222 FZech.r i.;. Chrifsdeath tobeconfide- On the V V ednefdayafter red twomanner ofways. for thee. And it is a lamentable cafe that thofe good things that hee did for thee, that thoumighteftbeleeueinhimand louehim, fhould be motiues vnto thee fortooffend him. Godhauing commanded that Ierufalem fhould bee re- edified after theirfirft freedome from Babylon, there were fome graue men grounded in Iudaifine, whomifinterpreting (as Saint Hicrome hath noted it) the prophecie ofEzechiel ; faid, Haceft le6es, nosautem carnes,This Citie is thecaldron, andwe be the Flefh : For God,to command vs to rebuild this Citie , is as ifhe fhouldwill vs tomakea Caldron whereintoboyle our felues. Of hisloue they made a loathing, and interpreted his fauourtobe aniniurie. God took this their vnthanketulnefl'e foill, that hequitted them the fecondtimebothoftheircoun- trie andtheir libertie. It is you that haue made lerufalem aCaldron ofthe pro- phets ; I will bringyou out of the middeft thereof, and deliuer you into the handsof strangers, yee¡hall fallby the (word ;and this Citie (asyee falfly fup- pole) £hail not beyour Caldrc ., neither £hall yee be the flefh in the midit there- of. The fame reafon is repe zed by the Prophet of yee wine, wheat, oyle, gold,and fsluer; butyeefyentit in theferuiteof the Idoli Baal,therefore willI takefrom yee mywine, mywheat,&c. Filinghominís tradetur, TheSonne ofman£hall be deliuered. Thedeathof our Sauiour Chrift maybe confidered two manner ofwayes : Either as aHiftorie. .. Or,as itis Gofpell. As a Hiftorie, itis fo fadand fo lamentable, as that it cannot but caufe great pittieand compafsion. The relationwhichPilatemade to theEmperorofRome, is fufficient of itfelfe to meltftones into tearer ; which was as followeth : In this Kingdome therewas awonder full ftrangeman, his behauiour & beau- tie beyondall otherin the world ; his difcretionandwifedome cceleftiall ; his grauitieand foberneffe ofcarriage,beyond all comparifon; hiswords myftical, thegrace wherewith hedeliuered them ftrooke hisenemies withaftonithment; neuer anyman fawhim laugh ; weepe,they haue ; his workes fauouredofmore thannian ; he neuer did any man harme, but muchgood hath he done to many; he healed by hundreds fuchas hadbeen fickeofincurable difeafes ; he did caft out Deuills; herailed the Dead; and his miracles beeing numberleffe, they weredoneall forothers good ; hedidnot workeany miraclewhereinwas tobe fee= theleaft vasiitieor ()wiling in the world. The Iewes out ofenuie layd holdon him, andwithakind ofhypocrifie and outward humilitie, rather fee- ming,than beingSaints, trampled himvnder foot, andmarred his caufe. I whipt him for to appeafetheirfurie, and the people beingabout tomutine, I condem- nedhim to the death of the Crofle. A little beforehe breathed his laft,hee de- firedof God, that he wouldforgiue thofehis enemieswhichhad nailed him to the Croffe. Athis death therewere manyprodigious figuesboth inheauen and earth ; the Sunne was darkened,and thegraues were opened,and the Dead arofe. After he was dead, a foolifh lewthruft a Speare into his fide, (hewing the ha- tred in his death which the Iewes bare vnto him in his life. What Tragedie can bee more mournefull, or what imaginarie difaftercan appeare more la- mentable e As it is Gofpel, you(hall feein this his death innumerabietruths : Firft ofall, letnot theafperoufnellè and hardnefl tothewayofhappineffe difcourage any man ; forhaving fuch agoodguideas our Sauior Iefus Chrift, it fhaIl (though it be neuer fo hardtohit) be madeplaine and eafie vnto vs : Howbeit it beeelfe- where
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