in this place he was most friendly to Sinners In Heaven he is giorious In Hell furious In the World marvellous but upon Mount Calvary he was merciful and gracious and without his Mercy upon Mount Calvary we could never enjoy his Glory in Heaven Well then let our Souls accompany our blessed Savâ—…our in this painful Passage towards this place of his Combat also bow our selves under his Cross not upon necessiâ—…y and constraint as did Simon Cyrenius for nothing is more grievous to serve or be served by Constraint but let us do it chearfully and freely which will be best accepted by him For although he can command us as Slaves yet will he have us entreated as Sons Let us not be ashamed to stoop under Christ's Cross for he hath now taken away both the Infamy and the Curse of the Cross he hath made the Cross a Tribunal a Throne of Judgment be not ashamed of that Name which was a Reproach among the Romans as Gibbet-bearer or Cross-carrier because Malefactors used to bear their own Crosses Our Saviour has made this Action not only unblameable but honourable and in some degree necessary to us and take this Advice howsoever his Body was enfeebled partly with watching and Injuries all the Night before and partly with Cruelties all that Morning howsoever we see him charged with a Massy Cross whereof Simon Cyrenius did bear up that end that dragged behind him We see him also charged with a more ponderous Load namely the full Râ—…ge and Fury of God's Wrath against Sin which no Creature could help him to bear had he not been suâ—…ained by his Almighty Dâ—…ty howsoever when we see him either burthened or â—…ied let us cast our Sins upon him for woe be unto us if when they nail him to the Cross they nail not our Offences with him Assuredly unless our Sins are crucified with him we shall never be raised to Life by him sear not that he will shrink from them or shake them off for he hath manifestly declared both his Courage and his Care His Courage appears in that he forbad the Women to weep for him he manifested his Care in shewing himself more sensible of their Calamities than his own But stay let us consider and run not so fast by so high a Mystery What new thing is this Our Saviour would not speak one Word to Herod nor make Pilate any Answer altho' he was urged to it but without Request he turned his Face and spake to them that wept after him Herod questioned upon Curiosity and Pilate by way of Authority but the Daughters of Sion wept out of pure pity and therefore the Words of the one reached no farther than his Ears but the Luke-warm Drops of the other pierced his Heart He takes pity upon those that take pity upon others he values the Tears of the Pitiful much more than the Words of the Mighty for which cause he did not only turn and speak to those weeping Women but did seem more sensible of their Tears than his own Torments By this we may see which is the best way to obtain Favour of our Lord Jesus Christ that it is better to sue to him with force of Tears than multitude of Words because Words are formed by the Tongue but Tears commonly proceed from the Heart possess'd either with Grief or Love Let us use few Word and weep more for this is the Language of Heaven this the most prevailing Voice to call upon God Tears overcome the Invincible appease the Omnipotent and torment the Devil more than Hell fire When Tears cry to God when he is importuned by true Tears he will not delay to come to comfort us but will grow presently familiar with us But O Redeemer of our Lives wherefore is it thy pleasure that we should not weep for thee Thou didst weep for Lazarus thou didst also weep for the Stones and Walls of Jerusalem and wilt thou not permit us to weep for thee Dost thou make so small an account of the loss of thy Life Shall we so little value the shedding of thy most precious Blood What Law of Equity or Justice is it to command us to love thee and yet to forbid us to weep for thee For how doth he love thee that weepeth not at thy most cruel Torment Or wherefore dost thou consent we should weep for our selves and not for thee Are we of greater value than thou And can any of us be less worthily or more shamefully punished What shall we say Shall we with Reverence leave this high and obscure Mystery among many others to thy Divine Judgment Or wouldst thou signifie to those weeping Women that they should not judge of thee as then they saw thee nor of thine Enemies nor of themselves according to that State wherein then they were Or dost thou give us to understand too that it sufficeth not that we weep for thee if we do not discern how we weep because right Weeping consists not in multitude but in well placing of our Tears Or is it thy pleasure we should not weep for thy Death but the Workers of thy Death According to which Rule we have more cause that commit than those that suffer outrage and wrong Or wouldest thou have us to understand that our Life should be a long Martyrdom a continual crucifying of our selves and that we may have more reason to shew Compassion to the Wicked while they live than the Good when they die For it is better to die than to live amongst wicked Men because in Death there is but one bitter Morsel to swallow but the Society of the Wicked is a continual Torment Or Lastly Didst thou mean that we should not weep for thee in compassion to our selves because our Sins are so great that we have time little enough to lament for them And as thou art grieved at our Sins more than thy own Sufferings so thou takest greater pleasure that we let fall Tears for them than for thee for if we should not bewail our Sins thy suffering for us will little avail us First therefore we must weep in compassion to our selves and then for thy Passion We must acknowledge our Offences first and then be much agrieved for thy Wounds for if thou hadst suffered for thy self it should have been our Duty to weep only for thee but since thou didst suffer for our Sins it is most convenient that we should pour forth Tears principally for them However it is forbid us not O good Jesu Forbid us not we beseech thee to weep for thee for if thou dost with Tears we will entreat thee that we may weep We will entreat thee rather not to weep for the traiterous City Jerusalem than not to suffer us to weep for thee O Lord of all Life Do not only permit but enable us to weep and accept our Praises watered with our Tears With bended Knees and with all our Hearts swallowed up with a true Sense of our own Unworthiness and
〈◊〉 to the Cross and set to the 〈◊〉 show and shame of World What shall I say God in his Humanity died Stay O our Souls or we are not able to step any father Hâ—…b 1. 3. Lord I heard thy Words and was afraid I saw thy Works and my Bowels were troubled I was amazed and my Lips did shake Certainly our weak Faculties are unable to comprehend this great Mystery They can never reach this boundless Height they can never fathom this bottomless Depth we may coldly speak of it and drowsily affect it but Principalities and Powers stand astonished at itâ—… Therefore let us list up our heavy and and dull Souls after him even after the Man of Grief Isa 53. But he was wounded for our Transgressions he was crucifiâ—…d for our Iniquities the Chastisernert of our Peace was upon him by his Stripes we are healed But O King of Glory what hâ—…dst thou deserved what hadiâ—… thou done Pilate could find in thee no Cause of Death but only the abundance ofthy Goodness and Love for it wasâ—…our Sins that thus distressed thee â—…hese Nails these Whips these Sâ—…reams of Blood are perpetual Monuments of our wicked Lives Pilate Caiaphas and all the rest either thy Judges or Tormentors whom we charge with this cursed Cruelty towards thee were only secondary and instrumental Causes we are the principal Cause of all thy Troubles and Afflictions we cannot shift it to any other but say every one to himself as the Prophet Nathan said to David thou art the Man I am the Man I am he that did thus afflict thee we have committed the Offence and thou wouldst bear the Punishment We have surfeited our selves with Sin and thou wouldst take the bitter Potion to purge us Thou didst fast for us in the Wilderness thou didst sweat for us in the Garden thou didst bleed for us upon the Cross so thy Head underwent the Cure for the Members O then that our Heads were but Fountains of Tears that we might therewith wash the Wounds und bathe the Bruises that our Sins have made O Lord let us worship and adore thee for thy Loving-kindness is very great let us praise thy Holy Name and give unto thee hearty Thanks because thou hast so loved us as with thy most precious Blood to wash away all our Sins and reconcile us again to thy Father's Favours Blessed art thou therefore for ever who art the Reconciler the Redeemer and Saviour of Mankind the Vanqâ—…isher of Hell and of the Devil the Giveâ—… of Life the Destroyer of Death What doth stay our Hearts O Lord that they run not unto thee Is any Clog so heavy any Chain so strong that can either hold or hinder us from hastening unto thee If all the things of this World are nothing but a Flower fresh to Day and dead and gone to Morrow shall such light Matters as any thing this World can afford in comparison of thee keep us from coming to thee No Lord Can a small weak Wind stay a heavy Stone in the Air from falling to its natural Place Shall the light Chaff of this World for all is no more stop our coming to thee who art our last End our perfect Felicity the true Rest and Center of our Souls No. Come unto him all hungry and thirsty Souls this is the handful of Meal 1 Kings 17. and the little Oil of the Widow of Sarepta which will never waste this is the mystical Rock which Moses struck with his Rod in the Wilderness Exod. 17. 6. out of which gushed forth Rivers of Waters of Life all you that dislike your sinful Birth may be born again John 14. 4. Come all afflicted Consciences this is the good Samaritan who will pour Oil and Wine into your Wounds Luke 10. 34. Come all you that are oppressed with Poverty bring hither your empty Vessels 2 Kings 4. This is the Pot of Oil of the Widow that came to Elizeus wherewith and by no other means you may pay your Debts Be not discouraged because it is little the Vertue thereof is great it will never cease running as long as there is any Vessel to fill Come all ye that desiâ—…e to be at Peace with God this is the perfect Peace-Offering this is the sweet Sacrifice whose Blood crieth not for Vengeance as did the Blood of Abel but crieth for Pardon for all Offenders This is the Gate through which we must pass if we go into Heaven this is the Ark whereinto we must enter if we will be saved this is the Palace of Peace Psal. 132. 14. This is my resting Place for ever and ever here will I dwell for I have a delight herein How our Saviour was mocked and reviled and how he prayed for his Enemies Matt. 27. 39. And they that passed by reviled him wagging their Heads AFTER they had thus cruelly crucified Jesus the High-Priests with the Scribes Elders and Pharisees and after them the Multitudes so prevalent are the Examples of great Men that also the Soldiers tormented him and one of the Thieves that suffered with him reviled and blasphemed him disgracing the Doctrine he had taught one upbraids him and says Thou that destroy the Temple and buildest it again in three Days save thy self Another bid him come down from the Cross and they would believe him Another cries He saved others himself he cannot save Another He trusted in God let him deliver him if he will have him for he said I am the Son of God He that suffered for all had all against him and among all that great Multitude that at that time was at Jerusalem there was not one who would openly avow Jesus to be the Christ whereby our Lord Jesus would shew to us That our Redemption is his singular Mercy and Grace for there was not one but what made himself unworthy of it some for Malice persecuting others for Fear disowning the rest not regarding of him as thinking that which concerned them most concerned them nothing at all And it was a Mystery that our Saviour was condemned by the Jews and afterwards by the Gentiles That he was delivered by the Jews to the Gentiles that he was pursued to Death by the one and by the other who died indifferently for them both Go to go to ye base Children of the Synagogue mock on Leave you have in regard to us double your Malice in Revilings if you please you do us greater Kindness thereby than you are sensible of for look how fast his Infamy doth grow so fast doth our Shame decrease Whatsoever will do us good he hath imparted to us and hath taken to himself whatsoever might do us harm But in regard of your selves O ye stiff-necked Jews it had been better your Tongues had been torn out of your Throats than they should have been thus impiously employed all your insulting is but like the putting of a red hot Iron into cold Water to make a great Noise to extinguish your selves For since you have disavowed
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THE SON of GOD Shed without the Gates of Jerusalem For the Redemption of Lost and Undone SINNERS Whereby his great Love to Mankind is Undeniably Manifested In these following PARTICULARS His Agony in the Garden being betrayed by Judas being falsly accused before Annas Caiaphas Herod and Pilate his being Scourged Scorned and Spitefully Used his Condemnation and Going to Execution how he was Crucified of his being Reviled and Pardoning the Thief upon the Cross and of his giving up the Ghost All which is Practically Applyed and Improved for the bringing of Sinners out of the Way of Sin and Hell into Wisdom's Ways Whose Ways are Ways of Pleasantness and all her Path's are Peace By that Eminent Divine Mr. John Hayward The Tenth Edition London Printed for Robert Gifford in Old Bedlam without Bishopsgate 1699. Price bound â—â—s TO THE Christian READER Dear Hearts BY the reading of this small Treatise you may in some measure be made sensible of what Christ hath done for you in order to your everlasting Salvation Wherein his great Love is manifested unto all For greater Love hath no Man than this to lay down his Life for his Friends but he hath laid it down for his greatest Enemies to redeem them from everlasting Destruction By these sad and dolorous Sufferings of our Saviour we may see also what a dreadful and Soul-destroying thing Sin is that nothing but the precious Blood of the eternal Son of God could make Satisfaction for it Oh what Cause have we then to admire and adore the mighty God of Heaven for his infinite Mercy towards us in sending his Son his only begotten Son Christ Jesus to redeem us from Death and Hell Seeing such great things have been done for us let us make it our daily Practice and Business to walk in some measure answerable to them That we may so do is and shall be the hearty Prayer of your Soul 's Cordial Friend JOHN HAYWARD OF Our Saviour's Agony IN THE GARDEN Matth. Chap. 26. Ver. 38. Then saith he unto them My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death tarry ye here and watch with me AND not designing to take notice of the Meanness of his Birth and that continual Course of Sorrow and Misery that attended the former part of his Life wherein he took upon him not only the Form of a Sinner but a Servant I shall consider the time only towards his Death wherein in a most especial manner his great love to Mankind is manifested For as every natural Motion groweth more ardent towards the end so the Love of Christ towards the true Church his Spouse Not that he loved us better in the latter part of his Life but it did then most appear As some sort of Fire the more Water is thrown upon it the hotter it burns so both the Apprehension and Presence of Death was so far from lessening his Love that it did rather encrease it Therefore as in all the Passages of his Life so more especially towards his Death all his Doctrine was Holy Just and Good Milk for the Weak Meat for the Strong Medicine for the Sick not too deep for the Simple nor too shallow for the Wise but as a Ford wherein the Lamb may wade and the Elephant swim all his Actions were the Works of Justice and Mercy Examples of all Vertues but most especially of Humility which is the Foundation of all other Vertues as Love Pity and Compassion whereof our Miseries stood most in need His Life was so Pure and Holy that by that Example he hath set us we may plainly see what is either wanting or amiss in our selves even the Book which the Prophet Ezekiel speaks of That he saw Ezek. 2. written within by Instruction without by Example of Life wherein we have what to contemplate what to imitate and what to admire So that whosoever doth not only study but like the Prophet seek he shall attain inestimable both Knowledge and Vertue When our Saviour begun his Passion in the Garden of Gethsemane he was accompanied with those three Disciples who not long before had seen his Glorious Transfiguration upon Mount Tabor to the end that seeing so great a Change they might be sensible of the greatness of God's Severity and of his Love O Treasure of Heaven O Light and Life of the World How was his Glory obscured his Strength abated his Courage appaled insomuch that he did acknowledge to his Disciples that his Soul was heavy unto death Our Saviour began his Conflict with Prayer giving Example to us in all our Troubles to do the like teaching us also in what manner we ought to pray first in that he did fall prostrate upon the Ground he did thereby instruct us that with the greatest Humility and Reverence we must present our selves before the Majesty of Almighty God Secondly by his earnest praying with what fervency of Spirit we ought to beat at Heaven Gates Thirdly by his often praying we have an Example of Perseverance until he that doth engage us to beg shall let us have his Favour so far as to obtain Lastly He hath taught us to renounce our own Wills and to resign our Desires to the pleasure of Almighty God These things if at all times we endeavour to perform but especially in the Agonies of Death the Angels will certainly come to comfort us for God will cerly send us strength to bear what he is not pleased to remove But wherefore did our Saviour pray That if it were possible this Cup might pass from him Did he not freely and voluntarily offer up himself for Sin to save Sinners yes desirously for no necessity could be cast upon him no complaint of Justice because he was innocent no necessity through weakness because he was Almighty for he had twelve Legions of Angels at his Command but it was to comfort and strengthen his weak-hearted Members that their Courage might not be cast down under any Tryal or Tribulation that God might call them to And also he did hereby declare That he did bear the natural Weaknesses of our Flesh For none can possibly imagine the greatness of those Sorrows and Miseries that he went through Lastly he would manifest to us That he did consist of two Natures and two Wills not so separate as to make two Persons nor so confounded as to make one Nature and Will but distinguish'd in their essential Properties and Operations In his Humane Will he did pray to avoid this Cup in his Divine Will he did desire it He did desire Death in regard of the end but in regard to it self he did pray to avoid it Yet his Humane Will was not contraâ—…y or repugnant to his Divine Will Yet being surprized with the fear of Death through the frailty of his Hamane Will he seemed not to think of that which he perfectly did know not as drawing or declining from his Father's Will but forthwith resuming his Resolution submitted himself to his Decree
There is no Question buâ—… the Pains that our Saviour did enduâ—…e in his â—…dv were exceeding great yet nothing comparable to the Torments of his Soul In bodily Pains 't is possible some have born as much as he But as for the Sorrow of his Soul the unspeakable Sorrows of his Soul there was never any came near him And indeed the Pain of the Body is not comparable to the the Sorrow of the Soul Prov. 18. 14. The Spirit of a Man shall sustain his other Infirmities But a wounded Spirit who can hear And first begun his Sorrows in his Soul For as Sin beginneth always at the Soul and from thence extendeth to the Body it was most proper that the Punishment of Sin should begin at the Soul and afterwards proceed to the Body This Grief of Soul of our Saviour's was very great as one of the Evangelists testifieth Matth. 26. 37. He began to wax sorrowful and grievously troubled Another Mark 14. 34. He began to be afraid and in great heaviness and says Luke 22. 14. He was in an Agony But in a more peculiar manner he did express it himself Matth. 26. 38. Now is my Soul trâ—…ubled now is my Soul heavy even unto death and also by Actions in that when no violence was offered to his Body no Man stood near him to do him any harm he was so much inwardly pressed in Spirit and in so great an Agony that in an extream cold Night when he lay upon the cold Earth all the Forces of his Body were distracted the Humours disturbed the Pores opened and he was cast into a great and bloody Sweat not a thin faint Sweat but consisting of such great Drops which issued so plenteously from every part of his Body that they came through his Apparel and trickled to the Ground in great abundance Luke 22. 44. Sure never was any Garden thus watered never Ground thus wet Adam might moisten the Earth with the Sweat of his Brows but never was it moistned but at that time with a bloody Sweat O let us therefore look upon our Saviour and upon our selves Upon our Saviour as upon the true Adam not cast but came out of Paradice of his oâ—… Love and free Will for to redeem us from our Sins labouring in a bloody Sweat to get for us the Bread of Life Upon our selves as those that were at that time his only Tormentors for the Executioners did not then tear him with Whips they did not then press a Crown of Thorns upon his Head It was not the Nails nor the Spear that then did pierce him but it was our Offences that did so much afflict him our Sins were the heavy Burthen under which he did so grievously sweat For then were represented to him the Sins of the whole World both past and to come which to him who bears so great a Love and Zeal to the Honour of his Father it could not but be an unspeakable Sorrow and Trouble to him Then also was presented to him the most terrible sight in the World the great Fury of the Father before whose Majesty when he is moved to Wrath the Angels cover their Faces the Mountains sweat the Earth trembleth the Sea flyeth before whom if he appears as Judge no Creature can stand and verily if the Wrath of God against one Sinner for one Sin be termed Unquenchable Fire a Worm that dâ—…th not Watling and Gnashing of Teeth and yet not sufficiently expressed What Words can the Wisdom of Men devise to represent the terribleness of that Judgment that was against him who was to drink of the whole Cup of his Father's Wrath not for one Sin only but for the Sins of the whole World and if he had left one drop if he had not drank up the very Dregs we had not been excused from eternal Damnation Also he beheld the Ingratitude of many who would not endeavour to make any profit to their own Souls of this great Benefit which doubtless was a sharper cut to him than all the outward Torments he endured ever as it is less grievous to a Man to take pains for another than to know that his Pains shall not be regarded Our blessed Saviour did bend under this heavy Burthen and dipt his Garments in his own Blood and he took the Cup of his Father's Wrath which had no mixture of Mercy in it He did lay upon his Shoulders a light Burthen and a sweet Yoke but we have laid upon him an unmerciful Load which none but himself is able to bear No Element is heavy in its proper place and therefore as one that diveth into the Water feeleth not the Weight of the Water which is above So he that is plunged in the depth of his Sins has no sense how heavy they are because Sin is there in its natural place But Sin in our Saviour was out of its proper place and above its Sphere and therefore lay the more grievously upon him For if a Sinner that is sanctified is oftentimes pressed with his own Sins that he crieth out with holy David Psalm 38. My iniquities are a sore Burthen too heavy for me to bear How grievous must this Sea of Sin be to him who is Sanctification it self and from whom it all flows O heavenly Father What is this that thy innocent Son thy only Son thy Son in whom thou art well pleased in this humble and heavy manner laboureth before thee Their Fathers hoped in thee and thou didst deliver them they called upon thee and were not confounded Wherefore then is thy innocent and only Son begotten of thy Substance forsaken of thee How shall we sinful Wretches expect to find any Mercy with thee seeing thou art so seveâ—…e against thy only Son So merciful a Father against so good and loving a Son Is not thy Wrath appeased when thou seest this miserable Spectacle of him that is so dear unto thee This bloody Sweat whereof every drop is of greater value than a Thousand Worlds Is it not a sufficient Satisfaction for our Sins a sufficient Price for our Redemption O admirable and upright Justice for this was but a small Skirmish to the main Battel which did follow after Sure if thy Eyes Holy Father were fix'd upon the Cross whereunto thy only Son was fastned thou wouldst not be satisfied nor appeased because thou hadst before ordained that Death which was a Curse belonging to Sin must also be the Punishment of thy Son that the Devil that prevailed by a Tree should also be by a Tree subdued O what a painful Purchase has our Saviour made what a sharp Price has he paid for our Redemption how intolerable may we think was the end of his Sufferings when the beginning was so dreadful and how cruel were those Torments that were by him to be endured which were so terrible in being feared O therefore let the sight of our Sins draw some Drops of Tears now from our Eyes seeing they did draw so many Drops of Blood from
every part of our Redeemer's Body Take a little touch of that Grief which did lie so heavy upon him whose Power sustaineth the Heavens that it made his Soul heavy unto death being so deeply drowned in the Nature of Man that he seemed to forget that he was God Let us accuse and condemn our selves of all manner of unworthiness and take up with a godly Sorrow both for love to our Saviour and in hatred to our Sins the one for suffering for our sakes and the other for being the only cause of it and let us not be like to the Disciples that were with our Saviour who fell into a sound and secure Sleep whilst their Master both watched prayed and sweat a bloody Sweat for their Redemption He was like a loving Father who spares no pains to get Bread for his Children whilst they remain free both from Trouble and Care If drowsiness of Spirit overcomes thee pray to God to awaken thee with his Heavenly Voice if that will not do to make you smart with the Rod of Affliction that so you may watch and pray lest you fall into Temptation Let us by this grievouâ—… Agony that vexed his Soul by that terror and trembling that wholly possess'd his Body and by all the pains wherein he was plunged for us detestable Sinners beseech him that in the last hour of our lives when Fears and Distresses come upon us that he would give us stedfast strength and confidence in his Mercy that in that hour when we are leaving the World he would not leave us and in this fearful Conflict not to forsake us but send his holy Angels to assist us and to minister Courage and Comfort to us that no Temptations of the Devil may prevail against us but that he would be pleased to arm our Hearts with Humility and Patience that they be not distracted or distempered with any fear of Grief but that in all things our Desires may be conformable to his Will Let us implore his Goodness to give us such constant courage such hope such love towards him that the weaknesses of our Flesh may not be overcome by any fear of Death but we may both safely and sweetly pass from the Society we have with thee here by Grace to the Society which the Saints enjoy with thee in Glory Mat. 26. 48. Of our Saviour's being sold betrayed and apprehended Matt. 26. 47. And while he yet spake lo Judas one of the twelve came and with him a great multitude with Swords and Staves from the Chief Priests and Elders of the People BUT when the Son of God did in so high a degree both love and value the Sons of Men that he thought nothing painful to himself that might be profitable to them yet see how the Sons of Men did either value or love the Son of God they took all Occasions first to slander him and afterwards to slay him they sold him one to another for thirty Pieces of Silver O devilish and malicious Spirits to hate the Author of our eternal Salvation As no means are thought bad enough to bring him to his Death so to undervalue the Lord of all Creatures as not many Beasts are sold at so base a Price O infinite inequality of Affection between God and Man God came to save Man and Man goeth about to destroy God God bought Man with the dearest Drops of his Blood and Man sold God for Thirty Pieces of Siver O the Love of the Lord Jesus was great when he came to redeem those that were lost and the Saviour of the Redeemed how great was his Love to come into the World when he had no need nor we any Merit to sanctifie it with his Justice to enrich it with his Grace to enstruct it with his Doctrine to confirm it by his Example to redeem it with his Blood that as by the Pride of one who being but Man did aspire to be God we were condemned so by the Humility of another who being God became Man we should be saved Being sold at the Price of Thirty Pieces of Silver to such cruel Merchants as desire no Profit by him but his Life the Traytor Judas whose Feet a little before he had washed came unto him attended with a bloody Band And how willing our Saviour was to embrace his Passion did appear by his voluntary presenting himself to them and in that he turned not away his Face from this barbarous Beast that came to kiss him But O innocent Lord What hast thou to deal with Traytors and Tormentors What Courtesie between the Lamb and the Wolf What Commerce between God and Belial Our Saviour did not only permit Judas to kiss him but he did also smite his obstinate Heart with this soft Speech Friend wherefore comest thou dost thou betray the Son of Man with a Kiss But wherefore did our Saviour call Judas Friend when he had betrayed him To testifie that altho' the Knot of Friendship was broke on his part yet on our Saviour's it remained whole and entire to reduce him again to his Friendship for if he could have said without despair with holy David I have sinned he should presently have heard I have forgiven If our Saviour had kissed Judas he should never have despaired or destroyed himself for his Kisses inspire Life and therefore the Spouse beginneth the most excellent Canticle with these Words Cant. 1. 1. Let him kiss me with the Kisses of his Mouth 1 John 4. 10. It is he that hath loved us first Ephes. 1. 4. It is he that hath chosen us and not we him Or if Judas had kissed him as the Psalmist speaks of Psalm 2. 12. Kiss the Son lest he be angry That is if with sincerity of Soul he had rendred him that Faith and Homage that is due to him it had gone well with him but because he was like one of those whom the Prophet speaks of Isa. 9. This People approach to me with their Mouths and their Hearts are far from me because he came with a treacherous Hypocrisie this Kiss could draw no Vertue from him but turned it to his Condemnation O cursed cruelty cursed because obstinate cruel because unjust which neither the Power of a Miracle was able to astonish nor the Kindness of a Benefit could any way appease But they proceeded notwithstanding to lay Sacrilegious Hands upon him as upon a Malefactor to bind his Holy Hands which had wrought so many Miracles among them with rough and knotty Cords his Disciples either forsaking of him or falling off from him and to lead him away in a more opprobrious manner than the Ark of the Testimony was taken and carried away by the Uncircumcised Philistines Poor and miserable Jews whom do you thus hale away Against whom have you taken up Arms Your Prisoner hath made you Captives he whom you have bound with Cords hath chained you with Fetters of Iron he hath been to you as a Bait or a Hook that taketh the Takers Never
have moved the hardest Heart to relent and say This is enough we desire no more But their insatiate Cruelty importuned Pilate some with Perswasions others with confuse Clamours and Cries that he might be crucified They had the Devils mind Nothing satisfie but Death no Death but the Death of the Cross Although our Saviour was accused of Blasohemy of which he was guiltless yet the Death of the Cross is not that Punishment that is due for such a Câ—…ime by the Law of Moses the Blasphemer was to be brought forth and stoned by the Congregation Levit. 24. 14 17. Mâ—…ses saith Bring the Blasphemer out of the Host and let all the Congregation stone him But all this was done that the Scriptures might be fulfilled The Death of the Cross was appointed by the Father and accepted by the Son it had been prefigured and prophesied Jesus himself had foretold more than once That he should be delivered by the Jews to the Gentiles to be crucified What then shall we say but with the Church of Jerusalem acknowledge Acts 4. 27. That Herod and Pilate with the Gentiles and People of Israel assembled to do whatsoever the Hand and Counsel of God had determined Many times before when the Jews went about to apprehend our Saviour they wanted Power as John 7. 30. and 10. 30. when upon suspicion of Blasphemy they would have stoned him Joh. 8. 59. when they would have thrown him headlong from the edge of an Hill he easily escaped them Luke 4. 29. even in the day time in their popular Cities environed with the thickest Throngs because then his time was not come and also these were not the Death 's appointed for him But when the time came that the Jews should deliver him to the Gentiles to be condemned and crucified he voluntarily submitted himself into their Hands For when the time was come he would not escape nor the Jews could desire no other Death for him but the Death of the Cross. Among all that vast Multitude there was not any variety either in Voice or Opinion they all agreed to take away Life from the Son of God they all agreed he should be crucified they all agreed to prefer Barabbas who had slain the living before him who had brought the dead to life If we separate the Work of God from the Work of Man we shall find the greatest Mercy in saving Enemies and the greatest Cruelty and Malice in oppressing of a Friend This is usually two Properties of the Wicked first in Matters of Vertue to disagree so many Men so many Minds but in Wickedness and Mischief being quickned by one Spirit they all jump in one Judgment always concur in one Desire Seeing then that our Saviour â—…ound so little either Pity or Compassion amongst the Jews let us turn our Eyes upon this pitiful Object and say to our selves Behold the Man behold his Bâ—…unty Behold his Love and behold his Distress And if we find nor feel no Compassion of those Pains and Anguishes he endured we may assure our selves we want the true Love that we ought to have for him for they who love are always truly sorrowful for the Miseries and Calamities of those they affect If we find not in us this Testimony of Love let us abhor to join in Malice with the barbarous Jews in crying against him Let him be crucified for as often as we consent to any Sin so often we cry out Crucifie him crucifie him Therefore if any evil Temptation beset us that may happen to be too strong for us and overcome us let us present this Spectacle before us and say to our selves Behold the Man which Words although they are but few and seem to contain small Matter yet if we examine them well they will put a holy Restraint upon us that will keep us from committing any Evil against our Saviour and fill us with Praises and Thanksgiving to him for all those Mercies and Favours that he hath purchased for us by his suffâ—…ring the Death of the Cross. Let us behold the Greatness of our Sins by the Greatness of those Sorrows our Saviour did sustain Behold how necessary it was to satisfie for Sin Behold how grievous the Satisfaction was By this we may see how abominable Sin is and the Severity of God's Justice against it and we may partly imagine what Revenge God will take upon those Sinners themselves who will neither acknowledge nor accept of the Benefit of Redemption seeing he so severely punished his most dear and innocent Son for their Sin O sweet Jesus engrave these thy Miseries and Torments thou didst endure upon our Hearts that continuing in Contemplation upon them we may not be so unthankful and luke warm in our Affâ—…ctions towards thee or so careless of our own Welfaâ—…es as to commit that which is so painful to thee and so hurtful and dangerous to our selves Remember O Lord what we are to thee and thou to us and do not leave us or fly from us but let us find thee and lay hold on thee We make a long Journey unto thee we proceed slowly we often stay by the way often go back but do thou O Lord strengthen us do thou guide our stumbling Steps and draw us with the Line of thy Love And because our Weaknesses are so great that we do often fail either in Purpose or Power to resist Sin cease not we beseech thee to present thy fresh bleeding Wounds to the merciful Majesty of thy Father sor us and with that Love wherewith thou didst not only suffer but offer thy Body to be dishonoured for our sakes vouchsafe always to interpose the same between his Justice and us 〈◊〉 although the sight theâ—…eof was not 〈◊〉 â—…o appease the Hatâ—…ed of thy Eâ—…ies yet will it pacifie the Wrath of thy Father because whatsoever thou didst suffer it was in obedience to his Will to restore his Honour and to satisfie his Justice O Almighty God behold here the Man whom thou hast appointed to be a Mediator between thee and us Sinners even the Man in whom thou art well pleased Matth. 3. 27. Behold the Man whose Righteousness will answer thy Justice whose Punishmâ—…nts are sufficient to satisfie for all the Penalties of our Sins Behold his Humility behold his Obedience â—…hold his Satisfaction O that his Suffâ—…rings were balanced against our Sins Certainly they would so far exceed both in weight and worth tâ—…at thou shouâ—… in Justice rather pouâ—… forth thy Mercies upon us for the one than to hold them from us by thy â—…pleasure 〈◊〉 the other O most just and merciâ—… God let this bruised Body be always in thy heavenly fight Fix thy Eâ—… upon his Merits and have Mercy 〈◊〉 on us for his sake graciously grant us not only pardon for all our Sins but participation of his Righteousness that in the Purity thereof we may be justified in the last Day How our Saviour was condemned and led to the place of Execution Matth. 27.
22 22. Pilate saith unto them What shall I then do unto Jesus which is called Christ They all said unto him Let him be crucified And the Governour said What evil hath he done But they cryed out the more saying let him be crucified NOW although Pilate had openly declared That Christ was innocent and also that he had Authority to acquit him yet gave way either to the Favour or Fury of the Jews rather than to Justice he pronounced Sentence of death against him and delivered him to his cruel and merciless Enemies O unjust President by thy own Judgment thy Judgment was unjust for thou gavest Sentence of death against him whom thrice before thou hadst pronounced Innocent Certainly in thee O President this was the greatest piece of Injustice thou couldest possibly have committed but it was a just Sentence of the High President of Heaven before whom all the Sins of the World stand in naked view and who will not suffer one of them to pass unpunished therefore because the whole World was not able to make satisfaction for one Sin he drew the Sword of his Justice and smote therewith his Innocent Son who only was able of all Men both to bear and to break his Wrath off from Sinners for Sin But O just Judge thou art never stirred to Wrath but by Sin thou art never very wrath but with great Sins At this time thy Wrath was very great and thou didst grievously smite thy only Son but in him thou couldst find no Sin at all What! didst thou not only release Offenders but with Caiaphas the High-Priest cause the Innocent without cause to be smitten And is it not more against the Law of Justice to condemn the Innocent than to discharge and acquit the Guilty How then may we count it Justice which doth not only release Offenders but also punisheth the Innocent O Light which had decreed this Mystery in thy holy Counsel from the beginning open thou our Understandings break off the Mistiness from our Minds that we may plainly see and understand this great Work of Justice and of Mercy which is more admirable than all thy wonderful Works besides Certainly he is not unjustly charged although he oweth nothing from himself that undertaketh another Man's Debt nor doth the Judge do any more wrong in giving Sentence against a voluntary Surety than if he gave it against the principal Debtor It is pity to see a Man pay that which he never had any thing for but if he will submit himself to be a Surety and in kindness repâ—…sent the Person of the Debtor Justice must have her Course against him It is pity to see a harmless Lamb lie bleeding to Death but if it be appointed sor a Sacrifice it is the Nature of a Sacâ—…ifice to be so used Even so althougâ—… ouâ—… Sâ—…our was without â—…in in himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ty and Sacrifice he did jâ—…ly â—…ffer for the Sins of others Although by Innocency he was free yet bâ—… Love he became entangled in Debt For his own Innocency God was well pleased with him but for our Impurities he justly gave way to his Wrath against him He was justly charged not with that which he had done but for that which he was pleased to undertake We in justice should have been smitten with these Sorrows This blow in justice was bent against us but he in love stept between the Blow and us and took the full weight of it upon himself Isa. 53. 4 5 6. He took upon him our Infirmities and bare our Sorrows He was wounded for â—…ur Iniquities and broken for â—…ur Transgressions The chastisement of our Peace was laid upon him and with his Stripes were we healed All we as Sheep were gone astray every Man to his own way and the Lord hath laid upon him the Iniquity of us all So then it was his Love and his Father's Justice that cast him into these Extremities Love entreated that Sinners might be saved and Justice exacted that Sin might be punished To satisfie both which Suits the mean was found that one unspotted Innocent not subject to Death and yet willing to die Who was without Sin and yet able to make satisfaction for Sin should thus â—…ruelly suffer for all Offenders And it may be O innocent Lord this might be one secret Cause why Barabbas although a villanous and great Offender yet he bare no Man's Sin but his own but thou wast charged with all the Sins of the World This also might be a great cause of thy great silence that neither the Malice of thy Accusers nor Falshood of Witnesses nor Injury of Officers nor Cruelty or Partiality of Judges were able to break it Thy Innocency needed no Defence but our Guiltiness could not possibly be defended Thy Innocency was well enough known to thy Enemies our Guiltiness was too well known to thee therefore being now charged with the Sins of the whole World and being appointed by thy Father's Justice and in thy own Love submitting thy self to suffer and make satisfaction for all Mens Sins thou didst with holy Job 32. 37. Lay thy Finger upon thy Mouth Not because thou wast not justly provoked to reply by many Indignities in regard of thy self but in regard of us nothing could justly be said there was no place for denial none for desence and therefore with a magnanimous silence thou endurest all as was prophesied of thee by the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 53. 7. He was oppressed and afflicted He opened not his Mouth He was brought as a Lamb to the Slaughter and as a Sheep before her Shearers is dumb so he opened not his Mouth O most blessed O more than most pâ—…ecious silence of our Saviour which hath by this silence not only opened our Mouâ—…hs to speak but to cry out with a loud Voice and full Assurance Abbâ—… Father O blessed Saviour Our Offences have stopped thy Mouth but thy Innocency hath opened ours In regard of our Offences thou hast nothing to say but with regard to thy Innocency we may chearfully say Father What hast thou to say to us Thy innocent Son hath not only made full Satisfaction for our Offeâ—… but 〈◊〉 â—…arted of his innocency to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only made us unpunishable by his 〈◊〉 but with his innocencâ—… 〈◊〉 us honourabe before thee 〈◊〉 â—…iful Father behold what Adâ—…m de serâ—…ed and beâ—…old what my Saviour hath done Adam rebelled against thy Maje sty both as rhou aâ—… God from everlasting and as thou art Creator and Lord oâ—… all the World over which he aspired to be absolure Master For the first our Saviour was condemned of Divine Treason namely of Blasphemy against God by Caiaphas the High Priest the chief Judge of Religious Affairs who as he did bear a Figure of Christ in this World should above all Men have known him and declared him to others Secondly he was condemned of Human Treason namely Rebellion against the Emperor by Pilate a President of the greatest Monarch in
with all Fear and Reveâ—…ence we weep and worthless Worms prostrate our selves before thee O Lord Jesus Christ and give unto thee most humble Thanks for thy exceeding Mercy and Love towards us What have we Lord that we have not received from thee For thou art All our Creator Redeemer Sanctifier and Glorifier for thou hast given to us both the State of Nature and of Grace and hath also prepared for us the state of Glory and because to this high End many Means are required of thy infinite Goodness thou art unto us as well the Means as the End thou art our Defender our Keeper our Governour the merciful Scourge of our Sins the Curer of our Infirmities the Instructor of our Ignorance the Director of our Knowledge and Power thou sustainest thou stirrest thou orderest and helpest us in all our good Endeavours Thou art our Lord and our God even all the Goodness that we have and all that we can expect How our Saviour was crucified Matth. xxvii 35. And they crucified him and parted his Garments casting Lots that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet They parted my Garments amongst them and upon my Vesture did they cast Lots WHen he came to Mount Calvary there was the bloody Banner displayed there planted he the Tree of Life the Fruit thereof expelled the Poyson which the Fruit of the forbidden Tree had wrought Gen. 28. 12. And he dreamed and behold a Ladder set upon the Earth and behold the Angel of God ascending and descending on it Then pitched he the Ladder which Jacob saw but in a Vision the top whereof reached up to Heaven whereupon not only the Angels go up and down with our Prayers unto God and his Mercies unto us but God himself descended to Man and Man ascended up to God And first to make his Death the more reproachful they stripp'd him of all his Garments which the Soldiers cast Lots for yet altho' the Law commanded that Malefactors should be crucified yet it did not command they should be crucified naked Wherefore then O good Jesus was this Extremity used against thee Were thy Executioners so covetous as to enjoy thy Apparel or were they so cruel to encrease thy Shame Or wouldest thou testifie thy Love in that thou wouldest not be exempted from any Ignominy we had deserved and in that thou didst discover thy naked Flesh and not hide any part of thy Body from us as before it had been covered with Figures and Ceremonies as with a Veil When Adam had sinned he would have hid himself from the Presence of God because he was naked being then attached with Impurity of Soul as well as Obscenity of Body which are the chief Causes of Shame but our Second Adam took both this Sin and this Shame upon his naked Body to carry them to the Cross and to crucifie them with him Assuredly O our Salvation howsoever thy Body was naked of Apparel it was loaded with our Sins as thy Apostle St. Peter saith 1 Pet. 2. 24. He bare our Sins in his Body on the Cross. For who could have violated thy Holy Members if thy Father had not found our Offences in them if he had not found this Accusation against thee This Man receiveth Sinners and harboureth Malefactors Didst thou not know O our Redeemer that in whose Hands the Thest is found he must be answerable for the same Should not the Father handle thee as a Sinner seeing he findeth thee so charged with Sins The Justice of thy Father findeth all our Sins upon thy Body executed upon thee and crucified them and thee together Hereby thou hast given us Example First to be merciful towards the Needy seeing that out of Compassion to us thou hadst no Pity upon thy self but wert cloathed with our Sins and our Shame to clothe us with thy Innocency and Glory Secondly To moderate our Desires in the vain either Bravery or Glory of this World the Bellows of Pride and of Presumption which do not only clog but quench the Devotion of our Spirits even as a Tree by having many superfluous Branches becometh less fruitful and as a Lamp which with a little Oyl is cherished but choaked with much For thou camest into the World to encounter their principal Evils Pride Avarice and Riot which proceed from the love of three things as Honour Riches and Pleasure all which are Branches of one Stock namely the love of our selves which is the universal Root of all Sins from these Branches all forbidden Fruit all the Choak Pears of this Life are gathered Against these thy Lise Doctrine and Death did chiefly tend Then they stretched his naked Body upon the hard Death-bed of the Cross and fastned it thereto with blunt and rough Nails driven through his Hands and through hiâ—… Feet out of which Wounds issu'd goldeâ—… Streams Zacb 11. Like the four Rivers oâ—… the Garden of Eden to water and fructifâ—… the whole World And with such Rage did the murdeâ—…ous Jews hunt and thirst after the Blood of Jesus that within the space of three Hours after they had brought him to Pilate he was accused condemned scourged despitefully used and lastly fastned to the Cross. Then they raised him up between two Thieves and placed him in open view to be tormented with a cruel â—…ingering Death the whole Weight of his Body bearing downwards and rending wider the Wounds of his Hands and Feet which by the Tenderness of the Sinews are the most sensible Parts of the whole Body Having also to encounter with he World and the Devil who is the Prince of the World with Death also and with Sin which is the Cause of Death Alas how far is the Madness of the World how far is the Love and Liberty of Christ extended Was God thus angry against Sin Would â—…o other Satisfaction seâ—…ve Was the Juâ—…tice of God so rigorous Was the Reâ—…emption of Man so preciouâ—… One Disoâ—…edience was sufficient â—…osed thâ—…y Manâ—…nd and were all these â—…hese â—…equisite or their Redemption 〈◊〉 Lord for Experience teacheth us That it more easie to ruinate than to repair One Fire brand is sufficient to destroy a whole City which cannot without much Time Toil and Cost be repaired O most righteous and upright Judge how merciful wert thou towards Sinners and how severe against thy own Son He was born in great Baseness the World no sooner received him but iâ—… persecuted him and chased him into foreign Countries As his Body grew so encreased hâ—… Burden both of Labours and Wants uâ—…til in the end he was betrayed to hâ—… Enemies by one of those that were hâ—… Followers Is any thing more admirabâ—… than this Liberty was sold Liberaliâ—… tied Innocency accused Justice coâ—…demned and Life executed Is any thiâ—… more admirable The Wisdom of tâ—… Father was derided his Power beate and bound his Beauty defiled his Glâ—…ry with Reproaches and Reproofs obsâ—…red Is any thing yet more admirablâ—… God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God was scourgâ—… God 〈◊〉
the God of your Fathers and have said you would have no King but Caesar since you have said His Blood be upon us and upon our Children since you have maliciously taken away his Life and reproach'd his Death your Walls have been thrown down your Temple burnt your Kingdom ruined your selves either slain or captivated or chased into strange Countries where you have been hâ—…ted and oppressed and never suffer to knit into one Body again which Curse shall be upon you to the end of the World As you have quitted him and delivered him to the Gentiles so hath he ever since discharged you and planted his Church especially amongst them As you have renounced your King who was so plainly prophesied and so long expected and betaken your selves only to Caesar so he hath delivered you into Caesar's Hands he hath given you your Choice but it cost you dear it cost you the Lives of eleven hundred thousand Persons in one Siege besides ninety thousand who were made Captives And because you did not only say Let this Blood be upon us but also added and upon our Children you have your Desires for your Posterity have been dispersed and despised in all Countries and in most Piaces evil-entreated So it often falleth out that the Wicked have no greater Punishment in this World than the Accomplishment of their own Desires It is the common Reward of Evil Doers to be the Instruments of their own final Ruin But with respect to our Saviour what can be sufficiently said To be so afflicted as never was any for he was despised and evil-entreated in the midst of all his Afflictions in all Calamities it is some Comfort to find some Compassion we desiâ—…e generally if we cannot be delivered or eased to be pittied to see some that condole our Misery who wish us well who want not the Will but the Power to relieve us But these Bandogs of Satan these Hell-hounds had utterly put away all sense of Humanity from them They were so far from Pity that they were mightily pleased and satisfied in seeing the unheard of Cruelty of themselves and Calamity of our Saviour Again a generous Heart is more touched with Grief to see his Enemies take pleasure in his Death than to endure it yea oftentimes a free and noble Spirit taketh not his Death from his Enemies so unkindly as one spiteful and abuâ—…ve Word Again these Injuries and Despites wâ—…re so much more sensibâ—…e to the Son of God by how much more than others he deserved the contrary For in all our Calamities it doth much ease the pain we endure when we compare it with the Fault we have committed But because our Saviour could compare these Contempts that were put upon him not only with his Faults nor his Innocency only but with his innumerable and inestimable Deserts he did the more grieve at them or rather at the Malice from whence they did proceed And further his Love was so great for the Salvation of Mens Souls that his Torments were not so grievous to him as to see that they did his Tormentors no good It was worse than Death to him to see his Executioners would make no profit of his Death even as a loving Friend esteemeth less his Labour for another than to find it unprofitable and not accepted or as a good Mother grieveth more at the ungâ—…ateful and ungracious Behaviour of her Child than at the Travails she endured at its Birth But O impudent and audacious Jews wherefore did you misreport what Jesus had said A thing well spoken may easily be corrupted by Report Jesus did never say I will destroy but destroy you this Temple He said not I will build it but I will raise it in three days not meaning your material Temple but his own Body John 2. 9. which was indeed the true Temple of God not in a Figure but really and personally Because in him dwelleth the fulness of the God-head bodily Col. 2. 9. And was it not sufficient for you to blaspheme Jesus but must you stâ—…etch out your Throats into high and horrid Blasphemy against the most High He trusted in God let him delivâ—…r him if he favoureth him What! do you think God was not able to deliver him out of your Hands Or must he deliver whom you please or when you please or after what manner you will prescribe Did ever any trust in God and was not delivered Or did God ever finally forsake those whom he favours Or is delirance from temporal Calamities an assured Sign of God's Favour No. Certainly God delivereth the wicked out of desperate Distress many times he suffereth the Godly to sink under bo dily Oppressions but this is no concluding Argument that he favoureth the one or forsaketh the other O ye great Doctors of the Law that by Prosperity and Adversity judge of the Favour or Hatred of God tell us then whether God loved best Abel or Cain Jacob or Esau Tell us wherefore were not the Prophets delivered from Death who were murthered by your Fathers and whose Sepulchers you did build If such Deliverances be an infallible Argument both of favour from God and trust in him verily the Judgments of God are not only secret and unsearchable but for the most part counterpoint to that which the natural sense of Man would prescribe Temporal Occurrences may go and come we may flourish or we may wither in this World as God in Mercy or Judgment may see best for us But nothing makes a Man miserable or happy but that which is eternal O crucified Jesus on the Cross we love thee on the Cross we adore thee on the Cross we believe in thee who upon the Cross didst give thy self to Death for us what hath a Man more than Riches Honour and Life all which thou didst bestow upon the Cross to redeem us For thou who diâ—…st create all things didst hang naked upon the Cross thou who thought'st it not Robbeâ—…y to be equal with God wast numbered with Malefactors thou who at the Lord of Life didst suffer a most shameful Death and that we may not fall short of this great Benefit that thy precious Blood be not unprofitably shed for us we prostrate our unworthy Souls and cry unto thee not as the Jews did to come down from the Cross but which is more to raise us up and fasten us unto thee for they whom thou lovest are known by nothing more than by taking paâ—…t with thee in thy Passion not to save thee but to save our selves Save us Lord from our Sins save us from the Power of all our Spiâ—…itual Enemies from the Decei's of this wicked World save us from the flattering force of our own Appetiâ—…es which is the mightiest and basest Tyrant we have to deal with defend the Dignity and Glory of our Souls from being Slaves-to our sensual Lusts that we be not captivated to the false Pleasures of this Life Deliver us from variety of worldly Desires from vain Hope from
vain Fear Above all deliver us from thy Wrath and from thy Curse and from the inseparable Companion thereof eternal Death Let some small Drops of thy most precious Blood distil into our Souls that we may present it to thy Father in full satisfaction for all our Sins Give unto us the full Fruit of thy Death Grace here and Glory hereafter O Lord Jesus O the Salvation of our Souls behold we come to thee as we are poor vile Creatures we make bold to approach to the Rivers of thy Mercy to the sweet Streams of thy Grace to the true Son of thy Justice whose Beams are spread over the whole World and giveth great Light to all those who do not wilfully shut their Eyes Behold we prostrate our unworthy Souls at thy Feet we do not revile but we praise and adoâ—…e thee we do not mock but we mourn at thy Passion O thou who wert pitiful to thy Enemies be not hard to thy Supplicants thou who didst pray for them that reproached thee pray for us that pray unto thee lift up thy Voice unto thy Father for us and cease not till he hath forgiven us Of our Saviour's pardoning the Thief his tasting of Vinegar how he cried to his Father Luke 23. 43. And Jesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise WE are further encouraged O our Redeemer to crave not thy Prayer only but also thy Pardon by Example of the Thief that died with thee who although he had spent his Life in all manner of Debauchery and Wickedness yet when he desir'd thee thou didst presently return answer This Day thou shalt be with me in Paradise O sweet Word O Heart nothing so tender thy Lips are the Honey-comb Honey and Milk do flow from thy Tongue thou didst pray for Sinners upon the Cross to shew thy self our Advocate Thou didst pardon Sins to shew thy self our Judge What is this O liberal Loâ—…d how marvellous are thy Mercies towards us To those who mocked reviled and blasphemed thee thou madest no answer but when the Thief prayed to thee his Petition was no sooner made but forthwith it was granted Thou gavest more also than he did desire the Thief desired thee only to remember him and thou didst give him the Kingdom of Heaven But when O gracious Lord Even that present Day With whom Even with thy self implying hereby that the same Glory thou didst enjoy thou wilt give to thy Elect for which Reason they are called Co-heirs with thee Rom. 8 27. This Glory and Felicity is perfect in thee and from thee distributed in measure as from the Head to the Members What would'st thou deny us or what would'st thou not give unto us if we were to thee such Servants as thou art unto us a Lord Seeing thou art so bountiful and ready to forgive such open Offenders which although it ought not to encourage us to defer our Repentance until the end of our Lives because of this Conversion of the Thief as it was the last Work thou didst in thy Life so it was not the least Yet it may encourage us never to think our Sins too great or our time too short to obtain thy Pardon Come unto him then all ye that are feeble hearted and never think you shall be damned See what a Lover of Men he is how desirous of our Salvation see how easie to be entreated for the greatest Matters and how ready to give his Glory at the first Request He seeketh all Occasions he desireth nothing more than to bestow it upon us He forgave David his Sin upon the fiâ—…st acknowledgment He gave to the Thief his Kingdom upon the first desire He that is so inclinable to forgive Sins and to give Glory wherein can he be hard or unkind to us If ye will say ye have done little Service whereby he should hope for so high a Reward Fear not it sufficeth that you have a desire to serve him This is a Property of him That he is liberal and merciful for which Vertues he is especially commended not so much to regard the Work of our Bodies as the Willingness of our Minds He so thirsteth after the Salvation of our Souls that he often accepteth our Purpose for Performance it sufficeth many times that we are prepared in Will the rest he doth supply by his Grace His gracious Goodness perfecteth what we have and supplieth what we want Be not therefore affrighted at his terrible Justice but rather comforted let them fear who are stubborn and flinty-hearted who will not be converted and come to him who follow Vanity with all their Might who boldly sin and then say What Evil have I done Let them tremble who are so far from calling upon him as they will not know him It is dreadful for such to fall into his Hands But they who are smitten with Sorrow for their Sins they who arise and return to him let them be encouraged with this That he that hath drawn them will certainly receive them It is not the Thief alone who was received but let all Sinners be brought forth and there is not one that can be named were he never so great who truly repented and was converted but he was justified He so loveth converted Sinners that if it were necessary so to do he would rather suffer death again than consent that one of them should be damned O happy Thief how pleasant were thy Pains how delightful was thy Death being assured thou shouldest â—…orthwith reign with him in Heaven who suffered with thee and for thee upon Earth The other Thief demanded of Christ to be delivered from the Cross and it was conditional if thou be the Son of God he desired neither as he should nor what he should But the converted Thief having heard him openly profess That his Kingdom was of another World desired no bodily Benefit but only to be remembred of him when he came into his Kingdom Pilate in his Tribunal the People standing by and the Thief in Fetters heard these Words of Jesus But Pilate contemned him the Multitude mocked and the Thief only believed in him Assuredly O good Jesus thou art a most invincible King otherwise thy Children could not be able to sustain their continual Combats nor ever be drawn out of the cruel Bondage of Satan Nor Pilate would not have written upon the Cross altogether against the advice of the Jews Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews But the same Spirit that guided Pilate to pronounce him innocent guided him also to write this Inscription And in truth the Hebrew Word Messias and the Greek Word Christ which signifies anointed was the Original of the Unction of the Hebrew King Yet our Saviour was not declared by his Name to the Fathers at the first to Adam and the Patriarchs he was revealed under the Title of The Seed of the Woman Jacob called him Sheloh but to David this Son was promised under the Figure and
Sinners that are prostrate before thee and let our humble Voices enter into thy Ears that thy mighty Voice may sink into our Souls Give unto us a true Sense of these thy Sufferings both of Compassion as it is reason that the Members should condole with the Head and also of Fear that our Minds be not more heavy than the Earth that trembled that our Hearts be not more hard than the Stones that did cleave and that our Souls be not more fleepy than the Dead that did arise at the Power of thy Passion O great Redeemer of the World if all Creatures did fear thee when hanging upon the Cross what will they do when thou shalt come to Judgment If thou wert so mighty in thy greatest Weakness what wilt thou be in thy greâ—…test Glory If these Effects did accompany the Works of thy Mercy and the Voice of thy Love where with thou didst call all Men to come to thee what will the Work of thy Justice do and the Voice of thy Fury Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire We adore and admire thy Blood thy Death thy Burial thy victorious Resurrection thy Ascension into Glory By these we are refreshed from these we draw the Breath of Life O our Saviour we desire thee only we offer up our selves wholly unto thee we want nothing we wish for nothing but only thee for thou alone art sufficient for us thou art our King our Lord our Tutor our Governour our Father the Paradise of our Hearts the Nest where our Souls shall rest for ever the Haven wherein we shall be saved the Glass wherein we shall behold our selves the Staff that only stayeth us the Tréasure whereto we trust Who is so liberal as he who hath given himself for so vile Creatures Who so loving as he who hath not spared himself for his very Enemies O most gracious Lord and loving Father who despisest none that comes to thee but dost rather help them and accompany them and lead them in the way receive our loose or lost Souls which seek after thee raise us up by the virtue of thy Passion from the death of Sin and by the same Virtue endow us with Wisdom and Strength that by the one we may prevent and by the other resist the Attempts of our most dangerous Enemies the Flesh the World and the Devil The Flesh idle and voluptuous the World vain and curious the Devil subtle and malicious Grant unto us by the same Virtue that the Yoke of thy Commandments may be sweet and the Burthen of thy Cross light unto us that we may contemn the trifling Vanitis of this World and not weakly yield to the Calamities or vain Pleasures of this Life but that with unmoveable Minds we may bear the one and forbear the other All this was done against Jesus upon the Day of the Preparation for the Passover according to the corrupt Tradition of the Jews for Jesus who most punctually observed the Law had eaten the Passover the Day before and because the Day following was an high Sabbath and the Law had ordained That the Body of the Offender should not hang all Night upon the Tree the Jews desired of Pilate that the crucified Bodies might not hang upon the Cross being very scrupulous in small Matters but had wide and naughty Consciences in Matters of Weight Against Jesus they made particular Suit that his Sepulcher should be made sure for three Days lest his Body might be taken away because he had said that within three Days he would rise again to Life So they buried him in a Garden close adjoining to the City whereby the Providence of God did cut off many Cavils and Doubts which might have been made in case his Body had either been removed far off or secretly buried or left abroad In this Garden Josâ—…ph of Arimathea in his Liâ—…e time had built his Tomb which doubtless he did to put himself in remembrance of Death in the vâ—…y midst of his Delights but the entombing this Body of Jesus in this Garden in the midst of our chiefest Delights should make us always mindful of his Death His Body was richly dressed to the Funeral that the Prophecy of him might be fulfilled Isa. 53. 9. His Grave shall be with the Rich at his Death And further to manifest the same unto us which he spake upon the Cross that he had accomplished his Charge that the terrible Tempest of his Sufferings he had fully boâ—…n that his Honour and Estimation was then to follow To instruct us also that the difference between Men and Beasts doth not determine with our Lives but that the Dead are to have honest Respect not only out of particular Kindness or of Blood not only out of general Humanity engraved by the Finger of Nature in all Men but also out of Christian Duty partly in regard of the many Graces imparted to the Bodies of Men in this Life and partly to testifie our Faith of the Resurrection and Hope of Glory in the Life to come And also his Body was put into a new Sepulcher wherein no dead Body had been laid before to the end that his Enemies should not suspect or surmise that he raised some other to Life as he did the dead Body of Elizeus and not himself Lastly they stopped the Mouth of the Sepulcher with a great Stone which could not without great force and noise be rolled away they sealed this Stone and set a Guard of their own Men at Arms about it to make sure as they thought that his Body should not be taken away but as it usually falleth out that the greatest Enemies of the Truth are the greatest means to advance it so the Seals and Guards did the more evidently seal the Resurrection of Jesus than all the other Circumstances besides They did evidently declare That he was not carried to the Sepulcher as a Captive but that as a Victor he pursued Death to his Cavern and Fort namely the Grave And there gave him so deadly a Wound that he should be no more Death but the Entrance into Life But when he that would not descend from the Cross did rise out of his Grave when he had broken the Chains of Death when he was returned with Daniel out of the Lion's Den and with Jonas out of the Whales Belly they corrupted the Watch to say That whilst they slept his Disciples came and stole him away And this was the Accomplishment of their Malice this did set them altogether without excuse this is also the nature of Sinners in a desperate degree who in despite of God and their Consciences will not fear to offend whatsoever Sin they are not able by some colour to defend they will endeavour by another Sin to conceal But O good God how blind is Malice What so absurd What so senseless which it will not say or do either to attain or maintain some deviâ—…sh Design For if the Disciples had stollen away the Body of Jesus