which is not first in the sense therefore as I take it we must first Open the dore of our senses heare him in the Word see him in the Sacrament and then the dores of our vnderstanding apprehend him by Faith and retayne him by Loue. First then Open vnto him that is Open thine eares to heare him preached a most necessary worke for a Christian for k Rom. 10.17 Faith come by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10.17 Yea euen such as haue seene Christ and seene him crucified yet haue not beleeued in him by seeing but by hearing The Centurion that watched him at his death l Mark 15.36 hearing him with a cry giue vp the Ghost said Truely this was the Sonne of God m Bern. super Cant. ser 28. Auditus inuenit quod non visus saith Bernard Oculum species fefellit veritas auri se infudit His hearing found out that which his seeing could not prie into and Truth shewed her selfe to his care that could not be perceiued with his eye Therefore God saith to his Church Psal 45.11 n Audi filia vide Heare ô Daughter and see Psal 45.11 o Bern. vbi sup Quid intendis oculum aurem para Why dost thou bend thine eye rather prepare thine care that thou maist say with them in the Psalme p Psal 48.8 Sieut audiuimus sic vidimus c. As wee haue heard so haue wee seene in the Citie of the Lord of Hoasts in the Citie of our God Psal 48 8. Then Open vnto him that is open thine eyes to see him crucified Looke on him in the Sacraments in Baptisme washing and purging thee in the Lords Supper feeding and nourishing thee For these are the signes which hee desires to be shewed by and which will make vs with Moyses q Heb. 11.26 to see him that is inuisible But rest not in the signe that is but earth aspire to that which is signified which is in heauen To conclude as r Dan. 6.10 Daniel set his windowes open to Ierusalem so set thou thine eyes open to heauen s Hieron ad Eustoch vnde lumen introeat saith Ierome vnde vide as ciuitatem Domini from whence thou maist see the light of grace and behold the Citie of God It is said of God that t Psal 34.15 his eyes are ouer the righteous and his eares open to their prayers Let thine eyes be toward God as his are toward thee Say with Dauid v Psal 123.2 Behold as the eyes of seruants looke vnto the hand of their Master and as the eyes of a Mayden vnto the hand of their Mistresse so waite our eyes vpon thee O Lord. When thou hast thus heard him thus seene him let him passe from thy sense to thine vnderstanding There open thine heart to beleeue in him and thy affections to loue him Thine heart to beleeue in him for x Rom. 10.10 With the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnes Rom. 10.10 And y Ephes 3.17 Christ doth dwell in the heart by Faith Ephes 3.17 Ianua nostrafides est saith z Ambr. in Psal 118. serm 12. Ambrose quae totam domum sifuerit robusta communit Faith is the dore which letteth Christ into the soule which if it be strong all the house is the stronger And strong it is if any vertue be strong a Bernard sup Cant. serm 76. Attingit inaccessa deprehendit ignota comprehendit immensa apprehendit nouissima It toucheth things inaccessible findes out things vnconceiueable apprehends things invisible comprehends things vnmeasurable Yea it closeth within the spheare thereof euen eternitie it selfe for that most blessed and glorious Trinitie which wee cannot conceiue in our hart by knowledge wee doe receiue into our soules by faith Per istam ianuam Christus ingreditur b Amb. in Psal 118. ser 12. saith Ambrose By this gate Christ enters into the soule and there rests as in his holy temple Finally faith is c Lud. Viu com in Aug. de ciu dei lib. 1. cap. 1. huius vitae viaticum Our whole prouision for this life without which a man can neither d Heb. 11.6 please God nor e Nam qui non placeat deo non potest illi placere deus Bern. in Cant. ser 24. God him When thou hast thus got him by faith hold him by Loue For else hee will soone be gone from thee againe The two f Rib. de templ lib. 1. cap. 21. dores which lead into the Sanctum Sanctorum had sides round or folding and were g 1 King 6.24 se inuicem tenentia holding or clasping each other to teach vs that the two dores of Faith and loue by which Christ Iesus goes into the soule as into his holy Temple must neuer be separate nor diuided but must se inuicem tenere claspe hands together because h Leo de collect eleemos ser 5. Sicut in fide est operum ratio sic in operibus fidei fortitudo saith Leo Euen as in Faith is the order of our workes so in workes is the life of Faith And thus haue wee heard how wee must open to him that we may the better doe it let vs see how he knockes for enterance and why For the first vnderstand that God knockes at the gate of our heart for lodging there diuers wayes First i 2 Cor. 5.20 by the open voyce of the ministerie 2 Cor. 5.20 We pray you euen as if God did beseech you through vs that yee be reconciled vnto God Secondly by wholesome inspiration Reu. 3.20 k Reu. 3.20 Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man will heare my voyce and open vnto mee I will come in to him and sup with him Domine saith l Aug. confess lib. 10. cap. 6. Augustine amo te percussisticor meū amaui te Lord I loue thee thou hast knocked at my heart and I haue set my minde on thee And m Acts 17.27 doubtlesse he is not farre from euery one of vs. Not farre no n Senec. epist 41 Prope est à te Deus tecum est intus est saith diuine Seneca God is neere thee with thee within thee Ita dico Lucili sacer intra nos Spiritus sedet Yea it is as I say there is an holy spirit resting in vs or rather not resting but stirring moning vs to holy actions o Idi bid Bonus vir sine deo nemo est so impossible is it for any man to be good without God Thirdly by the Creatures the world is a Booke Heauen and earth opened leaues each creature a letter to teach vs to know and to loue God p Aug. confess lib. 1. cap. 6. Domine saith Augustine coelum terra omnia quae in eis sunt ecce vndique mihi dicunt vt te amem nec cessant dicere omnibus vt sint inexcusabiles Heauen and earth and all things therein lo ô
earnestly exhorts vs to desire happinesse to come The which as it excellently intends in generall so it most diuinely performs by Salomon the great Philosopher d 1 King 4.33 that spake of Beasts Fowles Fishes and creeping things as also of trees from the Cedar in Libanus to the Hyssope on the wall in these three bookes of his truely therefore called c Lyr. alij Sapientiall I meane the bookes of the Prouerbs of the Preacher and of the Canticles In the first hee labours to inlighten the minde and therefore hee beginnes vvith Prouerbs To know wisedome and instruction to vnderstand the words of knowledge Prou. 1.2 Pro. 1.2 In the second hee exhorts to contemne the world present and therefore hee saith Vanity of vanities and all is vanity Eccle. 1.1 Eccle. 1.1 In the third hee moues the soule to desire future happinesse and for that cause to cry out to CHRIST Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1.1 Cant. 1.1 Whereupon the framing of these three bookes is much after the building of the Temple There Solomon made first the outter Court for the people then the body of the Temple for the Priests and lastly the holy of holyes for the high Priest Here he sets downe first Prouerbs for the mostignorant To giue vnto the simple sharpnèsse of wit and to the Childe knowledge and discretion Prouer. 1.3 Prouer. 1.3 The Ecclesiastes or the PREACHER as it were for the Priest the man of learning to be busied in and lastly this Song of Songs into which as the holy of holyes no man must presume to enter but hee which is of a most sanctified Spirit fit in some sort as an high Priest to come into the presence of God himselfe For here Solomon vpon occasion of his marriage with the King of Egipts daughter most diuinely describes the happy coniunction of Christ and his Church with which hee seemes to be so rauished that the description of his owne marriage serues him but as a shell to lap vp the sweet kernell of the other in as the Poet fitly f Monc. in Sol. hist delib Vti habet Ioh. Pin. dereb Solom lib. 5. cap. 2. Nil Solomonis in hoc nudum nisi nomen vmbra Carmine nil Phariae nisi nomen et vmbra puellae In this whole Song is but the bare name and shadow of Solomon and the King of Egipts Daughter the body and substance is of Christ and the Church g Id. ibid. Vox hominem sonat ipsa meros sonat omnis amores Affectusque hominum contexius Atalmus in illis Nucleus et coeleste latet sub cortice germen The speech indeed is of man and woman and the bare letter sounds humane loue and affection but this is but the shell the sweet kernell is within in the sense where you shall finde more sung of then the loue of man to woman euen the loue of God himselfe to man Hence therefore all prophane eyes and eares and come not neare Prophane eyes view not the sport of the letter h Bern. sup cant serm 61. Nihil enim serium babet literae series saith Bernard the series of the letter is nothing serious Prophane eares heare not the loue-phrases of the speakers but i Origen in Cant. hom 2. vt spiritualis audi spiritualiter amatoria verbae cantari saith Origen as a spirituall man conceiue of these amorous words and when thou hearest these louers k Bern. sup cant serm 61. Non virum et foeminam sed verbum et animam sentias Thinke not on a man and a woman but of GOD and the soule of man and woman both To conclude view not so much the out-side of the phrase as the inside of the sense The letter is but the chaffe the corne is in the vnderstanding and l Gregor proaem in Cant. fumentorum est paleis hominum frumentis vesci saith Gregory They are but beasts that feed on chaffe and men which eate the corne The letter is but the bone the marrow is the meaning therefore m Petrus Bles ser 3. Frange os literae et innenies medullam intelligentiae Breake with mee the bone of the letter and you shall finde the marrow of sense and vnderstanding Which as you must doe in the rest so in these words that I haue read Open vnto me Diuision my Sister my Loue my Doue my Vndefiled Where you see one commending and commanding praising and praying Commending and praising when hee saith my Sister my Loue my Doue my Vndefiled Commanding or praying whether you will when hee saith Open vnto me The question yet is who it is that speakes and to whom This is to bee remembred that the speakers in this booke are in all but three n Iun. et Tremel in annot et alij the Bridegrome which is Christ figured as is said by Solomon the King of Israel The Bride vvhich is the Church figured by the King of Egypts daughter and lastly the friends of them both now and then casting in a word as third persons betweene the Bridegrome and his Bride Now the vvordes read are spoken by the Bridegrome to his Bride but recounted ouer againe by the Bride her selfe partly in ioy as commending the Bridegrome for the sweet words he bestowed on her o Lamentatio Ecclesiae seipsam incusantis de officio non salis praestito Iun. in annot ad loc Thomp ad loc alij partly in sorrow as condemning her selfe for not listning to the request which he made vnto her The words which he giues vnto her are words befitting a Bridegrome words full of loue My Sister my Loue my Doue my Vndefiled He cals her first his Sister which shewes how neare shee is to him in affinity Secondly his Loue which declares how deare shee is to him in affection p Bern. sup Cant. serm 8. Soror quia ab vno patre Sponsa quia in vno spiritu saith Bernard His Sister as comming from the same father his Loue as liuing by the same spirit Thirdly his Doue which shewes that she is spightlesse Fourthly his vndefiled which declares that she is spotlesse q Isidor Hisp comment ad loc Columba quia spiritus sui done illustrata saith Isidore Immaculata quia sola aspectu sui digna His Doue as onely graced with his spirit on earth his vndefiled as onely glorified with his presence in heauen Againe the request hee makes vnto her is reasonable Open vnto mee Open what more easie in the attempt vnto me what more worthy in the intent Open vnto mee for I haue both done good to thee and suffered euill for thee done good to thee whilest I haue married thee and made thee a Queene Suffered euill for thee r Nullum malū aut incommodum defugi quin susceperim propter te Iun. annot ad loc by wayting abroad so long till My head is wet with the
philo Eo à viris ad foeminas I am going from men to very women So as a man may say to our Gallants as o Eras Apoph lib. 6. Alexis to Calimedon Many haue died 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many for the loue of a Common-wealth but thou for the loue of a common vvench For remedy hereof remember Pauls words p 1 Thes 4.3 1 Thes 4.3 This is the will of God euen your sanctification that euery one of you should know how to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour and not in the lust of concupiscence Where marke how hee bids you keepe your bodies viz. possesse them For harlots and harlot-mongers doe not possesse their bodies themselues but set them out to hire and giue possession of them to others Againe marke vvhat he cals the body a vessell euen q 2 Tim. 2.20 Vas in honorem a vessell of honour in Gods house but by lust a man makes it r Ierem. 1.13 ollam succensam a seething pot in the Deuils Kitchin that boyles in the minde Now if thy body be in this case s Ierem. 6.7 Frigidam fac malitiam there is such a phrase in Ieremy coole thy naughtinesse euen as Cookes doe their pots and that eyther by infusion of water or by substraction of vvood or by remouing it from the fire First I say if the vessell of thy body boyle ouer vvith lust runne to the waters but not to the waters which the harlot speakes of t Prou. 9.17 Stolne waters are sweet Prou. 9.17 but to the vvaters which Solomon directed to v Prou. 5.15 Drinke the water of thine owne Cisterne and let them be thine and not the strangers with thee I am not ignorant that lust is sometime compared to water but that is not a cooling but a kindling water u August de ciuit Dei lib. 21. cap. 5. Saint Augustine makes mention of a Well in Epirus that when firebrands vvere put into it it would quench them but which is strange when they were quenched would set them on fire againe Such a water is an harlot which quencheth lust for a time sets the body on fire euer after Haue therefore a Well of thine own for x Pro. 23.27 an harlot is as a deepe ditch and a strange woman as a narrow pit Secondly if thy concupiscence be not allayed this way take away the wood For y Eccles 28.10 Secundū syluae ligna exardescit ignis Eccles 28.10 As is the vvood of the fire so is the fire it selfe Now the fewell of lust is gluttony and drunkennesse z August de temp Ser. 69. Semper iuncta est saturitati lasciuia saith Augustine Saturity is the breeder of impuritie foulenesse the childe of fulnesse See it in Noah a Incert author Noam qui euasit aquam euicit vinum Noah that escaped the water could not escape the Wine for wine did make him sinke whom water made to swimme See it in Lot b Origen in Gen. hom 8. Ebrietas decipit quem Sodoma non decipit Drunkennesse deceiued him whom Sodome deceiued not Vritur ille flammis mulierum quem sulphurea flamma non essit and he is scorched with the flames of lust that could not be touched with the flames of vengeance No maruaile then if vncleannesse be so hardly auoyded vvhen drunkennesse and gluttony be so much affected Thirdly to quench lust vtterly remoue thy body quite from the fire auoyd the company of vnchaste vvomen For this by the wisest men hath beene iudged the wisest course c Gen. 39.10 Ioseph when hee would not haue his Mistres desire his company would not so much as offer to be seene in her company Gen. 39.10 d Isid Pelus lib. 2. Epist 62. Lectione didici saith Isidore of Pelusium I haue learned by reading of a certaine King it was Antiochus the third as I haue learned who at Ephesus beholding the priest of Diana a woman of incomparable beautie went presently out of the Citie e Id. ib. ne praeter voluntatem nefarij aliquid admittere cogeretur Least more then hee was willing to hee should be tempted to commit vncleanenesse with her And hee addes that Cyrus the great Monarch of Persia when he had heard of the great Beautie of Panthea the wife of Abradalus King of Susa hee vvould not yeeld so much as to see her f Isid Pelus vt sup 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 g Eras annot in Hieron Epist ad Innocent Erasmus somewhat tartly cals adultery Magnatum ludus the sport of Nobles For my part I had rather speake of Magnatum laudes then Magnatum ludos rather of their praise then of their plaies onely I wish that greatnes would not be a patrone to gracelesnes nor riches a couer for base actions Excellent is that vvhich is reported of Dionysius the tyrant Tacitus who reprouing his sonne for deflowring a woman asked him if euer hee had heard that himselfe his father had done any such thing No saith the young man and no meruaile for you had not a King to your father True saith hee neither wilt thou haue a King to thy sonne if thou ceasest not quickly to follow such courses as these Therefore great cause haue wee to blesse God who hath giuen vnto vs so gracious a King vvho as in other vertues hee excels other Kings so in chastity hee excels himselfe No doubt but his royall sonne our Noble Prince Charles as he was borne of the mirrour of chastitie so also which yet let vs not cease to pray for he will continue a mirrour thereof to the glory of himselfe and the admiration of the whole Christian world And let this suffice for the first part of my Text. Now to the second Open vnto me VVEe haue heard in this speach of Christs to his Church the sweet words he gaue vnto her now are we to heare the request which hee desires of her which is to Open vnto him Wherein you must imagine Christ as a louer standing or sitting at the chamber dore of his loue desiring to bee let in Together also with an insinuation of some dislike in his minde that hee is made to waite so long before he can be receiued in to her As if hee had said What my deare Spouse dost thou sleepe all night and I thy louer yea they Sauiour here shiuer in the colde hauing my head wet with dew and my lockes with the drops of the night Nay my dearest vse mee not so Arise Open vnto mee Temporanoctis eunt Ouid. excute poste serā l Rom. 15.12 The night is past and the day is come Vp let me in put me on Cast away the workes of darkenesse and clothe thee with the armour of light m Bernard sup Cant. serm 61. Hic literalis lusus This saith Bernard is the sport of the letter The sence we must further inquire for Wherfore I beseech you
yet a while to Open your cares in attention whilst I lay Open vnto you the meaning of this word Open. A word it is of liberty and of liberall signification yet all that in this place it imports may be reduced to two actions Something that she is to doe to her children Something that her children are to do to themselues That which the Church is to doe to her Children is to Preach Christ vnto them n Isa 1.1 which is an opening of the prison dore and setting the prisoner at liberty Isa 61. 1. Thus Augustin vnderstands the place o August in Iohan. tract 57. Aperi mihi id est praedica me Open vnto me that is Open me Preach and declare me p Id. ibid. Ad cos quippe quiclauserunt contra me quomo do intrabo sine aperiente For vnto such as haue shut me out how shall I enter without an opener How shall they heare without a q Rom. 10.14 Preacher This thing Christ else-where desires of his Church Cant. 2.10 r Cant. 2.10 Arise my loue my faire one and come thy way Arise out of thy bed of contemplation Come away looke about and s Ioh. 4.35 behold the regions white vnto haruest Ioh. 4.35 Make hast and be quicke in preaching A businesse indeede of important celerity in respect whereof wee must passe by men t Luc. 10.4 vnsaluted Luc. 10 4. And leaue euen our father u Math. 8.12 vnburied Mat. 8.22 And it may be Christ therefore a little before his death washed his disciples v Iohn 13.15 feete that they might be nimble and expedite in preaching that others seeing them might cry out in admiration x Rom. 10.15 How beautifull are the feete of them that bring glad tydings of peace and glad tidings of good things Rom. 10.15 Vndoubtedly a most worthy worke of the Church as can be Lord Iesus let mee euer preach and declare thy name among men that thou mayst purge and cleare my name before thy father in heauen Seeing then this businesse of preaching is committed to the Church it is her duetie to chuse men that can and men that will vndertake so weighty a businesse as preaching is Men that can For euery blocke is not apt for a Mercury nor euery honest man to be a teacher It is y Nazi Apol. pag. 6. ars artium et scientiarum regere hominem saith Nazianzen an Arte of all Artes and sciences to be a teacher and ruler of men Therefore Paul saith he must nor be a z 1 Tim. 3.6 Neophyte a young Scholler 1 Tim. 3.6 a Cyprian exhortat ad marty Neque enim idoneus potest esse miles qui non exercitatus prius in campo fuerit saith Cyprian He can neuer be a fit Soldiour in Christs campe that was neuer exercised in the field before Which made Nazianzen so pittifully to complaine that some in his time did b Figulinam in dolio discere Gilber Cog. paraem 2.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the prouerbe saith that is as he expounds it learne knowledge of CHRIST by the destruction of soules like vnto bad Phisitians who learne skill by hurting their patients For my part saith hee I haue euer preferred it as a point of wisedome c Nazian apol candidam potius aurem submittere quam stolidam linguam mouere Rather to vse an ingenuous eare in hearing then to moue a blockish tongue in speaking Againe it is the Churches duety to chuse men that will Preach For as good be silent with ignorance as with idlenesse And it is no lesse impietie not to be willing to Preach when we can then not to be able to Preach when we should d Exod. 28.34 Moyses commanded Aaron the high Priest to make him a coate at the skirts whereof were to be pomegranates of blew silke and bels of Gold that his sound might bee heard when hee went into the holy place and when hee went out that he might not dye Exod. 28.34 Hereupon e Greg. Past lib. 2. cap. 14. et Epist lib. 1. ep 24. Gregory Moysi praecipitur c. Moyses is commanded that the Priest going into the Tabernacle should be compassed with bels that is vt voces praedicationis habeat that hee should haue the voyce of preaching and so not dye f Idem vt sup Sacerdos quippe ingrediens vel egrediens moritur si de eo sonitus non audiatur For the Priest going in and comming out dyeth if there be no sound of preaching nor no sound preaching come from his mouth Wherefore let vs bee continually following our businesse Let vs saith Origen g imitate Moyses and Aron Orig. in Leuit. hom 6. What is said of them That they departed not out of the Tabernacle day nor night What did they there Aut à Deo aliquid discere aut populum à ocere Either learne something of God or teach something to the people And Haec duo sunt pontificis opera These two things are the whole businesse of a Church-man either by reading the Scriptures to learne something to himselfe or by expounding the Scripture to teach something to the people And thus much of this The other action I take it is chiefly intended heere which each faithfull soule that is a member of the Church is to doe for it selfe viz. to Open to Christ. A speech indeed metaphoricall And that you may the better conceiue the Metaphor wee must call to minde that man before his fall being made after the Image of God had God remayning and abiding in him as another soule to his soule quickning him with another life which Paul cals h Ephes 4.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 4.18 the life of God And so for that time the state of man in paradise was like the happy condition that shall be to Gods children in heauen when i 1 Cor. 15.28 GOD shall be all in all 1 Cor. 15.28 But when by the subtiltie of the Diuell it was mans vnhappy case to fall from God then did hee banish and expell that sweet guest out of his soule and was himselfe expelled and banished out of Paradise And looke how God in Iustice then shut the gate of Paradise against man that hee should not any more come thither so hath man by sinne euer since shut the dore of his heart against God that hee cannot lodge there Hence it is that God who doth neuer cease to seeke and to saue doth beg and craue of vs as in this place Open vnto mee desiring that wee againe would entertaine him that by receiuing him into our soules againe on earth we may come to be receiued by him into his celestiall Paradise in heauen Now the dores by which hee is to enter in to vs are the dores of our senses and the dores of our vnderstanding By the one wee heare and see him by the other wee loue and beleeue in him And because there is nothing in the vnderstanding