The Pajjion Sermon. A Thus our fpeech ol Chrills /aft word >r f.•ifhel. His lafl ail: accompanied his words: our fpeech mull follow it. Let it not w>nt ycur devom and CJrefull ommion; fie 6orred, t11i gave up the ghoft. The Croffo was aOow death,andhad more paine than fpced:wber.ce a fecond vio Jencc mufl difpatch the crucified: their bonesmull be broken,rhar their heansmight break. Our Saviour llayes not deaths leifure, but willingly and couragiouOymeets him in cbeway; and like aChampion char fcornes co beorercom,, yea, knows he cannot be, yeeideth in the middell of hisllrengrh, rhar hemiRht by dying, vanqmfh death. Hebt#edandgave up: Not bowing,becaufe hehad givon up, bm becau(e he would. HecrJed,.ith aloudfloire, faith M•ttheiV. Naturewas f\rong, he might have lived· bur he gave "P theghoft: andwould die,co thewhimfelflord oflife and deach. Oh ~ondrous :example ! he that gave life eo his enemies, !(avcup his own :he gives them ro live, that perfecuce and bate him; and himfe:fe will die the whiles for rhofe B chathatehim. Hehowedandg•veup: nocthey; cheymighccrownehishead , they could not bow it: they might vex hisfpiric,noc takeicaway: they could nor doe chat without leave; this they could not doe, becaufe they had no leave. He alonewould bow his head,and give up hi• ghoft: I !JavepO'IPer to laJdD11!ne "IJ lift. Man gave him not his life; man could not bereave it. No"'"" t•li!s it from mt. p,Jas, who could? The High·Ptieftsforce•,when they came againfl him armed,ne C. id but, I aml>e,they flu antif•O 6~~e~ard. Howeafie a breath difperfl his enemie; ? whom hemight as eafily have bidden the earth,ye•,hell tofwallow,or fire from heaven to devour. Who commanded cheDevils,and they obeyed,could not have been attached by men : be mufl gi·;enoi only leave, bur power to apprehend himfelf, elti: they had nor lived ro rakehim: he is laid hold of; l'ettrfigbcs: P"IYp, fairh Cbrifi; Thinlz<fl thou thJi I C caonot praJ to fiiJ Fath.,,andhewi/1giveme more than trPefve L<gions ofAngels?VVhat an Army were here? more than threefcore and twelve choufand Angels, and every Angel! able to fubdue aworld ofmen: hecould,buc would nor berefcued; he is led by his own power,norbyhh enemies;and !lands now before Pil~te,like rhe fcorne of men; crowned, robbed, fcourged, with an Eccehomo; Tetthou coulilflhave no power againft me, uniJ!ellwmgiven tiJ<e from above. Behold, he himfclfe mufl give Pilate power againll himfdfe, elfe hecoold noc be condemned: he willbe condemned, lifted up,nailed; yecno death without h;mfclfe. Ht P1all ~ive hit foHie.t~offiringfor Jinne,EfoJ 53.1o. No afrion;r!m favours ofconfuainc,can be merirorious: he would deferve, therefore he would foffer and die. He hewedhis he#d, awdgave up theghoft. 0 graciousand boumifull S3viour: he might have kept hisfoule within his teeth, in fpight ofall the world; the weaknefie of God is llrongerchanmen:and ifhe had but fpoken theword,thc heavens and earthfhould D have vanifhcaway before him: bur he would nor. Behold.when he fiw,thar impotent man could not cakeaway his foule, he gave it up, and would die, thJt we might live. See here aSaviour,that can comemne his owne life forours;and cares noc robe ditrolved in himfelf,thac we might be united to hisFacher.skfn.fo' Bkilz,faich che Devill,anda/lthal he bathama,11Yi0givefor hit lift. Loe hcre,to proveSatan alyer,Skin and life and all hath Chrifl Jefus ~iven form. VVe are bcfoctedwith cheearch, and m~ke b~fe fhifcs to live; onewith amaimed body, another with aperjured foule, a rhudw!th a rotten name: and how many had rather ncglell: their foule than their life, and.will rather renounceandcurfeGod,than die? Iris a fhame co cell; Many ofus Chnll~ansdote upon life, and tremble at dc>th; and !hewour felves fooles in ourexceffe oflove, cowards in our feare. Pettr denies Chrill thrice,and forfweares him; MarceOinuscwicecafts graine;ofincenfe into theldols tire, Ecebvliuscurnes thrice;Spira revolts and defpaires: Oh lee me live,f.1ith the fearefullfoule. VVbecher doell tbou refcrve thy felfe, thou weake and rimorouscrearure? or whacwouldell E thou doewith thy felfe? 1Thou haft not thus learned Chrill: he died voluntarily for thec,thou wilt not _be forced eo die for him: hegave up cbe gholl for thee, thou wile nor let ocherscake ''fromrheeforhim, thouwile not let him cakeit for himlclfe. VVhen !lookback to the firllChriflians, and compare their zealomcontempt of deathwith our backwardneiTe: I am lt once am1zcd and afhamed: I fee there even 399 c0;•d ~mittitur ·ufM11t4l·iumt1 7: t·rod .. uni:tmu nt:tfT'IIriu~ Ambr. ~----------------- M_ m_ • --·-·- ·. wome~__..
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