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

1. Give me leave to look amongst our selves, is there not some or other amongst us that prefer Barabbas before Jesus? O yes! those that listen to that old mutinous Murderer in his seditious temptations; those that reject the blessed motions of Gods own Spirit, in his tenders and offers of Grace; those that embrace the world with its pleasures and profits, and make them their portion; all these choose Barabbas, and reject Jesus Christ, little do we think that every wilful act of sin, is a sedition, a mutiny against our souls, another Judas Galileus that stirs up all the passions of our mind against our Jesus. I cannot but think what drawing, and soliciting of our souls is made by virtue and vice in our passage towards the other world: on the one hand stands vice with all her false deceits,¹ and flatteries, her temptations are strong, Come let us enjoy the good things that are present, and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth, let us fill our selves with costly Wine and Ointments, and let no flower of the spring pass by us, let us crown our selves with rose-buds before they be withered, let none of us go without his part of jollity let us leave tokens of our joyfulness in every place; for this is our portion, and our let is this. On the other hand stands Virtue, or Grace with all the promises of future happiness, she points at Jesus,² and cries, O come unto Christ and live; Wisdom is better than rubies, her fruit is better than Gold, yea than fine Gold, and her revenue than choice Silver; they that love Christ shall inherit substance, and he will fill them with treasures, even with durable riches. But Oh how many thousands, and ten thousands that neglect this cry, and follow vice? what millions of men are there in the world that prefer Barabbas before Jesus? if we proclaim it in our pulpits that Christ is the chiefest of ten thousands, that he is fairer than all the Children of men, that he is the Standard-bearer, and there is none like to him: that if you will have but Jesus Christ, you need no more; yet do not many of you say in your hearts, as Pilate here, What shall I do with Jesus that is called Christ? or as the devils said elsewhere, What have we to do with thee Jesus thou Son of God?

1. Give me leave to look amongst our selves, is there not some or other amongst us that prefer Barabbas before Jesus? O yes! those that listen to that old mutinous Murtherer in his seditious temptations; those that reject the blessed motions of Gods own Spirit, in his tenders and offers of Grace; those that embrace the world with its pleasures and profits, and make them their portion; all these chuse Barabbas, and reject Jesus Christ, little do we think that every wilfull act of sin, is a sedition, a mutiny against our souls, another Judas Galileus that stirs up all the passions of our mind against our Jesus. I cannot but think what drawing, and soliciting of our souls is made by vertue and vice in our passage towards the other world: on the one hand stands vice with all her false deceits,