the Land and the Sunne was darkned 2 The funerall solemnity of God And the veyle of the Temple was rent in the midst And it was about the sixth houre sayes our Evangelist The first thing I doe shall bee to make St. Luke and St. Marke friends who at the first sight may seeme to be at variance a little Marke 15.25 For St. Mark tells us in the 15. Chapter that it was at the third houre of the day Wee are to understand therefore that the artificiall day amongst the Jewes began at sixe a clock in the morning and ended at sixe in the Evening so that the compasse of their artificiall day was twelue houres Are there not twelue houres in the day sayes our Saviour So that calling our sixth in the morning the first houre of the day the sixth houre according to their computation must needs bee our Noone and about or a little before this time was our Saviour crucified But why doth St. Marke call it the third houre I will not give ye Cajetanes answere who saith that there may bee an errour in the Scribe mistaking and writing the Greeke Character of one number for another because there is some affinity betwixt them in the figure exemp gr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Augustines is something better who to excuse the matter hath these words Linguis Iudaeorum crucifixus est horâ tertia manibus horâ sexta The Jewes saith hee crucified with their tongues at the third houre when they cryed out so unanimously Crucifie him crucifie him his blood be upon us and upon our children but they did not crucifie him with their hands untill the sixth But if we observe St. Marks words well wee shall finde that this interpretation cannot stand for after he had said that hee was crucified at the third houre hee presently addes and at the sixth houre there was darknesse over the face of the earth which last words imply that they crucified him not at the sixth houre but at another houre Wherefore I doe rather subscribe to the opinion of St. Ierome in his Epistle to Cyprian As the Night saith he was divided into foure watches so their Day into foure parts or houres Into the first houre beginning at six in the morning and lasting till nine conteining in it three of our ordinary houres Secondly into the third houre beginning at nine and ending at twelue and into the sixth and ninth conteining the other sixe Pomeridian houres Erat quasi or ferè hora sexta saith our Text it was about the sixth houre he doth not say it was perfectly the sixth houre but it was about the sixth houre meaning a little before Noone and so the two Euangelists are reconciled For it is true that St. Marke saith they did crucifie really at or in the third houre and it is also true which St. Luke saith here and it was about the sixth houre About the sixth houre that is a little before mid-day our twelue of the clocke and it was in the third houre too i. in the latter part of the third houre a little before Noone And so although he was fastned to the Crosse a little before noone yet hee did not give up the ghost untill the ninth houre which is our three of the clocke after mid-day that hee might directly answere to the Paschall Lambe which by the Lords command was to bee killed at the Evening Exod. 12.6 Exod. 12 6. Or as the Originall reades it betwixt the two Evenings And here there may a question bee raised what part of the day should be meant by these words The opinions I finde are two 1 The first is Aben Ezras and hee saith That there is vespera Solis and vespera luminis An Evening of the Sunne when the body of the Sunne is removed from our eyes when that sets and an Evening of the light when the beames or shining of the Sunne doe also forsake us And betwixt these two Evenings saith hee was the Paschall Lambe slaine which time by us is called the twilight which by the opinion of Astronomers doth ordinarily endure an houre and one third part 2 The second from Rabbi David and he is larger in his interpretation and understands a greater latitude of Time There is saith he vespera declinationis and vespera occasus An Evening of the Sunne declining and an Evening of the Sunne setting The Evening of the Sunne declining begins at twelue of the clock when the Sunne is in his Altitude in the Meridian and so declines by degrees towards his fall The Evening of the Sun setting what that is wee all know And betwixt these two Evenings i. betwixt Noone and the Sunne setting the Paschall Lambe saith he was to be killed And certainely this second opinion is that which will endure the Touch-stone the best for without question by this phrase Betwixt the two Evenings we are to understand such a parcell of time wherein the dayly Evening Sacrifice might bee slaine too as well as the Paschall Lambe for even that was commanded to bee done inter duas vesperas betwixt the two Evenings as well as the other Num. 28.4 Num 28.4 And as the Talmud reports if wee reckon the houres according to our ordinary computation the dayly Sacrifice of the Evening Lambe was usually slaine betwixt two and three and betwixt three and foure it was offered but upon the Passeover Eve it was slaine betwixt one and two and offered betwixt two and three and the reason was because they might have time afterwards for the slaying and offering of the Passeover But if their Passeover Eve fell upon the Eve before their Sabbath then their dayly Evening Sacrifice was slaine and offered an houre sooner then ordinary that there might bee time enough both for the Passeover and also for the preparation of their Sabbath after that And Christ that hee might shew us that his death did comprehend all Sacrifices which indeed were nothing else but shadowes and types of that one and perfect Sacrifice which hee at this time made upon the Crosse for the sins of the whole world he began to be crucified in the third houre of the day with the dayly Morning Sacrifice and finished it at the ninth houre with the dayly Evening Sacrifice and the Paschall Lambe Hee was both the Sacrifice of the Morning and of the Evening Hee was sacrificed as well for those who lived in the Morning of the world before the Incarnation as for all us who have lived since in the Evening in its declining Age. Hee was the Sacrifice of the Morning and Evening both for Young and old Of the Morning and Evening for the East and for the West for the whole world The Morning and the Evening Sacrifice hee was and therefore observe how the Morning and Evening here doe meet together as if it had beene on purpose to mourne for him and perceiving it seemes that their owne Apparell was a great deale too light and glorious to appeare
ire to rise up in a Contemplation unto such things as are above their owne nature For the first orders therefore to reade the greatnesse the wisedome and providence of God in any of the inferiour orders or in subjecta creatura in the Fabrick of the world hoe descendere potius quam saltus dare this is rather to goe downe then to leape To view the greatnesse and majestie of God in themselves in looking into their owne pure nature hoc illorum est per planum ire this is their plaine way they neither rise nor fall in doing thus But they are said to leape when they ascend into a simple and naked Contemplation of the Power the Wisedome the Majesty of God as he is in himselfe and so behold with admiration that Fountaine of beauty of goodnesse of order of proportion The second and third Hierarchies they are onely said to leape when they doe rise in a speculation into the orders above them and from thence are furnished with matter of admiration concerning the Divine power and wisedome For although it be granted that these inferiour orders have also their simple contemplations doe behold the face of God too enjoy the beatificall vision as well as the other yet this may be called illorum volatus potius quam tripudium rather their flight then their leaping because wee know hee that leapes doth not multum elongere se à stationis suae loco removes not himselfe farre from the place he was in before which we finde contrary in a flight when the thing that flies works it selfe many times into a vast distance Therefore because those orders of Angels which are here set out unto us by the name of rammes in their leapes doe never use but a simple Contemplation and the other inferiour orders never but a speculation most fitly hath the Psalmist laid his comparison together Montes exultaverunt ut arietes colles sicut agni ovium For the mountaines then to skip like rammes is when Contemplative men in a kinde of sacred extasie and overflowing of the soule doe climbe up into pure notions of the Deity abstracted from speculations doe behold the face of God not in the glasse of the creature but as he is in himselfe all splendor all glory all brightnesse all goodnesse And for the hills to skip like lambs is when speculative men doe climbe up into an admiration of God by beholding the works of his handâ— as St. Paul to the Romans 1.20 For the invisible things of him that is his eternall power and Godhead are seene in the creation of the world being considered in his workes Pensemus ergo c. Let us therefore conceive if we be able what a mighty prerogative and grace it is for our humane and fraile natures to be likened in the motions of our minds unto the glorious Angels And let us therfore praise the GOD of Angels and men who hath made us a little lower then the Angels to crowne us with glory and worship O blessed soule and truely happy who can take such leapes as these who leaving the dull senses asleepe can secretly steale from the body and mount up in a moment unto the familiarity of Angels bee partakers of their joyes be present at their spirituall delicates and with them leape from one degree of knowledge and illumination to another and with infinite delight and admiration still bee knowing of that immensity which can never bee fully knowen Lord let my soule ever leape after this manner and I shall not envie all the flattering courtship that the world can shew me But I make haste to the Quare the cause of this leaping What aile yee O yee mountaines c. reade but the next verse and the Question is answered A facie Domini mota est terra for so good Translations as I told yee reade it The earth was moved at the Face of the Lord. Hugo set downe foure severall faces of Christ Facâ—m 1 Viventis The face of Christ living or the face of his Poverty And this face did he shew in his Nativity and after in his whole life being made poore for our sakes so that hee had not so much as whereon to lay his head 2 Morientis The face of Christ dying or the face of his Griefe And this face did hee shew us upon the Crosse which seemed to becken to all Passengers and to say in the Prophet Ieremies words Lam. 1.12 Have yee no regard all yee that passe by this way behold and see if there bee any sorrow like unto my sorrow 3 Iudicantis The face of Christ Iudging or the face of his Anger And this face will he shew to the wicked ones in the day of judgement 4 Regnantis The face of Christ reigning or the face of his Glory and pleasure And this face will hee onely shew to the Saints in the Kingdome of Heaven But I must make bold in the midst of these foure to insert one face more of Christs which Hugo Cardinalis did not thinke of and that is Facies resurgentis The face of Christ arising from the dead subduing the grave and leading Captivity captive And this is the face of Christ meant here at the sight of which the Earth was moved The Mountaines skipped c. And what thing is there so heavy that could sit still and behold this face O let not us then be more insensible then the Mountaines and Hills to which wee are compared for we must know that the strength of the comparison doth not lie in the ponderousnesse of the Mountaines No wee ought not to imitate them in this but it doth consist in the height in their neernesse to heaven and their distance from the common roades of men Lift up your heads therefore O yee gates and be yee lift up yee everlasting doores and the King of glory will come in First then O yee mountaines of the earth who doe enjoy a vicinity and kinde of familiarity with God and heaven Yee men of contemplation who by the advantage of your height have a far clearer and neerer prospect of God and of the wonders that are in him then they who are upon the little Hills and Plaines of the earth below O lift up your heads on high in a thankfull acknowledgement and admiration of the wisedome the power the mercy of our God who sent his onely Sonne in whom he was well pleased into the world that he by his poverty his ignominie his obedience his death might make an atonement for our sins And this is the day wherein that gracious worke was perfectly finished this is the day wherein our Saviour Christ having entred into the house of that strong man Death and bound him like a Giant refreshed with wine issued out of the Grave in triumph Or once This is the day which the Lord hath made let us reioyce and be glad in it For be sure that the Lord lookes for greater higher and more frequent leapes from you for purer and
wee will suffer ye to goe to Hell in a Horse litter a fine easie pace without any rubs or molestations in your way we shall be accounted good and worthy men amongst yee but let us come once to shake off that basenesse of spirit and tell yee of the dangerous estate yee are in by reason of your sinnes as it was with Belshazzar in the 5. of Daniel at the sight of the hand-writing on the wall the fashion of your countenance presently is changed and your blood immediatly is up in armes as if yee could finde in your hearts were it in your power to dash that blood in the face of him who reproves yee although afterwards your cold hearts cried out for want of it But thus did not St. Peter we doe not reade that hee was angry because Christ put him in minde of his past sinnes we finde him sorrowfull indeed Peter was sory but the effect of his sorrow was excellent That is a good sorrow which begets a confession of Gods omniscience and such was St. Peters And so we are come to the 3 Third thing I observed in the Text. The effect of Peters sorrow Which is either nearer and is the answer of St. Peter Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee Or else farther off and that is Christs reply Iesus said unto him Feed my sheepe Lord thou knowest all things c. Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thistles who would ever have looked for so faire a fruit from so bitter a tree If this be the fruit of sorrow Lord give us enough of that sorrow that we may confesse thy Wisedome thy Omnipotence But is it not every sorrow that will doe this No there is a sorrow unto vanity and there is a sorrow unto death from which Lord of thy mercy deliver us But it is the sorrow onely for our sinnes which is the tree upon which that goodly fruit doth grow I make hast to the last words which is the thing I chiefly aime at Iesus said unto him Feed my sheepe If thou dost love mee as thou professest thou dost expresse it then in feeding of my sheepe These words are mightily tumbled and tossed up and downe betwixt us and our adversaries the Papists For they of the Church of Rome doe suppose that this Text makes very strongly for the Popes supremacy who is as they boast St. Peters Successor sits in his Chaire retaining still the same authority and jurisdiction which Christ then gave to St. Peter Here be three branches in this Controversie 1 Whether our Saviour by speaking these words to St. Peter Feed my sheepe did conferr upon him any supreame or universall authority over the rest of the Apostles and over the Church militant 2 If so whether this Authority and Supremacie was onely personall limited and confined to the person of St. Peter with whom it died or whether successive to all his Successours 3 Or if both these whether St. Peter was ever at Rome and so the Bishops of Rome were his Successors Or if this be granted whether the Popes as they are now may be called S. Peters successors because although wee grant a personall succession yet wee deny a succession of Doctrine The old Doctrine that St. Peter established at Rome is much impaired and corrupted And to begin with the last That Peter was never at Rome or at least died not in the Bishopricke of Rome which is a thing they contend for strongly for otherwise they of Antioch might also boast themselves to be St. Peters successors for hee was Bishop there seven yeeres is a point mightily controverted and the Arguments which are brought for confirmation of the negative part I doe acknowledge doe make Bellarmine many times as great a Scholler as he was to awaken his best wits to answer them But the narrow limits of a Sermon will not suffer me to name them much lesse to urge them nor will we quarrell much for this For I confesse that I am much lead by the Authority of St. Ierom in his Booke of the famous men notwithstanding all the arguments to the contrary of Velenus Illyricus Calvin and the Centuries of the Magdeburgenses drawen either from Chronology and computation of yeares and raignes of Emperours Peter being as we finde in the fifth of the Acts present at the Councel holden at Ierusalem amongst the Apostles and Elders of the Church concerning the abolishing of Circumcision which Councell was holden upon the eighteenth yeare after Christs resurrection or whether they bee taken from the Scripture which I must needs acknowledge can bee at the best but confecturall and negative which are no good witnesses even in our Common-law against a deposed affirmative either from those Epistles which St. Paul wrote from Rome as to the Galatians the Ephesians the Colossians the Philâ—ppians the Hebrews in none of which doth St. Paul make any mention of St Peter Hee saith indeed in the last to the Colossians which was one of those Epistles he wrote from Rome that Aristarchus his fellow prisoner saluted them and Marcus sisters sonne to Barnabas and Iesus which was called Iustus and Epaphras but not a word of St. Peters saluting them Nor yet in that Epistle of his to the Romans which hee wrote from Corinth doth hee once remember St. Peter or desire at all to bee commended to him as yee may see in the last to the Romans Greet Aquila and Priscilla greet Andronicus greet Vrbanus salute Herodian and Rufus and Patrobas and Philologus and a great number more but not a word of saluting St. Peter Now say they it was not a likely thing that St. Paul should amongst all these friends of his so much neglect and sleight St. Peter as not to remember him at all if he had beene at Rome I doe confesse this reason hath some shew of probability in it but according to my apprehension these things are answered well enough by Bellarmine The words of St. Ierome are Englished these Simon Peter the sonne of Iohn of the Province of Galilee and village of Bethsaida brother to Andrew and chiefe of the Apostles after his being Bishop at Antioch and his preaching to the dispersed Iewes in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bâ—thynia in the second yeare of the Emperour Claudius went to Rome to beate downe the heresie of Simon Magus where hee remained in the Chatre of Priesthood twenty five yeares untill the last yeare of Nero who crucified him with his head downeward toward the earth which was it seemes his owne desire adjudging himselfe unworthy to die after the same manner that his Lord and Master did Thus farre St. Ierome And truely Master Calvin and the Centuries shall pardon me for I have great reason for many respects to beleeve St. Ierome before them Neither have the Papists got much by this grant by yeelding that Peter lived and died at Rome for before they can bring their Argument to any head they have two hard
the Sundayes in Advent the ancient Christians styling the birth of Christ or his comming in the flesh by the name of Advent And why there be foure Sundayes or weekes preparative ushering in this Feast some doe take upon them to affirme that it is to signifie to us the foure Advents of our Saviour The first is Adventus ejus ad homines Secondly In homines The third Contra homines And the fourth Super homines The first His comming to men in the flesh The second His comming into men in the spirit The third His comming against men at the day of each particular mans death And the fourth His comming above men in the day of judgement Of all which Advents of Christ this mysticall Text of ours may be understood Behold he comes leaping upon the mountaines and skipping over the hills There be some Interpreters who write upon this place who accommodate this Text to the freedom of the children of Israel froÌ„ the 70. yeares captivity in Babylon by Cyrus the Persian The first and second verses of this Chapter they will have to understand those times of deportation when Nebuchadnezzar like a furious tempest did sweepe and carrie before him all that was pretious in the land of Israel Her King her Princes her strong men of warre all her cunning workmen all the treasures of the house of the Lord all the treasures of the Kings house 2. Kings 24. ver 1. I am the Rose of the field the Lilly of the vallyes ver 2. Like a Lilly among the thornes so is my beloved amongst the daughters And this they will have to be a Propheticall complaint of the Church in those lamentable times exposed to all depopulations and conculcations of the barbarous enemie Iuxta florem in agro sine munimento The third verse Like the Apple Tree amongst the Trees of the Forrest so is my beloved amongst the Sonnes of men This they will have to depicture out the quiet though poore estate of those reliquiae populi those reliques of the people which were left behinde under the tuition of Gedaliah who here they say is meant by the Apple tree under whose shadow they had delight Humilis hic erat ad proceritatem priorum regum vel ad altissimos Cedros qui florebant in Babyloniis montibus And hee indeed was but a shrub the Thistle of Libanus if wee compare him with their former Kings or with the tallnesse of those Cedars which though in captivity yet in some sort did flourish upon the mountaines of Babylon I might leade yee farther downe with me into the Wine-Cellar and tell yee what they will have meant by that the King had mee into his Wine-Cellar and love was his banner over me namely their enemies land partly Babylon partly Egypt whither much of the people at the cutting off of Gedaliah did undertake a voluntary exile Introduxit me Rex in Cellam vinartam non in domum convivii as one notes The King had me into his Wine-Cellar not into his banqueting house which you shall finde if you looke into the 7. of Ecclesiastes rejoycing in another name The heart of the foole is in the house of mirth In domo compâ—tationis As if the Spouse had said here The King had me into a melancholly and sorrowfull Cave in locum subterraneum into a Caverne of the earth as yee know most of our Wine-Cellars be yet notwithstanding there shee found Wine The Spirit and the Word which be often compared to Wine still bore them company Nec Ecclesiae in his miseriis consolatium defuit cui Carcer vino refertus It was impossible that the Church in these miseries should want comfort when her very prison was a Wine-Cellar But I come to this verse in the Chapter which I have chosen for my Text and this they will have to be as I told yee the comming of Cyrus to their deliverance It is the voyce c. Shee falls into an abrupt mention of it as if from a farre shee had heard the voyce of her welbeloved calling to her and distracted as it were with joy at the unexpectednesse of the newes she breakes forth into this suddaine extasie It is the voyce of my welbeloved And this is nothing else say they but a Prophesie of that great joy which all those Captive Jews did feele at the rumour of those warlike preparations of the Medes and Persians against Babylon for now they knew that the time of their Manumission was at hand which was prophesied by Ieremie in his 50. Chapter The latter part of the verse sets out unto us the speedinesse of his comming Behold hee comes leaping upon the mountaines and skipping over the hills As the Comick Poet saith Cervum cursa vincit gallatorem gradu Hee came leaping over Nations and striding over Kingdomes as if hee had had Stiles on And as it is in the next verse My welbeloved is like a Roe or a young Hart. How quickly did hee leape over the Armenians Lydia Hyrcanâ—a The Bactrians Susians Carians Phrygians Cappadocians With that lightnesse that he scarce left any footsteps behinde him so soone did be vanquish them But me thinks this interpretation is too dull and earthy and farre below the dignity and majestie of this so divine a Song So that wee may say of this Text as Christ did once to the people concerning Solomon A greater then Solomon is here So may we say certainly a greater then Cyrus is here is meant here of whom Cyrus himselfe was but a Type The comming of that true Cyrus in this place is meant that Conquerour who made preparation for warre who came into the world assumed our flesh by him sanctified and made the weapons of his righteousnesse to redeeme his chosen Nation whom Nebuchadnezzar the devill had carried into Captivity into Babylon This Text then may set forth unto us either the comming of our blessed Saviour in the flesh when in the fulnesse of time hee was borne of the Virgin suffered the frailties of humane Nature and at the last death for the sinnes of the world Or else his coÌ„ming in the Spirit to each particular faithfull soule But before I fasten upon any of these give mee leave to take up an Observation or two by the way which cannot bee very well passed over in silence The first is that hearing goes before seeing The Church first heares the voyce of her Saviour and afterwards shee sees him This is the order which the holy Spirit observes in many places of sacred Scripture Heare O daughter and see as yee have it in Isay and as it is in the last of Iob I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eye hath seene thee And in the second of the Acts when that Comforter which Christ had promised came unto them yee shall reade that first upon a sudden there was a sound heard from Heaven as of a mighty and rushing wind and after the Cloven Tongues like
Sion leapes like a young Hart and Syrion like an Vnicorne Hee is risen saith the Angel But who is this that is risen that the mountaines are so pleasant at the businesse Why it is the Lord and maker both of the mountaines and valleys that same great Lord who tells us that all the beasts of the forrest are his and the cattell upon ten thousand Hills Hee who in the pursuit after us leapt out of heaven into a stable indured the frailties and miseries of our Nature hee who suffered the reproaches of his enemies was scourged reviled spit upon crowned with thornes he whom but now we left in the grave guarded with Souldiers as if the fetters of death were not strong enough for him Hee is now risen The joyfullest newes that ever was heard upon earth This is the day which the Lord hath made let us rejoyce and be glad in it For if hee had risen no more but that Death had had the victory over him his miraculous conception his stupendious birth his cruell sufferings his ignominious death and all that hee hath endured for us had not a whit availed us But now wee see to our infinite comfort that the house of death was too weak a Prison for him and the gates of Hell were not able to prevaile against him Let not us therefore who have a greater interest in this blessed newes then all creatures whatsoever bee more stupid then the heavy mountaines which in an extasie of joy are found leaping and skipping Psalm 114. Not that the mountaines did really leape but by a kinde of Prosopopaea to intimate unto us that infinite joy those glad tidings which now were come unto men even the weighty mountaines themselves which are the unlikeliest part of the world for any such motion are brought in by the holy Spirit to trace it in a daunce Which figure doth first accuse us men both of ingratitude and stupiditie Secondly it doth incite us to shake off that drowsinesse It doth accuse us first For how can wee at all bee accounted worthy of that great benefit who suffer our selves to bee overcome even of senslesse creatures in expressions of joy Or goe farther and suppose that these mountaines were sensible that they were able to move out of their places yet what doth the rising of Christ concerne them Had hee never died at all or being dead had hee never risen wee may conjecture that their estate had beene all one the Sunne had sent as gentle rayes upon them as hee doth now they had had their vicissitudes of seasons and times as well as now the Starres had looked upon them with the same Aspects and the ayre which circumscribes them had beene as courteous to them as now The resurrection of Christ hath not purchased any blessednesse or immortality for them For they shall smoake when the Lord toucheth them and melt like waxe at the presence of God when he comes to judge the whole earth But let us looke into our selves and wee shall finde multitudes of arguments inducing us nay enforcing us to a thankfull acknowledgement of his mercies Hee was borne not for himselfe but for us hee endured misery not for himselfe but for us hee dyed for us not for himselfe for us he was buried for our sakes hee went downe into hell and came from thence in triumph and he rose againe for our justification Wee were before children of darknesse and of the night but now by his resurrection wee are made heires of the light and day Before we were the cursed children of Adam under the dominion of death and hell but now by his resurrection wee are adopted the blessed sonnes of God and made inheritours of life everlasting And are these small favours think yee that we take no more notice of them but sit still like Solomons sluggard with our hands in our bosomes and suffer the very hills to take our office from us Let us at least joyne our selves with them in this rejoycing for feare least hereafter for this neglect wee be glad to wooe those mountaines to fall on us and be denied and to cry unto the hills Cover us from the presence of that angry and just God whose loving kindnesse we have contemned We have our Graves too even while wee live here on earth to arise out of the graves of our sinnes There is a two-fold resurrection as well a resurrection from sinne as from death and let that man never hope to bee a partaker in the second which is from death unlesse hee have his part in the first in the rising from sinne And being risen from the graves of our sinnes let us leape upon the mountaines grow on from strength to strength from Altitude to Altitude from one degree of perfection to another untill at last wee come to leape upon those mountaines amongst which Ierusalem which is above is scituated Wee are now come to take our last farewell of Christs corporall presence till wee shall enjoy it for ever For harke what the Spouse saith in the last verse of this second Chapter of the Canticles Vntill the day breake and the shadowes flye away returne my welbeloved and be like a Roe or a young Hart upon the mountaines of Bethel Returne my welbeloved He is now returned to the place from whence he came he came from Heaven first from Bethel from the house of God and as I told yee before to prove the circle of all figures to be the fullest of perfection he doth not leave moving untill he comes into heaven againe till hee leapes upon the mountaines of Bethel Lift up your heads O yee gates and be yee lift up yee everlasting doores and the King of glory shall come in Who is the King of glory The Lord strong and mighty even the Lord mighty in battell Quae vox utique non propter divinitatis potentiam saith St. Jerom sed propter novitatem carnis ascendentis ad dextram Dei ferebatur Which words were not spoken in regard of the power of the Deity But in respect of that new thing which was about to be done the placing of flesh at the right hand of the Father And this is the sixth and last leape I told yee of which Christ did take upon his journey towards mans redemption In the five first hee traced our footsteps who had leaped the same leapes before him but in this he leaves man behind him and makes hast before to prepare his Mansions for him In my Fathers house there be many Mansions This was that leape of which hee himselfe foretold his Disciples in the 16. of S. Iohn verse 16. ModicuÌ„ non videbitis me iteâ—modicum videbitis A little while yee shal not see me again a little while and yee shall see me for I goe to my Father O modicum modicum saith St. Bernard O modicum longum pie Domine modicum dicis quod non videmus te A little while and a little while Gracious God