The precious blood of the son of God shed without the gates of Jerusalem for the redemption of lost and undone sinners: whereby his great love to mankind is undeniably manifested, in these following particulars; his agony in the garden; being betrayed by Judas, being falsly accused before Annas, Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate; his being scourged, scorned, and spitefully used; his condemnation and going to execution; how he was crucified; of his being reviled, and pardoning the thief upon the cross; and of his giving up the ghost. All which is practically applyed and improved, for the bringing of sinners out of the way of sin and hell, into wisdom's ways, whose ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. By that eminent divine, Mr. John Hayward.

How our Saviour was mocked, and re∣viled; and how he prayed for his Enemies.

Matt. 27. 39.

And they that passed by re∣viled him, wagging their Heads.

AFTER they had thus cruelly cru∣cified Jesus, the High-Priests, with the Scribes, Elders, and Pharisees, and after them the Multitudes: so pre∣valent are the Examples of great Men, that also the Soldiers tormented him, and one of the Thieves that suffered with him, reviled and blasphemed him, disgracing the Doctrine he had taught; one upbraids him and says, Thou that

destroy the Temple, and buildest it again in three Days, save thy self. Another bid him come down from the Cross, and they would believe him. Another cries, He saved others, himself he cannot save. Another, He trusted in God, let him de∣liver him if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God. He that suffered for all, had all against him, and among all that great Multitude that at that time was at Jerusalem, there was not one who would openly avow Jesus to be the Christ; whereby our Lord Jesus would shew to us, That our Redemption is his singular Mercy and Grace; for there was not one but what made himself unworthy of it, some for Malice persecuting, others for Fear disowning, the rest not regard∣ing of him, as thinking that which con∣cerned them most, concerned them no∣thing at all: And it was a Mystery that our Saviour was condemned by the Jews, and afterwards by the Gen∣tiles; That he was delivered by the Jews to the Gentiles; that he was pur∣sued to Death by the one and by the other, who died indifferently for them both.

Go to, go to, ye base Children of the Synagogue, mock on, Leave you have in regard to us; double your Malice in Revilings if you please; you do us great∣er Kindness thereby than you are sensi∣ble of; for look, how fast his Infamy doth grow, so fast doth our Shame de∣crease. Whatsoever will do us good he hath imparted to us, and hath taken to himself whatsoever might do us harm. But in regard of your selves, O ye stiff-necked Jews! it had been better your Tongues had been torn out of your Throats, than they should have been thus impiously employed; all your insulting is but like the putting of a red hot Iron into cold Water, to make a great Noise to extinguish your selves: For since you have disavowed the God of your Fathers, and have said, you would have no King but Caesar; since you have said, His Blood be upon us, and upon our Children; since you have mali∣ciously taken away his Life, and re∣proach'd his Death, your Walls have been thrown down, your Temple burnt, your Kingdom ruined, your selves either slain or captivated, or

chased into strange Countries, where you have been h•…•…ted and oppressed, and never suffer to knit into one Body again; which Curse shall be up∣on you to the end of the World. As you have quitted him, and delivered him to the Gentiles, so hath he ever since discharged you, and planted his Church, especially amongst them. As you have renounced your King, who was so plainly prophesied, and so long expected; and betaken your selves on∣ly to Caesar, so he hath delivered you into Caesar's Hands; he hath given you your Choice: but it cost you dear, it cost you the Lives of eleven hundred thousand Persons in one Siege, besides ninety thousand, who were made Cap∣tives. And because you did not on∣ly say, Let this Blood be upon us, but also added, and upon our Children, you have your Desires; for your Posterity have been dispersed and despised in all Countries, and in most Piaces evil-entreated. So it often falleth out, that the Wicked have no greater Punish∣ment in this World, than the Accom∣plishment of their own Desires. It is the common Reward of Evil Doers, to

be the Instruments of their own final Ruin.

But with respect to our Saviour what can be sufficiently said? To be so affli∣cted as never was any! for he was de∣spised and evil-entreated in the midst of all his Afflictions; in all Calamities it is some Comfort to find some Compassi∣on; we desi•…•…e generally, if we cannot be delivered or eased, to be pittied, to see some that condole our Misery, who wish us well, who want not the Will, but the Power to relieve us. But these Bandogs of Satan, these Hell-hounds had utterly put away all sense of Humani∣ty from them: They were so far from Pity, that they were mightily pleased and satisfied, in seeing the unheard of Cruelty of themselves, and Calamity of our Saviour. Again, a generous Heart is more touched with Grief, to see his Enemies take pleasure in his Death, than to endure it; yea, oftentimes a free and noble Spirit taketh not his Death from his Enemies so unkindly, as one spiteful and abu•…•…ve Word. Again, these Injuries and Despites w•…•…re so much more sensib•…•…e to the

Son of God, by how much more than others he deserved the contrary. For in all our Calamities, it doth much ease the pain we endure, when we com∣pare it with the Fault we have commit∣ted: But because our Saviour could compare these Contempts that were put upon him, not only with his Faults, nor his Innocency only, but with his innumerable and inestimable Deserts, he did the more grieve at them, or rather at the Malice from whence they did proceed. And further, his Love was so great for the Salvation of Mens Souls, that his Torments were not so grievous to him, as to see that they did his Tormentors no good: It was worse than Death to him, to see his Executi∣oners would make no profit of his Death: even as a loving Friend esteemeth less his Labour for another, than to find it un∣profitable and not accepted; or as a good Mother grieveth more at the ung•…•…ate∣ful and ungracious Behaviour of her Child, than at the Travails she endured at its Birth.

But O impudent and audacious Jews! wherefore did you misreport what Je∣sus

had said? A thing well spoken, may easily be corrupted by Report: Jesus did never say, I will destroy, but, destroy you this Temple. He said not, I will build it; but, I will raise it in three days; not meaning your material Temple; but his own Body, John 2. 9. which was in∣deed the true Temple of God; not in a Figure, but really and personally: Be∣cause in him dwelleth the fulness of the God-head bodily, Col. 2. 9.

And was it not sufficient for you to blaspheme Jesus, but must you st•…•…etch out your Throats into high and hor∣rid Blasphemy against the most High? He trusted in God, let him deliv•…•…r him, if he favoureth him. What! do you think God was not able to deliver him out of your Hands? Or must he deliver whom you please, or when you please, or after what manner you will prescribe? Did ever any trust in God and was not delivered? Or did God ever finally for∣sake those whom he favours? Or is deli∣rance from temporal Calamities, an assu∣red Sign of God's Favour? No.

Certainly God delivereth the wicked out of desperate Distress; many times he suffereth the Godly to sink under bo dily Oppressions; but this is no conclu∣ding Argument, that he favoureth the one, or forsaketh the other. O ye great Doctors of the Law, that by Prosperity and Adversity judge of the Favour or Hatred of God, tell us then, whether God loved best, Abel or Cain, Jacob or Esau: Tell us, wherefore were not the Prophets delivered from Death, who were murthered by your Fathers, and whose Sepul∣chers you did build. If such Deliverances be an infallible Argument both of fa∣vour from God and trust in him, veri∣ly the Judgments of God are not only secret and unsearchable, but for the most part counterpoint to that which the na∣tural sense of Man would prescribe. Temporal Occurrences may go and come, we may flourish, or we may wither in this World, as God in Mercy or Judgment may see best for us: But nothing makes a Man miserable or happy, but that which is eternal.

O crucified Jesus on the Cross! we love thee on the Cross, we adore thee

on the Cross, we believe in thee, who upon the Cross didst give thy self to Death for us; what hath a Man more than Riches, Honour and Life? all which thou didst bestow upon the Cross to redeem us: For thou who di•…•…st create all things, didst hang naked upon the Cross; thou who thought'st it not Rob∣be•…•…y to be equal with God, wast num∣bered with Malefactors; thou who at the Lord of Life, didst suffer a most shameful Death; and that we may not fall short of this great Benefit, that thy precious Blood be not unprofitably shed for us, we prostrate our unworthy Souls, and cry unto thee, not as the Jews did, to come down from the Cross, but, which is more, to raise us up, and fa∣sten us unto thee; for they whom thou lovest, are known by nothing more than by taking pa•…•…t with thee in thy Passion; not to save thee, but to save our selves.

Save us, Lord, from our Sins, save us from the Power of all our Spi•…•…itual Enemies, from the Decei's of this wicked World, save us from the flat∣tering force of our own Appeti•…•…es, which is the mightiest and basest Ty∣rant

we have to deal with, defend the Dignity and Glory of our Souls, from being Slaves-to our sensual Lusts, that we be not captivated to the false Plea∣sures of this Life. Deliver us from vari∣ety of worldly Desires, from vain Hope, from vain Fear. Above all, deliver us from thy Wrath, and from thy Curse, and from the inseparable Companion thereof, eternal Death. Let some small Drops of thy most precious Blood distil into our Souls, that we may present it to thy Father in full satisfaction for all our Sins. Give unto us the full Fruit of thy Death, Grace here, and Glory hereafter.

O Lord Jesus! O the Salvation of our Souls! behold we come to thee, as we are poor vile Creatures; we make bold to approach to the Rivers of thy Mercy, to the sweet Streams of thy Grace, to the true Son of thy Justice, whose Beams are spread over the whole World, and giveth great Light to all those who do not wil∣fully shut their Eyes. Behold we prostrate our unworthy Souls at thy Feet; we do not revile, but we praise and ado•…•…e thee; we do not mock, but we mourn at thy Passion. O thou who wert pi∣tiful

to thy Enemies, be not hard to thy Supplicants, thou who didst pray for them that reproached thee, pray for us that pray unto thee; lift up thy Voice unto thy Father for us, and cease not till he hath forgiven us.