I begin with his Sufferings in general, together with the Perfon under whom he fuffer'd; in thefe words, Suffer'd under Pontius Pilate. Where we are to confider,

First, The Perfon that is here faid to fuffer, and that was Chrift.

Secondly, The Perfon under whom he is faid to fuffer, Pontius Pilate.

Thirdly, What it was that he fuffer'd. And,

Fourthly, The End or Defign of his Sufferings, together with their Sufficiency to that End: All which are set forth to us in thefe words of St. Peter, Christ once fuffer'd for Sins, the Fust for the Unjust, that he might bring us unto God.

First, For the Perfon here faid to fuffer, our Text tells us 'twas Chrift: Chrift once fuffer'd, &c. And our Creed, that 'twas the fecond Perfon in the Holy Trinity, who was Christ the Lord, as appears by the Connexion of this with the former Article; where he that was conceiv'd and born of the Virgin Mary, is faid to fuffer under Pontius Pilate. This is to be believ'd against a fort of Hereticks call'd the Patripaffians; who becaufe the Godhead in Chrift was united to the Manhood, affirm'd that the Godhead fuffer'd with it, and confequently not the Son only, but God the Father fuffer'd in and with him. In oppofition to this, we are taught to believe the Godhead to be impofible, and that the Human Nature of Chrift was alone capable of suffering, and confequently the Perfon that underwent it was the Man Chrift Jefus.

Secondly, The Perfon under whom he fuffer'd, our Creed tells us, was Pontius Pilate, the Prefident and Governour of Judea under Tiberius the Emperor; a Perfon of a cruel, rough and untractable Temper, as appears by his merciless Ufage of the Galileans, when they came to the Temple to worship, whofe Blood he mingled with their Sacrifice, Luke 13. 1. and more efpecially by his barbarous dealing with our Saviour, whom he fentenc'd to Death, when he knew him to be innocent; for 'tis faid, that he knew that for Envy they had deliver'd him. He declar'd him to be a juft Perfon, and, upon Examination, found no fault in him; and his Wife, admonish'd in a Dream, will'd him to have nothing to do with the Blood of that just Man; yet when he

Saw

Saw a Tumult was made, to content the People, he yielded him up, and against the Sentence of his own Confcience condemn'd him to be crucify'd.

But why is the Perfon under whom he suffer'd fo particularly mention'd in the Creed? This was done for weighty Reasons. As,

1. To fignify the time when this great and memorable Action was done; for the antient Cuftom of the World was to make their Computations by their Governours, and to refer all Hiftorical Relations to the refpective times of their Government; and therefore that we might the better fatisfy ourselves of the Truth of our Saviour's Paffion, the particular Governour is mention'd, by and under whom it was perform'd.

2. This is here taken notice of, to let us know the man ner how this great Affair came to pafs; for tho the Jews, being at that time in fubjection to the Romans, had no power to put any Man to death, yet their Malice against our Saviour led them on to deliver him to Pilate, whom by the violence of their Accufations and Tumult they drew on to pafs Sentence upon him, as we find it related at large by the four Evangelifts. And this will lead me,

In the next place, to confider the Truth and Certainty of Chrift's Sufferings, or the Foundation on which our Belief of them is grounded. And that is,

Partly on the Predictions of the Old Teftament concerning the Meffias. And

Partly on the Accomplishment of them in the New, in the Perfon of our Saviour. For,

1. It was plainly reveal'd to the Prophets of old, and by them declar'd long beforehand, that the Meffias fhould fuffer. All the Sacrifices under the Law, where every thing was purg'd with Blood, and without fhedding of Blood was no Remiflion, were but Types and Representations of his Sufferings. The Pfalmift foretold of the Kings of the Earth, and the Rulers taking counsel against the Lord, and against his Anointed, Pfal. 2. which we fhall find verify'd both in the Roman and Jewish Rulers. The Prophet Ifaiah gave fuch a lively Reprefentation of the Sufferings of the Meffias, as if he had feen the Tragedy acted in his days; his fifty third Chapter feeming rather a Hiftory of fomething paft, than a Prediction of what was to come: in the third verfe he is faid to be defpis'd and rejected of Men, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief; we bid (faith he) our Faces

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from him; he was defpis'd, and we efteem'd him not. In the following verfes he tells us of his being oppreffed, afflicted, and at laft cut off out of the Land of the Living; giving a particular Defcription of the feveral Acts and Farts of this Tragedy, of which we fhall speak hereafter. In the mean time,

We fee how juftly our Saviour referr'd the disbelieving Jews to the Law and the Prophets, fhewing from thence bow in it was written, that the Son of Man Should suffer many things; and that the Spirit that was in the Prophets teftified beforehand the Sufferings of Chrift; 1 Pet. 1. 11. But,

2. What was thus clearly foretold of the Meffias, in the Fulnefs of Time was evidently fulfill'd in the Perfon of our Saviour; and in him, and him only, all the Paffages of thofe predicted Sufferings were punctually accomplish'd. The fews, that were the Inftruments, were likewise the Witneffes of his Paffion; and the Gentiles too, who had a hand in his Blood, bore Teftimony to it: the Truth whereof, not only the Evangelifts in the Gofpel, but the Roman Hiftorians in their Annals have recorded. But,

Thirdly, What was it that Chrift fuffer'd? Why, that was fo exquifitely great and heavy, that as none but the Son of God was able to indure, fo none but the Spirit of God was able to exprefs it.

The Account which the holy Scriptures give of it, relate to both the Parts of his Humanity, viz. his Body and his Soul; in both which, he felt the most cruel and inexpreffible Tortures.

As for his Body, we find his Head goar'd with Thorns, his Back torn with Scourges, his Hands and Feet stretch'd out and nail'd to a Crofs; yea, his whole Body, in the most tender and fenfible Parts, bruis'd and wounded: in which painful and dolorous pofture he continu'd for the space of fix Hours, the People all the while mocking, buffeting and upbraiding of him; the Multitude, inftead of pitying, spit in his Face, making his Mifery the Object of their Derifion, adding the bittereft Taunts to the fharpeft Tortures: and we may eafily imagine what Acerbity and Acutenefs of Pain he muft needs indure, from fo much Violence and Mockery.

But the Sufferings of his Soul were far fharper than those of his Body, the Horrors of the one much exceeding the Anguifh of the other; for his Soul was troubled, fays St. John;

Fohn; very heavy, fays St. Matthew; fore amaz'd, says St. Mark, yea, exceeding forrowful, even unto death, and in fuch an Agony, as made him fweat great drops of Blood. He groan'd under the heavy Burden of the Divine Wrath, and conflicted with all the Powers of Darknefs, under which he was so overborn with the Burden, that be needed an Angel to be fent to strengthen him. He was forfaken of his Friends, and, in his apprehenfion, of God too; which made him cry out in the bitterness of his Soul, my God, my God, why haft thou forsaken me! He pray'd three times that the bit ter Cup might pafs from him, which yet he drank off to the very dregs. In a word, he fuffer'd the extremity of what Human Nature could bear, and in that degree too, that nothing but the Divine Nature, with which it was conjoin'd, was able to fupport him under it.

But for what did he fuffer all this? Why, that our Text tells us was for Sins; For Christ also once fuffer'd for Sins. Indeed, Sin is the fole Caufe of all Suffering, for as by one Man Sin enter'd into the World, and Death by Sin, even fo Death pass'd upon all Men, for that all have finned: And elfewhere, Death is the Wages of Sin, Rom. 6. last. But ftill, how came Chrift to fuffer for Sin, who was wholly free from it? for he did no Sin, neither was any Guile found in bis Mouth; being wholly harmless, undefiled, separate from Sinners, and made higher than the Heavens; 1 Pet. 2. 22.

Why, 'Twas not for any Sins of his own that he underwent these Sufferings; for tho he were tempted in all points like as we are, yet was he without Sin; Heb. 4. 15. but for the Sins of Mankind, which as their Surety he had taken upon him: We all like Sheep had gone aftray (fays the Prophet) and God hath laid on him the Iniquities of us all; Ifa. 53. 5, 6. He was wounded for our Tranfgreffions, and bruis'd for our Iniquities; the Chaftifement of our Peace was upon him, and by his Stripes we are healed. He died for our Sins (fays the Apostle) and gave his Life a Ranfom for many. So that, as our Text tells, The Fust suffer'd for the Unjuft; and he who knew no Sin was made Sin for us, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him.

But how was it confiftent with the Juftice of God to pu nifh the Innocent for the Guilty, and to make his Son fuffer for the Faults of others? Why, this indeed, without his own voluntary Choice and Confent, had been an A&t of great Injuftice; for Juftice requires, that the Soul that finneth fhould die, and exacts the Punishment from the offend

ing Party; but as he that willingly becomes a Surety for another's Debt, may be justly made to pay it; so he that voluntarily takes upon him the Guilt of others, may juftly undergo the Punishment due to it. Accordingly therefore the Son of God, by taking upon him the Sins of Mankind, became liable to fuffer for them; and having undertaken as their Surety to pay their Debts, he became obnoxious to Divine Justice, which might exact from him the utmost Farthing.

But might not our Saviour have avoided those Sufferings? Yes, he could have commanded Legions of Angels to his rescue, Mat. 26. 53. I have power (fays he) to lay down my Life and to take it up again; no Man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself: John 10. 18. 'Twas his own voluntary Act, to which nothing but our great Mifery and his own great Mercy and Goodness could incline him.

Befide, this was a Matter that was agreed upon and concerted between him and his Heavenly Father, whereby it was determin'd what fhould be the Manner and Measure of his Sufferings; for which reason he is faid to be the Lamb fore-ordain'd to be flain before the Foundation of the World; 1 Pet. 1. 19, 20. But,

Fourthly, Why did he fuffer all this? Why, that the last words of our Text will inform us; that he might bring us unto God. He came from God to bring us to him: we had all gone aftray, and by evil Works became Enemies and Strangers to him, our Natures were alienated from him by the first Tranfgreffion, and by the repeated Errors of our Lives, we were at a greater diftance from him. Now Chrift, by making Satisfaction for our Sins, hath remov'd this Enmity, and reconcil'd us again unto God, infomuch that we who were afar off, are brought nigh by the Blood of bis Cross. This was the great End and Defign of his Sufferings, to do away Sin, the only Makebate between God and us; and thereby to make our Peace, and restore us again to the loft Love and Favour of Heaven, which by our Tranfgreffions we had juftly forfeited.

And this he did by once offering up himself as a Sacrifice for us; for fo our Text farther tells us, Chrift alfo once fufferd for us, the Fuft for the Unjuft, &c. The Sacrifices under the Law, by reafon of their Imperfection, were frequently repeated; for being only Shadows of good things to come, they could not make the Comers thereunto perfect; nei

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