A learned commentary or exposition

It is true of our head Christ Jesus himself: we see to what exigences he was brought, in what danger of his life oft-times he was, as when they would have cast him down from the mount, Luke 4. and when in apprehension of his Fathers wrath, he sweat water and blood in the garden, and on the Cross cried out, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? none was ever so abased as he was, he humbled himself to the death of the Cross, nay, lower then the Cross, he was in captivity in the grave three days. They thought they had had their will on him there: they thought they might have trampled on Christ: and no doubt but the Devil triumphed over the grave, and thought he had had him where he would: but we see afterward God raised him again gloriously.

It is true of our head Christ Jesus himself: we see to what exigences he was brought, in what danger of his life oft-times he was, as when they would have cast him down from the mount, Luke 4. and when in apprehension of his Fathers wrath, he sweat water and blood in the garden, and on the Crosse cryed out, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? none was ever so abased as he was, he humbled himself to the death of the Crosse, nay, lower then the Crosse, he was in captivity in the grave three dayes. They thought they had had their will on him there: they thought they might have trampled on Christ: and no doubt but the Divel triumphed over the grave, and thought he had had him where he would: but we see afterward God raised him again gloriously.

Now as the head was abased even unto extremity: So it is true of the whole body of the Church from the beginning of the world. The Church in Egypt was in extremity before Moses came: therefore a learned Hebrician Capne (that brought Hebrew into these western parts) was wont to say, When the tale of brick was doubled, then comes Moses: that is, in extremity, when there was no remedy, then God sent them deliverance. In what a pitiful case was the poor Church and people of God in Hesters time? there was but a hairs breadth between them and destruction, it was decreed by Haman, and they had gotten the Kings decree too, they were as it were between the hammer and the anvil, ready to be crushed in pieces presently, had not God come between. And so in Babylon the Church was in extremity, insomuch as that when deliverance was told them, they were as men that dream, as if there had been no such matter, they wondered at it. And so in the times of persecution God hath suffered his Church to fall into extreme danger, as now at this time the Church is in other parts. I might draw this truth along through all Ages. It is true of the whole body of the Church. It is true likewise of the particular members. Take the principal members of it: you see Abraham, before God made good his promise, he was brought to a dry body, and Sarah to a dead womb, that they despaired of all second causes. And David, though God promised him a Kingdom, yet he was so straitened that he thought many times he should have died, I said in my haste, All men are liars; they tell me this and that, but there is nothing so, he was hunted as a Partridge in the wilderness.