SERM. Gentiles, eis rò euraitαi, to be mocked, and fcourged, and XXV. crucified; as a moft flagitious slave.

Thus would our Saviour, in conformity to all the rest of his voluntary afflictions, and for a confummation of them, not only fuffer in his body by fore bruises and wounds, in his foul by the bittereft forrows and agonies; but in his name alfo and reputation by the foulest scandals; undergoing as well all the infamy, as the infirmity which did belong unto us, or could befall us; thus meaning by all means to exprefs his charity, and exercise his compaffion toward us; thus advancing his merit, and yielding the utmost fatisfaction to juftice in our behalf. Again,

2. Death paffing on him as a malefactor by public judgment, did best suit to the nature of his undertaking, was most congruous to his defign in fuffering, did moft aptly represent what he was doing, and imply the reason of his performance. We all were guilty in a most high degree; we deserved an exemplary condemnation; the sharpest pain, together with the greatest shame, was due to us, for our unworthy offending our most great and our most good Lord and Maker; he did undertake in our ftead to bear all this, and fully to fatisfy for us; he therefore underwent the like judgment and punishment, being reputed, being termed, being treated as we should have been, in quality of a notorious malefactor, as we in truth are. What we really had acted in dishonouring and ufurping upon God, in difordering and troubling the world, in deceiving and perverting others, (by our negligent mistakes and our prefumptuous mifcarriages; by our evil practices and contagious examples,) that was imİfa. liii. 6. puted to him, and avenged on him; All we like sheep have gone aftray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all; he therefore did not only fuftain an equivalent punishment, but in a fort did bear an equal blame with us before God and man. Farther,

3. Seeing it was determined that our Lord fhould die

xix. 6.

for us, and that not in a natural but violent manner, fo as SERM. perfectly to fatisfy God's juftice, to vindicate his honour, XXV. and to evidence his indignation against our fins; it was moft fit, that he fhould perform it in that way, wherein God's right is most nearly concerned, and his providence moft difcernible; wherein it fhould be moft apparent, that God did exact and inflict punishment on him, that he did yield unto it, and fubmiffively undergo it. All judgment, Deut. i. as Mofes faid in his charge, is God's; or is adminiftered2 Chron. in his name, by authority derived from him; all magiftrates being his officers and inftruments, by whom he governeth and ordereth the world, his kingdom; whence that which is done in way of formal judgment by perfons in authority, God himself may be fuppofed in a more special and immediate manner to execute it, as being done by his commiffion, in his ftead, on his behalf; with his peculiar fuperintendance and guidance: it was therefore in our Saviour a fignal act of fubmiffion to God's authority and justice, becoming the person which he sustained, of our proxy and redeemer, to undergo fuch a judgment, and such a punishment; whereby he received a doom, as it were, from God's own mouth, uttered by his minifters; and bare the stroke of justice from God's hand, represented by his inftruments; wherefore very seasonably and pertinently did he reply to Pilate, avowing his authority. under God in thofe words, Thou hadst no power over me, Kar' ipov, (or against me,) except it were given thee from above; implying, it was in regard to that originally fupreme authority of God his Father, and to his particular appointment upon that occafion, that our Saviour did then freely subject himself to those inferior and fubordinate powers, as to the proper minifters of divine juftice; had he fuffered in any other way, by any private malice or paffion of men, God's fpecial providence in that cafe had been lefs vifible, and Chrift's obedience not fo remarkable; and if he muft die by public hands, it must be as a criminal, under a pretence of guilt and demerit; there must be a formal procefs, how full foever of mockery and outrage; there must be teftimonies produced, however false and groundless;

John xix.

11.

SERM. there must be a sentence pronounced, although most parXXV. tial and corrupt; for no man is perfecuted by authority without fome colour of defert; otherwise it would cease to be public authority, and become private violence; the prosecutor then would put off the face of a magistrate, and appear as a murderer, or a thief.

4. In fine, our Saviour perhaps in no other way, with fuch advantage, could have difplayed all kinds of virtue and goodness, to the honour of God, and the furtherance of our benefit, as in this: the judgment-hall, with all the paffages leading him thither, and from thence to execution, attended on by guards of foldiers, among the crowds and clamours of the people, were as fo many theatres, on which he had opportune convenience visibly, in the eye of the world, to act divers parts of fublimeft virtue; to express his infuperable conftancy in attesting truth and maintaining a good confcience, his meekness in calmly bearing the greatest wrongs, his patience in contentedly enduring the faddeft adversities; his entire refignation to the will and providence of God; his peaceable fubmiffion to the law and power of man; his admirable charity in pitying, in excufing, in obliging thofe, by his good wishes and earnest prayers for their pardon, who in a manner fo injurious, fo defpiteful, fo cruel, did perfecute him; yea in willingly fuffering all this for their falvation: all these excellent virtues and graces, by the matter being thus ordered, were in a degree moft eminent, and in a manner very confpicuous, demonftrated to the praise of God's name, and the advancement of his truth; for the fettlement of our faith and hope; for an inftruction and encouragement of good practice to us. Upon fuch confiderations it might be expedient, that he should suffer in this kind as a criminal.

Was crucified.

SERMON XXVI.

1 Cor. i. 23.

But we preach Chrift crucified.

It is added in the Creed, under Pontius Pilate; ì SERM. Ποντία Πιλάτε ; in which words the prepofition ἐπὶ may XXVI. either denote the circumftance of time, when our Saviour's paffion did happen; in the time of Pontius Pilate's government, or prefidency over Judea; fo the word πì is very frequently used: or it may also farther imply a respect to that perfon, as an inftrument of our Saviour's paffion; fo that it might alfo be rendered, by, or under, Pontius Pilate, as prefident and judge: thus is the word fometimes used, (as for inftance, where in the Gospel it is faid, ἐὰν ἀκεσθῇ τῦτο ἐπὶ τῇ ἡγεμόνος, if this be heard by the Matt. governor, or, if it come to the governor's ear, as it is rendered in our tranflation.) Neither of these senses were, I suppose, distinctly, but both rather conjunctly intended here; in relation to the evangelical hiftory; the which (as to the main obvious paffages) we are here fupposed to know, and do profefs to believe; neither do I think any thing more of mystery designed here beyond the full and clear determination of our Saviour's perfon; or the declaration of whom we do believe in by circumstances most apt and fuitable to that purpofe; the time when, the perfon under whom, and confequently the place where, and manner how

xxviii. 14.

SERM. he fuffered. However all these circumstances are in themXXVI. felves confiderable, and afford fome matter of edification to our faith and practice: let us therefore touch them.

:

1. The time, in itself most fit, and most agreeable to divine predictions, doth illustrate the wisdom of God in his providence, doth confirm his veracity, his conftancy, and his fidelity for when the fulness of time was come; when the fceptre of legislation and sovereign authority was just departed from Judah; while the Jewish temple did stand, but was shortly to be deftroyed; before the Jews were utterly unfettled and difperfed; when the feventy hebdomades (of years) were near expiring, the time when the Dan. ix. 26. Meffias fhould be cut off; when Judaism was by numerous acceffion of profelytes diffused over the world, the facred writings being translated, and legible everywhere; when the world was in the most general peace and deepest calm, confequently men's attention being then more ready, and their minds more capable of inftruction and perfuafion concerning divine truths; when the most confiderable part of the world was united under one empire, (or under two, that of the Romans, and that of the Parthians,) and thence more fit to be incorporated into a spiritual commonwealth, (to communicate in offices of piety, to impart and receive inftruction;) when mankind by learning and policy was generally better civilized than ever, more inquifitive after knowledge, and more receptive of truth; when, in fhort, all things were duly prepared and suited for the great effects defigned by God to proceed from our Saviour's paffion, and other performances, then did he fuffer and do what God had in his wifdom and goodness predetermined, prefignified, and predicted. I might add, that the time was fit to be fet down, as a character apt to confirm the truth of the history; for direction to a fair inquiry and trial concerning it; to exclude all confufion and uncertainty about it.

2. As for the perfon under whom our Lord fuffered; if we confider him as a Roman firanger, (or Gentile,) or as a governor and judge; or with regard to his personal qualities; or according to his deportment in this affair;