Use. Let us beware of sin against knowledge ; these sins, of all others, are the most dangerous, whether they be sins of omission ; to omit duties that we know to be duties, this is very dangerous : James iv. 17, ' Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin ; ' or sins of commission, to commit sins that we know to be sins : Rom. ii. 21, 22, ' Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou tliat pi-eachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal ? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery ? Tiiou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege ? ' To commit sins that we know to be sins is to involve ourselves in wrath and vengeance. Have a care then of these sins ; if you are guilty of them, it cannot be pleaded for you, ' Father, forgive them ; they know not what they do.'
SERMON UPON JOHN XIX. 30.
He said, It is finished; and he boived his head, and gave up the ghost. — John xix. 30.
This is one of the seven words which Christ uttered upon the cross, the last save one ; for before his bowing of the head, and giving up the ghost, those words must come in which are mentioned Luke xxiii. 46, ' Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit ; and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.'
To make way for these words, we need go no further back than the 28th verse. It is said there, 'After this Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst ; ' where we may observe —
1. The exact knowledge which Christ had of all his sufferings: * He knew that all things were accomplished ; ' namely, all the preparative sufferings which were to usher in his death. All these bitter sorrows were numbered out to him by the divine decrees, and pre-signified in the prophecies ; Jesus knew all the exact tale and account of them ; a circumstance that doth much commend his love to us. Christ knew how dear the bargain of souls would be to him, and yet he would show his obedience to the Father and his love to mankind. He long since sat down and counted the charges, and yet he came to do his Father's will. When a business proveth hazardous and inconvenient, we are apt to say, If I had known it would have cost me so much, I should never have undertaken it. Christ went not to the cross blindfold ; he knew the work of our redemption would be troublesome and painful ; that he was to give his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to the nippers ; that he was to be hurried from the garden to the courts of men, from the courts of men to the cross, and there to endure acute pains and torments : Jesus knew that all these things were to be fulfilled.
2. Observe, it is said he knew 'they were accomplished.' Christ had a lively feeling of every part of his sorrows, and his senses re- mained in full vigour to the last, and without any stupefaction. He knew what hour the clock of the divine decree would next strike, or what was the next circumstance whereby he was to discover himself to be the true Messiah. David saith, 'Died Abner as a fool dieth?' 2 Sam. iii. 32. We may say so. Died the Lord Jesus as a fool dieth, in a stupid senseless way, or as one merely passive? Extremity of pain had now surprised the thieves which were crucified with him ; we
30 SERMON UPON JOHN XIX. 30.
hear no more of tliem ; but Christ's reason and senses are still exer- cised, and his sorrows made more active by his own apprehension.
3. Observe, ' That the scriptures might be fulfilled, he said, I thirst.' By fulfilling another prophecy God discovereth another note whereby the Messiah might be known. All the passages of Christ's death were appointed with infinite wis<lom and love ; either they were such as were necessary parts of redemption, or some indications whereby the Messiah fore-prophesied of might be discovered. Here is another prophecy fulfilled in Christ's thirst. The prophecies alluded to are two : one is Ps. xxii. 15, ' My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws ; thou hast brought me to the dust of death.' The other prophecy hinteth the act of the Jewish malice : Ps. Ixix. 21, ' They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.' Here was light enough, or conviction sufficient for any but those who resolved to shut their eyes.
4. He said, ' I thirst.' He had spent much time in watching, lost much blood, his body was tortured with extreme pain, and his soul scorched with a sense of God's wrath ; and therefore well might he cry out, ' I thirst.' It is notable that Christ would not declare his thirst till he knew that all things were accomplished ; that is, every sad accident except his death. Certainly if we consider the agonies of the garden, where he excerned blood instead of sweat, his scourging, his being buffeted with the soldiers, his bearing the cross, all this might make him thirst before ; but when wine mingled with myrrh, a stupe- fying potion, was tendered to him before, he refused it : Blark xv. 23, ' And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh, but he re- ceived it not.' But now, when all was accomplished, he saith, ' I thirst.' He would take no natural refreshment till he had borne all our griefs and sorrows, and every sad passage by which he might promote our comfort was accomplished. He was so mindful of us that he forgot himself. He saith that it was meat to him to do his Father's will : John iv. 34, ' My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.' Though the cross-work was sad work, yet that was as drink to Christ. After he had sweltered under the torment of so many hours' drouth, he crieth out, *I thirst.' Christ would make his sufferings as fidl of merit as possibly he could, and therefore would not receive the least draught of comfort till he had paid our whole debt. We ' do evil with both hands earnestly,' Micah vii. 3, and fill our actions with as much disobedience and rebellion as we can possibly put into them : 'Behold thou hast spoken, and done evil things as thou couldst,' Jer. iii. 5. Sin hath not been cheap to us; we have bought the pleasure of it at a dear rate, with much loss and self-denial ; and therefore Christ's sufferings were made as high and extreme as possibly thejr could be.