Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

1. This may inform us of the weight and burden of sin,¹ that thus presseth Christ under it till he sweat and bleed: when the first Adam had committed the first sin, this was the penalty, in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread; ²but now the second Adam takes upon him all the Sins of all Believers in the world; he sweats not only in his face, but in all his Body. O then, how was that face disfigured, when it stood all on drops, and those drops, not of a watery sweat, but of a gore blood? We see in other men, that when they are disquieted with fear or grief, the blood usually runs to the heart; indeed that is the principal member, and therefore, leaving the other parts, it goes thither, as of choice, to comfort that; but our sweet Saviour contrariwise (because he would suffer without any manner of comfort) he denies to himself this common relief of nature; all the Powers of our souls, and parts of our bodies were stained with sin, and therefore he sweats blood from every part; we sin, and our eyes will scarce drop a tear for sin; but his eyes, and ears, and head, and hands, and feet, and heart, and all run rivers of tears of blood for us, even for our sins.—Let Jesuits and Friars in meditating of Christ's sufferings, cry out against the Jews; in this bloody sweat of Christ I see another use; alas! here's no Jew, no Judas, no Herod, no Pilate, no Scribe, no Pharisees? here's no tormentors to whip him; no soldiers to crown his Head with thrones, here's neither nails, nor spear to fetch his blood out of his Body; how comes it then to pass? Is there any natural cause? ah, no: the night is cold, which naturally draws blood inwards; in the open air he lies grovelling on the ground, and there he sweats, and bleeds. O my heart, who hath done this deed? As the Lord liveth, ³the man that hath done this thing, shall surely die. So said David▪ when Nathan replied upon him, thou art the man. O my heart! my sinful heart! O my sinful,⁴ deceitful, abominable heart! thou art the Murderer; thy sins sate upon the heart of Christ, as heavy as a Mountain of Lead or Iron; when none was near, but a few dull, heavy, sleepy Disciples; then all the sins of Believers (and amongst them, thy sins) fell upon the soul of Christ, as so many murderers; and squeezed blood, and made him cry out. My soul is heavy, heavy unto death.