you from that wrath and take away that heat as Roses do take away the heat of a hot disease For none else but he was ever able to pacifie the provoked wrath and fury of God It was the foolish pride of that Romane Emperour Caligula Caligulaes folly having made a bridge of grappled ships over a narrow arm of the Sea in imitation of Xerxes and triumphing at midnight with innumerables torches to boast that he had wrought two great miracles having made the sea dry land and the night day but our Emperour of heaven and earth even the Lord Jesus Christ did so indeed when he dried up the red Sea of his fathers wrath and changed our present night of ignorance sadnesse and future of torment into the eternall day-light of his grace and glory and there was none with him when he did it because none but he was able to do it nor will be ever See Esa 63.3 I have troden the wine-presse alone and of the people there was none with me that is none did * Nemo mihi patienti adsuit Cyryl in Loc. suffer with me when I suffered my fathers wrath wherefore as God said once to his people so say I unto you Enter into the rock * Altiâ—ri intellectu praecipitur omnibus ut ingrediantur in pâ—tram iâ— est confugium faciant ad Christum veraciter credendo in eum Haymo in Loc. that is in Christ who is the rock for feare of the Lord and for the glory of his Majestie when he is angry and there hide your selves making what use you can of Christ and labouring to be found in Christ and to have Christ ever in your mind till the indignation be over past Esa 2.10 and Chap. 26. vers 20. 22. 22 Case Moreover are you deprived of your dearest friends goodly children or loving parents or hath any of you been bereaved of a kinde yoke-fellow and do ye thereupon conclude that God is displeased with you then go to Christ in this your heavy and sad condition who is ready to be unto you in stead of a sonne a father or mother or brother or friend Matth. 12.50 and so consequently to exhilarate and to cheere you up as a Rose whose * Roses do rejoyce the blood Tho. Hill in his Art of gardening p. 88. propertie it is to be exhilarative 23. 23 Case Again though you do not feel the wrath of God in your souls yet if you be but comfortlesse and destitute of the sense and feeling of his love towards you rest not so but go with all speed to Christ who is both able and ready to comfort your sorrowfull souls as Roses are able to * William Langh p. 533. comfort the head and heart of a man when he is weake For so he saith Ioh. 14.18 I will not leave you comfortlesse I will come to you Mark I le come to you saith he Where as other Roses cannot come to us but we must go after them to shew how ready he is to come and to comfort us whensoever we are sad and comfortlesse wherefore I coÌ„clude with sweet St. * Tristatur aliquis nostrum veniat in cor Jesus Bern. Sâ—rm 15. super Cant. Bernard is any man sad Let Christs sweetest name Jesus I adde and this precious promise come into his heart and minde and so let him procure that peace and comfort which the world cannot give in and by Jesus Christ that sweet and most comfortable Rose of Sharon but this comfortablenesse of Christ I have likewise already enforced upon your affections as now I do reinforce it upon your wils and therefore I am here the more brief in my perswasion 24. 24 Case Are you sick and weake in body and like to die then ô then make use of Christ chiefly For then usually men make most use of their corruptible Roses or Rose-water Rose-vinegar Roses conserved and * For few cordials can want the help of Roses or Rose-water Will. Langh p. 535. cordials made of Roses and other ingredients when they be very ill and should ye not then above all other times make as much account of Christ that incorruptible Rose of Sharon yea infinitely more Forasmuch as he is then able to do good both to your souls and bodies whereas other Roses as I noted formerly are but good for the one and nothing for the other It is Christ and none but Christ that can heale all diseases as he is not onely man but also God all-powerfull Psal 103.3 It is Christ and none but Christ that can then strengthen us when naturall strength faileth as it is written Esa 40.29 He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength which all the cordials upon earth cannot do It is Christ and none but Christ that can then content your languishing souls and drooping spirits when neither meat nor drink will down with you as it is written Psal 23.4 5. Yea Though I walk thorow the valley of the shadow of death I will feare none ill for thou namely * Aug. in Loc. Christ art with me thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me Thou preparest a table or feast for my poore soul before me in the presence of mine enemies where by enemies we may understand death and Satan also among the rest who then are before us when we are dying Lastly it is Christ and none but Christ that can then keep us alive that we die not the everlasting death when neither money nor friends nor Physick nor Physicians can keep us from death For so he saith Ioh. 6.49.50 Your fathers did eat Manna in the wildernesse and are dead that could not keep them alive This is the bread which cometh down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die namely for ever And therefore as in ancient time sick and weak and dying Christians were * Ansèlm apud Rosium in conf Petriconiensi cap. 73. Georg. Cassander in append ad opusc Iohan. Roffens de siducia misericordia Dei. directed to make use of Christ at that time especially interposing the death of Christ betwixt them and Gods Judgement so do I advise and perswade you now to do the like saying as they were taught to say if the Lord will Judge you Lord we interpose the death of of our Lord Iesus Christ betwixt us and thy Iudgement no otherwise we contend with thee c. I must not proceed farther lest I should prevent my self in that which I must say by and by touching the form and manner of making use of Christ and therefore let that suffice which I have already spoken 25. 25 Case Finally my brethren if your faith be weake either then when you be weak and sick or at any other time then ô then be sure to go to Christ who being like a Rose is as able to corroborate your faith in the heart as Roses are able to * Rosarum
redolent as a rose whose sent is most sweet and pleasant in regard of the sweet odor of his gracious words and works of obedience active and passive and in regard of the sweetnesse and fairenesse of his person formerly mentioned and therfore how ô how should ye be moved with this transcendent sweetnesse of that sweetest rose of Sharon to seeke after it and to get it how farre doe men goe for fragrant spices and how doe they adventure their lives sailing in the Indies and the spicy Islands but ye need not goe so farre for Christ who is sweeter then all spices for he is nigh unto you even in the word which we preach unto unto you Againe ye need not leave your house and home and friends as men that are bound for the Indies but onely your sinnes and you shall not need to adventure your lives if you goe to Christ for then you shall finde them and save them and should ye not be willing then to goe to Christ which is but a little way forsaking your best beloved sinnes which can yeeld but little comfort 2. Consider his delightfulnesse 2 Christs delightfulnesse For being like a rose he must needs be as delectable as a rose which delights our eyes as much as any flower * John â—arion Châ—on l. 3 p 130. Some write of Titus the Romane Emperour that he was of so sweet and amiable a disposition as that he was commonly called delitiae generis humani the delight of mankinde which might be but a flattering speech of men but of Christ Jesus that high and mighty monarch of heaven and earth we may truly say so without flattering that he is indeed the very delight of mankinde See Cant. 5.16 how he is said to be altogether lovely or delectable as the * Hebrew hath it marke he is altogether delightfull delightfull I namely in his person first for its admirable beauty Psalme 45.2 2. Delightfull in his gracious Titles for first he is stiled the Light of men Iohn 1.4 Now all know how delectable and pleasing the light is as the light of the sun the light of the stars and the light of a candle even little children do rejoyce at the light of a candle and desire to play with it because they see a delightfulnesse in it and we doe all take great delight in the shining sun and shall take a farre greater delight in that masse of shining light which we shall see another day in the highest heaven which for its brightnesse may be truly * Zâ—sth de coeâ—o â—eâ—t c. 4 termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hat is all light and therefore how delectable must Christ himselfe needs be who is the Light and that light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even that transcendent light Iohn 1.8 and that true light which enlighteneth that is * Scilicet rationts seâ—â— intelligâ—â—â—â—â— Pis◠〈◊〉 loc endueth with reason Every man that commeth into the world or is borne into the world and is the cause of another light for as much as all things were made by him ver 3. yea the very perfection of all created light which * Platoâ— 7. dâ— Aâ—ima Plato termes the perfection of shining bodies 2. He is called a * Tâ—t 〈◊〉 13 Saviour and the Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4.10 which title of his is so delightfull as that it should even cause your hearts to leap within you when you heare it as Saint Iohn did leap in his mothers wombe for joy at the voice of the blessed Virgins sweetest salutation Luke 1.44 yea should even forthwith pluck your hearts out of your breasts and bosomes to transplant them into the bosome of Christ for how delightfull is the very naming of a temporall Saviour unto them that are in misery when they understand or heare of his willingnesse to deliver them and therefore how can your hearts chuse but even dance for joy within you whiles you heare me speake of such a Saviour as is called the Saviour of the world and of all men and so consequently willing to save you also if you shall beleeve in him for so the Apostle goes on who is the Saviour of all men especially of those that beleeve * Pisc in loc because he saves them not only corporally but spiritually and everlastingly whereas otherwise he doth but * Vade Bâ—ze versiâ— Coâ—servator omâ—iuâ—n preserve you and others corporally 3. Nay is he not called salvation it selfe Luke 1.30 to shew saith * Heary Smith â—â—his fiâ—â— sâ—mâ—â— of tâ—â—â—sang of Simâ—on one that there is no other Saviour but this one and this word salvation quoth he is the sweetest word in all the scripture and therefore how delightfull must he needs be who beares this name which is the sweetest word in all the bible 4. He is stiled a bridegroome Iohn 3.29 Matt. 9.15 in Latine sponsus quasi promissus as being promised by his heavenly father to be a husband unto all true beleevers Now how delectable is the name of a bridegroome to a virgin especially it being told her that she may have a bridegroome whose beauty and sweetnesse of disposition passeth all other mens and therefore how delightfull must Christ needs be who is fairer then all the children of men and sweeter too then all other men in regard of his disposition and how should ye be delighted with him O my dearly beloved when ye heare me tell of him desiring you even forthwith to chuse him for your bridegroome forsaking all other sinfull and sensuall delights wherewith you have been hitherto too much enamoured and fascinated or bewitched O consider of it consider of it deare friends you can never make the like choice while the world standeth the Lord open your eyes and hearts that you may see your owne good and may not let slip so faire an opportunity to be so highly preferred and for ever made 5. Againe is he not called a friend Cant. 5.16 This is my friend O daughters of Ierusalem Now how delightfull a good friend is you know likewise the very sight of such a friend is sweet * Arist l. 9. Eth c. 11. * Franciscus Pâ—trarâ—bo dial 52. saith one and hee that hath such a friend saith another hath the sweetest thing that may bee nay there is no thing better then it next unto vertue upon Earth quoth hee preferring it before Parents childreÌ„ brothers for as shining bodies doe even transfuse some of their light into those places which are nigh unto them so doth a true and faithfull friend send forth and breathe sweetnesse and grace and pleasantnesse saith * Maximus monachus another and therefore how pleasant must Christ needs be who is that true and faithfull friend indeed who being once befriended with any indeed never ceases nor can he cease to be kind and courteous and affable unto him and to send and dart forth some comfortable beames of his pleasant countenance into his beleeving
where he is rather then any where else Well Christ Jesus to whom all you who are Gods people are most blessedly united and married in a mysticall and ineffable manner is fairer then Absalom pleasanter then Ionathan For he is like a rose yea he passes any rose as I noted formerly For fairenesse and pleasantnesse being the author of that fairenesse and sweetnesse which is in all roses created and therefore I said but now that he is most faire And should ye not then desire to be with Christ rather then any where and with any creature else nay should ye not even be restlesse as long as you be out of his blessed light and sweetest company and should ye not even be in paine and regardlesse of all things else if therein you cannot meet with your deare love Christ Remember Asaph who could say for his part whom have I in heaven but thee Psal 7.25 and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee or * with thee that is like thee or as much as thee as if thou alone wert not my all-sufficient husband to content me but that I must needs associate my selfe with others that they may satisfie me No No. Thou Lord art unto me all in all sweeter then a thousand other friends and ten thousand companions If I may but enjoy thee I have enough and if I should misse thee there is no friend no company no conference no place that would or could please me so sweet * 〈…〉 â— 25. S. Bernard could say the like all the meat of the very soule is but unsavory if Christ be not in it if thou write unto me thy writing delights me not if I cannot reade Jesus iâ— it if thou dispute or talke and conferre with mee thy discourse cannot please me unlesse Jesus do sound in mine eares Thus he even in those darke and nusty dayes of ignorance and blindnesse in the which he lived neere 400 yeer 〈…〉 before the Reformation and should not you living and flourishing under the brightest Sun-shine of Christs glorious Gospel be as much for Christ You will say unto me where would you have us then to desire and to seek to be with Christ seeing you do so charge us Christ you know is in heaven and you would have us to be willing to be with him here For answer whereunto I say first 〈…〉 that Christ is not like unto that rose of gold which the Pope of Rome sheweth upon a Lords day in the Lent onely in Rome which his * Durand Ratioâ—â— dâ—◠〈…〉 6. 〈◊〉 111. flâ—â—terers hold to typifie the new Jerusalem No he is not onely in one place even in heaven which is his proper place though his humane nature be there bodily but he is also to be seene and to be met with here below as he is God shewing himself graciously presenâ— in his own ordinances and in the hearts and meetings of his people See Matth. 18.20 When two or three be gathered together in my name there I am in the middest of them and Ioh. 17.20 At that day you shall know that I am in my father and you in me and I in you Thus generally More particularly I answer Be willing therefore to meet him and to be with him 1. In the word preached in the house of God which is like the pleasant field of Sharâ—n where the Sunne shineth most warme and faire so as that there you cannot â—â—sse the Loâ—d Jesus Christ that sweetest Rose who hath obliged himself by proâ—ise to be there even as in Sharon field properly so called w th lyeth most pleasantly under the warmâ—st Sun shine one might not want a goodly Rose springing out of that prosperous earth in Sâ—lomâ—ns dayes and when the time of the yeer did serve Wherefore as the little Bee loves to flie about those gardens and places which are full of Roses as being a * Plâ—n Naâ—tur hist l 21 c. 12. lover of Roses so do ye love and like the house of God whereas in a Rose garden you may be sure to find Christ that sweet Rose of Sharon 2. Be willing to be with him at and in the mysterious administration and participation of the blessed Sacrament of his sacred Supper For there also you cannot but meet him yea see him with the eyes of faith as bleeding for your sins and being all red as it were like a Rose with bleeding in regard of that precious blood which once he shed for your immort all souls when he died for your transgressions and which then you do savingly and seasonably remember to have been so powred forth as the wine is powred out when you feast and feed your souls with that celestiall and mysticall food which is there provided for you nay you may even there embrace the Lord Jesus Christ in your armes the armes I meane of faith as that good old Simeon held him in the armes of his body being ready even to sing with him for joy the same Cygeâ—â—â—n caution or song which he saâ—â— saying Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart home in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy sâ—lvation Luk. 2.29 30. Thus he and you may adde for our eyes of saith have now seene that sweetest Rose of Sharon our eyes have seen his precious blood as it were as red as a Rose and our souls have tasted how sweet the Lord is even sweeter then sugared roses and the sweetest honey oh how good how good and gracious is he and how infinite are his tender mercies and his sweetest comforts past finding the like 3. Be willing to be with Christ in prayer talking and conferring with him as freely and frequently and familiarly as a Bride with her Bridegroome and as * Zosimas relicto Arcesilao sâ—lus ad cubiculum propâ—re aâ—cuâ—â—t in qâ—o Dâ—â—m samiliaâ—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 peâ—lat c. Evâ—â—â— hist Eccles l. 4 c. 7. Zosimas and Latimer that blessed martyr and worthy Bishop did who prayed as M. Foxe reporteth it of him as if he had seene God face to face in a most sweet and familiar manner so let your beleeving hearts also even mount up and ascend into heaven it self where Christ is at the right hand of God that Christ may again descend in and with your hearts in a most sweet and inexplicable manner returning most comfortable and heart-reviving answers to your most gracious and heart-breaking desires as you may see Cant. 5.1 I am come into my garden meaning the Church and every * Cant. 4.12 In hoâ—tum dilâ—ctâ—s vâ—nit quando Christus mentes visitat Gregor in loc beleeving soule which is his most delicious paradise my Sister my Spouse as if he should say it was thy heartie desire ô my deare Spouse that I should come into this pleasant garden for thou saidst let my beloved come into his garden Cant. 4.16 and now loe here I am to answer the longing expectation of thy blessed soule which doth