Contemplations and Devotions, Part 6
VI. Hee is accus'd before Pilate.Mat. …7. Luk. 23.
BVt now at length (tyr'd ('t should seeme) with their owne scurrilous folly) they beginne, from making themselues with him guiltily, merry, to fall a making him (if possible) seriously guilty, and to that purpose have led him bound from the high Priests Hall to the Governours Pallace, there, to proceed to his accusation, and so to his sentence of death; what led them thus to lead him thither for a legall death, was not any love to iustice, but want of power, wee may take their owne wo…d for't, It is not lawfull for vsus to put any man to death. Io. 18.31.How great is their malice to him, when as corrupt as they are, neither their powers, nor wits can stretch their Lawes to their desires against him; and yet rather then faile, thei'le beg, and if need be, brave and threaten the gentile power (though one of their abhominations) into a seconding their forged accusations by a forced sentence: If thou let this man goe, Io. 19.12.thou art not Caesars friend.
Fowre accusations wee read of, layd against him, all capitall, Sedition, Seduction, Vsu…pation, Blasphemy.Luk. 23.5. 1. Sedition, hee stirreth vp the people, teaching throughout all Iury. 2.Luk. 23.2. Seduction, hee peruerteth the nation, forbidding to give tribute to Caesar. 3. Vsurpation,Io. 19.12. hee saies that he himselfe is Christ, a King; and hee that maketh himselfe a King, speaketh against Caesar. 4. Blasphemy,Mar. 14.63.64. what need wee any further witnes, yee have heard the blasphemy. How great, but withall, how false are these their accusations? how much more truely doe they condemne his accusers then accuse himselfe? truth though against falsehood it be a party, yet, can it have no other Iudge then it selfe, iectum est mensura sui & curui; doe but at raigne then these accusations before that Iudge, and how easily will they,Reu. 5. like clouds before the Sunne, all vanish? alas, so farre was hee from Sedition, that, though hee taught and stirr'd vp the people, yet was it to nothing more then loyalty, and subiection, owning none for a Disciple of his, that did not beare that yoke, nay not only beare, but were it a Crosse?Mar. 10.21. willingly, take it vp and follow him; so farre from Seduction or peruerting the nation, Luk 9.23.either from their Law, or Prince, that certainely neither of them had such another Champion: To the Law hee was Author, Restorer, Fulfiller, how resolutely by his doctrine did hee vindicate and refine it from the drossie glosses of the Pharisees to its primitive vigour; how absolutely by his life, fulfill it to its vtmost rigour; they were the two ends of his comming, preaching, living, dying,Mat. 5.17. to restore and to fulfill it, to restore it to vsus, fulfill it for vsus, but never to destroy it in vsus; even of both Lawes, morall, and ceremoniall, hee was both Author, and Fulfiller, though hee tooke away, from the one the curse, from the other the vse, yet hee destroyd neither, the morall he did not finish, but restore, the Ceremoniall hee did not restore, but finish, and yet fulfild both; of the first he was both Obseruer and Restorer; of the second the observer & the substance, though it were antiquated after him, yet was it both kept by him, and fulfill'd, nay perfected in him. And for Caesars prerogative, or tribute, let not onelyonly his own mouth,Esa 53.9. in which was found no guile, Mat. 22.21give vntounto Caesar what is Caesars, but even the dumbe fishes mouth too, Mat. 17.27.in which was found that miraculous mint, that tribute-treasury, speake him how zealously forward? of all those many miracles hee wrought, we read not of any one money-miracle among them, but this, wherby to pay Caesars tribute; let Iudas and his bag too at once faile him, rather then herein faile, hee will miraculously fulfill that of the Psalmist, his wonders shall bee seene in the deepe in this, at once,Psa. 107.24. both his power shall speake his will, and his will againe his power. And then for Vsurpation; alas, so farre is he from the least ambition or desire of soveraignty, that 'tis not all their owne importunity that can draw him the least step towards either Throne, or Bench: When a cause is offered, his answere is, who made mee a Iudge over you, Luk. 12.14.wee heare him not complaine, who brought me to the barre of accusation; but, who call'd mee to the seat of iudgement? Hee shuns not so much the sentence, as the seat, nor doth he lesse shunne their throne, then bench,Io. 6.15. when they would have made him King in steed of flatring them, hee flyes them, and that into the wildernesse, hee chuses rather to live among savadge beasts, then seruile Parasites, and no maruell, his choice may bee without example, but 'tis not without a great instance of lesse danger: Nebuchadnezar who in the throne among his meal-mouth'd flatterers, was twice vnmann'd, first into an imagined God-head,Isay. 14.14 I will be like the most high, then into, at least, a conditioned beasthood, the dew f…ll on his back, and hee d d eat g…asse with the Oxe, Dan. 4.33.his haires were as Eagles feathers, and his nailes as clawes; yet was hee in the wildernesse among his fellow bruits, at length againe vnbeasted into his wonted, both humanity and Empire: The flatterers tongue bites deeper then the Tigers tooth, the beasts that bite sorest said the Philosopher) are among the wilder sort, the slanderer, but among the tamer, the flatterer. Lastly for blasphemy, in making himselfe equall with God, how great a blasphemy, had it beene to have denyed it? truth it selfe must so have denied it selfe, whereas to make himselfe the Sonne of God equall with God, Phil. 2.6.how ever malice may call it blasphemy, truth it selfe tels vsus, 'twas not so much as robery: We see then, as how great, so how false too are his accusations, as false in proofe, as great in pretence; nor are they more false in, then to themselues. Yet so as the witnesses, sayes the Text, agreed not among themselues. Mar. 14.50.How vntrust, disioynted is falshood, even in i…s composures of best skill, care, and preparation; falshood as it can never bee true in it selfe, so is it as seldome true to it selfe, 'its accusations are mostly no lesse repugnant to themselues, then reproachfull to the Sufferer. Ephraim and Manasses may be both against Iudah, Esa. 7.but before they have done, they will be as much each against other, nay rather then faile, Egyptian will be against Egyptian, falshood will find enemies among those of 'its owne house 'its owne heard, and heart; there may bee a conspiracy in falshood, but no true concord, 'tis onelyonly righteousnesse and peace shall so kisse each other. Constantine might well say, hee could not trust their truth to him, who were not true to his God. Religion is the thoroughest knot of vnity, truth and trust. Truth is a plaine rode, and hath but one straight open path; falshood is a devious l… byrinth, and hath so many darke, and crooked wayes, so full of error, that 'tis not a little hard for such as tread them, not to loose (if not themselues, at least) one the other in them; falshood, like Vriah commonly caries a message in its owne bosome, 2. Sam. 11.to cut its owne throat with; 'its owne weapon (like Goliah's) serues best to strike off its owne head: 1. Sam. 17.The strongest factions in ill, how like the fire brands of Sampsons foxes are they?Iudg. 15. knit but in the tailes, not heads, not hearts; and how sure in the end (like those) to burne their owne knots asunder; Psa. 68.1.let God arise, and how soone will his enemies bee scattred; the Princes and Rulers may band themselues, Psal. 2.2.and take counsell together (as here) against the Lord and his anointed, but how truely doth hee by them, what they there threaten to him, breake their3. bonds of malice asunder, and cast away these their cords of falshood from him: And with that straight iron rod of truth breake them into irreconcilable,Revel. 2.27. vnsoderable peeces of contradiction, like a Potters vessell? Psal. 2 9.and then laugh them to scorne; 4.'tis as well the mirth of Heaven, as blisse of earth to see and laugh at enuy'es cunningst combinations; or'e reach'd and foold by their owne wit, and fetches, to helpe them breake the thred of falshood, by drawing it out, in fine, 'tis the triumph of truth,Iob 5.13. to take the wise in their owne craftinesse, and make the counsells of the wicked foolish. But wh… then seemes he,1. Cor. 3.19. at all these so loud, and blasphemously false accusations, thus consentingly tongue-tyed? to all their accusations hee answered not a word; Mat. 17.12.same though it often play the curre, and open where shee finds no game, yet a good name is as a precious oynment, Eccles. 7.3.and an oyntment corruptible too by the least dead fly; Eccles. 10.1.and wee are to strive (if possible) that even our good be not evill spoken of. Was it any froward wearinesse of life, o… desire of death, to dispatch him of his torments? no, hee had before wholly betaken himselfe into the severest hands of his, both fathers wrath, and enemies malice; yet, not my will but thine, and 'tis I am hee whom yee seeke: was it then any stupid confus'd inabilitie to acquit himselfe from their accusations? no, their owne repugnance, wee see how easily doth it expugne themselues; no, nor was it that want only wittie fancy of some, that hee was here silent, because his voice, the Baptist, was before slaine by Herod: I am the voice of a Cryer, no, his word is not bound, nor is it confin'd to any voice; hee could here have spoken to them in fire and thunder, as at Sinay; or,Exo. 19. in the mouth of the least babe or suckling have ordained strength, Psa 8.2.strength enough to have laid them at his feet, as hee had done, but now in the Garden. What should then thus make him, as a man that heareth not, Psa. 38.14.and in whose mouth are no reproofes? would we have it in a word, the cause of this his silence, was our guiltinesse; ours, in whose steed here hee stands: wee (in that first fall) were guilty of all these his accusations, of Sedition, Adam and wee in him seditiously fell off from God, and his Lawes: thou shalt not eat, Gene. 3.and sided with that old Mutiner the devill, eat and yee shall live; of Seduction, and that both passive and active in Eue, wee were seduced by the Serpent, and in her wee seduced Adam. Vsurpation, what did wee then but traiterously inuade and vsurpe that prerogative, divinely roiall, of knowing good and evill? lastly of blasphemy, what did we thereby but attempt to make our selues what hee is here vniustly accus'd of: equall with God? yee shall bee as Gods knowing good and evill. God then spake it in a iust derision of ambitious man: behold the man is become like one of vsus; wee shall now therefore bee able to say it in a …ust devotion of almighty God, behold God is become even like one of vsus, an arraign'd an accus'd, a seemingly confus'd Malefactor.
But O my blessed Saviour, thou that art both Iudge, and Aduocate of that great court of Heaven, and yet for mee becam'st an accus'd, an arraign'd Prisoner here on earth; what meanes it (Lord) that thou didst once challenge thine accusers, which of you can rebuke mee of sinne, and yet art here thus still silent to all their accusations? didst thou then dare them to accuse thee, and dost thou now not dare, but thus to accuse thy selfe, by this thy defencelesse silence? no (Lord) thou saidst not, which of you can accuse mee? accuse thee (wee see as innocent as thou art) they dare, and doe, but which of you can rebuke mee of sinne, conuince mee of it? true, they laid to thy charge, Psa 35.11.things that thou knewest not: As, if it were enough to excuse, who would be guilty? so, if it were enough to accuse, who could bee innocent? anger is cruell, Prou. 24.4.and wrath is raging: But who can stand before enuy, no not innocence it selfe; If the greene tree, Luk. 23.31.thou (Lord) the true Laurell scape not the blasts of malice, what should the dry Stuble expect it, let mee …eve… expect a third choice, beside either suffering or doing wrong, let mee ever call in question my doing well, if some way I suffer not by it; let mee never thinke to scape the shadow of enuy, vnlesse I quit the Sunshine of innocence: Hee that refraineth from evill, Esa. 58.15.maketh himselfe a prey. But alas Lord, when that old Accuser of the brethren shall lay to my charge things that I too well know;Rev. 12.10. my silence will not bee as thine, patience, but consent, not a will to suffer, but a want what to answere, the witnesse, will not then (Lord) as these against thee, confute themselues, by their owne discord, no, the bookes will bee laid open, Rev. 20.12.both that greater one of thy omniscience, and lesser one of mine owne conscience, nor w ll their accounts bee more large then their accord strict: thou (O Lord) as silent as thou wert, couldst (as thy Prophet speakes of thee) have smitten the earth with the rod of thy mouth, and with the breath of thy lips have slaine the wicked: But alas my mouth will not then bee able to keepe my tee…h from gnashing, all the breath of my lips not able to coole their owne tongue; my answere cannot bee so much as a request to thee, to pardon mee, but to the deafe regardlesse Rocks and Mountaines to fall on, and cover me, Revel. 6.1….vnles thou blot out that hand-writing of accusations, Col. 2.14.that are against mee.
When that adultrous woman (Lord) was brought before thee to bee adiudg'd, thou wrotst with thy finger on the ground, and so send'st away all her accusers with shame: so, when I shall bee then brought before thee to bee adiudg'd, O Lord doe but write my pardon, with the finger of thy mercy, on the ground of thy merits, and so shall all my Accusers bee driven out of thy presence, so, who shall bee able to lay any thing to the charge of thy chosen, Ro 8.33.when 'tis thou that iustifiest. I will feare thee (Lord) with the good Theefe, seeing I am in the same accusation, Luk 23.40.and I indeed iustly, but thou hast done nothing amisse, mine were the crimes, thine but the accusations, and yet I will no lesse trust in thee (with him) too, for if when thou stoodst at the barre of accusation, thou didst without grudging beare my burden, sure, when thou shalt sit in the seat of iudgement, thou wilt not sticke to seale my pardon; thine owne still-open wounds cannot but witnesse payment; and where thou thy selfe hast paid the debt, even thy iustice cannot deny to signe the acquittance: when as thou (Lord) who wert here on earth my Atturney, and suffredst for me, and art still in Heaven mine Aduocate, and plead'st for mee, shalt then come in the clouds betweene Heaven and Earth to give sentence on mee; what should I feare though the wickednesse of my heeles compasse mee round about, if the faith of my heart can lay hold on thee aboue? thou (O Lord) wilt not, can'st not forget to bee gracious, thou art still the same, when deckt with maiesty and honour, as when cloth'd with reproach and shame; Psa. 35 26.Iesus Christ yesterday and to day, and the same for ever: though here silent to Herod'es itching curiosi…y after wonders, to the Priests slanderous enuy, to Pilates slavish corruption, to whom thou stoodst, not for thy selfe, nor for mee any way ingadgd, though before these Shearers and Butchers of thy body, Esa. 53.7.thou wert as dumbe, not opening thy mouth, yet before that Sheepheard and Bishop of our soules, 1. Pet. 2 25.thy offended father, to whom I stood guilty, and indebted; then, and now, and ever art thou an importunate, an incessant Intercessor; every wound, every drop of blood, in my behalfe the tongue of a ready Speaker, and that,Heb. 12.24. speaking so much better things then that of Abels, by how much, mercy is above sacrifice; in this of thine (O Lord) there is both, mercy, and sacrifice, a sacrifice that cannot faile of mercy.