Eighteen sermons preached in Oxford 1640 of conversion, unto God. Of redemption, & justification,…

Then comes the lifting up; as the serpent was lift up, so must Christ be lift. As when a man is stretched to the full length, and should be with a girk put up; its like a strapado, as it were the unjointing of a man; and this is that the Psalmist speaks of, All my bones are out of joint. Consider withal the time how long it was. St. Mark saith, cap. 15.25. It was the third hour, and they crucified him. In St. John it is the sixth hour, but the ancient and best Copies have the third hour, and so hath Nonus. The ninth hour he gave up the Ghost: so that it was six long hours by the clock that our Saviour did hang upon the Cross. And it was not with him as with other men, in whom extremity of pains disannul sense, and blunts pains, because they have not a perfect apprehension; but Christ was in his perfect sense all the while. All that the Jews could do, could not take away his life from him, till he would himself: and therefore it is said in Mark, That immediately before he gave up the Ghost, that he cried with a loud voice, whereas others are wont at that time to be so weak that they ⟨p. 388⟩can scarce be heard to groan: but never was Christ stronger, nor never cried louder, than when he gave up the Ghost, Mark 15.35. this of it self made the Centurion as soon as he heard it, conclude, certainly this man was the Son of God. How doth he gather this from his crying? thus; For a man to be in his full strength, and cry out so strongly, and immediately to give up the Ghost, this is a great Miracle: Truly this man was the Son of God. This adds unto the greatness of his torment, that he had his full and perfect sense: that he was six full hours thus on the Rack, and the extremity of pain took not away his sense. He was as strong at the last, as at the first.

Then comes the lifting up; as the serpent was lift up, so must Christ be lift. As when a man is stretched to the full length, and should be with a girk put up; its like a strapado, as it were the unjoynting of a man; and this is that the Psalmist speaks of, All my bones are out of joint. Consider withal the time how long it was. St. Mark saith, cap. 15.25. It was the third hour, and they crucified him. In St. John it is the sixt hour, but the ancient and best Copies have the third hour, and so hath Nonus. The ninth hour he gave up the Ghost: so that it was six long hours by the clock that our Saviour did hang upon the Cross. And it was not with him as with other men, in whom extremity of pains disanul sense, and blunts pains, because they have not a perfect apprehension; but Christ was in his perfect sense all the while. All that the Jews could do, could not take away his life from him, till he would himself: and therefore it is said in Mark, That immediately before he gave up the Ghost, that he cryed with a loud voice, whereas others are wont at that time to be so weak that they