nation it seemeth that noble men haue some priuiledge that way that they die not as other sorts of persons die And lastly the death of the tree hath no curse in it selfe we reade of diuers men that were godly men that died vpon the tree as the penitentiarie that died with Christ Christ himselfe also and experience teacheth vs that eeuery yeare for many men betwixt their condemnation and execution haue beene deepely humbled for there sinnes and so haue died the true seruants of God where fore the death of the crosse which Christ suffered was not thus accursed how then was it accursed surely by the iudiciall and ceremoniall lawe of Moses and not otherwise that lawe which Moses gaue from God the lawgiuer of the Iewes Deut 21.23 conteyneth a prohibition with a reason annexed thereto The prohibition is in these words Thou shalt not suffer his bodie that is hanged vpon the tree to remaine all night vpon the tree and this prohibition is a meare Iudiciall law of Moses the which the people of the Iewes onely were bound to obserue which lawe if the people of the Iewes had violated they sinned so against God that the land was defiled with the sinne Deut. 21.23 The reason of that prohibition is in these words For the curse of God is on him that is hanged and this reason is a meere ceremoniall lawe for it hath bin prooued that neither by the lawe of nature by ciuill or positiue lawe or of it selfe to be hanged vpon a tree is accursed it is therefore a meere ceremonie but we know that Christ is the substance of euery ceremonie wherefore the Lord foreseeing that Christ should die vpon a tree vpō the tree suffer the curse of the lawe due vnto our sins as our suretie therefore he typically figured out this curse in the death of malefactours amōg the people of the Iews that were hāged vpō the tree so that euery malefactor that was hāged amōg the Iews was a type of Christ and therfore was accursed not really for it is want of charitie to think so but ceremonially and typically represēting vnto vs Christ who was truely and really accursed for vs in that he sustained gods wrath which is the curse of the lawe which we should haue sustained wherefore seeing Christ was really accursed as hath beene prooued by this discourse therfore he vndoubtedly suffered gods wrath which is the curse Yet they behold looke vpon me Whē they had nailed Christ to the crosse and wrackt his ioynts so as that his bones might bee numbered they heape vpon him all other indignities they can and therefore first they behold look vpon him alas it was a pitifull fight for one that had any manhood in him to see a man nayled hands and feete with great nailes as they must needes be seeing the hebrue word signifieth such a pearcing as was more like diggig or such a pearcing as a lyon maketh with his clawes to see the blood issue abounly out of the woundes to see his bodie strecht so as that one ioynt was seuered from an other which is an extreame torture for a bodily torment and yet they behold and look vpon him without any pitty at all nay they mock and derid him as appeareth plaine in the historie of the Gospell when he would haue had a litle drinke to asswage his thirst they gaue him viniger mingled with gaul to increase his thirst the more gaull beeing a thing biter of it selfe all these shamefull outragies they offered to Christ nowe in dying whence we may cōsider not only the barbarous crueltie of these persons but further the nature and property of him which is to grow one from degree to degree till it come to an heigth and a fearefull excesse these persons first contemned Christ a doctrine depraued his life cōsented to his death now most cruelly murder him and yet that doth not satisfie them but they mock at him in the middest of his misery will not affoard him any ease at al It is good to gainstand sinne at the first least if it get groūd of vs at length it conquer and subdue vs for the Lord sometime accustometh to punish one sinne with another and when men will not preuent small sinnes they shall bee plunged into a sea of fearefull impietie as the Gentiles because when they knewe God they did not glorifie him as God fell to Idolatrie and after that to sinne against nature and they in the seate of Antichrist because they receiued not the loue of the truth therefore are giuen ouer to strang delusions to beleeue lies that they might bee damned Rom. 3.2 Thes 2. when they had thus shamefully handled Christ They part my garments and cast lottes one my vesture they proceede to the deuiding of his garments for they stript him of his cloathes when they crucified him and here wee may obserue diuers points worth our noting for what should be the reason that the holy Ghost should thus carefully expresse this practise of the souldiers in deuiding his garments casting lottes for his vesture no doubt this is some speciall matter euen in this their practise especially seeing the Euāgelist also testify the same thing to be done by the soldiers some allegory the matter after this manner the garmēts of Christ say they are the scriptures the vesture of Christ is his Church the souldiers are heretiques For although the heretiques rend the scriptures with false exposition c. yet they cannot dissolue the vnitie of the Church with there errours This doctrine is true but it is not intended in this place It is a meere folly and dotage thus to abuse the scriptures though the allegorie be neuer so wittie But we are to knowe that one reason why the Euangelistes expresse these things is for the verifying of the prophecy that the euent might declare the truth of the prophecy other profitable considerations may hence be raised 1 The souldiers deale as theeues which haue gotten a bootie they make no conscience of robbing a man yet they make a scruple in deuiding the spoile the soldiers make no bones to kill Christ and rob him of his garments yet they are curious in the deuiding his apparrell amongst them for it is a right propertie of an hypocrite to swallow a carnell and to strayne at a gnatt to tith mint cummin and annise seed and to neglect Iudgement mercy and faith the soldiers neuer strayne curtesy to iniury Christ but they wil not iniury one another 2 Againe the Holy Ghost seemeth to laie another fault among the soldiers that they cast lottes for trifles as if men should card and dice for a coate we neuer read in all the scriptures that lottes were vsed but in waighty matters and it seemeth to be to take the name of God in vaine to sport our selues with his immediate prouidence as lots are 3 Furthermore if that bee not assented vnto yet here is another thing flatly
of the psalme which is this concerning the Morning star and aijeleth signifieth Stellam matulinā as well as ascensum aurorae Nowe seeing that this Psalme is a prophecie of Christ and that Christ is expresly called the Bright Morning starre Apoc. 22.16 the day starre by the Apostle 2. Pet. 1.19 and the day spring from an high Luk 1.78 The argument of the Psalme and this translation will very well sort together as we see Of the complaint the first part of the psalme In the complaint comprised in these two verses may be obserued thesed sixe seuerall points to be handled My God my God why hast thou forsaken c. which will cleare vnto vs the true meaning of the words which are darke and darkened more by some 1 How Christ could pray vnto God he beeing himselfe God equall to the father 2 How Christ could pray in faith seeing he could not beleeue in himselfe 3 How it can be said that Christ was not heard by God when he prayed 4 How Christ can be said to be forsaken of God These foure points appertayne to Christ the other two concerne Dauid the godly 5 How god forsooke Dauid and how he may be said to forsake his children 6 Lastly the properties of faith here exprest Vers 2. O my God I cry First how Christ God could pray vnto God For the clearing of this point consider we that Christ was God and so paraduenture could not pray vnto his father for that might seeme to imploy some disparagement to God the sonne being equall to the father open a gap for the heresie of Arrius but furthermore Christ also was man and so made vnder the lawe and so could and might yea and ought to pray as beeing a creature bound to worship the creatour yet besides this Christ beeing the mediatour of the Church according to both his natures he therfore prayed according to both his natures My 〈…〉 Go◠〈…〉 tho◠〈…〉 c. 〈…〉 thus his manhood actiuely powring forth prayer his godhead dignifying his prayer and making it meritorious and purchasing audience Christ prayed to his father therefore as man and as the mediatour Now if it be alledged that seing himselfe was God hee must therfore pray vnto himselfe which may seeme absurd or els if he do exclude himselfe then committ idolatry the answer is that he prayed to his father directly and primarily in respect of order the father being the first person in Trinitie ordine but indirectly inclusiuelie and secondarily he praied to himselfe and the holy Ghost also here the distinction of nature and person must be admitted necessarily againe it may be supposed that no absurditie would followe if we say that the second person in the trinitie did pray vnto the first that is did testifie his will to haue the Church saued but that is abusiuely in very hard Catachresis In summe it is no absurditie to say that a man may pray to himselfe that is perswade himselfe to grant that which is for his owne aduantage for as affectiō or desire sometime obtaineth of a man that which his iudgement disalloweth which is a kinde of praier or intreatie or contrariwise as the iudgement perswadeth the affection that which it disliketh so Christ-man may aske something of Christ-God and no absurdity as it seemeth be admitted Secondly how Christ could pray in faith V. 1 2 My God For the further enlightning of this doubt a distinction of faith must be remembred Faith is legall and euangelicall of the law and of the gospell Faith required in the lawe Adam had in paradise and Christ had when he prayed whereby the creature relieth it selfe vpon the creatour for all manner of good things deliuerance from all euill if Christ had wanted this faith he had not presently obeyed the law which to say were to blaspheme Euangelicall faith or the faith required in the gospell is that whereby the creature relieth it selfe vpon God through Christ and his mediatour beleeuing to obtaine all good things from him by the meanes of Christ now although Christ were made vnder the lawe yet he was not made vnder the gospell for he was not bound to faith and repentance as sinners are himselfe beeing without sinne he is the matter and author of the Gospell wherefore to the Christ to the obedience of the law through and by vertue of the Gospell as we are tied is to suppose him sinfull by making him his owne sauiour Wherefore to answer directly Christ praied a legall prayer as Adam did but Christ praied not an euangelicall prayer except we vnderstand an euangeli-praier in this sense that he made intercessiō for vs which may rather be called a meritorious praier Christ praied in faith of gods infinite mercy but not in faith of the pardon of sinne through a Sauiour which he needed not and which we neede Thirdly Howe was Christ not heard when he praied V. 2 But thou hearest not V. 1. Farre frō the words of my roaring There is no contradictions in holy scriptures although there may sōtime seeme shew of opposition we read in the Heb. 5.7 that Christ was hard from that which be feared here in this place we read that god did not heare Christ but was farre from the wordes of his roaring in shew here is an opposition but in substance things being aright distinguished there is none The art of reason teacheth that one rule of opposition is that the thinges opposed be opposite in the same sence secundum idem as the logicians say now Christ was hard in one sence and he was not heard in another sence and so the prophet the Apostle are not opposite wherefore thus these two places are both verified and may well be reconciled Christ was heard in that he was not swallowed vp of the wrath of god but was deliuered from it and from the power of our spirituall enemies again Christ was not heard in that gods wrath lighted vpon him and possessed his soule a competent season or thus 2. Christ was heard in regard of the conditions of his praier if it be possible and if it be thy will and againe Christ was not heard in regard of the petition absolutely considered without conditions or thus 3. Christ was heard as the children of God are heard to whome sometime the Lord denieth the very particular thing they aske and in liewe thereof giueth them a thing as good or better then it 2. Cor. 12.8 9. So the Lord did not deliuer Christ frō his wrath for he tasted the cuppe of his wrath as he saith Math. 20.22 But the Lord gaue him power and strength and grace to beare it and to vanquish it at the length for euen then did hee ouercome the wrath of God when Gods wrath killed him These things beeing thus distinguished we see the Prophet in this psalme and the Apostle in the Hebrews are not at variance so we perceiue also howe Christ was not heard when he
therefore we may assure our selues of helpe from god in time of neede beeing Gods seruants as well as our forefathers remembring alwaies the Apostles rule Rom. 15.4 that we may haue hope But that we may obtaine hope we must haue the consolation of the examples of Gods goodnesse reuealed in the scriptures to his children and especially to Christ the head of the church as that place importeth and further also we must haue patience that whē we haue done the will of God we may obtaine the promise Heb. 10.36 v. 6.7.8 But I am a woman and not a man a shame of men and the contempt of the people All that see me haue me in derision they make a mowe and nod the head saying Hee trusted in the Lord let him deliuer him let him saue him seeing he loueth him The prophet Dauid was either annointed or crowned king without question when this psalme was penned and yet we se he was thus shamfully abused by wicked men Christ himselfe the most holy and righteous man and the most excellent and worthie persō that euer the earth caried yet we se is exposed to the contumelious mocks of wretched mē For this is the portiō of Gods children as it was one part of Christs sufferings to be dishonoured contemned and derided the historie of the Gospell is plentifull in this point they dishonor him in charging him with blasphemie with breach of the Sabbath with surfetting and drunkennesse with Samaritanisme which is to cast out deuils by the deuill c. when he was condemned to die they mocke him attiring him despitefully as a king with a crowne of thornes with a garment of purple with a scepter of a reede as if he had beene a king amongest fooles boyes or Pigmies they buffet him they spit vpō him they smite him whip him and in summe they mocke at his kingdome and propheticall office this befell Christ the head of the church the master of the house and shall his mēbers or hou-shold seruants thinke to escape it is enough for the seruant to be as his master is and the foote must not thinke to escape the piercing with nailes when the head was crowned and wounded with thornes Now the reason why Christ was thus content to be abased was that he might deliuer vs from eternall shame and confusion which is the due desert of sinne and to sanctifie the euill name and slaunder which we sustaine now for his sake and for our owne good that though an euill name be euill and a curse yet the Lord hath by his reproach taken away the malignitie of reproch and slaunder from vs yet he hath left shame for vs still to sustaine that we might fulfill the remnant of the afflictions he hath drunke the full cup and we must pledge him in the bottome of the cuppe we must therefore learne to deny our selues and namely as this argument implieth our good name and fame not that a mā may not by al good meanes preserue his good name but that a man be not too popular without measure and by vnlawfull meanes to seeke a good name many mē beeing too greedie as Aesops dogge catch at the shadowe and loose the substance while they seeke fame and report they leese a good name for he that immoderately and vnlawefully seeketh to get and keepe his credit with all sorts of persons shall get a fame from the wicked which is but the shaddowe and leese a good name from the godly which is the substance A good name is the reward of humilitie and the feare of God Prou. 22.4 and God will honour them that honour him 1. Sam. 2.3 And by faith we shall obtaine a good report as the Elders did Hebr. 11.2 By such meanes we may seeke to get a good name which will be a good ointment to the children of god refreshing them with comfort of a godly life Eccles 7.1 But if any of Gods children are too curious of their credit and too much addicted to be popular the Lord will really teach the to denie themselues in this point and by causing wicked men to slaunder them will teach them by a reall sermon that which by the word and instruction they cannot learn which is to forsake their credit for Christs sake as Christ did forsake his owne excellencie and deiected himselfe to the greatest indignities that a man could suffer for our sakes in so much as the scripture saith he did annihilate himselfe that is he was content to be in no account that we might be pretiously esteemed 〈…〉 and nod the head The wrying of the mouth and nodding the head are vnciuill foolish and despitefull gestates such as ciuil discreet and moderate men would haue beene ashamed to vse but if malice haue got the bridle in the necke howe will not wicked men transgresse the lawe of ciuill and courteous behauiour yea the fence of nature and humanitie they will trample flat to the groūd as if they lost both ciuilitie and manhood which point may further appeare in the mocking speeches which they vtter against Christ now hanging vpon the crosse Let him deliuer him c. which mocking gestures and speeches shewe more then barbarous despight and brulish malice for a person that is condemned to die yea nowe in execution is pittied and praied for by all the beholdders yea euen the hearts of Adamant then will soften to here a man in extremitie of paine readie to die yet then these monsters of men and nature are neuer a whit asswaged towards him but reioyce then at his woe and scoffe at his fall saying God hath forsaken him he loueth him not he neuer did trust in god as he pretended for then surely God would not suffer him to perish but would deliuer him or if he himselfe were a sauiour he would saue himselfe and others and come downe from the crosse that we might know him to be the sauiour and beleeue in him but we are to know these things are otherwise for God may loue a man and a man may trust in God and yet still continue in affliction so we se the martyrs die for Christ and periss h in regard of the outward man that the loue God and God loueth thē stil and so was it with Christ a which may serue to mussel the mouths of the wicked worldlings that presently think gods children forsaken of god and that they are naughty persons because they sustain the crosse sometime fall vnder it nay cōtrariwise they should thinke it a signe of Gods hatred not to be vnder the crosse as it fareth with many wicked men that thus the Lord fatteth thē for the day of slaughter Vers 9 10 But thou didst draw me out of the womb thou gauest me hope as my mothers breast I was cast vpon thee euē from the womb thou art my god from my mothers belly Howsoeuer these murderers 〈…〉 of Chirst 〈◊〉 with him that he assureth himselfe of Gods fauour and mercifull
that they may saue soules which is a great point of wisdome and gloryfie God which is the end of all things where those pastours are reproueable that seeke rather to wine their own praise by inkhorne learning by darkning and obscuring their preachings with the cloudes of phylosophy the tongues drawing as it were a vale before Christ crucyfied and couering Moses face with a scarfe that men should not with open face see the glory of God then the prase of god and the conuersion of mens soules who are rather by this kind of preaching still kept in the dungeon of ignorance and palpable darkenes that the day starre Iesus Christ cannot arise in their hartes so that this kind of preaching is rather to put out then to open the eies of the blind Hitherto the prohet hath declared the propheticall office of Christ in reuealing Gods will to the Church with the two effectes thereof the conuersion of mens soules and the glory of God for the hardening of the wicked is no proper effect now the prophet rendereth a reason of Christs propheticall office wherefore he will reueale his fathers will to his Church or wherefore the Church ought to praise God beeing conuerted because that when Iesus Christ beeing poore and in great humiliatiō sustaining the wrath of God for the redemption of the Church called vnto his father hee heard V. 24. He hath not despised the affliction of the poore but heard his prayer and did not abhorre or despise his affliction but with a pitifull eie regarded him and at length when hee had satisfyed gods iustice deliuered him Hence then we may learne two instructions First that the propheticall office of Christ is a fruit of his preisthood of his redemption sacrifice and intercession for if Christ had not died for vs he had neuer reuealed his fathers will vnto vs according as the aposte Eph. 4. doth reason Christ ascended vp on high and led captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts vnto men but before hee ascended hee discended and suffered death for vs. Secondly hence wee must learne euerlastingly to magnifie the worke of our redemption which is the fountaine of all our good for without it we had still remained in blindnes ignorance without the knowledge of Gods word and so we had groped in the palpable darkenes of Aegipt for the propheticall office of Christ principally reuealeth vnto vs the redemption of Christ which is the principall worke of his preisthood so that Christs sacrifice is the halfe of the matter of his prophecy the doctrine of the lawe also through Christ prophecy is restored vnto vs sound and perfect which through the transgression of Adam was wonderfully defaced and the condition of the lawe is qualified also by the conditions of the gospell that the Lord doth not nowe require perfect obedience in quantity but in quality and so through the redemption of Christ The Gospell is wholly reuealed a matter altogether vnknowne to man by nature and the law is restored and qualified and made possible to the penitent and beleeuers He heard whē he called Here a question may bee made how God heard Christ when he praied seeing in the first and second verses it is said that god heard not that doubt is answered before in the cōplaint therefore it is needelesse here to repeate it againe In this 25. verse there are two phrases to be obserued Vers 25. My praise shal be of thee in the great congregation first what should be meant by the great congregation it seemeth that the Prophet hath reference to that which should bee practised by Christ in his propheticall office we reade in the booke of the Lawe Deuteronom 16. that all the males were commaunded to come vp to Ierusalem thrice in the yeare nowe that was no doubt a great congregation when all the males came thither to worshippe nowe there is an expresse place in the Euangelist Iohn 7.37 that Christ preached and prophesied in the last and great day of the feast of Tabernacles which was one of those three great assemblies and so that place of Iohn and this of the prophet are parallell in sence A second phrase doubtfull is what is meant by Christes vowes My vowes will I performe In the old testament vowes were of such matters and of such a condition as that before they were made they were in a mans power but after they were vowed they became necessary Eccles 5.3.4 Act. 5.4 probably therefore it may be said that Christs vowes were that voluntary submission of Christ to become our mediator our prophet and king and priest which was most free willing and vncompelled in him Ioh. 10.18 Of Christs kingdome or kingly office and his subiects 26.27.28.29.30.31 26 The poore shall eate be satisfyed they that seeke after the Lord shall praise him your soule shall liue for euer 27 All the ends of the world shall remember themselues and turne to the Lord all the kindreds of the nations shall worshippe before thee 28. 28 For the kingdōe is the lords he ruleth among the nations 29 All they that be fatte in the earth shall eate and worship all they that goe downe into the dust shall bow befere him euē he that cannot quicken his owne soule 30 There seedd shall serue him it shall be counted to him foreuer 31 They shall come shal declare his righteousnes because he hath done it for a people to be borne In the kingdome of Christ the subiects are first to be cōsidered who are first described by two properties which are indeed Properties euery way wherein the wicked haue no part nor portion at all which are these following 1 Humiliation 2 faith 3 peace of conscience 4 desire of increase of grace 5 Glorifying God 6 life euerlasting of each of them something Humiliation or contrition or sorrowe for sinnes is the first grace that appeareth sensibly in the soule of a Godly man this is the sacrifice that is well pleasing in gods sight v. 26 The poore the Lord hath promised to dwell with the man that hath a broken and contrite heart and blessednes is promised by Christ to them that are poore in spirit and Christ inuiteth all those that are wery and laden with their sinnes to come to him for refreshing and he came to call such sinners to repentance whose hearts melt at the consideratiō of their sinnes whereby they offend a God that is most mercifull and iust Faith is the second grace which followeth humiliaton the property whereof is to eate Iesus Christ Shall eate to apprehend and apply the sacrifice of Christ particularly to it selfe for faith is not a vast indistinct apprehension of Christ or a confused and indefinite conceipt of Gods mercy to the world but a distinct appropriating applying of gods mercie and Christs merit to my self knowing in some measure beeing assured that Christ hath nayled crucified and buried my sinnes to his crosse