The Fountain of Life Opened

Thirdly, The death of the Cross, was a shameful death. Not only because the crucified were stripped quite naked, and so exposed as spectacles of shame: but mainly, because it was that kind of death which was appointed for the basest, and vilest of men.

Their Free-men when they committed capital crimes, were not condemned to the Cross. No, that was looked upon as the death appointed for slaves.¹ Tacitus calls it servile supplicium, the punishment of a slave: and to the same sense Juvenal speaks, pone crucem servo, put the Cross upon the back of a slave. As they had a great esteem of a Free-man,² so they manifested it, even when they had forfeited their lives, in cutting them off by more honourable kinds of death. This by hanging on the tree, was always accounted most ignominious.³ To this day we say of him that's hanged, he dies the death of a dog. And yet it's said of our Lord Jesus, Heb. 12.2. he not only endured the Cross, but also despised the shame. Obedience to his Fathers will, and zeal for your Salvation, made him digest the shame of it, and despise the baseness that was in it.

Their Free-men when they committed capital crimes, were not condemned to the Cross. No, that was looked upon as the death appointed for slaves.¹ Tacitus calls it servile supplicium, the punishment of a slave: and to the same sense Iuvenal speaks, pone crucem servo, put the Cross upon the back of a slave. As they had a great esteem of a Free-man,²