The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 11
THE ELEVENTH LECTVRE, OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
IOHN, CHAP. XIX.
verse 12 From thencefoorth Pilate ſought to looſ… him, but the Iewes cryed, ſaying If thou deliuer him, thou art not Caeſars friend: for whoſoeuer m…k…th himſelfe a King▪ ſpe…keth againſt Caeſar. verse 13 When Pilate heard this word, hee brought IESVS foorth, and ſate downe in the Iudgement-ſeate, in a place called the Pauement, and in Hebrew GABBATHA, verse 14 And it was the Preparation of the Paſſeouer, and about the ſixt houre: and he ſaid vntounto the Iewes, Beholde your King. verse 15 But they cryed, Away with him, away with him, crucifie him. Pilate ſaide vntounto them, Shall I crucifie your King? The high Priests anſwered, We hauehave no King but Caeſar.
YEE hauehave heard (Brethren) that in this whole Hiſtorie of the ſuffering of IESVS CHRIST, vnderunder Pontius Pilate, the Romane Deputie, we might clearlie ſee a continuall ſtrife and debate betwixt the Iudge Pilate, and the accuſers, Pilate euer ſtriuing to get Ieſus, that juſt one, and that innocent (for his conſcience tolde him that Hee was innocent) ſet at libertie: The accuſers on the other part, ſtriue to blotte out the conſcience of Pilate, and to get Ieſus crucified: and as wee hauehave found this debate in the whole Hiſtorie before, ſo alſo in theſe words which wee hauehave read, wee finde the ſame ſtrife: And, if Pilate before was earneſt to get Ieſus ſet looſe, hee is farre more earneſt nowe than euer hee was: and with all his might hee ſeekes to get Him ſet at libertie: but looke howe earneſt Pilate is to hauehave Him looſed, the High Prieſtes and the Iewes are as earneſt to hauehave Him crucified: In ende, as wee ſhall heare, the victorie inclines to the accuſers: Pilate giues it ouer, and ſits downe to condemne the innocent.
Nowe to come to the wordes, they are plaine, and offer verie plaine and eaſie doctrine, therefore we ſhall bee alſo plaine by Gods grace. It is ſaide concerning Pilate, that from that time when he had heard theſe laſt wordes of Ieſus, accuſing Him for that blaſphemie againſt His Father, then hee tooke a greater feare, and from that time hee ſtudied more and more to abſolue Ieſus. Brethren, wee ſee heere thorowe this whole Hiſtorie, that the more Pilate heares of Ieſus, and the more that Ieſus inſiſtes with him, continually the conſcience is the more wakened: and the more that it is wakened, the more earneſtly ſtriues hee to get Him ſet at libertie. So it is a wonder, to ſee an Ethnick, without God, to hauehave ſuch a conſcience of the innocencie of Ieſus: and then, that ſuch a man ſhould labour to get Him looſe. I know not if many of our Iudges now adayes, will hauehave ſuch a conſcience, and would be ſo earneſt to hauehave the innocent ſet at libertie. So when I looke to the vigilantneſſe of his conſcience, I am compelled to ſaye, that this man had a ſpeciall grace in this poinct: for one of the beſt bleſſinges of a judge, vvho ſits on life and death, is to hauehave a vigilant conſcience: By the contrarie, a Iudge wanting conſcience of right and wrong, of all men hee is the moſte accurſed. Then, Brethren, if ye will looke to this matter narrowly, yee ſhall ſay, that Pilate had a great vigilantneſſe in his conſcience: but alas, hee falles at the laſt: for certainely, this conſcience had beene a bleſſing, if hee had obeyed this counſell of the conſcience: but becauſe hee falles in the ende, and obeyes not his conſcience, that which was giuen for a bleſſing, becomes a curſing vntounto him. If God giuegive thee a bleſſing, as a vigilant conſcience, if thou abuſe it, and refuſe to heare thy conſcience, the bleſſing ſh…ll turne to a curſe, and that conſcience, which was a counſeller, becomes a ſore tormenter, and vrges thee to put hand into thine owne ſoule, and teare it in pieces. Pilates conſcience ſo judged and tormented him, till hee was faine to put hand in himſelfe, that was his ende. Nowe, what doe Chriſtes accuſers? looke how b…ſie Pilate can be to get the innocent ſet at libertie, as earneſt are they to get Him crucified: and now they begin to handle Pilate more ſharply than before. The greateſt arguments they vſed before was taken from a crime laid to the charge of Ieſus, from Ieſus treaſon againſt Caeſar the Emperour, and from His blaſphemie againſt God. Now they leaue off ſuch accuſation, and they laye treaſon to Pilate, & accuſe him of treaſon againſt his Maſter Caeſar, If thou lettest this man looſe, thou art no friend to thy Maſter Caeſar, thou wilt endanger thy ſelfe, and make thy ſelfe guiltie of treaſon: and more, this man will pull the Crowne from Caeſars head: ſo if thou let ſuch a man looſe, thou ſhalt be guiltie of treaſon as well as he, and thou ſhalt be the friend of the enemies of Caeſar: The effect of the accuſation is this, They accuſe Pilate of treaſon againſt Caeſa… : now Pilate heard not the like of this all the day before: and as hee ſtudies to keepe a good conſci…nce towardes the innocent IESVS, ſo the temptation gro…es on. Nowe, it is not poſſible to keepe a good conſcience without temptation both inwardly and outwardly, and aye the better conſcience, the greater temptation, and the laſt the worſt. The Deuill and his impes begins ſoftly with …lluring but in ende, if thou yeeldeſt not they will threaten thee, & ſaye, Thou ſhalt either looſe thy conſcience, or els thy life. Then ye ſhall marke what is the foreſt temptation that the deuill & euill men c…n vſe againſt men who hauehave a conſcience, Either doe or die, as though one tooke a dagger, and helde it to thy breaſt, and ſaid, Doe, or die, either renounce thy conſcience, or die: there is a ſore temptation: but to whom is this a grieuous temptation? euen to ſuch a man as Pilate was, whoſe God was Caeſar, a man whoſe Heauen was in the honour of this world, a man who ſaw no better life than this preſent life. And marke the craft of Sathan and his inſtruments: vvhen they goe to tempt, there is not a mediciner who can apply their medicine better than they: ere they tempt, they wil ſee the quality of the perſon. So that if they finde a man onelyonly wordly hearted without God, without hope of life, as Pilate was, then they can well bring againſt him tentations from worldly things, if thou wilt not doe it, thou ſhalt looſe the worlde, and thy ſelfe. But if thou doe as I bid thee doe, thou ſhalt hauehave the world. By worldly things hee will allure the naturall man: and by the loſſe of them, he will terrifie him, and make him to yeeld. This is our leſſon. Let neuer any man againe after Pilate truſt to a naturall conſcience, except hee finde the conſcience propped vp by faith, and with better thinges, and higher things, than the things of this world: and if this conſcience be backed with hope of that life, it will bee a wonder to ſee howe a man will ſtand to the ende: No Crowne, but to him vvho ſtandes to the ende. Hee vvho is ſo backed, hee vvill ſtand againſt the Deuill, and hee vvill ſaye, I care not for this life, vvhen the Deuill tempts him, if I looſe this life, I ſhall get a better, if I looſe the king. I ſhall ſee a more glorious king, if I looſe this vvorld, I ſhall find a better: happie is that man, vvho hath his conſcience backed vvith faith in Ieſus Chriſt, and hath a ſight of Heauen, and of God: It is onelyonly this man and vvoman that can ſtand in temptations againſt the Deuill, and the vvorld.
Now let vsus ſee the effect: Alas, this aſſault vvas ſore to Pilate: we ſhall ſee how by little & little he looſes his conſcience, & inclines to pronounce ye ſentence of damnation againſt the innocent: aſſoone as he heares theſe vvords, he is aſtoniſhed, and in all haſt he brings foorth Ieſus, and comes out in ſight of the vvhole people, and ſits downe in his tribunall: he calles it The Pauement, in Hebrew GABBATHA: we call it an high ſeate or loft vvhere the Iudge ſate: The time is noted when he goes to that vvoefull judgement, to wit, when as the Jewes were in a preparation to the Paſſeouer: the houre is noted. The ſixt houre, which in our account is the twelft houre: the Lord Ieſus was condemned, and deliuered to the men of warre. I neede not to ſpeake of the calculation of the Iewes; they diuide the day and the night into twelue houres, ſixe houres before noone, and ſixe after noone. The time and the place is ſo particularly noted, that vvee ſhould giuegive greater credite to the Hiſtorie. But to come to ye matter: Ye ſee clearly, that this laſt temptation had the greateſt force, & aſtoniſhed Pilate, and that conſcience that had ſtood ſo long, it began to ſaile him, and he begins to decline. Then Brethren, note the force of ſuch temptations, what force they hauehave in reſpect of naturall men: It is impoſſible for a man, who hath nothing but nature, without anie portion of grace in him, to abide the force of ſuch a temptation: When hee is ſtraited with theſe, either to looſe conſcience, or els to looſe honour, riches, life, &c. & ſo to die the death, it is impoſſible for him to keep a naturall cōſcience, & he will think that man to be a wiſe man, who will redeame his life by the loſſe of his conſcience, & will think him a foole, who will lay down his life ere he want his conſcience. Whereto ſhould we inſiſt in this point? O foole! what is thy life when thou haſt loſt ſenſe & conſcience? the ſenſes, wherby men properly liue, are not ſo much theſe outwarde ſenſes, as taſting, touching, ſeeing, hearing, & ſmelling, as the fealing of that inward cōſcience: So if once thou looſe that inward feeling, thou art no better than a beaſt, for they hauehave all theſe outward ſenſes. What better art thou than dead? No, the carion is not ſo dead as thou, whē thou art paſt feeling: but yet there is worſe: well were it for a ſenſeles man to liue in ſecuritie, that that cōſcience ſhould ſleep: but marke that ſame cōſciēce yt before was a coūſeller, telling thee what was right & wrong, vvhat thou ſhouldeſt doe, and what thou ſhouldeſt not doe, (it is the faithfulleſt counſeller that a man can hauehave, for it will counſell thee night & day to doe good, & leaue euill) after once thou haſt hardened thine heart againſt cōſcience, ſuppoſe thou lay it aſleepe, and paſſe thy time, yet it will not ſleepe for euer: I forewarne all that hauehave a ſleeping cōſcience, that it ſhall not ſleepe aye, but it ſhall come with the terribleſt face that euer was, ere all be done. The face of the Burrio was neuer ſo terrible as thy conſcience, when it comes againe to teare thee, rent thee, and draw in pieces thy miſerable ſoule. Howbeit wicked mē for a while will be buſie, playing, riding, and running, to get the tormenter at reſt: yet I tell thee, that if the LORD hauehave not merciemercy vponupon thee, it ſhall vvaken ſo, that it ſhall neuer ſleepe againe, & neuer let thee reſt. Of all the torments in the world, the worſt is the torment of the conſcience, driuing thee before the terrible tribunall, to cling in thy ſoule, and drie it vp with the fire of the wrath of God: No peace for the wicked▪ ſleepe on as they will, they ſhall be wakened. Now, Brethren, beſide the force of this tentation, there is an inward malice of the heart againſt the conſcience: Certainely, a conſcience in a naturall man is good, and it is a remnent of grace after the fall, but there is as euill a thing that dwelleth in thine heart, ſince that fall, & that is a bitterneſſe & malice of thine heart, there is ſuch a gall of bitterneſſe, that if there were no more to ſlay them, it is enough. It is not this outwarde tentation onelyonly, that drawes Pilate ſo farre backe, but alſo the malice of the heart: when the conſcience ſounded in his eare, and ſaid, Pilate doe not this, the malice of the heart caried him againſt conſcience. I ſay againe, albeit that there were nothing without thee to moue thee, there is too much within thee. Theſe men who runne headlong vntounto blood, to wracke religion, and their countrey, thinke yee not, but they hauehave aduertiſment in the meane time, by their conſcience, and they know that they doe wrong: But, alas, ſuch is the gall of bitterneſſe, ſuch is the malice of their heart, againſt conſcience that it caries them as mad men with a furie, ouer the belly of their conſcience. Nowe, Brethren, this is well to be marked, When Pilate is ſet downe in His tribunall, albeit he be caried away by his conſcience, will yee looke, yee ſhall ſee a priuie battell betweene the ſpunke of the conſcience he had, and the malice of the heart. When hee ſits downe, he hath a doubt in his heart, that conſcience drawes him backe, that hee dare not at the firſt pronounce the ſentence, but hee ſayes, Behold your King. He ſayes ſcornefully of His Kingdome, yet hee meaneth in his heart, to hauehave Him looſe: as if he had ſaide: Is this the man? Alas, hee is little likely to bee a King, a poore miſerable ſillie poore man: this is his meaning, that he might moue them to let Him liue: So, as I marked before: the force of the tentation outwarde, and of the inward malice of the heart againſt the conſcience. So I cannot paſſe by this, but in theſe wordes, I muſt marke the ſtriuing of the poore conſcience, albeit it be once dumbe, yet it will come againe & ſay, O miſerable man, thou art gone too farre in this euill action, repent, As the naturall conſcience is a continuall torture, ſo it wil cleaue vntounto him, & will not leaue him. Brethren, as the conſcience is an admoniſher, ſo it cleaueth faſt, and no man will get it extinguiſhed, albeit the loune vvill ſtriue to ſhake it off, yet it vvill ſticke to him, and vvhiſper again to him: but after it be once changed from an admoniſher to a tormentor, vvhen thou haſt tempted it, if it ſtacke to thee before it ſhall ſticke an hundreth times ſorer, and ſhall faſten it ſelfe in thy miſerable ſoule; ſo that if thou vvouldeſt hang thy ſelfe to eſcape, yet the torment ſhall neuer die out. Well ſhake on, and contemne her, ſhee ſhall come, and bee the terribleſt ſight that euer vvas: and, if thou g…tteſt no merciemercy, ſhee ſhall bee thine euerlaſting tormentor in the Hell for euer and euer. Thus farre for Pilates part.
Now vvee come to the Iewes: They vvould hauehave nothing but the death of Ieſus, and that a moſt ignominious death: they ſeeing Pilate yet ſtriuing, howbeit they had his head downe, (for nowe they had him at the downefall and ſweruing from conſcience) they had him downe vvith mightier force than before, and they double their temptation: they ſpeake no more modeſtly, but for ſpeaking they ſhout in his eare, that he cannot heare one thing or other, & double the ſhoutings & cryings. Away with him, away with him, Crucifie him, crucifie him. Take heed to this: if once the deuill hauehave gottē thy head down, that thou ſwerueſt, then he will come with a double force & hee will cry & deaffen thine head: & howbeit the conſcience would cry to thee, hee will make thee ſo daſhed, yt thou canſt not heare the conſcience. Ye know (2. Chron. chap. 28) cōcerning the idolaters who took their ſons & burnt thē quick in a valley neare Ieruſa…ē. whē the children wept, they cauſed timbrels to ſounde, that they might not heare yt pitifull voyce: So it is yt whē the deuill hath gottē thine head once down he ſhal make it ſo dumpiſh, & ſo daſh thee with double forces that he will make thy conſcience to hauehave no place: therfore, let eueryevery man with al his maine fore reſiſt, & let no tētation ſunder thee from thy conſcience: for once down, & aye down: when a man once ſtumbles on the head of a banke, he will neuer ſtay til he goe ouer the mountaine: cloſe once the eare of the conſcience, and the deuill will deaffen thee, & ſhout ſo in thine eare, that thou ſhalt not heare againe a word of thy conſcience: there is none of vsus▪ but wee may find this by experience. Now come to Pilate: whē they ſhout & cry, he ſaies, Shall I crucifie your king? yet hee giues not ouer, hee ha…h a doubt in the heart, and a ſtrange fighting: as hee would ſay, Call ye it a well fauoured thing that I ſhould crucifie your king? this he ſpake ſomewhat ſcornefully, halfe in jeſt, and halfe in earneſt. This is a voyce of the conſcience, but of vveake and decaying conſcience, he ſpeakes doubtfully now by an interrogation putting it in their option: now the conſcience is drawing its laſt breath, & after that ſpeakes not a worde. There are two voyces in the conſcience: one voyce that will ſay reſolutely, I will not doe euill, I will not doe againſt my conſcience for all the world: that is a token of a ſtrong conſcience: The other is, which will ſaye doubtfully, Shall I doe this or not? that is a weake cōſcience, when a man will ſay, Shall I ſlay? ſhal I ſtrike? I will ſay, that man hath done with his conſciēce. The voyce of a ſtrong conſcience will ſay, I will doe this, if God will giuegive me grace, and for the world I will not doe euill. Come to their part againe, We hauehave none other king but Caeſar. Alas! woe woe to them that renounce ſuch a King: Hee, and Caeſar might both hauehave beene their king: Caeſar was but His lieuetennant: and the wickedeſt men that nowe moſt repine againſt Him, ſhall confeſſe Him once to bee their king. Alas, Caeſar is caſten in the poore mans teeth, becauſe he had none other God: and all the care he had, was to pleaſure Caeſar. But marke the hypocriſie of the Jewes: they ſaye, they hauehave no king but Caeſar: but loued the Iewes Caeſar? No, there was nothing yt they would fainer hauehave bene quite of, than of him, yet they pretende the authoritie of Caeſar to ſlay the poore mans conſcience, & to crucifie Ieſus Chriſt. This is hypocriſie, they loued not, ye king, for they who loues not God, louelove not the King, nor the Kirke. Looke the forme of Hypocrites: Papiſtrie is but Hypocriſie: the Pope is an Hypocrite, and all that rabble, haters of God, of Caeſar, and of the king: they deſire no king, but the king of Spaine, becauſe hee is their Burrio: and, if hee woulde refuſe to be their Hangman, they would hate him as they doe others. They pretend the authoritie of Caeſar to ſlay Chriſt, when they would hauehave the king ſlaine, and they will pretend God and religion, to murther the king of Fraunce: Fie vponupon theſe lownes, let neuer king credite them, woe ſhall be to him. What doe our men pretend? Religion. Our Earles pretend Religion, and Reformation. What is this? a pretence to deſtroy Religion and the King: Shame and confuſion ſhall light on all, and firſt on them, if they gette their intention. The Lord giuegive eueryevery man and vvoman grace to take heed, that they hauehave no medling with ſuch men, who vnderunder the pretence of Religion ſeeke to ſpoyle Religion, the king, and the Countrey for Chriſts ſake: To whom with the Father and the Holie Spirit, be all Praiſe, Honour, and Glorie, both now and euermore: AMEN.