vided that they were Slaves too. But otherwise, if they were free, and had the Privileges of the City of Rome; this was then thought a Proftitution of that Honour ; and too infamous a Penalty for fuch a one, let his Mifdemeanor have been what it would. Accordingly we fee what Companions our Saviour had in his Death, how he was numbred among the worst of Tranfgreffors, and (according to the Prophet) made his Ifaiah liii. 9. Grave with the wicked. Nay, fo very odious and abominable was this Punishment, that, when they had a mind to brand the Memory of any very flagitious People, Traitors to the State, and common Enemies to Mankind; We are told, that they thought it a moft effectual way to fix an indelible Infamy upon them, to hang their Pictures thus; and to crucify those in Effigy, whom they could not ferve fo, in their own Perfons. Herein then we perceive the unfpeakable Condefcenfion of our Bleffed Saviour, who did not only vouchfafe to die, but did not disdain the most ignominious Death, that the Malice and Scorn of his Enemies could inflict; To take upon him the Form of the meaneft Servant, nay of the bafeft and blackeft Criminal. That he became obedient unto Death, was a most aftonishing Inftance of Humility; but to ftoop fo very low, as the Death of the Cross, this was to make himself of no Reputation indeed.

Secondly, This Death was terrible above Others, not only for the Scandal and Disgrace, but for the extreme Pain and Torture of it. And of this the very Manner is enough to convince us. For, the Form of a Crofs being that of Two Pofts cutting one another to right Angles On That which stood upright, the Body was faftned, by nailing the Feet to it; and to the other tranfverfe Piece, by nailing the Hands on each fide. The Pain whereof muft needs be moft acute, because these Parts of the Body, being the Inftruments of Action and Motion, are provided by Nature with a much greater Quantity of Nerves,

Nerves, than Others have Occafion for. And, fince all Senfation is performed by the Spirits in thefe Nerves, wherefoever They abound, the Senfe muft needs, in Proportion, be more quick and tender. And in this Cafe we are to confider, not only the Hands and Feet, as pierced through with Iron Pins; and these fo large, that Thomas, required for his Conviction, to thrust bis Finger into the Print of them: But the Weight of the whole Body hanging upon thofe Faftenings, and thofe tormenting Distortions of the Limbs, which the Pfalmift fignified, when (fpeaking in the Perfon of our Saviour) he complains, They pierced my Hands and Pfal. xxii. 17. my Feet, Imay tell all my Bones. If the Bit

ternefs of this Pain had been in any Degree recompenfed by the Shortness, it had yet been more tolerable. But alas! it was a very flow and lingering, as well as an exceeding fharp, Death. For, tho' the Mifery was fo great, yet none of the Vitals were immediately affected. But the Body continued thus ftretched out, till excefs of Anguish had by degrees quite exhaufted the Spirits, and driven out the Soul. Our Bleffed Saviour, we are told expressly, continued thus Three long Hours, in Languifhings and Thirfts, and leifurely Pangs of approaching Death. And at laft, with ftrong Cries and Groans, gave up the Ghoft. What a tedious Torment is this, in Comparison of those Executions, that Malefactors commonly undergo; where the Seat of Life is immediately affaulted, and the Sense of Pain can be but very fhort? The Romans themfelves, who used this Punishment, were frequently fo compaffionate, as to strangle the Party firft, and content themfelves with expofing the dead Body upon the Crofs. But, in our Saviour's Cafe there was no relenting, no Remains of Humanity, for his Eafe and Relief. Death attack'd him in its moft frightful Shape, and wrecked his utmoft Spight upon him. The Length of his Mifery was fo far from being unusual, that, we are told, the Governor wondred

to

and in Proportion, of all, who depend upon Human Force and Subtlety, for compaffing of wicked Defigns. And here, Who can fufficiently admire the Wifdom of Almighty God, who thus ordered the Great Work of Man's Redemption, in defpight of all the Malice and Subtlety of the Devil, and his wicked Inftruments, to the contrary? The Envy and Spight of the Chief Priests and Pharifees, the Easiness and Fury of the Common People, the Rage and Infolence of the Soldiers, the profligate Confciences of falfe Witneffes, the Treachery and Avarice of one of Chrift's own Difciples, the Timorousness of a corrupt and time-ferving Judge; the Barbarity of Thofe, who derided, and fcourged, and crucified him, and infulted over his dying Agonies and Pains; All these were made use of by the Enemy of Mankind, to destroy Jefus, and to overthrow his Kingdom, and to root out his Name, and all Honour for it, from among Men. And yet fee, how vain all thefe Attempts were in the Event. They were over-ruled by Providence, fo as to bring about thofe very Purposes, which the Actors, and the Evil Spirit who fet those Engines at work, laboured to defeat. They, every one, conIpired to render the Matter more glorious, more uniform, more exactly conformable to the original Scheme and Defign marked out for it; and Each contributed to finish that Work, which Some of them knew not of, which Others oppofed, which None of them in the leaft intended. This was the only way they could think of, for ruining the Reputation of Jefus, and blotting out the remembrance of his Miracles and his Doctrine; And yet, in reality, it was the only way, by which his Gospel could be Established, beyond all Contradiction, and to all future Ages. For, Had not thefe Men been fo exceedingly, fo perverfely barbarous and wicked, This Holy Teacher, this Innocent Liver, this General Benefactor to Wretches in Distress, could never have been taken off by fo Ignominious a Death, Had he not been put to fuch a Death,

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he

Heb. ii. 14, 15.

he could not have fuffered the Shame and Torment,
which the Divine Juftice required, as a Satisfaction for
the Sins of Men. Had not the Proceedings against him.
been injurious and unreasonable, that Death had not had
the Merit of a Sacrifice, and Expiation for the Guilty,
whofe Perfons he bore. Had not the Innocent Jefus thus
died, the Prince of this world had not been judged; but
That was the Devil's Condemnation, in the prefent Cafe,
that he had nothing in the Perfon, against whom he ex-
ercifed fuch Cruelty. In a Word, Had he not died, he
had not conquered Death, nor led Captivity captive.
For St. Paul tells us exprefsly, that the Son of God was
made like unto Us, and took a Mortal Nature upon him,
that by Death he might destroy him, that had
the Power of Death, even the Devil, and
release them, who through Fear of Death, were all their
Life long fubject to Bondage. Thus did the Wicked One
fall into his own Snare, and in the fame Net
that he hid privily, was his own Foot taken;
His Devices returned upon his own Head,
and his Mischiefs fell upon his own Pate. So vain and
blind are all the Counfels of Men, fo impotent all the
Cunning and Subtlety of Hell it felf, when they under-
take to fight againft God. And, (which was eminently
vifible in the Death of our Bleffed Saviour) The Prophe-
cies they fulfilled to a Tittle, while they did all in their
Power to evacuate them; The Divine Counfels, which
they unawares accomplished; and the quite contrary
Ends they ferved, to what they hoped and laboured to
have done; tho' it be the most glorious, the most con-
fpicuous, yet is it far from being the only, Inftance, of
a Wonderful, Wife, and Almighty Providence; bring-
ing Good out of Evil, and excellent and most beneficial
Events, out of most unlikely, moft ungodly, moft ma-
licious Intentions. This every diligent Obferver will
find Inftances of, frequent enough to convince any
thinking Man, that, how cafual foever things at first

Ꮮ Ꭵ

Pfal. ix. 15.

vii. 17.

fight

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fight may appear, yet there is One that Eph. i. 11. ruleth over all, and worketh after the Counfel of his own Will. Therefore, how fuccefsful or formidable foever the Enemies of Truth and Goodness may feem in our Eyes; yet they cannot bind the Hands, nor cross the Purposes of the great Governor of the World. He will affert his own Honour, and do Right to his Suffering and injured Servants; and even then, when the Wicked think themselves moft fecure, will fhew them their Folly, and blaft them with the Breath of his Displeasure. Bleffed therefore be his wife and watchful Providence, which thus confults his own Honour, and the Good of his Beloved Ones, by dark and mysterious Ways! Bleffed be that admirable Management and Skill, which turns even the Obftinacy of Wicked Men, and their Attempts against Religion, into Means of promoting and fecuring It! Bletfed for ever be that amazing Goodnefs, which turned an unexampled Murther into a moft precious Sacrifice; transformed the Ignominy of the Crofs into a Banner of Honour and Triumph; And, when the Princes and Rulers, with Herod and Pontius Pilate, were gathered against Him and his Christ, looked down from Heaven with Scorn, and had them in Derifion; put a Hook in his Nose, and a Bridle in their Lips; and, while they gratified their own implacable Malice, fuffered that Malice to fuggeft no other things to them, than what himself had long ago determined, and his Prophets foretold, fhould be fo done. Bleffed be that Wisdom, which thus made Sin inftrumental to deftroy Sin: which, of the Blood fhed by wicked Hands, opened a Fountain to wash away Uncleannefs; and appointed the Holy Jefus, treated as a vile Malefactor, for a Prince and Saviour, nay for the only, the efficacious Author of Eternal Salvation, to all that fincerely believe and obey him! Bleffed, Laftly, be that Truth, which thus preferved

Acts iv. 26, 27.
Pfal. ii. 4.

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