a full age like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season that is as full ripe corn is made into shocks and carried into the bâ—rn so thou shalt die in peace and shalt not be as wicked men cut off in their sins thy last day shall be thy best day and the day of thy death will be better than the day of thy birth whosoever closeth thy bodily eyes at thy dissolution the eye of thy soul shall see Christ in his glory whosoever bears thy body to burial the blessed Angels shall bear thy soul to heaven Vse 3. For direction I told you in the first place that Christ washeth us by baptisme This Use serves to direct us how to get our soules washt by baptisme First remember what a solemn promise we made in our baptisme and how often we break it this will be a good meanes to humble us and to make us more carefull to keep our covenant 2. Repent for the frequent breach of it else it will lie very heavy upon your consciences at the hour of death we would be ashamed to break our peace so often with man as we have done with God let Gods faithfulness to us make us be ashamed of our perfidiousness to him 3. Labour to feel the efficacy of your baptisme by faith in Christ indeavour to feel corruption mortified through the power of Christs death and your soul quickened with grace through the spiritual efficacy of his resurrection then you put on Christ to your eternal comfort 2. I told you in the second place that Christ washeth us by his Word This Use still serves to direct us how to get our soules washt by it First We must hide it in our hearts Psalm 119.11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee and when it cleanseth thy heart which is the fountain then it will cleanse thy words and actions streaming from it 2. Hear it with a purpose to practise it Psalm 119.33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it unto the end verse 34. Give me understanding and I shall keep thy law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart what good will the best meat do to an hungry man if he eat it not Or what good will an excellent plaister do to a wounded man if he apply it not So what is a man better for hearing and reading Gods Word if he do it not Micah 2.7 Do not my words good to him that walketh uprightly but if he walk not uprightly they are not like to do him good 3. Make use of it upon all occasions then as Christ said John 15.3 ye shall be clean through the word spoken to you obey the precepts of it apply the promises and stand in awe of the threatenings that your profiting may appear to all live by the rules of it walk in the light of it that you may be such as God would have you 3. I told you in the third place that Christ washeth us by the merit of his precious bloud This Use still serves to direct us how to get our soules washed by it that must be by faith Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God We read in the New Testament how our blessed Saviour healed many that beleived in him there is mighty efficacy in a true lively faith to cleanse the soul by applying the merit and efficacy of Christs bloud beleive stedfastly in the Lord Jesus with all your heart and you shall find the strength of sin dying in you 4. I told you in the fourth place that Christ washeth us with the saving graces of his holy Spirit This Use still serves to direct us how to get our soules thus washed First Get a clear sight of the worth and necessity of them then you will pray to Christ with Peter Lord wash not my feet onely but also my hands and my head there is no desire of a thing unknown grace is so exceedingly sweet and lovely that the spiritual sight of it will set the heart a longing after it 2. Hunger and thirst exceeding fervently after grace and you shall be satified and washed Christ is very bountiful of his blessings now he is in glory for Revel 22.17 he freely invites us And let every one that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the waters of life freely The more you thirst after these living waters the faster will they flow into you 3. Labour to grow in these graces that you may be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect and holy as he that calleth you is holy think not that a stock of grace at your conversion without daily growth will bear you out to your latter end as many in their youth provide worldly riches enough to maintain them in their old age you must be alwayes adding to your stock if a child were no bigger at twenty yeares old than when its new born how could it help it self how could it maintain it self defend it self against dangers so if you grow no better after the receit of Gods abundant mercies and in particular under the plentiful meanes of grace how will you be able to serve please and glorifie God how will you be able to suffer for Christ to work out your salvation with fear and trembling therefore grow in grace and then you shall be more clean from iniquity 5. I told you in the fifth place that Christ washeth us by afflictions sanctified to us This Use still serves to direct us how to get our selves washed by them First Labour to know the right cause of them this course is prescribed in Lamen 3.39 40. Wherefore doth a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sins Let us search and try our wayes and turn again to the Lord that is let us not repine at Gods hand in correcting us but let us search and try our wayes to find out our sins our personal and particular failings which provoked God to afflict us this course if we take we may find cause enough in our selves to justifie Gods righteous hand in afflicting us 2. Let afflictions drive thee to repentance to make thee a partaker of Gods holiness Hebr. 12.10 But he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness then they are sanctified to thee and will tend to the health of thy soul as physick that works kindly proves healthful to the body let crosses make thee more penitent more holy more heavenly more upright then it will be comfortable to thee in thy latter end 3. Pour out earnest prayers and hearty suites to God in miseries this course Gods people took formerly Isaiah 26.16 Lord in trouble they have visited thee they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them pray to our Redeemer to be with thee in
not we have no part with him 1 Corinth 6.10 11. Nor theeves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God and such were some of you but ye are washed c. implying that such wicked persons for want of this washing are like to be damned Reas Because no filthy unclean thing can come into heaven for God is of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on iniquity now such as be not washt with Christs bloud are very filthy heaven is a place of infinite purity and holiness on earth unclean persons are suffered to dwell but into heaven they shall never enter 2. Because if Christ wash us not we have no peace with God for all true peace with God ariseth from Christ his washing us Rom. 5.1 Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Justification is Gods gratious sentence whereby for Christ apprehended by faith he absolves a beleiver from sin and death and reputes him just to life for in justification Christs bloud by its merit washeth away sin which provokes God to anger but when that is removed we have peace with God but such as have no peace with God are never like to have part with Christ 3. Because if he wash us not we shall never enjoy the precious benefits of his death resurrection ascention and intercession Ephes 5.25 26. As Christ loved the Church and gave himself viz. to death for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that is by baptismal water and his word taught for whom he washeth they enjoy the spiritual benefit of his death resurrection c. and as Paul proves at large Rom. 6.3 4 5 6. Colos 3.1 2. yea this washing is a sure sign of his love to us Revel 1.5 unto him who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own bloud but such as have no right to the death resurrection ascention and intercession of Christ cannot be saved Next I shall teach you how to use this point The Uses I shall draw out of those five wayes mentioned whereby Christ washeth us Vse I told you that Christ washeth us by the Sacrament of Baptisme This Use still serves to reprove all such as were never washt inwardly as never felt the spiritual fruit of baptisme in their hearts and lives they content themselves with the bare outward washing and would be accounted Christians but no life of Christ appears in their lives such as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ Galat. 3.27 but these never put on Christ they go to hell with a Trumpet before them proclaiming their leudness openly they declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not they have not crucified their old man nor destroyed the body of sin neither do they walk in newness of life Simon Magus was baptized yet was in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity so are these they shew themselves to be servants of sin and their end is like to be according to their works 2. I told you in the second place that Christ washeth us by his sacred word This Use still serves to reprove such as never felt the lively vertue and working power of the Word upon their own soule the Word preached to them was like water poured upon a Rock God would have purged but they would not be purged therefore they shall not be purged any more till he cause his fury to rest upon them the Word they heard did not profit them because they did not beleive it it seemed as a fable to them had they regarded it they would have reformed their lives by it more than they did but they are so wedded to their wicked wayes that Gods Word hath no place in them but they are like a Smiths Anvil more hardened by many blowes so be they by frequent preaching they please themselves in that they can sometimes weep under a cross but stone wals can sweat against rain and yet be hard within so are their hearts as hard and their lives as wicked as any heathen Christ may say to them as he did to Jerusalem Jerem. 13.27 Woe to thee wilt thou not be made clean when shall it once be Object But many such will say They hope to do as well as the best for God is mercifull Answ Will ye live in swearing whoredome drunkenness sabbath-breaking contempts of godliness blaspheming Gods people lying and deceit and yet say you hope for mercy are these the wayes to find mercy with God if you look no better about you then thus but live and die in these sins you are as sure to damned as you are to die John 8 24. there Christ threatned the Pharisees that they should die in their sins which is the most fearful kind of death that can be we account hanging a dogs death pining a most painful death or to die in a stinking dungeon a miserable death and so they be yet one may die any of these wayes and his soul be saved but they that die in their sins cannot be saved for they die out of Gods favour they die enemies to God 3. I told you in the third place that Christ washeth us with the merit of his precious bloud This Use still serves to reprove such as never seek to have themselves washt with it but still lie under the guilt of sin they content themselves with a little overly knowledge of Christ and with a bare historical faith but they never apply Christs merits to their soules for justification their consciences are extreamly defiled they are more full of filthy lusts than a Serpent is of poyson the Papists teach that a Christiā may merit heaven by good works so they offer horrible indignity to Christ precious merits and many carnal Protestants follow them thinking they can addle heaven by their good deeds and good meaning but all this while they endeavour not to be found in Christ that they may be clothed with his righteousness at their death and at the end of the world they will find their sins the heaviest burthen they ever bare and then for ever will they be ashamed of their ugly lusts and filthy sins which were never washt away with Christs bloud 4. I told you in the fourth place that Christ washeth us with the saving graces of his holy Spirit This Use still serves to reprove such as were never thus washed too many loose and prophane people who have not so much as a form of godliness these hate and deride holiness they beleive not those places Psalm 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the Nations that forget God Hebr. 12.14 Without holiness no man shall see the Lord but they shall find these places true when they find these judgements threatned executed upon them too many be there who rest in bare civil honesty and in some outward form of holiness but are as dead in sins
an apple-tree however as apples are comfortable to the stomack so is Christ in his Ordinances to a sanctified soul most comfortable and sweet insomuch that such as enjoy him may say with more comfort than Esau said to Iacob I have enough Reas 2. Because this enduring meat is of infinite worth and excellency its worth all our labour pains and care we may repent our pains and care for worldly food but we shall never need to be sorry for our pains for Christ We may say of him as the Israelites did of David he is worth ten thousand of us and as the Church Cant. 5.10 He is the chiefest of ten thousand Prov. 8.11 Wisdom is better than Rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it in which place by wisdom Divines understand Christ and truly if we could view him with the eye of faith we should admire his transcendent lustre and excellency as Plato said if one could see the form of vertue it would wonderfully excite men to the love and study thereof Reas 3. Because this everlasting food is not easily obtained gold and silver will not purchase it Simon Magus could not buy the gifts of God with money Isai 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price in which words the Holy Ghost alludes to haven towns by the seaside where ships come in richly fraught and laden with excellent commodities where you may buy the best at the first hand and most cheap the Prophet saith buy come and buy in regard that we must take pains for Christ yet he saith buy without money and without price because nothing in this world no outward excellency is of equal worth and value to be given in exchange for Christ Reas 4. Because we have exceeding great need of this enduring food John 6.53 Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his bloud ye have no life in you If we feed not upon Christ we are dead in sin and are like to be undone for ever for without Christ we can have no true hope of life and peace our journey is long as far as from earth to heaven we have many dangerous enemies in the way whom we can never vanquish without the spiritual efficacy of this divine food Vse It serveth to inform us of one chief cause why true Christians do persevere and hold out in the way of grace to the end the main reason is because they are fed with this celestial meat which will renew their strength as the Prophet speaks Isai 40. last Elias walked forty dayes in the strength of the meat the Angel gave him but Christs true members feeding daily upon him do continue in his way to their lives end the same power that raised Christ from the dead the third day the same power raiseth all true Christians from death to life Ephes 1.19 20. and though we had the best food in the world yet sickness old age and death may take away our stomack that we cannot eat of it but by eating of this divine food we shall increase when nature decreaseth Psal 92.12 13 14. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God they shall bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing 1 Corinth 15.45 The first man Adam was made a living soul the last Adam was made a quickening spirit in which the Apostle intimates that Christ communicates life to his and confirmes them in it against final apostacy and supplies them with a continual renovation of this spiritual life unto eternal life which Adam would not do for his posterity Christ is so able faithful and careful over his members that none can pluck them out of his hands John 10.29 he nourisheth them so effectually with himself and his Ordinances and his blessed Spirit so that it is as impossible for true beleivers to perish as for Jesus Christ himself to perish for God hath loved them with the same love wherewith he loved Christ John 17.23 and hath ordained Christ to be the principal meanes for their redemption conversion justification adoption and glorification Ephes 1.2 to the 10. Galat. 3.26 Colos 1.27 therefore in Psal 40.7 In the volume of thy Book it is written of me by book there is meant Gods eternal dectee and according to the original it is properly in the head or top of thy book where the Holy Ghost imports thus much to us that the chiefest thing which God intended before the world was was that Christ should be the Saviour of his elect for his glory Vse Secondly It serves to inform us of the excellency and dignity of true Christians who onely eat of this everlasting meat Revel 2.17 Christ promiseth to such as overcome to give them to eat of hidden Manna which is himself he is hidden from others true Christians have such meat to eat as others know not of Psal 78.24 25. God is there said to have fed the Israelites with Angels food that was Manna a type of Christ but so called by way of eminency to denote with what excellent food he fed them but what 's the shadow to the substance the tipe to the truth No food in the world comparable to this bread of life an humble heart feeding daily upon Christ hath joy unspeakable and glorious when the voluptuous Epicures of this life have no solid comfort for they have no more than the creature can afford them though the righteous endure outward poverty and seem miserable by reason of many adversities yet they are better in their worst estate than ungodly men are in their best estate in regard they feed upon this divine Manna they like Daniel look better with pulse than others who feed onely upon earthly dainties Vse The next use is for reproof I shall spin the rest of the Uses out of those four heads in the first branch which will run like a thred through the web of the whole point 1. I told you in the first place that Christ is everlasting meat by the merit and efficacy of his person This serves to reprove such as labour not for Christs merits for their justification in Gods sight and these are the Papists who seek for and teach justification by works so by this meanes they derogate from Christs merits and put themselves into a miserable condition for upon this ground conceive that a Papist living and dying a Papist cannot be saved St. Paul Philip. 3.9 renounceth all confidence in his own merits in point of Justification And be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith The Papists
thee an upright body so as thou mayest look often up towards heaven that thine heart may be lifted up thither aquila non capit museas scorn to imbase thy noble soul by doting upon things of the earth a little meanes will suffice nature thou needest not be so greedy after gain hadst thou a whole Lordship nay a whole Kingdom yet thou canst dwell but in one house at a time hadst thou the richest Wardrobe in the world thou canst wear but one suite of apparrel at a time hadst thou thy Table furnisht with all varieties thou canst eat but a bellifull of meat at a time enough is as good as a feast Oh let thine heart mount up towards heaven daily upon the wings of divine contemplation then thy soul shall go thither at last it s no easie thing to get thither the way to hell is down the hill and down the stream but the way to heaven is up the hill and against the stream rightly said the Poet facilis descensus Averni Sed revocare gradum superasque evadere ad auras Hic labor hoc opus est Therefore look upward often whither thy Redeemer is ascended the sight of the outside of heaven here below should draw up our hearts thither and make us less regard these worldly delights for if the outside of heaven be so glorious that is bespangled with the Sun Moon and Stars how glorious is the inside of it you are daily within the sight of heaven your Fathers house Oh let your hearts be there till your soules be there for ever lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet loose not heaven for want of paines and labour you may buy gold too dear but heaven you cannot 7. I told you in the seventh place that a Christian walks with God by fervent and frequent prayer expecting an answer This Use still serves to exhort us all to walk with God after this manner pray continually ply the Throne of grace hard give the Lord no rest until he hath brought thee to sing everlasting hallelujah in heaven God hath in many places of his Word promised to hear and grant the sutes of his people if thou beest one of his thou mayest pray with confidence to be heard Moses talked with God in the Mount until his face shone be thou also frequent in fervent prayer and it will make thy soul to shine in grace Jacob wrestled with Christ by prayer untill he halted be thou likewise earnest with God until thou hast weakened thy corruptions and made them lame thou that hast the spirit of grace and supplication hast such a treasure to enrich thee such a weapon to defend thee as no worldling hath thou mayest by the key of prayer unlock heaven gates and fetch mercies thence in any place whereever thou livest for the way to heaveÌ„ is as near to a true Christian in one place as in another it s a sweet thing to talk often with God and to be inward with him he will give no little joy to such 8. I told you in the eighth place that a Christian walks with God by the life of faith This Use still serves to exhort you all to walk with God this way let your life be a continual dependance upon him trust in the Lord for ever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength he is faithful that hath promised he never deceived any that trusted in him this is your sure hold true faith in his promises and providence will not fail you you will find friends riches pleasures honours and other delights of this world to be miserable comforters but rest upon God by faith and you will find him a fast friend and a sure comforter endeavour daily to rest upon him with such strength of faith as that when all outward helpes fail you may not doubt nor fear but may in patience possess your soules and quietly rest upon God for releif and succour not seeking after indirect meanes for your help if you can attain to this life of faith you will find more comfort in want than others in their wealth more comfort in sickness than others in their health it will make you better in your worst estate than unbeleivers are in their best estate you are better in disgrace than they are in honour you are better in bondage than they are in liberty when thou wast a little child thou couldst sport and play and tookest no care for maintenance but didst rest upon thy earthly parents for food and rayment and now thou art come to yeares of discretion wherein thou shouldest have attained to knowledge and faith hast thou not yet learned to trust thy heavenly Father for body and soul why do ye doubt oh ye of little faith cast thy care wholly upon God and he will care for you thou pretendest thou canst trust God for thy soules everlasting peace and canst thou not trust him for thy present bodily mantenance â—oul the weight of all thy cares wholly upon the Lords blessed providence live the life of faith and thou shalt die the death of the righteous yea thy last and shall be like his SERMON III. Text JOHN 13.8 If I wash thee not thou hast no part with me WE are all by nature polluted with iniquity both in soul and body and have need to cry with the Leper unclean unclean if this sinful pollution be not washt away it will prove destructive to our soules and bodies eternally the onely meanes to wash away this pollution is the pretious bloud of our blessed Redeemer which he doth by the merit and efficacy of it for if he wash us with his bloud we shall be Kings and Priests unto God Revel 1.5 6. but if he wash us not we have no part with him Touching the occasion and coherence of these words we read in the first verse of this chapter it s said Now before the feast of the Passover when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father c. verse 2. and supper being ended c. verse 4. he riseth from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towell and girded himself verse 5. After that he poureth water into a bason and began to wash the Disciples feet and to wipe them with the towell wherewith he was girded verse 6. Then cometh he to Simon Peter and Peter saith unto him Lord doest thou wash my feet verse 7. Jesus answered and said unto him what I do thou knowest not now but thou shalt know hereafter verse 8. Peter saith unto him Thou shalt never wash my feet Jesus answered him If I wash thee not thou hast no part with me Christ washt their feet partly to shew his admirable love to them partly to give them an example of humility and love one to another and lastly to intimate that he onely cleanseth us from our sins 1 John 1.7 when Peter said
and trespasses as the other sort be if there were as many people upon earth naturally dead as there be spiritually dead it would be very sad fearful and doleful you may hear them wish for grace but they take no paines for it their hearts rise against such as are gracious when they be in health though in sickness they desire to die the death of the righteous it s very sad to see how long many have lived graceless under excellent meanes of grace if a man fall into a swound and we pour Aqua vitae into him we rub him and use meanes to recover him but we perceive in him no heat sense nor motion we conclude he is dead the like we may say of very many who have been long rubb'd and stirred by powerful preaching but there appears in them no motion towards holiness no warmth of love to Christ and his image no sense of grace but coldness in their hearts and lives doubtless these men are dead having no life of God in them 5. I told you in the fift place that Christ washeth us by gentle corrections and trials sanctified to us This Use still serves to reprove such as be nothing bettered by afflictions many crosses hath God laid upon them to humble and reform them but they like wicked King Ahaz sin more in their affliction 2 Chron. 28.22 Jerem. 5.3 he complains of the Jews for their perverseness O Lord are not thine eyes upon the truth thou hast stricken them but they have not greived thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive correction they have made their faces harder than a rock they have refused to return In Amos the fourth chapter God by him complained of the Jewes how he had many wayes afflicted them Yet ye have not returned unto me saith the Lord To many plunge themselves deeper into wickedness when Gods hand is upon them they are incorrigible and grow more obstinate proud prophane worldly minded and malitious against the truth to such lesser crosses will prove the beginning of sorrows thou canst complain of bitter troubles and smarting miseries thou hast suffered but what change have they wrought in thy heart and life have they made thee more fearful to offend God and more studious and careful to please him then thou art in a blessed condition if it be so but if thou beest more hardened in sin by afflictions then know to thy terrour that the worst is behind Hosea 5.12 God threatens to be unto Ephraim as a moth and to the house of Judah as rottenness that is he would try them with lesser afflictions and wast them by degrees but if those did them no good he threatens verse 14. For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion and as a young lion to the house of Judah I even I will tear and go away I will take away and none shall rescue him that is he would come with more fearfull and terrible judgements to destroy them forbearance is no forgiveness though God have leadē heels yet he hath iron hands easie warnings neglected ever end in destruction you that have been oftentimes crusht and prest with heavy crosses yet you are nothing better but wax worse and worse your judgement lingers not your damnation slumbers not Vse 2. For comfort I told you in the first place that Christ washeth us with the Sacrament of Baptisme This Use serves for singular consolation to all that be thus washed you are happy and have cause to rejoyce for 1. First you were baptized into Christ his death Rom. 6.3 4. you are buried with Christ by baptisme into death your old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth you should not serve sin now his death will destroy your corruptions as Irish earth kils venomeous creatures applied to it sin may dwell in you but it shall not have dominion over you it troubles you like a tyrant but it shall never be laid to your charge you by faith applying Christs death to your soules shall find your corruptions weaker and your hearts rising against them as Davids house waxed stronger and Sauls house weaker so shall grace grow stronger and sin weaker in you 2. You are planted together with Christ in the likeness of his resurrection that ye may walk in newness of life you live above others in a farre more excellent way than they do blessed are you that ever you were born but chiefly that you were born again you are more excellent than your carnal neighbours you are such of whom the world is not worthy you are precious in the eyes of Jehovah and he will honour you for ever your life is gracious and your death shall be glorious 3. You shall have the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 3.21 The like figure whereunto even baptisme doth also now save us not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience c. Here Peter hath respect to that custome which was used in the baptisme of those who were of age the person baptizing asked the person to be baptized Whether he beleived and he answered I beleive c. hence by the answer of a good conscience we may understand that unfained faith whereof they made confession at their baptisme and whereby their consciences were purified and whereby they received remission of their sinnes testified by Christs resurrection from the dead also we may understand that covenant whereinto they entred at their baptisme the embracing whereof they testified by their unfained confession of their faith this benefit you shall receive by baptisme by applying unto your soules the power of Christs resurrection your consciences shall be both quieted and assured of pardon and favour and is thereupon enabled to treat for and expect mercy from God and reconciliation with him and so the faithful soul in the confidence hereof boldly questioneth with God about his favour reconciled unto him by Christs death and testified by his resurrection saying hath not Christ reconciled thy favour unto us by his death to endure for ever certainly it is so for his resurrection doth testifie it seeing that unless he had made a perfect expiation of our sins by his death and reconciled thy favour unto us he could not have risen again to life and heavenly glory 2. I told you in the second place that Christ washeth us with his sacred Word This Use still serves to comfort all such as are washed it by these benefits thou shalt enjoy by it 1. You shall ask what you will if it be according to Gods will and for his glory and it shall be done unto you John 15.7 which is an high priviledge prayer is the wing of the soul wherewith it flies up to heaven to Christ it peirceth the clouds it is a corner of heaven to a gracious soul it hath a kind of omnipotency in it it is the key