themselues vnto them yet are they no other indeed but the Chimeraes and Gorgons heads of ridiculous and fanaticall fopperie From out all these impious and impure routes of pretended purity and perfection the view of the sacred beauty of the true purity and perfection of Christ Iesus doth deliuer vs and teacheth vs that men are deceiued most with shewes and that the diuell when he meanes most mischiefe then doth he as Iezabel did paint and set out himselfe to shew Let vs therefore hence learne important considerations and wise iudgements and let vs trie the spirits whether they be of God or no for all is not gold that glittereth saith the old and true English Adage Is there one that can cunningly expound the Scriptures Do not suddenly beleeue him for so could the caytiffe Caiphas Is an other skilfull in all diuine and humane hearing so was Iulian yet an apostate Hath an other receiued gracious and principall gifts of Gods spirit So had Saule the reprobate Do others know the mysteries of faith of Moses and of the Prophets So knew King Agrippa yet his best was but almost a Christian. Can others foretell and presage things to come So could bawling Balaam being a base hireling Can they cite the Scriptures So could the damned diuel Are they readie in the Fathers of the Church and in the Councels so were the ancient hereticks Faustus Arrius Manichaeus Especially note them if they pretend holy and pure names as do the mahumeticall Saracens at this day boasting that they came of Sara the free woman when as indeed they are Agarens of Agar as Zosomen a thousand yeares agoe obserued And as the Iudaites did call themselues of Iudas the Gaulonite or Galilean who would not endure the name of Lord to be attributed to any creature They themselues being a rabble as the booke of God tells vs of desperate cutthroates Beware then of false prophets and be assured that as many as partake of this beauty are essentially sincere not in words onely but in deeds not in conceit or opinion but in vnderstanding and verity for whatsoeuer they beleeue it is either of nature grace or glory The things of nature they see touch and feele The blessings of grace they reade they perceiue they enioy and ioy in the certaine expectation of glory which euen now they haue a taste of and earnestly long after The things they hope for are not Absolons pillar set vp in the kings dale nor the flower of the poppie the hypocrites hypothesis But those beatitudes which they expect are sure certaine and euen in this life by faith euident The things they ought to do they acknowledge to be the mandates of the highest God Therefore to be performed They know they are iudgements not opinions therefore to be subscribed vnto They are statutes like these of the Medes and Persians therefore not to be repealed they are testimonies and therefore binde the consciences We pray therefore That this name may be sanctified by goodnesse not dishonored by seeming godlines That his will may be done in sincerity not neglected with pretence of purity and that his kingdome may come vnto vs in verity and not we put it from vs in deceitfull integrity For the life of an hypocrite is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a masked mummery not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a knowne veritie His faith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of things imaginary not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of soliditie His memoriall as a post that hastneth by his good deeds as the trace of a ship in the waters no where to be seene and his glory as the waffing of a birds wings in the aire but her passage appeares not Let the Atheist then tremble hereat for he is indeed the diuels vizard Let the Libertines feare that arose frō Coppin and Quintan in the Low countries being the basery of basenesse Let the begetters and hatchers of new opinions be amazed who more trust their priuate spirit then the streame of iudgement who had rather be the head of a foxe then the taile of a lyon and choose rather with imperious Caesar to be the first and chiefe of meane and beggerly Tarentum then the second of imperiall and triumphant Rome And let vs men and brethren be rauished with the true and matchlesse beautie of our Lord Iesus Gods best beloued our welbeloued and let vs be Reals not Nominals onely knowing that we looke not for an imaginary heauen but for the heauen of heauens the coelum coelorum being alwaies mindfull of that of our Sauiour Vnlesse your righteousnes exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies that is of all hypocriticall and seeming professors you cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen Come then ye faithfull soules vnto this pure and bright fountaine of grace and his bloud shall purge you from all sinnes past present and to come Come to this pure fountaine for here is the cleane water that Ezechìel speakes of powred out vpon you to purifie you in Gods sight by the inuisible hand of the sacred Trinitie Call vpon God that he may wash you with hysope of grace here that you may be truly cleane as all his people are and that in the end he may present you beautifull and blamelesse in his displaied glory in the bright and white eminent robes of his owne righteousnesse in Christ our onely mediatour and perfecter And then doubtlesse our soules shall yet further see euen in this life another glimpse of this surpassing beautie for our beloued is not onely white but ruddie also white in purenesse ruddy in zealous loue towards vs both seraphicall and cherubicall herein both wholy passible and wholy amiable Let vs reuiew then this his zealous loue in the mystery of the colour prefiguring his passion and in the history of the substance performing the forespoken prophecies There is a threefold red 1. a skarlet red 2. a roseall red 3. a purple red all prefiguring this our welbeloued in his sufferings and really performed in him Who is this that cometh from Edome that is frō this cursed earth saith Esay with red-coloured clothes of Bozrah that is with trophies of victory and triumph c. There is skarlet red Esay 63. 1. I am the rose of the field and the lillie of the vallies saith Christ of himselfe there is roseall red Cant. 2. 1. And in the Gospel we reade that his enemies put a purple garment vpon him to portend his purple death This colour was also prefigured in the red sea that saued Israel in the red cowe in the sacrifices in the red cord in Reahabs window the secure hostage of warre in the red threed about Zarahs arme in his birth of whose pedegree Christ descended Oh our welbeloued is a violet in humilitie a lillie in puritie a rose in suauity You see the colour behold also the substance and performance of this zealous loue which to display vnto you I shall be bold to take vp
Ieremies proclamation vsed in his Lamentations and say vnto you as if Christ himselfe spake in person and shewing you his sufferings should crie Haue ye no regard all ye that passe by this way Behold and see if there be any sorrow like vnto my sorrow which is done vnto me and wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce wrath For what could he haue suffered that he did not suffer He was most lamentably afflicted by all sorts of men for whom he suffered Despised he was of Iewes 2. Scorned of Gentiles Princes of the earth stood vp and kings banded themselues against the Lord and against his Christ. 4. Priests conspire in counsell and choose a murtherer rather then the Lord of life Souldiers deuide his vestures 6. His owne seruants flie from him Iudas betraies him Peter denies him Thus we may on all sides see Iewes and Gentiles Princes and Priests souldiers and seruants doing whatsoeuer the Lord of heauen had determined before to be done Looke vpon him againe and see him perplexed in all his members with loathsome spittings in his blessed face with piercing thornes vpon his sacred head with buffets vpon his comely cheekes with stripes vpon his manly backe and with the transverse part of the crosse vpon his glorious shoulders 3. Impeached in his estate with scornefull reproches his good name wronged with blasphemies his honor trampled vpon with shamelesse obloquies his holy garments shared with profane lottery and his reputation stained with the association of theeues 4. Tormented in his senses his touch with the piercing nayles his sent with the loathsomnesse of Caluarie the place of dead sculs his hearing with wicked detractions his sight with the sorrow of his blessed mother and with the moane of his beloued disciple his taste with gall and vineger Inwardly also distressed for his soule is heauie euen vnto the death so that he cries Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me and sweateth clots of bloud that trikle downe to the earth to blesse it that was accursed At which time an Angell is sent from heauen to comfort him Yea in the extremity of this his vnspeakeable passion he cries with a loud voice My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Yet none of this nor all this could suffice vntill he had yeelded vp his sacred soule into the hands of his heauenly Father Blessed and beloued men fathers and brethren in this our Beloued is not this his zealous loue the roseall beautie of our benediction 1. Is not this that bloud that purgeth vs from all our sinnes 2. that speaketh better things for vs then the bloud of Abel for that called for vengeance but this craues for vs mercie 3. Is not this the sacrifice whereby we haue remission of our sinne 4. Is not this the reconciliation whereby wee do partake of the diuine nature this sacred bloud being shed into our hearts by the Spirit of God 1. Is not this red sea the bath for all sinners to cure vs of our leprosies of incontinency of our lethargies of ingratitude of our dropsies of couetousnesse and of our palsies of inconstancy and strayings aside from God 3. Is not this the oblation that maketh God propitious and a louing father vnto vs openeth the kingdome of heauen that was shut and sealeth vnto vs all the holy promises of God Let then a beleeuing soule say O Lord Iesus what shall I repay vnto thee for this thy loue I owed the debt and thou didst pay it I haue sinned and thou art punished this whole worke of thine is singular patience the performance of it wonderfull humility the cause vnspeakeable charity I haue circuited the whole earth and can finde no where any such loue as in thy glorious passion the breadth whereof is Charity diffused dilating it selfe into the fowre parts of the world The length is long suffering for thou hast borne mans iniquities the height is the hope of heauen and a certaine assurance of the same The depth of it is deliuerance from the lowest deepe the pit of fatall and finall destruction If any should perswade me to come downe from the high meditation of this sacred mystery I should greatly refuse it for it shall euer be a bundle of Myrrhe betweene my breasts yea here will I die and not descend vntill the Lord stretch his hand from heauen and take me into his holy sanctuary But to the retchlesse and respectlesse soule which regardeth none of this our welbeloued saith farther See what I suffer these paines these grones these moanes these nayles these thornes this speare this profusion and red sea of crimson bloud yet am I much more inly tormented that thy wilfull soule should yet be vnthankfull for this so vnspeakable loue for this so vnutterable and grieuous passion sustained for thy sake to make thee a wretched sonne of man by nature to become a blessed sonne of God by grace Let vs beloued and beleeuing brethren take yet a reuiew of this blessed beauty in the sacred mixture of white and red for he is ruddy both in himselfe and in his mysticall members 1. In himselfe his beauty appeares ruddie for in the sacrament he is white in the bread and red in the wine therefore in the Scripture stiled sometime Manna which was white like the christall dew and sometime a Vine which yeeldeth red grapes to glad the heart of man The grapes of this sacred vine were the parts of his body the crosse the wine presse his bloud the holy liquor thereof making glad both God and man God in the holy obedience of his sacred Sonne purchasing himselfe a glorious kingdome and man in the saluation of his sinfull soule These sacred seales of bread and wine shew the Lords death vntill he come againe Iosephs coate besprinkled with bloud portended him to old Israel as dead but not actually but these shew our true Ioseph to be crucified and done to death in deed and yet he like Sanpsons lion sends forth euen in after his death sweete hony combes and most redolent graces For his death abateth the sting of death abandoneth sinne despoileth sathan the strong man of his weapons and procureth for vs that die in him the land of the liuing This holy mixture of white and red appeared in the opening of his side whence flowed water and bloud this blessed opening being much more powerfull then Moses rod for that caused water onely to come out of the rocke but this both water and bloud The Fathers therefore obserue that as out of the side of the first Adam the woman was taken by whom came sinne so out of the side of the second Adam the Church should be framed to saue as Noahs arke the sonnes of men from the generall and fearefull deluge of sinne and shame Let then now all Histories tell or historiographers of the world shew if in any age they haue seene or read how that a mans
euery where It remaineth that I onely acquaint you with a safe station while you are here to stand in and a powerfull supplication while wee are here to pray with Let your station be like that of Elias in mount Horeb who stood in the clifts of the rockes entrance vntill the strong wind the earthquake and the fire in all which God was not were passed by but when he heard a soft and still voice he came out and stood before the Lord so let vs be continually meditating the passion and rents of our rocke Christ Iesus and hiding our selues therein while the winds of wickednesse the earthquakes of changings and chances the fire of might and malice and while all the works of darkenesse wherein God is not passe by vntill we heare a soft and sweete voice of the Lord to call vs forth of our station to rest Then let vs go forth willingly vnto our welbeloued and loue him and liue with him for euer Let our prayers and supplications in the meane while be the words of the hard-hearted and misbeleeuing Iewes but not their spirit for they cried His bloud be vpon vs and vpon our children and it was and is so to their vtter ruine and desolation euen vntill this day as a iust iudgment of God for their crucifying the Lord of life But we will pray and say in the spirit of the faith of Iesus in whom we beleeue His holy bloud be vpon vs and vpon our children to our saluation according to Gods blessed promise made to the Patriarks Prophets and to all the faithfull For he is the chiefest of ten thousand c. or as some reade it the chiefest of twelue thousand where in wee may see the mystery of the number both of ten and twelue as also the excellency of the partie that he is the chiefest in heauen and the choicest on earth together with the perfection of both heauen and earth in himselfe and imparted to his chosen the Church of the redeemed The Papists imitating the Platonists are very superstitious in numbers the one putting a fatall necessity in them in the period of estates and kingdomes the other affirming a certaine secret efficacy to be in many numbers but in the septenary number especially Hence haue they their canonicall houres for prayer and sacrifice But Bodin in his booke de Repub. iustly taxeth Plato for that dreame And the schooles conclude against them both that Numeri qua numerus nulla vis nulla efficacia Wee therefore will content our selues with the holy and mysticall vse which the booke of God maketh of them The mysticall numbers of sacred text are these to wit three foure fiue sixe seauen eight ten twelue Ten and twelue meete vs in this text by variation of readings both signifying perfection Ten is the highest of simple numbers all nations after ten begin to number againe The tenths was consecrated to the Priests Gods seruants In the tenth moneth the waters of Noahs floud abated Sem a father of the faithfull seeth the tenth age Ten words for the Creation of the world and ten words for the gouernment thereof as the Talmudists obserue For twelue we reade of twelue Patriarches the sonnes of Iacob twelue stones set vp in Iordan twelue precious stones in the breast plate of Aaron At twelue yeares Salomon decideth the plea of the dead child Christ the true Salomon at twelue yeares disputeth with the Doctors Twelue Apostles are sent to perfect the kingdome of grace Twelue foundations twelue gates twelue Angels the porters a tree that beareth twelue manner of fruites medicinable all the twelue moneths of the yeare describe the perfection of the kingdome of glory in the celestiall Ierusalem Thus we see that the mysterie of the number sheweth onely the excellency of the perfection of the partie being the chiefest in heauen and earth so described by Iohn the Diuine Apoc. 5. A throne is seene in heauen one sitting theron hauing a booke in his hand written within and without sealed with seauen seales But none was found neither in heauen nor in earth nor vnder the earth worthie to open the booke no nor once to looke into it Then wept the Diuine because none was found worthie to open the booke or once to looke therein But one of the Elders said Weepe not Behold the Lion of the tribe of Iuda the stocke of Dauid hath so preuailed that he may open the booke and loose the seales thereof This booke is Gods will these seauen seales are loosed and made knowne vnto vs by the declaration of Iesus Christ. The first seale is his Natiuitie opened Mal. 4. 2. But vnto you that feare my name shall the Sunne of righteousnesse arise and health shall be vnder his wings and ye shall go forth and grow vp as fat calues The second his Baptisme Zach. 13. 1. In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of Dauid and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for vncleannesse The third his Passion poutrayed by Esay 53. chap. throughout The fourth his Descent deciphered Hosh. 13. 14. I will redeeme them from the power of the graue I will deliuer them from death O death I will be thy death O graue I will be thy destruction The fift is his Resurrection recorded Psal. 16. 10. For thou wilt not leaue my soule in the graue neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption The sixt his Ascension described Psal. 68. 18. Thou art gone vp on high thou hast led captiuity captiue and receiued gifts for men yea euen the rebellious bast thou led that the Lord might dwell there The seauenth is the sending of the holy Ghost pointed out vnto vnto vs Ioel 2. 28. And afterward will I powre out my Spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophecie your old men shall dreame dreames and your yong men shall see visions By the opening of the first seale to wit his Natiuitie whereby he became flesh he hath redeemed vs from being worse then very brute beasts For man being in honor vnderstood it not and therefore was compared to the beasts that perish S. Augustine speaking of the grace of the new Testament comforteth vs thus saying Let no man despaire but conceiue hope vnspeakable for by participation of the word we become the sonnes of God seeing that Iesus Christ by incarnation is become the sonne of man Aske your forefathers saith Moses and the daies of old euen since the day that God created man vpon the earth and aske from the one end of heauen vnto the other if there come to passe such a great thing as this Did euer people heare the voice of God speaking out of the midst of a fire as thou hast heard and liued If Moses spake thus of the voice of an Angell for the law was giuen by the ministrie of Angels what may we say of the gracious words of eternall life vttered by the Lord of life Indeed