94 Ofthe NAT rv1 T 1!t. Sermon ro. I'hil.f.•S .••· ~ent him,forfupply ofhis want :viher~bf he knew, they weredlive trgaive at the root; · mthat they thus fruchfied,yeelded th1s tnut,ofaSweet odo~~r andwhemvith God 1va• highly plea(ed(as,there,he tells them.) ' ¥foJ,, l·'-~· ~t wa~not <fure) without my!l:erie,that theTemple was fir!l: heardof at Ephrata, at th'is frunfull place. No more was it (that which theFathers obferve)oftheTrees, . that wereufed about it: Not apoft ofthe'Temple,not aSpur,nay,not fomuch as apin, ,s,.,.•~.>f· but was ro~de of the wood of afruit-bearing tree: No barrenwood at all,iq. it. No more was 1t, that the very <..Altarof th' Tempie was formded ttpon atlmf!Jingfloore ( Ararma's) where, good come was thrdhed. All, tolhew, it would be plenteous in Mmh.>Hf· feeding,and ,kJthing,andfuch otherpertaining to this of Ephrata. Which (how-ever ,l 6.-4'•il· they be with us,)will be the fir!l:,and principal! point ofinquiry at the day ofDoome; even about feeding, and clothing,andother rvorkes of mercie. . 4 l!yborhjoy– nzd. Berhlrhcm ptflvu/d& l!pEmua.. Now,ifwe c..ould bringthefe two together; make a conjunction of them in Ge. mini,it were worth all. For,(I know not how,but) ifthere be in us ought ofEphrata : if wehappen to be any thingfruitfu!l, but in any degree; away goespar1mla,!l:raight : Straight,we ceafeto-belittle: We begin to talke of M erit,and worth,and I wote not what. Indeed, if we be all b'Yren and bare,it quy be,then, (and fcarce then neither, but peradventure, then) we grow not high-minded. Butfo, we fall!l:illuponone extreme or other: iffertile, thenprtHid' if humble,thenbarren. Wecannot get;to be humble,yet notfruitlejfe;onobefmitfuU,yet kecpe ourhumilitie fiill: Not Ephra• ~·l-!7:.;; ta,andparvula together: But, that is the trueBethfehem,and thert~va-s he borne. And . rhus farre, (1 hope) wehavebeeneled right,and are in om·way. I His mmru:r of But,lwling is not all: Here isquipafat tOo,and we may not palfe it. For,to that fi•di•gHe leads us,alfo: Dux,quipa[cet. We followed a f.1lfe Gt~ide, at fir!l:, that ledru tothe 'Byx~e~~:t:1~Jorbidden fruit, the end whereof was mertemoriemini. This (now) will lead ustoa :::,~ _ foodofthenature ofthe'Treeoflife,even the breadof!ife; by eating whereof, welhal~ G~.J-~ have life in our felves,evenHfe immortal!. That,is Hisfood,Heleads us to. And,:f we 1~ · ''i-' w<Juld forget this,both the Perfon and the Place(the Perfon,quipafcet,thatjha/1fetd; and the Place,7lethlehem, thehor{e of bre.d,) would ferve to put us in remembrance of it. Even of thebreaking of bread,which thechurch,as thisday,everhatb, and fiill ufeth,as thechild-ho8(efeaft. . WefpeakeofTranfeamru rfque Bethlehem,going thither: that may we, even lo..' loh.6.~1; cally, doe, and never goe out ofthis Roome: inafmuchas,hereis to be had the true breadoflife,-that came downefrom Heaven. Which is, Hi; jlrfo, this day borne, which •loh. 6 .J>·•'· Hegave for the life of the world, (called by Himfo, the tmebread, thebreadofHea– - -- 3'· ven, thebreadof life:) And where that breadis, there is Bethlehem, ever. Even.ftrifle loquendo, it may be faid,and [aid truly,thcGht~rch,inthis fcnfe, is very Bethlehem, no IeiTe than the Towne it felfe. For that,theTowne it felfe never had the name ri_ghtly, all the while there was butbreadmade there,bread(panis bominum)the bread ot men~ Not, till this Breadwas borne there, which is Panis Angelorrlln(as the P{almecalletl:t ~oJ.,_s,•r· it,) andmandideilt Angels food. Then,and never till then, was it Bethtehem:and that is,in the church, as rruely as ever in it. And accordingly,the church takes order, we lliall never faile of it : Therelhall ever be,this day, aBethlehem,togoe to : a houfe, wherein there isbread, and this bread. And,lhall there be Bethlehem, and fo neare us, and lhall we not goeto it~ Or,lhall wegoeto it,to theHorfeof Bread, (this brtad,)– and come away without it~ Shall we forfakeour Gt~ide leading us to a placefomucb far our benefit ~ Luk,!1.' 3 ~. rbi Domine, was the Apoftles qucfiion; and His anfwere;rbi corpm, ibi aqt~it,~; where thebodie #,there the Eagles wiU bee. Let it appeare, we arefo: For, here isth~ B•die. Elfe doe wee onrdutietoHim, but by halves. For, asourdutietoDtlx,isto bee led : So, our dutie to qt~i pa{cet, is to bee fedby Him. · To end: And .~~us, dr1cmd~pafcit; andpafcend~ d1Jeit ; leading Hee feeds us, and feedir~g Hee letd;. ~~~
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