A Golden Chain

Thus we see in what manner Christ was brought •orth to the place of execution: Now followeth his crucifying. Christ in the providence of God was to be crucified for two causes: one, that the figures of the old testament might be accomplished and verified. For the heave-offering lifted up and shaked from the right hand to the left, and the brazen serpent erected upon a pole in the wilderness, prefigured the exalting of Christ upon the cross. The second, that we might in conscience be resolved,¹ that Christ became under the law and suffered the curse thereof for us, and bare in his own body and soul the extremity of the wrath of God for our offences. And though other kinds of punishments were notes of the curse of God, as stoning and such like; yet was the death of the cross in special manner above the rest accursed, not by the nature of the punishment, not by the opinions of men, not by the civill laws of countries and kingdoms, but by the virtue of a particular commandment of God,² foreseeing what manner of death Christ our redeemer should die. And hereupon among the Jews in all ages this kind of punishment hath been branded with special ignominy, as Paul signifieth when he saith,³ He abased himself to the death, even to the death of the cross: and it hath been allotted as a most grievous punishment to most notorious malefactors. If it be said that the repentant thief upon the cross dyed the same death with Christ and yet was not accursed, the answer is, that in regard of his offences he deserved the curse and was actually accursed, and the sign of this was the death which he suffered, and that in his own confession: but because he repented, his sins were pardoned, and the curse removed. It may further be said, that crucifying was not known in Moses days, and therefore not accursed by any special commandment of God in Deuteronomy. Answ. Moses indeed speaks nothing in particular of crucifying, yet nevertheless he doth include the same under the general. For if every one which hangs upon a tree be accursed, then he also which is crucified; for crucifying is a particular kind of hanging on the tree. Lastly it may be alleged, that Christ in his death could not be accursed by the law of Moses, because he was no malefactor. Answ.