1Lcolung unto 'j}efu.s. Chap.t.sea. 7 . ----- "'J'i'':'' properly lignifies the pains _of a woman in tra"el; fuch were the pains of J;f; H•. SJ· "· Chnfl: mdeath; the Prophet calls H, 'fhe travel of hu foul: and the Pfalmifl: calls it the l'l•l.' 16 3· pain; of h€11, The farrows of death compajfed n:e, and the pains of hell gate hold upon me. The forrows, or cords of death compaffed hts body, and the pains of hell gate hold upon hi ;foul ; And thefe were they that extorted from him that paffionate expofl:ulati~ Mot.>J-46. on, · My God, my God, why haft thouforfak!n me? he complains of that which was more grievous to him, than ten thoufand deaths, My God, my God, why haft thor< withdrawn thywontedprefence and/eft my {o~l (as it were) inpt<insof h~/1? vfe. . And now reflect we on th~ fhame and patn! 0 the curfe and bittefnefs that onr fins have brought on Jefus Chrifl:! when I but think on thefe bleeding veins, bruifed fhoulders, fcourged fides, furrowed back, harrowed temples, digged hands and feet, . and then confider that my fins were the caufe of all; methinks I llwuld need no more arguments forfdf-abhorring! Chrifl:ians! wo~ld not your hearts rife againfl him, that Jlwuld ktll your father, mother, brother, wrfe, ?usband, dearefl: relatiors in all the world ? 0 then how Jlwuld your beam and foulsnfe agamflfin ? furely your fin it was that munbered Chrifl:,.- that killed him who is infl:ead of all relations, who is nhou– fand, thoufand times dearer to you than father, mother, husband, child, or whomfoJoh 4 ,. 6. ever; one d10ught of this lhould methinks be enough to make you fay, as Job did, I abhor my felf and rtpem induft dnd afhes; Oh what's that crofs on the back of Chrill:~ My fins; Oh what's that Crown on the head of Cbrift? My fins; Oh what's that nail in the right hand, and that ofher in the left hand of Chrift? My fins . Oh what's that fpear in the lide of Chrifl:? My fim; Oh what are thofe nails and w~unds in the fw uf Chrill ? My fim. With afpiritual eye I f~e no ot~er engine tormenting Chrifl; no other Pilt~tc, Herod, .Annas, CatphM condemmng Chnfl:; no other Souldiers, Offi– cers, Jews or Gentiles doing execution on Chrifl, but only fin: Oh my fins, my fins, my fins! John J-1 4 , 1 f. 2. Comfort we our [elves in the end and aim of this death of Chrifl; As Mofes lifted up the Serpent in the wildernefs, fo muft the Son of man be lifted up; that who(oevcr belie– veth in him jh01<ld not perifh, but have eternal izfe. The end of Chrifl's crucifying is the material bulinefs : and therefore let the end be obferved as well as the meritorious raufe. without thi; confideration the contemplation of Chrill's death, or the meditation of th~ fiery of Chrift's fufferings would be altogether unprofitable; now what was the end? JohR n. 1 '• furely this? Chrift lifted up, that he might_draw all men to bin;; Chrift h•nged on a tree, 'Pet. •· '4· that he might bear our fins on the tree; thts was theplot, whtcb God by anctent defign had aimed at in the crucifying of Chrifl:, and thus our faith muft take it up; indeed our comfon hangs on rhis; the intent,, aim, and defign of Chrifl: in hi! fufferings is that welcome news, and the vety Spirit of the Gofpel: 0 rememberthis! Cl1rifl:is cruci– fied, and why fo? that whofoever bclievethin him jhould not perifh, but have!ife ever: lajling. We are now at the height of Chriil's fufferings, and the Sun is now in his meridian, or height of afcem, I lhall no more count hour by hour; for from the jixth hour till the ninth hour (that is from twelve, tilltbreeinthe afternoon) there wa; dark!fefs over all the land. But of that, and flf the confequents after it, in the next SeCtion. SECT. VI I. Of the confequents afterCiwift's crucifying' THe particulars following I lhall quickly difpatch, As thus.-- . 1 . About twelve when the Sun is ufually brightefi, i! began now ~o darken. This darknefswas fo great that it fpread over all the Land of Jewry; fome thtnk, over all the Luke '3· 44· world, fo wetranllateitin Luk!, AndtherewMadarkrjefsovera/1 the earth; andma~y Gentiles, be/ides Jews, obferved the fame as_a great mtracle, Dtonyfim the Areopagtte S•id.in -vit• as SHidas relates) could fay at firfl: fight of tt, E.ther the world u end.ng, or the G'od ?f sa Dion. Nature u fuffering This very darknefs was t~e o~cafion of that Altar erected m .Athens,· and dedicated unto the unk..n•wn-God. Of tlus propl1tfied Amos, _And•t fba!l 1\tls ' 7• 21 • 'ome to pa'i in that d~v that I tvill c.mf'e the Sun to go down at norm, 11nd I Wtll dark!n the Amos s. 9• .. ~J :,~ •:r earth in "clMr day. :r&e
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=