him that day One of the two was 〈◊〉 who finding his 〈◊〉 Brother Simon both told him this joyful News We hav found the 〈◊〉 and brought him to Jesus I prais and magnify thy Name O Christ For thine exemplary Clemency and ready Condescension to entertain such as own thee their Master and enquire where thou dwellesf tho it be about the tenth hour Lord incline my Heart not only upon thy gracious Invitation to Com and 〈◊〉 the place where thine Honor dwelleth but to take up mine Abode with 〈◊〉 who hast given us a Taste of thine Omniscience in that thou couldst say to Andrew's 〈◊〉 as soon as thou hadst 〈◊〉 him without any previous Inquiry or human Information Thou art Simon the Son of Jona thou shalt be called Cephas which is by interpretation Peter §. 2. The day following Iesus going forth into Galilee 〈◊〉 Philip who was of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 unto him Follow me wherupon he believed Iesus of 〈◊〉 the Son of Ioseph to be 〈◊〉 of whom 〈◊〉 in the Law aud the Prophets did write as he soon after acquainted 〈◊〉 using it for a cogent Argument to draw him also to Jesus I prais thy H. Name O thou Redeemer of Israel For the magnetick Power of thy Life and Doctrin by virtu wherof Men are thus drawn to follow Thee like one Link after another in a wel compacted Chain Draw me O Lord we wil run after thee that as wel by mine Exampl as Arguments I may induce others to partake of that Blessedness which those happy 〈◊〉 enjoy who are admitted to convers with Thee 〈◊〉 believing Thou art He of whom the Lord spake unto his Servant Moses on this wise I wil rais them up a Prophet from among their Brethren like unto thee and I wil put my words into his mouth and whosoever wil not hearken unto my words which he shal speak in my Name I wil require it of him §. 3. O B Jesus Becaus thou saidst unto Nathanael I 〈◊〉 thee under the Figg-tree he that had lately questioned Can there any good 〈◊〉 com out of 〈◊〉 did believ and confess Thou art the Son of God Thou art the King of Israel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou wast pleased to encorage and confirm with a Promise that he should see greater things than these making this plain Declaration of what sort they should be Uerily verily I say unto you Hereafter ye shal see Heven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man I magnify thy Name O thou tru Jacob's Ladder in whose Person Heven and Earth are united for whose sake the Celestial Spirits minister to the Saints who shal be Heirs of Salvation and by whose Order they either vouchsafe us their hevenly Aid and Protection or withdraw its sacred Influence from us Lord wheras thou sawest Nathanael before that Philip called him when he was under the Fig-tree and which is yet a greater Miracl didst discern his Heart before thou hadst seen his Face make me always apprehensiv that Darkness or Distance hideth not from Thee who knowest my Downfitting and mine Up-rising and understandest my Thoughts afar off til the awful Consideration of thine Omnipresence render me an Israelite indeed in whom is no Guile And I beseech thee let these early Manifestations of thy Divinity so quicken and confirm my Faith in Thee that Thou maist go on to reward thine own Gifts in Me with greater Graces til my present Knowledg of thy sacred Person and saving Office be crowned and compleated with that unspeakabl Priviledg reserved for the Sons of God when it doth appear what they shal be for then we shal see him as he is §. 4. When these Good Men had seen and spoken with the Lord it seems som if not all of them soon after left Him and tho his first Conference with them laid a sound foundation of Faith in their Hearts yet it restrained not their Hands from returning to their former Occupations I prais and magnify thy Name O Christ For graciously dispensing with thy Servants Necessities wherby thou hast given us a satisfactory Intimation that to believ in Thee as a privat Discipl is not at all inconsistent with the honest prosecution of our Secular Emploiments thy Wisdom Justice having made it our Christian Duty as wel as Liberty to be diligent in the business of our lawful Callings However let me never I earnestly beseech Thee yield mine Ear to be bored in the servil Drudgery of any anxious Cares or useless Vanities of this present World having once found Thee whom my Soul loveth Cap. III. Of his turning Water into Wine §. 1. THe Mother of Iesus being at a Marriage which was in Cana of Galilee both Iesus was called and his Discipls to the Marriage where the Lord of Eternal Purity did not only honor the Wedding with his Sacred Presence but also supply the Wants of the Nuptial Entertainment with 〈◊〉 that was made Wine and that in a very liberal proportion far beyond the stint of a niggardly Spirit for there were six Water-pots of Stone containing two or three firkins apiece which he caused them to fill up to the brim with Water and then bid them draw out thence for the Use of the Guests wherof when the Ruler of the Feast had tasted not knowing whence it was he gave the Bride groom this publick Commendation saying unto him Evry man at the beginning doth set forth good Wine and when men hav wel drunk then that which is wors but thou hast kept the 〈◊〉 Wine until now I prais and magnify thy Nâ—me O Christ the inexhaustibl Fountain of Goodness For this Beginning of Miracls which thou 〈◊〉 in Cana of Galilee wherin Thou hast at once so convincingly manifested forth thy Glory that thy Discipls believed on Thee and withal set a Mark of Honor as wel on the Married as the Virgin state of Life I beseech thee bless and sanctify all Persons joined in holy Wedlock visit them with thy supernatural Grace and Power turn their Water into Wine change their Natural Desires into Divine Affections exalt their sensual Pleasures into spiritual Delights and refine their transitory Enjoiments into an eternal Inheritance that by growing up from strength to strength in mutual Lov and joint Devotion their last Days may be their best §. 2. When the Mother of Jesus said unto him They 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 couching under that brief Intimation a tacit Request for the Supply of what they wanted Jesus saith unto her Woman What 〈◊〉 I to do with Thee Mine hour is not yet com As if by such a slighting Answer he seem'd to check her pretended Interposition and Authority in the matters of his Mediatorship which som blind 〈◊〉 hav since endevored to persuade the World is her undoubted Right I prais and magnify thy H. Name O my sole Mediator and Advocat For giving us this covert yet very intelligibl Expression of thy Fore-sight and Dislike of that idolatrous
knew her not til she had brought forth her first-born Son not only so shame all mine inordinat Affections and engage me to abstain from fleshly Lusts which war against my Soul as to keep under my Body and bring it into Subjection but withall heighten our Esteem and Emulation of the transcendent Chastity and conjugal Lov of that immaculat Pair whom the King of Heven thought fit to honor and entrust with the Birth and Breeding of his own Son who was not so styled her First-born as to imply there ever was any other succeeding Fruit of her Womb the Mother of God being worthily believed an Eternal Virgin as wel In and After as Before the Bringing forth of that Son whose Name they called JESUS according to the mystical Import of that abstruse Prophecy in the 44th Chapter of Ezekiel This Gate shal be shut it shal not be open'd and no man shal enter in by it becaus the Lord the God of Israel hath enter'd in by it therefore it shal be shut §. 14. O Dear Jesus who in the same Act of assuming our Humanity 〈◊〉 also evidence thy Divinity being as well conceived by the H. Ghost as born of a Virgin I adore thine Eternal God-head For thy great Wisdom and Care in the Discovery and Confirmation of this sublime Mystery of thy Hypostatical Union which thou didst not only transact in Secret by the Message of the Angel Gabriel the Overshadowing of the H. Ghost and the Conception of the Virgin Mary but hast openly ratified by the Report of those Shepherds that had seen a Vision of Angels by the Brightness of the Star which appeared in the Hevens and by the Deportment of the Wise men whom it conducted from the East to Jerusalem by the Testimony of Simeon and Anna in the Templ and that of thy Precursor John the Baptist in the Wilderness All publick and unquestionable Arguments as well to confirm as exhibit the Truth and Import of the Annunciation made in privat to the devout Virgin that this first Step towards the Great Act of our Redemtion being alike Glorious within and without might appear worthy to be received of All with full Assurance and contemplated by All with infinit Gratitude and Delight O my dear and gracious Redeemer whose Humanity and Divinity are inseperably united in Thee are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledg being filled with the Fulness of God Grant throu the Dispensation of thy Grace that the same Godhead which dwelleth in Thee bodily may spiritualy abide in Me that as thy Body is united to thy Soul and both unto God so my Body may be incorporat with thine and my Soul enflamed with such a degree of thy Lov as shal be an Earnest of our ever-lasting Union Fill me with great and reverent Apprehensions of that inexpressibl Honor wherunto we are advanced in Our Union with the Deity in regard it is the End and Effect of Thine and let this Consideration disentangl me from all things here below that living the Life of God from which the whol World is alienated by Sin I may enter into an Hevenly Fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ for ever Amen Cap. II. Of His Nativity §. 1. O Thou King of Kings and Lord of Lords who dost dispose and turn the hearts of Earthly Monarchs as it seemeth best to thy Godly Wisdom making that 〈◊〉 which went out from Cesar Augustus that verse 1 all the World should be tared subservient to thy Celestial Decree long before Cyrenius was Governor of Syria revealed by thy H. Prophets touching the place where Christ should be born for in Obedience to the Imperial Edict All went to be tared 〈◊〉 one into his own City and Joseph went up from Galilee out of the City Nazareth into Judea unto the City of David which is called Betl 〈◊〉 to be tared with Mary his espoused wife then great with Child in such a juncture of time that 〈◊〉 they were there the days were accomplished that she should be delivered I prais and magnify thy H. Name For thy over-ruling Wisdom and Providence in making those Occurrences which seem contingent and arbitrary to human Reason instrumental to carry on the good purpos of thy Divine Will so that what the Prophet Micah had fore-told as the Chief Priests and Scribes themselves did readily explain and apply it may at this day serv for the Direction and Establishment of our Faith in the tru 〈◊〉 Lord let that admirabl Concent and Harmony between thy Old and New Testament which is evident in this and many other singular Instances of thy Truth and Power be effectual to convince the obstinat Jews convert the unbelieving Gentils and bring All Mankind to the Obedience of Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. §. 2. O thou most High Possessor of Heven and Earth who didst humbl thy self to be wrapped in Swadling 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 in a Manger becaus there was no 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 having made choice of a poor Virgin for thy Mother and a mean Carpenter to pass for thy reputed Father both being destitute not only of a numerous Train of Attendants and such like Marks of Worldly Pomp and Grandeur but even of ordinary Conveniences I prais thy Glorious Name For thus taking upon Thee the form of a Servant that thou mightest heal the Error of our Ignorance and Ambition Let the continual memory of this thy blessed Exampl giv an effectual Check to the Vanity of my Mind for the utter extirpation of all the Pride or Avarice incident to my Nature And having dispossessed all sensual Thoughts and beastly Appetits of that Room which entirely belongs to Thee be thou pleased to accept of my poor Heart as thou didst of that homely Stabl to reside in supplying their place with such unfeigned Humility as may render me cheerfully contented in all Estates Lord impart needful Consolation to the Poor a sanctified Poverty of Spirit to the Rich and the abundant Riches of thy Grace to All. §. 3. There being in 〈◊〉 saine Country Shepherds abiding in the field keeping Watch over their Flock by night the Angel of the Lord came upon them and said unto them Fear not for behold I bring you glad Tidings of great Joy which shal be to all Peepl 〈◊〉 unto You is born this day in the City of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord I magnify thy Sacred Name For this admirabl mixture of Humility and Glory wherwith thou O Christ hast beautified and signalized thy Coming into the World for the Ministry of an Angel to proclaim thy Birth is no less Glorious and Sublime than to be an Inmate with the Beasts of the Stabl seems base and mean in our Eys Lord since thou hast vouchsafed to direct thy winged Herald to those vigilant Cottagers that the Poor and Simpl might hav as much Occasion to shew forth thy Prais as the great and Learned I cannot but admire and heartily desire to imitat
the perfection of thine impartial Lov to the Souls of men Thou art not deluded with the beautiful Vizard of a Great Estate nor enamor'd on empty Titls of Honor but seeing throu the Veil of such human Additaments and beggarly Inventions dost infinitly prize the naked Souls and Bodies of thy Servants Quicken me I beseech thee to an industrious Attendance on my Calling and a stricter Watchfulness over my Thoughts Words and Deeds those numerous Flocks which are very apt to wander and go astray that my Soul may be precious in thy Sight And tho I walk in Darkness in the Vale and Shadow of Death yet let thy gracious Visitations not only enlighten and refresh me but also draw and direct my Heart to follow these honest Shepherds who in obedience to the direction they receiv'd from Heven left all to go unto Bethlehem and seé that thing which the Lord had made known unto them where they found the Babe lying in a Manger that I also being filled with the like Joy in Believing what they found verified by this Sign which the Angel had given them may boldly publish thy Goodness and Truth together with my own grateful Apprehensions of it as these Shepherds did who when they had seen it made known abroad the Saying which was told them concerning that 〈◊〉 and returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and 〈◊〉 §. 4. And how could they do less having so lately seen a Multitude of the Hevenly Host praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest and on Earth Peace Good Will towards Men. Shal Angels descend to celebrat our Peace on Earth and Shal not We lift up our Eys on High to giv God the Glory Can they rejoice in the manifestation of His Good Will towards Men and Men themselvs be unaffected with such an inestimabl Benefit May I be silent or insensibl while the hevenly Host sing Praises I will prais and bless and giv Thee thanks for ever O my Dear Redeemer for the transcendent Efforts of thy Lov to Me and all Mankind exprest in this Angelick Carol. O be thou graciously pleased to warm my breast with som Sparks of this Celestial Charity that being like unto the Angels in doing thy Will and shewing forth thy Praises upon Earth I may at last be made equal to them in the fruition of thy 〈◊〉 Presence in Heven and in order thereunto let that Lov of God which was thus manifested towards us by sending his only begotten Son into the World that we might liv throu Him even when we were Enemies to God and all Goodness powerfuly engage us to the Practice and Improvement of that Peace thou hast restored upon Earth by transcribing the most excellent Copy of thy Good Will towards Men for if God so loved Us we ought also to lov one another Upon the unfeigned Discharge of which grateful and advantageous Duty the whol Success of His means of Grace and Our Hopes of Glory doth so much depend that without following those things which make for Peace as wel as Holiness no man shall see the Lord. §. 5. Now all they that 〈◊〉 those things which were told them by the 〈◊〉 wonder'd at it but the blessed Virgin Mary kept all these things and ponder'd them in her Heart I prais and magnify thy Name O thou uncreated Angel of the Covenant for the astonishing Power and peculiar Influence of thy Divine Revelations which are usualy attended with a various Effect upon the minds of different Persons Grant Lord I beseech thee that I may not entertain any Discovery of thy Saving Truth or more especial Presence with the short-lived Flash of a bare transient Wonder or fruitless Amazement after the loos Exampl of the un-thinking part of Mankind but rather so imitat the pious Prudence of thy matchless Mother who discreetly observed evry Intimation of thy God-head and carefuly kept in mind whatever might enlighten her Understanding therin as to treasure up all the sacred Notices of thine Eternal Power and Godhead in the safe Recesses of my Heart and allow som Time and Thought to make a du Reflection on such considerabl things as may thereupon be worthily committed to a Religious Memory in my Soul for whoso is wise will ponder these things and he shal understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. §. 6. O Thou Light of the World who wast born in the Night an Emblem of that dark and disconsolat Estate wherinto We by Transgression fell Thou art the Sun of Righteousness by whose Rising upon the Earth the Peepl that walked in Darkness hav seen a great Light and upon them that dwell in the Land of the Shadow of Death hath the Light shined Thy glorious Appearing hath dispersed the Cloud of thy Father's Wrath under which the whol Creation groaned together with those unwholsom Mists of Sin Error and Ignorance wherin Mankind was lost and benighted Thou hast dissolved the Everlasting Chains of Darkness which were justly prepared to bind us in Hell and Despair and once more restored us a Day of Hope to rejoice in the Light of thy Countenance for ever All that is within me doth bless thy H. Name Who hast said unto my Soul Arise shine for thy Light is com and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Lord grant that in thy Light I may see Light let the Light of thy Grace prepare mine Eys to behold the illustrious Splendor of thy Glory And since it is the Night wherin all the Beasts of the Forrest do mov let me hav no longer fellowship with the unprofitable Works of Darkness but rather reprov them by walking as a Child of the Light and of the Day remembring that the Day-spring from on high hath visited us to giv Light to them that sit in Darkness and in the shadow of Death to guide our Feet into the way of Peace which is the Work of Righte usness as its Effect is Quietness and Assurance 〈◊〉 ever §. 7. O thou Prince of Peace who by disposing the States of the Earth to Peace and Quietness at the time of thy Nativity hast shew'd that the gracious Design of thy Coming into the World was to remov the Enmity between God and Man by reconciling them to each other in thy Self I glorify thy Name For so suitabl an 〈◊〉 that what was written by the Prophet Isaiah is fulfilled for unto Us a Child is born unto Us a Son is given and the Government shal be upon his Shoulder and Of the increas of his Government and Peace there shal be no End Lord How coms it to pass that such as call themselves after thy Name be no less Contentious and Bloody than 〈◊〉 who are Strangers to the Doctrin of thy Gospel How long shal Christendom be the Scene of those Tragick Wars and injurious Villanies which Barbarians detest and blush at O Be thou pleased to extend thy Golden Scepter over the Earth that the