The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 15
THE XV. LECTVRE, OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
MATTH. CHAP. XXVII.
verse 35 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garmentes, and did cast lots, that it might bee fulfilled, which was ſpoken by the Prophet, They diuided my garmentes among them, and vponupon my vesture did cast lots. verse 36 And they ſate and watched him there. verse 37 They ſet vp alſo ouer his head his cauſe written, THIS IS IESVS, THE KING OF THE IEVVES. verse 38 And there were two thickes crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
MARKE CHAP. XV.
verse 24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lottes for them, what euerie man ſhould hauehave. verse 25 And it was the thirde houre when they crucified him. verse 26 And the title of his cauſe was written aboue, THAT KING OF THE IEVVES. verse 27 They crucified alſo with him two thieues, the one on the right hand, and the other on his left. verse 28 Thus the Scripture was fulfilled, which ſaieth, And hee was counted among the wicked.
LVKE, CHAP. XXIII.
verse 33 And when they were come to the place which is called Caluarie, there they crucified him, and the euill doers; one at the right hand, and the other at the left. verse 34 Then ſaid IESVS, Father, forgiue them: for they knowe not what they doe. And they parted his raiment, and caſt lottes.
verse 35 And the people ſtood, and behelde: and the Rulers mocked him with them, ſaying, Hee ſaued others: let him ſaued himſelfe, if hee be that Christ, the Choſen of God. verse 36 The ſouldiers alſo mocked him, and came, and offered him vineger, verse 37 And ſaid, If thou bee the King of the Iewes, ſaue thy ſelfe. verse 38 And a ſuperſcription was alſo written ouer him, in Greeke letters, and in Latine, and in Hebrew, THIS IS THAT KING OF THE IEVVES.
IHON, CHAP. XIX.
verse 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either ſide one, and IESVS in the mids. verse 19 And Pilate wrote alſo a title, and put it on the Croſſe, and it was written, IESVS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE IEVVES. verse 20 This title then read manie of the Iewes: for the place where IESVS was crucified, was neare to the Citie: & it was written in Hebrew Greeke, and Latine. verse 21 Then ſaid the hie Priests of the Iewes to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Iewes, but that he ſaid, I am King of the Iewes. verse 20 Pilate anſwered, What I hauehave written, I hauehave written.
IN theſe dayes paſt (beloued in the LORD IESVS) wee hauehave brought this Hiſtorie of the Paſſion of Ieſus Chriſt, to the verie act it ſelfe, to the crucifying of Him vponupon the Croſſe. The laſt daye we ſpake ſomething of His crucifying, and laſt wee ſpake of the houre of the day, in the which He was crucified: MARKE names it to hauehave bene about the third houre of the daye, which according to our reckoning, and our faſhion of diuiding of the daye, fell about the twelfth houre of the daye: which manifeſtes a verie haſtie diſpatch and a ſhort ſpace betwixt the doome, and the execution: yea, all this matter was very haſtilie diſpatched, for Hee was taken in the night, in the which Hee gotte no reſt, but was hurried firſt to Annas, and from him to Caiaphas Hall, and then before Pilate the Romane Iudge, and there before him condemned: So that Hee is taken in the night, and the next day before twelue a clocke Hee is crucified. In the night Hee is taken, and brought before the Iudge: The accuſation paſſeth: The doome is giuen: and He is crucified on the morrow following before twelue of the clocke. Nowe to paſſe by the malice of the Jewes, and their earneſtneſſe to hauehave the Lord put to death, we ſhall marke, that all this judgement wee maye ſee the ſwiftneſſe of the wrath of the Father, which purſued the Sonne, becauſe He bare the ſinnes of the worlde. It lets vsus ſee plainlie that the judgement that ſhall bee in the latter daye, to the which this is proportionate (it is a type of the latter judgement) that judgemēt alſo, I ſay ſhall paſſe ouer ſwiftlie, and the reprobate in that judgement, when the Lord is once entred into judgement, ſhall not gette leaue nor leaſure to draw their breath, till they be caſtē into Hel. And after that the terrible Iudge ſhall once enter into accompt with them, and giuegive out that ſentence, Depart from mee yee curſed of my Father, with the Deuill and his angelles, immediatelie thoſe damned ſoules ſhall bee hurled to Hell. If the wrath was ſo ſwift vponupon the Sonne of God Himſelfe, what ſhall bee the ſwiftneſſe of the wrath vponupon the reprobate in that Great daye? Then come to the Text which we hauehave read, and to goe forwardes to ſpeake of the thinges and circumſtances that fell out in the time that the Lord did hang quicke nayled vponupon the Croſſe: for, as I hauehave already declared, Hee hung the …pace of three houres quicke, nayled vponupon the Croſſe, ere Hee gaue vp the ghoſte. The firſt thing we hauehave to ſpeake of, is concerning the two Thieues that were crucified with Him, the one at the one hande, and the other at the other hand. Next, wee ſhall ſpeake of that prayer that Ieſus conceiued whileſt Hee was hanging on the Croſſe before His enemies. And thirdly, wee ſhall ſpeake of that title and inſcription that Pilate commanded to bee fixed on the Croſſe: to wit, IESƲS of Nazareth, the King of the Iewes: and this contained the crime and cauſe of His ſuffering. Laſt, wee ſhall ſpeake of the diuiding of His garmentes, and howe they caſt lottes on His coate. All theſe heads are plaine, & they offer plaine doctrine. Then to come to the firſt; It is ſaide, that They crucified with him two thieues, two vagabondes, two throat-cutters, and they crucified the one of them at his right hand, and the other at his left hand. And Hee hung on the Croſſe in the middeſt betweene them both. They crucifie not the Lord Ieſus Himſelfe alone but betwixt two Thieues: and not at the ſide, but one of them at each ſide, and Him in the middeſt: g…uing out thereby to bee vnderſtood by all the worlde, who looked on Him, (and there was an hudge multitude of Iewes, Romanes, and Gentiles, looking on) that of all Malefactors He was the greateſt. Brethren, I ſee this thorowe all the Hiſtorie of the Paſſion of Ieſus Chriſt, euer His dolour enc…eaſſes, till it come to the ende & to the height. And I ſee this, that as His paine growes continually, So ſhame is heaped on His head continually: and whileſt Hee is hanging on the Croſſe, at the ſame time the greateſt ſhame is heaped on His head: for Hee hanges vponupon the Tree, betwixt the euill doers▪ as Prince of all euill doers in the worlde. To let you ſee, that as the paine of the reprobate ſhall bee extreame; ſo the ſh…me and confuſion that they ſhall ſuffer in Hell, ſhall paſſe all meaſure. In this circumſtance, as in all the reſt, I looke not ſo much to the Iewes, and to their malice, as I looke to His Father in Heauen, to His wrath, and to His Iuſtice: it is Hee who is the chiefe worker of all theſe things. All the…e men, Pilate, Herode, the men of warre, and the High Prieſtes, they are like as many burrioes to that Iudge.
The LORD hanges on the Croſſe in extreame paine of bodie and ſoule: and as Hee hanges, in extreame paine, ſo there is extreame ſhame joyned with it. Nowe, if the ſhame and paine was extreame, it muſt followe, that Hee bare an extreame but then of ſinne: theſe goe together in GODS Iuſtice, extreame burthen of ſinne, extreame paine, and extreame ſhame: for the Iuſtice of GOD requires, that extreame ſinne bee puniſhed by extreame paine and ſhame. It is true, the Martyres ſuffered greater ſhame & paine, than euer murtherer did, or malefactour: yet it followes not, that their ſinne was greater than the ſinne of them who ſuffers not ſo great paine. Why? The Martyres ſuffered not for ſinne, Non eo nomine. Neuer a Martyre ſuffered for ſinne, but for the teſtimonie of the ſame Lord Ieſus Chriſt who ſuffered for their ſinne: and therefore in their ſuffering they had an exceeding great joy, aſſuring them, that they had a remiſſiō of their ſinnes in the blood of the Lambe IESVS CHRIST. But IESVS CHRIST ſuffered for ſinne Eo nomine: it is one thing to a ſinner to ſuffer, & it is another thing to ſuffer for ſin: No, if the Lord make thee to ſuffer for the leaſt ſin, if it were but for an euill thought, thou ſhalt feele howe terrible a Iudge Hee is. The LORD ſuffers, and is ſhamed for ſinne: the Lord IESVS ſuffered extreame ſhame and paine: therefore the conſequent followes, He bare an extreame but then of ſinne. When I looke to this vtter ſhame, as I call to minde all the ſinnes that IESVS ſuffered for: ſo chiefly, I looke to that high pride of Adam, and of vsus all in Adam, whereby wee aſpire to bee like to that High and glorious Majeſtie, that pride, whereby we would hauehave ſpoyled that great GOD of that honour and glorie which was due to Him: Therefore in this vtter ſhame, the Father of Heauen meetes, randers and requites that high pride of Adam ▪ and for that Hee heapes ſhame on the head of His Sonne: As thou aſpireſt to diſhonour Him by pride, ſo Hee meetes thy pride in His deare Sonne. If thou be not found in IESVS in that great day: the prouder thou bee in the worlde, the greater ſhall be thy ſhame, beſide that vnſpeakable torment of ſoule and bodie. Now, will yee ſee in this extreame paine & ſhame that the Lord ſuffers, how the wonder of our ſaluation is wrought: it is ſo farre from that, that it is wrought with a glorious pompe (the Iewes would hauehave had this worke wrought gloriouſly, and would hauehave had the Sauiour a glorious King, and therefore they ſtumbled at this, at the ignominious Croſſe of Ieſus,) Yee ſee by the plaine contrarie, that there cannot be a greater paine nor ſhame. We are not bought by glorie nor pompe: wee are redeemed from death and ſhame, by death and ſhame: ſuch a redemption cannot ſtand with His Iuſtice: His Iuſtice requires blood, Heb. 9.22, Noremiſsion of ſinnes without blood, Then eueryevery one of vsus, who would attaine to ſaluation, we muſt not looke to Heauen firſt, to get it in IESVS glorified, but we muſt looke to Hieruſalem, and to Golgotha: firſt, To ſee Him there hanging and crucified: ſpare not to kiſſe Him on the Croſſe, and to bathe thy ſelfe in His blood: and if thou takeſt offence at His Croſſe, thou ſhalt neuer ſee Him in glorie, but to thy ſhame: No, by the contrarie, take on perſecution with Him, that in that great day thou mayeſt be glorified with Him.
To goe forward, Luke in his 23. Chapter, verſe 34. markes a circumſtance which is not marked by the reſt, to wit, that IESVS prayed to His Father for His perſecuters. This prayer apparantlie hath beene either at this time when they were ſtriking the nailes thorow Him, or els very ſoone thereafter: howſoeuer, He is hanging on the Croſſe at that time: The words are, Father, forgiue them▪ for they know not what they do: 1. Pet. Chap. 2. ver. 23, ſayes of Him: When He was reuiled, Hee reuiled not againe: He rendred none euill words againe, when He ſuffered, Hee threatned not againe, but committed it to Him who judges righteouſlie. When they were nailing Him on the Croſſe, and ſcorning Him on it Hee ſhew not an angrie countenance: Hee committed the vengeance to GOD. In theſe wordes, hee would let you ſee, a marueilous meekneſſe and patience in IESVS CHRIST, and therefore by the Prophets Hee was compared to a Lambe. No, neuer a Lambe ſuffered with ſuch mildneſſe, as IESVS did. But now in this Hiſtorie he goes ſomewhat further: hee lets vsus ſee, that the LORD IEnot onelyonly recompenſed euill with euill: but Hee rewarded good for euill, & whilſt they torment Him, he conceiues a feruent prayer for them: and this lets vsus ſee not onelyonly a wonderfull patience, but alſo a great louelove and pitie He bare to His enemies. It is a wonderfull thing to ſee any in torment to bee patient toward the tormenter, but it is greater in the torment, both to be patient, & to pray to GOD for him who torments him: and this is the greateſt of all, to ſuffer for the tormenter. This louelove properly pertain es to IESVS CHRIST onelyonly. The Martyres hauehave prayed for them who perſecuted them, as STEVEN did, Act, Chapter 7. verſe 60. LORD, lay not this ſinne to their change: but neither STEVEN, nor any other Martyre in the earth ſuffered extreame torment for the tormenter. Neuer a man had ſuch a louelove, to ſuffer for his tormenter: No, this louelove is proper only to IESVS CHRIST: and in the Scripture it is aſcribed vntounto IESVS CHRIST, that Hee died for His enemies His tormenters. Theſe laſt wordes of that place of Peter, where hee ſayes, Hee committed vengeance to Him who iudges righteouſly, are worthie of conſideration: for there hee will let vsus ſee the ground of patience in ſuffering, His eye was on His Father, and Hee ſawe his Father to bee a juſt Iudge, and to take vengeance on them who perſecuted them. Wouldeſt thou bee patient in ſuffering, goe not to reuenge, but put the reuenge in the hand of the Iudge: except a man hauehave this conſideration, it is impoſſible for him to ſuffer a wrong patiently. And it is as true, that theſe men of this Lande, who in no meaſure are patient, but are ay reuenging: thoſe who will doe two wrongs for one, (hee will glorie that hee hath ſlaine two for one, and hee will bragge of his foule murther: and ſay, I hauehave one ſlaine, he hath two, he hath better than his owne) It is impoſſible, I ſay, that theſe men cannot hauehave GOD before their eyes, they looke not to GOD, becauſe in ſuffering injuries, they leaue not the reuenge to GOD, and ſo their damnation ſhall not bee ſo much for the wrongs, as becauſe they vſurped the office of the Iudge, and gaue him not vengeance to whome it belongeth. Some of you may aske, how can this be, that Peter ſayes. The LORD committed vengeance to His Father, ſtand with this, that Luke ſayes, Hee prayed for them? howe can theſe two ſtand? To commit the vengeance to God, and to pray for thine enemies? I anſwere, Theſe things are different, To commit vengeance to GOD, to commit a wicked man to his owne Iudge, and to begge a vengeance to a wicked man: IESVS gaue them ouer to their owne Iudge, and gaue the Iudgement to GOD: hee begged not vengeance on them: hee prayes for them to his Father, that hee would forgiue them. To ſpeake my minde heere: This Prayer that the LORD made vponupon the Croſſe, I take it not ſo much to be for the malitious Scribes, Phariſes, and Prieſtes, who did this, not ſo much of ignorance, as of malice: For in the 17. Chapter and 9. verſe hee ſayes, I pray not for the worlde, but for them that thou haſt giuen mee: As for the poore multitude of the Jewes, and the men of warre, and for the ignorant Gentiles, who were there. The effect declares the force and power of this Prayer, for by one preaching of Peter, there were three thouſand ſoules cōuerted of the enemies of Chriſt, Act. Chapter 2. verſe 41. No queſtion this haſtie conuerſion of ſo many, came of the effectualneſſe of the Prayer that hee made to the Father, on the Croſſe: yea, by appearance the force of that Prayer vttered it ſelfe then, when the multitude came from the ſpectacle of the Croſſe home againe, knocking on their breaſts. But conſider the forme of the Prayer, hee ſayes, Father, forgiue them, the reaſon is, They know not what they doe: But they are ſillie blinded people, Paul 2. Cor. 2. Chapter verſe. 8. ſayes: If they had knowne what Hee was, they would not hauehave crucified the LORD of Glorie. Yee ſhall euer marke, Brethren, two ſeries of ſinners, and two ſorts of ſinning. There are ſome malitious ſinners, woe to thoſe. Some are ignorant: ſome ſinnes of knowledge: yea, the malice of the heart drawes them to a miſchiefe: and ſome becauſe they know no better, beeing wrong informed. No doubt, many of this multitude thought they were doing good ſeruice to GOD: Malice in ſinning, makes a man inexcuſable, and cloſes his mouth before that Iudge: yee ſhall ſee this one day. The malicious ſinners, when the ſentence ſhall bee pronounced againſt them, ſhall not whiſper once againe: But ignorance, albeit it makes not a man inexcuſable (it will neuer excuſe thee before that great Iudge, Beguile not thy ſelfe, thou ſhalt not once open thy mouth, and ſay, LORD, the thing that I did, I did it of ignorance: and therefore I deſerued not death) yet it is not ſo euill as malice: for whereas malice prouokes the wrath, and judgement of the Iudge: for it is a terrible thing to hauehave an malicious heart, and of ſet purpoſe to ſinne againſt the Iudge. Ignorance will mooue the Iudge to pitie and commiſeration: and ſo, ye ſee, the LORD ſeeing the poore ignorant multitude Hee pities them, and as Hee pities them, ſo Hee prayes for them: Ignorance mooued Him to pittie, and to praye for them. In a worde: The Chriſtian man that is perſecuted wrongfullie, either hath to doe with malicious men, (wee may finde this in experience ere wee die) who perſecute of malice: or with enemies, who are not ſo much malicious, as ignorant: if hee hauehave to doe vvith malicious perſons, patience is required: but if hee hauehave to doe with ignorant bodies, then not onelie patience is required, but alſo rueth and louelove. Wouldeſt thou hauehave patience? then commit vengeance vntounto Him vvho judges juſtlie: for if thou vvouldeſt bee patient, looke to thy GOD, and ſaye, I commit thee in the hands of the Iudge. And, if thou hauehave to doe vvith an ignorant, ſee that thou bee pittifull: looke to the ignorance of them that perſecute thee; and thou ſhalt not ſo ſoone looke to their blindneſſe, but thou ſhalt not onelie bee patient, but alſo pittifull, and the ignorant vvill ſeeme to bee miſerable, and to bee pittied: for this is certaine, that the innocent man, vvho is perſecuted, is not ſo much to bee pittied, as hee vvho of blinde ignorance perſecutes him. Alas! What is to bee pittied, but that vvhichwhich procures damnation before GOD? So ignorant blinded bodies are moſte to bee pittied.
Nowe conſider howe all rankes and ſortes of people ſhame Him: and firſt Pilate ſhames Him, and commaundes an inſcription and title to be vvritten on the Croſſe, bearing the crime and cauſe of His death: It is ſaide, that Pilate the Iudge, Writeth a title to bee fixed on the Croſſe: and bee writeth it, in Hebrew, and in Grecke, and in Latine, to the ende, that men of all Languages might reade it, and vnderſtand it, and the effect thereof is this, IESƲS of Nazareth, the King of the Jewes. This was in Hebrewe, in Greeke, and in Latine: three Languages, to bee read by Hebrewes, Graecians, & Romanes. There is no queſtion, but this was written according to the faſhion of that time: for among the people of GOD, both the judgementes and alſo the puniſhmentes, vvith inſcriptions containing the cauſe thereof, vſed to bee publicked. And this vvas a commendable and allowable cuſtome, that vvhen a man vvas condemned to die, they alwayes vſed to put vp an inſcription, containing the crime and cauſe: to teſtifie, that hee vvas vvorthilie executed. According hereunto they handle the Lord IESVS: for they lead ye whole proces in the ſight of ye people, & went not into a corner to judge Him, but in the preſēce of ye whole people, they led Him out of the Portes of Hieruſalem, to execute Him. Reade of this cuſtome, Ioſh. Chapter 7. verſe 19. Of Achan, who ſtolle the Babylonians garment, how hee was judged of the whole people. Read of that blaſphemer, in the wilderneſſe, Leuit. 24.23. how before the whole people hee was executed publikly. Reade of Ionathan, how hee was judged and condemned of his father Saul, in the ſight of the whole people, 1. Sam. Chapter 14. verſe 5. As the Iudgement was publicke, ſo they vſed to put an inſcription aboue them, to teſtifie to the people their crime, and the cauſe of their death, that they died juſtly. It is no ſmall matter to ſlay a man, albeit hee were the pooreſt that euer was, and there is not a Prince in the face of the earth, that may ſlay a man without a good cauſe: No, not the Emperour hath that power. And as no man ſhould bee ſlaine lightly: ſo if there bee a juſt cauſe of execution, the man may not be executed priuily at the pleaſure of the Iudge, but if there bee good juſtice, the Iudgement muſt be before the people. The people hauehave their owne right and entreſſe in judgement ſeates.
Yee know in that great Iudgement of the world, which ſhall be at the latter day, not one ſhall be judged and condemned without the approbation and conſent of the whole Elect, which ſhall ſtand round about their Lord. Then, how much more hath the people, at the leaſt the beſt part, entreſſe in earthly Iudgements, to ſee good adminiſtration of juſtice, and Iudgement, and that the Iudge vſe no Tyrannie. This then was the cauſe of this Inſcription, euen that the cauſe of the death of Ieſus ſhould bee made manifeſt to the people, according to common commendable cuſtome. But Pilate had another reſpect: Pilate did this, not ſo much, that the people ſhould know the cauſe of His death: for his conſcience tolde him that He was innocent, as he put it vp, to reuenge him on the malicious Iewes, who compelled him againſt his heart and conſcience to condemne Him. Hee will hauehave this put vp, that their King was hanged, and that they hanged Him with their owne hands. But GOD hath His part heere, and all was gouerned by that heauenlie Prouidence, Neither is Pilate, nor the Iewes heere ſo much to be looked to, as the diſpenſation of the Father, As Pilate did it for one ende, ſo the LORD did it for another ende: Men will doe a thing vponupon an euill intent, GOD will doe the ſame thing by a wicked inſtrument to His good ende, by His effectuall prouidence Hee will hauehave this to be put vp, to ratifie the Heauenly and Spirituall Kingdome of IESVS CHRIST: and Hee vvill let them all ſee, that IESVS is the onelyonly King: and inſpeciall by this inſcription the LORD vvill hauehave it teſtified to the vvorlde, that as IESVS hung vponupon the Croſſe vvith paine and shame, that ſo likewiſe vponupon the ſame Croſſe He triumphed gloriouſly ouer His enemies: ere Hee came to Heauen, on the Croſſe Hee gotte victorie, and Hee triumphed ouer them all, and ledde them all captiues on the Croſſe, as it is vvritten to the COLOSS. CHAP. 2. VERS. 15. More than this: The LORD did it to this ende, To fore-ſhaddowe, that the preaching of the Kingdome of IESVS CHRIST, to followe on His Aſcenſion ſhould bee to all Nations▪ Kingdomes, and Languages: for immediately after that Hee paſſed out of the vvorld, IESVS vvas proclaimed to all Nations the King of Glory, and continues to this day, and shall bee for euer. Pilate is a preacher heereof, albeit hee hauehave little minde of it: but hee vvas like Caiaphas, vvho propheſied, that it vvas expedient, that one shoulde die for the ſinnes of the vvhole people, CHAP. 11. VERS. 40. And this is done by the ſpeciall prouidence of GOD, no doubt. The conſtancie of Pilate in his ſentence and vvriting, notwithſtanding the ſtrong oppoſition of the Scribes and the High Prieſtes, vvho deſired him to alter and change the title, and for that vvhichwhich vvas vvritten by Pilate, to vvit, This is the King of the Jewes, to vvrite, That Hee ſaide Hee was the King of the Iewes: this declares that it vvas of the immutable decree of GOD. Pilate had no power to alter one letter of it for his life. GOD ledde the pene of him ſo, that hee had no power to doe otherwiſe, to teſtifie, that it vvas of that Eternall decree. And this is that drecree vvhereof vvee reade, PSAL. 2.7. I will declare the decree, that is, The Lord hath ſaide vntounto mee, Thou art my Sonne, &c. This decree is vnchangeable, it muſt bee executed, and it shall laſt to the ende of the vvorlde: And I ſaye, the LORD IESVS shall bee King in deſpite of the IEVVES and the High Prieſtes, and all His enemies, and that one daye vvee shall ſee to the full joy of our heartes: To that Glorious King, vvith His Father, and the Holie Spirite, bee Honour and Glorie for euermore, Amen.