Fruitful Lessons Upon the Passion Burial Resurrection Ascension, passion · Commentary 19
Doctrine and fruite.
IN the perfect example and mirrour of our life Chriſt Ieſus, we find an earneſt feruent louelove, a doctrine how wee ought to behaue our ſelues in aduerſitie. Firſt, wee ſee that Chriſt of an exceeding great louelove, taketh vponupon himſelf al infirmities of mankinde, and becommeth like vntounto his brethren in all thinges, ſinne except: beeing a very true man, hee is therfore not aſhamed before his diſciples to acknowledge his infirmitie, ſorrow, heauines and feare, and to complaine thereof vntounto his father. A feare by reaſon of the death and paſſion, hee receiueth as a verie man: for not to feele trouble, is not the nature of mā: and paſſion is no paſſion, if it ſmart not, if it bee not felt, Chriſt therefore both in his mind and body feeleth the paſſion, hee feeleth the conflict of death, albeit in wraſtling withall, he ouerthroweth it. Oh the exceeding feruent louelove of our head and foregoer Ieſus Chriſt, who for our helth, commeth into ſo great an agonie and trouble, that aboue naturall moyſture, through the fearefull conflict of the paſſion & death, he ſheddeth his bloud and ſweateth it: but with hartie deſire runneth he to his heauenly father: to him complaineth he of his weaknes and diſtreſſe: to him giueth he ouer himſelfe in al obedience and contentation of mind: of him alſo receiueth he comfort and ſtrength. In the meane ſeaſon, he forgetteth not his Diſciples, but commeth to them, exhorteth them to watch and pray, & hath great compaſsion with their feeblenes and ſlouth.
If we now be the diſciples and ſchollers of Chriſt Ieſu, and hauehave ſurrendered our ſelues vppe into the ſchoole of the heauenly Schoolmaiſter, we ought diligently to looke, what Chriſt here in him ſelfe, doth teach and preſcribe vntounto vsus: that wee learning the ſame of him, and following his foot-ſteppes (when temptations of ſinne, and conflicts of aduerſitie, troble, and death fall in vponupon vsus) may know how to order and frame our ſelues therein.
Firſt, that wee know our ſelues to be poore, full of faultes; mortall men and ſinners hauing nothing of our owne but feeblenes. So when the temptation of ſinne and of the fleſh aſſault vsus, we muſt not be aſhamed to open ſuch our faults and conflicts vntounto God our heauenly Father, and to complaine vntounto him of them. God hath not made vsus to bee vtterly without temptation, but hath ſuffered the ſame to remaine in the fleſh, that we therby might be exerciſed & prouoked to ſeeke helpe at him, and to learne, in how miſerable a caſe we ſhould be, if he withdrew his hande from vsus When we now feele that the ſpirit is willing and the fleſh weake,Rom. 7. Gal. 5. and that the law of the members withſtandeth the law of God in vsus, that the fleſh fighteth and ſtriueth againſt the ſpirit: we muſt not be aſhamed to confeſſe our feeblenes before our heuenly Father (yea though of weakenes wee had lyen vnderunder in the battaile already) deſiring his helpe, that we may riſe againe, and valiauntly to fight it out. Thus muſt wee alſo doe, when the croſſe and hatred of the world for Chriſtes ſake (or that is contrary to our nature) falleth vponupon vsus.
The cuppe which the father hath filled in, that we ſhoulde drinke it, the ſame ought wee willingly to drinke: and if there growe in our fleſh a terrour and feare to taſt it, we muſt not be aſhamed to complaine thereof vntounto our Father, foraſmuch as we ſee heere, that Chriſt for our ſakes beeing in ſuch heauines and feare, did not yet (for all that) ſteppe aſide from his Fathers will. The patience therefore of Chriſtians ſtandeth not in this, that they feele no paſſion, or bee not feareful, heauy, or ſorie: but in this, that no croſſe bee ſo great, as to bee able to driue them away from Chriſt. Yea, the more the croſſe that God the Father hath laid vponupon them doth make them to ſmart, & the more it preſſeth them (ſo that they yet beare it) the more pretious and more excellent is their patience: which patience we ought to declare, but not as they that ſuffer or feele no paſſion at all.
For heere wee are inſtructed and certified of the kindnes of our louing Father, that hee is not angrie, neyther taketh it in euill part when we complaine to him of our preſent trouble, ſo that we giuegive ouer our will vntounto his. All they therefore that be in afflictions, aduerſitie and temptations, muſt ſet this example of the Lorde directly before their eyes, and ponder it in their harts. Not only is the father not angry when wee complaine vntounto him in our neceſſitie, but in all trouble hee ſendeth vsus his owne helpe and comfort, either by his Angell, or inwardly by his ſpirit, or outwardly by ſome other meane, he ſendeth vsus ſtrength, giueth vsus his hande, draweth vsus, deliuereth vsus, & ſuffereth vsus not to be tempted aboue our power, or elſe in the middeſt of our aduerſitie, he giueth vsus conſolation and ſtrength to ouercome it.
O how great comfort bringeth this vntounto vsus in our afflictions in life and death, if we ponder, weigh, and conſider the exceeding louelove of GOD our heauenly Father, who giueth his deare Sonne into ſo greate trouble, that wee might bee deliuered from eternall aduerſitie and ſorrow. If we alſo remember the louelove of our Lorde Ieſus towards vsus, who for our ſakes taketh vppon himſelfe ſo great a feare and paſſion, how cannot wee looke for all good thinges at his hande? What thing is ſo great, that wee his members would not ſuffer for his ſake, if wee behold the head in ſuch anguiſh and trouble? And for as much as hee ſuffereth all this for the ſatisfaction of our ſins, we ought to applie great diligence, that we fall not againe into ſinne, for the which Chriſt ſuffered this, and from the which Chriſt with ſo great a paſſion hath deliuered and cleanſed vsus. Wee learne heere alſo to louelove our neighboures, to care for them, to pittie them if they bee impotent and ſlowe, to pray for their infirmitie, ſeeing wee are all weake and feeble: and vntounto ſuch weakneſſe muſt we ſo hauehave reſpect, that we bee not arrogant, nor hold much of our ſelues, when wee ſee that Peter and others are ſo full of ſleepe & ſluggiſhnes, that all the admonitions and exhortations of Chriſt, could at that time do little with them. But euer in humblenes of minde, and in the feare of God, ought wee to ſtand: to aſcribe all good thinges vntounto him: to be carefull and watch, leaſt the Deuill draw vsus into his temptations.
O mercifull Father, giuegive vsus grace with feruent hartes to conſider the vnſpeakeable louelove of thee and of thy Sonne, and neuer to forget the ſame: that our fayth and truſt in thee may bee ſtrengthened: that louelove in vsus towards thee and our neighbour may bee kindled: that aboue all thinges wee may louelove thee, the welſpring of all goodneſſe: that wee may ſerue our neighbours in louelove, care for them, and doe them good, according to the louelove that thy deare Son hath beſtowed vppon vsus O giuegive vsus patience and ſtedfaſtnes in aduerſitie, ſtrengthen our weakneſſe, comfort vsus in trouble and diſtreſſe, helpe vsus to fight: Graunt vntounto vsus, that in true obedience and contentation of mind, wee may giuegive ouer our owne willes vntounto thee our Father in all thinges, according to the example of thy beloued ſonne: that in aduerſitie we grudge not, but offer vp our ſelues vntounto thee without contradiction. GiueGive vsus ſtrength conſtantly to ſubdue the rebellious and ſtubborne fleſh, and to make it obedient vntounto the ſpirit: to caſtaway al temporall and carnall feare: to reſort oft vntounto prayer: to bee earneſt and feruent therein: to mortifie all our owne wils and luſtes, and vtterly to giuegive them their leaue. O giuegive vsus a willing and cheerefull minde, that vvee may gladly ſuffer, and beare all thinges for thy ſake.
SO when Iudas had gotten him a companie of ſouldiers of the high Prieſts and of the Phareſies miniſters, hee came thether with lanthornes, linkes, and weapons, yea the ſame Iudas Iſcarioth one of the twelue (as Ieſus yet talked with his diſciples) and with him a great heape of people, with ſwoords & ſtaues, ſent from the high Prieſts, ſcribes and elders of the people. Now had the traitor giuen them a token, ſaying: Whom ſo euer I doo kiſſe, the ſame is he, take him and bring him warily. So Iudas went before them, and came neere vntounto Ieſus to kiſſe him. And when he came, he ſtept vntounto him, and ſayd: All haile maſter, and with that kiſſed him. Ieſus ſayd vntounto him, Friend, whereto art thou come? Iudas, betrayeſt thou the ſonne of man with a kiſſe? Ieſus knowing all things that were to come vponupon himſelfe, went forth, and ſayd vntounto them: Whom ſeeke ye? They ſaid, Ieſus of Nazareth. Then ſayd he vntounto them, I am he. And Iudas that betraied him, ſtood with them. Now when Ieſus ſayd, I am hee, they went backeward and fell to the ground. Then Ieſus asked them againe: whome ſeeke ye? They ſaid: Ieſus of Nazareth. Then anſwered Ieſus and ſaid: I hauehave tolde you that I am hee: If ye ſeeke me, then let theſe depart, that the ſaying which he ſpake might bee fulfilled: Of them whome thou gaueſt me, I hauehave loſt none.