Ambrose - BT200 A42 1658

·6o1 Book IV. Part+ L1oking utJtfJ :]eft~~, _ Chap.2..Seet.; ' ~--- but thus, not thio 'IliA», not thu fellow, but Jiarabb.u. as if they meant firft to murther his Name, and then his per. fon. 4· For Pi!~tteJ purere upon the vote, wh.et fhalt I do then with Mar. t 7.t t. 'f•fm, which is c~tlled {hrifl? Pilate gives him his Name to the full, Jefw, who u called Chrifl; his Name is 'fefm Chrift. There is more pity in aGentile-Pi/ate, than in all the Jewes. in fome thi'ngs Pilate did juftly, and very well ; as firfr,he ~ould not condemn him before his accufations were brought in ; nor then neither before be was convicted of fome capital crime; and becaufe he perceives that it was envy all along that drove on their deflgne, he endeavours to fave his life by bal!ancing him witli Barabb.u ; and now he fees that they prefer Barabb.u before Jefus, be puts forth the qucftion, what /hall I a~ tben with 'Jefm; which u called Chrifl ? q. d. I know not what to do with him, it is againft my lig!:Jt to con.dcmn him to death, who is ofinno· cent life; I could tell what to do· with Barabbas, for he is a thiefe, a mutiniere, a murtherer,a notable malefactor; but there is no fuch thing proved aeainft 'Jrf~-'..J, who is called Chrifl, wh•at then fha/1 I do with him ? ~. For their anfwer to this qurere, and thc'J all ja~d unto him, Ma:. t7oU. J _let him be cruc~~ed. Th is. was the firft time that they fpake openly their deligne; it bad long lurk't within them . that he muft dye a curfed death, and now their envy burfrs, and breaks ~>Ut with unanimous con(ent, and cry, let him be crucifiea. 0 wonder ! mufr no other death il:int their malice but the croffe ? • . . o.rher deaths they had in praCl:ife, as the towel, ,ftoning, and .he- ·"· · ~ h~~~ing; more favourable, and fuitable to their Nation; · and < ::. • wilt they now pollute a Jew with a Roman death? magna crudeliBeda. .uu • &c. a gredt cruelty; they fought not only tokill him, but to crucifie him, that fo he might dye a lingring death. The croffe ' was a gradual and flow death;it fpun out paine into ·a long thred• . ?nd therefore they make choyce of it, as they £f!ade choyce of ,Jefus; let him dye, rather than Barabbas , and let him dye that death of the crolfe,rather than any other fpeed,y, quick,difpatch, ing death. 6. For Pi/;~trsreply unto.this anfwer, why? what evil hath he done? he was loath to fatisfie their demand5, and therefore be qucftlons agair.e~ what mHfl h~ dye for? was it meet th\lt he iliould condemn

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