Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	body_n	food_n	life_n	5,913	5	4.9908	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73885	Divers select sermons on severall texts Viz. 1. Of quenchiug [sic] the spirit. I Thessalon. 5.16. 2. Of the sinners suite for pardon. 2 Sam. 24.10. 3. Of eating and digesting the Word. Ier. 15.16. 4. Of buying and keeping the truth. Prov. 23.23. Preached by that reverend and faithfull minister of the word, Ier. Dyke, late preacher of Epping in Essex. Finished by his owne pen in his life time, and now published by his sonne Dan. Dyke Master of Arts.	Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639.; Dyke, Daniel, 1617-1688.; Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639. Heart-smitten sinner's suite for pardon.; Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639. Of quenching, and not quenching of the spirit.; Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639. Purchase and possession of the truth.; Dyke, Jeremiah, 1584-1639. Right eating and digesting of the Word.	1640 (1640)	STC 7414; ESTC S124520	150,541	441

Know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke What ever is pretended yet Lord this is the true cause It is for thy sake alone that I am thus odious And that hee opens more particularly vers 16. for thy sake it is for thy words were found by mee and I did eate them I have beene faithfull when I found what thy word and will was to disperse and practise it and hence is all this adoe therefore the clamours and curses are against mee Because I eate thy Word therefore it is that they are ready to eate up mee and to devoure mee That is the dependance of these words And wee may take this by the way from it That the true ground of all clamours curses reproaches against Gods servants is nothing else but this tbeir conscientious and close walking with God and walking by the rule of his Word Psal 69.7 8 9. For thy sake I have borne reproach shame hath covered my face I am become a stranger unto my brethren and an alient unto my mothers children For the zeale of thine house hath eaten me up and the reproathes of them that reproached thee are fallen upon mee Because the word is eaten by them or they eaten up with zeale for God and his Word therefore is the world ready to eat them For the words themselves and their sense Thy words were found by mee that is thou didst reveale and make known thy Word and will to mee And I did eate them It is a metaphor by which hee expresses with what readinesse and forwardnesse hee received the Word either to disperse it to others or for his owne practise and obedience viz. with such readinesse and affection as an hungry man would doe his meate I was as willing to disperse and obey thy Word as if thou hadst commanded mee to have eaten meat when hungry And so the point is That the Word of God found by us Doct. made knowne to us must be eaten of us It is not enough to heare the Word to reade the Word but wee must eate the Word That which Ezekiel and John did in a speciall case peculiar to them that must wee all doe Eze. 3.1 2 3. Moreover he said unto me Sonne of man eat that thou findest eate this roule and goe speake unto the house of Israel So I opened my mouth and hee caused me to eate that roule And he said unto me Sonne of man cause thy belly to eate and fill thy bowels with this roule that I give thee Then did I eate it and it was in my mouth as hony for sweetnesse So John Apoc. 10.9 And J went unto the Angel and said unto him Give mee the little Booke And hee said unto mee Take it and eate it up and it shall make thy belly bitter but it shall be in thy mouth as sweet as honey So wee when we finde the Word must eate it There must be a manducation a comestion of the Word As the body hath its food so the soule also Now for the body it is not enough to see food and looke upon it nor to feele food and to handle it nor to smell food but if the body will be nourished and maintained in life it must eate food and take it in so likewise the soule having its food and the Word being its food it is not enough to heare it and receive it in at the eare but it must also eate it and take it in at the mouth The Word is milk 1 Pet. 2.2 1 Cor. 3.2 I have fed you with milke Therefore not enough for men to have milke amongst them but they must be fed with it and they must feed upon it And how can men feed unlesse they eate The Word is bread Amos 8.11 A famine not of bread but of the Word that is a famine not of bodily but of spirituall bread Therefore it is sprituall bread And what more usuall then this Scripture phrase of eating bread Bread is appointed and made for that use and end to be eaten Bread may be in the house may be on the table may be in a mans hand and yet if a man eate it not hee is never the fatter nor fuller nothing can satisfie a mans hunger or keep life up but the eating of bread The Word is hony Psal 119.103 And of this hony may it bee said as Prov. 25.16 Hast thou found Hony eat so much as is sufficient for thee or as Prov. 24.13 14. My son eat thou hony because it is good and the hony combe which is sweet to thy taste So shall the knowledge of wisdome be unto thy soule when thou hast found it then there shall be a reward and thy expectation shall not be cut off As wee see Samson Judg. 14.8 9. When he found hony in the carkeyse of the Lion he took thereof in his hands and he went on eating So when wee finde this hony it is not onely to be lookt on gazed on wondred at talkt of but to be eaten Ier. 3.15 That shall feed you Therefore the Word is to be fed upon and to be eaten else how fed See Isa 55.1 2. Buy and eate what is that vers 2. hearken and eat Therefore the word must be so hearkned unto as must be eaten When God gives the Ministery of the Word hee makes that good Hos 11.4 I laid meat unto them And when hee layes meat to us hee lookes wee should eate that meate And that which wisdome speakes Prov. 9.5 Come and eate of my bread may without any great forcing be applyed unto this particular for that bread there spoken of is offered in the Ministery of the Word Now for the better conceiving of this duty consider such particulars as this metaphor implyes Consider wherein this eating stands It stands in these things First in an appetite unto and a desire after the word Unto eating is required an appetite and a stomacke it is mens appetites and hunger that sets them on eating A man cares not for eating unlesse his appetite and stomack be up unlesse hee be hungry So this eating of the word implyes an appetite and a stomacke to it When God sets this food before us wee should have our spirituall appetite and come to it with sharpe set stomackes 1 Pet. 2.2 As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word And such an appetite had Iob to the Word Iob 23.12 I have esteemed the words of his mouth more then my necessary food Hee had it in such esteeme that he desired it more and had a stronger appetite to it then to his necessary food not onely then he had to his dainties and superfluities but more then to his necessary substantiall food without which hee could not well live and subsist Such was Davids appetite Psal 119.20 Mine heart breakes for the longing c. and that not at some fits but at all times This good cheere never came amisse to him his stomacke was ever good hee could at any time eate and

DIVERS SELECT SERMONS ON SEVERALL TEXTS Viz. 1. Of Quenching the Spirit 1 Thessalon 5.19 2. Of the Sinners suite for Pardon 2 Sam. 24.10 3. Of Eating and Digesting the Word Ier. 15.16 4. Of buying and keeping the Truth Prov. 23.23 Preached by that Reverend and Faithfull Minister of the Word IER DYKE late Preacher of Epping in Essex Finished by his owne pen in his life time And now published by his Sonne DAN DYKE Master of Arts. LONDON Printed by Tho. Paine for L. Fawne and S. Gellibrand at the sign of the brazen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard 1640. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND VERTVOVSLY ENNOBLED Lady the Lady MAGDALENE BRVCE Wife first to the Right Honorable Edward Lord Bruce Baron of Kinlosse Master of the Rolls and one of the most Honorable Privie Councell to King Iames of happy memory Next to the Honorable Sir James Fullerton Knight Groome of the Stoole to his Majestie my very good Lady Right Honorable WEre I not in awe of your Honours Humility which though it selfe doth publish the rest of your graces yet commands me to conceale them I might here have given the world a tast of that which may more easily bee admired then either exprest or imitated For although such is your singular piety mixt with Prudence that you if any may iustly challenge the Doves heart with the Serpents head yet that which gives a redolency and fragrancy to all your beds of spices is the grace of Humility which is to vse the metaphor of S. Bernard as the violet though the lowest yet the sweetest of flowers And although hereby it comes to passe that you had rather deserve the praise of vertue then have it yet pardon me my most Noble Lady if I tell the World that which the World Fame have long since told me that you are one of those who have made Honour Honorable and Nobility Noble Madam it is well knowne that though your House be illustrious and Family most Noble yet that you doe not borrow of but repay unto your Progenitors and give to your Posterity true honour And how To receive Christ to bee borne of God and so become of the blood Royall of Heaven this is honour of a double die no favour on earth can give it no malice of hell can staine it Alexander must draw his pedegree from the gods or else he thinkes himselfe ignoble I am sure to bee allied to the King of Heaven is true nobility and a greater honour to have the spirit of God flaming in the soule then to have the arteries flusht and the veines fraught with the heroicall spirits and noble blood of our forefathers and my short experience of your Ladyships conversation assures mee that this is not so much your ambition as your happinesse The world is to full of those Glowormes that shine not unlesse it be in the darke ignorance of true honour I meane that place their glory in the ostentation and pompe of their wealth and affluency many such if now there are not I am sure there were in Saint Chrysostome his time who thought it might bee served in to their Tables in costly plate or worne on their backs in gorgeous apparrell whom he wittily upbraides that they might thanke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Crysost in Epist ad collos Cap. 3. hom 7. the cooke the swineyard the weaver and kember the goldsmith and confectioner for their honour But he knowes you not who knowes not that your Ladiships soule is to sublime and heavenly thus to lay your honour in the dust To be a diligent peruser of sacred heraldry and to finde a name in the booke of life is superlative glory this refines the blood of the coursest peasant and creates him a regall pedigree but saith the text Act. 17.14 15. there were also honorable women that beleeved here is honour laid upon honour when terrene honour is the ground of celestiall Pious poverty is a head of gold on feete of clay but devout nobility apples of Gold on pictures of silver a religious Lazarus is an orient pearle on a dunghill but a godly Constantine a religious Emperour This is emphaticall this is monopolizing of honour this is as rare and infrequent so rare and excellent To say all this of your Ladyship as it is no flattery so not to say it is a more blacke sin then envy witnes your friends nay your enemies your acquaintance nay your conscience and lastly witnesse the backes and bellies of Gods pupills I meane the poore which are the field and furrowes receiving the liberall dispersion of that temporall seede which will rise no doubt in a crop of eternall glory Vpon all these your honours divine dispositions this one doth ensue of necessity that you are a patronesse of the messengers and a receiver of the messages of God which hath emboldened your servant to present unto your Honour though the posthumous yet not the spurious child of him whom God honoured to be a father of many children in his Church Jt hath indeede beene a iust complaint that the posthumous workes of many learned Divines have come forth like the heterogeneall monsters of Affrica which being generated of diverse species partly resemble the male partly the female or like the froggs on the Bankes of Nile which aequivocall generation leaves imperfect even so the corrupted matter of broken notes penned from the mouth of a preacher mingled perhaps with the weake conceits of some illiterate Stenographer cherisht with the Sunbeames of popular applause many times presents the world with monstrous and mishapen births to the unspeakeable iniury and dishonour of the deceased parents That this present worke is none of those slovenly meteors it is my taske to prove and that in a word I may give plenary satisfaction give mee leave to referre your Ladiship to the rest of this Authors workes if you finde not in these the same comely features and sweet complexions I meane the same strength of Judgement and clearenesse of phantacy that is in the rest reiect it as not his For the Author my Deare and deceased Father I neede not tell your Honour of his fidelitie both in preaching and writing ea libertate scripsit imperatorum vitas qua ipsi vixerunt how like e Suetonius hee tooke the same liberty to cry downe sin that men tooke to sin neither is it fit for mee to say how hee preacht and wrote by the same rule that Aeskines gives an Oratour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that his Oration and the Law must be unisones not to speake any thing aboue or besides the law How carefull and how precise he hath beene in this particular as in all his workes so especially in this may appeare as by the frequent so pertinent quotations of scripture wherein your Ladiship shall finde though abundance yet no superfluitie though many yet not too many As for other marginall Fringe I meane the quotations of Augustine or Crysostome c. which may seeme

with a great deale of anguish And what will a man doe in such a case The first thing hee will doe for his ease is to plucke out the sting the Hornet hath left behinde For if a man apply medicines for ease yet if the sting be still sticking in his flesh medicines are in vaine So when the conscience is stung and throbs and rages the way is first to plucke out the sting out of the conscience Nothing can take away the sting out of the conscience but pardon Pardoning grace onely can fetch that out therefore when thy conscience is stung and doth paine and vex thee let that be the first thing and let is bee done speedily too to seeke to God for the pardon and remission of thy sinne That will take out the sting and when the sting is out there will follow present ease Secondly marke what Davids suite Doct. 2 to God is Take away I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant Learne then what is a maine thing that concernes every sinner to looke after and labour for A maine thing that above all others a sinner should looke after and take thought and care for is the pardon and remission of his sinnes Our Saviour in the forme of prayer by him prescribed teaches us to pray but sixe petitions and amongst those sixe the fift is forgive us our trespasses and observe with what petition it is coupled Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us Two things may be there observed 1. First hee subjoynes petition for pardon to petition for bread 2. Secondly hee couples and conjoynes them In the three first petitions one petition is subjoyned to another but not conjoyned to the other Hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdome come c. hee saith not And thy Kingdome come And thy will be done But here these are coupled Give us c And forgive us And this to teach us that there is as great necessity of pardon for eternall life as of bread for temporall That we stand in as much need of a forgiving God for our soules as of a giving God for our bodies So also that wee should bee no lesse thoughtfull and carefull for pardon of sinne than men are for bread That wee should beg as hard and toyle as hard for the pardon of sinne as for bread to maintaine life The Lord Hos 24.2 prescribes his people a prayer and that hath but two petitions and this is not onely one of them but the first of them Take away all iniquity and give us good Agur put up but two petitions to God and these were the petitions that he meant to put up to his dying day Prov. 30.7 Two things have I required of thee deny them mee not before I dye that is two things I have beg'd and will not leave begging to my dying day and one of these two and the first of these two things that he would beg to his dying day was the pardon of his sinnes v. 8. Remove farre from me vanity and lyes As if he should say Lord be mercifull unto mee in the pardon of my sinnes So that there is no thought nor care that should take up a mans time and paines all his life long as this how to get the pardon of our sinnes It is the greatest mercy that can be showne us It is true that wee live wholly upon mercy that we have a being it is mercy that wee have any comfortable being it is mercy mercy that we have food to put into our bellies mercy that wee have clothes to put upon our backs mercy that we are freed frō many sorrowes sadnesse and heavy crosses that others lye under all is mercy but yet lay all together and they are nothing to the mercy that is in pardon of sinne that is the greatest mercy that can be shewed Psal 51.1 According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions See then that it is mercy that must blot out transgressions nay it is tender mercy nay it is a multitude of tender mercies that blots out and forgives sinne And therefore it being so great a mercy our cares should be suitable and proportionable to it The greater the mercy is the greater should a mans care be to get a share in that mercy Vse 1 First if pardon of sinne be a thing of such concernement the maine thing that a sinner should looke after then let us make it our great care and the great endeavour of our lives to get the pardon of our sinnes It is wofull to see our negligence and security in this point What is there in all the world that concernes men to looke after more and yet what is there that men looke after lesse than the pardon of their sinnes No care no thought no time no paines too much or enough for getting goods riches and the necessaries of this life but how rare and infrequent are mens cares thoughst for the pardon of sin All our cares are wasted and expended upon these trifles but for this one thing that is necessary scarce one serious thought in the whole yeere Who will shew us any good that string men harpe upon But who will shew us the way to get the pardon of our sinnes that 's a question rarely asked It is too true that men have not that care for their soules they have for their bruit beasts for their very Hogs and Dogges Luc. 14.5 Which of you shall have an Asse or an Oxe fallen into a pit and will not straight way pull him out Nay if it were a Swine nay if a Dogge hee should be pul'd out and pull'd out straight way Such care and such compassions would wee with haste shew unto these vile and base creatures But how often doe mens soules fall into the pit even into the pit of Hell and Death by their sinnes and yet no care nor compassion to pull them out much lesse to pull them out straightway But for any care or conscience is taken there their poore soules may lye and rot in the pit A miserable thing that a man should shew more care and pitie to his Swine than to his soule It being therefore the maine thing a sinner should labour for to get his sinne taken away be we exhorted in Gods fear to make this our maine care Spend lesse time and care upon the world upon your profits and your pleasures squander not out your cares time and paines upon these vanities these nothings Spend some time spend some care some paines upon your poore soules in getting their sinnes pardoned Let Job's thoughts be ours Job 7.20 21. So say wee Alas I have sinned and am a guilty person before God What shall I doe unto God What course shall I take that my sinne may be pardoned Oh Lord that I had an heart to seeke out for my pardon Sayes Job And why doest thou not pardon my transgressions and take away mine iniquity Hee speakes as if hee had beene

have our sinnes pardoned so never give wee our soules rest till wee have gotten true faith indeed So long as you live and goe on in your unbeleefe it is impossible to have the pardon of sinne Hee that beleeveth not the wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3. ult There is no pardon so long as under wrath So long as in unbeleefe so long under wrath Tit. 1. To the unbeleeving all things are unclean their consciences being defiled So long then as a man is in unbeleefe so long hee is defiled because sinne being not pardoned the guilt thereof defiles his conscience and his person How many be there that have had the pardon of sinne preached to them and offered to them in the Gospel in the Name of Christ and yet to this day their sinnes are upon them and not taken away And what is the reason of it Because they are not sprinkled with Christs blood And why not Because they want an hand of faith to take the blood of Christ which is shed and to sprinkle it upon their owne consciences And so for want of faith they have all their sinnes lye unpardoned upon their soules Secondly repentance for sin There is no pardon to be had without repentance As there is a faith unto life Joh. 6.47 Hee that beleeveth on mee hath life And a justification of life Rom. 5.18 So there is a repentance unto life Act. 11.18 And as the Lord Christ is a Saviour so hee is a Prince Act. 5.13 And to what end is hee both A Prince and Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sinne Hee indeede gives forgivenesse of sinne but hee also gives repentance yea and hee gives repentance that he may give pardon And where hee intends the latter hee workes the former David begs to have his iniquity taken away God hee promises to take away another thing Ezek. 36.26 I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh It is a sure thing that they that will have iniquity taken away must have the stony heart taken away they that will have the sting taken out of their heart must have the stone taken out of their heart hee gives repentance and remission of sinnes when he gives remission hee takes away the sting when hee gives repentance hee takes away the stone and he first takes away the stone before hee removes the sting And therefore Christ joynes both these together in the commission hee gives his Apostles Luc. 24.47 And that repentance and remission be preached in his Name They that preach remission in Christs Name and preach repentance in his Name they must first preach repentance before they preach remission All to teach that they must have repentance that will have remission and that repentance is a speciall meanes to get the pardon of sinne And therefore wee shall see that the promises of pardon are made to repentance that when God promises to give pardon of sinne to any hee promises it to such as are so conditioned and so qualified with repentance Zech. 13.1 There is the promise of a fountaine that shall be opened for sinne that is to take away the sinne of Judah and Jerusalem I but that fountaine is yet unto the Jewes a sealed fountaine their iniquity is not taken away they yet lye under their guilt But yet there is a promise of a day when that sealed fountaine shall be broken up and shall be opened But what day is it In that day In what day It hath reference to that which goes before in the former chapter See vers 10 11. c. They shall looke upon me whom they have pierced that is they shall beleeve in Christ whom they crucified And upon it they shall mourne for him c. They shall repent for that sinne of the rejection of Christ and the murder of him In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem c. And in that day shall a fountaine be opened to the inhabitants of Jerusalem In that day then that Jerusalem shall mourne in that day shall the fountaine be opened to Jerusalem for sinne Oh that mine head sayes Ieremy were as a fountaine of teares When their heads and hearts shall be opened as a fountaine of teares to mourne for their sinnes then shall the fountaine of Christs blood be opened for their sinnes When they shall wash themselves in the fountaine of teares of repentance in that day will God wash them in the fountaine of Christs blood The day of repentance is the day of pardon in that day a sinner repents in that day God pardons and takes away iniquity There is no question but the Lord lives by his owne rule which he gives us to live by The rule hee gives us to live by is that Luc. 17.3 4. If hee repent forgive him if hee trespasse against thee seven times yet if he say I repent you shall forgive him As upon a brothers repentance wee must forgive so upon our repentance God will forgive Repent and thy brother must forgive and repent and God will forgive Alas what are our mercies to the mercies of God Gods mercies are an Ocean a boundlesse bottomlesse sea of mercies our mercies are but small drops out of this Sea Now if God do binde us that have but poore small and a few drops to be thus mercifull as upon repentance to forgive them then surely the Lord whose mercies are as the waters of the Sea that cover the earth upon our repentance will give us pardon or else our drops should do more than his Sea and hee should binde us to doe more with our drops of water then hee will doe with his whole Sea Surely as mans power wisdome justice cannot exceed Gods so neither can mans mercies and compassions goe beyond his He that will have a trespasser against man pardoned upon his repentance before man hee will pardon a trespasser against God upon his repentance before him To this purpose also are those promises Isa 1.16 17 18. Come now c. Now When Wash you make you cleane c. and then come and though your sinnes be as Scarlet c. Scarlet is a deepe dye a dye that will hold a dye that will not easily be fetcht out not easily made white And yet God promises to turne scarlet colour into snow colour scarlet into white It is easie to turne white into scarlet but not so easie to turne scarlet into white And yet God will doe it Hee will wash them with the scarlet blood of Christ and that shall turne their scarlet into white Other blood dyes and staines what is washed in it but Christs blood takes out staines and makes white Apoc. 7.14 These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lambe I but when will God thus change their scarlet white when will hee take away their iniquity Then when they were washed and made cleane c.

and he caused me to eate the roule Well but would the opening of his mouth and eating it with his mouth serve the turne No vers 3. Sonne of man cause thy belly to eate fill thy bowels with this roule that I give thee So in the eating of the Word delivered to us it is not enough to take it into our mouths but we must swallow it downe cause our belly to eate it and not onely fill our eares our heads memories but we must fil our bellies and our bowels with it This is done when wee not onely heare and meditate upon it but when it is so digested and concocted by us that wee by obedience and conformity to it even become one vvith it As vvhen meate is eaten and digested it becomes one vvith the substance of the body This point of eating is that Rom. 6.17 Yee have obeyed from the heart that forme of doctrine whereunto ye were delivered That looke as meate eaten becomes one with the body and takes the same forme with it so then is the Word eaten when we yeeld such obedience to it as that we are delivered into the forme of the Word And this is indeede the maine and principall thing in this eating And till this be done the Word is not eaten Many have a conceit that they eate the Word because they heare take some delight in it c. but in the mean while they yeeld not obedience to it bring it not into practise it is in their eares it is in their mouthes it is in their note Bookes but it is not in their bellies and bowels It is just with them as in that case with those Jsa 29.8 As an hungry man dreames and behold he eates as in his dreame hee dreames he eates but he awakes and his soule is empty And so many they dreame they eate because they heare c. but yet their soule is empty and their belly is empty because they never caused their belly to eate they never filled their bowels the Word never yet sanke into their hearts to worke them to obedience to it And thus in these things stands this duty of eating and this is the duty that wee are to doe And that we may be stirred up to it consider these motives First eating the Word it is both the meanes and the signe of spiritiuall life It is the meanes of life Eating maintaines life let a man give up eating and hee must give up living no eating no life Gen. 47.15 Give us bread for why should wee dye in thy presence And if they had bread yet if they did not eate it if they had kept it in their cupboords laid it by and lookt on it they had dyed neverthelesse It is not the having but the eating of bread that makes men live Nehem. 5.2 We tooke up corne that we may eate and live Men may have meat and may have bread and yet if they eate it not they may dye And when once men leave eating it is a signe they are neere dying Psal 107.18 Their soule abhorreth all manner of meate and they draw neere to the gates of death It is a signe men are in a dying condition when once they are past eating because eating is the meanes of preservation of life So it is here eating the Word is the meanes of spirituall life The Word is called the Word of life It is called our life Deut. 32.46 47. and so eating the Word is the eating of that which is life and eating of life the meanes of life There was an eating by which death entred into the world Gen. 2.17 In the day that thou eatest thereof surely shalt thou dye But this eating is that by which life comes to us and in the day that we eare the Word living wee doe live we have hereby the life of grace and shall be assured of the life of glory They that eate of this bread sh●ll live for ever and not dye at all That as Joh 6.48 49 50. I am that bread of life Your Fathers did eate Manna in the Wildernesse and are dead This is the bread which commeth downe from heaven that a man may eate thereof and not dye So in this case And looke as Christ againe speakes of eating himselfe Joh. 6.53 54. Then Jesus said unto them Verely verely I say unto you Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood ye have no life in you Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day So here also for Christ is eaten by eating the Word Isa 55.1 Buy and eate vers 3. Heare and you shall live Blessed are they that eate bread in the Kingdome of God No eating bread in Gods Kingdome unlesse fitst wee eate the Word here And so blessed are they that eate the Word for they shall eate bread in the Kingdome of God They shall eate and live for ever And as it is a meanes so a spirituall life When men doe eate the Word it is a signe they are alive and and in spirituall health A dead man cannot eate onely living men eate and when men eate and fall hard to their meate it is a signe that they are alive and their health good When men can eate and fall hard to the Word it is a signe that they are in life and health Therefore as yee would use the meanes as have a signe of spirituall life so eate the Word Secondly That which moved Eve to eate the forbidden fruit should move us to eate the commanded fruit Gen. 3.6 And when the Woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise she tooke of the fruit thereof and did eate and gave also unto her husband with her and he did eate So here the word is good good for food it is that which is to be desired to make one wise therefore let us take thereof and eate heartily of it The goodnesse of the Word is that which should move to eate Good meate tempts men to eate and though men have no great stomacke yet if they heare meat commended for good meate they will eate of it Isa 55.2 Hearken and eate that which is good And it is Salomons argument Prov. 4.1 2. Heare yee children the instruction of a father and attend to know understanding For I give good doctrine Yea and hee presses this duty of eating upon this ground Prov. 24.13 14. My sonne eate thou hony because it is good and the hony combe which is sweet to thy taste So shall the knowledge of wisdome be unto thy soule when thou hast found it then there shall be a reward and thy expectation shall not be cut off The summe is As when men finde honey they doe not forbeare but will fall to and eate because they know it is so sweet and good So when thou findest the Word fall

My sonne if thou finde honey as Jonathan did eate it for it is good So eate this honey for it is good Why what good will follow upon it If thou be faint lumpish spirits downe dim sighted it will enlighten thine eyes it will so cheere thy spirits that it will recover thy deadnesse and dimnesse it will enlighten and enliven thee When that man had eaten his spirit came againe If before thou wert dead and heavy and lumpish unto good duties yet if thou doe eate the Word one good meale of it will recover thee out of that deadnesse and make thee lively and cheerefull in duties of worship and obedience By this try thy selfe If thus it be with thee thou hast eaten the Word but the little quickning refreshing the little enspiriting of men after the Word heard argues how little men doe eate it Secondly by spirituall satisfaction A man that is hungry his stomack is stil craving and he desiring something that he wants and let him have this or that yet hee is not satisfied unlesse he may eate Mirth musick company pleasure let an hungry man have yet there followes no satisfaction still his stomacke craves But let a man but eate then there is a satisfaction and that craving is over Nehem. 9.25 They did eate and they were filled And so in the miracle of the loaves it is said they did all eate and were filled their hunger was allayed and satisfied So it is here The heart of man is full of cravings and hungrings after profits pleasures vanities lusts and though a man eate of these never so much these satisfie not the hungry cravings of the heart nay the more they are fed upon still the heart craves them more But now when a man eates the Word all these cravings of the heart cease and are satisfied A man upon eating the Word findes such satisfaction in it and his heart so fitted that it is at rest from those troublesome and inordinate cravings these unnaturall dogged appetites are quenched The soule that eates the Word findes it selfe so abundantly satisfied that it lingers not after the profits and pleasures of the world Hee that eates this Manna lingers not after the flesh-pots the onyons and garlicke of Egypt Isa 55.2 Wherefore doe yee spend mony for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not hearken diligently unto me and eate yee that which is good and let your soule delight it selfe in fatnesse though these things then satisfie not yet the Word it satisfies and fills and feeds and fattens By this may men try themselves if they have so received the Word as that their hearts are weaned from their carnall and worldly lusts those insatiable cravings are at an end such satisfaction is a signe that a man hath eaten But the contrary shewes how few have eaten Many would seeme to eate and professe they have eaten but yet their hunger after the world their profits and pleasures are as keene and as eager as ever Their hearts doe restlesly crave these things Thine heart is not filled therefore thou hast not eaten Thirdly by spirituall strength fatnesse good liking good complexion so it is in bodily eating keep men from eating and their strength decayes they grow feeble their complexion decayes and they looke with an ill complexion pale wan and ill coloured As wee see in a siege when men have beene coopt up and have not had meate to eate they have come out like so many dead carkaises out of their graves so weake so poore such ghostly lookes as it is enough to scare a man with the sight of them But now eating mends all this that breeds good blood health strength fatnesse and a good habitude of body Upon eating followes strength strength to walke and to worke 1 King 19.8 And he arose and did eate and drinke and went in the strength of that meate forty dayes and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God Upon eating followes fatnesse Nehem. 9.25 They did eate and they were fat Upon eating followes goodnesse of complexion Dan. 1.13 upon the eating of this pulse their countenances were faire and fat And thus is it upon eating the Word men have strength in their soules to walke in the wayes of God men grow fat grow up as calves of the stall full of good Rom. 15.14 they are fat and flourishing Psal 92.14 They have faire and good complexions their wisdome and other graces cause their faces to shine their lives and carriages are faire and lovely And by this may men know whether they have eaten the Word or not If it be thus with them that they have strength against their lusts if they have strength to walke in obedience c. a signe they have eaten the Word But this shewes that few have eaten and doe eate the Word Many say they doe but how is it they be so weake and so feeble that they cannot walke and worke How is it that they be so leane that there is such an emptinesse of grace and goodnesse 2 Sam. 13.4 Why art thou being the Kings sonne leane or thin from day to day so how is it that thou eating the Kings dyet the bread of heaven art thus thin and leane How is it that thy life thy complexion mends not but thy complexion and conversation is so ill It fares with many as in that case Gen. 41.18.21 When the seven leane kine and ill-favoured had eaten up the fat It could not be knowne that they had eaten them they were still as hadgeld hildings and carrion-like scroyles as before So here men say they have eaten but looke on their lives and it cannot be knowne as arrant scroyles as ever as very swearers drunkards as ever as proud covetous loose as ever A cleare signe that such doe not eate the Word Fourthly they that eate the word will ever doe as Eve did when shee did eate the forbidden fruit Gen. 3.6 Who gave also to her husband and hee did eate so ever here There is no such good fellowship as in this eating where there is no man that would eate alone As Job 31.17 where that holy man professeth That hee had not eaten his morsell himselfe alone and the fatherlesse had not eaten thereof so here none that eateth the Word of God eateth his morsell himselfe alone and giveth not the fatherlesse and needy soule to eate thereof But as in Samsons Riddle Out of the eater came meate so here out of the eater of the Word commeth meate to feed others judge by this Thirdly if the Word must be eaten then it teacheth us to be frequent in hearing and diligent in taking all opportunities Some men can content themselves if need be with one Sermon in a yeere and it is enough a conscience if well followed One meale in a yeere were short commons A man desires to eate every day twice some thrice a day There is a necessity of eating frequently so here take all opportunities of hearing