to be popular, to seek the favour of the people. Look' that a prince seek not by evil means the favour of the people, for he will hang an innocent man, and let a murderer go free; for the favour of the people, thou buyest it too dear, with the loss of the favour of God. Woe be unto the man, though he were a king, that mischievously falls aback from the truth, and so loses the favour of God for the favour of idolaters. But will ye come on yet? Got Pilate the favour of the people? No; they persecuted him to the death, they delated him to the emperor, and he was banished; and for fear of greater shame, he put hands on himself and slew himself. Yea, if he were all the kings in the world, who seeks to gratify a wicked people in an evil cause, namely, in idolatry, and if the Lord have not mercy on him, that same people shall be his destruction. The Lord grant kings and princes to see, that howbeit they have the favour of the people by unlawful means, and want the favour of God, that all the favour of the people that they can have without God's favour is nothing, that they may seek God's favour above all things. And the Lord be merciful to our king, for Christ's sake. To whom be all honour, and glory, for evermore. Amen. 1 He means, “The love of popularity is not of itself evil, so thou look," &c. I gather this from the Latin Commentary, which says, while noticing this desire of popularity, Quod equidem non prorsus damno, modo id sincere; sed hoc reprehendo, quod nimis avide captent quidem (quidam?) gratiam perversæ plebis, et id quidem non sine malis quibusque mediis..-P. 939. THE THIRTEENTH LECTURE. OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST. MATTHEW, CHAP. XXVII. 27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered about him the whole band. 28. And they stripped him, and put about him a scarlet robe, 29. And platted a crown of thorns, and put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand, and bowed their knees before him, and mocked him, saying, God save the King of the Jews! 30. And spitted upon him, and took a reed and smote him on the head. 31. Thus when they had mocked him, they took the robe from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, named Simon, him they compelled to bear his cross. MARK, CHAP. XV. 16. Then the soldiers led him away into the hall, which is the common hall, and called together the whole band, 17. And clad him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, 18. And began to salute him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 19. And they smote him on the head with a reed, and spat upon him, and bowed the knees, and did him reverence. 20. And when they had mocked him, they took the purple off him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. -21. And they compelled one that passed by, called Simon of Cyrene, (who came out of the country, and was father of Alexander and Rufus,) to bear his cross. LUKE, CHAP. XXIII. 24. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. 25. And he let loose unto them him that for insurrection and murder was cast into prison, whom they desired, and delivered Jesus to do with him what they would. 26. And as they led him away, they caught one Simon of Cyrene coming out of the field, and on him they laid the cross, to bear it after Jesus. 27. And there followed him a great multitude of people, and of women, which women bewailed and lamented him. 28. But Jesus turned back unto them, and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29. For, behold, the days shall come when men shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. 30. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31. For if they do these things to a green tree, what shall be done to the dry?1 WE have heard, brethren, these days past, the whole accusation of Christ before the judge, and the Roman governor Pilate. Last, we came to that woeful sentence of damnation pronounced against this innocent. Now, Jesus being condemned to die, and to die the ignominious death of the cross, it rests that we should come to his suffering on the cross; but before we come to it, we have to speak of these things, namely, which we have read unto you, partly out of Matthew, and partly out of Luke. Then, first, we have to speak of the delivering of Jesus into the hands of men of war, to be crucified at the pleasure of the Jews, and how they received him; and then we shall see what they do with him, being received. They bring him back again, being received, to the common hall, to a secret part thereof, and misuse him at their pleasure; 1 The Latin Commentary takes this passage from Luke separately, and in Matthew quotes here only to the end of the 30th, in Mark, to the end of the 19th verse. therefore, we shall come to the leading of him out with the cross out of the ports of Hierusalem, to that vile place where he should be crucified. We shall speak of the manner of his going out, how he goes out to suffer the death of the cross; and, last, of two incidents that fell in by the way as they were leading him out; the one how he met with a man named Simon of Cyrene, whom they compelled to help him to bear his cross; another, the multitude that followed him; and as all nations resorted to Hierusalem at the passover, they followed him, and women followed him weepinghe turns, and answers them, as ye will hear. It is said, then, that "Pilate delivered Jesus," when he was condemned, to the soldiers to be crucified;" and it is said of them, that as he delivered the innocent unto them, so "they took him to the common hall;" they are far readier to receive him, and to crucify him, than he was to deliver him. The lesson, brethren, is very easy, and many experiences teach it daily; there was never yet a wicked judge in the world so ready to deliver the innocent to suffer, or to desire an evil action to be done, as he will find wicked executioners under him, to put his wicked sentence in execution; the good judges could never find good officers under them so readily to execute an evil action, as the wicked judges find for an evil action. Saul, when he had Ahimelech and the priests of the Lord to slay, he found Doeg the Edomite the knave ready, and he slew fourscore five priests of the Lord, 1 Sam. xxii. 18. But David the good king, when he had to do with Joab, who had committed many foul murders, could not put in execution his will; therefore, he laments, and says, "I am this day weak, and newly anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too strong for me," 2 Sam. iii. 38, 39. This is oft seen of good men, that there are very few good counsellors in the world to help a good king in a good action, and where ye shall find one good, ye shall find four evil. Evil men and wicked counsellors are very rife, a wicked king shall not want, but shall get moe than he desires. The devil hath many servants in the world, but God hath few; our own country may speak of the experience of this. But to go forward; when he hath delivered the innocent Jesus to the soldiers, and they received him, take they him to the place of execution? No; but whilst all was in preparation, whilst the place and the cross were in preparation, and whilst all things were making ready, in the meantime, the soldiers, with the malicious Jews, could never get their heart satisfied with Christ. "They bring him to the common hall," to the session-house, to a secret part of it, and use him more cruelly than they did before, and there "they being gathered" like as many torturers, there is not one of them but they abuse him. First, "they put a crown of thorns upon his head;" this is the second time; next, "they take off his own clothes, and clothe him with purple, and they put a reed in his hand, and they kneel before him, and mock the King of glory, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! then they take the reed and strike him with it, and in despite spit on his face;" when they had done this, they take off that royal raiment, and "lead him out to crucify him." Ye would wonder at this; for a man, though he were never so wicked, a thief and a murderer, yet after he be once condemned, men will give him peace till he die, and men will strive to comfort him before he die against the terrors of death, that he may die in peace; yea, his very enemies will think they have gotten enough when they have gotten him condemned, and they desire no more. But behold the enemies of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they can never get their hearts satisfied upon him, they cannot suffer him to rest or breathe, their insatiable wrath cannot be satiated. The malice of men against wickedness will end, but the malice of men against an innocent will never end, and namely, against him who suffers for Christ's sake; there is no measure of their cruelty, there is nothing that can satiate their bloody hearts, for the children of darkness do deadly hate the children of light the suffering of the martyrs hath ever proved this, that the antichrist could never be satisfied in drinking of their blood. The persecutors of |