* L The Epistle. Phil. 2. 5. : ET this mind be in you, which was also in Chrift Jefus: who beingminden : equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confefs that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Gospel. S. Matth. 27. 1. WHEN HEN the morning was come; all the chief priests and el ders of the people took councel againft Jesus, to put him to death. And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Then Judas who had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of filver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have finned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they faid, What is that to us? fee thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of filver in the temple, and departed, and went || and hanged himself. And the chief priest took the filver pieces, and faid, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counfel, and bought with them the potters field to bury * Let this Mind be in you, &c. Since Chrift Jesus, who was the Brightness of bis Father's Glory, and the express Image of bis Person, designed to make himself of no Reputation, and to fuffer death upon the Cross for our falvation: We ought to think no condescension to low, no Office too mean that may ferve to advance the good of our Fellow Creatures, and promote the fame glorious end. † Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, &c.God hath rewarded this unparallelled act of Obedience in Christ, by advancing his human Nature to univer, sal Dominion. That all Nations should acknowledge. him as their King, and by fubmitting to his Laws and Government, promote the Glory of God the Father; who delights to be honoured in the Belief and Ob.dience, paid to his bleffed Son and his Gofpel. And banged himself. A miferable example of the fatal effects of Covetousness, and a standing monument of God's vengeance; which should deter mankind from facrificing confcience to worldly gain; for which this Wretch betrayed his Master, Friend, and Saviour, and caft away his own Soul. : strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood unto this day. (Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Ifrael did value, and gave them for the potters field, as the Lord appointed me.) And Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the king of the Jews ? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayeft. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, § he answered nothing. Then faith Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word, infomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. * Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prifoner, whom they would. And they had then a notable prifoner, called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate faid unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus, which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he was set down on the judgment-seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: † for I have fuffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders perfuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They faid, Barabbas. Pilate faith unto them, What shall I do then He answered nothing. Jesus might perhaps decline making a public Defence for himself, left the common people, moved by his arguments, should ask his ⚫ releafe, and prevent his death. Besides, the gross falf-viour of the world, who was without spot or blemish hood of the accusation, known to all the inhabitants of Galilee, rendered any reply needless. innocent person, is a lively representation of the deliverance of mankind, who were rebels against their Creator, from the bondage of Sin and Satan: and the Sabeing given up to death in their stead. + For I have suffered many things this Day in a Dream. Perhaps it presaged the vengeance of God pursuing her Husband and Family, on account of the injustice he was going to commit. But whatever it was, Pilate, (as Jofephus relates) was afterwards banished by the Roman Emperor Vitellius, to Vienne in Gaul, where he laid violent hands upon himself. * Now at that Feast the Governor was wont, &c. The Passover is the Feast meant here. And as it was kept in memory of the Jews release from Egyptian Bondage; so the custom of fetting a prifoner at liberty on that occasion, was a very proper Emblem of their Deliverance. But the circumstance, at this time, of Barabbas, a vile rebel, being preferr'd to Jesus and.. 7 with Jesus, which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor faid, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just perfon: fee ye to it. Then anfwered all the people, and faid, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the foldiers of the governor took Jefus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of foldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a fcarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, faying, Hail, king of the Jews. And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: * him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, A place of a scull, they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall: and when he had tafted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, cafting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast, lots. And fitting down, they watched him there; and set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him: one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by, reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself: if thou be the son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others, himself he cannot save: † if he be the King of Ifrael, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also which were crucified with him, cast the fame in his teeth. Now from the fixth hour there was darkness over all the land, unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jefus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama Sabacthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me? Some of them, that stood there, when they heard that, faid, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us fee whether Elias will come to fave him. Jesus when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened, ‡ and many bodies of faints which flept, arose, and came out of the graves after his refurrection, and went into the holy ‡ His blood be on us and on our Children. The weight of this Imprecation lies heavy on that nation to this day, by the destruction of their city, and their miferable dispersion into all parts of the world. Then the Soldiers of the Governor, &c. &c. Who can read the following scence without horror ? Who can reffect that the Son of God was thus scourged, arrayed like a Fool and an Impostor, his head wounded with prickly Thorns whose injuries were increased by the blows of an heavy Eastern Reed that he was mock ed, fpit upon, and struck by an impious rabble-I say, Who can reflect that the Son of God endured such things for his fake, and will nothate and abhor his Sins which were the occafion of it? And, on the contrary, who must not fervently love him, who thus loved us, and gave ave himself for us ? * Him they compelled to bear, &c. They did this, however, not out of compaffion to Jesus, but for fear he should die under the fatigue, and thereby elude his intended punishment. + If he be the King of Ifrael, S. They scoffed at the Miracles by which he demonftrated himself to be the Meffiah, and promised to believe in him on condition he would prove his pretenfions by coming down from the cross. Though nothing could be more falfe and hypocritical: for they continued in their unbelief, not. withstanding Jesus raised himself from the dead, which was a much greater miracle than his coming down from the Crofs would have been. But, alas! their conditional profeffions of Belief were a mere infult. R 2 And many Bodies of Saints, &c. It should feem, as if these Saints were Disciples, who had died but late ly. For when they went int, the city, they were known by the persons who saw them; which could not well have happened, had they not been their cotemporaries. By their refurrection it was demonßrated that the power of Death and the Grave was broken; and an earnett given of a general Refurrection from the dead. city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, faw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, faying, Truly this was the Son of God. : : : Monday before Easter. For the Epistle. Ifai. 63. 1 THO is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength ? I that speak in righteoufness, § mighty to fave. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat? I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with me: *for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will ftain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. + I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness towards the house of Ifrael, which he hath bestowed on them, according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his Mighty to save. In this Portion of Scripture Jesus Chrift is represented to us, by the Prophet, as a Conqueror returning bloody from battle: and herein we are led to contemplate the hardships, and the fuccess, of that combat with the enemies of our souls, by which he brought Salvation to Mankind. The account of which is given by way of Dialogue. I I have trodden the Wine-prefs alone. That is, none less than He who undertook it, was thought proper to procure so glorious a deliverance for us. * For I will tread them in mine anger, &c. Nothing can be more magnificent and fublime than this defcrip tion of Christ taking vengeance upon his Adversaries: which should make every Sinner tremble to provoke the divine difpleasure. For though God is Long-fuffering and of great Goodness to those that fear him: yet to his enemies he is, indeed, a confuming fire. † I will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord,. These are the words of the Prophet. And if he thought there was fo much reason for thankfulness to God for the care he had always taken of his people Ifrael; how much more cause have we to bless him for the victory which Jesus Christhas gained over our spiritual enemies, by his precious bloodshedding, and his glorious Resurrection. 11 |