points enough both for beleefe and practise which might have averted them Prayse God for all and have confidence in him c. The Mysterie Of the Mysterie of the most Blessed Trinitie I. A Principall effect of the coming of our Saviour into this world was the declaration of the Mysterie of the most Blessed Trinitie hidden even from the Iewes though the chosen people of God and not mentioned but in very darke and hidden resemblances But our Saviour did openly proclayme it specially after his resurrection commanding his Apostles to baptize all nations in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost as three persons equall in all things and one in name that is in povver auctoritie and essence wherin we have cause to admire and adore the force of the light of the holy Ghospell by which our Saviour intending to abolish the beleefe and worship of many Gods brought in by the craft of the divel working vpon mens corrupt affections and desires established the beleefe of one true God yet so that they should beleeve in that one essence three persons equall to one another though vnder Appellations which according to our meane expression might signifie inequalitie it being impossible for vs to conceive the divinitie cleerely as it is â—ayth therfore must supply that which reason cannot comprehend and with reverence submit to what our vnderstanding cannot reach Adoring equally in three and one the Omnipotencie Eternitie infinite knowledge and goodnes and all Perfection the Immensitie the Immutabilitie the Beautie the sanctitie of God contayning all and more then we can imagin by the help or comparison of all creatures and all most perfectly and with out multiplicitie in one II. Adore the Father as the incomprehensible source of the divinitie with out beginning and of all things created in time when he thought fit to give them a beginning Adore the Sonne who being equall to the Father vouchsafed for our sakes to take vpon him our humane nature to instruct vs by word and example and by his sacred blood shed vpon the crosse to wash avvay our synns and open vs avvay to the eternall inioying of God by perseverance in his commandments Adore the Holy Ghost as the mutuall and recipâ—ocall love of the Father and Sonne the Auctour of our love tovvards God the cause of our adoption by his grace infused and by himself inhabiting in our soules the spirit of truth which leadeth vs into all truth and by his heavenly lights disperseth the clouds of darknes and facilitates our way to heaven by his heavenly vnction III. Adore all three in one one in nature one by consent one in operation Begge of him that we may be one with him by submission to him and to his blessed will one by constant fayth one by never decaying love one by operation esteeming ourselves in all our woâ—ks as instruments of his divine pâ—wre and goodnes and so disposing ourselves in thought and action that we may not differ from him in the least which he of his goodnes grant Amen The obligation which we haveto love God I. PART I. SO soone as Moyses had declared to the people of â—srael that God was one he instantly inferres the commandment of loving him Heare Israel our Lord God is one Lord. Thou shalt love thy Lord God wiâ—h thy whole hart c. And our Saviour in his answer to the lawyer tells vs it is the greâ—test and the first commandement and with reason ought we to think so and accordingly apply ourselves to love him For as we were worse then beasts if we did not love those who are beneficiall to vs much more if welove not God from whom we have absolutely all that we have The law therfore of nature doth impose this vpon vs so soone as we come into the world vpon which account S. Thomas and other divincâ— doe hold it a greate offense if so soone as we come to the vse of reason in our Childhood we doe not turne ouâ—â—arts to God with loving acknowledgment that he is ouâ— creatour and Lord. And the holy Text infinuates as much presently after the commandment saying And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy hart and â—hoâ— shalt 〈◊〉 them thy Children to wit that they may knovv thier duty in time II. It is also the first commandment in dignitie and excellency for it hath the highest obiect that can be to wit God and the noblest way of service to wit for love not for feare of punishment oâ— hope of reward but riseth vpon consideration of his greate excellencie With in himself and greate goodnes tovvards vs. And besides it gives vs the greatest excellency that we can attayne vnto in this world and prepareth farre greater in the world to come for as by loving base things we become base and contemptible so by loving God and other things as they belong to God we become â—onoâ—rable in the â—ight of God and men and there can be no greater honour and excellency imagined then that to which those have risen who have loved God in perfection Iâ—I It was like wise first in the intention of the lavvgiveâ—s all other commands and directions and indeed all the works and wonders of God which he hath shevved vs tending finally and properly to this that in thought word and deed we should expresse our love to him for how could any thing subsist if it had not been thy will or been preserved if not called by thee Thou sparest all because they are thyne â—o Lord who lovest soules As he therfore did and doth all things out of love so is it expected from vs that all should proceed from love and further more as in the naturall love of one an other we must not only not shew aversion from the thing which our srend doth not synfully love but even observe his wayes of proceeding much more ought we to love that which God loves and commands because we love him and he loves vs for which reason the Apostle sayth The fullnes of the law is love even of our neighbour because we love him for God IV. It is the greatest command because most necessarie of all other precepts as with out which no other iâ— thoroughly avaylable or â—â—â—ly commendable Foâ— the feare of God is but an introduction to love and some way or other must be perfected into some degree of love els it will fall of the effect we desire and how many things doth the Apostle reckon which are nothing with our Charitie If I have the tongues of Angels if Prophecie if Fayth if knowledge if I give my goods to the poore if my body to the fire and have not Charitie it avayleth me nothing On the other side it doth set an inestimable price vpon the least of our actions when ever they are done for the love of God so that with out it all with it nothing is lost V.
should depend vpon our correspondence with his graces and consequently that his infinite merit should be in a manner in greate part lost by our vntovvardnes or at least hazarded which as on the one side to those who indeavour to make vse of his love it is a greate incitement to love him the more who for the fruite in a fevv would suffer and taketh from all men all occasion of despayre so on the other side by reason of our weakenes it doth necessitate vs not to presume but to live in feare for the time of our seiourne and to labour by good works to make sure our vocation and Election VVhich designe of his we must everence and lovingly submiting to his divine ordination industriate ourselves to concurr the more diligently with it and with his love tovvards vs in it III. The depth of his love appeareth in the extraordinarie vocations of some and graces extraordinarie bestovved vpon persons oftimes in which we cannot only not discover any merit but rather much demerit and desert of the contrarie of whom that saying of God and of the Apostle comes to be verifyed I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew it And with good reason for he is Lord of his gifts and free to give of them more or lesse to whom and when he will So that as we may admire and must reioyce and not envy when he doth bestovv them so we must not grudge when and where he doth not bestow them but attend that our eye become not naught because he is good as our Saviour himself once answered IV. O my God! give me grace so to consider this thy love that I may increase in love tovvards thee give me grace that by measuring this thy greatenes I may grovv greater in thy favour and by reaching to thy height wax higher in thy sight and by diving into the bottomles depth of thy infinite charitie sink deeper into thy love that being wholy absorpt in it I may ever find myself wholy drovvned in thee my God my love Amen The depth of the love of God II. PART I. FInally in this matter of the love of God it will be profitable to reflect with a devout personage of this age I. First that it was not possible for God to create man after a heigher modell then according to the image and similitude of God 2. It was not possible to create him for a heigher end then the cleere vision and fruition of God 3. It was not possible to give him a greater Gift then God himself and all creatures 4. It was not possible to give him a heigher or more noble imployment then to serve God and in some sort to serve himself of God to deâ—â—â—e in a manner himself and others 5. It was not possile to give him a more perfect Guide in his pilgrimage then our Saviour and the holy Ghost 6. It was not possible to feed him with more choyce sustenance then the body and blood and divinitie of our blessed Saviour 7. It was not possible to expresse a greater esteeme of man then by shedding his blood for him 8. It was not possible to give him a greater motive to abhorre synne then that God dyed to abolish it 9. It was not possible to give a greater ground never to despayre then by constituting himself his Advocate 10. It was not possibble to inable synfull man to coâ—rrespond to these and other his benefits but by giving him the merits of Christ dignified infinitely in his divine person by which we satisfie to the full for our offenses and gayne a proportion in our good works to the rewards promised II. O infinite goodnes O immense charitie O love imcomparable Where shall I find either conceptions or words or strength to expresse the least part of my greate obligation to thy love â—hat hart can love thee enough 〈◊〉 tongue prayse thee VVhat forces serve thee as thou deservest Help me yee blessed Angels and saints of heaven Assiste me all yee oreaâ—utes of my loving God O that I had so many tongues to prayse him so many harts to love him I knovv not what to say but with hart confounded and blushing countenance to offer my love and service such as it is conioyned with his because he is so pleased and begge of him that he will please himself with it and with his ovvne merits for otherwise whatever I can offer is nothing and that all creatures in whom he is most pleased will incessantly praysâ— him and glorifie him Amen The coming of the holy Ghost vpon the Apostles in firie tongues I. PART I. OVr Saviour vpon his Ascension had willed the Apostles to remayne in Hierusalem till they should be induâ—d with power from above which they observed carefully persevering together in prayer with our blessed Lady and others when behold the tenth day â—arely in the morning there was suddenly heard a sound from heaven as of a mightie wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting and there appeâ—â—ed to them parted tongues as it were of â—ire and it sat vpon every one of them and they were all filled with the holy Ghost and began to speake with divers tongues as the holy Ghost gave them to speake Prayer and obedience and agreement together were dispositions novv as well as afterwards effects of the holy Ghost He came suddenly vpon them to teach vs perseverance in our devout imployments for we know not at what houre our Lord will come in prayer or reading or charitable action the wind was a token of dispersing the Cloudes of ignorance and deceite to which we are subiect with out the assistance of the holy Ghost and no wonder that is was a strong wind considering hovv closse the fallaciâ—s of the world doe stick vnto vs and hovv they are apt to possesse themselves of every corner of our house that is of soule and body The parted tongues as of fire signified the spirituall flame and fervour infused into thier harts and was then to manifest itself by thier tongues publikly and privately to be imployed in the prayses of our Saviour and of his law according as the holy Ghost gave to every one Begge of him every one of these his gifts and dispose thyself to receive them II. Consider that though the wind and firy tongues were figures of the inward operation yet the gift this day communicated was not only the proportionable effects wrought by the holy Ghost but the very person of the holy Ghost communicated vnto them and vs working these effects And as in the Incarnation of our Saviour the holy Ghost in person overshaddowed our blessed Lady so here he descended vpon the Apostles and the rest there gathered together though in such different measure as he thought good to communicate himself where we have cause to admire and adore the goodnes of God who would imploy his owne person in our
see no more such effect we say it is dead In which respect charitie or the love of God being the life inherent in our soules S. Gregorie sayth that the proofe of charitie is the exhibition of the worke and our Saviour himself He that bath my commandments and doth keepe them he it is that loveth me our Saviour in nature of a Phisitian cometh to vs to strengthen this life by the cordiall compound of his owne pretious body and blood delivereâ— vnto vs vnder the shapes of bread and wine that by the devout receiving we may both breath out the superfluous and corrupted humours remayning after our purgation and cure and with more rigour apply ourselves to the exercises of Christian dutie to which by his charitable assistance we must concurre first by giving time to the working of this heavenly receite by some little recollection and not instantly ingulfe ourselves in our wonted worldly affayres and secondly by renewing our good purposes in his presence and begging of him that he will blesse them and those most in which we feare we shall have most difficultie to accomplish towards which also we may justly expect he will suggest some speciall remedie to a willing mind Intertaynment of our Saviour as he is our Redeemer I. THe word Redeemer doth import that the redeemed being once eâ—ther free or in the power of one cometh to be subiect to another and is bought out of that subiection so was man by his creation wholy Gods and being left free as to his will he fell by synne vouÌ„ltarily into the possessioÌ„ and powre of the divel and as his captive and prisoner was loded with a thousand miseries and egged on dayly from one synne to another till dying in synne he should be eternally condemned to the prison and paynes of hell fire and no power vnder God being able to rescue him the Sonne of God our Saviour offered to pay his ransome and to give him againe his freedome wherby he might remaine in Gods possession perpetually by his owne free choyce as well as he was by nature and come to inioy the happines which God had layed vp for him The price where with he was ransomed was the body and blood and life of our Saviour layed downe for vs vpon the crosse i this very body and blood and life himself doth here present vs in the Sacrament that we may make a gratefull oblation of it to our heavenly Father as the price of our redemption in particular and represent vnto him with ioy and thanksgiving our freedome to serve him proâ—essing that we will never give way to any other to possesse vs. II. This benefit of our redemption will appeare in a better light if we consider the miserie of the slaverie in which we were or are by synne And first by synne from reasonable creatures we turne vnreasonable and the longer we continue in synne the more vnreasonnable we become not vnlike the man mentioned in the Ghospell whose habitation was not among men but in the fields and dens among beasts and beastly company â—aked having lost all shame and could not be held within any compasse but ranged about breaking through all bonds of the law of God and man and being possessed by a legion of Divels did not vnderstand that they were his masters who did egg him on to his owne destruction in so much that he cut his owne flesh and did make nothing of it and when our Saviour or any good body came neere him he raged the more crying out with a lowde voyce what have you to doe with me or I with you VVhich state of a synner however while one is in it he doth not heed it in itself notwithstanding is extreame miserable and men of reason see it to be so And how much this man did afterwards acknowledge himself obliged to our Saviour when being delivered from this legion of Divells he quietly sat at his feete clothed and well in his wits much more ought we to thank our Saviour for our redemption our spirituall slaverie being infinitely more preiudiciall and more to be lamented III. Our Saviour in S. Luke asketh this question who among you having a servant ploughing or keeping cattle will say to him returning from the field go sit downe and sayth not rather make ready for me and serve me and afterwards thou shalt eate and drink This is the practise among men one to another but our Saviour more indulgent to vs not weighing that we are indeed but his slaves bought at so deere a rate as his most pretious blood and from so base and vnworthy a slaverie as is that of synne and so iniurious to himself doth notwithstanding coming from our owne worldly occasions noâ— much thinking of his service in them invite vs to his owne table that is to his owne most pretious body and blood intreating vs to pattake of so heavenly a banket at which the Angels doe reioyce and doth not passe for many a spoâ— dust that stick vpon vs though we have washed away the dirt and filth it were our dutie to be as cleane as out of the font of baptisme but ô the weakenes of man O the goodnes of God Who notwithstanding our vnworthynes when least vnworthy doth extend his kindnes vnto vs so farre beyond all humane kindnes or capacitie He out of whome he had cast the legion desired to be with him still in his companie and he did not admit of him but bad him go home and recount how mercyfull God had been to him How much more ought we to retire ourselves for a while into the closeth of our hart and reckon vp the mercyes of God towards vs and put this in the head of them that notwithstanding so lately voluntarie slaves to his enimies he doth vs this greate mercy and favour to admit of vs not only to his presence but to his table Intertaynment of our Saviour as Judge I. THe coming of a Judge to a citty or house is generally not without some apprehension and feare in the parties to whom he comes for if they be gylty they have reason to feare if they be not giltie they know not how the Judge may be informed concerning them That our Saviour is our Judge is vndoubted the Father hath given judgement to the Sonâ—e sayth our Saviour of himself yet at this his coming vnto vs in the blessed Sacrament we have not so much cause of feare first because his rigorous judgement is reserved till after this life in which respect himself sayth God did not send his Sonne into the world to judge the world but that the world should be saved by him Secondly there is no danger that he should be misinformed of vs. Thirdly when he comes to judge he comes in majestie with the attendance of all his heavenly courte here he comes disguised of set purpose because we should know that he comes in a familiar way to doe vs honour and
him and runneth towards vs with more spâ—â—d then we towards him and condescendeth much to our infirmitie stooping to vs while we are not able to rayse ourselves so higâ— as he deserveth and affoordeth us the loving kisse of peace how ever we deserve rather to be punished He doth not say whence comest thou wherewert thou Where is thy substance thou caryedst away Wherfore didst thou change so much glorie with so much basenes Thesâ— things he leaves to our consideration but he is all love and mercy II. And the Father sayed to his servants quickly bring forth the first stole and doe it on him and put a ring vpon his hand and shâ—es on his feete and bring the fatned calfe and kill it and let vs eate and make merry because this my Sonne was dead and is revived was lost and is found And they began to make merry The loving Father would have him clothed before he should come in sight therfore he sayth quickly and it expresseth a greate deale of willingnâ—s which is in God to see vs not only out of our nastie rags of synne but clothed with those vertues which are most pleasing to him therfore not content to put on him the first stoolâ— that is the garment which he formerly vsed he calleth for a ring to his hand to beautify his workes and shooes to his feete to strengthen his affections against the allurements of the world Yet the first stools mentioned must put vs in mind that all the time spent farre from God is lost and returning we must begin where we left and happy we if we be not cast farther back then we were when we parted In a mysticall sence The father ranne to vs in his sonne when in him he descended from heaven my Father sayth he who sent me is with me He fell vpon his neck when in Christ the whole divinitie rested vpon our flesh and he kissed him when mercy and truth have met justice and peace have kissed each other He also is the faâ—ned calfe killed for our entertaynment to the end we might not only have sufficient to sustaine vs but abundance and of the best to delight vs much more in the service of God then in our former course III. But the elder sonne was in the field and when he came and drew nigh to the house he heard musick and dauncing and he called one of the servants and asked what all that should be And he sayed to him thy brother is come and thy Father hath killed the fatned calfe because he hath received him safe and he was angrie and would not go in His father therfore going forth began to desire him But he answering sayed to his father Behold so many yeares doe I serve thee and I never transgressed thy commandment and thou didst never give me a Kid to make merry with my frends But after that this thy sonne that hath devoured his substance with whores is come thou hast killed for him the fatned calfe But he sayed to him sonne thou art allwayes with me and all my things are thyne but is behoved vs to make merry and be glad because this thy brother was dead and is revived was lost and is foâ—nd This expresseth how consider that we should doe by others as we would have done to ourselves secondly how much we value the service which we doe as if God were beholding to vs for it Thirdly how blind we are in not discovering our owne falts I never transgressed as if to envie anothers good were not to transgresse it was not thy strength but thy fathers grace which was cause of it See on the other side the goodnes of God who goeth forth and desireth even the Stubborne Sonne and learne that to synne against him is to kill thy owne soule which is much more to be abhorred then the losse of our life The vnfaithfull Bayly I. HE sayed also to his disciples There was a rich man that had a Bayly and he was ill reported of onto him as he that had wasted his goods And he called him and sayed to him what heare I this of thee Give account of thy Baylyship for now thou canst no more be bayly Our Saviour Christ as God is the only powerfull King of Kings and Lord of Lords rich in all things and chiefly in his mercyes to whome we must give account of every thing for we are â—ords neither of life nor lim not thought nor deed but accountable for all neither can any thing escape his knowledge Though here that which he certaynly knoweth he reckoneth as heard by report because he is not rash or hasty in condemning and will give vs leasure to repeÌ„t while the cause is as it were depeÌ„ding before him He asketh an account that we may aske pardon aÌ„d happy we if by remorse of conscience he aske it here before the time of satisfaction be expired II. And the Bayly sayed within himself what shall I doe because my Lord taketh from me the Baylyship Dig I am not able to begge am ashamed I know what I shall doe that when I shall be removed from my Baylyship they may receive me into their houses A man allwayes desires to doe well when death comes and bereaves him of the time of doing good This question he should have asked himself before what shall I doe seeing every houre and every minute my Baylyship is vpon remouing from me Be I never soe rich to the world and abound in all things for this moment of time I am most miserable if for all eternitie I shall be a begger by it If I be not here able to worke how shall I there be able to suffer the punishments of the slouthfull If I be here ashamed to confesse and begge pardon what shame shall I vndergo there where there is no pardon It is not vnknowne to vs what we ought to doe that after this life we may be saved God grant we may take warning and be wise in time that we be not removed before we have adiusted our accounts and be ready to give in our reckoning III. Therfore calling together every one of his Lords debtors he sayed to the first How much doest thou owe to my Lord He sayeth an hundred pipes of oyle and he sayed to him take thy bill and sit downe quickly write fiftie and to another how much doest thou owe He sayed an hundred quarters of wheate he sayed take thy bill and write fourescore And the Lord praysed the Bayly of iniquitie because he had done wisely for the Children of this world are wiser then the Children of light in their generation And I say unto you make unto you frends of the Mammon of iniquitie that when you fayle they may receive you into the eternrll Tabernacles The Bayly of iniquitie is here praysed not because he did iust things but because according to the practise of worldlings he shewed himself witty and at his masters
in providing such sustenance for vs of a mother and nurse in feeding vs at his owne breast of a frend iâ— comforting and assisting vs All these kindnesses require loving coâ—respondence on our part let vs â—leare ourselves of as many imperfections as ws can that we may be lesse troblesome accommodate ourselves to his will and pleasute in all things and be continually giving ourselves even to death for his sake if he so require and be sure never to be from him by any grievous offence II It is sayed in the first of kingâ— that the soule of Ionâ—thâ—s was ioyned fâ—st to the soule of David and Ionathas lovâ—d him as he owne soule and they entred aleague and Ionathas striped himself of the coate where with he was clothed and gave it to David and thee rest of his garments vnto his sword and bow and vnto his belt Such ought to be our love towards our blessed Saviour in this most blessed Sacrament not only to be able to say with S. Paul Who shall separate vs from the Charitie of Christ Tribulation or distresse or famine or nakednes or danger or persecution or the sword But we must indeavour to have so tender a love towards him that we be as it Were one soule and one body for this is the inteÌ„t of this his loving and familiar communication of himself vnto vs forâ— as melted waxe if it be poured into other waxe they are throughly mingled one with the oother so he that receiveth the blessed body and blood of our Saviour is ioyned vnto him so that Christ is to be found in him and he in Christ. He being sonne to the king of heaven striped himself of his glorie to cloth vs with glorie and gave vs the rest of his garments that is his verâ—uous life and example to imitate of what should not we strip ourselves to offer vnto him Specially our passions of Anger and splâ—nâ— and revenge so contrarie to this Sacrament of lâ—ve and lay them at his feete never to take them vp but in his defence and purely in his cause III Our everlasting happines consisteth in our ever permanent vnion with God in celestiall blesse Of this happines this blessed Sacrament is a beginning and a pledge who would not be ever greedy to inioy it Entring into the ioy of his Lord so oft as â—e could and because knowledge is the greatest sput to love who would not be ever â—â—minating and ever loving his perfections and with the Cherâ—bins and Seraphins saying Holy holy holy Thoâ— art my God my Crâ—atoâ—r my Redeemer infinite in power in Wisedomâ— in goodnes in mercyes in liberalitiâ— in patienâ—e iâ— humilitie in all things imaginable Thou art the giver of all good gifts and fountaâ—â—e of living watâ—rs the â—â—tidotâ— against all evills my strength o Lord and my refuge with thee I wâ—ll dwell because thee have I choosen possesse thou I beseech thee my hart Absorbeat quaeso 〈◊〉 meam ignita ac melliflua vis amoris â—ui vt â—more amoris tui moriar qui amorâ— amoris mei dignatus es mori Amâ—n The fift seate the seate of Compassion I. THe seate of Compassion is the Crossâ— on which he hung At the foote wherof finding the Magdalen I will first with her bewayle my synns which have been cause of so painefull and so disgracefull a death of so happy and so worthy a person O synne what can setforth thy enorâ—itie more theâ— that to get pardon for thee and to deface thee it behoved thâ— sonne of God â—o suffer No blood could wash the away but the blood of this lambe of God O stayne in grayne no mâ—decine cure thee but the sacred flesh of this immaculaâ—e body thus brused O venome intollerable Who will give to my head water and to my eyes a fountâ—ine of teâ—râ—s and I will â—eepe 〈◊〉 â—â—ment day and night the death of this King of all â—ations slaughtered for my synns a King crowned with thornes which ought every one of them to pearce my hâ—rt and puâ—ish in me the pride and sensualitiâ— of which he never was guyltie O nayles in his hands and feete You have miâ—taken the place where you should have been struck They are my hands and feetâ— which have synned this man whâ—t harme hath he done I find no cause iâ— him O God my God wherfore hâ—st thâ—â— thou forsaken him aâ— given him over to such a cruell death O death I will be thy dâ—â—th I will be thy mortall bit â— Hell For ioyning myself With his powerfull grace and by the merits of this victorious death I will synne no more and die rather a thousand death then offend him II. Sorrow full 〈◊〉 my soulâ— vnto death And what wonder For if I follow thee from the place where thou didst make thy last supper to the â—rosse I find nothing but teares or blood nothing but tants and scâ—ffs nothing but bloâ—â—s â—nd stripes â—othing bâ—t wouâ—ds and tâ—rments nothing but 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 against thee my God my Saviour my love What doth this thy Prayer signifie Father if it be possiblâ— let this Chalicepasse from â—e O bitter Chalice Which so much sweetnes as was in thee would not alay I doe not say it could not for certainly the request thou didst make was possible to be granted but thou wouldest not Thou didst offer thyself uÌ„to it becausâ— thou wouldest Yet this doth not excuse me from compassionating thee for however there was a Kind of necessitie put vpon thee O hard necessitie O that from my eyes there could trickle downe such drops of blood as then from thy whole body O drowsie head of mine Why doe I sleepe in this occasion Behold the Traytâ—ur sleepeth not What doe these clubs and sâ—aves and swords about this mild and innocent lambe He was dayly in the Temple among you what did you heare from him but good Their eares are stopped they hale him away by night they buffet him they misvse him they condemne him to dye as guiltie of what What â—ccusâ—tion bring you â—â—â—inst this man I am the mâ—lefactour I â—m â—e that haâ—h synned I have done wickedly this lambe what hath he done Let this â—and I bâ—sâ—â—ch thee be turned vpon me and vpon the house of my soule which hath harboured so many vnlawfull tumultuoâ—s and â—iotouâ— guests against the law of God and man III. Harken what a sound the lashes give which were loded vpon his tendeâ— skin perhaps for houres together behold the â—urroâ—es which they hâ—ve made in his sacred flesh and hold thy eyes from weeping if thou be so stoutâ— and thy hart from faynting if it be so hard O shame O confusion Behold the mâ—n Is this the man so cryed vp not long â—ince and now so much cryed downe as to be set behinde a murtherer and a thâ—â—fâ— and a seditioâ—s fellow O sencelesse change Take him away 〈◊〉 him away cruciâ—ie him O cry vnmercyfull Take him into thy
service however in a different way from that of our Saviour Veni Sancte Spiritus c. III. Reflect vpon the particular attributes of the holy Ghost that he is a comforter the spirit of truth the light of our harts spirituall vnction and doth not speake of himself but what he hath heard and enlarge thyself in affections towards him comformable to his properties that thou mayest be partaker of his gifts and honoured with his sacred presence Vene creator Spiritus c. The coming of the holy Ghost II. PART I. ANd there were dwelling in Hierusalem Iewes devout men of every nation that is under heaven and when this voyce was heard a multitude assembled and was astonished because every one heard them speake in his owne tongue And they were all amazed saying what meaneth this Others deriding sayed these men are full of new wine The impulsions of the holy Ghost are severall some times more gentle some times more strong Here it concerned the whole future Church of Christ and the taking away the false aspersion layed vpon him by the Iewes in his death vpon the crosse and the giving a happy rise to the Ghospell therfore it imported that a multitude should be assembled to receive the gladsome tidings and to receive it in this extraordinarie way with admiration and astonishment which should make them attentive and dispose them to imbrace the truth and yet we see a means so forcible did not worke in all the like effect by which we are admonished to have an eye over ourselves both to dispose ourselves towards the receiving of Gods graces and not to be forward to construe to the worst that which we doe not fully vnderstand or is not to our humour and to reverence things which are above our capacitie II. But Peeter standing with the eleven lifted up his voyce and spake to them these are not drunk as you suppose seeing it is the third houre of the day But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Ioel It shall be in the last dayes of my spirit I will poure out upon all flesh and every one who calleth vpon the name of our Lord shall be saved Two prerogatives of the law of grace are signified vnto vs first that it is not confined to one nation as in the law of Moyses were the promises of the Messias but to all nations of the world the benefit of saluation by Christ is proclaymed and whoever calleth vpon his name with lively sayth working by charitie shall be saved Secondly that the graces of the law of Christ are not scarce but abundant and plentifully poured forth vpon all sorts of people to enable every one to correspond with his calling in whatever state he liveth Be gratfull to God for these benefits and apply thyself diligently to make vse of them III. And hearing these things they were sory at hart and sayed to Peeter and to the rest of the Apostles what shall we doe And Peeter sayed to them doe penance and be every one of you baptized in the name of Iesus Christ for remission of your synns and yee shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost and there were baptized that day about three thousand We have reason to congratulate the Apostles these first fruits and to be thankfull to our Saviouâ— and his blessed spiriâ— that they have been propagated to our dayes with so much increase and to observe the means by which the benefit of Christ his sufferings are to be applyed to vs to wit by vse of thâ— Sacraments after baptisme and by dayly examen of what we are further to doe tovvards the fullfilling of his commandments and hovv we comply with them for so it is further sayed of the nevv converted They were persevering in the doctrinâ— of the Apostles and in the communication of breaking of bread and prayers Fruits of the holy Ghost in the first Christians I. THey were persevering in the doctrine of the Apostles VVhere we may observe the respect which they bare to thier teachers the submission of thier vnderstanding to the mysteries of â—ayth above the reach of humane wit thier constancy and peace of mind in the directions which they had received to all which they were incouraged by the miracles dayly wrought by the Apostles and by the same we have reason to this day to be confirmed in that which we beleeve as received from them II. They continued also in the communication of breaking of bread and in prayer It is a speciall fruite of the holy Ghost and a signe of his presence to have a pious affection and inclination to prayer and to the devout vse of the Sacraments and a due esteeme of them for if no man can say Lord Iesus but by the grace of the holy Ghost as the Apostle testifyeth much lesse can we continue calling devoutly vpon him but by his speciall assistance observing constantly our appointed houres and times for it and so much the more because it conduceth much to the worthy receiving of our Saviour in the blessed Sacrament and to the due interaynement of him after we have received besids the performance of that which our Saviour taught it behoveth allway to pray and not to faynt in it III. A third fruite was a greate contempt of humane things and of worldly wealth together with greate confidence in God tovvards thier reliefe and resolution to suffer for his sake who had suffered so much for vs for it is sayed of them that all that beleeved were together and had all things common thier possessions and substance they sold and divided them to all according as every one had need Not that every one was bound to doe so for S. Peeter sayed to Ananias who had made a shevv to quit all and fraudulently deayned part of his goods remayning did it not remayne to thee and being sold was it not in thy power thou hast not lyed to men but to God But the perfection of the doctrine of Christ tending to this heigh contempt of all things the better to serve him very many did imbrace that course in so much that it was apparently the fruite of the holy Ghost and the primitive spirit so to doe IV. A fourth fruite was â—nitie and peace and agreement among themselves they were dayly continuing with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house they tooke thier meate with ioy and simplicitie of hart Praysing God and having grace with all the people and our Lord increased them that should be saved dayly together So that in thier spirituall and temporall actions there was no disagreement but peace and ioy with out deceite and thier conversation was much to the glorie of God and to thier ovvne benefit and the benefit also of others who by the good example which they gave were invited and incouraged to follovv the like course and to imbrace the fayth of Christ wherin otherwise there were