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

But the hour goes on, and this is the great business of the worlds redemption, of which I would speak a little more; by this time we may imagine Christ nailed to the cross, and his cross fixed in the ground, which with its fall into the place of its station gave infinite torture by so violent a concussion of the body of our Lord. That I mean to observe of this crucifying of Christ, I shall reduce to these two heads. viz. the shame and pain.

1. For the shame, it was a cursed death, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. ¹When it was in use, it was chiefly inflicted upon slaves that either falsely accused, or treacherously conspired their Masters death: but on whomsoever it was inflicted, this death in all Ages among the Jews hath been branded with a special kind of ignominy; and so the Apostle signifies when he saith, He abased himself to the death, ²even to the death of the cross. It was a mighty shame that Saul's sons were hanged on a tree, and the reason was more specially from the Law of God; For he that is hanged is accursed of God: I know Moses's Law speaks nothing in particular of crucifying, yet he doth include the same under the general of hanging on a tree; and some conceive that Moses in speaking that curse, foresaw what manner of death the Redeemer should dye.

1. For the shame, it was a cursed death, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. ¹When it was in use, it was chiefly infflicted upon slaves that either falsely accused, or treacherously conspired their Masters death: but on whomsoever it was inflicted, this death in all Ages among the Jews hath been branded with a special kind of ignominy; and so the Apostle signifies when he saith, He abased himself to the death, ²