None but Christ, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. A briefe view of the ſufferings of Chriſt before he ſuffered on the Croſſe.
SEcondly, we muſt ſtudy to know Chriſt in his crucifixion or in his ſufferings; And him crucified: All his life was a crucifixion, from the womb to the tomb, from his birth to his buriall; concerning which, though little can be ſaid by way of explication more then is already largely related in the Hiſtory of the Goſpel; yet give me leave for method ſake to-give you a breife view of them.
He was crucified, 1. In his conception, in that he was conceived of the ſeed of the Virgin, and lodged in her narrow womb, whom the heavens could not containe, and did not abhorre the Virgins womb.
But this was was to ſweeten our conception who are conceived in ſinne and born in iniquity.
2. He was crucified in his birth, inPſal. 51 5. that he was borne of a woman, the Cretor of the creature, he that made her was born of her; yea of a poore maid, offering two Turtle Doves for her purifying, as being not able to bring a Lamb according to the Law, Levit. 12. 8.
Was there never a great Lady in Jeruſalem for this great Prince of heaven and earth to be borne of? But he looked on the lowlineſſe of his handmaid.
And this teacheth us that Chriſt regards1 Cor. 1. 26. not the rich, no more then the poor; that he came for the poore; poore Lazarus lay in rich Abrahams boſome, when rich Dives was in hell torments. Poore Shepherds had Chriſt revealed to them by Angels, when he was hid from theMatth. 18. 10. great ones and Rulers at Jeruſalem.
Who can then deſpiſe the pooreſt Saint? who perhaps may have move of Chriſt in him, and a higher ſeat in glory then our ſelves; A pearl is rich when found on a dung-hill, though it may gliſter more when ſet in a Ring of Gold. Hath not God choſen the poore of this world to be rich in faith, and heires of that Kingdome? James 2. 5.
3. In that he was born in a ſtable, Luke 2. 12. This ſhall be a ſigne unto you; And well they had this ſigne, for elle its likely they would have looked into the faireſt houſes, ſtatelieſt chambers, and not in a ſtable for him.
You ſhall find the Babe: foreign a ſucking child. A ſtrange crucifixion; the great God to become a Babe, and the eternall Word not to be able to ſpeak a word; The Lyon of the tribe of Judah who when he roares, he makes all the beaſts tremble, to cry like a child that ſucks. Neſtorius deſpiſed to call an Infant God.
But hereby the greater power of God was ſeene, that could by a Child overcome ſin, death, and the divell, and bring us to glory.
Nay more, you ſhall find the Babeforeign. ſwadled in cloutes, ſuch as we cover wounds and beggars ſores withall; they were not fine linen nor ſilke clouts, but meane and poore, liker to beggars raggs;
Now was not this a Crucifixion? That he tha… ſhall come in the Cloudes ſhould appeare in clouts? which yet he weares not ſo much to cover his nakedneſſe, as to diſcover ours, and becauſe he appeared in the ſimilitude of ſinfull fleſh.
4. More yet) if a Babe in clouts, yet in ſome faire Chamber and Cradle? No, in a Stable where horſes and beaſts were fed, at leaſt, at that time when ſo great a concourſe of people met, and in the Manger inſtead of a Cradle.
Now be aſtoniſhed and wonder that the great God who inhabiteth eternity, whom the heavens cannot containe, and Solomons Temple was too meane for him, that he ſhould be lodged among the beaſts, as Nebuchadnezar was turned out among the beaſts.
Marcus Antonius brought Caeſars robe before the people all bloody to move Compaſſion; but I have ſhewed you our Lord Chriſt, not in his Rob…s of glory, but in his raggs and clouts, to teach us Chriſts humility, and us humility by his example, learne of me, ſaith Chriſt, that I am meek and lowly in heart. Mat. 11. 29
Yet all this was for our exaltation; Chriſt was clothed with clouts and raggs, that we might be clothed with Robes of glory; Chriſt was laid in a Manger that we might have manſion-places in heaven, and lie in Abrahams boſome.
3. He was Crucified in his Circumciſion, as a type of our defilement, and his purity, and to worke that on our ſpirits which was done to his fleſh, Col. 2. 11. 12. Cutting off our ſuperfluous luſts, that we might be all Circumciſed, in heart, as Chriſt was in his fleſh.
4. He was crucifyed in his temptations, when he was ſo baſely ſolicited by the Divell to fall down and worſhip him; a far greater reproach then if the greateſt Queen ſhould be ſollicited to uncleannes by the baſeſt ſcullion, and carryed up and down in his armes at his pleaſure. But this was that he might experimentally know how to ſuccour us when we are tempted, Hebr. 2. 18.
5. He was Crucifyed in his whole life 30 yeeres together, living in no account or reputation, Phil. 2. He made himſelfe of no reputation, he was deſpiſed and we eſteemed him not Eſa. 53. 3.
At the moſt he was counted but the Carpenters ſon, or the Carpenter▪ perhaps working on his Fathers trade, Mark. 6. 3. And the deity was vaild in his fleſh, wherein it lay hid without any great manifeſtation.
To teach us that the ſame mind ſhould be in us that was in Chriſt, Phil. 2. To be content to live without reſpect in the world and be of no reputation for his ſake.
6. He was Crucifyed in his agony inLuk. 22. 44 foreign * Non grumi ſed unda ſanguinis. Bern. not clots but a floud of bloud. the Garden, where he did ſweat drops not of water, but blood, thick blood that ran through his garments trickling down to the ground; Not as Joſephs garment that was dipt in blood, but his body and garments were dyed in blood, Eſa. 63. 1. And all this in expectation of what he ſhould ſuffer, when no hand touched him but hisPliny reports of a ſerpent, that when it ſtings it fetcheth all the blood out of the body; but it was never heard of any before that did ſweat blood. own thoughts of what he was to ſuffer, (like dry Roſes that under a fire diſtill ſweet water) 2. No burthen on him or bodily labor, but the burthen of his ſpirit and of our ſins. 3. In cold weather, for they had a fire to warme them. 4. All his whippings, thornes, nayles, never fetchr a bloody ſweat from him as his owne thoughts did. 5. If the thoughts of his ſufferings were ſo terrible, what were his ſufferings themſelves?
6. His mournfull ſpeeches and wraſtling, prayers, ſhewed in what a bittterneſſe of grief his ſoule was when he cryed out, My ſoule is heavy to the death; and prayed three times, O my Father, if it be poſſible, let this cup paſſe from me.
O the burthen of a wounded conſcienceAs in Spira. groaning under ſinne (as Chriſt for ſinne) it is intollerable, It is a fearfull thing to f…ll into the hands of the living God. And ſure our ſinnes ſhould draw ſome drops of teares from our eyes, that fetcht ſo many drops of blood from our Saviours whole body.*Heyward ſanct.
7. He was crucified in his apprehenſion when he was betrayed by Judas, who ſold our Saviour for thirty peeces of ſilver, (who yet bought us with his deareſt blood) who kiſſed him with his lips, andTypified by the beaſts that were bound with cords to the Altar. ſought to kill him in his heart: And they bound him with cords: to teach us that by nature we are bound with the cords of ſin, and deſerve to be bound hand & foot, and caſt into hel fire, Act. 8. 23. Thou art in the bonds of iniquity. 2. To looſe us from the bonds of wickedneſſe, Col. 1. 13. 3. To teach us that bonds and impriſonments Acts. 21. 13await us in this life, but Chriſt hath ſweetned them with his bonds, whoſe bonds were bonds of love, as it was love to Dalilah made Sampſon bound.
8. He was arraigned at the barre before Pilate an earthly Judge, that wee might not be arraigned as malefactors before God at the day of Judgement; for John 5. 24. He that believeth ſhall not come into judgement. Indeed he ſhall have judgement, 1. of examination 2, of approbation. 3. of Remuneration. 4. But not of condemnation.
9. Againe, he was crucified in that he was ſpit upon, the moſt contemptible act almoſt that can be; eſpecially becauſe being bound, he could not readily wipe it off, but ſtood with their filthy ſpawlings upon his face, Eſay 50. 6. I hid not my face from ſhame and ſpitting.
10. He was crucified in his mockings, blindfolding him, asking him who ſmote him, making ſport with him as the Philiſtines did with Sampſon, when his eyes were put out.
The Roman Emperours had five priviledges. 1. A Crown of gold was ſet upon their heads. 2. A Scepter put into their hands. 3. Clothed with purple rayment. 4. Spoken to on the knee. 5. Salutations. All theſe they did in ſcorne to Chriſt.
1. They crowned him with thornesMatth 27. 29. foreign ſharp as a needle or ſword, able to peirce the hardeſt heele, and then ſmote him on the head, thereby driving in the thornes, and making his head all bloody.
2. They put a reed into his hand inſtead of a Scepter.
3. They cloathed him with a purple garment.
4. They bowed their knees in ſcorn.
5. They ſaluted him with haile King of the Jewes. A great crucfixion to a noble ſpirit to be thus mocked.
But all this was for our exaltation; for 1. he was crowned with thornes, that we might be crowned with a crowne of glory; Doe men gather grapes of thornes? yet the bloud of Chriſts thornes, was the bloud of our grapes.
2. He had a reed in his hand, to teach us to him it belongs to ſway the Scepter, Eſay 6. 9 And perhaps to teſtifie that he will not break the bruiſed reed.
3. He was cloathed with a purple robe, that he might cloath up with theIſa. 1. 16. purple robe of glory, and purge us from our purple ſinnes. If your ſinnes were as ſcarlet, I will make them white as ſnow.
4. They bowed the knee, to teach us that every knee ſhould bow and yeeld ſubjection to him.Phil. 2. 10.
5. They ſaluted him as King, to teach us he is the onelyonly King of his Church.
11. He was crucified in his ſcourgings) being a ſhamefull puniſhment, fit for dogges, ſlaves and vaſſals; A ſtrange ſightMatth. 27. 28. Iſa. 19. 1. to ſee a King ſcourged, eſpecially by his vaſſals. (A puniſhment they threatned Nero, to ſcourge him to death, adjudging him rather a beaſt then a man) what is it to ſee the God of heaven ſtript naked and ſcourged before the multitude? And as it was ſhamefull, ſo it was very painfull, becauſe he was in his enemies hands, which its likely would ſhow him no mercy, that ſought his life; Hierom ſaith ſix were appointed: two to beat him with rods till they were weary, and two with cords till they were weary, and two with wires till they were weary. Indeed ſometimes they did not onelyonly virgis caedere, but whipt them with plummets of lead or ſharp bones at the end of the cords, which tare off the fleſh to the bone, called chaſtiſing with Scorpions; If the Jewes ſcourged him, it is likely he received forty ſtripes ſave one; but it is probable that as he was ſencenced by the Roman Judge, ſo he was ſcourged after the Roman manner by Roman ſouldiers more cruelly (who uſually have not the lighteſt hands nor ſofteſt hearts) certainly till the bloud iſſued out abundantly. The ploughers ploughed on my backe, they made long furrowes, Pſal. 129. 3. Yea the very bones appeared, Pſal. 22. 17. I may tell all my bones. And ſo great was this puniſhment, that Pilate himſelfe thought it would have moved compaſſion from his enemies hearts, and therefore he brought him before them, ſaying, Be…old the man!Per vulnera patent Chriſti viſcera. Be…il. Corpus loris verberatum ad corpus noſtrum glorificandum Bern.
Oh the love of Chriſt; Chriſt might ſay as Zipporah ſaid to Moſes, Sponſa ſanguinum es mihi, A bloudy Spouſe thou art to me. But this was, that by his ſtripes we might be healed, and freed both from the rods and laſhes of a wounded conſcience, and from the Scorpions of eternall torments; And to tel us afflictions and ſcourges in this life are like to be our portion. Chriſt bids us every day to take up a Croſſe, and tels us all God loves heLuk. 9 23. Rev. 3. 19 chaſtens, …aſtigat quos amat, etiamſi non amat caſtigare. He chaſtens all he loves, though he loves not to chaſten. God had one Son ſine flagitio, but hath no ſon ſine flagello (Heb. 12.) he had one Son without ſin but no ſon without puniſhment: One Sonne ſine corruptione, but no ſonne ſine correptione.
12. Laſtly, Chriſt was crucified in his condēnatiō, in that they condemned himIoh. 19 6. Luk. 13. 24 to death, 1. acknowledging him innocent, (ſaying, I am innocent of the bloud of this juſt man) and then condemning the innocent, becauſe he ſtood in our ſtead that were nocent: and to teach us that we are all by nature condemned men before the Lord, till we get our pardon by Chriſt.
And laſtly, that by him we might eſcape the ſentence of eternall condemnation, for there is no condemnation to them that are in Chriſt, Rom. 8. 1.