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

We cannot shake this tree without some fruit; from this sight of Christ, and sentence of Pilate, we may learn some good.—

¹1. From this sight of Christ, as he was presented by Pilate to the people, we may learn remorse: not any of us who have crucified Christ by our sins, but we are called on at this time, to behold the man; suppose we saw him with our bodily eyes; suppose we had the same view of Christ as the Jews had, where he was thus presented; suppose we saw him in the very midst of us, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe, and the cane or reed held in his right hand; suppose we heard the voice of Pilate speaking to us, as he did to the Jews, Behold the man; suppose we saw the purple robe lifted up, that we might see all under, how his body was torn; and that same voice from Heaven should come to us,² saying, This same is he whom ye have buffeted, scourged, crowned, crucified by your sins: were not this enough to prick us in our hearts, and to make us cry, Men and brethren what shall we do? Oh we look at the instruments, and we cry, Fie on Pilate, fie on the Soldiers, fie on the Jews; but we look not on our sins, saying, fie on them. Could we but realize our sins as the principal of these sufferings of Christ, methinks our hearts should break in very pieces: consider, yesterday in the midst of our Markets so many lies were told, and so many oaths were sworn; and this day so soon as the day-light sprang, so many acts of profaning the Lords day were committed by us; little did we think that all this while we had been stripping Christ naked, whipping Christ with rods, or little chains, clothing Christ with a Purple-Scarlet Robe, platting a Crown of Thorns, and putting it on his head, sceptring him with a reed, and saluting him in scorn, Hail King of the Jews. Men, Brethren, and Fathers, be not deceived, Christ is mocked, scorned, and thus abused by you when you sin; your sins thus dealt with Christ, and in God's acceptation your sins thus deal with Christ even to this very day. Never say, it was long since Christ was crucified, and he is now in Heaven, for by your sins you crucify again the Lord of glory, you put him again to open shame; you strip him, and whip him, and torment him afresh. Oh look on him whom you have pierced! Pilate thought that if the Jews would but see the man, Behold the man, their hearts would have mollified, and shall not I think as well of you?