The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 7
THE SEVENTH LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST.
IHON CHAP. XVIII.
verse 38 Pilate ſaid vntounto him, What is trueth? And when he had ſaid that, hee went out againe vntounto the Iewes, and ſaid vntounto them, I finde in him no cauſe at all. verse 39 But you hauehave a custome, that I ſhould deliuer you one looſe at the Paſſeouer: will yee then, that I looſe vntounto you the King of the Iewes? verse 40 Then cryed they all againe, ſaying, Not him, but Barabbas: nowe this Barabbas was a murtherer.
WEE heard theſe dayes paſt (Brethren) of the ſuffering of the Lord, Firſt, in the Garden, Next, vnderunder Caiaphas, the High Prieſt for the time, and then vvee entered into the thirde part of His ſuffering vnderunder Pontius Pilate, the Romane gouernour, who abode in Hieruſalem for the time. We heard the accuſatiō that the Hie Prieſts and the Iewes alledge to Pilate the judge, vvhere hee ſate in judgement againſt Ieſus Chriſt: the accuſation was not blaſphemous againſt God, for when the Prieſts thought Him afore in their own judgement ſeat worthy of death, but treaſon againſt the maieſty of Caeſar, he calles himſelf, ſay they, the king of the Iewes, as though Chriſt had come into ye world to be an earthly king, and to take the kingdom ouer Caeſars head. Whē Pilate had poſed Chriſt about this, after one or two anſweres, he findes this accuſation vaine, falſe, & fained. And therefore, Brethren, firſt in this Text we hauehave read this day, we hauehave the purgatiō of Ieſus, and yt out of Pilates own mouth: Next, howe hee ſeekes by all meanes to get Him out of the Iewes hands: Thirdly, we hauehave the part of the Iewes, how they ſeeke maliciouſly the life of the innocent, & preferres Barabbas (a murtherer) vntounto Him. As to the firſt part, it is ſaid, that Pilate went out again to the Iewes, out of the Hall, and profeſſed before them all, that hee found no fault in that man worthie of death. Then Pilate, after his inquiſition, finding Ieſus Chriſt, vvho vvas accuſed before him, free of all affectation of Caeſars kingdome, yet finding that Hee denied not but that Hee vvas a king: and that vvas that good vvitneſſing that Chriſt gaue vnderunder Pontius Pilate, as Paul (1. Tim. 6.13.) ſaies: but Hee vvas no king of this vvorld. Then Pilate thinkes there vvas no crime in Chriſt Ieſus: as concerning the other kingdome, Pilate thought it but an imagination & fantaſie: therefore, thinking that Ieſus made Himſelfe to be a fantaſticke king, and ſought not Caeſars kingdome from him, he vvould not count Him vvorthie of death, but he clenſes Him. Politicke and prophane hearted men in this vvorld, vvho ſmell of nothing, but of the earth, and hauehave no ſenſe of Heauenlie thinges, if ye will but leaue them the thinges of this worlde, as Caeſars kingdome, the glory, the honour, the riches, and the pleaſures of this worlde, vntounto them, they care not what men ſpeake of God, or His kingdome, or of Ieſus Chriſt, or of matters of religion: howbeit that they would ſay, that they would climbe vp to the Heauen, and raue it from God: they care not for it, as Paul ſayes, The natural man countes heauenly things but fooliſhnes: ſpeake to them of heauenly things, all is but imagination, & Heauen is as dreame to them. Lyſias the chiefe Captaine who was in Jeruſalem after this man, vnderunder the Gouernour Felix, when Paul was perſecuted in Ieruſalem, ye remember what he wrote to Felix, They accuſe him of trifles, and of queſtions of their law, but I finde no thing in the man worthie either of death, or of bands, Acts 23.29. Wordly men countes it not a crime, or a thing worthie of puniſhment, to derogate from Gods glorie. Well, let men ſpend their time, one day they ſhall feele it to their griefe, that religion is the moſt earneſt & excellent thing that euer was: and they ſhall curſe the time that euer they eſteemed any thing excellent, but religion. Yet this is commendable in Pilate, that he giues ſo faire a teſtimonie of Ieſus, a Ethnicke, who had no knowledge of God, nor ſenſe of the life to come, to ſtand vp in ye face of them, who ſhould hauehave knowne Ieſus Chriſt, & to purge the innocent, might hauehave made the High Prieſts & the Iewes aſhamed. Yet, will ye marke this more narrowly, albeit his purgation bee faire, yet hee faileth farre, for in purgation he vttereth a prophane heart, whilſt he purges Him in words, he ſcorneth Him in his heart, & condemneth that Kingdome of His, & that trueth whereof He ſpake, as a fable. Prophane men, who hauehave no part of ſanctification, whē they ſpeake faireſt, and when they ſeeme to doe beſt, they doe nothing but ſinne: Why? becauſe in the meane time when they ſpeeke faireſt, their heart is full of vanitie, & in their heart they ſcorne God: Albeit thou ſtandeſt vp & ſpeakeſt much for the defence of Chriſt, & ſeemeſt to be angrie at the Iewes, as Pilate did: if in the meane time thine heart beleeue not in that Ieſus, thou art but a ſcorner, & all thy ſpeach ſerueth for no purpoſe to thee, if thou beleeueſt not: therefore in ſpeaking of Heauen, & of religiō, & of Ieſus Chriſt, we ſhould take heede to the heart yt it be ſanctified, & remember, yt while the mouth ſpeakes God ſees the heart, & whē thou ſpeakeſt of that Name of Ieſus Chriſt, let tihne heart grippe into Him, & ſo thy ſpeach ſhalbe edifying and gratious. Now when he hath cleanſed Him by word, thereafter by deede he ſeekes to get him looſe; And it is ſubjoyned that Pilate ſayes: Ye hauehave a cuſtome that I ſhould deliuer you a priſoner looſe at the Paſſeouer, Will ye that I let looſe the King of the Iewes. The reſt of the Euangeliſts, Matthew 27.12. Marke 15.3. Luke 23. ſetteth downe another accuſation that paſt in order before this immediatly, which I ſhal touch ſhortly: the High Prieſts ſeeing that they obtained nothing by the firſt accuſation, wherein they accuſe Him of treaſon againſt Caeſar, yet they will not leaue off, but delates to Pilate many things, and heapes calumnie vponupon calumnie, and oppreſſes Him with accuſations, as for Ieſus, Hee made none anſwere: Pilate ſeeing this, he vrges Him once & twiſe to ſpeake: He will not ſpeake: Pilate wondereth at his great ſilence: the High Prieſts inſiſt, & at laſt they accuſe Him of falſe doctrine, which He had vttered from Galile vntounto Hieruſalem. When Pilate vnderſtood that He was a Galilean, he ſendes Him to Herode, who was Tetrarch of Galile, thinking to gratifie Herode, that beeing at variance, friendſhip ſhould hauehave beene made: Herode rejoyced at his comming, and hoped that hee ſhould hauehave ſeene ſome wonders of Him: for both Pilate and Herode thought to make a Iugler of Ieſus: but Herode gets not one word of Him, much leſſe a ſigne or a wonder: then Herode beginnes to mocke Him, & puttes on a garment on Him, in token of deriſion, and ſends Him to Pilate: then Pilate the ſecond time with his owne voyce cleanſes Him. Some will maruell, what moued Ieſus to keepe ſuch a ſilence to them all: and ſome may thinke that this proceeded from ſtubburneneſſe in Ieſus: No, Brethren, in this He was ſo farre from diſobedience either to God, or to the Magiſtrate, that the Lord Ieſus vttered a great obedience to God, and the Magiſtrate, and a wonderfull patience, in that He will not repine in one word, knowing well, that it was the will of his Father in heauen, the houre was come: and therefore the houre comming, He will not helpe Himſelfe in one word: ſo pleaſantly and willingly Hee offereth Himſelfe to the death. This was prophecied of Him in the 53. of Eſay: Hee maketh no more repining, than a ſheepe or a lambe that ſtands before the ſhearer, Hee opened not His mouth, not for ſtubburneſſe, but Hee was patient. Brethren, ſome would maruell of the boldneſſe of the Martyres when they ſuffered (O the boldneſſe that they had in anſwering, euē in the fire) they ſuffered not one word to ſl…p, but they anſwered for Gods glorie, and well of them that ſtood by: O! but the Lord kept ſilence. Some would thinke that Ieſus Chriſt in this point was inferiour to the Martyres: but this is the m…tter, Chriſt was ſilent, that the Martyres might ſpeake: for except Hee had beene ſilent, they in perſecution ſhould not hauehave opened their mouthes: He was dumbe, that wee might ſpeake: and was made nothing that wee might be ſome thing. Now to returne to our text againe: Pilate vſes all meanes to get Ieſus looſe: he vſes the preſent occaſion to that purpoſe, knowing the vſe of the Iewes, hee would hauehave beene glad to hauehave had Ieſus ſet at libertie, aboue all the priſoners. To ſpeake ſomewhat of this cuſtome: they had this cuſtome, to get a priſoner ſet at libertie at feſtiuall times, to the honour of their Feaſtes: the Paſſeouer was a Feaſt, in rememberance of that deliuerance out of Egypt, now as they were deliuered, ſo they would hauehave a priſoner deliuered, but therewith they diſhonoured God: is that to honour God, to breake His commandement? this cuſtome was not from the beginning, but entred in, when the Romane Emperour entred in, and this manner of doing wanted not a faire pretence, it had a pretence of clemencie & merciemercy of the Gouernour: we know this, there is nothing wherein a Prince reſembleth God, more, than in clemencie: but it is a ſin to let a wicked man eſcape, or that the Emperour ſhould let him goe: for Gods Lawe ſayes, Deut 11.12.13. Thine eye ſhal not ſpare the murtherer, neither looke vpō him with a pittifull eye. Will ye ſee what things theſe men hauehave for them, who thinke, that Princes may giuegive men that are conuict of Capital crimes their liues. Some will ſay, hath not a free Prince licence to giuegive him his life, albeit the Law of God ſay, The murtherer ſhall die the death: well, I ſay, and it is the trueth, that were as much, as to giuegive him an abſolute power, but all the worlde ſhall not giuegive him ſuch a power, hee may well vſurpe it: but not an Angell in Heauen hath abſolute power ouer a begger, to put him to death, and to keepe him aliue at his pleaſure: much leſſe a mortall man: only the great Creator (whoſe will is the rule of all righteouſneſſe) hath this power ouer his creature. It is true indeed, a Prince ſhould be loth to put out that life yt God hath put in, & ſhould beware to judge raſhly in Capitall crimes: It is no ſmall matter, to make a crime Capitall, but if the crime bee Capitall and deadly, the Prince hath no power to holde his hand abacke from execution, and to forgiue. Indeede for weightie and great conſiderations a Prince may mitigate the puniſhment, but to ſay, he may let the man goe free, hee hath no power: but yet they will inſiſt further and ſay, Is not this one of the judiciall lawes, that was giuen to the Jewes, then what hauehave we to doe with it. I anſwere, theſe lawes, ſeeing the Iewes and their Commonwealth, and lawes politicke, are abrogate, in ſo far as they concerned that people, wee hauehave nothing adoe with them, they are aboliſhed, but for aſmuch as they are grounded vponupon nature, and naturall law, we hauehave adoe with them: as for this law, it is naturall. Ye know that naturall men, Ethnickes, who had neuer the law of the Iewes, they executed the murtherer: but yet they inſiſt, & they will bring in the example of good kings, who forgaue Capitall crimes committed againſt the very vniuerſall and naturall law: and namely of Dauid: forgaue he not Joab for ſlaying of Abner and Amaſa? and Amnon for committing inceſt: and againe, forgaue he not Abſolom for ſlaying of Amnon his brother: but I anſwere: We are bound to liue by Gods lawes, & not by examples: as for Dauid if hee had power to hauehave puniſhed thoſe men, hee failed: but it lay not in the handes of Dauid: ſayes hee not of Ioab, the ſonnes of Seruia, are too ſtrong for me, 2. Sam. 3.39. Ye know what he left in his Teſtament to Salomon concerning Joab? 1 Kings 1. Ioab was a great man, if Dauid might hauehave puniſhed, he failed: ſinne cannot be excuſed, albeit he puniſhed it not. Some will ſay further, Should not, and ought not each priuate man forgiue a priuate offence: is not that Gods will and commandement? Hereupon they would conclude, and make it to follow: A Prince may forgiue a wicked man for Capitall crimes: but I ſay and affirme, that there is a great difference betweene a priuate man and a King: When a King forgiues a Capitall crime, hee forgiues Gods right, hee is free in another mans right: indeede there is a difference betweene theſe crimes that are Capitall, and the crimes that in their owne nature are not Capitall, but by the lawes of Princes are made Capitall: for vponupon juſt conſiderations the Prince hath power to diſpenſe with them: as for Exāple, It was not deadly of ye own nature to Simei, to go out of the Portes of Ieruſalem, but becauſe Salomon forbade it, it became deadly. Like as it is in the handes of Princes, to make & to change ſuch ſpecial lawes: ſo it lyes in his hands to forgiue ſuch a man, trāſgreſſing them vponupon weightie and great conſiderations. So to returne, theſe crimes that are Capitall by naturall law, a Prince hath no power to remit them, albeit hee were ruler of all the world, hee derogates to Gods glorie: and ſecondly, if there were no more to let vsus ſee, that God hath not giuen that power to forgiue Capitall crimes, againſt Gods Lawe and nature, the Iudgements of God, which ceazed on ſuch men and their poſteritie, were ſufficient to ſhevv it: for if thou forgiueſt a thiefe, he vvould hang thee on the ſame gallovves. That ſad example of the Iudgement of God vponupon Saul, who againſt Gods expreſſe commandement, ſpared Agag king of Amaleck, might terrifie other Princes to remit ſuch perſons. Some will come forth, and his remiſſion to his abhominable murther and crimes in his boſome, vponupon whome the ſunne is not worthie to ſhine: God forgiue them, who giues or purchaſes ſuch remiſſions: the King of Heauen will not hauehave any to vſurpe His authoritie.
Now, let vsus returne, and conſider Pilates part: Pilate is carefull to get Ieſus the innocent let looſe, and at libertie: and herein hee is worthie of ſome praiſe. They who ſhould hauehave ſaued Him, are perſecuting Him: and yet marke well, and ye ſhall ſee, that Pilate in thus doing and ſpeaking ſinneth. When he is of purpoſe to ſet Him free and at libertie: he cares not, albeit Ieſus was moſt innocent, that He were counted nocent and guiltie: he cares not, although Hee paſſe free as one worthie of death, and hee compares Him with Barabbas: and when hee doth the beſt hee can, he doth but euill. Marke the dutie of Iudges, It is not enough to ſeeke to ſet the innocent free and at libertie only: No, but alſo thou muſt ſee that the innocent be ſet free as an innocent man, albeit that all the world ſhould ſpeake againſt it. The will of that great Iudge is, that not onelyonly the innocent ſhould eſcape with their life, but alſo that they eſcape as innocent, that their innocencie may ſerue to the glorie of God: thou ſuppreſſes the glory of that great Iudge, if thou clea…ſeſt him not as an innocent: it were better for an innocent to die the death innocently, than to take on him a crime which he hath not done, or to take a remiſſion of a crime whereof he is not guiltie. To come to the part of the Iewes, Pilate goes farre beyond them, albeit hee doeth euill▪ yet they doe ten times worſe: Alas, the judgement of Pilate in that day ſhall be nothing to the judgement of the malitious Iewes: in doing of this, that he compares Him with Barabbas, & albeit hee compares Him with him, yet he countes Him an innocent: but he compares Him with Barabbas by a policie, to pleaſure the Iewes: they wil not only compare Him with Barabbas, but will preferre Barabbas to Him: Pilate compares, they preferre. Brethren, an vngodly man will hate more extreamelie vertue, and grace in a good man▪ than vice in an euill man: as concerning the wicked man, becauſe he is wicked himſelfe, he will not hate ſinne as it is ſinne: the pleaſure that a wicked man hath, is to ſee the GOD of heauen diſpleaſed, that is his meat, that is his drinke: if hee doe hate vice, it is not for the vices ſake, but becauſe the vice troubles him, becauſe of ſome skathe and ſhame that followes it, and becauſe he vvould hauehave an eaſie life.
But to come to the grounde: An vngodly man hates vertue, becauſe it is vertue, and becauſe godlineſſe is of GOD, hee hates it; and hee hates a godly man, becauſe hee beares the image of GOD: the extreamitie of his hatred is againſt GOD: hee vvill rather ſuffer a vvicked man, than an innocent or godly man: but hee neuer hates v…ce, becauſe it is vice. The Pope vvill ſuffer Sodomites to dwell beſide him, and Bordels: but hee cannot heare of a godly man, but vvill perſecute him vvho vvill profeſſe to teach Chriſt truely: yea, hee vvill purſue him to the death. There is greater hatred in the heart of an obſtinate Papiſt againſt a Chriſtian, than in ye heart of a Turke: & the greateſt hatred, is euer vnderunder cloke of religion. So there is not one that hates a godly man ſo greatly, as they who clokes all thinges vnderunder the name of the Church: The LORD ſaue vsus from them. I ſay, I had rather fall into the hands of a Turke, than into the handes of a Papiſt.
What is CHRISTES part? there is nothing but ſhame for Him: Where was there euer ſuch an ignominie as this? Barabbas is preferred vntounto that juſt one: (if thou be an innocent man, and art counted vvorſe than the vvicked, it is a great ſhame:) and then not onelyonly is hee preferred vntounto Him, but in hanging vponupon the Croſſe, Hee is put betweene two thieues, to teſtifie, that they counted Him more vvorthie of death, than they vvere. And then, beſides the ſuffering of that paine, He ſuffered paine in that they blaſphemed Him, and helde Him in deriſion. What euer vvas the part of the Iewes, and of Pilate, the Father of IESVS CHRIST hath His part alſo: there was not a vvorde ſpoken, but that vvhichwhich He directed: the Iewes ſpake not this, but by the Lords diſpoſition, who ruled all this action: they did nothing, (as yee may reade, Acts 4.28.) but that vvhichwhich Hee had appointed from all eternitie. Nowe, His diſpenſation was for thy vveale: the diſpenſation of His ſhame was for thine honour, and, if Hee had not died in this ignominie, thou hadſt died ignominious euerlaſtingly, and He had not beene a perfect Redeamer, if Hee had not ſuffered this: and as the Lord diſpenſed all this, how euer it bee that they did vnjuſtlie, yet it is all turned to our weale. See the wonderfull juſt dealing of GOD, when they are doing vnjuſtly, He burthens His Sonne, with no burthen either in bodie or ſoule, but that which our ſinne (that IESVS CHRIST did beare vponupon His backe) procured and deſerued. Hee vvas moſte innocent in Himſelfe, and altogether without ſinne, but our ſinnes vvere laide vponupon His backe: for Hee who knewe no ſinne, was made ſinne for vsus, as the Apoſtle ſaies, 2. Cor. 5.21. Looke to theſe ſinnes that Chriſt had vponupon Him: they were a thouſand times greater than the ſinnes of Barabbas: for Hee bare vponupon Him the ſinnes of all the world, many murthers, many adulteries, the LORD IESVS bare them all. So there is nothing that falles to IESVS CHRIST, but that which wee procured vntounto Him. What euer CHRIST ſuſtained, the reproches, ſhame, and blaſphemies, the paine, and extreamitie of paine in ſoule and bodie, it is thy ſinne that procured all this. Brethren, marke this well: When men either heare or reade this Hiſtorie, they turne them to the Iewes, and vvill defie the Prieſtes, and the Phariſes, and Pilate, and in the meane time they looke not to themſelues: but looke not to others, but to thine owne ſelfe, for it is thy ſinne alſo that pearced Him thorow: and, if thou wouldeſt weepe, weepe for thine owne ſinne. I meane not this, that any man ſhould thinke to take his ſinnes away from Chriſt, and lay them vponupon his owne backe: for there is no bodie that is able to beare ſo much as an euill thought: then let thy ſinnes lie vponupon Chriſt, for Hee is able to beare them all: And as thou layeſt thy ſinnes vponupon Him, ſeeke to bee cladde with His righteouſneſſe: and as Hee is made ſinne for thee, looke that thou be made righteous before God in Him, for if thou be clothed with that euerlaſting righteouſneſſe in that Great daye, thou ſhalt bee counted juſt, and get that life of IESVS. Wherefore, to ende heere, let vsus ſo abhorre the malice, indignitie, and crueltie of the Iewes againſt CHRIST the innocent, that vponupon the other part vvee maye vvith our vvhole heart reuerence and embrace that moſte juſt diſpenſation of GOD vponupon Him as guiltie in vsus, and for our cauſe: and let vsus giuegive Him thankes and praiſe continuallie, becauſe Hee hath giuen His onelie Sonne for vsus, and Hee hath made Him ſinne for vsus, and Hee hath made Him ſubject to all ſhame, ignominie, dolour, and paine, both of bodie and ſoule, for our ſakes. To Him, therefore, with the Father, and the Holie Spirit, bee all Praiſe, Honour, Power, and Glorie for euer and euer: Amen.