4 I 3 IohnJ,f6. { The fifth S E R M o N } ' - are in this verfe.: Sohiscxpenw, in the XIX. So much inpurple, and linnen; So much, In feaffmg. · Neither was it, becaufe receiving plenty, ~e tooke his portion ofthat, he recei. ved, inapparell ordiet. For, Numfotu.ftult/6 apes mellijicant (fatth the Philofopher) doe Be~s.make honry, or Worme~ fpmne filke for the wtcked or reprobate ondy~ (Howbett, lt cannot be excufed, that bemg but Homoq~~tdam, he went bke a Prince: for,purplewas Princes weare.) Or,thathe feaflcd,an:J that not mcanely, but '"~'P•r, in all furr~ptuous manner; and that, not at fome fet nmes, but ,s·;,l'.:l'fl.'• day-by day: (for, this portion was beyond all proportion.) None of thefeit was. Yet we hold full; fomedangerrhere is; there is fome: and this Recordare is notidle or needleffe. What \Yas it then, that brought him thither,or (as Saint Bernardcalleth it)what was his Scala inferni, the ladder by which bee went downe to hdl ~ that wee may know,what is the difference betweene Abra/Jam's reuipt and his: and when Recepiffi fhall conclude with Crt~ciAru. , Saint chryfoftome doth lay the weight on the wordRecepiHi, in his natural!or proper fenfe. For, it is one thing (faith he)'"-''" (that is, accipere) to rtceiveortake; another ,.,,.:c~v(that is, recipere} to rece1ve zt,as 1t weremfu!ldifc!Jargeand finall fa. tisfactidn. (And, the fame diflinchon dorh CH 1t 1 s T Himfelfe obfervein<:«>•anc/ «~v,in the VI. chapterofSaint·Matthew.) Bothhave, and both receive: But,rhey that doe,.:,,.,, receive them, as apledgeofGo o's further f.wour: Butthey that doe "'"""''"• receive them, as a full and cornpleat reward, and have no more to receive but mull thereupon releafe, and quite claime all demands, in whatfoever elfe. Tan: quam arrham, and tanquam merudem, is the diflinction inSchooles. · With GoD verily it is a righteous thing, to let every manreceive,foranykinde of good, he bath done here. Yea, even the Heathen, fortheirmorall verrues(as Saint Azegzeffineholdeth oftheRomans, and the victories they received.) But, righteous it is alfo,that theReubenites, which ,choofe their lot iH Gifeadon this fide of Jordan, and there feat themfelves, fhould not after claime their parttoo, in the LandofPromife. Even fo, that they that will have, and have theirreceiving time, here, lhould not have it here, and elfe-where alfo. , Then, all is in thechoice, where we will lay our Recepini: whether here or there, in this or that life: Inpurple, andJi!ke, and the delights of the world: or, in rhereil and ,·omfort ofAbraham's bofome. Whether we will fay: L o R o, if I may fo recezve, that I may be received: If l may receive fo.the good ofthis life,that I be noc barred the other to come; tanquam arrham, as the earnefi ot a betterinheritance, Ecce me. , But ifmy receiving here, !hall he my lafi receipt : If I !hall receive them tanq11am mercedem, as my portion for ever; I renounce them, Put me out ofthisrrceipt, and referve my part in flore for the Landofthe living. And, ofevill: If it mull come here, or there (with Saint Auguffine) Domine, Me 11re, htcfeea; Ibiparce: Let my · Jeering andfmart be here; there let me be fpared: And, fromCmciaru, the torment to come, Liberame Domine. To very good purpofe f.1id the Ancient Father: f!0if#t dives,quifftpat~per,Neml dives,nemo pauper : ,;!nimsu omniafacit. It is fornewhat,to be rich,or poore; it isno– thing, to be rich,or poore; It is, as theminde is: The minde makethall. Now(faidt Saint ChryfoJlome) what mindehecarried, is gathered out of Abraham's doubling, and trebling, T11, tua, and tu a: Recepiffi tu, bona t11a, invita tua : which words arc working wordf (as lfetaketh them) and comaine in them great Emphajis. Vnderllan· ding (by t11a) not fo much that,he had in poffellion ;as that, he made (peciall recko– ning of: For, that,ismofi properly termed ours: Animru omniafacit. . . This life is called !JiJ life; not,becaufe he lived in it,but becaufe hefolived intt, as ifthere had beene no other li_fe but it. .And in his accompt, there was no other; Ale~~~ r3 '"I'"E>'• ,,;.,, olt-rlivetov. Gtve htm thts lif~;let this day be his day;taketomorrow who will. This did not Almham: Fo~, l:e[4w aday, and that afterthtslife, that reJoycedhimmore thanall the dayes of Ius hfe. , Tlus
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