the World Seeing therefore he hath been condemned for us in High Treason both against God and Man seeing he hath endured the Punishment for all our Rebellions What have we any further to answer His Obedience hath made Satisfaction for our riotous Rebellion By his Condemnation are we acquitted his Condemnation at a Tribunal on Earth has acquitted us before thy Tribunal in Heaven His Sufferings are a sufficient Discharge between us and thy Justice and his Love is a sufficient Discharge between his Sufferings and us because his Love â—…eh nothing for all hiâ—… Sufferings but only that we love him again O what an unspeakable Obligation is this not only to love our Sâ—…iour but to love him above and before all one would think it were impossible to do any otherwise thâ—…n to love him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Glory and Majesty to suffer so much â—…sery to save us from eâ—…l Damâ—…tion O good Jesus O Health of our Souls havâ—… Mercy upon â—…s we beseech thee and help us to strike this Fire within our Hearts let our Souls be satisfied with thy sacred Love Thou art O Lord our 〈◊〉 out last End the Mark â—…hether we aim the Poâ—…t whereto we saâ—… the Ferm the Râ—…t of all our Desires Wherefore then do we not love wherefore do we not desire thee with that ardency wherewith all Creatures do love and desire the place of their Rest The Fire and the Air do overthrow Mountains rend up Rocks shake the whole Earth to break forth to their Natural Places wherefore do not we break through all Impediments all Hinderances and leave all Creatures to come to thee who art the only place both of our Refuge and Rest O our Desires O our sweet solace our assured stâ—…ength wrap our Souls in the Flames of thy Love that all careless coldness may be consumed thereby possess our Souls so intiâ—…ely with that Divine Fire that we may have no sense of any worldly things Most Sweet Loving Beautiful Noble Rich Wise Glorious and worthy to be both loved and adored O life of our Soul who didst die to give us Life who didst die to kill death mortifie us wholly even our Wills and all our evil Inclinations and whatsoever is ours within us Then revive us again in thy lively Love by uniting all the Faculties of our Souls unto thee and making them obedient to thy Will Seeing we have so rich a Treasure so liberal a Distributer of the same how is it possible we should not rise in Hope Justice hath sound out a way to strike the Innocent and cannot Mercy find a means to save the Guilty Assuredly yes for it is a greater Miracle that God should be condemned and crucified than that Man should be acquitted and live If therefore we have the greater we have no cause to sear the less for Justice has executed her Severity upon the Innocent and Mercy will shew her Favour upon Offenders Yea if it was Justice that the Innocent should be condemned and executed for to make Satisfaction for Sin it is Justice also that the Offenders for whom he suffered should be discharged from that Debt that the voluntary Surety hath fully paid Therefore although Grace is not due to a Sinner as a Sinner yet it is due to him as he is redeem'd It is Mercy that a Sinner should be saved in respect of the Sinner but it is Justice in respect of Christ the Just was handled as a Sinner that Sinners might be accepted of as just foâ—… it is not agreeable to Justice that one Offence should be twice punished Hâ—… hath joyned he hath united himself to us As he cannot be condemned again so cannot we likewise be condemned except we break Union and wilfully fall from him O let us admire love and adore this great Love of our Lord Jesus Christ and then we shall never break Union with him or fall from him but be inâ—…allibly saved by him The Sentence of Death being given forth against Jesus they laid that heavy Tree upon his Shoulders that had been unmercisully battered with Whips torâ—…enting him not only with the Sight but the Weight of that which was appointed to be the Instrument of his 〈◊〉 Which painful Burthen with â—…he sull Weight of all our Sins he refused 〈◊〉 to take upon him but went on his way with great Alaâ—…ity both in Love towards us and in Obedience to satisfie his Father's Justice as a true Isaac bearing the Wood for the Sacrificing of himself But whither doth our Lord go What has he to do upon this stinking Hill of Calvary which being a place of common Execution is tainted with puâ—…rified Bodies To be sure he will find there no sick Persons to cure no Devils to cast out no Temples wherein to teach but there he will find Dead to raise and Sinners to forgive there he will find many scattered Souls of executed Offenders which expect his coming which as the true Elizeus thy dead Body should restore them to Life What should all this mean that our Saviour has not only made choice of an infamous Death but of an infamous Place the Place was infamous but the Death was accursed for cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree It did not satisfie his Love to die for us but he must die the most accuâ—…sed death to assure us thereby that he had delivered us from the Malediction of the Law Certainly our Saviour's Death containeth many Mysteries It is not enough for us to say that he died for us but we are further to consider how ye would die which was by the ignominious death of the Cross with whom also even with Malefactors When in the principal strength and beauty of his Age In what Year in the great Year of Jubilee Upon what Day at the great Solemnity of the Passover even when they did celebrate the Figure of him In what place on the Mount of Calvary only made glorious by his Death He was neither privily made away nor tumultuously slain he dyed not in a Corner that dyed for all the World he was condemned in the publick place of Judgment and suffered upon the common place of Execution upon a Day and a Year of the greaâ—…est Solemnity that could be God set him upon the Stage of the Woâ—…ld to declare as well his Fury against Sin as his Love and Mercy towards Sinners O glorious Calvary where the Prince of Light did encounter and overcome the Prince of Darkness where at one instant our Life for a time ended and our Death did for ever dye Therefore let us not only seek our Saviour in the Temple but upon Mount Calvary for in the Temple he scourged Sinners but upon the Mount he died for them upon that he opened his Arms to embrace them It was objected against him that he was a Friend to Publicans and Sinners True he was a true Friend to them indeed but his Friendship did never more plainly appear than in this Action and upon this place
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
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
〈◊〉 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
so much as one Drop unto thee unless it be in exchange of everlasting Life Of the Death of our Saviour and how they opened his Side with a Spear Matth. 27. 50. Jesus when he hath crye again with a loud Voice yâ—…lded up the Ghost AFter when Jesus knew that all things were performed he cried with a loud Voice and bowed his Head and gave up the Ghost and the Sun was darkened the Veil of the Temple rent through the midst John 19. 30. And the Earth did quake and the Stones were cloven and the Graves did open and many Bodies of the Saints which slept arose and came out of the Graves after his Resurrection and appeared unto many Luke 23. Matth. 27. When the Centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus saw the Earthquake and the things that were done they feared greatly and said Truly this Man was the Son of God What is this O gracious Lord God! who ever saw two such Contraries combined together Whoever saw such Misery joyn'd to such Might when was so great Glory accompanied at any time with so great Grief Who is he that is so humble and yet so high Who is so powerful and yet so poor He that is contemned on Earth is honoured in Heaven he that is fastned naked to the Cross maketh the Earth to quake he that died raised the Dead to Life O our sweet Saviour thou didst now manifestly declare who thou wast and wherefore thou camest into the World The Centurion and they that were with him did acknowledge thee to be the Son of God and the Dead whom thou raisedst to Life did testifie that thou camest to overcome Death We will make no account of the Jews scoffing at thee seeing the Heavens the Earth the Living and the Dead did witness for thee And thus likewise in all the other Passages of his Life our Saviour did so bear and behave himself that he never did so high a Miracle but therein his Humanity did appear nor did he ever so mean a Work but his Divinity did therein shine All his Actions participated of both his Natures in every thing that he did or suffered the Glory of the one was joined with the Humility of the other It was great Humility to be conceived but it was great Glory to be conceived by the Holy Ghost It was great Humility to be born but it was great Glory to be born of a pure Virgin It was great Humility to be born in a Stable but it was great Glory to be worshipped of the Wise Men. It was great Humility to lie among Beasts but it was great Glory to be honoured by the Angels It was great Humility to be circumcised but it was great Glory to be named Saviour It was great Humility to be baptized among Sinners but it was great Glory that the Heavens opened and that the Spirit visibly descended upon him Lastly it was great Humility to die upon the Cross but it was great Glory that both Heaven and Earth were disturbed thereat That all Creatures adored his Death except Man only for whom he died The Sun beholding his great Creator naked drew in his Light to cover him with Darkness for as our Saviour was betrayed apprehended scorned reviled spit upon and buffeted in the Night so it was not inconvenient that the residue of this Work of Darkness should in Darkness be accomplished even as he said to the Jews Luke 22. 52. This is your very hour and power of Darkness But let us consider here are three Miracles before us First That this Eclipse of the Sun happen'd on the Fourteenth Day of the Moon that is in the full Opposition of the Sun and the Moon Whereas natural Eclipses happen in their Conjunction when the Moon is directly interposed between the Sun and our Sight It continued the space of three Hours whereas natural Eclipses continue not above the fourth part of an Hour and hardly that It was a total Eclipse which never happened by the Interposition of the Moon by reason it is so far inferiour to the Sun in magnitude What then shall we say but that the Sun drew in his Light because it should not display so sad a Spectacle That the Heavens hid their Beauty and suited themselves to their Makers State that they covered the Body of Jesus that was sacrilegiously used with Darkness as with a Veil One Star shewed the Glory of the Lord at his Nativity but the most glorious Star peâ—…formed this Service at the time of his Death neither was this Darkness ever better resembled than by the Darkness that was spread over the Land of Egypt but now over Goshen where the Jews did inhabit At this time the Land of the Jews only was darkned and all other Countries remained Light And that time the true Light was only among the Jews since this time they have been the greatest Strangers to it And at the end of this Darkness when Jesus cried with a loud Voice and yielded up the Ghost the Earth trembled also and the Rocks did rend whereof in the Land of Jewry in the Kingdom of Damascus and in the Mountains of Arabia Monuments and Accounts of it remain unto this Day Therefore do not think O ye Jews as his Life ended so did his Power He that laid down his Life retaineth his Power both in the Heavens and upon the whole Earth and was a less Matter to rise again than to suffer himself to die You cannot say that these things which were done at the very Hour of his Death were done by any ordinary means wherefore you must acknowledge in him Divine Majesty or Devilish Malice in your selves You were maliciously bent against him indeed but if all Men in the World oppose and be against him you see by what means he is able both to declare his Glory and his Power when no Man either durst or would open his Mouth in his Defence He did but utter his Voice and Five great and terrible Tongues did speak for him The Sun which is the lively Lamp of the World the Earth the Rocks the Veil of the Temple and the Dead when all Men were silent the Elements the Stones the Dead did speak they all preached his Mercies and thundered forth his Threatnings O good Jesu it was a great Voice indeed whereat the principal Powers of Heaven Earth and Hell diâ—… shâ—…ke which did astonish the Living and the Dead As the Cry of our Sins did reach to the Justice of thy Father so did thy Voice reach to his Mercy Thou didst cry with a great Voice to call the Living and summon the Dead that if any should lose himself if any would not be converted to thee it should not be because he was not called but because he would not come But woe be to every Soul which is not converted which will not come woe be to every Soul that is not moved at this Voice this mighty Voice O crucified Jesu have Mercy upon us poor