It being knowne that he dyed for the people, it is worth the while to know who these people were, for whom he dyed. Caiphas had respect to the Jewes on¦ly, and their temporall good; but the Holy Ghost intended the spirituall good of the Jewes primarily, though not of them alone: but of the people also through the world. But is it possible, that of all people he should dye for the Jewes? Ab ipsis, & pro ipsis? these were they that spit upon him, whipped him, smote him on the face, crowned him with thornes, tare him with nailes; these were they, who in the act of his bitter passion, when his soule bereft of all comfort, laden with the sinne of all the world, and fiercenesse of his Fathers wrath, enforced from him that speech, than which the world never heard a more lamentable, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mee? then in stead of comfort they reviled him, If thou be the Son of God, come downe from the crosse, all this notwithstanding though they persecuted him, hee loved them; though they cryed Away with him, he dyed for them, & at his death prayed for them: Father, forgive, and pleaded for them, they know not what they doe; and wept for them, offering supplications in their behalfe with prayers & strong cries. Greater love than this can no man shew, to lay downe his life for his friend: yet thou, O blessed Saviour, art a patterne of greater love, laying downe thy life for this people whilest they were thine enemies; but not for this peo∣ple only, (the Holy Ghost so speakes) O Lord, we were thine enemies as well as they, and whilest we were thine enemies, we were reconciled to God the Father by the precious death of thee his Son. For the Scripture setteth forth his love to us, that whilest we were yet sinners he dyed for us.
He for us, alone for us all: the same spirit which set before him expedit mo∣ri, did sweeten the brim of that sowre cup with this promise, that when hee should make his soule an offering for sin, hee should see his seed: that as the whole earth was planted, so it might be redeemed by one bloud; as by one of∣fence condemnation seized upon all, so by the justification of one, the bene∣fit might redound unto all to the justification of life. And this bloud thirsty Caiphas unwittingly intimated, saying, Expedit unum mori pro populo.
If one, and he then dead could do thus much, what can he not do now, now that he liveth for ever? He trod the wine-presse alone, neither is there salvation in any other. S. Stephen was stoned, S. Paul beheaded, Nunquid pro nobis? No, it cost more than so, it is done to their hands, there is one, who by the ob∣lation of himselfe alone once offered, hath made a perfect and sufficient sa∣crifice for the sins of the whole world.
And that whilest it is a world: for our Saviour, that stood in the gap betwixt Gods wrath & us, catching the blow in his own body, hath by his bloud purcha∣sed an eternal redemption; every one that beleeveth in him shal not perish, but have life everlasting. In the number of which beleevers if we be, then is the fruit of his meritorious passion extended to us, we may challenge our inte∣rest therein; and in our persons the Prophet speaketh, He bare our infirmities and carried our sorrowes, he was wounded for our transgressions, the cha∣stisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes are we healed.
Which great benefit, as it is our bounden duty to remember at all times, so this time, this day Vivaciorem animi sensum, & puriorem mentis exigit intuitum, recursus temporis, & textus lectionis, as S. Leo speaketh, The an∣nuall recourse of the day, and this text fitted to it, calleth to our minde the