Contemplations and Devotions, Part 19
XIX. The Time,Math. 26. the Feast of the Passeover.
NOt long before they had concluded, not on the feast day, Mat. 26.5.for feare of the people, what before reprives him, now reproaches him, at this Feast of the Passeover, all the Tribes of Israel together with Proselytes, and Strangers convented in this one Citty made it the thronged Theater, the eye of the whole world, that therfore, must be the seene, this, the season of his sufferings, that all eyes may meete in the common center of his shame, 'tis not enough that his person suffer vnderunder the spight and torture of some, vnlesse his cause suffer too vnderunder the sight and prejudice of all; hee had beene long the marke of their owne envie, that's not enough, vnlesse they make him now the spectacle of the whole worlds scorne, therefore is it, that no lesse then the three knowne languages shall all in this the now great Market of the world at once proclaime him guilty; yet,Ioh. 19.20. may we not thinke but that even in this circumstance too of time, his love, and wisedome had their designes, as well as their envie; lines opposite in their circumference may yet meete in one center, so may their malice and his mercy meete in this resortfull eminence of his shame: man had sinned before all Gods Angels, and therefore will he suffer before all Gods people, the sinne shall not exceede the pennance, no not so much as in number of witnesses, his publique shame, and naked exposall to all eyes, shall proportionatly expiate Adams guilty leafes and bushes. Gen. 3.But, why not as well after the feast? no,Exo 12.2.14. the Passeover was to be kil'd before the feast kept, both in type,Deut. 16.28. and substan…e. Of both lawes, ceremoniall and m…rall, hee was both Author, and observe, the morall hee both gave, and restor'd; and the ceremoniall too, though he did not restore it, yet neither did he destroy it, as it was abollish'd through him, and antiquated after him; so it was perform'd by him, and fulfill'd in him, so that, even of that law too hee might well give himselfe the stile of a fulfiller, Mat. 5.17.and not a destroyer; the migration of a type into its substance, being indeed so farre from a losse of frustration, as it is its truest improvement, and perfection: this l…w of the Passeover as it was in manner and circumstance ceremoniall, so it was in signification, and substance morall;1 Cor. 5.7. this substance 'twas himselfe, at approach of which the shaddow was to vanish▪ how doggedly (as in the fable) then, doe they loose the substance, and catch at the shaddowe? how frowardly, how vnseasonably goe they about at once to keepe the one, and kill the other? as if there were no time so fit to imbrue their hands in the innocent bloud of this Lambe, truly Paschall, but then, when they were to annoynt their doore-posts with the figurative bloud of that Lambe Sacramentall? Some Churches (they say) among the Papists, among other their myraculous Reliques have consecrated, and doe still to this day keepe St. Peters sometime healing shaddowe, 'tis hence sure they take both the possibility, and devotion, from these our Saviours superstitious murtherers, who still now celebrate his shadow, after they have crucified himselfe, how truly doe they by him, as he had told them they did by his Prophets, kill him,Mat. 23.29. & yet celebrate his Sepulcher, his empty antiquated shrine, and without him but the widowed, the carcassed Passeover?Mat. 26.5. Now is their feast of vnleavened bread, and doe they chuse this as a time to sacrifice the life of this bread of life, to their sowred leaven of maliciousnesse; 1 Cor. 5.7.8.this feast they kept in memory of that their deliverance out of Egypt, Lev. 12.23.6.so miraculously and that suddainly wrought, that they had not leasure to leaven their bread at their departure, & can they now at the same feast finde such leasure to feed, to feast their eyes on this so lingring a death, of that so speedy a deliverer? how strangely doe they crosse his blessings;Luk. 1.74. he then delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, that they might serue him without feare, and will no other then the same time serue turne, to deliver him into the hands of his enemies, that they may kill him without pitty? And yet how much water of comfort doth he strike to vsus out of this hard rock of their malice.1 Cor. 5.7. Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for vsus (sayes the Apostle) which that it may the more fully appeare, the time as well as place shall speake him the reall truth of that Paschall figure; when Israel had first entred Canaan the morrow after the Passeover was celebrated, the Mannah ceased,Ios. 5.12. the same is here againe made good in this the true Mannah which came downe from heaven, he ceases to live, the morrowe after the Passeover: Nor is it but worthy the observation, that as his death, so was that their fatall siege afterward by the Romanes as at the same place, so at this same time of the Passeovers solemnities, that as by this generall confluence of all the tribes at this time vntounto Ierusalem his shame, so might their ruine be the greater, the punishment oft times suits, as well as equalls the sin, and corresponds to it as well in the kinde, as the degree, the same time doth hee take to give them vp into the hands of the Romanes, which they had done for him, the same Engine of the Romanes power, workes both their malice, and their mischiefe, and that at the same Passeovers severall annuall celebrations, heere they complaine how great an enemie hee was to Caesar, Ioh. 19.12.how iustly therefore doe they at the same feast after, complaine how great an enemie Caesar was to them? the same feast proclaimes Caesar now their onelyonly King, Ioh. 19.15.and anon their onelyonly enemie, so great an enemie, that at length they need no longer crie his bloud be vponupon vsus, &c. They have bloud enough vponupon them of their owne, so much, that the Romanes (as some report) vsually manur'd their fields,Purchas. and Vineyards with it, hedging them about many miles in compass with their sculls and carcasses; and of others that dyed not by the sword, so many of them were crucified, that at length there wanted crosses for the bodies,Ioseph. and at last places for the crosses, and of those that more vnhappily escaped death, they who had valued our Saviour at thirty pence, were vsually solde to slavery thirty for a penny, so fully was that their owne valuation, together with that their acclamation of crucifying; and imprecation of bloud vponupon them, pay'd them home in their owne coyne, to their owne desert, their owne wish; and his their owne time too; when men begin to take pleasure in their sins, God seemes to take a pleasure too, though not in the death of sinners, yet in the manner of their dying, in making their own tongues, and sometimes their owne hands and actions their Iudges, & so (as David speakes) the sentence of their guiltinesse Psal. 41.8.proceedes against them. But
O my blessed Lord and Saviour, thou in whose hands onelyonly are the times and seasons which man may not determine, but must attend. Yet give mee leave to aske thee why thou madest choise of this time of feasting for thy death, was it to solemnize either thy bodies Funeralls, or thy deaths triumphes, no, (questionlesse) rather to vniversalize thy sufferings, the place, the time, the manner of thy death, all speake thy purpose of spreading those thy sufferings (together with thine (armes) to receive all that come vntounto thee; or didst thou chuse to dye this publique death, thus …n the worlds stage set vp as a beacon on the top of the hill, and as an Ensigne on the mountaine, to teach me more to shame to sinne, then to suffer, more to feare to commit the one, then to study to conceale the other? or was thy reason my desert, the reason of thy choise the desert of my sinne:Psa. 44.26. shame and confusion of face? O let me not thinke to seperate those in practise, which thou at first ioynedst in Paradise, sinne, and shame. Yet of the two let me ever feare more the sin then the shame, let me ever (Lord) so live, as I may neither feare to dye, nor shame to live; let mee so dye, as I may neither wish to live longer, or to have dyed sooner. Thou (O Lord) art that true Passeover, 1 Cor. 5.7.which still makest the destroying Angell of thy Fathers wrath to passe by the dores of my soule without slaughter, and yet,Rev. 3.20. behold thou standst at the dore thy selfe too, and knockest for entrance, as thou art then my Passeover, so (Lord) be my guest too, passe not by thy selfe without knocking, without entring, knocke on still at this the dore of my soule by thy word, thy spirit, thy mercies, thy iudgements,Rev. 3.7. thou that hast the key of David, and openest where none can shut, not onelyonly knock, but enter too; say Ephata, rather then saile, make a forcible entry, thou art that stronger man in thineMar. 3.27. owne Parable, and therfore cause thou art the good sheepheard, Ioh. 10.11.the t…ue owner of this, though so poore a cottage, so vnworthy, Math. 8.8.that thou shouldst come vnderunder its roofe, and that by many titles of inheritance, of purchase, of recovery, and therefore iustly mayst. O let not that other guest step in before thee, for if I doe euill; s…e lyes at the d…re too,Gen. 4.7. but is in ambush to invade… …gainst that and all such entruders, thou who shuttest in the Sea with do…es, s…ut mee within thy selfe, who art the …ile,Ioh. 10.1.9. dore of th… Sheepe-f…l…, but when thou (O Lord) shalt knocke; be yee open O yee gates sta…d wide open. Psa 24.7.O yee everlasting dores of my soule it … the King of glory that would come in: so I have thine owne promise for it,Rev. 3.20. that I shall sup both with and on thee; with thee who art the happiest guest, salvation is this day come vntounto this house; Luk. 19.9.on thee who art the truest Passeover,1 Cor. 5.7. Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for vsus, as for other guests,Gen 4….6 into their secrets let not my soule enter, for other feasts their savourie meates let not my soule too well love, Gen. 27.4.after such heavenly Mannah, what neede, what tast is there in the white of an egge? Ioh. 4.14.hee that eates of this bread, and drinkes of this cup, shall never hunger or thirst againe. Luk. 2.43.'twas at a feast (Lord) thy Parents lost thee, and heere againe 'tis at a feast that thou loosest thy life, and heerein too the Baptist was thy exact fore-runner, Mat. 14.6.in all time of my mirth then, good Lord deliver mee.