maculamur David the Lords Darling Iob whose crowne is Iustice Paul that vessell of mercy Peter the mouth of the Apostles those devout Women that were Apostolae Apostolis even Mary-Iesus the mirrour of the Saints speake freely and they will unanimously confesse to their own shame they were great sinners yet to the praise of Gods grace his Sonne washed them from their sinnes Object But in thus saying they may say to me as the widdow of Sarepta to Elias Am I come to bring their sinnes to remembrance I have no delight to rake in dead mens graves Resp or set their frailties on the Stage but so farre to confirme from them this truth in many things Amb. non solum docentes sed errantes instruunt we sinne all and that if we fall as they did wee may beare our selves upon the wings of mercy to obtaine as they have or make their faults as markes at Sea to steere our course wisely lest wee-runne on these Rockes and so sinke Barke and Goods Object But here may be obtruded a Dilemma if Christs Spouse be all faire then there is no spot so needes no washing if any spot how is she all faire as Salomon speakes withall is not this Cant. 4 7. derogatorie from Christs plenary satisfaction For resolution of the former part wee are to Resp consider the Spouse the body of Saints first in regard of imputative holinesse thus spotlesse Ecclesia nigra quia ex peccatoribus decora ex fideâ— Sacramento Ambros and more orient than the Sunne Secondly in their inherent holinesse thus as the Moone part blacke part bright And for the latter part of the Argument grant the Churches pollution it imperfects not Christs lotion to instance He that comes forth of the Bathe is cleane washed but trampling slimie earth the soles of his feet contract some sully yet therein for his defilement the Bathe is unblameable after the same manner we cleansed in that beatifying fountaine of Christs blood open for Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in for sinne and uncleannesse may not Zach. 13. 1. if the feet of our soules viz. our affections walking on this sinfull soyle licke up some defiling dust that we stand afterwards need of washing impute to this holy Bathe any imperfection and hereupon is it according to our Saviours saying He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet Iohn 13. 10. Avaunt then vaine Catharist that vaunts thy Consect selfe cleare of all tincture of sinne Elisha was of another minde witnesse his words What is man Iob 25. 14 15 16. that he should bee cleane and he that is borne of a Woman that he should be just behold hee found no stedfastnesse in his Saints Yea the Heavens are uncleane in his sight how much more is man abhominable and filthy which drinketh iniquitie like water Therefore to that selfe-beseeming pure generation I say no more but as the Emperour said to that Arch-Puritan Acesius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theod. Histor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set thou the Ladder and goe alone to Heaven but for my own part with the Leper I confesse I am uncleane and with the wings of devotion faith and prayer hie me to the mercy-seat and in the Publicans posture crie Lord be mercifull to me a sinner and to conclude this with that Exhortation of the Apostle Clense 2 Cor. 7. 1. your selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and the spirit not from the great Beames but the least Motes not that the World may see on the outside but that thou knowst in the inside even all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit for into the new Ierusalem enters no uncleane thing Apoc. 21. 27. But you will say unto me wherewithall may we be made cleane To which I answer First flumine by Eye-water teares for sinnes distilled thorow the lymbecke of a contrite Soule which doe not only Aâ—â— quod defendi non potest â—â—â—ui potest wash but as a sponge wipe out Secondly flamine with the Holy Ghost which as fire scoures of rust-eating sinnes from the face of the Soule and for this shall every one pray with the Church Come Holy Ghost Thirdly sanguine by blood not mysticall as the blood of Martyrs nor typicall as was the blood of Goates but the naturall and most precious blood of Christ which clenseth from all sinne and this is that wherewith 1 Ioh. 1. 7. he washed us the third branch of the second generall part viz. the Organon of our purification Organon And washed us in his Blood In washing us with his Blood his love life blood is shed abroad in our hearts that it was not cold but warme as blood nor drye for with his blood he washed us nor little it was not gutta sed unda not a drop but a flood wherewith he washed us This was prophesied by good old Iacob of Christ under the name of Iudah hee Gen. 49 11. should wash his garment in Wine and his Cloake in the blood of the Grape what other meaning but that Christs Body the vestment of his soule should be all over bloody This was prefigured by the red Cow whose blood was to be sprinkled Numb 19. seven times before the Tabernacle so our Saviours seven times effused upon the Tabernacle of his Body First In his Circumcision Secondly in Pilates Hall stript and whipt till blood came Thirdly in the Garden sweat teares of blood Fourthly in his spineall coronation Fifthly in his crucifixion Sixthly in piercing his hands and feet with nayles and Seventhly at the last to be sure to take away life the Souldier thrust a Speare into the filme of his heart whence streamed Columb dere Anat. â— 7. water and blood in abundance whereupon the Element trembled Rockes rent asunder the Heavens covered the face of the Earth with darkenesse as with a sable Canopie vaile his bloody nakednesse It is noted to be the innative vertue of blood in its kinde 1. To mollifie 2. To purifie 3. To preserve alive 4. To revive the dead For the first So it is storyed of the Goat that albeit the Adamant in its owne nature bee inflexible and infrangible yet steeped in Goats blood it becomes pliable and tender But more efficacious is the impreciable vertue of Christs Blood that being sprinkled on the heart by the hand of Faith it intenders it though harder than the hardest Adamant This rent Rockes and made stones relent this wrought one of the Theeves on the Crosse as soft as Waxe to receive the gracious impression of the Spirit to beleeve in a crucified Christ and in the merit of that his Blood bubbling before his eyes to be with him in Paradise Blood purifies spots and purges over-spreading maladies therefore the Persian Magi as Nicephorus relates counselled Constantine the Lib. 7. c. 33. great being smitten with a loathsome Leprosie for his cure to bathe himselfe in the blood of Innocents
it savours Iesuiticall advise let the credit of the Story stand ad placitum but this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy of all acceptation that Christs innocent Blood expiates our guilt and heales all manner of spirituall Leprosie Ioh. 1. 1. Blood preserves alive therefore Physitians prescribe the blood of a Dove a soveraigne against diseases in the eye and the braine Galen gives it against the bruises called Hyposphagmata which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 presents every thing to the eye red And Iul. Alex. commends it dropped on the corners of Lib. 4. salubrium the braine called Pia Dura Mater in the wounds of the head to helpe to hold in life So pretious was the blood of Christ a harmelesse Dove that dropped on our eyes whereas before all we could see were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goare blood by reason of our bloody sinnes now wee behold as in a Glasse salvation before our eyes And whereas in our head Adam we had received a deadly wound by a Balme made of this Blood and laid to it we are alive unto God Blood hath revived the dead As the Story of the Pelican goes for currant her brood being stung to death by the brood of the Serpent by distilling her blood on her owne brood they have beene restored to life So Christ our true Pelican when by our serpentine firy-stinging sinnes we were stung to death by the vertue of his blood effused on our soules wee are quickned and raised to life to the praise of his glory But there is one maine and memorable difference betwixt this Blood and all others The blood of man or beast may give snow-white a scarlet tincture but never die scarlet snow-white but this and this onely by mercy and miracle makes scarlet Soules as white as snow In Salomon thus that Elder moved the question and made the answer to our Evangelist What are they that Apoc. 7. 13 14. are arrayed in long white robes and whence came they These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their long Robes and have made their long robes white in the Blood of the Lambe Now that Christ washed us with his blood Hence a choake Peare to the Manichees who deny the truth of Christs-humanity to the Marcionites who averre he had a phantasticall Body to Apelles who conceived hee had a Sydereall substance He that runnes may read printed in blood the truth of his Manhood For as Alexander the great however the popular sort deified him yet having got a clap with an Arrow said ye stile me Iupiters Sonne as if immortall Sed hoc vulnus clamat me esse hominem this blood that issues from the wound proves me in the issue a man So may I say of our Saviour though myriads of Angels and Saints acclaime he is God ergo immortall and a crue of Hereticks disclaime him to be a man yet the streames of blood following the arrow of death that strucke him make good he was perfect man of a reasonable soule and humane flesh subsisting but this their heresie wee passe for there must bee 1 Cor. 11. 9. heresies and in holy admiration ponder in the chambers of our hearts the immense love of the Father and of the Sonne of the Father that hee would give his Sonne to shed his blood and dye the execrable death of the Crosse for the sonnes of men Ab aeterno genitum begotten before all eternitie His Sonne Psal 2. 7. Omnis creaturae primogenitum the first begotten of every creature Vnigenitum his onely begotten Col. 1. 16. Ioh. 1. 18. Mat. 3. ult Esa 42. 1. Sonne Dilectum his beloved Sonne and as speakes that Seraphicall Prophet Electum Animae suae such a sonne in whom his soule delighted and for us Caytiffes not worthy the least crum of his mercy And no lesse admirable is the love of Gods dearely beloved Sonne to powre out his soule unto death for us and our salvation It is storied of Cyrus King of Persia having Zenop. lib. 3. taken Tygranes King of Armenia with his Queene captives on a time he moved Tygranes what he would give for his Queenes ransome to whom he replyed That had hee what he once had viz. his Crowne and Kingdome hee would freely give it for her freedome and if that were too little he would purchase it with the price of his blood which love to his Spouse Cyrus observing presently reinvested them to their pristine liberties and honours Wherupon Tygranes spake unto his Queene Cyrus is a most 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 noble Prince the Queene made answer My affections were only bent on him that would have spent his dearest blood for me a fortiori should we espoused unto Christ the Prince of the Kings of the Earth fixe our hearts on him that not onely resolved our freedome from Persian but infernall thraldome and purchased it with his precious Blood To winde up in a word here every eye may see whereon to rest his Soule that it may be saved in that great and notable day not on his owne righteousnesse that is imperfect nor Saints oyle that is not sufficient for themselves nor the Popish incruentall Masse a Masse of horrible impieties no Popes pardon or Aqua benedicta of theirs to which they ascribe rare incredible both spirituall and corporall effects whereby they bewitch silly soules to inrich themselves and all not worth a bit of bread but solely in the blessed blood of that immaculate Lambe Christ Iesus Herein to our most precious soules is salus oblata salvation freely offered herein by our most precious faith is salus recepta salvation imbraced in this faith by the impresse of the Spirit is salus obsignata salvation sealed and hereby is the end of our faith salus consummata our salvation finished and while we sojourne in these terrene Tabernacles the foundation of our glory the rise and perfection is in and from this blood whereby wee are made Kings and Priests unto our God And this is the second branch wherein Christs love is manifested Hee hath crowned us Kings and consecrated us Priests to God and his Father Artaxerxes honoured Nehemiah much to Kings advance him to bee his Cup-bearer and Saul David to make him his Sonne in law but to make us Kings lesse than none save God alone what could be more but what manner of Kings Rex solâ— deo minor not politicall but spirituall Et bene saith S. Gregory quia praelati cunctis motibus carnis c. Moral 36. c. 21. as reigning over our corrupt affections curbing luxury tempering intemperate avarice humbling hautinesse of spirit and extinguishing the fire of fury Will you a little more at large behold the majestie of as many as are truely made Kings Their unction is not oyle but holy blood Their Diademe is not 12. stones but 12. sâ—ars Apoc. 12. 1. The Sword is the Word of God The Scepter is the power
of his Spirit The Globe the World all things are theirs Their Royall Robes the syndone of Christs 1 Cor. 3. 22. Righteousnesse Their Princely Pallaces White-Hall Gods Sanctuary and Non-such the new Ierusalem the Esquires of their bodies a heavenly guard even 10000. of Angels their dyet is of the best the inconsumptible body and the blood of Christ and hee that made them kings is the King of Kings Beloved Brethren wee see our honourable calling let dogges returne to their vomit Hogs of Epicurus Heards wallow in their obscene Aliud Sceptrum aliud plectrum pleasures Kites feed on caerrion Beasts live like Beasts yet our calling calls upon us to live like men the chiefe of men Kings and Christian Kings What therefore was Iosuahs injunction ought to be ours in theory practice viz. the exercise of pure Religion to meditate in the Booke of the Law day and night to observe and Iosu 1. 8. doe according to all the Law not to turne from it to the right hand nor to the left that wee Deut. 17. 19. may prosper wheresoever we goe It is recorded in Ecclesiasticall History of Philadelphus King of Aegypt however hee had two hundred thousand volumes in his Library yet hee sent the keeper of his Library Demetrius to the Iewes to have the Booke of the Law and the Translators which we call the Septuagint Such was his love to the Law We need not send farre or spend much to have the Booke of the Law and the Gospel in our owne houses in Gods houses they are read and orthodoxally expounded every day and if the best of desires be not thereto to know and to doe we are not worthy the name of Christians much lesse the honour of Kings but if wee shall make the profession and the practice of sincere Religion our joy our glory and our crowne and be found so doing Kings we are here by grace and shall reigne with the King of Kings hereafter in eternall glory And thus I leave this and take hold on the last branch of our honour He hath consecrated us Priests to God and the Father Amongst the Heathen one man sometime was both King and Priest Rex idem hominum Virg. Phoebique sacerdos St. Peter combines both together Ye are a royall Priesthood St. Ambrose is 1 Pet. 2. 9. In Luc. c. 22. plaine Omnes filii Ecclesiae sacerdotes sunt all the true children of the Church are Priests spiritually Priests whereof Clemens Alexandrinus renders this reason Quia eorum caput Christus est Rex Sacerdos because Christ their head is both King and Priest Then Priests wee are therefore it behoves us to adorne our holy Profession as Priests to be filled with knowledge not of the most so much as of the best to send up the Heraulds of our soules to the Mercy-seat for our selves and others that we may be healed to purifie our selves when we approach the Temple and to be holy in all manner of conversation what other thing in Moses Law did that his Act Levit. 8. 24. typifie to put blood on the Priests eare the thumbe of the right hand and the great toe of the right foot than that to spirituall Priests the doore of knowledge and the instruments of action should be sanctified and being sanctified forget not to sacrifice Cum sale cum igne cum thure with discretion fervor of love prayer subdue Arrogance then we offer to the Lord a Calfe Orig. 9. Ep. ad Rom overcome wee anger then wee offer a Ramme quell we concupiscence that is to offer a Goat restraine we wandring imagination then wee offer Pigeons In three words to conclude all let us all offer the Philosophers three kindes of goods 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our externall goods doling Ethic. l. 1. c. 8. almes to the needy for with such sacrifices God is well pleased I but thou hast it not to offer yes sure not so poore but thou hast a sacrifice Si Zachei divitias non habes si desint tibi duo minuta Remig. c if thou hast not Zache his store not so much as the widowes mites no not a cup of cold water offer to thy God thy good will and God takes it well according to that Coronat Deus intus Voluntatem ubi non invenit facultatem 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 August 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the goods of our bodies so the Apostle Rom. 12. 1. supplicates the Romanes how this may be golden mouthed Chrysostome instructs elegantly Let thy eye behold no evill or no evill hold thy eye Hom 20. in Ep. ad Rom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so thy eye is a sacrifice thy tongue speak no evill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is an oblation thy hand act no evill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it is become a burnt Offering so order all other parts in Gods service and so they are made Gods sacrifices Lastly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the goods of our minde Prayers perfumed with faith incensed with zeale to make them as incense daily and duly presented by the hands of Christ Iesus to that God which heareth prayers and to close with our God in praises and praise him for all his mercies from the morning of our youth to the mid-day of our strength even to the evening of our dayes till our Sunne set that when the Sonne of righteousnesse shall appeare we may beare with Cherubins and Seraphins a part in their heavenly Hallelujah world without end Now to the God of Love the Spirit of grace that moves us to love and the Son of Gods Love Who loved us and washed us in his Blood and made us Kings and Priests unto our God a Trinity in Vnity and an Vnitie in Trinitie be ascribed Glory and Dominion for evermore Amen FINIS Imprimatur SA BAKER Fulham Septemb. 16. 1635.
Monument at Tarentum called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lovers Monument These wee must know were deare and neere an espoused paire but for Christ to set his love on us every way unworthy Rom. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hos 2. 19. to be beloved 1. weake 2. godlesse 3. sinners 4. enemies yea traytors to him and our owne soules though once espoused by a Ring of Love in-laid with the pearles of his Spirit yet by reason of spirituall adultery divorced and for all this to love us this is much Greater love than this Isa 59. 2. Iohn 15. 13 hath no man than to lay downe his life for his friend yet under correction To majorem habuisti charitatem Domine dilexti non existentes imò resistentes greater sweet Saviour was thy love thou lovedst us when wee were nothing yea worse than nothing sworne enemies to thy life In meditation whereof that inscription upon Senacheribs Tombe I may apply to Christ and the Christians use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whosoever Herodot thou art make Christ thy spectacle learne of him to love thine enemies this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 6. 35. that spirituall wisdome which adopts thee Gods child hereto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 natures instinct workes all being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of one blood now never man hated his owne flesh this is the Royall Acts 17. 26. command I say to you Love your enemies and Mat. 5. 44 Christ himselfe herein is exemplum fine exemplo a matchlesse mirrour of benevolence and beneficence towards his enemies in that he loved us It is storyed of Alexander the Monarch that he Edicte vetuit de quis se praeter Apelle pingeret aut alius Lysippo Horat. Epist 2. would have no man draw his Picture save Apelles or engrave it save Lysippus the best Artists both for theorie and practice No Artist in Christendome can draw the most high GOD better to the life than in the lines of his owne life to blaze the true orientall colours of love towards his enemies after the example of the ingraven forme of his person that loved us which words ere I depart from me thinks ecchoes so sweetly in the eare of my soule and in thine except deafenesse or deadnesse have made a forcible entrie that Miriams Timbrels Asaphs Trumpet Davids Anthemes Salomons Epithalamions sound nothing so sweetly the ground Rom. 5. 10 is sound for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life which brings me to the second general part the life of his love in ample manifestation 2 Generall part of the 1 Sacrifice Quest He washed us in his blood from our sinnes Hee Christ the Sonne of the living God Lord of Men and Angels majesty in excelsis in the highest to become humility in profundis in the lowest did this become him was not this a servile act viz. to wash us a staine to his honourable person To put this Question out of doubt or the Resp doubt out of question no whit for herein first was the complement of that Prophesie in a good sense The elder shall serve the younger Further it Gen. 25. 23. was of such absolute necessity that Peters case being ours except he had washed us we had had no part with him But to cleere the scruple Iohn 13. 8. it is illustrated thus A Peere of the Realme Ruff. in Symb. beholding a poore child wel-nigh choaked in the mud and to save him if some slime should adhere to him it were no dishonour rather an honour to doe so good a dayes worke as to save a soule semblablie that true Noble-Man Christ Iesus beholding with the eye of grace our silly soule plunged in the puddle of sinne albeit our slimy sinnes stucke to him to plucke us out and save us it did not impaire his honour yea rather set it off with a fairer lustre And by this act he reades us a Lecture of humility If I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet Ioh. 13. 14 15 ye ought also to wash one anothers feet for I have given you an example that ye should doe even as I have done How may this be Saint Cyprian is our Schoole-master Quoties igitur c. D◠Ablutione pedum as often as we perswade those which are under spirituall Pharoahs slavery to get them out of Aegypt mourne with those that mourne burne with those that are offended are infirme with those that are infirme that Aquin. in Cor. 2. 11. is as Aquinas interprets for him that is infirme in the Faith Dolemus in cordibus nostris sicut de nobis lament for them as for our selves so often wash we the feet of our Brethren And when this thy Saviours humility comes fresh into thy memory that he whose Throne is Mount-heaven footstoole the Earth whom all the inhabitants of the Earth and all the Angels of Heaven must worship that he would stoope to wash thee Stoope Gallant and learne of him to be lowly so to be it is a good argument thou art well loaden with grace for as branches of Trees and eares of Corne the better they are loaden stoop neerer the earth and the best refined Gold goes downe in the ballance so the more fruitfull and Quo sanctior hoc humilior Ambros precious a Soule is the more it lowers it selfe and the higher in Gods eye it shall bee exalted Obiectum And thus from Christs Act we descend to the Object what hee washed and from what Vs from our sinnes Which words argue 1 sinnes condition it is pollution so Zacharias brands it uncleanenesse 13. 1. Atramentum Evae Amb. 26. therefore Ezekiel compares it to scum 22. 18. Hosea to a rising leprosie S. Iude to a spot S. Ambrose to a blacke cloud Vna nubecula peccatricis totam fere obscuravit Ecclesiam Res est Ep. ad virg lapsam foetida saith Origen a spawne of an uncleane spirit which unlesse washed away in the laver of Christs purifying blood and a flood of cordiall repentance will in fine associate with a Cage of uncleane Birds Therefore minde we Apostolicall counsell touch not taste not handle not for as Syracides speakes hee that washeth himselfe because of a dead body and toucheth it Eccles 34. 26. againe what availes his washing And as his washing proves sinne its nature so it unmaskes all the sonnes of men that albeit in their originall they were like to the house of Iacob wherein Amb. de fug seculi c. 4. no image of impiety no spot of pollution but all as cleere as Chrystall yet since the prevarication all as Labans Lambes are speckled and spotted A capite ad calcem from top to toe Let Abraham the father of the faithfull Isa 1. 6. Aaron on whose bonnet was holinesse to the Lord Amb. a pol. Daniel Antequam noscamur