The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 8
THE EIGHT LECTVRE, OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
IHON, CHAP. XIX.
verse 1 THEN Pilate tooke IESVS, and ſcourged him. verse 2 And the Souldiers platted a Crowne of Thornes, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple garment, verse 3 And ſaid, Haile King of the Iewes. And they ſmote him with their roddes. verse 4 Then Pilate went foorth againe, and ſaid vntounto them, Beholde, I bring him foorth to you, that yee may know, that I find no fault in him at all. verse 5 Then came IESVS foorth, wearing a Crowne of Thornes, and a purple garment. And Pilate ſaid vntounto them, Beholde the man. verse 6 Then when the high Prieſtes and officers ſawe him, they cryed, ſaying, Crucifie him, crucifie him. Pilate ſaide vntounto them, Take yee him, and crucifie him: for I finde no fault in him.
NOwe Brethren, wee inſiſt further in the ſuffering of CHRIST, vnderunder Pontius Pilate, the Romane Gouernour, who abode in Hieruſalem. Wee hauehave hearde of two accuſations that were laid againſt the innocent Ieſus Chriſt: The firſt was, that Hee called Himſelfe The king of the Iewes, & ſo was guilty of treaſon againſt Caeſar. Yee hearde the effect of this accuſation to bee nothing: and therefore hee goes foorth, and with his voyce before them all, purgeth the innocent. In the next accuſation, there were many things laide to His charge: and this chiefely, that He had corrupted the whole Countrey, from Galilee to Hieruſalem with falſe doctrine. Nowe when this was tryed, Pilate yet holdes Him innocent, in teſtifying His innocencie: and therefore, hee ſeekes yet to gette Him ſet at libertie out of the handes of the Iewes: and conſidering that the Iewes at the Paſſeouer were accuſtomed to ſeeke the liberty of a priſoner, who was guiltie of a capitall crime, hee vſes this oportunitie, and askes of them vvhether they vvould hauehave IESVS or Barabbas ſet at libertie? Wee hearde the anſwere to this propoſition, to vvit, they crie, they vvill not hauehave Him deliuered, but Barabbas. Nowe the other Euangeliſtes doe inſiſt more largelie in this purpoſe, and vvrite more of it: and they report, that Pilate, when hee hearde this worde, hee asketh, What ſhall I doe with Ieſus? They crie all with one voyce, Crucifie him. Pilate the third time hearing this, hee cleanſes the innocent. Yet they report more, that whileſt Pilate vvas ſitting in judgement, there commeth a meſſenger from his vvife, and ſaies, HaueHave nothing adoe with this innocent man: Why? for I hauehave beene troubled for Him in my ſleepe. This is an aduertiſement ſharpe enough vntounto him, and the LORD vvanted not His owne vvorke therein: for the LORD brought this to paſſe, partlie in reſpect of IESVS CHRIST, that His innocencie might clearelie appeare before the vvorlde, and that Hee might receaue a teſtimonie of His innocencie from them vvho had little regarde vntounto it: for, had not Ieſus beene innocent, vvee had beene little the better of Him, for Hee coulde not hauehave juſtified vsus: for, ere our faith reſt on Him, vvee muſt hauehave the full aſſurance of His innocencie: partly in reſpect of Pilate, that hee ſhould be conuerted, or made vnexcuſable, if hee would goe forward. The working of the Lord is wonderfull in the reprobate: for ere that decree of their reprobation bee put in execution, the Lord aſſaies to bring them to repentance. Rom. 9.22. He ſuffers with a long ſuffering the veſſels of wrath. Rom. 2.4. Hee inuites the reprobate to repentance: Yea, ere Hee put them in Hell, Hee will inuite them to Heauen: There is not a reprobate that periſhes in the juſtice of God, but ere Hee vtter His juſtice towards them, Hee will vtter His merciemercy in warning them to repent. We come, Brethren, to our Text: He followes out the ſuffering in theſe words which we hauehave read: He telles vsus how earneſtly Pilate ſeekes the libertie of Ieſus: and he lets vsus ſee the meanes that Pilate vſes to ſet Ieſus at libertie: firſt, he takes Him out, and ſcourges Him, & puts Him out to be mocked; thinking that this would ſatisfie the Iewes; and then the fourth time, hee profeſſes His innocencie: Then he bringes Him out to them with a crowne of thornes and a purple garment, thinking that he ſhould hauehave contented and moued the Iewes to pittie, but all was in vaine. It is ſaid, Pilate tooke IESVS, and ſcourged him, and not content with this, commanded His ſouldiers to put a crowne of thornes vponupon His head, and a purple garment on Him, to ſcorne the Kingdome of Ieſus Chriſt: and then ſmiteth Him with roddes. Ye ſee, the Lord ſuffers mocking, & paine in bodie: the Lord of glorie is put to ignominie: conſider well & let it neuer goe out of thy minde, that the Lord of Glorie ſuffered ſuch ſhame for thy cauſe: But to examine this fact of Pilates, this is commendable, that he ſpeakes ſo, to get the innocent Ieſus ſet at libertie, but in the meane that he vſeth, he failes very farre: Yee ſhall marke this, in prophane and vngodly men, that one of theſe two things falles out, if not both: Either they ſhall not take in hand a good and godly purpoſe, or els, if any time it falles out, that they enterpriſe any good deede, that they ſhall chuſe vngodly & vnlawfull meanes to affectuate it, they ſhall doe euill, that good may come of it. Caſt your eyes vponupon this Land, & ye ſhall ſee this to be true: Yet let vsus ſearch vp the ground of this proceeding of Pilate: It cannot bee denied, but that he hath a good purpoſe and deed in hand: but it is as true againe, that as he hath a good deed in hand: hee lookes not vponupon it with an vpright eye, hee hath not God, nor his Glorie before his eyes: for his conſcience rather than any regard to Gods Glorie, or His will mooued him to purpoſe to looſe Him. Thou muſt not propone only to doe good, but alſo thou muſt propone it, for Gods cauſe, and for His glorie, Pilate hauing no reſpect to God, goes aſtray, and out of the way. This is certaine, Brethren, if the purpoſe were neuer ſo good and if thou hauehave not the Glorie of God before thine eyes, thou ſhalt wauer: but by the contrarie, that man that hath reſpect vntounto the Lord, he ſhall not readily wauer, but the Glorie of God ſhall glance before him as a lanterne into his way, vntill hee proſecute that deede. Bleſſed is he that hath the Glorie of God before him: there is no light to bring vsus thorow this thornie way, but only the Glory of our God. Next, I ſee in this fact, in following out the means, that hee would hauehave had the innocent looſed, but ſo, that it were with contentment of the Iewes, hee would pleaſe all parties,, and for their pleaſure, when hee would cleanſe the innocent, hee puniſhes Him as a nocent: ſeeing then that he depended vponupon the appetite of vngodlie men, it could not bee poſſible, that hee could bring a good action to paſſe: yea, whomſoeuer dependes vponupon the luſt of malitious men, can neuer affectuate any good thing: or if they doe any thing, they doe it by euill meanes, and ſo faile greatly: let vsus therefore ay ſtudie to pleaſe God, let vsus, if we ſhould die in the meane time, doe that which is pleaſant vntounto God, ſetting aſide the pleaſure of men. Marke Pilates forme of doing, hee vſeth worſe & worſe meanes: The firſt meane is euill, in comparing Ieſus with Barabbas the wicked man, the murtherer: yet he thought by that meanes to ſet Ieſus at libertie, but now he ſcourges Him: this is a higher degree of euill, and now he failes further: beginne once to doe againſt conſcience, for pleaſuring of wicked men, as Pilate doeth all this againſt conſcience: if thou hadſt neuer ſo good & ſo faire a pretence, thou ſhalt be compelled by proceſſe of time, to doe a greater euill, albeit thou beganneſt with leſſe euill, & thou ſhalt not ſpeed at laſt: It is true, Pilate would doe a leſſe euill to get a greater Good done: but when he hath once or twiſe, againſt his conſcience moſt vnworthely abuſed the Lord Ieſus: thou ſhalt ſee the end of it, he preuailed not. Thus for Pilates part: The men of warre vnderunder him, hauehave their part of this action, they platte a crowne of thornes, and put it on His head to his ſcorne, and to his paine, and they clothe Him with a purple garment, & ſmites Him with their roddes, and then they goe before Him, and ſay, Haile King of the Iewes, and this they did at the commandement of Pilate: Lamentable is the eſtate of the ſubjects, when the Prince is vngodly, and it is a ſore thing for the officers, when the Iudge is vnrighteous, yea, all the inferiours, euen to the Hangman, may curſe the wicked Iudge. This commandement excuſes not the ſouldiers: they lend their hands the members of their bodie, to be weapons of vnrighteouſneſſe: and this ſheweth that there was ſome malice in their heartes: there is none that lendeth the members of their bodie to bee weapons of vnrighteouſneſſe, but they will bee condemned: thou mayeſt not ſay, It was my maſters will & commandement, & therefore I behooued to doe it: the commandement of thy maſter will not excuſe thee for no mans pleaſure doe euill, for his commandement ſhall be none excuſe to thee at that great day: ye ſhal find that theſe ſouldiers were worſe inclined than Pilat was: this falles out, if the maſter command them to doe one euill deed, oftentimes the ſeruants will doe two: they deſire but one word, or one winke to ſet all the countrey in a fire. Looke the Acts of the Apoſtles, Chap. 4. verſ. 27, EueryEvery man in particular who had part in this worke are counted: Herode firſt, and next Pilate: leaueth hee the part of the men of warre: he calleth them the Gentiles, & next the people of Iſrael. This witneſſes that the eye of the Lord was on them that did this fact, and not one of them all ſhall be excuſed: and if it were but a common ſouldier that is in an euill fact, he ſhal die at that day. Vaine therefore is the opinion of ſillie ignorant bodies, who thinke that the commandement and will of their maſter will excuſe them, for they ſhall die for their owne ſinnes, but their blood ſhall be required at the hands of their maſters. Chriſt hath his part, Pilate is a worker of euill, and the men of warre alſo. Now let vsus conſider the part of Ieſus the innocent. He is the ſufferer, He ſuffers dolours and ſhame, and many vnworthie things, & that by the moſt juſt diſpenſatiō of God: & beeing our ſuretie, he bare our ſinnes and iniquities: therefore the wrath of God ceaſed vponupon Him moſt vehemently. There is not a deed done here, or a word ſpoken, but the Lord decreed it from all eternitie, and diſpenſeth it in time, and on his part all was juſt, becauſe Ieſus had taken on Him the ſinnes of the Lord, therefore this paine and ſhame followes that burthen. See the weight of the wrath of God, that lyes on Him who had no ſinne in Himſelfe: and further, the wrath of God, lyeth not on a common man, but on His only begotten Sonne our cautioner. The Apoſtle to the Hebrewes Chap, 5. verſe 9, ſayes, Although Hee was the onelyonly begotten Sonne of God, yet He learned obndience through His ſuffering, that is, He learned, what, and how good a thing obedience was, and what wrath & damnation followes diſobedience: And there is not one of the Sonnes of God, but by afflictions they learne the ſame thing that the firſt begotten learned, how good a thing it is not to ſinne: It is good therefore that God humble vsus, that we may ſay, Nowe I learne what is wrath, and how good a thing it is to ſerue God, and to beſtow my life for Him: & the godly when they feele a portion of this wrath, they will take vp a better courſe, and will ſay, What if this God would powre on His whole wrath, on mee, it is no childrens play to play with God, & make a paſtime of ſin, and then cry peace, that wrath ſhall come vponupon thee like a mountaine, and then thou ſhalt cry, Curſed bee the time that I hauehave diſobeyed God, for now I ſhall feele that infinite wrath. If yee will marke the Text well, ye will ſee in the whole paſſion of Chriſt, that the Lord endeuoures to manifeſt two thinges, and thinges contrarie the one to the other by appearance. By appearance Hee will hauehave Him appeare before the worlde the moſt innocent man, and the moſt guiltie man in the world: How can theſe two ſtand? The Lord thus wiſe will hauehave Chriſt to appeare, in Himſelfe the moſt innocent man, and in vsus the moſt guilty man in the world. Hereupon it commeth to paſſe, that Pilate abſolued Him as innocent, & yet puniſhes Him as nocent: for Ieſus Chriſt bare the ſinnes of the whole faithfull: and it is for this purpoſe, that we ſeeing theſe two things in Him, that we ſhould account Him a meet Mediatour for vsus, and our faith ſhould reſt on Him: Come to Experience, Except I vnderſtand that my Redeemer bee innocent in Himſelfe, I will neuer beleeue, that Hee can bee able to beare my ſinne, and to redeeme mee: for Hee could not bee able to beare his owne ſinne, much leſſe another mans ſinne, except He were innocent, Heb. 7.26: ſuch a Prieſt it behooued vsus to hauehave, which is holy, harmeleſſe, vndefiled, and ſeparated from ſinners: Next, except I vnderſtand that my ſinnes are taken off my backe, and laid on His backe, and that He hath taken my guiltineſſe on Him, the conſideration of His innocencie will neuer mooue mee to account Him my Redeemer: for without this, what is His innocencie to mee. But when thine heart is perſwaded of theſe two things, ye would maruell what great and marueilous effects will follow in the heart of a faithfull man: when I looke to His innocencie, I will bee moued with commiſeration towards Him, I will pitie Him: As the women followed Him out of Ieruſalem weeping and pitying His innocencie, Luke 23.17, and when I ſee, that Hee beeing moſt innocent in Himſelfe, is become guiltie for mee: then ariſes in mine heart a dolour and diſpleaſure for that, that I ſhould be the cauſe that He ſuffered innocently, I am moued for that, that I ſhould hauehave pierced the Lord through with my ſinnes: I will bee moued with ſadneſſe, as it is ſaide in the firſt Chapter of the Reuelation, and ſeuenth verſe. They ſhall waile before Him whome they pierced thorow: Then againe, when I finde my ſelfe disburthened of my ſinne and guiltineſſe through His guiltineſſe, mine heart will be filled with a joy vnſpeakable: it is a wonder what a joy will bee mingled with the diſpleaſure, that the world would wonder that theſe contrarie effectes ſhould bee in the heart of a Chriſtian, this is the effect of repentance, if any man hath felt it: Againe, when I ſee, that Hee hath loued mee, mine heart will melt with louelove to Him againe, as Paul ſayes in the 2, Epiſtle to the Corinthians, 5.14, 15. The louelove of Chriſt conſtraines me, & binds vp faſt my ſenſes, becauſe that once we know that we were dead, and He hath died for vsus: And, he to whome much is forgiuen, loueth much. (LVKE CHAP. VII. VERS. XLVII.)
Brethren, yee that hauehave hearde of the Hiſtorie of that notable Martyr IOHN HVSSE, who was burnt for the louelove of CHRIST: nowe when hee was brought foorth to bee burnt quicke, then his executers put a paper vponupon his head, whereupon were pictured three Deuils, with this title ſet ouer their heads, HAERESIARCHA: the which when hee ſawe, hee ſaide, My LORD IESVS CHRIST for my ſake did weare a Crowne of thornes; why ſhould not I therefore for His ſake, weare this light crowne, bee it neuer ſo ignominious? Suffer on: thou ſhalt not ſuffer the extreamity: thou who wilt ſuffer paine or ſhame for Him, thou ſhalt bee partaker of glorie with Him.
Nowe I goe to the reſt of the meanes that Pilate vſes. Pilate, when this is done, hee goeth into the Common Hall, and commeth out himſelfe, and the fourth time hee witneſſeth of the innocencie of IESVS, that hee could finde no fault in Him. I ſee this, and it appeares well by the teſtimonie that hee giues to Ieſus, that all that Pilate did to Ieſus, was againſt conſcience: for woulde hee immediatlie after hee had ſcourged Him, hauehave cryed out to cleanſe Him, if his conſcience had not tolde him that Hee was juſt? Hee did it to a good end to deliuer Him from death. This is the doing of vngodlie men, who are not drawne out of the puddle of nature: they will doe a ſmaller euill, for a greater good, as they thinke againſt conſcience: they will not ſtart at a ſtraye; but beholde the ende; it may bee that a good thing may followe thereupon: yet thou ſhalt hauehave no rewarde for it. Beware to ſinne againſt conſcience, and vvhen thou goeſt about to doe any thing that thy conſcience forbiddeth thee, leaue it off, and let it bee, or elſe thou ſhalt goe forwarde, till thou crucifie Chriſt, and make ſhipwracke of Faith: Therefore, doe nothing againſt conſcience, yea, albeit it were a good deede.
The thirde thing: hee cauſed IESVS to bee brought foorth before the people, with a Crowne of Thornes, and a purple Garment, to ſee if the Jewes woulde pittie Him: To ſee an innocent man ſo handeled, it would hauehave mooued any man to pittie: then hee ſaies, Beholde the man, I hauehave done enough vntounto Him, yee may bee ſatisfied nowe. I ſee heere, that euen during the time that hee ſawe Ieſus miſuſed ſo ſharply, this doing ſhewes that hee was mooued with ſome pittie of the innocent: for his conſcience tolde him, that Hee was innocent: and not only did hee this againſt conſcience, but euen againſt naturall pittie: and yet hee went forwardes to examination. If a man hauehave but a naturall pittie, nature, and all the power therein will neuer hinder him to doe a miſchiefe.
Then Brethren, let vsus alwayes ſeeke night and daye, to bee raiſed vp aboue nature, for if wee hauehave but the power of nature to holde vsus from ſinne, wee and our nature both will goe to Hell. Albeit that nature mooue vsus to pittie men, yet if there bee no more but nature, the malice of the heart ſmoothers it, and ouercomes it: onelyonly, the Spirit of GOD is able to fight and preuaile againſt nature. Otherwiſe, albeit the light of nature were neuer ſo great, the worſe ſhall preuaile. Therefore, as yee woulde bee ſaued from euill, ſtriue to get the Spirit of grace, and ſaye, Lord, giuegive m…e Thy Spirit, that by his power I may ſtriue againſt the corruption of nature. This ſhoulde bee our exerciſe, if wee woulde bee partakers of Heauen: for neuer a ſoule ſhall ſee Heauen by nature. Looke what effect this workes in the heartes of the Iewes: nothing can ſatisfie them but the blood of the innocent: they cryed, Crucifie him, crucifie him. When men are giuen ouer to crueltie, nothing will ſatisfie them but the blood of the innocent. Pilate by all meanes aſſayed to ſet Ieſus the innocent at libertie, yet all in vaine: for nothing will ſatisfie them, becauſe malice poſſeſſes their heartes. Indeede it is true, that by the eternall decree of God it behooued Chriſt to die: but in the meane time they are vnexcuſable: for they did all of malice. If yee will compare them with Pilate, they did worſe than hee: hee is to bee preferred to them a thouſand degrees: they had the light of the worde of God to hauehave inſtructed them, which Pilate wanted: when Pilate got ſundrie warninges, and laſt a ſharpe warning from his wife, he in a manner gainſtood them not, but he had a conſcience of the innocencie of Chriſt, and he had a naturall pittie in his heart, and faine would hauehave deliuered Him, yea, foure ſeuerall times hee preached to the Iewes, that Chriſt was innocent. But as for the Iewes, for as oft as they are tolde of Chriſtes innocencie, yet their conſcience is not wakened, neither can they bee moued ſo much as to a naturall pitie. So if ye ſpeake of want of conſcience, of induration, there is no compariſon betwixt Pilate and the Iewes. Thinke not that there is anie man in the worlde that vvill hauehave leſſe pittie in their heartes, than they vvho are lyers againſt the Trueth, & than they that ſay they are Church-men, Holie men, and Defenders of the Trueth: And I ſaye, that the Pope makes leſſe conſcience of euill, than the Turke: And it vvere better for an innocent perſon to fall into the handes of a Turke, than into the handes of the Pope, and thoſe ſillie ſoules that lye in the Holie houſe would exchaunge the one with the other. The judgement of GOD is lying vponupon theſe doers, on HERODE, on PILATE, on the High Prieſtes, and vponupon the IEWES: yet PILATE gettes this grace, that hee hath ſome conſcience, and it is holden waking, and ſounding in his eare, and ſtaying him from that wicked action; and then Pilate gettes a pittifull heart. But come to them, to wit, the Iewes and High Prieſtes, the judgement of GOD lyes ſo vponupon them, that they proceede from degree to degree to fearefull induration, till the action bee finiſhed, and the heartes of them are locked vp from all pitie, and their conſciences are blotted awaye; ſo heauie is the judgement that lies vponupon the Iewes. Therefore, thinke not that wee are free from judgement, when wee are ſitting in eaſe, eating, and drinking, in wealth, honour, and glorie: for I affirme, that the heauieſt judgement that euer GOD layes vponupon anie creature, is a ſenſeleſſeneſſe: For, when as a man or a woman is doing euill, and hath no ſenſe of that their evill doing; O! that is the moſte miſerable eſtate that can bee: for it is a ſure fore-runner of eternall damnation. No outwarde croſſe, neither ſickneſſe nor pouertie, is ſo ſure a token of GODS judgement, as to bee rocked vp in ſecuritie, and to bee lying ſleeping in ſinne. Senſeleſſeneſſe is a ſure token of a ſore judgement which ſhall ouertake thee, ſo that thou ſhalt not bee able to open thy mouth, to ſaye, GOD helpe mee: and therefore, beware of ſenſeleſneſſe. Now the LORD holde our conſciences waking, although it ſhould trouble vsus, that we may ceaſe from going forwardes in ſinne, for CHRISTES ſake, To whome bee all Praiſe, Honour, and Glorie, for euermore:
AMEN.