mountaine as a bird This prouidence did direct Iacob to his Patriarchall blessing and maintained him in it What though all the earth be mooued and the mountaines fall into the Sea yet shall our Paradise be safe for God is in the midst of it What if all the world stand forth as Senacharibs hoast against the Church yet shall it stand vp At thy rebuke O God of Iacob both the chariot the horse are cast asleepe here are they falne but we are risen and stand vpright The Church of God is often represented to a ship and the prouidence to a sterne which doth direct the Master his mate the King the Prince and all passengers in the ship to their seuerall blessings and guide them out of all their waiting dangers Thus are they brought into peace externall internall eternall into a wealthy place a quiet conscience all cloathed as the virgine in wrought gold all smelling sweet with Gods promises and shining with the beautie of the Kings righteousnesse Psalme 37.6 Psalm 76.4 he shall bring forth thy righteousnesse as the light and thy iudgements as the noone day Be the legions mustered against Iacob as strong as the hils of the robbers or be they stout confident in themselues Anno 1588. Mirabilis annus Psalm 37.20 as that Spanish Armado called the inuincible Armado Yet all their power shal vanish into smoak as that did They all ouermatched with the prouidence of God euen with the smoak did they consume away Psal 35.9 Faber quas secit compedes ipse gestat therefore King Dauid did solace himselfe in the meditation of this prouidence reioising that God had so serued a defesance vpon the plots of Achitophel that his subtilty fell on his own head And so all the fury of Pharaoh Sisera and Amon was retorted vpon themselues Pape quid hoc est Papam à Dauide nostro interfectum vt Goliah est proprio ipsius gladio interemtus as the bookes libels of the Seminaries are their owne snares nailes on their owne heads and swords in their owne sides Thus they perished at Endor in the well which they digged and became dung for the earth Heere then let vs all clap our hands with the sonne of Amos and say If all people gather together on heapes and gird themselues they shal be broken for God is with Iacob How fauourably did this prouidence guide the poore Christians into Pella that little harbor when they should all haue beene eaten vp that they might sing vnto the Lord their high tower Vt Cadmaei fra tres sese mutuo iugulantes Ita Midianitae Moabitae Ammonitae et Papistae hostes ecclesiae mutuis sese vulneribus confecerunt Esa 8.9 Eusebius 2. Sam. 22.3 Espine Vt coelum or bes in suo circuitu omnes complectitur ita in Dei omnipotentis amplexu omnia circuuntur Angl. Chron. redcunt Saturnia regna sure refuge and horne of their saluation How happilie was that Carolus Martellus conducted out of al his hazards into the regencie of France according to Salomons sentence for out of prison he commeth forth to raigne whenas he that is borne in his kingdome is made poore What should I speake of that Hungarian great Matthius how miraculouslie he was preserued and enthronized by this prouidence I would willinglie remember many if time could permit as well as that famous young Constantine who preuailed against those coniured tirants Dioclesian Maximinian others and did win that peace to the Church which had no fellow All those preuailes were effected vnder this standerd the prouidence of God But once for all with what an happy gale of wind was that reprised Earle of Richmond after 10. yeres banishment conueyed hither to ascend vp to the throne of Henry the seuenth of England O blessed prouidence which by speciall fauor vnited Isaac Rebecca for the leading of this blessed consecration vnto Iacob Which by a dexterous care for Iacob hath vnited that Henrie and Elizabeth his wife the white Rose and the red by whom this blessing is arriued to our Land for vs all thus richly blessed The beauty and bands of Great Brittane Psal 18.11 Psal 68.17 Blessed with the blessing of our incomparable King our matchlesse Prince and all the King and Queenes royall progeny A blessing brought vpon the wings of the wind millions of hearty praiers a blessing brought with Gods owne chariots the thousands of Angels that wee may all say and sing the Lord hath done great things for vs whereof wee reioice These are the fairest sweetest most wholsome and welcome blessings temporall blessings of our field Therefore let vs all pray that the father may be blessed more and more in his sonne and the sonne euery day more in his father that they may both liue for euer partners with Abraham Isaac and Iacob coheires with Christ and deare sonnes to God our father that of either of them hee may say for euer Behold the smell of my sonne is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed To which blessed God Father Sonne and holy Ghost one holy Vnity in Trinity and Trinity in blessed Vnitie let vs to our vttermost ascribe all honor and praise and thanks for euermore Amen FINIS The Booke to the Reader I seeme to my selfe as a man decaied in his senses or if you will as an house shaken in his building I must confesse my copy was of dim sight my hand-writing of ill scribling like rough timber knotty and vnready Therefore though I be pained in my heart for my manifold maimes and looke in the eie of my Reader like one which commeth out of the house with a scratched face yet I hope to obtaine fauor of thee gentle Reader with desire to correct some errata as followeth Page 1. Line 17. for flouds reade foulds p. 2. l. 19. r. as lines are guided by their rule p. 4. l. 2. for attempteth r. attexeth p. 5. l. 28. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ibid. in margin r. vagientem in cunis ibid. adultam necare p. 6. l. 11. for at once r. one p. 8. l. 33. for and now r. Answere No. p. 11. l. 32. for putteth r. hideth p. 14. l. 11. by their r. either p. 16. l. 5. r. coruus for consonus p. 18. l. 32. for oyle r. oliue p. 19. l. 2. r. and honour ibid. l. 37. for testit r. desit ib. for with workes r. which wanteth p. 22. l. 11. for and r. ah ib. 28. 29. for haunt r. heart p. 24. l. 7. for are r. our p. 32. l. 16. r. all of Lebanon p. 47. l. 14. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 48. l. 19. r. Alcinous
that we may more desire them and bid them better welcome At the length that Ecce and wonder of the world was borne for none of the Lords words shall fall to the ground one liuing fruit of two dead stockes 1. Sam. 3.19 his father an hundred Gen. 17 19. and his mother ninetie yeares old Aske his name it was Isaac all laughter Gen. 21.6 well may he laugh which winnes well did he winne which did winne Christ in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed Isaac praeludium Christi de quo fideles rident Guil. Lugdunensis ex quo omnia Dei dona in fidelibus rident Isaac was Christ his prologue for whom all true hearts haue pleasant thoughts and all faire gifts of God in his Saints are through him very delectable But yet the blessing resteth ad aras as if God had euery day a consultation with himselfe for the progresse of this blessing Isaac was not directed to his wife till hee was fourtie yeares olde Gen. 25.20 and Rebecca was barren till twentie yeares after What is Gods promise come vtterly to an end no all this staie was the whetting of Abrahams faith and the exercise of Isaacks patience longing for Ecce Quamuis in Isaac promissa esset successio tameÌ„ implenda erat precibus Dei praefinitio Albeit the Lord had giuen assurance of succession in Isaac yet the performance was so ordained by zealous petitions it should be obtained The praiers of them both in good time preuaile with God though sorrow continue for a night Psal 30. yet joy commeth in the morning after praier They and their assistants pray for a blessing and the blessing falls double on the ground Cant. 7. Gen. 25. Rebecca's two sonnes are like two yong Roâ—os that are twins for Isaacs wife conceiued and shee bare two nations in her wombe Shee for a while went weeping 1. Sam. 1.8 Psal 126. as Hannah did albeit shee had an husband better then tenne sonnes and carried pretious seed yet shee did returne with ioy and brought her sheaues double Vita humana plus aloes quaÌ„ mellis habet Gen. 26. I shall not need to fill this Ecce with the various and perisous temptations which came to Isaac If I might shew them all you all might maruell that euer he could reach this Ecce Let this one instance suffice which was a lamentable distresse vpon him Wallensis that hee had not so much as sweet waters to nourish him Fidelium profectus impij non ferunt aequanimiter Auicetus The wicked pine away at the prosperitie of the godly All his enemies labour vtterly to subuert him and euery neighbour seemed to him an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristotle labouring to subuert him that he might be vtterly ruinated but the Lord was his deliuerance as he hath been ours in an oppression much like or worse then this For what portions of truth wee haue found in the word of truth as wells of liuing waters to nourish vs and our children the Popelings vitiate them De caudis vulpes cognoscas de fimbrijs texturas They either equiuocate vpon them this their double dealings or hide them by the ingruences of their multiplied Index expurgatorius fal shood in fellowship or stop them vp with glosses and earthly traditions this their packe of knackes lest our Chruch should thriue too fast But some will say why say you so of the Papists they are our neighbours It is true as the Philistims were neighbours to Isaac Enuied welleth at the next doore Quotvicinos habemuo totidem hostes and a man doth often bring his worst companion from home 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our kinsmen are our in-bred vipers as Parsons eiusdemfa rinae millenarij and thousands of the same vnpurged leuen Here is the cause why wee haue so much a doe to keepe cleere waters in the welles which our fathers haue digged Hi sunt qui Ecclesiam in vagientem extinguere adultam conati sunt haretics Gen. 26.15 they for very spite haue filled with mudde and stopped them vp with earth which they haue digged out of their infernall pits to this purpose Thus the Philistims had enuie at him and filled vp with earth all the welles which his fathers seruants digged in his father Abrahams time See then how vnlikely it is for vs to hold in the breath of diuine knowledge as for Isaac to abide in the spirit of life if God were not with vs. Sed à Deo adiuti refodimus puteos paternos ab inuidis palestinis obturatos but in the name of the Lord we discouered our fathers fountaines which Philistinian enuie had hidden from vs. Thus the Lord was on Isaacks side Feare not Isaac for I am with thee and will blesse thee and will multiply thy seed Now then to goe on with Ecce behold on thing more strange Rebecca's two children were at strife in the mothers wombe like the two Hebrewes at strife in the field Potuit esse naturalis causa sed accessit mystica supernaturalis for that wonder there be reasons rendred in nature but there was a supernaturall respect aboue reason The two younglings are both wrestlers Hipolitus both wrestling for a wonderfull prize for a blessing a birth-right a crowne O blessed crowne of immortall glorie 1. Pet 5.4 Rupertus Collidebantur paruuli eodem Dei nutupermoti quo irrationalia pecora inanimata elementa futurorum praesagio permoueri solent The tender younglings werre stirred to their conflict by the same motion in which we sometimes see both beasts without reason and elements without life to stirre that their stirres might be Calenders of after-claps Luc. 21. So shall there bee signes in the Sunne and Moone and Starres Surely the guerdon was greater then the wrestlers thought of yet their thoughts seeme to contend for the prize which the weaker winnes by grace The Weezell doth raise his force against the Basiliske for soueraigntie in that place where they meet and shee being armed with Rue Succus rutae palet contra serpentes vt gratia Dei â—ontra Diaboâ—os Rupertus â— Hierome Septuagine Symmachus preuaileth in the combate Thus the younger sapling Iaacob being armed with the hearbe of grace vincit fratrem Basiliscum he puts his brother to the foyle The strife is diuersly described in the varietie of translations some conquassare to shatter irruere to rush one on another some confringebantur collidebantur they did offer mutuall violence one to another some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ludebant calcitrabant they did kicke one the other some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in similitudinem nauis in superficie ferebantur they seemed to swimme in their mothers bellie But here a Schollers braines may swimme in superficiall obseruation to little purpose Wee yeeld to that which wee reade with approoued iudgement Fratrum diuortium portendit ebrionum collisio â—ucherius â—aietane Sed non
omnino est certus modus commotionis infantum The mutuall violence breathing on those tenderlings vnborne did presage their separation after their birth The good woman perceiuing a strife in her wombe as of contentious inmates in the Bee-hiue shee went to aske the Lord for the meaning of that strife Gen. 25.22 Seeing it is so why am I thus I may not trouble you with the bundles of opinions how shee was answered or by whom It is needlesse to argue whether it was Sem or Melchizedeck or they both at once or it was Heber or as some thinke it was Abraham as it is most like for circumstance of time place and person His person aboue the rest was of neerest acquaintance of surest faith and euident grace of reuelation for hee was a Prophet Gen. 20.7 The opinion of the most learned is that shee went to aske the Lord in the Science of some famous Patriarch at that time as Abraham was Whosoeuer resolued her the Lord sent her word by him what should betide her and the Church word by her what should befall the Church These are the rare blossomes of Ecce Behold two manner of people shall be diuided out of thy bowels faithfull and vnfaithfull out of one stocke pure and impure fruit of one tree true worshippers and heretickes in one Church sincere holy seruants and prophane counterfeit obseruants as a grape and a brier-berrie both of one vine a lambe and a woolfe both of one damme Beda In Ecclesia sunt ficus vna Christus tribulus spina Diabolus In the Church are both figges and grapes for Christ is both figges and grapes and in the Church are both briers and thornes for the deuill is both briers to catch thorns to hurt Iob. 1. And on a day the sonnes of God came and stood before the Lord and Sathan was also among them Abrahams sonnes are compared to starres and sands Starres are the heauenly sonnes of Ierusalem as Iaacob Sands are filij terrae sonnes of the flesh earthly proud inhabitants of Babylon as Esau Behold it was then posterior dies melior auis the latter day the better bird The elder shall serue the younger Iaacob did excelle his brother 1 iure primogeniturae 2 haereditate terrare sanctae 3 praerogatiua faederis Ecclesiae In the right of the best birthright inheritance and couenant In three faire pre-eminences In the first is signified the spirit of adoption by which we are sealed In the second our heauenly countrie Ezech. 37. Tacita Obiect to which we are called In the third the life of the Church out of which there is no life Here our drie bones are quickned But let this be true that thus the elder prerogatiue was fastened to the younger yet non obstante it could not be true in their specialties because still the elder did preoccupate iurisdiction ouer his brother Yes Respons howsoeuer Esau for a time made a more potent shew for prioritie then the yonger yet was the Prophecie true both in the letter and the mysterie In the letter true for the Idumaeans which were of Esaus issues were tributarie to Dauid which was of Iaacobs generations Some doe vnderstand it Comestor and ingeniously also that Esau did serue Iaacob whilst he did persecute him as the fyle doth seruice to the yron to make it more bright the fanne seruice to the corne to clense it and the furnace seruice to the gold to purifie it The truth is that Esau did Iaacob more good then he meant him as Iaacobs sonnes by selling of Ioseph to vilifie him did promote him to honour Deus aliquandiu impiorum indulget petulantiae sed modum statuit Ecclesiae tandem fontes dilatat Infideles Ecclesiae ruinas in discinctis vinculis intēdunt vt Q. Fabius naues diuidendo aquis immersit Sed Ecclesia vt tyrrhenus lapis integer enatat vt impiorum furores nihil ei incommodasse appareat quin idem propagasse God doth sometime winke at the iniurious attempts of the presumptuous but at his will he doth restraine them and inlarge his Church that her health may shine out of the bond of aduersitie and her enemies blowes ende in her aduantage Here I might reioyce to handle the right hand of Gods prouident power but I must containe my selfe within the limits of Ecce in this place See then the truth in the mysterie aboue the letter Iacob came last but did ouer-flie his brother Esau First that which is carnall then that which is spirituall the old Adam came first and the new Adam came after O melior auis The Eagle bird had Eagles wings and did mount on high aboue his brother Such is his magnificence That the Lord said to my Lord Sit thou at my right hand c. Such is the superioritie of the second Adam that in his exaltation he had a name giuen him aboue euery name The elder must serue they younger and glad may Adam bee that he and his may doe seruice to Christ as the sheaues which did reuerence Iosephs sheafe for in Adam all die but in Christ are all made aliue The Schollers of Pyrene Mystae gentiles and the wanton heads of the Temple infamous at Corinth did obiect that Christ died as did Adam the yonger brother as the elder The Apostle graunteth this for truth that both died yet the difference of their death is notable Both died and paid the wages of sinne Sed mors Adae poenae peccati mors Christi hostia peccati The death of Adam was the penaltie of sinne the death of Christ the redemption of the sinner This prepotencie was worth an Ecce Behold in Christ all things are become new for with his wounds are wee healed Fidelis medicus is est qui pro infirmo mortiferum ebibit remedium vt sanetur infirmus And in the reuewe of Iacob and Esau here is Ecce againe Behold white and blacke good and euill light and darkenesse life and death in two sonnes as if Rebecca's breasts did yeeld two kinds of milke wholesome milke for Iacob as the Hebrew mother corrupt milke for Esau as the Egyptian nurse And now Rebecca's breasts are not like the Equiuocators text both true and false they are both of one wholesome taste one hallowed kind of milke The second testaments are both one sincere milke of the word of God they are both of one truth and spirit of life as there is but one Lord faith baptisme hope and saluation Christus est veritas aeternalis verbum est veritas normalis Christ is the eternall essentiall truth and his word is our rule for truth There is but one God and one word Vnus veritatis fons est Deus verbum vna veritas in omnes filios saliens God is the onely fountaine of truth and his word is the liuing water flowing into his childrens hearts as the pure riuer of water of life cleere as Cristal proceeding out of
shall be as the Oliue tree and his smell as Lebanon Iaacob had the Vine true faith in his heart his father Abrahams faith not an agnus Dei about his necke or hanging in a tablet at his brest Fides purificans cor est vna integra vera viua Ioh. 12.3 as some abused Saint Iohns Gospell but a sound faith growing within and without his heart all his affections as the branches of a vine for his Sauiour all the vine as a bower to rest in and all the bower as the house filled with sweet sauour what a smell is the smell of this vine Iacob had the Oliue victory in his faith Colos 1.13 against all Principalities and powers of darknesse hee was short of Christ in respect of circumstance of time but he had the substance which cheered his heart at all times with thoughts of his Captaine the Siloe the Conquerer the Lion Gen. 49 whose paw should be in the necke of his enemies By this power Iaacob wanne the victory of the world so sweete is the smell of this Oile Iacob had the Rose-loue in his faith Ezek. 47 whose leaues did not fade inuincible loue as appeareth by his wrestling Let me be gone saith the Angel for the morning appeareth Genes 32 What let thee goe my life and my glory I will not let thee goe vnlesse thou blesse mee Lord let me loue the smell of this Rose Iacob had a Lilly chastity in his faith a faire Lilly within the borders of his paradise Eccles 50.8 as the Lillies by the springs of waters white as the light and faire without spot His brother hastened to his Cananitish women and sent an ill sent into the soules of his parents yet Iacob kept his vessell in holinesse O honour let me counsell you all to keep the smell of this Lilly 1 Thess 4 4 Iacob had the Violet humble deuotion in his faith the Violet groweth low by the ground so doth humble deuotion to daily praiers Bartholomaes Gen. 17.3 1 Sam. 1.13 as Abraham fell vpon his face and Hannah was humbled before the Lord. Shall I stay you a while to heare Iaacobs daily praiers All yee which liue in plenty or scarsity remember Iaacobs Vow Wee are all in our iourny as Iaacob was and desirous as hee to come to our fathers house our father wich is in heauen Iaacob vowed a Vow saying Gen. 28.20 If God will be with me and will keepe me in my iourney which I go and will giue mee bread to eat and cloathes to put on so that I come againe to my fathers house in safetie then shall the Lord be my God Here was sweet contentment in a lowly estate humble contentation was Iacobs staffe which did flourish all with Violets as Aarons Rod did but with flowers and almonds with this staffe came I ouer Iordane Surely there is an wholesome breath in the smell of this Violet Iaacob had the corne eare the fruites of faith Nomb 17.8 Gen. 32.10 Gal. 5 Gen. 41.5 those praise-worthy fruites of the spirit Loue Ioy Peace Long Suffering Meeknesse Temperance Goodnesse all specious vpon one faith as those seuen eares of corne ranke and goodly all vpon one stalke Shall I make bold to inuite you all to taste this corne for the smell of this corne eare Now Prince of Wales where is thy smell Hast thou neither Vine Oliue Rose Lilly Violet nor Corne-eare Surely then thou art a poore Prince and they are poore whom God hateth Behold here the smell of the fauour of God to the Prince The Prince hath them all as Iacob had them he is all Suckoth Suckoth as the Tabernacles of God his eies eares lippes heart all Suckoth Tents of godlinesse pitched in Rephidim the mansion of the medicines of Gods blessings The Philosophers describe an house of desier non quidem opulentam et ambitiosam stuffed with the pelfe of the world and faced with proud ambition No sed cui nihil testit in se supellectilis with workes not any thing of necessarie vse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold here is that house as that happy little world all furnished with necessaries And here is one thing more then all those necessaries and more worth Luke 10.42 John 13.1 that one thing which is necessary and cannot be taken from him For whom God loueth hee loueth to the end This the smell of my sonne The Prince hath the Vine the Gospell in his faith it is the fountaine in which he doth daily refresh his soule it is the lauour through which he doth daily wash himselfe This is his Bason and Ewre of honour the Gospel is the Ewre his heart the Bason This is a Princely Bath the Kings Bath all perfumed with health all with sauing health Let young and old and all wash themselues in this Bath Knights of the Bath all the which are souldiers in this militant life vnder the banner of Iesus Christ Christ is the Prince who gaue himselfe Eph. 5.26 that he might sanctifie you and clense you by the washing of water through the word The Prince is knight of the order of the comely order of King Salomon Cant. 4.15 washed in the springs of Lebanon perfumed with Spikenard Saffron Calamus Cynamon and all sweet spices Cant. 4 2. Knights of the Bath come forth like a flocke of sheep in good order which goe vp from the washing come forth as the daughters of Sion and behold King Salomon with the crowne in the day of the gladnesse of his heart Knights of the Bath come forth and behold your Prince let him be your looking glasse as the ruiers of waters are to the faire doues washed with milke The Prince is bathed and washed in lordan seuen times the leprosie and luxurie which doth commonly cleaue to the youth of our age euen to the sides of their house is washed away It is written of Otho Suetonius one of the Emperours that hee repaired often to his glasse to see his face that he might keepe it cleane The Prince as report telleth vs goeth often to his glasse the streames of the waters of life Psal 23. the still streames where Dauid walked Indeed Dauid calleth them waters of comforts right worthy of that title where he perceiued himselfe saued by the washing of the new birth in the blood of the vine Thus is the Prince washed Tit. 3.5 his heart clensed his affections purified his delights sanctified Nobilitas morum plus ornot quam genitorū all like clusters of the vine who would not smel at the smell of this vine The Prince hath the Oliue victorie in his faith victorious holinesse It was told vs long our eyes were blessed with the sight of our most prudent King that he hath the print of a Lyon vpon him I doe beleeue it though I did neuer see it that the Lyon of the tribe of Iudah is printed vpon him he hath put on Christ And loe
out vpon the rich fields of heauen and earth that we might be all one flocke bought and paid for and seised into possession by his precious bloud-shedding he hath set at peace through the bloud of the Crosse both things in heauen Col. 1 20 and things in earth Iaacob is a potters field Christ Iesus was laid vp in this field 2. Cor. 4.7 that Iacob might die to sinne and liue to righteousenesse Iaacob hath heauenly treasure in an ear then vessell Matth. 13.4 Christ is the hidden treasure in the potters field more worth then all the field But shall I say that Iaacob is a Meridian field yes a goodly sun-shine field of common ioy and profit to the Church As the common court of the Tabernacle was vpon the sun-shine side a faire and comely passing to the Church Exod. 27.9 Thus was Iacob a faire field of common passage for the Saints for all must come by Iaacob This is the generation of them which seeke him Psalm 24.6 of them which seeke thy face O Iaacob Nostrum est rapere regnum coelorum per gratiam quod quis nequeat attingere per naturam our nature being lame Ierome Chrisostome we must be strengthened in grace to hold heauen by violence So then albeit Iaacob be a common field in whose faire paths and steppes of faith we repaire daily towards the house of God Yet is he but a figure of a fairer field for Christ himselfe is for vs all our rich faire common field He is ager frumenti where we haue all our bread of life Ioh. 6. Hee is ager hortorum where all the Church hath all her spices He is ager sanguinis our mercy truth righteousnesse and peace beeing all died in his bloud who did tread the winepresse alone Hee was ager figuli a man of earth in all things like vnto man sinne onely excepted hee bare the shape of a seruant in our potters field Yet this was his priuiledge that his vessell was not broken Hee was pierced with thornes and scourges and bored through with nailes and speare but he could not be broken among the spoiles of death Not a bone of him shall be broken Esa 12.46 Esa 53.5 Hee was broken for our iniquities in the separation betwixt his body and soule but his body could not be corrupt because it was neuer attaint with sinne with which seale the stay of our field is put together Thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption Psalm 16.10 When all his enemies had done against him what they could hee wonne the masterie from them all as the sun at none day doth winne the victory of all the clouds of darknesse and is thus become our Meridian field Heere stands our glorious sonne the King of glory as the sunne in Gibeon on the top of the hil whilest the Lord doth fight for Israel Iosh 10 Vers 13.14 Apoc. 1 The sunne abideth in the middest of our heauen as the son of man in the middest of seuen golden candlestickes and there is no day like this Christ Iesus is our common field 1. Cor. 1.24 and there is neither Iewe nor Grecian nor bond nor free shut out which haue any title in this field as the righteousnesse of Christ for a wedding garment Matt. 22.11 There are none secluded which making right vse of their talents haue right desire to enter into the Lords ioy Matt. 25.21 as the wise virgins which went in with the bridegroome into the wedding Here we all gather plenteous redemption as Ruth gathered plentie of releese in the field of Boaz Ruth 2.15 Let her gather among the sheaues and doe not rebuke her O blessed Boaz our Sauiour what strength is in thee for vs all what strong charity what faire righteousnesse hast thou scattered for vs all to gather As Boaz scattered some of his sheaues of set purpose for Ruth Vers 16 so Christ himselfe let fall some of his sheaues for vs that we might gather without rebuke Ecclesia militans est sancta imputatione inchoatione segregatione sanctitate multimoda à sancto sanctorum imbuta Nay who can tell how many thousand more Christ hath done for vs that we may gather heauenly fruits and after feede thereon for euer It is said of Ruth that shee gleaned in the field till euening Heere vntill euening till the day of this life bee spent wee gather all our good conditions comforts profits pleasures all our mercies sweet remissions all our truth true faith all our righteousnesse faire beauty and all our peace sweet rest vntill our euerlasting sabbaths rest in that blessed field of Gods rest for euer But all this while where is the Prince hath hee no place heere or doth he beare no Armes in this Field Yes now let all the worthies of the world looke on him the Prince is Hur all white cleane hands and cleane heart and vpholdeth the armes of his worthy father as Hur did the hands of Moses to the discomfiture of our enemies 〈◊〉 he going downe of the sunne The Prince is a field of Corne Colos 3. â—6 Nom. 24.6 Heb. 10.22 Psalm 78.39 the Word of God doth plentifully dwell in him A field of gardens as the gardens by the riuers side A field of bloud sprinkled in his heart from an euill conscience and yet a potters field Let him remember that he is but flesh and a winde that turneth not againe What then are all those sanctities lost in him no now let my tongue touch my heart and let my voyce shout out for ioy that the Prince is our English Paradise Henricus campus meridianus magnae Britanniae The Lord sent him out of the North into the South and now is he becom our meridian field for the health and wealth of Christendome The Lord hath brought againe the captiuitie of Sion Psalme 126.1 and here is the health and wealth of these dominions Now shake thy selfe from the dust arise and sit downe O Ierusalem loose the bands of thy necke O captiue daughter Sion Shall I compare with that happie time of our blessed Queene Elizabeth They which were banished in Queene Maries time for sowing were sent for againe in Elizabeths daies to reape a fauourable recompence of God Psal 126 5 that they which did sowe in teares might reape in ioy In former time the people went downe into Egypt and Ashur oppressed them without cause but now how beautifull vpon the mountaines are the Watchmen which see lift vp their voyce and shout together Now is our mouth filled with laughter Vers 2 and our tongue with ioy our ioy renewed new ioy doubled double ioy multiplied our manifold ioyes established in the King and the Kings sonne Heere is cause enough for vs all to confesse the largesse of Gods mercifull true and righteous dealing in the performance of his promise Leu. 26.9 I will haue respect vnto you and make you