* Pulcatius dius Caffius, ons which had * fervile Punishment, and inflicted upon their Slaves and Fugitives. It was Gallicanus re- a high Crime to put that Difhononr upon any Free-man; and the greatest lateth of Avi- Indignity which the moft undeferving † Roman could poffibly fuffer in himself, in the cafe of or could be contrived to fhew their Deteftation to fuch Creatures as were befome Centuri- low Humane Nature. And because when a Man is beyond Poffibility of been profpe- fuffering Pain, he may ftill be fubject to Ignominy in his Fame; when by orous, that in ther exquifite Torments fome Men have tafted the Bitterness of Death, after fighting withthat, they have in their * breathlefs Corps, by virtue of this Punishment, fufout Orders gi- fered a kind of furviving Shame. And the expofing the Bodies of the Dead to the View of the People on the Crofs, hath been thought a † fufficient Ignominy to those which died, and Terror to those which lived to fee it. Yea, where the bodies of the Dead have been out of the Reach of their furviving Enemies, they have thought it highly opprobrious to their Ghosts, to take non exftabat. their Reprefentations preferved in their Pictures, and affix them to the And juvenal Crofs. Thus may we be made fenfible of the the two grand Aggravations of Speaks with our Saviour's Sufferings, the Bitterness of Pain in the Torments of his Body, Custom, Pone and the Indignity of Shame in the Interpretation of his Enemies. ven, Rapi eos juffit, & in crucem tolli, fervilique fupplicio af fici: quod exemplum relation to this crucem fervo. So Palæftrio in Plautus; Nifi quidem illa nos volt, qui fervi fumus, propter fuum amorem omnes crucibus contubernales dari. And again: Noli minitari; fcio crucem futuram mihi fepulchrum. Ibi majores mei fiti funt, pater, avus, proavus, abavus. So in Terence, Pam. Quid meritus es? Da. Crucem. And Horace. Si quis eum fervum patinam qui tollere juffus, Semefos pifces tepidumque ligurierit jus,, in cruce fuffigat. So Capitolinus of Pertinax, in crucem fublatis talibus fervis; and Herodian of Macrinus, do1 0001 deaóras xalby sexλor ársoxodonínoar. This punishment of the Crofs did fo properly belong to the Slaves, that when Servants and Freemen were involved alike in the fame Crime, they were very careful to make a diftinction in their death, according to their condition: Ut quifque liber aut fervus, fuæ fortunæ à quoque fumptum fupplicium eft. Liv. l. 3. And then the Servants were always crucified. As Servius obferves among the Lacedæmonians; Servos patibulis fuffixerunt filios ftrangulavere, nepotes fugaverunt. Æneid. 3. Novercæ quidem perpetuum indicitur exilium; fervus verò patibulo fuffigitur. Apul. Metam. I. 10. Thus in the Combufion at Rome, upon the death of Julius Caefar; Αμυνόμθμοι ανηρέθησαν ἔνιοι, καὶ συλληφθέντες ἔτεροι κρεμάσθησαν ὅσοι Depaπovies Roav, of 5 ind'degas & rỡ ngnuvỡ naleppi❤noav. Appian. de Bell. civil. l. 3. Ea nocte fpeculatores prehenfi fervi tres, & unus ex legione vernacula; fervi funt in crucem fublati, militi cervices abfciffe. Hirtius l. de Bell. Hifpan. So Africanus: Gravius in Romanos quàm in Latinos transfugas animadvertit: illos enim, tanquam patriæ fugitivos, crucibus affixit; hos, tanquam perfidos focios, fecuri percuffit. Valer. Max. 1. 2. This punishment of the Cross was f proper unto Servants, that fervile fupplicium in the Language of the Romans fignifies the fame: and tho' in the Words of Vulcatius before cited, they go both together, as alfo in Capitolinus, Nam & in crucem milites tulit, & fervilibus fuppliciis femper affecit; yet either is fufficient to exprefs Crucifixion: as in Tacitus, Malam potentiam fervili fupplicio expiavit, Hift. 4. And again, fumptum de eo fupplicium in fervilem modum; Hift. 2. And therefore when any Servants were made free, they were put out of fear of ever fuffering this punishment. An verò fervos noftros horum fuppliciorum omnium metu dominorum benignitas una vindicta liberavit vos à verberibus, ab unco, crucis denique terrore, neque res geftæ, neque acta ætas, neque noftri honores vindicabunt? Cic. Orat. pro Rabir. Carnifex, & obductio capitis, & nomen ipfum Crucis abfit, non modo à corpore civium Romanorum, fed etiam à cogitatione, oculis, auribus. Harum enim omnium rerum non folum eventus atque perpeffio, fed etiam conditio, exfpectatio, mentio denique, indigna cive Romano atque homine libero eft. Cic. Orat. pro Rabir. Facinus eft vincire civem Romanum, fcelus verberare, parricidium necare: quid dicam in crucem tollere, crudeliffimum teterrimumque fupplicium? verbo fatis digno tam nefaria res appellari nullo modo poteft. Idem 5. in Verrem. As when the Capitol was betrayed * by the filence of Dogs, but preferved by the noife of Geefe; they preferved the Memory by a folemn honouring of one yearly, and dishonouring of the other. Eadem de caufa fupplicia annua canes pendunt, inter ædem Junonis & Summani vivi in furca fambucea arbore fixi. Plin. l. 9. c. 4. Πομπούς μέχρι νῦν ἐπὶ μνήμῃ ἢ τότε συμπτωμάτων ή τύχη, κύων με ανα σαυρωμών, τὴν ἢ μέλα ἐπὶ τρωμνῆς πολυτελές και φορείς καθήραμα. Plutarch, de Fort. Rom. As Ofœtes the Perfian, when he had treacherously and cruelly murthered Polycrates the Tyrant of Samos, leivas de μiv sx ážíwę árnyári© asssaugwo Herod. l. 3. So Antiochus firft cut off the Head of Achæus, and then faftned his Body to a Crofs. "Bdoke #ęwτov je ἀκρωτηριάσαι το ταλαίπωρον, και ἢ ταῦτα 7' κεφαλὴν ὑπτεμόντας αὐτό, καὶ καταρρίψαντας εἰς ὄνειον ἀσκὸν, ἀνασαυρῶσαι τὸ σῶμα. †This was the Defign of Tarquinius Prifcus, when the Extremity of Labour which he had laid upon his Subjects made many lay violent hands upon themselves; Paflim confcita nece Quiritibus tædium fugientibus, novum & inexcogitatum antea pofteaque remedium invenit ille Rex, ut omnium ita defunctorum figeret crucibus corpora, fpectanda civibus fimul, & feris volucribufque laceranda. Plin. l. 36. 15. who makes this handsome obfervation of it: Quamobrem pudor Romani nominis proprius, qui fæpe res perditas fervavit in præliis, tunc quoque fubvenit: fed illo tempore impofuit, tum erubefcens cum puderet vivos, tanquam puditurum effet extinctos. Thus they ufed Celfus, one of the 30 Tyrants of Rome, as Trebellius Pollio teftifieth: Novo injuriæ genere imago in crucem fublata, perfultante vulgo, quafi patibulo ipfe Celfus videretur affixus. It is neceffary we should thus profefs Faith in Chrift Crucified, as that Punishment which he chofe to undergo, as that way which he was pleased to die. First, Because by this kind of Death we may be affured that he hath taken upon himself, and confequently from us, the Malediction of the Law. For we Deut. 27. 26. were all under the Curfe, because it is expreffly written, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Gal. 3. 10. Law upon all. him Law to do them and as it's certain none of us hath so continued; for the Scripture bath concluded all under Sin, which is nothing else but a Breach Gal. 3. 22. of the Law: therefore the Curse must be acknowledged to remain But now Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a Gal. 3. 13. curfe for us; that is, he hath redeemed us from that general Curfe, which lay upon all Men for the Breach of any part of the Law, by taking upon that particular Curfe, laid only upon them which underwent a certain Punishment of the Law; for it is written, Curfed is every one that hangeth on a Dent. 21.23. tree. Not that Sufpenfion was any of the Capital Punishments prescribed by the Law of Mofes; not that by any Tradition or Custom of the Jews they were wont to punish Malefactors with that Death: but fuch as were punished with Death according to the Law or Custom of the Jews, were for the Enôrmity of their Fact oft-times after Death exposed to the Ignominy of a Gibbet; and those who being dead were fo hanged on a Tree, were accurfed * Deut.21.22. by the Law. Now though Chrift was not to die by the Sentence of the Jews, who had loft the Supreme Power in Caufes Capital, and fo not to be fin worthy of condemned to any Death according to the Law of Mofes; yet the Provi- death, and he dence of God did fo difpofe it, that he might fuffer that Death which did death, and contain in it that Ignominious Particularity to which the Legal Curfe belong- thou hang ed, which is, the hanging on a tree. For he which is crucified, as he is affixed to, fo he hangeth on the Cross: And therefore true and formal Cruci- which words fixion is often named by the general word † Sufpenfion; and the Jews them- being put to felves do commonly call our Bleffed Saviour by that very ‡ Name to which death being the Cures is affixed by Mofes; and generally have objected that he died a* cur- hanged: But, fed Death. * If a man have committed a be put to him on a tree. In death, prece I confess, in o Eng. Tranflat. it bath another fenfe, [and he be to be put to death], as if he were to die by hanging. And fo the Vulgar Latine, Et adjudicatus morti appenfus fuerit patibulo, as if he were adjudged to be hanged, and fo his Sentence were fufpenfion. And the Syriack yet more exprefly, & appendatur ligno atque interficiatur. But there is no fuch Sentence contained in the Original as the Vulgar, nor Futurition of Death as our English Translation mentioneth. The Hebrew is in Hophal. that is, interfectus, occifus, mori factus fuerit; or, as the LXX. clearly tranflate it, navn, and the Chaldee As we before noted on the Words of Seneca, Thus the Greeks do often ufe xguar, for crucifiopm & occifus fuerit. gere. For Curtius, fpeaking of the taking of Tyre by Alexander, fays, Duo millia crucibus affixa per ingens littoris fpafium pependerunt. And Diodorus Siculus relating the fame. Τις 3 νέας πάντας ὄντας ἐκ ἐλάτζες ἢ διχιλίων κρέμασεν, So the fame Curtius teftifies that Muficanus was in crucem fublatus: Of whom Arianus fpeaks thus; TTV xgeμáσas Αλέξανδρο κελούει ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ γῇ. Thus in the language of the Scriptures, εἷς ἳ κερμασθέντων κακέργων is one of the crucified Thieves, Luke 23.39. And the Jews are faid to have flain our Saviour, xgeμárævles in guay, Acts 5. 30. and 10. 39. The Latins likewife often ufe the word fufpendere for crucifigere. As Aufonius, in the Idyllium, whofe Title as Cupido cruci affixus, defcribes him thus, Hujus in excelfo fufpenfum ftipite Amorem. And when we read in Polybius, that they did avasançãoα to Câμa of Achæus; Ovid defcribes his Punishment thus, The Words of Mofes are, Deut. 21.23. n ba bp, maledictio Dei fufpenfus: and this Word nn which is of it felf fimply fufpenfus, as 2 Sam. 18. 10. I faw Abfolom hanged on an Oak, is ordinarily attributed by the Jews to our Saviour, to fignifie that he was crucified. Hence they term Chriftians y cultores fufpenfi; and * So Trypho the Jew objected to Juftin Martyr: 5 öμéthey call the Crucifix ny figuram fufpenfi. περ λεγόρθρο Χρισός άτιμα καὶ ἄδοξον γέγονεν, ὡς καὶ τῇ ἐχάτῃ καλάρᾳ τῇ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τῇ Θε8 εεπεσεῖν· ἐςαυρώθη γάρ. Dial. cum Tryph. Secondly, It was neceffary to exprefs our Faith in Christ crucified, that we might be affured that he hath abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments; which if he had not done, the ftrength and power of the whole Law had still remained: For all the People had faid Amen to the Curfe upon every one that kept not the whole Law; and entred into a curfe and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Mofes the fervant of God, and to obferve and do all the commandments of the Lord their God, and his judgments and his ftatutes. Which was in the nature of a Bill, Bond, or Obligation, perpetually standing in force against them, ready to bring a Forfeiture or Penalty upon them, in cafe of non-performance of the Condition. But the strongest Obligations may be cancelled; and one ancient Custom of cancelling Bonds was, by ftriking a Nail through the Writing: 4 Col. 2. 14. Ενόησα τισμθύες εν α Writing and thus God by our crucified Saviour, blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his Cross. Thirdly, Hereby we are to teftifie the Power of the Death of Chrift workEvórcing in us after the manner of Crucifixion. For we are to be planted in juas aine- the likeness of his death; and that we may be fo, we must acknowledge, I wise, and caufe it to appear, that our old man was crucified with him, that the Narse main body of fin might be destroyed; we must confefs, that they that are Chrift's Save TK have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts; and they which have eisino Kes- not, are not his. We must not glory, fave in the Cross of our Lord Jefus sẽ cagxi Tex Chrift: nor can we properly glory in that, except by it the World be cruEpift.ad Smyr, cified unto us, and we unto the World. πνεύματι. 13. S. Auguftine C Speaking of the Church; Mundatur ut non habeat maculam, extenditur ut non habeat rugam : Ubi eam extendit fullo a Rom. 6. 5,6. Gal. 5.24. Fourthly, By the Acerbity of this Paffion we are taught to meditate on that bitter Cup which our Saviour drank: and while we think on those Nails which pierced his Hands and Feet, and never left that torturing Activity 'till by their dolorous Impreffions they forced a most painful Death, to acknowledge the Bitterness of his Sufferings for us, and to affure our felves that by *Mori voluit the worst of Deaths he had overcome all kinds of Death; and with Papro nobis, pa- tience and Chearfulness to endure whatsoever he fhall think fit to lay upon crucifigi dig- us, who with all Readiness and Defire fuffered far more for us. rum dicimus; natus eft ; * ufque ad mortem Crucis obediens factus, elegit extremum & peffimum genus mortis, qui omnem fuerat ablaturus mortem; de morte peffima occidit omnem mortem. S. Aug. Tract. 36. in Joan. fter eft Chri Fifthly, By the Ignominy of this Punishment, and univerfal Infamy of that Death, we are taught how far our Saviour defcended for us, that while we were slaves and in Bondage unto Sin, he might redeem us by a fervile Death: Phil. 2.7,8. for He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a fervant; and fo He bumbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even *Humilitatis the death of the Crofs: teaching us the glorious Doctrine of* Humility and enim magi- Patience in the moft vile and abject Condition which can befal us in this ftus, qui hu- World, and encouraging us to imitate him, a Who for the joy that was fet bemilitavit fe- fore him, endured the cross, defpifing the fhame; and withal deterring us ipfum, factus from that fearful Sin of falling from him, left we fhould bcrucifie unto our que ad mor- felves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open fhame, and fo betem, mortem come worfe than the Jews themfelves, who crucified the Lord of Life withS. Aug. in Jo. Out the Walls of Jerufalem, and for that unparallel'd Sin were delivered into the hands of the Romans, into whofe hands they delivered him, and at a Heb. 12. 2. the fame Walls in fuch Multitudes were crucified, † till there wanted room Jof. de Bell. for Croffes, and Croffes for their Bodies. obediens, uf autem crucis. Tract. 51. b Heb. 6. 6. Jud.l.6. c.28. Προσήλον δ' οἱ τρατιῶν δὲ ἔργων καὶ μέσω της αλόντας ἄλλον ἄλλῳ χήματι πρὸς χλούίω, καὶ αὶ τὸ πλῆθος χώραι τε ἐνελείπετο τοῖς ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ sauegὶ τοῖς ζώμασιν. Laftly, By the publick Visibility of this Death, we are affured that our Saviour was truly dead, and that all his Enemies were fully fatisfied. He was crucified in the Sight of all the Jews, who were made publick Witneffes that he gave up the Ghoft. There were many Traditions among the Heathen, of Perfons fuppofed for fome time to be dead, to defcend into Hell, and afterwards to live again; but the Death of thefe Perfons was never publickly feen or certainly known. It is eafie for a Man that liveth to fay that he hath been dead; and, if he be of great Authority it is not difficult to perfuade fome cre dulous dulous Perfons to believe it. But that which would make his present Life truly miraculous, must be the Reality and Certainty of his former Death. The feigned Histories of Pythagoras and Zamolxis, of Thefeus and Hercules, of Orpheus and Protefilaus, made no certain mention of their Deaths, and therefore were ridiculous in the Affertion of their Refurrection from Death. * Chrift, as he appeared to certain Witneffes after his Refurrection, cellently obfo he died before his Enemies vifibly on the Crofs, and gave up the Ghoft ferved and confpicuously in the Sight of the World. * This is ex expreffed by Origen, who returneth this Answer to the Objection made by the Jews in Celfus, of thofe fabulous returns from the Dead: Digs snowy öt & διύα· τὸ κξ τ Ιησεν, ἱσορόρθρον, ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγηγέρθαι, τέτοις το αβάλλεως. Εκαςομ λειομβρίων καὶ τὰς τόπος ηρώων βοληθεὶς ἂν ἐδεήθη ἑαυτὸν ὑπεκκλέψαι ὁ ὕψως τ' ανθρώπων, καὶ πάλιν κρίνας· ἐπανελθῶν πρὸς ὃς καταλέλοιπεν Ιησὸ ἢ σαυρω θένης ἐπὶ πάντων Ιεδαίων, καὶ καθαιρεθέντα, αὐτῷ τζώματα & ὄψε το δήμο αὐτῶν, πῶς οἴον η παραπλήσιον πλάσας λέγειν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἱσοςέμθροις ἥρωσιν εἰς ᾅδε καταβεβηκέναι, κακείθεν ἀνεληλυθέναι; φάρμ δ ̓ ὅτι μήποτε πρὸς ἀπολογίαν, τὸ ἐςαυβῶως τ Ἰησῶν καὶ τοιέτον λέγοιτ' αν, μάλισα πιὰ τὰ καὶ τὰ ἡρώων ισορηθέντα τε εἰς ᾅδε καταβεβηκέναι βιαζωμθύων, ὅτι εἶ καθ' ἐπίθεσιν ὁ Ἰησᾶς ἐτεθνήκει ἀσήμῳ θανάτῳ, ἐκ ώςε δηλων εἶναι πιθανῶν ὅλῳ τῷ δήμῳ ἢ Ιεδαίων, εἶτα με τατ' ἀληθῶς μὲ ἀνατὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν, χώραν εἶχεν ἂν τὸ ἀπονοηθὸν εὶ ἢ ἡρώων καὶ τὶ πάτε λεχθμαι με πολὺ ἂν πρὸς ἄλλοις ἀντίοις τα σαυρωθμώας * Ιησεν και τέτο διώα) (υμβάλλεος των αὐτὸν ἐπισήμως ἐπὶ τὸ ταις επλεθνηκέναι, ἵνα μηδεὶς ἔχῃ λέγειν ὅτι ἑκὼν ὑπεξέση το ὄψεως ἢ ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἔδοξεν αποτεθνηκέναι, εκ αποτέθνηκε 5, ὅτ' ἐβαλήθη πάλιν ἐπιφανεὶς ἑτεραβούσατε * ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάςασιν. Adv. Celfum, l. 2. And now we have made this Discovery of the true manner and nature of the Crofs on which our Saviour fuffered, every one may understand what it is he profeffeth when he declareth his Faith, and faith, I believe in Chrift crucified. For thereby he is understood and obliged to fpeak thus much: I am really perfuaded, and fully fatisfied, that the Only-begotten and Eternal Son of God, Chrift Jefus, that he might cancel the Hand-writing which was against us, and take off the Curfe which was due unto us, did take upon him the Form of a Servant, and in that Form did willingly and chearfully fubmit himself unto the falfe Accufation of the Jews, and unjuft Sentence of Pilate, by which he was condemned, according to the Roman Custom, to the Crofs; and upon that did fuffer fervile Punishment of the greatest Acerbity, enduring the Pain; and of the greatest Ignominy, defpifing the Shame. And thus I believe in Chrift crucified. T Dead. Hough Crucifixion of it felf involveth not in it certain Death, and he which is fastned to a Crofs is fo leifurely to die, as that he being taken from the fame may live; though when the infulting Jews in a malicious Derifion called to our Saviour to fave himself, and come down from the Cross; he might have come down from thence, and in faving himself have never faved us; yet it is certain that he felt the Extremity of that Punishment, and fulfilled the utmost Intention of Crucifixion: fo that, as we acknowledge him crucified, we believe him dead. For the Illustration of which part of the Article, it will be neceffary, First, to fhew that the Meffias was to die; that no Sufferings, howfoever shameful and painful, were fufficiently fatisfactory to the Determination and Predictions divine, without a full Diffolution and proper Death: Secondly, to prove that our Jefus, whom we believe to be the true Meffias, did not only fuffer Torments intolerable and inexpreffible in this Life, but upon and by the fame did finish this Life by a true and proper Death: Thirdly, to declare in what the Nature and Condition of the Death of a Perfon fo totally fingular did properly and peculiarly confift. And more than this cannot be neceffary to fhew we believe that Chrift was dead. First then, we must confider what S. Paul delivered to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 15. 30 first of all, and what also he received, how that Chrift died for our fins E e according according to the Scriptures; that the Meffias was the Lamb flain before the foundations of the world, and that his Death was severally reprefented and foretold. For though the facrificing Ifaac hath been acknowledged an exprefs and lively Type of the promised Meffias; though, after he was bound and laid upon the Wood, he was preferved from the Fire, and rescued from the religious Cruelty of his Father's Knife; though Abraham be faid to have Heb. 11.17. offered up his only-begotten Son, when Ifaac died not; though by all this it might feem foretold that the true and great promised Seed, the Chrift, fhould be made a Sacrifice for Sin, fhould be faftned to the Crofs, and offer'd up to Heb. 9. 22. the Father, but not fuffer Death: yet being without effufion of blood there is no remiffion, without Death no Sacrifice for Sin; being the faving of Ifaac alive doth not deny the Death of the Antitype, but rather fuppofe and affert it as prefignifying his Refurrection from the Dead, from whence Abraham reHeb. 11. 19. ceived him in a Figure; we may fafely affirm the ancient and legal Types did reprefent a Chrift which was to die. It was an effential part of the Parchal Law, that the Lamb fhould be flain: and in the Sacrifices for Sin, which Heb. 13. 11, prefignified a Saviour to fanctifie the people with his own blood, the bodies of the beasts were burnt without the camp, and their blood brought into the Sanctuary. 12. 8, 10. Nor did the Types only require, but the Prophecies alfo foretel, his Isaiah 53. 7. Death. For he was brought, faith Ifaiah, as a Lamb to the flaughter: he was cut off out of the land of the living, faith the fame Prophet; and made his foul an offering for fin. Which are fo plain and evident Predi*That this ctions, that the Jews thew not the least Appearance of Probability in their Évafions. place of Ifaiah must be understood of the Meffias, I have already proved against the Jews out of the Text, and their own Traditions. Their Objection particularly to thefe words is, that the land of the living is the land of Canaan. Sa Solomon Jarchi, NN NND From the land of the living, that is, the land of Ifrael. And D. Kimchi endeavours to prove that Expofition out of as if the כי נגזר מארץ הים כאשר גלה מארץ' שנקראת ארץ חיים כמו אתהלך לפניה בארצו החיים ,David land of the living must be the land of Canaan, becaufe David profeffeth he will walk before the Lord in the land of the living: whereas there is no more in that Phrafe than that he will ferve God while he liveth. As Pfal. 27. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed to fee the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living; and Ifa. 38. 11. I faid, I fhall not fee the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living; which is fufficiently interpreted by the words which follow I fhall behold man no more with the Inhabitants of the World. The land of the living then was not particularly the land of Canaan: nor can they perfuade us that it could not refer to Chrift, because he was never removed out of that land but to be cut off out of land of the living is, certainly, to be taken away from them which live upon the earth, that is, to die. Being then the obftinate Jews themselves acknowledge one Meffias was to die, and that a violent death; being we have already proved there is but one Meffias foretold by the Prophets and fhewed by thofe places which they will not acknowledge that he was to be flain: it followeth by their unwilling Confeffions and our plain Approbations, that the promised Meffias was ordained to die: which is our first Affertion. Secondly, We affirm, correfpondently to thefe Types and Promises, That 1 Cor. 5. 7. Chrift our Paffover is flain; that he whom we believe to be the true and only Meffias did really and truly die. Which Affirmation we may with Confidence maintain, as being fecure of any even the least Denial. Jefus of Nazareth upon his Crucifixion was fo furely, fo certainly dead, that they which wifhed, they which thirfted for his Blood, they which obtained, which effected, which extorted his Death, even they believed it, even they were fatisfied with it: the Chief Priefts, the Scribes and the Pharifees, the Publicans and Sinners, all were fatisfied; the Sadduces moft of all, who hugged their old Opinion, and loved their Error the better, because they thought him fure for ever rifing up. But if they had denied or doubted of it, the very Stones would cry out and confirm it. Why did the Sun put on Mourning Why were the Graves opened, but for a Funeral? Why did the Earth quake? Why were the Rocks rent? Why did the Frame of Nature fhake, but because the |