Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great work of mans salvation from first to last / by Isaac Ambrose ...

SECT. III. Of Christ and Barabbas compared; and of the question debated betwixt Pilate and the Jews.

ABout eight in the morning our Saviour Christ is returned to Pilate; who pro∣pounded to the Jews, whether they would have Jesus, or Barabbas let lose unto them. Ye have a custome (saith he) that I should release unto you one at the Passover, will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cryed they all again. saying, not this man, but Barabbas; now Barabbas was a Robber. It is supposed that in this passage Pilate indeavoured Christ's liberty, He knew that for envy they had deli∣vered him, and he saw that Herod had sent him back again uncondemned, and therefore now he propounds this medium to rescue him from their malice, Whom will ye that I release unto you, Barabbas or Jesus, which is called Christ? In the prosecution of this pas∣sage, I shall observe, 1. Who this Barabbas was. 2. What is the difference betwixt him and Christ. 3. How they vote. 4. Pilate's quaere upon the vote. 5. Their an∣swer to his Quaere. 6. His reply unto their answer. 7. Their reduplication upon his reply.

For the first, what was this Barabbas, but a notable Prisoner? Matth. 27.16. One that had made insurrection, and who had committed murther in the insurrection? Mark 15.7. One that for a certain sedition made in the City, and for murther was cast into prison? Luke 23.19. one that was a robber or an high-way thief? John 18.40. one that was the greatest malefactor of his time? and must he be taken, and Jesus cast? must he be saved, and Christ condemned?

For the second, what the difference is betwixt him and Christ, let us weigh them in the ballance, and we may find; 1. Barabbas was a thief, and by violence took away the bread of the needy, but Christ was a feeder and supplyer of their needs. 2. Ba∣rabbas was an high-way thief, wounding them that travelled by the way; but Christ was the good Samaritan that healed such, binding up their wounds, and pouring into them Wine and Oyl. 3. Barabbas was a murtherer, and had slain the living; but Christ was the Saviour, restoring life unto the dead. 4. Barabbas was a seditious tumult-raiser, he made a certain sedition in Jerusalem; but Christ was a loyal tribute-payer, and his commands were, give unto Cesar the things that are Cesar's. 5. Barabbas was a bloody revenger, a man of blood, that hunted after blood; but Christ was a meek and quiet spirit, and what with sweating, binding, buffetting, bleeding, was now become al∣most a bloodless Redeemer: light and darkness have no less fellowship, Christ and Be∣lial no less discord; here's a competition indeed, the author of sedition with the Prince of peace; a murtherous mutiniere, with a merciful mediator; a son of Belial with the Son of God.—

3. For their votes, they give them in us; Not this man, but Barabbas, q. d. let us have him crucified who raised the dead, and him released who destroyed the living: let the Saviour of the world be condemned to death, and the slayer of men be released from Prison, and have his pardon. A strange vote, to desire the Wolf before the Lamb, the noxious and violent before the righteous and innocent: here was the Prophetick parable of Jo∣tham fulfilled, The trees of the forrest have chosen the bramble, and refused the Vine;—

But there is something more observable in this vote; the Jews had a custom not to name what they held accursed; I will not make mention of their names within my lips; and surely this speaks their spight, that they will not vouchsafe to speak the Name of Jesus; the cry is not thus, Not Jesus but Barabbas; but thus, Not this man, not this fellow; but Barabbas; as if they meant first to murther his Name, and then his Person.

4. For Pilate's quaere upon the vote, What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? Pilate gives him his name to the full, Jesus, who is called Christ; his name is Jesus Christ. There is more pitty in a gentle Pilate, than in all the Jews; in some things Pilate did Justly, and very well; as first, he would not condemn him before his accusations were brought in; nor then neither before he was convicted of some capital crime; and because he perceives that it was envy all along that drove on their design, he endeavours to save his life by ballancing him with Barabbas; and now he sees that they prefer Barabbas before Jesus, he puts forth the question, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? q. d. I know not what to do with him, it is against my light to condemn him to death, who is of innocent life: I could tell what to do with Barabbas, for he is a thief, a mutiniere, a murtherer, a notable malefactor; but there is no such thing proved against Jesus, who is called Christ, What then shall I do with him?

5. For their answer to this quaere, And they all said unto him, let him be crucified. This was the first time that they speak openly their design; it had long lurk'd within them that he must die a cursed death, and now their envy bursts, and breaks out with unanimous consent, and cry, Let him be crucified. O wonder! must no other death stint their malice but the Cross? other deaths they had in practise, as the towel, stoning and beheading; more favourable, and suitable to their Nation; and will they now pollute a Jew with a Roman death? Magna crudelitas, &c. a great cruelty; they sought not only to kill him, but to crucifie him, that so he might dye a lingering death. The cross was a gradual and slow death, it spun out pain into a long thred, and therefore they make choice of it, as they made choice of Jesus; let him dye, rather than Ba∣rabbas, and let him dye the death of the Cross, rather than any other speedy, quick, dispatching death.

6. Eor Pilate's reply unto this answer, Why? what evil hath he done? he was loath to satisfie their demands, and therefore he questions again, What must he dye for; was it meet that he should condemn one to death, and especially to such a death, and no crime committed? Come on (saith Pilate) what evil hath he done? Augustine upon these words.

Ask (saith he) and let them answer with whom he conversed most, let the possessed who were freed, the sick and languishing who were healed; the lea∣prous that were cleansed, the deaf that hear, the dumb that speak, the dead that were raised, let them answer the question, what evil hath he done?

Sometimes the

Jews themselves could say, He hath done all things well, he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. Surely he hath done all things well; he stilled the winds, and calmed the seas; with the spittle of his mouth he cured the blind; he raised the dead, he prayed all night; he gave grace, and he forgave sins; and by his death he merited for his Saints everlasting life: why then should he dye, that hath done all things well? no wonder if Pilate object against these malicious ones, What evil hath he done?

7. For their reduplication on his reply, they cryed out the more, saying, let him be crucified. Instead of proving some evil against him, they cryed out the more; as Luke, They were instant with loud voices; they made such a clamour, that the earth rang with it, the cry was doubled, and redoubled, Crucifie him, Crucifie him; twice Crucifie him, as if they thought one Cross too little for him. O inconstant favour of men! their An∣thems of Hosanna, and Benedictus not long since joyfully spoken, are now turned into jarring hideous notes, Let him be crucified. And now is Pilate threatned into another opinion, they require his judgment; and the voices of them, and of the Chief Priest pre∣vailed; so it follows, and when he saw he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, why then Barabbas is released unto them, and Jesus is delivered to be scourged,

I would not dwell too long on Pilate, the high Priests, and Jews, the application is the life of all.—Now then—

1. Give me leave to look amongst our selves, is there not some or other amongst us that prefer Barabbas before Jesus? O yes! those that listen to that old mutinous Mur∣therer in his seditious temptations; those that reject the blessed motions of Gods own Spirit, in his tenders and offers of Grace; those that embrace the world with its plea∣sures and profits, and make them their portion; all these chuse Barabbas, and reject Jesus Christ, little do we think that every wilfull act of sin, is a sedition, a mutiny against our souls, another Judas Galileus that stirs up all the passions of our mind against our Jesus. I cannot but think what drawing, and soliciting of our souls is made by vertue and vice in our passage towards the other world: on the one hand stands vice with all her false deceits, and flatteries, her tempatations are strong, Come let us enjoy the good things that are present, and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth, let us fill our selves with costly Wine and Ointments, and let no flower of the spring pass by us, let us crown our selves with rose-buds before they be withered, let none of us go without his part of jollity let us leave tokens of our joyfulness in every place; for this is our portion, and our let is this. On the other hand stands Vertue, or Grace with all the promises of future happiness, she points at Jesus, and cries, O come unto Christ and live; Wisdome is better than rubies, her fruit is better than Gold, yea than fine Gold, and her revenue than choice Silver; they that love Christ shall inherit substance, and he will fill them with treasures, even with durable riches. But Oh how many thousands, and ten thousands that neglect this cry, and follow vice? what millions of men are there in the world that prefer Barabbas before Jesus? if we proclaim it in our pulpits that Christ is the chiefest of ten thousands, that he is fairer than all the Children of men, that he is the Standard-bearer, and there is none like to him: that if you will have but Jesus Christ, you need no more; yet do not many of you say in your hearts, as Pilate here, What shall I do with Jesus that is called Christ? or as the devils said elsewere, What have we to do with thee Jesus thou Son of God? nay, hath not many times the secret grudgings of your reluctant souls accounted the gracious offers of speedy repentance to be but as a coming of Christ to torment you before your time? Why alas, what is this now but to prefer Barabbas before Jesus? you that swear as the Devil bids, and as Christ forbids, you that prophane Sabbaths, that revel, drink to excess, or it may be to drunkenness, surely your vote goes along with the Jews, Not this Man, but Barabbas.

2. Give me leave to look on the love and mercy of God in Christ; our Jesus was not only content to take our nature upon him, but to be compared with the greatest malefa∣ctor of those times; and by publick sentence, yea votes and voices of the People, to be pronounced a greater delinquent, and much more worthy of death than wicked Barab∣bas. O the love of Christ! we read in Leviticus, that in the dayes of the cleansing of the Leper, the Priest was to take two Birds (or two Sparrows) alive, and the one of them must be killed, and the other being kept alive, must only be dipt in the blood of the Bird that was slain, and so it must be let loose into the open field. Barabbas say some; but all Believers say we, are that live Sparrow; and Jesus Christ is the Sparrow

that was slain; the lot sell upon him to dye for us; all our sins were laid upon his soul: so that in this sence Jesus Christ was the greatest sinner in the World, yea, a greater sin∣ner than Barabbas himself, and therefore he must dye, and we being dipt in the Blood of Christ must be let loose, and set at liberty! was not this love? he dyed that we might live; it was the voice of God as well as men, Release Barabbas, every believing Barabbas, and crucifie Jesus.

Another hour is gone, let us make stand for a while; and the next time we meet, we shall see further sufferings.

Notes

• John 18.39, 40.
• Mat. 27.18.
• Mat. 27.17.
• John 18.40. Aug. trac. 15. in Johan. Leo. Serm. de pass.
• Jud. 9.14.
• Psal. 16.5.
• Mat. 27.22.
• Mat. 27.22.
• Beda.
• Mat. 27.23.
• Aug. tract. 15. super Job.
• Mark 7.37.
• Ibid.
• Luke 23.23.
• Ver. 23. Mat. 27.24.
• Ʋse.
• Wisd. 2.6, 7, 8, 9.
• Prov. 8.11, 18, 19.
• Levit. 14, 4, 5, 6, 7.