4. They platted a Crown of Thorns, and put it upon his head; 1a goodly Crown for the King of Kings, we read of many sorts of Crowns, as of the Triumphal, Laurel, Naval, Mural, &c. but never till this did we read of a Crown of Thorns; a Crown it was to delude him, and a Crown of Thorns to torment him; in this we may read both his pain and shame: 1. For his pain, it bored his head saith Osorius with seventy and two wounds; Bernard speaks of many more, mille puncturis, &c. 2I know not what ground they have to number them; but certainly many wounds they made, and the rather may we say so; because that after they had put it upon his head,3 they took a Reed and smote him on the head: (i.e.) they smote him on the head to fasten the Crown of Thorns upon him surer, and to imprint it deeper, till as some think it pierced his very Skull. ⟨p. 370⟩2. Nor was it only pain, but shame; when Jotham put out his parable to the men of Shechem; 4The Trees (said he) went out on a time to anoint a King over them, and they said unto the Olive-Tree, reign thou over us, but the Olive-Tree said unto them, should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honoured God and Man, and go to be promoted over the Trees? And the Trees said unto the Fig-Tree, come thou and reign over us, but the Fig-Tree said unto them, should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the Trees? Then said the Trees unto the Vine, come thou and reign over us, and the Vine said unto them, should I leave my Wine, which cheereth God and Man, and go to be promoted over the Trees? Then said all the Trees unto the Bramble, come thou and reign over us; and the Bramble said unto the Trees, if in truth ye anoint me King over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow, and if not, let fire come out of the Bramble, and devour the Cedars of Lebanon. As Jotham put out this parable in scorn of Abimilech, so the Soldiers in scorn put on Christ's head this Bramble Crown: q. d. Come, thou sayest, thou art King of Jews, and therefore we will make thee a Crown of Bramble, King of Trees; by which means they protest against Christ as a feigned fabulous King, as if he were no fitter to be King of Jews, than the Bramble was to be King of all the Trees in the forrest.
4. They platted a Crown of Thorns, and put it upon his head; 1a goodly Crown for the King of Kings, we read of many sorts of Crowns, as of the Triumphal, Laurel, Naval, Mural, &c. but never till this did we read of a Crown of Thorns; a Crown it was to delude him, and a Crown of Thorns to torment him; in this we may read both his pain and shame: 1. For his pain, it boared his head saith Osorius with seventy and two wounds; Bernard speaks of many more, mille puncturis, &c. 2I know not what ground they have to number them; but certainly many wounds they made, and the rather may we say so; because that after they had put it upon his head,3 they took a Reed and smote him on the head: (i.e.) they smote him on the head to fasten the Crown of Thorns upon him surer, and to imprint it deeper, till as some think it pierced his very Skull. ⟨p. 370⟩2. Nor was it only pain, but shame; when Jotham put out his parable to the men of Sechem; 4The Trees (said he) went out on a time to anoint a King over them, and they said unto the Olive-Tree, reign thou over us, but the Olive-Tree said unto them, should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honoured God and Man, and go to be promoted over the Trees? And the Trees said unto the Fig-Tree, come thou and reign over us, but the Fig-Tree said unto them, should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the Trees? Then said the Trees unto the Vine, come thou and reign over us, and the Vine said unto them, should I leave my Wine, which cheareth God and Man, and go to be promoted over the Trees? Then said all the Trees unto the Bramble, come thou and reign over us; and the Bramble said unto the Trees, if in truth ye anoint me King over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow, and if not, let fire come out of the Bramble, and devour the Cedars of Lebanon. As Jotham put out this parable in scorn of Abimilech, so the Souldiers in scorn put on Christ's head this Bramble Crown: q. d. Come, thou sayest, thou art King of Jews, and therefore we will make thee a Crown of Bramble, King of Trees; by which means they protest against Christ as a feigned fabulous King, as if he were no fitter to be King of Jews, than the Bramble was to be King of all the Trees in the forrest.
- 1Mat. 27.29.
- 2Ber. Serm. de pass. Dom.
- 3Mat. 27.30.
- 4Judg. 9.8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
