proxy to undergo such a judgement and such a punishment whereby he received a doom as it were from Gods own mouth uttered by his Ministers and bare the stroke of justice from Gods hand represented by his instruments whence very seasonably and patiently did he reply to Pilate Thou hadst no power over me or against me except it were given thee from above implying that it was in regard to the originally Supreme authority of God his Father and to his particular appointment upon this occasion that our Saviour did then frankly subject himself to those inferiour powers as to the proper ministers of divine justice Had he suffered in any other way by the private malice or passion of men Gods special providence in that case had been less visible and our Lords obedience not so remarkable And if he must dy by publick hands it must be as a criminal under a pretence of guilt and demerit there must be a formal process how full soever of mockery and outrage there must be testimonies produced how void soever of truth or probability there must be a sentence pronounced although most corrupt and injurious for no man is in this way persecuted without colour of desert otherwise it would cease to be publick authority and become lawless violence the prosecutor then would put off the face of a Magistrate and appear as a cut-throat or a robber 4. In fine our Saviour hardly with such advantage in any other way could have displayed all kinds of vertue and goodness to the honour of God to the edification of men to the furtherance of our salvation The judgement Hall with all the passages leading him thither and thence to execution attended with guards of souldiers amidst the crouds and clamours of people were as so many theaters on which he had opportune convenience in the full eye of the world to act divers parts of sublimest vertue to express his insuperable constancy in attesting truth and maintaining a good conscience his meekness in calmly bearing the greatest wrongs his patience in contentedly enduring the saddest adversities his entire resignation to the will and providence of God his peaceable submission to the law and power of man his admirable charity in pitying in excusing in obliging those by his good wishes and earnest prayers for their pardon who in a manner so injurious so despiteful so cruel did persecute him yea in gladly suffering all this from their hands for their salvation his unshakeable faith in God and unalterable love toward him under so fierce a trial so dreadful a temptation All these excellent vertues and graces by the matter being thus ordered in a degree most eminent and in a manner very conspicuous were demonstrated to the praise of Gods name and the commendation of his truth for the settlement of our faith and hope for an instruction and an encouragement to us of good practice in those highest instances of vertue It is a passable notion among the most eminent Pagan Sages that no very exemplary vertue can well appear otherwise then in notable misfortune whence 't is said in Plato that to approve a man heartily righteous he must be scourged tortured bound have his two eyes burnt out and in the close having suffered all evils must be impailed or crucified And it was saith Seneca the cup of poyson which made Socrates a great man and which out of prison did transferr him to heaven or did procure to him that lofty esteem affording him opportunity to signalize his constancy his equanimity his unconcernedness for this world and life And The vertue saith he again and the innocence of Rutilius would have lien hid if it had not by condemnation and exile received injury while it was violated it brightly shone forth And he that said this of others was himself in nothing so illustrious as in handsomly entertaining that death to which he was by the bloody tyrant adjudged And generally the most honourable persons in the judgement of posterity for gallant worth to this very end as such Philosophers teach were by divine providence delivered up to suffer opprobrious condemnations and punishments by the ingrateful malignity of their times So that the Greeks in consistence with their own wisdom and experience could not reasonably scorn that cross which our good Lord did not only as did their best Worthies by forcible accidental constraint undergo but advisedly by free choice did undertake to recommend the most excellent vertues to imitation and to promote the most noble designs that could be by its influence So great reason there was that our Lord should thus suffer as a criminal II. We may consider that in that kind his suffering was most bitter and painful Easily we may imagine what acerbity of pain must be endured by our Lord in his tender limbs being stretched forth racked and tentered and continuing for a good time in such a posture by the piercing his hands and his feet parts very nervous and exquisitely sensible with sharp nails so that as it is said of Joseph the iron entred into his Soul by abiding exposed to the injuries of the Sun scorching the wind beating the weather searching his grievous wounds and sores Such a pain it was and that no stupifying no transient pain but one both very acute and lingring for we see that he together with his fellow-sufferers had both presence of mind and time to discourse Even six long hours did he remain under such torture sustaining in each moment of them beyond the pangs of an ordinary death But as the case was so hard and sad so the reason of it was great and the fruit answerably good Our Saviour did embrace such a passion that in being thus content to endure the most intolerable smarts for us he might demonstrate the vehemence of his love that he might signifie the heinousness of our sins which deserved that from such a person so heavy punishment should be exacted that he might appear to yield a valuable compensation for those pains which we should have suffered that he thoroughly might exemplifie the hardest duties of obedience and patience III. This manner of suffering was as most sharp and afflictive so most vile and shameful being proper to the basest condition of the worst men and unworthy of a free man however nocent and guilty It was servile supplicium a punishment never by the Romans under whose law our Lord suffered legally inflicted upon free men but upon slaves only that is upon people scarce regarded as men having in a sort forfeited or lost themselves And among the Jews that execution which most approached thereto and in part agreed with it for their Law did not allow any so inhumane punishment hanging up the dead bodies of some that had been put to death was held most infamous and execrable for Cursed said the Law is every one that hangeth upon a tree cursed that is devoted to reproach and
lay down his life for his friends But that God should lay down his life should pour forth his bloud should be aspersed with the worst crimes and cloathed with foulest shame should be executed on a cross as a malefactour and a slave for his enemies and rebellious traitors what imagination can devise any expression of charity or friendship comparable to this Wherefore if love naturally be productive of love if friendship justly meriteth a correspondence in good will what effect should the consideration of so ineffable a love of so unparallel'd friendship have upon us How can any serious reflection on this event fail to work hearty gratitude in us toward our good Lord For put case any person for our sake that he might rescue us from the greatest mischiefs and purchase for us the highest benefits willingly should deprive himself of all his estate and that a very large one of his honour and that a very high one of his ease and pleasure and those the most perfect and assured that could be that he should expose himself to the greatest hazards should endure the sorest pains and most disgraceful ignominies should prostitute his life and in most hideous manner lose it to those ends for our sake Should we not then apprehend and confess our selves monstrously ingrateful if we did not most deeply resent such kindness if upon all occasions we did not express our thankfulness for it if we did not ever readily yield all the acknowledgment and all the requital we were able The case in regard to our Blessed Saviour is like in kind but in degree whatever we can suppose doth infinitely fall below the performances for us of him who stooped from the top of heaven who laid aside the Majesty and the felicitie of God for the infamies and the dolours of a cross that he might redeem us from the torments of hell and instate us in the joys of Paradise so that our obligations of gratitude to him are unexpressibly great and we cannot with any face deny our selves to be most basely unworthy if the effects in our heart and life be not answerable Nor should we forget that also upon this account we do owe great love and thanks to God the Holy Ghost who as he did originally conspire in the wonderful project of our redemption as he did executively by miraculous operation conduct our Saviour into his fleshly tabernacle as he did by unmeasurable communications of divine virtue assist his humanity through all the course of his life so in this juncture he did inspire him with charity more than humane and did support him to undergo those pressures with invincible patience and so did sanctifie all this Sacerdotal performance that our Lord as the Apostle doth affirm did through the eternal Spirit offer himself without spot to God 2. What surer ground can there be of faith in God what stronger encouragement of hope than is suggested by this consideration for if God stedfastly did hold his purpose and faithfully did accomplish his word in an instance so distastful to his own heart and bowels how can we ever suspect his constancy and fidelity in any case how can we distrust the completion of any divine promise If God spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us to the suffering of so contumelious affliction how can we any wayes be diffident of his bounty or despair of his mercy how as the Apostle doth argue shall he not also with him freely give us all things If ever we be tempted to doubt of Gods goodness will not this experiment thereof convince and satisfie us for what higher kindness could God express what lower condescension could he vouchsafe by what pledge could he more clearly or surely testifie his willingness and his delight to do us good than by thus ordering his dearest Son to undergo such miseries for us If the greatness of our sins discourageth us from entertaining comfortable hopes of mercy will it not rear our hearts to consider that such a punishment hath been inflicted to expiate them which might content the most rigorous severity that such a price is laid down to redeem us from the curse which richly may suffice to discharge it that such a sacrifice hath been offered which God hath avowed for most available and acceptable to himself so that now what can Justice exact more from us what have we farther to do than with a penitent and thankful heart to embrace the mercy purchased for us Who is he that condemneth seeing Christ hath died and hath his own self born our sins in his own body on the tree Whatever the wounds of our conscience be is not the bloud of the cross tempered with our hearty repentance and applied by a lively faith a sovereign balsam of virtue sufficient to cure them and may we not by his stripes be healed Have we not abundant reason with the Holy Apostle to joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the atonement Is it not to depretiate the worth to disparage the efficacy of our Lords passion any ways to despair of mercy or to be disconsolate for guilt as if the cross were not enough worthy to compensate for our unworthiness or our Saviours patience could not balance our disobedience 3. It indeed may yield great joy and sprightly consolation to us to contemplate our Lord upon the cross exercising his immense charity toward us transacting all the work of our redemption defeating all the enemies and evacuating all the obstacles of our salvation May we not delectably consider him as there stretching forth his arms of kindness with them to embrace the world and to receive all mankind under the wings of his protection as there spreading out his hands with them earnestly inviting and intreating us to accept the overtures of grace procured by him for us Is it not sweet and satisfactory to view our great High-Priest on that high altar offering up his own pure flesh and pouring out his pretious blood as an universal complete sacrifice propitiatory for the sins of mankind Is it not a goodly object to behold humility and patience so gloriously rearing themselves above all worldly all infernal pride and insolence by the cross ascending unto the celestial throne of dignity and Majesty superlative Is it not pleasant to contemplate our Lord there standing erect not only as a resolute sufferer but as a noble conquerour where having spoiled principalities and powers he made a solemn shew triumphing over them Did ever any Conquerour loftily seated in his triumphal chariot yield a spectacle so gallant and magnificent was ever tree adorned with trophees so pompous and splendid To the exteriour view and carnal sense of men our Lord was then indeed exposed to scorn and shame but to spiritual and sincere discerning all his and our enemies did there hang up as objects of contempt utterly overthrown and undone
saith S. Peter suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow his steps 13. The willing susception and the cheerful sustenance of the cross is indeed the express condition and the peculiar character of our Christianity in signification whereof it hath been from most ancient times a constant usage to mark those who enter into it with the figure of it The cross as the Instrument by which our peace with God was wrought as the stage whereon our Lord did act the last part of his marvellous obedience consummating our redemption as the field wherein the Captain of our Salvation did atchieve his noble victories and erect his glorious trophees over all the enemies thereof was well assumed to be the badge of our profession the ensign of our spiritual warfare the pledge of our constant adherence to our crucified Saviour in relation to whom our chief hope is grounded our great joy and sole glory doth consist for God forbid saith S. Paul that I should glory save in the cross of Christ. 14. Let it be to the Jews a scandal or offensive to their fancy prepossessed with expectations of a Messias flourishing in secular pomp and prosperity let it be folly to the Greeks or seem absurd to men puff'd up and corrupted in mind with fleshly notions and maximes of worldly craft disposing them to value nothing which is not grateful to present sense or fancy that God should put his own most beloved Son into so very sad and despicable a condition that salvation from death and misery should be procured by so miserable a death that eternal joy glory and happiness should issue from these fountains of sorrow and shame that a person in external semblance devoted to so opprobrious usage should be the Lord and Redeemer of mankind the King and Judge of all the world Let I say this doctrine be scandalous and distastful to some persons tainted with prejudice let it be strange and incredible to others blinded with self-conceit let all the inconsiderate all the proud all the profane part of mankind openly with their mouth or closely in heart slight and reject it yet to us it must appear grateful and joyous to us it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a faithful and most credible proposition worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners in this way of suffering for them To us who discern by a clearer light and are endowed with a purer sense kindled by the divine spirit from whence we may with comfortable satisfaction of mind apprehend and taste that God could not in a higher measure or fitter manner illustrate his glorious attributes of goodness and Justice his infinite grace and mercy toward his poor creatures his holy displeasure against wickedness his impartial severity in punishing iniquity and impiety or in vindicating his own sacred honour and authority than by thus ordering his onely Son cloathed with our nature to suffer for us that also true virtue and goodness could not otherwise be taught be exemplified be commended and impressed with greater advantage Since thereby indeed a charity and humanity so unparallel'd far transcending theirs who have been celebrated for devoting their lives out of love to their country or kindness to their friends a meekness so incomparable a resolution so invincible a patience so heroical were manifested for the instruction and direction of men Since never were the vices and the vanities of the world so prejudicial to the welfare of mankind so remarkably discountenanced Since never any suffering could pretend to so worthy and beneficial effects the expiation of the whole worlds sins and reconciliation of mankind to God the which no other performance no other sacrifice did ever aim to procure since in fine no virtue had ever so glorious rewards as sovereign dignity to him that exercised it and eternal happiness to those who imitate it Since I say there be such excellent uses and fruits of the Cross born by our Saviour we can have no reason to be offended at it or ashamed of it but with all reason heartily should approve and humbly adore the deep wisdom of God together with all other his glorious attributes displayed therein to whom therefore as is most due let us devoutly render all glory and praise And Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his bloud and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever Blessing and honour and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever Amen FINIS Cyril c. Jul. 8. p. 278. 9. p. 303. Joh. 3.36 Col. 3.6 Iren. 3.33 34. â—s 26.13 Iren. 3.8 Gen. 4.7 Gen. 2.17 Iren. 5.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 3.19 Rom. 3.9 Ro. 5.16 18. Gal. 3.10 Rom. 11.32 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 3.22 Rom. 3.23 Rom. 5.22 Rom. 6.12 14.20 22. Rom. 7.18 5. Rom. 7.23 Rom. 6.6 Col. 3.9 Eph. 4.22 Rom. 8.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4.18 Col. 1.21 Rom. 5.10 Eph. 2.5 Rom. 6.13 11. Ps. 143.2 Exod. 34.7 Ezik. 16.6 Eph. 1.4 9 11 3.11 2 Tim. 1.9 1 Pet. 1.20 Rev. 13.8 Rom. 16.25 Tit. 2.2 Athan. de Iâ—carn Gen. 2.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 9.12 Heb. 7.26 Psal. 49.7 Isa. 43 11.45.21 Hos. 13 4. Is. 59 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX Eph. 1.8 Luc. 1.78 Eph. 1.5 Tit. 3.4 Rom. 5. Gal. 4.4 Joh. 6.38 Heb. 10.7 Job 1.4 Heb. 5 2.4 15. Eph. 1.6 Conslit Apost 8.12 1 Tim. 2.6 Tit. 2.14 Heb. 9 15.2 9. Col. 1 22. 1 Tim. 3.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is. 53.12 2 Cor. 5.21 Joh. 5 18 1â— 30.7 12. Mat. 26 61.27 40. Luc. 23.2 Mat. 27.63 Const. Apo. 5.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 18.30 Cur si Deus fuit mori voluit non saltem honesto aliquo mortis genere affectus est c. Lact. 4.26 Just. M. Hal. p. 317. Orig. c. câ—ls 2. p. 83.7 p. 368. Aug. de Civ D. 10.28 Cyril c. Jul. 6. p. 194. * 1 Cor. 1.23 Luc. 22 52. Matt. 26.55 Nemo mihi videtur pluris aestimare virtutem nemo illi magis esse devotus quà m qui boni viri famam perdidit nè conscientiam perderet Sen. Ep. 81. Joh. 5.18.8.37 40 59.7.1 19 25.10.32 38. Joh. 6.64 Matt. 16.21 Luc. 9.22 Marc. 6.12 Isa. 53.6 Act. 2.23 Deut. 1.17 Joh. 19.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 18.37 1 Tim. 6.13 Magnum exemplum nisi mala fortuna non invenit Sen. de Prov. c. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plat. de Rep. 2. Cap. 594. Cicuta magnum Socratem fecit Sen. Ep. 13. Calix venenatus qni Socratem transtulit è carcere in coelum Sen. Ep. 67. Aequalis suit in tanta inaequalitate fortunae c. Sen. Ep. 104. Rutilii innocentia ac virtus lateret nisi accepisset injuriam dum violatur effulsit Sen. Ep. 79. Sen. de Provid 2