It is now time for us to treat of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ He who would glory in the Passion and Cross of our Lord, ought to apply himself devoutly and tenderly to these mysteries, and their attendant circumstances ; for if they are regarded with intentness of mind, they would, I think, have a transforming effect upon those who meditate upon them. For to him who searches into these mysteries with earnestness and with the whole energy of his inmost being, many unexpected lights will be vouchsafed, from which will spring up new sympathy, new love, new consolation, and consequently a new state of grace, which would seem to him a foretaste of, and partaking of glory. But to attain to this state, approach the meditation in the spirit of a child and unlettered person, so that you may make every effort to attend, keeping the eyes of your heart with watchfulness lest you wander from the subject, and banishing all other thoughts. You must direct your attention to these scenes of the Passion, as if you were actually present at the Cross ; and watch the Crucifixion of our Lord with affection, diligence, love, and perseverance. I exhort you, that if you have carefully considered all that has been said concerning His life hitherto, that you redouble your attention now, and give your undivided energy to all that is to follow, for in this His love is most manifest, which ought to kindle our whole hearts. But receive all that I shall relate, with the same modification as before, — namely, that the things may have happened as I describe them. For I would not affirm anything in this little Work, which was not affirmed in or corroborated by the Holy Scriptures, or the sayings of the Saints, or received opinions.
But it seems to me quite reasonable, that not only the crucifixion of our Lord, the penalty of our sins, which caused His Death, but also all the preceding and attendant circumstances of that event, are worthy of the most intense compassion, grief, and amazement What is it, indeed, but this, that our Lord Himself, God blessed above all things, from the hour of the night when He was taken, up to the hour of His crucifixion, the sixth hour, was in a continual conflict, great suffering, reproaches, mockings, and tortures ! No intermission was granted Him. But in what a struggle and conflict He was engaged, hear and see. Contemplate the sweet, meek, and gracious Jesus. One seizes Him, another binds Him, another assaults Him, and another cries out at Him, another pushes Him, another blasphemes, another spits on Him, and another jolts Him, another grasps Him, another questions Him, some seek false witness against Him, another puts himself in collusion with them; one bears witness falsely against Him, another accuses Him, another derides Him, another blindfolds Him, another strikes His blessed face, another buffets Him, another leads Him to the pillar, another strips Him, another, while He is led, gives Him a blow, another shouts at Him, another lays hold of Him to insult Him, another binds Him to the pillar, another rushes at Him, and another lashes Him ; one clothes Him with purple in mockery, and another crowns Him with thorns ; one places a reed in His hand, another madly snatches it to smite with it His thorn-crowned head ; another denyingly bows the knee, another derides him who does so; and many heaped reproaches on Him. He is led forward and back, is spit upon, despised, hurried about as if a fool or some most mad person, even as if a robber and wicked malefactor. Now He is taken to Annas, then to Caiaphas, then to Pilate, then to Herod, and back again to Pilate, and then He is dragged in, and then out, and then along. My God, what is this ? Does it not seem to you most hard, most bitter, a continuous and violent conflict? But wait a little, and you shall see worse treatment. The rulers, the Pharisees, the elders, and thousands of people stand against Him persistently. They all shout with one accord, “Let Him be crucified.” On His bruised and already wounded shoulders the cross is laid, on which He is to be crucified ; on all sides citizens and strangers, not only sober and elderly, but also profane and drunken men, flock together, not to compassionate, but most shamefully to deride Him. No one recognizes Him, but all are eager to cover Him with mud and filth, and to ill-use Him ; and He endures all this, He becomes their byword. “They that sit in the gate speak against ‘ Him/ and the drunkards make songs upon ‘ Him.’”1 He is driven forward, and pressed ; He is dragged, and hurried along; and thus scourged, wearied, covered with wounds, and overwhelmed with reproaches, He is not allowed a moment’s rest ; and scarcely can He keep His life in Him, until He reaches the place of Calvary — most unclean and loathsome spot I All is done with force and fury. But in this place, an end and rest is to be given to the struggle of which we treat ; but that rest is but the beginning of a sharper struggle, namely, crucifixion and the bed of pain. Behold what a rest is this I You see how, even to the sixth hour, our Lord suffered this long and hard conflict Indeed, “the waters came in even to His soul,” truly “many dogs came about Him”2 — many, terrible, strong, ferocious— and the council of the wicked laid siege against Him, “who whet their tongue like a sword and shot out their arrows, even bitter words.”3 We have thus summarized what may be said of our Lord’s Passion during the three first hours, even to twelve o’clock. But not indeed in this brief way must we dismiss so great bitterness and punishment for our sins which our Lord Jesus endured; reflect upon these, and re-consider all. Great, indeed, and manifold is the matter here for holy meditation, penetrating to the inmost heart and affections ; be present, then, in spirit. We have as yet spoken of these sufferings only in general terms. Now we will dwell upon the separate details, for we ought not to grow weary of meditating upon these pains, which our Lord wearied not in enduring.
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