it in the blood of the spotlesse Lambe that bare the sinnes of the world on the Altar of the Crosse. This sweet Iesus whose simplicity and meekenesse are both peerelesse inexplicable this good Saviour following the example of Isaack by whom during the shadowes of the law hee was figured goeth freely to his death bearing the wood which was to bereave him of lâ—fe upon him and within him the burning fiâ—e of love that inflamed him with an infinite affection to save the Elect Hee was brought saith the Prophet Isaiah as a Lamb to the slaughter so opened he not his mouth to complain he is conducted as a dumbe Sheepe before her Shearer but in that we see nothing but part of his simplicity appearing in the catastrophe of his actions when he was neare his death but if we should curiously view the acts of his life beginning from his birth we should be ravished in admiration of these infinite wonders but let us consider only in generall that he is borne of a pure virgin espoused to a Carpenter was that befitting his excellent Majestie who was the King of the world Hee was borne in a Stable amongst beasts judge if that were the Royall Pallaces and honourable company which hee had in heaven among the Angels He was swadled in clowts and laid in a Manger for want of a Cradle to keepe him from the injuries of the weather were those the delights of his Paradise He was fugitive here and there to shunne the envie and furious rage of Herod who fought to kill him In a word considering diligently all the course of his life from the moment of his birth to the last period of his death wee shall finde all his actions framed in humility and guided by meekenesse and simplicity This example and no more he did not goe chuse within the Pallaces of Kings the goodliest and gallantest Courtiers hee did not elect the sonnes of Princes to be his Apostles but went to the receipt of custome to the Cottages and Boats of Fishermen to call that honourable company of his twelue Apostles who like well instructed Disciples followed the steps of their loving Lord and Master so well did they imitate and follow his examples and especially that of his simplicity that they may be patterns of it themselues as the History of their life sufficiently sheweth and as the duty of their place required for men and being deepely plunged in malice preâ—umption and arrogancie there was no way to vanquish them but wholy by contrary weapons to them unknowne that they might the more easily be subdued and vanquished To their arrogancie they opposed meekenesse to their pompe and vaine glory humility and simplicity ever remembring the command of their good Master Be ye simple as Doves Now it is remarkable that the faithfull and such as walke uprightly before God are called by the wicked and by the children of the God of this world Poore and simple people because they addict not themselves to fraâ—d and deceit so spake Iobs wife to her husband being yet in affliction upon his dunghill Doest thou still retaine thine integrity But Iesus Chrisâ— to shew us that hee approoveth those whom the world rejecteth speakes as if he had said See you those simple and base people they shall see God So Christ gives them hopes of the blessed vision of God as if hee had promised light to the blinde knowledge to the ignorant and wisedome to fooles for so this wicked world calleth those that will not drinke the cup of his malice nor tread in his pathes full of sinne and iniquity Blessed then are the pure in heart c. He doeth not onely say they shall be blessed but he speaketh in the present tense saying they are already blessed for God having given them that holinesse which they possesse and upon all occasions practise hath also given them two strong and well feathered wings to soare and flie aloft to heaven whereof she one is faith by the which the just trusting and reposing himselfe wholy in the promises of Christ takes his flight towards Paradise to have a tast of them for it is the nature of faith as appeareth by her definition to know how to assure it sâ—lfe how to aske the grace of God promised in his word how to embrace salvation offered by Iesus Christ and during this life how to possesse in part that eternall and blessed life And because faith beginneth here to tast the delights of the vision of God she is yet upheld and fortified by Hope which is the second wing that makes her expect heaven and promiseth her absolutely to fill her abundantly with those sweeâ— pleasures whereof the hath shee yet had but a tast and to make her perfectly know that which now she seeth but obscurely and like a shadow Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see GOD. Vpon these words there is an objection to be resolved why Christ saith here the pure in heart seeing the Scripture in many places is directly opposite to this justice to this purity to this cleanenesse as we read Prou. 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart cleane I am pure from my sinne And in the first booke of Kings the 8. Chap. There is no man that sinneth not And in the 1. Epist. of Saint Iohn 1. Chap. If we say that we have no sinne we deceive our selues and the truth is not in us And in the 25. Chap. of Iob How can man be justified with God or how can he be cleane that is borne of a woman Although these places and many more that we purposely leave to avoyd prolixity seeme to be opposite to our Text notwithstanding we will reconcile them together For when the Spirit of God calleth heere those that live justly and holily pure in heart we must not understand it so as if they were totally and absolutely cleane from the filthinesse of sinne for in that sence the royall Prophet David saith There is none just no not one But we must understand here those that strive to walke in the sacred pathes of Gods commandements that live holily before God and without reproach before men that have beene purified like gold tried seaven times in the fire and that fire is the word of God that enters and penetrates to the most secret thoughts there to consume the wood and chaffe of our wicked inclinations This cleansing and purification is clearely set forth unto us in the 15. Chap. of Saint Iohn in these words of Christ Now ye are cleane through the word which I have spoken And in the 13. Chap. ver 10. of the same Gospell Hee that is washed needeth not save to wash his feete but is cleane every whit and ye are cleane but not all In a word the faithfull that live holily may be called just and pure in heart Secundum quid non-simpliciter Iust in that degree of Iustice that may fall on man whilest he is here below fighting against flesh
and blood his domesticall enemies that often overcome him and would quite keepe him downe if hee were not upheld and fortified by the spirit of grace and by â—he Almighty hand of God that raiseth and delivereth him The faithfull servant of the Lord is againe called pure in heart because â—ee is such in part already and that besides the great disposition that is in him to tend to his perfection hee already here begins to tast the excellent sweetnes of that delicate fruit whereof he shall hereafter be fully and perfectly satisfied and satiated in Gods Paradise Blessed then are the pure in heart for they shall see God Wee have another circumstance here very pregnant and remarkable to wit that Christ exhorteth us here to be pure in heart and not of our head or hands because that the heaâ—t being the seate of the soule sinne is most busie to vitiate and infect it with his foule and filty corruption which it doth not in the other parts of the body and therefore you see that God doth so strictly command us to keepe our hearts for his part and behoofe saying My sonne give mee thy heart Now to omit or let passe nothing worthy consideration like the inhabitants of Nilus wee will draw water in running We say then that this word heart is diversly taken in the Scripture First it is taken for faith as Rom. 10. For with the heart man beleeveth unto rightâ—ousnesse and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation 2. It is taken for the thoughts and for the gift of regeneration as 1. Epist. of Saint Peter Chap. 3. ver 4. The hidden man of the heart in that which is not corrupâ—ible even the ornament of a meeke and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price and estimation 3. For the understanding as Rom. 2. They shew the worke of the law written in their hearts 4. It is taken for the conscience as in the 1. of Sam. the 24. chap. 5. ver Davids heart smote him because he had cut off Sauls skirt And in the 1. to the Thessal chap. 3. To establish your hearts unblameable in holinesse before God Here is yet another very cleare passage in the 1. Epist. of Saint Iohn chap. 3. ver 2â— If our heart condemne us God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things and if our heart condemne us not wee have confidence towards God And in this last signification it is taken in our Text to wit for the Conscience as if Christ had said Blessed are those that possesse a holy pure and just soule a good cleane and spotlesse conscience David desirous to raise himselfe from his fall and to restore the temple of his body polluted by wicked adultery desired of God a new Altar praying him to create in him a cleane heart and to renew a right spirit within him Psal. 51.12 Iudas Maccabeus having seene the Temple of Ierusalem prophaned by Antiochus his sacrilegious hands he purifieth it destroyes all the Altars where that Pagan had sacrificed to his Idols and called that the renewing of the Temple Our bodies are the living temples of the holy Ghost our hearts the Altars on the which having wickedly sacrificed to the Idols of our passions we must breake them and destroy them by our true repentance and conversion to God who despiseth not a broken and a contrite heart And afterward we must build new ones pure and clean on the which wee must offer to God Hecatombes of Iustice and solemne burnt offerings and sacrifices wherein hee delighteth The Etymologists hold that this word Cor is derived of Cura that is care because that part communicateth sendeth and doth distribute blood and life to the rest of the body Even so all our study all our exercise and occupation should be to seeke the meanes fit for the conservation of our soules for what will it profit a man if hee gaine the whole world and loose his soule Math. 16.26 As soone as the Embrion is conceived the first part which is formed in the heart being as it were the center whence the severall lines are drawne to the circumference of our bodies it is also the first member living and when the paines of death have compassed a man the blood from all parts retires to the heart as to a citadell so that it is also the last part that dieth in us according to that common saying Cor est primum vivens ultimum moriens So when the faithfull of the Lord resolveth to live piously he must cast for a sure and unmoveable foundation the righteousnesse of a pure and cleane conscience which must be the Ocean where all the rivers of hisaffections must runne and tend the corner and fundamentall stone on the which must be edified this his Pilgrimage All the building of this mortall and transitorie life must begin with the just mans beginning and never end till his death when it shall bee augmented and perfected in heaven It was Gods commandement under the law that all Israelites all the seed of Abraham should offer and consecrate to him the first borne both of man and beast now if wee unvayle the letter and consider what it therein figured unto us we may note among other things that God desired by this Decree whose letter and figure is abrogated though the truth and sence of it be eternall that wee should offer and consecrate unto him our hearts which are the first borne of our selues The greatest part of Physitians hold that the soule being generally all over the body hath her principall seat in the heart as the King hath in his Court although his power reach thorow all his Kingdome so that the soule being that very man which God requireth it is then not without reason that God demandeth our heart which is her throne My sonne give me thy heart The heart is knowne to bee the originall of naturall heat now God being a burning fire of love and affection towards his children wee ought to consecrate that part to him for his Tabernacle The heart is red and bloody to shew us the fervencie and zeale that should be in us to Gods service and glory and that our thoughts should alwayes burne with love to him and with charity to our neighbours It is little whence wee may learne not to puffe or swell it with pride but to keepe it alwayes humble and modest Vertues that seeke not afâ—er large and spacious Pallaces but are contented in the narrowest and remorest places His beating and panting is upwards so all our desires and thoughts should tend towards the end of our supernaturall vocation according to the Apostles advice Seek the things that are above The heart is agitated by a continuall motion by reason of his vitall spirits that animate and nourish it So our thoughts should beare and conduct us to the actions of Iustice innocencie and godlinesse and to follow the steps of the Scripture Charity alwayes worketh and is never
incomprehensible but yet is so gracious and favourable that he enlightneth and fortifieth those that with feare humility approach the greatnesse of his mysteries as David teacheth us Psalm 2.11 Serve the Lord in feare and reioyce with trembling And Solomon his sonne Those that trust in the Lord shall understand the truth and the faithfull shall know his love Then with the spirit of feare and humility we are to seeke after this hidden glory and under the vayle of faith which teacheth us to beleeve the things which wee see noâ— nor cannot be the object of our senses Hope will make us desire them Charity to love them and the gracious goodnesse of God will helpe us to attaine them O blessed then shall be the pure in heart for they shall see God St. Iohn Chap. 17. saith This is life eternall to knâ—w thee the onely true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent And in the 1. Epist. of Saint Iohn chap. 3. Beloved now we are the sonnes of God and it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but we know that when he shall appeare wee shall be like him for wee shall soe him as he is And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe even as hee is pure And in the 22. chap. of the Revel His servants shall serue him and they shall see his face The infinite greatnesse of this divine promise whose performance is infallible makes us skip and leape for joy charmeth our senses and ravishâ—th our mindes for it seemeth altogether impossible that living tombes mortall carcasses the prey of death and the foode of wormes should ever aspire so high as to pretend to see and view that felicity which is better described by silence and admiration then by any other description for they are things which eye hath not seene eare hath not heard and that are not entred into the heart of man which God hath prepared for them that love him 1. Cor. 2.9 But the children of Israel did not pitch the Tabernacle in Ierusalem before they had cleansed the mountaine of Sion of those enemies that were opposite to their rest So wee must not settle our selues in the contemplation of the divine Tabernacle before we have cleared some places of Scripture that seeme to forbid us entrance In the 33. Chap. of Exod. ver 20. God saith to Moses Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me and lâ—ve And in the 1. chap. of Saint Iohn No man hath seene God at any time And in the 1. Epist. of the Cor. chap. 13. ver 12. Now we see through a glasse darkely And in the 28. chap. of Iob God is hidden from all living eyes In a word there are many other pâ—aces to confirme this which will be too long to rehearse Wee with one consent said That God is invisible which seemeth to be opposite and contrary to the promise made unto us in our Text Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Nâ—verthelesse to reconcile them together for the holy Ghost is never contrary to himselfe wee say that the places before alledged aâ—e so to bee understood that whilest man is in this mortall prison in this valley of teares so obscure and darke whilest like an Owle he delighteth in the night of sinne his eyes can no way endure the least beames of the Sunne of righteousnesse for God being an infinite Spirit cannot be seene by a finite body but when we shall leave off this mortall prison of our bodies our soules then perfectly enlightened by the heavenly grace shall be endued with that knowledge and faculty that they shall openly contemplate their Creator and their God as Saint Paul saith 1. Cor. 13. Chap. Now wee see through a glasse darkely but then wee shall see hiâ— face to face This word See God is much controverted among Divines which be of two severall opiâ—ions whereof the oâ—e holdeth That soules delivered of this corporall vayle cannot see Gods face for two reasons the first is that God being a spirituall Essence infinite incomprehensible caâ—not bee seeâ—e by a finite creature without implying contradiction for then the containing to wit the blessed soule should bee greater then the contained that is God which is absurd by this axiome that the object is contained by the visuall faculty As if a man placed in the midst of the earth or of the sea looking round about a great distance off as farre as his sight could reach could not for all that say That hee saw all the earth or all the sea Those of the second opinion answere to this first reason saying That the Creator may not be compared with the creatures that God is all in all and all and whole in every part that hee is one and consequently indivisible that all things in him are Essentiall and is not subject to division that whosoever seeth him seeth him totally The second reason of the first is that wee measure our soules by our bodies imagining that they shall have eyes with the which they shall be able to discerne and distinguish the present objects To which the others answere that indeede the soules in heaven shall have no corporall eyes like ours but that notwithstanding God will give them a seeing faculty by the which they shall perceive the present objects 2. When these soules shall be rejoyned and revnited to their bodies God having purified them from all vncleanenesse will make them like unto the glorious body of his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord who saith Math. 22. That our bodies shall be as the Angels of God in heaven who alwayes behold the face of God Math. 18. that is that are alwayes in his presence and that see him perfectly in respect of themselues as much as it pleased God to permit but not perfectly in respect of God as he that seeth the Sunne may say that hee seeth it perfectly in respect of himselfe if his faculty be good and notwithstanding he caâ—not see him as he is because of the weakenesse of his eyes The second opinion which is more generally received holdeth that this word See is taken simply and absolutely for to Know and those that hold it say That Iesus Christ in our Text promiseth to the pure in heart a perfect knowledge of the divine goodnesâ—e wherein consisteth the fulnesse of our felicity of our delights and content which they doe well proove by the 14. Chap. of Saint Iohn ver 7. If ye had knowne me ye should have knowne my Father also and from henceforth ye know him and have seene him where Christ sheweth to his Disciples that they have seene his Father because they have knowne him by so many miracles done before their eyes And in the 17. Chap. of the same Gospell This is life eternall that they might know thee the onely true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent where it plainely appeareth that this word to know God is as much as to possesse life
spirits keepe their Sabaths and criminall Assises and Sessions a filthy sinke where wicked and impious men like Hogges continually wallowe And therefore Iesus Christ I say to bring his Apostles to perfection and to put them and all the faithfull in the way to heaven he exhorts them to keepe their hearts pure cleane and naked from all sinne filthinesse and iniquity to extirpate the thistles bryers from the fields of their soules to plow and till it carefully with the share and harrow of contrition and repentance for their sinnes In a word to make it a ground fit and fruitfull to receive the holy seed of the word of life and to make it beare fruites to immortality and eternall life As men would bee curious to sweepe and cleanse a house wherein a King resolues for a while to be resident and may justly accuâ—e him of impâ—udence and impudence who having advice and notice of his comming would not make hast to perfume it to adorne and enrich it with the fairest furniture to embellish it with all the rarities and most pretious jewels they could recover So alas the hearts of the faithfull are nothing else but the house of God the glorious throne of his beloved Sonne and the tabernacle which the holy Ghost hath chosen for his habitation where is then that heart of stone that soule so base and obstinately resolved to bee lost that knowing the happy and most honourable arrivall of the great King of Kings of the three divine persons of the ineffable and incomprehensible Trinity and trine-unity doth not sweepe and cleanse the house of his heart and doth not purifie it from all dirt and filthinesse who I say will not adorne it with the richesâ— treasures and with the rich ornaments that holinesse justice and innocencie abundantly affords purposely to receive with honour and reverence so magnificent a King who promiseth us to come unto us when hee saith in the 14. Chap. of Saint Iohn If a man love me he will keepe my words and my Father will love him and we will come in unto him and make our abode with him Our good Master Iesus Christ the Saviour of our soules teacheth us in the 22. Chap of Saint Mathew how much and how dearely purenesse is acceptaâ—le before him saying That the Kingdome of heaven is like a certaine King which made a marriage for his sonne and having invitâ—d many the banquetting roome was filled and the King himselfe being come in to see the guests hee there sawe a man which had not a wedding garment and said unto him Friend how camest thou in hithâ—r not having a wedding garment And hee was speechlâ—sse Then said the King to the servants bind him hand and foote and cast him into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for many are called but fewe are chosen Can we desire a more lively representation or an example more formall to shew us that God delighteth in the sincerity and purenesse of our soules and contrariwise that he abhorreth and detesteth the filthinesse of sinne the inke and coales of iniquity which blacks and defiles our consciences for it is impossible ever to tast of the dainty and delicious Viands served at the Lambs wedding at the sumptuous and magnificent feast of the onely Sonne of the great King of Kings before we have left off our working dayes cloathes the infected and stinking coate of our naturall corruption to put on the white roabe of holinesse purity and amendment of life and to use the very words of Scripture Colos. 3. Wee must cast off the old man with his deedes and put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him And Ephes. 4. concerning the former conversation Cast off the old man which is corrupted according to the deceitfull lusts of his heart and be renewed in the spirit of your minde and put on the new man which like unto God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse And in Rom. 6.6 Our old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth wee should serue sinne no more but walke before him in renovation and newnesse of life The clearest waters are alwayes the best and therefore commonly see that the excellentest springs are derived from the rockes and fetch'd from the highest hills because that the water distilling through many narrow passages and strait places the farther it goes the more it is purified the most subtill and clearest springs seeke the highest places as approaching nearer to the nature of the ayre whose nature and propriety is still to ascend And contrariwise you may observe and marke that the thick and heavie waters are alwayes filthy and stinking and are conserved in pitts and deepe sinkes as participating of the nature of the earth and therefore are fit for nothing but to breed serpents and Frogges whereof some kill us by their mortall venome and the other trouble us with their unsufferable croaking These cleare and pure waters doe lively prefigure and set forth unto us the faithfull servant of the Lord who hath purified and as it were distilled himselfe at the fire of the love of God thereby to leave off what was earthly ponderous and troublesome in him as hatred ambition sensuality and vaine glory purposely to soare aloft and to elevate himselfe to the holy mountaine of Syon towards heaven which is the center whither the circumference of his desires designes and thoughts tendeth These black and muddy waters may expresse and set forth hell unto us where there is nothing but horrible darknesse and fearefull obscurity where that old serpent is iustly banished for his deserts and where the damned gastly and frightfull soules doe nothing else but vexe themselves and curse But to apply it to the subject of our text these stinking and corrupted waters may very fitly be compared to the wicked and to the men of this world who have Woolfes or Lyons hearts under the shape and forme of men who wallowe like Hogges in the mire and dirt of carnall security who runne not after pietie and vertue but remaine fast chained and bound to sensualitie and vice casting all their affections on the earth whereof their body is made and composed never ayming nor levelling their thoughts at heaven whence their soule had their originall True serpents in malice hatred and envie that with mortall venome infect the Lillies and Roses of the best consciences Frogges in prating and slandering that never open their mouthes but to utter unsufferable blasphemies oathes lyes and detractions Take yet this farther conceit upon the purity of the heart to wit that as the eyes ore-vayled with clowds or with carracts and webbs cannot clearely discerne the objects or colours which are exposed before them because their faculty is prevented and hindered by the interposition of these obstacles which are placed betweene the object and the sight whereas contrariwise good sound and well disposed
eternall And so from those two places joyned to our Text this conclusion followeth that To see God know God and have eteâ—nall life are the same thing As the Angels then see the face of God even so shall we also see it for that blessed sight is reserved for a recompence of our faith as Saint Iohn in his 1. Epist. 3. Chap. When he shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him face to face Not that we must imagine that God hath any members although it be said that man is made in the image of God for that is thus to be understood that man hath beene created in perfect justice and innocencie after the example of God But by this face of God we must vnderstand with the Scripture the Church and the Fathers and namely Saint Augustine in his booke Decivit Dei the manifestation of his glory and a perfect knowledge of his wonderfull mercie which he will communicate unto vs. It is a hard question and difficult to handle Whether the Saints after the Resurrâ—ction shall see God with their corporall eyes after they be glorified so Iob saith In my flesh shall I see God there Iob prophesieth the Resurrection of his body but hee doth not say I will see him by my flesh and if he had it might have beene understood of Christ that shall come at the last judgement in the sight of all but his meaning was that when hee should see God hee should be in his flesh though the wormes and corruption had devoured it Saint Augustine is excellent upon this subject saying We shall see God with our corporall glorified eyes as we see the life of a man by his living actions not seeing life it selfe so is it likely that being enlightened by a heavenly and divine light we shall be able to see the Creator of all things both in them and himselfe so doubtfully the learnedst speak of it In the 5. Chap. of the 2. booke of Kings we reade that Elisha after that he had healed Naaman the Syrian saw Gehazi his servant take Presents from him although hee were beyond the common reach of the sight and when Gehazi was returned he said unto him Went not my heart with thee when the man turned againe from his Chareâ— to meet thee Now if this Prophet hath bin able to see the actions of his servant although absent from him how much more shall our glorified bodies see all when God shall be all in all Now Elisha saw this action of his servant either by a speciall revelation from God or by the sight of a spirituall imagination of the Prophet that shewed him the thing after which manner he knew the most secret counsells of the King of Syria We speake of these things as blind men doe of colours wee finde no certainty of them any where the Fathers themselues speake so obscurely of them they goe as softly on in the handling of this question as if they trod on thornes they grope along as if they went in the obscure darknes of the blackest night hardly can you finde two agreeing together and which is more strange not one that is agreed with himselfe and indeed how should a worme of the earth the dwelling of errours the subject of ignorance know or comprehend that great God which is the fountaine of all knowledge and the bottomlesse and shorelesse Ocean of wisedome and prudence It is true that when our soules shall be blessed with that eternall happines that they shal enjoy the divine vision in which consisteth our chiefest felicity we shall then see God as he is but to conceive and comprehend the infinity of his being it will be altogether impossible to us Those that sayle in the maine Sea which way soever they looke finde no other object but the heaven or the waves their sight being too weake to penetrate to the bottome or to view the shores Even so shall we see God and know him as farre as it shall please him to enable us but so farre shall wee be from compreheâ—ding him that he doth comprehend us and wee should then be no more seene there then a drop of wine in the Ocean Saint Baâ—ile handling this question in the Epistle to Eâ—moniuâ— hath an excellent comparison from the least to the greatest If we cannot comprehend the composition of a Pismire for the smalnesse of it how shall wee comprehend the infinite greatnesse of God We shall comprehend it indeede but it shall be as spunge cast into the Oceâ—n which is filled quite with water but is overcome and compassed round about by it I should want time rather then matter to speake on a subject so high and excellent wee should never have done if we should propound and resolue the infinite number of arguments and opinions moved upon this question of our sight of God But for us let us hold as the Mathematicians doe linea recta est brevâ—ssima that the straiteâ—â— line is the shortest and in this the shortest way is the surest let us turne neither to the right hand nor to the lefâ— from the certaine way of truth taught unto us by the truth it selfe to wit by Iesus Christ in our Text saying Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Let us then purifie our hearts and cleanse our soules from the filthinesse of sinne and from the spots of iniquity let our consciences bee white as snow and cleane as washed wooll let us take the firme and inviolable oath of Alleageance to our God and let us not suffer Satan our mortall enemie to take possession of the fort of our soules of the hill of Syoâ— that is of our consciences let us not suffer him to make a breach in that vow that we vowed to his obedience at our first reception into the Church by Baptisme and so wee shall be washed seaven times in the Iordan of repentance and of contrition for our faults when we have put on the white roabes of holinesse justice and iâ—nocencie we shall be invited to the Lambs wedding we shall sit downe at table with the Kings sonne wee shall be abundanâ—ly filled with the dainties of his house and shall drinke in the river of his delights In a word when like the high Priest we have left off the habits of our naturall corruption and put on the white and cleane garment of sanctification for our selues of love for our God of charity for our neighbour then even then the gate of the most holy place which is heaven shall be opened unto uâ— wee shall see Gods Majestie not darkly and as in a clowd as it hath long appeared to our fore fathers but rather as a bright shining Sunne whose vertue shall enlighten us whose love shall warme us and â—hose compassions shall animate us at whose sight wee shall be vivified consolated and glorified For hee will enrowle us among his Angels will make us Citizens of heaven and impatriate us to be absolute