Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

that receives it, that is, there is a particular intimation that I shall know of my felf more then any other; more then all the world befides. Its fuch a joy as the stranger is not made Partaker of fuch joy as is glorious and unspeakable; fuch peace as palleth all understanding. One minute of fuch joy overcomes all the joy in the world befides.

Now confider, fure there is fuch a thing as this joy, or elfe do you think the Scripture would talk of it, and of the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, by whom we know the things that are given us of God. There is a generation in the world that hath this joy, though you that know it not, do not, nor cannot believe it, there is a righteous generation that have it; and why doft thou not try to get it? do as they do, and thou mayst obtain it likewife. The fecrets of the Lord are revealed to them that fear him: Thefe are hidden comforts; do you think God will give this joy to those that care not for him? No, The way is to feek God, and to labour to fear him. The fecrets of the Lord are revealed to fuch, and fuch, only as fear him; do as they do, and follow their example, and thou mayst have it likewife.

Object. Many have ferv'd Chrift long, and have not found it.

S.l. Its long of themselves; you are straightned in your own bowels, or elfe, Open your mouths wide and God will fill them. No wonder that we are fo barren of thefe comforts, when we be ftraitned in our felves. There is a thing wondrously wanting amongst us, and that is Meditation. If we couli give our felves to it and goup with Mafes to

[ocr errors]

the

the Mount to confer with God, and seriously think of the price of Chrifts death, and of the joyes of heaven, and the Priviledges of a Chriftian; if we could frequently meditate on these, we should have these fealing days every day, at left oftner. This hath need to be much preffed upon us; the neglect of this makes lean fouls. He that is frequent in that, hath these fealing days often. Couldst thou have a parle with God in private, and have thy heart rejoyce with the comforts of another day, even whilst thou art thinking of these things, Chrift would be in the midft of thee. Many of the Saints of God have but little of this, because they spend but few hours in Meditation. And thus as this hour would give leave, have we proceeded in this point.

FINIS

[ocr errors][merged small]

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,eateth and drinketh Damnation to himself, not difcerning the Lords body.

Have heretofore declared unto you the ground of our falvation, and have reprefented unto you, firft,Chrift offered for us, and fecondly, Chrift offered to us.Now it hath pleafed Almighty God, not only to teach us this by his Word, but becaufe we are flow of heart to believe, and conceive the things we heare, it pleases his glorious Wisdom to add to his Word his Sacraments, that fo what we have heard with our ears, we may fee with our eyes, being represented by figns.

There is a vifible voice whereby God fpeaks to the eyes and therefore we find in Exod.4.8. God bids Mofes that he should ufe figns, faying, It shall come

.to

434

to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first fign, that they will believe the voice of the latter fign. Signs you know are the Object of the eye, and yet fee, they have it as it were a vifible voice, which fpeaks to the eye. Now God is pleased to give us thefe figns for the helping.

ed to us.

1.Of our understanding: The eye and the car are the two learned fenfes, as we call them, through which, all knowledge is conveyed into the foul: and therefore that we may have a more particular knowledge of Chrift, God hath not only by his Ministry given us audible voices, but vifible alfo in his Sacraments, by which, as by certain glaffes he represents to us the Mystery of Chrift Jefus offered for us, and offerAnd hence is it that Paul calls the eyes to witness, as well as the ears, Gal.3. 1. Oye foolish Galathians, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the Truth, before whofe eyes Christ hath been evidenty fet forth crucified amongst you! that is, before whofe eyes Chrift hath been crucified, not by hear-fay onfoolish ly, but evidently before your eyes, not in Crucifix, with the Papifts, but in the bleffed Sacrament, wherein he is fo represented, as if his foul were before our eyes poured out to death: fo that by these Sacraments, heavenly things are as it were clothed in earthly Garments, and this is the first reafon, viz. to help our Understandings: but befides this he doth it.

any

2. To help our Memory; we art apt to forget those wonderfull things Chrift hath wrought for us. And therefore, verfe 24. and 25. Of this Chapter we are bid To eat his body and drink his blood in remembrance

of

« AnteriorContinuar »