The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 21
THE XXI. LECTVRE, OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
MATTH. CHAP. XXVII.
verse 47 And ſome of them that ſtood there, when they heard it, ſaide, This man calleth Elias.
verse 48 And ſtraightway one of them ranne, and tooke a ſpunge, and filled it with vineger, and put it on a reede, and gaue him to dri…ke.
verse 49 Other ſaid, Let be: let vsus ſee if Elias will come and ſaue him.
verse 50 Then Ieſus cryed againe with a loude voyce, & yeelded vp the ghoſt.
MARKE, CHAP. XV.
verse 35 And ſome of them that ſtood by, when they heard it, ſaid, Beholde, hee calleth Elias.
verse 36 And one ranne, and filled a ſpunge full of vineger, and put it on a reede, and gaue him to drinke, ſaying, Let him alone: let vsus ſee if Elias will come, and take him downe.
verse 37 And Ieſus cryed with a loude voyce, and gaue vp the ghoſt.
LVKE CHAP. XXIII.
verse 46 And Ieſus cryed with a loude voyce, and ſaide, Father, into thine handes I commende my ſpirite. And when hee had thus ſaid, hee gaue vp the ghost.
IOHN CHAP. XIX.
verse 28 After, when Ieſus knewe that all thinges were performed, that the Scripture might bee fulfilled, hee ſaide, I thirſt.
verse 29 And there was ſet a veſſell, full of vineger, and they filled a ſpunge with vineger, and put it about an hyſſope ſtalke, and put it to his mouth.
verse 30 Now when Ieſus had receiued of the vineger, hee ſaid, It is finiſhed, and bowed his head, and gaue vp the ghost.
DVRING the time that the LORD IESVS hung quicke on the Croſſe, which was three houres, and large more, yee may reade (well-beloued in Chriſt) ſundrie voyces that He vttered. When I looke thorowe the foure Euangeliſtes, I finde in number ſixe ſundrie voyces, and eueryevery one of them is well to be marked: for at that time Hee vttered nothing in vaine. The firſt voyce wee reade of, was a voyce of diuine power, together vvith mercy, when one of the Thieues, who hung at His right hand, ſaid to Him, Lord remember me, when thou commest to thy Kingdome: The Lord anſwered him like a King, and like a powerfull and mercifull God, Verily J ſay vntounto thee, this day thou ſhalt bee with mee in Paradiſe ▪ The next voyce, was a voyce of humane pittie, and naturall affection toward His Mother: ſhe being by the Croſſe with Iohn, and other women, He recommendes her to the cuſtodie of His w…ll beloued Diſciple. The thirde voyce wee reade of, was a voyce of ſadneſſe, proceeding from an heart that was ſadde on eueryevery ſide to the death, and from that agonie on the Croſſe, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken mee? The fourth voyce in like manner, was a voyce of ſadneſſe, proceeding from a wonderfull heate in the ſoule and body, I thirst. The fifth voyce by all appearance was a voyce of joye, ſeeing the worke of Redemption to bee wrought, and the wrath of His Father to be aſſwaged, He ſaies, after He had drunken the vineger, Jt is finiſhed. The ſixt and laſt voyce in like manner was a voyce of joye: for finding Hee was to giuegive vp the ghoſte immediately, and finding His Father ſweetly to looſe His ſoule from His bodie, He ſaies, Father, into thine hands I commend my ſpirit.
Now Brethren, all th…ſe foreſaid voyces the Lord vttered during the time that He hung quick on ye Croſſe: Of theſe we hauehave heard, the firſt, the ſecond, & the third, which was that heauie complaint that Hee made to His Father, My God, my God, &c. This daye as God ſhall giuegive vsus grace, wee ſhall ſpeake of the three other voyces; one of them of ſadneſſe, and the other two of joye. But before wee come to theſe voyces which are the three l…ſt voyces, wee hauehave to ſpeake ſomething of the miſconſtruing of the complaint of the Lord vttered to His God. Nowe the Iewes that ſtood by Him, and heard Him crie, Eli, Eli, (for Hee cryed aloude) of maliciouſneſſe, not of miſtaking Him, they begin to calumniate and to miſconſtrue His wordes, becauſe the worde Eli, which is, My God, ſounded like Elias: Therefore they ſaid, Hee cryed for Elias, when Hee cryed on His God, Let vsus ſee if Elias will come, and take Him downe. In the which wordes wee may ſee clearely, that they ſought not onelie to deſtroy His bodie, but the Deuill in them ſought to ſunder and ſeuer Him both in ſoule and bodie from His God: they woulde not heare Him crye vponupon His God, but they ſought to deſtroy His bodie and His ſoule, ſuch was the inſatiable malice of the hearts of theſe Iewes againſt Ieſus Chriſt. This is the common dealing of the Deuill and his inſtruments with the godly, and chiefely in that laſt houre, when the ſeparation of the ſoule from the body is to follow: Not only to get the body dead, but the ſoule & God ſeparated: if thou beginneſt to pray & call on God, they will ſcorne thy prayer, & ſeeke to cut thee frō God, & all hope of life. But to leaue them, & their bitter maliciouſnes: As in all the poinctes of the ſuffering of Chriſt, I looke more to the diſpoſition of His Father, than to the Iewes, to the deuil, or his inſtrumēts: So I doe in this. No queſtion as His Father exerciſes Him inwardly with a bitter wrath: euē ſo, whē as the Lord by making an heauy mone, ſeekes an outgaet, & cries, My God, my God, &c: Hee will hauehave Him met outwardly with bitternes. Aime where He wil, He meetes Him with nothing but bitternes & wrath inwardly & outwardly, hell inward & outward, no refuge, nor eſcaping till yt ranſome be payed to the leaſt farthing. Wel Brethrē, if ye would ſee an image of hell, ſee it here. The Lord Ieſus was for a time, & fealt nothing but extreame bitternes. But the reprobate, after they be once caſten into hell, there is nothing for them but bitternes: let thē aime here & there to eſcape, houle & cry, they ſhalbe met wi…h bitternes. What if it were but for a time! The Lord eſcaped, His ſuffering was but for a time; but no eſcaping for thee, if thou be thruſt into hell, thou ſhalt neuer get out, and ſhalt find nothing but bitternes, aime here or there, all ſhalbe in vaine, & euerlaſting bitternes ſhalbe caſten in thy teeth, and compaſſe thee on all ſides: that is a ſore word, An euerlaſting bitternes, neuer to hauehave an ende. So bleſſed is that ſoule for euer, who in that Day ſhalbe found in Chriſt to get a part of that paſſiō yt He ſuffred: the Lord giuegive eueryevery one of vsus grace now while we hauehave time, to know Him, & to ſeek to be foūd in Him for wo to yt ſoule yt ſhalbe foūd out of Him in ye great day. Now I come …o ye voyces, & firſt to that fourth voyce yt the Lord vttered, whē He ſaid, I thirst. When vttered He it? When He knew that all …hinges were ended: To the ende that the propheſie might bee fulfi…led that was ſpoken of Him before, Hee ſaide, I thirst. A voyce of ſadneſſ…, comming from an extreame drought of bodie. The Lord Ieſus, as He too…e our nature vponupon Him, ſo He tooke on all our infirmities ſinne ex…epted. Many times was Hee hungry and thirſty: but chiefely wh…n He hanges on the Croſſe in that extreame heat of His ſoule and His body. The ſoule was burnt vp with wrath, and all the moyſture of the bodie likewiſe dryed vp with wrath: at this time the Lord had ſuch a thirſt, that the tongue of man cannot expreſſe it: thou ſufferedſt neuer ſuch a thirſt, in any Feuer or diſeaſe, as the Lord Ieſus ſuffered for thee on the Croſſe. And no doubt, beſide other paines, this exceeding thirſt was a part of His paine, and a part of that ranſome that He payed to the Father for our redemption. Yee ſee when a man is in a Feuer, the thirſt will bee a ſpeciall part of the paine that hee hath: Therefore, albeit the thirſt that the Lord ſ…ffered on the Croſſe, was an exceeding great paine: yet He will not vtter His voyce, I thirst, till the ranſome was payed: Hee would not ſeeke to quench that thirſt, till that wrath of the Father was ſatisfied. The drought was inſatiable: for the infinite wrath of God thirſted after the blood of the Mediator, bearing our ſins, and was not quenched till the blood of the Mediator was drunken vp. No quenching of ſin, but by the blood of the Mediator: if thou bee not in Him, the wrath of God will thirſt for thy blood. After this, followes that bodily thirſt: The ſoule is dried vp: the moyſture of the body is clung vp: the wrath ſuckes all vp. On this riſes the thirſt of the body: for except the Lorde had had a ſpirituall thirſt, and a pleaſure to obey His Father to the death, & to ſaue thy ſoule from Hell; it had beene vnpoſſible for Him to hauehave ſuffered that bodily thirſt ſo long. Learne this leſſon at the Lorde Ieſus, and followe His example: wee ſhould ſuffer patiently all paine that it pleaſes the Lord to lay on body and ſoule, knowing that it is according to His will, and that by thy ſuffering, thy obedience to Him is tryed. And, as we ſhould ſuffer patiently all paine…; ſo wee learne at Chriſt to abide patiently this bodily thirſt in ſicknes or Feuers, knowing well that the Lord layes it on vsus, to trie our obedience & patience. But wilt thou know how thou ſhouldeſt abide it patiētly? The Lord Ieſus had a ſpirituall thirſt to obey His Heauēly Father, & for thy ſaluation, that ſwallowed vp that bodily thirſt. Gette thee an earneſt thirſt to obey thy God: it will bee a wondrous thing how patientlie thou wilt ſuffer whatſoeuer God wil lay on thee. Therfore Brethrē, in all things we ſhould ſet our hearts to obey God: and winke and cloſe thy eyes at all dangers: yea, if thou be in extreame thirſt, and going to die, ſay, Lord, I wil obey thee: &, if thou get thy heart thus reſolued, and humbled vnderunder the hand of thy God, howbeit thou be in pain for a time, thou ſhalt ſee a faire end. The Lord Ieſus after this thirſt, and after death, ſaw a glorious end. So no queſtion, wilt thou leane on thy God, as He did, & abide His will patiently, thou ſhalt ſee the joyfulleſt, & moſt glorious end that euer was. The Lord giuegive vsus grace to obey God, and to ſay, Caſt me here, or there, & lay on me what thou wilt, I ſhall obey thee, though thou ſhouldeſt ſlay mee, I will truſt in thee. This is an happy r…ſolution. We ſhall ſpeake of the end wherefore the Lord vttered this voyce: To the ende (ſaies Iohn) that the Scripture might be fulfilled. In the 5. of Matt. the Lord ſaies, J come not to diſſolue the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill the Lawe, and to fulfill euerie jote of that Lawe: Heauen and Earth ſhall periſh, ere one jote of that Lawe ſhall paſſe away. Now among all the propheſies that Chriſt fulfilled, there is one here made mention of in the 69. Pſalme, Jn my meat they gaue mee bitterneſſe, and in my drinke they gaue mee g…ll to drinke. Nowe this propheſie is accompliſhed: Dauid ſpake this in his owne perſon typically: but the veri…y thereof was fulfilled in Chriſt. Dauid got no vineger to drinke: but Ieſus Chriſt drunke vineger. When the Lord came into the world▪ & wrought the worke of our redemption there was not ſo much as a title that was foretold of Him, but He fulfilled it: there was not a circumſtance of His death, but it was fore-tolde: That nayling was fore-tolde, where it is ſaid, They pearced mine hands, and my feete: The hanging of Him betwixt two Thieues was fore-tolde, They reckon me (ſaies the Prophet) amo…g the vnjust: The diuiding of His garmentes was fore-ſpoken, They diuid…d my garmentes among them, and cast lottes for my coat. Looke the XXII. and IXVI. PSALMES, and the LIII. CHAPTER of ESAY. So this drinking of vineger was foretolde. Nowe what learnes this vntounto vsus? Was there euer any man whoſe death was pointed out this waye? No, neuer any one. All the Kinges, nor all the Emperoures, had neuer ſuch a particular pointing out of their death. This lets vsus ſee, that the Father had a more ſpeciall care of the death of IESVS, than of the death of anie man that euer vvas: and conſequentlie, it lets vsus ſee▪ that there vvas neuer ſuch a vvorthie perſonage in the vvorlde as IESVS, and that there was neuer ſuch excellencie in the death of any, as in the death of Ieſus: in it ſtood the life of the world. Let men make pompes of the death of Emperours, the Lord had neuer ſuch an eye to the death of any, as to the death of His onelyonly well beloued Sonne, and all the predictions of His death are to this end, that wee comparing the iſſue of His death, with the predictions, wee might beleeue that Ieſus was ſent to bee the onelyonly Sauiour of the world. When I thinke on this, I wonder at the blindneſſe of ye Iewes, yt cannot know Him to be the Mediator, but after that once a man be giuen to a reprobate ſenſe, he will ſay, the Sun in ye noone-tide is but darknes. The Goſpel is hid, ſayes Paul 2. Cor. 4.4. to them who periſh: if thou ſee not & beleeue not ye Goſpell, thou haſt an earneſt pennie in thy boſome, yt thy damnatiō is ſealed vp Thus farre for His thirſt they gaue Him a drinke: There is a veſſell full of vineger: This was a cuſtome that they vſed: they had a drinke beſide them who were crucified: Some thinke it was for this end, that the paine might be ſtanched: There is a drinke of vineger ſtanding beſide the Lord: but I knowe not if they gaue ſuch a ſowre drinke to the thieues. So this veſſell ſtanding beſide one of them ſteps to it in ſcorne, and takes a water ſponge, and puts it on a reede, and puts it to His head, he got litle thanke for his worke: I take this giuing of this drinke to the Lord at this time, to hauehave proceeded from bitter malice. The wrath of His Father was begun to be aſſwaged: yet the wrath of the Iewes could not be aſſwaged. There is none end of the malice of the Iewes, ſo long as breath is in Him, they neuer ceaſe to rage againſt Him. Whē He was dead they perſecute Him: whē He was in glorie, they thought to ſhame Him. Whē ye Lord looſes ye raines of ye deuill, & of wicked men to chaſtiſe his own, they run headlongs to wracke His Church: ye Lord ſeekes but chaſtiſemēt: they ſeek wrack of body & ſoule: he yt knowes not this, he knowes nothing, & if theſe perſecuters got their will, they would not only ſeeke ye wracke of ye body, but alſo of ye ſoule. What doth ye Lord for this? when ye Lord hath pulled in their raines, Hee takes ye ſcourge, & caſts it in ye fire, becauſe they run far beyond their cōmiſſion. This ſhalbe ye end of their miſerable ſoules. O yt damnation yt ſhal ouertake them! when ye Lord hath chaſtened vsus by them, they ſhalbe caſt in ye fire for euer. Refuſes ye Lord ye drinke? indeede before He was raiſed vp on ye Croſſe, He taſted of this, but would not drinke, but He beeing on the Croſſe▪ it is ſaid, He dranke it. It may by that after ſuch a troubleſome labour, that His drought was ſo great, that Hee was glad to drinke any liquour. Alwayes, this I know, except the Lord had had a thirſt of thy ſaluation, Hee had not drunken it. The thirſt of thy ſaluation made Him as Hee dranke out the cuppe of the wrath of His Father: So to drinke out this bitter cuppe that was propined to Him, out of the bitterneſſe of their heartes, Hee dranke out the wrath of God, and the wrath of man, that thou ſhouldeſt drinke the water of Life. I ſay, remember vponupon that drinke that Ieſus dranke, when thou drinkeſt delicious drinkes: it is not thy money that buyes the wine, except it be bought with the precious blood of Ieſus: not a piece of bread, or any thing pertaines to thee, if it bee not bought with the blood of Ieſus: to them who are ſanctified, all thing is ſanctified, & if thou be not in Him, thou ſhalt bee accuſed as a violent poſſeſſour of all things, in yt great day. Now I goe to the next voyce, when He hath drunkē, He ſaies, Jt is ſiniſhed, that is, yt weariſome worke is now put to an end: now the ranſom is payed: now the work of Redemptiō is ended. Brethren, that yee may vnderſtand this, The Lord when He was in the Garden, had two workes: The firſt was, to buy Heauen, to conquere life to vsus: The ſecond, to put vsus in poſſeſſion of it. The firſt worke He beganne it in the firſt moment of His conception, and continues ſtill from that time to that moment: He gaue vp the Spirit to the Father. Now that worke beeing ended, He proclaimes on the Croſſe, cries out in the audience of them all, Conſummatum eſt, it is finiſhed. Now that weariſome worke is ended, the deare worke is ended, Heauen and life, and righteouſneſſe is conquered to the worlde for euer. This is the ſumme of the Goſpel, the worke of our Redemption is ended: this is all our preaching, Heauen, life, & glorie is conquered againe, to the loſt world. Thou needeſt not to giuegive one pennie out of thy purſe for Heauen. Curſed are they from the High Heauen, to the low Hell, that open their mouth to ſay, Thou muſt pay ſome of that ranſom out of thy purſe: Woe to the Papiſtes who will ſtand vp & ſay, Thou muſt pay ſome part of that ranſome, wo to that foule mouth that dare be ſo bold to open it, and ſay, pay thou a part of that ranſome with thy money, ſeeing that Ieſus Chriſt hath proclaimed that all is finiſhed & bought by His blood, woe, vengeance and euerlaſting damnation ſhall light on the Pope, and all the Papiſtes that dare open their mouthes to ſpeake ſuch preſumptuous wordes. Yet there is another worke remaining, which is to put vsus in poſſeſſion of Heauen, and He began this, at His reſurrection: and He holdes it on y…t, and ſhall continue it vntounto His comming againe: And at that day of His comming, yee ſhall heare Him crying, All is ended: not on His Croſſe, but in glory: and all the Angels and all the Sainctes ſhall crie, All is ended, Glorie to him who hath ended all, & no more ſhall bee. Looke downe to His heart, and to the ſenſe, from whence this voyce aroſe, whē He ſaies this: ye ſhall find that Ieſus felt the wrath of His Father aſſwaged. Before Hee was in an agony: now Hee feeles the agony to ceaſe: where before He foūd no joy, now joy returnes: On the ſenſe of all theſe thinges, falles out this voyce, All is ended. Whē I looke to this, I thinke I ſee ye image of a godly Sainct dying: for the godly are like to him in death and life. Before the laſt moment they are in a battell, and ſuddenly they will ſay, I hauehave gotten the victorie in Ieſus: and thē laſt they will yeeld vp the ſpirit. Come to the laſt voyce: It is a voyce of joy. I am of that opinion, that before the Lord yeelded vp the ghoſt, the agony left him, and that joy that had left him, returned againe, and made him to vtter joyfull words. The Euangeliſts ſay, He cryed with a loud voyce. What voyce this is, Luke expreſſes, Father, into thine hands I recommend my ſpirit. All that were ſtanding about might hauehave heard him vttering this powerfull voyce. Now ye would wonder, that a man immediatly yeelding vp his ſpirit, ſhould hauehave ſuch a ſtrong voyce. Ye ſee men and women, in death their voyce will faile them: ſome will not hauehave any voyce, and ſome not any ſigne: ſome, if they get that grace to ſpeake, yet it will be a weake voyce, becauſe the ſtrength of nature failes. Yet Ieſus all the day before vttered not ſo ſhrill a voyce. So it muſt follow, that naturall ſtrength was not failed in Ieſus Chriſt, and that by the ſtrength of nature, hee might hauehave liued long: for the other two liued long, and were not dead, till they came and brake their legges. Ieſus died againſt nature: neither was hee broken as they were. What followes of this? Ieſus Chriſt in that ſame moment that he yeelded the ſpirit, hee had a power aboue nature: and a diuine power againſt nature, which puts out the life: and, if he had power againſt nature to put out his life, hee vttered before the Iewes, that they had no power to put out his life, and that hee had a power to keepe his life if it had pleaſed him: And that is it which he ſaies, None takes my life from mee, but I laye it downe, and I take it vp againe. Yee will heare, that when worde came to Pilate that IESVS was dead, hee wondered, and all the world wondered at this yeelding vp of the ſpirit. And by this the Lord would ſhewe, that hee was not a common man: hee would ſhewe, that he was God, either to keepe his life, or to put it out, at his pleaſure. Hee ſaies, Father, into thine handes I commende my ſpirite. Theſe wordes are farre from this, My God, my God, why hast, &c. for thoſe words proceeded of great ſadneſſe mixed with confidence, but of no joye: but theſe wordes, Father, into thine handes, &c. as they proceeded of confidence, ſo they proceeded of a wonderfull joye. No doubt, at this time hee feeles that ſweete hande of the Father dealing with him moſte ſweetelie: not as the reprobate: Alas, the hande of the Lorde in juſtice ſtriking the ſoule of the reprobate, looſes it from the bodie, with the ſenſe of extreame wrath. But the Lord feeles the hande of the Father looſing his ſoule from the bodie with ſweetneſſe. And all they who die in CHRIST, will feele the Father looſing the ſoule with ſweetneſſe, as theſe laſt wordes vtter. Looke to the Martyres: they neuer vtter the firſt voyce, My God, my God, &c. No, but the ſecond, Father, into thine handes I commende my ſpirite, becauſe they find joye in torment▪ Steuen, the firſt Martyr, vttered the ſecond voyce, ACTS, CHAP. VII. VERS. 59. And the reſt of the Martyres followed him: which teſtifies plainelie, that this was a voyce of joye that IESVS vttered. But marke the wordes of CHRIST: yee ſee that euerie man and vvoman, beſide the bodie, they hauehave a ſpirite, and more beautifull, and farre more precious of ſubſtance than the bodie, and yet it lodges in an houſe of claye, and in an earthlie Tabernacle. Next, there will bee a ſeparation of the ſoule and the bodie. Thou thinkeſt euer to liue, but whether thou wilt or thou wilt not, thy ſoule ſhall bee ſeparate from the bodie, and then the bodie ſhall die. Shall thy ſoule die? No, if thou bee in CHRIST, the Father ſhall take thy ſoule.
Nowe againe, Brethren, ſee how carefull the Lord is of his ſoule at the poinct of death. If Ieſus, who had no ſinne, is ſo carefull of his ſoule; I pray thee, who art a ſinfull bodie, how carefull ſhouldeſt thou bee thereof? It muſt liue, either in Heauen, or in Hell: if the Lord cryed ſo loude that the earth quaked again, & till the Temple rent aſunder; wilt not thou, a ſinfull creature, bee carefull of thy ſoule? A man ſhould hauehave care of the ſoule at all times, but chiefly at the houre of the ſeparation, for at that time the Deuill is buſie to deuour thee, and the golfe of Hell to ſwallowe thee vp. Then looke how carefull thou ſhouldeſt be in following the example of Ieſus, to recommend the ſoule into the handes of the Father: and looke how carefull thou art to render the ſoule into the handes of the Father; the Father ſhall be as carefull to looſe the ſoule, if thou bee in Ieſus Chriſt, to conuoy it with Him to reſt for euermore in His bleſſed boſome. The LORD giuegive vsus grace to commende our ſoules into the hands of that faithfull keeper in the houre of death, and that wee maye finde Him readie to receiue and conuoye them with Him to that euerlaſting reſt, purchaſed to vsus through Chriſt: To whom with the Father, and the bleſſed Spirit, be praiſe for euermore: AMEN.