Contemplations and Devotions, Part 17
XVII. His company in death,Mat. 27.38. Luk. 23.32. Theeves.
VVHen misery, yet failes of releefe, the two things that vsually somewhat allay it, are pitie, and company, only these two in all these his miseries, our Saviour has, or rather (indeed) suffers, and that not lesse by them, then with them, the pitie 'tis but that of women, the company, but this of Theeues, either, so farre from any alay, as they prove not the least corisines, heart-sores in his suffrings; yet did not that compassion of the women, so much exasperate the sense, as this his company of theeves, doth the shame of his death; there is not a passage in his whole passion, that seemes to take deeper of him, then this of his scandalous vpbraiding company; this was it he seemes to grudge at in the Garden, that they came out against him, as against a Theefe, Ma…. 26.55.or Robber; how much more, that hee here suffers amongst, amiddst, above them, as their chiefe; this drew from him that better blood of his reputation, and good name; and yet shall it bee as not without prophesie,Esa. 53.12. hee was numbred among Transgressors, so, nor without tipe, or mysterie; here wee have Ioseph onceGen 40. againe betweene two Male factors, the one miscaries, the other is saved; and as that was a figure of th…s ex…cution, so is this of that last iudgement; here wee have the Iudge too in the midst, on the Throne of his Crosse, the good on his right hand,Mat. 25.33. the bad on his left: These …hree trees here in Caluary …nswere to those three in …aradice, …en.our Saviours to …he tree of life, the forbidden tree of death, to the bad …heeues, the alowed tree for food to the good ones, th Crosse well taken vp, and borne (as here by this better Theefe) 'tis no o…her, then a tree of speciall fruit and food, affliction 'tis the diet of the soule, suffring is the fruit of the spirit, Gal. 5 22.the first Adam plaid the ill husband with that his Vineyard, and so (as in the Parable) was turned out, but this second Adam, how much better did hee husband this Vine of his Crosse, manuring it with his blood, hedging it with his thornes, pruning it with his nailes, watering it with his teares, to an improvement of bearing not the wonted curse, and fruit of death, but now the blessed fruit of life and glory: nor is this his companies fellowship, but language to vpbraiding,Luk 23.39. one of them (saies Luke) railed on him, even the dying too, as well living, find both list, and leasure even in death to torture him, hee that is in the same condemnation, and much what condition with him, is so farre from ioyning with him in compassion, as hee rather ioynes with his enemies in contempt; that heart is desperately deperdit, that affliction hardens, such is this Theefes; nor can that affliction bee but insufferably irksome, that misery it selfe insults o're, such is our Saviours; bu… what is …his his railing insultation: If thou be the Christ save thy selfe and vsus, what better prayer? what better subiect, then this of saluation; save, what better order then this; thy selfe and vsus. No, but as God likes no prayer that is not without faith, so hee likes no faith …hat is not without these ifs, prayer without faith doth not so much implore as tempt, and faith not without an if, doth not so much trust as try; God tels vsus his way…s are not as mans, Esa. 55.8.though in humane affaires, triall before trust bee the safer pollicy, yet in divine ones, trust before triall is the safer piety; to try God before wee trust him, doth not onelyonly bespeake his deniall, but his anger; and how reachlesse too, as well as succeslesse, is faithlesse prayer? If thou be the Christ save thy selfe (saies infidelity) whereas, because thou art the Christ anoynted to the office of a Saviour, therefore thou wilt not save thy selfe that thou maist save vsus (saies faith);Mat 4.3. If thou be the Christ, make these stones bread, so the devill in the wildernesse;Mat. 27.40. If thou bee the Sonne of God come downe, so the people; but now, If thou bee the Christ, save thy selfe and vsus, so this Theefe here; If thou bee, it is the tempting, daring, vpbraiding, but not the praying stile. On the other side againe how wonderfull is the free and fearelesse faith of the other, his fellow Robber, but not Reviler? that dares a vow our Saviours innocence, and therein the Rulers malice, Pilates iniustice, both, their guilt of guiltlesse blood, even on the very racke of torture,Luk. 23.41. this man hath done nothing amisse, (Lord) remember mee when thou com'st into thy kingdome, ver. 42.that beleeues him a Lord, whom he sees a captive, that proclaimes his kingdome in the midst of his thraldome, that desires to be remembred by him, when he himselfe complaines of being forgotten of his Father, Mat. 27.46.that begs, and that, no lesse then a kingdome of him, whom hee heares a begging, a litle water for his owne thirst, Ioh. 19.28.that can see his glory through so many, such thicke clouds of his present misery; yet is not his faith so miraculous as our Saviours mercy; how vnworthily preiudic'd by the dispaire of any, he that askes water gives heaven, and that at the first aske, and that first not till the last gaspe; that with that Steward (in his owne Parable) in paying the Labourers, Begins with this, the last that came into the Vineyard lifting him (with Ioseph) out of the Dungeon to the throne, Gen 40.that gives him, who had not d…sern'd to live on earth with men, eternally to live in Heaven with God, like a cunning Watchmaker contriving in him all the spring it selfe, faith together with all those wheeles of saluation, Vocation, Iustification, Sanctification, Glorification, in so narrow a compasse, as the houre of death.
But O Lord thy word (I see) doth not more condemne despaire, then doe thy workes, when as thou diedst not only as a Sinner, and by Sinners, but for Sinners, and in the midst of Sinners, why should I think that thou didst not die for mee, though the greatest of Sinners? where sin abounds, grace often (as in David, Rom 5.20in Paul, in Magdalen,) super abounds, how much doth sin here abound; a Theefe on either hand, Murtherers round about thee, and yet grace, the Fountaine of grace; thy blessed selfe in the midst, and that lifted higher then the rest, still praying, still giving amongst them, grace here not onelyonly super abounds but triumphs ouer sin: and yet, (Lord) Let mee not therefore sinne; that grace may abound, Rom. 6.1.though thy mercy bee above all thy workes; yet art thou iust too in all thy wayes: Deut 32.4.thou snatchedst this one Theefe from the gallowes thus to glory, that none should despaire, and but one (that wee read of) that none should presume; I will not expect another Asse should speake, because Balaams did so;Num 22.28. Princes are vsually more freely facile to the acts of pardon, at times of their Coronations, what thou hast made peculiar, I may not make common, Act. 10.15.I will not so turne thy grace into wantonesse, Iude 4.as I may not proscribe, so nor prescribe thy will by thy outward voluntary acts, as I may not thinke, that thou therefore canst not thus save, because thou still dost not, so nor that thou therefore still wilt thus save, because thou here dost. This Theefe (Lord) whom thou thus savedst at first word, and last gaspe, knew thee not till then, let mee not then make his successe my securiry, my vnwilling knowledge, can have no true confidence of mercy, from the easie pardon of his vnwitting ignorance; I know (Lord) thou thy selfe hast said it) Whensoever a Sinner doth repent him of his sinnes, Exo 18.I will blot all his wickednesse out of my remembrance; but I know too that thou, who hast made so many promises of pardon to repentance, never mad'st any of repentance vntounto sinne; how dare I so draw on mee that curse of thy Apostle by preaching to my selfe another Gospell, Gal. 1.8.then that of thine? thou that still givest pardon to the penitent, dost not still give penitence to the Sinner; true,Ier. 29 13. hee that seekes thee, when ever, if aright, he shall bee sure to find thee, what then? it is as much in thy choice, nay more, whether thou wilt bee sought when lost, then whether thou wilt bee found if sought, thou art the w…y, Ioh. 14.6.as well as truth or life, and so, as I can not find thee without thee, who art the truth, so, nor can I seeke thee without thee, who art the way, the way to seeke thee 'tis repentance, and that 'tis thine owne gift as well as (that which it seekes) pardon, and thy Spirit breaths, that and all thy other graces as where, so when he lists: were I as sure of as many thousand yeares,2. King. 20 6. as Hezekiah was of those his fifteene? In all those thousands I were not sure of the least brea…h of that thy Spirit, not of one offer more of grace, thou onelyonly art as both the heart-Maker and heart-Search…r, 1. Sam. 16.7.so the heart-Encliner too. Thou suffredst (Lord) thine owne parents to seeke thee three dayes ere they found thee, and that sorrowing, and dare I presume to find, or seeke thee either, at the vncertaine, ever flying houre of mine owne leasure? true, I shall have more cause to repent to morrow then to day, because I shall have then, both more sinnes to repent of, and lesse time to repent in, but so, I shall have both lesse will, and power too, such an habituall vntowardnesse to amendment doth every houres delay contract in the mind of man, that what is to day but an indisposition, to morrow will bee flat aversnesse. Besides, I can not promise my selfe to morrow, why then should I trust my selfe with to morrowes repentance? …he longest life 'tis but a multiplied day, what a desperate vnthriftinesse were it then to loose a day, which lost, I am not sure of another, which lost, I am sure, so much the easier to loose another, all. O let mee not (as the worlds too frequent custome is) betray together with my selfe so necessary, and so necessarily sound a duty, as this of repentance, to those vncertaine crazy times of sicknesse, age or death; how iustly shouldst thou so (Lord) let mee die forgetfull of my selfe, should I live forgetfull of thee, and wound my hatry scalpe, Psa. 6….21.should I so goe on in my wickednesse; the devill I (see) was too hard for man at his best in Paradice: how much easier will hee bee, when hee is falne to the worst, nay, when falne from that fall in Paradice, when periere ruinae, the very ruines of that strength in Paradice are ruin'd too, as in age, or sicknesse, times not only dangerously vncertaine, but certainely vnseasonable for a matter, whose high importance, and needfull industry implores the vningagedst vacancy, the vnabatedst vigour, the man it selfe of man to mannage it; nor, can it indeed well be called repentance, which the winter of age or sicknesse weares a man into, where lies the conquest when sin cashers our vns…ruiceable forces? necessity as it hath no Law with man, so nor laud or allowance with God; what lets vsus (saies Seneca) to call Lucius Sylla, still a Tyrant, though hee gave over killing when hee had no more enemies? and what lets him to bee a Sinner still, that leaves not sinne vntill it leave him? hee that doth not sinne, only, because hee can not, he doth sinne still, although he doe not, in ill as well as good, thou acceptst (Lord) the will for the deed: 'tis true, that true repentance is never too late, and 'tis as true, that late repentance is seldome true;Eccl. 18.26. let me take then the Wise mans counsell, humble my selfe before I am sicke, and while I yet can sinne shew my condition, 'twas the first fruits thou requiredst in thy Sacrifice,Exo. 23. reiecting the blemished, and blind, Lev. 23.and lame. O let mee not thinke to sacrifice my youth, my strength, my health to sinne, and hell, and to lay mine old withred bones on thy Altar; but (with hearty David) bee it ever my resolution,Psa. 63.1. O Lord thou art my God, early will I seeke. Let mee heare thee now while 'tis called to day, while thou standest at the doore of my heart, Rev. 3.20.and knockest for entrance, lest thou at last, when the night is come, heare not mee, when I shall stand without (with those foolish Virgins) and knock, Mat. 25.but without entrance; if this Theefe fare thus well, let mee not thence fare the worse, let mee hereby learne to blesse, to trust, but not to tempt thy mercy.