BOOK 6. THE DEATH.
CHAPTER 2.
6.2.6. Of Christ's Crucifying, with its appendices.
Of Christ's Crucifying, with its appendices.
About eleven, they prepare with all speed for the execution: in the revolution of this hour We may observe these several passages. As, 1. Their taking off the robe, and clothing him again with his own raiment. 2. Their leading him away from Gabbatha to Golgotha. 3. His bearing the cross, with Simon's help to bear it after him. 4. His comforting the women who followed weeping after him as he went. 5. Their giving him vinegar to drink mingled with gall. 6. Their crucifying, or fastening him on the cross, whereon he died.
1. The evangelist tells us. Matt, xxvii. 31. "They took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him." Origen observes, "they took off his robes but they took not off his crown of thorns;" what served their interest, they pursued still, but nothing of mitigation or mercy to the afflicted Son of man. It is supposed this small business could not be done without great pain; after his sore whipping his blood congealed, and by that means stuck to his scarlet mantle, so that in pulling off the robe, and putting on his own raiment, there could not but be a renewing of his wounds.
2. "They led him away," Matt, xxvii. 31. Some say, they cast a rope or chain about his neck, by which they led him out of the city to mount Calvary, and that all along, multitudes attended him, and a crier went before him, proclaiming to all hearers the cause of his death; namely, "That Jesus Christ was a seducer, a blasphemer, necromancer, a teacher of false doctrines, saying of himself, that he was the Messias, King of Israel, and the Son of God."
3. "He bore his cross," John xix. 17. So John relates, before it bears him, he must bear it; and thus they make good their double cry, "Crucify him, crucify him;" first crucify him with it as a burden, and then crucify him with it as a cross; those shoulders, which had been unmercifully battered with whips before, are now again tormented with the weight of his cross. As a true Isaac, he bears the wood for the sacrifice of himself; or Uriah like, he carries with him the very instrument of his own sad death. O the cruelty of this passage! they had scarce left him so much blood or strength as to carry himself; and must he now bear his heavy cross? Yes, till he faint and sink, so long he must bear it, and longer too; did they not fear that he should die with less shame and smart than they intended him, which to prevent, they "constrained one Simon a Cyrenian to bear his cross after him," Matt, xxvii. 32. Mark xv. 21. How truly did they, here again, swallow the camel, and strain at a gnat? The cross was a Roman death, and so one of their abominations; hence they themselves would not touch this tree of infamy, lest they should have been defiled, but to touch the Lord's anointed, to crucify the Lord of glory, they make no scruple at all; but why must another bear the cross, but to consign this duty unto man, that we must enter into a fellowship of Christ's sufferings? "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me," Matt. xvi. 24. And therefore Christ hath suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps, 1 Peter, ii. 21.
4. He comforted the women who followed weeping after him as he went along, "and there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him: but Jesus turning to them, said. Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children," Luke xxiii. 27, 28. In the midst of his misery he forgets not mercy; in the midst of all their tortures and loudest outcries of contumely, of blasphemy, and scorn, he can hear his following friends weeping behind him, and neglect all his own sufferings to comfort them, "weep not for me." He hath more compassion on the women that followed him weeping, than of his own mangled self, that reels along, fainting and bleeding unto death; he feels more the tears that drop from their eyes, than all the blood that flows from his own veins. We have heard before sometimes he would not vouchsafe a word to Pilate that threatened him, nor to Herod that entreated him; and yet unasked, how graciously doth he turn about his blessed bleeding face to these weeping women, affording them looks, and words too, both of compassion and consolation, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for yourselves." And yet observe he did not turn his face to them, until he heard them weep; nor may we ever think to see his face in glory, unless we first bathe our eyes in sorrow. It is a wonder to me, that any in our age should ever decry tears, remorse, contrition, compunction: how many saints do we find, both in the Old and New Testament, confuting by their practices these gross opinions? The promise tells us, That "they that sow in tears shall reap in joy;" he that follows Christ, or "goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless, come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him," Psal. cxxvi. 5, 6.
But what is the meaning of this, "Weep not for me?" May we not weep for the death of Christ? Do we not find in scripture, that all the people wept at the death of Moses? Dent, xxxiv. 8. That all the church wept at the death of Stephen? Acts viii. 2. That the women lamented the death of Dorcas? And if all Christ's actions be cur instructions, I mean not his miraculous, or meritorious, but his moral ones, did not Christ himself weep for Lazarus, and for Jerusalem? Nay, is he not here weeping showers of blood all along the way? And may not we drop a tear for all those purple streams of his? Oh what is the meaning of this, "Weep not for me, but weep for vourselves?"
I answer, the words are not absolute, but comparative. Christ doth not simply forbid us to weep for our friends, but rather to turn our worldly grief into godly sorrow for sin, as sin, Christ herein pointed the women to the true cause and subject of all their sorrow, which was their sins; and thus we have cause to weep indeed. Oh! Our sins were the cause of the sufferings of Christ: and in that respect, Oh that our heads were fountains, and our eyes rivers of tears! Oh that our tears were as our meat and drink! Oh that we could feed with David "on the bread of tears," and the Lord would give us "plenteousness of tears to drink!" Oh that the Lord would strike (as he did at Rephidem) those rocky hearts of ours, with the rod of true remorse, that the water might gush out! Oh that we should mourn over Jesus, whom we have pierced, and "be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born!" Zech. xii. 10.
5. No sooner he was come to the place of execution, "but they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall," Matt. xx.vii. 34. In that they gave him drink, it was an argument of their humanity. This was a custom amongst the Jews and Romans, that to the condemned they ever gave wine to drink; "Give strong wine unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy heart," Prov. xxxi. 6. But in that they gave him vinegar mingled with gall; it was an argument of their cruelty and envy. Theophilact (Theophil. in Mar,) speaks plainly, that the vinegar mingled with gall was poisonous and deadly; and therefore, when Christ had tasted it, he would not drink, choosing rather the death of the cross, to which he was destinated by his Father, than any poisonous death.
Use. All my brethren, are not we apt to think hardly of the Jews for giving Christ so bitter potion at his time of death? and yet, little do we think, that when we sin we do as much. See but how God himself compares the sins of the wicked Jews to very poison, "For their wine is of the wine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah, their grapes are grapes of gall; their clusters are bitter, the wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps," Deut. xxxii. 32, 33. In this respect we may think as hardly of ourselves as of the Jews, because, so oft as we sin against God, we do as much as mingle rank poison, and bring it to Jesus Christ to drink.
6. "They crucified him," Matt, xxvii. 35. (i.e.) They fastened him on the cross; and then lifted him up. A great question there is amongst the learned, whether Christ was fastened on the cross after it was erected, or whilst it was lying on the ground? I would not rake too much into these niceties, only more probable it is, that he was fastened to it whilst it lay flat on the ground; and then, "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so was the Son of man lifted up," John iii. 14. We may express the manner of their acting, and his sufferings now, as a learned brother hath done before us; "Now (Herle Contemplat. on Christ's Pass.) come the barbarous inhumane hangmen, and begin to unloose his hands, but how? Alas! it is not to any liberty, but to worse bonds of nails; Then stript they off his gore glued clothes, and with them, questionless, not a little of his mangled skin and flesh, as if it were not enough to crucify him as a thief, unless they flay him too as a beast; then stretched they him as another Isaac on his own burden the cross, that so they might take measure of the holes: and through the print of his blood on it gave them his true length, yet how strictly do they take in longer than the truth, thereby at once both to crucify and rack him? that he was thus stretched and racked upon his cross, David gives more than probable intimation, Psalm xxii. 17. "I may tell all my bones and again, "All my bones are out of joint," verse 14. which otherwise, how could it so well be, as by such a violent stretching and distortion? Whereby it seems they had made him a living anatomy, nor was it in the less sensible fleshy parts of his body that they drive these their larger tenters, whereon his whole weight must hang, but in the hands and feet, the most sinewy, and consequently the most sensible fleshy parts of all other, wherein how rudely and painfully they handle him, appears too by that of David, "They digged my hands and my feet," they made wide holes like that of a spade, as if they had been digging in some ditch. The boisterous and unusual greatness of these nails we have from venerable antiquity: Constantine the great is said to have made of them both an helmet and a bridle. How should I write on, but that my tears should blot out what I write, when it is no other than he that is thus used, "who hath blotted out that handwriting of ordinances that was against me," Col. ii. 14.
But the hour goes on, and this is the great business of the world's redemption, of which I would speak a little more: By this time we may imagine Christ nailed to the cross, and his cross fixed in the ground, which, with its fall into the place of its station, gave infinite torture, by so violent a concussion of the body of our Lord. That I mean to observe of this crucifying of Christ, I shall reduce to these two heads, viz. the shame and pain.
(a). For the shame, it was a cursed death, "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" Gal. iii. 13. When it was in use, it was chiefly inflicted upon slaves, that either falsely accused, or treacherously conspired their master's death; but on whomsoever it was inflicted, this death in all ages among the Jews hath been branded with a special kind of ignominy, and so the apostle signified, when he saith, "he abased himself to the death, even the death of the cross," Phil. ii. 8. It was a mighty shame that Saul's sons were hanged on a tree, 2 Sam. xxi. 6. and the reason was more especially from the law of God, "for he that is hanged is accursed of God," Deut. xxi. 23. I know Moses* law speaks nothing in particular of crucifying, yet he doth include the same under the general of hanging on a tree; and some conceive that Moses in speaking that curse, foresaw what manner of death the Redeemer should die.
(b). For the pain, it was a painful death; that appears several ways; As,
(i). His legs and hands were violently racked, and pulled out to the places fitted for his fastening, and then pierced through with nails.
(ii). By this means he wanted the use both of his hands and feet, and so he was forced to hang immoveable upon the cross, as being unable turn any way for his ease.
(iii).. The longer he lived the more he endured, for by the weight of his body, his wounds were opened and enlarged, his nerves and veins were rent and torn asunder, and his blood gushed out more and more abundantly still.
(iv). He died by inch meal (as I may say) and not at once; the cross, was a death long in dying, it kept him a great while upon the rack, it was full three hours betwixt Christ's affection and expiration, and it would have been longer if he had not freely and willingly given up the ghost: it is reported, that Andrew the apostle was two whole days on the cross before he died, and so long might Christ have been, if God had not heightened it to greater degrees of torment supernaturally.
I may add to this, as above all this, the pains of his soul whiles he hanged on the cross, for there also Christ had his agonies and soul conflicts, these were those (odines thanatou,) those pains, or pangs of death, Acts ii. 24. From which Peter tells us Christ was loosed. The word (odinas) properly signifies the pains of a woman in travail: such were the pains of Jesus Christ in death; the prophet calls it "The travail of his soul," Isa. liii. 11. And the Psalmist calls it the pains of hell, "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me," Psal. cxvi. 3. The sorrows or cords of death compassed his body, and the pains of hell got hold upon his soul; and these were they that extorted from him that passionate expostulation, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matt, xxvii. 46. He complains of that which was more grievous to him, than ten thousand deaths, "My God, my God, why hast thou withdrawn thy wonted presence, and left my soul (as it were) in the pains of hell!"
Use.
1. And now reflect we on the shame and pain! O the curse and bitterness that our sins have brought on Jesus Christ! When I but think on these bleeding veins, bruised shoulders, scourged sides, furrowed back, harrowed temples, digged hands and feet, and then consider that my sins were the cause of all; methinks I should need no more arguments for self-abhorring! Christians! Would not your hearts rise against him that should kill your father, mother, brother, wife, husband; dearest relations in all the world? O then, how should your hearts and souls rise against sin? Surely your sin it was, that murdered Christ, that killed him, who is instead of all relations, who is a thousand, thousand times dearer to you, than father, mother, husband, child, or whomsoever; one thought of this should, methinks, be enough to make you say, as Job did, "I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes," Job xlii. 9« Oh! What is that cross on the back of Christ? My sins; oh! what is that crown on the head of Christ? My sins; Oh! What is the nail in the right-hand, and that other in the left-hand of Christ? My sins; Oh! What is that spear in the side of Christ? My sins; what are those nails and wounds in the feet of Christ? My sins. With a spiritual eye I see no other engine tormenting Christ, no other Pilate, Herod, Annas, Caiaphas condemning Christ, no other soldiers, officers, Jews, or Gentiles, doing execution on Christ, but only sin: oh my sins, my sins, my sins!
2. Comfort we ourselves in the end and aim of this death of Christ; "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life," John iii. 14, 15. The end of Christ's crucifying is the material business; and therefore let the end be observed, as well as the meritorious cause: without this consideration, the contemplation of Christ's death, or the meditation of the story of Christ's sufferings, would be altogether unprofitable; now what was the end! Surely this: "Christ lifted up, that he might draw all men to him," John xii. 32. "Christ hanged on a tree, that he might bear our sins on the tree," 1 Pet. ii. 24. This was the plot, which God by ancient design had aimed at in the crucifying of Christ, and thus our faith must take it up; indeed our comfort hangs on this; the intent, aim, and design of Christ in his sufferings is, that welcome news, and the very spirit of the gospel! O remember this! Christ is crucified, and why so? That "whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have life everlasting."
We are now at the height of Christ's sufferings, and the sun is now in his meridian, or height of ascent; I shall no more count hour by hour, "for from the sixth hour till the ninth hour, (that is, from twelve to three in the afternoon) there was darkness over all the land," Matt, xxvii. 45. But of that, and of the consequents after it, in the next sections.