The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 17
THE XVII. LECTVRE, OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
LVKE CHAP. XXIII.
verse 40 But the other anſwered, and rebuked him, ſaying, Fearest thou not GOD, ſeeing thou art in the ſame condemnation? verse 41 We are indeede righteouſly heere: for wee receiue things worthie of that we hauehave done: but this man hath done nothing amiſſe. verse 42 And hee ſaide vntounto Ieſus, Lord, remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdome.
WEE heard the laſt day (Brethren) of all theſe railings and blaſphemies that the Lord Ieſus ſuffered of all rankes and eſtates of perſons, whileſt Hee hang on the Croſſe naked, liuing in torment. Pilate began, & fixed on the Croſſe an ignominious inſcription, That Ieſus was a Traitor againſt Caeſar, and that He ſuffered death for His treaſon. Then the Hang-men, foure in number, in deſpite, and in His ſight, tooke his garmentes, and diuided them in foure partes: and becauſe his coate had no ſeame, but was wouen thorowout, therefore they caſt lottes for it, who ſhoulde hauehave it whole. Then comes on the people, with their part, and raile vponupon Him, and blaſpheme Him, ſaying, Nowe if thou bee that Chriſt, come downe and ſaue thy ſelfe. Then followe the high Prieſtes, the Scribes, and the Elders, who raile on Him, and ſaye, Is this hee who will ſaue others? let ſee if hee can bee able to ſaue himſelfe. Then the men of warre and Gentiles beginne to raile, if thou bee the King of the Iewes, ſaue thy ſelfe, and come downe from the Croſſe. And then one of the Thieues railes out on Him, If thou be that Chriſt, ſaue thy ſelfe, and vsus both: but nowe ſo like as thou art the Chriſt, thou art adying as vvell as vvee, and art neither able to ſ…ue thy ſelfe, nor vsus: and therefore thou art not a King. Nowe, Brethren, yee maye perceiue that it was no prayer that this thiefe made to CHRIST, as ſome thinke.
Wee ſpake of this thiefe the laſt day: now we hauehave to ſpeake of the part of the other thiefe: he is twitched with repentance: in an inſtant hee becomes penitent: and the inward conuerſion of the heart to GOD, hee vtters outwardly in ſundrie effects: Firſt, perceiuing the other thiefe his companion to blaſpheme GOD, the firſt action that he does, he defends the honour of the LORD againſt the other thiefe, and rebukes him: and after that, giues a free confeſſion of his ſinnes: and laſt, hee turnes to Ieſus Chriſt hanging on the Croſſe, and ſayes, LORD remember mee when thou commeſt to thy Kingdome. The LORD anſweres immediatly to the thiefe: Verily, thou ſhalt be with mee this day in Paradiſe.
To come then firſt to the rebuke hee giues to the other thiefe, Feareſt thou not GOD? The meaning is, Thiefe, fye on thee, ſeeing thou hangs in a common miſerie and torment with mee, and this man, feareſt thou not GOD, who wilt blaſpheme and rayle on Him, ſeeing thou art ſhortly to appeare before that Tribunall, and giuegive an account of all thine euill deedes, & chiefly of the blaſpheming of the innocent. So hee takes vp the blaſpheming from the fountaine, and hee lets him ſee that his heart was voyde of the feare of GOD: for if hee had any ſponke of the feare of GOD, he had not fallen out in rayling againſt the GOD of glorie.
We learne this leſſon, that when the hand of GOD is lying on any man, and preſſing him to the death, then it is time to be humble, and to feare the LORD, and that terrible Iudgement wherein thou muſt ſtand immediatly after this life: and if there appeare no feare of that Iudge in thee, and if thou vttereſt a plaine rebellion, that teſtifies that his hande ſhall neuer leaue thee, vntill it bruiſe thee in powder, and thruſt thee to the loweſt Hells. This is the thing that affliction ſhould worke in vsus, Humiliation and the feare of GOD. Learne the leſſon at the thiefe. Proud ſoule, and proud creature, if thou wilt not learne at others: But as this rebuke teſtifies, that this ſhould be: ſo the rayling of the other teſtifies, that it is not ay in men. There are ſome men whome all the torments in the worlde will not moue, ere they be the better, they will bee in Hell, hang them, naile them to the Croſſe, teare them with pincers, they ſhall neuer bee the better. What is the cauſe of this? It is a wonderfull thing, that ſuch trouble & torment ſhould not worke ſome feare of GOD in the creature. But how can any affliction preſſe out of the creature that which was neuer in it. The feare of GOD is not in the hearts of many, and therefore howe can they vtter it: a rotten and withered ſticke was neuer more meete to be burnt, than thou by nature. So we beeing by nature like as many rotten ſtickes, albeit wee were preſſed with mountaines, we ſhall neuer yeeld a ſweete ſappe, or any repentance: No, before we yeelde any droppe of repentance, we ſhall be bruiſed in powder: fye on nature: if thou wereſt a Prince, thou ſhalt goe to Hell, if thou hauehave no more but nature, if thou getteſt not one d…oppe of grace. Yet yee ſee, that the other thiefe, when hee is preſſed, yeeldes one droppe of ſappe: hee becomes penitent, and is zealous of the glorie of the Lord IESVS. Theſe are good effects: The Croſſe that wrought euill in the other thiefe, workes good in this thiefe: But who made the difference? Who diſcerneth thee, ſaith Paul: Not nature: They were alike in nature, alike in miſdeedes, alike in a wicked life, the one had liued as wickedly as the other, alike in torment: It was IESVS that made the ſeparation, it was a happie time for the one thiefe, that euer he was crucified beſide the LORD of glorie. The Lord IESVS made the difference: out of that fulneſſe Hee powres out one droppe of His grace: He giues none to the other.
Learne this, that all troubles and afflictions, croſſes, and all the torments in the worlde, ſhall neuer make thee better: All the torments in the world, ſhall not worke one droppe of ſpirituall moyſture out of thee: the torments may vvell p…eſſe out ſowre and bitter ſappe, as blaſphemie, rayling, and deſpare, but no good ſappe, as Faith, or Repentance: except thou get it of the fulneſſe of IESVS CHRIST: and therefore my counſell is, When thou feeleſt the hand of the Lord on thee, & namely in the houre of death (a dangerous houre) turne thee to Ieſus Chriſt, and ſay, thou mayeſt preſſe mee downe, but long ere I yeelde one droppe of grace, except thou giuegive it me: Lord, therefore giuegive me one drop of grace. Another thing I marke in the rebuke of the other thiefe. Common miſerie ſhould worke a mutual compaſſion: thou ſhould piti… them who are in a like miſerie with thee, and if thou doeſt it not, thou do…ſt as the euill thiefe did: I ſay thou haſt no feare of God: & if thou rayleſt on him who is in miſerie with thee, thine heart is full of the gall of bitterneſſe. By nature we are all alike in miſerie: there is not a thing that becomes a ſinner better, than to hauehave compaſſion on others: an heart without pitie, ſhall neuer be pitied, not neuer ſhall ſee life.
Now, to goe forward, when he hath ſaid, Thou art in like damnation, leſt that ye thiefe rebuked ſhould hauehave thought, yt Chriſt ſhould hauehave deſerued that paine as well as hee (thinke not that they who are alike in miſerie, are alike guiltie: No, no, ye are deceiued) Well, he meetes this, we ſuffer nothing but that which we demerite: I & thou are iuſtly in this common condemnation, but this man hath done nothing amiſſe. This rayling and paine, this man demerites not: yet if ye will weigh the wordes narrowly: wee ſhall ſee other two arguments, whereby hee rebukes this blaſphemous companion. The firſt is, from their merites: The ſecond from the innocencie of Chriſt: The firſt, thou meriteſt this torment: and therefore ſhould not thy merite worke a feare of God, and a feare of an heauier judgement: Lord ſaue vsus from the merite of ſinne. When a man is in torment, and chiefly in death, the paine ſhould worke a feare of God: and then conſidering the merite, there ſhould ſtrike a greater feare in the heart, that there ſhould enſue a greater damnation afterward. The conſideration of merite ſhould worke a feare, and the conſcience ſhould not ſo ſoone ſtand vp to accuſe vsus of ſinne, but wee ſhould be ſtriken with a feare of that terrible Iudge: but eueryevery man hath not this ſenſe: the thiefe hath not that ſenſe of the merite of the preſent paine, nor yet of the greater paine that was to inſue. What is the cauſe of this, that eueryevery man feeles not this, The conſcience of the merite of ſinne is not giuen to eueryevery man: We are all ſinners, and merites all our paine, we merite death and Hell. But, alas, where one gets the conſcience of their merite, and feeles that they deſerue death, ten wants it. It is a pitie to ſee, how many dies without ſenſe like dogges, and then if it fall ſo, that one get the conſcience of ſinne in the houre of death, it falles out ofttimes, that they get not the ſenſe of merciemercy. It may bee, that thou get the ſenſe of ſinne, and be ſtricken with a feare, but with a deſperate feare: for with the ſenſe and feeling of ſinne, if there bee not alſo a ſenſe of merciemercy, there is nothing but terrour, and a ſeruile feare. So thou ſhalt die like a vile ſlaue in damnation. So the conſcience of this thiefes merite makes him to feare God: & no doubt, hee hath had a ſweet ſenſe of the mercy of God in Ieſus Chriſt. But who made this difference? It was the Lord: It was a happie thing for this thiefe to be crucified with IESVS CHRIST: for all this ſlowed out of the Croſſe of IESVS CHRIST. Therefore take vp the leſſon. Thinke not that in the houre of death thou ſhalt bee twitched as thou ſhouldeſt, either with the feeling of thy ſinne and miſerie, or yet of merciemercy: except that thou ſweetely turne thee to the Croſſe of CHRIST, and ſay, LORD, I feele neither ſenſe of my merite, and what my ſinnes deſerues, nor of merciemercy: LORD, therefore giuegive mee it, then the ſweetneſſe of that ſenſe ſhall ſwallow vp that paine. No comfort in death but in IESVS CHRIST: except thine eyes be ſet on that Croſſe, Woe is to thee, and woe to thee againe, and better for thee, if thou hadſt neuer come in the world. Thou and I, ſayes hee, ſuffer iuſtly. This confeſſion witneſſes the inward conuerſion to IESVS CHRIST: for when the heart of a ſinner is turned to IESVS CHRIST, it will taſte a ſuch ſweetneſſe, that the creature will not care by that it bee ſhamed, ſo it can get that LORD in whome it feeles ſuch a ſweetneſſe, glorified: it is a ſure token, that theſe ſhameleſſe ſinners, theſe men who will not ſhame themſelues in the ſight of the worlde, but will ſtand in their pointes of honour, with GOD, theſe miſerable ſoules, theſe bloodie murtherers, theſe adulterers, taſted neuer of that merciemercy in IESVS CHRIST.
If thou wouldeſt hauehave thy ſinnes hid from the eyes of GOD, that terrible Iudge, then open them to the world, that the LORD may be glorified: and if thou hideſt thy ſinnes, the LORD ſhall rippe vp thy breſt in that great daye, and let all the world ſee the moſt hid and ſecret corner of thine heart, to thy ſhame and confuſion.
Nowe come to the thirde argument of reproofe, and it is taken from the innocencie of Ieſus: This is an innocent and iust man, Feareſt thou not GOD, to raile on the innocent: if He were guiltie, as thou and I am, thy railing were more tollerable, but howe canſt thou raile on this juſt man? The leſſon is, Iuſt ones who ſuffer innocently, ſhould not be railed vponupon: the LORD keepe our mouthes from railing on them: if thy conſcience tell thee of their innocency, reuile them not: & a man who ſuffers, may be innocent two manner of wayes: for either hee is innocent in himſelfe, and not guiltie of that for which hee ſuffers, or els if hee bee a malefactour, and guiltie, he may be innocent through Faith and repentance through the blood of Ieſus Chriſt, as this thiefe was innocent in Chriſt. Now if a man be innocent of that crime for which hee ſuffers, raile not on him on paine of thy life: and if thou findeſt him innocent in the blood of Ieſus Chriſt, and findeſt him to hauehave true and vnfained repentance in Him, albeit he bee neuer ſo wicked, let him die, and ſuffer theſe paines hee ſhould ſuffer: for repentance ſhould not exeeme and free him from ciuile puniſhment: but beware thou raile on him: ſurely thy mouth ſhould be ſtopped, to raile out on him. God forbid that an euill word be ſpoken out againſt him as a reprobate, whom the LORD Ieſus countes innocent in His blood: for this railing teſtifies that thou counts that man as a reprobate: and that is too ſore a judgement thou takes to thee. I ſee heere further, the LORD neuer leaues His Sonne without a teſtimonie of His innocencie: Pilate euer on teſtified His innocencie before hee condemned Him, and ſaid, once, twiſe, thriſe, I finde nothing worthie of death in Him: No, Pilate was neuer brought to ſay, that Chriſt was guiltie, ſuppoſe he condemned Him, but euer preached, and proclaimed His innocencie. Then when Hee is comming to ſuffer, the poore women followes and teſtifies: and now the poore penitent thiefe teſtifies the innocencie of Chriſt: and laſtly, the men of warre were compelled to ſay, Of a trueth, this is the Sonne of God. And if ye conſider well, yee ſhall ſee two thinges very contrarie: that of all men that ſuffered, He was both the moſt juſt, and the moſt vnjuſt: He was innocent in Himſelfe, and Hee was guiltie in vsus: and this for our conſolation: for this lets vsus ſeee, how meete a Mediatour He was for vsus: my Sauiour muſt be innocent in Himſelfe, Heb. 7.26. and He muſt bee guiltie in me. Thus farre this thiefe hath vttered that inward repentance, in rebuking the other for his blaſphemie, and ſinne, and in confeſſing his ſinnes before the other thiefe and thoſe that ſtood by: now followes the third effect, he turnes him to the Lord, and in all humilitie ſeeking remiſſion, grace, and life, and ſayes, Lord remember me when thou commeſt to thy Kingdome. Prayer ſhould follow vponupon confeſſion of ſinnes: but marke the word, hee calls Him Lord, albeit he ſaw Him hanging on the tree▪ there like a vile ſlaue, yet he acknowledges Him to be a King, when he aſcribeth a Kingdome to Him, albeit he ſees Him hanging there like a ſlaue, yet he askes life of Him: albeit he ſaw Him in weakneſſe, in torment, and at the point of death. All theſe things are marueilous, and ye ſhall ſee them the more marueilous, if ye will conſider well the perſon of him who prayes, what a man before this time he was, and then what is his eſtate preſent, and laſt, the perſon of Him to whom he directs his Prayer.
This his conuerſion was marueilous: if this man had beene trained vp in the ſchoole of Chriſt any ſpace of time, it had beene leſſe marueilous: but beeing trained vp in a denne of thieues, where hee had loſt all kinde of equitie and naturalitie, where hee had liued like a beaſt, like a lyon, liuing by cutting of throates, theft, and by the bloode of men: this man to be turned from ſuch an foule heart: to get faith, and ſeeke merciemercy ſo ſuddenly in a moment: ſuch ſudden mutation is more than marueilous aad wonderfull.
Then will yee looke to his preſent eſtate: if he had bene free in the body without paine, ſo that he had gotten leaſure and licence to looke thorow that body to His Kingdome, and to that eternall Life: then this doing had beene leſſe marueilous: but beeing nailed quicke on the Croſſe, in ſuch extreame paine, that might hauehave occupied and exerciſed all his ſenſes: and when he is looking and waiting for the hand of the hangman to breake him quicke on the Croſſe, to this man to hauehave driuen his ſenſes, and to hauehave ſet them on a better life, from that hell hee was in, to that heauenly Life, it was more than wonderfull: and I ſay, it was as wonderfull, as if he had leapt out of the loweſt hell, to the higheſt heauen.
Then come to the perſon of him to whome he prayes: if hee had ſeene Ieſus Chriſt ſtanding before him like a glorious King, it had beene leſſe to hauehave beene wondered at, but hee is hanging in that ſhamefull death, and in greater ſhame than he: for they railed not on him, as they did on Chriſt (which, no queſtion, was more grieuous than all torments, as if Hee had beene a reprobate from GOD) So if he had ſeene Him in glorie, it had bene no maruell, but to ſeeke life in a man who was dying ignominiouſly, and who was hanging in a worſe eſtate than Himſelfe, and to hauehave pierced thorow, and ſeene thorow ſuch a cloud of ignominie, ſuch a faire Life and glorie: I ſay, it was more than wonderfull.
Further, if he had ſeene Him before, and bene familiar with Him, heard Him teach, and had ſeene His wonders, as the Apoſtles did, it had not bene much to maruell at: but this beeing the firſt meeting, the firſt acquaintance, and neuer to hauehave ſpoken with Him before, they met in an ignominious Croſſe together, then to ſeeke in ſuch a death, ſuch a life: in ſuch ignominie, ſuch glorie, it is a thing more than marueilous. Came anie of the Iewes then, and prayed vntounto Him? Yea, came anie of the Apoſtles? Came anie of His Diſciples? Came either Peter, or Iohn, or Matthew? No, all were offended with Him. I ſaye of this man, to the glorie of God, that hee ſhamed all that ſtood by, hee ſhamed the Apoſtles, and made them to caſt downe their faces: And I ſaye, hee ſhames all men and women, who will not beleeue when they ſee Him not crucified, as hee ſawe, but glorified nowe in the Heauens, ſitting at the right hande of that Majeſtie: ſhame ſhall light on thee, and this Thiefe ſhall bee ſette vp in glorie, to teſtifie againſt thee, and to condemne thee. 1. COR. 1.27. Paul ſaies, GOD will raiſe vp thinges naughtie, to ſhame thinges high in the worlde, and to humble the pride of the fleſhe. If euer this was practiſed, it is practiſed in this Thiefe. Therefore, in time learne thy leſſon at this Thiefe: for if hee doe thee no good, hee ſhall doe thee euill: and this ſame preaching ſhall doe thee euill, if it doe thee no good. The LORD raiſed him vp vponupon a Gallowes, to bee a Teacher of Faith and Repentance, of Hope, of Patience, of LoueLove, and of all graces: and thinke no ſhame to learne at him: for, if thou thinkeſt ſhame of the Thiefe to bee thy maſter, hee ſhall giuegive out a teſtimonie to aggreadge thy damnation: and hee ſhall ſaye, I went to teach the Infideles on the Croſſe with Thee, and they hearde it, and beleeued not, Lord, let their damnation bee aggreadged. All this that I ſpeake tendes to this, That hee who glories, maye glorie in the Lord: And they who woulde maruell, let them maruell at the Lord. I ſpeake not theſe thinges, that yee ſhoulde wonder at the Thiefe, that ſillie creature: But all this is, That yee ſhoulde wonder at Ieſus Chriſt, who wrought ſuch a wonder at this time, and ſhewed ſuch a power when Hee was weakened: It is a wonder to ſhewe ſuch power in His humiliation, and ſuch mercy on ſuch a vile ſinner, who was not worthie that the earth ſhoulde beare him, let bee to dwell in Heauen. Wonder at Him who is ſo mercifull and gracious to poore ſinners. To Him therefore, bee praiſe for euermore: AMEN.