Chap.r. Sects Leoking ttnl61tfru. Book. IV. a medicine for them that they may fuck and lire;· even fo Chrifl: feeing us fl:ruck with the poyfon of lin, he is impatient ofdelay, he would not fl:ay till the }ewes let him blood wi~h their whips and thornes, and nayles, I have a baptifme, to be bapti~rd 'with, Luk. I z. . ro. (faith Chrift) and how am I flraitned till it ~e ~ccomplifhrd ~ he is big with love, and therefore he epeos all hts pores of hts own accord he lets blood gufh out from every part, and thereof he makes' a precious balfome to cure our wounds. 0 the love of Chrift! As Elihu could fometimes fay, behold my belly is .u winr, which hath no vent, it is ready to burft lik.g new bottels; fo the heart Job- J%. 19: ofChrift was full, even full of love, fo full that it could not hold, . but it burft out through every part, and member of his body in a bloody fweat. I will not fay, but that every drop of Chrifis blood was very precious, and of fufficient value to fave a world, but certai!lly that blood which was not forc't by whips, or thornes, or fpeare, is to be had in finguler honour; as the myrrhe, that by incilion of the tree flows out is very precious, yet that which drops out ofits own accord, is accounted as the firfl: and choyce; and as the balfome which way foever it come, is fweet: yet that which falls of its own accord, is held the mofl: pure and oderiferous ; to this alludes that Apocryphal faying in Ecclejiafticm, I gave afweet fmelllik_e Cynnamon, and I yeelded a plea- Eccluu1.1 r. [ant odour lik_e the bert myrrhe; The vulgar tr'\nOates it th_us: quaji libanm non incifm v(iporavi; M the myrrP/l-tree that is not cut, I evapoY11ted; as if ChriJ.l: fhould have faid, without any lancing, cutting, pruning, out of meer love I poured om my blood upon the earth ; this is certaine; at this time, no manner of violence was offered him in body, no man touched him or came neer him ; in a cold night (for they were faine to have a fire within dores) lying abroad in the ayre, and upon coldJeartb he cafl:s himfelfe into a fweat Of blood; fure!y love is hot he had a fire in his brefi that melts him into this bloody fweat; 0 wonderful love ! 3 . . This may i?forme usof.the deligne of Chrift in thefe very _ ~uffen~gs ; Chrzfl weeps. (fatth Btrnard) not only in hi.r e;e.r, but • 1n all hu members, that w1th the teares of hi1 f. ody he might wafo y- rn Scrm.m and purifie ?i,. bod.! which is the (hurch: or Chrifl: weeps blood: om. PJirn. that he mtght g1ve us a figne of the enemies ruine. fweat in fick,nelfe is as a crilis; or promifing figne, that natu're with a.! I C c c c her
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