SERM. (as from averfion and shame) did hide his face, leaving the XXXII. world covered for three hours with mournful blackness;

1 Pet. i. 18,

19.

2 Cor.v.15.

1 Cor. vi.

20.

τες.

the bowels of the earth did yearn and quake; the rocks did fplit; the veil of the temple was rent; the graves did open themselves, and the dead bodies were roufed up. And, can we then (who are the most concerned in the event) be more ftupid than the earth, more obdurate than rocks, more drowsy than interred carcafes, the most infenfible and immoveable things in nature? But farther,

9. How can the meditation on this event do otherwise than hugely deter us from all wilful disobedience and commiffion of fin? For how thereby can we violate such engagements, and thwart fuch an example of obedience? How thereby can we abufe fo wonderful goodness, and difoblige fo tranfcendent charity? How thereby can we reject that gentle dominion over us, which our Redeemer Tit. ii. 14. did fo dearly purchase, or renounce the Lord that bought us at fo high a rate? With what heart can we bring Rom.xiv.9. upon the stage, and act over that direful tragedy, renewing Pet. ii. 1. all that pain and all that disgrace to our Saviour; as the Apostle teacheth that we do by apoftafy, crucifying to Heb. vi. 6. ourselves the Son of God afresh, and putting him to, an Αναταυριν open fhame? Can we without horror tread under foot the Heb. x. 26. Son of God, and count the blood of the covenant an unholy Magravóvray thing; (as the fame divine Apoftle faith all wilful tranfgreffors do;) vilifying that most facred and precious blood, fo freely fhed for the demonftration of God's mercy, and ratification of his gracious intentions toward us, as a thing of no fpecial worth or confideration; defpifing all his so kind and painful endeavours for our falvation; defeating his moft charitable purposes and earnest defires for our welfare; rendering all his fo bitter and loathfome fufferings in regard to us utterly vain and fruitlefs, yea indeed very hurtful and pernicious? For if the crofs do not fave us from our fins, it will much aggravate their guilt, and augment their punishment; bringing a feverer condemnation, and a fadder ruin on us. Again,

Εκουσίως ά

ἡμῶν.

ver. 29.

Kavo yn σάμενος.

10. This confideration affordeth very ftrong engagements to the practice of charity towards our neighbour,

For what heart can be so hard, that the blood of the cross SERM. cannot mollify into a charitable and compaffionate fenfe? XXXII. Can we forbear to love those, toward whom our Saviour did bear fo tender affection, for whom he was pleased to fuftain fo woful tortures and indignities? Shall we not, in obedience to his most urgent commands, in conformity to his most notable example, in grateful return to him for his benefits, who thus did gladly suffer for us, discharge this most sweet and easy duty towards his beloved friends? Shall we not be willing, by parting with a little fuperfluous stuff for the relief of our poor brother, to requite and gratify him, who, to fuccour us in our diftress, moft bountifully did part with his wealth, with his 2 Cor. viii. glory, with his pleasure, with his life itfelf? Shall we not meekly comport with an infirmity, not bear a petty neglect, not forgive a small injury to our brother, whenas Eph. iv. 32. our Lord did for us and from us bear a cross, to procure remiffion for our innumerable most heinous affronts and offences against Almighty God? Can a heart void of mercy and pity, with any reafon or modefty pretend to the mercies and compaffions of the cross? Can we hope, that God for Chrift's fake will pardon us, if we for Christ's fake will not forgive our neighbour?

9.

Col. iii. 13.

35.

Can we hear our Lord faying to us, This is my com- Joh, xv. 12. mand, that ye love one another, as I have loved you; and, Hereby fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye John xiii. love one another? Can we hear St. Paul exhorting, Walk in love, as Chrift alfo hath loved us, and hath given Eph. v. 2. himself for us, an offering and a facrifice to God for a fweetfmelling favour; and, We that are strong ought to bear the Rom. xv. infirmities of the weak-For even Chrift pleafed not him- 13. felf, but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me? Can we attend to St. John's arguing, Beloved, if God fo loved us, then ought we also 1 Joh. iv. to love one another. Hereby we perceive the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: Wherefore we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren?

Can we, I say, confider fuch precepts, and fuch difcourfes, without effectually being difpofed to comply

11. iii. 16,

SERM. with them for the fake of our crucified Saviour? all whofe XXXII. life was nothing elfe but one continual recommendation

and enforcement of this duty; but his death especially was a pattern moft obliging, most incentive thereto. This ufe of the point is the more to be regarded, because the Apostle doth apply it hereto, our text coming in upon that occafion; for having pathetically exhorted the Philippians to all kinds of charity and humble condefcenfion, Phil. ii. 5,6. he fubjoineth, Let this mind be in you, which was in Chrift Jefus; who being in the form of God, &c....

11. But furthermore, what can be more operative than this point toward breeding a difregard of this world, with all its deceitful vanities and mischievous delights; toward reconciling our minds to the worst condition into which it can bring us; toward fupporting our hearts under the heaviest preffures of affliction which it can lay upon us? For can we reasonably expect, can we eagerly affect, can we ardently defire great prosperity, whenas the Son of God, our Lord and Master, did only tafte fuch adverfity? How can we refuse, in fubmiffion to God's pleasure, contentedly to bear a flight grievance, whenas our Saviour gladly did bear a cross, infinitely more distasteful to car nal will and sense than any that can befal us? Who now can admire thofe fplendid trifles, which our Lord never did regard in his life, and which, at his death only did ferve to mock and abuse him? Who can relish those fordid pleasures, of which he living did not vouchsafe to tafte, and the contraries whereof he dying chofe to feel in all extremity? Who can difdain or despise a state of forrow and difgrace, which he, by voluntary susception of it, Rom. viii. hath so dignified and graced; by which we so near refemble and become conformable to him; by which we Apoc. i. 9. concur and partake with him; yea, by which in fome cafes we may promote, and after a fort complete his deCol. i. 24. figns, filling up, as St. Paul speaketh, that which is behind of the afflictions of Chrift in our flesh?

17.

Phil. iii. 10.

1 Pet.iv. 13.

9

Who now can hugely prefer being esteemed, approved, favoured, commended by men, before infamy, reproach, derifion, and perfecution from them; efpecially when

thefe do follow confcientious adherence to righteoufnefs? SERM. Who can be very ambitious of worldly honour and re- XXXII. pute, covetous of wealth, or greedy of pleafure, who doth obferve the Son of God choofing rather to hang upon a cross, than to fit upon a throne; inviting the clamours of scorn and spite, rather than acclamations of bleffing and praife; divefting himself of all fecular power, pomp, plenty, conveniences, and folaces; embracing the garb of a slave, and the repute of a malefactor, before the dignity and respect of a prince, which were his due, which he most eafily could have obtained f?

Can we imagine it a very happy thing to be high and profperous in this world, to fwim in affluence and pleafure? Can we take it for a mifery to be mean and low, to conflict with fome wants and ftraits here; feeing the Fountain of all happiness did himself purposely condefcend to fo forlorn a state, and was pleased to become fo deep a fufferers? If with devout eyes of our mind we do behold our Lord hanging naked upon a gibbet, befmeared all over with ftreams of his own blood, groaning under smart anguish of pain, encompaffed with all forts of disgraceful abufes, yielding (as it was foretold of him) his back to the fmiters, and his cheeks to them who plucked Isa. 1. 6. off the hair, hiding not his face from Shame and Spitting; will not the imagination of fuch a fpectacle dim the luftre of all earthly grandeurs and beauties, damp the sense of all carnal delights and fatisfactions, quash all that extravagant glee which we can find in any wild frolics or riotous merriments? Will it not ftain all our pride, and check our wantonnefs? Will it not difpofe our minds to be sober, placing our happiness in things of another nature, seeking our content in matters of higher importance; preferring obedience to the will of God before compliance with the fancies and defires of men; according to that precept of St. Peter, Forafmuch then as Chrift hath 1 Pet. iv. 1,

f Cogitemus crucem ejus, et divitias lutum effe putabimus. Hier. ad

Nepot. Epift. 2.

8 Quis beatam vitam effe arbitretur in iis, quæ contemnenda effe docuit Filius Dei? Aug. de Ag. Chr. cap. xi.

2.

SERM. fuffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the XXXII. fame mind-fo as no longer to live the remaining time in the flesh to the bufis of men, but to the will of God?

12. This indeed will inftruct and incline us cheerfully to fubmit unto God's will, and gladly to accept from his hand whatever he disposeth, however grievous and afflic tive to our natural will; this point fuggefting great.commendation of afflictions, and ftrong confolation under them. For if fuch hardship was to our Lord himself a adap fchool of duty, he, as the Apoftle faith, learning obedience from what he fuffered; if it was to him a fit mean of perfection, as the Apostle doth again imply when he saith, Heb. ii. 10. that it became God to perfect the Captain of our falvation by fuffering; if it was an attractive of the divine favour John x. 17. even to him, as those words import, Therefore the Father

ὧν ἔπαθε.

Heb. v. 8.

26.

loveth me, because I lay down my life; if it was to him a Luke xxiv. ftep toward glory, according to that faying, Was not Chrift to fuffer, and so to enter into his glory? yea, if it was a ground of conferring on him a sublime pitch of dignity Phil. ii. 9. above all creatures, God for this obedience having exalted Heb. ii. 9. him, and given him a name above all names; We seeing Jefus for the fuffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; the heavenly fociety in the Revelations with one Rev. v. 12. voice crying out, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain (who redeemed us to God by his blood) to receive power, and * (Rom. v. riches, and wisdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory, Col. i. 24. and bleffing: if affliction did minister such advantages to Matt. v. 12. him; and if by our conformity to him in undergoing it,

9.

3.

Lukevi. 23.

Jam. i. 2.

Heb. xii. 2.

Phil. i. 29. (with like equanimity, humility, and patience,) it may Acts v. 41. afford the like to us; what reafon is there that we should Heb. x. 34. anywise be difcompofed at it, or difconfolate under it? 1 Pet. 1:7. Much greater reason, furely, there is, that, with St. Paul 1 Cor. i. 4.) and all the holy Apostles, we should rejoice, boast, and 1 Theff. iii. exult in our tribulations: far more cause we have, with Rom. viii. them, to esteem it a favour, a privilege, an ornament, a Acts xiv. felicity to us, than to be difpleafed and difcontented

3.

29.

22.

2 Tim. iii. 12.

+ Matt. x.

38. xvi. 24.

therewith.

To do thus is a duty incumbent on us as Chriftians. For, He, faith our Mafter, that doth not take up his