Contemplations and Devotions, Part 22
XXII. He bowes downe the head,Ioh. 19.30. and gives vp the ghost.
COnstraint and merit can hardly meet in any the same action, if the will concurre not death it selfe, 'tis a bare execution and no sacrifice, therefore will hee lay downe his life himselfe, Ioh. 10.18.no man shall take it from him, therefore will he here bowe downe his head, that hee may give vp his ghost, men may crowne and buffet his head, but they cannot bowe it, man gave him not his life, nor shall he take it from him, he himselfe will give it, he will lay downe his life, bowe downe his head, and give vp his ghost himselfe: he did not owe it, no, nor did he barely yeeld it, hee freely gaue it; how much of violence have wee here, and yet no coaction? he dyed willingly without constraint, cheerfully without murmur, freely without either debt of his, or desert of ours, hee bowed downe the head, and gave vp the ghost; in all his Passion, let vsus but cast one eye on what hee suffered, the other on how hee suffer'd, and we shall still finde, that though Iudas betray him for gayne, the Iewes accuse him through envie, Pilat condemne him for feare, yet nothing makes him dye but love; and this is it that thus bowes downe hi… head, Mat. 11.30.and makes his yoke easie. The crosse was though a painefull, yet a lingring death, the torture being in the parts least vitall, but most sensible, thence was it that most-what this Tragedie had a second part of breaking the legges, when boring the hands and feete, had not dispatch'd the crucified; but our Saviour stayes not deathes leasure, but (like David) how resolvedly doth this Champion of the hoast of Israel meet this threatning Goliah death halfe way? that he did not dye by little and little, fainting away (as others) appeares plainely in that immediatly before his death (sayes Luke)Luk 23.46. hee cryed with a loude voyce, which when he had done, hee presently gave vp the ghost, having first bowed the head, not bowing it because hee already had, but because hee now would give vp the ghost: he bowed the head, and gave vp the ghost. S. Luke cals this that spectacle,Luk. 23.48. and indeede what ever spectacle so great?Act. 5.9. if for cōflict here 'tis, the Prince of peace encounters the Prince of darknes, Io. 12.31.Iud. 9.not Michael, but the God of Michael, & al the other Angels fights against the devil, and all his angels, not about the body, but the soule of Moses, and of every faithfull one besides; if for conquest here 'tis too, sin, hell, & the devill with all those his principalities and powers of darknes, Col. 2.15.and spirituall wickednesses in high places are brought down, & lie for ever vanquished at the foote of his crosse; if for concourse, the living and the dead too are heere assembled, many of the dead arose (sayes Mathew) if for sorrow?Mat. 27.52. here's sorrow beyond that of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Magiddo, Zach. 12.11.the very elements, and heavens too beare (here) a part, and put on blacks; if great for subiects? here hee it is that is made this spectacle, to whose eyes all the world is but one spectacle, if for Actors, here both Iewes, and Gentiles, Priests, and Souldiers, friends and foes, nay God, and man have all (though severall wayes) their hands in it?Zach. 13.6.7. 'twas in the house of his friends (as hee complaines himselfe) as well as hearts of his foes, that hee was thus wounded, 'twas by the determinate councell of God (sayes the Apostle) as well as the malicious councels of men,Act. 2.23. that hee was thus crucified; if great for wonder? heere 'tis, the Author of life, the God of life, Ioh. 14.life it selfe looses, or rather gives his life, the sting of death, 1 Cor. 15.56.the strength of death, death it selfe dyes, and lyes for ever nayl'd to his crosse in his steede, and to make it yet more strange; hee dyes for none, but for them by whom hee dyes, for none but such as kill him, I, who then had not life, yet then gave him his death, and that more then either Iudas who betray'd him, or Pilat who condemn'd him, hee could easily have escaped Iudas his treason, or Pilat's sentence: but (alas) how then should my sinnes have escaped the sentence of his wrath, without the treason of his death? therefore did he bowe downe his head, because I had lifted vp mine too high, therefore gives he vp his spirit, because I had given, mine too much downe a subject, a slave to sinne, and Sathan. But,
O my Lord and Saviour, thou Lambe slaine from the beginning, slaine both for,Rev. 5.12. and by me before I had beginning, thou that not onelyonly before bowedst the heavens to come downe to me,Psa. 18.9.144.5. but that here bowest the head to goe vp for me, vp into the heavens to prepare me a mansion with thee,Ioh. 14.2. how fully hast thou here prov'd the devill what thou call'st him, a lyar from the beginning? Ioh. 8.44.All that a man hath (saith he) hee will give for his life, Iob 2.4.when heere thou givest vp the ghost, and life for mee, the least the worst of thine all, and did'st thou thus freely give vp thy life for the redemption of my soule, and can I stick to give vp my life, or what ever else I can, or have, or am, for the testimony of thy name? What should I now feare death for? its sting is gone,1 Cor. 15.56. this serpent can now but hisse at, not hurt me; yet, let mee not, because thou art thus liberall of thy life; thinke thou art therefore so lavish of it, as to cast such pearles to swine, Math. 7.6.no, thou art that good Sheepheard, and givest thy life, Ioh. 10.11.but 'tis but for thy Sheepe; let me not thinke then to be a Shrewe in malice, a Goate in luxury, a Wolfe in cruelty, and how-ever flatter my selfe with a share in this thy free donation; thine enemies are by this time weary of torturing, and are (at length) a comming to dispatch thee, thy friends weary of weeping, and are gone to begge thee, the devils (it seemes) weary of tempting, Many (sayes the Text) smote their breasts and returned, Luk. 23.48thou thy selfe (Lord) if not weary of suffering, yet willing to give our living, bowest downe thy head to death, Ver. 45.the Sunne it selfe weary of looking on winkes, the earth weary of supporting, shrinkes, and shrugges for freedome; and am not I yet weary of sinning;Heb. 6.6. and so of crucifying againe the Lord of glory? and yet dare I pretend to an interest in the benefit of thy death, if not yet weary of the burthen of my sinnes; thou callest none but such as are heavily loaden, Mat. 11.28.if I be not heavily loaden then with the shame, and griefe, as well as the waight of my sinnes but then, thou never calledst mee, and if I come vncall'd, can I expect any better welcome then that garmentlesse guest, Mat. 22.23.friend wherfore art thou come, take him, bind him hand and foote, &c. …hou givest vp thy spirit (Lord) into the hands of thy Father, & so did David, Luk. 23.46.and …o Stephen, and so must I by mine too, if ever I would have it happy, thou thy self …ast authoriz'd in mee this boldnes, humbly to charge thy Father with my soules custody,Ioh. 17.24.10. Father I will that …hose that thou hast giuē me out of the world be with mee where I am, for all mine are thine, …f then I be not taken from …he lap of the world, and in a devoted propriety given to thee, what hasty familiarity, what vnprepared rudenesse were it to commit that soule at last gaspe into his hands, with whom I would not here trust, or acquaint it; as I must commend my spirit (Lord) into thy hands at death, so in life dost thou heere commend thy spirit into mine, Yee have received the spirit of adoption, Rom. 8.15.as I vse thy spirit then here in life; so let me expect, thou wilt vse mine at death, let mee entertaine then thy spirit heere with a supper of grace,Rev. 3.20. thou thy selfe hast both bespoke the fare, Ioh. 4.34.and inuited the guest, the meate and drinke thou hast tolde mee, 'tis to doe thy Fathers will, and the guest stands at the dore, Rev. 3.20.and knockes to come in and sup with me, that I may suppe with him, Psal. 24.7.stand open then yee gates, be yee wide open yee everlasting dores of my soule, that this King of glory may come in, that I may entertaine him with this supper of grace, so shalt thou entertaine mee with a supper of glory, that supper of the Lambe in thy new Kingdome, Rev. 19.3.let mee not then quench thy spirit in those over-flowings of vngodlinesse, 2 Thes. ….19.lest thou quench mine too in that lake that burnes with fire and brimstone. Psal. 18.3.But why Lord doth thy Apostle thus expresly record the bowing downe of thy head in death? is it in way of appeale, that thy wronged head bowes downe thus on thy guiltlesse bosome, as consciously relying on the innocence thereof? or thy hands fast nayl'd, do'st thou heereby becken a farewell to thy sorrowing friends? or dost thou bowe it down as now at length weary of, and fainting vnderunder the heavie burthen of my sinnes? No (Lord) thou herein rather bowest the necke for me to that yoke of obedience, of obedience to the lawes doome, thy Fathers decree, and my desert; all thy sufferings as they wer… meritorious for me, so I see they were monitory to me thy wounded pierced side and bowell… preach compassion, thy not comm…ng downe from the crosse though dar'd constancie, thy silence to all their reproachfull slanders patience, &c. But this bowing downe hath a double lesson, obedience, and humility; how high a degree of obedience?Phil. 2.8. hee became obedient to the death, even the death of the Crosse; how lowe a degree of humility? so farre from arrogation of what is anothers, as 'tis an abrogation of what is thine owne the title of a King do'st thou not stop thine eares (Lord from their scoffes? nor thy mouth from their gall? do'st thou not withdrawe thy shoulders from their whips? nor browes from their thornes nor hands from their nayles? and dost thou yet bowe downe, and decline thy head from the title, and inscription of a King? Iesus of Nazareth the King of the Iewes, didst thou before withdraw thy selfe from the power, Ioh 6.15.and now thy head from the title of a King, and is this the lesson of all other thou bidst me specially to learne of thee who art humble and meeke; Mat. 11 29.and dare I catch more at vaine empty titles of glory, with more pursuit, and edg… then at substantiall endowments of grace? thou that couldst not dwell with pride (Lord) at first in the same heaven, sure thou wilt not dwell with it now in the same heart, thou that then tumbledst out a proud angell thence, wilt thou ever take in a proud man thither? let me be sure then with thee to bowe downe my head; my heart, before that I give vp my ghost: 'twas ever thy method (Lord) to stoope, that thou might'st rise,Phil. 2.8.9. thou humbledst thy selfe (sayes thy Apostle) and so thou wert exalted: nor is this gesture but very suitable to the worke in hand; now art thou about to give vp the ghost as a sacrifice for my sinnes, the head therefore shall supply the office of the restrayned knee, and bowe in reverence to so great a sacrifice, and didst thou bowe the head (Lord) in giving thee, and doe any thinke it mu h to bowe the knee in receiving thee? but how well (in many respects) might'st thou say, that thou powredst out thy s ule to death? Esa 53.12.whither wee respect the freenesse, or abundance of the gift, thy bloud, 'twas neither a strayning, nor a sprinkling, but a free and full powring of it; and didst thou thus give vp thy ghost, thus powre out thy blood, thus freely, thus fully for me? and can I be so eye so hart-bound, as not to powre out some teares to thee? to thee I say, for thee I dare not, thou neither wantest, nor desirest them, nay, thou deni'st them,Luk. 13.28. weepe not for mee, and yet thou allowest, thou enioynest me to weepe for my selfe, Luk 7.38.and commendest the woman for washing thy feete with her teares, and commandest her example to record; true (Lord) thy death in respect of thy selfe 'twas free, and willing,Quod amittitur necessarium, Quod emittitur voluntarium. thou gavest vp the ghost, and so I must not lament it, I may not weepe for that which I must pray for, thy will bee done, 'twas my sinnes that made it necessary, and so I may, I must lament it, at lest the cause of it my accurs'd desert; lend me then thy fountainous eyes (O Ieremy) weepe no more for the captivity of thy people (alas) my harder thraldome vnderunder the tyrannie of sinne more needes them,Ier. 9.1. if strangers bereave thy nation of their Countrey; behold heere thy Countrey hath bereav'd my God of his life, let vsus call our sorrowes (as Phineas wife her sonne) Ichabod the glory of Israel is departed, 1 Sam. 4.21both the light of the Gentiles, Luk. 2.32.and glory of his people Israel is here, thus mangled, thus murdered, and that for me the obscure reproach, and shame of mankinde; and yet here is some comfort too, that though the glory of Israel bee departed, Rom 9.and departed too from Israel, yet 'tis to come vntounto vsus Gentiles, so that wee now have both the light, and the glory, Luk. 1.79.who had long sate in darknesse, and in the shaddowe of death.