Contemplations and Devotions, Part 24
XXIIII. The Rockes rend,Mat. 27.51.52. the dead arise.
Ierusalem from its rocky situation is call'd by some Civitas petrosa, the rocky Citie, the inhabitants might as well give it that name, as the soile, its foundation was not so stony as the peoples hearts, or rather had their hearts beene but of stone, they had here rent a sunder, as the rocks themselues doe, what should worke on such harder rocks, but the fire of hell, vinegar of teares?As Hanibal through the Alpes. did not the dull earth vpbraid enough their relentlesse cruelty, but must the harder rockes yet further shame them? and (indeede) how fully doe they shame them, how fouly? if men shut their more rocky bowells against their Saviour, as glad to give him his death, the rockes will open their softer bowells to him, as in them proud to give him his grave; he himselfe not long before had said it, if men should hold their peace, Mat. 21.9.16.the very stones would cry in a confession of him, here 'tis made good, the lowder eloquence of stones, supplies the stupid silence of men, rather then faile, the very rockes will strive to cleave themselves all into mouthes to preach his funeralls, and the Heavens will bee the mourners, and weare the blackes; how more then stony are wee if wee learne not of these stones this duty to this our corner stone, Mat. …1.40. 1 Pet. 2.7.to rend our hearts in compassion at his passion. Iosuah a little before his death, takes a stone and erects it as a witnesse betweene God and Israel, Behold (sayes hee) this stone shall be a witnesse vntounto vsus, Ios. 24.26.27.for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which hee spake vntounto vsus, it shall therefore be a witnesse against you, lest you denie your God, here this our Champion a truer Ioshuah, a little after his death, cleaues the stones, in witnesse that they have more tenderly heard the words which the Lord hath spoken vntounto vsus, and shall they not rise vp in iudgement, and witnesse against our more impenitrable, immalleable hearts, if they rend not with anguish, if they cleave, they gaspe not in a spirituall thirst after this water of life, his bloud? is that it that these rockes thus gaspe for? or doe they cleave themselves to discover their more harmelesse, softer in sides to this rocke of our defence? Psal. 18.1.or is it (as sometime for Corah) to make living graves,Num. 16. to have buried them before their death, who would have kill'd him after his buriall,Math. 28.12 swearing him dead againe after he was risen. Or doe the greater rocks break themselves thus smaller, and so fitter, to give them that their owne death of stoning, that death which not long before they would have given him, Ioh. 10.30.31.but now is thought too easie, they had crucified this the chiefe corner stone, 1 Pet. 2.7.and now the stones ambitions (as it were) of revenge, would faine stone his crucifiers; hee himselfe had not long before told thē, that God was able even of stones to raise vp children vntounto Abraham, here 'tis made good, the children of Abraham are growne stones, and therfore God raises of these softer stones more naturall children of Abraham, more filiall in duty, more tender in compassion, in so much, that out of shame, and indignation, that stones should thus vpbraid Iudas-like vnboweld men,Act. 1. Mat 27.52.the very dead will rise in part to supply the deader numbdnesse of the living, resigning their graves to such deader living carcasses, at once to hide, and bury them. Dives was not so very an Infidell in hell, but that he did beleeve that if one should rise from the dead to his living brethren, Luk. 16.30.they would sure beleeve, behold here are risen many from the dead, to these more faithlesse wretches, and yet so farre are they from beleeving the dead risen, that they fall a suborning the living to sweare that hee himselfe by whom these rise,Mat. 28.12. was not risen; nor is this myraculous conviction of their infidelity without its speciall prophesie, I will open your graves, Esa. 37.12.and make you to come out of them, and (indeede) what better proofe that he was that same God, whose property is to kill and make alive, Deut 32.39 1 Sam 2.6.to bring downe to the grave, and to bring vp againe: what better tast or earnest of the power of his death, that hee had by his death put death to death, and led captivity captive, that he was that stronger man (in his owne parable) that had conquer'd and bound that strong man, Luk. 11.21.death, and that in his owne house, the grave, then that it is thus enforc'd to yeeld vp to him its chayned captiues? what conqueror ever led such spoiles in triumph? the consumed spoyles of death, and of the grave; the grave whose stile before was the insatiate grave, here, it surfets,Pro. 30.16. and Iudas-like having swallowed this sop, this incorruptible and so indigestible morsell of innocence, vomites vp not onelyonly it, but its owne bowels too, the incorporated dead, and no mervaile if the grave thus surfetted not before vs'd to such fare, but ever feeding with Noah's Crowe on the carrion of corruption, still but as a wayter on sinnes trencher, never on the bread of life till now; and how early too, as well as fully doth this power, and value of his death breake forth? even to the Thiefe hanging with him on the tree to dye, hee promises the life of glory, and to the bones that lye in their graves already dead, he gives the life nature, and of glory too, these shall take possession with him (in the right of all the rest) some of the resurrection of the body, some of both body and soule; that all might know there is no hope of either, but by vertue of that his death. But, O my Lord and Saviour, thou the only rocke of defence, Psa. 18.1.and yet a rocke of so much offence too,1 Pet. 2.8. the Lambe slaine from the beginning; slaine, and yet alive, and never more living, then now in death; but (Lord) do'st thou shew wonders among the dead, Rev. 5.9. Psal. 88.10.11.12.shall the dead rise vp againe and praise thee, shall thy loving kindnesse bee shewen in the grave, or thy faithfulnesse in destruction, Psa. 30.10.shall thy wonderous workes bee knowne in the darke, and thy righteousnesse in the land where all things are forgotten? Yes (Lord) thou shewest wonders (here) among the dead; rockes, and carcasses rend, and rise vp to praise; O Lord, thou art the rocke of my salvation and my refuge, Psal. 18.1.shall I be lesse kinde then to thee, than the rockes? thou art the strength of my life, and shall I be lesse living to thee then the dead? thou mad'st thy people Israel to sucke oyle out of the flinty rocke, Deu. 32.13.let me sucke out of these rocks this oyle, this benefit to supple, to rend my heart at thy torment, to open it for thy entertainement, otherwise if these stones of earth should herein condemne mee, what should I expect for execution, Ios. 10.11.but such stones from heaven, as thou somtime showredst downe on the flying Amorites, and then what rocks shall I call on to hide me from the wrath of thy Throne,Rev. 6.16. when the rocks themselves discover their own in-sides at the horror of thy crosse? thou (Lord) art that true rocke of Rephidim, whence flowes the water of life. Exo. 17.6. 1 Cor. 10 4.Thy Apostle tells me, that rocke was Christ, both a fountaine, and a shelter to all thine, out of this fountaine (Lord) giuegive me to drink that I never thirst againe, Ioh. 4.15.Exo. 33.22.hide mee in thy secret place, and set mee vp on this rocke of stone, into a cleft of this rocke put mee, as thou didst by Moses, when thy glory passed by, it is the onelyonly hiding place from the storme, and from the tempest. But (O Lord) though the horrour of thy sufferings pierce the rockes above ground,Psa. 88.10.12. shall thy wonderous works be known in the darke too, shall the dead rise vp and praise thee, who will remember thee in the pit? Yes, here are some (it seemes) more mindfull of thee in the darke grave of death, the land where all things are forgotten, then vsually I am of thee in the lightsome spheare of life of knowledge; if at thy death I start, I rise not out of that more insatiate; darksome, loathsome grave of sinne may not Salomon iustly praise the dead that are already dead, Eccle. 4.2.more then the living that are yet alive? mayst thou not refuse the counsell of those Angels, and doe well to seeke the living among the dead: Luk. 24.5.hee that will not leave a life, for thee, Mat. 10.37 Luk. 14.26.is not worthy of thee, how much more a death, a grave, and that of sinne? if I rise not out of this grave of sinne, how should I ever thinke to bury my dead, my sinnes: in those graves of thy wounds? nor doe these dead (Lord) here only arise, but (as the Text hath it) appeare to many, Mat. 27.53.nor let me account my selfe risen from this, grave, vnlesse it appeare in newnesse of life, though as on Lazarus some grave cloathes, Ioh. 11.40.41.some remnants of sinne, will still sticke on me, yet let mee with him the stone of heart-hardnesse, being taken away, Ver. 44.come forth to the light, that the glory of God may appeare, so shall I be sure to have my part in that first resurrection, on which the second death shall have no power, Rev. 20.6.so shall I be able in right of this thy conquest over death, and the grave, to trivmph, and say,1 Cor. 15.55. O death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory.