in the form of God yet he humbled himself we that are but wretched creatures run away from humility Christ served us servants we scorn to serve any man or minister to him Christ did good to his enemies we will not to our brethren Christ was obedient and took pains we love our ease Christ patiently bare the reproaches of men though he was the brightness of the Fathers Glory we behave our selves far otherwise Christ the Judge of all men suffered himself to be judged we disdain that any should judge or reprove us Christ entered into his Glory by the Cross and death we think to get thither by luxury and lasciviousness What else do we but prefer our selves before our Lord and covet better things then he enjoyed T is not without cause you see that he doth so oft and so earnestly press this word upon us For First He would have us take our selves for servants And secondly to consider and think upon what he hath done and suffered for us He that doth seriously mind these things will be most forward to all good and most patient under all evil Therefore Christ saith If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them See how earnestly he urgeth the work as if all knowledge were nothing without it Lest the Disciples should say we knew this long agoe that we must be humbled why dost thou teach us that now as if we had not known it before Well saith Christ if ye do know these things t is the better for you but this Knowledge is not attained without obedience I pronounce no man blessed for his knowledge but for his work If ye that have knowledge desire to be happy then do what ye know Ye have seen the very Work in me I also desire to see it in you From this of Christ you see that we have ground according to the Faith to teach and preach good works in the Church against them that are enemies to works For what else can we do but what Christ himself did No Christian that will keep to the words of Christ can condemn us Thou therefore whosoever thou art hold fast the sure Word of God and stir not a jot from it Read Mat. 5. Luke 6. Jam. 1. c. and thou shalt see most plainly that Christ and the Apostles taught good works What have we then to do with the vain boasting of false Gospellers though they have learnt much out of the Gospel and know all the Scriptures when they will not do the least good work Know therefore that the perfection of a Christian doth not consist in knowledge but practice Not the forgetfull hearer but the doer of the work he is blessed in his deed Again Jam. 1. 4. Matth. 7. Psalm 103. To him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin So Christ he that hearech my words and doth them is like a wise man c. His righteousness is unto childrens children to them that keep his Covenant and to those that remember his Commandments to do them As Christ had separated and exempted Judas before from those that were clean Ye are clean saith he but not all so here he excepteth and separateth him from those that are blessed I speak not of you all saith he q.d. I told ye that you should be happy if ye would follow and imitate me But all of ye shall not partake of this happiness There is one of you that hath no part in this word He is so far from helping his fellow servants that he becomes cruel to me his Lord. He will be no Minister but a Thief no imitator but a Traytor not an Apostle but a Devil and this in a word is that most miserable Judas who neither hath Lot here among the pure nor shall have there among the perfect 1. By this word Christ pricks him again if happily he might amend 2. He speaks in general and doth name no man to terrifie them all for at that time they contended for supremacy as we shall see anon Quest But why did Christ say I know whom I have chosen Answ I answer Lest any should think Christ had mistaken in receiving such a one as Judas into the number of the Apostles A twofold Election The Election of God is twofold First to present Grace Secondly to finall Grace To the first Judas was elected to wit to be an Apostle but not to the second he was not elected to happiness If you ask why he was not chosen to blessedness also I answer with Paul Rom. 9. Who art thou O man that answerest God Rom 9. Let it suffice us that we know God is just and disposeth all things wisely Object But some will say why did Christ suffer this wicked man whom he knew to be such a one to tarry so long among the Disciples Solut. Christ answereth that the Scripture might be fulfilled He that eateth bread with me hath lift up his heel against me q.d. Therefore have I with much patience forborn this vessel of wrath fitted for destruction that now that which was determined from the beginning concerning me might be fulfilled without any new purpose intervening but in a direct course as it was foreknown and determined of old This must not be so understood as if Judas were compelled to betray Christ lest the Scriptures should be found false for then he had not been to be blamed but commended and his sin must have lighted on God But because he would do this of his own accord therefore the Holy Spirit foretold it knowing it beforehand The place here quoted is taken out of Psalm 41.9 He hath lift up his heel against me 'T is a proverbial speech For so we use to say when we would shew how greatly we scorn a man The meaning then of the word is He that was most friendly to me who lodged long with me who walked stay'd eat drank slept watched with me as a near and dear friend whom I thought I might well trust yea whom I had loaden with many courtesies he he hath thus requited me as now to become my worst enemy And not content therewith he useth all means to supplant and ruine me This complaint might well be made of Judas for he indeed sought to undermine Christ so that his name might be clean put out Yet Christ expresseth this sin of Judas more favourably than the Psalmist doth for there it is not simply said he hath lift up his heel against me but he hath magnified a supplantation
so he might mollifie his mind and teach us to do the like The meaning is Friend wherefore art thou come q.d. I invite thee to be friends For as I foreknew what thou wouldst do so now I am ready to forgive thee and to receive thee into former favour and friendship again though thou hast thus sin'd against me Do not sleight my offer but consider what thou art attempting how wickedly thou dealest with me who have deserved no such thing at thy hands Friend wherefore art thou come Who did bring thee to me who forc'd thee hither Was it my fault Have any of mine offended thee But thou art come willingly of thy own accord The rest are commanded and compelled but thou comest and therefore thou hast the greater sin O Judas I pitty thee how doth thy destruction trouble me for whom I now suffer in vain Lo thou art the first on whom my blood hath no effect Why art thou come Surely not to my destruction but thine own because thou art come to destroy me by whom thou shouldest be saved For how can he be saved that would destroy the very Truth Righteousness and Salvation it self And these we may suppose were not spoken to Judas only but to all such as intend mischief to their Neighbours For truly he that wrongs his Neighbour doth first ruin himself Therefore Brethren let us look to it and give all diligence that we be not found false but reall friends of God and Christ As Abraham was called the friend of God James 2. and Lazarus the friend of Christ Joh. 11. And Christ doth not call his Apostles servants but Friends Joh. 15. But Judas was never the better for all Christs counsell It may be he thought that Christ spake this out of fear Therefore after he had kist him Christ cals him yet once more the last time and that with great expression of love and goodness Judas saith saith he dost thou betray the son of man with a kiss Now he doth lay open his sin and touch him to the quick he aggravateth the sin it self that so being terrified therewith he might forbear O Judas what a horrible sin dost thou commit What man durst ever do the like Dost thou only strive to out-strip all other men besides in malice and mischief Beware what thou dost Thou thinkest to cheat me with thy fawning flattery and to hide thy hatred from me But I knew long ago what thy purpose was and what bargain thou drovest with the Jews and what thou meanest by this thy treacherous kiss thou betrayest the Son of Man But consider what an hainous crime it is to destroy the innocent Consider also who and what he is whose life thou huntest after Grant it hitherto I have called my self only the son of Man but I will make thee see and know who this son of Man is Thou dost not destroy the son of man only but the Son of God too Thou betrayest them both at once Thou betrayest him that is thy Father by creation thy Lord by preservation thy Saviour by Redemption thy Brother by incarnation thy Master by instruction thy Friend by election and lastly him that will be thy Judge by a finall Retribution See how many sins thou committest at once and all by one kiss Thus thou woundest him by a shew of Love thou sheddest his blood by a seeming work of charity thou seekest his death in a way of peace what can be more odious then this horrid fact We see here how unwilling God is that any man should perish and how grievously they sin who are the occasion of others ruin and destruction As on the other side how honourably they deserve who are the means of others Salvation Jam. 5.20 Here Christ instructeth by his Example and Word By this Example he teacheth us 1. Patiently to bear with wicked men yea to bear the guil and treachery of false Friends as Christ did patiently bear the falshood of Judas for we that are servants ought not to be greater than our Lord. 2. So to love our Neighbour that we wink not at their faults as Christ here calleth Judas Friend yet withall he rebuked him for his sin By those two words which Christ here spake be would warn every man not to be like Judas lest they suffer as he did It were to be wisht that there were but one Judas in the Church of Christ We all indeed cry out against his malice but mean while we do the same things which we blame him for Judas was a covetous man and for filthy lucre he sold Christ He rob'd the poor of their Alms and gifts of charity He did not make it his business to preach Christ He was not converted at the preaching of Christ He took the Body of Christ in his sins He betrayed Christ under a colour of peace He was an hypocrite He was obstinate and impenitent c. How oft do we see these and such like things in a Church Is not he a Traytor that confesseth Christ with his mouth but denyeth him in his works Also he that doth contrary to righteousness truth charity c. for money or any other temporal advantage Likewise he that makes a shew of Love to his Neighbour but hateth him in his heart O cursed generation of Judas how many and deep roots hast thou fastened in the earth But the time will come when all the followers of Judas shall perish together with their Jewish frowardness Mean while let the godly like Christ bear and have patience with wicked men Now when Judas had kissed him no doubt but the rest run upon Jesus to lay hands upon lest the traytors sign being observed they should let him escape Therefore it follows in the Text When they which were about him saw what would follow Luke 22.49 they said unto him Lord shall we smite with the sword Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it John 18.10 and smote the high Priests servant and cut off his right ear the servants name was Malchus And Jesus answered and said Suffer ye thus far Luke 22.51 John 18.11 Mat 26.52 Then said Jesus unto Peter Put up thy sword into the sheath for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father and he shall presently give me more then twelve Legions of Angels The cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it John 18.11 Mat. 26.54 Luke 22.51 But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be And he touched his ear and healed him The Apostles understood not what Christ said at supper when he spake of buying a sword Christ meant the sword of the Spirit but they thought that he had spoken of a material sword Therefore they presently brought him two swords and now when they saw their enemies they asked whether they should fight in his defence But Peter as one hotter then the rest and flusht