A Supplement to Knowledge and Practice, Part 1 · Chapter 3 · Section 5
SECT. V. Of our Saviours Death and Burial.
WE have now preſented you with a ſhort view of our Saviours Life, as alſo with the Hiſtory of his Death. Touching which, theſe things are further to be taken notice of.
1. That the promiſed Meſſias was to ſuffer according to the predictions that went before of him. Eſay. 53.4, 5. Surely he hath born our Griefs, and carried our Sorrows, yet we did eſteem him ſtricken, ſmitten of God, and afflicted. He was wounded for our tranſgreſſions, he was bruiſed for our iniquities, the chaſtiſement of our Peace was upon him, and with his ſtripes we are healed. Mark 9.12. And he anſwered, and told them, how it is written of the Son of man, that he muſt ſuffer many things, and be ſet at naught, 1 Pet. 1.11. Searching what manner of time the Spirit of Chriſt, which was in them did ſignifie, when it teſtiſtified beforehand the Sufferings of Chriſt and the Glory that ſhould follow. Luke 24.26. Ought not Chriſt to have ſuffered theſe things and to enter into his Glory? verſe 46. Thus it is written and thus it behoveth Chriſt to ſuffer, and to riſe from the dead the third day. Acts 26.22, 23. Having obtained help of God, I continue unto this day witneſſing both to ſmall and great, ſaying none other things then thoſe which the Prophets and Moſes did ſay ſhould come. That Chriſt ſhould ſuffer, and that he ſhould be the firſt that ſhould riſe from the dead, and ſhould ſhew light unto the People, and to the Gentiles.
2. As his Sufferings in the general were foretold, ſo that he ſhould Suffer Death was alſo particularly determined. God had in his all-wiſe Council determined, that his Son ſhould die for the ſins of men. The Serpent was to bruiſe the heel of the Womans Seed, and the ſame ſeed, viz. Chriſt to bruiſe his head, Gen. 3.15. And Acts 4.27, 28. For of a truth againſt thy holy Child Jeſus, whom thou haſt anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the People of Iſrael were gathered together, for to do whatſoever thy Council had determined before to be done.
3. His ſuffering Death was typified, 1. By the Paſchal Lamb ſlain. 2. By the brazen Serpent lifted up, John 3.14. 3. By the daily Sacrifices, which intimated, that without the ſhedding the blood of the Meſſias there could be no remiſſion of ſins.
Let us now conſider in the next place how our Saviour Suffered. The ancient Creed ſayes, He ſuffered under Pontius Pilate. Suffered under Pontius Pilate.But who was this Pilate? Pilate was a Roman, ſent by Tiberius the Emperor to be Governor of Judea. About ſixty years before our Saviours birth, the Jews by Pompey the Great were made tributary to the Romans. For though during the life of Hircanus the High Prieſt, and the Reign of Herod and his Son Archilaus, the Roman State ſuffered the Jews to be Governed by their own Laws and Governors, yet when Archilaus was baniſhed by Auguſtus they received their Governors from the Roman Emperors, being made a part of the province of Syria. Pilate therefore was Procurator of Judea at this time, and under the Preſident of Syria was furniſhed with power of Life and Death. The Chief Prieſts and Elders, though they condemned our Saviour in their own Council as guilty of death, yet could not put him to death, the power of Life and Death being at this time out of their hands. Therefore they bring him before Pilate and vehemently accuſe him before him. Pilate ſaw plainly that it was for envy that they thus accuſed him, Mat. 27.18. For when he had examined him he found no fault in him touching thoſe things whereof they accuſed him. Three times did he challenge the Jews to ſhew what evil he had done. Three times did he profeſs that he found no cauſe of death in him. His own wife ſent to him this Meſſage, Have thou nothing to do with that Juſt Man. And when he heard that our Saviour declared himſelf to be the Son of God, He was then more afraid. Yet at laſt through the vehement clamor and importunity of the Jews, (who told him, if he ſpared him he was not Caeſars friend (He was prevailed upon (even againſt the light of his own Conſcience) to condemn him to be Crucified. The Hiſtorians of thoſe times acquaint us that this Pilate was a very vile Perſon. That he was a man of a high, rough and untractable Spirit; that he brought the Bucklers ſtamped with the picture of Caeſar into Jeruſalem (which was an abomination to the Jews,) and would not for all their intreaties remove them, till commanded by Caeſar. After that he Seized on the Corban or Sacred Treaſury, and ſpent it upon an Aquaeduct; nor could all their importunate Petitions divert his intentions. When the Galileans came up to Jeruſalem to worſhip God at his own Temple, he mingled their blood with their Sacrifies, as we read, Luke 13.1. And being a notorious wretch he was afraid of being accuſed at Rome, for the inſolencies and rapines of his Government, and therefore to content the people, he releaſed Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jeſus to be Crucified. But though herein he acted againſt all principles of Honeſty and Juſtice, yet he was an inſtrument of fulfilling the determinate Council of God. For the promiſed Meſſias (who was to die for our ſins) was to be crucified and to ſuffer upon the croſs. This was typified by the braſen Serpent, was Crucified.Numb. 21.9. and Joh. 3.14. As Moſes lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderneſs: even ſo muſt the Son of man be lifted up: This alſo was Propheſied of our Saviour, Pſal. 22.16. They pierced my hands and feet. And Zech. 12 10. They ſhall look on me whom they have pierced.
Now our Saviour was actually condemned and delivered up to that kind of death by Pilate, who gave ſentence it ſhould be as the Jews required; and they required he ſhould be Crucified.
There are three things obſervable concerning Crucifixion.
1. 'Twas a painful death. The hands, and feet (which of all parts of the body are moſt nervous, and conſequently moſt ſenſible) were pierced through with nailes, which cauſed a lingring and tormenting death.
2. 'Twas an ignominious *'Twas ſervile ſupplicium. Thieves and Robbers were uſually by the Romans puniſhed with this kind of deathdeath; and therefore among the Romans inflicted upon their Slaves and fugitives.
3. A curſed death, as 'tis written, Deut. 21.13. Curſed is every one that hangeth on a tree. Having premiſed theſe things let us now conſider what are the inſtructions we ſhould learn from this Article, that our Saviour was Crucified.
1. Chriſt hath hereby redeemed us from the curſe of the Law, being made a curſe for us, Gal. 3.13. that is, he hath indured that moſt ſhameful death of the Croſs which was accounted accurſed, and inglorious.
2. Chriſt hath blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was againſt us, and taken it out of the way, nailing it to his Croſs. One ancient cuſtome (as they tell us) of Cancelling Bonds was by ſtriking a nail through the writing. Our Saviours Crucifixion hath done this for us.
3. Seeing Chriſt was Crucified for us, we ſhould in imitation thereof labour to Crucifie ſin in our ſelves. Our old man muſt be Crucified, that the body of ſin may be deſtroyed. We muſt remember that thoſe that are Chriſts muſt crucifie the fleſh with its affections and luſts. Gal. 5.24.
4. We ſhould often meditate on the bitter Cup our Saviour drank, and on thoſe nails that pierced his hands and feet; that ſo we may be the more ready and willing to ſuffer for him. We ſhould conſider how he humbled himſelf and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Croſs, teaching us thereby to humble our ſelves, and with patience to bear the loweſt condition for his ſake; and to imitate him who for the joy that was ſet before him, endured the Croſs, and deſpiſed the ſhame.
We come now to the next word in the Creed, viz. He Dyed. Our Saviour was not only nailed to the Croſs but died thereon. He ſuffered upon the Croſs a diſſolution, and died a true and proper death.Dead He died for our ſins according to the Scriptures, 1 Cor. 15.3. He was cut off from the Land of the Living, Iſa. 53.7, 8, 10. and made his Soul (that is, his life) an offering for ſin. He ſaid, Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit, and having ſaid ſo he gave up the ghoſt, Luke 23.26.
'Tis true, Chriſt did voluntarily die; for he ſaith, no man taketh away my life from me, but I lay it down of my ſelf, John 10.18. That is, He laid not down his life by a neceſſary compulſion, but by a voluntary election. He took upon him a neceſſity of dying for our benefit. But the Jews were the cauſes of his death, and by wicked bands crucified him, Acts 2.23. and ſlew him and hanged him on a tree, Acts 5.30. They are truly ſaid to have done it, becauſe by their inceſſant importunity they prevailed with Pilate to do it. Our Saviour therefore being truly put to death and ſuffering a real diſſolution, let us conſider what union was diſſolved by his death and what continued. In Chriſt there were two different ſubſtantial unions. One of the parts of his humane nature, each to other, (in which his humanity conſiſted, and by which he was truly man;) the other of his natures divine and humane, by which it came to paſs that he was both God and Man in the ſame perſon. Now the union of the parts of his humane nature was diſſolved on the Croſs, and a real ſeparation made between his Soul and Body. But yet there was no diſunion of either of them from his Deity. The union of the natures remained ſtill, nor was the Soul or Body (though ſeparated one from the other) ſeparated from the Divinity, but ſtill remained united unto it.
When he cried out My God, My God, why haſt thou forſaken me? it intimates no more but that he was bereft of thoſe joys and comforts from the Deity which were neceſſary to aſſwage the bitterneſs of his preſent Agony. Having thus ſhewed that our Saviour did really die. Let us now inquire why it was needful he ſhould die. 'Twas requiſite for theſe reaſons.
1. That the new Covenant or Teſtament might be ratified by his blood. Where a Teſtament is, there muſt needs be the death of the Teſtator, Heb. 9.16.
2. That he might perform that part of his Prieſtly Office which required the ſhedding of his blood. For without ſhedding of blood there is no remiſſion, Heb. 9.22. Therefore Chriſt our Paſſeover muſt be Sacrificed for us, 1 Cor. 5.7.
3. If he would redeem us, he muſt give himſelf a ranſom for us, 1 Pet. 1.18, 19. For we being enemies could not be reconciled to God but by the death of his Son, Col. 1.21. And by his death he hath deſtroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil, Heb. 2.15. By his death was our redemption wrought, as by the price that was paid, as by the atonement which was made, as by the full ſatisfaction that was given, that God might be reconciled to us, who was before offended with us.
and Buried.Thus we have ſeen what our Saviour died on the Croſs. And as he really died by the ſeparation of his Soul from his Body, ſo his body was carried and laid up in a Sepulchre, hewn out of the Rock in which never man was before laid. This the Evangeliſts do ſufficiently teſtify. Now that the Meſſias was to be buried was typified by Jonas, who was three dayes and three nights in the Whales belly. And accordingly the Son of Man was to be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, *He is ſaid to be three dayes and three nights in the Grave, the whole time or ſpace of three dayes being put for a part of it, by a ſynecdoche ſee my Harm. Ch. 6. pag. 266.Mat. 12.40. The Pſalmiſt intimates as much Pſal. 16.9. My fleſh ſhall reſt in hope, for thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell, (a)My Soul In Hell that is, my dead body in the Grave, ſee the next §.nor ſuffer thine holy one to ſee corruption, Iſay. 53.9. He was cut off out of the land of the living. He made his Grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, Chriſt being put to death, his body was by Joſeph of Arimathea begged of Pilate, and by him and Nicodemus (one of their great Council) taken down and wound in fine linnen with ſpices (as the manner of the Jews was to bury) and laid in a new Sepulchre in a Garden nigh the place of his execution, and a great ſtone rolled to the door of the Sepulchre, Matth. 27.60. Thus the deſign of the Jews made his Grave with the wicked, intending he ſhould be buried with them who were crucified with him. But the deſign of Heaven placed him with the rich in his death, and cauſed a Councellor and a Ruler of the Jews to bury him. So that we may interpret that place of Iſaiah thus, He was buried nigh to the wicked, yet with the rich when he was dead. Our Saviour notwithſtanding the malice of the Jews being thus honourably buried. The Chief Prieſts deſired of Pilate, that the Sepulchre might be made ſure, leſt his Diſciples ſhould ſteal him away. which was accordingly done, the Stone being ſealed with the publick Seal, and then a watch was ſet upon the Sepulchre.
We come now to conſider what improvement we are to make of this Article.
1. Then ſeeing Chriſt did really die and was buried, let us teſtifie our communion with him in his death, by dying unto Sin.
2. In his Burial, by the burial of the old man.
3. In his Reſurrection, by riſing unto newneſs of life. This the Apoſtle hints to us as our duty, Rom. 6.4. Therefore we are buried with him by Baptiſm into death: that like as Chriſt was raiſed up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even ſo we alſo ſhould walk in newneſs of life.