THE Soul's Communion With her SAVIOUR. OR, The History of our Lord Jesus Christ, Written by FOUR EVANGELISTS, Digested into Devotional Meditations. The First Part. LONDON, Printed for W. Crook at the Green Dragon nigh Devereux-Court without Temple-Bar, 1685. THE PREFACE TO THE Devout Reader. SIr Edwin Sandys in his Pag. 79. Europae Speculum obserus, That, as one principal Means used by the Papacy to countermine the Progress of the Reformation, they took such Care to fill all Countries with Books of Prayer and Piety in their own Language, that they forbore not to reproach the Protestants (who had upbraided them for confining the Peepl to the dark Devotion of an unknown Tong) with their Poverty, Weakness, and Coldness in that kind, as being forced to take the Catholic Books for their Supply therein. And since the time wherein he made that Observation, the Reformed Churches have been too long exposed to the same Reproach and Inconvenience: for, as it was the highest Mark of deplorabl Servitude, that 1 Sam. 13. the Israelits went down to the Philistines to sharpen every man his Share and his Coulter and his Axe and his Mattock; so it must needs prov a very dangerous Snare to the most religious Protestants that they were constrained to have Recours to the Church of Rome for their best Helps to Devotion; whose Care of Souls, in making that necessary Provision for Piety, carried with it so fair a show of true Sanctity and Godliness as invited too many of the unwarily Devout, first to a favorabl Opinion and then to the absolute Espousal of her Errors and Superstition, craftily mingled and recommended in those Prayers and Meditations that were hammered out at her Forge. And what was so 〈◊〉 a Temptation to win her Adversaries, may well be thought a more forcibl Argument to establish and confirm her own Friends and Abettors, to her 〈◊〉: So that without a proportionabl Care to countermine her Policy, there could be littl hope either of withdrawing any of her Members, or withholding many of our own, from her Communion. But now the Church of England hath both expressed herself sufficiently sensib of that Defect and made abundant Provision for its Supply, in compiling and publishing such and such store of Books of Devotion in her Mother-Tong, as neither the Roman nor any of the Reformed can boast of more or better. It may therefore be questioned to what purpose this littl Tract should be superadded to those many excellent pieces of Devout Meditation already in Print; which makes me judge it requisite to giv the Reader some short Account both of its Occasion and Design. A most Excellent Person, eminent (not to mention her quality, which is very considerable) as well for her Devotion as Intelligence, being, by a just and rational Conviction of those gross Errors and Forgeries, on and by which the Church (or rather, Court) of Rome hath founded and upheld her Greatness, reclaimed from her Communion to that of the Church of England; to evidence how far she was from being induced thereunto by any other Motiv besides that of disinterested Religion, resolved to confine herself to the same strict Rules of Devotion and Abstinence, in the Exercise of her Protestant Principls, whereby she had expressed her exemplary Zeal in the Popish Superstition. And that her Soul, in those many hours which she daily allotted for Retirement, might not grow languid and dull in the same Act either of Prayer or Reading (as the Body is apt to become stiff and unwieldy if long held to the selfsame Posture or Motion) these brief Aspirations on the Gospel-History were composed to diversify her Entertainment, and fill up those Intervals which a pious Difcretion thought requisite for the better improvement and more orderly Disposal of the time set apart for such Religious Exercises. And what hath been thus used and approved in the Devout Solitude of a Private Closet, now appears in Public with Design to supply the vacant Hours of other pious Votaries, especially at such times as either the wise Authority of our Superiors, or their own particular Resolution, shall dedicat a whole day to the Duties of Prayer and Humiliation. But lest that different Order wherinto the several Evangelists have cast their Relation of our Savior's Acts and Speeches which the Holy Ghost hath thought fit to transfer unto succeeding Ages upon Record, might occasion a fruitless Repetition of any one Part, or an unseemly Confusion in the Whole; I have reduced it to such a Method which Gerard and Chemnitius have digested their Harmony of the Four Gospels into: that the Religious Peruser may more regularly pass throu the entire History, or the more readily have Recours to any particular Transaction in it which may best suit with the present Scope of his Devotion. Whereunto if this small Essay prov any way serviceable, it will at once recompense my present Labour and encourage me to proceed; being ardently desirous to express myself, in Communion with my Saviour, A sincere Lover of Souls, P. Traheron. A General Prayer Preparatory to the ensuing Meditations. O Father of Mercies and God of all Consolation, who art the Fountain of Life and Salvation, my So● and all that is within me bless thy Holy Name, for sending thine Only-begotten Son into the World to redeem Me and all Mankind to thine Eternal Glory. I beseech Thee withdraw mine Affections from this World, that I may serve Thee in Spirit and in Truth: Enlighten my Understanding and reform my Will, that my Heart may be entirely united to Thee, and (all other Business set apart) as well secretly among the Faithful, as openly in the Congregation, adore and prais the God of my Salvation. And since the Mercies of GOD do at once oblige and encourage me to present my Soul and Body a Living Sacrifice at thine Altar, let this my reasonable Service be so acceptable unto Thee, that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor Things present, nor Things to come, nor Height, nor Depth, nor any other Creature be abl to separat me from the Lov of God which is in Christ JESUS our LORD. Giv me a clear Sight into all the Mysteries of His Life, and a du Sense of all the Miracls of His Lov unto Death, till I be so ravished with the Contemplation of their gracious Design upon my Soul, as to count all things but Loss for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, and be ready to suffer the Loss of all things, and count them but Dung, that I may win Christ; and be found in Him, not having mine own Righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is throu the Faith of Christ, the Righteousness which is of God by Faith; that I may know Him, and the Power of His Resurrection, and the Fellowship of His Sufferings, being made conformabl unto His Death. And let the constant secret Meditation of His Life and Lov, His Sufferings and Glory, His Virtues and Graces, His Precepts and Promises, His Presence and Power, be 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 Troubls, my Repose; in Prosperity my Defence; in Life and Health, my Joy and Consolation; that Christ being thus form in me, I may (through Him who giveth us the Victory) overcome the Vanities of the World, the Lusts of the Flesh, and the Temtations of the Devil, till He become my Life in Death and my Happiness in Heaven. Amen. THE Soul's Communion WITH HER SAVIOUR. The First Book, Containing so much of the Gospel-History as relates to the Infancy of the H. Jesus, and that time of his Private Life which passed before He entered on his Public Ministry. Cap. I. Of His Incarnation. S. Luke 1. 26,— 79. S. Mat. 1. 18,— 25. §. 1. O Holy and Ever-blessed Jesus, Eternal Son of the eternal God, who didst descend from thy Father's Bosom; from the highest Heavens, 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 infinite Wisdom and Goodness: I am astonished at thy stupendious Humility and Condescension to lost and undeserving Man. Bow the Heavens, O Lord, once more, and come 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 Jesus, whose Incarnation was so sublime a Mystery, that, to usher in a matter of such extraordinary Concernment to the World, the Angel Gabriel S. Luke 1. was sent from God, unto a City of Galilee named Nazareth, to a Virgin espoused to a man S. Luke 1. whose Name was joseph, of the House of David, and the Uirgin's Name was Mary: I magnify thy Glorious Name, For making thy Spirits Ministers unto them who shall be Heirs of Salvation. As the Angels and Arch-Angels prais thou, the Cherubin and Seraphim adore Thee, and all the heavenly Host bow down unto Thee, not only fitting upon thy Throne, but even at the lowest Degree of thy Footstool, whereunto thou hast voluntarily humbled thyself 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 Heaven, till my Life become Angelical by rejoicing in Thee and in Thy Salvation. §. 3. When the Angel came in unto her, and said, 〈◊〉 thou that art highly favoured, 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 Jesus, for the greatness of thine Eternal Lov to this Holy Virgin, and to all Mankind in her. O make me sensibl how highly I myself am favoured 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 infinite Importance doth worthily deserv to be frequently revolved in our minds, which, being particularly brought to a private Family in Jewry, hath proved of universal Concernment to the whole World. O let me also taste and see how gracious the Lord hath been to my Soul: No matter for the Favour of Men, so we find Grace with God. §. 4. While she was troubled at S. Luke 1. his saying, the Angel said unto her, Fear not Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt 〈◊〉 in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his Name juses: He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall giv unto him the Chrone of his Father David. And he shall reign over the house of jacob for ever, and of his Kingdom there shall be no end. I prais and magnify thy Name, O Jesus, for thy great Glory and endless Sovereignty, for as much as thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and thy Dominion endureth throu-out all Generations. O thou Root and Offspring of David, vouchsafe to extend thy Sceptre 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. Sat 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 shall this be, seeing I know not a Man? Whereunto the Angel answered, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore also that Holy Thing which shall 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 finite Condescension to become 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, till Christ be form 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 Jesus, who, for the more S. Luke 1. rational Engagement of the Virgin's 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, Because with God nothing shall 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 shall 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 House of 〈◊〉, to visit her Cousin Elizabeth, who no sooner heard her Salutation, but the Babe leapt 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 come to me? I prais thy Name, For this marvellous Effect of thy Presence, O Blessed Jesus, and for the powerful Influence of thy Spirit manifest therein, even before thy Manifestation to the World. Help me, O Lord, so to correspond with Thee in thy gracious Visitations as to discharge all the Offices of Lov, Friendship, and Christian Piety incumbent on me toward all Relations, that I also may be a Joy unto thy Servants, and they such unto Me, as Thou art unto us all. And let the voice of S. Luke 1. thy Salutation, sounded in mine Ears by the Ministry of thy Word, make me Blessed in believing that there shall be a Performanre of those things which were told us from the Lord, as well concerning the second Coming to judge the World as hath already been of thy first Coming to redeem it. §. 8. O my dear Redeemer, who, in making choice of this Holy Virgin to be thy Happy Mother, hast regarded the low Estate of thy 〈◊〉, preferring that before all the outward Pomp and Grandeur wherewith we are too fond taken, to giv us an instructiv Instance that Humility is the Fountain and Forerunner of Honour, for behold from thenceforth all Generations do call 〈◊〉 Blessed: My Soul doth magnify the Lord, For He that is Mighty hath done great things, and Holy is his Name; He hath showed strength with his Arm, when He put down the mighty from their Seats, and exalted them of low degree, to help his Servant Israel in remembrance of his Mercy. Lord, since the Poor and Lowly in heart are so acceptable in thine Eyes, teach me to lov Retirement and delight in Devotion as this Elect Virgin did, and make me truly content and happy in the lowest degree wherein thy Providence shall think fit to place me. And since thou art graciously inclined to fill the hungry 〈◊〉 good things, let her Faith in relying on God's ancient Promises of Mercy, which he spoke to our Fathers, to Abraham and to his Seed for ever; her Wisdom in treasuring up all thy Sacred though Mysterious Verities; her constant Obedience to thy revealed Will; her exemplary Humility amidst all thy Graces conferred upon her; and that Spirit of Prais and Thanksgiving wherewith she rejoiced in God her Saviour, added to her modest Chastity and holy Fear, replenish and adorn my Soul and Life in all Estates and Conditions: for thy Mercy is on them that fear Thee from Generation to Generation. §. 9 O thou Day spring from on S. Luke 1. high, who throu the tender Mercy of our God hast visited us, to giv Light to them that 〈◊〉 in Darkness and in the Shadow of Death, to guide our Feet in the way of Peace. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For he hath visited and redeemed his Peopl, and hath raised up an horn of Salvation for us in the house of his Servant David. Lord, grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our Enemies, may serve Thee without fear, in Holiness and Righteousness before Thee all the days of our Life; till we acquire the saving 〈◊〉 of thy Salvation given unto thy Peopl, by the Remission of their Sins. §. 10. Holy Jesus, With what Wisdom didst thou delay thine Incarnation so long? With what Mercy no longer? Thou didst defer it so long, that the Scriptures foregoing it might testify of Thee, according to that saying, In the Volume of the Book it is written of Me; to the end all holy Souls, in the sundry Ages and Nations of the World, might be filled with Expectations & Desires of Thy Coming in the Flesh, and confirmed in their Faith by the Prophecies accordingly fulfilled. Yet wouldst thou not delay it longer, that the Over-flowings of thy Lov, in the Fullness of Time, might satisfy all holy Longings with the Accomplishment of thy wonderful Incarnation, in order to our complete redemption I prais and magnify thy Name, For the exceeding Riches of thy Grace and Wisdom treasured up in this thy mysterious and sacred Dispensation: Beseeching thee, that as Thou art the 〈◊〉 of all Nations, so to render thyself altogether louly in mine eyes. O vouchsafe to come into my Soul in the fullness of thy Compassion, for the Pardon of my Sins; in the fullness of thy Grace, to subdu my Lusts; and in the fullness of thy Power, to strengthen me in resisting Temtations; as thou camest in the fullness of thy Lov, to redeem me from their malevolent Influence. §. 11. O Blessed Jesus, who didst endure nine months' Confinement in thy Mother's Womb, till the S. Luke, 2. 6. days were accomplished that she should be delivered, that beginning at the Root of our Nature thou mightest throuly cleans its Original Corruption: I magnify thy Sacred Name, For thy patient Conformity to thine own Laws of Nature, attending till her ordinary Time and Method should open the doors of the Matrix for thy Release. Lord, moderate that Impatience wherewith we usualy crave any expected Good, and that Eagerness of mind which precipitats us into irregular Courses to evade whatsoever we fancy uneasy or troublsom: And when I am reduced to any great Straight, enabl me, with a contented Patience and humble Resignation, to wait on Thee, my best Aid and Exemplar, for Deliverance in thy good time. §. 12. When as his Mother Mary, S. Mat. 1. being espoused to Joseph, was found with Child, before they came together; and that just man, not willing to make her a public Exampl, was minded to put her away privily; the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a Dream saying, Joseph thou Son of David, fear not to take Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost; and she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his Name Jesus, for he shall save his Peepl from their Sins. I celebrat thy saving Name, For fulfilling that which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, saying, Behold a Virgin shall be with Child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call his Name Emmanuel. Evidence thyself, O Jesus, to be God with Us. in making us tender of our Neighbor's Reputation; and instead of judging rashly according to appearance, let us rather follow the Dictates of thy Grace, if not from the immediate Direction of thy Holy Spirit, yet according to the charitabl Prescriptions of thy Holy Word. §. 13. Then Joseph being raised S. Mat. 1. from Sleep did as the Angel of the Lord had bidden him, laying aside all the unkind Determinations of his mistaken Jealousy. I prais and magnify thy Name, O God, For that steady Faith and perfect Resignation wherewith this thy Servant entertained the Intimation of thy Divine Will, who was not disobedient to the heavenly Vision, but readily submitted to the Authority of the Message without disputing the Truth or Possibility of the Mystery therein revealed. Lord, render me more inclinabl to employ my Talon in a hearty Obedience to thine express Commands, than spend my Time in the fruitless Disquisition of those unaccountabl 〈◊〉 which thou hast been pleased to reveal from Heaven: And let his unparallelled Abstinence who took unto him his Wife, and yet knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn Son, not only so shame all mine inordinate 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 withal heighten our Esteem and Emulation of the transcendent Chastity and conjugal Lov of that immaculate Pair whom the King of Heaven thought fit to honour and entrust with the Birth and Breeding of his own Son, who was not so styled her Firstborn as to imply there ever was any other succeeding Fruit of her Womb; the Mother of God being worthily believed an Eternal Virgin, as well 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 shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by it, therefore it shall 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 Godhead, 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 Heavens, 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 public and unquestionable Arguments as well to confirm as exhibit the Truth and Import of the Annunciation made in private to the devout Virgin; that this first Step towards the Great Act of our redemption, being alike Glorious within and without, might appear worthy to be received of All with full Assurance, and contemplated by All with infinite Gratitude and Delight. O my dear and gracious Redeemer, whose Humanity and Divinity are inseparably united, in Thee are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge, being filled with the Fullness 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 incorporate with thine, and my Soul inflamed with such a degree of thy Lov as shall be an Earnest of our everlasting Union. Fill me with great and reverend Apprehensions of that inexpressibl Honour whereunto 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 whole World is alienated by Sin, I may enter into an Heavenly Fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. Cap. II. Of His Nativity. S. Luke 2. 1,— 20. §. 1. O Thou King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who dost dispose and turn the hearts of Earthly Monarches 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 overruling Wisdom and Providence in making those Occurrences, which seem contingent, and arbitrary to human Reason, instrumental to carry on the good purpose of thy Divine Will; so that what the Prophet Micah had foretell (as the Chief Priests and Scribes themselves did readily explain and apply it) may at this day serve for the Direction and Establishment of our Faith in the true 〈◊〉. Lord, let that admirabl Consent 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 obstinate Jews, convert the unbelieving. Gentiles, and bring All Mankind to the Obedience of Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. §. 2. O thou most High Possessor of Heaven and Earth, who didst humbl thyself to be wrapped in Swaddling 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 in a Manger, because there was S. Luke 2. 7, 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 〈◊〉 sane 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 shall be to all Peepl; 〈◊〉 unto You is born this day, in the City of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord: I magnify thy Sacred Name, For this admirabl mixture of Humility and Glory wherewith thou, O Christ, hast beautified and signalised 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 Eyes. Lord, since thou hast vouchsafed to direct thy winged Herald to those vigilant Cottagers, that the Poor and Simple might have as much Occasion to show forth thy Prais as the great and Learned; I cannot but admire (and heartily desire to imitat) the perfection of thine impartial Lov to the Souls of men. Thou art not deluded with the beautiful Vizard of a Great Estate, nor enamoured on empty Titls of Honour; but, seeing throu the Veil of such human Additaments and beggarly Inventions, dost infinitely prise 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, though 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 received from Heaven) left all to go unto Bethlehem and see that S. Luke 2. 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 S. Luke 2. 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 Heavenly Host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth Peace, Good Will towards Men. Shall Angels descend to celebrat our Peace on Earth? and, Shall not We lift up our Eyes on High to giv God the Glory? Can they rejoice in the manifestation of His Good Will towards Men, and Men themselves be unaffected with such an inestimabl Benefit? May I be silent or insensibl, while the heavenly 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, expressed in this Angelic Carol. O be thou graciously pleased to warm my breast with some Sparks of this Celestial Charity, that being like unto the Angels in doing thy Will and showing forth thy Praises upon Earth, I may at last be made equal to them in the fruition of thy 〈◊〉 Presence in Heaven: 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 whole 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 well as Holiness, no man shall see the Lord. §. 5. Now, all they that 〈◊〉 S. Luke 2. those things which were told them by the 〈◊〉, wondered at it; but the blessed Virgin Mary kept all these things and pondered 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 loose Exampl of the un-thinking part of Mankind: but rather so imitat the pious Prudence of thy matchless Mother; who discreetly observed every Intimation of thy Godhead, and carefuly kept in mind whatever might enlighten her Understanding therein, as to treasure up all the sacred Notices of thine Eternal Power and Godhead in the safe Recesses of my Heart, and allow some Time and Thought to make a du Reflection on such considerable things as may thereupon be worthily committed to a Religious Memory in my Soul; for, whoso is wise will ponder these things, and he shall understand the lovingkindness 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 have 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 whole Creation groaned, together with those unwholesome Mists of Sin, Error, and Ignorance wherein 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 come, 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 Eyes to behold the illustrious Splendour of thy Glory. And since it is the Night wherein all the Beasts of the Forest do mov, let me have 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, remembering that the Dayspring 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 Right 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 showed 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 thyself: 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 shall be upon his Shoulder; and, Of the increase of his Government and Peace there shall be no End. Lord, How comes it to pass that such as call themselves after thy Name, be no less Contentious and Bloody than 〈◊〉 who are Strangers to the Doctrine of thy Gospel? How long shall Christendom be the Scene of those Tragic Wars and injurious Villainies which Barbarians detest and blush at? O, Be thou pleased to extend thy Golden Sceptre over the Earth, that the Inhabitants thereof may at length be induced to beat their Swords into Ploughshares and their Spears into Pruning-hooks: And, in order to the public Peace, put an end to men's private Animosities, and pacify the particular Commotions of their Minds: Compose all our tumultuous Passions whensoever they arise, regulate our disordered Appetits, subdu our pervers Wills. and reduce all our unbridled Affections and Faculties to so serene a Temper as is meet for the Reception and Obedience of that Great and Only Potentat, whose Name is Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The Ever lasting Father, The Prince of Peace. §. 8. O thou Eternal Son, who art the Wisdom of the Father, and hast endued thy Church with such a Degree of Prudence and Gratitude as to institute and observe an Annual Feast, for a constant Memorial of thy Nativity, to confirm our Faith, reinforce our Duty, redoubls our Praises, and repeat our Thanks; so that being filled with thy Graces, by a du participation of thy H. Sacraments in a grateful Commemoration of the Word made Flesh, we may all conspire to celebrat thy salutiferous Birth with Eucharistical Joy: I magnify thy Name, For the great and diffusiv Efficacy of thy (outwardly) mean and 〈◊〉 Nativity, the Fame whereof hath so marvellously prevailed over all the Earth, that the Gentiles are come to thy Light and Kings to the brightness of thy Rising. Strengthen and direct thy Church, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth, to maintain the Beauty of Order and the Virtu of H. Discipline, together with the Form of sound Words in her Doctrine, throu-out all Ages, that all her Members may with one Mind and one Mouth glorify God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by celebrating all such Festivals with holy Joy, in Unity of Spirit and the Bond of Peace, as are instituted for the Honour of thy Mercy, the Glory of thy Wisdom, and the setting forth of thy Goodness & Power, in this great and inscrutabl Mystery of Godliness, God manifest in the Flesh. Everblessed God, who every year refreshest us with a re newed Birth of devout Affections by the Welcome Memorial of our Savior's Nativity; Grant that we may entertain this humbls Rising of the Sun of Righteousness with such ardent Devotions as may better dispose and engage us to follow Him, who enlightened the World with his Truth and inflamed it with his Lov, till we acquire as great Abilities, as we have Obligations, to join with the Celestial Choir in Singing the Angel's Carol, Glory to God in the Highest, on Earth Peace, Good Will towards Men. Cap. III. Of His Circumcision. S. Luke 2. §. 1. When eight days were accomplished for the Circumcising of the Child; though the Power and Innocence of my Gracious Redeemer might well have exempted Him from that rigorous Ceremony, yet did the Holy Jesus freely submit thereunto, at once to obey the divine Law, acquit Us from that bloody Rite, and giv us many useful Instructions. I prais and magnify thy Name, O Christ, for substituting a more easy Sacrament instead of that sharp Ceremony whereunto Thou thyself hast submitted, and teaching me, by this thy voluntary Condescension, to yield ready Obedience to all the Ordinances of God, how severe and grievous soever they seem to Flesh and Blood Let the Endearment of thy tender Lov in undergoing those hard and painful Rules, from which thou hast thought fit to release thy Church, engage every Member thereof to wave all Pleas of Dispensation or Privilege which may seem to countenance any Remissness in the discharge of our Religious Duties: And when the Iniquity or Violence of unreasonabl Men (who frequently impose greater Burdens than themselves are willing to bear) shall make it necessary for me either to observe any unwarrantabl Injunctions or undergo any severe Penalties rather than transgress thine express Will, inspirit me with Grace and Corage patiently to submit thereunto; but withal render me cheerfuly conformabl to all those well advised Constitutions, whereby our lawful Superiors either in Church or State have thought fit to regulat our Deportment in things indifferent. §. 2. O thou true Messiah, whose Name was called JESUS, being so named of the Angel before thou wast conceived in the Womb: I giv thee all possible Thanks and Prais, For making good the gracious Purport of this thy Name, in saving thy peepl from their Sins. O Blessed Jesus, since, by the Imposition of this adorabl Name, the Holy Ghost hath made a public Declaration that Thou art come into the World to save Sinners, save me (I beseech thee) who am the chief of Sinners; let me taste and see how gracious the Lord is in the Healing Influence of this Name: A Name that doth charm the dullest Ears and revive the drooping Hearts of miserable Sinners, infinitely beyond the sweetest Accents of Music, and therefore is exalted abov every Name, even by God himself; which hath made it highly reasonable (whatever any cavilling Hypocrites, either by their irreligious Doctrine or Deportment, argu to the contrary) that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in 〈◊〉, in Earth, and under the Earth; and that every Tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father. In Obedience to which Divine Decree, I prostrate myself before Thee O Lord, I worship Thee O Christ, and humbly beg Thee on my Knees to be my Jesus, my Saviour. §. 3. O Holy Jesus, who in this first (though small) Effusion of thy Blood didst pay the Earnest of that Debt which thou hadst undertaken to satisfy as our Surety: I bless thy saving Name, For thus obliging thyself to fulfil the whole Law, and expiate its Violation, on our 〈◊〉 How early began my 〈◊〉 to suffer! He shed his Blood almost as soon as he drew his Breath. O my Soul, defer not to execute His Will, who seemed impatient to procure thy Welfare at the price of his Blood; and instead of abusing his exact Obedience for a Cloak of Libertinism, let the Exampl of his Perfection engage thee to follow his Steps in all holy Conversation: And do thou, O Jesus, at once supply, and satisfy for, all the Defects of my frail Obedience. §. 4. This bloody Character of Circumcision left the Impression of God's Seal upon Believing Sinners, that they bearing in their Bodies the Marks of the Most Holy, might be put in mind whose Servants they are, and what Duty they ow. I humbly adore Thee, O Jesus, for submitting to the Imputation of Sin, and the Penalties consequential thereunto, though thou knewest no Sin. Lord, Let this Prospect of thine Exinanition, in taking upon Thee the form of a Servant, yea a Sinner, who art God blessed and holy for ever, not only banish all those irregular Desires of Esteem which lurk in my bosom, but also render me industrious to be truly Holy, not to be thought 〈◊〉: And may this beginning of Sorrows in Thy 〈◊〉 abate all the Vanity and Niceness of Mine. §. 5. O my immaculate Lord, Thou hadst no Lusts to 〈◊〉, no Corruptions to renounce, no new Nature to put on, and yet didst permit thy Foreskin to be circumcised, that we might learn thereby 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 I so, circumcise our Hearts, purify our Hands, and 〈◊〉 our whole Man blameless and undefiled: And since there is a Fountain opened to the House of David, for Sin and for Uncleanness; let the Blood of Christ, who throu the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 offered 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 imagine so small & private an Action, in a Country so remote and an Age so long passed, should be of such marvellous Concernment to thee, and every Family in the Earth besides? I prais and magnify thy Name, O Christ, for that 〈◊〉 Wisdom and Goodness wherewith thou hast enlarged my Joys, in making all thine Actions conduciv to the Benefit and Instruction of the whole World. Grant me Grace (I beseech thee) so to use those Faculties wherewith 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 every Thought, Word, and Deed, enroled in the Volume of Eternity, I may become the more cautious of ordering my Conversation aright, till Divine Lov, Entire Obedience, and Uniform Devotion complete my Life in this World, and prepare a delightful Spectacl for God, Angels, and Just Men made perfect, in the next. Cap. IU. Of His Epiphany. S. Mat. 2. 1, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. §. 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 〈◊〉 seéns his Star in the East and are come 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 wholly 〈◊〉 did attract the Eyes, 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 Heaven. 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 heavenly Oracls of thy Word with such a convincing Power and Demonstration of thy Spirit as shall be effectual to bring in the Fullness of the Gentiles, to whom thou hast extended the Sceptre 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 Jesus who didst withdraw the Conduct of that Star as soon as the Wise men were come to Jerusalem, leaving them to be informed by the ordinary Ministry of the chief Priests and S. Mat. 2. 4, Scribes of the Peépl, whom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gathered together, demanding of them where Christ should be born: they said unto him, In Bethlehem of judea; for thus it is written of 〈◊〉 Prophet, And thou Bethlehem in the land of juda art not the least among the Princes of juda; for, out of 〈◊〉 shall come a a Governor that shall 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 entered into the Land of Promise. Reclaim therefore (I beseech thee) all pervers and ignorant Schismatics from that gross presumption of temting Thee for new Lights and needless Revelations, now thy Will is so expressly revealed in thy Word; and let the Priests Lips, to whom thou hast committed the ordinary Dispensation of thine Oracls, always preserv sufficient knowledge 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 spoke as they were moved by the H. Ghost. And as thou didst lead these honorable Pilgrims by the Conduct of a Star to the Means of Grace, and, by the ordinary Preaching and Explanation of thy Word, unto thyself, 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 Splendour 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 discouraged either with the disappearing of their Oriental Guide, or by the Troubls which the bold and open S. Mat. 2. 3, Declaration of their Embassy had given Herod and all jerusalem with him: I magnify thy Sacred Name, O Christ, For this their Exemplary Courage and Resolution: Be thou the delightful Object and Answer of all mine Inquiries, the sole End and Recompense 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 purpose 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 Knowledge of thy Truth, and walk in the right way to thy saving Presence. §. 4. O H. Jesus, 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, S. Mat. 2. 9 attend them even to Bethlehem, by the Star which they saw in the East, that went before them till it came and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the young 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 will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Lord, since from those general Terms which gave us Expectations of a Saviour, that should be a Man, and of the Jewish Nation (which alone had been a special Favour and Privilege to the World); thou hast descended to more exact particulars in fore telling us by thy Prophets, That He should be of the Seed of David, born in Bethlehem, and that of a Virgin: Let me not rest satisfied with any general Report or superficial Knowledge of thy Coming in the Flesh, till my own Soul experimentaly find that Thou art come to be my Redeemer in particular. For this purpose, let me never want or neglect the Light of thy Gospel; pardon and reliev as well my Blindness as my Backwardness hitherto, which hath rendered me unprofitabl under it; and make us all so duly sensibl of our Abuse or Mis-improument of the Tenders of thy Grace and Mercy, that we may henceforth obey all thy godly Motions, till our Experience of thy Lov fill us with Joy unspeakabl and full of Glory. §. 5. O thou Light of Israel, of whom Balaam the Gentil prophesied, saying (as it were in Allusion hereunto) There shall come a Star out of Jacob and a 〈◊〉 out of Israel: I 〈◊〉 thy Name, For ushering in the day of Grace with the brightness of thy Rising. Thou hast promised to giv the Morningstar to him that over cometh, as a Pledge or Earnest of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light: Grant therefore, I beseech Thee, that we may have Power and Strength to get the Victory and to triumph against the Devil, the World and the Flesh; and, whereas this is the Victory that over-cometh the World, even our Faith, Lord, encreas our Faith, till the Dawning 〈◊〉 unto the perfect Day and Grace be consummate in Glory. §. 6. When they were come into S. Mat. 2. the house, they saw the young Child with Mary his Mother, 〈◊〉 fell down and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; and opening their 〈◊〉 presented unto him Gifts, 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉. I prais and magnify thy Name, O my adorabl Redeemer, For thy gracious Acceptance of these Tenders of their Homage and Adoration to thy Majesty: 〈◊〉 thee to cast a benign Ey upon my humble Addresses to thy Throne; who desire to adore thee with the entire Oblation of my Soul and Body, and with all the Faculties of both offer unto Thee, my King, the Gold of Loyalty and Obedience; to Thee, my God, the Odours of Devotion and Thanksgivings; and to Thee, my Saviour, the Myrrh of Mortification and Repentance; distilling from a broken and a contrite Heart: for, these are Sacrifices which Thou wilt not despise; nay, wherewith Thou art better pleased than with all the material Gold, Frankincens and Myrrh in the World. §. 7. These Eastern Sages are vulgarly dignified with the Titl of Kings, and though that Opinion appears not founded on any authentic Record, yet 'tis not unimprovabl in reference to the present Subject; for, Isaiah's Prophecy, which says, The Gentiles or Nations shall come to thy Light and Kings to the Brightness of thy Rising, is actualy fulfilled at this day, thy Gross, O Christ, being advanced upon the Crowns of many Potentats, who glory in That as the chief Ensign of their Honour: I giv Thee Thanks and Prais, Because the Kingdoms of the Earth are become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. Purge out of thy Kingdom all things that offend; make all Christian Kings Holy; and all the Heathen, Christian: And let thy Lovingkindness, which is better than the Life its self, every my Soul with a Contentment more desirabl than Crowns and more advantageous than Kingdoms, in paying the Tribute I owe to Jesus Christ the Prince of the Kings of the Earth, saying, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our Sins in his ownblood, and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God, even his Father; to Him be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Cap. V. Of His Presentation in S. Luke 2. 22,— 38. the Templ. §. 1. When the days of her Purification were accomplished, the Virgin-Mother brought her H. Child jesus to Jerusalem; to present him to the Lord, according to the Law of Moses. I therefore prais and magnify thy Name, O my God, for making the ancient Precepts of thy Law so aptly minister to the Accomplishment of those succeeding Prophecies which tell us, The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly 〈◊〉 to his Templ; and, I will fill this House with Glory, saith the Lord of Hosts: wherein the Law and the Prophets conspire to giv the more public Notice of the Messiah at his Manifestation to Israel. How glorious was that Templ wherein the Lord and Owner thereof (who dwelleth not in Templs made with hands) made his personal and visible Appearance: This made the Glory of that latter 〈◊〉 greater than of the 〈◊〉, though far short of it in outward Riches and Grandeur. There Thou, O Christ, wast often Typically represented; but here Thou art Personaly present, to the firm Establishment of the Christian Faith and the utter Confusion of Jewish Infidelity, whose incorrigibl Obstinacy in Unbelief doth blasphemously turn the Truth of God into a lie, it being altogether impossible that these Prophecies can ever be fulfilled after the Subversion of the Second Templ O let my Soul be the Templ of thine Eternal Residence, and every Christian Heart be as well hallowed as dignified by thy gracious Presence. §. 2. O H. Jesus, The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Luke 2. which thy Blessed Mother came to offer for her Purification, being A pair of Turtl-Doves or two young Pigeons, is no less an Argument of her Poverty than Obedience, according to that which is said in the Law of the Lord, And if she be not abl to bring a Lamb, than she shall bring two Turtls, or two young Pigeons. I magnify thy Sacred Name, For giving us hereby to understand that God hath chosen the Poor of this World, Rich in Faith, to be Heirs of the Kingdom which he hath promised to them that lov him. Let this her Readiness to fulfil the Law make us more solicitous to do our Duty, according to the Ability God hath given us, than to conceal our Poverty for Shame, or allege it for an Excuse to serve God of that which cost us nothing. Lord, purify my heart, that it may yield a du Respect to all the Parts and Precepts of thy Law; studying the mystical Sense of the Ceremonial, observing the rational Injunctions of the Moral, admiring the politic Rules of the Civil, and reverencing the Holy Rites of the Ecclesiastical: for, they all bear the Stamp of thy Authority, and are therefore worthy of all Acceptation and Esteem. §. 3. O thou Redeemer of the World, who in conformity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Law, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy to the 〈◊〉, wast 〈◊〉 to the Highpriest, and 〈◊〉 of him for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 money, according to the Estimation of the firstborn of Man: I prais thy H. Name, For becoming a 〈◊〉 for many, yea, for All, whether 〈◊〉 or not. By thee the very Priests and Levits are redeemed, who themselves were taken from among the Children of Israel instead of all the firstborn, which had been 〈◊〉 to the Lord. I beseech thee, by 〈◊〉 of the Price thou hast paid for my Soul, enrol me among the general Assembly and Church of the Firstborn which are written in Heaven, who, having received the Spirit of Adoption, are not only the Children but Heirs of God and joint-Heirs with Christ. And that thine infinite Merit, which sufficeth to make every one of thy Brethren a complete Possessor of thine Eternal Inheritance, may qualify us all to receiv a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have Grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with Reverence and godly Fear, as becomes persons redeemed from their Iniquities. §. 4. When the Parents brought S. Luke 2. in the Child JESUS to do for him after the Custom of the Law; Simeon, a man just and devout, to whom it was revealed by the Holy Ghost that he should not see Death before he had seen the Lord's Christ, came by the Spirit into the Templ, where he took him up in his Arms and blessed God for the Consolation of Israel which he had long waited for and now happily found. I prais and magnify thy Name, O my Dear Jesus, as well for the singular Graces conferred on this reverend person as for the public Testimony he gave of Thee to them that were present Pardon, I beseech thee, my Neglect of Waiting for Thee, whereby I have justly forfeited the peculiar Manifestations of thy 〈◊〉 and Favour; and now that I am not only ready, but earnestly desirous, to receiv Thee in mine Arms, yea to lodge Thee in my Heart, vouchsafe to purify and enlighten me with the H. Ghost, that I taking Delight in thy Sanctuary and carefully attending Thee there, with a Soul full of Joy and a Mouth full of Praises, may also bless Thee my God and speak of thine Honour in thy holy Templ. §. 5. Thus did pious Simeon, whose Eyes were no sooner blest with that desirabl Interview, but his Tongue expressed the Contentment of his Heart in this Swanlike Song, Lord, now 〈◊〉 thou S. Luke 2. 〈◊〉 Servant depart in peace, according to thy Word: For, mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all 〈◊〉. I prais Thee, O Christ, For being both A Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of thy peepl Israel. No wonder that joseph and thy Mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of Thee, especially hearing him that blessed them say 〈◊〉 Mary Behold, this Child is set for the Fall and Rising up of many in Israel, and for a Sign that shall be spoken against, in so much that a Sword should pierce throu her own Soul also; Lord, endu my Soul with a like sens of this inestimabl Benefit, that I may rehears this Song with equal Pleasure and Concernment, since mine Eyes also see the Longings and Expectations of former Ages turned in to Joys and Praises for all 〈◊〉 Generations; it being highly reasonabl for our Satisfaction to be as strong in Delight as their Expectation was great in Desire: For, the principal Design of thy Coming into the World was to remedy, not occasion, the Fall of any either in or out of Israel; that such as fall throu their own Default might rise again by Faith in Thee, and those who have spoken most bitterly against Thee may upon Repentance be forgiven, when the Thoughts of all Hearts shall be revealed. §. 6. This notabl Testimony of old Simeon was seconded by Anna S. 〈◊〉 2. a Prophetess, of the Tribe of Aser, who was of a great Age, being a Widow of about fourscore and four Years, which departed not from the Templ, but served God with Fast and Prayers night and day: for she coming in at that Instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spoke of him to all them that looked for redemption in jerusalem. I prais and magnify thy Name, O Redeemer of Israel, for rewarding that godly Matron's Devotion with so happy a Change of her Fast into Jubilees and her Prayers into Praises. Lord, since those to whom thou revealest thyself must be qualified for that blessed Privilege by so much Diligence and unwearied Devotion, enable me by thy Grace to apply my utmost Endeavours thereunto Night and Day, as well in Fast and Prayers to deprecat my own and my Nations Sins, as by Feast and Praises to congratulat thy Manifestation to the World and the saving Consequences thereof; uniting in my Devotions all the pious Longings and earnest Wishes of the Old World, with the transporting Joys and inexpressible Satisfactions of the New. Cap. VI Of His Flight into Egypt. §. 1. WHen they had thus performed S. Luke 2. all things according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own City Nazareth, but were not allowed any long Continuance there: for, soon after the 〈◊〉 of the S. Mat. 2. Lord appeared to joseph in a Dream, saying, Arise and take the young Child and his Mother and 〈◊〉 into Egypt, for 〈◊〉 will seek the young Child to destroy him: he took them by night and departed 〈◊〉: I celebrat thy Name, O Son of the Highest, for exposing thyself to so many Hazards and Inconveniences for my sake, and for the constant Vigilance of thy Father's Ey to serve and secure Thee by the Ministry of Angels. Thy Lov alone moved thee to descend from the Region of Bliss and Glory to this Vale of Misery and Troubls, and nothing but thy gracious Design to free us thence inclined thee rather to retire into the House of Bondage than yield thy 〈◊〉 to the Tyrant's Cruelty, lest Our hope should have been unseasonably cut off. Watch over me, I humbly beseech thee, in all the Dangers wherewith I am beset in this World of Iniquity, and either instruct me to escape them or strengthen me to sustain them. Let no Devices of the Wicked prosper against my Soul, but reflecting on this thine own Peril, be thou ever ready to deliver me from the malicious Designs of unreasonabl and cruel Men. §. 2. O my blessed Redeemer, who, in thy tender Years, for the avoiding of Herod's Rage, didst endure a tedious Banishment, to let us know there is no less ground of Contentment in a voluntary Exile (when thy Providence makes it necessary for us) than in the Enjoyment of our nativ Soil: I bless thy H. Name, For being equally near us in all places of thy Dominion; for, the whole Earth is thine. Lord, whatsoever thy Wisdom and Authority thinks fit to enjoin me, let thy Grace incline me cheerfuly to obey, how much soever it seem to thwart my worldly Interest or Eas; and, in all my Endeavours to execute thy Will, conduct and defend me with thy good Providence. Obeying Thee I may be safe in Egypt, the House of Bondage, while encompassed with Perils; and throu Disobedience to thy Commands, may perish in Bethlehem, the House of Bread, though surrounded with Plenty: To thy better Choice therefore do I wholly refer the Disposal of myself and all mine Affairs; for, Thou art God only Wise and Blessed for ever. §. 3. O thou Mirror of Meekness, who 〈◊〉 rather submit to the common Remedy of withdrawing from the impendent Storm, than use a Miracl either to 〈◊〉 the Purpose or withstand the Power of Herod, by any irresistibl Influence of thine own: I prais and magnify thy Name, For thine exemplary Subjection to Civil Magistrates, being quietly submissiv not only to the Good and Gentleman, but even to the froward. Let the Respect thou barest them in thy Peaceableness and Patience under the grossest Abuse of their Authority and Jurisdiction, quicken and confirm in me the Principls of an inviolabl Loyalty, that I resist not evil (though unjustly inflicted by the higher Powers) but rather shun the Inconvenience by a timely Retreat than presume to disturb their Government, or oppose their Authority, by any unwarrantabl and contumacious Practices; for, whosoever resisteth the Power, resisteth the Ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receiv to themselves Damnation. Cap. VII. Of His Return out of Egypt, S. Mat. 2. 15.— 23. after the Slaughter of the Innocents'. §. 1. WHen Herod saw that he was mocked of the Wise men, (whom he had sent to Bethlehem with this Charge, Go and search 〈◊〉 for the young Child, and when ye have found him bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also; but they, being warned of God in a Dream that they should not return to Herod, were departed into their own Country another way;) he was exceeding wroth: I glorify thy Name, O Christ, For the ready Obedience of those thy Followers in conforming to every notice of thy Will; who, truly judging it cannot be right in thy Sight to hearken unto Men more than unto God, would rather incur the Danger of an earthly King's Displeasure than the Gild of Disobedience to the heavenly Vision. That Tyrants and Usurpers are a Scourge unto themselves, we have a notabl Instance in Herod, whose Passions were ever on the Rack to chastise his Ambition: As soon as the Eastern Pilgrims came with their Inquiry, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? he was troubled with Fears and Apprehensions of some Innovation in the State: No sooner were they gone without giving him such an Account of their Journey as he required, but he is tormented with Rage at the Affront they put upon him, in slighting his Commands and eluding his Expectation. Every inconsiderabl Accident doth discompose an unquiet mind: Establish me therefore O Lord, with thy free Spirit against the violent efforts of my Passions; and that I may enjoy such a Peace and Serenity as naturally flows from the regular Dictates of Reason and Religion, let me never do or desire any thing contradictory thereunto. §. 2. Herod's Wrath, not enduring the narrow Confinement of his own Breast, like a raging Torrent that involus all the Neighbouring Plains with Ruin and Destruction, breaks forth into a bloody S. Mat. 〈◊〉. Edict which 〈◊〉 all the Children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the 〈◊〉 thereof, from two Years old and under, proportioning the Extent of his 〈◊〉 according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the Wise men, when he privily called them to inform him what time the Star appeared. I adore thy Sacred Name, O my God, For permitting that which was spoken by 〈◊〉 the Prophet to be thus fulfilled, In Rama was there 〈◊〉 voice heard, 〈◊〉 weeping for her Children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. The enraged King of Jewry meant to destroy those Infants, but contrary to his merciless Intention wrought their Deliverance: By the Death he inflicted, he freed them from Sin, as by the Effusion of their Blood he accomplished their Baptism; and while that crafty Fox designed to involv the Son of God in the common Butchery, his wicked Devices recoiled upon himself in the Murder of his own. For, the Lord withdrew his beloved Isaac, and left a Thousand innocent Lambs to be sacrificed in his stead and accepted for his sake. These were redeemed from among Men, being the first. fruits unto God and to the Lamb; and in their mouth was found no Guile, for they are without fault before the Throne of God. Weep not therefore for thy Children, Rachel, for, 〈◊〉 are Blessed; they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, therefore be comforted. O God the Judge of all, who, by the Death of these newborn Babes, hast taught thy Church, that neither the tenderest Age, nor the most immaculate Innocence, is exempt from Suffering for Thy Sake, or incapabl of the glorious Rewards allotted to the noble Army of thy Martyrs: Giv all the Members of thy Church Militant here upon Earth Grace so to adore Thee in this and all other Transactions of thy Providence (how severe or unaccountabl soever they seem to human Reason) as may confirm their Hearts in a hopeful Resignation to thy Will and an assured Trust that their cheerful Submission thereunto shall be crowned with thine Eternal Favour, when thy Church shall become Triumphant in Heaven. Assist me also, I humbly beseech thee, to check the first Rise of my Passions, lest, being cherished in my bosom, they grow too headstrong to be reclaimed, and break out into such Acts of Violence and Villainy as are not to be named without Horror and Detestation. §. 3. Holy Joseph (having abode in Egypt till Herod was dead) S. Mat. 2. upon the Information and encouragement which he received from an Angel of the Lord, that they 〈◊〉 dead which sought the young Child's Life, arose and took the 〈◊〉 and his Mother, and came into the Land of Israel; but, in regard he was afraid to go into juden, where Archelaus did reign in the room of his Father Herod, being further warned of God in a Dream, he turned aside into Galilee, and dwelled in a City called Nazareth. I prais and magnify thy Name, O Christ, For ordering the seemingly accidental Circumstances of thy Life to fulfil that which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophets; thy Return from Banishment, upon a Divine Summons, expressly answering That Saying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son; and thine Abode in Nazareth, according to God's Direction, implicitly corresponding with This, he shall be called a 〈◊〉. In all my Spiritual Desertions, whensoever I am restrained from thy Sanctuary or cast out of thy Sight, Lord grant I may patiently attend, and at last happily find, the seasonabl Returns of thy Grace and Presence, and although my whole Life be an unsettled Pilgrimage, yet be thou pleased to refresh me in the various Stages of it with the Society and Privileges of thy Chosen Peepl, and bring me in the end to the place where 〈◊〉 Honour dwelleth: that as Thou, S. Luke 2. O Child of God, didst grow and war strong in Spirit, being filled with Wisdom; so the Grace of God may be upon Me in like manner. Cap. VIII. Of His going up to the Templ, S. Luke 2. 41,— 50. and Disputing with the Doctors. §. 1. NOw, whereas his Parents went to jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover, the Holy Child at twelv years old did accompany them thither, after the Custom of the Feast: I magnify thy Name, O Jesus, For observing and countenancing thine own Ordinances; and humbly beseech thee to establish and adorn thy Public Worship among us, by restoring our Religious Solemnities to their du Veneration and Attendance, that commemorating thine ancient Mercies with thankful hearts, we may derive fresh Advantages from them, not only every Year but all the Days of our Life. They want no Templ who have God himself in their House; they can need no Sacrifice who have Jesus in their Company: Yet did not the H. Virgin and S. Joseph neglect their annual Progress to Jerusalem, but, in an uninterrupted Cours of pious Conformity to the Law, trained up the B. Child from his Youth in the strict Observation of it. O my Soul, consider their pious and regular Devotion, and after the good Exampl which the prudent and orderly Behaviour of such holy Persons hath set before thee, be careful and conscientious as well in celebrating the public Christian 〈◊〉 as in improving all private Occasions of Piety and Duty, to express thy religious Communion with the Saints not only of thine own time but of former Ages too. §. 2. When they had fulfilled the S. Luke 2. days, his Parents returned homeward; but the Child jesus tarried behind, which they knew not of: for, supposing him to have been in the Company, they went a days journey before they fought him among their 〈◊〉 and acquaintance, and then turned back again to jerusalem; where, after three days, they found him in the Temple, fitting in the midst of the Doctors, both hearing them and ask them Questions. I prais thy H. Name, O my Saviour, For making the Second Templ thus glorious by thy Presence, and giving such early Notices of thy Divinity as made all that heard Thee astonished at thine Understanding and Answers, Let all my Conferences, I beseech thee, be holy, wise, and prudent, always aiming either to receiv or communicate Instruction by proposing such Questions concerning the Mysteries of thy Kingdom as may serve to the Use of Edifying and minister Grace to the Hearers: For this purpose, make me diligent in frequenting those Places and Persons which are consecrated to thy Service and set apart by thy Providence for our ordinary Learning, that the Principls of true Wisdom and Piety, being instilled in my Youth, may render me, in my riper Age, wise unto Salvation; abl to refute Errors and maintain Truth, practice Virtu and discountenance Vice; and courageous in laying hold on all fit Opportunities for both, without being unseasonabl or unprofitabl in either. §. 3. O thou Son of God, who, in Answer to that Question wherein thy Parents expressed how much they were troubled at thine Absence S. Luke 2. and amazed at thy supernatural Abilities, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy Father and I have sought 〈◊〉 sorrowing: didst say unto them, Witted ye not that I must be about my Father's business? which Saying they understood not. I prais and magnify thy Name, For thy forward undertaking to do the Work of Him that 〈◊〉 Thee, preferring thy Care to pleas thy Heavenly Father before the Regard du to thine Earthly Parentage. Lord, let no Worldly Obligation be of force to withdraw me from Thee or lessen my Duty to Thee; nor yet suffer me upon any Pretence of doing Thee Service to become undutiful or disobliging to those whom Grace or Nature hath made my Relations: but that, taking good heed to dispatch the Business Thou dost entrust me with, in the first place, I may also deport myself with du Respect to my several Relations, tendering that Duty which I owe them respectiuly with all Affability and Cheerfulness. Cap. IX. Of His Return to Nazareth and retired Life there. §. 1. OB. Jesus, who goest down S. Luke 2. with thy Parents to Nazareth, leaving the Society of the Great and Learned, together with the soothing Charms of popular Admiration and Applaus. I prais and magnify thy Name, For recommending a mixture of Retirement and Privacy with our public Actions and Employments, wherein we may have leisure and opportunity to contemplate thy Father's Glory, as Thou didst; enjoying his marvellous Works, studying in his most excellent Laws, tracing the footsteps of his Wisdom in both, and ravished with the Consideration of his infinite Lov in all. By these approved Means, let My Faculties and Thy Graces be so improved in me, that I may view all things with Thine Eyes; expose myself rarely, with Thy Prudence; retire with Thy Contentedness; be inflamed with Thy Lov to God and Man; and partake of all the unknown Accomplishments that lie hid in Thy concealed Life, some Sparks whereof darted forth in thy Supernatural Understanding and exemplary Conversation every day. Thus, receiving of Thy Fullness Grace for Grace, I shall derive far more Satisfaction from the Light of thy Countenance, in a domestic Privacy, than all the inviting Advantages and public Honours of the World can pretend to. §. 2. O thou sole Fountain of our Grace and Glory, who didst not only accompany thy Parents to Nazareth, but waste subject unto them there, being content to liv and labour in the painful Vocation of thy reputed Father till the thirtieth Year of thine Age; for, on that account thine own Countrymen term thee The Carpenter, as well as The Carpenter's Son: I prais thy H. Name, For expressing thy Subjection and Humility so long in that mean and laborious Employment. Quicken me, I beseech thee, to honest Industry in my Calling, that, whether it seem base or honorable in the Eyes of Men, I may duly approv myself in the sight of God, and be so well contented with whatsoever part his wiser Providence allots me, to act, as never to be ashamed of my poorest Kindred or of doing any the meanest Offices for them. §. 3. O my Dear Jesus, in that silent S. Luke 2. Painfulness and retired Condition, which so long veiled thy heavenly Extraction as seemed to pass it into Oblivion, Thou didst encreas in Wisdom and Stature, and in Favour with God and Men. I magnify thy Reverend Name. For the Purity of thine inoffensiv Life, and that signal Patience wherewith thou didst attend the prefixed time of executing thy Divine Office. Lord, rectify that Eagerness and Impatience wherewith we usualy snatch at expected Honours and rush into new Employments, Pardon those Miscarriages in my present state of Life whereby I have given Occasion of Offence to any, and endu me with so much Prudence and Humility as may render my Lov and Service acceptabl to all; that I may grow into favour with God and Men, which thine Exampl and Success persuade me is a Grace not desirabl only, but attainabl also by those that increase in Wisdom as well as Stature, and express their so doing in an amiabl and blameless Conversation. Cap. X. Of His Inauguration to his Office S Mat. 3, 1,— 17. by the Preaching and S. Mark 1. 1,— 11. Baptism of S. John. S. Luke 3, 1,— 18, 21,— 23. §. 1. S. Joh. 1. 1,— 34. O My Gracious Redeemer, thou didst send thy Servant John (who grew and waxed S. Luke 1. strong in Spirit, being in the Wilderness till the day of his Showing unto Israel) as a Messenger before thy face to prepare S. Mark 1. thy way before Thee, by 〈◊〉 the Baptism of 〈◊〉 for the Remission of Sins, wherein he expressed The Uoice of one crying in the Wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his Paths straight, as it is written in the Prophets: I prais and magnify thy Name, For this suitabl Beginning of the Gospel of 〈◊〉 Christ the Son of God. Let me learn, I beseech thee, from the Austerity of thy Forerunner, both in Apparel and Diet (for, the same John had his Raiment of Camel's S. Mat. 3. 4, hair and a leathern Girdl at 〈◊〉 his Loins, and his Meat was Locusts and wild Dony) so to comply with the Doctrine of Mortification and Repentance which he preached and practised, that I may 〈◊〉 the Salvation of S. Luke 3. 6, God. And, as the Peepl, who S. Mat. 3. 5, went out to him from Jerusalem and Judea, and all the Region round about, were baptised of him in Jordan; confessing their Sins, so do thou baptise me with the H. Ghost and with Fire to the forsaking of mine; that being effectualy warned to flee from the Wrath to come, I may bring forth fruits meet for Repentance, rather glorying to have Abraham my Father in Faith than after the Flesh, since God is abl of the very Stones to raise up Children unto him. And now that the Axis laid 〈◊〉 the Root of the 〈◊〉, be graciously pleased to direct the hand that guides it, to cut off the dead or luxuriant Branches of Sin and Folly that every 〈◊〉 may bring forth good Fruit, in stead of hewing down the whole Body to be cast into the fire. §. 2. When the Peepl, the Publicans, S. Luke 3. and the Soldiers, which came forth to be baptised of John, asked him, What shall we do: Instead of requiring them to forsake their several Callings, as unlawful or irreligious, He recommends Charity, upright Dealing, and honest Contentment to their Practice in the du Use of them. I giv thee Thanks and Prais, O Jesus, For making the Duties of Religion consistent with those of our Worldly Vocations. Lord, bless my conscionabl Industry in that lawful Employment whereunto thy Providence hath called me, that, by my honest Diligence therein, I may do Thee Service in my Generation, and working with my hands the thing which is Good, may have (and have the Heart) to giv to him that needeth: And yet, let not my earnest Concernment for the things of this Life be pleaded in Excuse for my Neglect of a better, but among all my most justifiabl Cares, allow some Time and Thought so to attend on the Ministry of thy Word and the Administration of thy Sacraments, as may best make a practical Expression of, and giv a proper Answer to, this Inquiry on the behalf of my Soul, What must I do to be saved? §. 3. As the Peepl were in 〈◊〉, and all men mused 〈◊〉 their hearts of John, 〈◊〉 he were the Christ or not; so that the Jews sent Priests and Levits, who were of the 〈◊〉, S Joh. 1. 19, 〈◊〉. 24, 28, from Jerusalem to Bethabara beyond Jordan 〈◊〉 he was baptising, to ask him, Who art thou? He denied not, but confessed, I am not the CHRIST, nor Elias, neither that Prophet. I indeed baptise you with Water, but there standeth one among you whom ye know not; He cometh S. Mark 1. 7, 8, after me and is preferred S. Joh. 1. before me; for, He was before me, though born after me; the S. Luke 3. latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloos; whose Fan is in his hand, and he will 〈◊〉 purge his 〈◊〉, and will gather the Wheat into his Garner; but the Chaff he will burn with fire unquenchabl. I prais and magnify thy Name, O Christ, For this Record of John, who 〈◊〉 witness of Thee without seeking the Enhancement of his own Reputation by the envious Concealment of thy Person or Office. Lord, purge the floor of my Heart from all that Chaff of Vanity and Pride which renders me at any time inclinabl to deck myself with the spoils of that Honour which is only du to Thee; that, being littl in mine own Eyes; I may cheerfuly magnify Him who is mightier than I, of S. Mat. 3. whose fullness we have all received, S. Joh. 1. even Grace for Grace, which alone can fit us to be laid up in store for the Master's Use in his House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens; for, the Law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ, who, being the only Begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, hath declared that God whom no man hath seen at any time: And since the same John, being a man sent from God, came for a Witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men throu him might believ; let this his public Testimony have its designed Effect upon 〈◊〉 man that cometh into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, not only confirming the true Faith where it hath been already planted, but creating it also where 'tis yet wanting, with so great a Power and Demonstration of the Spirit, that, although the World, which was made by him, without whom was not any thing made, knew him not while He was in the World, yet it may never more be said, He came unto his own, and his own received him not, but being now no longer born of Blood, or of the Will of Man, but of God, All Flesh may see thy Salvation, and behold the Glory of the Word made Flesh, as that of the only begotten of the Father, who as verily was in the beginning, and was with God, and was God, as he dwelled among Us full of Grace and Truth. And the good God of the Spirits of all Flesh grant that the Son of thy Lov in whom was that Life which was the S. Joh. 1. 4, Light of Men, may shine in the Darkness that hath benighted the Children of this World, till the Power (or rather Privilege) to become the Sons of God, which He gave to them that believ on his Name, 〈◊〉 graciously imparted to all the Families of the Earth, by embracing the true Faith which hath saved as many as received him. §. 4. Then cometh jesus from S. Mat. 3. Galilee to jordan unto john, to be baptised of him, having quitted his dear Relations and private Occupation, the more freely to begin and attend his Father's business: I celebrat thy Name, O my Dear Redeemer, For leaving the Sweetness of a peaceabl Retirement, to enter upon a State not only encumbered with Sweat and Travel, but also 〈◊〉 to Censure and Persecution for thy Church's sake. I humbly beseech Thee, let no Self-ends, or more pleasurabl Enjoyments, detain any one from undertaking such public Duties as he is lawfuly called unto: but, when a more open Exposure may any way conduce to the general Good and Benefit of thy Peepl, be a safe Retirement never so desirabl, encourage us all to abandon our particular Eas and Satisfaction; preferring thy Church before all our private Concernments or domestic Interests whatsoever. §. 5. O B. Jesus, though john 〈◊〉 thee, saying, I have need to be baptised of Thee, and comest Thou to me? yet didst thou persist in thy Resolution of submitting to his Discipline and Baptism, who owned himself 〈◊〉 to carry thy Shoes, requiring him to suffer it to be so now: I magnify thy Gracious Name, For thus expressing how well it becometh us to fulfil all Righteousness. O giv me, and all that call themselves after Thy Name, the Christian Humility of conforming to all the Rules of Godly Discipline which shall be found requisite for thy Church's Peace, and of submitting to any Service (how much soever abased) that may tend to the Benefit of the smallest in thy Flock, or end in the Advancement of thy Glory. §. 6. Most H. Jesus, who, when all S. Luke 〈◊〉. the Peepl were baptised, didst descend into the River to be baptised among them, that thy Father's Declaration, being made from Heaven in the Audience of a Multitude, might be the more publicly known and undeniably confirmed: I glorify thy Name, Because thy Delights are among the Children of Men. Be present, I beseech thee, in all the devout Assemblies of thy Saints and Servants; and so bless thine Ordinances unto them, that the Will of God revealed from Heaven 〈◊〉 be effectualy divulged and obeyed among all Nations. And now thou hast thus sanctified the Element of Water to become Sacramental for the Remission of Sins, having in a Symbol purified human Nature of that Gild and Pollution which thou hadst undertaken to expiate and remov, so making good the Baptist's further Testimony of Thee, when he saw thee, O jesus, coming unto S. Joh. 1. him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the Sins of the World: Lord, Pardon those many heinous 〈◊〉 which have miserably defiled my Life and Conscience since I received Baptismal Grace, and so renew thy Covenant of Mercy unto my Soul that I may never so ungratefuly violate the Conditions or forfeit the Advantages of it any more. §. 7. O thou Anointed of the Lord, who receivedst not the Spirit by measure; for, being baptised S. Luke 3. 21, 22, and praying, the Heaven was 〈◊〉; And the H. Ghost descended in a bodily Shape like a Dov upon Thee: And 〈◊〉, a 〈◊〉 from Heaven, saying, This S. Mat. 3. 16, 17, is my Beloved Son in whom S. Mark 1. 10, 11. I am well pleased. What could be a more glorious Attendant on thy Publication than so express a Discovery of the B. Trinity? Thy Relation to God the Father, the Being and Office of the H. Ghost, and the Good Will of the whole Godhead to Mankind, being jointly displayed therein: I prais and magnify thy Name, For exhibiting so many Sacred Mysteries (as in a littl but accurate Picture) which in other Ages were not made known unto the Sons of men. Lord, let me be ravished and instructed with this marvellous Vision, as Thy Forerunner was, who openly professed, I knew him not; but S. Joh. 1. that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptising with Water: for, he that sent me said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is He which baptizeth with the 〈◊〉 Ghost: And I saw and bare Record that This is the Son of God. Enlighten the Ey of my Soul to behold this inconceivabl yet evident Manifestation of the Ever-blessed Trinity; and exalt mine Understanding to such a right Apprehension of that Sacred Mystery, that all my Acts of Adoration may be duly directed and graciously accepted. May the Heavens, which were open at thy Baptism, never be shut against my Prayers or Praises; and since thou hast opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers, grant the same Spirit that descended upon Thee may abide with Me and thy whole Church for ever, that we who are in Baptism adopted Sons of God, according to the good pleasure of his Will, may be charmed and honoured with the Echo of that 〈◊〉 from Heaven which proclaimed Thee Beloved. And since thou, my merciful Saviour, hast made choice of such proper Emblems to shadow forth thy Glory, make them suitably impressiv on my Memory and Affections: for, whereas the Promulgation of the Law was attended with terribl Thunders and thick Darkness, to express the Dreadfulness of God's Presence unto the sinful Transgressor's of it, Thy Preaching of the Gospel of Peace is ushered in by the H. Ghost in the likeness of a Dov, to bring the Oliu-branch of Reconciliation to Mankind, and show what Meekness of Spirit is the proper Badge or Cognisance of thy true Discipls. The End of the First Book. THE Soul's Communion WITH HER SAVIOUR. The Second Book, Containing what occurs in the First Year of his Public Ministry. Cap. I. S. Mat. 4. 1,— 11. Of His Retirement, Fasting, S. Mark. 1. 12, 13. and Temptation. S. Luke 4. 1,— 13. §. 1. O Blessed jesus, who, being S. Luke 4. 1, full of the Holy Ghost, immediately after thy return S. Mat. 4. 1, from jordan, wast led by S. Mark 1. the Spirit into the Wilderness: I prais and magnify thy Name, For thus chalking out the Way to divine and spiritual Achievements. O thou, the only Comfort of all my Solitudes, giv me Grace to set apart fit times for Prayer and Contemplation, after thine Exampl, before I enter upon any great Employment; that what I undertake with du and devout Consideration may be so blest and accepted by thy Goodness, as may render it successful to thine Honour. And, whensoever it shall pleas Thee to inspire me with holy Thoughts and Resolutions, incline my Heart cheerfuly to follow the Motions of thy B. Spirit, that I may never incur the Gild of Resisting the H. Ghost. §. 2. O thou high and holy One of Israel, who hast abased thyself to cohabit with the wild Beasts S. Mark 1. of the Desert for my sake, whose nativ fierceness was so much awed by thy Sacred Presence as left them neither Power nor Inclination to hurt Thee: I glorify thy Great Name, For submitting to the disconsolat Inconveniences of that inhospitabl Place and Company. Lord, disdain not to visit the uncultivated Wilderness of my Soul too; and subdu therein all those brutish Appetits, those untamed Passions, that would utterly destroy me, till thou bring all the Imaginations of my Heart into Subjection to thy H. Will. §. 3. O my most Gracious Redeemer, S. Mat. 4. 2, who didst fast 〈◊〉 Days and forty Nights, and 〈◊〉 afterward an hungered. I prais thy H. Name, For teaching me both the Duty and Benefit of Fasting. Lord, let me not at any time eat or drink without such a Temper and Moderation as may better enabl me for thy Service: but on all the Seasons and Occasions of Fasting prescribed either by Thee or thy Church, make me impartialy strict and severe to myself, in Communion with thy Saints, in Sorrow for my Sins, and in Memory of Thy Sufferings; denying myself not only pleasant Bread and palatabl Drink, but all manner of Sustenance, for a time proportionabl to my frailty, (in Conformity to thine Exampl who in those S. Luke 4. days 〈◊〉 eat nothing) as a just Acknowledgement how unworthy I am of enjoying that Privilege which the first Man's unruly Appetit forfeited in Paradise, and a fit Occasion to remind me of Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness by the Sens of my bodily Wants. And whensoever thou givest me Grace or Leisure to retire myself for the Exercise of Devotion, help me both to sanctify my Retirement by Prayer and Fasting, and to spend my Time in judging myself that I be not judged of the Lord, in punishing myself that Thou may'st spare me, and in turning from my Sins that thy Judgements may be averted from me. O my Dear Jesus, be thou my Company in Solitude, my Food in Fasting, and the sublimest Joy of every Feast I celebrat: Be thy divine Graces my choicest Viands, thy Laws my Study, thy Works my Praises, thy Mercies my Enjoyments, thy Majesty my Fear, thy Lov my Comfort, thy Wisdom my Instruction, thy Goodness my Guide, and thy sacred Presence my Guard all the days of my Pilgrimage in the Wilderness of this World. §. 4. Most Holy and Invincibl Saviour, thou didst not only fast but waste forty days tempted of the Devil, whose Craft and Importunity thou hast utterly defeated by the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God: I magnify thy Name, That being assaulted with the subtle Insinuations of Necessity, Curiosity, Vainglory, Presumption, Ambition, etc. thou hast experimentaly discovered with what Weapon I may best resist and subdu all manner of Temtations. Lord, whensoever I am to encounter with any of those Enemies which war against my Soul, let me never be solicitous for any other Armour of Defence than thy Word; but have Recours thereunto, in a du Sens of my own Weakness, by such devout Fasting and Prayer as may endu me with an holy Reverence to what is written, the du Remembrance and Application whereof may at all times secure me from the mischievous Influence of any Temptation, and succesfuly enabl me at once to resist and conquer the Temter. And since we have an Highpriest which can be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities, having been in all points tempted like as- we are yet without Sin, so that we may come boldly to the Throne of Grace to obtain Mercy and Favor for an 〈◊〉 Relief; I humbly beseech Thee, O faithful God, suffer Us not to be tempted abov that we are abl, but with every Temptation make a way for our escape, that we may be abl to bear it. Let no Arguments drawn from any sensual Wants or Comforts withdraw me from my Duty to Thee or Confidence in Thee, since it is written, that S. Mat. 4. 4, Man shall not liv by Bread alone, S. Luke 4. 4, but by every Word that 〈◊〉 out of the mouth of God. Let not the bewitching Prospect of worldly Power and Glory ever make me stagger in mine Obedience to that divine Command, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him 〈◊〉 S. Mat. 4. shalt thou lerv: And let 〈◊〉 soothing Flatteries seduce me to 〈◊〉 the Lord my God by any S. Luke 4. unwarrantabl Act of Presumption, lest by leaving those Ways wherein thou hast given thine 〈◊〉 Charge over me to 〈◊〉 me, 〈◊〉 lose the Benefit of their Protection and dash my foot against a Stone. §. 5. O B. Lord, With what gradual Artifices did Satan attack thee? With how great a Stock of Impudence did he renew his Solicitations? He begins to work upon thy Need, expecting that an hungry Appetit would soon induce thee to swallow his first Bait, Command that these S. Mat. 4. 3, Stones be made Bread: Then 〈◊〉 taketh thee up into the H. 〈◊〉 and sets 〈◊〉 on a Pinacl of the Templ, in hopes to see thee cast thyself 〈◊〉 from thence, craftily gild over these two devilish Suggestions with so plausibl an Argument as that of proving whether Thou be the Son of God or no: And at last, as if the Want of Success had animated him to greater Villainies, he proceeds to show thee all the Kingdoms of the World; falsely supposing the Glory of them might induce thee to depend upon his falser Promise, All these things will 〈◊〉 giv thee, though it were upon the basest Condition imaginabl, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. I celebrat thy great Name, For thine unparallelled Patience in bearing with his irksome Importunity, and that powerful Severity wherewith thou didst rebuke his Impudence. Enabl me also, I humbly beseech thee, whensoever the Temter seeks to delude me by his glozing Fallacy in mincing the Truth of God revealed in Scripture, or impose upon me by any gross and apparent Falsehood forged in his own Mint of Lying, of the same nature with what he affirms concerning the Disposal of this World's Pomp and Power, That Luke 4. 6, is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I giv it; so to descry his Fraud and detest his I alshood as to defeat his Malice and be released from his further Solicitations by thy divine Aid, who didst banish him and his Temtations from thee with a word, saying unto him, Get S. Mat. 4. thee 〈◊〉 me, Satan. §. 6. My B. Redeemer, when the S. Luke 4. Devil had ended all the Temptation, thy Constancy having rather baffled his Attemt than abated his Malice, he departed from thee for a Season; and no sooner did the Devil leave thee, but behold Angels came and 〈◊〉 S. Mat. 4. unto thee: I prais and magnify thy Name, For this glorious Issu of thy Conflict with our Arch-enemy, and for the grand encouragement thou hereby givest us to persevere unto the end, having thus made that inspired Advice an experimental Truth, Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Lord, whensoever thy Grace hath successfully armed me against the fiery Darts of the Wicked One, so that he retires with Disappointment; let me not grow secure as one ignorant of his Devices, but be the more cautious in expectation of his speedy Return, and vigilant in preparing to frustrate his next Assault; for, if when he lost the day, he did not quit the field without thoughts of rallying his shattered Forces against the Captain of our Salvation, What shall deter him from re-attacquing such pusillanimous Soldiers as we are? And, as we have all the Reason imaginabl to stand upon our Guard in respect of the danger we are in, so we have no small encouragement to 〈◊〉 our selus like Men in regard of the Recompense attending it; for, as soon as we can get rid of the Temter's Solicitations, we shall be refreshed with the consolatory presence of the Holy Angels, the Operations of Grace herein conforming to the Laws of Nature which admit of no Vacuity. Cap. II. Of our Savior's Entertaining S. Joh. 1. 35,— 51. two of S. John's Discipls, and his Conference with Simon Peter, Philip, and Nathanael. §. 1. ST. John the Baptist, who bare Record of Christ both Before and At his Baptism, did also After it repeat his Testimony, looking upon Jesus as he S. Joh. 1. walked; whereupon two of his Discipls, which heard 〈◊〉 say Behold the Lamb of God, followed Jesus, and abode with him that day: One of the two was 〈◊〉, who finding his 〈◊〉 Brother Simon, both told him this joyful News, We have 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 inquire where thou dwellesf, though it be about the tenth hour. Lord, incline my Heart not only, upon thy gracious Invitation, to Come and 〈◊〉 the place where thine Honour 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 jesus, S. Joh. 1. going forth into Galilee, 〈◊〉 Philip who was of 〈◊〉, and 〈◊〉 unto him, Follow me: whereupon he believed jesus of 〈◊〉, the Son of joseph to be 〈◊〉 of whom 〈◊〉 in the Law, and 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 magnetic Power of thy Life and Doctrine, by virtu whereof Men are thus drawn to follow Thee, like one Link after another in a well compacted Chain. Draw me, O Lord, we will run after thee, that as well 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 spoke unto his Servant Moses on this wise, I will raise them up a Prophet from among their Brethren, like unto thee, and I will put my words into his mouth; and whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my Name, I will require it of him. §. 3. O B: Jesus, Because thou saidst unto Nathanael, I 〈◊〉 thee under the Figtree, he, that had lately questioned, Can there any good 〈◊〉 come out of 〈◊〉? did believ and confess, Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou wast pleased to encourage 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 shall see Heaven open, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. I magnify thy Name, O thou true Jacob's Ladder, in whose Person Heaven and Earth are united; for whose sake the Celestial Spirits minister to the Saints who shall be Heirs of Salvation; and by whose Order they either vouchsafe us their heavenly Aid and Protection, or withdraw its sacred Influence from us. Lord, whereas thou S. John 1. sawest Nathanael, before that Philip called him, when he was under the Figtree, 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 Uprising, and understandest my Thoughts afar off; till 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 mayst go on to reward thine own Gifts in Me with greater Graces, till my present Knowledge of thy sacred Person and saving Office be crowned and completed with that unspeakabl Privilege reserved for the Sons of God when it doth appear what they shall be, for than we shall see him as he is. §. 4. When these Good Men had seen and spoken with the Lord, it seems some (if not all) of them soon after left Him; and though 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, whereby thou hast given us a satisfactory Intimation, that to believ in Thee as a private Discipl is not at all inconsistent with the honest prosecution of our Secular Employments; thy Wisdom & Justice having made it our Christian Duty as well 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 servile 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. S. Joh. 2. 1,— 11, §. 1. THe Mother of jesus being at a Marriage which was in Cana of Galilee, both jesus was called and his Discipls to the Marriage, where the Lord of Eternal Purity did not only honour 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; whereof when the Ruler of the Feast had tasted, not knowing whence it was, he gave the Bride groom this public Commendation, saying unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good Wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the 〈◊〉 Wine until now. I prais and magnify thy N●me, O Christ, the inexhaustibl Fountain of Goodness, For this Beginning of Miracls which S. Joh. 2. thou 〈◊〉 in Cana of Galilee, wherein Thou hast at once so convincingly manifested forth thy Glory that thy Discipls believed on Thee, and withal set a Mark of Honour as well 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 come: As if by such a slighting Answer he seemed to check her pretended Interposition and Authority in the matters of his Mediatorship, which some blind 〈◊〉 have since endeavoured to persuade the World is her undoubted Right. I prais and magnify thy H. Name, O my sole Mediator and Advocate, For giving us this covert yet very intelligibl Expression of thy Foresight and Dislike of that idolatrous Copartnership with the Holy Trinity, whereunto the inordinate Devotion of some Superstitious Christians hath erroneously exalted and enshrined thy Virgin-Mother, in these later and more corrupt Ages of thy Church. Lord, I beseech thee, enlighten my Soul with such a discreet and true Distinction between the Honour or Respect I may justly bear to thy Earthly Mother, or any other of thy Saints enroled in Heaven among the Spirits of Just Men made perfect, and that Homage and Adoration which I am bound to pay unto Thyself in the Unity of thy Heavenly Father and the Eternal Spirit; that while I commemorat the Grace Thou hast conferred on Her, whom thy H. Angel hath authorized us to call Blessed among Women, I presume not to rob God of his peculiar Honour, who declares expressly, I will not giv my Glory unto another. And herein I shall best comply with that Advice which She herself gave to the Servants that attended on this Nuptial Solemnity, Whatsoever he saith unto S. Joh. 2. 5. you, do it: for, thence we may rationaly infer, That our resolved and activ Obedience to Thy Divine Commands is much more likely to gratify her holy Soul in Heaven, than any irregular Expression of Religious Worship unwarrantably tendered to herself on Earth. Cap. IU. Of His Acts at the first S. Joh. 2. 12,— 25, Passover. §. 1. AFter this he went down to Capernaum with his Mother, his Brethren and Discipls, but they continued there not many days; for the Jews Passover was at hand, and therefore Jesus went up to Jerusalem, where finding those that sold Oxen, and 〈◊〉, and Dous, and the Changers of money, sitting in the Templ, he made a Scourge of small Cords and drove them all out thence, 〈◊〉 out the Changers Money, and overthrew their 〈◊〉; saying unto them, Take these things hence: I prais and magnify thy Name, O Lord of Hosts, thou Mighty God of Sabaoth, who, for the more public and notabl Declaration of thy Power, didst signalise the very Commencement of thy Ministerial Function by purging thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an 〈◊〉 Authority, from 〈◊〉 gross Profanation of those 〈◊〉 made it an House of 〈◊〉; which was an Act so extraordinary as gave thy 〈◊〉 occasion to 〈◊〉 that it was written, The zeal of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 House hath eaten me up: May all Places religiously set apart for thy Worship be ever 〈◊〉 in a venerabl manner, I beseech thee, and in thy Sanctuary let every man speak of his Honour that dwells there; that when we 〈◊〉 upon Thee, O God, in the midst of thy Templ, our Hearts being 〈◊〉 from all Sacrilegious Thoughts of Secular Negotiations, which like a Cage of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are apt as well to 〈◊〉 as keep a place in thy holy Habitation, the Templ of thy more especial Presence may be (as it ought) a House of Prayer, not a Den of Thieus. §. 2. Most H. Jesus, When the S. Joh. 2. 〈◊〉, 〈◊〉 thou 〈◊〉 these things, questioned 〈◊〉 Authority, saying, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou unto us? Thou 〈◊〉 briefly make Answer unto them, 〈◊〉 this Templ, and in three days 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 raise it up. I celebrat thy Sacred Name, For the hidden Mystery and yet most undoubted Truth couched in this thy prudent Reply; which became easily intelligibl when thou wast risen from the Dead, after that both Jew and Gentil had employed their utmost Power and Malice to destroy thee; for, than thy Discipls not only remembered that Thou hadst said this unto them, but they 〈◊〉 understood that to be spoken of the Templ of thy Body, which the 〈◊〉 misapplied to their material Templ, in the building whereof forty and six years were elapsed. I humbly beseech thee, O Lord, That the actual Accomplishment of all thy mysterious yet most infallibl Predictions may so enlighten the Understanding of thy Discipls in this later Age of thy Church, as to engage Our Faith with no less efficacy than it did that of thy primitiv Followers, who hereupon believed the Scripture and the Word which Jesus had said. §. 3. O B. Jesus, though many 〈◊〉 in thy Name, when they saw the Miracls which thou didst in Jerusalem at the 〈◊〉, in the Feast-day; yet didst not thou commit thyself unto them, because thou knewest all Men: I glorify thy great Name, For this eminent Expression of the Divinity of the Son of Man, who was so far abov the necessity of depending or relying on the faithless or feebl Generation of Adam, that He 〈◊〉 S. Joh. 2. not that any should testify of them; for He knew what was in Man, even while he vouchsafed to be conversant with them upon Earth in the likeness of Men. I humbly beseech Thee, O Christ, let the same Spirit which rested upon Thee be my Comfort and Support, that from 〈◊〉 I lean not on any Child of Man, for there is no Hope no Help in them, but fully settl my whole Trust in God, and commit the Keeping of my Soul to Him in Welldoing, as unto a faithful Creator. And further teach me, by this thine instructiv Exampl, so much discreet Caution, both in my Dealings with Men, as may prevent the betraying of myself to their deceitful Practices, and in my Deportment towards God, as may ever express me duly sensibl of 〈◊〉 Omniscience. Cap. V. Of His Conference with Nicodemus. S. Joh. 3. 1,— 21. §. I. WHen a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, came to Thee O Jesus by night, with a private Acknowledgement of thy Sacred Mission and unparallelled Miracls, which he wanted the Courage to avow in public, Thou wast gracioufly pleased (without upbraiding either his Infirmity or Ignorance) to discourse the Mysteries of Regeneration to him in such a new and unheard-of manner as far exceeded the Knowledge of any Master of Israel: I prais thy H. Name, For all the profound and singular Excellencies of thy heavenly Doctrine, whereby we know S. Joh. 3. 2; Thou art a Teacher come from God; and for that convincing Method Thou hast made Use of to confirm it, which was of force enough to make a Ruler of the Jews confess, No man can do these Miracls that thou dost, except God be with him. Tho the Laws of Nature do not allow a Man to be born when he is old, or enter the second time into his Mother's Womb; yet, by the Power of thy Grace, let me (I beseech thee) 〈◊〉 born again, not of Water only, but of the Spirit too; that as I am naturally Flesh born of the Flesh, so I may become really Spirit born of the Spirit, and be thereby qualified both to 〈◊〉 and to enter into the Kingdom of God. §. 2. O most holy and heavenly Doctor, who didst represent to Nicodemus the unaccountabl yet apparent Motions of the H. Ghost in the mysterious Regeneration of every one that is born of the Spirit, by this apt Similitude, The wind 〈◊〉 where it listeth, and thou hearest the Sound thereof, canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth; which drew him that was learned in the Matters of the Law to own his Ignorance in the Method of the Gospel, by putting this Question, 〈◊〉 can these things be: I magnify thy Glorious Name, For speaking that Thou dost know, and testifying that Thou hast seen, though we receiv not thy Witness. I earnestly beseech Thee, O Jesus, how backward soever Thou findest us to believ when thou hast told us earthly things, vouchsafe to tell us of heavenly things, and to exhibit as well the powerful Efficacy of thy whole Doctrine as the indisputabl Truth of the most abstruse parts of it, help Thou our Unbelief: That, notwithstanding my inability to satisfy myself or Others How the Birth from abov is wrought in my Heart, yet I may palpably evidence to the whole World, both in Word and Deed, What it is to be a new Creature, and make it appear that the Spirit of God hath breathed upon my Soul, though I cannot determine the precise Time nor describe the exact Manner of his graciousOperation. §. 〈◊〉. O thou Son of Man which S. Joh. 3. art in Heaven, whither no man hath ascended up but he that came down from thence; who, to convince us that whatever thou hast suffered upon Earth was of thine own voluntary Resolution and Prescience, didst expressly foretell as well the particular Circumstance as the gracious Design of thy Death, in these plain Terms, As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal Life: I prais and magnify thy Name, Because God so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I humbly beseech Thee, O Jesus, since God sent not his Son into the World to condemn it, but that the World throu him might be saved, establish my Soul in this Faith, and qualify me for that happy End of it by an unblamabl Conversation, that Impiety may not temt me to Infidelity and Unbelief consign me to Damnation: for, (as thy S. Joh. 3. unerring Truth assures us) he that believeth not, is condemned already; the preposterous Occasion of the Gild being justly applied to aggravat and ascertain the Condemnation, That Light is come into the World, and yet Men loved Darkness rather than Light, because their Deeds were evil; for, every one that doth evil hates and shuns the Light lest his Deeds should be reproved; whereas he that doth Truth, who rightly belieus and acts according to the Principls of a sound Faith, cometh to the Light, whereby his Deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God. Cap. VI Of His Baptising in Judea, S. Joh. 3. 22,— 36. and the Dispute that arose thereupon between St. John's Discipls and the Jews. §. I. AFter these things, the H. Jesus and his Discipls came into the Land of Judea, where he tarried with them baptising. Prais thou the Lord, O my Soul, For perfecting the Design of S. John's Baptism by the succeeding Administration of Thine, even whilst he was also 〈◊〉 in Enon near to 〈◊〉, because much Water was there; Giving us thereby a tacit yet significant Intimation of thy forwardness to prosecute the Work of our redemption, which would rather shorten the Night by the hasty Approach of thy Day of Grace, than 〈◊〉 the Rising of the Sun till the Setting of thy Morningstar, for, 〈◊〉 was not yet cast into Prison. I humbly implore thee, O Christ, let us draw near unto thy 〈◊〉 Ordinances with a true Heart, in full Assurance of Faith, having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience as well as our Bodies washed with pure Water: And, Oh! that whole Rivers of Waters might be employed and 〈◊〉 for the baptising great Multitudes of 〈◊〉 from amongst all Nations, and Kindred's, and Peepl, and Tongues throu out the World, to accomplish the Number of thine Elect and hasten thy Kingdom. §. 2. Upon this Occasion there 〈◊〉 S. Joh. 3. a 〈◊〉 between some of John's Discipls and the 〈◊〉, about Purifying; and they came unto 〈◊〉, saying, 〈◊〉, He that was with thee beyond 〈◊〉, to whom thou 〈◊〉 Witness, behold, the same 〈◊〉 and all men come to 〈◊〉. Whereupon thy Servant John gave this further Testimony 〈◊〉 Thee, O Jesus, publicly confessing in the audience of the peepl, 〈◊〉 your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me Witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom; but the Friend of the Bride groom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the Bride-groom's 〈◊〉: This my 〈◊〉 therefore is fulfilled. He must increase but I must decreas: for, He that cometh from 〈◊〉 is abov all; and although He that is of the Earth is Earthly, and speaketh of the Earth, yet He that cometh from 〈◊〉, what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth, though no man receiv his Testimony. But he that hath received his Testimony hath set to his Seal that God is true: for, He whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God; which we may boldly rely upon, in regard God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him: nay, the Father so loveth S. Joh. 3. the Son that He hath given All things into His hand; and resolus our Fate shall be according to the Faith we bear Him; for, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life; whereas he that believeth not the Son, shall not see Life, but the Wrath of God abideth on him. I adore thy Sacred Name, O thou whom my Soul loveth, For the great Understanding this thy Servant had touching the Knowledge of thine Eternal Godhead, and the whole Mystery of thine Everlasting Gospel, which he hath thus clearly expressed in this his excellent Sermon left upon Record for my Instruction. Lord, I. beseech Thee, since a Man can 〈◊〉 nothing except it be given him from heaven, 〈◊〉 such a measure of thy Spirit, and the Grace he conveys from 〈◊〉 into the Hearts of the faithful, possess and affect my Soul, that I, in Communion with thy Servant John, may likewise rejoice in hearing the Bride-groom's Voice audibly uttered in His holy Word, and be ravished with delight in the private Contemplation of the happy Union solemnised between my Lord Christ and his Spous the Church: So as at last thou mayst vouchsafe to admit me into the Fullness of that 〈◊〉 which doth attend the Marriage of the Lamb, and impart unto me the Interest and Affection of a Friend in the Consummation of thy Glory, which will qualify me as well to taste of the Pleasures as congratulat the Perpetuity of thine Eternal Lov. Cap. VII. S. Mat. 14. 3,— 5. On the Imprisonment of S. Mark 6. 17,— 20. St. John the Baptist. S. Luke 3. 19, 20 §. 1. O My only-wise God and Saviour, who, to render thy Messenger S. John the more conformabl to the Author and Finisher of that Faith which he was sent to usher in by his Ministry, didst permit Herod the S. Mat. 14. Tetrarch to lay hold on him, and, S. Mark 6. having bound him, shut him up S. Luke 3. in Prison, that he might as well be a Precedent of thine undeserved Sufferings as the Precursor of thy divine Person and Doctrine: I prais and magnify thy Name, For that undaunted Freedom wherewith this thy Servant reproved the Vices of the Greatest, not fearing to assert the Truth and Obligation of thy holy Commandments even before Kings; for, John said unto Herod, 〈◊〉. Mark. 6. It is not lawful for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have thy Brother's Wife. I humbly beseech Thee, O Jesus, let the just Reproofs which thy Ministers impartially denounce against all Ungodliness and Unrighteousness of men, engage me to unfeigned Repentance in obedience to the Authority of thy H. Word, instead of provoking me to any impious Design of Revenge in compliance with my own unhallowed Lusts and Passions: And enabl Them and Me so to follow the Doctrine and Practice Practice of this first Preacher of the Gospel, that after his Exampl we may constantly speak the Truth, boldly rebuke Vice, and patiently suffer for the Truth's sake, whatever Loss either of Life or Liberty ensu thereupon. §. 2. O thou Protector of thy Saints, from whose restraining Power it came to pass that though 〈◊〉 had therefore an inward S. Mark 6. 〈◊〉 against thy Servant John, and would have killed him, but she could not: I bless and prais thy Name, For those effectual and yet invisibl Means whereby thine Almighty Arm doth curb the Power and check the Projects of the Ungodly and Malicious, who would fain do mischief to the faithful Witnesses of thy 〈◊〉 Truth; and in particular, for that tacit Aw and Reverence which the unreprovabl Life and Doctrine of thy Holy Ones doth inevitably fix upon the minds even of those that hate both their Persons and Reproofs; for, Herod feared john, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and did not only save but observe him, which he sufficiently expressed in that he did many things when he 〈◊〉 him, and heard him gladly. Lord, accompany the Ministration of thy H. Ordinances with such an Influence of thy heavenly Grace as may not only win our Liking, but engage our Lov too, that what we rejoice in for a time we may be delighted with for ever: And let that Esteem which the unblamabl Deportment of persons eminently Religious and Exemplary hath generally obtained in the World, be a powerful encouragement 〈◊〉 our Imitation of their laudabl Qualities; so that those things which 〈◊〉 venerabl, louly, and of good Report, may engage us to Virtuous and Godly Practices at least throu the forcibl Bend of our nativ Inclinations, in case whatsoever things are true, just, and pure, fail of their du Influence upon the Account of Thy 〈◊〉 Authority: For, even such as think not on these things because of any Virtu, yet are commonly rendered more considerate if there be any Prais. Cap. VIII. On our Savior's Conference with S. Mat. 4. the Woman of Samaria. S. Joh. 4. 1,— 42. §. 1. NOw when jesus 〈◊〉 S. Joh. 4. 3, heard that john was 〈◊〉 into prison 〈◊〉 departed into Galilee; but before He left judea, the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that jesus made and baptised 〈◊〉 Discipls than john, though He himself 〈◊〉 not. I prais and magnify thy Sacred Name, O my Meek and Prudent Saviour, For setting us this instructiv Exampl, which doth at once direct and authorise us to flee from such Dangers as may prov injurious either to the Body or the Mind. Lord, when Persecution ariseth, endu me with the seasonabl Prudence to make a timely Retreat from the impendent Storm that threatens to invade my Life or Liberty, yet accompanied with an unmovabl Resolution to part with either, rather than relinquish the Practice of that Piety which becomes a Christian: for, I may change my Place, though not my Principls; nay, a discreet Caution in quitting the one may be a necessary and successful means to preserv the other inviolabl; and he that retires from the insinuating temtations unto Pride or Vainglory, which the getting of a Name in the 〈◊〉 is apt to occasion, may well be esteemed a no less pious and discerning Soul than he that withdraws from the rougher Hardship of a 〈◊〉, since this can only confine the Body, whereas that may also contaminat the Mind. §. 2. The H. Jesus, in his way from Judea into Galilee, cometh to a City of Samaria (which he must 〈◊〉 go throu) 〈◊〉 Joh. 4. called Sychar; and being wearied with his journey, about Noon, he sat on Iacob's Well which was there, not far from the parcel of Ground that the Patriarch gave to his Son joseph. I adore and prais thy Name, O Christ, For submitting to the Toil and Labour of this our Flesh subject to Weariness, wherein thou hast not only conformed to the common Infirmities of a Man, but even to the very Form of a Servant, walking on 〈◊〉 from one place to another, though every Beast of the Forest is thine and the Cattl upon a thousand hills, while the Great Ones of the Earth are carried in state and ease upon their Chariots or Horses; to assure us that as well by Experience as Compassion Thou art touched with the Sens of their Wants who have been hungry and thirsty till their Soul fainted in them. Let me not therefore repine at my scant Allowance of Outward Conveniences, while my wealthy Neighbor's Cup o'rflows, and his Tabl is spread with all the gustful Rarities of Art and Nature, but rest content and thankful under the Dispensations of that Providence which feeds me with Food convenient for me; remembering that thou O jesus hadst occasion to ask a Woman of Samaria to giv thee Drink, to reliev thy Thirst; thy Discipls being gone away at the same time unto the City to buy Meat, for the redress of thine Hunger. §. 3. When she put the Question, How is it that thou being a jew askest drink of me who am a woman of Samaria? The B. jesus answered her, If thou knewest the Gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee Giv me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him and he would have given thee living Water. I glorify thy Name, O thou inexhaustible Fountain of Goodness, For thus manifesting thyself greater than S. Joh. 4. their 〈◊〉 jacob who gave Well to his posterity and drank thereof himself. Lord, instead of questioning Whence thou hast that living Water, as the woman did, seeing thou hadst nothing to draw with out of that deep Well; let me (I beseech thee) thirst after and be satiated with that Water which whosoever drinketh of shall never thirst, that I may taste and see how gracious the Lord is in fulfilling that Request of hers unto my Soul, Sir, giv me this Water that I thirst not; so as to pass this thy Promise into an experimental Truth, that it shall be in me a 〈◊〉 of water springing up into everlasting Life. And, to evidence the Power of thy Grace dwelling in my heart by Faith, make it issue out thence into such wholesome Streams of universal Charity as may write a practical Comment on that Text of thine Apostle St. Paul, There is neither Greek nor Jew, Circumcision nor Uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond, nor free; but Christ is all and in all; since thou hast broken down the middl Wall of partition between us, having abolished the Enmity, not only by thy Death but in thy Life; thine Exampl as well as Precept engaging us to lay aside those distinctions whereby Schism and Faction curtail our Kindness and hinder our mutual Edification. And though unnecessary Conversation with leight or scandaIous persons is to be industriously avoided and very warily admitted, yet when a just Occasion or accidental Providence brings a vicious person into my Company, let me rather improv the Opportunity to reclaim an Offender, than be deterred from using my best endeavour to save a Soul from death, throu the Shame or Fear of being censured a Friend of Publicans and Sinners, as thou my Lord and Master hast often been; who like a merciful Physician wouldst rather inspect our very Corruptions than neglect the Cure even of a lascivious Harlot, such as this Samaritan seems to be: for, when thou didst bid her, Go, call thy husband, and she replied, I have no husband; thou S. Joh. 4. couldst tell her, In that thou saidst truly; for, thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now haste is not thy husband: implying, that in case he were husband to some other, she lived in Adultery; if not, yet she lived in Fornication with one not espoused to herself. §. 4. This particular Discovery of the private Transactions of her own life, made by one that was wholly a Stranger both to her Country and Person, induced the Woman to confess unto him, Sir, I perceiv that thou art a Prophet, and on that consideration, she enters upon the Debate of a public Controversy which had been so violently maintained between their two Nations, that the jews would have no Dealings with the Samaritans; supposing a person so extraordinarily qualified, very fit to decide the matter in Dispute, which she states thus, Our 〈◊〉 worshipped in this Mountain, and ye say, that in jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. I prais thy Holy Name, O thou Reconciler of the World, not only For asserting the Truth of the Jewish Church and the Error of the Samaritan, in this thy positiv Reply, Ye worship ye know not what; we know what we worship; for Salvation is of the jews: but likewise, for opening a way unto their Reconciliation, and removing the Occasion of the Difference, by saying unto the S. Joh. 4. Woman, Believ me, the hour cometh and now is, when ye shall neither in this Mountain, nor yet at jerusalem, worship the Father; but the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. Lord, since thou hast no longer, confined thine Adorers to attend thy Service in one determinat place, but dost will that men pray every where lifting up holy hands, I humbly beseech thee, let this our Christian 〈◊〉 engage us to the more hearty and sincere Attendance as well on thy public Ordinances as our private Offices of Religion, remembering that God is a Spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in Spirit and in truth; for the Father seéketh such to worship him. §. 5. The Woman, being hereby convinced of her Error, the better to express her readiness to embrace the further Revelation of the Gospel, saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh which is called Christ; when He is come, he will tell us all things. I celebrat thy Gracious Name, O jesus, For saying unto her, I that speak unto thee, am Herald With what plainness dost thou own the truth and power of that thine Office to this Alien, nay, Enemy, to the Commonwealth of Israel; which thou didst with so much care reserv from the Notice of thine own Peepl? the Mystery which thou didst couch under obscure Parabls and 〈◊〉 Sayings in thy many public Sermons to them, thou hast clearly unvailed in one short and plain Expression to this Samaritan. O the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God how unsearchabl are his Judgements, and his Ways past finding out! My Gracious God, since thou hast thus reduced into Practice what thou hadst long before professed to thy Servant Moses, I will have Mercy on whom I will have Mercy, I humbly beseech thee, have Compassion on my Soul, and vouchsafe to make thyself effectually known unto me, who am worse than a Samaritan by Nature, a Sinner of the Gentiles in Conversation. §. 6. As soon as thou, O Christ, hadst given her this open Evidence and Acknowledgement of thine Office and Authority; the Woman (as having forgot her S. Joh. 4. corporal Necessities, and tasted the Grant of the Request she had made unto thee, Sir, giv me this Water that I thirst not, neither come 〈◊〉 to draw) left 〈◊〉 Waterpot and went her way into the City, and 〈◊〉 to the Men that-lived in her Neighbourhood, Come and see a man which told me all things that ever I did: Is not this the Christ? I magnify thy Name, For the communicativ Virtu of the Christian-Faith, and the gradual Propagation of thy Gospel thereby: Many of the Samaritans of that City having believed on Thee, for the Saying of the Woman which testified, He told me all that ever I did. Let those apparent Notices of thy Will, O my God, which have enlightened mine Understanding and engaged mine Affections in the Profession of the true Faith, render me zealous and successful in publishing those sacred Truths whereof I myself am convinced, that I may become an happy and industrious Instrument to promote thy Glory and the Good of others, whether they be my Brethren and Neighbours in the flesh, or not; since throu him who came and preached peace to us which were afar off, as well as to them that were nigh, we are no more Strangers and Foreiners, but are made capable of becoming fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the household of God, by being built upon the foundation of the Apostls and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief Cornerstone. §. 7. In the mean while, his Discipls, S. Joh. 4. who were newly returned with the Provisions which they went unto the City to buy, and marvelled that He talked with the Woman, prayed him saying, Master, eat: But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. I prais and magnify thy Name, O Jesus, Because, (whereas thy Discipls were apt to mistake thy words in a carnal sense, as appears by their questioning one with another, Hath any man brought him aught to eat?) thou hast fully explained the spiritual Meaning thereof by this thy gracious Declaration, My Meat is to do the Will of him that sent me, and to finish his Work. O heavenly Father, create in me (I beseech thee) the same Mind which was in thy Son Christ Jesus; that I also may prefer doing good in my Generation before my necessary Food, and esteem the Performance of those things which are agreeabl to the Will of thy Holiness my chief Repast and Satisfaction; such Acts of Obedience and Charity being capable to 〈◊〉 my Soul unto Everlasting Life; while the daily Bread which my Body stands in need of doth perish in the using. §. 8. O Lord of the Univers, All the Nations of the Earth are thy Fields, whereon thou requirest thine Apostls and Ministers to lift up their Eyes and lock; and they are white already to Hatvest; I giv Thee Thanks and Prais, Because he that reapeth, 〈◊〉 Wages and gathereth S. Joh. 4. Fruit unto Life Eternal. As my fleshly Eyes behold the fields of Corn before my face, Lord enabl me to view other fields far more excellent and glorious with the Ey of Faith, even all the Cities and Kingdoms of the World ready to be gathered into thy Barn: And let the hopes of such desirable Wages engage my utmost Industry to further the Welfare of Souls, for which we, upon whom the Ends of the World are come, have abundant encouragement; for, other men laboured, and we are entered upon their labours, whatsoever Christ our Lord and his H. Apostls have done or suffered for the Promulgation of the Gospel, redounding to our Advantage and Instruction, be it improvabl either to our own Soul's health or to make us Instrumental for the Salvation of others: So that in us that Saying prous true, One 〈◊〉 and another reapeth; and the Benefit is so equally conveyed throu out all the Members of Christ's Body the Church in all Ages, That both he that S. Joh. 4. soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. §. 9 When the Samaritans went out of the City and were come unto him; upon their Request that he would tarry with them, he abode there two days. I adore thy saving Name, O Jesus, For this thy gracious Condescension and the powerful Effect of thy Presence among them, many more having believed because of thy Word; who said unto the Woman, Now we believ, not because of thy Saying: for, we 〈◊〉 heard him our selus, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the World. Tho thy Spous, O Christ, which is the Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of Truth, by the Catholic Profession of thy Gospel givs so rational an Invitation to the Apostate World as is persuasiv enough to win many Proselyts to enter into the Communion of Saints upon a general Conviction; yet when, throu the personal Experiment and Participation of thy Saving Ordinances, they are once enl ghtned and have tasted of the heavenly Gift, the good Word of God, and the Powers of the World to come, they no longer rely upon the bare Credit of thy Church, but are established in the Faith by the full persuasion of their own Conscience. Let me not therefore at any time content myself with hearing the Operations of thy Grace or the Demonstration of thy Power reported at second hand, but make my personal Address to the Ministry of thy Word and Sacraments, that having heard Thee myself, my Soul also may know experimentally, that Thou art indeed The CHRIST, the Saviour of the World. Cap. IX. Of His Departure into Galilee, S. Joh. 4. 43,— 46, and his Reception there. §. 1. NOw after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee: not directly unto his own City Nazareth; for, jesus himself testified, that a Prophet hath no honour in his own Country; but He came again into Cana of Galilee where he had made the Water Wine. I prais and magnify thy Name, O my Gracious Redeemer, for this prudential Dispensation of thy Ministry, not brooking to misspend thy Doctrine and Miracls upon such as would render them useless by their Neglect or disesteem; but directing the Labours of thy Lov to those who, by having du Regard thereunto, were most likely to reverence thy Person and reap the intended Benefit of thy marvellous Works: for, when thou wast come into Galilee, the Galileans of those parts received thee, having seen all the things that thou hadst done at jerusalem, for they also were there at the Feast. Lord, let not any prejudice of Familiarity, which commonly breeds Contemt; or Envy, which unreasonably surmiseth the Advancement of our Equals or Acquaintance insupportabl; or foolish Custom, which is apt to set an higher valu upon any foreign unknown Commodity than on the more useful Product of our own Growth and Neighbourhood; hinder my paying the du Respect or making a religious Improvement of those Gifts and Graces wherewith thou shalt think fit to qualify any of my Countrymen or fellow-Citizens to do good in his Generation. And render (I beseech thee) the manifest Evidences of thy Grace no less effectual at this day to create in me that Esteem and Reverence which is du to Thee in thy Members, than the supernatural Operations of thy Power, exhibited before their Eyes in former times, were available to prepare a way for thine honorable Reception among the Galileans; that receiving those who bear thine Image, as well with a glad Heart as a cheerful Aspect, thou mayst think or make me worthy of thy beätifick Presence for ever. Cap. X. Of His Healing the Son of S. Joh. 4. 46,— 54. a certain Noblman. §. 1. WHen a certain Noblman, whose. Son was sick, at Capernaum, heard that jesus was come out of judea into Galilee, he went unto him and besought him that He would come down and heal his Son; for he was at the point of Death. Then said jesus unto him, Except ye see Signs and Wonders ye 〈◊〉 not believ: wherein He did only delay, not deny, the desired Answer to his Request reflecting on the gross Infidelity of his Countrymen together with the great End for which his Miracls were wrought; for, as soon as the noble man repeated his S. Joh. 4. Petition in these Terms, Sir, come down ere my Child die, the Holy jesus made him this gracious Reply, Go thy way, thy Son 〈◊〉. I prais thy Sacred Name. Because the man believed the word that thou, O jesus, hadst spoken unto him, whereof he gav an evident Demonstration in that he went his way, as fully satisfied and contented in the Assurance of thy Goodness and Power. Let not (I beseech thee) the transitory Affairs of this decaying Body take up all my Thoughts, but make me deeply affected with the future State and Eternal Concernments of my diseased Soul: I confess my Hope is weak, my Charity faint and heartless, and my Faith well-nigh dead, without those Works by which it should be made perfect. Lord, come down and heal my spiritual Infirmities; say unto me, Thy Soul liveth, with that Word of Power which is abl to revive all its faculties to their du Use and Vigour. And, though thou defer to grant the Request of my Lips, yet will I 〈◊〉 make my Prayer unto Thee, and will look up, until thou have Mercy upon me. §. 2. His Servants that met him as he was going down, having told him, Thy 〈◊〉 liveth; hr enquired of them the 〈◊〉 when he began to amend: and they said unto him, Yesterday at 〈◊〉 seventh hour the Fever 〈◊〉 him. So the Father knew it was at the same hour in which 〈◊〉 had said unto him, Thy Son liveth. 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