be fulfill'd They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his Son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his First-born Zech. 12.10 This made Dionysius of Athens to say being in Aegypt at the same time of our Saviour's suffering when he saw this great Eclipse of the Sun contrary as at other times cry out and say Aut Deus naturae patitur vel Mundi Machina dissolvetur Either the World was at an end or the Maker of it suffer'd great Agony And now O my Soul what hast thou more to do but to attend till thy Saviour is took down from the Cross and with the remainder of thy feeble Strength and almost-spent Eyes accompany his precious Body to his Funeral which will be solemniz'd this Evening The Jews therefore because it was the Preparation for the Sabbath and Even was come and they had a Custom among themselves That Bodies should not remain upon the Cross on the Sabbath-day especially at this time it being a great and high Day the Day of the Great Passover the Soldiers therefore came to Pilate and besought him that the Bodies of the Malefactors might be taken down from the Crosâ— John the Beloved Disciple to whose Care Christ bequeath'd his Mother saw this and bore Record of it that we might believe John 19.35 and their Legs broken which no sooner was granted but one of the Soldiers abounding still with his inveterate Malice more than the rest notwithstanding the wonderful Miracles he had so lately seen from the Glorious Sun of the Firmament vailing its Head the Earth trembling the very Rocks breaking in pieces and the Vail of the Temple the most Sacred Place of their Worship rent from the top to the bottom yet he takes no notice of all this but forthwith runs with his Spear in his hand and violently pierces the tender Side of our dear Lord and Saviour and immediately gush'd out Water and Blood the Emblems of the Two abiding Sacraments that our Lord left with us in commemoration of His Blessed Humanity and Divinity Baptism and the Lordâ—s Supper And this could not be done without a Prophecy In that Day there shall be a Fountain open for the House of David and Inhabitants of Jerusalem to wash in for Sin and for Vncleanness Zach. 13.1 And when they took down the Bodies of the other Two Malefactors found they were not dead and brake their Legs The Jews having a Custom amongst them to break the Legs of the Crucify'd Persons when they took them down from the Cross if they sound they had any Life in them But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead probably from the vast expension of Spirits so much exhausted and wasted from his former Sufferings and for want of Respit and fresh recruit of Sustenance for which we do not read from the time of his Betraying to the time of his Passion of Care or Supply from any Or perhaps from the wound of the Spear in his precious Side that might the sooner expire his Life or rather from all together Yet finding him already dead they broke not his Legs Or chiefly to fulfil the fore-determinate Will of the Almighty predicted and prophesied of him That a Bone of him should not be broken For as we see all along from the foreknowledge and all-wise Counsel of Heaven and from the unalterable Decrees of Omnisciency nothing could from his Conception to his Crucifixion happen to him but what was unavoidably necessary and foretold that it might be of Belief to persuade one of the True Messias and of Infidelity to obdurate the other For so says the Great Apostle I preach Christ Crucified to the Jews a Stumbling Block and unto us Gentiles the Life and Power of God unto Salvation for they neither did nor yet will believe the Emanuality of the Son of God in this World but still are vainly in expectation of him Now Joseph being a just man and altho' one of the Jews yet had no hand in consenting to the Death of the Son of God went in privately in respect of the Jews because he was of Arimathea a City of the Jews but went boldly unto Pilate and begg'd the Body of Jesus And when Even was come because it was the Preparation Even before the Sabbath Joseph of Arimathea an honourable Counsellor who also himself waited for the Kingdom of God came and went in boldly to Pilate and crav'd the Body of Jesus But Pilate fill'd with Incredulity marvell'd if he should be already dead And to be fully satisfied sends for the Centurion whom he had appointed to stand by and see the Execution done and ask'd If Jesus of Nazareth was dead and whether he had been any time dead and when the Centurion told him that he was dead for his Body the Soldiers had already with his leave taken down from the Cross and they had broke the Legs of the other two But when they came to Jesus of Nazareth he they found already dead and therefore his Legs were not broken When Pilate heard all this he commanded the Body of Jesus to be given to Joseph Mark 15.42 46 Matth. 27.58 And Joseph took him away and wrapp'd his Body in Sindon or new fine Linen Cloth and also Nicodemus which at the first came to Jesus by night and brought a mixture of Myrrh Aloes and other Spices as the Custom of the Jews was and wrapp'd him up in fine Linnen ready for his Funeral which was to be solemniz'd this Evening in the Garden of Joseph a place without the Gates of Jerusalem and near to the place where our Saviour was Crucified and in a new Tomb hewed out of a Rock that Joseph had made for himself and where never Man lay before And now O my Soul prepare thy self with all Humility and Devotion to attend thy Lord and Saviour to his Funeral This is the last Office of Love thou hast to perform to the dear Body of thy departed Jesus who had done and suffer'd so much for thee O my Soul what an honour it is to thee to be esteem'd worthy by thy Lord to be bid a Mourner at his Funeral And happy and blessed art thou O Joseph that thou wast waiting impatiently patient for the Body of Jesus and for the Kingdom of God O happy art thou that in this black and dismal night of sorrow thy Faith fail'd thee not and that thy transcendent Love to thy Jesu carry'd thee through all fears and difficulties of the Jews to crave the Body of Jesus This was love indeed that at such a time as this was while the rage and malice of the Jews was still boiling hot in them and seeing all his Disciples had left him before this Day of Trial thou might'st reasonably have expected that their remaining rage might have spent it self upon them that should have shewn any manner of kindness to the Remaining
had been the Instrument whereon the Son of God had purchas'd Salvation for Mankind Sozom Lib. 1. Cap. 8. p. 418. But now O holy Jesu must thou be lifted up to suffer and dye upon the Cross as it was Prophesi'd of thee Christs nailing to the Cross As the Serpent was lifted up in the Wilderness so shall the Son of Man be lifted up Now O blessed Jesu who is able to see thee and behold thee how with rude hands and sear'd Hearts they force and twist pull hale and extend thy Sacred Hands that were always doing of good and healing Diseases now nailing to the Cross Who can but mourn and lament bitterly as not being able to behold thee the Lord of Life Our Souls within us must be pierc'd and even our Hearts break in pieces to see thy ever blessed Feet thus extended and rackt and nail'd to the Cross and to think what Agony and Torment they now endure that always kept the steady Paths of thy God in the ready way to Man's Salvation Now to see thee tread the Wine-Press alone and of all the People there was none with thee And as thou thy self said'st I look'd and there was none to help and I wondred and there was none to uphold therefore my own Arm brought Salvation to me and my fury uphold me In all their Afflictions I was afflicted and the Angel of his presence saved thâ—m In his Love and in his Pity he Redeem'd them and be bore them and carry'd them all the days of old Thus the tender care and Pity of Christ was towards his Children and People from the beginning it bore Date in the Records of Heaven And now dear Jesu to see how with uncontroli'd Severity they pierce thy very Hands and Feet and penetrate into thy very Nerves and Sinews not only forcing thy sacred Blood out of thy tender and delâ—cate Veins but squeezing it out upon the very Cross And all this for me O Lord and for my great and grievous Sins that are numberless dost thou endure this grievous torment and shed infinite drops of Blood crying out in the bitterness of thy Soul Behold and see if there be any Sorrows lie my Sorrows O Lord who is able to see thee bleeding and groaning and crying and dying for me and not Weep and mourn and dissolve into Tears and Sorrow Or rather than my spent Eyes should want Tears help my Heart O Lord to weep Tears of Blood Who can forbear O Lord when I consider every Sigh every Groan every Cry every Tear every drop of Blood every Pang every Pain every Twitch every Convulsion and every Distortion that thou endurest are the products and effects of my Sin O Lord let never a Minute be lost nor never a Thought be spent in vain now my Saviour is dying and bleeding on the Cross And thus should every devout Soul endeavour to do when they come to the Table and Supper of the Lord that being the chiefest time to give the strongest and liveliest strokes in our Hearts and Souls of the compleatest Resemblance and Commemoration of our dear Lord and Saviour's Suffering and dying on the Cross for us to consider how his Body was broken and his Blood gushing out for us for our Sins and for our Salvation This do as our dear Saviour's Words are as oft as you do it in remembrance of me knowing that thus Christ dy'd for thee And now O holy Jesu help my poor crippl'd Soul through the Crowd The earnest Petition of a truly sympathizing gracious Soul to lay it self down at the foot of thy Cross to receive the drops of Blood as they come trickling down from thy Wounds into my Polluted Soul that not one drop of thy most precious Blood be spilt on the ground or the sacred Liquor of Eternal Life be wasted or lost O Lord Who is able to behold thee longer O that I could bleed die and pour out my Soul with thee Happy art thou wretched Thief The Thief upon the Cross rebuking his Companion and timely praying for himself that was reserv'd till this time to have the Lord of Life to suffer with thee to have his Jewish ignominy thy poor Souls advantage to hear now thy Prayers and save thy Soul from Eternal Death Let thy cursed Companion and Malefactor persist in his obstinacy and incredulity with the rest of the wicked Jews cursing and reviling his Saviour and going head-long to Hell If thou be Christ come down from the Cross and save thy self and us Well as it done O Thief that thou so timely rebuk'd him Why dost thou not now fear God seeing thou art in the same condemnation and same suffering We thou knowest suffer justly for our Offences but this Man hath done nothing amiss I cannot admonish nor persuade thee longer my Soul is just ready to expire and I am just fainting away A moment lost now is lost for ever My time is but short to pray for my own Soul that am loaded and crowded with an infinite number of Iniquities and Sins If thou wilt die obstinately Lord help me to die penitently If thou wilt continue in Contempt help me Lord to continue in Faith and Patience If thou look'st upon him as a Deceiver I look upon him as my Saviour If thou abound'st in reviling and scorning the opportunity now offer'd I will abound to my last breath with strong Prayers and Tears to the very last gasp crying and calling to my Saviour and ever-Blessed Redeemer and King Lord have mercy upon me quickly quickly O Holy Jesu or I perish for ever and remember me when thou com'st into the Kingdom O Blessed Jesu that art so ready to give out Pardons and Remissions to poor Penitent Sinners that call and cry to thee at the very last gasp As soon as they ask it is thy own Gracious Promise Ask and ye shall receive Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not one jot or tittle of thy Sacred Word or Promise shall pass away Verily Verily thou shalt be with me this day in Paradise This is the time of Repentance this is the time of effectual Prayers this is the time of weeping and mourning for Sin this is the time of drenching and bathing thy Soul in the precious Heart-blood and Life of thy Saviour It 's no matter what the accursed Jews say in reviling and mocking of the Son of God their King their Saviour and Redeemer They that pass'd by rail'd and wagg'd their beads saying Ah! Thou that destroy'st the Temple and in three days build it up again come down from the Cross and save thy self it thou canst Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the Cross that we may see and believe If thou be the King of the Jews savethy self O Lord Let the wicked Jews be now making up the number of their Sins through Infidelity till the time of Repentance is past and the Door is shut I will be still calling and crying to my
hang'd himself Matth. 25.5 AND now O most Holy Jesu let this Blessed Spirit further assist me in this great Work to present thee Dear Lord to the Life to my Devout Soul that it may the more perfectly see thee in all thy Agony Passion Death Burial Resurrection and Ascension and to admire thee and adore thee most Blessed Lord and Saviour in the greatest humiliation and adoration a poor Creature is able to do as thou art daily interceding for me at the Throne of Heaven And this I beg upon the bended Knees of my Soul in thy own Name and for thy own sake who art my Lord and Saviour and Ever-Blessed Redeemer and Advocate Amen But now to proceed on with this wicked Tragedy of the Jews After Judas had Hang'd himself the Chief-Priests took the Silver-pieces and said It is not lawful to put them into the Treasury because it is the price of Blood And they consulted together and bought the Potters Field to bury Strangers in wherefore that Field is call'd the Field of Blood to this day Then was fulfill'd that which was spoken by Jeremiah the Prophet saying And they took the Thirty pieces of Silver the price of him that was valued whom they of the Children of Israel did value and gave them for the Potters Field as the Lord appointed Jesus carried before Pilate But the High Priests took Jesus and bound him and sent him away very early it being a work of darkness to Pilate and they themselves came after to accuse him Pilate entring the Tribunal Seat ask'd them What Accusations they did bring against this Man they answer and say in in general If he were not a Malefactor we would not have deliver'd him up to you Pilate being unwilling to meddle in this Affair perceiving it was for envy they accus'd him and not any thing of a just Offence Pilate ask'd them Why they did not proceed against him and judge him according to their Law and not to trouble him The Jews said unto him It is not lawful for us to put any Man to death that the saying of Jesus might be fulfill'd which be spake signifying what Death he should dye as he himself had prophesi'd of himself And they shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucifie Then Pilate enter'd the Judgment-Hall and when he saw no body come against him calls to Jesus and said unto him Art thou the King of the Jews Thinking happily he might trap Jesus in his words but Jesus as cautiously ask'd him another Question Hast thou said this thing of thy self or did others tell it thee of my Pilate answer'd him Am I a Jew Thy own Nation and the Chief Priests have deliver'd thee to me What hast thou done For as yet none can testifie any thing against him for they had not as yet their pretended Fact ready whereby to accuse him moreover they found Pilate to be very strict in his Examination and very unwilling to be both Accuser and Judge and made them not willing to answer to any particulars till they had drawn up full Proof against him seeing a General Charge had no Influence upon Pilate Jesus said unto Pilate my Kingdom is not of the World Pilate therefore said unto him Art thou a King then Jesus answered Thou sayest that I am a King For this Cause was I born and for this Cause came I into the World that I should bear witness to the Truth What is the Truth saith Pilate Jesus answered Every one that is of the Truth heareth my Voice Pilate then goes out to the Jews and tells them If they had nothing else to say against Jesus of Nazareth he must and will discharge him for be for his part found no fault in him at all John 18.29 to 38. Then when they heard this rather than he should be discharg'd the whole Multitude ran in with open Mouth and began to accuse him saying If we must come to Particulars we are prepared We found this Fellow teaching Sedition and Rebellion and endeavouring to pervert the Nation from paying Tribute to Caesar and saying That himself is Christ a King saith Pilate I have heard of this already and I will hear no more of it I must discharge him if this is all you have to say for I tell you I can find no fault in the Man Then they were the more fierce against him but all to no purpose saying He stirreth up the People Teaching throughout Jury beginning from Galilee to this place Pilate being now quite wearied out with this Nonsense and hearing he was a Galilean knew that he belong'd to Herod's Jurisdiction and turns him over to him Luke 23.8 whom he knew to be at Jerusalem at that time Jesus carried before Herod and therefore sends Jesus to him who had been desirous of a long season to see him because he had heard many things of him and hoped to see some of his Miracles done by him Then Herod begins to Interrogate Jesus and finding he could get nothing from him nor no Miracles to be done by him and being most vehemently accused by the Chief Priests and Elders saying all manner of Evil against him that the subtilty of Men or Devils could invent for they distrusted to have any good done by Pilate and therefore concluded this was the last Stake they had to play and thereupon resolv'd to make the best of it They said that He pretended to be a King and had forbid them to pay Tribute to any Earthly Monarch and that he did frequently sow Sedition amongst the People and moreover said He could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days But he answered nothing to all this Moreover Herod was informed they had been before Annas and Caiphas and that their Witnesses could not agree together and that Pilate could find no just Accusation of Death against him and upon that account had sent him to him which he took very kindly from Pilate and upon this occasion they Two were made friends which before had been at Variance and Enmity for a great while Notwithstanding Herod calls a Council of his Mighty Men and they debate the Matter amongst themselves but yet could find no cause of Death in him more than the violency of the People so that Herod was neither willing to release him nor yet to condemn him but He and his Nobles make sport with him awhile set him at nought mock'd him and arrayed him in a Purple Robe others a White Robe out of derision to his Regal Power and on purpose to render him more the peoples Scorn and the more to enflame their merciless Cruelty and thus return him back again to Pilate with Thanks and a great Compliment for the grand favour he had done him in sending this Malefactor the King of the Jews to him I have Rob'd him and given him what Ignominy and Despite I thought convenient but as for his Death or to condemn him belongs not
and severe that there is no Redemption of thy most precious Soul and Sacred Body from the Cross till thou hast paid the very utmost Farthing and hast made full and compleat Satisfaction for me O dear Lord That Cast of thy languishing distracted dying Eye towards me hath brought all to remembrance And there dear Saviour in the speedy conveyance of a most ardent Ejaculation is it most humbly and devoutly presented unto thee that thou mayest instantly be deliver'd from the Torments and Bondage of Death in making ample Atonement for it and my poor Soul may be recorded as soon as thou art exalted in thy Kingdom of Glory Stay O my Soul a small space longer for now Darkness hastens on amain that I can scarce see thee But what is it I hear Does this abominable Sin of mine stick so fast still in the strict Court of Heaven that it makes thee cry out thus Will it not yet be discharg'd What dreadful Cry is it I 'm sure it must be my Sin Thou O blessed Jesu art Spotless and without Sin Guile was not found in thy Mouth It must be mine O miserable and wretched Creature as I am How impossible was I and unable to have under went this Suffering and Agony for my Sin as a poor Worm Dust Ashes and sinful polluted Man when it makes the Son of God thus complain and cry out Hark! Hark! O my Soul what is it that sounds thus in my Ears 'T is no usual Cry it must come from my Tortur'd Redeemer Hark! Harst Silence Hark! What is' t Eloi Eloi Lama sabachthani My God my God why hast thou forsaken me O my Soul what is it What is it I hear Eloi Eloi Lama-sabachthani My God my God why hast thou forsaken me O Lord O God! O Saviour O ever-blessed Redeemer O my Christ Son of God! Lamb of God! Dearly beloved of the Father Where shall I go Where shall I hide my self from the Wrath and dreadful Displeasure of thy Father if thou cry'st out so that art his Son his only begotten Son in whom always he was so well pleas'd What then can I do or where shall I appear if Wrath break out never so little towards me when thou that art a God complains so bitterly What then must a poor vile wretched miserable undone Creature and grievous polluted Sinner do But stay my Soul Endeavour still to be looking up toward thy Saviour Let my tremblng fainting Heart still endure the Crowd If thou dyest here thou mayest still be remembred with the Penitent Thief It 's the only time and place under Heaven to give up a departing Soul but if otherwise thou art called for a longer time on Earth have patience and see the last of thy erer-blessed Saviour If the Mother of our ever-blessed Lord stand to see the last Gasp of her dearly beloved Son and if Mary Magdalen and others stand weeping and crying and praying to see the last Gasp and dismal End of this unparalell'd Tragedy thou hast as much need I say if amongst these Mary the Mother of our ever-blessed Jesu can stand to behold her Nine Months Labour in her precious Womb and to see the Travail of her Soul thus tormented to Death canst not thou do the same More especially thy Sins O my Soul are great which thou hast committed have patience a while and much shall be forgiven thee Let us now see what further the Jews have to do till their Wrath is quite spent And when the Sixth Hour was come there was Darkness over the whole Earth until the Ninth Hour and at the Ninth Hour Jesus cry'd out with a loud Voice saying Eloi Eloi Lama sabachthani Which being interpreted is My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And some of them which stood by said He calleth for Elias let him come down and save him if he can Then presently he cry'd I Thirst immediately one runs and fills a Spunge full of Vinegar and Gaul and gives it him to drink Psal 69.21 Mark 15.23 All this Suffering hitherto of our Blessed Lord and Saviour had wrought nothing upon these Cruel Incredulous Jewish Stony Hearts but they squeeze this bitter Potion into his most Sacred Mouth with bitter Revilings which at all times is counted most base and inhuman to insult over the most vilest Malefactors at the time of their suffering the satisfaction and penalty of the Law yet such is the Cruelty of these barbarous Infidels Let us see say they if Elias will come and take him down from the Cross and save him But our Blessed Jesu as he had liv'd Christ the Son of the ever living God so he would dye Christ and Saviour of the World pâ—aying for his most bitter and inhuman Enemies at the very last minute of his most precious Life Father forgive them they know not what they do But when they saw that all their Rage Malice and Barbarous Cruelty ended in a Prayer for them their Hearts began to smite them and they stood gazing one upon another and when they began to see such thick Darkness fall upon them and the Earth quaking and trembling under their Feet they began to be convinc'd in their Consciences some of them and to say one to another Surely this is the Son of God and cry'd What shall we do And looking up to Jesus again they saw him bowing his Head and saying Consummatum est Now it is finished Father into thy hands I commit my Spirit and bowed his Head and gave up the Ghost And as one devoutly observes the posture of this Death carries in it a lively Representation of his great Love to Mankind his Arms stretch'd out as it were to embrace all those that would come to him and his Head bowing down to kiss them And at the Ninth Hour there was Darkness over the whole Earth for the Sun began to hide his Head as not able to behold it The Vail of the Temple was torn from the top to the bottom the Earth quak'd and the Rocks rent which made the Centurion that stood by as a Sheriff by Pilate's Command to see our Saviour executed begin to be grievously afraid and to say Of a certain this was the Son of God Luke 23.30 Matth. 27.54 And no sooner had our dear Saviour let fly his Blessed Spirit and ascended to his Heavenly Throne and glorified Saints and Angels but they rejoycing at his glorious Presence immediately brake forth into singing of Praises and Hallelujahs with the Penitent Thief And having now overcome the Power of Death and Hell forthwith the Graves open'd and many Bodies of the Saints which slept arose Matth. 27.52 and began to glorifie God Like 23.47 But the Jews when they saw all this began to call to the Mountains to hide them from the Wrath to come Luke 23.48 And all the People that came together to that Sight beheld the things that were done and were amaz'd and smote their Breasts and return'd that the Scriptures might