The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 4
THE FOVRTH LECTVRE, OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
IHON CHAP. XVIII.
verse 19 (The high Priest then asked IESVS of his Diſciples, and of his Doctrine. verse 20 IESVS anſwered him, I ſpake openly to the worlde, I euer taught in the Synagogue, and in the Temple, whither the Iewes reſort continually, and in ſecret hauehave I ſaid nothing. verse 21 Why askeſt thou mee? aske them that heard me what I ſaid vntounto them: beholde, they know what I ſaid. verse 22 When he had ſpoken theſe things, one of the officers which ſtood by, ſmote IESVS with his rodde, ſaying, Anſwerest thou the high Priest ſo? verse 23 IESVS anſwered him, if I hauehave euill ſpoken, beare witneſſe of the euill: but if I hauehave well ſpoken, why ſmiteſt thou me? verse 24 Now Annas had ſent him bound vntounto Caiaphas the high Prieſt.) verse 25 And Simon Peter ſtood and warmed himſelfe, and they ſaide vntounto him, Art not thou alſo one of his Diſciples? He denied it, and ſaid, I am not. verse 26 One of the ſeruants of the high Prieſt, his couſin whoſe eare Peter ſmote off, ſaide, Did not I ſee thee in the Garden with him? verse 27 Peter then denied againe, and immediatly the Cocke crew.
BELOVED in the LORD IESVS, we hauehave heard the firſt part of the Paſſion of the LORD, which was in the Garden; beſide that inward agonie with the wrath of His Father, that Hee felt in His ſoule, outwardly in the Garden, where Hee was taken like a thiefe & bound: Hee was taken to deliuer vsus from that captiuitie and bondage of ſinne and death. And then after we entered into the ſeconde part of His ſuffering which was in the Hall of Caiaphas: being taken and bound, He is led away to Hieruſalem. The firſt houſe that He is brought vntounto, is the houſe of Anna…, the father-in-lawe to Caiaphas: and there Hee tarrieth a certaine time, till the Prieſtes, the Elders, and Scribes were aſſembled in the houſe of Caiaphas: and then Annas ſendes Him bound to Caiaphas the High Prieſt.
Now we heard the laſt day the Hiſtorie of Peter, how hee denied his Lord and Maſter: Peter, vponupon a vaine confidence, notwithſtanding of an admonition of the Lord, hee will followe Him to the houſe of the High Prieſt. Now the Lord entereth in, and the other diſciple vvho knewe the High Prieſt, and Peter vvas ſtopped at the doore: this might hauehave beene an aduertiſement for him to hauehave left off, but yet hee would not: and the other diſciple, thinking to gratifie him, he deſireth the maiden that kept the doore, to let him in: and beeing no ſooner entered in, but that ſame ſeruant vvoman tempteth him. This temptation is by a ſober inſtrument, neither vttered ſhe any reuiling vvordes vntounto him: yet neuertheleſſe Peter falleth: vvhereby yee maye ſee vvhereunto the confidence of fleſhe and blood turneth, for the lighteſt aſſault vvill throwe him downe vvho truſteth in it. Hee is ſtanding vvarming himſelfe vvith euill companie: and being ſtanding ſecurely, he getteth his reward: hee deare bought his vvarming there: for hee is tempted, and denieth his Lord and Maſter.
Now to come to this Text: There are two parts of it ſhortly: the firſt containes the ſuffering of the Lord Ieſus in the Hall of the high Prieſt: the ſecond containes the ſecond and third deniall of Peter. As for the firſt, it is ſaide, that Caiaphas the high Prieſt begineth to aske of Ieſus concerning his doctrine and his diſciples: he layeth not downe firſt ſuch and ſuch particular pointes of falſe doctrine, becauſe he had none to lay to the charge of the Lord, and therefore this was no formall proceeding and dealing, to draw a man before a judge, and then not to hauehave one word to lay to his charge. Should not the dittay be made before the man was taken: ye may ſee the malice of this perſecution. Well then, to examine his words, he enquireth about his doctrine, and then for his diſciples, whilſt he asked him of his doctrine, he would meane, that his doctrine was not allowable, and that it might not abide the light, and that Hee teached lies, and whilſt as hee ſpeaketh of His diſciples, hee would meane, that the Lord was a ſeducer, and had ſeduced ſo many among the people: the Lord anſweres, The thing that I hauehave teached, I hauehave teached openly before the world: and therefore, why askeſt thou me of my doctrine, as though it were not allowable, and as if I had teached in ſecret holes and caues: then he appealeth to the witnesſing of his enemies, aske of theſe men, who hauehave heard me, I will bee judged by them. This is the effect firſt, of the queſtion of the high Prieſt, and next of the anſwere of the Lord. The firſt thing that wee marke here, is ſhortly this, Beholde in the perſon of Caiaphas, the malice of the enemies of the trueth in their heartes, they know the trueth, and yet they will ſeeme that they knowe it not: CAAIPHAS knewe the trueth, but hee ſeemeth not to knowe it, the enemies will count light darkneſſe, albeit the truth ſhould ſhine in their faces more bright than the Sunne in the noone-tide of the day, yet they will ſay, Light is darkneſſe: But to come to Chriſts part, as the trueth loues the light, and deſires not to be hid, neither to bee teached in ſecret holes and caues: ſo the trueth (ſo farre as is posſible) is publikely to bee teached, in the preſence of the worlde, it would hauehave all men to know it, it would euer bee heard, and the light would euer ſhine through the world. The Miniſters of the trueth ſhould euer ſtriue to preach in publike, that all the men and women of the worlde may heare, euen to preach in the moſt publike places of the world, and if it were for no other thing than this: that thou mayeſt anſwere to the Lord, if it fall out that the light come to bee challenged for darkneſſe, thē thou maieſt appeale & ſay, We hauehave teached nothing in holes, and that the enemies of the trueth may be conuicted in their conſcience, and compelled to beare witneſſe of the trueth: I meane not, that at no time it is lawfull to preach in ſecret places, and as though the trueth of God had euer a free courſe, and were publikly preached: for experience hath teached, that the trueth of God hath fled to the wilderneſſe in time of perſecution, and the Saints of God hauehave bene glad to goe to holes, to get the comfort of the worde: but I meane this, that ſo farre as posſibly can be, is to bee preached openly, and if that libertie of the trueth be reſtrained, let vsus bee content to ſuffer, and deliuer in ſecret conſolation by the word. Then marke againe in Chriſtes anſwere: albeit the Lord ſuffereth willingly, offereth Himſelfe to be taken, & giueth his hands to bee bound, yet yee may ſee, that the Lord will not yeeld to the enemies, that He is a falſe teacher, or that He is a ſeducer, or that that light is darknes, or that the trueth is a lie. It is true, that if it pleaſe the Lord, that we ſuffer for the trueths ſake, wee are bound to ſuffer patiently and willingly: but looke to this againe, let neuer the trueth of God be ſaide to be a lie, neuer yeeld to the enemies that the trueth of God is falſe, for all the torments of the world: Peter ſayeth, Let vsus ſuffer for a good cauſe, and not as theeues and murtherers, 1. Pet. 4.15, 16. It is a paine to ſuffer for an euill cauſe, ſo long as the Lord giueth vsus a mouth, let vsus proteſt that the trueth is trueth. Paul ſayes, 2. Tim. 2.9. I am in bands, and I am afflicted in bands as though I were an euill doer: yet the word of God that He hath put in my mouth is not bound, & all the enemies in the world, ſo long as I hauehave a mouth, ſhall not reſtraine it. The Martyres were neuer brought to this, to cōfeſſe that they ſuffered for an euill cauſe: albeit thou yeeld hands and foot to any torture, beware of this, that thou neuer confeſſe that it is an euill cauſe, wherefore thou dieſt; let euer the veritie be free in all our ſuffering. When the Lord makes this anſwere, One of the officers which ſtood by, ſmote Ieſus with his rod, and ſaide, Anſwereſt thou the high Prieſt ſo? Meaning▪ that the Lord had not anſwered him ſo reuerently as Hee ſhould hauehave done. The Lord anſwereth, If I hauehave euil ſpoken, beare witnes of the euil, but if I hauehave well ſpoken, why ſmiteſt thou me. Alwayes, whether He had well or euill ſpoken, He findeth fault with him, that he ſhould hauehave ſmitten Him ſo raſh…y: ſo, brethren, this is another part of the ſuffering of Ieſus Chriſt: He ſuffers not onelyonly of the high Prieſt, but of his ſeruants alſo: Hee ſuffers of all men, all this was done without any order of law. The high Prieſt ſpeakes to Him againſt order of Law, and the officer ſtrikes Him againſt order of Law: he failes in this, becauſe he ſtrikes Him for well doing, for He maintained the trueth of His father. Thē againe, why ſhould he hauehave ſtrucken Him, till He had bene judged? and then, if He were judged, yet it was no place to puniſh a man in judgement, though he were neuer ſo euill. So yee ſee in how many things theſe men faile. What ſhall I ſay? Ye ſhall commonly find the moſt innocent man, who hath bene brought before euill men, and corrupted judges of the worlde, of all ſort of men hauehave beene handeled moſt vnformally, & vnreaſonably. A thiefe, or a murtherer hath not bene ſo euill handeled, as the moſte innocent: for they will let a murtherer, or the wickedeſt man in the world, tell his tale in patience: and they will delay ſtriking of him till the place of execution: but experience hath taught this, that whē an innocent man is judged, all the proceeding is without order: as we ſee in this example of Chriſt, the moſt innocent man that euer was. And ſuch like in the Martyrs of God; neuer thiefe nor robber was ſo vnreaſonably handled as they. What is the cauſe of this? Euen this, the malice of the heart of man was neuer ſo bent againſt an euill man, as the wicked man is againſt the innocēt: yea, a juſt judge hates not ſo much vnrighteouſnes, as a wicked judge hates innocēcie. And therfore, it is a wonder that the judgemēt of the wicked proceedes vnorderly againſt the godly: the Lord anſweres, If I hauehave ſpoken euill, thou ſhouldſt not ſtrike mee without order, & if well, why ſmiteſt thou me. The Lord binds him that he hath done wrong, howbeit Hee ſuffered moſt willingly & patiently: but Hee ſtrikes not againe. Yet marke, in this patient ſuffering Hee will hauehave wrong appeare to be wrong, & that which is vnjuſt to be vnjuſt. In all our patient ſuffering let ay right appeare to be right, and wrong to be wrong. Let not a man yt ſuffers be ſo dumbe that he ſay not that wrong is wrong. No, let them ſpeake, that the cōſcience of the wicked man may be conuict, and brought to ſome remorſe. The Lord no doubt pities this man that ſtrook Him, & would hauehave had his conſcience cōuict, yt he might repent. So let the wicked ſee, that wrong is wrong in the moſt patient ſuffering, that the wicked may bee conuict, and God glorified. Nowe is ſubjoyned, that Annas had ſent Him bounde to Caiaphas. Hee returnes to the grounde of His accuſation: and the grounde is this, Annas ſent Him bounde vntounto Caiaphas: howbeit in the houſe of Annas the Lord was not ſtruckē, yet Annas was not blameleſſe: for theſe words are regiſtrated to his euerlaſting ſhame, that he ſent ſuch an innocent man to ſuch a burrio, & this makes him guiltie of the blood of the Lord Ieſus. Meddle nothing with the ſuffering of an innocent man, for if once thou ſeemeſt to conſent to his death, thou art guiltie, and if thou rejoyceſt in the wracke of the innocent, for if thou ſhalt once conſent vntounto it, thou art guiltie of all the innocent blood, frō the blood of Abel that was ſhed, vntounto the end of the world: for whoſoeuer will conſent to the blood of an innocēt man, he may eaſily be brought on to conſent to the ſhedding of the blood of all innocents yt euer was: keepe therefore thine hands, thine eyes, & thine heart cleane from any aſſent to the wracke of the innocent. Now to come to the ſecond part of our text, which containes the two denialls of Peter. All this time, Peter is ſtanding warming him with the officers of the High Prieſt: on this riſes another temptation, Some ſay, Art thou not one of his diſciples, there he denies, ſaying, I am not. Firſt, ye hauehave the occaſion of the temptation, Secondly, the temptation it ſelfe, Thirdly, the ſecond fall, and deniall. The occaſion is, he is ſtanding warming him in ſuch a companie, the words import a great ſecuritie in Peter, he is ſo farre from a remorſe, that is, careleſſe: thinke yee not, that hauing denied his Maſter once, that hee ſhould hauehave gone aſide & mourned & wept bitterly, but ye ſee he did not ſo. Sin when it is committed, bringeth on commonly a careleſſe ſecurity: when a man hath fallen into a great ſinne, he will commonly ly ſtill in a deadneſſe & ſenſleſneſſe, & as a man who falles downe from an high place, for a certaine ſpace lyes without ſenſe, & is dammiſhed with the fall: euen ſo▪ (what is ſinne but a fall from God) after that once we are fallen frō God, we are ſenleſſe altogether, we ly without ſenſe or motion, & the greater alwayes that the ſinne be whereinto we fall, the greater is the ſenſleſneſſe: but aboue all ſinnes, the deniall of the Lord Ieſus, & of His trueth, bringes on moſt fearfull & deadly ſenſleſneſſe, eſpecially if that ſinne proceede of a malitiouſneſſe of the heart, as that ſinne of Iuda… did: he was ſenſleſſe, he was ſo impudent in ſinning, that he kiſſed His Maſter, to ſhew Him to his takers. It is true, the ſin of Iudas, was of the hatred of the heart, but the ſinne of Peter was not of malice, but of infirmitie, yet hee falles into a deadneſſe and ſleepe: So, Brethren, euer beware to fall, for after a fall comes a ſecuritie. The eſtate of ſecuritie is the moſt dangerous eſtate that euer was, better to be mourning day & night, than to be in this ſecuritie: ſo then falling, he lyes ſtill ſenſleſſe But looke what followes, lying ſtill in ſecurity, another tempter cōmeth againe, to wit, One of the ſeruants of the high Prieſt, his couſin, whoſe ca…e Peter ſmote off, ſayd, Did not I ſee thee in the garden with him? looke what the eſtate of ſecuritie bringes on it, neuer wantes temptation, & if thou ſhalt be put to that pinch, that thou ſhould denie thy Lord, let a man ly ſtill in ſecuritie frō houre to houre, he ſhall neuer want temptation: when the deuill lulles thee aſleepe in ſecuritie, then he thinkes that he gets his will. Peter ſayes, I am not his diſciple: the temptatiō is but light, yet for all the lightnes of it he denies his Lord: for denying Him to be his diſciple (albeit he ſpake ſlenderly) he denies Chriſt to be his Maſter: & in effect he denies the Meſſias: then, Brethren, a man or a woman lying in ſecuritie, the leaſt thing in the world, will draw him away, as a ſleeping man with a ſmall motion will fall: ſo when thou art ſleeping, if the deuill commeth, the leaſt finger of the tempter will put thee ouer: aboue all things in the world, keepe thee from ſecuritie: for the ſmalleſt temptation will put thee away frō thy God: ſo men in this life ſhould euer be groaning vnderunder the burthen of ſinne: had Peter bene groaning after his firſt deniall, hee had not beene ſo eaſily ouercome. Now to take it vp in one worde, ſinne bringes on ſecuritie, & when one lyes in ſecuritie, the deuill is buſie to tempt him, & that perſon is eaſily put ouer: ſo beware of ſinne, and ſtriue to get a waking conſcience, that thou ſleep not in ſecuritie: for the end of ſecuritie is death euerlaſting▪ when hee is crying peace, peace, then commeth a ſudden judgement, like the paines of a woman in trauel. Now come to the laſt deniall of Peter: he hath denied the Lord twiſe: after his ſecond deniall, he is no more touched, than he was of before: & the ſecond fall bringes on a greater ſenſleſneſſe, than the firſt fall: the oftener that a man or woman falles, they are the more ſenſleſſe, & once falling, & falling againe, thou contracteſt the greater ſecuritie. There is not a man or a woman that continues in ſinne: but after the ſecond fall, that perſon ſhall be more ſenſleſſe, than after the firſt: ſo growing in ſinne, bringes on a growing in deadly ſecuritie, & continuance in a dead ſleepe, thou ſhalt finde thy ſelfe after the ſecond ſinne more ſenſleſſe than after the firſt: Well then, Peter conti…ues in a ſecuritie, & as Luke noteth, there interu…enes one houre betweene the ſecond & third deniall: yet he is without remorſe, & he is not moued▪ ſo continuing in this dead ſleepe of ſecuritie, commeth on the third temptation, by a couſin of Malchus, whoſe eare hee ſmote off: if thou ſleepeſt in ſecuritie, thou ſhalt not want new temptation: when thou ſleepeſt, thy tempter is buſily waking about thee: the more thou ſleepeſt, and lyeſt in ſecuritie, the more buſie is the deuil to tempt thee: albeit thou feeleſt it not. Now when Peter hath denied Him once and twiſe, & as the other Euangeliſts doe note, hee putteth to a curſe: Marke, as continuance in ſecuritie bringeth on continuance in temptation: ſo continuance in temptation bringeth on continuance in ſinne. Now, I thinke, if the Lord had not ſtayed him in the ende, hee had denied Him a thouſand times: euen ſo oft as they had asked of him. So there is neuer an ende of tumbling ouer and ouer, till the creature tumble in hell, where there ſhall be a blacke wakening: for if thou denieſt the Lord once, thou ſhalt denie Him againe and againe: it is noted when he denied the third time, Then the cocke crew, and Luke noteth, euen as the cocke crew, the Lord looked ouer his ſhoulder: there goes two things together, the crowing of the cocke, & the looking of the Lord. S. Marke notes, the cocke crew the ſecond time: well then, doth Peter waken at the crowing of the cocke? beganne hee to get a remorſe by it? No, all the crying & crowing of the world, wil not waken the ſoule out of ſinne, except the Lord looke in, by the beames of his countenance, and ſtrike in to the heart, if the gratious beames of the Lords face had not ſtrucken on Peters heart, he had neuer wakened. This is to let you ſee, how hard a thing it is to raiſe a dead body that lyes in ſinne: what crying in the world wil raiſe a dead body: & ſo there is no crying, or remedie in heauen or in earth, to thy dead ſoule, except Ieſus Chriſt looke fauorably vntounto thee, & make his gratious countenance to ſhine in thy ſoule: who would hauehave that remorſe of ſinne that Peter got, and that waking conſcience, let that perſon ſtriue to turne the heart to Ieſus Chriſt: whē the heart is turned to the Lord, thē the vaile ſhalbe taken away: all the light of knowledge is in the face of Ieſus Chriſt: no heat in the worlde is able to mollifie thine heart, except that heat that commeth from the face of Ieſus Chriſt: ſo, hold euer thine heart vp to the face of Ieſus Chriſt, that thou mayeſt hauehave a continuall remorſe: for in the bitterneſſe of ſinne, is the ſweetneſſe of joy: Nowe to make an ende, and ſhortly to examine this fall of Peters. Certainely, there are many faults in this fall: Firſt, he is caried away with a vaine confidence of fleſh and blood: he will take vp his croſſe and follow the Lord, albeit that the Lord aduertiſed him that hee was not able: and then the doore was ſhut vponupon him, to aduertiſe him, and put him in minde, yet he would not ſtay: then when he is let in, alas, he denies his Lord once, he denies Him twiſe & thriſe, till the LORD did ſtaye him: I dare not ſay, but all this time Peter caried a good heart towards his Lord, & a ſpunke of faith, & a ſpunke of louelove in the heart, albeit his faith & louelove were choked: it was ſuppreſſed with infirmities of the fleſh, & namely with feare: then when he is entered in and come vntounto the fire ſide, if that faith and louelove was ſuppreſſed before with his nature, then it was farre more ſuppreſſed, & this litle ſpunke of louelove in the man, was ſmoothered, & there falles ſuch a weight of infirmitie on it, that it was preſſed downe vnderunder the burthen of corruption, and vnderunder ſecuritie: if thou be ſleeping in ſecuritie, albeit thou hauehave a ſpunke of louelove, it will be ſmoothered, and this is moſt true, that this ſpunke of louelove was ſo ſmoothered, yea, I ſay more, it was preſſed, that except the Lord had looked ouer his ſhoulder, with the eye of his merciemercy, and wakened that ſpunke of louelove, it had died out. In Peter we hauehave a cleare example of the weakneſſe of the godly men, into this life: albeit we hauehave faith, and louelove, yet in the example of Peter we ſee, that the ſpunke of grace will be choaked with corruption & infirmitie: and then will ye come to God: Peter is one of the chiefe examples of the merciemercy of God in Ieſus Chriſt: Paul to Timothie countes, that he was one of the greateſt examples of merciemercy in the world: but if yee looke to the ſinne of Peter, ye will finde that it was greater than the ſinne of Paul: for Paul did all of ignorance, and ſo if Paul, as hee ſayes, was made an example of the merciemercy of God to ſinners: ſurely this example of Peter, ought much more to bee an example to all ſinners: let no ſinner that lookes to him, deſpaire of merciemercy, how burthened ſo euer hee be with ſinne: for that ſame Ieſus Chriſt, who was mercifull to Peter, hath ſtore of merciemercy for all them, that it pleaſeth him mercifully to looke vponupon: To Him therefore, with the Father, and holy Spirit, be all honour and glorie, AMEN.