The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 19
THE XIX. LECTVRE, OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
MATTH. CHAP. XXVII.
verse 45 Nowe from the ſixt houre was there darkneſſe ouer all the lande, vntounto the ninth houre.
verse 46 And about the ninth houre Ieſus cried with a loude voyce ſaying, Eli, Eli, lamaſabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forſaken mee?
MARKE CHAP. XV.
verse 33 Now when the ſixt houre was come, darkneſſe aroſe ouer all the land, vntill the ninth houre.
verse 34 And at the ninth houre, Ieſus cried with a loude voyce, ſaying, Eloi, Eloi, lamma-ſabachthani? which is by interpretation, My God, my God, why hast thou forſaken mee?
LVKE, CHAP. XXIII.
verse 44 And it was about the ſixt houre: and there was a darkneſſe ouer all the land, vntill the ninth houre.
verse 45 And the Sunne was darkened, and the vaile of the Temple rent through the middes.
BELOVED in the LORD IESVS CHRIST, we hauehave heard the laſt day, that the Lord, when Hee is hanging on the Croſſe, Hee was not onelyonly occupied in ſuffering, at the will of His Heauenly Father; but alſo Hee was occupied in doing. Firſt we heard Hee did like a king, howbeit He hung on the Croſſe like a vile ſlaue in the ſight of the worlde: Yea, Hee did like God, Hee appardoned the poore Thiefe that hung at His right hand, and was penitent, and ſought grace and merciemercy at Him for his ſinnes: and Hee makes a promiſe to him, that hee ſhoulde bee with Him ſhortly in Paradiſe. Then next wee hearde, that when as Hee hung quick on the Croſſe, He did like a louing & kind Sonne to His Mother, who bare Him: He recommends her earneſtly to be entertained with Iohn His well beloued diſciple. Nowe in this dayes exerciſe wee hauehave a rehearſall of other thinges that fell ou… when as Ieſus hung on the Croſſe: there falles a wonder, there falles a darkeneſſe at the noone-tide, the Sunne is obſcured: the time is noted, when, at the ſixt houre, the ſpace of three houres, as we ſhall heare: All the time that Hee hung on the Croſſe, the darkneſſe continued on the Earth: The next thing wee hauehave, namely, out of Matthew and Marke, an heauie complaint, that the Lorde falles out into vvhen Hee had hung on the Croſſe about three houres: for Hee falles out in the beginning of the ninth houre into an heauie complaint to His Father, ſaying, My GOD, my GOD, why hast thou forſaken mee? Then vve hauehave how the Iewes miſconſtrues the voyce of the Lord: but firſt we ſhall ſpeake of the wonder: there falles a darknes in the whole land: or as ſome interprete, on the whole earth, the cauſe is noted: The Sunne which ſhould hauehave giuen light, is obſcured: a marueilous Ecclipſe contrarie to the common courſe of Nature, fell on the Sunne. The time is noted: When it was the ſixt houre. Now, Brethren, This place requires, that I ſhould ſpeake ſomething concerning the diuiſion of the night, and the day: for this is requiſite for the vnderſtanding of the Hiſtorie of the Paſſion of Ieſus Chriſt: the Iewes tooke vp the beginning of their night, from the going downe of the Sunne, and ended at the riſing of the Sunne: they diuided their night in twelue houres, whether long or ſhort: they had a more compendious diuiſion, and diuided it in foure partes, which they called quatuor vigilias, foure watches, eueryevery watch containing three houres: as for their day, they meaſured it from the riſing of the Sunne in the morning, to the going downe: and as they diuided the night: ſo did they the daye in twelue houres, whether it were long or ſhort: and as they diuided the night, ſo did they the daye in foure partes, each part containing three houres: they called the firſt part of the day, the firſt morning, prima diluculi, and the firſt houre, albeit it contained three houres, taking the name from the houre vvhere it beganne, the ſecond part, vvhichwhich contained other three houres: they called the thirde houre, taking the name from the houre it beganne at, ſpeaking excluſivè, as vve vſe to ſay: the third part taking the name from the part it beganne at, they called the ſixt houre: the fourth part they called the ninth houre. This much for the diuiſion of the daye and night, after the faſhion of the Iewes. To apply this to our purpoſe, In this Hiſtorie of the Paſſion of Ieſus Chriſt, yee ſhall finde mention of all theſe foure partes: of the firſt, the third, ſixt, and ninth. In the firſt houre, or in the morning, the LORD IESVS was led into the Common-Hall, to Pilate to bee accuſed: His accuſation continued the firſt three houres, and much of the third houre, or ſecond quarter, as wee counted it: His accuſation continued about the ſpace of fiue houres: Then alitle after the ſixt houre in the ende of the thirde houre: as IOHN in his nineteene Chapter ſayes, The doome and ſentence of damnation was giuen out againſt the Lord, In the ſame third houre, as MARKE in his fourteenth Chapter ſayes, The Lord Ieſus was crucified, ſo that He was both condemned & crucified in the end of the third houre: So betweene eleuen and twelue, a ſhort ſpace paſſed betweene the ſentence of damnation, and the execution. In the ſixt houre, which was the thirde part of their day: yee ſee, there falles out, a fearfull and terrible darkneſſe on the face of the earth: and according to our account the darkneſſe remaines from twelue houres, to three in the afternoone, the ſpace of three houres: for ſo long hang the Lord vponupon the Croſſe. Then yee hauehave mention here of the ninth houre, the fourth part of their day. The Lord then vttered His complaint to His Father: My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken mee? This is according to our account when it was three after noone: and haſtily after this, Hee yeeldes His bleſſed Spirit in the hands of His Father. So the Lord Ieſus died, and yeelded the Spirit, betweene three and foure houres afternoone. Now this ſhortly, for the better vnderſtanding of the Hiſtorie. Nowe to ſpeake of this wonder and darkneſſe, His heauenly Father would teſtifie by this darkneſſe, that whilſt His glorious Son was humbled on that vile & ignominious Croſſe: & as Paul to the Philippians 2. ſayes Whilſt as He was weakned, and made of no reputation, at this time His Father would teſtifie, not onelyonly of His innocencie, as Hee was man, but alſo of His glorie, as He was God. In humbling of Him, the Father would glorifie Him: But will yee looke to the Sunne, and the ſenſleſſe creatures of Heauen and Earth, the very Sunne and ſenſleſſe creatures would teſtifie, that they were addebted vntounto that glorious Creator: they would teſtifie that ſorrowe that they had, that the Lord of glorie ſhould ſuffer ſuch an ignominious death. The ſenſleſſe creatures were moued, the Sunne gloomes, & hides his face at that wicked action: the earth ſhiuers and quakes, readie to ſwallow vp and deuoure thoſe miſerable perſons: and the Sunne, and the ſenſleſſe creatures beginne to teach that ſenſleſſe and hardened people, with whom they had to doe: Not with a man, but with the Lord of glorie: but teach what they would teach (heere is a miſerable example of induration) this miſerable people for all this darkneſſe was not moued, they would not turne. So, Brethren, ſee what it is once to be giuen to a reprobate ſenſe: if the LORD giuegive thee vp to a reprobate ſenſe, the earth ſhall not be ſo ſenſleſſe as thou: and though the earth ſhould ſtand vp and teach thee, thou ſhalt not heare nor ſee what it ſayes: Of all judgements that falles on the ſoule, this reprobate ſenſe is the heauieſt and moſt dangerous: and if thou continueſt in it, it were a thouſand times better for thee, when thou wereſt made a man or a woman, to hauehave bene made a ſtocke or a ſtone: for if there be not a wakning in time out of ſo dead a ſleepe, ere euer thou beware, the wrath of God from He…uen ſhall ouertake thee, when thou crieſt peace: then ſhall the wrath come, thou ſhalt not get leaſure to thinke of merciemercy. The Lord waken this ſenſleſſe generation, for there was neuer a generation more ſenſleſſe than this generation is, notwithſtanding of ſo many voyces ſounding, not only voyces of men, but of the heauen, the earth, and ſenſleſſe creatures. I will ſpeake ſparingly of this darkning, and (as the Philoſopher calles it) the ecclipſe of the Sunne, for it ſerues not much to edification: OnelyOnly thus far, that yee may ſee the greatneſſe of the wonder, and that ye may wonder at the Lord Ieſus hanging on the Croſſe: This Ecclipſe was not naturall, for the naturall Ecclipſe of the Sunne, falles out, when the Moone is in the changing, at the which time there is a concurſe and conjunction betweene the two Planets, the Sunne, and the Moone: The Moone goes vnderunder the Sunne, and takes away a great part of the light of the Sunne from the Earth. But this Ecclipſe falles out in the full moone. The Law commanded the Paſſeouer to be celebrate in the monethmonth of March, the fourteenth day of their monethmonth, in the which time, the Sunne and the Moone are as far aſunder as they can be, the one beeing in the one ſide of the Heauen, & the other on the other ſide: ſo that betweene them the whole Globe of the Earth is caſt in. But in this Ecclipſe againſt Nature, the Moone which was now oppoſite to the Sunne, turnes her ſuddenly about, and comes vnderunder the Sunne, and hides the ſight thereof, and brings on a terrible darkneſſe on the world: So that, as yee will read in prophane writings, during that darkneſſe, the ſtarres were ſeene at the Noonetide, as at Midnight. And to be ſhort, it is written that the Philoſophers in Athens marking this Ecclipſe, endeuoured to ſearch the cauſe of it, could not finde out the naturall cauſe, and one Dioniſius Areopagita ſaide, It behooued to be that, either the God of Nature ſuffered, or els the worlde ſhould ſuddenly be diſſolued, and be lied not. The Lord Ieſus the GOD of Nature ſuffered, and they raiſed vp an Altar then, and wrote on it, To the vnknowne God, whereof ye read in the Actes 17.
This for the wonder. Nowe let vsus come to that that fell out in the ninth houre, that is, our three houres afternoone: Marke, This ſerues for our edification: ye heard, the Lord Ieſus was in extreame agonie, and anguiſhe in His ſoule, and alſo Hee ſuffered great paine in His bodie: yet all was nothing to that extreame bitterneſſe, that Hee felt in His ſoule when as Hee hung on the Croſſe. Nowe in this agonie, Hee vtters this voyce with a crie, Eli, Eli, lamaſabachthani, that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forſaken mee? Theſe are the firſt wordes of the XXII. PSALME: for Dauid beeing the Type of Chriſt, and feeling that vexation of ſpirit in ſome meaſure, which Chriſt felt out of meaſure, hee cryes out, My God, my God, why hast thou forſaken me? This place & theſe words miniſter occaſion vntounto vsus, to ſpeake of the inward conflict & paſſion that Ieſus had in His ſoule: And, that yee maye vnderſtande this matter the better, I ſhall rehearſe vntounto you the vvhole Paſſion of IESVS CHRIST, in as fewe vvordes as I can. Then, the whole life of Ieſus Chriſt whileſt Hee was in this vvorlde, vvas a continuall ſuffering of the burthen of our ſinnes that Hee bare, and that obedience to His Father, required, that not onelyonly in His life-time ſhoulde Hee doe for our ſaluation: but chiefely, it required, that the Mediator ſhoulde die. All that Hee did had beene nothing worth to vsus, and if Hee had not died: for as the Apoſtle ſayeth, HEBR. CHAP. IX. VERS. XXII. No remiſſion of ſinnes without blood. Thinke not, that euer thy ſinnes ſhall bee forgiuen thee, without the ſhedding of the blood of Ieſus Chriſt: And either thou muſt die, or hauehave part in the death of the Mediator. The ende of His ſuffering, was the perfect aboliſhing and vndoing of the ſinnes of the Elect, as yee may reade in the ninth CHAPTER to the HEBREVVES. Now marke againe: This perfect aboliſhing and vndoing of our ſinnes required a perfect paſſion and ſuffering of the Mediator. Whether ye looke to the time, it required a perfect time: or will yee looke to the greatneſſe of it, it required an infinite quantitie of greatneſſe: for if it had not bene perfect in time and quantitie, thou hadſt neuer beene redeamed.
Brethren, that yee maye the better vnderſtande the vvhole Paſſion of IESVS CHRIST, I ſhall point out vntounto you the vvhole manner of His ſufferinges: For, why ſhoulde vvee not knowe this? Our life ſtandes in His death: Hee ſuffered all for vsus. And I ſee thorowe out the Scripture, the vvhole ſufferinges of Chriſt maye bee drawne to theſe three ſortes: The firſt is, The Lord Ieſus ſuffered temptations: Secondlie, The Lord Ieſus ſuffered ſhame and ignominie: the GOD of glorie ſuffered ſhame: Howe agree theſe two together, Shame and Glorie? The thirde, the LORD IESVS ſuffered paine, and that verie grieuous paine in ſoule and bodie: I ſhall goe thorowe all theſe three kinds of ſuffering ſhortlie, and ſo I ſhall make an ende: And firſt, to ſpeake of theſe temptations ſhortlie. I call the temptations that the LORD ſuffered, thoſe tryalles of Him, by the Deuill His enemie, for hee let Him neuer reſt, (and woefull was that battell that Hee had with him on the Croſſe) and His temptations by the miniſters of the Deuill in the worlde, who ſolicitated Him to leaue His GOD, euen ſuch temptations as wee are ſubject to in this worlde, onelie except ſinne: for Hee knewe no ſinne, there vvas not one ſpotte of ſinne in that holie One: and ſo Hee was not ſubject to theſe foule motions, & inwarde temptations, as we are, who dare not face the Sunne nor the Moone. And wherefore ſuffered Hee all theſe temptations? Euen for thy cauſe: the ende of all His ſuffering was, that Hee might ſuccour all them who were tempted either in bodie or ſoule. HEBR. Chap. 2. verſ. 18. Art thou tempted: if thou canſt hauehave recourſe to Him, who was tempted for thy ſake, Hee will pittie thee: As Hee ſuffered, and was tempted, ſo by His ſuffering, Hee hath learned to pittie thee. Hee who neuer hath taſted of miſerie, hee cannot pittie the miſerable bodie: And therefore, when thou art tempted, goe to CHRIST, and ſaye, LORD, thou waſt tempted as I am, therefore, now helpe and ſuccour mee. Thus farre for the firſt ſort of Chriſtes ſufferinges.
The ſeconde ſort was His ſhame and ignominie, that open ignominie that He ſuffered, eſpeciallie on the Croſſe. Whether ye looke to His accuſation, (they accuſed that moſt innocent One, as a vile ſinner) or whether ye looke to all theſe falſe Teſtimonies that were brought againſt Him, or yet whether yee looke to the tauntes and mockinges that Hee ſuffered, and to that ſpitting on His face, and blaſphemies vponupon the Croſſe. In all theſe yee ſhall ſ…e that ſhame He ſuffered for our ſinnes. The Apoſtle, ROMAN. Chap. 15. verſ. 3. ſaies, Ieſus Christ, when hee was in the worlde, hee ſpared not, nor hee pleaſed not himſelfe, as wee doe: but, as it is written. The rebukes of them which rebuke thee fell on me. All theſe deſpites thou ſhouldeſt hauehave ſuffered, but the LORDE Hee tranſlated them vponupon Himſelfe. O the ſhame that the ſinner ſhoulde hauehave ſuffered, and if the LORD IESVS had not taken it off the backe of the ſinner, and laid it on His owne backe. Come to the laſt ſort: Thou who wouldeſt bee freed of paine, either in bodie, or ſoule: Marke the paine of the Lord, lay holde on it, and apply it to thy ſoule: for otherwiſe, Nothing ſhall remaine for thee, but paine euerlaſtingly: all the kingdomes of the worlde ſhall not ſaue thee. Then the laſt ſort, was paine and dolour in body, and paine and dolour in ſoule, but in the ſoule chiefly: Looke to the time of it, from His firſt conception, to His laſt breath: ſcarcely was the Lord well borne when thorow the perſecution of Herode the Tyranne, His mother was compelled to flee with Him to Egypt, from that time He was vnderunder continuall affliction, whilſt as Hee entered into the thirtie yeere of His age, when Hee takes vponupon Him the part of a Mediator for mankinde: from this foorth (for Hee liued after this ſpace three yeeres, and an halfe) His paine grew, and increaſed in body and ſoule: and ay nearer the laſt houre His diſpleaſure and paine grew the more.
Now, Brethren, we ſhall ſpeake ſhortly of theſe paines and dolours that the Lord ſuffered in the time of theſe three yeeres, and an halfe: for the Goſpell makes mention of that ſuffering: during this ſpace, the Lord Ieſus is in continuall paine both of body and ſoule: not in body onelyonly, but chiefly in the ſoule. His paine during this time is chiefly that inwarde anguiſh: all His paine was for our ſinnes: if yee compare the ſoule and the body together, the ſoule is ten times worſe, and more ſinfull than the bodie: the ſoule is nothing but a ſinke of ſinne: all ſinne proceedes out of that ſtinking puddle of the ſoule: The body hath no life in it, but that which it hath of the ſoule: and therefore ſeeing the Lord offered Him to ſuffer for our ſinnes, Hee behooued to ſuffer chiefly in the ſoule.
What ſhall I ſay of the impudent Papiſts, who maintaine this doctrine, that the Lord ſuffered not that inward paine of the ſoule: O! that they dare be ſo bolde, as to auouch ſuch doctrine againſt the manifeſt wordes of the Holy Spirit: They knowe not what ſinne is: They knowe not what is the greatneſſe of the euill of ſinne, or the Iuſtice of GOD: and laſtly they know not what is the merciemercy of IESVS CHRIST, In a worde I proclaime both before GOD, and His Angels, the Pope and his ſhauelings are open enemies to the Croſſe of CHRIST, if it were but in this, that they take away the chiefe part of His ſuffering. Bee thou a Papiſt, if thou continueſt in that fantaſie, thou ſhalt neuer hauehave no part, nor portion of His ſuffering.
Concerning the ſuffering of His bodie, and of that ignominious death of the Croſſe, wee hauehave bene ſpeaking: Only nowe I ſhall point out the ground whereupon the ſufferings of the LORD ariſes: Firſt, they riſe of that naturall infirmitie: He was an infirme man without ſinne: He hungred, as we doe, He thirſted, as we, and through trauelling (Hee reſted neuer daye nor night) and ſojourned through the world: Hee wearied, as we doe.
Then another ground was, that ſadneſſe and heauineſſe of the ſoule: Hee was in a continuall ſadneſſe: there was neuer ſo ſad a man as He was: we read that He did weepe, but we neuer read that Hee did laugh. And thinke not, that when the ſoule is in heauineſſe, that the bodie can bee well. And laſt, His ſuffering proceeded of a violent dealing againſt Him, and nayling Him on the Croſſe: (vvho vvas ſo violently handled, as the LORD of glory was.)
I leaue this, and vve vvill ſpeake of the dolours which Hee ſuffered in His ſoule: Firſt, the LORD IESVS, whilſt as Hee trauelled vp and downe amongſt His people, Hee vvas in a continuall diſpleaſure. When Hee looked vponupon that obſtinate people, Hee was ſad vvhen Hee entred in Ieruſalem, Hee vvepes and ſayes, Ieruſalem, Ieruſalem, faine would J hauehave gathered you, as a henne gathereth her birdes vnderunder her wings, but thou wouldest not.
The moſte ſpeciall griefe that the LORD ſuffered in His ſoule, was that vvhichwhich Luke in his tvventieth tvvo Chapter names an agonie, that is, an anguiſh in the ſoule, and an heauie paine proceeding from a battell that Hee had in His ſoule: it proceeded from the wreſtling with the wrath of GOD, and infinite wrath) vvith Hell, and the povvers of it, vvith death not temporall, but euerlaſtingly.
Novve this agonie Hee vtters in the Garden, when Hee ſayes, My ſoule is heauie on all ſides, euen to the death. That vvorde was expreſſed out of that bitter anguiſh that Hee had in His ſoule, whilſt He ſpake ſo.
To ſpeake of the time of it, I am of that minde, that it vvas not only when Hee vvas in the Garden, but before in the twelfth Chapter of Iohn, vvhen Hee vvas ſpeaking to His diſciples Hee ſayes, My ſoule is troubled: And Hee turnes Him to His Father, and Hee ſayes, Father ſaue mee from this houre, yet the nearer He drew to death, it grew greater and greater: it was greater in the Garden, than it was of before: but now on the Croſſe, when Hee ſaide, My God, my God why haſt thou forſaken Mee? it was the greateſt of all. I will ſpeake ſomething of this, I will certifie you, the ſpeciall vnderſtanding of the ſuffering of Ieſus Chriſt ſtands in the knowing of this inward agonie which IESVS CHRIST had in His ſoule: and if yee knovve not this, yee know nothing of His ſuffering: it is true, that no tongue is able to tell it: No, all the tongues of Angels: the heart of man, nor Angell, is not able to conceiue the greatneſſe of it. The wordes of the Scriptures expreſſe not the greatneſſe of the anguiſh but ſo far foorth as the LORD will giuegive mee the grace, I will ſpeake ſomewhat of it. In the wordes that the Spirit vſes in the Scripture yee ſhall finde this: The LORD ſuffers a torment in His ſoule: then yee ſhall ſee in the wordes, an exceeding greatneſſe of the anguiſh in the ſoule: and laſtly, yee ſhall ſee in the wordes of the Spirit, not only that He ſuffered anguiſh in the ſoule, and the greatneſſe of it, but the very degrees and partes of it particularly.
Firſt, goe to the olde Teſtament, in the fiftieth and third Chapter, and fifth verſe of the prophecie of Eſay, hath theſe wordes, It pleaſed the LORD IEHOVAH, to breake Him, the wordes importes, not only the breaking of the body, but alſo of the ſoule.
Then in the hundreth and ſixteene Pſalme, and at the fifth verſe Dauid who was a type of CHRIST ſayes, The ſorrowes of death hauehave compaſſed Mee, and the anguiſh of Hell hath ouertaken Mee: Theſe wordes importe not onelyonly a bodily ſuffering, but they importe an anguiſh in the ſoule.
Come to the Newe Teſtament▪ Matthew in his twentieth and ſixt Chapter, My ſoule is heauie and compaſſed to the death. Wouldeſt thou hauehave the greatneſſe of it, Hee ſayes, On all ſides: And whereto? Euen to the death: not of the temporall death▪ but euen to the death of the ſoule. Then Luke in his twentieth and two Chapter ſayes, Hee was in an agonie: Hee was in anguiſh, Hee was wreſtling. With whome was this? His diſciples were away from Him: There vvas no man vvith Him. It vvas vvith the wrath of the Father from Heauen with a vvrath vnſpeakable. Peter 2. Actes ſayes, GOD rayſed Him vp from death, and rayſed Him the doloures of death, beeing looſed, He could not bee retained vvith them. The vvordes in their owne language is, foreign, and ſignifies extreame dolour, like as a woman hath in bearing her birth. The Spirite of GOD vſeth to expreſſe the paine of the Hell in the ſoule by a ſimilitude of a vvoman vvho trauelleth in birth: for of all paines in the bodie, it is the greateſt and ſoreſt, and yee that hauehave felt it, yee knowe, that yee could not liue, if it continued with you. 1. THESSALON. CHAP. 5. VERS. 3. Hee ſettes downe the paine of Hell, by that ſimilitude, When they ſhall ſaye, Peace, then ſhall come the ſuddaine doloure vponupon them, like a woman trauelling, then ſhall they not eſcape. And MARKE, CHAP. 14. VERS. 33. comes on more particularlie, and ſaies, Not onelie hee had a paine in the ſoule: but alſo hee ſettes downe the degrees of the paine. The natiue Language is moſte proper, foreign: that is, Hee beganne to bee astoniſhed: and then foreign, Hee beganne to bee in a grieuous and extreame anguiſhe. When the vvrath beganne to preſſe downe the ſoule, then the anguiſhe aroſe, and the extreamitie of paine.
But I leaue the opening vp of all theſs vvordes vntill the next occaſion, and ſo to ende: As vvee ſpeake of the ſuffering of CHRIST, So I beſeech GOD to open our ſoules, and our heartes, to feele it: For there is no life, but in His ſuffering: And the LORDE giuegive vsus grace, that our heartes maye take faſt holde of his ſadneſſe and dolour to our joye euerlaſting. To this LORDE bee Honour and Praiſe, for euermore.
AMEN.