The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 18
THE XXIII. LECTVRE, OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
MATTH. CHAP. XXVII.
verse 55 And many women were there, beholding him afarre off, who had followed Ieſus from Galile, miniſtring vntounto him.
verse 56 Among whom was Marie Magdalene, and Marie the Mother of Iames, and Ioſes, and the mother of Zebedeus ſonnes.
MARKE, CHAP. XV.
verse 40 There were alſo women, who behelde afarre off, among whome was Marie Magdalene, and Marie the Mother of James the leſſe, and of Ioſes, and Salome,
verse 41 Who alſo when Hee was in Galile, followed Him, and miniſtred vntounto Him, and manie other women, who came vp with Him vntounto Hieruſalem.
LVKE CHAP. XXIII.
verse 49 And all his acquaintance ſtoode afarre off, and the women that followed him from Galile, beholding theſe thinges.
IOHN CHAP. XIX.
verse 31 The Iewes then (becauſe it was the Preparation, that the bodies ſhoulde not remaine vponupon the Croſſe on the Sabbath daye: for that Sabbath was an high day…) beſought Pilate, that their legges might bee broken, and that they might bee taken downe.
WEE hauehave heard theſe dayes paſt (beloued Brethren in Chriſt) what was the part of the whole multitude of the wicked, and perſecuters of IESVS CHRIST, in crucifying Him, in taunting and ſcorning Him: Doubtleſſe, there were in that companie ſome of the godlie, who loued the LORD IESVS: but ſeeing we hauehave heard nothing of them as yet, therefore this daye wee ſhall ſpeake ſomewhat in their behalfe. Nowe, what are they doing in the meane time? They are ſtanding afar off. Some men & many women, who all that time had followed Him before, ſtanding to ſee that ſadde ſpectacle: yet with ſadneſſe they had joye, no queſtion: And this is the firſt part of our TEXT, which wee hauehave read, out of MATTHEVV, MARKE, and LVKE. After this wee enter into the Hiſtorie of Chriſts buriall: But before we come to His buriall, wee hauehave in the XIX. CHAPTER of IOHN, the Hiſtorie of the taking downe of His bodie from the Croſſe: So at this time, by Gods grace, wee ſhall ſpeake of theſe two, to wit, Of the part of the godlie, who loued Him, and next, Of the taking downe of that bleſſed bodie from the Croſſe, after it was dead. Then, to come ſhortly to the purpoſe: It is ſaide, And all his acquaintance ſtood afarre off. There is the generall: Then comes on the particular, Manie women: particular mention is made of them: Manie women are ſtanding afarre off, looking on. Wee heard of before in the XIX. of IOHN, verſ. 23. of three women chiefely, Marie the Mother of Ieſus, and other two Maries, together with His well-beloued Diſciple IOHN: and they were ſtanding at that time when Hee hung quicke vponupon the Croſſe, ſo neare hand Him, that He ſpeakes to them from the Croſſe, and they hearde Him. So Brethren, this ſtanding afarre off at this time, as I take it, hath beene after the Lord had giuen vp the ghoſt, when the women are returning home againe, being loath to part companie with Him: and as they were going home, they turned about, & looked to Ieſus hinging on the Croſſe, on Moūt Caluarie: They ſtand firſt near, & thē turning home again, they ſtand afar off. No queſtiō, it was ye louelove they bare to the Lord, that drue thē after him, whē he went to be crucified, & yt ſame louelove yt they bare to him was ſo tender & entire, yt it made them to ſtand & look on him when he hung on the Croſſe: and yt louelove they bare to ye Lord Ieſus made thē to ſeuer frō the reſt of the multitude, and to gather themſelues together, and looke backe to Him where Hee was hanging. For this is a ſure thing, Thoſe that meete together in one faith and louelove in the Lord Ieſus, of meere force they muſt meet together among themſelues, and be linked together by the band of louelove in one bodie. By the contrary, thoſe who meet not together in one faith in Ieſus Chriſt, their hearts will neuer be joyned in this world, they will neuer meet to make one body, they will neuer ſeparate themſelues from the multitude of this world: No, if it were all my kinred, father, and mother, brother, and ſiſter, if they louelove not the Lord Ieſus, mine heart and his ſhall neuer bee linked together in this worlde, nor in the worlde to come: Hee that loueth not the Lord Ieſus, (as Paul ſaies, 1. Corin. Chap. 16.) let him be Anathema maran-atha▪ that is, curſed for euermore. But hee who loues the Lord Ieſus, and meetes with mee in Him, let him bee what hee will, let him bee in the vtmoſte corner of the worlde, mine heart and his is linked together, and there is a conjunction which neuer ſhall bee ſeparated, neither in the Heauen, nor in the Earth: it ſhall laſt for euer.
Brethren, when I conſider this multitude heere ſtanding, looking vponupon Him when Hee hung vponupon the Croſſe, I thinke I ſee an image of the whole worlde: for it is a worlde of people, who are ſtanding about Him: there are Gentiles, there are Jewes, and the falſe adulterous kirke, there are Prieſtes, Phariſes, Elders, blinde guides of the people, & a prophane multitude, enemies of all ſorts: And as there are manie enemies to Chriſt, So there is a ſillie handfull of godlie men and women, gathered together, looking vponupon that ſadde ſpectacle; who reſembled the true Kirke militant heere vponupon the face of the earth: And as in all this multitude, like drawes to like, The vvicked and the vngodlie ranke themſelues together, The Prieſts ranke themſelues together. The ſouldiours ranke themſelues together; and alſo the godly ranke themſelues together, and looke vponupon that ſadde ſpectacle, their Lord crucified. Well, this is common to all: all are ſtanding looking to CHRIST, hanging on the Croſſe vponupon the toppe of the Mount Caluarie, Jewe, and Gentile, wicked, and godlie, all are looking: But in looking there is a great difference: There are ſome delighting their eyes vvith the ſpectacle, there are ſome feeding the malice of their heartes, and drinking the blood of IESVS CHRIST, the Prieſtes, the Phariſes, and the Elders: But the godlie are looking on vvith ſadneſſe of their heartes: And I doubt not, but as with ſadneſſe, ſo alſo they are looking on Him vvith joy, by faith in His glorious reſurrection. There are manie this ſame houre who hauehave their eyes fixed on Chriſt, both Turkes and Paganes, and the true Kirke, and the falſe Kirke: but one cauſe mooues not all. Take heede, therefore, howe thou lookeſt, either to His Croſſe, or to His glorie: looke that thy ſoule bee ſet on Him, and ſee that by looking vntounto Him, thou preaſſe to bee partaker of the fruite of His death and reſurrection: for if thou lookeſt to Him for the faſhion, or in malice, as the Turkes doe, and the Pagans, and the Papiſtes, enemies to His Croſſe, thou ſhalt periſh: & better had it bene to thee neuer to hauehave heard of Ieſus, or neuer to hauehave ſeene Him. Further, this would be well conſidered: We ſee if we hauehave a friend, whō we louelove well, if he betaken out to a ſhamefull death (there was neuer ſuch a ſhamefull death as this) we will thinke ſhame of him, and he will thinke ſhame that his friendes ſhoulde ſee him in that eſtate. Who would thinke but that the acquaintances of Ieſus ſhould hauehave thought ſhame of Him, to hauehave conuoyed their friend to ſuch an ignominious death, and to hauehave ſeene Him ſo ſhamefully demained. So that, Brethren, when I cōſider this matter well, I perceiue that thoſe His familiars and acquaintance hauehave ſeene further into Chriſt, than men & women doe commonly. No doubt but the friends of Chriſt, who came to ſee Him hanging in ignominie, ſawe life in that death: they ſawe glory in His ignominie; otherwiſe they had neuer come to ſee Him hanging in ignominie: And no doubt they felt a ſweete perfume flowing from that Sacrifice: It was the ſweeteſt ſmelling Sacrifice that euer was offered. All the perfume and incenſe that euer was offered, paſſed not vp with ſuch a ſweete ſmell in the noſethrilles of the Father, as that one bleſſed ſacrifice did: And as it ſmelled ſweetly in the noſethrilles of the Father: ſo did it caſt a ſweeter ſmell in the noſe of the godlie, than euer they founde: and they thought it had ſuch a fragrant odour, and ſuch a ſweet ſmell vntounto them, that they thought, ere they had beene ſeparated from Him in His death, they had rather choſen to hauehave dyed a thouſande deathes: for as the Lord ſaies, Whereſoeuer the carion is, there must the Eagles reſort. Well is the man who in his death findes the ſweete ſmell of ye death of Ieſus Chriſt. I hauehave no more to ſay of this matter, but if this acquaintance of Ieſus for the time tooke ſuch a pleaſure in His death, (beeing ſhamefull,) that they could not bee ſeparated from Him, it is a ſhame to vsus to draw ſo far backe from Him, not now hanging in ignominie on the croſſe, but moſt glorious in the Heauens. Fye on this dull headed and dead world, that hath no ſenſe of that glorie, and is not allured by that vnſpeakable glorie, rather to ſuffer a thou and deathes, albeit it were the ſword, the fire, and all torments, than to be ſeparated from this Ieſus Chriſt: But the womens part is more particularly to bee conſidered: Let all women take heede: it is ſaide, Many women were there, Moe of them, hauehave followed the Lord to the croſſe, than men, that I may ſpeake to the glorie of GOD, and ſhame of men. As for men, I finde nothing but this generall. In Luke a companie of men and women, but in Matthew and Marke, I finde of women eſpecially: they are looking on Him with ſadneſſe mixed with joy: And from whence came they? It is ſaid, that They came out of Galile, following on Him: they neuer left Him, they wearied not to follow ſuch a guide, they miniſtred to Him on their owne charge: As they were fedde with that bread of life, that came out of His mouth, ſo they ſpared not, freely and liberally to communicate all that they had to Him: And happie is the man, who ſo findes the effect of the word of life in his heart, that hee would beſtowe againe, all that he hath for the louelove of that word. Brethren, yee know, what is in hand preſently: many words neede not: ſeeing this diuiſion of the towne in competent Congregations intended, is to feede your ſoules with the word of life: ſpare not for goods to get that word of life.
Nowe, I ſee beſide the multitude, mention made of three women, Marie Magdalene, then, Marie the mother of Iames the leſſe, and of Ioſes, and Salome, the mother of the two ſonnes of Zebedeus: No queſtion, theſe women mentioned here hauehave borne a tender affection to the Lord: forgets the Lord that louelove they bare to Him in all times before, in following Him from Galile to Ieruſalem, and from Ieruſalem vntounto the ignominious death of the croſſe and there ſtaying with the Lord, and not leauing Him, but miniſtring to Him: forgets the Lord this? No, but He remembers vponupon it: thou ſhalt neuer doe a good deede to IESVS CHRIST, but Hee ſhall meete thee: they louelove Him, and Hee honours them: they neuer left Him: they ſhamed the men yea, His diſciples: yea, euen the very Apoſtles: for we read not of any of all His Apoſtles, that any of them was there preſent, except Iohn: Peter had taken him to a backe ſide, for all his ſtoutneſſe before: the reſt were offended in Him: Theſe women did cleaue to Him through the band of louelove: forgets the Lord this? No: as they louelove Him beyond His Apoſtles: ſo the Lord honoures them aboue the Apoſtles. It is no ſmall thing to get the honour to be an eye witnes of the death and reſurrection of IESVS CHRIST: it is greater honour than all the honour in the world. No doubt, the LORD made theſe women in their turning backe preachers to the Apoſtles themſelues: they tolde Peter, Iames and Matthew what they had ſeene: there is none end of honour, when the Lord begins to honour: as He honours them to be witneſſes of His death, and preachers of it to others: ſo Hee will hauehave the names of ſome of them to bee regiſtrate to the poſteritie. And it is the will of IESVS CHRIST, that this day I promulgate the names of theſe women in your audience, to their honour, after ſo many hundreth yeeres, and their names ſhall be regiſtrate perpetually to their euerlaſting honour, whilſt IESVS CHRIST come againe: yea, their names ſhall bee written in the Heauens euerlaſtingly. Neuer one repents the gratitude done to IESVS CHRIST: thou ſhalt get two good deedes for one. Againe, the LORD will let vsus ſee in the example of theſe women that oft times in women there will be a more tender louelove to the Lord IESVS, than in men, who are the ſtronger ſexe: ye will ſee the weaker and ſimpler that the ſexe bee, and the leſſe worldly wit that it hauehave, the more ſpiritually it is diſpoſed, the more affectionate it is to heauenly thinges, the greater heauenly wiſdome it hath. If any man, ſayes PAVL, ſeeme to bee wiſe in this world, let him bee a foole, that hee may bee wiſe, that is tru…ly wiſe, wiſe in GOD, 1. Cor. 3.18. And as their louelove is great, ſo the Lord will honour them to the ſhame of men, and whereas men ſhould preach CHRIST, Hee will make women to preach IESVS CHRIST to men, to the ſhame of men, and His owne glorie. All tends to this, that as men and women doe deſire to bee honoured of God, ſo all men and women ſhould ſtriue continually to louelove and glorifie GOD. GOD loues none, nor honoures none, but only thoſe who louelove and honour the Lord Ieſus Chriſt: if thou loueſt not the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, thou ſhalt get no louelove nor honour of God: yet further, this is not to be paſſed by, the world vvonders novv, that Hee had ſuch an eye to theſe three vvomen: There were many hundreth men, but how many of their names were regiſtrate to their honour? Hee had ſuch a reſpect to them, that He eſpied them out beſide the reſt of thouſands that were there, and by His Holy Spirit cauſed regiſtrate them. This regiſtrating of them came not raſhly, but from an ordinance of God, and His eſpeciall Prouidence. There is not a publike conuention, albeit it were a man hanged, where multitudes of men and women run together to heare & ſee, but the all-ſeeing eye of the Lord is vponupon eueryevery perſon in particular, man, woman, ladde, or laſſe. Neuer an head there, great or ſmall, poore or rich, noble, or ignoble, but the eye of the Lord is on them: yea, it goes downe to the inward affections, to rippe and ſearch them, to ſee of what diſpoſition eueryevery ſoule is. As for example, we are all met together here, ſundry men and women, ſome greater, ſome ſmaller, ſome younger, ſome older: yet there is not one of vsus, on whome the Lord hath not His eye. We are met, to ſee Ieſus Chriſt crucified on mount Caluarie, there is not one of our hearts, but the eye of the Lord ſees it, and Hee ſees wherefore, and for what end thou art come to that meeting, whether it be to feede thine eares, and to take delectation in hearing of new things, or to take paſtime to ſee, and be ſeene, or to eſchew the ſhame of the world, or whether thou commeſt to reape profite, and to be edified of that thou heareſt, and to get life of that Croſſe and death of Chriſt: for therein ſtands thy life, and this ſhould be the end of thy meeting with Gods children. Th…n ſeeing the eye of the Lord is ſet on eueryevery ſoule: therefore it becomes eueryevery one of vsus, to ſtriue to approue our heartes to the Lord: ſo that eueryevery one of vsus may ſaye to the Lord, for this ende am I come, O Lord, to be partaker of the fruit of the death of Ieſus Chriſt. Woe to them who come for another cauſe, or ſiniſtrous reſpect, and come not to be edified: for the Goſpell ſhall neuer be a worde of life to them, but a ſauour of death vntounto death. If it worke not life in thee, and if the Spirit worke not life by the preaching of the Croſſe, it ſhall be the power of death to thy ſoule.
Brethren, we hauehave heare the firſt part: Now we hauehave to ſpeake of the ſecond part: The taking of His bodie downe from the Croſſe before His buriall. The taking downe of the body of the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, the Lord of lords▪ comes of a r…queſt made to Pilate, and made not by His friends, but by His enemies. I ſee this, this miſerable people of the Iewes were ſpoyled of all power, as they had no power to hang any: ſo they had no power to take any downe from the Croſſe, or from the gallowes, without the leaue of the Magiſtrate: they were ſpoyled of all power by the judgement of God, & therefore, they behooued to hauehave recourſe to Pilate: they were ſlaues, yet they would not acknowledge the true King of glorie, who might hauehave made them free. I ſee heere a commendable thing in the Romane policie, As it was not lawfull to hang any without the command and licence of the Magiſtrate, ſo they who were hanged, might not be taken without the licence of the Iudge. There ſould nothing be done to a guiltie perſon, but by the authoritie of the Iudge. God in His judiciall Law, gaue not only Lawes concerning the lifting of men vponupon the croſſe, but alſo of ye taking down of them frō the croſſe. It is wel to be marked, who it is that giues the aduiſe, that the Lord with the other two ſhould bee taken downe from the croſſe, to put an ende both to their paine, and their ignominie. It is not one of His diſciples, it is not Peter, nor Iohn, nor Matthew, they are not ſo bold, they durſt not preſume it: No, it was His enemies that crucified Him, that interponed their requeſt for Him? Was this a benefite they did to Him? Certainely this was a benefite they did to Him, to take Him downe from the croſſe: yet they doe it, not to benefite Him, for any pitie they had on Him: for they thought, that Hee was liuing but the Lord had giuen vp the Ghoſt. When thy friendes will not make a ſuite for thee, the Lord will raiſe vp thine enemies to doe thee good: He cannot only make thy friend doe thee good, but thy foe alſo. If thou bee the Lordes, He can make them who would wiſh thee woe, to doe thee good: if thou be the Lords, the fire, the water, and the ſworde, which otherwiſe would deuoure thee, ſhall benefite thee: the Lord, againſt all mens expectation, ſhall doe thee good, if thou bee the Lords▪ thou ſhalt not want reliefe. Now, what was the ſumme of their requeſt? They beſought Pilate, that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken downe. That is, that they might bee put out of paine, and that they might make an end of them: for they thought they were quicke. Now, whether this requeſt was vponupon a cuſtome vſed amongſt them, or not, the Text declares not: but it ſeemes, except the feaſt of the Paſſeouer had interueened that ſame time, that they would not hauehave bene carefull of them▪ but would hauehave ſuffered them to hang whilſt they had yeelded vp ye Ghoſt. The other two were quicke in paine, when the Lord yeelded vp the ſpirit. I note this: When thy enemies doe thee a good turne, they doe it neuer of louelove. Theſe might hauehave diſpatched the Lorde, and the two Thieues, with leſſe paine, than to hauehave broken their thies: They had taken their liues ſooner from them, if they had beaten out their braines. So when thy enemie benefites thee, and does thee anie good turne, bee ſure he does it not of purpoſe, to doe thee good: as we cōmonly ſpeake, If he giuegive thee a bit, he will giuegive thee a buffet with it: Soure and bitter is the benefite of the enemie. Indeede it is true, that the Lord, who makes all thinges to worke for the beſt, to them that loues Him, will diſpoſe their doings otherwiſe, and make them to worke thy good: And therefore, hauehave thine eye ſet vponupon the Lord, and He ſhall make the malice and bitterneſſe of thine enemie to turne to thy comfort. There is another thing to bee marked: The Lord had ordained, that there ſhould not bee one bone broken of CHRIST, and ſo it was fore-tolde. Nowe will yee ſee the force of the word and prouidence of God: The force of the worde and prouidence of God appeares the more clearelie by this oppoſition which is made to His ordinance: The Iewes requeſted to hauehave His bones broken, and Pilate gaue commandement to breake them: But is there any bone broken, notwithſtanding their ſute, and Pilates commandement? No, not one. This lets vsus ſee, That if God hauehave ordained & ſaid any thing, it lies not in the hands of any man to diſanull it: If God ſhall ſay, There ſhall not be one bone of my anointed broken; great Caeſar, and al the Kings of the earth, the king of Spaine, and the Pope, and all their adherents, ſhall not be able to doe the contrary. So in the middeſt of all feare and danger, let vsus depende vponupon the prouidence of God, and ſaye, Lord, if thou haſt ſaide otherwiſe, than theſe mens intentions are, I will not bee affraide for them, I know they are not able to do any thing without thy prouidence▪ and ſo, Lord, I leane onelyonly on thy prouidence, and am content with thy will. So in theſe miſerable dayes, we are to leane to God, and to depende on His prouidence, and wee ſhall ſee the vaine enterpriſes of men vaniſh away like ſmoake, and we ſhall ſee the wicked to bee made ſpectacles to all the worlde. Let vsus ſee what moued the IEVVES to make this requeſt: Was it pittie that mooued them? No: They had no pittie of Him. Was it obedience to the commandement of God, who commāded, that an hanged man ſhould be cut down yt ſame day, becauſe he was accurſed? Deu. 21.22.23. No, it was a vaine ſuperſtition that moued them, they were to celebrate the Paſſ…ouer, and this was the day of their preparation, they were preparing them by crucifying the innocent, the Lorde of glorie. Was this an holy preparation? This was the Fryday, and the morne was the Pa…che. Iohn ſayes, that was, an high day, or a great Sabbath, becauſe they kept two holy dayes together, both their owne ordinarie Sabbath, and the extraordinarie Paſſeouer, and this they did contrarie to the ordinance of GOD: for they ſhould hauehave celebrated the Paſſeouer on Thurſeday, as the LORD did: for He celebrated it that night that He was betrayed by Iudas, and led away captiue by the Iewes. So they did caſt in the two Holy dayes together, according to their cuſtome: for when ye Paſſeouer fell to bee on Thurſeday, they vſed to delay it vntill the Satterday which was their Sabbath day, leſt yt if theſe feaſts which are ſo neare other, had bene both kept, the people ſhould hauehave wearied, and if Chriſt & the other had not bene taken downe, tha… yt Holy exerciſe wold hauehave bin defiled. So they thought, if they had bin taken down from the croſſe, and put away, they had bene holy eneugh. And vponupon that ſame pretence, when they were to accuſe Chriſt, they would not enter in the common Hall, leſt they ſhould hauehave beene polluted. They were Hypocrites, they polluted the world, and defiled the earth that they tread on. A polluted body who hath no ſanctification in Chriſt, there is nothing that he touches, meat, or drinke: yea, the earth he walkes on, but he defiles all: yet theſe foule Hypocrites thought, that if Ieſus who ſanctifies the Sabbath, and ſanctifies the heart, had beene taken away they had beene holie eneugh. An Hypocrite is a foule body, & defiles all that he handles. All his religion is outward ſtanding in bodily exerciſes: and when he hath polluted all, yea, the very earth he treades on: he will ſay, Handle not, touch not, taſte not, that will pollute thee, Coloſſ. 2.21. There is his religion: When the foule body defiles the aire, the earth, the Heauen, hee bids thee touch it not, leſt it defile thee, when he defiles all that he touches.
Nowe they get the requeſt granted them, and gets a commandement of Pilate, and ſo The men of warre came forward, and brake the legges of the one firſt▪ and then they came to the other, and brake his alſo: They brake both their legges with great paine and torment.
Now, will ye ſee theſe 2 thieues, they are like in their death, both are crucified, & in end both their thighes are brokē: yet for al this, the one of them is a veſſell of glorie, and he had a promiſe of glorie, and an aſſurance of it in his heart: the other had none. So, Brethren, take heede: though the death of the wicked, and the godlie bee alike: yet they are not alike in condition: Iudge not of mens eſtate by the outwarde miſerie: meaſure not Heauen and Hell by the outwarde death: The Elect and the wicked will be oft times alike in death, and oft times the Elect will die in the greateſt torments. Who ſuffered more painefull deathes, than the Martyres did: Beware that thou ſay, as the Papiſtes, who are enemies to Chriſt, ſay: They teach, albeit that in Ieſus Chriſt thy ſinne be forgiuen: yet the paine is not forgiuen: and they ſay, that the paine that the godly ſuffer in death, is a ſatisfaction for ſinne: They ſay that the paine of the penitent thiefe was the puniſhment of his ſinne: but they lie, and the Lord ſhall juſtifie it. The Elect ſuffer no paine for ſinne: torment them as they will, burne them, ſcalde them, all is but a mercifull chaſtiſement, and death to them is a faire port to Heauen: He makes darkneſſe to be light to His owne.
Well, this for the execution of the two thieues: They come to the Lord, to ſee whether He was dead or not: they are not raſh: they finde Him dead: they finde no ſponke of life in Him: therefore they offer not to breake His thighes: See how the word and prouidence of God takes effect. The Lord had ſaid, One bone of Him ſhould not be broken: and therefore to preueene the breaking, the Lord miraculouſly tooke the Spirit from His Sonne: His death was miraculous, as ye heard before: by the ſtrength of nature He might hauehave liued longer, as that great and mightie voyce which he vttered laſt, teſtifies: and ſo His ſudden death was a meane to performe the Lordes ordinance: Hee would vſe this, as the ordinarie meane to execute the eternall decree of the Father. It is a follie to thee, to ſay, thou wilt depend on the prouidence of God, and in the meane time to leaue off meanes: for by ſo doing thou tempteſt God, who as He hath ordained the ende, ſo He hath alſo ordained the meanes to the end. As for example, If thou wouldeſt goe to Heauen, thou muſt vſe the meanes, the hearing of the word, &c. Yet many will contemne the meanes, and yet bragge they are aſſured to come to Heauen, they will contemne the preaching which is the inſtrument that God vſes. But I ſay to thee, thou deceiueſt thy ſelfe: for I denounce, if thou wereſt an Emperour, thou ſhalt neuer ſee Heauen, nor life, who contemneſt that meane and inſtrument which the Lord hath ordained to bee vſed, to bring thee to Heauen, which is the preaching of His trueth. Now, Brethren, ye ſee here the teſtimonie of the death of Chriſt, giuen by the bu…rioes, they preach His death, as though they had ſaid, Marke, all people: This Ieſus whom we hauehave crucified is dead: and therefore in token that this is true, wee will not breake His bones: after that comes another burrio, a man of warre, and giues the laſt witneſſe, Hee ſmites Him with a ſpeare: ſo that out of the wound guſhed out blood and water: As though the knaue had ſaid, I ſhall let you ſee, that Hee is dead, & that there is no life in Him, and ſo hee ſmites Him to the heart, with a ſpeare: The Lord would hauehave the death of the Lord teſtified ſundrie wayes for thy comfort: for the moſt ſhamefull thing that euer was, is death, except it be ſanctified: it is the greateſt miſerie that can come to man: if thou getteſt no remedie againſt it, for that death of the body is a port to that death euerlaſting. It is no childrens play to hauehave the ſoule diſlodged: No, it was an ignominie to the Lord of glorie, to be holden vnderunder the bands of death, and to be tread vnderunder the feete of death: yet the Father will hauehave His death teſtified ſundrie wayes: Firſt, Hee will hauehave it teſtified with a cry, when He cried with a loude voyce, Father, into thine hands I commend my Spirit: Next, Hee will hauehave the burrioes to teſtifie His death, and then He will hauehave a ſpeare thruſt to His heart, to teſtifie His death, beſides the teſtimonie that all the creatures gaue of His death. Is this for nothing? No, for ſuppoſe the Lord Ieſus had bene crucified, taunted and ſcorned, and ſuffered all the ignominie that euer could hauehave bene, and yet had bene taken downe quicke, and the nailes looſed, & gotten His wounds healed, thou hadſt not beene ſ…u…d, thy ſaluation had not beene wrought: Our ſinnes had neuer bene forgiuen vsus, for without ſhedding of blood, and death, there had bene no remiſſion of ſinnes, except I know, beſide all the paine the Lord ſuffered that He ſuffered the death alſo, I would neuer beleeue to get life▪ & to be ſaued. Now to end in a word, Looke to the witneſſes: the burrioes, they were euill witneſſes for themſelues but good witneſſes for vsus▪ for their witneſſing teſtifies to our w…ll, that the Lord was dead: and ſo theſe burrioes hauehave done a notable good worke to vsus, but not to themſelues, becauſe they were His enemies. It is as t…ue this day, as it was that day: there is, and ſhall be witneſſes, preaching the death of CHRIST, crying, That CHRIST died for the redemption of the vvorlde, and teaching ſaluation by CHRIST to others, and others ſhall gette good by them, yet they ſhall gette no good themſelues. Why? Becauſe they are enemies to the Croſſe of CHRIST. An enemie to His death, can preach His death vvell enough. All Preachers of the death of IESVS CHRIST ought to take heede to this: That vvhen they preach to others (as the Apoſtle ſaieth) they be not reprobate themſelues. Woe to the man who preaches ſaluation to others, if in the meane time hee bee a reprobate himſelfe. I muſt bee as carefull for mine owne ſaluation, as for the ſaluation of others: And therefore, if thou ſpeakeſt of the death of CHRIST to thy Neighbour, ſtriue to bee aſſured, that thou thy ſelfe art partaker of that ſaluation, through IESVS: To vvhome, vvith the Father, and the Holie Spirite, bee all Honour, Praiſe, and Glorie, for euermore, Amen.