Ch~p~~ 2. jt.,Q)Utn;; nmo jjcfuS'. Book lV. 381 fo f•r from aKing, that he was .the meanefl fe rvant of all men; whera W:lS he born bor at Bethlehem alittle City ? where dtd rhe Shepherds find hun bur. m a poor cor\~ge? who were his Difciples bur a deal of Fintermen? who his C~mpanwns bur Pllb.tcans ~nd fim•.ers? is he hungry? where ftan' s histable but on 1la111 ground ? what are Iusdau;~ ties but bread and a few fiD1es ? whe1~ •s hts lodgmg but at the !!ern of a Dup ? Heres a King without either prefence-chamber, or bed-chamber, 1he fo.w~have holes, ~11d th; hirdJ of the air have 1!ejls,bJ<t theSon of mmz hmh not whe>·eo" to lay hu ner.d.Come,f,ar no. J'i!ate the lofs of thy dtadem; tt m:~y be the ~eople would fomeC~mes have made htm a King, but fee how he flyrs from tt, MY_ k?ngdom u not of thu world, fatth ]efus. Oh rhat], could bm cometnn the world as Llmft dtd! 0 that fil"fl: and_abave.alli could feek the Kingdom of God and his righreou[nefs! Oh my foul, I feel1t, I fee) tt, un·· Jefs I can be free from rhe affeehon of. all crearures, I cannot wtth freedom of mmd afpire unto divine tbin<>s· unlefs I be willing with Chrifl: to tread on Crowns and Scepters to [Je defpifed ;nd forfaken of all, and to be elleemed nothing at all, I can have no inward peace, nor befpiritually enlightened, nor be wholly united to the Lord ]efus Chrill. . . · 5. Confider the hurryings of Jefus from Pi/ate to Herod; there IS he qmjlioned of m~Jiy things, bur jufUy is the Lamb of God dumb, and opened not his mouth to him that not long before had taken away his voice ; upon thishe i• mock!d, and arrayed in a Luke 'l· 1 r; glll"geom robe; wifdom .is taken for folly, venue for vJCe, truth for blafphemy, temperance for gluttony, the peace-maker of all the world for a fedirious diflurber of the world, the reformer of the Law for a breaker of the Law, and the jufl:ifierof finners for a !inner, and the foliower of {inners. See how lte emptied himfelf, and made himfelf of no reputation that he might fill thee with goodnds, and make thee fpirimally wife unto falvation. 6 Confider the hurryings of Jefus from Herodback'again to Ril~te; 0 my Saviour l10w an thou now abufed ! new accufarions are forged ; and when Pi/ate fees that no– thing will do, but Chrifl: muft dye, he delivers him to be firipped, whipped, cl bathed in purple, crowned with thorns, and fceprred wirli a reed. He that with fpittle cured the eyes of the blind, is now blinded with their fpiule; who can number rhofe fuipes wherewith they flea and tear his body, one wound eati"g into another, rhatthfl·e uno health inhiJ bmes by reafw. of my fins l 0 Jefus! was that fro<hy fpirtle the oint– ment, thofe thorns thy crown, that reed thy fcepter, that purple-dyed and imbroi– .dered with blood thy royal robes? or becaufe Adam's (in brought forth thorm, mufl: it therefore oe thy perinance to wear tlrem ? unrhankful people thus warred with his blood, that bring forth oorhing but thorns to·crown him. But oh that the Lord of Heaven, the Creator of the world, the glory of the Angels, the wifdom of God, flwuld,for my fake, be punilh~d wirh whips and fcourges? 0 my heart, how can I 'hinkon thiswirhouttears of blood? 0 joy of the Angels, and glory of Saints, who bath thus disfigured thee? who bath thus defiled thee with fo many bloody blows? certainly they were nor thy fins, bur mine; it was love and mercy that compaft thee .'./ about, and caufed thee to take upon thee this fo heavy a burrhen ; love was the caufe (f why thou didll: beftow upon me all thy benefits, an<l mercy moved thee to rake u·pon thee a\\ my miferies. 7· Confider that fad fpecl:acle of Jefus, when he came forth wearing the crown of h thornJ, and th~pz<rpk robe. and Pilate (aying unto them, behold theman. 0 my foul fix Jo n ' 9 · S• thy eyes on thiS fad object ! fuppofe thy [elf in the cafe of Jefus · what if in fo fenfible and tender a part as thy head is, men fhould faflen a number'of thorns, yea and .. rhofe fo 0Ja~p that they flJOuld pierce into thy fcull? why alas, rhou canrt hardly ab1de the pnck of a pin, much lefs the piercing in of fo many thorns; 0 but thy Jefus was crowned with thorns, and fceprred with a reed, and that reed wls taken our of hts hand~, to beat the crown of thorns into his head ; and befides tby Jefus was wlupped With cords , and rods, and little chains of iron, tha.t from his lhoul– .ders to the foles of his feet there was no part free; and being now in this pliohr, thou art called on ro behold th' man: dolt thoq fee him ? is thy imagination flro~g : ca?ll: th_ou conhder htm at pre[em, as if thou hadfl: a view of. this very man? me– thmks tt 010uld maketheeb;eak out, and fay, 6 brightnefs of thy Fathers glory, who hath thm cruelly dMit with thee? 0 ~tn(potted glafs of the Majejly of God, tvho hatl1 thm whollydujigured thee? 0 river that flows oltt of the Paradife of delights whohath thM troubled thee ? it u my fins 0 L•rd, that h<vc Jo troubled thee, my fins wcr; the thorm p p 2. th.1t
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