bellie Gods whō the trencher doth make friendes to Christ like vnto him which when he sweat ouer his trencher yet cryed out O quanta patimur pro amore Christi Lorde what suffer we for the loue of Christ Iesus therfore reprehendeth these men saying Verily verily I say vnto you yee seeke mee not because yee sawe the miracles but because yee cate the loanes and were filled Yet they obstinatly aunswered him VVhat miracles hast thou done hast thou commaunded the Sun and the Moone to stand still as Iosua did hast thou reuiued the widdowes son as Elias did hast thou made yron to swim as Eliza did hast thou reuiued the dead bones as Ezechiell did hast thou been in the VVhales belly with Ionas or parted the redde sea with Moses Our Fathers did eate Manna in the VVildernesse Moses gaue them bread from heauen to eate but marke I pray you how Iesus did aunswere them Nay saith hee Moses gaue you not bread from Heauen but my Father gyueth you the true Breade from Heauen For the breade of GOD is hee vvhich commeth downe from Heauen and giueth life vnto the world Then sayde they vnto him Lorde euermore giue vs this Breade And Iesus sayde I am the Breade of life hee that commeth to me shall not hunger he that belieueth in me shall neuer thirst And thus much for the cohaerence and occasion of our Sauiour Christs wordes now particularly as they lie in order first who is this Breade VVhich is Christ persona loquens signified in this word I. Secondly what is this breade It is the breade of life Thirdly the powerfull efficacie and effect of this bread declared in these wordes Hee that commeth to mee shall not hunger and hee that belieueth in mee shall neuer thirst And first vvho is this Breade which is Christ I am the liuing Breade vvhich came downe from heauen saith Christ Ego sum panis vitae et fons aquae viuae I am the bread of life and sountaine of liuing water Omnia nobis est Christus sayth Ambrose si esuris ipse est panis si sitis ipse est fons aquae viua si carus es ipse est lumen si infirmus es ipse medicus si mortuus ipse vita gratiae et gloriae Christ is all things to vs if thou beest hungry he is bread if thou beest thirsty he is the fountaine of liuing water if thou beest blind he is the light hee is the health of a feauered soule light of thy life life of thy desire heauen of the minde guide to thy wandring feete succorer in necessity helper in aduersitie yea hee is all things to thee I am the liuing bread sayth Christ The bread which I giue is my flesh and the drinke which I giue is my blood my flesh is meate indeede and my blood is drinke indeede Hee that cateth my flesh drinketh my blood hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the latter day O blessed meate O celestiall food O heauenly Manna it farre excelleth the Poets Ambrosia would to God that all of vs daily might eate of this Manna would to God that all of vs which trauell in the Wildernesse of this world might lodge at such an Inne where God the father is the host the holy Ghost the hostesse the Church the Inne the crosse the signe and Christ the meate and drinke Aristotell must dine when it pleaseth Phillip but heere thou maist haue store of spirituall foode for the repast of thy soule and take it when it please thy selfe Say but thy grace before this blessed banquet and then sit downe and satisfie thy hunger The more thou eatest the more it encreaseth like to Iupiters nectar the more it is drunke of the more it ouerfloweth Neither needst thou vse the counsaile of Lysander which hee perscribed to his Daughters to drinke with a drop of wine a spunful of water Thou maist drinke as much of this pretious wine as thou wilt neither canst thou infuse any mixture of water but of the water of eternall life This meate is of the like quality with the stone of Thracia which whosoeuer findeth is neuer after troubled so whosoeuer eateth of this meate is neuer after grieued labour therefore to get this meate which endureth to euerlasting life No water was so good as that which came out of the Rocke no meate so delicate as Manna which came from heauen no wine so wholesome as that which Christ made of water at the marriage of Cana no oyle so pretious as that which the Samaritan had no robe so costly as that which the father gaue to the prodigall son no bread no foode no meate so profitable as this meate of the soule which endureth to euerlasting life This meate is water to refresh vs and wine to cheare vs this is bread to strengthen vs and Manna to nourish vs it is a treasure to inrich vs and a pearle to adorne vs it is a fire to purge vs and salt to pouder vs it is a trumpet to call vs and wisedome to instruct vs it is a way to direct vs and life to reuine vs it is a Lanterne to guide vs and a buckler to shield vs it is phisicke to recure vs and a salue to heale vs if wee haue this meate this Manna this bread we shall haue no neede of Elizens to increase our oyle no neede to begge at the gluttons gate or to send vnto Naball the churle for foode if wee haue this treasure wee shall not neede to rob the Egiptians if we haue this pearle we shall not neede the golde of Ophire if we haue this water wee neede not drawe water at Iacobs well Naaman needes not wash his feete seauen times in Iordan the sicke needes not to goe to the poole of Bethesda for this pretious meate and inestimable Manna will purge vs from all leprosie of sinne So that we shall loath to drinke of the slumbering cup of the deuills sorceries to bewitch vs to sinne this bread is Homers Moly and Plinies Centauria against all lustfull inchauntments for this bread this spirituall foode will so clense our mindes and purifie our harts that we will alwaies detest the eye-pleasing baits of carnall desires and wholly delight our selues with this inestimable treasure carnall voluptuousnes is transitorie and fading the minuts that lackey at the heeles of time runne not faster away then doe those pleasures but this spirituall foode this breade of life is not like palate-pleasing dainties whose sugered sweetenesse once rellisht is presently gone but it yieldeth the hungry soule an euerlasting fruition of most rauishing pleasantnesse labour therfore for this bread which bringeth to euerlasting life The Bees doe labour to get a little hony Mella stipant et dulci distendunt nectare cellas But this bread is sweeter then honie or the hony-combe Our forefathers did eate of the Acorns of the Oakes and thought them pleasant meate And we which by Ceres huswifrie haue learned to bury the
reuiuing graine doe thinke that Bread most delicate foode O foolish Caterers let vs rather learne to bury in our harts this reuiuing graine that in this generall famine of true Christian foode we may with Ioseph prouide aboundance of this bread of life for the benefit of our soules thē should we not haue such spirituall penurie and dearth of religion if our hearts were made fertill to bring forth the seedes of our soules nourishment and sustenance Labor not therefore for the bread that perrisheth but for this bread which remaineth vnto euerlasting life Ay but will some say where shall we find this spirituall food this bread of life I tell thee Christ is this bread of life Ay but will he perhaps reply how shal I come to Christ to get this foode I bidde thee goe to the scriptures Christs treasury where thou shalt finde this Manna this Bread of life there is plentifull store take and satisfie thy selfe neyther needst thou goe farre to seeke it as Dauid did the Arke of GOD or as Iosias did the Booke of the Lawe Neither canst thou desire with the Glutton that one frō the dead might arise to teach thee how to finde this bread of life for now adayes thanks be giuen to GOD for it the dispencers of this bread of life be plentifull who may without feare or perril shew thee the compendious way to seek this bread of life Now Obadia neede not feare Queene Iezabell to bide an hundred Prophets in a Caue Moses need not feare King Pharao and say I haue a stuttering tongue Ieremy need not feare the Iewes and say I am a child for now the Ministers of Gods word are maintained and preserued and may freely without danger boldly without feare dispence of this bread of life Yea enery one of Christes faithful children although he be not an heade in the misticall body of Christ or an eye or a legge yea if he be but an hand yet he may gather of this bread of life if he be but an eare he may heare of this bread of life or a tongue he may praise this bread of life or a mouth he may receiue this bread of life Labour therefore for this bread which endureth to euerlasting life I am the Breade of lyfe O Iesus art thou the bread which giuest life Thou art a guide to our waies a gardian to our persons a counseller in our doubts a comforter in misery a patron in necessity and wilt thou be bread also Thou art our keeper our sheepheard our defender our Sauiour wilt thou be bread also O Iesus thou art light vnto our eies musick to our eares contentment to our soules wilt thou be bread also O louing Iesus O mercifull redeemer O blessed Emanuell O Iesu we giue thee our bodies our soules our substance our wealth our honor our friends our Children our life and all that is ours Iesus wee are not our own but thine claime vs as thy right keepe vs as thy charge loue vs as thy children Iesus fight for vs when sathan commeth heale vs if he woundeth reuiue vs if hee killeth receiue vs if we flie into thy merciful bosom protect vs when he approcheth detect vs when he cōmeth Iesus thou art our foode in the day thou shalt also be our repose in the night Iesus make vs pliable to thy will resigned wholy to thy pleasure Iesus forsake vs not least wee perrish leaue vs not least we bee ouercome Iesus direct our intentions correct our follies erect our cogitations protect our endeuors Iesus grant vs sorrow for our sinnes feare for thy iudgements loue of thy mercies thankfulnesse for this bread of life I am the breade of life that is I am the bread of an immortall heauenly life not of this mortall and earthly life for else Christ might rather haue saide I am the bread of death and not of life for this life is a liuing death and a dying life But Christ is not bread of such a life But he is the bread of an immortall and neuer fading life Happy therefore is hee which is at this hanquet tasteth of this breade of life Neither is this an imaginarie fruition or a painted banquet resembling the hungry cheere which the birds had that fedde themselues with Zeuxis painted grapes vntill with picking at shaddowes they waxt so leane that they were glad with Esops Cocke to scrape for a Barley corne But with this bread of life thy foule shall be so cherrished with this Manna thou shalt be so wonderfully delighted that euer after thou shalt loath the flesh pots of Egipt Hic panis est corpus meum this bread is my body and therefore thou canst not mislike it O you Ministers the faithful dispencers of this hallowed bread of life feede duly Christs flock with this bread of life Christ said to Peter Pasce pasce pasce feede feede feede Feede with this bread of life vvith your doctrine with your almes Feede first with this bread of life for it is the bread of saluation Secondly feed with your wholsome doctrine that Christs sheep do not surfet with vice and so neede the corsiue of his correction to amend them Thirdly feede with almes but what shall I presse you to that Nay I must in cōscience spare you for the case nowe so stands that you are liker to liue of almes then bee able to giue almes and therfore till happier times come wherein your diuine function may more bounteously be rewarded I will spare you for that poynt for necessitie hath no law In meane while feede with this bread of life spend your breath happily in the fires of deuotion crying alarum spiritual gainst soule vice and all wickednesse so at last you hauing not defrauded Christes children of this bread of life may haue a most bountifull remuneration for your painfull labours and enioy all heauenly happinesse and celestiall ioyes tasting this bread of life which is prepared for all Gods faithful children And thus much shall suffice to haue spoken of the first parcell of my text I am the bread of life Nowe it followeth that I should briefly speake of the powerfull efficacie and effect of this bread of life VVhich by the tongues of Angels cannot be so wel declared as by these our Sauiours words He that commeth to me shall not hunger and hee that belieueth in me shall neuer thirst After a man hath tasted of all manner of delicate meats yea although hee hath caroused new grapes in Alexanders cup and plentifully payd that dailie Tribute to the stomacke which the lawe of our nature exacteth yet that foode will not satiate him for euer so that hee shall neuer hunger or thirst after But this bread this breade of life hath another power and effect for he that eateth of this breade shall neuer hunger or thirst more VVe read in the fourth chapter of Mathewe that man liueth not by bread onely but I say man onely liueth by this bread for
and it will reuiue thee it can heale all leprosie of sinne and remooue all maladies from a sin-sick soule it is the nectar of our saluation and the Lethe of our iniquines tast but once of this breade of life thou shalt euer after loath the sugered cares and bewitching damties of lustfull affections looke daily vppon this bread of life and thou shalt euer after hide thine eyes and stop thine eares which are now captiued vassailes to behold and heare the legerdemaine of humaine iugling desires all siren songes of carnall concupisence and vices loue-lines which now are imprinted in thy brest shall be quight cancelled out after thou hast once digested inwardly and thy soule hath had an happy concoction of this bread of life it purgeth all the hidden corruption of mans folly giueth working pills to vomit vp originall transgressions it is the present remedie for a body which lieth in a consumption of grace to tast of this bread of life with in a short space by the vnspeakeable hidden operation will make a blessed recouerie for this languishing creature If thy soule bee hungry or thirsty behold two sacramentall riuers flowing out of the Paradise of Christs body in the one thou shalt find this bread of life in the other this water of life tast either of them and thou shalt neuer hunger or thirst more yea the power of this bread cannot bee sufficiently declared by the tongue of the worthiest Orator VVherefore let vs only satisfie our soules with this bread of life whose power and efficacie our daily Orator Christ Iesus hath declared vnto vs in these words Hee that cōmeth to me shall not hunger and he that belieueth in me shall neuer thirst Wherefore to drawe to a conclusion let vs from the bottome of our hearts desire Christ Iesus euermore to giue vs of this bread that when the glasse of our life is runne out and with the Phenix wee may discerne the terme of our dayes and with the Swanne discouer our fatall end that it would please him to feed our hungry soules with this spirituall foode this bread of life and place them at his heauenly table to satisfie themselues with this celestiall banquet yea whē our breath vanisheth our eyes waxe dim and wee turned out of the houseroome of this transitory world repayre vnto our doomesday house where the wormes the dead mens lawyers shall take their fees out of vs their graue-clients and our bodies shall be their bread to satiate their hunger yet thou O Iesus would vouchsafe to giue vs thy body the only breade of life for to nourish our hungry soules that by the winges of a liuely faith wee may fly vp to the heauens and inioy that age of vnspeakeable pleasures the eternall father through the merrits of his deerest sonne by the scepter of his holy spirit so rule our hearts that wee being righteous as Elias and our prayers feruent as those of Elias they may peirce the clouds and open heauen and thence bring downe this bread of life this dew of diuine grace vppon vs and satisfie our soules with this misticall banquet of Christs body O Lord inflame our tongues with the zeale of deuotion that our prayers may bee feruent and may make a sweete incense to pacifie thy wrath that thou blotting out all our vnworthinesse out of thy memory maist graciously hearken to our petitions and maist grant vs this inestimable treasure the price and raunsom of our soules redemption if the Lyons seeke their meate of God if the Oxe knowe his owner and the Asse his maisters crib graunt vnto vs a most carefull desire to craue this meate of our soules and to waite and seeke for this bread of life that we which were created by a consultation of the Dietie redeemed with the pretious bloud of Christ sanctified by the holy Ghost may be partakers of this blessed bread of life and in the end and without all end sit at his heauenly table raigning together with the Trinity in the Kingdome of heauen to which bee all glory power praise and dominion both now and for euermore FINIS A SHORT AND necessary Treatise entituled Deaths welcome By Sa Garey AT LONDON Printed by I. R. for Ieffery Charleton 1605. ⧠To the most puissant Emperor and Conquerer of all the vvorld Death greeting LIfe saith the Philosopher is but a borrowed dreame of pleasure a vision of delight a pageant of transitory happinesse and Death is a Harbinger of eternitie a bringer of felicitie a Messenger of glory it is a pyrat of life and yet a pilot to life a conductor to the heauenly hauen of blisse the Angell to keepe Paradise wherein none enters but by the entrance of his fatall sword Sith therefore ô Death thou art the Groome-porter to let out life and let in life the remoouer as Aeschilus calleth thee of worldly sorrows the deliuerer as Cicero saith of troubled mindes the laylor which art content with the fees of our life to set our Soules at libertie I heere inuite and welcome thee to the loathsome banquet of my body fat thy pale cheekes with the cates of my life and glut thy hungry appetite with my vitall spirits onely doe me this fauour that I may say my Grace at this last supper and then sit downe vpon my dying bed and drinke vp the sweet drop of sower life and the scraps and dead bones of my body and carkasse of my flesh take away and keepe thē in the doomsday house vntil my Soule by the liuely wings of faith descending frō heauen at the generall resurrection be vnited one to another and there enioy an endlesse age of pleasures to the which ô Death soone bring mee that I may say to the VVorldes misery which I say to thee farewell Your louing and vntill you come liuing friend Sa. Garey Tu nil rescribas attamen ipse veni ⧠A Treatise entituled Deaths welcome THE principall motiue vvhich doth encourage a man to welcome and imbrace death is the assured hope of the future life and of those ioyes which hee shall enioy in the neuer fading kingdome Therefore S. Paule saith Vnlesse the dead be raised againe what aduantageth it me to haue fought with beasts at Ephesus For vnlesse there were a resurrection of the dead and an immortall life to be obtained after this our pilgrimage why should we liue in ieopardy euery howre suffer such persecution in this world not rather follow the rules of the Epicures eate drinke for to morrow we shall die and vppon our graues engraue the Epitaph of Sardanapalus which hee writ a little before his death Cum te mortalem noris presentibus exple Delicijs animū post mortem nulla voluptas Et venere et plumis et caenis Sardanapali This I say were the best pleasing life to eate with the Epicure sleepe with Endimion carouse with Alexander with the rich man in the scripture to flatter our selues saying Soule thou hast much goods layde vp
against all these desperable considerations the saying of Saint Augustine is the best remedy If thou feare iudgement to come rebuke thy conscience In the whole course of thy life so liue that thou maist haue a secure conscience for thou must liue here for a time in such sort that thou dying godly maist liue for euer VVe must die that wee may liue and wee must liue that wee may die well If thou liuest well thou shalt die vvell and thou shalt liue wel if thou doost follow the holy course which Saint Hierome obserued VVhether I eate or drinke saith hee or what soeuer els I doe alwaies that same terrible trumpet soundeth in mine eares Arise you that be dead and come to iudgement For as the same Father saith in another place He easily contemneth all things that doth alwaies thinke that he shall die For he that alwaies takes the memory of death for his vnseparable spouse and bitter sighs for his chyldren and holy compunction for his mother to depure him from his filthynesse he which hateth the world perfectly fauoreth godlinesse zealously endeuoreth to amend his life seriously obeieth his superiors gladly and beareth Christs crosse patiently showeth good tokens that hee will die a good Christian such a man needs not feare the mention of death nor neede his soule weepe in secret nor his eies drop downe teares for hee may bee certaine that he is one of that perdestinated company which shall raigne for euermore But as for a man that hath liued dissolutely through the whole course of his life hath beene a notorious sinner yet for all that hee needs not dispaire for Christ was not surprised with a rauing feuer when in the tragedie of his passion he made his body as a Cloude to resolue in showres of innocent bloud and suffered his decrest vaines to be launced to giue a full issue for the price of our soules redemption Hee came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance O yee sinners behold the Lambe bleeding and shedding his precious blood to clense you from sinne and to saue you from sathan drinke vp in faith the droppings of his blood and moisten your soules therewith eate him and chew him for he is the bread of life which whosoeuer eateth shall neuer hunger more Say with Christestome Omnis mea salus in passione Christi est posita For whatsoeuer doth belong to my saluation paratum est per Christi mortem as the same father saith his death hath made a sufficient ransome for my sinnes It is the Lambe of God which doth purge mee from all my sinnes I fully beleiue that therefore all my sinnes shall be forgiuen me not for my merrits but for Christs death not for my righteousnesse but for Gods mercies which doth extend to thousands and tenne thousands whose sinnes in respect of Gods mercies are but as Augustine saith one droppe in respect of the whole Sea And as Bernard saith the mercie of God is greater then any miserie of ours Hold vp thine eies to heauen behold the God of all consolation and mercy craue of him to poure downe the influences of his comfort to helpe thy vnbeliefe to confirme thy faith to strengthen thee with a stedfast assurance of his heauenly Kingdome Wast away thy wickednesse in the Fountaine of repentance and the leprosie of thy sinne in the streaming Riuers of penitent teares For this heauenly dew of repentance neuer falls but the Sun of righteousnesse drawes it vp for it was sweetly vttered by a Diuine of sweetest vtterance that repentant eies are the Cellars of Angells and penitent teares the sweetest wines which the sauour of life perfumeth the tast of grace sweetneth and the purest cullours of returning innocency highly beautifieth Oh that our harts were euermore such a limbecke distilling so pure a quintessence of godlinesse drawne from the weedes of our offences by the fire of true contrition heauen would mourne at the absence of so precious waters and earth lament the losse of so fruitfull showres Sure till death close vp those fountaines they should neuer faile running which if they did alwaies runne we neede not doubt of our saluation but that GOD would wash away all our sinnes The world saith Bernard had not perrished with the flood if they had betaken themselues to repentance And as it is in Ieremie If wee repent of our wickednesse God will repent of his wickednesse deuised against vs and as it is in Ezechiell If the vngodly will turne away from all his sinnes that he hath done doubtlesse he shall liue and not die And againe bee conuerted and turne you cleane from your wickednesse so shall there do sinne doe you harme So when the Niniuites did repent mourning in Sack-cloath and ashes he repented on the euill which he said he would doe vnto them and did it not Examples of repentant sinners who obtained remission for their offences be Paule the sinfull woman Dauid Manasses Peter the theife this day on the crosse this night in Paradise For Iesus is like an Euangelicall henne neuer ceaseth clocking to gather thee vnder his winges like a Chicken for it pleased Iesus of vnmerrited goodnesse to leaue the nintie nine mist sheepe the societie of blessed Angells to seeke the straying sheepe the groate that lost the royall stampe of pure nature man this lost sheepe thou soughtest O Iesus thou foundest sweete Iesus by death thou foundest him by bleeding paines thou foundest him by nayled hands and boared feete thou foundest him by a thornie Crowne by drinking vineger by sweating droppes of bloud by suffering the violent death on the crosse thou foundest him O louing Iesus and tender harted Samaritan that of a sicke hast salued of a grieuous sinner hast saued him of a wicked creature hast washed him in the streame of thy inestimable mercie Therfore I confidently beleiue although the flower of my age is faded the grasse withered and my whole life as a vanishing vapoure is passed away yet when I shail be dissolued I assuredly hope to be ioyned fully to Iesus my head and onely Vine wherein I liue although the purseuant sicknesse must visit this body of sin and death must rowe mee ouer the Seas of this world yet I hope in the barke of faith and merrits of Christ Iesus and by the Ancor of Gods couenaunts made to the house of David I shall arriue at that blessed Hauen from whence I shall neuer more hoise vp sailes or lanch into the deepe of miserie but shall sit imparadised in heauen with fulnesse of grace till the day of thy great visitation shal com whē meeting thee in the cloudes I shall enter into the store house of ioyes there for euermore to raigne If a sinner could thus absolutely confirme himself not distrust Gods mercy and clemencie without all doubt he would not feare to die but withall hee must haue a setled determination to mortifie his bodie to abandon vices with the trumpet of a Christian life to