by his bountifulnesse With vs to blesse God by our Thankefulnesse What should I say For Iesus Christ his sake let vs be Thankefull It is a good thing to giue thankes to the Lord saith our Psalmist Good for the vertue of the action Good for the excellencie of the obiect Good for the happinesse of the retribution For the Action it is better to Blesse then to curse Rom. 12. Blesse them that persecute you Blesse and curse not For the Obiect our Prayses are sung to a most glorious God one that is Beautie it selfe and onely worthy to inhabite the prayses of Israel For the Retribution If wee blesse God God will blesse vs As one notes that all Dauids Psalmes were either Hosanna or Halleluiah that is God blesse or God be blessed Either a Prayer for Mercie or a Prayse for Merciâ— Ascendat â—rgo gratia vt descendat gratia For Gratiarum cessat decursus vbi recursus non fuerit Grace will not come downe vnles Gratitude goe vp All Riuers runne backe to the Sea whence they were first deriued Let vs send vp our gifts to God that hee may sende downe his gifts to vs. Let vs not Vti datis tanquam innatis But remember that we hold all in Capite and are sutors to the Court of Heauen worthy to forfet our estates if we pay not the quit-rent of Thankefulnesse acknowledge not Gratitude and Obedience God will not long Catulis indulgâ—râ— Luporum pamper the Wolues whelps as the Prouerbe But he will forget them that forget him Wee haue a saying from Aristotle Nec in puerum nec in senem collocanduâ— esse beneficium That our beneficence should not be fixed vpon a Child or an Old man for the Child before he comes to age will forget it and the Old man will die before he can requite it Are wee all either Children or Old men that wee either not remember or not returne Thankefulnes to God for his mercies Yet saith the Psalmist Old men and Children prayse the Name of the Lord. With him let vs then say What shall we render to the Lord for all his Benefites towardes vs Dauid was inward with God yet he studied what Present he should offer him Hee lights vpon that which hee was onely able to giue and God most willing to receaue Thankefulnesse I will take the Cuppe of Saluation and blesse the Name of the Lord. Pray wee then to GOD to giue vs Thankefullnesse that wee may giue it him For of our selues wee haue not what to giue vnlesse the Lord giue vs wherewith to giue Let vs Shew foorth his louing kindnesse in his Morning and his faythfulnesse euery Night Morning and Euening let vs prayse him that hath made the Day for our labour and the Night for our rest And that not ex vsu magis quam sensu but with a heartie humilitie Giue vnto the Lord the Glory due to his Name Bring your Sacrifiâ—e and come into his Courts Let no opportunitie steale by neglected but Reioyce in the Lord yee righteous and giue thankes at the remembrance of his Holynesse No Garment better becomes you though you haue almost put it out of fashion then to Prayse the Lord For Prayse is comely for the righteous Thanksgiuing is the best Sauce to our Meate and blesseth all the Dishes on the Table When thou hast eaten and art full thou shalt blesse the Lord thy God Whether we eate or drinke worke or rest let vs set that golden Poesie on all our labours which the Angel to Zachay gaue of the Head-stone Grace grace vnto it Hee spake pleasant truth that said He that riseth from the Table without giuing of thanks goes his way owes for his Ordinary He is vnthankefull that is vnmindfull of a benefite vnthankeful that requites it not vnthankefull that dissembles it but most vnthankefull that denies it Though wee cannot requite Gods fauour we will neither forget it nor dissemble it nor denie it I haue purposely been liberall in this doctrine neither beg I pardon for prolixitie It was necessary for the Text no lesse for our times God hath shewed vs his Light and wee bring foorth the workes of Darknesse We say we al are thankefull Our Words will not passe with God without our Deeds Our Words are so fickle and false that wee dare not trust one another without manuscrips Scriueners must be employed in al our commerce And shall God take our words with whom we haue broke so often No beloued wee must sette our hands to it and to speake to our capacitie in the Citie seale it and deliuer it as our act and deed wee must worke that which is good I appeale from mens Lippes to their Liues Verba rebus probate sayth Seneca The forme the life the Soule of Thankefulnesse is Obedience Wee like blinde Isaac cannot see your Hearts but say Let mee feele thee my sonne If your Liues be rugged like the Hands of Esau we dare not trust your Voyce for the Voyce of Iacob If your deedes be rough and sensible of rebellion in vaine you tell vs you are Thankefull It is somewhat that you Enter into his Courts and speake good of his Name But you must also doe good for his Name and you shall be blessed I haue begun and will end with a Psalme O come then let vs fing vnto the Lord let vs reioyce to the Rocke of our saluation Let ve come before his presence with Thankesgiuing and make a ioyfull noyse to him with Psalmes For the Lord is a great God and a great King aboue all Gods God is the Lord that hath shewed vs Light binde the Sacrifice with Cords euen to the Hornes of the Altar FINIS POLITICKE HVNTING OR A Discouerie of the cunning Esauites of our times And Plaine Dealing or A president of Honesty The Text. Genes 25. 27. Esau was a cunning Hunter and a man of the field and Iacob was a plaine man dwelling in Tents WHen God hath a long while deferred his actuall Blessings to the importunate suppliants and extended their desires at last hee doubles on them the expected Mercie So hee recompenceth the dilation with the dilatation and enlarging of his fauours Rebecca had been long barren and now the Lord opens her Wombe and sets her a teeming she conceaues two at once It is obserueable that many holy Women ordained to be the mothers of men specially famous and worthy were yet long barren Sara the wife of Abraham that bore Isaac Rebeccah the wife of Isaac that bore Iacob Rahel the wife of Iacob that bore Ioseph Anna the mother of Samuel Elizabeth the mother of Iohn the Baptist Hereof may be giuen some reasons 1. One Chrysost. giues Vt ex mirabili partu stirilium praestrueretur fides partui virginis That by the miraculous Child-bearing of barren Women a way might be made to beleeue the birth of Christ by a Virgin 2. To shew that Israel
the perpetuity Thus to iustifie a man Faith is greater but in a man iustified Charity is greater Let Faith alone with the great worke of our salvation but that finished it shall end so yeeld superiority to Loue which shall endure for euer Thus you haue commended to your soules these three sisters Faith Hope and Charity Faith wee must haue or we are reprobates Hope or wretches Charity or not Christians There is a promise made to Faith that it shall haue accesse to God Heb. 11. To Hope that it shall not be ashamed Rom. 5. But to Charity that it shall dwell in God and haue God dwelling in it 1. Ioh. 4. I should now tell you that as these three fayre Sisters come downe from heaven so in a crosse contrariety the Devill sends vp three foule fiends from hell Against Faith Infidelity against Hope Desperation Against Charity malice He that entertaines the elder sister vnbeleefe I quake to speake his doome yet I must Hee is already condemned Hee that embraceth the second vgly Hagge Despaire barres vp against himselfe the possibility of all comfort because hee offends so precious a nature the mercy of God tramples vnder his desperate feete that bloud which is helde out to his vnaccepting hand He that welcomes malice welcomes the Devill himselfe hee is called the Envious and loues extremely to lodge himselfe in an envious heart These be fearefull prodigious sisters flie them and their embraces and remember O yee whom Christ concernes the commandement of your Saviour Loue one another I will end with our Apostles exhortation to his Philippians If there bee any consolation in Christ and there is consolation in him when the whole world cannot afford it If any comfort of loue and hee that knows not the comforts of loue knowes no difference betwixt man and beast If any fellowship of the spirit by whome wee are all knit into one Communion and enriched with the same treasures of grace If any bowels and mercies if vncharitablenesse and avarice hath turned our intrals into stone and yron if wee haue not forgotten the vse and need of mercy Fulfill my ioy that yee be like minded and haue the same loue Fulfill the Apostles ioy onely the ioy of the Bride and Bridegroome of the Church on earth of the Saints in heauen of the ioy of the blessed Angels the ioy of the Father Sonne holy Spirit and last of all the ioy of your owne hearts that you Loue one another Forget not that trite but true saying They shall not want prosperitie That keepe Faith Hope and Charity FINIS THE TAMING OF THE TONGVE MATH 12. 37. By thy wordes thou shalt bee iustified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned BERN. Lingua quae facilè volat facilè violat TP LONDON Printed by Thomas Purfoot for Clement Knight and are to be sold at his shop in Paules Church-yard at the Signe of the Holy Lambe 1616. THE TAMING OF the Tongue IAM 3. 8. But the tongue can no man tame it is an vnruly euill full of deadly poyson HEre is a single Position guarded with a double reason The Position is No man can tame the Tongue The Reasons 1. It is vnruly 2. Full of deadly poyson Heere is busie dealing with a wilde member a more difficult action and intractable nature could not haue met Tongue is the Subiect I meane in the discourse and can you euer thinke of subiecting it naturally to reason or taming it to Religion Goe leade a Lyon in a single haire send vp an Eagle to the skie to pecke out a starre cope vp the thunder and quench a flaming City with one widdowes teares if thou couldest doe these yet nescit modo lingua domari the Tongue can no man tame As the Proposition is backed with two reasons so each reasons so each reason hath a terrible second The Euill hath for the second vnrulines the Poisonfulnes hath deadly It is evil yea vnruly euill it is poyson yea deadly poyson The Fort is so barricadoed that it is hard scaling it the refractary Rebell so guarded with Euill and Poyson so warded with vnruly and deadly as if it were with Gyants in an vnchanted Towre as they fabulate that no man can tame it Yet let vs examine the matter and finde a stratagem to subdue it In the Proposition Wee will obserue 1. The Nature of the thing to bee tamed 2. The difficulty of accomplishing it The insubiectible subiect is the Tongue which is 1. a member and 2. an Excellent Necessary Little Singular Member It is a Member Hee that made all made the Tongue he that craues all must haue the Tongue Quicreavit necessariam postulat creatam It is an instrument let it giue Musicke to him that made it All creatures in their kind blesse God Psal. 148. They that wanttongues as the heauens Sunne Starres Meteors Orbes Elements prayse him with such obedient Testimonies as their insensible natures can afford They that haue tongues though they want reason prayse him with those naturall Organs The birds of the ayre sing the beasts of the earth make a noyse not so much as the hissing Serpents the very Dragons in the deepe but sound out his praise Man then that hath a tongue and a reason to guide it and if more a religion to direct his reason should much much more blesse him Therefore sayes the Psalmographer that for the well tuning of his Tongue is called the sweete Singer of Israel I will praise the Lord with the best Instrument I haue which was his Tongue Not that praises can adde to Gods glory nor blasphemies detract from it The blessing Tongue cannot make him better nor the cursing worse Nec melior si laudaueris nec deterior si vituperaueris As the Sunne is neither betterd by birds singing nor battered by dogs barking He is so infinitely great and constantly good that his glory admittes neyther addition nor diminution Yet we that cannot make his name greater can make it seeme greater and though wee can not enlarge his glory we may enlarge the manifestation of his glory This both in words praysing and in workes practising We know it is impossible to make a new Christ as the Papists boast the almightinesse of their Priests yet our holy liues and happy lippes if I may so speak may make a little Christ a great Christ. They that before little regarded him may thus be brought to esteeme him greatly giuing him the honour due to his name and glorifying him after our example This is the Tongues office One member without arrogating any merite or boasting the beholdingnesse of the rest vnto it is to doe that duetie which is assigned it The eye is to see for all the eare to heare for all the hand to worke for all the feete to walke for all the knees to bow for all the Tongue to praise GOD for all This is the Tongues office not vnlike the Towneclarkes which if it
Goodnesse that he is willing to saue vs. Were hee neuer so Great if not Good to vs wee had litle helpe Were hee neuer so Good if not Great and of abilitie to succour vs wee had lesse comfort Hee would stand vs in small stead if either his Will or his Power was defectiue if either hee could not or would not saue vs. His Goodnesse without his Greatnesse might fayle vs His Greatnesse without his Goodnesse would terrifie vs. It is a happy concurrence when Mercie and Truth meet togeather when Righteousnesse and Peace kisse each other So sweetly singes the Psalmist Graciouâ— is the Lord and righteous yea our God is mercifull Wherevpon S. Ambros. Bis misericordiam posuit semel iustitiam He is once sayd to be Righteous but twice in one verse to be Gratious It is sweete when both are conioyned as in the first and last verse of this Psalme O giue thaenkes to the Lord for hee is good for his Mercie endureth for euer The Lord is Good though Great yet also Good and his Mercie so well as his Iustice endures for euer Man hath no such assurance of comfort in God as to meditate that his great Power and good Will his Glory and Grace his Maiestie and Mercie met togeather These be Gods two Daughters Iustice and Mercie Let vs honour them both but let vs kisse and imbrace Mercie But alas wee haue dealt vnkindly with them both God hath two Daughters and we haue rauished them There is a Storie of a man that meeting in a Desart with two Virgin-sisters hee did rauish both of them Afterwards on his apprehension the former desired that he might iustly die for it The other did intreat as earnestly that he might liue and that she might enioy him for her Husband Man is that rauisher and those two Virgins are the Iustice and Mercie of God Against his Iustice we haue sinned and prouoked his indignation to strike vs yea euen his Mercie we haue abused For her sake we haue been spared and a longer day of repentance giuen vs yet we haue despised the riches of this Mercie and presuming on Mercie haue dared to multiply our transgressions Iustice pleades to God that we should die vrgeth his Law Who so euer sinneth shall die And Death is the wages of sinne Mercie intreats beseecheth that wee may liue and produceth the Gospell Who so euer repents shall be pardoned Who so euer beleeues shall be saued And for further assurance brings foorth that blessed Pardon sealed in the Wounds and Blood of Iesus Christ. God hearkens to Mercie for his Sonnes sake though wee haue rauished and wronged his Mercie yet for Mercies sake we shall be forgiuen But then we must be marryed to Mercie marryed in our Fayth beleeuing on Christ marryed in our good life being merciâ—ull vnto men The Blessing WEe see the Author let vs looke on his Blessingâ— Light Hee hath-sâ—â—wed vs Light Wee are come into the Light and therefore haue light enough of an ample Discourse But my purpose is onely to shew you this Light as the word is in my Text not to dwell on it though I pray that all you and my selfe may for euer dwell in it LIGHT SVch as the Giuer is such is the Gift 1. Ioh. â— God is Light and in him is no Darknesse at all And S. Iames cals him the Father of Light God is So Glorious a Light that as the Sunne dazeleth the eyes too stedfastly fixed on it so his incomprehensible Maiestie confounds all those that too curiously pry into it So Cleare a Light that hee sees into all corners The eyes of God are in euery place beholding the euill and the good Hee searcheth more narrowly then the beames of the Sunne Hee sees Briberie in the Office Adulterie in the Clossâ—t Fraude in the Shoppe though the Pent-house makes it as darke as a roome in Bedlam So Good a Light that in him is no darknesse not so much as a shadow There is none in him there comes none from him Indeed hee made outward Darknesse of Hell the wages of sinne But he neuer made the inward Darknesse of the Soule which is sinne So Constant a Light that though the Sunne be variable in his Course somtimes shining bright often Clouded yet God is without change as the Moone without Eclipsing as the Sunne without Setting as the Starres So Spreading a Light that he communicates it to vs. This is the true Light which Lighteth euery one that commeth into the world Without whom we should haue beene wrapped in an eternall miserable Darkenesse but that he sent one To giue Light to them that sate in Darkenesse and in the shadow of Death to guide their feete into the way of Peace And this is the Light which he here sheweth vs. By the consent of all Expositors in this Psalme is Typed the comming of Christ and his kingdome of the Gospell This is manifested by an Exaltation by an Exultation by a Petition by a Benediction The Exaltation Ver. 22. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the Corner The Iewes refused this Stone but God hath Built his Church vpon it The Exultation Ver. 24. This is the day which the Lord hath made wee will reioyce and be glad in it A more blessed Day then that Day was wherein hee made man when he had done making the world Reioyce we and be glad in it The Petition Ver. 25. Saue now I beseech thee O Lord O Lord I beseech thee send now Prosperytie Thy Iustice would not suffer thee to saue without the Messias he is come Saue Now O Lord I beseech thee Our Sauiour is come let mercie and saluation come along with him The Benediction makes all cleare ver 25. Blessed be hee that commeth in the name of the Lord. For what Dauid here prophecied the people after accomplished Math. 21. Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. The Corollary or Summe is in my Text. ver 27. God is the Lord that hath shewed vs light bind the Sacrifice with Cordes to the Hornes of the Altar It was truly sayd Lex est Lux the Law is Light But vnable to light vs to Heauen not through it owne but our deficiencie Hereon it did not saue but condemne vs. Lex non damnans est ficta et picta Lex That Law that doth not condemne vs is a faigned and painted Law The Apostle calles it the Ministration of death Let then the lesse Light giue place to the greater Legalia fuerunt ante passionem Domini vina Statim post passionem mortua hodie sepulta The Legall rites were before the Passion of Christ aliue straight after his Passion dead now buried Or as another The Ceremonies of the Law were in their prime Mortales in Christes age Mortuae in our time Mortiferae They were at first Dying in our Sauiours time Dead in ours Deadly The Law was giuen by Moses
Altar but the Iustice of God shall Binde you from his mercie Though you may repent which if you restore not is impossible and your restitution is improbable yet for the present the Deuill hath Eleuen poynts of the Law against you that is Possession 5. Lastly some 1. Binde 2. The Sacrifie 3. With Cordes 4. To the Altar 5 But not to the Hornes of the Alter These are deficient in a spetiall degree of Deuotion Fayth They haue many good morall vertues but they want that which should make both their vertues and themselues acceptable to God Fayth in his Sonne Iesus Christ. It is a vaine Deuotion whence this is excluded The Law finds no workes righteous But Quod Lex operum minâ—â—do imperat Lâ—x sâ—dei credendo impeâ—rat What the Law of Workes commanded with the threatning the Law of Faith obtaines by beleeuing Affie we then the merites of our blessed Sauiour who is our only Reâ—uâ—e and take fast hold on the Hornes of the Altar Bind the Sacrifice with Cordes euen vnto the Hornâ—â— of the Altar The Summe TO gather these scattered Branches to their Roote now wee haue cast ouer the particulars let vs Summe them The Summe is our Thankefulnesse Binde the Sacrifice with Cordes c. Ingratitude hath been euer held a Monster a preternaturall thing one of those priuations and defâ—ciencies which God neuer made but the deuill thrust in vpon the absence of the positiue and primitiue vertues Here vpon wee call an Ingratefull person an vnnaturall man No man wonders at Dogges and Wolâ—â—â— and Foxes but at Satyres and Centaures and such Monsters in nature all gaze vpon Ebrietie Adulterie Auarice though equally hainous are lesse odious because they haue Nature and Custome on their sides But an Vnthankefull person named we all detest as a soleâ—isme in sense a paradoxe in maners a prodigie in nature To demonstrate this sinne to be so farre from humanitie that the very Beastes abhorre it There is a Stâ—ry of a poore man that went often to a Forrest to gather Stickes where sodainely one day hee heard the voyce of a man in distresse making towards it hee found a rich Neighbour falne into a deepe Pitte and togeather with him an Ape a Lyon and a Serpent hee made his moane being endangerd both of the Pitte and of the Beastes Pittie and Charitie mooued the poore man to helpe the rich and that seldome mooues the rich to helpe the poore Hee lets downe the Corde wherewith hee bound his Stickes and vp comes the Ape Againe hee puts for the man and the Lyon ascendes A third offer hee makes and the Serpent takes the aduantage last hee draweth vp the man who freed by his helpe from instant death promised him a bountious requitall if on the next day he did visit him The poore man affying his word came to him accordingly in a hopefull expectation of reward But now the rich man would not know him hee hath forgotten that euer hee stood in any need of him and impudently denies him any recompence The discomforted poore man is faine to trauell the Forrest againe for his Fuell where the Ape spying him had ready broken with his teeth and nailes Stickes enough for his burden there was his vtmost Gratitude Another day comming the Lyon approcheth him preseâ—ting to him diuers laden Camelles which driuing home and disburdening hee found precious Treasure that enriched him A third time vpon other occasions trauelling the Forrest the Serpenâ— creeping salutes him with a Precious stone in her mouth letting it fall at her sauers feete The intent of the Fable is to demonstrate that Beastes and Serpents condemne Man of Ingratitude You will say this is but a fiction then heare a truth Esay 1. The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his Maisters Scrippe but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider The very Beast looketh to his Maisters hand that feeds him This vice is so horrible that God need not sit to iudge it the Diuell himselfe will condemne it When hee reasoned with God about Iob hee pleades that God had set a Hedge about him and blessed the worke of his hands And therefore implies Doth Iob serue God for naught If hee will be Vnthankefull to a God so kind Satan himselâ—e will censure him It must needes be a horred sinne that the Diuell taxeth and abominates If wee be vnthankefull wee are sure to be condemned for if God would not condemne it the Diuell will An Vâ—gratâ—full man then in some sort is worse then the Diuell Men and Brethren let vs be Thankefull Let our Meditations trauell with Daâ—id in the 148. Psalme first vp into Heauen Euen the very Heauens and heights prayse him And those blessed Angels in his Court sing his Glory Descend we then by the celestiall bodyes and we shall find the Sunne Moone and all the Starres of light praysing him Passe we by the Waters which the Makers decree hath confined there and wee shall heare those Praysing him A litle lower we shall perceiue the Meteors and vpper Elements the Fire and Hayle Snow and Vapour magnifying him euen the Winde and Storme fulfilling his woâ—d Fall we vpon the Center the very Earth wee shall heare the Beastes and Cattle Mountaines and Hilles fruitfull Trees and all Cedars extolling his Name The chirping Birdes sing sweete Psalmes and Carols to their Creators prayse euery Morning when they rise euery Euening ere they goe to rest Not so much as the very Creeping thinges sayth the Psalmist the noysome Dragons and crawling Serpents in the deepes but they doe in a sort blesse their Maker Let not then Man the first fruites of his Creatures for whose seruice all the rest were made be vnthankfull If these much more let all Kinges of the earth and all people Princes and all Iudges of the World Young men and Maydens Old men and Children prayse the Name of the Lord. There are some that Kisse their owne handes for euery good turnes that befalls them God giueth them blessings and their owne witte or strength hath the praise Other receiue them but as due debt as if God were obliged to them But alasse What hast thou O man that is good that thou hast not receiued Thou hast not a ragge to thy backe nor a bitte to thy Belly nor a good haire on thy head nor a good thought in thy heart but God giueth it Our euils are properly our owne Omnia mea mala pâ—re sunt mala et mea sunt Omnia mea bona pure suut bona et mea noâ— sunt All my euills are truly euill and mine owne All my good things are truly good but none of my owne Now is not the Authour of all good good enough to be remembred When the Benefites are gotten must the benefactor be forgotten And shall Thankes waxe old whiles giftes are new Boni siquid habeo a Deo sumpsi non a me proesumpsi Shall we then set the
himselfe though due to himselfe Giue it then to his poore Ministers to his poore members heere I know not how happily I am falne into that I would neuer be out of Charitie Most men now-a-dayes as it is in the Prouerbe are better at the Rake then at the Pitch-forke readier to pull in then giue out But if the Lord hath sowne plentifull Seed hee expects plentifull Fruites an answerable measure heapen and shaken and thrust togeather and running ouer If God hath made the Bushell great make not you the Pecke small Turne not the bountie of Heauen to the scarcity of Earth Wee loue the retentiue well but our expulsiue is growne weake But as God hath made you Diuitâ—â— in arca so beseech him to make you Diuites in conscientia Accept not onely the distributiue vertue from Heauen but affect the communicatiue vertue on Earth As in a state politicke the lieger Ambassadours that are sent abroad to lie in forraine Kingdomes secureth our peaceable state at home So that wee dispearse abroad makes safe the rest at home The Prayers of the Poore by vs relieued shall preuaile with God for Mercie vpon vs. The happy solace of a well pleased Conscience shall reioyce vs and the neuer fayling Promises of God shall satisfie vs. Wee heare many Rich men complaine of losses by Sea by Debters by vniust Seruants wee neuer heard any man complaine of want that came by Charitie No man is the poorer for that hee giues to the Poore Let him summe vp his Bookes and hee shall find himselfe the richer As God therefore hath layde vp for you In terra morientium in this World so lay vp for your-selues Interra viuentium in the World to come As you are rich in the Kinges Bookes be rich in Gods Booke If it were possible all the World should miscarry your Treasure in Heauen is in a sure Coffer no Thiefe Rust Moth Fire shall consume that You shall find God the best Creditor hee will pay great Vsurie not ten in a hundred but a hundred a thousand for ten 2. Their Giftes were not slight and triuiall leane meager staruelings but Opimat optima euery one the best in their kinds Gold is the best of Metals Frankin cense of aromaticall Odours Myrrhe of medicinall Vnguents Match these Wise-men O yee miserable times of ours Rarò reddentem rarissimè optima reddentem profertis You seldome bring foorth a man that will giue but almost neuer one that will offer the best Gifts Our lame Sonne must be Gods Clerke our starued Lambe our poorest Fleece our thinnest Sheafe must fall for Gods Tenth If wee giue him the Shales the Huskes the Sheards the Shreds of our Wealth wee iudge him beholding to vs. God heares the Heauens and the Heauens heare the Earth and the Earth heares the Corne Wine Oyle and they heare vs. Our valleys stand thicke with Corne our Trees grone with the burden of Fruites our pastures abound with Cattell we returne God either nothing or the worst we can picke out Take heed least God cursè our Blessings and whiles our Barnes and Garners be Fatte he withall send leannesse into our Soules Neuer thinke ye miserable worldings without openning your Treasures and Presenting the Lord with liberall giftes euer with these Magi to see the face of the Lord Iesus Goe home now and make thy selfe merry with thy wealth whiles Christ stands mourning in the streets applaud thy Wardrobe whiles he goes Naked saturate thy selfe with thy Fatte morsells whiles he begges vnrelieued for the Crummes beake thy Pamperd limbes at the Fire whiles hee shakes through Cold thy miseries is to come thou shalt not behold thy Sauiour in his glory Generally their example hath taught vs somewhat to be Charitable to be Ritch in Charytie More specially they shall intruct vs to particular Gifts Some haue alluded these three Gold Myrrhe and Frankincense to the three Theologicall vertues Fayth Hope and Charitie Auro virtus perhibetur Amantis In Myrrha bona Spes Thure beata Fides By Incense they vnderstand Fayth because as that is to be offered so this is to be reposed in God alone By Myrrh Hope that though death lay the body in the Cold earth and send it to Putrefaction yet Hope shall as it were embalme it with Myrrh and giue it expectance of a better Resurrection By Gold Loue and Charitie the vse of it being such as it can procure them to whom we giue it necessary thinges to the sustentation of their liues Et quid non venditur auro Others haue resolued it thus Pro Myrrha Lachrymas Auro cor porrige purum Pro Thure ex humili pectore funde precet Pure Heart thy Gold thy Myrrhe be Penitence And deuout Prayer be thy Frankincense In a word 1. Offer vp to God thy Frankincense Supplication and Thanksgiuing Psal. 141. Let thy Prayer be set foorth before him as Incense and the lifting vp of thy Hands as an Euening Sacrifice Put this into Christs Censor and it will make a sweete smoake in Gods Nosthrils Whoso offereth mee Prayse glorifieth mee It shall perfume thy Soule qualifie the stench of thy iniquities and vindicate thy Heart from the suffocating Plague of sinne Say then Psal 54. I will freely sacrifice vnto thee I will prayse thy Name O Lord for it is good Freely for this must be Frankincense 2. Next present to him thy Myrrhe a chast and mortified Liâ—e Let thine Eyes like the 〈◊〉 of the Câ—urch Cant. 5. 5. droppe downe sweete-smelling Myrrhe Let them gush foorth with penâ—tent Teares and thy Soule powre out flouds of sorrow for thy offences Wee haue sinned we haue sinned O let the Lord behold our Oblation of Myrrhe accept our Repentance 3. Lastly thou must giue thy Gold also a pure Heart tryed in the Furnace of Affliction and sublim'd from all corruption And because God onely knowes the Heart and the World must iudge by thy Fruites giue thy spirituall Gold to Christ and thy temporall Gold to his poore members Here take with thee three Cautions 1. That all these Gifts be deriued from an honest Heart It is said of these Magi They opened their Treasurs and presented vnto him Gifts Mans Heart is his Treasurie thou must open that when thou presentest any Gift to the Lord. He that comes with an open Hand and a shut Heart shall be answerd of God as Belshazzar was of Daniel Keepe thy Rewards to thy selfe and giue thy Giftes to another 2. That thy Gifts obserue the true latitude of Deuotion which endeuours to extend it selfe to the glory of God the good of thy Brother and the saluation of thy owne Soule And to all these three may these three Gifts of the Wise-men be preferred The Incense of Prayer respects God the Gold of Charitie respects our Neighbour and the Myrrhe of Mortification respects our selues 3. That you offer not onely one but all these It hath been question'd Whether these Magi did offer Singuli singula or