Selected quad for the lemma: blood_n
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A09507
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The good conscience. Or, The soules banquet royall. In a sermon by T.P.
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Pestell, Thomas, 1584?-1659?
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1615
(1615)
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STC 19789; ESTC S114583
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21,753
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36
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wee shall find that they haue all things which make vp a sumptuous Feast and a BANQVET Royall 1. Plenty and variety of meat and drinke 2. Good company 3. Lights and 4. Musicke 1. They haue plenty and change of dishes and they are all good solide meates One maine seruice is their seruice of God their good worke for it is a ioy to the iust to do iustice Prou. 21.15 Dauid found it so Psal 122.1 and in Psalme 84. My soule longs yea and faints for the Courts of the Lord And our blessed Sauiour confesseth it Iohn 4. My meate is to doe the will of him that sent me and finish his worke yet this to the most holy man aliue is but a faint food in respect of the second messe or seruice whereupon they feed and that is their faith in God which is nourishing meat indeed so sayth the Scripture The iust man shall liue by his faith It is his Viaticum his meat his maintenance and this feeds him thicke-fat Hee that puts his sure trust in the Lord shall bee fat Prou. 28.25 To which meat his bread and drinke are hearty sorrow and repentance for his sin So saith Dauid God giues his people bread of teares and teares to drinke in great measure whole healthes Psal 80.5 In the third place the righteous soule contemplates and feeds vpon God himselfe all the three persons in the thrice blessed Trinity First she feasts vpon God her Creator tasts and sees how gracious the Lord is that not onely prouided a world to entertaine her vnder a starry cloth of State did place a thousand creatures and distil a thousand dewes for the refection of her body but also feedes and fattes her selfe with his grace and goodnes and this dish if we will beleeue Saint Bernard is a wondrous sweet one Reuerâ illudsolum est gaudium quod de creatore concipitur cui comparata omnis aliunde iucunditas moeror est omnis suanitas dolor est omne dulce amarum est Indeed that is is onely true delight which wee conceiue of our Creator in regard whereof all other pleasure is a very bitternesse And this made Austine cry out O luxuriose vbi maior delectatio quam insùmmi dulcissime deo Where canst thou find more sweetnes then in the most sweet God himselfe Secondly the soule takes a sweet repast on the second Person Christ Jesus from whose fulnes we doe all receiue grace Iohn 1.16 Whose flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drinke indeed of which whosoeuer eates and drinkes saieth our Sauiour hath eternall life Iohn 6.54 Who testifies also that he is the true bread which came downe from heauen to strengthen mans heart and wine to comfort it no adulterate or sophistocate mixture but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the true vine Iohn 15. to temper which heauenlie liquor the soule in the thiâ—d place mixes it with the water of the holy spirit which is not meerely water but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sweet and liuing water springing vp into euerlasting life Iohn 4.14 A fourth seruice is a maine standing dish and a delicate one named the Mercy of God therefore called by Dauid not only plenteous mercy but sweet and tender mercy which is not meerely foode but a kind of restoratiue as we may see in Psa 79.8 where Dauid speakes as if hee were in a consumption make haste and preuent vs with thy tender mercies For wee are brought very low And in the fift course comes in the Grace of God whereof as in Philosophy they say we are nourished by the same things of which wee are begotten we are both borne and maintained both bred and fed Saint Paul sayeth plainely By the grace of God I am that I am both in root and height and this also is a standing dish and tastes like the barrel of meale and cruise of oyle 1. Reg. 17.16 or like that lake pot of water which the Angell gaue Elias after which hee arose and did walke in the strength of that meat forty dayes and forty nights 1. Reg. 19.8 It is indeed a whole Feast of it selfe So God tolde Saint Paul 2. Cor. 12.9 My grace is sufficient for thee sufficient enough and enough wee say is as good as a Feast Next to make vp our meale are serued in the word of God and the Sacrament of Christs most blessed body and blood on which the first the soule doth feede and feast for it is a strong meate to fasten and confirme the righteous soule in faith a medicine of immortality An Antidote saith Ignatius assuring vs wee shal not die but liue in Iesus Christ So for the word of God it is called bread Deut. 8. Amos threatens a famine of it Amos. 8. And in Hebrewes 5. It is sayde to bee milke for Babes and strong meate for men of riper age and therefore God bade the Prophet eate the roule and Saint Iohn sayeth hee tooke the Booke out of the Angels hand and eate it vp and to proue it more then ordinary food S. Paul cals it wholesom doctrine and comfortable that we through patience coÌ„fort of the scriptures might haue hope Ro. 15.4 So comfortable that in the opening they make mens heart to burne within them Luc 24.32 and filles them with ioy These things haus I spoken vnto you that your ioy might be full Iob 15.11 Therefore cryes S. Austine Domine Iesu sint castae delitiae mea scripturae tuae and Dauid Eloquia c. Thy word is sweet vnto my mouth yea sweeter then the hony and hony combe And if it be of this nature read what is it when the bread is broken and diuided then we haue the pure marrow the Manna and meaning of it So that at euery sermon we haue lautas epulas plenty and change of dishes Thus you haue heard the meate at this feast Nor must you thinke that drinke is wanting for they haue which I named before water of Teares which let none despise For vpon such eyes as stand brim-full of repentant teares Christ works a miracle turnes their sorrow into the wine of gladnes and heauenly consolation They haue secondly Dauids cuppe of Gods saluation which ouerflowes For as the violl of his wrath runnes out for fiercenesse so the cup of his saluation runnes ouer for fulnes Againe they haue the loue of Christ which the Spouse saith is better then wine Cant 1.1 And last of all Dauid tells vs that God will make such to drinke out of the riuer of his pleasures Psalm 36.8 If you demand what sauce the children of God haue at this feast of a good conscience I must answere crosses and afflictions troubles tribulations which as Physitians roule pills in sugar and make that Vehiculum medicinae God so wisely mixes and tempers with their wholsom food that they are not able to distinguish twixt meat and sauce but nourish their growth in grace as wel with the one as with the other So that they finde no