The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…

The side of Christ after he was dead was pierced with a Spear by one of the Soldiers, and forthwith came out water and blood, John 19. 34. and this was a business of so high a nature, that the Evangelist saith thus upon it, He that saw it bare record, and his record is true, and he knoweth that he saith true, that he might believe.

The side of Christ after he was dead was pierced with a Speare by one of the Souldiers, and forthwith came out water and bloud, Iohn 19. 34. and this was a businesse of so high a nature, that the Euangelist saith thus vpon it, He that saw it bare record, and his record is true, and he knoweth that he saith true, that he might beleeue.

Now the side of Christ was pierced, First, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which said, They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, Joh. 19. 37. Zach. 12. 10. Secondly, that great mystery of the original of the Church is here imported: As Eve was formed out of the side of Adam when he was asleep, so the Church was to be formed out of that which flowed from the side of Christ when he was dead. God opened the side of Adam when he would make the woman; and so God opened the side of Christ the second Adam, when he was to make the Christian Church. Now that place of the Prophet shows what use we should make of this part of the Passion of Christ, namely, to take occasion from thence to bewail our sins, that were the cause of his death, and to acknowledge that we were the men that are spiritually guilty of that cruelty showed unto Christ. And because our hearts by nature are barren and unapt to this godly sorrow, we must pray God to pour out upon us of his Spirit, as it is a Spirit of compassion to melt our hearts, and a Spirit of deprecation, to make us able by prayer to sue for pardon of our sins, and to beseech God to accept of the propitiation made in Christs blood, that so his wrath may not fall upon us for our sins.