364 Book IV. !Loo!img unto 'jjcfu.s. 3. Let u~ admire at the condefcemion of Chrill:, who for our fakes came down from Heaven to teach us wifdom; and for uswho were fools indeed, was coment to bear– C<~unted a fool himfelf; yea, aodif need had been, would have been ready to have faid , Sarn. 6 • n. WJ.th Da':id,. I will yet be more vde thanthu;, and will be bafe in my own fight. 1know· , Cor. 1 • , 3. thJs doctrme Js aA offence to many, Chrifle<ttcifiedsnmto the {nvs a jlumb!ingbiock._, and ttntothe Greeks foolijlmefs. To tell natural men ( fuch as Herod, and his mw of war) that this fame Jefus whom they mock, and fer at naught, is the Son of God and Saviour of the world, they cannot believe: it is plainly evident, that m>t mmry wife men after thcflefh, not many mighty, not many noble are ea/led; but God ha~h called the foolifh. thmgJ of the world to confound the wife; why rl1is is rl1e fruit of Chrill's condef~entton, called the foolipmefs of God; wifdom it f~lf was cement to be counred 1Cor. r.26, .,. Vc:r, zs. a fool, that thofe who are accounted the (oolijh thingJ of the worldmight be wife to fal– vation. 4· Let us fearch whether Herodand his men do not keep a rendevouz in our l1eans . do not we fet Chrill at naught? do not we mock him, and aray him in a gorgeou; robe? whatfoever we do-to one of the lea!l of his Saints, be tells us that we do it to himfelf, Matth. 2.5. 40-45. and have we not dealt thus with his Saints? have we not 1 King.>. , 3• dealt thus with his Minill:ers? when Elijlut was going up to Berhe!, There came little children •m•f the City, and mock,sd him, ttnd foid unto him.' go up thou ba!d-head, go ttp thott bald-head. A reproach of ba!d-htad, ror.nd-hettd, gJVen to a fauhful Elijha or Minill:er of Chrill:, proclaims you as bad as thofe little children, yea, as bad as H;r.d, and his men of war; fuch HerodJ were a little before the defiruction of {emfalem, : Chron. 36. fome there were then that mock,sd the Mejfengm of God, and dcfpifed hts 1vords, and •nd 16 • m'ifo[edhis PrephctJ, tentil the 1vr~th of the Lord arofe ag11injl his people, till there was r.a remedy. . 0 take heed of this fin, banifi1 Herodout of your hearts, or Chrift will ne– ver lodg' there: ruine without remedy will feize on thofe foul; that Herod-like mock t!Je Mefft'ngers of God, what is it but to mock·the Meffenger, the Angd of the Cove– nant, even Chrill: himfelf? as Herod fent Chrill away, fo let us fend Herod away, and 8ive himadifmiffion out.of dores. The hour !lrikes again,' andfummens Chrill:and us to another ftation: let us follow him ll:ill, as Peter did when he went into the high Priefl's Palace, find fate with the JervmltJ to fee the end. SECT. III. Of Chrifl and 1Jar11bb.u compared; and of the queftion debated bm~ixt Pi/ate and the Jeru. ABo.~c.eight i~ the morning our Saviour Chrifi is returned to Pilau, who pro– ·ppuvd~d to the Jews, whether they would have J efus, or Barabbas let loofe unto John 1~· 39, them. Ye,have a cuftom (faid he) that I Jhould releafe unto yott one atthe Pafsover, 40 ' will ye thmfore that I rele<t[e ttnto you the King of the {eWJ? Then ~ry~d they all agai'!, foying, not this man, but Bdrabbas; now Barabb,u was a robber. It1s luppofed that Ut this pa(fage Pi/ate endeavoured Chrill:'s liberty, He kp!w that for envy they had de!i– Mat. ' 7 '' 8 • 'IJered him, and he faw that Herodhad fent htm back agam uncondemned,. and therefore Mat. , 7.,7• now he propounds this medi"m to refcue him from their mahce, Whom '!''11 )'e th~t I re– lfafe 11ntoyou, Barabb,u or {t[mwhich is called Chrifl ? In the profecuuon of thts paffage, I /hall obfcrve, r. Who this Barabb,.,was. 2. What J> thed1fference b:twJXt him·and Chrifl. 3· How they vote. 4·. Pilatesqsure upon.thevote.. 5: Thetr a~fwerro his ~~re. 6. His reply unto thflr anfwer. 7· Thm reduphcauon upon hts reply. For the firft what was this Barabb,u, but a n•table prifoner? Matth. 27. 16. Ont that had mnde i~(urreEl:ion, and who had committed murther in the in{urreilion? Mark I5·7· One that for a certain fedition made in the City, and for msmher WM cafl znto prifon l Luk§ 23. 19. one that was arobber or an high-way thief? {ohn !8. 40. one that was the . grearell:maleflctorof histime? andmufthebetaken, and Jefusca!l? murl he be faved, and Chrifl condemned? For
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