the perfection of thine impartial Lov to the Souls of men Thou art not deluded with the beautiful Vizard of a Great Estate nor enamor'd on empty Titls of Honor but seeing throu the Veil of such human Additaments and beggarly Inventions dost infinitly prize the naked Souls and Bodies of thy Servants Quicken me I beseech thee to an industrious Attendance on my Calling and a stricter Watchfulness over my Thoughts Words and Deeds those numerous Flocks which are very apt to wander and go astray that my Soul may be precious in thy Sight And tho I walk in Darkness in the Vale and Shadow of Death yet let thy gracious Visitations not only enlighten and refresh me but also draw and direct my Heart to follow these honest Shepherds who in obedience to the direction they receiv'd from Heven left all to go unto Bethlehem and seé that thing which the Lord had made known unto them where they found the Babe lying in a Manger that I also being filled with the like Joy in Believing what they found verified by this Sign which the Angel had given them may boldly publish thy Goodness and Truth together with my own grateful Apprehensions of it as these Shepherds did who when they had seen it made known abroad the Saying which was told them concerning that 〈◊〉 and returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and 〈◊〉 §. 4. And how could they do less having so lately seen a Multitude of the Hevenly Host praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest and on Earth Peace Good Will towards Men. Shal Angels descend to celebrat our Peace on Earth and Shal not We lift up our Eys on High to giv God the Glory Can they rejoice in the manifestation of His Good Will towards Men and Men themselvs be unaffected with such an inestimabl Benefit May I be silent or insensibl while the hevenly Host sing Praises I will prais and bless and giv Thee thanks for ever O my Dear Redeemer for the transcendent Efforts of thy Lov to Me and all Mankind exprest in this Angelick Carol. O be thou graciously pleased to warm my breast with som Sparks of this Celestial Charity that being like unto the Angels in doing thy Will and shewing forth thy Praises upon Earth I may at last be made equal to them in the fruition of thy 〈◊〉 Presence in Heven and in order thereunto let that Lov of God which was thus manifested towards us by sending his only begotten Son into the World that we might liv throu Him even when we were Enemies to God and all Goodness powerfuly engage us to the Practice and Improvement of that Peace thou hast restored upon Earth by transcribing the most excellent Copy of thy Good Will towards Men for if God so loved Us we ought also to lov one another Upon the unfeigned Discharge of which grateful and advantageous Duty the whol Success of His means of Grace and Our Hopes of Glory doth so much depend that without following those things which make for Peace as wel as Holiness no man shall see the Lord. §. 5. Now all they that 〈◊〉 those things which were told them by the 〈◊〉 wonder'd at it but the blessed Virgin Mary kept all these things and ponder'd them in her Heart I prais and magnify thy Name O thou uncreated Angel of the Covenant for the astonishing Power and peculiar Influence of thy Divine Revelations which are usualy attended with a various Effect upon the minds of different Persons Grant Lord I beseech thee that I may not entertain any Discovery of thy Saving Truth or more especial Presence with the short-lived Flash of a bare transient Wonder or fruitless Amazement after the loos Exampl of the un-thinking part of Mankind but rather so imitat the pious Prudence of thy matchless Mother who discreetly observed evry Intimation of thy God-head and carefuly kept in mind whatever might enlighten her Understanding therin as to treasure up all the sacred Notices of thine Eternal Power and Godhead in the safe Recesses of my Heart and allow som Time and Thought to make a du Reflection on such considerabl things as may thereupon be worthily committed to a Religious Memory in my Soul for whoso is wise will ponder these things and he shal understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. §. 6. O Thou Light of the World who wast born in the Night an Emblem of that dark and disconsolat Estate wherinto We by Transgression fell Thou art the Sun of Righteousness by whose Rising upon the Earth the Peepl that walked in Darkness hav seen a great Light and upon them that dwell in the Land of the Shadow of Death hath the Light shined Thy glorious Appearing hath dispersed the Cloud of thy Father's Wrath under which the whol Creation groaned together with those unwholsom Mists of Sin Error and Ignorance wherin Mankind was lost and benighted Thou hast dissolved the Everlasting Chains of Darkness which were justly prepared to bind us in Hell and Despair and once more restored us a Day of Hope to rejoice in the Light of thy Countenance for ever All that is within me doth bless thy H. Name Who hast said unto my Soul Arise shine for thy Light is com and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Lord grant that in thy Light I may see Light let the Light of thy Grace prepare mine Eys to behold the illustrious Splendor of thy Glory And since it is the Night wherin all the Beasts of the Forrest do mov let me hav no longer fellowship with the unprofitable Works of Darkness but rather reprov them by walking as a Child of the Light and of the Day remembring that the Day-spring from on high hath visited us to giv Light to them that sit in Darkness and in the shadow of Death to guide our Feet into the way of Peace which is the Work of Righte usness as its Effect is Quietness and Assurance 〈◊〉 ever §. 7. O thou Prince of Peace who by disposing the States of the Earth to Peace and Quietness at the time of thy Nativity hast shew'd that the gracious Design of thy Coming into the World was to remov the Enmity between God and Man by reconciling them to each other in thy Self I glorify thy Name For so suitabl an 〈◊〉 that what was written by the Prophet Isaiah is fulfilled for unto Us a Child is born unto Us a Son is given and the Government shal be upon his Shoulder and Of the increas of his Government and Peace there shal be no End Lord How coms it to pass that such as call themselves after thy Name be no less Contentious and Bloody than 〈◊〉 who are Strangers to the Doctrin of thy Gospel How long shal Christendom be the Scene of those Tragick Wars and injurious Villanies which Barbarians detest and blush at O Be thou pleased to extend thy Golden Scepter over the Earth that the
him that day One of the two was 〈◊〉 who finding his 〈◊〉 Brother Simon both told him this joyful News We hav found the 〈◊〉 and brought him to Jesus I prais and magnify thy Name O Christ For thine exemplary Clemency and ready Condescension to entertain such as own thee their Master and enquire where thou dwellesf tho it be about the tenth hour Lord incline my Heart not only upon thy gracious Invitation to Com and 〈◊〉 the place where thine Honor dwelleth but to take up mine Abode with 〈◊〉 who hast given us a Taste of thine Omniscience in that thou couldst say to Andrew's 〈◊〉 as soon as thou hadst 〈◊〉 him without any previous Inquiry or human Information Thou art Simon the Son of Jona thou shalt be called Cephas which is by interpretation Peter §. 2. The day following Iesus going forth into Galilee 〈◊〉 Philip who was of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 unto him Follow me wherupon he believed Iesus of 〈◊〉 the Son of Ioseph to be 〈◊〉 of whom 〈◊〉 in the Law aud the Prophets did write as he soon after acquainted 〈◊〉 using it for a cogent Argument to draw him also to Jesus I prais thy H. Name O thou Redeemer of Israel For the magnetick Power of thy Life and Doctrin by virtu wherof Men are thus drawn to follow Thee like one Link after another in a wel compacted Chain Draw me O Lord we wil run after thee that as wel by mine Exampl as Arguments I may induce others to partake of that Blessedness which those happy 〈◊〉 enjoy who are admitted to convers with Thee 〈◊〉 believing Thou art He of whom the Lord spake unto his Servant Moses on this wise I wil rais them up a Prophet from among their Brethren like unto thee and I wil put my words into his mouth and whosoever wil not hearken unto my words which he shal speak in my Name I wil require it of him §. 3. O B Jesus Becaus thou saidst unto Nathanael I 〈◊〉 thee under the Figg-tree he that had lately questioned Can there any good 〈◊〉 com out of 〈◊〉 did believ and confess Thou art the Son of God Thou art the King of Israel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou wast pleased to encorage and confirm with a Promise that he should see greater things than these making this plain Declaration of what sort they should be Uerily verily I say unto you Hereafter ye shal see Heven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man I magnify thy Name O thou tru Jacob's Ladder in whose Person Heven and Earth are united for whose sake the Celestial Spirits minister to the Saints who shal be Heirs of Salvation and by whose Order they either vouchsafe us their hevenly Aid and Protection or withdraw its sacred Influence from us Lord wheras thou sawest Nathanael before that Philip called him when he was under the Fig-tree and which is yet a greater Miracl didst discern his Heart before thou hadst seen his Face make me always apprehensiv that Darkness or Distance hideth not from Thee who knowest my Downfitting and mine Up-rising and understandest my Thoughts afar off til the awful Consideration of thine Omnipresence render me an Israelite indeed in whom is no Guile And I beseech thee let these early Manifestations of thy Divinity so quicken and confirm my Faith in Thee that Thou maist go on to reward thine own Gifts in Me with greater Graces til my present Knowledg of thy sacred Person and saving Office be crowned and compleated with that unspeakabl Priviledg reserved for the Sons of God when it doth appear what they shal be for then we shal see him as he is §. 4. When these Good Men had seen and spoken with the Lord it seems som if not all of them soon after left Him and tho his first Conference with them laid a sound foundation of Faith in their Hearts yet it restrained not their Hands from returning to their former Occupations I prais and magnify thy Name O Christ For graciously dispensing with thy Servants Necessities wherby thou hast given us a satisfactory Intimation that to believ in Thee as a privat Discipl is not at all inconsistent with the honest prosecution of our Secular Emploiments thy Wisdom Justice having made it our Christian Duty as wel as Liberty to be diligent in the business of our lawful Callings However let me never I earnestly beseech Thee yield mine Ear to be bored in the servil Drudgery of any anxious Cares or useless Vanities of this present World having once found Thee whom my Soul loveth Cap. III. Of his turning Water into Wine §. 1. THe Mother of Iesus being at a Marriage which was in Cana of Galilee both Iesus was called and his Discipls to the Marriage where the Lord of Eternal Purity did not only honor the Wedding with his Sacred Presence but also supply the Wants of the Nuptial Entertainment with 〈◊〉 that was made Wine and that in a very liberal proportion far beyond the stint of a niggardly Spirit for there were six Water-pots of Stone containing two or three firkins apiece which he caused them to fill up to the brim with Water and then bid them draw out thence for the Use of the Guests wherof when the Ruler of the Feast had tasted not knowing whence it was he gave the Bride groom this publick Commendation saying unto him Evry man at the beginning doth set forth good Wine and when men hav wel drunk then that which is wors but thou hast kept the 〈◊〉 Wine until now I prais and magnify thy Nâ—me O Christ the inexhaustibl Fountain of Goodness For this Beginning of Miracls which thou 〈◊〉 in Cana of Galilee wherin Thou hast at once so convincingly manifested forth thy Glory that thy Discipls believed on Thee and withal set a Mark of Honor as wel on the Married as the Virgin state of Life I beseech thee bless and sanctify all Persons joined in holy Wedlock visit them with thy supernatural Grace and Power turn their Water into Wine change their Natural Desires into Divine Affections exalt their sensual Pleasures into spiritual Delights and refine their transitory Enjoiments into an eternal Inheritance that by growing up from strength to strength in mutual Lov and joint Devotion their last Days may be their best §. 2. When the Mother of Jesus said unto him They 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 couching under that brief Intimation a tacit Request for the Supply of what they wanted Jesus saith unto her Woman What 〈◊〉 I to do with Thee Mine hour is not yet com As if by such a slighting Answer he seem'd to check her pretended Interposition and Authority in the matters of his Mediatorship which som blind 〈◊〉 hav since endevored to persuade the World is her undoubted Right I prais and magnify thy H. Name O my sole Mediator and Advocat For giving us this covert yet very intelligibl Expression of thy Fore-sight and Dislike of that idolatrous
the hidden Manna of my Soul its Food and Refreshment in all Conditions in Afflictions my Support in Poverty my Treasure in Reproaches my Glory in Darkness my Light in Sickness my Health in Troubl my Repose in Prosperity my Defence in Life and Health my Joy and Consolation that Christ being thus formed in me I may through Him who giveth us the Victory overcom the Vanities of the World the Lusts of the Flesh and the Temtations of the Devil til He becom my Life in Death and my Happiness in Heven Amen THE Soul's Communion WITH HER SAVIOR The First Book Containing so much of the Gospel-History as relates to the Infancy of the H. Jesus and that time of his Privat Life which passed before He entred on his Publick Ministry Cap. I. Of His Incarnation §. 1. O Holy and Ever-blessed Jesu Eternal Son of the eternal God who didst descend from thy Father's Bosom from the highest Hevens thy Royal Throne to this Vale of Misery that by taking My Nature upon Thee Thou mightest not only suffer and satisfy for Me but also impart Thy Nature unto Me. I prais and magnify thy Name For this thine unspeakabl Lov. I adore thee for thine infinit Wisdom and Goodness I am astonished at thy stupendious Humility and Condescension to lost and undeserving Man Bow the Hevens O Lord once more and com down touch my Heart with thine Almighty Power and having cast out whatsoever may be offensiv to thy Sacred Majesty fill it with thy blessed Presence for ever §. 2. O Blessed Jesu whose Incarnation was so sublime a Mystery that to usher in a matter of such extraordinary Concernment to the World the Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a City of Galilee named Nazareth to a Uirgin espoused to a man whose Name was Ioseph of the Hous of David and the Uirgin's Name was Mary I magnify thy Glorious Name For making thy Spirits Ministers unto them who shal be Heirs of Salvation As the Angels and Arch-Angels prais Thee the Cherubim and Seraphim adore Thee and all the hevenly Host bow down unto Thee not only fitting upon thy Throne but even at the lowest Degree of thy Foot-stool wherunto thou hast voluntarily humbled thy self in thine Incarnation So let me I beseech thee in concurrence with the Celestial Choir celebrat this Mystery of thy Lov on Earth worship the Majesty of thy Glory in Heven til my Life becom Angelical by rejoicing in Thee and in Thy Salvation §. 3. When the Angel came in unto her and said 〈◊〉 thou that art highly favored the Lord is with thee blessed art thou among Women she cast in her mind what manner of Salutation this should be I prais thy Holy Name O Blessed Jesu for the greatness of thine Eternal Lov to this Holy Virgin and to all Mankind in her O make me sensibl how highly I my self am favor'd in this great Transaction since She was thus blessed among Women that all the Families of the Earth might be blessed in her Seed A Salutation of such infinit Importance doth worthily deserv to be frequently revolved in our minds which being particularly brought to a privat Family in Jewry hath prov'd of universal Concernment to the whol World O let me also tast and see how gracious the Lord hath been to my Soul No matter for the Favor of Men so we find Grace with God §. 4. While she was troubled at his saying the Angel said unto her Fear not Mary for thou hast found favor with God And behold thou shalt 〈◊〉 in thy womb and bring forth a Son and thou shalt call his Name Iuses He shal be great and shal be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shal giv unto him the Chrone of his Father David And he shal reign over the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shal be no end I prais and magnify thy Name O Jesus for thy great Glory and endless Soveraignty for as much as thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and thy Dominion endureth throu-out all Generations O thou Root and Off-spring of David vouchsafe to extend thy Scepter over all Nations and be for Salvation to the Ends of the Earth that under thy Government all Peopl being saved from their Sins may liv and prosper in Peace and Holiness Sit upon the Throne of my heart by the Power and Presence of thy Holy Spirit reign over all the faculties of my Soul subdu them to thy Will and be thou my God and King forever §. 5. Then said Mary to the Angel How shal this be seeing I know not a Man Wherunto the Angel answered The Holy Ghost shal com upon thee and the Power of the Highest shal overshadow thee therfore also that Holy Thing which shal be born of thee shall be called The Son of GOD. I prais and magnify the Name O thou Son of God for thine in finit Condescension to becom the Son of Man It is not less Blessed and Mysterious to conceiv Thee in the Heart by Faith than to carry Thee in the Womb of Flesh Send therefore I befeech thee the same Spirit and Power to rest upon mine Affections til Christ be formed in me that thy Humility and Holiness thy Life and Lov may be brought forth in my Conversation and so adapt me to be called the Son of God §. 6. Holy Jesu who for the more rational Engagement of the Virgins Faith didst further acquaint her by the same Angel Behold thy Cousin Elizabeth who was called barren she also hath conceived a Son in her old Age. I magnify thy H. Name Becaus with God nothing shal be unpossibl This Maxim may suffice to silence all the Cavilling Inquiries of human Reason How this should be For the same Power that makes the barren Womb fruitful can with the same facility dispens with those Laws of Nature that render it unlikely there should be a Virgin-Mother And that Spirit which by breathing on them was abl to make dry Bones liv may be very rationaly believed of sufficient Power to impregnat a Virgin 's Womb. And therefore in Considering this transcendent Mystery of my Savior's Incarnation I will rather admire and recount his Goodness and Truth than question his Power or pry into the manner of its Accomplishment and in all his Trials of my Faith or Pati nce my Soul shal say as the 〈◊〉 of the Lord did Be it unto me according unto thy 〈◊〉 §. 7. Upon this Information the Blessed Virgin Mary arose and went iuto the Hill-Country to the Hous of 〈◊〉 to visit her Cousin Elizabeth who no sooner heard her Salutation but the Babe leaped in her Womb and she was filled with the 〈◊〉 Ghost so that she said with a 〈◊〉 voice Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb whence is it that the Mother of my Lord should com to me I prais thy Name For this marvelous Effect of thy
knew her not til she had brought forth her first-born Son not only so shame all mine inordinat Affections and engage me to abstain from fleshly Lusts which war against my Soul as to keep under my Body and bring it into Subjection but withall heighten our Esteem and Emulation of the transcendent Chastity and conjugal Lov of that immaculat Pair whom the King of Heven thought fit to honor and entrust with the Birth and Breeding of his own Son who was not so styled her First-born as to imply there ever was any other succeeding Fruit of her Womb the Mother of God being worthily believed an Eternal Virgin as wel In and After as Before the Bringing forth of that Son whose Name they called JESUS according to the mystical Import of that abstruse Prophecy in the 44th Chapter of Ezekiel This Gate shal be shut it shal not be open'd and no man shal enter in by it becaus the Lord the God of Israel hath enter'd in by it therefore it shal be shut §. 14. O Dear Jesus who in the same Act of assuming our Humanity 〈◊〉 also evidence thy Divinity being as well conceived by the H. Ghost as born of a Virgin I adore thine Eternal God-head For thy great Wisdom and Care in the Discovery and Confirmation of this sublime Mystery of thy Hypostatical Union which thou didst not only transact in Secret by the Message of the Angel Gabriel the Overshadowing of the H. Ghost and the Conception of the Virgin Mary but hast openly ratified by the Report of those Shepherds that had seen a Vision of Angels by the Brightness of the Star which appeared in the Hevens and by the Deportment of the Wise men whom it conducted from the East to Jerusalem by the Testimony of Simeon and Anna in the Templ and that of thy Precursor John the Baptist in the Wilderness All publick and unquestionable Arguments as well to confirm as exhibit the Truth and Import of the Annunciation made in privat to the devout Virgin that this first Step towards the Great Act of our Redemtion being alike Glorious within and without might appear worthy to be received of All with full Assurance and contemplated by All with infinit Gratitude and Delight O my dear and gracious Redeemer whose Humanity and Divinity are inseperably united in Thee are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledg being filled with the Fulness of God Grant throu the Dispensation of thy Grace that the same Godhead which dwelleth in Thee bodily may spiritualy abide in Me that as thy Body is united to thy Soul and both unto God so my Body may be incorporat with thine and my Soul enflamed with such a degree of thy Lov as shal be an Earnest of our ever-lasting Union Fill me with great and reverent Apprehensions of that inexpressibl Honor wherunto we are advanced in Our Union with the Deity in regard it is the End and Effect of Thine and let this Consideration disentangl me from all things here below that living the Life of God from which the whol World is alienated by Sin I may enter into an Hevenly Fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ for ever Amen Cap. II. Of His Nativity §. 1. O Thou King of Kings and Lord of Lords who dost dispose and turn the hearts of Earthly Monarchs as it seemeth best to thy Godly Wisdom making that 〈◊〉 which went out from Cesar Augustus that verse 1 all the World should be tared subservient to thy Celestial Decree long before Cyrenius was Governor of Syria revealed by thy H. Prophets touching the place where Christ should be born for in Obedience to the Imperial Edict All went to be tared 〈◊〉 one into his own City and Joseph went up from Galilee out of the City Nazareth into Judea unto the City of David which is called Betl 〈◊〉 to be tared with Mary his espoused wife then great with Child in such a juncture of time that 〈◊〉 they were there the days were accomplished that she should be delivered I prais and magnify thy H. Name For thy over-ruling Wisdom and Providence in making those Occurrences which seem contingent and arbitrary to human Reason instrumental to carry on the good purpos of thy Divine Will so that what the Prophet Micah had fore-told as the Chief Priests and Scribes themselves did readily explain and apply it may at this day serv for the Direction and Establishment of our Faith in the tru 〈◊〉 Lord let that admirabl Concent and Harmony between thy Old and New Testament which is evident in this and many other singular Instances of thy Truth and Power be effectual to convince the obstinat Jews convert the unbelieving Gentils and bring All Mankind to the Obedience of Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. §. 2. O thou most High Possessor of Heven and Earth who didst humbl thy self to be wrapped in Swadling 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 in a Manger becaus there was no 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 having made choice of a poor Virgin for thy Mother and a mean Carpenter to pass for thy reputed Father both being destitute not only of a numerous Train of Attendants and such like Marks of Worldly Pomp and Grandeur but even of ordinary Conveniences I prais thy Glorious Name For thus taking upon Thee the form of a Servant that thou mightest heal the Error of our Ignorance and Ambition Let the continual memory of this thy blessed Exampl giv an effectual Check to the Vanity of my Mind for the utter extirpation of all the Pride or Avarice incident to my Nature And having dispossessed all sensual Thoughts and beastly Appetits of that Room which entirely belongs to Thee be thou pleased to accept of my poor Heart as thou didst of that homely Stabl to reside in supplying their place with such unfeigned Humility as may render me cheerfully contented in all Estates Lord impart needful Consolation to the Poor a sanctified Poverty of Spirit to the Rich and the abundant Riches of thy Grace to All. §. 3. There being in 〈◊〉 saine Country Shepherds abiding in the field keeping Watch over their Flock by night the Angel of the Lord came upon them and said unto them Fear not for behold I bring you glad Tidings of great Joy which shal be to all Peepl 〈◊〉 unto You is born this day in the City of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord I magnify thy Sacred Name For this admirabl mixture of Humility and Glory wherwith thou O Christ hast beautified and signalized thy Coming into the World for the Ministry of an Angel to proclaim thy Birth is no less Glorious and Sublime than to be an Inmate with the Beasts of the Stabl seems base and mean in our Eys Lord since thou hast vouchsafed to direct thy winged Herald to those vigilant Cottagers that the Poor and Simpl might hav as much Occasion to shew forth thy Prais as the great and Learned I cannot but admire and heartily desire to imitat
Corruptions to renounce no new Nature to put on and yet didst permit thy Fore-skin to be circumcised that we might learn therby to put away all 〈◊〉 and superfluity of 〈◊〉 tiness I prais thy H. Name For this Visibl Sign of that 〈◊〉 Grace we stand in need of Let this thine Infant-Wound O J su circumcise our Hearts purify our Hands and 〈◊〉 our whol Man blameless and undefiled And since there is a Fountain open'd to the Hous of David for Sin and for Uncleanness let the Blood of Christ who throu the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 offer'd himself without Spot to God 〈◊〉 our Conscience from dead Works to 〈◊〉 the living God that being 〈◊〉 from all 〈◊〉 of Flesh and Spirit 〈◊〉 may perfect Holiness in thy Fear To this end I beseech thee mortify the Deeds of my Body cut off the Occasions of Sin and disappoint the Temtations most apt to betray me 〈◊〉 for He is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is 〈◊〉 in the Flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose Prais is not of Men but of God §. 6. O my Soul Who could imagin so small privat an Action in a Country so remote and an Age so long past should be of such marvellous Concernment to thee and evry Family in the Earth besides I prais and magnify thy Name O Christ for that 〈◊〉 Wisdom and Goodness wherwith thou hast enlarged my Joys in making all thine Actions conduciv to the Benefit and Instruction of the whol World Grant me Grace I beseech thee so to use those Faculties wherwith thou hast enabled me to reflect on and consider Objects so far distant in Time and Place that duly weighing the great Confequence and wide Concernment of evry Thought Word and Deed enrolled in the Volum of Eternity I may becom the more cautious of ordering my Conversation aright til Divine Lov Entire Obedience and Uniform Devotion compleat my Life in this World and prepare a delightful Spectacl for God Angels and Just Men made perfect in the next Cap. IV. Of His Epiphany §. 1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of verse 1 〈◊〉 in the days of Herod the King 〈◊〉 there came Wise men from the East to Jerusalem saying Where is he that is born King of the 〈◊〉 for we 〈◊〉 seén his Star in the East and are com to worship him I prais and magnify thy Name O thou Wisdom of the Father for the gracious and 〈◊〉 Influence of the Eastern 〈◊〉 whose Appearance and Motion being wholy 〈◊〉 did attract the Eys engage the Faith and guide the Feet of these Learned Sages in Quest of Thee In deed they are the only Wise men who use their Learning to find out Heven Lord as thou didst illuminat their Souls by a diviner Light to discern the Benefit and Design of that created Star so be thou graciously pleased to accompany the hevenly Oracls of thy Word with such a convincing Power and Demonstration of thy Spirit as shal be effectual to bring in the Fulness of the Gentils to whom thou hast extended the Scepter of thy Mercy as well as to the Jews having made both one and broken down the middl Wall of Partition between us §. 2. O Blessed Jesu who didst withdraw the Conduct of that Star as soon as the Wise men were com to Jerusalem leaving them to be informed by the ordinary Ministry of the chief Priests and Scribes of the Peépl whom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gathered together demanding of them where Christ should be born they said unto him In Bethlehem of Iudea for thus it is written of 〈◊〉 Prophet And thou Bethlehem in the land of Iuda art not the least among the Princes of Iuda for out of 〈◊〉 shal com a a Governor that shal rule my Peépl Israel I prais thy H. Name For the seasonabl Use of Miracls and the transcendent Excellency of the Means of Grace It is unreasonabl to look for Manna when we are once enter'd into the Land of Promise Reclaim therfore I beseech thee all pervers and ignorant Schismaticks from that gross presumtion of temting Thee for new Lights and needless Revelations now thy Will is so expresly revealed in thy Word and let the Priests Lips to whom thou hast committed the ordinary Dispensation of thine Oracls always preserv sufficient knowledg to direct thy peepl in the way of Salvation by that more sure Word of Prophecy which was of old written for our Instruction and is to this day a standing Record taken from the mouths of those holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the H. Ghost And as thou didst lead these honorabl Pilgrims by the Conduct of a Star to the Means of Grace and by the ordinary Preaching and Explanation of thy Word unto thy Self making both those Methods useful in their respectiv places so let thine ancient Miracls confirm and quicken us in the Use of such ordinary Means as are adapted to these later Times for the Light of thy glorious Gospel is as much more instructiv than the obscurer Language of a Star as the shining Splendor of the Day outvies the gloomy Shades of Night this being no less powerful to draw Men from all Quarters of the Earth to thy Worship than that was to invite these few from the East §. 3. The 〈◊〉 men having received so full and plain an Answer from the Priests in the 〈◊〉 of a Truth which neither their fear of Herod nor their own Enmity was abl to suppress continu their Progress toward Bethlehem nothing discoraged either with the disappearing of their Oriental Guide or by the Troubl which the bold and open Declaration of their Embassy had given Herod and all Ierusalem with him I magnify thy Sacred Name O Christ For this their Exemplary Corage and Resolution Be thou the delightful Object and Answer of all mine Enquiries the sole End and Recompence of all my Travel and let my Soul depend on Thee in the greatest destitution of all Outward Helps and Encoragements that those Obstacls which the World is apt to cast in my way being furmounted by a firm purpos of Mind to follow Thee I may throu a du Use of thine Ordinances be brought out of the Maze of Error and Ignorance 〈◊〉 the Knowledg of thy Truth and walk in the right way to thy saving Presence §. 4. O H. Jesu who to reward the Faith and Zeal of these devout Pilgrims didst not only signify to them the Birth of the Messiah in general but conduct them also to Jerusalem and at last when they departed thence attend them even to Bethlehem by the Star which they saw in the East that went before them til it came and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the yong Child was to their great joy I bless and prais thy Name For being found of them that seek Thee according to thy faithful Promise I