The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 5
THE FIFT LECTVRE, OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
IHON CHAP. XVIII.
verse 28 Then led they IESVS from Caiaphas, into the common Hall. Now it was morning, and they themſelues went not into the common Hall, leſt they ſhould bee defiled, but that they might eate the Paſſeouer verse 29 Pilate then went out vntounto them, and ſaid, What accuſation bring you againſt this man? verse 30 They anſwered, and ſaid vntounto him. If he were not an euill doer, we would not hauehave deliuered him vntounto thee. verse 31 Then ſaide Pilate vntounto them, Take yee him, and judge him after your owne Lawe. Then the Iewes ſaide vntounto him, It is not lawfull for vsus to put anie man to death. verse 32 It was that the word of IESVS might be fulfilled which he ſpake, ſignifying what death he ſhould die.
IN the eighteenth and nineteenth Chapters of this Goſpell (Brethren) is contained the Hiſtory of the Paſſion of the Lord Ieſus Chriſt; and it is diuided in theſe parts: The firſt is the ſuffering of the Lord in the Garden: The next, is the ſuffering of the Lord vnderunder the High Prieſt Caiaphas, the Eccleſi…ſticall Iudge: The third, is the ſuffering of the Lord vnderunder Pontius Pilate, the Ciuill and Romane Magiſtrate: The fourth, is the ſuffering of the Lord in the place of Execution: The laſt, in the ſepulchre. Wee hauehave ſpoken of ye firſt part of His ſuffering in the Garden▪ beſides the inward cōflict He had with ye wrath of His Father for ye ſins of ye elect which Hee did beare vponupon Him. The▪ Lord is taken like a thiefe or vagabond, and bound, & led to Hieruſalem. We heard alſo the ſuffering of the Lord in ye Hall of the High Prieſt, whoſe name was Caiaphas. When the High Prieſts & Elders are ſet down in coūcell. He is brought in before them: and being brought, they hauehave not a word to ſay againſt Him, howbeit they bound Him, & brought Him to judgemēt. This was an vnformall dealing: therfore the hie prieſt demands of Him His doctrine, & of His diſciples, to catch a word out of His mouth, wherupō he might make his accuſatiō: whē they preuaile not this way, the reſt of the Euāgeliſts note, that they begin to ſuborne falſe witnes: but they get no vantage that way neither: for they cānot agree together. Thē the hie prieſt begins in wrath to adjure Him, to tell him, whether he be that Chriſt or no? The Lord denies it not, but ſaies, Thou haſt ſaid it: He giues him a faire teſtimony of this: after this Hee ſaies, Yee ſhall ſee the ſonne of man ſitting at the right hād of the power of God, & come in the clouds of heauē. Then the high prieſt rent his clothes, as though He had blaſphemed, & ſaid What hauehave we more need of witnes? behold, now ye heard His blaſphemy, what think ye? Then he, & the reſt of the councell, cōcluded, yt the Lord was worthy of death, & ſo the coūcel departed. In the meane time the Lord is kept ſtill in the Hall of the hie prieſt, & the officers are al about Him, working all kind of injury againſt Him: ye rebukes yt ſhuld hauehave befallē to vsus, are laide on Him, as the prophet ſaid of Him, Pſal. 69.10. Some ſpitted on Him, ſome put a vaile on His face▪ & ſmote Him, ſaying in ſcorn, Propheſie Chriſt, who it is that ſtriketh thee: nothing in the Lord but patiēce, He ſpake nothing He made no more reſiſtāce than a ſilly lābe before the ſhearer: whē it is begun to become light in the morning, the Prieſts & Elders begin to ſit down in councell: & the hie prieſt aſked of Him the ſame again, whether he was that Chriſt or no? He anſwereth, If I ſhould tell you, ye will not belieue mee (what auailes it to ſpeak to an indured heart?) & He teſtifies again, Thou haſt ſaid it: & he giues an argumēt of this, hereafter ſhall the ſon of man ſit at the right hād of the power of God: Then the hie prieſt and the Elders, the ſecond time, concludes Him to be worthie of death, & adjudges Him to die: thē the councell ariſes: & the firſt thing they doe, they lead Him to Pontius Pilate the Romane deputie to the judgemēt Hall, to him to execute yt ſentence they had giuen out. In this Text wee enter into the thirde part of the ſuffering of Chriſt vnderunder Pōtius Pilate, the Romane gouernour. Firſt, in the Text wee hauehave read howe the Lord is led into the Common Hall of Pilate: then vve hauehave what conferēce was betwixt Pilate & the Iewes, cōcerning Chriſt. Then it is ſaid, They led him into the common Hall: which is, as vve call it, the Seſſion-houſe, where the Romane Gouernour ſate for the time, and miniſtrated judgement. Now Brethren, it would be well marked, when it is that they ledde Him to Pilate: it appeares plainly in the writings of the Euāgeliſts: namely, Mat. 26.59. Mark. 14.55. & Luk. 22.63. that they led Him in after they adjudged Him to bee worthie of death. They led Him not in thinking that Pilate ſhould ſit downe & trie whether He was worthie of death or no: but that Pilate vponupon their word ſhould giuegive out the ſentence of condemnation againſt Him. Marke & cōſider how they abuſed ye judge a man better thā thēſelues, they make him but a torturer, & the beſt is, a damner to giuegive out the ſentēce. Ye may ſee here a liuely image of him who wil be called the hie prieſt in ye Kirke this day: I meane that beaſt of Rome, the Romane antichriſt. Indeed, this day, there is no hie prieſt, but Ieſus Chriſt onelyonly, who did put an end to that office amōg the Iewes: there is no hie prieſt, or ſmall prieſt, great or ſmall in the world, all is but vſurped authority, He is that only hie prieſt according to the order of Melchiſedeck, who endureth for euer. But he who falſely takes vponupon him that ſtile, followes the fact & example of Caiaphas, firſt condemning Chriſt, and then giuing Him ouer to Pilate to execute the ſentence: for he will ſit downe in his councell, & adjudge the innocent to death▪ as Caiaphas did Chriſt, & then he will vſe the power & arme of the Emperour: for what is the Emp. & ſo many kings, who hauehave giuen thēſelues ouer to his ſlauery, but like as many hangmen to the Pope? What is the king of Spaine, but a Burrio to the Pope? he dare not but execute the decree of the inquiſition: was he not compelled to pleaſure the Pope & his crue in putting his own ſonne to death? Ye ſaw neuer two things liker to other, than the Pope & Caiaphas. The time is noted when the Lord Ieſus is led to the Common Hall: firſt it is in the morning, after the riſing of the Sunne, and after the councell of the hie prieſt, and of the Elders was looſed. The manner of the deliuery is noted: whē they come to the place of judgmēt, the Iewes will not enter in, becauſe they wil not defile thēſelues, if it were with the touching of a profane ethnik, or the walles of an houſe. O hypocrites! The cauſe is ſet downe, They were in a preparatiō to eat the paſſeouer yt ſame night: now wil ye ſee theſe holy folk, they wil not be polluted with the touching of Pilate: they had polluted thēſelues miſerably with touching of Ieſus that innocent, & polluted both hād & heart, in taking him, & leading him to the judge, accuſing him, & abuſing him: yet whē they hauehave done al this, they will not be defiled with Pilate: they are profane in the greateſt thing in the world, to ſlay the Lord Ieſus: they are religious in a light ceremonie of their owne inuention. Looke the nature of Hypocrites, Paul Epheſ. 5.12: It is aſhame euen to ſpeake of thoſe things which an Hypocrite will doe in ſecret: and if ye will come to ceremonies and outward obſeruations, no man is ſo preciſe, and will ſeeme ſo holy as they, the faithfulleſt creature will not be ſo holy in bodily exerciſe as they: yea, I ſay vntounto you, if there be no more, but this bodily exerciſe, & keeping of ceremonies, the Lord countes all but abominations, as ye may ſee in Eſay Chap. 1. Preaching and hearing, ſpeaking, conferring, the Lord countes no more of them, than if He had neuer ordained them, if there be no more but this outward action, and as before, euen ſo nowe I ſay, we hauehave a viue image of the deceiuers of the world. The Popes religion is nothing but a deceiuing of the world, by keeping of vaine and vnprofitable ceremonies inuented by him: will yee come to trifles, of their owne inuentions, they appeare to be very religious, and exceeding holy, touch not, handle not, taſte not, but their Cloyſter Monkes are ſo defiled, that they defile the world: offer him golde, or ſiluer, hee will not touch it, and if a woman come into their Cloyſter, all muſt be purified with fire, after that ſhe is come out, though ſhe were a Queene: there is the lounes religion. I pronounce that in Popedome there is but a ſhew of godlineſſe, & hauehave denied the power thereof: follow the Papiſtes who will, they hauehave nothing almoſt but trifles, & their own inuentions. Well then, come to the conference betweene the Iewes & Pilate, Pilate yeelding to their vanitie, & ſuperſtition, not ſo much to their religion, He cometh out to them, & ſeeing he muſt judge the Lord, He asketh if they had any accuſation againſt Him, becauſe they would not come in. It is not enough to judge a man, except the purſuer hauehave an accuſation, & Pilate would not ſit down to judge, except hee ſaw the accuſation: indeed, the Iewes tooke him, bound Him, and in the high Prieſts hall handled Him vnworthily, before they had any accuſation againſt Him, & they bring Him in judgement, but Pilate an Ethnicke & a ſinner as they called him, wil not proceed that way, he is more formall, he wil not ſit down in judgement, till he heare the accuſation, an Ethnicke who liues without God in the world and without the promiſes, as Paul ſpeakes, he is more juſt & formall in judgement, than all the Iewes who profeſſed the true God. This falls out oftentimes, that a …urke or Pagane who liuing without God in the world) will deale more vprightly in judgement, and eſpecially with Chriſtians who are perſecuted for the Name of Chriſt, than they that take vponupon them the name of the Church. It is better for a Chriſtian to fall into the handes of the Turke, than of the Pope▪ or of the Inquiſition of Spaine, let them aſſay it vvho pleaſe. Well, Brethren, there is no crueltie or vvrong comparable to the crueltie of theſe vvho take vponupon them the name of the Church: Experience hath prooued this. Nowe hee requires a vardict of the Iewes: but vvhat anſwere they? If hee had not beene an euill doer, wee had not deliuered him vntounto thee. They anſwere preſumptuouſly, What needeſt thou to doubt of his deſeruing? or of vsus? Thinkeſt thou, that this man vvould hauehave bene condemned by vsus vvithout a ſufficient cauſe of death? So yee ſee, it is not that hee ſhoulde ſit downe, and trie vvhether Hee vvere innocent or no, that they brought Him to Pilate, but that vponupon their vvordes hee might giuegive out the ſentence: Yet there is ſome accuſation heere, that he is an euill doer. Is that ſufficient, vvhen a man is deliuered to the Iudge, to ſay, This man is an euill man? No, hee muſt qualifie it in particular, wherein he is euill, and hath failed: if they had found anie, they woulde not hauehave paſſed by it: in their owne judgement ſeate they coulde get nothing to ſay againſt Him. Nowe when they came to the judgement of Pilate, and ſtriuing to accuſe Him, they can ſaye nothing, but in generall, This is an euill man. Then this I marke thorow this whole proceſſe, that the Lord will alwayes hauehave theſe two thinges to bee ſeene manifeſtly: Firſt, the innocencie of Chriſt, for (looke the whole proceſſe, yea, when He is ſlaine & dead vponupon the Croſſe) His very enemies themſelues are conſtrained to teſtifie, that He is an innocent man, as the Centurion did: The next is the wrongfull dealing of the Iewes againſt their conſciences.
Now Brethren, as it was in this matter of Ieſus Chriſt, ſo it hath beene ſince in all the Martyrs: The Lord hath made both the innocencie of the Martyrs to appeare clearly, and alſo He hath made the crueltie and tyrannie of their enemies to appeare. Reade the bookes of the Martyrs, and yee ſhall finde theſe two. So Brethren, it is well for them that will ſuffer for a good cauſe, and chiefely, for the cauſe of Ieſus Chriſt: yea, although it were but in this, That the Lord will hauehave their innocencie appearing. What and if all the worlde condemne thee, ſo the Lord Ieſus juſtifie thee? for albeit thou die, yet thine innocencie dieth neuer. And this is our comfort indeede, that albeit this bodie ſhoulde bee burnt▪ yet the daye ſhall come that our innocencie ſhall appeare: for at the glorious comming of the Lord Ieſus, thou, and thine innocencie ſhall ſtand vp to ſhame the Tyrants of the world: Thus for their anſwere. Pilate ſayes againe, Yee hauehave a lawe, take and iudge Him after your lawe. Albeit Pilate ſeeme to ſpeake theſe thinges tauntingly, to mocke the Iewes, ſpeaking one thing, and thinking another, to repreſſe their pride: yet the Text following, teſtifies, that he ſpake it in earneſtneſſe, as he would ſay, Before that I ſhould condemne any man this way without an accuſation, for your pleaſure, I had rather renounce of my right, and permit judgement to you, condemne and doe as ye will. Well then, it is to be marked: I ſee here, that ere Pilate had judged the Lord wrangouſly, he had rather hauehave giuen ouer his right, and the judgement of Capitall crimes: and well had it bene for Pilate, if he had ſtood to this ſentence, and it had bene better that he had giuen ouer his right that the Romanes had, albeit that hee ſhould hauehave immediatly beene taken and hanged by the Emperour for it. Alas, the miſerable man loſt himſelfe by the malitiouſneſſe of the Iewes: yet albeit he be an Ethnicke, hee is a man of better conſcience than the Jewes were: The light of a naturall conſcience in this Pilate ſurpaſſes all the knowledge of the Iewes: And the Lord at this time did ſet vp that light of Pilates on a Skaffolde, as a lanterne and light, to condemne theſe Iewes that had no cōſcience. The very words of Pilate are a lanterne to let the Iewes ſee, that they had no conſcience: God in his wiſdome, from time to time vſes to doe ſo, Hee will make the Paganes to ſtand vp like light, to ſhame the profeſſours of the Goſpell, whoſe conſcience is as it were burnt vp with a hote irone. Is it not a great ſhame to thee, when the Lord will raiſe him vp to be a light vntounto thee, who ſhould bee a light to him: and as in this worlde Hee will make men without God, to ſtand before the Profeſſours in this world to ſhame them: So in the world to come, He will raiſe them vp to ſhame, and to condemne them: Sodome and Gomorrha ſhall riſe vp to the judgement of many in this age who profeſſe Chriſt. Yee ſhall ſee howe Pilate, although he was a very euill man, yet hee pities the Lord Ieſus, & wil not for their importunity cōſent to his death: They ſay, It is not lawfull for vsus, to put any man to death: They require not that power to bee giuen them▪ that the Romanes had: for fourtie yeere before the deſtruction of the towne and Temple of Ieruſalem, they loſt all authoritie to judge on Capitall crimes: they ſpake truely; And heere they would appeare to gratifie Pilate, when they would acknowledge him to judge in capitall crimes: but in effect they take the power of a judge from Pilate, when vponupon their ſentence onelyonly, without accuſation, triall, or verdict they will hauehave him to condemne Chriſt: But better had it beene a thouſand times for Pilate, that they had taken that power to themſelues: for they inuolued the man in their guiltineſſe by condemning Chriſt Ieſus. And I ſay more, it had bene better for the Prieſtes, that they had taken the whole judgement vntounto themſelues, becauſe that blood of Pilate lies vponupon them. This is a true thing; the moc thou draweſt to communicate with thy ſinne, thy damnation ſhall be the greater. It were better for the Princes of this worlde, who are like as many ſlaues to the Pope, the Emperour, the King of Spaine, &c. to renounce all the right they hauehave of judgement to the Pope, when he and his crue hauehave condemned on innocent of Hereſie, to execute him; rather than to be the Popes Burrio. It had bene better for Sigiſmundus the Emperour, that hee had reſigned all authoritie to the Pope in burning Iohn Huſſe, and Ierome of La Prage, than breaking promiſe and oath, to hauehave executed the Popes malice vponupon them: it had beene better he had neuer ſeene that councell: and one daye the Princes of the earth ſhall curſe the time, that euer they were executers to the Pope. And it were good for the Pope alſo, that hee inuolued not theſe Princes in the ſame guiltineſſe, for their blood lies vponupon him. Would God their eyes could bee opened, to ſee that deceiuer.
To returne againe: It is not they that muſt condemne the Lord: no, but it muſt be Pilate, hee muſt doe all, that they may bee cleane: and when the Lord is ſlaine, are they cleane? no Brethren, let Pilate condemne Him, and put Him to execution, yet the Prieſtes and the Iewes are greater murtherers of Ieſus Chriſt, than Pilate was: indeed Pilate hath his part in that woefull action, & woe vntounto him that euer he medled with it, and now hee findeth that hee hath his part therein. But thoſe High Prieſts, & thoſe Iewes, are the greateſt murtherers of Ieſus Chriſt. Ye know the Papiſtes vſe to ſay when a man is put to death, It is not we yt ſlay the man, it is the ciuill ſword of the ſecular power. Who burnt Iohn Huſſe, and Ierome of Prage, but the Emperour? The Pope is holy, and his handes are cleane, and theſe ſinnes hurt him not which are done by the hands of the Emperour. Who executes them in the Inquiſition? The Kinges, the Popes holy hāds are cleane of all. Excuſe as they will, I pronounce (and the Lord ſhall ratifie it in that Great day) that they are greater murtherers than the ſecular power. Away with their vaine excuſes. When they hauehave murthered the man, they will put the fault in the Magiſtrate. Wil God accept ſuch excuſes? In the next verſ. Iohn ſubjoynes wherfore ye Iewes would not take vponupon them to judge of ye life or death of Ieſus Chriſt, and ſaies, that they anſwered ſo, that that might be fulfilled, that the Lord ſpake, ſignifying what death he ſhould die. When He was conuerſant with His Diſciples, He fore-told them, that He ſhould die vponupon the Croſſe. Now the Iewes will not take vponupon them the right of the judging Him, that theſe words might be fulfilled. If the Iewes had taken it vponupon them, they would not hauehave crucified him, becauſe it was not vſuall among the Iewes: they vſed to ſtone a deceiuer or blaſphemer to the death, according to the lawe, as they did Steuen afterwards. This death of the Croſſe was familiar, and vſuall among the Romanes. Then Brethrē, we ſee here, the God of Heauen is the diſpoſer of the whole action of the perſecution & paſſion of Chriſt, what euer be mans part. There is not a word vttered, nor an action done, either by Pilate, or any of the Iewes, which the Lord did not diſpoſe. All that Pilate did, & all that the Iewes did, as that ſpitting and buffeting of Chriſt, were all diſpoſed by the Lord, And this is it that ye reade in that prayer in ye Acts of the Apoſtles, cap. 4. verſ. 28. The princes of the earth are gathered againſt thine anointed, Herode, Pilate, and the Gentiles. Whereto? That they ſhould doe that thing that thine hand and thy councell hath ordained. Neither Herode, Pilate, nor any of the Iewes or Gentiles, did anie thing in this execution, but that vvhichwhich God appointed. The vnderſtanding herof ſerues to this, that there was nothing done to our Redeamer, but that which His father appointed: they were but perſecuters appointed by God, euen as the hang-man: the Iewes, & Pilate & Herod, were like as many hangmen, to execute that decree of God. This would ſeeme a very light word that the Iewes ſay, We hauehave no power to ſit ouer the life or death of men: yet this is a meane whereby the Lord bringes to paſſe that forme of Curſed death. Brethren, we may ſpeake as lightly of thinges as wee pleaſe, and many times to little purpoſe: but there is nothing that paſſes GODS decree. Looke to that prouidence that GOD hath in His creatures. The LORD diſpoſes the lighteſt wordes that thou ſpeakeſt, & He rules thine hand ſo, that whatſoeuer thou doeſt, He makes al to effectuate & produce that which He hath decerned: the thing that thou wilt ſpeake or doe, it will ſerue for ſome purpoſe to Him, how beit little for thee. In the meane time, let no man thinke, that when men ſpeake or doe euill, that they ſhall bee the more excuſable: for if there were no more but this, it ſhall make thee vnexcuſable: becauſe in ſpeaking euill, and in doing euill, thou haſt not the LORD before thine eyes. Thou doeſt it not for obedience to His vvill. Take this leſſon: Let euerie man and vvoman take good heede, that they bee vvell exerciſed: and if our GOD employe vsus, let vsus take good heede, that vvee bee in a good ſeruice, in ſpeaking good, and doing good: Lende not thine heart, thine hande, nor thy tongue to the Deuill in vnrighteouſneſſe: And ſeeing thou canſt not ſleepe from morning to euening, but muſt bee ſpeaking and doing; praye, that the LORD maye employe thee to doe vvell, and to ſpeake vvell; and ſaye, LORD, let mee bee an inſtrument to doe well: And more, in doing vvell, bee not content of the outwarde face of the action: but in doing, vvhether it bee little or much, goe euer to the heart, and ſee the diſpoſition thereof: and looke thou doe it in ſinceritie, hauing regarde to GOD. Thinke it not enough, and if the LORD vvorke a good vvorke by thee as an inſtrument: but looke ſtill, that Hee vvorke in thee, that thou mayeſt finde a good motion in thine heart: For alas, vvhat auaileth the outwarde action, if the heart bee foule, vvhichwhich defileth all? Indeed vvee maye not thinke, that there is anie perfection in vsus, or in our actions in this life: but this is the perfect ground that makes that action to ſmell ſweetelie in the ſight of GOD, to vvit, Faith in IESVS CHRIST. If that thou findeſt that thou haſt IESVS CHRIST in thine heart by Faith, albeit vvith great vveakeneſſe in thy ſelfe, yet in CHRIST all the imperfection and vveakeneſſe is hidden: and vvhen the action commeth before the LORD, it is pleaſant and acceptable to Him. All thinges are pleaſant that come to the Father thorowe the Sonne: there is the grounde of all grace and acceptation. Sticke to the LORD IESVS, and hauehave Him not in thy mouth onelie, as the Hypocrites doe: but let Him alſo bee incloſed in thine heart, and dwell therein: for then thou ſhalt bee acceptable to GOD, through Him: To vvhome, vvith the Father, and the Holie Spirit, bee all Praiſe, Honour, and Glorie, for euer and euer, vvorlde vvithout ende: AMEN.