72 - vr toe 'Ins toa:wage condemned,I mayddtef} and loath my finnes thatare thecaufe therof, and by a liuely faith imbrace that abfolucion 'which thou offeref} me in him, whowas condemned in my (lead and roome, O left: Chrif}Sauiour ofthe world,giue me thy holy and blcifedSpiritthat I may iudge my felfe, and be as vile and bafe inmineowne eyes as thouwail vile before the Iewes: alfo vnite me vnto thée by the fame fpirit, that in thee I may beas worchie to be accepted before God , as I am vvorthie in my felfe to be detetledformy finnes. VVhen thoureadefì, that he was clad in purple and crownedwith thornes, mocked and (pit upon, behold theeuerlatingfhame that is due vntothee,and be athamedofthy felfe, and in this point conforme thyfelfe toChriff,and be content(ashewas)to be reproched,abufed, anddefpifed, fo it be for agood caufe. VVhen thou readef},thatbefore his crucifying, he was fiript ofall his cloathes,thinke it was that he being raked might beare thy flameon the croffc, and with his mo(lpretious and richnak :fines co- Her thydeformitic.VVhenthou reade(l thecomplaintofChrif},thathe was forfaken ofhis father, confider howhe fuffered the pangs and torments of hell as thy pledge and furetie. Learne by his vnfpcakable torments what a fearefull thing iï is to finne againfi Gt d,andbeginne to renownce thyfelfe, anddeteft thy finnes,and to walkeasa childoflighr,according to themea- fure ofgracereceiued. VVhen thou commet} to die, fetbefore thine eyes Chrifl in themidi}ofall his tormentson the croffe: in beholdingofwhich fpeE}acle to thy endles comfort,thou fhaltfeea paradife in themida ofhel: God the father reconciledvnto thee,thySauiourreachingout his handsvn- to thee to receiuethy foulevnto him ; and his croffe as a ladder to aduance it to eternal!glorie. VVherashe cried aloud with a flrongvoice at thepoint ofdeath,tt wasto fhew that he died willingly without violence or c5ftraint from any creature, & that if it had to plcafed him,he could haue freed him- felfe from death,andhauecat} hisveryenemies to thevery bottomeofhell. VVhen thoureadef} that he commended his foule into the hands ofhis fa- ther, confider that thyCottle alCo(fobe it thou wilt beleeue in him)isdeli- uered vp into the hands ofGod,and (hall bepreferued againfl the rage and malice ofall thineenemies,and hereupon thoumatit be bold to commend thyfpiritinto the hdsofGod the fat her.VVhen thou reade( ofhis death, confider that thy finnes were thecaufeofit, and that thou fijouldeft haue fuffered the fameeternally,vnles the fonne ofGodhad come in thy roorne : againeconfider his death as a ranfome, and apprehend the fame by faith, as the meanesofthy life: forby death Chrifl hath wounded both the firft and fecond death , and hath made his croffe to be a throneor tribunal! (cate of iudgement againf} all his and thine enemies. VVhcn thou reade(f ofthe trembling ofthe earth at the death ofChrif}, thinkewith thy felfe it did in his klud as it weregroane vnder theburdéofthe finnesof men in the world: and by his motion then it fignified that euen thou and the ref}dcferued ra- ther tobe fwallowed of the earth, and togoc downe into thepit aliue,then tohaueany part in the merit ofChrit}crucified. VVhen thou readeiofhis burial!,. 411
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