l!ltgbt ~utgatotp. -----f-"-,c-a-t,_b_u_t_o_f-fc_a_r_k_t_b_l_o_od_?_O_m_y heart!huw canil -thou but re;;d-into arl,~~;f~d-;;-) 0 my bdovcdlu·e//may ow e;-es Jhcd tears at thu,1vhcn his veins tiJJts jhed thctr bioua f s · ~· f.J veUii·.,;i ne (.tM·um Een•. eh P.tJT. D m c ~e. Ef.ty so. 6. Bc1 n ibid. Job 31• 36. N.: h;c pu·t~ ri– vosr,gwims def•'fJ~: B<t n. d, PaJT• 1 Do'1l.•• 39· But here is yet a third dfuGon of blood, and that (as f·ornard tells us) was in the""'· ping! "nd tet!r!ngs of hu facred chetk.!; To thi• bears the Prophet witnetfe, Ej; 1 y 50~~~~ J ."ave my b.ul\,..tQ tb:fmttr.s, and "lJ cheakJ; ::o the mpp(rJ · or as our latter Tranflaf /gavemybatkJothefniters, and mychetk.! to them that plmktdrjf {he hmr: whc:~~; Ius cimk.! 1vae tom, or /m beard plmkfa tjf; fame vary in opinion: Bemfl.rd thinks both might be true; or howfocvcr we bclrevc, molt probable it is that neither of themcowld be effe:ted Without cffufion ofblotd. And no~v me thmks I fee that face famrrhan the Jonnes <f men fp1t on by the Jewes ; nor IS thc~r fcorn without fomc cruelty; for in the next Scene they cxc1c1fe then tilts, wh1ch that they may do with more fport to them, and fp1tc to hun, they firit bluidfold hun, and thenfmtmg hzm on tufaa,they btdhim re~d who" is that flrzk$s hun; and yet (as if whitenetfe of their fpittle, and blewnctfc of thm flrokcs had not eau fed enough colours) they once more die his rofic countenance ina bloody. red; to th1~ end do theympht"h" k.! with their nails,and (as others) plmk_ojfh•s luvr wLth then fingc1s,whereby !!reams and flroaks ofllood run down his cheeks, and drop down at h1s ehm to h1s lower garments : 0 fwcet face of our Saviour ! what mean there fufferings,but to tell us,if ever c·"i>f"fion cover o11rf·•ce for him,that we confider tbcn how blood and fwcat thus covered his face for us ? But yet here's a fourth cffufion at his Coronation; the blows drew not blood enough from h1s fJcc, and therefore the thorMmuit fetch more from h1s head: if ""net~<herfary (':~yes jub) jlwu/c/ lV> itca boo/z_againft me, jitrc/y iiVo!lfd tab.$ it upon myjhonfder,and b;,,d, it as a cruiWJ unto me, Job 31. 36. The jtll'J in tread of writing a book, they wreath a crown,and fee how our Saviour binds it to.him; not only oh his lhoulder as a Crofs tu bear it, but on his head too, as a crown to triumph in it: but neither is it for triumph only, but for torture ; 1t IS a Crown woven of boughs, deck't which thorncs and drops of blood in lieu of precious !!ones. 0 ']eft! was that fpzttle thy omt~ ment, tfhtt reetl thy Scepter, thofe th(Jrr.cs thy cronw, that furple aied ltith blood~ thy royal Robes? unthankful people , thus watered wi rh his blood , that bring forth nothing but briars and thornes to crown him! but wherefore thornes, fJve onely to crufh into his tender head? and to this purpofe they do not onely flick his head fuU of them,but after the putting it on, to fallen the crown better,thcy jmke hun 011 the hud with their reeds, or cancs: See here thorncs, not like ours, but (as the Counrrcy af– forded) flrongcr and greater to pierce his fcull with more cafe; and fee here cMeJ, not as ours, but heavier and folider (as Jen>zy had plenty of them) to beat and hammer that crown ofthorncs deeper and deeper into his head. 0 then Imagine, what ilrcams of blood gulhed out, when all thofe fharp prickles were fhot in ? no lcfs thenaJhon7<<f bloodnow rained on his neck, his face, his fhoulders; and all this for us, to m•k$"' 1/tel//bers of that Head, his head thm bleeds down upcn all hit memb<rJ. And his head \'Cin being opened, there is a fifth cffufion of blood ilfuing out of hi! body; this was eaufed by the whips wherewith the merciletfe Tormentors lcteh blood from hi~ facred fides: ls not here matter for our meditation to work on?Confider (!pray .YOU) how rude are the Hangmen that flrip our Saviour of his garments, arrd then go a· bout to bindc his holy body to a pillar? he (poor man 1) flands at the pofl: alone, with· out any friends to comfort, or eye to compallionate him, whilcfl they flrike on their lafhcs, redouble their flrokes, again and again fall upon him afrcfh, as if they would not leave a drop ofblood in all his body; but flay, what juflice in all this? the Law of Jt1ofcs commanded that Malefactors fhould be beaten with whips,and itJL:IIbc,ifthe Dcut, 2 S· 2 , 3 . wickfd be worthy to be beaten, that the Jitdge jiMII oaHfc htm to lye dmn, and to be bemen be· fore hisface acc()rdmg to hisfault by a ccrtaitt member: what number ?f~lt'NJ ftripu J;, ':'ay give him, and not exc;eed, left if he jJ10u!d csceedand beat hwz ~b,.vc theje n·tth lllt3ll)'/rr~pes, then thy bruthcrJlwuldfmn vileto tlm,Deut. 2). z, 3. Thus mdced were the Jmu t1ed, but the Gentiles neither bound by law, nor moved With Compallion, far exceed thJs number. I have read that he received no lejje than 5400. firipes; which if we confider thefc thi;1gs, is not altogether improbable. Firfl:, the law of beating,, that e,·:ry guil– ty fhould be firickcn by every one of the Sould1crs, a free-man With flavcs, and a bond-man with whips. Secondly, the caufe of th1s Law, that the body ofl11m that was S. Gcrt.C. 4· Jiviu. jr,flnu~r. c. 35· • to be crucificd,'{],ould be disligured, that the nakednetfe fhould not move the beh~!ders to any difhoncfi thoughts, when they fhould fee nothing pleafing or bcaut1ful but all· things torn, and full of commiferation. Thirdly, the purpofc of Pi/ate, who hoped to ~pare his life by this fo great cruelty ufcd againll him. Fourthly, the great care and hall
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