these Sacraments and nature of these seales what rivers of comfort must needs flow into the heart of him who rightly partaketh them Look as Princes grave their owne portraitures in their seales sitting in state upon their Thrones invested with their royall apparell adorned with their Crownes and Scepters So the Lord Jesus Christ in these his Signets hath lively represented himselfe in his death conquering triumphing and leading captive all our enemies and even trampling them under our feete But Princes can grave nothing on their seales but their dead Images Not so here For in these the very person of the Lord Jesus is given us as being not onely represented but presented and exhibited to the faithfull The body of Christ feeding and strengthning the blood of Christ washing and more than wine cheering up our fainting spirits is there offred and given us who reach out the hand of faith to receive him Now how hee should be unhappy who hath Christ or misse of comfort whose soule is filled with the Lord Jesus it is not possible to conceive But let us consider them a little severally Baptisme is that Sacrament wherein God applyes the bloud of Christ to wash us from all the pollution of our sin and to communiâ—â—te unto us his own glorious purenes Let us therefore take some notice first as well of the filthinesse of sinne as our filthinesse by it and then of this excellent purenesse Certaine is it that our created understanding cannot find power in it selfe to conceive much lesse words to expresse the infinite loathsomnesse of sinne Hence is it that in Scripture the wisedome of God resembleth it to all those things which are to our senses most abhorred sinne to stinking mudde a sinner to aswine wallowing in that mire sinne to a loathsome vomit a sinner to a dogge licking up his vomit in a word sinne to death a sinner to a rotten carkasse and his throat to an open Sepulchre exhaling and belching out stench and putrefaction so infectious that one sinne entring into the world tainted and slue the whole world with sinne turning Saints into swine Angels into Divels so loathsome that even both the materials of man in the very touch defile and the most pure and holy duties passing through a sinfull heart are altogether abhorred and abominable It staineth the very righteousnesse of the Saints who are not on earth yet absolutely clensed from it so that in it selfe it is no better than a filthy clout This is our estate from which by Christ applied unto us in Baptisme wee are delivered Secondly ponder well what is this image of Christ which Baptisme imprinteth upon us It is even the Divine nature that glorious beauty of holinesse which in God the blessed Angels above all other attributes admire and prayse Esa. 6.3 Surely if any thing can be in God more excellent than other then holinesse is it As the face is in the body so is holinesse in the Lord the very beauty of the Divine Nature And as a passionate Lover is even ravished with the presence and sight of his beloved so is it the compleate happinesse of the creature to behold that face of God shining with that ravishing bewty of holinesse Men sweare by the greater but because none is greater than God therefore God sweareth by himselfe but in himselfe by nothing that I remember but his holinesse Oh then how unspeakeable is the comfort of this holy Ordinance which clensing us from such a filthinesse washeth us into such a beauty Againe the Lords Supper is that holy Mysterie wherein the Spirit perfecteth this worke which hee hath begun in us and throughly assures us Christ. Looke as when the wax is hard the first impression changeth the forme and makâ—th some though no perfect print of the Image ingraved in the seale so that Image of God which by Baptisme is stamped upon us but by reason of our sinfull hard hearts as yet in part onely is by often applying the Lord in that other Seale more perfectly expressed and more lively pourtrayed in us So being entred into life by Baptisme wee are nourished by the Lords Supper and more strengthned till wee attaine unto full growth and ripenesse CHAP. XII Meditation in these comforts given in the Sacraments NOw here againe let us commune with our owne hearts and say Why oh my soule art thou so distracted and rent with doubts and distrustfull feares Hast thou not the seales of Gods Covenant for thee yea in thee If hee will doe thee good shall any creature bee able to hurt thee If he will knit my heart to him in his feare what shall separate it from his love Oh be perswaded for which thou hast so strong evidence and assurance That no tribulation nor anguish nor life nor death nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come shall be able to seperate thee from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Now therefore cast thy burthen upon his truth leane and stablish all thy hopes upon these his sealed Promises Oh let perfect love cast out all distrust and feare Assure thy selfe hee will not nay in his truth cannot faile thee in such assurances How should not he pitty his owne though never so weake life in thee who pittied thy death in sinne How should hee hate thee now his childe who loved thee once an enemy Oh my God as thou hast given me an eye in some measure to see my sinfull filthinesse so hast thou given me an heart in the same measure to loath my selfe so polluted and filthy Lord thou hast made mee to know and I desire with more feeling to acknowledge that I am beyond measure beyond mine owne apprehension in nature horrible and lothsome my roote rottennesse my stalke corruption my fruit contagion more vile than the earth I tread on more polluted than the dung I scorne to tread on But oh incomprehensible heigth depth bredth and length of thy grace those thine infinitely pure eies could even then with compassion behold this unmeasurably impure and infectious mire when no eye pittied me when I had no pitty on my selfe even then hadst thou compassion on me When I was cast out as the execrable and loathsome dunghill of the world even then dâ—ddest thou not despise me I was dead in sinne stinking in the grave of my lusts yet even then didst thou say unto me Live Thou washedst mee with the water of life the Blood of the Lord Jesus annoyntedst me with the oyle of thy gracious Spirit and diddest set thine owne beauty upon me Thou hast nourished me with the true Manna That bread of heaven which giveth life unto the world And daily dost thou vouchsafe to renew mee after thine image and to strengthen thy life and nature in me And now my God is there any thing like this to be like to thee Oh what an honour what a Crowne is this unto me In all other
into that holy fellowship that more than heavenly Fellowship which you purposed purchased and sealed to mee O Father of all mercies seeing thou hast accepted mee so poore miserable sinfull wretch and adopted mee seeing by that immortall seed thou hast begotten me to thy selfe make mee oh make mee greatly to longue after my Fathers house weane mee from my pilgrimage suffer me not to stay and linger in these vanities suffer mee not to do at upon vexation Thy bountifull hand hath given mee all things Things present and things to come all are mine Some are mine to use some to enjoy to use this world not abusing it to enjoy thy selfe and the world to come Oh then let me not seeke to enjoy those things which I should onely use lest I be held from those things which I should enjoy Give mee every day more clearely to perceive that I am on earth a stranger and so journer a Traveller toward thy heavenly Jerusalem teach me to cast behinde my backe what I know I must shortly leave bhinde me and set my face fully toward thee For what inheritance have I in the world What portion on earth Thou art my rich inheritance my All-sufficient God oh cast mee not away from thee thou Supreme good and highest happinesse so shal I never want any thing that is truly good and happy Oh my gracious Saviour my soule panteth after thee weary of this sinfull world more weary of this sinfull flesh chained miserably to this body of death and led captive after sinne it lookes up to thee and sighes after thee my glorious deliverer when shall I appeare in thy presence When shall this weather-beaten Tabernacle be dissolved to be builded up againe and fashioned according to that Temple of thy glorious body O Lord truly I am thy servant I am thy servant and the son of thy handmaid thou hast broken my bonds Now therefore take and challenge thine owne Other Lords beside thee have had dominion over me but I will remember thee onely and thy name Cruell imperious and shamefull Lords have tyrannized over me and wasted my soule The false world and worse than it Satan and worse then hee Sinne their service slavery their wages death When I was theirs I was neither thine nor mine owne But Lord rescue the price of thine owne blood restore mee to thee and to my selfe Nay cut me off from my selfe that I may be grafted and abide wholly in thee empty me of my selfe that I may be filled with thee let me dye in my selfe that I may live in thee let mee bee nothing in my selfe that I may be all in thee Oh ravish my heart with thy beauty and teach me to abhorre the painted harlotry of this sinfull world unite my heart unto thee by faith and knit it fast in love And seeing thou hast sought up this lost sheepe and brought mee into thy flocke fold me in thy protection and feed me in these greene pastures till I rest with thee for ever Oh thou holy and blessed Spirit who sealest unto mee those precious promises apply powerfully this signet to my heart and seale it up in thy Covenant Open mine eyes and fasten them on Christ and those things where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Make mee to know and remember that I can lose no good thing so long as I enjoy thee Oh with all thy other graces I beseech thee speake peace to this troubled heart and give thy servant to heare what thou speakest Say to my soule The Father of Christ is thy father the Lord Jesus is thy wisedome thy righteousnesse sanctification and redemption I am thy life thy pledge and earnest of that purchased inheritance I am thy stay I am thy Comforter Feare not peace be unto thee be strong and of a good courage so shall thy weake Temple be strengthened so shall all earthly sorrow and tormenting fears vanish as a morning cloud and my soule shall ever rejoyce in thee my most mercifull God my most gracious Redeemer and sweetest Comforter Amen Amen FINIS Greg. Naz. Luk 3. 38. Acts 17.11 Ioh. 1 13â— â—â—es â— 8 Mat. 5 3,4â— 1 Pet. 1. 8. Psalâ— 89.35 Esa. 50.10 See 1 Sam. 35â—6 Psal. 77â—2 Nehâ— 8.10 2 Cor. 5. â—1 Lam. 3.24 25,26 Revâ— 2â—â—2â—â— Revâ— 3.17 Psa. 73â— 4â—5 â— Cor. 12. 10. Heb. 2. â—â— 18. 4. 15â— Mat. 23 â—â— Maâ—â— 11. â—â— 1 Ioh. 5. â—â— Mat. 10.38 Gal 3. 13. Tiâ—â—1 13 2 â—im 4â—â—â— 2 Sam◠〈…〉 Esa. 40. 〈…〉 Neh. 1. 10 11. Mat. 11.29 Esa. 50.4 Rom. 7.24 Psa. 119.32 Luk. 4. â—â—â— 1 The. 〈…〉 2 Cor. 1.3 4. Iob 15. 11 Mat. 7 16â— Proâ— 18,1â— Psal. 4.7 Lu. 1â— 19â— 1 Cor. 15 3â— Esa. 56 12â— Heb. 1â— 7 1 Cor. 10â— 13. Pro. 20.30 1 Cor. 11. 32. 2 Cor. 14.7 Heb. 11.13 Phil. 3.20 Mat. 5.11 12. 1 The. 4.14 Rev. 14 1â— Româ— 8.38 39. Phil. 1. â— â— Exod. 15. 23.25 2 Kin. 2.19 20,21,2â— Heb. 2.10 Heb. 12. â—1 Rom. 5.12 6.23 Lam. 3.39 Ier. 5 25â— Lam. 3.38 42,43,44 45. Amos 3.6 Esa. 45.7 Ier. 18.11 Amos 4â— 6 7,8,9,10 11. Ier. 2.30 Esay 15. Deut â—2 22 23. Act. 14.22 Eccl. 9.2 Iobâ— 6 4. Iob. 13.26 Psalâ— 51.12 Heb. 12. 6. Rev. â— 19 Psal. 89.31 32,33 34 35. Ps. 115 7â— Rom. 1.18 2 8â— Deu. 32.22 Ier. 15.14 Heb. 12. â— â— Psa. 119.67 Rev. 3. 19. 1 Pet. 4,12 Iam. 1.2,3 Heb. 12 1â— Rom. 5.3 4,5 Iam. 13â—â—â— Lam. 3.19 20. Mat. 26.31 33. Ioh 21.15 2 Cor. 12.7 See Rom. 8.16.17 2 Cor. 4.17 Exod. 9.16 1 Cor. 10. 13. 2 Cor. 1.4 Iob 13.15 16.18 19.25 Acts 12. Psal. 4.8 1 Sam. 28. 20,21 1 Sam. 16. 14. Heb. 12.10 11. 2 Cor. 4.17 Rev. 16.9 Hos. 10â—8 Rev 6.16 Ier. 32â—40 41 Ier. 5. â—3 Heb. 3.12 Heb. 12.10 Lam. 3.33 Canâ— 1.1 Psal. 63.3 Cant 5 1â— Mat. 5. 11 12. Heb. 12,7 Heb. 12. 8. Heb. 11.25 Isa. 105â—19 Dan. 3. 1 Pet. 1.7 Iob 23. 10 Dan. 3. Pro. 20.30 Ier. 23.29 Ioh. 18.11 Heb. 2. 10. Heb. 5.7 Heb. 12.2 Rom. 5 5. â—am 1.3 Psal. 11â— 50.92 Psâ— 119.103 Pro. 25.25 Rom. 15.4 1 The. â— 18 Psal. 50.4 2 Tim. 4. 1,2 2 Cor. 1.4 5 6. Genâ— 37.15 Eph. 6.17 2 Cor. 10. 4,5 Psal. 23.1 Luk. 10.42 1 Pet. 1.23 24,25 1 Ioh. 3. 9â— Pro. 23.5 Esa. 5.14 Pro. 31.30 Psal. 90.10 Psal. 39. 5. Esa. 59 21â— Pro. 8.9 Pro. 4.18 Psa 19.8,9 Luk. 3.5 Ps. 119.103 Psa. 19.8 Pro. 3.17 Rom. 4. 18 19,20 Heb. 11.25 26 27. Luk. 7.47 Rom. 10. â—5 2 Cor. 5.14 â— Cor. 12. 15. Phil. 1.22 23,24 Iobâ— 13.15 Iobâ— 23.10 Hebâ— 12.1 Heb. â— 11 Luk. 24,25 Heb. 12,12 Eccl. 12. â—1 Ier. 2.31 Mat. 16.9 Heb. 12 5. Ier 17. 9. Heb. 3.12 1 Kin. 3.3 Gal. 4.15 18. Gal. 1.6 Rev. 2 3â— 4 Deu. 5.27 9.12 Luk. 24.32 2 Sam 12. Psal. 119. 32.50 Heb. 12 23â— Psal. 51. â—2 Pro. 8.34 Ier. 32.40 41. Psal. 34. 9 10â— 1 Tim. 4.8 Psal. 23.4