Contemplations and Devotions, Part 8
VIII. Hee is crowned with Thornes.Mat. 27.29.
HOw aguish is the temper of popular affection, how slippery the tenure? not many dayes since, they had spread their owne garments, Mar. 11.and Olive branches even vnderunder the Asses feet, that beare him, and now againe having stript him of his owne garments, Psa. 35 26.to cloth him with rebuke and shame: their Olive branches vnderunder his Asses feet, are turn'd to Thornes on his owne head, Luk. 19.41.that head, that had beene then for them (with Ieremyes) a Fountaine of teares; Ier. 9.1.how foone is that their Hosannah turn'd into a Crucifige, their magnificat into how wrong, a venite exultemus, their Olives of peace, and gratulation, into Thornes of malice, and abuse? how soone, how vnnaturally doe those their grapes of gladnesse, beare thornes of d…spight? so very a Reed shaken with the wind, Luk. 7.24.is the best of these popular interests and dependences, or rather like the wind that shakes it? frownes, and favours are the stormes, and calmes of this wind, nor are they more vncertaine, then those of weather, some they raise, but they ruine more, and those mostly whom they most raise, they most ruine: 'tis not for man, to ride long on the wings of this wind, Psa. 18 10hee rides on stormes like lightning, that so rides, and like that is vsually spent in a flash, so slippery a Pinnacle, is the bosome of a multitude, the standing almost impossible; and as hard the comming downe, without a fall,Mat 4.5. as our Saviour did from his. How ill aduised is the man, that seekes either to build himselfe on the Pilla…s of this sand, or to reade himselfe in the Characters of this dust? 'tis one of the many miseries of greatnesse, that it mostly finds not leasure to acquaint it selfe with it selfe, to seeke it selfe within it selfe, and so seekes it selfe but abroad in the opinions, and tongues of others, and so knowes it selfe but by report, and heare-say; such at best can but live, as if they were but lent to themselues, and what with envies beblurring their vertues, and flatteries bedawbing their vices, shall never set a true coppy of their owne characters. How dangerous, both the error of the tongue, and inconstancy of the heart, are of this popular Hydra, let Herods lowsie fall speake the one,Act. 12 23. Absoloms the other:2 Sam. 18. how many hath it done by, as it here seemes to by our Saviour, slock'd them with greene promising branches of Olives, into intangling, scretching snares of thornes.
But how incongruously improper, as inconstantly trustlesse, are they in this engine of their thorny Crowne? hee came not to take, but to give Crownes, and those Crownes of victory, Rev. 2.10.of life, of glory, Rev. 4.10.and doe they pay him with a Crowne of shame, of death, of torture; can they afford him no richer crowne, thē of the hedge, no easier Crowne, then of thornes? a strange, a sharpe, a bloody Coronation, and yet how much lesse sharpe, and bloody, then their more thorny malice, that applyed it? because their whips did not reach his head, their nailes could not pierce it without an end of t… ture; their fists drew not blood enough of it, (greedy, it should seeme, of not a little blood from every part of him) they have found out at length this studied torture, to draw that blood out of his head with thornes, which their fists and staves had bruised with blowes. How pragmaticall, and conceited is malice? wee read of many severall Crownes, then in vse among the Romanes, a triumphall, an Obsidionall, a Military, a Navall, Civicall, Castrensall Crowne; but never of a Crowne of thornes till now; this for matter, both of purpose or patterne, how spightfully vnexampled is it? It wounds his person, and flouts his kingdome at once; what other Kings doe feele but in the metaphor, their Crownes thorny, perplext and sharpned with scretching cares, and feares, and troubles, that hee finds in the rude, but not blunt letter, his Crowne is such without those cares and anxieties, which other Crownes are wreath'd and lin'd with; and of those too, how could it bee but full, vnderunder the double burden of earths sinne, and heavens anger? yet, is he not, even in this his bloody thorny Crowne (as strange as it is) without either prophesie, or type; here hee is a true Lilly among the thornes, Can. 2.2here is Isaaks Ramme tyed fast by the head in the thornes, Gen 33.13.to be a Sacrifice, a Ransome for vsus; nor indeed could they find a fitter engine, or embleme rather, to imprint on him their sharper malice, then this of thornes; accursed, accursing thornes, the curse of earth, and fruit of sinne, cursed is the earth, for thy sake, Gen 3.17.….thornes and thistles shall it bring forth: but must the curse of this curse, thornes, light no where but on this sole Author of blisse, must it fall no where but on him, who so iustly gave it? no, hee cannot have mans sinne, but hee must have sinnes curse too, thornes, and this makes him absolute, and compleat in the whole curse of sinne: before the Law thornes were a curse to the earth that bare it; vnderunder the Law the Tree was a curse to him, that it bare: Deut. 21.23.both wayes, both curses, will he vndergoe; first hee will beare the curse, thornes, then the curse shall beare him; the Tree: no curse shall bee left, to sticke on those blessed of his father; whether before, or vnderunder the Law. Both which curses, in as much as they were so borne for vsus; such blessings to vsus, how loath is hee to part with either his Roabs and Scepter, Mat. 27.31.hee is content to leave behind him in the Pallace. But that his Throne the Crosse, and this his Crowne, the thornes, as sharpe, as bloody, as accursed as they were, yet these hee caries with him to his death; in these (above all other) chusing to triumph over all those conquer'd powers of darkenesse, Col 2.15.sinne, death, and hell. If mine Aduersary should write a booke against mee (saies Iob) would I not take it vponupon my shoulder, Iob. 31.35.36.and bind it as a Crowne vntounto mee? So here, his Aduersaries clap on this thorny Crowne, as a brand of scorne, and torture, and yet (such is his love to vsus) whose desert it was, that though a curse, hee binds it to him, not onelyonly on his shoulder, as a Crosse to beare it, but on his head too, as a Crowne to triumph in it; and makes it a Crowne of more terror to his enemies, then of torture to himselfe; thus for vsus hee was not onelyonly (as the Apostle speakes) made a curse, Gen. 3.13.but for vsus, hee made the curse a Crowne, our thornes his glory, here, were all the sharper thornes of our sins, and sorrowes, those pricks in the flesh, 2. Cor. 12.7.those buffeting Messengers of Satan, broken, and blunted in his blessed browes, and so, these thornes, which were so sharpe an engine of torture to him, are become to vsus, not onelyonly a happy Crowne of triumph, but a rosie garland of delight, a reposefull pillow of rest. The birds (saies Baruk) sate on the thornes in the Orchard. Here are those thornes that every weary bird may sit and rest on; that every pursued bird may shelter in, that every fruitfull bird may nestle in; here is that Altar, Psa 14.3.that those sparrowes, and swallowes (as David speakes) have found to build their nests in, nor let him ever thinke herein to have any rest, or shelter, who is not scretch'd and prick'd with the thornes of sorow, and remorse: Would wee then have our blessed Saviour to weare vsus on his head in triumph, would wee be his Crowne,1. Thes 2.19. Phil. 4 1. his Crowne of reioycing; let vsus then become (with the Baptist) thornes in sharpnesse and austerity of life; let vsus not dreame of more Crownes, then crosses, of more crowns of glory, then Crownes of thornes, he is here as in the Canticles, Can. 2.2.Rosa inter spinas, and there is no plucking this Rose without some pricking of these thornes; if no conflict, no conquest, and if no conquest, no triumph; hee that with the Crosse on his shoulder, Eph. 6.and the Sword of the spirit in his hand followes not our Saviour here in the battle, let him never thinke, that with the Crowne on his head, Rev. 7.and Palme in his hand, hee shall accompany him hereafter in the triumph: hee that in some measure, triumphs not over sinne, here in this Crowne of thornes, shall never triumph over Satan, hereafter in a Crowne of glory; where sinnes power of dominion is not conquerd, that it raigne not here in our mortall bodies, there 'its power of damnation is still in force, that we raigne not hereafter in our immortall soules, in such in whom God workes mightily to the aduancing in them of his kingdome of grace, for such, and such onelyonly, he will worke merveilously to the aduancing of them in his kingdome of glory.
But O my blessed, and yet for mee thus accursedly crowned Saviour, my Crown of triumph,Rev. 3.11. and garland of delight, thou once touldst thine Apostle Paul, how hard it was for him, Act 9.5.but with the heele to kicke against the pricks. How much harder is it then (Lord) for thee to have these thorny pricks to bee thus crushd into thy tender head, and yet, didst thou so choicely triumph, and all mine enemies in this sharpe accursed Crowne, that from this of all the rest of thy abusiue tortures, thou wilt not part, no not at death? and can I glory in any thing, Gal. 6.14.but in thy Crosse (with thy Apostle) wherby the world is crucified to me, and I vntounto the world? when as thou here hadst no better crowne then my curse; why should I here looke for any better Crowne, then thy Crosse? let mee not thinke then, with those wanton worldlings to crowne mee with the fading Rose-buds of pleasure here, and to bee crown'd hereafter too with that Crowne immarcessible, 1. Pet. 5 4.that fadeth not: no give mee rather here of this thy Crowne (Lord) thy Crowne of thornes, though I deserue not a Crowne as a King, yet I well deserue the thornes as a Sinner, the thornes of compunction, and remorse for sinne. Hedge in my possession with those thornes (Lord) from the trespasses of sinne:Eccles. 28.24. from those other thornes, that would choake the growth of thy word; Luk. 8.7.plant these thorns (Lord) by the water side of true repentance,Psa. 1. so they will bring forth fruit in due season, so I shall even of thornes gather grapes, even a vintage of ioy and gladnesse. O Lord I am but as a bird escaped out of the snare of the Fowler, Psa. 124.6.hide me then (Lord) I beseech thee in these thy thornes, here let mee sit, rest, breed, and shelter; in all my delight and mirth let mee (with the Nightingall) ever clap my breast to these thornes, so shall I bee sure to make better musike vntounto thee, truer to my selfe, so my mirth shall not bee like the worldlings, a crackling of thornes vnderunder the pot, Eccles. 7.8.a blast, and away, but like that of thy presence, Psa 16.12.fulnesse of ioy, and of thy right hand pleasures for ever more.