}!.rotting unto 'jjefu.S'. Book IV. 373 r particular callings. Pilate as Judge fuould have glorified God in doing illftice ; ~~t when he hears the Jew'scry, If thot.Iet him go, thou ,.rt not Ce(a;'s friend, 'he then look< to himlelf, .and his own.imere!ls. Judges can have the1~ ~nds m~h_e very place of judicature : my, is not this the very common fin of Mag1Ilrates, Mmlll:ers, Trade~men, of all fom of c~lling• ; come, what is it you aim at in you: ~e~eral places? is tt not tO be great, and mh, and lugh, and bonourable? fay truly, IS lt 10 your beans tO fay , that by this calling my chief aim u to glorifie God, and to (erve my generatiOn rmh all f aithfulnefs; and the(e tW• ends I prefer before all worldly advantages whatfoever ? 0 then what a bleffed reformation would be amongfr us ? 1f lt be not thus, what are you but as fo many Pi/ate's, that if you were b~t thre.arncd into a fentence, you would rather con– demn Chri!l: than yourfelves of enmity agam!l: Ce(ar; fuch would be the cry, Let Chri'ft be crucified, and felf advanced. Mu,h more might be faid, but the hour !hikes again; Pi/ate is now rifen, the Court dilfolved, and Jefus is delivered into the hands of the Jews for execution. How that went on the next hour will fpeak ; only God prepare your beans to hear devoutly, and to confider ferioully, what Jefus the great Saviour of the world bath fuffered for you. SECT. VI. . Of Chrijl's crucifying with its appendices: ABout eleven, they prepare with all fpeed for the el{ecution : in.the r~volutionof this hour we may obferve thefe feveral pallages. As I. The1r takmg off tl)e robe, and doathing him again with his own raymenc. 2 . Their leading him away from Gabb~tha to Golgotha. 3. His ·bearing the crofs with Simon's help to bear it after him. 4- His ~omfoning the women who followed weeping after him as be went. S· Their giving him vineg~rto driok m·mgled with gall. 6. Their crucifying, or fa– !lening him on the crofs, whereon he dyed. r. The Evangelifl tells us, They took the robe off from him, and put his own rayment on 1\tat.•?·J'• him; Origen obferves, They tool off his robes, bm they took_ not off hu crown of thorns ; what ferved their interefi, they purfued !l:i!l, but nothing of mitigationor mercy to the alllicted Son of man. It is fuppofed this fmall bufinefscould not be done without great pain; after his fore whipping his blood congealed, ·and by that means !l:uck io his fearlet mantle ; fo that in pulling off the robe,and putting on his own rayment, there could not but be a renewing of his wounds. 7· They led hi.m away. Some fay they caft a rope, or chain about his neck, by Mar. 27; 3 ,, whtch they led h1m out of the City to Mount Calvary, and that all along the way, mul- - · tirudes attended him, a~daCryer wem before him, proclaiming to all hearers the caufe of his death; nlmely, that {if m Chrijl WM a fedtecer, blaJPhe,.er, negromancer, a te.cher of falfe dofJrines, faying of himfelf that he WM the MejfiiU, King of Ifrael, and the Son of God. · 3· He bore his crofs. So [ohn relates; before it bears him, he mufl bear it; and John ; 9,i 1: th.us t_hey make goad their double cry, Crucifie him, cmcifie him, fir!l: crucifie him With 1t as a burchen, and then crucifie him!wirh it as a crofs. thofe fuoulders which ha~ been unmercifully battered with whips before, are now again tormented with the we1ght of h1s crofs. As a true I(aa< bears the wood for the facrifice ef himfelf; or Vnah-hke, be carries with him the Vfry inflrument of his own fad death. 0 the cruelty of tillS palfage! they had fcarce left him fo much blood or Ilrength as to carry h1mfelf, and ~u!l: he now bear his h~avy crofs? yes, till .he faint and fink, _fo long he mufl bear 1t, and longer coo , d1d they not fear that he lkould dye wuh . ?lef• fuame and fmart than they intended him: which to prevent they conflrained one Mat. t7. 3 z. · St~non a Cyr4nean to b_ear his crofs after him. How truly do they here again fwallow Mark 1;, n l the_ Cammel, a~d !l:ra1n at a Gnat? the crofs was a Roman death , and fo one of the1r ,abommauons, hence they themfelves would not couch the tree of infamy, Jefl they lhould have been defiled, but to touch the Lords anointed . to crucifie the Lord of Glory, they ·~ake no fcruple a 1 all; but why mull: an~ther bear tile' crofs, but to confign this duty unto man, that we muft enter into a fellowlhip of Chri!l:'s 0 o ~ · fuf!erings ~
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