Contemplations and Devotions, Part 5
V. Hee is mocked at, spit on, blindfolded,Luk. 23.63.64. buffeted.
THe Sheepheard is smitten, Zach. 13.7.and the sheepe (wee see) are scattred, and now the Wolfes begin to insult on this their yeelding forsaken prey, this Lambe of God: But was not wicked Cham iustly accurs'd, for mocking, Gen 9.but at his drunken father; And is there not something more then a curse for such as mocke their Almighty Maker, as deride divinity it selfe? that hee whom the immortall Angels adore, the heavenly Elders cast downe Revel. 5.their Crownes to, Reu 5.to whom too earthly Kings owe theirs; 'tis by him they raigne, that hee (I say) should bee thus bayted at the Stake of scorne, exploded thus on the Stage of folly, that hee who is not containd by the Heaven of Heavens, should bee thus contemn'd by the dust of earth, trembled at by devils, Iam. 2.19.and trampled on by wormes, that he who is both the light of the gentiles, Luk. 2.23.and glory of his people Israel, should yet bee thus made their blindfold buffon,Luk. 22 64 their reproachfull game, and scorne (so farre from either light or glory) 'tis (if it might bee nam'd) such a peece of personall profanation, so farre beyond that of tongue, as indeed tongue can no way reach it; Lay but these together,Heb. 1.2.3. the glory of Heaven, and the game, the shame of earth, the worship of Angels, and the scorne of wretches, the terror of devils, and the sport of wormes;Col. 1.15. the expresse Image and wisedome of his heavenly father, and the exploded spectacle and folly to the dust of his owne Footstoole: Esa. 66.1.And see if they doe not seeme to stretch Heaven and Earth, yet further asunder, to give roome for their distance? But what is it they can find thus to mocke at in him; his words, they were f…w; and when any, they were astonishing: Luk. 4.22.32. Mat. 7.28. Mar. 6 ….Never man spake like this man, was their owne frequent acclamation; his gesture, it was civile, modest; his behaviour humble, meeke; his person, fairer then the sonnes of men: Every thing in him challenges admiration, reverence, and takes the heart with an awfull louelove; what can they find then, should tickle their derisive, but more ridiculous spleenes thus into laughter? Would we hauehave it in a word; it is his kingdome,Mat. 27.29 haile King of the Iewes. Kings, as they are said to have long armes, and broad hands, for matter of power, and bounty; so they cannot but have weary shoulders, in the continuall guidance of those armes and hands, even in the fullest confluence of all possible attendance, reverence, allegiance, love: But alas, when enuy, treason, scorne shall cast yet more weight to that burden; certainely (as the Apostle speakes in another case) they are, of all men, the most miserable; such a Crowne, so wreath'd, so lin'd, not onelyonly with thoughtfull cares and feares, but with contemptuous abuse and scorne, were not onelyonly not worth the stooping downe to take vp from the ground,—…oenas et quidem solvet graves-R…gnabit (as that experienc'd King spake feelingly of his) but rather as Caine complayn'd of his punishment,Gen. 4.13. a burden too great for man to beare.
To see the prevaricate froward implacability of the giddy multitude, this people of the Iewes, at first how loath was God to give them a King? how ever, they'le bee in the fashion, make vsus a King (say they) to iudge vsus like all the other nations; 1. Sam. 8 5.19.20.here hee gives them one, a King above all Kings, a King of Kings; Psa. 99.If they beleeue, one of the best of their Kings, David, nay a King after their owne hearts too, one, whom, but now, they themselues would have made their King, Io. 6.15.and yet now againe how soone fall they to abuse him, in that very title, which they themselues would then have given them, haile King &c. True, they would have made him King, but would not have him to make himselfe, so how purposelesse, as well as pettish is their malice, as if hee could have beene their King, otherwise then by his owne making? no, 'tis hee alone, that plucks downe one, and sets vp another, 'tis he onelyonly by whom Kings doe raigne, nor could they have any power (as hee tels Pilate) if not given by him from aboue; alas,Io. 19.11. in the highest degree to have given him the fullest title and maiesty of a King; how infinitly short a diminution had it beene? how derogative had beene that prerogative? had hee trod on nothing but Scepters, Crownes, and the necks of Kings, and Emperors; how iustly, how modestly might hee have shaken such dust from off his feet: Mat. 10.But thus to abuse him with the ridiculous misrule-maiesty of of a mock-King; how infinitly wide is it, as well as short: How much more then can bee spoke? well was it in a scarlet Roab that they thus abus'd him, lest happily the conscious garment might have blushd to scarlet at this their more scarlet sinne; If hee will not hold him guiltlesse, that makes a vaine vse, but of his name, how guilty are such as make so vile an abuse of his very person.
The fower things that to Kings, specially, conciliate reverence, and love, as wisedome, power, maiesty, and bounty; all which how cardinally eminent they were in him, bee these, his owne enemies, his iudges; his wisedome even at twelue yeares old in the Temple; all the Doctors wer… graveld, all the people astonished at it; Mat. 7.28.he ever sent away the subtl'st Scribes and Pharisees, and Lawyers, shamefully nonpluss'd; his power had made all to wonder, and devils themselues tremble and confesse it, the blind, and lame, and deafe, and dumbe, and sicke, and dead, and Winds, and Seas, all of them had felt it: His maiesty that they themselues had but now tasted of in the Garden, the lest glimpse of it had throwne them all backe on the ground, his bounty that of all others could not want witnesses, hee had feasted fower and fiue thousands at a time: Hee never denyed any thing, no not himselfe to any: Come vntounto mee all, and buy without money; Esa. 55.1.hee gave himselfe a Ransome? What can they then thus deride in this King; ambition, they cannot,Io. 6.16. hee fled when they themselues would have made him King, vsurpation they cannot;Our of the fishes mouth. how willingly, how wonderfully doth he pay Cesar tribute; alas, hee is as farre from any glory in it, as they from duety to it; otherwise how easily could this Sampson, this Nazarite, how iustly might hee have pluck'd downe the house about the eares of such scoffing Philistines, Iudg 16.and have made (as there) their Theater, their Grave, and turn'd this their comike folly into as tragike a funerall? But they'le try yet further (if possible) to provoke him; and will not empt their nasty mouths, watring after the forbidden fruit of his innocent blood, but on his sacred face, that face before which Angels cover theirs, and yet desire to behold it, so full of maiestike glory,1. Pet. 1.12 that they cannot but through their wings looke on it, and ye… so full too of attractive love,Ezek. 1. that they cannot looke off it:Mat. 18.10. They alwayes behold the face of God in Heaven: Yet even this face, thus spightfully is it here spit on, even by slime it selfe, steep'd in the loathsome slaver, the froathy scumme of the scummes it selfe of mankind. David complaines that his ene- opened their mouths vponupon him, but wee read not that they empted their mouths thus on him, that they gaped on him with their mouths (hee tels vsus,Psa. 22.13.) like Ramping Lions, not that they spat on him with their mouths, thus like venimous Toads, Steephens murderers,Act. 7.54. gnashd on him (saies the text) with their teeth, like angry Curs, but wee read not that they thus spat on him, like poisonous Serpents, their vsage spake but their spight; But this here, both their spight and scorne, and scorne, certainely, ever takes deeper of a mind noble and ingenuous, then enuy: How infinitly wide is this from Magdalens vsage of him? Shee washd his feet with her penitent tears, these dawbe his face with their putrid spittle; but now their vlcerous lungs & mouths have thus overflowed on him, as well in the rewmatike scumme of blasphemies, and raunts, as of spittle, in the next scene they'le exercise their fists on him, which that they may the better doe with the more sport to them, and spight to him; they first blindfold him; and then buffet him; true, one halfe of that his owne speech they make good, here's no concord indeed, 2. Cor. 6.15.betweene Christ and Belial; but the other halfe, how possibly doe they strive to disprove in thus labouring, to make fellowship betweene light and darkenesse, to blindfold the light it selfe, that light that lightens every one, Io. 1 9.that comes into the world, to darken those eyes, to which the darkenesse and the light are both alike; Psa. 80.7.shew vsus the light of thy countenance (saies David) and wee shall bee whole, and thou shalt so put gladnesse into my heart: How contrary is this their practise to Davids prayer? shew vsus (say they) (without the light of thy countenance) who smote thee; Luk 22.64.and nothing puts so much scurrilous mirth, and gladnesse into their hearts, as the losse of that light, the hiding of that countenance: the clay should not dispute with the Potter, and say, Ro. 9.20.21why madest thou mee thus: But here's a stranger kind of disputation, from the worke to the Maker, one that concludes in Ferio, in blows vponupon him; and puts him to the answere of a Ridle, who smote him: The Apostle bids vsus lift vp pure and vndefiled hands vntounto him; but how contrarily, how literally doe these here (as the Prophet speakes) lift vp their hands against him, to provoke the eyes of his glory? how strange, how vnusuall is the mixture of this their bitter Cup of malice, enuy hatred, scorne; how rarely meete they on any one obiect? Enuy lookes still vpward, and argues, if not ever a superiority, yet at least a priority in the obiect; hatred that lookes mostly levell, and argues, if not still an equality, yet at least a iealosy of comming too neere it, but scorne that lookes still downeward, and treads the obiect below the place of reveng, or enmity; and yet all three how strangly doe they here sticke at once in him, their inv…nnomd stings? Enuy opens her broadest eye on him in a watchfull malignance, hatred shee lifts her heaviest hand against him in a wrongfull violence; and scorne too, spares not to set her insulting foot on him, in a contemptuous disdaine, which how much more it afflicts a generous mind, then the worst of violence, let Sauls death speake: strike mee through with thy Sword (saies hee) to his armour bearer, lest these vncircumcised, 1. Sam. 31.4.come and thrust mee through and mocke mee: That their first King fear'd it, and questionlesse this their last King felt their insultation more then their fury, torture, or death. But O Lord how long, Psa. 9.3.4.how long, Lord, shall the vngodly thus triumph, how long shall the wicked Doers speake so disdainefully, and make such proud boasting? How long shall these lying lips thus cruelly, Psa. 31.10.disdainefully, and despightfully speake against the righteous? What emulation is this, that thy patience and humility seem to striue in on this thy willing abasement? was it not enough (Lord) for thee to quit the Throne, and to imbrace the footstoole?Io. 16. to become lesse then thy father, lower then the Angels, Heb. 2.9.in all things like man, Heb. 2.17.sinne onelyonly excepted: And certainely Nebuchadnezars fall from the illustrious reasonable Throne, Dan. 4.to the lustrous bruitish Den; was not one rundle of this thy Iacobs Ladder from Heaven to earth, Gen. 28.and was not this enough, wilt thou yet lower, and be made as man, so a Seruant of men, a drudge to thy owne creatures,Esa. 53. Phil. 2.7. vassailes; (our sinnes made him to serue among vsus) is not this enough neither; but that being made a Seruant, and …oth knowing and doing thy masters will; nay,Luk. 12.47. making it thy meat and drinke to doe it, yet wilt thou have that desert of the tenant Seruant,Io. 4.34. that knowes, and doth it not, bee beaten with many stripes. Is not all this yet enough neither; vnlesse thou become yet lower, viler, a worme and no man, carelesly trod on by the foot of pride, as well as wrongfully beaten by the hand of malice: Yet had'st thou but stayd even here, thou mightst hauehave found to all these thy wrongs, and wounds, at lest some pitie; where reveng failes (as in wormes) to strike at the head, there ye… pitie mostly failes not, t… knocke at the breast fo… some compassion and remorse: But is not all this yet low enough; wilt tho… (Lord) bee troden downe yet a step below the condition of a worme, and become not onelyonly a man, seruant of men, an innocent, yet beaten Seruant, a worme and no man: But at once both the enuy, and the scorne of men? whereas the wrongs and sufferings of the least, the worst of things, find yet some alay in pitie, and remorse, shall thine onelyonly be edgd y…t sharper by contempt, and insultation? may not thy blood satisfie witho…t thy shame? not their woūds without their scofs? alas no, so low was I falne, that even thus low wert thou faine to seeke me; sin had made mee a mock God; …he subiect both of Heavens iust disdaine, behold the man is become like one of vsus, Gen 3.and of hels abusive disport, eat and yee shall live, and bee like Gods. How mercifully, how proportionably, to expiate that my vaine ambition, dost thou therefore thus become for mee, as the obiect of Heavens iust wrath, and Hels enuious terror, so of earths derisive scorne too? So low (Lord) even by nature, am I, that I must (with the Prophet) claime kindred with corruption, and call the worme, my brethren, nay (with Bildad) my selfe but a worme: Iob. 25.6.But alas, so much low am I by sinne, that I cannot call my selfe a wo…me, not a loving, not a living worme, but dead in trespasses, 1. Tim. 5.and sinnes, leavened with spight and malice: 1. Cor. 5.how mercifully, how needfully didst thou therefore seeke mee thus low in a degree of deiection, below that of a worme, below either mould or mud, in the very bottome of worthlesse abasement, shame & scorne I was falne a degree (Lord) below that of the Apostles gradation, below that of glorying in my shame, my sin, Phil. 3.19.even to a shaming at my glory, at thee, thy grace, and Gospell at least, at any more remarkable degree of forwardnesse, or zeale to wards it: how often have I, the better to suite mee to my worse company, dissembled my selfe yet worse then I have beene? How answearably therefore to expiate that my causelesse shaming, at my truest glory, didst thou thus truely glory in thy desertlesse shame: and so, shamefully foile sin, at and with its owne weapons, shame, and scorne? But (alas Lord) have I not as often too with these thy Murderers mock'd, blindfolded, buffeted, spat on thee? What else doth hypocrisie but mocke thee, and so, how often have I even in my prayers bowed the knee before thee, and not the heart; given thee the empty title of a King, and not the tribute? How often have my soule mouth'e oathes spat the noisom… slaver of blasphemy? my wanton prophanesse with thee, and thy word, vented the itching empty froth of scurrilous wit, even in th… very face of thy glory; as if I did but practise with my mouth to spit thee out of my heart; And alas what hath my confident secur…ty in the secrecy of my sinnes (having in wish, if not opinion blindfolded thee) but (vponupon the matter) buffeted thee, and put thee, as it were, to ridle who strooke thee? …hough my sinnes (Lord) wound thee, yet let not my seruice mocke thee too, let it be (at least) true, though not profitable; 1. Cor. 4 20thy kingdome it consists in power and not in word: Let my allegiance then (Lord) to it, consist in truth, and not in shew, not in the forme of godlinesse, but the power thereof; so yet, however, thou that (here) didst so freely give thy backe to the Smiters; Esay 50.6.wilt not sure deny it to my burdens; so, thou that didst for mee not hide thy face from shame and spitting in this time of thy …rouble,ibid how confidently may I say (with David) that thou wilt not hide thy face from mee in the time of my …rouble, thou that gavest thy cheekes thus to the nippers, ibid.and wert not angry: sure thou wilt not withdraw them when (with David) I sha…l in a faithfull reverence kiss the Sonne lest hee bee angry …hou that didst thus set forth thy face as a flint, to all these their scornefull scoffes, and blowes, how shouldst thou not shew forth the light of that countenance to all my humble suits, and sighs.