to the Honour of God also inviting all occasional Comers to buy and offer liberal Sacrifices as an Exchange tempts Customers it also making provision for Proselites and strangers of such Money as was current at Jerusalem which only was to be offered to the Lord and for the poor that they might borrow tho not on Usury yet on Pawn so as they might not comeempty handed before the Lord the place of this Traffick being only the outer Court of the Temple into which were admitted even the Gentiles and Uncircumcised why was our Masters Zeal so Fervent With great Reason doubtless was this done for all that Jesus did was by the guidance of the Infallible Spirit nor was it without reason that this Action was called the greatest of our Saviour's Miracles and one of the most solemn Declarations that he was the Son of God VVas it not a great Affront to the Divine Majesty to make a Butchers stall or a Bankers shop of his House To alienate it from its right use and instead of a house of Prayer to make it a den of Thieves of Publicans and Extortioners and of the Practicers of the Arts of Fraud and the Methods of Cheating VVas it not Irreligious to serve the Ends of Covetousness more than the designs of Piety For these Markets were at first held only near the Temple but at last through the greediness of the Priests were brought into the first Court of it to their no little gain while they managed the Markets either by their own servants or by exacting a Tribute of all those who there erected stalls and perhaps selling one and the same sacrifice over and again to several Persons Now what could create in mens minds mean thoughts of Religion and depreciate the service of the Almighty if such Actions did not And how could men chuse but abhor the Offerings of the Lord This therefore incited the Zeal of our dearest Lord and it was a sad Omen that the Priests themselves should in a little time be banisht from the House of God and turn'd out of his service because they had corrupted and huxter'd the VVord of God and handled it deceitfully And now O my soul and my body are not you the Temple of God And ought not the same measure of Zeal to be in me that was in my Redeemer Ought I not to cleanse this Temple and to expel thence all brutish Affections all covetous thoughts all self love and love of the VVorld all pride and vain glory and to keep my self undefiled in the VVorld fit for the residence of God and the indwelling of his Holy Spirit for if a man defile the Temple of God shall not God destroy that sinner I will therefore devote my self intirely to my Maker what he loves shall be my delight and I will honour him here in his Person in his Will in his Ordinances in his Habitation in his Revenue and in every thing else that appertains to him that I may hereafter enjoy him and live with him for ever Amen The Collect. ALmighty and most Merciful Saviour who in the heighth of thy Glories wast mindful of thy Humiliation and thy sufferings as thou wert contented to be made the Son of man tho by an ineffable generation thou wert the Son of God so new make me thy most unworthy because thy most disobedient Servant create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me that my soul whom thou hast redeemed may always sing thy Praises and celebrate thy bounty that all my faculties and all my members being consecrated to thee and thy service my Zeal may be flaming and unquenchable my love to thee victorious over all self love or love of the world my love to my neighbours generous and disinterested and my constancy and resolutions to be thine unalterable that I may preserve thy living Temple free from all Pollation till I come to the New Jerusalem where the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it through the Merits und Mediation of thee my only Saviour and Redeemer Amen The Anthem for Palm-Sunday ETERNITY I. MY Eager Soul 's upon the wing To view th' Court of th' Heavenly King So passionate 't is those Joys to taste and know That it disdains all pleasures here below For what can this sad world impart To ease the longings of my Heart Which Heavenly Love hath wounded with its Dart II. The Palace Glorious was where God Made his perpetual abode E're his Omnipotent Word bad all Things be The Mighty Undivided Trinity Resided in Eternal Light Before the Sun appear'd in sight Or Time was impt to make his earliest flight III. With Joy the Father then look't on The Beauties of his only Son Miraculous Child whose great Sire cannot be Above his Son in Age or Dignity From both these did proceed the Dove Which gently up and down did move And fill'd the place with Harmony and Love IV. In this vast space the Equal THREE With mutual Sentiments did agree That God the Father should the World create The Son redeem the Spirit regenerate Transcendent Fountain whence did flow What infinite Pity could bestow To make men Gods and bring down Heav'n below V. No longer can my Soul forbear It Sighs and Wishes to be there That it may celebrate the Father's power Love Jesus and the Holy Spirit adore For tho my Saviour's Presence here My Soul to Scepters does prefer On Earth she dreads to lose him there 's no fear Monday before EASTER THE Monday before Easter was called the Holy and Great Monday or the second day of the Paschal-week and the whole week was called the Great week ‖ Chrys To. 5. p 541 c. not because the days were longer than ordinary but the blessings were greater because of the great and stupendious Blessings not to be comprehended or utter'd which God this Week conferred upon the World in the Death and Resurrection of our blessed Saviour and because it immediately preceded the great Festival as Easter is called Joh. 19.31 or * Bern. Ser. 3. in domin Palmar because of the four great Days in it viz. The Procession of Talm-Sunday the Institution of the blessed Sacrament on Maundy-Thursday the Passion on Good-Friday and the continuance in the Grave on Saturday which was the Eve to our blessed Masters Resurrection The Week also was stiled the Passion-week the Week of Fastings dry Diet and Penances in which the Devouter sort did eat nothing but Bread and Salt and drank nothing but Water from which strictness no day was exempt except the Lords Day on which it was a great Crime to Fast ‡ Constit App. l. 5. c. 17. alii Every day of this Week was a day of business the whole time from the days of the Apostles being spent in Prayers Watchings and Mortifications ⸫ Chrys ub Sup. p. 586. Tribunals and Courts of Justice were now shut up no Pleadings no Suits of Law no publick Business no
Pageantry dressing up a representative Saviour and carying Palms before him as if they welcomed him into Jerusalem and in the Greek Church they make up Branches of Olives and Palms into divers forms by which they keep up the memory of the Feast the Emperor and the Patriarch when that Empire was in its Glory using to give at this time great Largesses to the common People which from the day were called Palms and now in Muscovy the Patriarch rides in state like our Saviour and is met by the Grand Duke and all the People who represent the Jews entertaining him but in a To. 5. p. 541. St. Chrisostome's time ' the Greeks were better taught for then the whole Christian Church had their Processions and went out to meet their Saviour not deckt with Palms but adorn'd with Alms and Mercifulness and other Virtues with Fastings and Tears and Prayers and Watchings and all sort of holy deference to their Redeemer ‖ Aug. Ser. 46. de Verb. Dom. Ambr. Epist 33. c. On this day anciently did the Persons who were to be baptized at Easter give in their Names to the Bishop from which time till their Baptism they were distinguisht from the other Catechumens and called Competentes and to them the Bishop himself if present as he was seldom absent from his See at all this Solemnity but if absent the Presbyters in the Baptistery expounded the Creed * Aug. Scr. 115. Id. de fide Symb. c. p. 1. for the Creed was not in those Ages read in the first Service at which the Catechumens were present which Creed they were to learn the Week following and to give an account of it solemly on ‖ Conc. Laod. Can. 46. Easter-Eve in the Latin-Church but in the Greek-Church on Maundy-Thursday and now probably were they also taught the Lord's prayer which no unbaptized Person was allowed to repeat for how says St. Austin can he call God Father who was never regenerate And lest the Persons to be baptized should come to the Laver of Regeneration filthy sordid and sullied with their fastings and Lentpenances at which time they used to cast Ashes on their Heads and lie on the bare Ground on this day they washt the Heads of the Competentes and from hence the day was called ⸫ Isidor Etymol li. 6. c. 18. c. Capito-Lavium So careful were the Ancients that at the time of our blessed Saviour's Resurrection all things should be gay and all Persons joyful The Epistle Isa 62.10 11 12. GO thro go thro the Gates prepare ye the way of the People cast up cast up the Highway gather out the Stones lift up a Standard for the People Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the World say ye to the Daughter of Zion Behold thy Salvation cometh behold his Reward is with him and his work before him and they shall call them the Holy People the Redeemed of the Lord and thou shalt be called Sought out a City not forsaken The Gospel Matth. 21.5 c. TELL ye the Daughter of Zion behold thy King cometh unto thee meek and sitting upon an Ass and a Colt the fole of an Ass and the Disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them and brought the Ass and the Colt and put on them their Cloaths and they set him thereon and a very great multitude spread their Garments in the way others cut down Branches from the Trees and strawed them in the way and the Multitudes that went before and that followed cryed saying Hosannah to the Son of David blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord Hosannah in the highest And when he was come into Jerusalem all the City was moved saying Who is this And the Multitude said This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee and Jesus went into the Temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the Temple and overthrew the Tables of the Money changers and the seats of them that sold Doves and said unto them It is written My house shall be called the House of Prayer but ye have made it a Den of Theives The MEDITATION WHen our blessed Saviour made his publick appearance in the World every thing in him was excellent and extraordinary the Lineaments of his Face so beautiful that he was justly stiled the fairest of ten thousand but the Qualifications of his Soul were so miraculous that whatever of great or good could be observed either in Men or Angels was but a faint Representation of his more stupendious Accomplishments the charms of his Countenance were most taking the Eloquence and Reason of his Discourses most persuasive but the Holiness of his Conversation was transcendent insomuch that his Friends loved and his very Enemies tho they hated him could not but admire him his converse was freeand obliging his pity generous and noble he accounted that day lost wherein he had not done some kindness and was grieved to send any man away from him sorrowful He often neglected to mind himself but he never omitted his care of the Poor and he who had no house to reside in no maintenance but the Alms of well-inclined People had yet a Bag and a Treasury for the indigent he frequently forgot to eat but he never forgot to Pray so wonderful was his Devotion so universal his Charity and so incomparable his Obedience His Soul was the Temple of Chastity and Temperance the seat of Prudence the fortress of Courage the Throne of Justice the storehouse of Humanity the Sanctuary of Meekness in a word it was the residence of all Virtues and who could converse with such a Saviour and refuse to Love and Adore him But never were his Accomplishments so Illustrious as when he took his last journey to Jerusalem when all the Scenes of Treachery and Cruelty were to end in the unparallel'd Murther of the Son of God then he exerted all his Vigor for then the Son of God was to be glorified and to be manifested to be the only begotten of the Father with Power according to the Spirit of Holiness by the Resurrection from the Dead for his sufferings were his own crown and the cause of the worlds Salvation Perillous was the attempt but the combatant was invincible His first Essay towards the compleating of our redemption was on Palm-Sunday on this day of the week he made his entry into Jerusalem like a Conqueror or rather like the King of the World from hence I date the Epocha of his Crucifixion because on this day among the Jews the Paschal Lamb was separated from the rest of the Flock and with much solemnity brought up to Jerusalem in order to its being Sacrificed and on this day of the week also he made a more pompous entry into the Holy City when attended by many Saints returning from their Graves to accompany his Resurrection he made it appear that he had spoiled Hell and saved mankind both which entries were
to Heaven than the deepest Valley not that God hears a Suppliant sooner from a place of Eminence but because there he was most sequestred from the World free from noise and disturbances and in the fittest place to converse with God From a Mountain he preached not that he coveted the highest seat in that spacious synagogue but that he might be the more easily heard by his Auditory and that the New Law might be preached from as eminent a Pulpit as the Old and to the Mountain he retires to manifest his Glory not so much to tell his Disciples that he who will be made Partaker of Celestial Honour must leave this lower world as to conceal the Miracle to avoid the imputation of vain glory and the defires of secular applause On Mount Calvary was Jesus Crucified in the View of all the world but he was Transfigured on Mount Tabor in the view of only Three of his Disciples Thus every Action of our Masters is beautiful in its season he had just before sadded his Disciples with an Account of his own sufferings and the necessity that they also must drink of the same bitter Potion and that he who does not take up his Cross and follow his Saviour is not worthy to enter into the Kingdom of God but lest this Discourse might dishearten them a few days after he carries the most eminent of his Domesticks with him to the Holy Mountain there to confirm their Faith and strengthen their Resolutions by assuring them that he who hath once had a view of the Recompence of Reward can never be affrighted at the sight of the Cross to see his afflicted Condition and to hear from his own Mouth whose every Word was Oracle that his state for the Future should be more uneasie and deplorable was a sad suggeston For how can this be That he should save others who could not save himself That he should protect his Followers who could not rescue himself from the shame and the torture of his scourging and his Crucifixion But to see his Face shine like the Sun in its Glory and his Garments made whiter than Alabaster and more glittering than Gold this was an irresistable Conviction that the light Afflictions that are but for a Moment are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be revealed in us It was fit that this extraordinary Appearance should be kept secret for a while and therefore a place of retirement was the most proper Scene for this Act but it was requisite that some Persons should be present to attest the Miracle and those no less than Three that according to the Law in the Mouth of Two or Three Witnesses the Truth might be establish'd when in due time the World should be acquainted with it As therefore Moses left the Elders and the People at the bottom of Sinai and took Aaron Nadab and Abihu with him when he went up to speak with God so did Christ leave the Multitude and the Nine behind him and took Peter James and John with him to see and hear the Wonders of his Transfiguration And why if I may presume to ask my unerring Redeemer why these Three before the rest of the Apostles Was not Andrew the first Convert and the Elder Brother to Simon And was not James the Son of Alphaeus as much an Apostle as James the Son of Zebedee And was not Simon the Zelot as earnest an Asserter of his Masters Honour as the Beloved Disciple I must confess it does not become humane ignorance to pretend to dive into the secrets of the Divine Wisdom and yet perhaps we are allowed to conjecture where we cannot be certain These Three Disciples were our Saviours Darlings and his Companions in all extraordinary Occurrences when Jairus's Daughter was raised from the Dead they only were admitted as Spectators and when Jesus underwent his bitter Agony in the Garden they attended him to the Theatre of Sorrows and Sufferings and to them he gave peculiar additional Names which Honour he did not vouchsafe to the rest of the Twelve Simon he sirnamed Peter and the two Sons of Zebedee he called Boanerges i. e. Sons of Thunder It was fit to be revealed to Peter who was chosen to a Primacy of Order in the Colledg of the Apostles to James because he was the first of all that immediate Family of our Lord who was to be Crown'd with Martyrdom and to John not only because he was the Beloved Disciple and dyed a Virgin but also because he was designed to live longest of all the Twelve that he might own and attest the Miracle after the other Apostles were laid in their Graves when the early Hereticks should deny the Divinity of our Lord. In the view of these Persons was Jesus Transfigured not that the Nature and Substance of his Body was changed but his Appearance his Head was surrounded with Rays and his whole Body inlightened with the Beams of his Divinity for doubtless his Glory was greater and more conspicuous than that either of Moses or Elias But it is to be remembred that these bright tokens did not signalize him as soon as he ascended the Hill but after he had retired himself and prayed for every happiness of another Life is a Recompence of Holiness in this and could it have been imagined that the Apostles should be drowsie while their Master watch'd unto Prayer That they should fall asleep while they were about to enjoy that sight that only was worth seeing on this side Heaven but so easily are we inclined to grow lazy and idle to indulge to sloth and sensuality when the best example and the best encouragements incite us to Devotion for thus the same men did when their Master was in his Agony tho they had just before received the venerable Sacrament and knew their Master was that Night to be betrayed such is our humane Frailty and so violent are our Inclinations to forget our Duty tho perhaps this sleep was rather an Extasie the brightness of the Apparition dazling the Senses and surprizing the Soul which in all Prophetick Visions being unable to sustain the Revelation is astonish'd at the fight and sinks under the Weight of it as the Eyes are too weak to gaze on the Sun and this my Charity for those Reverend men would incline me to believe But whatever the sleep was as soon as ever the Apostles did awake as if it had been a just Punishment for their sloth and negligence the blest Society broke up and the Holy Men retired whom the Apostles knew to be what they were not so much by their Discourse for during that Entercourse they were a sleep as by their Masters Condescention who communicated the Notice to them by a Method best known to himself Moses and Elias doubtless came in their own bodies they were not represented by Phantasms or the intervention of Angels for it was requisite that as our Blessed Saviour took upon him our humane Nature in
to the Son of David blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord Peace in Heaven and Glory in the Highest § 9. When the devont Christian is invited to draw near to the Holy Table he uses one or more of these Sentencs Lord I have looked for thee in Holiness that I might behold thy Power and Glory How dreadful is this Place this is no other but the House of God and the Gate of Heaven This is the Lords Mercy-Seat which the Cherubim of Glory shadow this is the Altar of Jesus round which the Angels clad in their bright Robes stand This is the Altar where Jesus is crucified let all the Angels of God and all the Sons of Men worship him I will come into thy House upon the multitude of thy Mercies and in thy fear will I hold up my hands and worship towards the Mercy-Seat of thy Holy Temple I will exalt the Lord my God and will worship at his Footstool for he is Holy I will fall down and adore for I know that God is here of a truth § 10. VVhen the good man comes up and kneels before the Altar he says Lord I most thankfully receive this gracious Invitation which thou hast afforded me to come to thy Holy Table and tho the number and weight of my Transgressions might justly deter me yet I am resolved to embrace the opportunity because thou hast bidden all who are weary and heavy laden to come unto thee Will Jesus whom the Heavens must contain till the consummation of all things be content to dwell with his poor servant Oh that I could entertain thee in my Soul with the same joy that the Holy Virgin did at thy incarnation with the same Exultations that the Infant Baptist did when he danc'd before he was Born at the approach of a Saviour with the Hosannah's of the Devout Jews before thy Passion and with the Authems of Angels at thy Ascension For who deserves my praises but my Saviour Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive Power and Riches and Wisdom and Strength and Honour and Glory and Blessing My Soul therefore shall joyn consort with every Creature which is in Heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the Sea when they say Blessing and Honour and Glory and Power be unto him that sits on the Throne and unto the Lamb for evermore § 11. VVhile the Priest himself is receiving the good man prays for him The Lord hear thee the name of the God of Jacob defend thee send thee help from the Sanctuary and strengthen thee out of Zion Remember all thy offerings and accept thy Sacrifice Grant thee thy hearts desire and fulfil all thy mind § 12. After which if the time will permit he Exercises this or the like act of contrition but if he wants time he does it in his Closet at his return Lord I am the greatest of sinners but here is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World His Blood speaks better things than that of Abel and he is the propititation for our sins My sins dearest Jesu brought thee to all thy shame and all thy sufferings but that satisfaction was necessary for the Redemption of the World I am troubled above measure for thy sorrows and will revenge thy death on my vices which were the cause of it Melt me O God into a soft temper fit to receive thy impressions give me an intire detestation of my sins and an indignation that may engage me to forsake my transgressions and to love the paths of virtue § 13. To which he subjoins this or the like act of Faith Jesus is my God and my Saviour he is the Angel of the Covenant I will not leave him till he bless me This is Jesus whom the Jews slew and hanged on a Tree him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins If God hath given us his Son how shall he not with him give us all things for his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed Lord I believe that thou art present in the Sacrament but in a manner spiritual and ineffable to think that thou art here corporeally bids defiance to my senses and my reason and debases thy glorified humanity and to imagine that I receive nothing more than bare signs is to rob my self of the benefit of communicating with thee Let me feel the truth of that mystery which I admire and believe but cannot prove and let me experiment the glorious effects of this Sacrament tho I am unacquainted with the particular manner how they are derived to me Thou hast convinc'd me that the flesh profiteth nothing but thy Words are spirit and life as therefore thou hast made it so I humbly and thankfully receive it Let it be unto thy servant according to thy word and grant that the days may come shortly when Faith shall be swallowed up of Vision Amen § 14. If many others Communicate before him the good man employs that leasure in reflecting upon the Office of Consecration and because he could not without disturbance interpose his ejaculations while the Priest was saying the Prayer of Consecration he takes this occasion to say When the Priest carries the Patin As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness for the cure of the wounded Israelites so was our dearest Saviour lifted up on the Cross for the redemption of a world of sinners Lord evermore give me this bread When the Priest breaks the Bread he says So was the Body of Jesus mangled so was his flesh torn till there was no whole place in his body When the Priest pours out the Wine he says So when Jesus was in his Agony so when he was scourged crowned with Thorns and nailed to the accursed Tree did the Blood run down so Jesus loved us and wash'd us from our sins in his own blood When the Priest carries the Chalice he says It is the Blood of Jesus that makes atonement being shed for me and for many for the remission of sins I will cleave to the Cross of my bleeding Saviour and will drink his Blood Inable me O my God to overcome all my ghostly enemies by the blood of the Lamb. § 15. When the Priest takes the Elements in his hands to give them to the devout Christian he remembers that so God offers his Son to be the Author of Eternal Salvation to every believer so hath God fitted Jesus a body and indowed him with the spirit above measure that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life § 16. When the Priest delivers the Elements to the worthy Communicant he considers that there are two parts in the form of distribution a Prayer and an Advice the Prayer in these words The Body the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy Body and Soul unto everlasting Life to which with