SERM. XXVII. have), to lay their necks on the block for Chrift. But this is the faints peculiar privilege. The apollles went away from the council rejoicing, that they were honoured to be dishonoured for Chrift: Or, as we tranfiate it †, "counted worthy to suffer shame for him," Acts v. 41. Surely, if there be any ftigmata laudis, "marks of honour," they are fuch as we receive for Chrift's fake. If there be any fhame that hath glory in it, it is the reproach of Christ, and the shame you fuffer for his name. Inference 5. Did Pilate fo ftiffly affert and defend the honour of Chrift? What doubt can then be made of the fuccefs of Chrift's intereft, and the profperity of his caufe; when the very enemies thereof are made to ferve it? Rather than Chrift fhall want honour, Pilate the man that condemned him, fhall do him houour. And as it fared with his perfon, juft fo with his intereft alfo. How often have the people of God received mercies, from the hands of their enemies? Rev. xii. 16." The earth helped the woman," i. e. wicked men did the church fervice. So that this may fingularly relieve us againft all our defpondencies and fears of the mifcarriage of the intereft of Chrift. That people can never be ruined, who thrive by their loffes; conquer by being conquered; multiply by being diminished: Whofe worst enemies are made to do that for them, which friends cannot or dare not do. See you a Heathen Pilate proclaiming the honour and innocency of Chrift; God will not want inftruments to honour Chrift by. If others cannot, his very enemies fhall. Inference 6. Did Pilate vindicate Chrift in drawing up fuch a title to be affixed to his cross? then hence it follows, That God will, fooner or later, clear up the innocency and integrity of his people, who commit their caufe to him. Christ's name was clouded with many reproaches; wounded through and through, by the blafphemous tongues of his malicious enemies. He committed himself to him that judgeth righteoufly, 1 Pet. ii. 23, and fee how foon God vindicates him. That is fweet and feafonable counsel for us, when our names are clouded with unjust cenfures, Pfal. xxxvii. 5, 6. “Commit thy way unto the Lord; "truft' alfo in him, and he fhall bring it to pafs. He shall "bring forth thy righteoufnefs as the light, and thy judgment "as the noon day." Jofeph was accused of incontinency; Dvid of treafon; Daniel of dilobedience; Elijah of troubling If rael; Jeremiah of revolting; Amos of preaching against the 1. Ότι υπέρ της ονοματος απς κατηξιώθησαν ατιμασθήναι. king; the Apostles of fedition, rebellion, and alteration of laws; Chrift himself of gluttony, forcery, blafphemy, fedition: but how did all thefe honourable names wade out of their reproaches, as the fun out of a cloud! God cleared up their honour for them even in this world. Slanders (faith one) are but as **foap, which though it foils and daubs for the present, yet it "helps to make the garment more clean and shining.” "When ** hair is fhaven, it comes the thicker, and with a new increase: *fo when the razor of cenfure hath (faith one) made your *heads bare, and brought on the baldness of reproach, be not **difcouraged, God hath a time to bring forth your righteouf"nefs as the light, by an apparent conviction, to dazzle and difcourage your adverfaries." * The world was well changed, when Conftantine kiffed the hollow of Paphnutius's eye, which was ere while put out for Chrift, Scorn and reproach is but a little cloud, that is foon blown over. But fuppofe ye fhould not be vindicated in this world, but die under a cloud upon your names; be fure God will clear it up, and that to purpose, in that great day. Then fhall the righteous, (even in this refpect), fhine forth as the fun, in the kingdom of their Father. Then every detracting mouth shall be ftopped, and no more cruel arrows of reproach fhot at the white of your reputation. Be patient therefore, my brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. "The Lord cometh with ten thousands of his faints, to "execute judgment upon all; and to convince all that are ungodly, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly com"mitted. And of all their hard fpeeches which ungodly fin"ners have spoken against him," Jude 14, 15. Then shall they retract their cenfures, and alter their opinions of the faints. If Chrift will be our compurgator, we need not fear who are our accufers. If your names, for his fake, be caft out as evil, and fpurned in the dirt; Chrift will deliver it you again in that day whiter than the fnow in Salmon. Inference 7. Did Pilate give this title to caft the reproach of his death upon the Jews, and clear himself of it? How natural is it to men to transfer the fault of their own actions from themfelves to others? For when he writes, This is the King of the Jews, he wholly charges them with the crime of crucifying their king and it is as if he had faid, Hereafter let the blame Manton on James, p. 227. Becaufe you defired that I fhould crucify your king, I have VOL. I and fault of this action lie wholly upon your heads, who have brought the guilt of his blood upon yourfelves and children. I am clear, you have extorted it from me. O where shall we find a fpirit fo ingenuous, to take home to itself the fhame of its own actions, and charge itself freely with its own guilt ‡ ? Indeed it is the property of renewed, gracious hearts to remember, confefs, and freely bewail their own evils, to the glory of God and that is a gracious heart indeed, which in this cafe judgeth, that the glory, which by confeffion, goeth to the name of his God, is not fo much glory loft to his own name, but it is the power of grace moulding our proud natures into another thing, that muft bring them to his. : Opens the Manner of CHRIST's Death, in refpect of the folitarinefs thereof. ZECH. xiii. 7. Awake, Ofword against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, faith the Lord of hofts; fmite the fhepherd, and the Sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. IN N the former fermons, we have opened the nature and kind of the death Chrift died; even the curfed death of the cross. Wherein, nevertheless his innocency was vindicated, by that honourable title providentially affixed to his crofs. Method now requires that we take into confideration the manner in which he endured the crofs, and that was folitarily, meekly, and inftructively. His folitude in fuffering is plainly expressed in this fcripture now before us, it cannot be doubted, but the prophet in this ⚫ place fpeaks of Chrift, if you confider Mat. xxvi. 31. where you fhall find these words applied to Chrift by his own accommodation of them. "Then faid Jefus unto them, all ye fhall be offen crucified him; the ignominy shall henceforth be For faints when their hearts are renewed, are not ashamed, by repentance, to acknowledge their ignominious faults and ignominy, to the glory of God: nothing is loft to us, which redounds to his (honour. Brightman on Cant. "ded because of me this night, for it is written, I will fmite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." Befides, the title' here given [God's fellow] is too big for any creature in heaven or earth befides Chrift. In these words we have four things particularly to confider. First, The commiffion given to the fword by the Lord of hofts. Secondly, The perfon against whom it is commiffionated. Thirdly, The difmal effect of that stroke. Fourthly, and laftly, The gracious mitigation of it. First, The commiffion given to the fword by the Lord of hofts, "Awake, O fword and fmite, faith the Lord of hofts." The Lord of hofts, at whofe beck and command all the creatures are. Who, with a word of his mouth, can open all the armories in the world, and command what weapons and inftruments of death he pleaseth, calls here for the fword; not the rod, gently to chaften; but the fword to destroy. The rod breaks no bones, but the fword opens the door to death and destruction. The strokes and thrusts of the fword are mortal: and he bids it awake. It fignifies both "to rouze up," as one that awakes out of fleep, and "to rouze or awake with triumph and re"joicing." So the fame word is rendred, Job xxxi. 29. Yea, he commands it "to awake and fmite *." And it is as if the Lord had faid, come forth of thy fcabbard, O fword of justice, thou hast been hid there a long time, and hast, as it were, been afleep in thy scabbard, now awake and glitter, thou shalt drink royal blood, fuch as thou never shed'st before. Secondly, The perfon against whom it is commiffionated, my fhepherd, and the man that is my fellow +." This fhepherd can be no other than Chrift, who is often in fcripture ftiled" a Shepherd, yea, the chief Shepherd, the Prince of pa"ftors." Who redeemed, feeds, guides, and preferves the flock of God's elect, 1 Pet. v. 4. John x. 11. This is he whom he also stiles the man his fellow ‡. Or his neighbour, as fome render it. And fo Chrift is, in refpect of his equality and uni ty with the Father, both in effence and will. His next neigh bour. His other felf. You have the fenfe of it in Phil. ii. 6. He was in the form of God, and thought it no robbery to be equal with God. Aaa 2 * Evigilavit, fufcitavit. Buxtorf. + Paftoram vocat Chriftum, axiñoμa, animarum noftrarum. D. Par, + by by Et Super virum proximum meum. Montanus. Against Chrift his fellow, his next neighbour, the delight of his foul, the fword here receives its commiffion. Thirdly, You have here the difmal confequent of this deadly stroke upon the shepherd. And that is the fcattering of the fheep. By the sheep understand, here, that little flock, the difciples, which followed this fhepherd till he was fmitten, (i. e.) apprehended by his enemies, and they were feattered, (i. e.) difperfed, they all forfook him and fled. And fo Chrift was left alone, amidst his enemies. Not one durft make a stand for him, or own him in that hour of his danger. Fourthly, and lafly, Here is a gracious mitigation of this fad difperfion, "I will turn my hand upon the little ones." By little ones he means the fame that before he called fheep; but the expreffion is defignedly varied, to fhew their feebleness and weakness, which appeared in their relapse from Chrift. And by turning his hand upon them, understand God's gracious reduction, and gathering of them again after their fad difperfion, fo that they fhall not be loft, though feathered for the prefent. For after the Lord was rifen, he went before them into Galilee, as he promised, Mat. xxvi. 31. And gathered them again by a gracious hand, fo that not one of them was loft but the fon of perdition. The words thus opened, I fhall obferve, fuitably to the method I have proposed. Doct. That Chrift's dearest friends forfook and left him alone, in the time of his greatest distress and danger. This doctrine containing only matter of fact, and that also fa plainly delivered by the pens of the feveral faithful Evangelifts, I need spend no longer time in the proof of it, than to refer you to the feveral teftimonies they have given to it. But I fhail rather chufe to fit and prepare it for ufe, by explaining these four questions. First, Who were the fheep that were fcattered from their fhepherd, and left him alone? Secondly, What evil was there in this their scattering? Thirdly, What were the grounds and causes of it? Fourthly, and laftly, What was the iffue and event of it? First, Who were thefe sheep that were difperfed and scattered from their fhepherd when he was fmitten. It is evident they were those precious elect fouls that he bad gathered to himself, who had long followed him, and dearly loved him, and were dearly beloved of him. They were perfons that had left all and |