The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 26
THE XXVI. LECTVRE, OF THE BVRIALL OF CHRIST.
MARKE, CHAP. XV.
verse 44 And Pilate marueiled; if hee were alreadie dead, and called vntounto him the Centurion, and asked of him, whether hee had beene any while dead?
verse 45 And when hee know the trueth of the Centurion, hee gaue the bodie to Ioſeph:
verse 46 Who bought a linnen cloth, and tooke him downe, and wrapped him in the linnen cloth, &c.
IOHN CHAP. XIX.
verse 38 And after theſe things, Ioſeph of Arimathea (who was a diſciple of Ieſus, but ſecretly for feare of the Iewes) beſought Pilate that hee might take downe the body of Ieſus. And Pilate gaue him licence. Hee came then, and tooke Ieſus bodie.
verse 39 And there came alſo Nicodemus (who first came to Ieſus by night) and brought of myrrhe and aloes mingled together about an hundreth pound.
verse 40 Then tooke they the bodie of Ieſus, and wrapped it in linnen clothes, with the odours, as the manner of the Iewes is to burie.
THE laſt day (welbeloued in Ieſus Chriſt) wee entered into the Hiſtory of the Buriall of the Lord Ieſus: and wee hearde that the Buriall came by a requeſt, made to Pilate the Romane Deputie for the time: The requeſt maker was one IOSEPH: Hee is ſet down and deſcribed by all the foure EVANGELISTES, in all his properties: Hee was a man of ARIMATHEA, a Towne in IVRIE. Hee vvas a rich man, and alſo an honourable and graue Counſeller. Then, as concerning the qualities of his perſon: Hee was a good and an vpright man, who liued vprightlie in the worlde: and yet hee had a further reſpect than vntounto this life, for he waited conſtantlie for the Kingdome of God. And therefore, when Chriſt came into the worlde, and tooke vponupon Him that great office of the Mediator betwixt GOD and man, hee enters into His ſchoole, and became His Diſciple, howbeit for feare of the IEVVES, hee durſt not manifeſt himſelfe, but lurked ſecretlie for a time, euen to this time that it came to the Buriall of the bodie of Ieſus; and then hee ſhewes himſelfe to bee a Diſciple of Chriſt. In that Councell, which was againſt the Lorde, hee vvas a Counſeller; but hee vvoulde neither giuegive counſell, nor conſent to the condemning and ſlaying of CHRIST. Thus much yee hearde before concerning this man and his properties: Then wee hearde howe hee goes forwarde boldlie to Pilate to ſeeke the Lordes bodie. Hee lurked before, ſo long as Ieſus was in the worlde, working ſuch wonders as neuer man wrought, & ſpeaking with ſuch a grace as neuer man ſpake with. But nowe when Hee is dead, hee comes out boldlie, and goes to Pilate, and hee manifeſtes himſelfe: To let vsus ſee, that IESVS in His death, had greater force to drawe the ſoules of men vntounto Him, than Hee had in His life: for from that death there came ſo ſweete and ſenſible a ſmell to the ſoules of ſinners, that it drewe the ſoules of ſinners vntounto Him: Namelie, the heart of this man IOSEPH: So that hee comes out boldlie, as ſaide is, and hee goes to PILATE, and requeſtes him to giuegive him the bodie of IESVS to bee buried. Thus farre vvee hearde the laſt daye: Nowe this daye wee hauehave PILATES anſwere to IOSEPHS requeſt.
PILATE wonders that He was dead ſo ſoone: and for the more certaintie hee calles a Centurion, and askes him, if Hee was dead alreadie. The Centurion affirmes, that Hee was dead alreadie. PILATE grantes the requeſt. After this we come to the maner of His Buriall. Wee ſhall goe forward as time ſhall ſuffer, & God ſhall giuegive vsus grace. Pilate wonders that hee was ſo ſoone dead. This wondering of Pilate, no queſtion, imports, that the death of Ieſus was extraordinary: It was not after the common faſhion of men yt were crucified, for men who were crucified, they vſed to hing long on the Croſſe, before they yeelded the ſpirit, dayes & nights; and in end, ere they yeelded the ſpirite, the life was taken from them by violence: They were broken on the Croſſe. So Pilate hearing, that the Lorde was ſo ſoone dead, hee wondered, as at an extraordinarie thing. There are ſundrie thinges that teſtifie that death of Ieſus to hauehave beene extraordinary: as firſt, That mighty and loude voyce & crying which the Lord vttered on the Croſſe immediately before He yeelded the ſpirit: for who will giuegive a loud crie at the yeelding of his ſpirit? for at the poinct of death, when nature failes, it is a rare thing to finde a man to hauehave a voyce or a word. Next, The yeelding of His ſpirit ſo ſuddenly, whē by the power of nature He might hauehave liued longer. Laſt: This wondering of Pilate teſtifies, That His death was extraordinarie, & that there was a power in Ieſus which controlled nature. When nature would hauehave kept life, the diuine power puts it out. In a word: This wondering teſtifies, That the death of Ieſus was the death of God, the death of a man, but God in the man, glorious and bleſſed for euermore.
Now it is ſaid, Pilate vnderſtood of the Centurion, that Ieſus was dead, when hee granted the requeſt of Ioſeph, and gaue the bodie to him to bee buried. Firſt, I ſee Pilate is a good Iuſtitier, (the Romane Iuſtice was a good Iuſtice, the Romane Iuſtitiers were good) he ſhewed him ſelfe to bee a good Iuſtitier in this: a man condemned to die, hee would not giuegive Him out of His hands, till hee knew perfectly that He was dead. The Iudge ſhould not giuegive a man out of his hāds to any, till he know he be dead; Iuſtice requires that: If they did ſo to the greene tree, the Lord Himſelfe ſaies, what ſhall they doe to the withered? If ſo preciſe juſtice was kept on ye innocent, what ſhall become of the reprobate, who muſt ſuffer eueryevery point of juſtice? Lord ſaue vsus from that juſtice of the reprobate. I put it out of doubt: This juſtice kept on Ieſus is a liuely image of that juſtice, that ſhalbe kept on the reprobate. Thou ſhalt not eſcape one point of that juſtice, but thou ſhalt ſuffer in thy carcage ye extremity, if thou be not participate of His blood. Another thing is to bee marked in Pilate: I ſee a part of humanity in him: hee grants the dead body humanely. And ſurely this was by the faſhion: for the bodies of crucified mē were not giuē & yeelded at the requeſt of mē: as their death was ignominious, ſo was their buriall. I put no doubt, the cōſcience of the innocencie of Ieſus neuer left him, & the conſciēce of His innocēcie made him to be ſo eaſie to grant the body of Ieſus at the requeſt of Ioſeph. Brethren, if this matter had bene in the hands of Caiaphas, & the Prieſts, and the Scribes, & the Elders, they would not hauehave bene ſo ready to hauehave giuē the body to be buried▪ for as they ſought to ſhame Him in His death, ſo would they in His buriall: they had buried Him like an Aſſe, & caſtē Him out like a beaſt. So who is this that diſhonours the Saints of God in their buriall? It is not Pilate, or an Ethnicke, or Turke, or Pagan: it is hypocrit profeſſors, hypocrits, Caiaphas, it is falſe prieſts, knaues, with a coloured religion: it is the counterfet hie prieſts, thoſe ſhauelings, thoſe monks & friers, who murther the innocēts: there was neuer bitternes nor gal of heart like their bitternes, who wil cal thēſelues the kirke (they are a falſe & a deceiuing kirke) they hauehave not bene content to martyre the deare Saincts of God, (that bloody maſſacre ſhall neuer goe out of memory, it ſhalbe recent to their perpetual ſhame, & they ſhal pay for it one day) but they hauehave raiſed vp ye bones of the dead to burne thē: The veſſels of diſhonour ſeeke the diſhonour of the veſſels of honour: but ſhame and confuſion ſhall light vponupon them, whē the Saints of God ſhall get honour. The Lord ſaue vsus from them, and that judgement which they ſhall receiue. We goe now to the māner of the Buriall. Looke the louing affection of this holy man Ioſeph, would to God we could learne at him (who loued the dead Ieſus ſo well) to louelove Him now liuing and glorified in the Heauēs. When he hath gottē the body of the Lord, he takes it, & puts it, not in a foule cloth; he takes not an old ſheet, but he buyes the cleaneſt linnē, & fineſt that culd be gottē: & the Spirit of God notes, that it was a fine linnen cloth, which had neuer touched any mans body before: then he wraps the body of Ieſus in that winding ſheet. I ſuppone it was with his owne hands (for wee reade of none other that touched Him) for hee thought his owne hands ouer vnworthie to winde ſuch a precious and glorious bodie.
Nowe Brethren, as the Buriall of the Lord was honoured by an honourable man, who was the Burier of Him: ſo it was honoured with a cleane winding-ſheet, which is a piece of the honour of the Buriall. But looke to this mans doinges better: When hee procures leaue to bury Him, he departs not, & leaues another to bury Him: he ſais not, I hauehave done enough. I hauehave gottē his body, he has other friēds thā I, here he has his mother, & his diſciples, & other womē, who came with him out of Galile, and others, let them bury him, & doe ye reſt to him: No, he ſaies not ſo: So this is a cōmendable thing in him, who hauing gottē leaue to bury him, he perfects the worke, he will bury him, himſelfe with his owne hands. Let vsus learne at Ioſeph: If we put to our hāds to the work of Ieſus to honour him, (wo to him that honours him not) if thou begin to do him any ſeruice, leaue not off, whilſt thou hauehave ended it: Count not that which thou haſt done, as men doe, who will ſay, I hauehave profeſſed, I hauehave ſuffered for religion, more than the beſt of them. But when thou art running that race: neuer looke ouer thy ſhoulder vntill thou commeſt to thy races ende: and ſay, thou art an vnprofitable ſeruant, ſuppoſe thou hadſt done neuer ſo much: goe forward, the crowne is not in the middeſt of the race, but at the end: and hee who perſiſtes to the end of the race, he ſhall get the crowne, & not he who goes backe againe. Yet the affection of the man would bee conſidered and weighed, after that once that ſweete ſmell (the ſweeteſt ſmell that euer was felt) comes from the body of Ieſus, that ſweet ſmell of louelove (for the ſauour of that body is the ſauour of louelove, ſuch louelove as man neuer bare to man, ſuch louelove as made the Lord to die for ſinners) after that the ſmell comes to Ioſephs ſoule, it wakened vp in his heart louelove towards the Lord: for Hee muſt louelove vsus, before wee louelove Him: and whilſt Hee begins to louelove Him, he makes requeſt for Him, & euer the nearer that he drawes to that precious body: the ſweete ſmell that came from that precious body was alwayes the greater, and the heart of Ioſeph warmed ay the more with Him: ſo that he could neuer get reſt vntill he got that body in his armes, and wrapped it in linnen clothes. So when we begin to taſte that fragrant odour, that ſweet ſmell, our hearts will be allured to draw neare to Him, and as we draw the nearer to Him, wee will ay finde the ſweeter ſauour proceeding from Him: Thou ſhalt feele alwaies the more that ſweet odour, the more neare thou meete with Him: and who euer thou bee that ſeekeſt Him once, thou vvilt neuer reſt vvhilſt thou ſee Him, and be vvith Him. Paul ſpeakes this of himſelfe, 2. Cor. 4.8. I approoue rather to be with the Lord, than to dwell in this bodie. And to the Phillipians, 1.23. I deſire to be looſed, and to be with Chriſt: For as vvell as vve louelove this body, vve vvill be content to ſlit out of it, to let the body fall dovvne, like a broken pitcher, that vve may be conjoyned vvith Chriſt: vve vvill be content to ſlit, and to obtaine Ieſus Chriſt, euen vvith the diſſolution of the body.
This for the part of Ioſeph, in the burying of Chriſt, novve follovves the part of one Nicodemus: Whilſt as Ioſeph is vvrapping the body of Ieſus in the vvinding-ſheete, one Nicodemus vvho had come to Ieſus by night to be inſtructed ſecretly by Him, he comes to Him, and hee comes not emptie handed (come not emptie handed to Chriſt, bring wt thee ſome gift) he comes with a mixture of Myrrhe, and aloes, a precious odour, and with a great weight, an hundreth pound weight, a great weight, and a great price, for this gift hath bene a coſtly gift. But to ſpeake of this Nicodemus, to compare him with Joſeph, as Ioſeph was an honourable man, & a Prince amongſt the people, ſo was Nicodemus an honourable man, & a Prince amongſt the people, read the 3. of Iohn. As Joſeph was a rich man, ſo Nicodemus was a rich and mightie man, as Ioſeph was a ſecret diſciple of Chriſt, ſo Nicodemus was a quiet diſciple of Chriſt, who lurked before, and now comes to light. I read of one propertie in Nicodemus, which was not in Ioſeph. This Nicodemus is called by Chriſt, a Doctour, and Maſter in Iſrael: He was a Phariſe, learned in the law of the Iewes, we read not this of Ioſeph. Yet to goe forward in the compariſon, As Ioſeph brought his honour and riches, and laid them downe at the feete of Ieſus Chriſt, who lay dead in ignominie in the ſight of the worlde, ſo this Nicodemus brings his honour and his riches, his learning, and his wiſedome, and layes them downe at the feete of Ieſus lying dead: there he humbles his head, as it were at the feete of Ieſus: So that this was the greateſt honour that Ieſus got in His death and buriall: the wiſdome, the honour, and the learning of the world, and the riches in the perſons of theſe men was all caſt vnderunder His feete, and no doubt, theſe two men, before they met with Ieſus, and knew Him, they ſtood much on their reputation, they thought their riches, and their honour was ſomething, and they counted much of their prerogatiues in the worlde, but after they got a ſight of Ieſus, all theſe, as Paul ſpeakes of himſelfe, ſeemed but loſſe vntounto them: they ſeemed but dung and dirt, in respect of Ieſus Chriſt, whome they counted to be their only vantage. If thou hadſt wiſdome to compaſſe the world, it is nothing but folly, in reſpect of that eminencie of the wiſdome of Ieſus Chriſt, all would ſtincke, and be dung to thee, thou wouldeſt not endure to looke vponupon them, if thou hadſt a ſight of that eminencie of the wiſdome of Ieſus Chriſt. Wiſe men will ſpitte at the Croſſe of Chriſt: theſe wiſe men, if ye ſpeake to them of the Croſſe of Chriſt, they will ſpit at it: yet albeit they bee wiſe, the fooliſhneſſe of the Croſſe of Chriſt will ſhame them all, the fooliſhneſſe of it ſhames all the wiſe in the world, the pouertie ſhames all the riches of the world, the ignominie of it ſhames all the honour, all the crownes and ſcepters in the worlde: and therefore PAVL 1. Cor. in Eſayes vvordes, he glories, Where is the wiſemen now? where are the Scribes? where is the diſputer of the world? Hath not this fooliſh Croſſe of Chriſt made all but follie: the very fooliſhnes of ye Croſſe of Chriſt hath made all ye prerogatiues of ye world but fooliſhnes: the world would not know God in His wiſdome, when He had ſet out ſuch a faire Fabricke of ye world, He determined to ſaue ſo many as ſhould beleeue. But how? by Philoſophie? No, by wiſdom? No, but by the fooliſhneſſe of preaching: thou ſhalt neuer ſee Heauen, I giuegive thee this doome, if thou be not ſaued by this fooliſh preaching. This for the perſō of Nicodemus, now let vsus ſee his gift, it is a rich gift, a mixture of Myrrhe & Aloes of an hundreth pound weight what mooued ye man to doe this? now certainly there are few folks yt will caſt away their goods, & giuegive them for nothing: it behooued yt ſome great mater ſhould hauehave moued this man: if he had not ſeene ſome thing in yt body, to hauehave moued him to hauehave brought this gift, he had neuer brought ſuch a precious gift: if he had not ſeene a wonderfull preciouſnes in ye body (euen that dead body was ye moſt precious thing in ye world) he had neuer bin ſo liberal, as to hauehave bought ſo much precious oyntment what cauſes men be ſo loth to beſtow any thing on Chriſt, & His Goſpel: ye world ſees not how precious He is in His Goſpel, when thou ſeeſt not ye preciouſnes of ye Goſpel & of Chriſt: O! what maruell is this? yt thou beſtoweſt nothing on Ieſus & His Goſpell: I doubt not, if thou couldeſt ſee ye power of ye light, & ye preciouſnes of that Goſpel, thou wouldeſt beſtow gifts & preſents, yea, all yt thou haſt to ye glory of Ieſus, & and to ye maintenance of it: ye had need to look on this mater at this time. The Lord open the eyes of men to ſee ye price of this glorious Goſpel. But to ſpeak of Nicodemus gift: yt gift is honourable, a gift of odours: what ſhould hauehave moued this man to hauehave both ſuch a gift of odours more thā any other: if Nicodemus had not felt ye ſweeteſt ſauour & odour, that euer was, cōming frō the body of Ieſus, he had neuer brought ſuch a gift, hee meetes a ſweete ſauour with a ſweet ſauour: that body needed no odours of Nicodemus, becauſe that bodie was filled with the preſence of God, and therefore needed none odours, to preſerue it from corruption. The naturall body of a man, beeing dead, will ſtincke, but the body of the Lord Ieſus was not ſubject to corruption: ſo ye ſee, Brethren, all things honour the buriall, ye honorable mā Ioſeph honoures ye burial, the winding ſheet honoures ye buriall, yt man Nicodemus honours ye buriall yt rich gift honoures ye buriall of ye Lord, ſo His buriall was on all wayes honorable: So ye glorie of Ieſus beganne in His buriall. When Nicodemus is come with his gift, Joſeph & Nicodemus joyne hands in hands together, & They tooke towells, and buries the body of Ieſus, after the manner of the buriall of the Iewes: Yet I ſee in this Ioſeph a thing commendable: When Nicodemus comes with a rich gift, and a richer gift than hee gaue, he enuies him not, hee enuies neither the man, nor his gift, but hartily they take the body together, and annoynt it. Let no man enuie another, who comes with a gift to Ieſus, but let mee with my ſmall gift, and thee with thy great gift, hartily joyne hande in hande together, and glorifie Ieſus Chriſt: put away enuie and emulation, and hartily honour IESVS CHRIST, for if we ſawe that all our honour ſtandes in the honour of Ieſus Chriſt, wee would bee content, that eueryevery man ſhould come with greater gifts to honour Ieſus Chriſt: and ſo emulation would bee put away. Now the Lord giuegive vsus grace to ſee, that all our honour ſtands in that, that Ieſus Chriſt may be honoured, that we may be content with all men to glorifie Him: he ſayes not, Nicodemus doe thou the reſt of it, I hauehave done my part, I hauehave bought ye winding-ſheete, & now I will goe my way, doe thou the reſt, annoynt thou Him, & burie thou Him. No, he leaues Him not, but when once he put his hand to Him he wil not leaue Him: haſt thou begun to ſerue Chriſt, leaue Him not, albeit a King ſhould command thee, leaue Him not: if thou come not wt odours come with a windingſheet, if not with ye windingſheet, come, put the towell about Him, & bind Him, & if thou doeſt no more, ſtand by, & ſpeake to His honur, & glorifie Him, and if thou haſt not a tongue to ſpeake reuerently of Him, think of Him reuerently, & honour Him in thy heart If thou honour Him not, woe to thee if thou were a King: wo to thee, if yu glorify not ye God of glory, & this may let vsus ſee by experience, yt ye ſoule yt hath any will to glorify Ieſus, can neuer be at reſt, but whē it is occupied in glorifying Him, he ſaies, this was done after ye cuſtome of ye Jewes: as they buried honorable men, ſo they buried Ieſus, good reaſō was it yt ſo it ſhould be, there came neuer ſuch an honorable man amōg them as Chriſt: no, not their kings, Dauid, Salomon. &c. were nothing to Him. So it appeares yt this cuſtome in ye buriall was according to their ceremonial law, & therefore theſe ceremonies yt ye Iewes vſed in theſe burialls, their waſhing, their odours & the reſt were all figures of Ieſus to come, & of yt glorious reſurrectiō of His, which is ye erneſt pēny of our reſurrectiō, for our reſurrectiō depēds on His glorious reſurrection, and if Hee had not riſen, we ſhould neuer hauehave riſen in glorie. Seeing therefore they were ſhadowes after His death and reſurrection, all theſe ceremonies, all this balming, waſhing, &c. take an end: and except thou wouldeſt ſay, that Ieſus is not riſen and extinguiſh the ſweet ſmel of His reſurrection, thou muſt leaue off all the ceremonies. It is true, buriall ſhould be honoured, and certainely in the buriall of men and women, a great reſpect ſhould bee had: Why ſhould the body of a man bee caſt away: the very light of Nature imprinted in the heart by the creation dites, that the dead body of a man or a woman ſhould be buried honourablie, and that in hope of immortalitie: Nature hath a ſmell of immortalitie, and it cauſes the body be had in due regarde: the beaſts bodies ye ſee, when they are dead, they are caſt avvay and no more is made of them. Come to cuſtome, the cuſtome of buriall that the Fathers vſed from the beginning, teaches vsus, that the buriall of man and woman ſhould be reſpected, and that vponupon the hope of reſurrection: Beginne at Adam, goe to Abraham, Iſaac, Iacob, Joſeph, and all the reſt of the holy Patriarkes, they had a regarde of their burialls, vponupon hope of their reſurrection: for the bodies of the Sainctes vvho are buried, ſhall riſe gloriouſly in that great day: and this they did not ſo much by Nature, as by a reuelation of God, and on this hope follovved theſe ceremonies: the vvaſhing and balming of the bodies, Acts 9.37 The very vvord the Scripture vſes, the vvord of ſl…eping, ſhevv the bodie vvould not die for euer: but that they laid downe the body in the graue to ſleepe, as if it vvere laide dovvne in a ſoft bed to ſleepe, not to lye for ay there, but to riſe again… in the morning, vvhen the day ſhall riſe. Ieſus Chriſt is the moſt glorious morning that euer vvas: and the body that ſleepes in Him, ſh…ll riſe againe to glorie, vvhen Hee ſhall come in the cloudes vv…th millions of His Angels. Come to the cuſtome of the nations: their buriall vvas honoured, they did it of imitation follovving the F…thers, like Apes, vvanting the hope of reſurrection. What h…lpeth thee thy buriall, or the honours of it, if thou vvant…ſt that hope of reſurrection: they vvanted the vvord of God the life of all ce…emonies, what good doe all theſe ceremonies vvithout the vvord and promiſes of God, by them only they are quickened, by them only they liue, vvithout them they are dead ſhadovves. The very Ethnikes had a reſpect to buriall: But this vvas in hope of reſurrection, but vponupon a cuſtome for pompe and vaine glorie. As in all things the Lord gaue them vp vntounto a reprobate ſenſe, ſo in buriall Hee gaue them vp to a reprobate ſenſe. They would caſt out ſome dead bodies like dogges, and ſome vſed to burne the deade bodies in the fire, theſe are barbarous and inhumane faſhions. The body ſhould be buried in the earth, thou ſhouldeſt returne to the earth, as thou cameſt of the earth: Againe, ſome amongſt the Gentiles vſed ouer great gorgeouſneſſe, and ſumptuouſneſſe in their burialls, placing the effect of the buriall in gorgeouſneſſe. But to come to vsus, if thou wereſt a King, thou ſhouldeſt not followe the Ethnickes in ſumptuouſneſſe: when the Lord brings a man low, wilt thou exalt his head, and exceede meaſure in gorgeouſneſſe: vvilt thou hold vp his head, when the Lord is caſting downe his head, the Lord will caſt downe thine heade, and his both to the duſt. Eſchew two extremities, Firſt, eſchew contempt, caſt not away the body: and ſecondly, eſchew gorgeouſneſſe and ſuperfluitie, keepe a Chriſtian honour: albeit thou wereſt a King, or an Emperour, thou ſhouldeſt keepe a mediocritie, and Chriſtian honeſtie, and let that ſweete ſmell of the death and reſurrection of IESVS CHRIST ſauour into his buriall.
What ſhall we ſay in burialls then? Shall we make none exception, No, let vsus looke to Circumſtances: Burie not a begger like a King, looke to the place and time, and perſon: yet in all times places and perſons, let the buriall ſmell of that ſweet ſmelling odour of IESVS CHRIST, and let that ſimple Chriſtian honeſtie be ſeene in your burialls.
Now becauſe the time is ſpent, and I will not wearie you: I leaue the reſt till the next daye, and commend you to GOD, beſeeching Him, that yee may bee like to Him, both in life and death, and in His buriall and reſurrection, that wee may dwell with Him for euermore in the Heauens. To whome with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour, praiſe and glorie, world without end.
AMEN.