L18king Mnto 1efru. Book IV. Part.3. 6Z5 6. Confider the hurryings ofJefusfrom Herod back:lgaineto pilnte; 0 my Saviour how art thou now abufed! new accufations :ue forged; and when Piltfte fees that nothing will do but Chrifr mufr dye, he delivers him to be frripped, whipped: cloathed in purple, crowned with thornes, and fccptred with a reed. He that with {pittle cured the eyes of the blind, · now blinded with their fpittle; who can number thQfe llripes wherewith they flea and teare his body, one wourft! eating into another, that there uno hMlth in hu bones by relljon of myjins? 0 Jefus! was that frothy fpittle the oyntment, thofe thornes thy crown, that reede thy fceptcr, that purple-dye-d and imbroadered with blood thy royal rob1;:s? or becaufe eAdams fin brought forth thorncs, muft it therefore be thy pennanee to weare them? unthankful peoplethuswatred with his blood, thatbring forth , nothing but thornes- to crown him. BLlt oh that the Lord o~ heaven, the Creatour of the world, the glory of the Angels, the wifdome of God {ho•J!d for my fake be puni!hed with whips and' fcourges ( 0 my heart, bow can I think on this without teares of blood ? 0 joy ofthe Angels, and glory of ,Saints, who hath thus disfigured thee? who hatb thus defiled thee with fo 0 many bloody blows ? certainly they were not thy fins,, but: mine; it was love and mercy that compall: 'thee about, and caufed thee to take upon thee this Co heavy a burthen; . Jov~ was the caofe, why thou did'll: befrow upon me all thy benefir5, and mercy moved thee to take upon thee all my miferies. 7·. Confider that fad fpectacle of Jefus, when he ~ame forth Joh. 19 f• weartng the crown of thornes, and thf purple robe, and 'P!lat~faying unto them, behold the man. 0 my foul -fixe thy eyes on this fad object? fuppofe thy felfe in rhe cafe of Jefus · whar.if info fen!lble and tendet a pare as thy Read is, men O;ould fafren a number of chomes, yea and rhofe fo !harpe that they fhould . pearce inw thy ftull ? why alas, thou canft hardly abide the prick-Df a ptn, much lelfe the p('<Heing mof fo many thornes; 0 but thy Jefus was crowned w1th thornes,- and fceptred with a : reede, and rhac rcede was t<lkea out of his hands, to beare the crown o ~ thornes intn his head; and befides chy Jefus was ~hipped w1th cvar<'·s, and tods, and little cbaines ofiton, that_from h1s ihoulders to the foks of his feete then~ was no paa free; and· L Ill being '
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