--~ -"-------. Chap. 3· ~'et"b. -----------------------------------------~ th.<t pricf<sd t hce, 1 he[,tjlm tiJttt lVhipped thee, I he purple 1 h~t cloa1h'd thee, it j; f Lord tbatamchy tormrntor, andtheverycaufe of the(e rhypain:L 8. Cvnfider Pi/ate's fenrence, that Jefi« JI!Oit!d be crltcifted tU the {e:v; required Now they had him in their will, and they did to him what fcemed themgood. l-ollo1~ lum fromGabb.uh.t to c;'olgotb~ fee how rhey I_ ay th~ heavy crofsupon~1is tender lhoul– ders, that were fo ptttfully tent and torn Wtth whtps ; accompany !um all the way t6 the execmwn, and help to carry_ hts crofs to MeumCrtlvary ; And there, as if thou bad!\ been frozen !mbeno, thaw _mto tears; fee lum ltfted up on t!m engine of tonure thebl?ody crofs; he hangs on natls, and as he hangs, his own weight becomes his owt; atRtctiOn; 0. fee how ht_s arms and legs were ~·acked with violent pulls, his hands and feet boarcd Wtth natls,_ hts whole body_ torn ~1th 1\npes, and gored with blood; And now 0 my foul run Wtth all thy mtght IntO !us arms held out at their full lenath to re– ~eive thee; Oh weigh the matter I becaufe fin enrred by the fenfes, therefore 0 the head m w!uch the fenfes ·f!ourin,, is crowned with fearchint, thorns · becaufe the- hands and feet are more efpecially the inftrumencs of fin, therefore his ha~ds and feet are nailed to rhe crofs for fati,faction. 0 marve~lom! what King_ is he, or of what countrey, that wears a crown of thorns? what m1n IS he, or where lives he, whofe hands and feet are not only bored, but digged into, as if they had been digging with fpadesin a ditch r . furely here's matter for a ferious meditation, be enlarged 0 my thouoht~, and dwell upon it! confider it, and confider it again! ' " 9· Confider the darknefs that fpread over all the earth7 now was the Sun afl1amed to fl1ew his brightnefs; confidering rhat the Father of lights was darkned wirh fuch difgrace ; the H<avensdifcoloured their beauty, and are in mourning rol:ies · rhe Lamp of Heaven is immamled with a miraculous Eclipfe; the Sun in the firmament' will limpathize withthe Stm of Righteo~<fnefs ; it will not appear in glory though it be'mid– day, becaufe the Lord of Glory is thus difgraced. And now hear the voice that comes from the Son of God, My God, my God, why hrifl thou forfak$n me? Chrifi in the Garden tafled the bitter cup of God's fierce wrath, bm now he drunk the dreg' of it ; he then fipped off the top, but now he drunk all off, top, and bottom, and all. 0 but what's the meani~g of this. My God, my God, why haft rho" forfaksn me ? Surely, I. This was not a total, but a partial dereliction, this was not a perpetual, but a tempo– rary forfaking of bim; the Godhead ~as not took away from the manhood, but the union remained !\ill, even now when the manhood was forfaken. 2. This was not a forfaking on Chrift s parr, but only on the Father's part; the Father f.>dook Cnrifr, but C hrifl went after him ; God took away the fenfe of his love, but 1 beSon of God l1idhold upon him, crying, and faying, My God, my God, why haft,hoie f o;j,. ! ! 3. This forfaking was not in refpect of his being, but in refpect of the fec, ng of God's favour, love, and mercy; certainly God loved him frill, oh bur hi; fe,Jfe of comfort was now quite gone, fo as it never was before: In hisagony there wasfeme inklings of God's mercy, now and then at !eafr there was feme ftar-light, fome little fla01 of lightning ro cheer him up, but now all the fenfe and feeling of Gods love was gone, and not fo much as any little frar-light of the fame appeared. Chrtfr now took the place of !inners, and God tbe Father lhut him out (as it w•re) amongfl: the lin– ners ; he drew his mercy out of light, and out of l1earing, and therefOre he cryed. out in a kind of wonderment, My God, my God, why haft tho1s forfak$n me? after thiS he fpeaks but a few words more, and he gives up the Ghoft He dyes that we might Jive, he is diiTolved in himfelf, that we might be umted to !us Father; 0 my foul, fe_e !Jim now if thou can!\ f01·weeping, his eyes are dtm, _!m ~heeks are wan , hiS face IS jlale, hishead is bowing, his heart is panting, himfelf IS dy~ng; ~ome,_ come, and dye with him by a moll exact mortification; look pale ltke hcm wtth gnef, and forrow, and trouble for thy fins. • 10 . Confider the piercing of his fide with a [pear, whence came one a ftreamof blood and water· 0 Fountain of everla!ling waters! methinks I fee the blood run– nina out of his fid; more frcfhly than thofe golden flreams which ran out of the Garden of Eden , and watered the whole world. Confider the taking of his body down b~ [ofeph; theburying of it by [ofeph and N_icodemu;;. 0 here's exce!let.lt mat~er for our meditation! () my fpirit, go with me a lm!e! Chnfr bemg dead, 1t ts p1tf but he lhoul'd have a funeral . according to the letter let rofeph and Nicodemm bear Ius corps; let the bleiTed Virgin go after it lighing and weep!ng, and at ever!' other pace lo?k111~ up to Heaven· lee M ary Ma•dalen follow after wnh a box of prwous Otntment 111 hedr ' o - · h:m ,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=