Chap. 2. se-a. ~. !Lillltittg unto jjtfuS'. Book IV. 365 l'or the fecond, wlm the difference is betwixt him a!1d Chrill, l~t us weigh them in the ballanee and we may find; I. Barabb.uwal a tluef, and by v10lence took away the bread of ;he needy, but Chrifl was a feeder and fupplyer of their needs; 2., Ba– rabb.u was an high-way thief, wounding them that travelled by the way ; bu; Cl~nfl w.s the good Sam~tritan that healed fuch, binding up their w?unds,. a_nd pourmg m;o them wine and oyl. 3· Barabba.· was amurtherer, and had ilarn th~ ~tvmg; but Chn£1: was the Saviour, refloring life unto the dead. Barabbas was a fe~tttous tumult-raJfer, he made a certain fedition in Jemfalem; but Chrifl was a loyal tnbute-payer, and !m com>nands were, Give unto Cefar the thingsthat arc Cefar's. 'S· .Barabbas was a b!oo~y revenger, a man of blood, t_hat h~med after b!ood; but Chn£1: wa> a meek and ~met fpirit and what wtth fweaung, btndtng, buffetttng, bleedmg; was now become a!– moft; bloodlefs Redeemer: light and darknefs have not lefs fellowlhip, Chrift and Be– lial no lefs difcord ; here's a comperition indeed, the author of feditionwith the Prince of peace; amunherous mutiniere, with a merciful Mediator; a fon of Belial with the Son of God.-- 3· For their votes, they give them in thus; Not thi< man, but Bnrabbas, q.d. let John IB 4°·. us have him cmcified who raifed the dead, and him releA[rd trho deftroyed theJiving : let the]:[;~'{:.~~'" SaviOJ<r •f the world be condemned to death, a11d the jlayer of men be<eieafed from prifon, Senn e p"./f and h.we hu pardon. A (\range vote, to delire the wolf before the Llmb, rhe noxious and violent before the righteous and innocent: Here was th~ Prophctick parable of {athan fulfilled, The trm of the forrefl have cho(m thebramble and reftifed thevine; --- Jud. 9; 14· But there is fomething more obfervable in this vore ; the Jews had a cu(\om not to name what they held accurfed ; I will not maks mention of theinrames within my lips; pfal.t6. >· and furely this [peaks their fpigbt, that they will not vouchfafe to fpeak the Name of Jefus; the cry is notthus, Not JcftH, but Barabbas; but dms, Notthu man; not thu fc!low, bttt Barabbas; as if they meant fir(\ to murther his Name , and then his Perfon. · 4· For Pi/ate's qu&re upon the vote, What ]hall I do then with Je(us, which u called Mat, 17 •2 ,, Chrift? Pilatc gives him his Name to the full, Jefus, who i< called Chrifl; his Name is Jefus Chrift. There is more pity in aGemile-Pilate, than inall the Jews; infome things Pilate did ju(l(y, and very \t>ell; as fir{l, he would not condemn him before his accufations were brought in; nor then neither before he was convieted of fome capital crime ; and becaufe he perceives that it was envy all along that drove on their delign, he endeavours to fave his life by ballancing him with Barabba;; and now he fees that they prefer Barabba< before Jefus, he puts forth the quellion, What fhall I do then with refm, which i< called Chrift? q. d. 1_ know r\ot what to do with him, it is againll m-y light to condemn bun to death, who IS of mnocent life : I could tell what to do with Barabbas, for he is a thief, a "_'utiniere , a mu~therer, a notable malefactor; but there IS no fuch t!ung proved agamft 'fefu;, who IS called Chrift, What then jha!l I do with him ? 5· For their anfwer to thisqu.ere, .And they all faid unto him, let him be crucified. M;t.tpa• Thts was the firll ume that they fpake openly rhetr delign; it had long lurk'd within them that. he mull: dye a curfed death, and now their envy burlls, and breaks out With unanunous confem, and cry, Let him be crucified. 0 wonder! mull no other death fttnr thetr maltce but the crofs? other deaths they had in pracrife, as the towel, ll:ontng, and bebeadtng; more favourable, and fuitable to their Nation; and will they now pollute a Jew Wtth aRoman death? Magna crudelitM, ei·c. a great cmelty; they nedJ. fonght not only to kill him, but to cmcifte hiw:, that fo he might dye alingring death. The crofs was a gradual and !low death, it fpun out pain into a long rhred, and therefore they make chotce. of tt, as they made choice of Jefus; let him dye, rather than Ba– rabbM, and let htmdye that death of thecrofs, rather than any other fpeedy, quick, dtfpatclung death. 6. ForPilmc'sreplyumothisanfwer why? trhat evil hathle done? hewaslothto NIt • fati fie their demands, and therefore h; queil:ions again, What muft he dye for? was it a· ' 7 · ,,. mm that he n10uld condemn one to death, and efpecially to fuch a death, and no crtme comnm~ed? Come 011 (faith Pilate) what evil hath he done? .A~tguftine upon thefe words, · Ask ( faah he) and let them anfwcr wtth whom he converfed moll !er A e 0 1 ~: rhe pcffeffed who were freed, the lick and languinring who were healed; th; le- Ji•~e~ 'J_,;, 1 ' . prous that were cleanfecl, the deaf th1t hear, the dumb that fpeak, the dead that .'were ra1fed, let them anfwer the queftion, what evil hath he don9 ? Sometimes the N n 2 Jews
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