372 Book IV. JLooamg unto j}efu.s. ------------------·-------- 3. ln reference to this they engage themfelves for him, wl1ich was their lafi arouc Mat. '7·''· ment, Hi• blood be upon m and our children, q. d. act thou as Judge, let him bec~ndemned t? dye, and if thou fearefi any_ th~ng, we will undergo for thee, let the 1 -enge. anee of Ius blood be on~s, and on our,chtldrenfor ever. Thus far of the firft general, John 19. q. 2. For the fentence It fe!f, When Pelate heard that, - -- he fare down in the j~tdg. "''"t feat, in a place that u_cal/ed the p~vement, becaufe erected of ftones; but ; 11 the Hebrew Gabbatha ;----Thts word figmfies an high place, and raifed above; it was [() on purpofe,. that ~h~ Judges might be feen of men when they pronouftced fentence. . And here Pzlate hmng down, he gave the doom. What was the form, or manner of chrifofl.• Cor: the fentence is a great quefiion amongfl: Divines. Chryfojfom is of mind, that he pro. {~;J.'r.de Ele nounced no form at all, but only dehvered !cfm 1111to them to becmcified, Mark I 5· I). John I9. 16. Others cannot ytdd to thts, forto what end (fay they) nwuld he then r. fit down upon the j~<dg_ment feat? and yet amongfi tlremfelves they cannot agree on a l!n,el. de roJ!. form; .Anfelmegtves u thus, I adJudge [efm of Naureth to that ignominiop.,r 11nd jhame– Vin ·• deP'./J. fie! death of the crofs. . Vmcenwu thus , I condemn !ejitr , feducing the people, b! 4 f phemmg God, .and faymg that he \l>M Chrift the Kmg of the Jews, to be f~tftened tathe crofs, and th;re to hang till he dyr. ~any other form; are brought in by others, bur Luk< 23. , 4, that ofLuks IS I amfure moO: authenttek. .And Pilate gave fentmce, that it fho~<ld be •r. as th•y required: and then he delivered Jefm to their will. Hen's a femence indeed a delivery of Jefus not to his own, but to his enemies liberty; ro the boundlefs bonds: P.hl , 7 . u, and all the pollible tortures of their own wills, and wilhes. 0 unjuft fentencc! Give me not over to the will of my adver(aries, cryes David; the will of malice is an endlefs wheel, it cares not how long it fpins out pain, and therefore they cryed, Crucifi• him, mtcifie him, let him be crucified. Amen, ( fayes Pilate) do what Y"" pleafe, crucifie him, andcrHcifi• himM often a.· you will, it jhallbe a< you require, Lo now I deliver him to your own will. We cannot fl1ake this tree without fome fruit; from this fight of Chrift, and fentencc of Pilau, we may learnfomegood.----- · Vfe. I. From this fight of Chrifi, as he was prefented by Pil4te ro the people, we may learn remorfe: not any of us who have crucified Chtirl by our fins, but we are called on at this time, to beholdthe man ; fuppofe we f~w him with our bodily eyes; fuppofe we had the fame view of Chrifi as the )ews'had, where he w~s thus prefemed; fuppofc we faw him in the very midft of us wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe, and the cane or reed held in his right hand ; fuppofe we heard the voice of Pil.ae fpeak~ng to us, as he did ro the Jews, .Behold the man; fuppofe we faw the purple robe lifted up, that w~ might fee all under, how his body was torn; and that fame P.<'<• !. 37· voice from Heaven lhould come to us, faying, Thi4 farne it he who"' ye have buffemd, (COierged, crowned, crucified by your fins : were nor this enough to prick us in our ·hearts, and to make us cry, Men and brethren what jhall we do ? Oh' we look ar rhc infiruments, and we cry, ·Fie on Pi/ate, fie on the Souldiers, fie on the Jews; but we look not on our lins, faying, fie on them. Could we but reallizc our fins as the principal of thefe iutferings of Chrifl:, methinks our hearts lhould break in very pieces: confider, yefierday· in the midfi of our Markets fo many lies were told, and fo many oat~s were fworn ; and this day fo foon a>the day-lighr fpra~g, fo manya~sofprophanmg tbe Lord.s day were committed by us; little did we thmk that all th~s while w: had: b~n !tripping Chrifi: naked, whipping Chrift with rods, or little cham~, cl_oathm& Chnft with a purple-fcarlet robe, platting a crown of thorns, and pumng 1t on hrs head, fceptrin" him with a reed, and faluting him in fcorn, Hail King of the !ews. Men, Bretlu;e~, and Fathers, be not deceived, Chrift is mocked, fcorned, and thus abufed by you wben you fin; your fins thus~ealr with Chrifl:, and in 9od's acceptationyo~r lins rhus deal with Chrift even to thrs very day. Never fay, It~~ longfince Chrdl: was crucified and he is ROW in Heaven, for by your fins you crucifie again the Lord of glory, y~u put him again to open fltame; you fi~ip him, a_nd whip him, an~ tor– ment him afrefl 1 • Oh look on him whom you have _Pterced! Pelate thought t_hat rf the Jews would but fee the man, Behold the man, thetr heam woul~have molhfied, ~~d Jhall not I think as well of you? itis ableffed muns to 11_1ake ~n bmer~ and to breeam our hearts remorfe for fin, if we will but hearken to thrs votcc of Pt!ate, .Behold thl man. - · d 2. From tk fentcnce of Pilttte, that Chrijl jhollld be crucified, as the {e1vs "'l'!'re' we may ltant the ileceitfulnefs of our beans, in mlking fdf the end , and arm of - - our
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