FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   546   547   548   549   550   551   552   553   554   555   556   557   558   559   560   561   562   563   564   565   566   567   568   569   570  
571   572   573   574   575   576   577   578   579   580   581   582   583   584   585   586   587   588   589   590   591   592   593   594   595   >>   >|  
not Remitted, but Sins Forgiven; he did not bestow Medals, Honours, Favours, but Health, Joy, Sight, Speech. The first Object the Blind ever saw, was the Author of Sight; while the Lame Ran before, and the Dumb repeated the Hosannah. Thus attended, he Entered into his own House, the sacred Temple, and by his Divine Authority expell'd Traders and Worldlings that profaned it; and thus did he, for a time, use a great and despotic Power, to let Unbelievers understand, that twas not Want of, but Superiority to all Worldly Dominion, that made him not exert it. But is this then the Saviour? is this the Deliverer? Shall this Obscure Nazarene command Israel, and sit on the Throne of David? [7] Their proud and disdainful Hearts, which were petrified [8] with the Love and Pride of this World, were impregnable to the Reception of so mean a Benefactor, and were now enough exasperated with Benefits to conspire his Death. Our Lord was sensible of their Design, and prepared his Disciples for it, by recounting to em now more distinctly what should befal him; but Peter with an ungrounded Resolution, and in a Flush of Temper, made a sanguine Protestation, that tho all Men were offended in him, yet would not he be offended. It was a great Article of our Saviours Business in the World, to bring us to a Sense of our Inability, without Gods Assistance, to do any thing great or good; he therefore told Peter, who thought so well of his Courage and Fidelity, that they would both fail him, and even he should deny him Thrice that very Night. But what Heart can conceive, what Tongue utter the Sequel? Who is that yonder buffeted, mock'd, and spurn'd? Whom do they drag like a Felon? Whither do they carry my Lord, my King, my Saviour, and my God? And will he die to Expiate those very Injuries? See where they have nailed the Lord and Giver of Life! How his Wounds blacken, his Body writhes, and Heart heaves with Pity and with Agony! Oh Almighty Sufferer, look down, look down from thy triumphant Infamy: Lo he inclines his Head to his sacred Bosom! Hark, he Groans! see, he Expires! The Earth trembles, the Temple rends, the Rocks burst, the Dead Arise: Which are the Quick? Which are the Dead? Sure Nature, all Nature is departing with her Creator. T. [Footnote 1: Good Friday.] [Footnote 2: From the words In plain and apt parable to the end, this paper is a reprint of the close of the second chapter of Steele's Christian Hero, with the variati
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   546   547   548   549   550   551   552   553   554   555   556   557   558   559   560   561   562   563   564   565   566   567   568   569   570  
571   572   573   574   575   576   577   578   579   580   581   582   583   584   585   586   587   588   589   590   591   592   593   594   595   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Temple

 

sacred

 
Saviour
 

Footnote

 
offended
 

Nature

 

Whither

 

Expiate

 

Injuries

 

Fidelity


Courage

 
thought
 

Thrice

 

buffeted

 
yonder
 
conceive
 
Tongue
 

Sequel

 

departing

 
Creator

Christian
 

Steele

 

parable

 

reprint

 
Friday
 
chapter
 

trembles

 

heaves

 

Sufferer

 

Almighty


writhes
 

Wounds

 

blacken

 

Groans

 

Expires

 

inclines

 

variati

 

triumphant

 

Infamy

 
nailed

Temper

 
despotic
 
profaned
 

Worldlings

 

Divine

 
Authority
 

expell

 
Traders
 

Unbelievers

 
understand