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<DATE>2012-12-18</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>SIONS SVVEETS: <HI>OR</HI> THE SPOVSES SPIKENARD; <HI>AND</HI> MYSTICALL MYRRHE. <HI>BY</HI> THOMAS BARNES.</P>
<P>Preacher of Gods VVord at S^t <HI>Margretts</HI> in <HI>New-Fi&s;h-&s;treete.</HI> LONDON.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON</HI> Printed by <HI>I. D.</HI> for <HI>Nathaniell Newbery:</HI> and are to be &s;old at his Shop at the &s;igne of the <HI>Starre</HI> vnder S^t <HI>Peters</HI> Church in <HI>Corn-hi l,</HI> and in <HI>Popes</HI> head Alley. 1624.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<OPENER><SALUTE>TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFVLL, the Lady <HI>Barrington,</HI> Wife to Sir <HI>Francis Barrington;</HI> the Lady <HI>Eliott,</HI> Wife to Sir <HI>T. E.</HI> the Lady <HI>Barnardi&s;ton,</HI> Wife to Sir <HI>Nathan. B.</HI> and M^r^i^s <HI>Ioanna Mildmay,</HI> of <HI>Tarling</HI>-hall in <HI>E&s;&s;ex;</HI> the ioy of the ju&s;tified, in <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> the ju&s;tifier, wi&s;hed.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WHen fir&s;t I con&s;ulted with my &s;elfe, vnder who&s;e protection I might &s;end abroad the&s;e <HI>Sweets of Sion, [THE SPOU|SES SPIKENARD,</HI> and <HI>MYSTI|CALL MYRRHE]</HI> my thoughts fell <HI>(Right Wor&s;hipfull)</HI> vpon you foure. And, after &s;ome conflicts with inward cauills, I did re&s;olue to make bold with <HI>all</HI> your names; and &s;o much the rather, both becau&s;e, in <HI>another</HI> Treati&s;e &s;ent forth with <HI>this,</HI> I haue made as bold with your Wor&s;hipfull yoake-fel|lowes: as al&s;o in regard, the <HI>matter</HI> handled in the&s;e <HI>Ser|mons</HI> is &s;uch, as be v&s;efull to <HI>your</HI> &s;oules, as well as any of <HI>theirs,</HI> who are true members of <HI>that</HI> CHVRCH, and by faith made one with <HI>that</HI> SPOVSE, whom the whole Booke of <HI>Salomons Songs,</HI> (out of which I haue cull'd <HI>the&s;e</HI> Sweets) in a mo&s;t &s;weete, and heauenly &s;treine
<PB REF="3" MS="y"> doth treat of. I dare &s;ay, that were it not for the Authors wants, here you &s;hould finde, and meete with <HI>that,</HI> which would be both for <HI>direction,</HI> and <HI>con&s;olation; Directi|on</HI> in your carriage, in re&s;pect of what you <HI>owe</HI> to Chri&s;t; <HI>con&s;olation,</HI> for your con&s;cience, in regard of what you <HI>reape</HI> by Chri&s;t. For I am &s;ure, <HI>that</HI> parcell of Scripture, vpon which the&s;e <HI>Meditations</HI> are, doth afford <HI>&s;uch Rules, &s;uch comforts</HI> pregnantly, plentifully. In <HI>it</HI> we haue <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> his <HI>loue,</HI> the <HI>Church</HI> her <HI>loyaltie. Chri&s;t his loue</HI> vnto his Church, &s;itting as a <HI>King</HI> at Table with her, communicating his grace, and fauour vnto her, in the <HI>Ornaments,</HI> and <HI>Ordinances</HI> wherewith he hath endu|ed her. The Church her <HI>loyaltie</HI> vnto her Chri&s;t: first, <HI>pre&s;enting</HI> him with her <HI>Box of Spikenard,</HI> her <HI>faith</HI> and <HI>good</HI> Workes: &s;econdly, <HI>pray&s;ing</HI> him for his <HI>Bundle of Myrrhe,</HI> the <HI>pardoning of her &s;innes,</HI> the <HI>refre&s;hing of her &s;oule:</HI> thirdly, profe&s;sing &s;hee would neuer forget the <HI>greatnes</HI> of his loue, and would endeuour to keepe the <HI>&s;ence</HI> of his kindnes. This loue of that <HI>great husband</HI> I wi&s;h you the &s;weet of, with a daily encrea&s;e of it, more and more. This loyaltie of the Spou&s;e&s;&s;e I doubt not but hath beene yeelded by your Wor&s;hips ere now, to Chri&s;t the head. The ble&s;sing vpon the&s;e labours, I craue of God; the Patro|nage, the acceptance, of the&s;e endeuours I beg of you. Which <HI>(RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL)</HI> may I but obtaine: <HI>GOD,</HI> for <HI>that his ble&s;&s;ing,</HI> &s;hall haue my <HI>pray&s;es, YOV for your acceptance</HI> &s;hall haue his <HI>prayers,</HI> who is</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your <HI>Wor&s;hips</HI> to be commanded in any Chri&s;tian &s;ervice to his power; <HI>THOMAS BARNES.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>THE SPOVSES SPIKENARD.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Canticles 1.12.13.14.</HI></BIBL>
<P N="12"><HI>12.</HI> While the King &s;itteth at his Table, my Spike|nard &s;endeth forth the &s;mell thereof.</P>
<P N="13"><HI>13.</HI> A bundle of Myrrhe is my welbeloved vnto me, he &s;hall lie all night betweene my brea&s;ts.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THree Workes did <HI>Salo|mon</HI> Write, that the Church of GOD might be the better for that Wi&s;edome which the God of Wi&s;edome be&s;towed vpon him, <HI>Prover|biall Sentences, Powerfull Ser|mons,</HI> and <HI>Patheticall Songs:</HI> which Workes in Canonicall Scriptures, are knowne by the&s;e names, <HI>Proverbs, Eccle&s;ia&s;tes, Canticles,</HI> each of which
<PB N="2" REF="4"> conteineth in it mo&s;t excellent and heavenly matter, but the &s;weete&s;t of all the re&s;t is this Booke of the <HI>Canticles.</HI> Where|in, vnder a continued <HI>Allegorie</HI> in the forme of a <HI>Pa&s;torall Elegie,</HI> this heavenly in&s;pired Poet doth breath out the me|lodious &s;traines &amp; pa&s;&s;ages of loue mutually interchanged betweene the great Spou&s;e <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us,</HI> and his be&s;t beloued Bride the <HI>Church.</HI> Among&s;t which &s;traines this Text is one, being a part of that heavenly Dialogue betwixt Chri&s;t and his Church, comprehended in this Chapter. In which Dia|logue, two things (to make the parts of this Chapter) are con&s;iderable; fir&s;t, the Prologue or Entrance into the Dia|logue, in the fir&s;t &s;ix ver&s;es. Secondly, the Dialogue it &s;elfe, from the &s;eaventh ver&s;e to the end of the Chapter. In the Prologue, the Church doth two things; fir&s;t, &s;he expre&s;&s;eth her ardent de&s;ire of a coniugall communion with her hu&s;|band Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, in the &s;econd, third, and fourth ver&s;es. Secondly, &s;he taketh away the &s;candall, partly, of the cro&s;&s;e which &s;he is expo&s;ed vnto, partly, of tho&s;e infirmities which &s;he is inclined vnto, both which might be ca&s;t in her teeth by fal&s;e brethren, to vpbraid her for too much &s;aucine&s;&s;e, that &s;hee &s;eeming &s;o blacke, dares be &s;o bold as to de&s;ire communion with &s;o beautifull an husband as Chri&s;t is; and this &s;he doth in the fifth and &s;ixth ver&s;es.</P>
<P>The Dialogue it &s;elfe comprehends in it three particulars. Fir&s;t, a que&s;tion that the Church maketh where &s;hee might find her Chri&s;t as a comforter in the time of affliction, as an helper in the time of temptation, in the &s;eaventh ver&s;e. Secondly, Chri&s;t his an&s;were to this que&s;tion, in the eight ver&s;e. Thirdly, the excellent prai&s;es which they doe mutu|ally conferre each vpon the other, from the ninth ver&s;e to the end of the Chapter. Chri&s;t prai&s;ing the Church in the ninth, tenth, eleventh, fifteenth, &s;ixteenth, and &s;eaventeenth ver&s;es. And the Church commending her Chri&s;t, in the words of this Text, and that from two properties which &s;hee perceived in him,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>Greatne&s;&s;e</HI> in the 12. ver&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>Goodne&s;&s;e</HI> in the 13. ver&s;e.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<PB N="3" REF="4" MS="y">
<P>The fir&s;t of the&s;e, Order requireth wee &s;hould fir&s;t deale withall.</P>
<Q><HI>12.</HI> While the King &s;itteth at his Table, my Spikenard &s;endeth forth the &s;mell thereof.</Q>
<P>BEcau&s;e the royaltie of per&s;onage,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Parts of the Text. The rea&s;on <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the divi&s;ion, becau&s;e <HI>King</HI> in the 12. ve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> is a &s;tile of <HI>Greatnes,</HI> and <HI>Welbeloued</HI> in the 13. ver&s;e a title of <HI>good+ne&s;&s;e.</HI></NOTE> co&s;tlines of provi&s;ion for his Bride, and &s;tateline&s;&s;e of pre&s;ence with his Bride, doe much &s;et forth the <HI>Greatne&s;&s;e</HI> of a Bridegroome: there|fore the Church here commendeth the Greatnes of HER &s;pirituall Spou&s;e, from the&s;e three particulars. 1.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Regem non ci|tr&agrave; magnificen+tia~ nota appel|latum &s;pon&s;um Mercer. ad locum. <HI>The fir&s;t cir|cum&s;tance in the fir&s;t part. The mea|ning.</HI></NOTE> the royal|tie of his per&s;on by the &s;tile (KING) that &s;hee giveth him. <HI>While the King.</HI> 2. The co&s;tlines of provi&s;ion for her, by the Table which &s;hee &s;peaketh of, calling it <HI>His Table.</HI> 3. The &s;tatelines of his pre&s;ence, by his &s;itting at this Table, <HI>While the King &s;itteth at his Table,</HI> amplified by the adiunct <HI>&s;weet|ne&s;&s;e,</HI> which her Spikenard did &s;end vnto him, while he was thus pre&s;ent with her; <HI>My Spikenard &s;endeth forth the &s;mell thereof.</HI></P>
<P>TO begin with the &s;tile royall which &s;hee giueth him, <HI>While the King.</HI> How&s;oever<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Brightns.</NOTE> One by <HI>King</HI> here, vn|der&s;tandeth King <HI>A&s;a,</HI> &s;poken of 2. <HI>Chron.</HI> 15. and others in the hy&s;toricall &s;en&s;e, King <HI>Salomon,</HI> yet with<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Mercer. Pi&s;cat.</NOTE> others I doe rather my&s;tically vnder&s;tand Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, the &s;pirituall <HI>Salomon,</HI> and<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 9.6.</NOTE> <HI>Prince of peace.</HI> And &s;o our Ob&s;ervation mu&s;t be this; <HI>That the husband of the Church Chri&s;t Ie&s;us is a King.</HI> This is a knowne Maxime, in the proofe whereof the Scrip|ture is no whit barren. The P&s;almi&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Doct.</HI> 1. Chri&s;t the Churches Spou&s;e is a King.</NOTE> &s;peaking in the per|&s;on of the Church, calleth him<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 47.7.</NOTE> <HI>our King. Daniel</HI> calleth him<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Dan. 9.25.</NOTE> <HI>Me&s;&s;iah the Prince.</HI> And<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Chap. 12.1.</NOTE> <HI>Michaell the great Prince.</HI> S. <HI>Iohn</HI> in one place of the <HI>Revelation</HI> &s;tileth him the <HI>Prince of the Kings of the earth</HI><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Apoc. 1.5.</NOTE>; and in another, the <HI>King of Kings, the Lord of Lords</HI><NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Chap. 19.16.</NOTE>. Herewith &s;quareth that of <HI>Ieremy,</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Iere. 23.5.</NOTE> <HI>Be|hold the daies come, &s;aith the Lord, that I will rai&s;e vnto Dauid a righteous branch, and a KING &s;hall raigne and pro&s;per, and &s;hall execute iudgement and iu&s;tice vpon the earth.</HI> The &s;ame thing &s;pake the Angell to <HI>Mary,</HI> concerning Chri&s;t,<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Luk. 1.33.</NOTE> <HI>He
<PB N="4" REF="5" MS="y"> &s;hall raigne over the hou&s;e of David, and of his kingdome &s;hall be none end.</HI> All the&s;e te&s;timonies (with many other which might haue beene alledged) doe manife&s;tly &s;hew this to be a truth, That <HI>Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, Sions Spou&s;e, is a King.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">How Chri&s;t is a King, two wayes.</NOTE>And if we would know how he came by this Kingly of|fice (which mu&s;t be an&s;wered before the poynt be applyed) wee mu&s;t vnder&s;tand, that he is a King two wayes.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, By dominion of him&s;elfe.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, By donation from another.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t, by dominion and authoritie of him&s;elfe, and &s;o he is <HI>Iehovah,</HI> God equall with the Father, and the holy Gho&s;t, in vnitie of e&s;&s;ence, equalitie of potency, maie&s;tie, glory, and &s;overaigntie over all creatures.</P>
<P N="2">2. He is a King by donation and gift, receiuing the king|dome (as he is <GAP DESC="foreign">) or Mediator of the Church from the Father, in which regard he is called <HI>Me&s;&s;iah</HI> in the olde Te&s;tament, and <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in the new, which &s;ignifie <HI>Annoynted,</HI> that is, <HI>Annoynted of the Father,</HI> and &s;o much he te&s;tifieth him&s;elfe;<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Mat. 11.27.</NOTE> <HI>All things,</HI> and<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Chap. 28.28</NOTE> <HI>All power both in heaven and in earth, are giuen me of my Father.</HI> Thus the poynt is made good and made cleere. It is as v&s;efull as plaine. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> For, fir&s;t of all it lets vs &s;ee, the notable dignitie of the Church of Chri&s;t. To heare the P&s;almi&s;t calling her <HI>the DAVGH|TER of the King</HI><NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45.13.</NOTE>: to heare <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;tiling her <HI>the Prin|ces DAVGHTER</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Cant. 7.1.</NOTE>, is to heare her dignitie vnmatcha|ble; but to heare her, her &s;elfe (as &s;hee is the WIFE of Chri&s;t) &s;tiling him <HI>the King</HI> in my Text, to heare <HI>Chri&s;t the King</HI> calling her his <HI>Spou&s;e&s;&s;e, his loue, his doue, his vndefiled one, &amp;c.</HI> as he doth in more places of this Booke then one; this is to heare her excellency to be vnutterable. What ho|nour can be paralelled with it? What dignitie is compara|ble to it? <HI>Behold</HI> (&s;aith S. <HI>Iohn</HI>) (to &s;tirre vp attention) <HI>what manner of loue the Father hath be&s;towed vpon vs, that we &s;hould be called the &s;onnes of God</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 3.1.</NOTE>. <HI>Behold,</HI> (may I &s;ay, to &s;tirre vp admiration) <HI>what &s;ingular kindnes the &s;onne hath &s;howne the Church, that &s;hee &s;hould be the Wife of God?</HI> If by the grace of adoption, to be the BRETHREN of Chri&s;t, can command
<PB N="5" REF="5"> a <HI>Behold</HI> at our hands, then by the vertue of an holy con|iunction to be the BRIDE of Chri&s;t, mu&s;t needs call for a <HI>Behold</HI> and <HI>wonder at our hands.</HI> And (to &s;peake truth) &s;o wonderfull is this dignitie, that except by an <HI>Allegorie</HI> I can|not &s;et it forth. We know that that Woman which hath an earthly King to her husband, excelleth all other degrees of Women (though great and noble) in the Land where &s;hee liueth, in divers particulars. For &s;hee hath a more noble Guard to attend her, more royall Garments to array her, more c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;tly Iewels to adorne her, more &s;tately Pallaces to inhabite in, more plea&s;ant Galleries to walke vpon, then they haue, or at lea&s;t then its fit they &s;hould haue. And doth not that<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Apoc. 12.1.</NOTE> <HI>Woman cloathed with the Sunne, I meane the</HI><NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">So <HI>Paraeus,</HI> and others ex|pound it.</NOTE> <HI>Church,</HI> who is contracted to the Heavenly King, excell all other &s;orts and &s;ocieties of people in the like? Out of doubt &s;hee doth: Emperors with all their Monarchies, Nobles with all their dignities, Captaines with all their Victories, Papi&s;ts with all their prelacies, Pagans with all their excellencies, are not comparable vnto her. Her guard are the Angels of Chri&s;t<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 34.7. Heb. 1.14.</NOTE>; Her garments are the robes of Chri&s;t<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Apoc. 12.1.</NOTE>; Her iewels are the graces or Chri&s;t; Her dwelling place is the king|dome of Chri&s;t, of grace here, of glory hereafter; Her wal|king places are the wayes of Chri&s;t, for it is onely the privi|ledge of Chri&s;tians to tread in the &s;teps of their &s;overaigne and Saviour. Well then might the P&s;almi&s;t &s;ay, <HI>Glorious things are &s;poken of thee thou Citie of God</HI><NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">P&s;al 87.3.</NOTE>. I know what opi|nion the world hath of the Church, deeming her of all peo|ple to be the ba&s;e&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">O nunquam &s;a|tis expen&s;am credentium dignitatem. Mu&s;cul. in Ex|plana. P&s;al. <HI>45.</HI> v. <HI>9.</HI> Ob&s;. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> even the very &s;cumme and refu&s;e of men: I know al&s;o that her owne members in the time of temptation thinke more hardly of them&s;elues, then there is either cau&s;e or warrant; But what&s;oever the world thinkes of her, what&s;oever poore Chri&s;tians in the times of di&s;tre&s;&s;e thinke of them&s;elues, yet it is a certaine thing, that <HI>great honour haue all the Saints</HI><NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 149.9.</NOTE>; the poynt in hand infor|meth vs of no le&s;&s;e, when it &s;aith, that <HI>I&s;raels husband is a King.</HI></P>
<PB N="6" REF="6">
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Secondly, this poynt is not without its V&s;e, for the ene|mies of the Church;<NOTE PLACE="marg">For the ene|mies of <HI>Sion.</HI></NOTE> For, fir&s;t it may be bent AGAINST them by way of terror. Secondly, it may be directed To them by way of coun&s;ell.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. By way of terror.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, I &s;ay, it may be a ground of terrour AGAINST them, for the wrongs that they offer to the members of Chri&s;t. Ah poore wretches, are they aware whom they op|po&s;e! con&s;ider they whom they &s;et again&s;t! they per&s;ecute, wrong, oppugne, them who are the Wife of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, a glorious Bride, who&s;e husband is a King; King, not onely by donation from the Father, but al&s;o by dominion of him|&s;elfe. Meane men (yee know) if they loue their Wiues, will not &s;ee them wronged if they can helpe it, much le&s;&s;e will Kings brooke the iniuries that are offered their Queenes. That trea&s;on which is &s;poken or plotted again&s;t them, they take as done to them&s;elues, and will be revenged for it. And will the <HI>King of Kings,</HI> that <HI>Great Prince, Christ Ie&s;us,</HI> doe le&s;&s;e for his Wife&punc; the Church? No, no: he paide too deare a price for her, as not to maintaine her cau&s;e, and avenge her quarrell: and if he vndertakes to defend her, then woe to tho&s;e that offend her; <HI>Better a Mill-&s;tone were hanged about their neckes, and they ca&s;t into the midde&s;t of the Sea.</HI></P>
<P>I remember in the Booke of <HI>Io&s;hua,</HI> how tho&s;e<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Io&s;. 10.3-26 ver&s;es.</NOTE> fiue Kings were &s;erved for Warring again&s;t the <HI>Gibeonites,</HI> that were entred into league with <HI>Io&s;uah;</HI> the Captaines trod vp|on their neckes, they were hanged vpon fiue trees again&s;t the Sunne: And will not the great<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Io&s;. 5.15.</NOTE> <HI>Captaine of the Lords Ho&s;t</HI> tread vpon THEIR neckes, and puni&s;h THEM in his wrath, that &s;et again&s;t tho&s;e that are entred not onely in|to league, but al&s;o into contract with Ie&s;us, our &s;pirituall <HI>Io|&s;uah?</HI> Be but a man a<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Io&s;. 9.27.</NOTE> Water-bearer to the Congregation of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> or a<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 84.10.</NOTE> <HI>Doore-keeper in the hou&s;e of God,</HI> or like <HI>Iohn Bapti&s;t</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Mat. 11.11.</NOTE> <HI>lea&s;t in the Kingdome of heaven,</HI> his wrongs &s;hall be righted, his cau&s;e &s;hall be avenged. What became of them that &s;et again&s;t <HI>Daniel?</HI> were not their bones broken, and their bodies eaten with the teeth of Lyons<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Dan. 6.24.</NOTE>. How fared it
<PB N="7" REF="6" MS="y"> with tho&s;e that bound the three Children, and ca&s;t them into the fiery Furnace? were they not &s;corched to death with the fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">me of the fire<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Chap. 3.22.</NOTE>? Did not<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Act. 12.23.</NOTE> Lice gnaw out the bowells, and doth not a cur&s;e lie vpon the name of <HI>Herod,</HI> who murthered <HI>Iames,</HI> and impri&s;oned <HI>Peter,</HI> the<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Iam 1.1. 1 Pet. 1.1.</NOTE> &s;ervants of the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t? What end came <HI>Nero</HI> vnto, that vnnaturall Mon&s;ter, who imbrued his hands in the blood of his owne mother, wife, kindred, and others<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Sueton in vi|ta Neronis. cap. <HI>34. 35.</HI></NOTE>; that cruell Ly|on, as <HI>Paul</HI> calls him<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4.17.</NOTE>, who murthered and ma&s;&s;acred the poore Chri&s;tians? If that be true, which is &s;toried of him, his owne &s;word did he &s;heath in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">his owne blood, and be|came his owne Butcher<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Au&s;on de <HI>12.</HI> Cae&s;ar Matrici|da&abque; Nero pro|prio &s;e perculit en&s;e.</NOTE>. In times of later per&s;ecution a|mong&s;t vs, what fearefull endes did tho&s;e butchers come vnto, that &s;lew the Saints. Some had their gutts carried a|bout the &s;treets vpon Bulls hornes<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Fox Martyr: Olog. edit. Anno <HI>1596.</HI> Pag. <HI>712.</HI> Idem ibid.</NOTE>; others dyed madde<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Pag. <HI>1904.</HI> Melanct. chron. l. <HI>11</HI> p. <HI>20.</HI></NOTE>; others were &s;trucke dead with the immediate hand of God<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg"><HI>Fox. Mart.</HI> 1908. &amp; 1417</NOTE> as they haue<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">3 Ioh. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Diotrephes</HI>-like beene prating and inveighing again&s;t the members of Chri&s;t, in their Pulpits. And there|fore I tell thee, tis dangerous medling again&s;t the Saints, it is fearefull to flout at them, to backbite them, &s;lander them, hate them, devi&s;e &amp; practi&s;e mi&s;chiefe again&s;t them. What? longe&s;t thou to haue <HI>Sions King</HI> to breake thee in pieces, and the<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Revel. 5.5.</NOTE> <HI>Lyon of the tribe of Iudah</HI> about thy eares? Alas man, if the rage of an earthly King (as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;peaketh) <HI>be like the roaring of a Lyon</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Pro. 19.12.</NOTE>, what &s;hall Chri&s;t his wrath be again&s;t his owne and his Brides adver&s;aries? Is he thinke&s;t thou a King onely IN his Church, and To his Church, to rule it by his Word, and guide it by his Spirit, and not as well a King FOR his Church, to auenge the wrongs thou &s;halt dare to offer vnto it? Oh, fond wretch, doe not deceiue thine owne &s;oule; <HI>Vengeance belongs to him and he will repay.</HI></P>
<P>That therefore I may v&s;e this point by way of coun&s;ell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32.35. 2. Part of the v&s;e to <HI>Sions</HI> e|nemies, <HI>viz.</HI> Coun&s;ell or per&s;wa&s;ion.</NOTE> let me per&s;wade a little with thee; Doe no wrong to the Church of Chri&s;t, or any member of the &s;ame. Remember the charge that the Lord him&s;elfe giueth; <HI>Touch not mine annointed, and doe my Prophets no harme</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">P&s;al 105.15.</NOTE>. Touch them not with thy tongue, &s;hoote not out <HI>bitter words</HI> again&s;t them.
<PB N="8" REF="7"> Touch them not with thy Pen, frame no bitter writings a|gain&s;t them; touch them not with thy hand, offer no vio|lence vnto them; touch them not with thy head, invent no ill again&s;t them. For what &s;hall it availe thee to wrong them, when as their husband Chri&s;t is a King.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Motiue</HI> 1. Again&s;t this crueltie the King Chri&s;t bendes his wi&s;edome and his power. <HI>Ledere &s;ervos Dei &amp; Chri&s;ti tuis per&s;ecutio|nibus de&s;ine; quos lae&s;os vltio divina defen|dit. Cypr. Tract. contra Demetr. fol.</HI> 72. <HI>Motiue</HI> 2. To wrong the Church is vn|equall and vniu&s;t dea|ling. 1. With Chri&s;t him&s;elfe.</NOTE> A King, I &s;ay, and therefore wants no wi&s;edome, but is able to goe beyond thee, bee&s;t thou as craftie in thy fetches as the Serpent was; A King, I &s;ay, who wants no power, but is able to confound thee, wert thou as mightie in thy cour&s;es as euer proud <HI>Se|nacherib</HI> was: and both his Princely policy, and Kingly po|tency, &s;hall concurre and meete together for thy ruine, ra|ther then his Wife &s;hall &s;uffer at thy handes any more then what &s;hall turne to her eternall well-fare. Is it not a vaine thing for thee to attempt that which both the wi&s;edome and power of Chri&s;t oppo&s;eth it &s;elfe again&s;t?</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, there is little rea&s;on, nay it is again&s;t all rea&s;on, that thou &s;houlde&s;t doe harme vnto the Saints, for neither doth the Husband nor the Wife giue any iu&s;t cau&s;e vnto thee. Fir&s;t, for the husband and King him&s;elfe. What wrong did he ever doe thee? Hath he ever dealt vnmercifully and cruelly with thee? Is it not by HIS patience that thou art kept out of hell, &s;o long agoe, &s;o many wayes de&s;erved by thee? Is it not by HIS goodne&s;&s;e and providence, that thou ha&s;t health, libertie, peace, pro&s;peritie, &amp;c? Nay, doth He not in the motions of his Spirit, which thou quenche&s;t, in the mini&s;try of his Word, which thou de&s;pi&s;e&s;t, make mo&s;t free and gracious offers of his owne precious blood, to &s;aue thy &s;oule from euerla&s;ting damnation, &amp; &s;aued thou migh|te&s;t be, if thine impenitent and vnbeleeuing heart did not reiect and &s;et light by the&s;e offers? An&s;were me, by whom ha&s;t thou, thy beeing, life, and moouing, and euery good thing that thou doe&s;t enioy? and is this the recompence of his kindne&s;&s;e, to abu&s;e and de&s;pi&s;e his Wife, his beloued Wife, and per&s;ecute him in his members? What an vniu&s;t and vnequall thing is this? What? Mu&s;t HIS Wife of all other in the world, be accounted factious, &s;editious, trou|ble-States, traytors, that &s;peake again&s;t <HI>Cae&s;ar,</HI> not worthy to
<PB N="9" REF="7" MS="y"> liue in a Common-wealth, &amp;c? Serue&s;t thou this King thus indeed for his goodne&s;&s;e? Oh iniury mo&s;t horrible, Oh wrong mo&s;t intollerable, which thou wilt neuer be able to an&s;were, when he &s;hall<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Apoc. 1.7. Mat. 24.30.</NOTE> come in the Clouds to avenge the blood of the Saints.</P>
<P>Againe,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. It is iniu&s;|tice to the Church al&s;o.</NOTE> As Chri&s;t him&s;elfe on <HI>his</HI> part giues thee no iu&s;t cau&s;e to hurt his Church, no more doth &s;hee on <HI>her</HI> part; for what iniury doth &s;hee doe thee? Shee refu&s;eth indeed to run to the &s;ame exce&s;&s;e of ryot with thee. Accounte&s;t thou <HI>this</HI> a wrong. In <HI>this</HI> (if thou had&s;t but eyes to &s;ee) &s;hee is more thy friend then thine enemy, becau&s;e &s;hee would not by any bad example hearten and harden thee in the way to damnation; contrarily, by her good example &s;hee would al|lure thee TO, and invre thee IN the way to &s;alvation. Be&s;ides, By HER meanes thou doe&s;t enioy much good. Were it not for HER, thy hou&s;e would be burned over thy head; for when there &s;hall cea&s;e to be a Church vpon the earth, all things thereon &s;hall be melted by fire<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3.12.</NOTE>. Many a time doth &s;hee confer with her Kingly Spou&s;e for thy good; &s;hee entreateth him (if it be his ble&s;&s;ed will) to turnr thee from thy &s;innes, to &s;aue thee in the heavens; By her pray|ers &s;hee &s;topps many a iudgement from lighting vpon thee, &s;he fetcheth many a ble&s;&s;ing from heaven for thee. For Gods &s;ake then be not &s;o vniu&s;t, as to harme tho&s;e, for who&s;e &s;ake the very world it &s;elfe is vpheld &amp; pre&s;erued, and by who&s;e meanes thou thy &s;elfe doe&s;t enioy a great deale of good. Na|ture condemnes iniu&s;tice again&s;t the be&s;t friends. Let me then be&s;eech thee, (if thou bee&s;t not altogether inexorable, inflexible) for this cau&s;e not to offer &s;uch iniury to the children of God, ie&s;t not at them, rayle not vpon them, bend neither thy craft, nor thy crueltie again&s;t them.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Mot.</HI> 3.</NOTE> They haue buffettings and temptations enough <HI>within,</HI> they had need be &s;pared and freed from troubles <HI>without;</HI> Hath thy malice then added to the mea&s;ure of their afflictions? Get thee vp|on thy knees for it, powre out the &s;ongs of complaint again&s;t thy &s;elfe before the Lord fot it, meete her husband the King in the way, make thy peace with him for the abu&s;es thou
<PB N="10" REF="8"> ha&s;t offred her his Wife, be not &s;ayd nay vntill a bill of paci|fication, and reconciliation be &s;ealed for thee; purpo&s;e thou and promi&s;e him neuer to &s;erue him &s;o in his members any more; learne to loue them as much as euer thou ha&s;t hated them: and doe this &s;peedily too, lea&s;t that this great King and Bridegroome of the Church, like a<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 13.7.8.</NOTE> <HI>Leopard in the way,</HI> and a <HI>Beare robbed of her whelpes,</HI> ri&s;e vp again&s;t thee,<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.22.</NOTE> <HI>teare thee in pieces and there be none to deliuer thee.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> Thirdly, is Chri&s;t a King? This iu&s;tly taxeth the folly of a great many in the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reproofe of tho&s;e that neglect an vnion with Chri&s;t.</NOTE> who care not for, who &s;eeke not after, who like not of a matching and marrying with Chri&s;t Ie&s;us. He comes vnto vs as a Wooer, in his Word, with his mercies, offring a large ioynture vnto vs in the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions of grace here, in the portion of glory hereafter, and faine would he haue entertainment at our handes, but we will none of him; iu&s;t like <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> (again&s;t whom he takes vp a bill of complaint by S. <HI>Luke) I would haue gathered you together as an henne gathereth her chickens vnder her wings, but you would not</HI><NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Luke 17.37.</NOTE>? All the day long <HI>&s;tretcheth he forth his hand</HI><NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Rom. 10.21. I&s;a. 65.2.</NOTE>, but we are a gain&s;aying people. If now and then we afford him a good looke, and a faire word, by <HI>hearing a Sermon vpon the Saboth,</HI> by <HI>receiuing the Sacrament at Ea&s;ter,</HI> by a little &s;uperficiall attendance vpon his ordinances, (when we are vrged to it) thats all he gets at our hands: To giue him our con&s;ent, to be content to be inui&s;ibly contracted vnto him, and to for|&s;ake all other onely to cleaue to him, this we will not by any meanes grant him, the greate&s;t number of vs. Oh that &s;o roiall a Suter, &s;hould be &s;o ba&s;ely &s;erued at the hands of &s;uch ba&s;e creatures. Would any poore mans daughter &s;erue a rich mans &s;onne after &s;uch a fa&s;hion? Would a meane &s;ub|iects childe deale thus with a Prince, with a King? Shee would not, except &s;hee were a foole, or franticke. Ah fooles then, &amp; vnwi&s;e that WEE are, to giue this Princely Wooer &s;o cold a well-come. Haue we no regard to our owne good? can we not &s;ee when we are well offred? What? thinke wee that we are well enough, rich enough of our &s;elues? Alas we, (<HI>Laodicea</HI>-like)<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Apoc. 3.17.</NOTE> <HI>are wretched, mi&s;erable, poore, blind, and
<PB N="11" REF="8" MS="y"> naked,</HI> &s;tript and robbed of all the wealth which once we had in our innocent condition; &s;o meane, &s;o beggerly, that ex|cept we get him into vnion with vs, to be our husband, and inrich vs, it had beene good for vs if wee had neuer beene: Why then &s;hould we be &s;o &s;otti&s;h, &s;o enuious to our owne weale, as to reiect tho&s;e treaties of marriage with him&s;elfe, that he proffers vs. I gue&s;&s;e at the cau&s;e of this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cavills of &s;ome (now a reproouing) that care not for Chri&s;t.</NOTE> &amp; (I thinke) not ami&s;&s;e. We (like to &s;ome Wiues that loue to play rex, and are loth to be vnder rule) deeme the conditions too &s;trict, which his Spou&s;e mu&s;t conforme vnto, &amp; this marr's the match. Oh! Oh!<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1. That he ties to vnrea&s;onable conditions.</NOTE> Fir&s;t, he requires &s;pirituall cha&s;titie at our hands. His Wife mu&s;t be a Virgin,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45.14. I&s;a. 37.22.</NOTE> <HI>haue doues eyes,</HI><NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Cant. 1.15.</NOTE> &s;ingle and &s;imple, not to admit of any Mate with him, <HI>E|zechiel's</HI><NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Ezech. 23.5.</NOTE> <HI>harlot,</HI> and <HI>Iames</HI> his<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Iam. 4.4.</NOTE> <HI>adultere&s;&s;e,</HI> he cannot away with. That we &s;hould part our loue betwixt Mammon and him, him and <HI>Belial,</HI> him and Satan, he will not tolerate, the whole man mu&s;t be kept cha&s;t wholly for him: If wee entertaine either &s;en&s;uall plea&s;ures, or &s;infull profits, as our Paramours, we are no Bride for his fellow&s;hip.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, He mu&s;t haue obedience at our handes; a like &s;ubiection as was impo&s;ed vpon<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.16.</NOTE> <HI>Eue</HI> to her husband, doth he looke for indeed; he tells vs if wee will match with him, our de&s;ire mu&s;t be to him, he mu&s;t rule ouer vs, and of ne|ce&s;&s;itie wee mu&s;t<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45.11.</NOTE> <HI>reuerence,</HI> (that is) be in &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion vnto him.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3"> Thirdly, He would haue vs<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45.10.</NOTE> <HI>forget our owne people, and our fathers hou&s;e too.</HI> Looke as I&s;raell mu&s;t for&s;ake her idols which &s;hee wor&s;hipped in the time of Pagan idolatry<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">As <HI>Cyrill</HI> ex|pounds it. <HI>Catech.</HI> 7.</NOTE>; as the <HI>Gentiles</HI> mu&s;t <HI>forget</HI> and leaue the Iewi&s;h rites and cere|monies vnder the Go&s;pell<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">So <HI>Lyranus.</HI></NOTE>; &s;o mu&s;t we <HI>forget</HI> our old <HI>coun|try manners what&s;oever</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Iu&s;t. Mart. in Dialog. cum Trypho. <GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Luk. 14.26.</HI></NOTE>. Our teeth mu&s;t not be &s;et on edge with the &s;oure grapes that our fathers haue eaten. That we &s;hould retaine any dregs of the vaine &s;uper&s;tition, or keepe any &s;macke of the vile conver&s;ation of our forefathers, that we &s;hould follow the euill cv&s;tomes of euill people among&s;t whom we liue, will not he at any hand yeeld vnto: He that for&s;aketh not father, mother, children, friends, and all for
<PB N="12" REF="9" MS="y"> Chri&s;ts &s;ake; he that preferreth the plea&s;ing and imitating any of them before him, is not worthy of him. Here is ano|ther condition.</P>
<P>There is another yet, which is not the lea&s;t. They that fel|low and follow him, mu&s;t take vp their cro&s;&s;e<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Luk. 9.23.</NOTE>: He tells vs the harde&s;t in Wooing time: if we be his Di&s;ciples, we &s;hall be<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Io. 15.19.21 Luk. 21.17.</NOTE> <HI>hated for his name &s;ake,</HI> &s;coffed at with <HI>I&s;aac</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Gen. 21.9. Gal. 4.29.</NOTE>, oppre&s;&s;ed with <HI>I&s;rael</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Ex. 5.5.6 &amp;c.</NOTE>, accu&s;ed<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 2.19.</NOTE>, hunted<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. c. 24, 26. &amp;c.</NOTE> with <HI>Dauid,</HI> impri&s;oned with <HI>Ieremy</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Iere. 32.2.</NOTE>, &s;tocked with <HI>Io&s;eph</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Gen. 39.20.</NOTE>, fettered with <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Silas</HI><NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Act. 16.23.</NOTE>, fed with the bread of affliction with <HI>Micha</HI><NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">1 Kin. 22.27</NOTE>, carri|ed into Captivitie with <HI>Ezechiel</HI><NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 1.1.</NOTE>, plunged into the den of Lyons with <HI>Daniel</HI><NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Dan. 6.16.</NOTE>, fired in the brazen Bull with <HI>Antipas</HI><NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">See <HI>Paraeus</HI> in Apoc. 2.13.</NOTE>, robbed of goods, &s;poyled of life with <HI>Polycarpus</HI><NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Apoc. 2.9.</NOTE>. In a word, per&s;ecuted and oppo&s;ed, &amp; men of &s;orrowes with him&s;elfe<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53.3.</NOTE>. The&s;e indeed, are the conditions He tyes his Wife vnto, and the&s;e things, He propounds vnto vs when he comes a Wooing vs, and hence it is we are &s;o loath to be contracted vnto him. Hard termes indeed to meere naturali&s;ts, who haue no eye to &s;ee the royaltie of the per&s;on, nor the recom|pence of reward that he brings with him: But to a man that hath any &s;ound iudgement in &s;pirituall matters, the&s;e <HI>Arti|cles</HI> are ea&s;ie and rea&s;onable enough, if wee may take the Bridegroomes owne word<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat. 11. la&s;t.</HI> My yoake is ea|&s;ie, &amp; my bur|den light. <HI>The cavills quelled.</HI></NOTE>. Let vs examine the ca&s;e a little. Is it more then rea&s;on, that, a great Prince (making choice of a pea&s;ants daughter to Wife) &s;hould reque&s;t and require a re&s;ervation and pre&s;ervation of her cha&s;titie, loue, and loy|altie for him&s;elfe? Mu&s;t <HI>Pharaohs</HI> daughter<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">So literally the word <HI>reue|rence him,</HI> im|porteth. P&s;al 45.11.</NOTE> obey <HI>Salomon,</HI> and is it much for the Church to obey her <HI>Salomon,</HI> Chri&s;t Ie&s;us? <HI>To him onely it is meete</HI> (&s;aith<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg"><HI>Beza. Para|phra&s;e</HI> vpon P&s;al. 45.</NOTE> one) <HI>thou &s;houlde&s;t be &s;ubiect, as to thy Lord; I would haue thee to know</HI> (&s;aith<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Iohan. Com|pen&s; ibid. Paraphra&s;tic&egrave;. E&s;t autem vt &s;cias hic rex dominus tuus dignus cuitu in genua prouolu|ta &s;upplex fias.</NOTE> ano|ther) <HI>that this King thy Lord is worthy to haue bended knees, and a bowing heart.</HI> Againe, &s;hall <HI>Valeria,</HI> the wife of <HI>Seruius</HI> (of whom<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Hier. li <HI>1.</HI> ad|ver&s;us Iovin.</NOTE> one of the Fathers reporteth) not con&s;ent to marry another, &s;aying;<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Seruium &s;em|per viuere.</NOTE> <HI>Seruius my husband liueth &s;till:</HI> and &s;hall <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> play the Harlot, &s;uffering Egypt, A&s;&s;yria, the world, the Deuill, and corruption to<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Ezek. 23.3.</NOTE> <HI>pre&s;&s;e and brui&s;e the teates of her Virginitie;</HI> as though her husband Chri&s;t were
<PB N="13" REF="9"> quite dead, and without being? Mu&s;t <HI>Sarah</HI> for&s;ake her owne <HI>Country</HI><NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Gen. 12.5.</NOTE>, <HI>Rachell</HI> leaue her fathers familie<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Gen. 31.14.</NOTE>, to follow their husbands? and may <HI>Sion</HI> &s;tay in Sodom &s;till, not leaue the rotten errors, &amp; corrupt manners, of her old fathers hou&s;e? May &s;hee &s;ay as the Romani&s;ts doe at this day, <HI>I beleeue as the Church beleeueth,</HI> though they know not how the Church beleeues; or as the Libertines doe, <HI>We will doe as our fathers haue done, as our neighbours doe, we will play on Sundayes, keepe merry company, loue good fellow&s;hip, &s;uch doe &s;o, wee will none of the&s;e preci&s;e orders in our families, our fathers neuer taught vs this, nor did this;</HI> &s;hall &s;hee (I &s;ay) &s;ay thus? Shall <HI>Michol</HI> incur the di&s;plea&s;ure of <HI>Saul</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 19.12.17.</NOTE> for <HI>Dauids</HI> good; and &s;hall the Church be loth to beare rebuke for Chri&s;t his &s;ake, and flinch backe becau&s;e of troubles? Is it too hard, for Chri&s;t to require con&s;tancie and patience at her hands? <HI>What great thing I pray is required,</HI> (&s;aith<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Mu&s;c. in P&s;al. p. <HI>357.</HI> A. Quae&s;o quid magni exigitur cum idem con|iugi &s;uo debeat vxor.</NOTE> one) <HI>when euery Wife owes the like to her husband!</HI> What want of equitie is in the&s;e conditi|ons? let any man iudge. Or put ca&s;e the&s;e termes were vn|rea&s;onable. Yet this husband is an <HI>heauenly King</HI> (you &s;ee) and that makes amends for all, lighteneth the burden, and qualifieth the &s;eeming tartnes of the&s;e Articles. But its come to <HI>Calvins</HI> &s;aying;<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">In P&s;al. 45. v. 11.</NOTE> <HI>Hereupon groweth it, that we be &s;o &s;tately and proud</HI> (we will none of Chri&s;t) <HI>becau&s;e we con&s;ider not how precious a trea&s;ure God offreth vs in his onely begotten &s;onne. If this vnthankefulne&s;&s;e letted not, it would not grieue vs after the example of Paul,</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Phil. 3.8.</NOTE> <HI>to account what&s;oeuer we &s;et mo&s;t &s;tore by, to be but dung, and right nought, that Chri&s;t might enrich vs with his riches.</HI> Worthy therefore to be blamed, are all tho&s;e, who, (becau&s;e they mu&s;t keepe them&s;elues cha&s;t from whooring after their owne plea&s;ures, and profits, yeeld obedience to Chri&s;ts will&punc; &s;uffer troubles for his name, renounce their &s;u|per&s;titions and corruptions for his &s;ake) cannot, will not accept tho&s;e treaties of communion with him&s;elfe, which in loue he tendereth vnto them. What &s;ayd I? Worthy to be blamed? Nay (their contempt of the royaltie of his per|&s;on, and richnes of his portion being con&s;idered) they are worthy to be excluded from euer hauing &s;hare in that ex|cellent
<PB N="14" REF="10" MS="y"> GLORY, which he hath prepared for his owne.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e"> Fourthly, Is <HI>I&s;raels</HI> Spou&s;e an heauenly King? What re|uerent regard and good well-come ought we (then) to af|ford Gods Mini&s;ters,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exhortation to make much of <HI>Levi,</HI> who labours in matching vs to Chri&s;t.</NOTE> who come vnto vs and deale with vs about a Match with Chri&s;t Ie&s;us. Wee know what re&s;pect <HI>Rebeccah</HI> gaue <HI>Eliezer, Abrahams</HI> &s;ervant<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Gen. 24.31.32.33.</NOTE>, when hee came vnto HER about a Match with the Patriarch <HI>I&s;aack</HI> his Ma|&s;ters &s;onne: how much made on a Princes me&s;&s;enger to a poore mans daughter, about &s;uch a matter &s;hould be, wee may ea&s;ily coniecture; and &s;hall not we account the<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 52.7. Rom. 10.15.</NOTE> <HI>feete of them beautifull, that bring vnto vs the glad tydings of peace;</HI> and that tell vs, that the &s;onne of God would faine be married vnto vs? God forbid, but we &s;hould. Alas, alas then what an heauie inditement at the day of iudgement, will be brought IN again&s;t the vnthankfull world, for the bad en|tertainement that it yeelds vnto the Lords Levites, and la|bourers in this bu&s;ines. We come from the King of heauen, as his Amba&s;&s;adors, we talke with people about this Spou&s;e, and (according to the talent which the Lord hath lent vs) we acquaint them with the comelines of his feature, the &s;tatelines of his per&s;on, the greatnes of his portion, we direct them how to entertaine him, &s;hew them the way how to obtaine him, &amp;c. And yet (lamentable it is to con&s;ider) &s;ome deride vs, &s;ome di&s;grace vs, and many deale vniu&s;tly with vs. Men and brethren, what &s;hall wee doe? Shall we de&s;i&s;t? Hath the Lord taken an oath of vs (as <HI>Abraham</HI> of his &s;er|vant) that wee &s;hall &s;eeke out a Wife for his &s;onne, and &s;hall we deale fal&s;ely and faithle&s;ly in our errand? Oh, let vs la|bour to ioyne &s;till, even heaven and earth, Chri&s;t and the Church. We haue not our names&punc; and offices of<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Levi <HI>&s;ignifi|eth</HI> ioyned.</NOTE> <HI>Levi</HI> for nought. Pray we for a ble&s;&s;ing vpon our trauaile, as<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Gen. 24.12.</NOTE> <HI>Elie|zer</HI> did; &s;hun we not to <HI>declare all the coun&s;ell of God</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Act. 20.27.</NOTE>, for a|ny by-re&s;pect what&s;oeuer; and then albeit our me&s;&s;age be not entertained by All, as we doe de&s;ire, yet a good <HI>Rebeccah</HI> will make vs well-come for the tydings that we bring her of this heauenly <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> and the comfort wee &s;hall reape in this, will countercheck the di&s;comforts that may be occa&s;ioned
<PB N="15" REF="10" MS="y"> by the contrary. And as for the Egyptian Dames, <HI>Phili&s;tins Dalilahs, daughters of Heth,</HI> and wicked ones, who care the le&s;&s;e for vs, by how much the more wee vrge them to this Bridegroome; let them liue &s;ingle from Chri&s;t if they li&s;t; one day they will cur&s;e the time, that euer they &s;et &s;o light by &s;o weightie a me&s;&s;age, &s;o Princely a marriage.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="V&s;e"> Fiftly, I may v&s;e this poynt as a Motiue to &s;tirre vp Chri|&s;tians, to &s;olicite Chri&s;t for the good of their brethren,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Advi&s;e to pray for the church in affliction.</NOTE> a part of his Bride, who are vnder the rod, and the flaile, for the Go&s;pells &s;ake. His Kingly office, is an argument, that there is neither want of wi&s;edome, nor defect of power, to bring to nought, the &s;ubtile policies, and cruell practi&s;es of tho&s;e Romi&s;h<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">The Ie&s;uits.</NOTE> blood-hounds, and heatheni&s;h Athei&s;ts, who hunt after the ruine of Gods <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> Hauing then &s;uch an one to &s;peake to, why &s;hould our prayers be either few or cold? Nay, why not more then ordinary in extraordinary times of need? What an heauie ca&s;e is it, that in the<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 22.12.</NOTE> <HI>day when the Lord calls vs to mourning, to weeping, to baldne&s;&s;e, and girding with &s;ackcloth,</HI> there &s;hould be<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 13.</NOTE> <HI>ioy and gladnes, &s;laying Oxen, and killing &s;heepe, eating fle&s;h and drinking Wine!</HI> Oh, that this principle could learne vs better things. Needfull it is (now if euer) for vs that wee <HI>&s;hould;</HI> well it would be with vs, if we <HI>would</HI> euen importune this Bridegrome for his church, with the Prophet <HI>Dauids</HI> argument; <HI>Thou art my King, O God, command deliverances for Iacob</HI><NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 44.4.</NOTE>.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="V&s;e"> Finally, what a number of &s;weet rills doe flow from this fountaine, to comfort and atcheere the children of God.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Comfort to the faithfull.</NOTE> Speake thou afflicted Chri&s;tian, what is it that troubleth thee? The Deuill dogges thee, doth he not? Corruption clogs thee, doth it not? Peradventure thou thinke&s;t, thou &s;halt not hold out to the end: It may be the reproches of neighbours, the malice of enemies, the feare of death, and the like, doe di&s;quiet thee. Well, what&s;oever it be that grieueth thee, proue but thou that Chri&s;t Ie&s;us hath wooed thee, and won thee to him&s;elfe, and this poynt will glad thee and comfort thee.</P>
<PB N="16" REF="11">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Comfort,</HI> 1. Again&s;t Satan.</NOTE>What though that Arch-adver&s;ary to thy peace, and thy &s;oule, the Devill, will not let thee alone, but is euer and a|non mole&s;ting of thee, with &s;uch and &s;uch a&s;&s;aults, &s;etting vpon thee. Remember, thy husband is a King: and this<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.15.</NOTE> <HI>&s;eed of the Woman hath broken the head of that &s;erpent,</HI> and vic|toriou&s;ly conquered this <HI>Prince of darkenes,</HI> in&s;omuch, that though he doth nibble at thy heele, yet this Prince, this God of Peace, &s;hall<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Rom. 16.20.</NOTE> <HI>tread him downe &s;hortly vnder thy feete;</HI> And then all his darts that he hath &s;hott out again&s;t thee, &s;hall be retorted vpon him&s;elfe, to the wounding of his own pate. Yea, and this be thou &s;urely per&s;waded of too, for thy husband, the great King, <HI>will</HI> haue it &s;o, &s;uch is his <HI>plea&s;ure,</HI> and <HI>can</HI> haue it &s;o, &s;uch is his <HI>power.</HI> So that the Devill can|not be &s;o violent again&s;t thee, but Chri&s;t will be as valiant again&s;t him for thee<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Quo impetu venerat, eodem impetu pul&s;us e&s;t, &amp; quantum fotmidinis, &amp; terroris attulit, tantum forti|tudinis inuenit &amp; roboris. Cyp. Epi&s;t. l. <HI>1.</HI> Ep. <HI>1.</HI></NOTE>.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Again&s;t the rebelling of nature again&s;t grace.</NOTE>Secondly, Feare&s;t thou that thy <HI>corruptions</HI> will &s;ubiugate thee to their former yoake, and prevaile over thee, becau&s;e they are continually &s;tirring again&s;t the worke of the Spirit in thee? Con&s;ider &s;till thy husband is a King; and by con|&s;equent, he hath ma&s;tered &s;inne for thee, even in thine owne fle&s;h,<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 68.19.</NOTE> he hath led captiuitie captiue, he hath layd chaynes vpon thy lu&s;ts, and hath taken &s;uch order for the continu|all decrea&s;e of euill in thee, that (like as it was fore-prophe|&s;ied, the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> &s;hould the <HI>Babylonians</HI>) &s;o thou &s;halt take tho&s;e <HI>Corruptions captiues, who&s;e captiue thou wert, and thou &s;halt rule ouer tho&s;e thy &s;pirituall oppre&s;&s;ors, and re&s;t &s;halt thou haue from this thy &s;orrow, and thy feare, and from the hard bondage, wherein</HI> (before conver&s;ion) <HI>thou wast made to &s;erue</HI><NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 14.2.3.</NOTE>.</P>
<P N="3"><NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Again&s;t doubting of per&s;everance.</NOTE>3. Stande&s;t thou in doubt, whether thou &s;halt haue grace e|nough to bring thee to heaven, and is this a di&s;comfort vn|to thee? &s;till keepe the memoriall of this poynt in thy thoughts. In this thy King<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Colo&s;&s;. 1.19. Chap. 2. v. 9.</NOTE> <HI>dwells the fulnes of the God-head bodily,</HI> and the ab&s;olute <HI>riches of all graces,</HI> which graces are the iewells that he mindes to furni&s;h and fill thee withall continually. Will a Princely wooer be &s;paring in <HI>his</HI> gifts? will he marry him&s;elfe with one, whom he meanes to make
<PB N="17" REF="11"> a bill of divorce again&s;t, after there hath pa&s;&s;ed a mo&s;t &s;weet Communion betwixt them for a time? Or what? Can he not for want of <HI>might,</HI> or <HI>loues</HI> he not for want of <HI>will,</HI> to make that good which he promi&s;ed, when he &s;ayd,<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 2.19.20.</NOTE> <HI>I will marry thee to my &s;elfe FOR EVER?</HI> yea, and that <HI>in righteou&s;nes, in iudgement, in faithfulnes,</HI> and <HI>knowledge?</HI> When tooke&s;t thou him euer <HI>tardy,</HI> or faithles? He would not be <HI>thy Prince, thy Soveraigne,</HI> if he meant not to guide thee by his law, and governe thee with his Spirit, vntill he even bringeth thee to glory. Wherefore, if here be thy feare, comfort thy heart with that which the Apo&s;tle hath, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.28. the <HI>kingdome which thou ha&s;t received</HI> (yea, ha&s;t receiued alreadie) <HI>cannot be &s;haken.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, Doth the world powre contempt vpon thee?<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Again&s;t contempt.</NOTE> Art thou &s;et at nought? can&s;t not haue that e&s;teeme among&s;t men, which thou de&s;ire&s;t and de&s;erve&s;t? I &s;ee little rea&s;on why this &s;hould trouble thee; If it <HI>doth,</HI> here is comfort a|gain&s;t IT al&s;o. Thou ha&s;t a KING, whom thou art mar|ried vnto, yea, the KING of heaven and earth, which if the world knew (as it doth not, in which thou liue&s;t as a &s;tran|ger, and vnknowne vnto thee) it would be twice advi&s;ed, ere it would dare &s;o much as to haue any ba&s;e thought, or contemptuous conceit of thee. But the world knowes none but her owne bratts; and thou (being of the of-&s;pring of God<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Act. 17.20.</NOTE>, a member of <HI>Iehovahs</HI> familie, yea, a Spou&s;e made fit for the King him&s;elfe) &s;hee knowes not thee, e&s;teemes not thee, any more then a foole doth a prize, put into his hand. Which contempt thou neede&s;t no more care for, and at which thou neede&s;t be no more ca&s;t downe, then a Noble|mans Wife, or a Princes Bride, when (being in a &s;trange Countrey, and vnknowne what her hou&s;e and husband is) &s;hee is either de&s;pi&s;ed, or not e&s;teemed, according to her owne, and Spou&s;e his worth.</P>
<P>Fiftly, Art thou not onely de&s;pi&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">5. Again&s;t per&s;ecution.</NOTE> but al&s;o mi&s;-v&s;ed in the world? Doe the per&s;ecuters of the truth,<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8.4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>who are of the Deuill their Father,</HI> goe about to wrong thee any kinde of way, in thy <HI>name, &s;tate, per&s;on, life,</HI> or <HI>libertie.</HI> Here is thy
<PB N="18" REF="12"> Shield &s;till again&s;t di&s;comfort. Thy husband is a <HI>King;</HI> and the time will come, when He will be knowne to be a <HI>King</HI> in the midde&s;t of thine enemies: Told I not thee, that he is<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Dan. 12.1.</NOTE> <HI>Michaell the great Prince, that STANDETH for the people of God.</HI> Never louing husband &s;tood more &s;tout|ly for his Wife, then he hath &s;tood and doth &s;tand for his <HI>Well-beloued.</HI> Remember what he did for his ancient <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> he reproved <HI>even Kings for their &s;akes</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">P&s;. 135.136.</NOTE>. What is become of <HI>Og,</HI> the King of <HI>Ba&s;an,</HI> and <HI>Sehon,</HI> King of the <HI>Amorites,</HI> who were great and mightie Princes? Are they not peri&s;hed long agoe? Felt they not the heauines of his revengefull hand? And what is <HI>His hand &s;hortned</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 50.2.</NOTE> now, that <HI>it cannot redeeme?</HI> or <HI>hath it no power to deliuer</HI> now as well as then? Yes, yes,<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 43.13.</NOTE> <HI>Before the day was I am he,</HI> (&s;aith the LORD, &s;peaking of deliuering <HI>I&s;raell</HI> from the handes of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and <HI>Babylon</HI> into the handes of <HI>Chaldea) and there is none can deliuer out of my hand. I will worke, and who &s;hall let it?</HI> The Lord<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 110.5.6</NOTE> <HI>at thy right hand,</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;peaking of <HI>Chri&s;t) &s;hall &s;trike through Kings in the day of his wrath, and wound the heads ouer divers Countryes.</HI> Wherefore comfort thy &s;elfe with the&s;e things, again&s;t trouble and per&s;ecution, be it verball and <HI>I&s;maell</HI>-like, or reall and <HI>Ie&s;abell</HI>-like. For<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 43.15.</NOTE> <HI>I am</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Chri&s;t) the Lord, your holy one, the Creator of I&s;raell, your King.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">6. Again&s;t the feare of death.</NOTE>La&s;tly, if <HI>Death</HI> be the King of <HI>terrors vnto thee:</HI> and thou doubte&s;t how thou &s;halt well-come, and away with <HI>this</HI> pale Sergeant when he comes with heavens fore-decreed Writt to arre&s;t thee, con&s;ider, that this thy Chri&s;t, thy King, hath like a &s;tout Commander, and vnvanqui&s;hable conquerour, charged this Sergeant to doe thee no hurt, trod this enemy in the dirt. He told thee he <HI>would</HI> doe it long <HI>before</HI> he came;<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 13.14.</NOTE> <HI>Oh death, I will be thy death; O graue, I will be thy de&s;tructi|on:</HI> according to his promi&s;e, he <HI>did doe</HI> it <HI>when</HI> he came; for<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Col. 2.15.</NOTE> <HI>he hath &s;poyled principalities and powers, made a &s;hew of them openly, and triumphed ouer them.</HI> And now, <HI>&s;ince he is gone into heauen,</HI> he hath left thee a Writt of a&s;&s;urance for it, enrolled in the Writings of that famous Doctor of the <HI>Gen|tiles;</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="12" MS="y">
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15 25.26.</NOTE> <HI>He mu&s;t raigne, till he hath put all things vnder his feete; the la&s;t enemy that &s;hall be de&s;troyed is death.</HI> God for|bid then that this<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Apoc. 6.7.</NOTE> <HI>Rider vpon the pale hor&s;e,</HI> &s;hould vpon the thought of his comming, either driue <HI>colour</HI> out of THY face, or <HI>courage</HI> out of THY heart. Let them feare death, who are out of Chri&s;t, who feare not this King. But as for thee, whom Chri&s;t hath linked to him&s;elfe, in&s;ult thou ouer Death, as Death doth ouer the &s;onnes of vnbeliefe,<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15&punc; 55.57.</NOTE> <HI>O death where is thy &s;ting? O graue where is thy victorie? Thankes be vnto God which giueth me victory through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t our Lord.</HI> Thus (I &s;ay) what&s;oeuer the temptations be that trouble thee, the di&s;comforts be that mole&s;t thee, ari&s;ing either from the thought of the <HI>Deuils &s;ubtiltie,</HI> from the &s;ight of <HI>thine owne infirmitie,</HI> from <HI>&s;u&s;pition of the want of con|&s;tancie,</HI> from the <HI>contempt of neighbours, malice of enemies,</HI> or <HI>feare</HI> of <HI>death,</HI> tune but this Text with the voice of faith; in this Text, &s;trike but vpon <HI>this</HI> &s;tring, harpe vpon <HI>this</HI> poynt with the finger of faith, <HI>(That Chri&s;t the Spou&s;e of the Church is a King;)</HI> and it will make &s;uch Mu&s;icke to thy &s;oule, that like as (when <HI>Dauid</HI> played before <HI>Saul</HI><NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 16&punc;23.</NOTE>) the <HI>wicked &s;pirit</HI> went from him, &s;o the <HI>troubled &s;pirit</HI> will goe from thee, or els at lea&s;t that di&s;con&s;onant, and di&s;con&s;olate, noi&s;e betwixt <HI>faith</HI> and <HI>feare,</HI> to di&s;quiet thy con&s;cience, will be well qua|lified, and allayed. And &s;o an end of the fir&s;t poynt in the fir&s;t part, let vs now &s;et vpon the &s;econd. Which is the royall provi&s;ion that this royall per&s;on makes for his beloued Bride. For as he is a <HI>King,</HI> &s;o he hath a <HI>Table,</HI> which <HI>Salomon</HI> here in my Text, calleth</P>
<P><HI>His Table.]</HI> Or (as &s;ome Tran&s;lations haue it) <HI>his repa&s;t.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;econd circum&s;tanc in the fir&s;t part. The Inter|pretation.</NOTE> Either of which readings (as the learned ob&s;erue) the ori|ginall will beare; but the former doe I follow.</P>
<P>A Table, we know, in the proper, and natiue &s;ignifica|tion, is a frame of Wood, made to eate meate vpon, in which &s;en&s;e we cannot take it here; nor yet for corporall meate, &s;et vpon the Table to refre&s;h our bodies withall. For the Kingdome of God con&s;i&s;ts neither in meates nor drinkes, as the Apo&s;tle &s;heweth<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Rom. 14.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE>. We mu&s;t therefore vnder&s;tand it
<PB N="20" REF="13"> <HI>Metaphorically,</HI> and taking it &s;o, I find varietie and diver&s;itie of Expo&s;itions among&s;t <HI>Interpreters.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">b. Selomoh. Fol. <HI>117.</HI> fac. <HI>2</HI></NOTE>Some of the <HI>Iewes,</HI> whom <HI>Genebrard</HI> quoteth, &s; thinke it to be <HI>Sinai,</HI> the mount where the Law was deliuered to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and whence he de&s;cended in ha&s;t when the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> erected and wor&s;hipped the golden Calfe<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Exod. 32.</NOTE>: But this cannot be, becau&s;e it is a confining of this Text to the &s;tate of the <HI>Iewi&s;h Synagogue</HI> at <HI>that</HI> time; when as yet the holy Gho&s;t hath a larger ayme then at that.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">M^r <HI>Brightman.</HI></NOTE> <HI>One</HI> of our owne <HI>Country|men,</HI> thinkes it to be meant particularly of the <HI>Congregation of Iudah, Beniamin, Ephraim, &amp;c.</HI> who gathered them&s;elues together at <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> in the third moneth of the fifteenth yeare of the raigne of<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 15.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.10.</NOTE> <HI>A&s;a.</HI> This opinion I will not cen|&s;ure, yet I dare not &s;ub&s;cribe to it. For <HI>this</HI> al&s;o I take to be a &s;etting too &s;hort boundes to the Text. We will walke in a broader way, and allow larger limits (with other &s;ound and learned Writers). I know Saint <HI>Luke</HI> &s;peaketh of a<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Luk 22.30.</NOTE> Table, whereat Chri&s;t promi&s;ed his Di&s;ciples to &s;it and eate; and that intimates the <HI>heauenly dainties</HI> they &s;hould partake off in his <HI>Cele&s;tiall Paradi&s;e,</HI> the Kingdome of glory: which &s;ome<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>As</HI> Pi&s;cator. Merc.</NOTE> doe vnder&s;tand in this place. But with * others, I vnder|&s;tand the Word and Sacraments, the dyet of the Church; wherewithall &s;hee is fed and refre&s;hed &s;piritually, as men are corporally with meates and drinkes &s;et vpon their Table; Neither doth this &s;werue from the <HI>Canon</HI> of <HI>Scripture:</HI> For is not the Kingdome of heauen, that is, the <HI>Word</HI> of the <HI>King|dome</HI> compared to a <HI>Supper,</HI> and to<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.27.</NOTE> <HI>Meate that peri&s;heth not?</HI> And doth not the Apo&s;tle call the <HI>Sacrament</HI> of his la&s;t Supper, <HI>A Table</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 19.21.</NOTE>? And whereas it is called here, <HI>HIS Table,</HI> it intimates, that HE is the Founder of this Fea&s;t. For who giueth the <HI>Word,</HI> the <HI>meate that endureth to eternall life,</HI> if not<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.21.</NOTE> <HI>the &s;onne of man, whom the Father hath &s;ealed:</HI> And the Sacramentall Table, is called the <HI>Table of the LORD</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">In that place <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">recited out f the <HI>Corinths.</HI></NOTE>. I know indeed that Chri&s;t feedeth and fea&s;teth his Church with the internall graces, and comforts of his Spirit, but becau&s;e the&s;e follow to be con&s;idered off in His <HI>Sitting</HI> at this Table, therefore my intent is in this onely, to
<PB N="21" REF="13"> in&s;i&s;t on the externall di&s;hes of his Ordinances: And &s;o make this the Doctrine.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> <HI>That this King Chri&s;t, &s;preades a Table, and makes provi&s;ion of the Word and Sacraments for his Church.</HI> This is one of the things which the Church &s;etteth his greatne&s;&s;e forth by in my Text, in &s;o much that now, with the Prophet <HI>Dauid,</HI> euery member of the &s;ame may &s;ay,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 23.2.</NOTE> <HI>He maketh me to feed in greene pa&s;tures.</HI> This is that which our <HI>Author</HI> &s;ignifieth els|where, when he brings in <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in <HI>Wi&s;edomes</HI> name, not onely <HI>building</HI> her an <HI>hou&s;e,</HI> and erecting a Church, but al&s;o making provi&s;ion for the inhabitants of <HI>that</HI> hou&s;e.<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Pro. 9.2.</NOTE> <HI>Shee hath killed her victualls, &s;hee hath mingled her wine, &s;hee hath prepared her Table.</HI> In another place, he is brought in vnder the &s;imilitude of a <HI>King,</HI> making a marriage dinner for his &s;onne, and &s;ending forth his &s;ervants, the <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> of the <HI>Go&s;pell,</HI> to toll in gue&s;ts, and tell them of the fea&s;t, both how bountifull it is, and how ready it is; <HI>Behold I haue prepared my dinner, my Oxen and my Fatlings are killed, and all things are ready</HI><NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Mat. 22.23.</NOTE>. And that this fea&s;t is peculiarly provided for the Church, it is plaine in the &s;ame Parable<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Ver&s;es 5.10.</NOTE>. Where we may &s;ee, that they which did &s;et light by the &s;eruants <HI>call,</HI> the Mini&s;ters invitation (as they that are out of the Church doe) are threatned, not to ta&s;te of that Supper; and onely tho&s;e are admitted as fit gue&s;ts, whom the &s;ervants gathered out of the high wayes, whom the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell are made in&s;truments to turne out of the high way of &s;inne that lea|deth to hell, through the Preaching of the Word. And who are they, but the Church? Herewith accordeth that of <HI>E&s;ay,</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 25.6.</NOTE> <HI>Vpon this mountaine</HI> (meaning the Church) <HI>&s;hall the Lord make a fea&s;t of fat things, a fea&s;t of Wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of Wines on the lees well refined.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">See <HI>Ezek.</HI> 16.13.</NOTE> So then deny it we cannot, (truth evincing it) that Chri&s;t hath a board &s;pread for his Bride, richly furni&s;hed with &s;uch &s;pirituall dainties, as his Word and Sacraments be. And not without cau&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> For why, he would haue his Church to grow, and thriue. And how grow? Two wayes in addition of mem|bers,
<PB N="22" REF="14"> in augmentation of graces; in multitude, and in mea|&s;ure. As therefore there is need of temporall foode for cor|porall growth, &s;o of the&s;e &s;pirituall Ordinances, for this &s;pirituall growth.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, He would haue it to grow in multitude: he would haue &s;uch daily added to the Church, as are ordained to be &s;aued, that like as <HI>Ephraim, Mana&s;&s;eh, Simeon</HI> and <HI>Beniamin</HI> fell from <HI>I&s;rael</HI> vnto <HI>A&s;a</HI> in abundance<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 15.9.</NOTE>; &s;o there may be an acce&s;&s;e of Elect ones vnto him out of Satans hands, euery day more and more: and this cau&s;eth him to giue<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4.8.11.</NOTE> <HI>gifts vn|to men, and to appoint &s;ome to be Prophets, &s;ome to be Apo&s;tles, &s;ome teachers, &s;ome Pa&s;tors,</HI> with this Commi&s;&s;ion,<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.5.</NOTE> <HI>Gather my Saints vnto me,</HI> for the<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> augmentation of my body, or addition of members therevnto.</P>
<P>Secondly, He would haue his Church grow in mea&s;ure, his Will is, that they which are added to the Church, &s;hould haue grace augmented in their hearts, to be more <HI>fat, flouri|&s;hing, and well liking in their age</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92.14.</NOTE>; therefore he giues them the<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.2.</NOTE> <HI>&s;incere milke of the Word, that they may</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Dicimus qui|dem cibum om|nem perficere ea quae aluntur, &amp;c. Dyoni&s;. Areop. libro Epi&s;tol. fol. <HI>183.</HI> b.</NOTE> <HI>grow thereby.</HI> And giues he not al&s;o, not onely Bapti&s;me, as the Sacra|ment of Initiation, but al&s;o, <HI>The Lords Supper</HI> for confirma|tion? Nay, by the admini&s;tration of the one, and commu|nication at the other, doth he not &s;eale vp remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins by his blood, to the con&s;cience of the beleever, for the &s;trengthening of his faith, increa&s;ing of his loue, and bette|ring of his obedience? So that the beleever may haue equall recour&s;e to Water in Bapti&s;me by meditation, Bread and Wine in the Lords Supper, by participation, to &s;tay his faith on, to &s;trengthen his faith by, when either the malice of Sathan again&s;t him, or the reliques of vnbeliefe in him, &s;hall rai&s;e any &s;tormes of De&s;payre, to weaken the &s;ame.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> This being &s;o, makes fir&s;t of all again&s;t tho&s;e that care not for the Word, that contemne the Sacraments; vnto whom if the Mini&s;ters cry in the Prophets termes, (<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55.1.</NOTE><HI>Hoe, euery one come yee to the Waters, Come, buy, Wine and Milke with|out money, and without price,</HI>) they &s;toppe their eares again&s;t this <HI>call,</HI> make excu&s;es when they are bidden. One hath a
<PB N="23" REF="14"> Farme, another hath Oxen, another hath a Wife to plea&s;e, another his Market to follow, another his Dice, another his Dogs; one cannot tarry in the Church while the Sacra|ment of Bapti&s;me is admini&s;tring; another is at oddes with his neighbour, and he cannot come to the Communion this yeare: And thus while one feedes vpon his plea&s;ures, another vpon his profits, another on his bea&s;tly and re|vengefull lu&s;ts, the mo&s;t hauing <HI>the broth of abhominable things in their ve&s;&s;ells</HI><NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 65.4.</NOTE>: This Table of <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> &s;preading is not &s;o frequented, &s;o regarded as it ought to be. Which contempt of Gods Ordinances, how worthy of reprehen&s;i|on it is, this poynt declareth.</P>
<P>Should &s;ome Prince, or Peere of a Kingdome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A &s;imilie.</NOTE> make a great fea&s;t, furni&s;h his Table with all manner of dainties, yea, with &s;uch co&s;tly delicates, as he feedeth his owne Queene, or Spou&s;e withall, and &s;hould &s;end forth his &s;er|vants, to invite gue&s;ts to that fea&s;t, bidding to come who haue a li&s;t and well-come; and they that are thus bidden, &s;hould make excu&s;e, and &s;ay; <HI>Alas, I haue a poore neighbour dwells by me, he hath invited me to a cold Sallet, or a di&s;h of herbes, in which regard I cannot come:</HI> were he not worthy to be Chronicled for a man without wi&s;edome? Might not his friends that loue him, well reproue him, for &s;o carele&s;&s;e contemning a Princes call, and for preferring a di&s;h of Pe|pons at a poore mans hou&s;e, before the royall dainties of a great mans Table? they might very well: In like manner, may not they be as de&s;ervedly &s;hent, that &s;hall preferre their earthly commodities, their fle&s;hly vanities, nay, their diabo|licall impieties, before the&s;e &s;upernaturall meates, and &s;piri|tuall bitts of the Word and Sacraments? Knowe&s;t thou of who&s;e providing they are? art thou aware for whom they be prepared? are they not of the <HI>King, Chri&s;t?</HI> are they not for the Church? and can that be cour&s;e fare, which is of &s;o royall a preparer, and for &s;o royall partakers? Verily, I may &s;ay to thee, as <HI>Elihu</HI> to <HI>Iob; Thy &s;oule abhorreth daintie meate</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Iob 33.22.</NOTE>. Let me expo&s;tulate a little with thee. Why can the doctrine of &s;alvation, reli&s;h no better in thy pallate? How is it that the
<PB N="24" REF="15"> Temple cannot hold thee, while the Childe is a Baptizing, but out thou mu&s;t be running, as if it were an Ordinance concerned thee not? Why wilt thou chu&s;e rather to liue in wilfull malice with thy brother, then come and partake of the Lords Supper? Or wherefore art thou &s;o &s;eldome at it, when as thou maie&s;t &s;o often haue it? If I were but ac|quainted with thy maladie, I would apply a remedy, accor|ding to the skill the Lord hath giuen me. Oh that I knew but what would get thee a better &s;tomacke. If thou woul|de&s;t but provoke thy &s;elfe, to vomit out the loue of the world, and of thy lu&s;ts, which like poy&s;onous crudities lie cloddering vpon thy &s;tomacke, thou woulde&s;t haue a better appetite; and this honey-combe would not be loathed by thee. But if thou bee&s;t pa&s;t cure, then I haue done with thee; Goe thy wayes to thy huskes with the filthy Swine, to thy Veni&s;on with prophane <HI>E&s;au;</HI> &s;ell thy birth-right for pottage; make excu&s;es; frame pretences to keepe thee from this Fea&s;t, yet I mu&s;t be terrible in my wordes vnto thee, This <HI>King</HI> that makes this Banquet, will be wroth with thee,<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Mat. 22.7.</NOTE> and <HI>will &s;end forth his Armies to de&s;troy all &s;uch as</HI> thou <HI>art.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> But now in the &s;econd place, as for <HI>thee</HI> whom coun&s;ell is like (by the ble&s;&s;ing of God) to prevaile withall, <HI>thee</HI> doe I per&s;wade, yea, earne&s;tly entreate, to frequent this Table, the&s;e Ordinances; neither thy age, &s;ex, condition, gifts, in|ward or outward, can excu&s;e thy ab&s;ence, or preiudice thy admittance. Hither thou <HI>mu&s;t</HI> come, the King doth en|ioyne thee; hither thou <HI>maie&s;t</HI> come, he will accept thee; on the&s;e dainties thou <HI>maie&s;t</HI> feed, thy <HI>meanne&s;&s;e</HI> need be no impediment to thee; on the&s;e dainties thou <HI>mu&s;t</HI> feed, thy <HI>greatne&s;&s;e</HI> can be no plea for the contrary. And for thy en|couragement hereto, know thou:</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Motiue</HI> 1.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, That Chri&s;t will &s;et no <HI>ba&s;e</HI> fare vpon his Board, for his be&s;t beloued Bride. If the Cookes doe marre it &s;ometimes in the dre&s;&s;ing, (as Fryer-like Preachers doe, powdering the Word with the du&s;t of their owne inventi|ons; or as the Papi&s;t-like Prelates doe, adding creame, &s;alt,
<PB N="25" REF="15"> oyle, &s;pittle, and the like tra&s;h to Water in Bapti&s;me, and defiling the Lords Supper with that abhominable idoll of the Ma&s;&s;e) yet the fault of that is not in the King, and <HI>Kezar</HI> of the Church. It is &s;weet, it is excellent as it comes out of his handes,<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">P&s;al&punc; 19.10.</NOTE> &s;weeter then the honey; of<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Iob 28.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> price aboue Rubies; more to be de&s;ired then gold, yea, then much fine gold: The co&s;tlie&s;t meates, the delectable&s;t drinkes that are, are but cour&s;e in compari&s;on of it. God forbid then thou &s;houl|de&s;t abhorre it. Get thee to a good Cooke; abhorre the Ma&s;&s;e; Baptize not thy Childe by a Seminary; and come but to this Table, &s;tay but at this Table with a reverent re|gard, and thou &s;halt finde that I tell thee no lie, &s;uch &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e &s;halt thou ta&s;te, &s;uch goodne&s;&s;e &s;halt thou &s;ee in the meane&s;t of the&s;e Ordinances, euen by thine owne experi|ence.</P>
<P>Secondly, Con&s;ider,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Motiue</HI> 2.</NOTE> that it cannot be &s;ayd of this foode as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;pake of indifferent meates and drinkes,<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc;</NOTE> <HI>Neither if we eate, are we the better, nor if we eate not, are we the wor&s;e.</HI> For thy admi&s;&s;ion to the Church, if thou bee&s;t not yet cal|led, thy growing vp in grace, if thou bee&s;t converted, hangs vpon the&s;e Ordinances, as vpon &s;econdary <HI>nece&s;&s;ary</HI> helpes; Sayd I not before, this meate the Fea&s;t-maker provideth for the growth of the Church? How can the Church then grow in number one the more for thee, if thou de&s;pi&s;e Pro|phe&s;ying? How can&s;t thou grow in mea&s;ure, if thou care&s;t not for Preaching, make&s;t no v&s;e of thy Bapti&s;me, proue&s;t a &s;uperficiall and &s;eldome gue&s;t at the Lords Table. As then thou tendere&s;t thy conver&s;ion to grace, thy confirmation in grace, &s;o delight to be a gue&s;t at this Board which Chri&s;t &s;preadeth, take plea&s;ure to make v&s;e of tho&s;e Ordinances, which like &s;pirituall provi&s;ion, he hath made readie for his Church, in the Sermons which are Preached, in the Sacra|ments which are admini&s;tred among&s;t vs; knowing that to be a truth, which a Father &s;aith;<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Chry&s;o&s;t. in Math hom. <HI>70.</HI> Cum &s;piritualia, v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">cant, nulla occupationis excu&s;atio e&s;t.</NOTE> <HI>When &s;pirituall things doe call vs, no excu&s;e of &s;ubordinate bu&s;ines will &s;erue the turne.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> La&s;tly, Hath Chri&s;t made &s;uch &s;pirituall provi&s;ion for his Church? then from hence, to their &s;ingular comfort,
<PB N="26" REF="16"> may all Gods people, that are pinched with penury, a&s;&s;ure them&s;elues, they &s;hall neuer &s;tarue, for want of needfull &s;u|&s;tenance. He that can giue the Kingdome, with the righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e of <HI>that,</HI> can ca&s;t all other outward nece&s;&s;aries vp|on vs: He that can and doth &s;pread his Table for the &s;oule, will prepare victualls for the bodie. He can provide a Ta|ble for his <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in the Wilderne&s;&s;e. <HI>Dauids</HI> &s;oule can he &s;a|tisfie with Marrow and Fatne&s;&s;e, in a dry and thir&s;tie Land<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 63.15.</NOTE>. It is his honour to be franke and royall to his owne. And indeed he that hath bin &s;o liberall as to giue him&s;elfe, mu&s;t needs with him&s;elfe giue all things el&s;e. Thou complaine&s;t thou ha&s;t not &s;o full a pur&s;e, &s;o ouer-flowing a Table as o|thers haue; knowe&s;t thou not that Sheepe, when they goe vp to the belly in pa&s;ture, are in danger of rotting, and that barer Common were better for them? Thy Shepheard &s;ees it is better &s;afetie for thy graces, to furni&s;h thee with a me|diocritie, rather then fill thee with a &s;uperfluitie of outward ble&s;&s;ings. Tell me, ha&s;t thou not provi&s;ion for the &s;oule, the Word, the Sacraments? If Yea; this is a<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Gen. 43.34.</NOTE> <HI>Beniamins</HI> me&s;&s;e, fiue times better then thy brethrens me&s;&s;es, which haue no|thing but the world in &s;tore for the time of life, and wrath in &s;tore again&s;t the day of death. The fruition of the greater and better &s;hould alwayes counteruaile the want of the le&s;|&s;er, and wor&s;er. Browne bread and the Go&s;pell (&s;aid M^r <HI>Bradford</HI>) is good cheere. Say thou poore Chri&s;tian, Is not thy body as &s;trong to labour, and thy children as well liking as theirs that haue more abundance? thou can&s;t not deny it. Plucke vp a good heart then, and &s;ay with <HI>David;</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 23.1.</NOTE> <HI>The Lord is my feeder, therefore I &s;hall not want. He lets not my &s;oule &s;tarue, therefore he will not let my body fami&s;h.</HI> Re&s;olue on this, I &s;ay. For it is a greater di&s;honour to his bountie, then thou art aware off, to thinke that he will with-hold any needfull good thing <HI>from any that lead an holy, pure, and vp|right life</HI><NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 84. <HI>vlt. ver.</HI></NOTE>.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The third circum&s;tance in the fir&s;t part.</NOTE>We haue now done with the &s;econd thing, which the Church commendeth her husbands greatne&s;&s;e by. The la&s;t remaineth to be handled, which is his pre&s;ence and
<PB N="27" REF="16"> re&s;idence with HER, implied by HIS <HI>Sitting at Ta|ble.</HI></P>
<Q>While the King SITTETH at his Table, my Spike|nard &s;endeth forth the &s;mell thereof.</Q>
<P>THis circum&s;tance &s;ubdiuideth it &s;elfe into two mem|bers. 1. The fruition the Church hath of Chri&s;ts <HI>&s;ight</HI> and <HI>&s;itting,</HI> couched vnder the terme of <HI>Sitting at Table.</HI> 2. The fruit Shee gets by it, and returneth for it, in the &s;mell that her <HI>Spikenard</HI> &s;endeth forth.</P>
<P>We will &s;et the&s;e ioynts together in the meaning, and not handle them a-part, becau&s;e they come vnder the &s;ame par|ticular head.</P>
<Q>While the King Sitteth at his Table, my Spikenard, &amp;c.</Q>
<P><HI>Sitteth].</HI> The <HI>Rabbines,</HI> who (as I remembred before,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Inter|pretation.</NOTE> by <HI>King,</HI> vnder&s;tand <HI>Iehovah,</HI> and by <HI>Table,</HI> Mount <HI>Sinai</HI>) doe by <HI>Sitting at Table,</HI> take to be meant, the <HI>pre&s;ence</HI> or <HI>re&s;i|dence</HI> of the Lord vpon that Mount with <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> when he delivered the Law vnto him. Others, referre it to the pre|&s;ence of<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc;</NOTE> <HI>A&s;a,</HI> when he was in the midde&s;t of the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> congregated and gathered together, to make a Covenant with the Lord. But thou knowe&s;t (READER) I haue &s;hunned the&s;e paths from the beginning. Others, expound it of the <HI>pre&s;ence</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> alluding to the pre&s;ence of <HI>Salo|mon</HI> with his Bride, on the day of his marriage. And a|mong&s;t the&s;e, I finde &s;ome difference; one vnder&s;tanding his glorious<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Pi&s;cator. Dun<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> fruitur gaudijs Cale&s;tibus. Me|taphora qualis. Mat. <HI>8.11.</HI></NOTE> <HI>pre&s;ence</HI> in <HI>heauen,</HI> where he <HI>Sitteth,</HI> partaking of caele&s;tiall ioyes:<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Merc.</NOTE> Another his gracious <HI>pre&s;ence</HI> with his Church in this world. Now that the <HI>pre&s;ence</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is here &s;ignified, it is probable, yea, very probable: Becau&s;e a man cannot &s;it at the &s;ame Table with another, but they mu&s;t enioy the pre&s;ence of one another. But, whither his glori|ous pre&s;ence alone, or his gracious alone, or both be here meant, that's the que&s;tion. For mine owne part, albeit I dare not peremptorily exclude his pre&s;ence in glory, (be|cau&s;e whiles he is at Table with his Saints on earth, he is as
<PB N="28" REF="17"> well at repa&s;t with his Saints in heauen, and whiles the one hath his gracious pre&s;ence here, the other hath his glorious there) yet I doe rather encline to his pre&s;ence by grace here: And that for the&s;e rea&s;ons.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The rea&s;ons of the mea|ning of the word, <HI>Sitting.</HI></NOTE>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e it is held generally, that this ver&s;e is the &s;peech of the Church militant, &s;peaking and &s;hewing what her husband is to her, and doth for her, euen in this life.</P>
<P>Secondly, Becau&s;e of the end of her &s;peech, which is to invite the daughters of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> (that is) them that are without the Church, to come to Chri&s;t. But what &s;tronger argument, to this purpo&s;e, could &s;hee v&s;e, then one taken from the enioying of his pre&s;ence, as well by grace here, as in glory hereafter. For little courage to come to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> would men haue, if &s;o be there were no comfortable &s;ight and pre|&s;ence of him to be had in this life, as well as in that which is to come. So then by <HI>Table,</HI> being vnder&s;tood (as hath beene alreadie &s;hewed) the Word and Sacraments; by <HI>his Sitting at this Table,</HI> is meant <HI>his pre&s;ence by grace with his Church by his Ordinances.</HI></P>
<Q>My Spikenard &s;endeth forth the &s;mell thereof.</Q>
<P>One of the <HI>Iewes</HI> by <HI>Spikenard</HI> here, vnder&s;tands the wor|&s;hip which the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> did yeeld vnto the golden Calfe; and by the <HI>&s;mell</HI> that it ca&s;t forth, the noy&s;ome &s;auour that this Idolatry &s;ent vp to the Lord, whiles he was with <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> on the Mount, which was &s;o &s;trong and loath&s;ome, that the Lord was faine in ha&s;t to &s;end <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> downe vnto them. Another, by <HI>Spikenard,</HI> vnder&s;tandes <HI>the couenant</HI> it &s;elfe, which the Tribes made before the Lord, in the 15. yeare of <HI>A&s;a's</HI> raigne: and by the <HI>&s;ending forth the &s;mell thereof,</HI> he meaneth the &s;ounding forth of that<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 15.14.</NOTE> <HI>Vow</HI> with a loud voice, with <HI>Trumpets</HI> and <HI>Cornets,</HI> and &s;uch like In&s;truments of <HI>Mu&s;icke.</HI> But letting the&s;e pa&s;&s;e,<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Ambro&s; in P&s;al. <HI>119.</HI> Nunc autem redolet fides: Ideo&abque; dicit Eccle&s;ia: Nar|dus mea dedit odorem &s;uum.</NOTE> others doe by <HI>Spikenard</HI> vnder&s;tand Faith alone;<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;c.</NOTE> others Good workes alone;<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Mercer <HI>and</HI> Geneb.</NOTE> o|thers, both Faith and Good workes. This la&s;t iudgement I follow, in regard of the re&s;emblance betwixt <HI>Spikenard</HI> and Faith, betwixt <HI>Spikenard</HI> and Good workes.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">How Faith re&s;embleth <HI>Spikenard.</HI></NOTE> Fir&s;t, for the
<PB N="29" REF="17"> re&s;emblance betwixt Faith and it. <HI>Spikenard</HI> is a very &s;weete and fragrant herbe, with a tender roote, full of leaues vpon the top, of which eares &s;pring forth, full of fruit; Of this herbe an ointment is made, (which it &s;eemes was in much v&s;e in <HI>Salomons</HI> time) which hath a threefold, or rather foure|fold vertue, to comfort the heart, to helpe again&s;t the weak|ne&s;&s;e of the &s;tomacke, defects of the braine and<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Dio&s;c. lib. <HI>1.</HI> cap. <HI>6.</HI></NOTE> eyes. And is not faith much like.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, It is a very &s;weete and fragrant vertue, it perfumes what&s;oever we doe, without which it is<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Heb. 11.6.</NOTE> <HI>impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e God.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, It hath a tender roote, it &s;prings vp in a bro|ken heart, in a con&s;cience wounded, brui&s;ed, and prepa|red<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Perk. Ca|techi&s;.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>Thirdly, It comforteth the heart, by the apprehen&s;ion, and application of the promi&s;es.</P>
<P>Fourthly, It availeth again&s;t the di&s;ea&s;es of the &s;tomacke, it keepeth from ca&s;ting vp the &s;pirituall food, as<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Dio&s;. l. <HI>1.</HI> c. <HI>6.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Spikenard</HI> from ca&s;ting vp the corporall, it helpeth again&s;t carnall and earthly di&s;ea&s;es, it moderates the affections.</P>
<P>Fiftly, It is full of leaues, he that hath it makes profe&s;&s;i|on of Religion.</P>
<P>Neither is it, in the la&s;t place, void of fruit, for faith makes a man as well to practi&s;e as profe&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Now as Faith in <HI>All</HI> of <HI>the&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">How good Workes re|&s;emble <HI>Spike|nard.</HI></NOTE> &s;o Good workes in <HI>Some</HI> of <HI>the&s;e</HI> things are like to <HI>Spikenard</HI> al&s;o: and chiefely in re|&s;pect of the comforting qualitie of it. For Good workes doe comfort occa&s;ionally, not onely the hearts of the doers them&s;elues, as the example of <HI>Iob</HI> proueth (who drew com|fort from his holy life, when he was almo&s;t at the doore of death,) but al&s;o the hearts of others, who de&s;ire the glory of God, and credit of the Go&s;pell; as the fruits of loue in <HI>do|ing,</HI> and <HI>patience</HI> in &s;uffering, among&s;t the <HI>The&s;&s;alonians,</HI> were a great refre&s;hing and crowne of <HI>reioycing</HI> to the holy Apo|&s;tle, yea, made both <HI>Paul, Siluanus,</HI> and <HI>Timotheus, to glory of them in the Churches</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">2 The&s;&s;. 1.3.4.</NOTE>. Thus we &s;ee, what is to be meant by <HI>Spikenard;</HI> &s;o that <HI>[My Spikenard]</HI> is as much as, <HI>The
<PB N="30" REF="18"> Faith and Good workes of me the Church militant.</HI> Now in that &s;hee &s;peakes of <HI>Sending forth the &s;mell thereof,</HI> we mu&s;t know that <HI>Salomon</HI> alludes to the cu&s;tome of his dayes, in the Ea|&s;terne parts of the world, where the <HI>Hebrewes</HI> were, who&s;e manner was at their Nuptialls and Banquetts, for the Brides and Wiues, to be&s;weeten them&s;elues with &s;weet oyntments, whereof <HI>Spikenard</HI> was one, that they might &s;avour all ouer their Boardes, to giue not onely other &s;itters by, but al&s;o (and that chiefely too) their husbands content; and it &s;eemes, the abu&s;e and exce&s;&s;e of this the Prophet <HI>Amos</HI> tax|eth very &s;harply;<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Amos 6.4.6.</NOTE> <HI>Woe to them that eate the Lambes out of the Flocke, and the Calues out of the midde&s;t of the Stall, that drinke Wine in Bowles, and Annoynt them&s;elues with the chiefe Oynt|ments.</HI> It &s;eemes (I &s;ay) that <HI>Salomon</HI> alludes to this, to note out vnto vs, that the Faith and Good workes of the Church, doe &s;mell &s;weetly in Chri&s;ts no&s;trills, and ca&s;t forth a &s;avour vnto others. Will you now, at length, haue the &s;umme of all in a word? take it thus.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Paraphra&s;e.</NOTE><HI>So long as my Kingly husband, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, is pre&s;ent in his Ordinances, with me the Church militant, the faith and good workes of my members, doe &s;auour &s;weetly before God, and a|mongst men.</HI> The poynts that offer them&s;elues hence to our con&s;ideration, are the&s;e three.</P>
<P N="1">1. That in his Word and Sacraments, Chri&s;t is pre&s;ent with his Church.</P>
<P N="2">2. That whiles he is &s;o pre&s;ent with her, &s;hee &s;endeth forth the &s;auour of Faith and good Workes.</P>
<P N="3">3. That they which haue &s;ound faith, and bring forth good fruit, may lawfully profe&s;&s;e, and &s;peake of the &s;ame.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Doct.</HI> 3. Chri&s;t is pre|&s;ent with his Church in his Ordinances.</NOTE>TO beginne with the fir&s;t; <HI>While the Church enioyeth the Word and Sacraments, &s;hee enioyeth the pre&s;ence of her Be|loued.</HI> For as <HI>Table</HI> importes the provi&s;ion he makes for her, &s;o doth his <HI>Sitting at Table,</HI> his <HI>pre&s;ence with her.</HI> He deales not with his people as a man that invites gue&s;ts to his hou&s;e to a fea&s;t, who, when they are come goes his way from them, beares them no company; but as He bringeth them <HI>hither,</HI>
<PB N="31" REF="18"> &s;o He is with them <HI>here. Where two or three are gathered to|gether in my name, I will be in the midde&s;t amongst them</HI><NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Mat. 18.20.</NOTE>. In the Parable before cited, we reade, that the <HI>King came in to &s;ee the gue&s;ts</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Mat. 22.11.</NOTE>; not onely (as it is likely) to marke their carriage, but al&s;o to beare them company. It is the &s;peech of the Church, in the mouth of the Prophet;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 6.2.</NOTE> <HI>The third day we &s;hall liue in his &s;ight.</HI> Where, by <HI>the third day,</HI> &s;ome vn|der&s;tand, the time of the Go&s;pell, and, by <HI>liuing in his &s;ight,</HI> Chri&s;t his pre&s;ence in the Go&s;pell, with the Spou&s;es readi|ne&s;&s;e to heare his <HI>&s;ayings</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Zarch. in Ho&s;. ad loc. Prae&s;te eius dictis au|dientes. <HI>Ioh.</HI></NOTE>. Looke as Gods pre&s;ence was in <HI>I&s;rael</HI> with the <HI>Arke,</HI> &s;o is it among&s;t his people, with his <HI>Word,</HI> and <HI>Sacraments; I am with you to the end of the world,</HI> as he told his Di&s;ciples, and can he be ab&s;ent in his Ordi|nances?</P>
<P>But here the onely Que&s;tion is,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Qu:</HI> 1. How Chri&s;t is pre|&s;ent in the Word. <HI>An&s;w.</HI></NOTE> How he is pre&s;ent with his people in the&s;e Ordinances? <HI>How in the Word? How in Bapti&s;me? How in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper?</HI></P>
<P>For the fir&s;t, follow but me in tracing out the <HI>Metaphor,</HI> and you &s;hall haue &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>A King &s;its at Table with his Queene, not onely to feed with her, but al&s;o to carue to her, to conferre, and to be merry with her. So Chri&s;t is pre&s;ent with his owne, in the Preaching of the Word. 1. as a caruer, 2. as a conferrer, 3. as a comforter. Fir&s;t, (I &s;ay) as a caruer, for doth not he proportion his Doctrine in the mouthes of his Mini&s;ters, to the capacitie and nece&s;&s;itie of his hearers? Cutting &s;uch a bit out of &s;uch a Text, and &s;uch an one out of another, di|recting his Stewards wi&s;ely, and aptly to apply their &s;tudies in private, their Sermons in publique, to the occa&s;ions of their hearers? He carues re&s;olution to her in her doubts, confutation in her errors, correction for her di&s;orders, &amp;c. Secondly, doth he not in his Word familiarly confer with his Bride, reuealing his minde plainely to her in tho&s;e mat|ters that are my&s;teries to the world.<NOTE PLACE="marg">A &s;imilie.</NOTE> A man that &s;its at the vpper end of the Table with his Wife, talkes in her eare, happily the re&s;t heare the &s;ound of his voice, but yet know not, conceiue not the &s;cope of his &s;peech, &s;hee onely vnder|&s;tands
<PB N="32" REF="19"> his meaning, and is acquainted with his will; So, re|probates heare the Word as well as the elect, but the elect haue Chri&s;t whi&s;pering that in <HI>their</HI> eare out of his Word, that the <HI>reprobate</HI> can neuer attaine vnto, though he goes as farre as a temporary faith can carry him, &s;o that though <HI>both</HI> haue the &s;ound, yet but <HI>one</HI> hath the &s;ence, the &s;ence (I &s;ay) in a right apprehen&s;ion of the meaning of it, in a liuely feeling of the operation of it. For (as<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Zanch. Tom. <HI>5</HI> in Epi&s;t. ad E|phe&s;. p. <HI>152.</HI> Verbum enim &s;inceris auribus auditum, im|primitur in corde Electoru~ per Chri&s;tum: b. e. per Spiri|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">um Chri&s;ti.</NOTE> One &s;ayth) <HI>The Word which is heard with pure eares, doth take IM|PRESSION in the hearts of the ELECT alone, by Chri&s;t, or the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t.</HI> Thirdly, Chri&s;t is pre&s;ent in the Preaching of the Word, as a comforter. For whiles the Doctrine of the free fauour of God in Chri&s;t, of reconcilia|tion with God by Chri&s;t, of the excellent priviledges of the faithfull, remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes, &s;alvation in the heavens, &amp;c. is &s;ounded and preached, are not the &s;oules of beleevers many times ravi&s;hed, comforted, refre&s;hed, by the inui&s;ible working of the holy Spirit?</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Qu:</HI> 2. How Chri&s;t is pre|&s;ent in Bap|ti&s;me.</NOTE> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> For the &s;econd Que&s;tion, thus may we an&s;were it, that Chri&s;t is not pre&s;ent in Bapti&s;me, to take away the roote of originall &s;inne, as if it could not remaine in the partie Bap|tized; nor to conferre inui&s;ible grace, &s;imply by the ele|ment of Water, as if grace were nece&s;&s;arily tyed to the Sa|crament, and none could haue it, except they were Bapti|zed, nor yet thirdly to imprint an indelible Character in the &s;oule, that can neuer be blotted out, as the Schooles would haue it. He is not (I &s;ay) either of the&s;e wayes pre&s;ent in Bapti&s;me. But, fir&s;t to <HI>&s;eale</HI> vnto vs our admi&s;&s;ion into the couenant of his grace, and communion with him&s;elfe, and with his Saints<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Act. 2.39. Gal. 3.27.</NOTE>: Secondly, to <HI>repre&s;ent</HI> vnto vs, and <HI>Sacra|mentally</HI> to <HI>&s;how</HI> vs, by the outward wa&s;hing of Water, the inward clean&s;ing of our &s;oules by his blood, that is, by <HI>iu&s;ti|fication</HI><NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Polan. Synt. l. <HI>6.</HI> c. <HI>55.</HI></NOTE>, and by his Spirit, that is, by <HI>&s;anctification</HI><NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Id. ibid. Ablutio per &s;anguinem Chri&s;ti, e&s;t iu|&s;tificatio. Ablutio per &s;piritum Chri|&s;ti e&s;t regenera|tio.</NOTE>. Third|ly, to <HI>put vs in minde</HI> of our repentance, new obedience, cou|rage, and care, to &s;how our &s;elues his Souldiers, by warring and fighting again&s;t the Deuill, the world, and the fle&s;h. So then, you &s;ee, that three wayes Chri&s;t is pre&s;ent in Bap|ti&s;me.
<PB N="33" REF="19" MS="y"> 1. As a &s;ealer of the mutuall couenant betwixt Him and his Church. 2. as a repre&s;enter of the benefits he will be&s;tow on his Church, if &s;hee keepe <HI>her</HI> conditions. 3. as a remembrancer of the duties &s;hee owes to him, if &s;hee would haue him keepe <HI>his</HI> conditions.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, to an&s;were the third Que&s;tion,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Qu:</HI> 3. How Chri&s;t is pre|&s;ent in the <HI>Euchari&s;t.</HI></NOTE> How Chri&s;t is pre&s;ent in the <HI>Lords Supper?</HI> We mu&s;t know, that he is not there <HI>Tran&s;ub&s;tantially,</HI> as though the Bread and Wine were turned into the body of Chri&s;t, fle&s;h, blood, and bones, as our adver&s;aries the Papi&s;ts hold; nor yet <HI>Con&s;ub&s;tantially,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Exi&s;tentia ve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> ab&s;con&s;ione corporis invi&s;i|bilis in, &s;ub, cum, pane.</NOTE> by an exi&s;tence or hiding his inui&s;ible body, in, with, vn|der the Bread, as if there were no figure in the Sacrament, as the <HI>Vbiquitarians</HI> hold<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Chemnit Har. Evang. cap. <HI>83.</HI> col. <HI>1586.</HI> At ver&ograve; hinc in|ferre velle. Er|go in Doctrina Sacramenti, propo&s;itio (panis e&s;t corpus me|um) etiam e&s;t figuratae, hoc ver&ograve; ab&s;urdi&s;|&s;imu~, &amp; Chri&s;ti ingenio pror&s;us contrarium e&s;t. Vide etiam. Col. <HI>1587. 1588.</HI></NOTE>; but <HI>the&s;e</HI> wayes fir&s;t to keepe vs mindfull of his death, which he endured for vs, in which regard, &s;ome haue called the Lords Supper,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> Sacrificium.</NOTE> <HI>a Sacrifice of remembrance.</HI> Secondly, to <HI>&s;trengthen our faith,</HI> in the a&s;&s;u|rance of the continuance of his loue, and to ratifie, the par|don of our &s;innes, our title of adoption, our intere&s;t in grace, our right to glory, to our &s;oules. Thirdly, <HI>to arme vs again&s;t Idolatry,</HI> that partaking of the Lords Table, wee may not communicate at the Table of Deuills<NOTE N="&para;" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.21.</NOTE>. Fourthly, to <HI>pre|&s;erue vs in the way of obedience.</HI> Fiftly, <HI>to a&s;&s;ure vs of the re|&s;urrection of our bodies at the la&s;t day,</HI> according to Chri&s;ts owne &s;peech;<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.54.</NOTE> <HI>He that eateth my fle&s;h, and drinketh my blood, hath eternall life, and I will rai&s;e him at the la&s;t day.</HI> And la&s;t|ly, to &s;ignifie vnto vs, and a&s;certaine vs of our vnion with him&s;elfe, as <HI>Paul</HI> declareth, when he &s;ayth; <HI>The cup of ble&s;|&s;ing which we ble&s;&s;e, is it not the communion of the bodie of Chri&s;t</HI><NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.16.</NOTE>. Thus we &s;ee, not onely THAT, but al&s;o HOVV Chri&s;t is pre&s;ent with his Church in his holy and &s;acred Ordinances. Let vs now con&s;ider, to what end the Doctrine &s;erueth, and what v&s;es it affoordeth, which are divers.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> Fir&s;t, It informeth vs of the rea&s;on, why Gods people doe &s;o diligently frequent the hou&s;e of God, are &s;o often pre&s;ent at his Ordinances; (to wit) becau&s;e they meete their husband, their King, their Sauiour, in <HI>&s;uch</HI> places, at <HI>&s;uch</HI> exerci&s;es.</P>
<PB N="34" REF="20">
<P>If a poore man, comming to a great mans hou&s;e, findes the Ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e to bid him well come, to beare him company, to entertaine him with good cheere, merry talke, and kind invitations to come oftner; would you wonder to &s;ee that poore man euer and anon at that rich mans Table? So it is with the children of God. A great many marvaile at them, what they meane to run &s;o to Sermons as they doe; <HI>Once a day</HI> (&s;ay they) <HI>cannot content them, but they mu&s;t heare twice;</HI> (&s;ay they) <HI>the Saboth cannot &s;uffice them, but they mu&s;t out on the weeke day. If Bapti&s;me be admini&s;tred, they will not out of the Church by any meanes; If there be a communion euery moneth, they mu&s;t be at it euery time, as though once, or twice in a yeere, were not &s;ufficient, wee wonder at it.</HI> Doe you &s;o? it is becau&s;e you know not, <HI>whom</HI> they &s;ee, <HI>whom</HI> they finde pre|&s;ent, <HI>whom</HI> they meete withall <HI>here.</HI> They &s;ee the <HI>King</HI> here, even the <HI>King</HI> of heauen and earth. And although they haue his pre&s;ence in their hou&s;es, &s;hops, fields, walkes, and clo&s;ets, yet they know <HI>here,</HI> He is pre&s;ent after a <HI>&s;peciall</HI> and <HI>peculiar</HI> manner, to <HI>conferre</HI> with them about deepe &s;ecrets, to <HI>carue</HI> bitts to them, according to their nece&s;&s;ities. If they be <HI>erroneous</HI> in their iudgements, they finde him here to in|forme them, if <HI>&s;crupulous</HI> in their con&s;ciences, they find him here to re&s;olue them, if they be <HI>drow&s;ie in his &s;eruice,</HI> they finde him here to row&s;e them, if <HI>fallen into any &s;inne,</HI> they finde him here pre&s;ent to ray&s;e them, if <HI>heauie in their hearts,</HI> here he is to accheere them, if they <HI>haue mi&s;taken their way,</HI> here he is to direct them. In the&s;e Ordinances, they finde their faith &s;trengthened, the couenant of Gods grace &s;ea|led, their vnion with Chri&s;t ratified, their a&s;&s;urance of per|&s;evering in grace, of rai&s;ing from death, and raigning in glory, confirmed; and what not? Marvaile you then, what they doe frequenting &s;uch places, where the Word is Prea|ched, and the Sacraments admini&s;tred?</P>
<P>What wife that loues her husband, doth not delight dai|ly to conver&s;e with him at his Table? Marvaile therefore at <HI>thy &s;elfe,</HI> rather that <HI>thou</HI> and <HI>thy companions</HI> take no more de|light in <HI>&s;uch places,</HI> at <HI>&s;uch exerci&s;es,</HI> then <HI>you</HI> doe: and cea&s;e
<PB N="35" REF="20"> wondering at <HI>them,</HI> who come hither to be recreated, and accheered with the gracious pre&s;ence of their <HI>great Bride-grome.</HI> Albeit, I deny not, but &s;ome doe (as the peo|ple in Chri&s;ts dayes did) follow him for the<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6.</NOTE> <HI>loaues,</HI> &s;ome for his <HI>miracles,</HI> &s;ome for <HI>one</HI> corrupt end, &s;ome for <HI>another,</HI> yet there is an holy and cho&s;en generation, who follow him in his Ordinances, becau&s;e they know he <HI>Sitteth at Table</HI> in the &s;ame, and doth communicate vnto them &s;uch graci|ous glaunces of his countenance, as Reprobates are like ne|uer to partake off.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Secondly; Is Chri&s;t pre&s;ent with his Church in his Or|dinances; What meane the Papi&s;ts then to take vpon them &s;o tedious a taske, as to runne to <HI>Compo&s;tella</HI> to &s;ee his holy coate (which they &s;ay is there, though no man knowes how it came there) and to <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> to vi&s;it his Sepulchre? Oh folly to be pittied, if not to be derided. Thinke they to finde Chri&s;t in his coate, finde his pre&s;ence in the graue? Is this one of their meritorious actions? See Chri&s;tians, &s;ee their &s;implicitie. Chri&s;t &s;its not <HI>there,</HI> is not <HI>&s;o</HI> pre&s;ent <HI>there,</HI> as he is <HI>in</HI> his Church, and <HI>with</HI> his Church. If Chri&s;tians who goe but halfe a mile to heare a Sermon Preached vnto them, to be made partakers of the Sacrament, doe not make a better Pilgrimage then this is, and meete not with their well-beloued Spou&s;e, Chri&s;t, &s;ooner, then <HI>the&s;e &s;imple delu|ded &s;oules,</HI> by making &s;uch <HI>&s;uper&s;titious</HI> Voyages can, then note me for a teacher of lyes?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> Thirdly, This poynt may be applyed by way of reproofe to a great number, who care neither how <HI>vnpreparedly</HI> they come <HI>to</HI> Gods publique Ordinances, nor how <HI>irreligiou&s;ly</HI> they behaue them&s;elues <HI>at</HI> the &s;ame. A man may &s;ay (and &s;ay truely too) there is no Table of mortall man more ta|ken vp with vnmannerly gue&s;ts, with rude, with vnciuill company, then this Table, whereat Chri&s;t <HI>&s;itteth,</HI> and affor|deth his pre&s;ence.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Concerning the comers to his <HI>Word,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Vnreuerent comers to the Word.</NOTE> it would make a Chri&s;tian heart to bleed, to con&s;ider what manner of peo|ple; and after what manner mo&s;t people come to the Prea|ching
<PB N="36" REF="21"> of <HI>that.</HI> One comes with his <HI>eyes &s;carce open,</HI> clo&s;ed vp with that excrementall moi&s;ture of <HI>ignorance,</HI> which the &s;pi|rituall &s;leepe in &s;inne breedeth, with an vnder&s;tanding &s;o darkened, that let the King by his &s;ervants lay bitts before him, he cannot &s;ee them, Preach as plainely as they can, he cannot vnder&s;tand them; Another comes <HI>without his knife,</HI> and when he is at the Table here, his hand is in his Pocket, and &s;o benummed, that he cannot pull it out, to take and cut the meate that is &s;et before him, I meane he comes <HI>without faith,</HI> without will to beleeue the Word, without an heart to apply the &s;ame to his nece&s;&s;itie, accor|ding to the nature of the doctrine which is deliuered. A third comes with <HI>the old Grecian di&s;ea&s;e,</HI> the <HI>Athenian itch</HI> in his <HI>eares,</HI> that except the Preacher doth amaze his hearers with &s;trange &amp; vncouth &s;traines, aboue the reach of plaine people, or tell of &s;ome &s;trange thing, he is not for their hu|mour; If he &s;triues with him&s;elfe to &s;peake to the capacitie of the meane&s;t hearer, and to knocke vpon the con&s;cience of the wickede&s;t liuer, in the plaine euidence and demon|&s;tration of the &s;pirit, as, that learned Doctor of the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> Saint <HI>Paul</HI> did<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2.1.</NOTE>, how ne&s;tles he, how lookes he on the gla&s;&s;e? The itch doth &s;o trouble him, his <HI>Athenian</HI> de&s;ires doe &s;o di&s;temper him, that he thinkes euery quarter an houre till the plaine fellow hath done: and it may be, he will haue the manners (as the manner of &s;ome is) to ri&s;e from the <HI>Board</HI> while the be&s;t di&s;h is a caruing, the be&s;t point in handling, which might doe him mo&s;t good, if he would but &s;tay and take it with him. A fourth comes with <HI>a dirtie face,</HI> and <HI>hands</HI> imbrued in blood, a drunkard, a &s;wearer, a lyer, a deceiuer, an V&s;urer, a mercile&s;&s;e oppre&s;&s;or, and <HI>knowne</HI> to be <HI>&s;o,</HI> as <HI>manife&s;tly</HI> as the dirt is to be&s;eene vpon the <HI>face,</HI> that it hath defiled, and <HI>blood</HI> on the <HI>handes</HI> (without a gloue) that are be&s;meared with it. A fift &s;ort, come all vn|braced before (I had almo&s;t &s;aid, with bre&s;ts layd out like Whores and <HI>Iezebells</HI>) but I am &s;ure, with brea&s;ts open, with hearts naked, vnarmed, vnfenced again&s;t the lea&s;t a&s;&s;ault, for want of due preparation; in&s;omuch, that if the <HI>Deuill</HI>
<PB N="37" REF="21"> doth but &s;hoot the dart of <HI>plea&s;ure,</HI> the <HI>world</HI> of <HI>vaine pro|fit,</HI> and the <HI>fle&s;h</HI> play <HI>its</HI> part, while the Mini&s;ter is &s;peaking and they hearing, they are &s;o &s;tricken, &s;o intoxicated, &s;o vainely bu&s;ied, that they get no more good to their &s;oules, then <HI>they</HI> to their bodies, who, &s;itting at a Kings Table, doe &s;o dreame of honours and preferments, which &s;hall <HI>neuer</HI> be, that they minde nothing le&s;&s;e then the bits that are car|ued them, and the meate which is before them, and &s;o ri&s;e without ta&s;ting one bit of the fea&s;t. A &s;ixt comes <HI>without his girdle,</HI> without <HI>&s;inceritie,</HI> hypocritically, formally, for fa&s;hion, company, and cu&s;tome. A &s;eaventh commeth in the <HI>Deuills habite</HI> (if the Deuill hath any habite) in a &s;trange dre&s;&s;e, <HI>proud</HI> like the Deuill, and <HI>craftie</HI> like the Deuill. So <HI>proud,</HI> that he thinkes, he knowes as much as any can teach him; and therefore if the Preacher trips a little, and doth not carry his matter &s;moothly and Scholler-like before him (as all cannot, for all haue not an equall gift of Art and vt|terance) he laughs in his &s;leeue; or el&s;e &s;o <HI>craftie,</HI> that he comes to catch the Mini&s;ter, as the <HI>Scribes</HI> to trap our <HI>Saui|our</HI> and entangle him in his talke, not with a &s;imple, and hone&s;t heart, to learne Gods will, and to haue a &s;ight of Chri&s;t, to &s;upply the nece&s;&s;itie of his &s;oule. And la&s;tly, who among&s;t vs all doe not come many times with <HI>dirtie feete,</HI> with impure affections, into Gods Sanctuary, bringing a great deale of worldline&s;&s;e, a great deale of drow&s;ine&s;&s;e with vs. And albeit, we haue &s;marted for it (in being &s;ent away from many a Sermon, without the &s;weet bits we were wont to haue, as a iu&s;t de&s;ert of our negligence to prepare our &s;elues) yet we haue not &s;o &s;haken off our &s;lightne&s;&s;e of preparation as we &s;hould; <HI>Who, who</HI> of vs (I &s;ay) fayle not this way? If our <HI>husband</HI> were not extraordinarily in loue with vs, and willing &s;ometimes to beare with vs in our <HI>night-attire,</HI> as well as to re&s;pect vs in our <HI>hand&s;omer dre&s;&s;e,</HI> he might euen &s;ay to vs that are deare&s;t vnto him; <HI>What doe you here in my pre&s;ence at my Word, &s;o di&s;ordered, &s;o di&s;tem|pered, &s;o vnprepared?</HI></P>
<PB N="38" REF="22">
<P>As thus many come vnmannerly to his <HI>Word,</HI> &s;o as many come as rudely <HI>to,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Irreuerence and irreligion at Bapti&s;me taxed.</NOTE> and carry them&s;elues as irreverently <HI>at</HI> his <HI>Sacraments.</HI> How many &s;imple &s;oules bring their Chil|dren to <HI>Bapti&s;me,</HI> &s;carce knowing <HI>wherefore</HI> Bapti&s;me &s;erues, <HI>what v&s;e</HI> it ought to be off to them&s;elues, what v&s;e in time it may be off to their littles ones? How many are pre&s;ent at <HI>that</HI> Sacrament, when it is admini&s;tred, who neither <HI>can,</HI> nor <HI>care to</HI> meditate vpon &s;uch things, as <HI>then</HI> and <HI>there,</HI> are to be thought vpon: their <HI>eyes</HI> are &s;o taken vp with <HI>gazing,</HI> their <HI>tongues</HI> &s;ometimes with <HI>talking</HI> with tho&s;e that &s;it next them, and their <HI>hearts</HI> with &s;uch <HI>wandering thoughts,</HI> that there is no roome for <HI>diuiner</HI> meditations, &s;uiting the occa|&s;ion, about the Vow made in Bapti&s;me, about the benefits offred in Bapti&s;me, and the ends of Bapti&s;me; no faith, no prayers &s;et a worke for the good of the partie Baptized, and the like.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Abu&s;e of the Lords Supper.</NOTE>And la&s;tly, for the Lords Supper, how many come to that, who are partakers at the Table of Devills. It is lamen|table to con&s;ider, what ignorant, vnbeleeuing, irrepentant, di&s;obedient Communicants, thru&s;t them&s;elues vpon this Ordinance, that haue neither skill, nor con&s;cience, to exa|mine and prepare them&s;elues before receiuing; that know not what to doe, how to behaue them&s;elues in the time of receiuing, not how to &s;et their <HI>faith</HI> a worke towards <HI>God,</HI> in the apprehen&s;ion of <HI>his</HI> loue, not how to &s;et their <HI>loue</HI> a-worke towards <HI>beleevers,</HI> whom they communicate withall, that know not <HI>what</HI> to doe <HI>after</HI> receiuing; frequenting this fea&s;t for cu&s;tome and fa&s;hion, partaking after a gro&s;&s;e and carnall manner, not di&s;cerning the Lords body, not making any difference betwixt <HI>common</HI> Bread, and <HI>common</HI> Wine, and <HI>Sacramentall.</HI> Well then, (beloued) this irreuerent and irreligious frequenting of Gods publique, &s;acred, Ordi|nances, by &s;uch multitudes of people, duely con&s;idered, can a word of reproofe come out of &s;ea&s;on? I am &s;ure, here wants no ground for it in the Doctrine wee haue now in hand.</P>
<PB N="39" REF="22">
<P>Are we well advi&s;ed, <HI>who</HI> is here? <HI>who</HI> trow we is pre&s;ent at the <HI>Word,</HI> at the <HI>Sacraments?</HI> Is not the <HI>King</HI> him&s;elfe? And what King? Why, the King of glory, the great mag|nificent <HI>Spou&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Bride-grome</HI> of the Church; His <HI>royall,</HI> his <HI>&s;tately,</HI> his <HI>honourable,</HI> his <HI>comfortable</HI> pre&s;ence is <HI>there; There</HI> he <HI>&s;its,</HI> and <HI>there</HI> he <HI>communicates</HI> what euer he &s;ees needfull for his <HI>Brides</HI> &s;alvation. Shall wee then dare to come &s;o <HI>rudely,</HI> not feare to goe &s;o <HI>irreligiou&s;ly</HI> into HIS pre&s;ence? Is <HI>he</HI> pre&s;ent while his Mini&s;ters Preach? and &s;hall we come to the <HI>Word</HI> with &s;leepie <HI>eyes,</HI> itching <HI>eares,</HI> dirtie <HI>faces,</HI> proud <HI>conceits of our owne knowledge, craftie in|tentions,</HI> to catch the Preacher, <HI>naked hearts,</HI> without grace to <HI>beleeue,</HI> without will to <HI>apply</HI> the things that are taught vs? Come we <HI>hither</HI> like <HI>hypocrites?</HI> come <HI>hither</HI> to <HI>&s;coffe,</HI> to <HI>&s;leepe,</HI> to <HI>laugh?</HI> Is Chri&s;t pre&s;ent in <HI>Bapti&s;me?</HI> and &s;hall wee pre&s;ume to neglect all <HI>meditation</HI> for <HI>our &s;elues,</HI> all <HI>inuocation</HI> for <HI>the partie Baptized?</HI> Is <HI>he</HI> la&s;tly, pre&s;ent in the <HI>Euchari&s;t?</HI> And dare wee to goe to <HI>that</HI> fea&s;t without our wedding gar|ment, without knowledge, faith, repentance, obedience, and loue? dare we goe to <HI>that</HI> without any due examination of our &s;oules before hand, concerning the forenamed gra|ces, whither we haue them or no? dare wee receiue gro&s;&s;e|ly and carnally at <HI>that,</HI> and not &s;hew our &s;elues thankefull, by our new obedience, after we haue eaten of this Supper? Will <HI>the&s;e</HI> things (thinke wee) be well taken at our hands? Is it not greatly to the di&s;honour of the King? An earthly King will not endure it, that any of HIS gue&s;ts &s;hould come with dirtie &s;hooes into HIS DINING ROOME, le&s;&s;e can he abide, that they &s;hould come vnhand&s;omely, vncomely to his owne TABLE. Doth not <HI>this heauenly King</HI> &s;tand as much vpon his honour as an <HI>earthly?</HI> He doth. Oh folly to be reproved, oh impudency to be condemned <HI>then,</HI> to goe &s;o <HI>vnpreparedly to,</HI> to be &s;o <HI>vnreuerent at,</HI> the Preaching of the <HI>Word,</HI> and partaking of the <HI>Sacraments,</HI> which is the <HI>Table</HI> whereat <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;itteth. Verily, if this re|buke availes not with vs, to humble vs for the di&s;honour thus offered to this <HI>Sitter</HI> at this <HI>Board</HI> with his Church,
<PB N="40" REF="23"> wee may be &s;ure he will deale with vs, as the King in the Go&s;pell did with him whom he found at the fea&s;t without a wedding garment: <HI>Binde vs hand and foote, and ca&s;t vs into vtter darkene&s;&s;e, where is weeping, and wayling, and gna&s;hing of teeth</HI><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Mat. 22.</NOTE>.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e"> That I may therefore in the fourth place (and not vnfitly) &s;ubioyne a word of Exhortation, let the thought of this pre|&s;ence of Chri&s;t in the&s;e Ordinances, &s;tirre vs vp to that re|uerence and preparation, that the former reproued number doe want. Be wee to goe but to a fea&s;t at an ordinary <HI>Gentle|mans</HI> hou&s;e, if we know the ma&s;ter of the family will beare vs company at it, wee are very carefull to bru&s;h our gar|ments, to robe our &s;elues with our holi-day cloathes, to put on cleane linnen, to wa&s;h our face, eyes, and handes, to &s;coure and &s;harpen our kniues, that &s;o, for want of hand|&s;omne&s;&s;e in our attire, or by meanes of hackling our meate with blunt kniues, we may neither offend the gue&s;ts that &s;it with vs, nor grieue the ma&s;ter that bad vs, nor &s;hame our &s;elues; The like <HI>&s;pirituall</HI> care let there be in vs to fit our &s;elues when wee come to <HI>Wi&s;edomes</HI> dainties. When the <HI>I&s;|raelites</HI> were to haue the Lord to <HI>de&s;cend</HI> among&s;t them on Mount <HI>Sinai,</HI> I reade<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Exod. 9.10.</NOTE> <HI>they were to wa&s;h their cloathes, and &s;anctifie them&s;elues. Their</HI> cour&s;e mu&s;t wee imitate when we a&s;cend to Gods Mount, and goe vp to <HI>his</HI> hou&s;e (where he is pre&s;ent) to heare his Word, or receiue the Sacraments. We mu&s;t be clean&s;ed, and &s;anctified, that &s;o when wee are <HI>there,</HI> we may giue him the honour of his holy pre&s;ence, and neither di&s;honour him, nor di&s;grace our &s;elues.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Doct."> WEE will now proceed to the &s;econd poynt, <HI>That while Chri&s;t is pre&s;ent with his Church in his Ordinan|ces, &s;hee &s;endeth forth the &s;auour of Faith and good Workes.</HI> Compare a few places of Scripture together, and you &s;hall &s;ee this to be very firme. In the <HI>Acts</HI> of the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> wee may reade, that Chri&s;t had beene pre&s;ent by the Mini&s;try of <HI>Paul</HI> at <HI>Phillippi</HI><NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Act. 16.14.</NOTE>, at <HI>The&s;&s;alonica</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Act. 17.2.</NOTE>, at <HI>Rome</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Act. 28.31.</NOTE>. And Saint <HI>Paul</HI> in his writings vnto the Saints, in <HI>the&s;e</HI> places, &s;peakes
<PB N="41" REF="23"> of their <HI>Faith</HI> and <HI>good Workes</HI><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.8. Phil. 1.7.9.16.11. 1 The&s;. 1.7.8.</NOTE>, which like a precious oynt|ment, did diffu&s;e them&s;elues in their Odour ouer the world.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> I propound this (in the fir&s;t place) for a rule of tryall, whereby to examine our &s;elues, whither we be members of the true Church, yea or no. This great Bridegrome in|deed, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, hath &s;pread a Table among&s;t vs, and a plentifull one too. But, haue wee Faith? What are our fruits? Wee heare much, wee pray oft, wee frequent the Table of the Lord, wee di&s;cour&s;e many times; but are all the&s;e perfumed with beleeuing? Doe wee endeuour &s;o to walke, that our Faith may be &s;poken off; and that through|out the whole cour&s;e of our liues, wee may &s;end forth a &s;weete odour to refre&s;h the no&s;trills of the godly, though the wicked (who can thinke well neither of the wayes, nor workers of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e) be offended with the &s;ame? If yea, then <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> by his grace hath beene pre&s;ent with vs in his Ordinances, hath contracted vs vnto him&s;elfe, and gi|uen him&s;elfe as an <HI>husband</HI> vnto vs, betwixt <HI>whom</HI> and <HI>vs,</HI> all the powers of darkene&s;&s;e are not able to force a divorce|ment. But if otherwi&s;e; though wee haue beene neuer &s;o oft at this Bride-gromes Table, heard hundreths of Ser|mons, oft communicated at the Supper of the Lord, yet we are but onely <HI>vi&s;ible</HI> members of the <HI>outward</HI> a&s;&s;emblyes, no <HI>&s;pirituall</HI> limmes of the <HI>mi&s;ticall</HI> body.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Therefore, &s;econdly, this doth notably confound the foo|li&s;h conceit of all them, who brag that Chri&s;t is <HI>their</HI> hus|band, and <HI>they</HI> be betrothed vnto <HI>him,</HI> and yet are nothing, but full of <HI>infidelitie,</HI> and <HI>impietie,</HI> of <HI>vnfaithfulne&s;&s;e,</HI> and vn|fruitfulne&s;&s;e in their <HI>hearts,</HI> in their <HI>liues.</HI> Our dayes afford &s;tore of &s;uch, in who&s;e ve&s;&s;els, there is not one dramme of <HI>Spikenard,</HI> to ca&s;t forth any &s;weete &s;auour, either to GOD, or godly men, but rather (with the people in <HI>Ioels</HI> time<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Ioel 2.20.</NOTE>) <HI>their &s;tinke goes vp</HI> (into the no&s;trils of God) <HI>and their worme|wood &s;ends forth the bitterne&s;&s;e thereof:</HI> The &s;tinke of their &s;innes diffu&s;eth it &s;elfe to the <HI>offending</HI> of the children of <HI>God,</HI> to the <HI>infecting</HI> of the children of <HI>men.</HI> A good man can
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<PB N="42" REF="25"> &s;carce in any corner auoyde the &s;mell of their impious and vnrighteous fruits, of their lies, &s;launders, bla&s;phemies, ri|baldries, and other idle &s;peeches; but &s;hall be compelled to &s;ent them in euery place, as &s;trong, as noy&s;ome, as Brim|&s;tone; to force &s;ighes from his heart, and teares from his eyes. And how odiou&s;ly their VNBELIEFE doth affect the KINGS &s;mell, their di&s;tru&s;t in Gods providence, their di&s;contentedne&s;&s;e in pro&s;peritie, their impatience in adver|&s;itie, &s;en&s;ele&s;ne&s;&s;e <HI>of,</HI> and vtter carele&s;ne&s;&s;e <HI>for,</HI> the comforts of the Spirit, doe euidently and woefully declare; And yet the&s;e people (for&s;ooth) e&s;teeme them&s;elues to be the Bride of Chri&s;t. But to con&s;ider, how they are deceiued, it pitties my heart. What? know they <HI>not,</HI> &s;ee they <HI>not,</HI> that Chri&s;t his Bride is not (while her husband &s;its at Table) without her <HI>perfume</HI> to plea&s;e <HI>him,</HI> and <HI>affect</HI> the <HI>virgins</HI> that be her fellowes? Now alas, the&s;e vaine-boa&s;ters, are as emptie of this perfume as the fooli&s;h Virgins lampes were of oyle. They haue nothing but the oyntments of Harlots in their Boxes (their &s;oules I meane) and about their bodies. And dare they challenge Chri&s;t for their Spou&s;e? As though he will linke him&s;elfe with <HI>&s;uch?</HI> No, no. Let them with <HI>Bar|nabas</HI> get to be full of <HI>faith</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Act. 11.24.</NOTE>, and with <HI>Dorcas</HI> to be full of <HI>good Workes</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Act. 9.36.</NOTE>, that God and man may &s;mell the &s;auour of their <HI>Spikenard,</HI> and <HI>then</HI> they may be beleeved, when they affirme them&s;elues to belong to Chri&s;t; but while <HI>then,</HI> they doe but flatter them&s;elues, and deceiue others.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Doct."> LA&s;tly, Ob&s;erue, that <HI>Chri&s;tians may &s;ometimes lawfully &s;peake of their owne faith and good workes.</HI> The Church had <HI>Spikenard,</HI> and here &s;hee &s;peakes of it, and of the &s;weet &s;mell it ca&s;t forth. How oft doth <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;peake of his faith, and his good fruits, in the Booke of the <HI>P&s;almes,</HI> &s;ometimes reporting how he tru&s;ted in God<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">P&s;al 64.</NOTE>, &s;ometimes how he pray|ed vnto him<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 3.4.34.4.</NOTE>, &s;ometimes how he confe&s;&s;ed his &s;innes vnto him<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 32.5.</NOTE>, &s;ometimes how he loued him<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 116.1.</NOTE>, &s;ometimes how he delighted in the Saints<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.3.</NOTE>, &s;ometimes how he pittied his very enemies<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 35.14.</NOTE>, &s;ometimes he &s;peakes of his vpright walking<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 18.23.</NOTE>,
<PB N="43" REF="25"> &s;ometimes of his holy talking<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 39.1.</NOTE>, &s;ometimes of his zeale for Gods glory<NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119.139.</NOTE>, &amp;c. Thus al&s;o did <HI>Iob</HI><NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Iob 29. c. 31.</NOTE>, <HI>Ezekiah</HI><NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 38.3.</NOTE>, <HI>Paul</HI><NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4.7.</NOTE>, and others of the Worthies', whom the Scripture recordeth. And good cau&s;e why.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> For, fir&s;t, God receiues much honour when wee &s;peake of the graces, which he be&s;toweth vpon vs. Hence it is that wee &s;hall finde <HI>Dauid,</HI> which reported &s;o much of his owne graces, euer and anon, profe&s;&s;ing his re&s;olution, to &s;ound forth the Lords pray&s;es.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> Secondly, &s;ometimes the wicked will ray&s;e &s;launders of the godly, as though they were a great deale wor&s;e then they are: and therefore to cleere them&s;elues from tho&s;e reproches, and &s;o to vindicate the Go&s;pell from di&s;grace, they <HI>may,</HI> yea, and they <HI>mu&s;t</HI> make profe&s;&s;ion of their integri|tie, and faith. What was it which moued <HI>Paul,</HI> to &s;peake &s;o of his hone&s;tie, as he did; <HI>Wee haue renounced the hidden things of di&s;hone&s;tie, not walking in craftine&s;&s;e, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully.</HI> 2 Cor. 4.2. But this, that (as it &s;eemes) in the former Chapter, certaine fal&s;e Apo&s;tles had &s;launde|red him to be a vaine-glorious fellow? Which imputation, to free him&s;elfe from, he &s;pake &s;o of his owne &s;inceritie as he did.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> Thirdly, there are many occa&s;ions giuen vnto Chri&s;ti|ans, to haue hard conceits of their brethren, partly, by rea|&s;on of &s;ome infirmities they <HI>&s;ee in</HI> them, partly, by rea&s;on of &s;ome troubles that <HI>fall vpon</HI> them. And therefore it is law|full, and &s;ometimes needfull for them, to &s;peake of the good things that God hath wrought in them. If you aske, wherefore <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peakes to <HI>Timothy</HI> of his keeping the faith, and fighting a good <HI>fight</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">2 Tim 4.7.</NOTE>,<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Polan. Synt. Lib. 9. c. 8. Pag. 597.</NOTE> One an&s;wereth it, becau&s;e the pre&s;ent trouble which he was in, by the meanes of <HI>Nero,</HI> might occa&s;ion <HI>Timothy</HI> his Scholler, and others which had beene his hearers, to que&s;tion the foundne&s;&s;e of his faith, and hone&s;tie, which was &s;o rewarded wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h affliction, and which faith of his was not like to procure &s;uch temporall deliuerances at the hands of God, as formerly it had done. So then, partly, that Beleeuers may honour their God,
<PB N="44" REF="26"> partly, free them&s;elues from euill reproches ca&s;t vpon them by the wicked, and partly, prevent vncharitable conceits of them&s;elues in their godly brethren, they may lawfully &s;peake of their owne <HI>Spikenard,</HI> of that Faith and tho&s;e good Workes which the Lord hath be&s;weetned, both their hearts, and their lines withall.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> The con&s;ideration of this, giues me iu&s;t occa&s;ion, 1. to finde fault with tho&s;e Chri&s;tians which will euer be talking of their infirmities, that they haue no <HI>grace,</HI> no <HI>faith,</HI> no <HI>good|ne&s;&s;e</HI> at all in them. And yet their con&s;ciences can tell them that &s;uch and &s;uch things the Lord hath inwardly ingrafted in them, &s;uch and &s;uch fruits the Lord hath enabled them outwardly to bring forth in their liues. They know that at &s;uch and &s;uch a Sermon, the Lord &s;o and &s;o affected their hearts, at &s;uch a time gaue them victory ouer &s;uch a temptation, at &s;uch a time enabled them &s;o and &s;o to pray, yea, &s;o and &s;o an&s;wered their prayers, to te&s;tifie the accepta|blenes of the &s;ame; At other times, &s;o and &s;o accheered them with the a&s;&s;urance of his loue, &s;o and &s;o enliued them in the performance of &s;uch and &s;uch duties; yet becau&s;e (for&s;ooth) it is not alwayes alike with them, and the De|uill tells them, they are di&s;&s;emblers, they cry out, <HI>I am an hypocrite, a naughtie packe, a wicked creature, nothing but euill lodgeth in me, no whit of goodne&s;&s;e dwell; in mee, I haue no faith, I haue no zeale, I haue no &s;oundne&s;&s;e, no hone&s;tie, &amp;c.</HI> Is <HI>this</HI> to honour God <HI>with,</HI> and <HI>for,</HI> the good things he hath done <HI>for</HI> thee? wrought <HI>in</HI> thee? Nay, rather is it not to di&s;honour him, in that thou doe&s;t not take notice of his graces, which he hath giuen thee? <HI>This</HI> is enough to expo&s;e the Go&s;pell to di&s;grace among&s;t the enemies of the truth. <HI>This</HI> is enough to make Chri&s;tians them&s;elues thinke more hardly of thee then there is cau&s;e. For, when as thou art &s;o peremptory in it, that <HI>thou art an hypocrite, a varlet, a wretch.</HI> What will the world &s;ay of thee, and &s;uch as make profe&s;&s;i|on with thee? Even THIS; <HI>See, &s;ee, what arrant hypocrites the&s;e Go&s;pellers are, their owne con&s;ciences accu&s;e them, their owne mouths condemne them, there is neuer an one of them ALL
<PB N="45" REF="26"> good.</HI> Thou art much too blame then, who&s;oeuer thou art, that art &s;o readie to take part with the Deuill again&s;t <HI>thy &s;elfe,</HI> when yet the Lord in mercy, hath annoynted thy &s;oule with the <HI>Spikenard</HI> of heaven, when both thy <HI>faith</HI> and <HI>inte|gritie of life,</HI> haue &s;ent forth their &s;weet &s;auour to <HI>God,</HI> and to <HI>men?</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Let me per&s;wade thee to &s;triue again&s;t this euill, to <HI>take notice</HI> of, and (when God may haue any glory, others any good by it) <HI>make report,</HI> of what the Lord hath done for thy &s;oule. Thou <HI>may&s;t</HI> lawfully doe it, yea, (and if need require) thou <HI>must</HI> doe it. Yet with this caution, avoyding pride as much as may be. Not <HI>vaine-gloriou&s;ly,</HI> as <HI>Peter</HI> did, when he &s;ayd, <HI>Ma&s;ter wee haue for&s;aken all, and followed thee, what therefore &s;hall be giuen vs</HI><NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Mat. 19.37.</NOTE>? For <HI>this</HI> is a thing God would be di&s;plea&s;ed with, and it is the propertie of worldlings and wicked ones &s;o to &s;peake, <HI>viz.</HI> of that which indeed they <HI>haue</HI> not, and <HI>doe</HI> not.</P>
<P>But fir&s;t in humilitie, as acknowledging all to come from God.</P>
<P>Secondly, with a de&s;ire to vindicate the Go&s;pell from di&s;grace, when euill mouthes fal&s;ely doe reproch thee.</P>
<P>Thirdly, with a de&s;ire to reioyce the hearts of thy godly brethren.</P>
<P>Fourthly, to draw on others to a loue of <HI>that</HI> Word, whereby God hath wrought &s;uch good in thee.</P>
<P>And la&s;tly, to cleere thine owne <HI>innocency,</HI> when that is called into que&s;tion.</P>
<P>After this manner, and to the&s;e ends thou maye&s;t make profe&s;&s;ion of thy graces; and with the Church. thy Mother here, tell it abroad to others; <HI>My Spikenard &s;endeth forth the &s;mell thereof.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
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<HEAD>MYSTICALL MYRRHE.</HEAD>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;econd generall part of the Text.</NOTE>_NOW commending to GODS ble&s;&s;ing what hath beene &s;poken, touching the Commendation which the <HI>Bride</HI> giues her <HI>Spou&s;e</HI> from HIS <HI>Greatne&s;&s;e,</HI> I proceed to the pray&s;e of HIS <HI>goodne&s;&s;e,</HI> or <HI>&s;weetne&s;&s;e</HI> in the next words.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 12.</BIBL>A bundle of Myrrhe is my well beloued vnto me, he &s;hall lie <HI>(or lodge)</HI> all night betwixt my brea&s;ts.</Q>
<P>IN which words, we haue two things to con&s;ider, 1. What this &s;weetne&s;&s;e <HI>is</HI> for the &s;ubiect matter. 2. What this &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e <HI>worketh</HI> for the &s;ub&s;equent effect. The <HI>thing it &s;elfe</HI> is a <HI>bundle of Myrrhe,</HI> in the former part of the ver&s;e; <HI>A bun|dle of Myrrhe is my well-beloued vnto mee.</HI> The following ef|fect that it <HI>worketh,</HI> is a re&s;olution of the Church, to keepe this <HI>&s;weetne&s;&s;e,</HI> in the clau&s;e of the Ver&s;e; <HI>He &s;hall lodge all night betwixt my brea&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>Let vs &s;et vpon the fir&s;t; <HI>A bundle of Myrrhe is my well be|loued vnto me.</HI> The&s;e words would well admit of a &s;ubdiui|&s;ion, if it were needfull. But an Interpretation will &s;erue our turne well enough: that therefore the kernell may appeare, let vs breake the &s;hell by giuing the &s;en&s;e.</P>
<PB N="47" REF="27">
<P><HI>That</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">R. Selo.</NOTE> Author,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Interpretati|on.</NOTE> who expounds the former Ver&s;e by the &s;inne of <HI>I&s;raell,</HI> in <HI>erecting,</HI> and <HI>wor&s;hipping</HI> the golden calfe, and by the <HI>di&s;plea&s;ure</HI> that <HI>Iehovah</HI> conceiued at it, doth ex|pound the&s;e words, by the Lords pacification, or being plea|&s;ed with <HI>I&s;raell</HI> after this their &s;inne. As imagining the con|gregation of <HI>I&s;raell</HI> to &s;peake thus; <HI>Though I the Synagogue of the I&s;raelites, did ca&s;t forth a &s;tinking &s;mell to the Lord by my I|dolatry, in wor&s;hipping the Golden calfe, yet NOW he is appea|&s;ed with me, become &s;weet and gracious vnto mee, whereof a bun|dle of Myrrhe is a &s;ymbole and &s;igne:</HI> But this Expo&s;ition is too Iewi&s;h.</P>
<P><HI>He</HI> that applyes the former Ver&s;e to the times of King <HI>A&s;a,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Brig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">stm.</NOTE> and to the Vow that the Tribes made in the 15. yeare of his Raigne, doth apply the&s;e words to the times of <HI>Ieho|&s;aphat, A&s;a's</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;or, according to the &s;torie written 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 17.7.8.9. &amp;c. And by the <HI>bundle of Myrrhe,</HI> he vnder&s;tands, the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of knowledge, which abounded in the dayes of <HI>Ieho&s;aphat,</HI> by the care which <HI>that</HI> good <HI>King</HI> had to &s;end Prie&s;ts and Levites, with the booke of the <HI>Law,</HI> through the Tribes of <HI>Iudah,</HI> and <HI>Beniamin;</HI> as though <HI>Sa|lomon</HI> by the &s;pirit of Prophe&s;ie &s;hould fore&s;hew the <HI>I&s;raeli|ti&s;h</HI> Church in <HI>Ieho&s;aphats</HI> time, to &s;peake thus to the pray&s;e of God;</P>
<P><HI>In the dayes of A&s;a, I made a vow vnto thee, to &s;erue thee, and for &s;uch a King as HE was my Spikenard of Religion cast forth a &s;mell vnto thee: But now thou ha&s;t giuen me &s;weeter times, more abundance of knowledge, in be&s;towing vpon me &s;o perfect, &s;o vpright, &s;o carefull a King as Ieho&s;aphat is, in &s;o much that though I had &s;weete dayes before, yet the&s;e that now I &s;ee, doe as much in meanes excell the former, as Myrrhe in &s;weetnes doth excell Spikenard.</HI> This meaning doe I like of neither, as confining the Text.</P>
<P>Others therefore (walking in a more &s;patious field) ap|ply it to the Church of euery age, or to euery particular be|leeuer: And among&s;t <HI>them,</HI> &s;ome &s;ay <HI>one</HI> thing, &s;ome <HI>ano|ther.</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Soto. Maior.</NOTE> <HI>Some,</HI> by the <HI>bundle of Myrrhe,</HI> vnder&s;tand the <HI>death and pa&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>Myrrhe</HI> (as they &s;ay) was v&s;ed
<PB N="48" REF="28"> in Burialls.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Genebr.</NOTE> Others, the immortalitie of the &s;oule, becau&s;e <HI>Myrrhe</HI> is an <HI>Embleme</HI> of incorruption.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The fir&s;t rea|&s;on, why by <HI>Myrrhe</HI> is meant iu&s;ti|fication.</NOTE>But I had rather vnder&s;tand, the <HI>benefit of Iu&s;tification.</HI> And that fir&s;t of all, becau&s;e at <HI>this Center,</HI> the &s;omewhat differing opinions of Interpreters doe meete; For when as <HI>&s;ome</HI> expound it of the <HI>death</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> doth not the Church &s;mell the &s;weetnes of his Death by the benefit of Iu&s;tificati|on? When as<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">As <HI>Merc.</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;cator</HI> doe.</NOTE> <HI>others</HI> doe meane a mo&s;t excellent and &s;weet Odour which the Church doth draw from Chri&s;t, by the no&s;trils of faith, is not Iu&s;tification the ground of <HI>this</HI> &s;mell? yea, the a&s;&s;urance of Iu&s;tification is this &s;mell it &s;elfe.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Be&s;ides, I am &s;ure, <HI>Myrrhe</HI> doth &s;ymbolize and re&s;em|ble Iu&s;tification very fitly.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;corid. li. <HI>1.</HI> c. <HI>67.</HI></NOTE>Fir&s;t, <HI>Myrrhe</HI> di&s;tilleth from a tree full of prickes, much like the Egyptian thorne. And whence comes our righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e and ju&s;tification, but from that tree of Gods eter|nall planting, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, who was per&s;ecuted, thorned, and pierced for our &s;innes.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Impetigines purgat idem ibid.</NOTE>Secondly, <HI>Myrrhe</HI> is of &s;oueraigne vertue, to clean&s;e the Lepro&s;ie of the body; &s;o is Iu&s;tification to purge our Leprous and &s;infull &s;oules.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Horrores di&s;|cutit, &amp;c. id. ib.</NOTE>Thirdly, It is good again&s;t trembling, and the &s;haking of the ague; &s;o is ju&s;tification again&s;t a trembling heart, and horror of con&s;cience.</P>
<P>Wee &s;ee then, what is meant by <HI>Myrrhe.</HI> And <HI>Bundle</HI> here, is as much as a ball of <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> or a bunch of <HI>Myrrhe; My|&s;tically</HI> an <HI>Author</HI> of <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> or <HI>Iu&s;tifier, [is my well-be|loued]</HI> that is, <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> &s;o &s;tiled by a loue-title, which the Church giueth him, becau&s;e that he &s;etteth his loue &s;trong|ly vpon her. <HI>[To me]</HI> that is, to me the Church militant;<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Parapha&s;e.</NOTE> <HI>I &s;mell the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of Iu&s;tification out of the bundle of his merits, who is my mo&s;t louing and well-beloued Spou&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Our conclu&s;ions from hence are the&s;e three. 1. <HI>That Chri&s;t alone is the Iu&s;tifier of the Church, his loue being the cau&s;e and ground of it.</HI> 2. <HI>That the Church alone is iu&s;tified by Chri&s;t.</HI> 3. <HI>That onely beleevers doe &s;mell the &s;weetnes of this benefit of iu&s;tification.</HI></P>
<PB N="49" REF="28">
<P>The fir&s;t of the&s;e points hath two parts.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Doct.</HI> That Chri&s;t in loue iu&s;ti|fieth his peo|ple.</NOTE> 1. <HI>That Chri&s;tians are iu&s;tified by Chri&s;t Ie&s;us alone;</HI> 2. <HI>That it is from his meere loue:</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1. Part of the <HI>Doct.</HI> proued.</NOTE> <HI>That Ie&s;us is the iu&s;tifier of the Church,</HI> is as euident as can be, as from hence, where the Church calleth him <HI>Her bundle of Myrrhe.</HI> So out of the writings of the Prophets; <HI>My righteous &s;eruant &s;hall iu&s;tifie many</HI><NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53.11.</NOTE>. <HI>Their righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is of ME, &s;aith the Lord</HI><NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 54.17.</NOTE>. Is it not the Angell <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> that takes away from <HI>Io&s;uah</HI> (the type of the Church) his filthy gar|ments, <HI>that cau&s;eth his iniquitie to pa&s;&s;e from him, and clotheth him with change of rayment.</HI> Euen with his owne righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, as <HI>Zachary</HI> &s;heweth<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Zach. 3.3.4.</NOTE>? It is plaine al&s;o out of the wri|tings of the Apo&s;tle. <HI>By the obedience of ONE</HI> (meaning Chri&s;t) <HI>&s;hall MANY</HI> (meaning the Church) <HI>be made righteous</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.19.</NOTE>. <HI>He made him &s;inne for vs, who knew no &s;inne, that we might be made the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God in him</HI><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.21.</NOTE>. <HI>If while we &s;eeke to be iu&s;tified by Chri&s;t, we our &s;elues are al&s;o found &s;inners</HI><NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Gal. 2.17.</NOTE>, &amp;c. And &s;till the Scripture runnes vpon this, that by <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> we are reconciled vnto God, clean&s;ed from &s;inne, redeemed out of the handes of our enemies; He therefore is our Iu&s;ti|fier, and none other: not excluding the Father,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A caueat.</NOTE> or the holy Gho&s;t, who haue a &s;troke in this Worke, as well as the Sonne.</P>
<P>As for that other branch of the poynt,<NOTE PLACE="marg">The 2. part of the <HI>Doct.</HI> pro|ued.</NOTE> <HI>that his loue is the ground of this grace,</HI> the title <HI>Well-beloued,</HI> which the church here giueth him, will well carrie it, and els-where the holy Gho&s;t confirmes it. <HI>By MERCY and truth is iniquitie purged</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Pro. 16.6.</NOTE>, &s;aith the Wi&s;eman. <HI>Being iu&s;tified freely by his GRACE, through the redemption that is in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.24.</NOTE>. <HI>That being iu&s;tified by his GRACE, wee &s;hould be made heires according to the hope of eternall life,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle.</P>
<P>Did not Chri&s;t <HI>alone</HI> &s;atisfie the wrath of the Father?<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Rea&s;on of both the parts of the <HI>Doct.</HI> together.</NOTE> did He not tread <HI>the Wine-pre&s;&s;e</HI><NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 63.3.</NOTE> <HI>alone?</HI> What earthly man holpe him in his <HI>Actiue</HI> obedience, to performe, a perfect, com|plete, and entire, &s;eruice to euery iot that the Law requireth? What mortall wight, nay, what creature in heauen or earth ayded him in his <HI>Pa&s;&s;iue</HI> obedience; had the whole wrath of the Father, due to the &s;inne of man, in full mea&s;ure poured
<PB N="50" REF="29"> forth vpon him? Speaketh the Prophet of any els but Chri&s;t when he &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53.5.</NOTE> <HI>He was wounded for our tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, he was brui&s;ed for our iniquities, the cha&s;ti&s;ement of our peace was vpon him?</HI> And would he euer haue vndergone this, endured this, had it not beene for <HI>loue?</HI> Doubtle&s;&s;e, He would not. Very well therefore doth the Church here, to acknowledge her <HI>Well beloued</HI> to be this <HI>Bundle of Myrrhe,</HI> and to giue to him,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Obiection. An&s;w.</NOTE> and his loue alone, the honour of her <HI>iu&s;tification,</HI> when as <HI>He</HI> alone payd the price to purcha&s;e it; and when as both the <HI>pa&s;&s;ion</HI> and <HI>compa&s;&s;ion</HI> is his owne.</P>
<P><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Fide &s;ola.</NOTE>If any &s;hall Obiect, that wee are iu&s;tified by Faith, or by Faith alone, therefore not wholly, not onely by Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>It mu&s;t be an&s;wered, that this is to be vnder&s;tood in ano|ther &s;ence. Wee are iu&s;tified by <HI>faith,</HI> as by an <HI>in&s;trumentall</HI> cau&s;e; by <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> as an <HI>efficient</HI> and <HI>fundamentall.</HI> For no more is <HI>faith</HI> the primary cau&s;e of my iu&s;tification, then my hand is the cau&s;e of the &s;upply of my wants, by a piece of money, which the mercy of another furni&s;heth mee with. That propo&s;ition;<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Parae ad Heb. p. <HI>460</HI> Solafide, exclu|duntur vero no~ cau&s;ae &s;uperio|res, gratia Dei &amp; meritum Chri&s;ti, &s;ed &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>Wee are iu&s;tified by faith ALONE</HI> (a &s;peech much v&s;ed by Orthodoxall Writers) doth not exclude the cau&s;es of Iu&s;tification <HI>without</HI> our &s;elues, but it doth include onely but<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Quotie dici|tur, Solafides iu&s;tificat, o&s;ten|ditur &s;olamfide~ e&s;&s;e vnicum ar|gumentum, &amp; vnicam facul|tatem qu&acirc; reci|pitur iu&s;titia Chri&s;ti. Selnec. Tract. <HI>3.</HI> de fid. &amp; Sacram. The&s; <HI>1.</HI></NOTE> <HI>one</HI> facultie <HI>in</HI> our &s;elues, by which alone wee doe apprehend that righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, which the Lord doth impute vnto vs for our Iu&s;tification. Whereup|on, &s;aith one; <HI>By faith alone, are not excluded &s;uperior cau&s;es, as, the grace of God, the merit of Chri&s;t, but middle cau&s;es, which are coyned by hypocrites, as, the &s;trength of free will workes, me|rits, &amp;c.</HI> So that by <HI>faith</HI> wee are <HI>in&s;trumentally</HI> iu&s;tified, by the obedience of Chri&s;t <HI>formally,</HI> as<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Tom <HI>5</HI> in epi&s;t. ad Eph p. <HI>83.</HI> col. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Zanchius</HI> &s;heweth. For in Iu&s;tification,<NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Bucer. in iu&s;ti|ficatione fides nihil dat &s;ed tantum accipit, &amp; quod accipit, eo ip&s;o iu&s;tifica|mur.</NOTE> <HI>Faith giues nothing, but onely receiueth, and what it receiueth,</HI> (being Chri&s;t and his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e) <HI>by that very &s;ame thing are we iu&s;tified.</HI> So that it may very well be affirmed, that faith iu&s;tifieth alone, and yet be a truth too which (I am in hand withall) that by Chri&s;t alone wee are iu&s;tified.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> And for currant might this Doctrine goe through all Chri&s;tendome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Again&s;t the Papi&s;ts.</NOTE> were it not for Antichri&s;t, and his Babylo|ni&s;h
<PB N="51" REF="29"> followers, of <HI>whom</HI> when I thought, there came to mind a wi&s;e &s;peech of a graue<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Tertull. Apol. p. <HI>815.</HI> Ni&s;i homini De|us plaeuerit, deus non erit, homo iam Deo propiti&ugrave;s e&s;&s;e debebit. <HI>The Papi&s;ts deny Chri&s;t to be our a|lone</HI> iu&s;tifier <HI>three wayes. 1. By their bla&s;phemous Canons.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Father</HI> to allude to; <HI>God &s;hould be God, if man would let him, God now belike mu&s;t &s;tand to mans curte&s;ie for his &s;uperioritie:</HI> So may I &s;ay of the Papi&s;ts; <HI>Ie&s;us &s;hould be Ie&s;us, if they would let him, the ALONE iu&s;tifier of his people, if THEY would permit him, and belike, He must &s;tand to THEIR caruing for the honour of this Worke:</HI> For <HI>they</HI> are very bold to rob him of his glory which he de|&s;erues, and his <HI>Bride</HI> here giues him, and him <HI>alone</HI> for this grace. Neither let any &s;ay, I doe them wrong.</P>
<P>For, fir&s;t of all, doth not the <HI>Councell of Trent</HI><NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">In Decret. de iu&s;tif. Can. <HI>10.</HI> &amp;</NOTE>, ab&s;olutely lay downe this? <HI>If any &s;hall affirme, that men are iu&s;tified by the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t formally, let him be accur&s;ed.</HI> And im|mediately after;<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Canon. XI. Si quis dixerit homines iu&s;tifi|cari vel &s;ola imputatione iu&s;titiae Chri&s;ti, &amp;c. <HI>2. By attribu|ting of iu&s;ti|fication to the dignitie of faith.</HI></NOTE> <HI>If any man &s;hall &s;ay, that men are iu&s;tified ei|ther by the imputation of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e alone, or that the grace whereby we are iu&s;tified, is onely the fauour of God, let him be Anathema.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, doe they not a&s;cribe Iu&s;tification to the <HI>dignitie</HI> of faith? What meanes els that Po&s;ition of theirs; <HI>That wee are prepared by faith to &s;ome meritorious act of loue, which act of loue doth informe faith, and &s;o dignifie it, that then the per&s;on that hath it, de&s;erueth acceptance at Gods handes.</HI> And this A&s;|&s;ertion, they are very &s;tiffe in,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Obiect.</NOTE> alledging for it the Apo&s;tles wordes, <HI>To him that beleeueth on him that iu&s;tifieth the vngod|ly, is his faith accounted for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI><NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Rom. 4.5. <HI>An&s;w.</HI></NOTE>, that is (&s;ay they) God accounts that faith which he findes in a &s;inner, &s;o <HI>wor|thy thy that it doth de&s;erue an habite of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, by which the &s;inner may be iu&s;tified.</HI> But (as the Proverbe is) <HI>An ill glo&s;&s;e corrupteth the Text.</HI> For this Expo&s;ition holdes neither with the <HI>analogie</HI> of <HI>faith,</HI> nor with the &s;cope of the place. Not with the <HI>analogie</HI> of <HI>faith,</HI> for it is directly again&s;t the Scripture, that a man may be a wicked man, and yet haue &s;ome thing in him worthy of iu&s;tification. Not with the <HI>&s;cope</HI> of the <HI>place;</HI> For <HI>there</HI> the Apo&s;tles ayme is (being in di&s;putation about iu&s;tification) to &s;how, that there is an Antithe&s;is, or contra|diction betwixt the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, and the righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e of a man out of Chri&s;t; and not to &s;how, that faith
<PB N="52" REF="30"> informed by charitie, doth by condignitie, merit the iu&s;tify|ing of the &s;inner in the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">3. By main|taining iu&s;tifi|cation by Workes.</NOTE>Thirdly, how peremptorily doe they &s;tand for ju&s;tifica|tion by Workes, abu&s;ing for their purpo&s;e many places of Scripture: as,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Obiect."> Fir&s;t, that of <HI>Iames,</HI><NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Iam. 2.24. <HI>An&s;w.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Yee &s;ee then how that by workes a man is iu&s;tified, and not by faith alone;</HI> when as (as it is well knowne) the drift of the Apo&s;tle is <HI>there</HI> to &s;how, that good workes <HI>declare</HI> a man to be iu&s;t before <HI>men,</HI> and doe not <HI>make</HI> a man iu&s;t in the &s;ight of <HI>God.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Obiect."> Secondly, they bring in <HI>that</HI> of the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t,</HI><NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 18.20.24.<HI>An&s;w.</HI></NOTE> <HI>The Lord rewarded me according to my righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and according to the cleanne&s;&s;e of my handes hath he recompenced mee.</HI> But alas, to little purpo&s;e; For the Prophet in that place, as &s;ome ob|&s;erue, doth not &s;peake of <HI>iu&s;tification,</HI> but<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Certum e&s;t Dauidem hoc P&s;almo, nihil aliud canere de Deo, qua~ qu&ograve;d per illum libe|ratus fit ab ho|&s;tibus &amp;c. Mu&s;cul, ad loc.</NOTE> onely of the <HI>deli|verance</HI> that God gaue him out of the hands of his enemies; which <HI>deliuerance</HI> al&s;o, he doth not attribute to the merit of his owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; (For <HI>that</HI> he di&s;claimes, ver&s;. 19. &s;aying; <HI>He deliuered me, becau&s;e he had a FAVOVR vnto me</HI>) but onely he acknowledgeth, that <HI>that</HI> deliverance was a te&s;timony of his integritie, how <HI>naught</HI> and <HI>vniu&s;t</HI> &s;oeuer his enemies fal&s;ely <HI>accounted</HI> and <HI>accu&s;ed</HI> him to be.</P>
<P>Many of the like places doe they thus abu&s;e; <HI>abu&s;e</HI> (I &s;ay) and whither I &s;peake right or no, I appeale not onely to S^t <HI>Paul,</HI> who&s;e drift is in the fiue fir&s;t Chapters of the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Romanes,</HI> to ouerthrow iu&s;tification by Workes; but al&s;o to <HI>one</HI> of their owne<NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Aquin, Super Gal. c. <HI>3.</HI> Lec <HI>4.</HI> Opera non &s;unt cau&s;a quod ali|quis &s;it iu&s;tus apud Deum, &amp;c.</NOTE> Doctors, who&s;e very wordes are the&s;e; <HI>Workes are not the cau&s;e that any man is righteous before God, but rather they are the fruits and declarations of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e.</HI> And indeed how can we be iu&s;tified by workes, when as by the confe&s;&s;ion of the Papi&s;ts<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Caiet, in epi&s;t. ad Roman. c. <HI>3.</HI> fol. <HI>10.</HI></NOTE> them&s;elues; <HI>the righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Workes cannot blot out &s;innes, but leaues a man in the &s;ame.</HI> Thus while the Papi&s;ts doe partly <HI>cur&s;e</HI> tho&s;e that hold ju&s;tification by the free mercy of God, and partly a&s;cribe it to the <HI>dignitie of Faith,</HI> and partly to the <HI>merit of good Workes,</HI> doe they not rob Chri&s;t of that prai&s;e which his great kindne&s;&s;e in iu&s;tifying a poore &s;inner doth de&s;erue?
<PB N="53" REF="30"> Dealing with this bundle of &s;pirituall <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> as &s;ome<NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Petrus de la Primaud. Franc. Acad. part. <HI>3.</HI> c. <HI>69.</HI></NOTE> re|port the <HI>Arabian</HI> followers of <HI>Mahomet</HI> to deale with that corporall <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> which they bring to <HI>Alexandria</HI> to &s;ell, v&s;ing a thou&s;and deceits to &s;ophi&s;ticate it, and gull Chri&s;ti|ans with it, that buy it. So they (I &s;ay) adulterate this preci|ous Doctrine with their owne deceipts and deuices, and would thru&s;t it for good ware, and &s;ound vpon the common &s;ort; But I pray God, they may neuer haue any vent for &s;uch deceitfull <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> and counterfeit righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e a|mong&s;t vs. I am &s;ure, the Church entertaines no &s;uch &s;tuffe <HI>here;</HI> but &s;peakes all to the commendation of her <HI>Beloued,</HI> admitting of <HI>no Myrrhe, no</HI> righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, but his owne, to pray&s;e him, and to commend by. But to leaue them as confuted, let vs come to our &s;elues.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> I would to God, there were not &s;ome Popi&s;h Prote&s;tants among&s;t our &s;elues, who mu&s;t haue &s;ome perfume in <HI>Na|tures</HI> garden to &s;mell on, &s;ome <HI>naturall</HI> or <HI>morall</HI> plant of <HI>their owne,</HI> to put into <HI>this</HI> Bundle, to mingle with <HI>Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> to iu&s;tifie them in the &s;ight of God. Some good <HI>de&s;ires, deedes, devotions,</HI> which they much brag off, and &s;tand vpon, for which God is for&s;ooth bound to accept them, and to like of them. To whom I may &s;ay truely, as <HI>Elihu</HI> in another ca&s;e to <HI>Iob; Behold, in THIS thou art not iu&s;t</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Iob 33.12.</NOTE>. It may be thou art of a gentle nature, of a curteous be|hauiour, &s;omewhat di&s;po&s;ed to liberalitie out of a vaine-glorious humour, can&s;t not away with the company of the prodigall; mu&s;t God of nece&s;&s;itie iu&s;tifie thee, like of thee for <HI>the&s;e</HI> things? Yes, that he mu&s;t, and doth too, I would be &s;orry els; I am &s;ure, he would not like of me, if I &s;hould &s;will, and cur&s;e, and &s;teale, and quarrell, &amp;c. thats true; for he cannot away with the&s;e gro&s;&s;e euills; the committers of them are abominable vnto him. Yet notwith&s;tanding, to conclude, that thy morall vertues can iu&s;tifie thee before him, is little differing from plaine Popery. And I tell thee in &s;tanding vpon this thou doe&s;t Papi&s;t-like rob Chri&s;t of his glory, and deny him that pray&s;e which the members of the Church doe <HI>here</HI> giue him, as his due in this Text. They
<PB N="54" REF="31"> &s;ay not here, <HI>A bundle of Myrrhe is my Well-beloued, and my Spikenard vnto me, but my Well-beloued alone.</HI> They acknow|ledge all in the matter of ju&s;tification, to come from Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, i&s;&s;uing and &s;pringing from the fountaine of his free loue. They know, that the be&s;t righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in them&s;elues is (as the Prophet &s;peaketh) <HI>as an vncleane thing, and filthy rags</HI><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 64.6.</NOTE>: and that in the be&s;t actions they doe, if their imper|fections be not couered in Chri&s;t, and &s;weetned with the <HI>Myrrhe</HI> of his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, there is more cau&s;e of <HI>damna|tion</HI> to be found in them then <HI>&s;aluation.</HI> It is by <HI>grace</HI> that wee are iu&s;tified, not by <HI>Workes.</HI> The very faithfull them|&s;elues plea&s;e God no otherwi&s;e then in Chri&s;t. Neither their <HI>loue,</HI> nor <HI>faith,</HI> nor <HI>good fruites,</HI> can for the dignitie of the &s;ame, de&s;erue ab&s;olution before Gods tribunall. Now then if the <HI>graces</HI> that are <HI>inwardly</HI> wrought, and the <HI>Workes</HI> that doe <HI>outwardly</HI> appeare in beleevers them&s;elues, can procure no further acceptance at Gods handes, then their per&s;ons &s;tand iu&s;tified, and their &s;innes acquitted before GOD in Chri&s;t, then que&s;tionles (as God once told the idolatrous <HI>I&s;raelites) neither thy Workes, nor thy righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e will profit thee</HI><NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57.12.</NOTE>, to iu&s;tification, that art but carnall, but ciuill. That then I may cea&s;e to <HI>confute</HI> thee, &amp; be a <HI>coun&s;eller</HI> vnto thee,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>V&s;e</HI> 3. Exhortation to di&s;claime our owne righteou&s;nes.</NOTE> let me exhort thee, willingly to giue the <HI>Well beloued</HI> of the Church, the glory of this grace alone. Mingle not thy righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e with <HI>his</HI> in the matter of iu&s;tification; &s;uch a mix|ture, &s;uch a compo&s;ition &s;tinkes before the Lord. I finde in the old<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Exod. 30.34.35.38.</NOTE> <HI>Law,</HI> how that the Lord commanded <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to make a &s;weete perfume of <HI>Stacte, Onicha, Galbanum,</HI> and <HI>Franckin&s;ence,</HI> and to temper it after the art of an <HI>Apothecary,</HI> holy and pure. Concerning <HI>which,</HI> he threatned that who|&s;oeuer &s;hould pre&s;ume to make the <HI>like,</HI> to &s;mell thereto, that &s;oule &s;hould be cut off from the Lords people. And hath the Father commanded a greater then <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> euen his onely be|gotten Sonne, to temper an exact and mo&s;t pure perfume of his owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and obedience for the <HI>Father</HI> to &s;mell on, that he might be <HI>pacified</HI> with the <HI>Elect,</HI> for the <HI>Elect</HI> to &s;mell on, that <HI>they</HI> might be iu&s;t before <HI>GOD.</HI>
<PB N="55" REF="31"> And &s;hall mortall, &s;infull, man (contrary to Gods charge) pre&s;ume to compo&s;e the like, out of his owne righteou&s;nes, and yet the Lord endure it, reckon that per&s;on among&s;t the number of his owne people? No, no. The <HI>ciuille&s;t</HI> per&s;on that liues vnder the cope of heauen, &s;hall greatly di&s;plea&s;e the Lord, if he pre&s;umes to offer it. Did&s;t thou <HI>equall,</HI> nay <HI>excell</HI> the mo&s;t vertuous <HI>morali&s;ts</HI> that euer were, in <HI>iu&s;tice, temperance, magnanimitie, affabilitie,</HI> and the like, yet thou mu&s;t e&s;teeme all the&s;e as <HI>nought</HI> in compari&s;on of the <HI>righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> crucified. Learne therefore, learne, I be&s;eech thee, to di&s;claime thine owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; Shuffle, oh &s;huffle not in the <HI>merit,</HI> the <HI>dignitie</HI> of <HI>any</HI> good <HI>deedes,</HI> or <HI>de|&s;ires</HI> of <HI>thine owne,</HI> into <HI>this</HI> bundle, lea&s;t like the mixture of <HI>Opocalpa&s;um</HI> with <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> it proue deadly to thy &s;oule, as <HI>that</HI> to the body<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg"><HI>As</HI> Mathiolus <HI>cites it out of</HI> Galen. Opocal|pa&s;um exitiale e&s;t, multo&s;&abque; nos &s;orte quadam vidimus no&s;trae aetatis de cur&s;u mori qu&ograve;d in&s;cij Myrrham, cui Opocalpa&s;um admi&s;tum erat, a&s;&s;ump&s;i&s;&s;ent. Mathio. Com|ment. in Dio&s;. li. <HI>1.</HI> c. <HI>67.</HI> Pag. <HI>77.</HI></NOTE>: and thou neuer &s;mell the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of the &s;ame, in a&s;&s;urance thou art iu&s;tified, to thy con&s;olation here, and &s;alvation hereafter.</P>
<P>Now to the end thou maye&s;t learne to di&s;claime thine owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e indeede. This threefold Meditation will be very availeable.</P>
<P><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Three medi|tations, to fur|ther vs in di&s;|claiming our owne righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</NOTE>Fir&s;t, that mans righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, cannot acquit him, di&s;|charge him, before the Iudge.</P>
<P>Secondly, that it breaketh <HI>euery</HI> way, that it can fulfill <HI>no</HI> way the Law of God perfectly, and entirely; it <HI>omitteth</HI> much good, it <HI>committeth</HI> much euill, that good which it doth, it doth not aright, that euill which it e&s;cheweth, is e&s;|chewed for by-re&s;pects.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Meditate, that the worthie&s;t and holie&s;t of the Saints of God, haue cryed out of it, neuer looked to be iu|&s;tified by it. As <HI>Dauid; In &s;inne Lord hath my Mother concei|ued me</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.5.</NOTE>: and <HI>Iob; The Angels are vncleane before thee, how much more abhominable is man that is borne of a woman</HI><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Iob 15.15.16.</NOTE>. And <HI>Paul; I know that in me, that is, in my fle&s;h dwelleth no good thing</HI><NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.18.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>The&s;e three things, I &s;ay, feriou&s;ly and wi&s;ely thought of, and pau&s;ed vpon, will much further thee to thinke meanely of thine owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, bee&s;t thou neuer &s;o
<PB N="56" REF="32"> ciuill: Wilt thou know how? I will &s;how thee. The fir&s;t Meditation, will driue thee to &s;peake thus betwixt God and thy &s;oule; <HI>Good Lord, cannot all my righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e cleere me be|fore thy Tribunall? notwith&s;tanding my ciuilitie, my fidelitie in keeping my word, my gentlenes of nature, my ab&s;taining from the gro&s;&s;e, and enormious vices of the times, doe I not &s;tand di&s;char|ged before thee the mo&s;t vpright and vnpartiall Iudge? Lord, why &s;hould I then &s;tand vpon my righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e? Oh, cau&s;e me to ab|horre my &s;elfe in du&s;t and a&s;hes.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd Meditation, will driue thee to this? <HI>What? and for all my righteou&s;nes, doe I breake thy Law, tran&s;gre&s;&s;e thy Commandements, in the omi&s;&s;ion of good, in the commi&s;&s;ion of e|uill, in the doing of good, and for&s;aking of euill, after a wrong manner? Lord, I perceiue then by this, that I cannot be iu&s;tified in thy &s;ight by my &s;elfe; when as that righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e which iu&s;ti|fieth before thee, mu&s;t performe an exact obedience to thy most righteous Law, without &s;weruing one iot from the &s;ame.</HI></P>
<P>The third Meditation will, by the grace of God, worke, in &s;ome &s;uch wi&s;e, with thee as this is; <HI>Lord, haue the be&s;t that euer were cryed out of their owne filthine&s;&s;e, complained of their natiue vilenes, denied their owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e? and &s;hall I be puffed vp with an opinion of mine owne worth? Did &s;o holy a man as</HI> Dauid <HI>was, &s;o patient a man as</HI> Iob <HI>was, &s;o good a man as</HI> Paul <HI>was, ca&s;t downe their crownes before the Lambe, ac|knowledge that in them&s;elues was nothing but &s;inne, no cleanenes, no good thing? and &s;hall I, a vile creature, farre inferiour to the lea&s;t of them, &s;tand vpon my patience, my hone&s;tie, my goodne&s;&s;e? Lord, let it be farre from me, &amp;c.</HI> And when the&s;e Meditati|ons haue brought thee to this pa&s;&s;e, produced the&s;e effects; tell me whither then it can be po&s;&s;ible for thee, to &s;ing any Song but this, in regard of thy iu&s;tification; <HI>None but Chri&s;t, none but Chri&s;t: His righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e alone, to di&s;charge me before the Iudge, to fulfill the Law for me, to cure my &s;pirituall &s;ickenes, to couer my naturall filthine&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>If the&s;e Meditations were but duely made v&s;e of by our ciuill <HI>Iustitiarians</HI> them&s;elues, they would vaile the Bonet, come downe a peg lower in their owne conceits, and runne
<PB N="57" REF="32"> altogether out of the garden of nature, into the garden of grace for this <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> and depend vpon Gods loue alone in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us for their iu&s;tification. But alas, alas, they medi|tate not vpon this, and hence it is, that they &s;tand &s;o much vpon their owne worthines, that the righteou&s;nes of Chri&s;t, is neither thought on, nor &s;ought for, by them, as it &s;hould be.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> La&s;tly, is Chri&s;t the alone Iu&s;tifier of the Church, and is his free grace, the ground of it?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Advi&s;e to Be|leeuers, to be thankefull to their <HI>Iu&s;tifier.</HI></NOTE> how thankefull then ought this to per&s;wade Beleevers to be, and how carefull to &s;ing &s;uch a Song as the Church here doth to the pray&s;e of their <HI>Well-beloued.</HI> We v&s;e to &s;ay, a No&s;egay is worth thankes, e|&s;pecially, when it is giuen by a louer, as a token of loue; and is not this bundle, this bunch of <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> Chri&s;t his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, worthy of prai&s;es, being giuen by him as a &s;peciall token of his fauour, to poore, mi&s;erable, and &s;infull creatures? Did the<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Luk. 17.16.</NOTE> tenth <HI>Leper,</HI> returne thankes for the clean&s;ing of his body, and wilt not thou, whom Chri&s;t hath cho&s;en as one out of ten, yea, of twentie, to purge thy &s;oule, returne glory to his name? <HI>Mary Magdalen</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Luk. 7.47.</NOTE> loued Chri&s;t much, after He had forgiuen her much: <HI>Dauid</HI> re&s;olu'd with him&s;elfe, that, on condition the Lord according to the multitude of his mercies, would doe away his iniquities, and purge him with Hy&s;op, which was an Embleme of his clean&s;ing, and cloathing with Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <HI>his tongue &s;hould &s;ing aloud of his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI><NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.2.7.14. ver&s;es.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>It is reported of <HI>Alexander,</HI> &s;irnamed, <HI>The Great,</HI> that he acknowledged him&s;elfe to <HI>owe</HI> more to <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> his Ma&s;ter, then to <HI>Philip</HI> his Father, becau&s;e, from his Ma&s;ter he recei|ued his <HI>Well being,</HI> whereas from his Father he had but his naturall <HI>being</HI><NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Pet. Mart. in lib. <HI>1.</HI> Ethic. Ari&s;t. p. <HI>5.</HI></NOTE>. In like manner (I dare boldly &s;ay) thou that art a true Chri&s;tian, owe&s;t more to Chri&s;t thy Ma&s;ter, yea, thy elder brother, for giuing thee through the merit of his owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, a &s;pirituall being in grace, then to thy naturall Father or Mother, by whom thou ha&s;t thy be|ing in nature. Oh, therefore (owing &s;o much) pay him much, I meane, loue him much, be much thankefull vnto
<PB N="58" REF="33"> him for this his kindne&s;&s;e. Let thy thankefulne&s;&s;e to him know no limits; &s;et no bounds to thy obedience; let not much water quench the flame of thy loue, thy zeale; let not the very fire it &s;elfe deterre thee, &s;care thee, from &s;acrifice, from his &s;eruice. Propo&s;e the ble&s;&s;ed Martyrs for thy pat|terne. The &s;weetne&s;&s;e of this bundle haue &s;o affected <HI>them,</HI> that rather then they would any way &s;how them&s;elues vn|gratefull, they haue not &s;pared to be prodigall of their very liues. Take, oh take then, the cup of &s;aluation, and ble&s;&s;e his holy name, vow &s;eruice, vow obedience to him, vnto the very death; for his free mercy, in iu&s;tifying of thee, re|quires no le&s;&s;e, de&s;erues no le&s;&s;e at thy hands. Leauing this, I come now to the next poynt; which is</P>
<P><HI>That as Chri&s;t alone is the Iu&s;tifier of the Church,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Doct.</NOTE> <HI>&s;o the Church alone is iu&s;tified by Chri&s;t.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The true Church alone is iu&s;tified by Chri&s;t.</NOTE> Iu&s;tification is a benefit belonging onely to the true members of the Church, and to none el&s;e. <HI>TO MEE,</HI> in my Text, implies as much; <HI>To me the Church alone, not to you daughters of Ieru&s;alem,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Except you be Eloct.</NOTE> <HI>not to you aliants and &s;trangers to the Common-wealth of I&s;ra|ell is my Beloued a bundle of Myrrhe, a bringer of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> Aske <HI>Paul,</HI> whom he &s;peakes of, when he &s;aith; <HI>In grace HE</HI> (that is God) <HI>hath made VS accepted in the Beloued</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Ephe. 1.6.</NOTE>; (that is, <HI>iu&s;tified through Chri&s;t</HI>) and he will an&s;were, that he mea|neth <HI>VS, who are cho&s;en in Christ, before the foundation of the world; VS, who are prede&s;tinated to the adoption of children</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Ver&s;es 4.5.</NOTE>; intimating, none to be capable of iu&s;tification but &s;uch. The &s;ame thing, the &s;ame Apo&s;tle proueth in the eight of the <HI>Romanes; Whom he prede&s;tinated, them al&s;o he called, and whom he called, them al&s;o he iustified</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.30.</NOTE>. Now who are prede&s;tinated, who are the called of God, but the members of the Church?<NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 3.</NOTE> <HI>Who &s;hall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect? It is God that iu&s;tifieth,</HI> that is, <HI>it is God that iustifieth the Elect</HI><NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Zanch. ad Eph. c. <HI>2.</HI> p. <HI>8.</HI> Tom. <HI>5.</HI> i. e. Electosfolos.</NOTE>. Me|thinkes, that of S. <HI>Iohn</HI> in his <HI>Reuelation,</HI> is very fit for this purpo&s;e, where he &s;aith, <HI>not</HI> that he <HI>&s;aw the</HI><NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Apoc. 13.1.</NOTE> <HI>BEAST with &s;ea|uen heades, and ten hornes</HI> (that is, the enemies of the Church, who v&s;e their wit and authoritie again&s;t it) <HI>cloathed with the Sunne,</HI> that is, with Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, but a<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Apoc. 12.1.</NOTE> <HI>WOMAN
<PB N="59" REF="33"> &s;o cloathed,</HI> that is, the Church alone, or the company of the faithfull.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> The rea&s;on is plaine, for faith which apprehendeth ju&s;ti|fication by Chri&s;t, is a gift proper and peculiar to the Church, and none el&s;e, for which cau&s;e it is &s;tiled, <HI>The faith of Gods ELECT</HI><NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Tit. 1.1.</NOTE>. Now if none haue faith but the Church, then it mu&s;t needes follow, that none are iu&s;tified, but the members of the Church.</P>
<P>How full of terror is this truth, vnto all tho&s;e that are out of the Church, I meane, not onely tho&s;e who &s;tand &s;unning them&s;elues in the Church-yard, that &s;it &s;willing in Alehou|&s;es, fulfilling their fle&s;hly plea&s;ures, following their worldly profits, while the Word is Preaching, and people are pray|ing vpon the LORDS day. I meane (I &s;ay) not onely them, who are thus out of the materiall Temple, which is made of Bricke and Stone<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">And yet I include them al&s;o, for right Chri&s;tians dare not doe as they doe.</NOTE>, but al&s;o all others, that are no true members of Chri&s;ts <HI>mysticall</HI> body, who, though they heare the Word, receiue the Sacraments, &amp;c. yet are voyde of &s;auing grace, are no &s;pirituall &s;tones of the &s;pirituall buil|ding, no<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Cant. 1.17.</NOTE> <HI>Cedar</HI> beames in Gods hou&s;e, that is, no<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">For <HI>Cedar</HI> was v&s;ed in clean&s;ing, <HI>Levit.</HI> 14. Notes of the fal&s;e Church: Propounded by the way, to &s;hew whom this terror be|longs to.</NOTE> puri|fied, no &s;anctified ones in Gods familie. To all of them, to euery one of them, here is (I &s;ay) a ground of terrour. For (ah poore creatures) they are not iu&s;tified, they haue no &s;hare <HI>in,</HI> no benefit <HI>by,</HI> the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of <HI>Christ.</HI> This bundle belongs not to them; It is peculiar to tho&s;e whom they (for their Religions-&s;ake) hate, &s;corne, and maligne. It appertaines not to tho&s;e daughters of <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> &s;poken of in the fift ver&s;e of this Chapter, who &s;eeme to be of the Church, who brag they are of the <HI>I&s;raell</HI> of God, and yet are not.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1. Particular loue of fal&s;e teaching and teachers.</NOTE><HI>Thou</HI> therefore that delighte&s;t in fal&s;e <HI>Doctrine,</HI> and ca&s;te&s;t the <HI>Word of God behind thy backe</HI><NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Ier. 8.9.</NOTE>; <HI>thou</HI> that with <HI>A|hab,</HI> had&s;t rather heare an hundred fal&s;e Prophets, then one &s;ound <HI>Michaiah</HI><NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">1 King. 22.</NOTE>; and with <HI>Ieroboam</HI><NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">1 Kin. 13.4.</NOTE>, wilt not hearken to the faithfull me&s;&s;engers of the Lord of Ho&s;ts;<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">2. Neutrali|tie in religion.</NOTE> <HI>thou</HI> that with the &s;ame <HI>Ieroboam</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">1 Kin 12.28.29.</NOTE>, art readie to change thy Religion, and manner of wor&s;hip, in&s;tituted by God him&s;elfe;<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">3. Defence and ripnes of &s;inne.</NOTE> <HI>thou</HI> that with the people in <HI>Ieremies</HI> time, wilt palliate and de|fend
<PB N="60" REF="34"> thy &s;innes, profe&s;&s;ing thou walke&s;t not after <HI>Balaim,</HI> when <HI>as yet the Lord &s;ees thy abhomination in the Valley</HI><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Ier. 2.23.</NOTE>, <HI>be|ing pure in thine owne eyes, when as yet thou art not clean&s;ed from thy wickedne&s;&s;e</HI><NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Prov. 30.12.</NOTE>;<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">4. Bla&s;phe|my.</NOTE> <HI>thou</HI> that with the couetous, whom <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;peakes of,<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 10.3.</NOTE> <HI>ble&s;&s;e&s;t thy &s;elfe and bla&s;pheme&s;t God,</HI> and with <HI>Goliah,</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 17.9.10.</NOTE> <HI>cur&s;est</HI> God and his people:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">5. Contempt of authoritie.</NOTE> <HI>Thou</HI> that with the <HI>&s;onnes</HI> of <HI>Belial</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 10.25</NOTE>, contemne&s;t the powers that be ordained of God:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">6. Vaine confidence.</NOTE> <HI>Thou</HI> that tru&s;te&s;t with <HI>Goliah</HI><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 17.45.</NOTE>, in <HI>thy</HI> &s;word and buckler; with the wicked of <HI>Dauids</HI> time, in the<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 49.6. P&s;al. 52.7.</NOTE> multitude <HI>of thy riches;</HI> with the<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 43.14.</NOTE> <HI>Chaldeans,</HI> in <HI>the trea&s;ures thy &s;hippes</HI> bring in by Sea; with the old <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> in <HI>thy plea&s;ant pic|tures</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 2.16.</NOTE>, that is, in thy hou&s;hold furniture and riches<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">So <HI>Scultet.</HI> ex|pounds plea|&s;ant pictures.</NOTE>:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">7. Hypocriti|calnes.</NOTE> <HI>Thou</HI> that can&s;t the <HI>Art</HI> of di&s;&s;embling, hauing <HI>Butter in thy mouth, and warre in thy heart</HI><NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 55.21.</NOTE>; that can&s;t <HI>ble&s;&s;e with thy mouth, but cur&s;e with thy heart</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 62.4.</NOTE>:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">8. Loue <HI>to</HI> &amp; defence <HI>of</HI> bad company.</NOTE> <HI>Thou</HI> that <HI>louect the compa|ny of the vngodly</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1.1.2.</NOTE>, and <HI>magnifiest the wicked, which for&s;ake the Law</HI><NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Pro. 28.4.</NOTE>:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">9. Malice to the Saints.</NOTE> <HI>Thou</HI> that with the enemies of Gods <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> treade&s;t downe <HI>the inheritance of the Lord</HI><NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 63.18.</NOTE>, circumventing them as the <HI>Sodomites</HI> did <HI>Lots</HI> hou&s;e<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.</NOTE>, &s;preading Net; for their <HI>feet</HI><NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 140.</NOTE>, <HI>reioycing at their hurt</HI><NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 35.15.</NOTE>, drawing out <HI>the &s;word,</HI> &amp; bending <HI>the bow, that thou maie&s;t &s;uddenly hit them that are vpright in heart</HI><NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37.14.32.</NOTE>:<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">10 Carnall &s;ecuritie.</NOTE> <HI>Thou</HI> (finally) that art at ea&s;e in <HI>Sion,</HI> drowned in the depth of carnall &s;ecuritie, <HI>thinking thou &s;halt neuer be re|moued</HI><NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 10.6.</NOTE>; who ha&s;t <HI>made a couenant with death, and art with hell at agreement,</HI> thinking that <HI>when the ouer flowing &s;courge &s;hall pa&s;&s;e through, it &s;hall not touch thee,</HI> and &s;o making <HI>lies thy refuge,</HI> and <HI>vnderfal&s;hood hiding thy &s;elfe</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 28.15.</NOTE>: Thou, I &s;ay, that carrie&s;t of all the&s;e, or any of the&s;e blacke brandes of the fal&s;e Church, the&s;e <HI>non euidences</HI> of the true Church, heare thou this word of terror, thou art not iu&s;tified by the Lord Ie&s;us and not to be iu&s;tified by him, de&s;perate and fearefull mu&s;t thy condition needes be: yea, &s;o fearefull, that neither can my capacitie reach it, nor my tongue relate it. For be|&s;ides the ab&s;ence of tho&s;e admirable &s;oule raui&s;hing effects, &s;pringing from iu&s;tification, which thou &s;halt reade off af|terwards<NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">Page. 67.</NOTE>, it is an argument of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure conceiued again&s;t thee, it doth progno&s;ticate, wrath abiding for thee:
<PB N="61" REF="34"> in&s;omuch, that if the <HI>Beloued of the Church, be not this bun|dle of Myrrhe, TO THEE, TO ME,</HI> and become our <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> the &s;tinch of our &s;innes, will daily prouoke the Lord; the &s;mell of our cour&s;es, will daily di&s;ta&s;t him; the &s;auour of our very Sacrifices, are a burthen vnto him: neither are our &s;innes remitted, nor our &s;utes receiued, nor our per&s;ons re&s;pected, nor our good deedes rewarded, nor can our &s;oules (if wee &s;o continue) be eternally &s;aued. Iudge thou then whither this poynt (as &s;weete as it is to the godly) doth not bring (if thou bee&s;t not altogether hope|le&s;&s;e and helpele&s;&s;e) a &s;ound of terror to thy eares: and oh, that it might but be a meane to produce an holy trembling in thy &s;oule, vpon the thought of thy great mi&s;ery.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Secondly, this is not &s;o terrible to the wicked, but it is as comfortable to the godly. Is it their peculiar to be iu&s;tifi|ed by Chri&s;t? Doe they alone participate of that righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, which many thou&s;ands in the world, neither haue, nor are like to haue, any &s;hare in? What bountie, what loue is this from Chri&s;t to them? <HI>Myrrhe</HI> it &s;elfe &s;hould not more refre&s;h the &s;mell, then the con&s;ideration of this accheere their &s;oule. And accheere them it doth at &s;ometime or other, let the Deuill doe his wor&s;t, as the next Doctrine &s;hall de|clare, which without any longer delay, I come vnto: And this it is:</P>
<P><HI>That as the Church alone is capable of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;nes,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Doct.</HI> Chri&s;tians a|lone haue the ioy of iu&s;tifi|cation.</NOTE> <HI>&s;o &s;hee onely is &s;en&s;ible of the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of the &s;ame.</HI> Onely Be|leeuers doe truely reioyce in the a&s;&s;urance of free iu&s;tifica|tion by Chri&s;t. What &s;aith <HI>Dauid</HI> to this purpo&s;e? <HI>The RIGHTEOVS &s;hall be glad in the Lord, and all the VP|RIGHT in heart &s;hall glory</HI><NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 64.10</NOTE>. What &s;aith the Prophet <HI>E|&s;ay</HI> al&s;o? <HI>The RANSOMED of the Lord &s;hall returne, and come to Sion with Songes, THEY &s;hall obtaine ioy and gladne&s;&s;e, and &s;orrow and &s;ighing &s;hall flie away</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 35.10.</NOTE>. Againe, <HI>My SERVANTS &s;hall reioyce, my &s;ervants &s;hall &s;ing for ioy of heart. I create IERVSALEM a reioycing, and HER people a ioy</HI><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">I&s;a 65.14.15.18.</NOTE>. Of whom &s;peakes the Church when &s;he &s;aith; <HI>We will be glad in the Lord, and reioyce in his &s;aluation</HI><NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">I&s;a 25.9.</NOTE>; <HI>I will
<PB N="62" REF="35"> greatly reioyce in the Lord, my &s;oule &s;hall be ioyfull in my God, for he hath cloathed me with the garments of &s;alvation, he hath couered me with the robes of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI><NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61.10.</NOTE>. Of whom (I &s;ay) &s;peakes the Church there, but of her &s;elfe? I confe&s;&s;e that <HI>literally</HI> tho&s;e &s;peeches of the Prophet, are to be referred to the reioycing of the <HI>Iewes</HI> at their returne from captiuitie. But my&s;tically they are to be interpreted, of the ioy which beleeuers <HI>alone</HI> conceiue vpon their returne from <HI>&s;pirituall</HI> bondage, and vpon their iu&s;tification by the merits of Chri&s;t, and free mercy of the Almightie. Wherefore it was not without cau&s;e, that Chri&s;t &s;ayd to the Man &s;icke of the Pal&s;ey; <HI>Sonne, be of good cheare, thy &s;innes are forgiven thee</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Mat. 9.2.</NOTE>. And <HI>Elihu</HI> in <HI>Iob; He that can &s;ay, I haue found a Ran&s;ome</HI> (e&s;pecially &s;uch as Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e hath procured) <HI>&s;hall &s;ee Gods face with ioy</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Iob. 33.24. 6. compared <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ogether.</NOTE>.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;."> That which was the ground of the former poynt, may be the fir&s;t ground of this al&s;o. Chri&s;tians onely haue faith. Now faith is not onely an <HI>Hand,</HI> to plucke this <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> the meanes to apprehend the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, that it may become ours; but al&s;o it is the <HI>No&s;trills,</HI> to &s;mell the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of this <HI>Myrrhe:</HI> Looke as the no&s;trills doe con|uey &s;weete odours to the braine, to refre&s;h the animall &s;pi|rits, which are <HI>there,</HI> &s;o doth faith conuey the a&s;&s;urance of iu&s;tification, to the raui&s;hing, and delighting of the &s;oule. If the Church <HI>alone</HI> then hath the no&s;trills of faith, no wonder is it, if &s;hee <HI>alone</HI> be &s;en&s;ible of the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;."> Secondly, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us onely lodgeth and dwelleth in them, whom he hath iu&s;tified, but where Chri&s;t lodgeth, there mu&s;t needes be great ioy.<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Nonne vide|is cum amicu~ lomi qui&s;piam <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ccipit quom <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rae&s;e ferat <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">atitiam? &amp;c. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hry&s;. in Iohan. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. <HI>1.</HI> Hom. <HI>19.</HI></NOTE> Doe you not &s;ee if a man doth but receiue an ordinary friend into his hou&s;e, how ioyfull he is? how much more joyfull then mu&s;t wee con|ceiue them to be, who haue te&s;timony in their con&s;ciences, that the Lord of glory hath come in by their gates, and ta|ken vp his lodging in their &s;oules?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> As the former, &s;o this Doctrine al&s;o &s;erues, 1. to lay open the mi&s;erable and wretched e&s;tate of all carnall and vnre|generate
<PB N="63" REF="35"> ones, who are no members of the true Church. For no &s;ound ioy belongs vnto them. Their abundance of wealth, their places of honour, their great friends, their mer|ry companions, &amp;c. may peradventure giue them &s;ome kind of contentment and delight, but alas, it is but for a moment, and<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Nam&abque; mal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> quanquam in|terdu~ gauder<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> videtur: Ae&s;ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> at ip&s;e tamen medijs vt &s;tro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">+gylos vndis. Marcell. Arie l. <HI>1.</HI> p. <HI>4.</HI></NOTE> mingled many times with much heauine&s;&s;e and &s;or|row; That joy which &s;prings from Iu&s;tification is too &s;weet, too excellent for them to attaine to; <HI>There is no peace to the wicked, &s;ayth my God</HI><NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57.21</NOTE>. <HI>That, that</HI> (I &s;ay) is <HI>Sions</HI> peculiar. An vngodly man, may indeed heare the promi&s;es, haue the &s;weet Doctrine of iu&s;tification, by the free loue of Chri&s;t, &s;ounded in his eares, and abu&s;e the &s;ame he may (as tho&s;e that make an idoll of Gods mercy) to further him&s;elfe in his de&s;perate di&s;ea&s;e of &s;ecuritie, or a kinde of<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Mat. 13.20</NOTE> hypocriticall ioy he may haue, which a temporall faith may afford him: but to draw out the right &s;weetne&s;&s;e of this heauenly Doc|trine, to the true comfort of his &s;oule, he wants no&s;trills, he hath no true iu&s;tifying and &s;auing faith. Let then an vn|regenerate per&s;on (be he what he will, or can be, for wit, learning, wealth, friends, dignitie, &amp;c.) come and put forth that Que&s;tion, which <HI>Ioram</HI> put forth to <HI>Iehu; Is it peace Iehu, is it peace?</HI> It may be an&s;wered him, as <HI>Iehu</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Ioram; What peace, &s;o long as the Whoredomes of thy Mother</HI> Iezebell, <HI>and her witch-crafts are &s;o many</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">2 Kin. 9.22</NOTE>. <HI>What peace &s;o long as thy luxurious fruits, thy couetous fruits, extortions, oppre&s;&s;ions, v&s;uries, deceitfull tricks, thy oathes, lyes, enuyings, backbitings, Sabboth breakings, neglects of Gods wor&s;hip in the Temple, in the familie, in the clo&s;et, contempts of Gods &s;eruants, and Ordinan|ces, contentments with thy meere ciuill cour&s;es, &amp;c.</HI> are &s;o ma|ny? What peace, I &s;ay, appertaines vnto thee, &s;o long as the&s;e things remaine in thee, as &s;o many te&s;timonies again&s;t thee, that thou art not yet a true member of Chri&s;ts Spou&s;e the Church? <HI>Thou</HI> man, <HI>thou</HI> woman, art like tho&s;e whom the Lord complaines of by the Prophet;<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 65.11.</NOTE> <HI>Yee are they that for&s;ake the Lord, and forget mine holy Mountaine.</HI> Thou ha&s;t playd the Harlot, and runne away from Chri&s;t, and ha&s;t<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 12.</NOTE> <HI>cho&s;en that wherein the Lord delighted not;</HI> And therefore
<PB N="64" REF="36"> mu&s;t I conclude (to the terror of thee, and all &s;uch as thou art) with that &s;entence which the Lord denounceth by the &s;ame Prophet;<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 65.13.14.</NOTE> <HI>Behold, MY SERVANTS &s;hall re|ioyce, but YE &s;hall be a&s;hamed. Behold, my &s;ervants &s;hall &s;ing for ioy of heart, but YE &s;hall cry for &s;orrow of heart, and &s;hall howle for vexation of &s;pirit.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Againe, &s;till we &s;ee comfort to flow out of this Text, to the people of God, by occa&s;ion of this point al&s;o. They may peraduenture haue heauie hearts, drouping &s;pirits, and goe mourning all the day long, and by rea&s;on or outward cro&s;&s;es, or inward di&s;tre&s;&s;es, they may with <HI>Rachell</HI> refu&s;e to be comforted, becau&s;e their comforts are not, and in their owne apprehen&s;ion, haue no being, no exi&s;tence; but let them be of good cheere. The ioy that &s;pringeth from the roote of iu&s;tification, belonges vnto euery member of the Church; As &s;ure as can be, <HI>light is &s;owen for the righteous,</HI> and <HI>ioy for all them that are of an vpright heart.</HI> As they haue this bundle of <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> this &s;weet-ball of Chri&s;t his righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, in free mercy be&s;towed vpon them, &s;o the Lord in his due time, will open the no&s;trills of their faith, and make them &s;en&s;ible of the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of the &s;ame, and the time &s;hall come when in the &s;ence and ioyfull per&s;wa&s;ion of the &s;ame, they &s;hall be able with all confidence and boldnes, to &s;ay, as the Church here doth; <HI>A bundle of Myrrhe is my Well-beloued vnto mee, now I know it, finde it, and feele it.</HI> Stay thy &s;elfe with this then, thou mourner in <HI>Sion;</HI> and goe thy wayes, <HI>Eate thy bread with ioy,</HI> and <HI>drinke thy wine with a merry heart, for God</HI> now <HI>accepteth thy Workes</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 9.7.</NOTE>. Being a mem|ber of the Church, thou art acceptable to God in Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us, and being acceptable to him, He will reveale his com|fortable pre&s;ence vnto thee, be thy di&s;tre&s;&s;e what it can be. And let this &s;uffice thee again&s;t de&s;payre, that though <HI>heaui|ne&s;&s;e may endure for a night, yet ioy &s;hall come in the morning.</HI> Such ioy is thy portion, &s;uch ioy &s;halt thou get into thine owne po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, when God &s;ees fit. Waite therefore for it on the God of thy &s;aluation, and be not like a comfortles creature.</P>
<PB N="65" REF="36">
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> Thirdly, Hence we &s;ee how the world is deceiued, who thinke Chri&s;tians to be melancholy per&s;ons, whom no mirth, no comfort, belongs to; imagining, that of all others, they are the &s;adde&s;t and heauie&s;t creatures; What &s;ayd I de|ceiued? yea, gro&s;&s;ely deceiued. For there are none vnder heauen, haue more cau&s;e of ioy then they haue, nor are more &s;en&s;ible of true ioy then they are, when God comes to lift vp the light of his countenance vpon them. The ioy that the couetous man hath in his bags, the ambitious man in his honours, the voluptuous man in his plea&s;ures, are but &s;orrow and vexation of &s;pirit, in compari&s;on of that &s;weete content, that a poore hone&s;t &s;oule findeth in his Chri&s;t, in his Sauiour. How can his life be a melancholy life, that was condemned to death, but is now re&s;tored to life; that had lo&s;t heauen, but hath it now purcha&s;ed for him; that was the heyre of damnation, but is now the heyre of &s;aluation; that was naked, and abhominable in the eyes of God, but is now cloathed, and acceptable vnto him? How can this life (I &s;ay) be altogether vncapable of comfort, of con&s;olation? If thou thinke&s;t it is (when as Chri&s;tians haue this priuiledge, to reioyce in the a&s;&s;urance of their iu&s;tification) thou thinke&s;t ami&s;&s;e, and art in a gro&s;&s;e er|ror.</P>
<P>LET vs now pa&s;&s;e on to the effect which the &s;ence <HI>of,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;econd branch in the &s;econd part of the Text.</NOTE> and ioy <HI>from,</HI> this &s;weetne&s;&s;e of iu&s;tification worketh, in the de&s;ires and vowes of the Church. And that is a con|tinuance of this benefit, in the&s;e words; <HI>He &s;hall lodge all night betwixt my brea&s;ts:</HI> or (as &s;ome reade) <HI>It &s;hall lodge all night betweene my breasts:</HI> or (as others) Optatiuely. <HI>Oh, that he would</HI> (that is, <HI>oh, that my Beloued</HI>) or, <HI>oh that IT may,</HI> (that is, this bundle of <HI>Myrrhe</HI> may) <HI>lodge all night betwixt my brea&s;ts.</HI> How&s;oeuer the wordes be read, I take the mea|ning to &s;tand thus; <HI>It is the re&s;olution of mee the Church, that this &s;weet bundle &s;hall,</HI> or, <HI>It is my heartie de&s;ire, that my belo|ued Chri&s;t, and the &s;weetne&s;&s;e which I &s;mell in his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, may abide with me &s;o long as I am in the might of this world.</HI></P>
<PB N="66" REF="37">
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">The rea&s;on of the <HI>Para|phra&s;e.</HI></NOTE>For <HI>lodging,</HI> is a &s;ymbole of continuance, and <HI>brea&s;ts</HI> doe note out the will and affections, and &s;o by con&s;equent, the re&s;olution and de&s;ire; and <HI>night,</HI> the world. Therefore by <HI>lodging all night betwixt the brea&s;ts,</HI> is meant, the abiding of Chri&s;t as a <HI>Iu&s;tifier,</HI> with the &s;weetnes of his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, in the de&s;ires and re&s;olution of a Chri&s;tian, &s;o long as he is in this world.</P>
<P>I could ob&s;erue from hence, thus much; <HI>That they, that are once iu&s;tified by Chri&s;t, are for euer iu&s;tified.</HI> Proue it I could out of <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 32.17. <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 2. towardes the latter end. <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.29. And by occa&s;ion of this, I could tell the doub|ting and perplexed <HI>&s;oule,</HI> to its &s;ingular con&s;olation, that though it be in the night of tribulation, and temptation in this world, yet Chri&s;t Ie&s;us will neuer for&s;ake it, but will <HI>pernoctare, lodge with it all night,</HI> nothing &s;hall &s;eperate it from the loue of God in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us. But there is another maine thing I driue at; and this it is.</P>
<Q><MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Doct."> That it is the re&s;olution, and de&s;ire of the true members of the Church, to retaine and keepe all their life long, that &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e which they &s;mell in the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, that ioy which they haue from their a&s;&s;urance of being iu&s;tified freely by Him.</Q>
<P>This was <HI>Dauids</HI> re&s;olution; <HI>I will reioyce and be glad in thy mercie</HI><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 31.7.</NOTE>. Marke, he contents not him&s;elfe to &s;peake in the time pre&s;ent, <HI>I DOE reioyce,</HI> but he &s;peakes in the Future ten&s;e, <HI>I WILL reioyce,</HI> &s;hewing what his minde and pur|po&s;e was. This was al&s;o the DESIRE of that holy man;<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 24.7.</NOTE> <HI>One thing haue I DESIRED of the Lord, that I will &s;eeke after; that I may dwell in the hou&s;e of the Lord, all the dayes of my life, to behold the beautie of the Lord.</HI> And euer and anon, you &s;hall finde that Prophet, crying; <HI>Lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance vpon mee, and then I &s;hall be &s;afe,</HI> that is, <HI>then I &s;hall haue what I would haue</HI><NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4.</NOTE>. <HI>Re&s;tore vnto mee the ioy of thy &s;alvation</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.</NOTE>, <HI>that the bones which thou ha&s;t broken may reioyce</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">V.</NOTE>. Hence it is, that the ioy of Gods people, is called an euerla&s;ting ioy<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61.7.</NOTE>. The complaints of Chri&s;tians, in the
<PB N="67" REF="37"> time of &s;pirituall <HI>de&s;ertion,</HI> doe euidently &s;how this. For looke as <HI>Iob</HI> in the time of his adver&s;itie, did bewayle the lo&s;&s;e of his former pro&s;peritie, in the&s;e termes;<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Iob. 29.2.3.6.</NOTE> <HI>Oh, that I were as in moneths pa&s;t, as in the dayes when God pre&s;erued me: when his candle &s;hined vpon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkene&s;&s;e. When I wa&s;hed my &s;teps in butter, and the rockes poured ryvers of Oyle.</HI> So complaine Beleeuers, when they are in&s;en&s;ible of tho&s;e inward comforts, and &s;weete internall ioyes they were wont to haue; <HI>Oh, that it were with me as in times pa&s;t, as in the dayes when God refre&s;hed mee, when the candle of his bright countenance &s;hined vpon mee, when by the light of his &s;weet comforts, I did walke ioyfully through the darke&s;t temptations: Oh, that it were with me as it was when the rocke, Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, poured out rivers of ioy vnto mee, to accheere me in the a&s;&s;urance of iu&s;tification by his owne blood.</HI> Now what doth this kinde of complaint intimate vn|to vs, but that the Church is de&s;irous to retaine that ioy which ari&s;eth from the a&s;&s;urance which &s;hee hath of &s;haring in the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;on."> Neither need wee marvaile at it, for why, this <HI>&s;weetne&s;&s;e,</HI> this <HI>ioy,</HI> which &s;pringes from this roote, is one of the mo&s;t infallible te&s;timonies of the loue of Chri&s;t; but choyce loue-tokens (as wee know) are mo&s;t de&s;iredly kept and re|tained. Let a Wooer be&s;tow vpon his Loue, but a No&s;egay or Muske-ball, as a te&s;timony of his loue; and (if &s;hee takes it &s;o) what&s;oeuer &s;hee be carele&s;&s;e of els, &s;hee will be very carefull to keepe <HI>that,</HI> and &s;till be de&s;iring to recreate her &s;elfe with the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of <HI>that.</HI> Ina&s;much therefore as ioy in the holy Gho&s;t, is a &s;peciall token of the Church her be|loueds good will vnto her, &s;hee mu&s;t needs be carefull to keepe <HI>that</HI> (except &s;hee be very much out of tune) and &s;till haue <HI>that</HI> bundle betweene her brea&s;ts, in the very night time, that is, <HI>that &s;weetnes in her de&s;ires, euen in the dee|pe&s;t, and darke&s;t affections.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Fir&s;t of all, doe Chri&s;tians de&s;ire to keepe that ioy which the a&s;&s;urance of their free iu&s;tification by Chri&s;t doth effect in them? then this &s;howes, that &s;ound and &s;olid ioy, is per|manent,
<PB N="68" REF="38"> and durable. It is not <HI>flitting,</HI> like the ioy of the <HI>worldling;</HI> it is not <HI>vani&s;hing,</HI> like the ioy of the <HI>hypocrite;</HI> it is not <HI>peri&s;hing,</HI> like the ioy of the <HI>Epicure. In Gods pre&s;ence is fulne&s;&s;e of ioy, and at his right hand</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Dauid</HI> in a Prophe|ticall &s;trayne of Chri&s;t) <HI>are plea&s;ures for euermore</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.</NOTE>. Now if in His <HI>GLORIOVS</HI> pre&s;ence, there be fulne&s;&s;e of ioy, and e|uerla&s;ting plea&s;ures; then the ioyes of his <HI>gracious</HI> pre&s;ence mu&s;t needs be <HI>durable</HI> al&s;o, being the <HI>ta&s;t</HI> and <HI>beginning</HI> of the <HI>glorious.</HI> I deny not, but that there is a mixture of &s;orrowes with their ioyes, becau&s;e it is fit, and needfull, that &s;o it &s;hould be; yet this doth not <HI>nullifie</HI> the <HI>perpetuitie</HI> of them, becau&s;e it doth not anibilate the <HI>e&s;&s;ence</HI> of them. Though Chri&s;tians haue not alwayes a <HI>feeling</HI> of them, yet they haue alwayes the <HI>being</HI> of them. <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> betweene a mans brea&s;ts, hath a &s;weetnes in the night time, though whiles he &s;leepes, he &s;mells it not: So, a&s;&s;urance of iu&s;tification is in the be|leeuers heart, and the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of it in his &s;oule, though while he &s;lippes into &s;inne, and is in &s;ome &s;leepie fits of car|nall &s;ecuritie, he be not &s;en&s;ible of the &s;ame. To thinke then that the ioy of Gods people, is a fading or tran&s;itorie ioy, is a groundles conceite, and a wrong done the honour of Gods mercy, which is the fountaine of it. For <HI>what</HI> God giues his children an hearty de&s;ire continually to keepe, <HI>that</HI> will <HI>HE</HI> keepe continually for them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> Secondly, this is of v&s;e, to exhort and &s;tirre vp all them that want this ioy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exhortation to vnbeleeuers to get this ioy.</NOTE> to &s;eeke after it, and to endeuour to at|taine it. Such earthly things as are mo&s;t permanent in their owne kinde, are mo&s;t de&s;ired by them that enioy them, euery one will labour after them. <HI>This</HI> ioy is euer durable: They that haue <HI>this</HI> ioy, doe re&s;olue and de&s;ire euer to keepe it. Labour therefore, oh, labour (I &s;ay) with might and mayne to get it, you that want it. And to helpe you hereto, you mu&s;t not thinke, that it can be <HI>gotten for gold,</HI> or <HI>that &s;iluer &s;hall be weighed for the price thereof</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Iob. 28.15. Helpes to true ioy.</NOTE>. But by the&s;e meanes.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Fir&s;t, by a godly &s;orrow for &s;inne. <HI>Mary Magdalene</HI> was fayne to &s;tand <HI>behinde Chri&s;t weeping,</HI> and <HI>to wa&s;h his feete
<PB N="69" REF="38"> with her teares,</HI> before he had her <HI>Goe in peace</HI><NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Luk. 7.38.50.</NOTE>. <HI>Peters</HI> con|verts were <HI>pricked in their hearts,</HI> before they <HI>could eate their meate with gladnes</HI><NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Act. 2.37.46.</NOTE>. The laylor <HI>trembled</HI> before he <HI>reioyced</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Act. 16.26.</NOTE>. They are the <HI>ble&s;&s;ed ones which mourne,</HI> that <HI>&s;halbe comforted</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">Math. 5.4.</NOTE>. Let not <HI>them</HI> thinke euer to come to <HI>this</HI> ioy, who driue out of their owne hearts, all con&s;ideration of their <HI>owne &s;innes,</HI> which they haue <HI>committed;</HI> of <HI>Gods iudgements,</HI> which they haue <HI>de&s;erued;</HI> of <HI>Gods iu&s;tice,</HI> which is <HI>prouoked;</HI> of <HI>Gods ma|ie&s;tie,</HI> which is <HI>offended;</HI> that their <HI>hearts</HI> may feele no <HI>&s;mart,</HI> their <HI>&s;oules</HI> may be affected with no <HI>&s;orrow,</HI> for their tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ions. For if euer thou ha&s;t read the <HI>P&s;almes</HI> of <HI>Dauid</HI> through, thou ha&s;t found <HI>this</HI> to be true, that <HI>they which &s;ow in teares, &s;hall reape in ioy</HI><NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 30.6.</NOTE>. Oh, you hard-hearted, and impenitent ones then, who could neuer yet mourn for your &s;innes, heare what Saint <HI>Iames</HI> &s;aith, and be advi&s;ed by him. <HI>Be afflicted, mourne, and weepe, let your laughter be turned in|to mourning, and your vaine ioy into heauine&s;&s;e</HI><NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Iam. 4.9.</NOTE>: that &s;o mour|ning, you may be comforted, and (as they, who after they haue endured many a &s;ore tempe&s;t by Sea, come to <HI>Arabia,</HI> where <HI>Myrrhe</HI> growes, get it, gather it, and &s;mell on it) &s;o you, after your &s;oules haue beene truely humbled within you, may apprehend the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, and be &s;piritually raui&s;hed with the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of it, in &s;uch wi&s;e, that you may both re&s;olue, and de&s;ire, neuer to let it goe.</P>
<P><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">2. Helpe to get true ioy.</NOTE>Secondly, Get a good con&s;cience; for <HI>that</HI> (as <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith) <HI>is a continuall fea&s;t.</HI><NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Pro. 15.15.</NOTE>. Well &s;pake an <HI>Ancient</HI><NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Aug. ad Fr. in Erem Ser. <HI>10.</HI> Ad &s;pirituale gaudium hodi|erno die in|tendo, &amp;c.</NOTE> to this purpo&s;e; <HI>I intend, brethren, this day to inuite you to a fea&s;t of &s;pirituall ioy, which ioy neither the plentie of riches, nor the glory of the world, nor greatne&s;&s;e of po&s;teritie, nor health of body procu|reth, but onely puritie of con&s;cience.</HI> And no marvaile; for if an <HI>euill con&s;cience begets a timorous and trembling heart</HI><NOTE N="t" PLACE="marg">Mala con&s;ci|entia cor tabe&s;|cens, &amp; trepi|dans gignit, Mu&s;cut. in P&s;al. <HI>18</HI> p. <HI>182.</HI></NOTE> then a <HI>good con&s;cience</HI> mu&s;t needes produce a <HI>ioyfull</HI> and <HI>merrie</HI> heart. Now how to get a <HI>good con&s;cience,</HI> I direct el&s;e-where<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">Court of con&s;cience. pag. 50.51. &amp;c.</NOTE>.</P>
<P><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">3. Helpe to true ioy.</NOTE>La&s;tly, becau&s;e worldline&s;&s;e is a great enemie to this ioy, therefore <HI>take heed and beware of couetou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI><NOTE N="&para;" PLACE="marg">Luk. 12.15.</NOTE>. Stop thy no|&s;trills
<PB N="70" REF="39"> full of earth, and the &s;weete&s;t Odours cannot affect the &s;mell; So, let a man heare the &s;weete&s;t Doctrines of the Go&s;pell, euen of <HI>free iustification by Chri&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> he can &s;mell no &s;weetne&s;&s;e in them, he can feele no comfort by them, if his heart be &s;tuffed, and inordinately affected with the things of this life. As therefore thou woulde&s;t reioyce in the a&s;&s;urance of <HI>Gods loue,</HI> make not the world thy <HI>God</HI> to loue.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e"> La&s;tly. Doth the Church here giue an example to all her &s;onnes and daughters, in re&s;oluing that this &s;weetne&s;&s;e <HI>&s;hall,</HI> in de&s;iring that this &s;weetne&s;&s;e <HI>may,</HI> abide in her conti|nually? Then this &s;hould teach all tho&s;e members of the Church, who haue ta&s;ted of the ioy of Gods &s;aluation, to endeuour to keepe and maintaine the &s;ame. The de&s;ires of a good Mother, in good things (e&s;pecially &s;econded with care and indu&s;try) mu&s;t be the patterne of the Childrens endeuours. If our Mother the Church hath de&s;ired, and endeuoured in ALL ages to keepe this ioy; then WEE, (members of her bodie) in this age, mu&s;t be carefull not to come behinde her in &s;uch de&s;ires and endeuours. With how holy a vehemency doth <HI>Paul</HI> enforce this vpon the Church her children, both at <HI>Philippi,</HI> and <HI>The&s;&s;alonica; Reioyce in the Lord alway, againe, I &s;ay reioyce</HI><NOTE N="x" PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.4.</NOTE>. <HI>Reioyce euer|more</HI><NOTE N="y" PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 5.16.</NOTE>. <HI>In this ioy as a man cannot be too exce&s;&s;iue</HI><NOTE N="z" PLACE="marg">Pet. Mart. Eth. l. <HI>1.</HI> p. <HI>100.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">aec iocunditas <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">itio&s;um ex|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;&s;umpati non <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ote&s;t.</NOTE>, for the mea&s;ure, &s;o he cannot be <HI>too long,</HI> for the time.</P>
<P>Our Sauiour tells his Di&s;ciples, that he would haue <HI>His ioy REMAINE in them</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15.11.</NOTE>. Say therefore of this thy ioy (thou Chri&s;tian &s;oule) as <HI>Iob</HI> of his innocencie; <HI>I will not let it goe vntill death.</HI></P>
<P>Now that thou maye&s;t haue &s;ome directions in this ca&s;e, the&s;e Rules will be v&s;efull for thee.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">How to keepe &s;pirituall ioy. 1. <HI>Rule.</HI></NOTE>Fir&s;t, maintaine thy ioy in the Word, let <HI>that</HI> be the very ioy and reioycing of thy heart. Let neither the plea&s;ures of the fle&s;h, nor the profits of the world, nor the companie nor coun&s;ell of carnall friends, make thee giue ouer thy private reading, &s;tudie, and meditation, in <HI>that.</HI> Let neither the foulnes, nor coldne&s;&s;e of the weather, nor the length of
<PB N="71" REF="39"> the way, nor the &s;hortnes of the dayes, coole thy forward|ne&s;&s;e, or quayle thy diligence in the <HI>hearing</HI> of <HI>that.</HI> I am per&s;waded, that <HI>Dauid</HI> did &s;o much <HI>reioyce</HI> in the <HI>favour</HI> of God, becau&s;e he did &s;o much <HI>delight</HI> in the <HI>Word</HI> of GOD. So much he &s;eemes to te&s;tifie in that 27. <HI>P&s;alme.</HI> ver&s;. 4. <HI>I de|&s;ire to dwell in the hou&s;e of the Lord all my dayes, that I may be|hold the beautie of the Lord;</HI> As if the&s;e words were (after a &s;ort) &s;poken of purpo&s;e, to &s;how, that if wee continue our <HI>delight</HI> in <HI>Gods Temple,</HI> wee &s;hall continue our <HI>&s;ight</HI> of <HI>Gods beautie,</HI> &s;hining vpon vs continually to refre&s;h vs. In the <HI>Word,</HI> wee &s;hall meete with &s;uch &s;weete &s;entences, &s;uch gracious promi&s;es, as will &s;trengthen our ioy, as will ray&s;e vs vp out of our heauie and di&s;con&s;olate fits, as will &s;hew Chri&s;t vnto vs, as will reveale the vn&s;peakeable goodne&s;&s;e of God vnto vs. Experience in the Church of Chri&s;t, proues, that many a man and woman, hath gone with a trembling &s;pirit, with a perplexed con&s;cience (becau&s;e their ioyes were not as they were wont to be) to the hearing of many a Sermon, about the reading of many a Chapter in the Bible, or of &s;ome other &s;weete pa&s;&s;ages in good Bookes; and they haue met with that <HI>con&s;olation,</HI> that <HI>&s;atisfaction,</HI> that they would not for any thing haue mi&s;&s;ed off. Let but thy de|light then in the <HI>Word</HI> of God <HI>abate,</HI> and I dare boldly tell thee, thou &s;halt finde as much to doe to maintaine thy ioy in thy iu&s;tification, as he, to continue the refre&s;hing of his brayne with &s;weete flowers, that cares not to come into tho&s;e Gardens where they grow, or, that, hauing gathe|red them alreadie, &s;tops them in &s;ome corner farre from his no&s;trills. Be &s;ure therefore &s;till to reioyce in the garden of the Scriptures, and be &s;till plucking and &s;ucking the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of them, by private &s;tudie, and publique hea|ring.</P>
<P>Againe, a &s;erious and frequent Meditation, vpon the ex|cellence of the benefit of <HI>free iu&s;tification by Chri&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. <HI>Rule.</HI> To keepe &s;pirituall ioy.</NOTE> is a &s;e|cond help for a CHRISTIAN to maintaine his &s;pirituall ioy. The deeper a man diues into the nature of a thing, the more knowledge &s;hall a man haue of the value of that
<PB N="72" REF="40"> thing, and &s;utable to his &s;ight of the worth of it, will his de|light in it be. The more &s;weete flowers are <HI>rubbed,</HI> the more fragrant Odour is extracted from them; yea, though the&s;e flowers &s;eeme &s;omewhat dead, yet by <HI>rubbing,</HI> the &s;mell of them is revived; So, could but our faith euer and anon, be rubbing out by divine Meditation, the marrow and &s;pirits (as it were) of this bundle of <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> of this priuiledge, of <HI>partaking</HI> freely in the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, it is admirable to thinke what abundance of <HI>&s;weetne&s;&s;e,</HI> wee &s;hall draw out of the &s;ame, to the continuall accheering and re|fre&s;hing of our &s;oules.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> Yea, but how mu&s;t I by Meditation rubbe out this &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> I an&s;were, thou mu&s;t make, the <HI>effects</HI> of <HI>Iu&s;tification,</HI> the <HI>Obiect,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">How by me|ditation to pull &s;weetnes out of Iu&s;tifi|cation, <HI>viz.</HI> by meditating on the effect of Iu&s;tification. 1. <HI>Effect.</HI></NOTE> of the&s;e thy <HI>Meditations.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t of all therefore thinke oft with thy &s;elfe, what an excellent thing it is, <HI>of an enemie of God, to be made a friend of God; of one that Once wert at oddes with him, to be &s;et at one with him:</HI> but by vertue of the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t,</HI> thou art <HI>at one</HI> with God, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh; <HI>Being iu&s;tified by faith, wee haue peace with God, through Ie&s;us Christ our Lord</HI><NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.1.</NOTE>.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. <HI>Effect.</HI></NOTE>Secondly, meditate what a rare thing it is, that, <HI>whereas thou wert once tyed to a mo&s;t &s;trict obedience to the Law of God (euen in thine owne per&s;on) in&s;omuch that for thy fayling in the lea&s;t tittle of that obedience, then &s;houlde&s;t haue &s;marted for it for euer, now thou art freed from that rigour, Chri&s;t hath per|formed that perfect obedience for thee, and that Evangelicall o|bedience, which now thou performest</HI> (being &s;incerely re&s;pec|tiue to all the Commandements) <HI>is acceptable through Chri&s;t Ie&s;us.</HI> But this al&s;o is an effect of ju&s;tification, as the &s;ame Apo&s;tle te&s;tifieth, when he &s;aith; <HI>When the fulne&s;&s;e of time was come, God &s;ent forth his Son, made of a woman, made vnder the Law, to redeeme them that were vnder the Law</HI><NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.4.</NOTE>. That is,
<PB N="73" REF="40"> they that haue &s;hare in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>his</HI> righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, they are redeemed from the rigour of the Law.</P>
<P>Thirdly, thinke with thy &s;elfe, what an excellent benefit it is to be <HI>freed from the cur&s;e of the Law</HI><NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">3.</NOTE>, <HI>to be redeemed from condemnation, and from the wrath that is to come.</HI> But this benefit belongs to them that are iu&s;tified. <HI>Being now iu&s;tified by his blood, wee &s;hall be &s;aued from wrath through Him</HI><NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.9.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Meditate how great a priviledge it is to be <HI>freed from the &s;ting of a tormenting con&s;cience, which once thou didst vnder goe; What a libertie thou ha&s;t now euer what thou hadst then, when the Arrowes of the Almightie did drinke vp thy &s;pi|rit; and a re&s;tle&s;&s;e, terrified, &s;oule was within thee; and what great oddes there is betwixt thine e&s;tate now, and thy ca&s;e then.</HI> But this freedome from terrors of con&s;cience, comes from <HI>iu&s;tification,</HI> as the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;ignifieth in the 41. Chap|ter of his Prophecie, the latter part of the tenth ver&s;e, being compared with the fir&s;t part of the foureteenth, where <HI>Ia|cob, who is vpheld with the right hand of Gods righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, is wi&s;hed</HI> (by the Lord) <HI>not to feare, nor be terrified;</HI> as giuing vs to vnder&s;tand, that terrors of con&s;cience doe not belong <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">That is, as they did to <HI>Cain,</HI> and doe to Reprobates to driue them to de&s;pera|tion.</NOTE> to them that are iu&s;tified. And in another place of that Booke, they that are <HI>trees of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, of the planting of the Lord.</HI><NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61.3.</NOTE>, or that are the <HI>righteous people</HI><NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 60.21.</NOTE>, are promi&s;ed to haue (by Chri&s;t their Iu&s;tifier) <HI>their broken hearts bound vp, to haue beautie in&s;tead of a&s;hes, the oyle of ioy in &s;tead of mour|ning, and the garment of gladne&s;&s;e in&s;tead of the garment of hea|uine&s;&s;e.</HI><NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61.1.3.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>Fiftly, Meditate what a &s;ingular prerogatiue it is to <HI>haue hope in death, and that, whereas they that teare and weare out their dayes in &s;inne are like to die, either ragingly and di&s;conlo|l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tely, as,</HI> Saul, Iudas, <HI>and</HI> Iulian <HI>did; or el&s;e blocki&s;hly, like a &s;tone, as</HI> Naball <HI>did; thou &s;halt die quietly, goe to thy graue in
<PB N="74" REF="41"> peace, and although it &s;hould be thy portion, to haue &s;harpe en|counters with the Tempter, yet that thou &s;halt haue victorie, and confidence in the greate&s;t extremitie.</HI> But this &s;pringeth al&s;o from <HI>iu&s;tification,</HI> as the Wi&s;e-man &s;peaketh; <HI>The righte|ous</HI> (or the iu&s;tified man) <HI>hath hope in death</HI><NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Pro. 14.32.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>Sixtly, Thinke oft what a priviledge it is to haue com|fort in the midde&s;t of afflictions, and <HI>that, whereas outward troubles and cro&s;&s;es, are tokens of Gods wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure to the wicked, they are &s;ignes of his loue and favour towardes thee.</HI> But <HI>this</HI> al&s;o thou ha&s;t by the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t. Being iu&s;tified by faith</HI> (&s;aith Paul) <HI>wee glory in tribulations, know|ing that tribulation worketh patience, patience experience, expe|rience hope, and hope maketh not a&s;hamed, becau&s;e the loue of God is &s;hed abroad in our hearts by the holy Gho&s;t, which is giuen vs</HI><NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.1.3.4.5.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, what an ine&s;timable ble&s;&s;ing it is to haue euerla&s;ting bli&s;&s;e in the life to come; And, <HI>that, (whereas Reprobates &s;hall haue that fearefull &s;entence, denoun|ced against them, Goe yee cur&s;ed, &amp;c.) thou art like to heare that &s;weet voice, &s;peaking to thee; Come thou ble&s;&s;ed, inherit the kingdome prepared for thee from the beginning of the world.</HI> But this is another fruit of &s;haring in the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, if S^t <HI>Paul</HI> may be beleeued; <HI>Whom he hath iu&s;tified, them al&s;o hath He glorified</HI><NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.30.</NOTE>; <HI>That as &s;inne hath raigned vnto death, euen &s;o might grace raigne through RIGHTEOVS|NES vnto ETERNALL LIFE, by Chri&s;t Ie&s;us our Lord</HI><NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Rom. 5.21.</NOTE>.</P>
<P>Meditate vpon the&s;e things, thou man or woman <HI>great|ly beloued</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Dan. 10.11.19.</NOTE>. I tell thee Chri&s;tian, for want of this meditati|on, thou art much thine owne enemie. Thou &s;pende&s;t many a day vncheerefully, many an houre vncomfortably, becau&s;e thou doe&s;t not &s;o &s;earch into the <HI>worth</HI> of <HI>this bun|dle of Myrrhe,</HI> by &s;uch <HI>Meditations</HI> as thou &s;houlde&s;t. Can the often ruminating on this, <HI>that,</HI> (by vertue of
<PB N="75" REF="41"> Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e) <HI>thou art at peace with God, freed from the rigour of the Law, redeemed from the cur&s;e of the Law, quiet, truely quiet in thy Con&s;cience, that thou ha&s;t right to com|fort in afflictions, to hope in death, to perfection of ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e at the day of iudgement;</HI> Can (I &s;ay) can this chu&s;e, but pre|&s;erue in thee, that &s;pirituall ioy the Lord hath implanted in thy &s;oule? <HI>Giue heed</HI> therefore, <HI>giue heed</HI> to the&s;e privi|ledges, and againe and againe thinke vpon them. So much for the &s;econd Rule.</P>
<P>Thirdly, A Chri&s;tian &s;hall pre&s;erue his ioy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Helpe to pre&s;erue ioy.</NOTE> by pre&s;er|uing his <HI>faith. Faith</HI> is the no&s;trill of the &s;oule (as I told you) which &s;endeth this ioy to the heart, from the appre|hen&s;ion of <HI>Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> looke therefore how <HI>that</HI> is enfeebled, &s;o will the <HI>ioy</HI> be extenuated. They,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A Similie.</NOTE> that would haue &s;weet &s;mells haue free pa&s;&s;age to the braine, to refre&s;h the animall &s;pirits that be there, mu&s;t haue a care to pre|uent Vlcers from breeding in the no&s;trills, by drying and &s;trengthening the head, that no &s;uperfluities (which are the cau&s;e of &s;uch Vlcers) flow out of the head into the no|&s;trills. So thou that woulde&s;t haue the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of this <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> the ioy of iu&s;tification to haue pa&s;&s;age by the no|&s;trills of faith alwayes to thy &s;oule; <HI>Keepe thy heart with all diligence, watch, and ob&s;erue that,</HI> that the excrements and &s;u|perfluities of <HI>vnbeliefe, doubtings, di&s;tru&s;t in Gods prouidence, fle&s;hly ea&s;e, giuing way to the loue of earthly things,</HI> like &s;o ma|ny Vlcers, may not breed in thy <HI>faith,</HI> and <HI>breath</HI> our &s;uch an vnkinde and &s;tinking Odour, as may &s;top the pa&s;&s;age of tho&s;e comforts to thy &s;oule, with which once thou wert wont to be refre&s;hed.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Take heed of &s;inne again&s;t con&s;cience.<NOTE PLACE="marg">4. Helpe.</NOTE> The <HI>getting</HI> of a good con&s;cience, is (as hath beene &s;hewed) a meanes to <HI>come by ioy.</HI> And the <HI>keeping</HI> of a good con&s;cience is a meanes to <HI>con&s;erue</HI> ioy: How did <HI>Dauid</HI> eclip&s;e <HI>his</HI> ioy, and <HI>Peter his,</HI> when as the <HI>one</HI> defiled him&s;elfe by <HI>adulterie</HI> and <HI>murther,</HI> and the <HI>other</HI> denyed his <HI>Lord</HI> and <HI>Ma&s;ter, both</HI> again&s;t the light of their owne con&s;ciences.</P>
<PB N="76" REF="42">
<P>And wherefore is it, that &s;ome Chri&s;tians, who were once wont to reioyce in the &s;auing health of the God of <HI>Iacob,</HI> come to be plunged into deepe fits of di&s;tre&s;&s;e, our of which they cannot &s;o &s;oone, and ea&s;ily recouer them&s;elues, but be|cau&s;e they are &s;omewhat more bold with their con&s;ciences then it is fit, on lawfull. If thou woulde&s;t walke then <HI>conti|nually</HI> with the white garments of <HI>gladne&s;&s;e</HI> vpon thy &s;oule, beware thou doe not wound thy &s;oule, by giuing way to any &s;inne, but endeuour to keepe <HI>a cleere con&s;cience before God,</HI> and <HI>towardes men, holding</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle advi&s;eth) <HI>the my&s;terie of faith in a pure con&s;cience</HI><NOTE N="o" PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3.9.</NOTE>.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">5. Helpe.</NOTE>To conclude all. In the la&s;t place, becau&s;e a worldly, and carnall ioy, is a great enemie to the &s;pirituall, and &s;ith it is as impo&s;&s;ible for a man to <HI>reioyce</HI> (as worldlings doe) <HI>in the world, and the Lord, as to &s;erue two Ma&s;ters</HI><NOTE N="p" PLACE="marg">Aug de verb. Dom. Ser. <HI>37.</HI> Sicut non pote&s;t homo duobus dominis &s;erui|re, &s;ic &amp; nemo in hoc &s;eculo pote&s;t gaudere et in Domino.</NOTE>: therefore take heed of a <HI>carnall</HI> and <HI>worldly</HI> ioy.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">A caution.</NOTE> Not that I would haue a Chri&s;tian, not take comfort in the outward ble&s;&s;ings that God hath lent him; For, as he hath <HI>be&s;t right</HI> vnto them, &s;o he hath <HI>mo&s;t</HI> cau&s;e to take &s;ome <HI>comfort,</HI> in them: And not to doe <HI>&s;o, Salomon</HI> calls a <HI>vanitie vnder</HI> the <HI>Sunne</HI><NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 5</NOTE>. But not onely to reioyce in <HI>impietie</HI> again&s;t God, in <HI>iniquitie</HI> again&s;t man (as profane ones doe) but al&s;o to reioyce in the <HI>outward</HI> good ble&s;&s;ings of God <HI>exce&s;&s;iuely</HI> or <HI>carnally,</HI> is <HI>that</HI> which I advi&s;e euery beleeuer to beware of. If a man &s;hould mingle a bunch of <HI>Wormewood</HI> with a bundle of <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> you cannot make me beleeue, there will be &s;o &s;weet a &s;mell, as the <HI>Myrrhe</HI> alone would yeeld; Euen &s;o, he that admits any tran&s;itorie, and worldly thing, at any time, as an equall Obiect of his ioy, with this tran&s;cendent trea&s;ure of ju&s;tification, let him tell mee (be he neuer &s;o deare in the eyes of God) whither he depriues not his &s;oule (for the pre&s;ent) of that abundance of comfort, which once the thought of his di&s;charge by Chri&s;t, did conuey vnto him. When therefore thou art to &s;olace thy &s;elfe with the v&s;e of the creatures, let thy ioy know a mea&s;ure, lea&s;t the
<PB N="77" REF="42"> vnmea&s;urablene&s;&s;e of thy worldly ioy, le&s;&s;en the mea&s;ure of thy &s;pirituall ioy, which this Bundle of <HI>Myrrhe,</HI> the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of CHRIST IESVS is the ground of.</P>
<P>The&s;e are the Rules by which thou maye&s;t obtaine thy ioy in ju&s;tification. Thinke on them, make v&s;e of them. And <HI>heauens</HI>-ble&s;|&s;ing make them beneficiall vnto thy &s;oule.</P>
<CLOSER>AMEN.</CLOSER>
<CLOSER>LAVS DEO.</CLOSER>
<PB REF="43">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
