Seuen goulden candlestickes houlding the seauen greatest lights of Christian religion shewing vnto all men what they should beleeue, & how they ought to walke in this life, that they may attayne vnto eternall life. By Gr: Williams Doctor of Divinity

CHAP. VII. Of the gracious words that Christ vttered vpon the Crosse.

* 1.1FOr the second, that is, the gracious words that he vttered, while he stood crucified vpon his Crosse; as all the Annals and Records of time can neuer shew his paralell in his sufferings, ne∣uer man suffered as he suffered; so in all the bookes and writings of men, in all the words that were euer vttered by voyce, we shall finde not one saying equa∣lizing any one of the sayings of Christ: Neuer man spake as hee spake,* 1.2 his owne enemies confesse it; and as his words were euer gracious; so neuer more gracious then now vpon the Crosse: For,

First, In the mids of all his sufferings, the first words that hee spake, were not against any man, but an earnest suite for his

greatest persecuters; Pater ignosce illis, i. e. illis qui dixerunt cruci∣fige; Father forgiue them, for they know not what they doe.* 1.3 A les∣son neuer to be forgotten; to teach vs all to be euer ready, not onely to forgiue, but also to pray for our enemies; for here we see Christ prayes for them, which mocke and persecute him; and therefore we must doe likewise, if we will be Christians: And this may serue also for our exceeding comfort;* 1.4 for if hee thus prayed for them that not onely crucified him, but also cursed themselues; saying, His bloud be vpon vs and vpon our children; Yea, if his prayer was so effectuall for his persecuters, that it brought 3000. soules of them vnto his Father at the hearing of one Sermon of Saint Peter,* 1.5 and made Saul that most vio∣lently breathed out slaughters against his Church, to serue him most faithfully while he breathed vpon the earth; and caused that very Souldier (as some doe thinke) which pierced his heart, to be connerted by his Spirit, and to become a Christian,* 1.6 a Professor, a faithfull Bishop, and a constant Martyr of Christ; then what may we thinke that he will doe, or how powerfull will be his prayers for them that serue him, for them that loue him?

Secondly,* 1.7 After that the theeues had most contemptuously mocked and flouted him, as Saint Matthew testifieth; one of them seeing and considering not onely how vndeseruedly hee was condemned, but also how patiently he endured all his paines, and how piously he prayed for his greatest enemies;* 1.8 hee began to relent, and to repent him of his former reuiling of him, and to conceiue some hope of some fauour from him, and said; Lord remember me when thou commest into thy King∣dome; our Sauiour presently answered, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise; a most sweet and comfortable answere,* 1.9 vn∣to a most comfortlesse malefactor: No sooner had he requested, but he obtained pardon, and was acquitted from the death of his soule, though he suffered the death of his body; yea, and when he desired but to be remembred, he was granted presently to be admitted vnto euerlasting happinesse; for, This day (saith Christ) shalt thou be with me in Paradise; and from a malefactor on the Crosse, thou shalt be translated to be a Martyr in Hea∣uen. To teach vs, To giue to them that aske, and from them that

seeke, neuer to turne away our face; and to assure vs that if we pray to God, we shall be heard, we shall be helped.

* 1.10Thirdly, After he had thus kindly dealt with his foes, hee turnes himselfe vnto his friends, and saith vnto his Mother, Wo∣man behold thy Sonne; and to his beloued Apostle Saint Iohn, hee saith, Behold thy Mother; to shew that as neuer man so pittyed his foes, so neuer man so loued his friends as he did; and to teach vs by his example, neither in prosperity, nor in aduersity, to forget that dutie which we doe owe vnto our Parents.

* 1.11Fourthly, When he had gone ouer those in particular, hee said, I thirst, not so much for any drinke, as for the health and saluation of vs all; for this was meate and drinke vnto him, to doe his Fathers will, to pacifie his Wrath, and to satisfie his Iustice, and so to bring many sonnes vnto glory; to teach vs that if Christ in the mids of his sorrowes did so much thirst for our health, how much more should we hunger and thirst after righteousnesse, and after the saluation of our owne soules, and not (as we doe) thirst and wither away for thirst, after the pride and pompe of these worldly vanities?

* 1.12Fiftly, Hauing shewed his loue to his foes, to his friends, to all mankinde, he returned vnto himselfe, (for as yet he seemes to haue forgotten himselfe, and his owne paine, through the ve∣hemency of his loue which he bare vnto others) and not one∣ly perfectly seeing, but also sensibly feeling, the incomprehensible paine and sorrow, that through the fiercenesse of Gods wrath, was throughly inflicted vpon him, and which he had already so long sustained for our sinnes; he lifts vp his eyes, and sends forth those words with a dolefull voyce,* 1.13 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Not that he was or could be forsaken of the Godhead, so hypostatically vnited vnto it, but to shew vnto vs, what infinite sorrowes he then suffered aboue all that we can con∣ceiue or thinke; and to teach vs in all distresse, to haue our chiefe recourse to God; & in all humility, to expostulate with his Maie∣stie, why he should create vs, to forsake vs; for so with Christ, we may be sure to be heard and releeued in what we feare, and in good time to be deliuered out of our distresse.

* 1.14Sixtly, When Christ saw that the Scripture, in euery particu∣lar thing that was written of him vntill his death, was fulfilled,

he said, Consummatum est, All is finished;* 1.15 not onely to declare vnto vs that by his death, the royall Law was fulfilled, and the redemption of all mankinde was now fully effected; but also to teach all Christians, to finish the course of their life according to the will of God.

Seauenthly,* 1.16 When he considered and vnderstood all things that were to be done of him, to be fully ended, he saith; Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit; to teach euery man, especial∣ly in affliction, to cast himselfe in sinum diuinitatis, euen into the armes of Gods protection, and so to relie wholly vpon God, as vpon a sure foundation, and as at all times else so chiefly when we see death approaching neere to vs, to commend our soules into the hands of God, euen as our Sauiour did.* 1.17

Thus Christ suffered, thus he preached, and thus he prayed vp∣on the Crosse; and in this time of his suffering, it is ob∣serued.

First, That as he bowed the Heauens and came downe to be in∣carnate and made flesh; so here he boweth his head, to imbrace vs, and to kisse vs with the kisses of his lips

Secondly, That his armes were extended and stretched out,* 1.18 to receiue all men throughout the compasse of the whole world into his grace and fauour againe.

Thirdly, That the nayles were fixed through his hands and feete, not onely to shew that hereby thy hands are inlarged to doe good workes, and thy feet are set at liberty,* 1.19 that thou maist runne the way of Gods commandement; but also to teach vs how the remembrance of his Passion should be so fixed in our hearts, as that nothing in the world should be able to roote it thence.

Fourthly, That he was vnstripped of his garments, and his body extended naked vpon the tree,* 1.20 to shew that hee forsooke all to redeeme vs, that all things are patent and open in the eies of God, and that we poore sinnefull men are miserable and na∣ked of all goodnesse, vntill we be clothed with the righteous∣nesse of Iesus Christ.

Fiftly, That his side was opened with a speare, to make way for the effusion of his bloud, to satisfie for our sinnes,* 1.21 and to make roome for vs to come neerer to his heart; and to hide our selues

with Moses,* 1.22 in foramine Petrae, in this sluce of his side, in this hole of the Rocke, vntill the anger of God be ouer-past. And,

Many other points of great moment, I might here shew vn∣to you, as the darkning of the Sunne for shame and sorrow to see the Sonne of God put to such a shamefull death; the quassation and trembling of the Earth, and cleauing of the Stones, for horour to beare her Maker dying, and to condemne the most cruell hardnesse of a sinners heart, that seeing the Stones renting, will not relent from his sinnes: and the cleauing of the Temple from the top to the bottome, to shew that the Leuiticall Law should be no longer a partition wall betwixt the Iewes and the Gentiles; and that the way to Heauen is now made open to all beleeuers, but that to speake all I might of this point, would inlarge a Treatise into a Ʋolume;* 1.23 and that indeed the Witte and Lear∣ning of any one man, is no more able to expresse all the myste∣ries and most excellent points that wee might collect and learne from the Passion of Christ; then one poore Fisherman is able to catch all the Fishes in the Ocean Sea: And therefore commending all vnto your meditation, to muse vpon the parti¦culars of this great worke, that was once done that it might ne∣uer be forgotten: I will end this point of his Passion; and pro∣ceede vnto the third part of my Text, which is the necessitie of his suffering. For thus it behooued Christ to suffer.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of the seauen gracious words that Christ vt∣tered vpon the Crosse.
• * 1.2

  Iohn 7.45.
• * 1.3

  The first words Christ spake vpon the Crosse.
• * 1.4

  Bernard Heb. poenos. How effectuall was the prayer of Christ?
• * 1.5

  Act. 9.1.
• * 1.6

  Chrysost. in Matth. hom. 88. Matth. 27.44.
• * 1.7

  The second saying of Christ vpon the Crosse.
• * 1.8

  Luke 22.42.
• * 1.9

  Verse. 43.
• * 1.10

  The third say∣ing of Christ vpon the Crosse. Iohn 19.26, 27.
• * 1.11

  The fourth saying of Christ vpon the Crosse. John 4 34.
• * 1.12

  The fift saying of Christ vpon the Crosse.
• * 1.13

  Matth. 27.46.
• * 1.14

  The sixt saying of Christ vpon the Crosse.
• * 1.15

  Iohn 19.30.
• * 1.16

  The seauenth and last say∣ing of Christ vpon the Crosse. Luke 23.46.
• * 1.17

  Many worthy obseruations to be conside∣red in the manner of Christ his crucifying, Iohn 19 23.
• * 1.18

  Psal. 22.16.
• * 1.19

  John 20.25.
• * 1.20

  Iohn 19.23.
• * 1.21

  Iohn 20.34.
• * 1.22

  Exod. 33.32.
• * 1.23

  That it is vn∣possible for an•• one man to exp••esse all the pa••ticu∣la••s of Christ his Passion.