An exposition of the Creed: or, An explanation of the articles of our Christian faith. Delivered in many afternoone sermons, by that reverend and worthy divine, Master Iohn Smith, late preacher of the Word at Clavering in Essex, and sometime fellow of Saint Iohns Colledge in Oxford. Now published for the benefit and behoofe of all good Christians, together with an exact table of all the chiefest doctrines and vses throughout the whole booke

SERMON XVIII.

IOHN 19. 5.

Behold the Man.

WE shewed the last day, how before Pilate condem∣ned Christ, he used foure meanes to deliver Him; first, by speaking for Him; secondly, by sending Him to Herod; thirdly, by associating him with Barabbas; fourthly, by scourging him, that so pi∣tie might have staied the cruelty of the high Priests and Scribes, but all would not availe, their fury pressed on to his death: The uses where∣of wee were the last day cut short of by reason of the time, therefore now we will prosecute the same.

The first use is, that in looking on Christ, wee may see what we are to looke for at the hands of the world; for if hee was crowned with a crowne of thornes. Then we must not looke to be crowned with a crowne of gold; if he was mocked and scoffed at, we must not looke to goe free; Ecce homo, behold the man; if we suffer with him, wee shall raigne with him in glory. And therefore doe not thou looke to partake with him in his crowne of glory, unlesse thou partake with him in the crown of thornes. In the 18. of Iohn, Pilate asked Christ, if hee was a king: he answered, hee was, but his kingdome was not of this world; even so a Christian may say, my kingdome is not of this world, but I looke for a kingdome above the clouds, a kingdome of glory and happinesse.

Secondly, a Christian may comfort himselfe in afflictions and trou∣bles, by looking on Christ, Ecce homo, behold the man: let thy troubles and thy afflictions be what they will be, yet they are not like to Christs, he was God, we are men; he the sonne, and wee the servants; he pure and holy, we wretched and sinfull; therefore let thy troubles bee what they will, sure it is, thou canst not attaine to the halfe of Christs, to the crowne of thornes, the buffettings, mockings and railings upon, to his whippings, rackings and tormentings; therefore if wee looke upon Christs wounds, we shall finde ours to be nothing to his; thus we must comfort our selves in our afflictions by looking on Christ.

Thirdly, we may comfort our selves in temptations, for as a Christian

hath his Ecce homo; so the devill will have his time for it; when we be sick and like to die, then he will come and say, Ecce homo, behold the man; thou hast seemed to be a great professor, but now death seazeth on thee, and thou must be flung into the grave, and there consumed to dust, and therfore what canst thou doe for thy selfe? A man must not be discoura∣ged at this, but must have his Ecce homo: and send him backe againe to Christ, and say, behold the man, behold Christ, hee hath done for me, hee hath gone before death, hath seazed upon mee, he hath beene trampled and trodden under foot of it, flung into the grave and risen againe, therefore seeing Christ hath gone before me, I must not be afraid to follow his steps that he hath stepped in before me.

The third generall point which we observed in the condemnation of Christ is, what it was that made Pilate stand so stiffe for Christ; though after he was drawne on to condemne him, partly through feare of Casar; and partly through the importunitie of the people.

Now there were five reasons that made him stand so stiffe for Christ:

• 1. His owne conscience.
• 2. The admonition of his wife.
• 3. Christs strange silence.
• 4. His holy Confession and protestation.
• 5. His Commination.

First, his owne conscience, for hee was perswaded hee was an innocent man, and delivered unto him through the malice of the Iewes, therefore hee was loth to condemne him, and so sinne against his conscience; and yet he was but a heathen man, therefore what a pitifull thing is it, when a Christian shall sinne against his conscience, and that shall smite him, as it did the Lepers in the midst of their jollity, 2 King. 7. 7. who said, we doe not well to tarry here, &c. so when a mans conscience shall tell him, O, I doe not well to sweare, to lye, and yet that same man should goe on still in his wicked courses, this is a pittifull thing, therefore a man must take heed hee sinne not against his conscience; if a man should have a snake or a worme crawling in his body or in his bowels, though it should bee quiet sometimes, yet upon every little occasion it should crawle and stirre about, hee would thinke it were better to dye a thousand deaths, but what is this to the worme of conscience, that will torment a man for ever and ever and never dieth? therefore (as a learned man saith) all other plagues a man may fly from, but hee cannot fly from an evill con∣science; a man may fly from the plague, from famine or from the injury of men, but he cannot fly from an evil conscience, whither soever he go∣eth that will with him, if he goe into merry company, or into his cham∣ber, into his closet, or into any roome under the earth the secretest place that may bee, his evill conscience will goe with him and pursue him; like unto a man that hath an ague, he thinkes if he were in this or in that place, in this roome or in that, hee should have ease, but so long as hee carrieth the matter of his owne griefe about him, he can have none; so a man that hath an evill conscience, hee may thinke to have peace in this place, in this and that company, but as long as he carrieth about him the

matter of his griefe, hee must never looke to have ease, therefore wee must take heed of sinning against our conscience.

The second thing, that made Pilate stand so stiffe for Christ, was the admonition of his wife, for Pilate being in the judgement seat, shee sent him a message, Matth. 27. To have nothing to doe with that just man: in which message we observe divers things:

• 1. The partie that sent the message, Pilates Wife.
• 2. The time when shee sent it; when Pilato was upon the judge∣ment seate.
• 3. The tenour of the message; have thou nothing to doe with that just man.
• 4. The reason, because I have suffered many things this night in a dreame touching Him.

First, who it was that sent the message; Pilates wife: hence observe, it is a good thing for women to stop and stay their husbands in the course of sinne, they must labour to prevent them, by good speeches and good ad∣monitions, for women were made to this end, to be helpers to their hus∣bands, to helpe them to heaven, therefore when the wife shall admo∣nish the husband, and hee doe not regard but despise and neglect it, Pi∣late shall rise up in judgement against him, and condemne him, at the day of judgement.

Secondly, when it was; as he sate in judgement, it was a very fit time, a good season; as David bad his servants say to Nabal, 1 Sam. 25. Wee came in a good season; so it is a good season to stoppe a man in sinne, when hee is about the doing of it: so the Angell of the Lord stopped Ioseph, Matth. 1. when he thought to have put Mary away secretly, so Gen. 20. when Abimelech thought to have taken Abrahams wife, saith the Lord unto him, thou art but a dead man; it is a good thing then to admonish one of sinne, when they be about doing of it.

Thirdly, the tenor of the message; have thou nothing to doe with this just man. If a man be a just man and an innocent man, let us take heed, how wee have to deale with him or doe him any wrong or any hurt, Psal. 37. It is a note of a wicked man, that he persecutes the godly man, for if a man be a just and godly man, then there is matter enough for them; but we must take heed, wee doe them no harme or wrong: a man may handle gold, Oare, iron, as long as it remaines in his owne nature, but if the na∣ture of fire be put to it, then if we handle it, it will burne us; so we may deale with men, as long as they remaine in their owne nature, but if once they have the nature of God, take heed how we deale with them; lest it happen unto us, as Revel. 11. 5. it is said of the two Prophets, that if any man hurt them, fire shall come out of their mouthes and destroy them.

The fourth reason was, Because she had suffered many things in a dreame tou∣ching him, this is the property of a good conscience, to bee moved and stirred by the judgements of God: it is a wofull thing when his judge∣ments be upon us, yet we are not moved and stirred at them; when hee shall take away our wives, our children, our cattell, or our goods, and yet wee bee not moved at it. If a Physition give a man Physicke, the next

question that he will aske him, when hee comes to him, is, whether his physicke did worke or no? if it did not worke and stirre the humours, it is twenty to one, but the party will dye; so the judgements of God are his physicke, and if they doe move and stirre us, there is some good hope, but if they doe not move and work upon us, there is danger, twen∣tie to one but we shall be more afflicted or die; therefore it is a pitifull thing that Gods judgements be upon us in this unseasonable weather, and yet we are not moved and stirred by them, nor drawne unto repen∣tance to returne to God: the Lord complaines of this, Ier. 5. Thou hast stricken them, but they have not sorrowed: And Zephan. 3. Every morning doth he bring his judgements to light, and yet the wicked will not learne to be ashamed. It is a good thing to be afflicted with the judgements of God, as Numb. 21. the people come to Moses, and desire him to pray to God, to take away the firy Serpents, not desiring to have their sins taken away; there∣fore when that judgement was at an end, they had a greater, and so had no rest, till the Lord had destroyed them; so men doe now, when the judgements of God be upon them, then they pray to have sicknesse, fa∣mine, scarcitie and unseasonable weather taken away from them, but ne∣ver pray to God to have their sins taken away, to give them repentance; and therefore when one judgement is at an end, it it the beginning of a greater, the Lord will never rest till hee hath destroyed us, if wee doe not repent us of all our sinnes, and turne to him in the truth of our hearts.

This must teach Christians, that have more light and knowledge, than they had, or than Pilate had, to take heed that they doe not sinne against their conscience; Pilate had the light of Nature, wee have the light of Gods grace; it it a fearefull thing, when a man shall sinne against his conscience; though a man sinne of weaknesse, and of infirmity, yet let us take heed we sinne not against conscience; for what a pitifull thing is it that a mans conscience shall say, as the Lepers said, O, we doe not well, that we doe so; I doe not well to sin, to sweare, to prophane the Sabbaths, I doe not well to nourish any sin, to backbite my neighbours: It is a feare∣full thing to sin against conscience, all other accusers, one thing or other will stop them, either bribes, or favour, or fiendship, or intreatie, or flat∣tery, but there is nothing that will stop the accusing of evill conscience, neither bribes, nor flattery, nor friendship, nor intreaty; Revel. 20. 12. conscience is compared to a booke that all things are written in, when there is question about a debt, come to the booke and that doth manifest the matter; so there is a question, whether thou hast sinned or not, come to thy conscience, and that will resolve thee, all thy sins are written there, although thou doe not see nor feele them, yet at the Iudgement day, when the booke shall bee opened, then all shall bee manifest, as if they were but new committed.

Secondly, other accusers doe accuse us, but certaine times, either at Terme time, or when anger is stirred, but an accusing conscience will give them no peace at any time; the worme of conscience wil torment a

man at all times, in the night, and in the day, when hee is in company, and when he is alone.

Thirdly, other accusers a man may flie from, for if they be in one coun∣try, hee may flie into another country; but there is no man can flie from the accusing of an evill conscience, unlesse a man flie from himselfe; Au∣gustine saith, all other plagues a man may fly from, from the famine, from the envie of man, from the pestilence he may flie, but he can never from an evill conscience; Man (saith he) get thee into thy chamber, or into the secretest place that may bee, and although thou shut the doore, yet thou canst not shut out the accusing of an evill conscience, unlesse thou shut up thy selfe: If a man were in a close chamber full of small lights, and there were in the same roome one great light, though he should put out all the other, and leave but this one, yet that were sufficient to dis∣close, and to lay open his shame; so in the chamber of this world, there be a number of lights, if all should be put out, and there be left this great light of a mans conscience, this is sufficient to discover and to lay open a mans shame.

Thirdly, The strange silence of Christ, that answered nothing, though Pilate did urge him, and it did concerne his life; therefore the more rea∣dy he should have been (as one would have thought) to defend himselfe, for naturally men are ready to defend their lives; as the Devill saith of Iob, all that a man hath will hee give for his life: But see, Christ was silent, which shewes how ready he was to lay downe his life for us, and how willingly; this was the reason why Christ was silent and said nothing: here we may see the great love of Christ, that whereas we should have lost our lives, have perished in hell for ever, hee was contented to lay downe his life for us. Now Christ hath not laid downe his life onely that wee should lay downe our lives for him againe, but that we should lay downe our sinnes; he was willing to part with his life, and wee are not willing to part with our sins for his sake; Hester 6. when Ahashuerosh could not sleepe in the night time, he cals to a servant to reade in the Chronicles, and then found what Mordecai had done in preserving of his life, and so makes this inquiry, But what honour and dignity hath there been done to Mor∣decai for it? So when a Christian cannot sleepe in his bed, hee should be thinking how willing Christ was to lay down his life for him, he should make this enquiry, what honour and dignitie have I done unto Christ for it? Augustine saith, this is the reasoning betwixt Christ and us; O man, wilt thou make a change with me, wilt thou forgoe thy sinnes and take my bloud, take the merit of my death, and I will take the punish∣ment of thy sinnes!

Fourthly, His protestation and confession, that hee is the Sonne of God; for when Pilate heard that, he was afraid that God was ingaged against him, and to oppose himselfe against God, he was loth; this it was that made him to stop and stay, the reverence hee had to the name of Christ: O that we Christians had this reverence to the name of God, that it might stop and ••••ay us in the course of sinne! Pilate was stayed at the mention

of the name of God; but we heare of the name of God every day, from day to day, and yet it cannot stop us in the course of our sinnes; we see, Gen. 39. 9. that the reverent awe that Ioseph had of the name of God, kept him from sinning against God; so David, Psal. 21. 22. Because I kept the wayes of the Lord, I did not wickedly against my God; for all his lawes were before me, and I did not cast his Commandements from me: And so here Pilate an Heathen did reverence the name of God, this it was that stopped him, and made him stand so fast for Christ.

Fifthly, The holy commination of Christ, saith hee, Hee that delivered mee to thee, hath the greater sinne: There is no man that can have his hand in the death of Christ, but he must needs sinne: This was it that made Pilate a Heathen man loth to condemne Christ, be cause he should sinne against God. This must teach us, that when wee heare it is a sinne to sweare or lye, not to doe it, though it be to save a mans life. Wee have heard it is a sinne to prophane the Sabbath, to mispend the time wickedly, and yet ne∣verthelesse, dare we goe on and doe it: Surely Pilate shall rise up in judge∣ment against us at the last day, and condemne us for it. We see 1 Sam. 14. 33. when Saul heard that the people had sinned in eating of blood, hee laboured to stoppe and to stay them: O that there were such affection in Christians to labour to stoppe others, but especially themselves in the course of sin! For it is Gods great mercie that any thing comes in the way to stoppe or stay us in the course of sinne, whether it bee our conscience, or the ad∣monitions of our wives, or any thing else. The Philosophers say, that the upper Heavens would set all the world together, if they were not staid by the nether, but whether that be true or no, this is; that there is such gree∣dinesse in man to commit sinne, that all would come to confusion, if God should not restraine him: 1 Sam. 25. 32. when David was in his heate, hee thought to have killed Nabal, and all his houshold; but when hee met with Abigail, and was come to himselfe, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, saith hee, which hath sent thee this day to meete mee; And blessed bee thy advice; and blessed bee thou, which hast kept mee this day from comming to shed blood, and from avenging my selfe with mine owne hand: So, when we be in our heate, then we care not what we doe; but if we once come to our selves, then we can say, O blessed be God for such a man and such a woman, that kept me from sinning against him. When Balaam went to curse the People of God for a bribe, if the Asse had not spoken to him and made a stoppe, the Angell of the Lord had killed him: The Asse saw the danger, but hee saw it not; therefore the Lord gave Balaam cause to blesse God for his Asse; even so if there bee any thing that stops us from committing sinne, and though it be but an Asse, we have cause to blesse God for it.

The fourth generall point that wee observed in Christs condemnation was, What made Pilate to condemne Christ? And that appeares to be:

• 1. The importunitie of the Iewes▪
• 2. The feare of losing Caesars favour.

First, the importunitie of the Iewes, for the more hee pleaded for him, the worse they were; the more they cried out, crucifie him, crucifie him. At last being wearied with their importunacie, hee yeelds to them and condem∣neth

him. Here we may see what a wicked thing it is to yeeld to any bad thing for any importunitie whatsoever. Adam yeeldeth to his wife, and so brought death upon himselfe and his posteritie, and was thrust out of Paradise: So Sampson yeeldeth to Delilah, and lost both his eyes. If a man yeeld because hee would have rest, he shall bee condemned for it: If it bee good to stand out in the cause of Christ, the first and the second time, it is good to stand out to the end: As if one be set to keepe away birds, he can∣not excuse himselfe to say the birds are busie, and I cannot make them leave; but the more busie the birds be the more busie he should be to sup∣presse them: So the more wee be importuned to sinne, aud the more busie the Divell is to tempt us▪ the more busie we should be in Prayer and me∣ditation, to suppresse the temptations of the Divell. It was Iosephs glory, that notwithstanding his Mistris lay at him day by day, yet he yeelded not to her: So this shall be the glory of a Christian, that notwithstanding ghee bee tempted to sinne from day to day, hee yeelds not to it. It is noted of Christ that when the Tempter ended, the Angels came and ministred un∣to him: So when wee have stood out in temptations, and they be ended, the Angels will come and minister to us a Cup of comfort, or a Crowne of glory. But Pilate because he stood not out in the cause of Christ, as hee had begunne, but yeelded; lost all his glory; therefore, it is said in our Creede, He suffered under Pontius Pilate, which is a marke of disgrace unto him, to the Worlds end.

The second thing that drew Pilate to condemne Christ, was feare of lo∣sing Caesars favour: for when the Iewes told him, that if he let him goe, hee was not Caesars friend, this did so perplexe and amaze him, that he sinnes against his conscience, and inclines to the worser side: Hee had good affe∣ctions and stood out in the cause of Christ, when all were against him, but when it came to this, that if he stood out still, he should lose Caesars favor, or else Gods favour; He makes choyse of Caesars favour: So it is with the world still, so long as God and Caesar goe together, so long as the world and religion goe together, so long they hold, but when it comes to this, that they must lose Caesars favour, or Gods favour, they will leave God, and choose Caesars favour. But it is remarkable and worthy our observation, that he that will make himselfe a friend to the world, may have indeed Caesars favour for a time, but he shall be sure to have God his enemie, and then perhaps Caesar too; as we may see in Pilate, who laboured for Cae∣sars favour, and chose that before Gods favour, yet through the just judgement of God, he lost Caesars also, for upon complaint made he was sent for, and put from his Office, banished the Land, and so through griefe and vexation, laying hands upon himselfe, desperately killeth himselfe: Let men take heed of this, how they keepe mens favour and lose Gods; for if it be so with them, they may looke for Pilates judge∣ment, to have neither of them both, because the doe not choose Gods favour above all.

Notes

• Vse 1.
• Vse 2.
• Vse 3.
• Thirdly, what made Pilate so stand for Christ.
• First, his owne conscience.
• Simile.
• Simile.
• Secondly, the ad∣monition of his wife.
• First, who sent the message.
• Secondly, when it was sent.
• Thirdly, the message.
• Simile.
• Fourthly, the reason and cause.
• SERM. XVIII.
• Vse.
• Simile.
• 2
• 3
• Simile.
• 3
• The strange si∣lence of Christ.
• Simile.
• 4
• Christs protesta∣tion.
• 5
• Christs Commi∣nation.
• 4
• What made Pi∣late to condemne Christ.
• 1
• The importuni∣tie of the Iewes.
• Simile.
• Simile.
• Simile.
• 2
• Feare to lose Cae∣sars favour.