66 ~om.~.1z, Ofthe N AT 1vI T 1 E, Sermon 8. upon anhundred,as Abrabam then was; for fuch aone to doe it,it was very much. 1 Much. Fuft, that heflJould not containe his affetlion; not keepeit in, but,out it muft,evenbreak forth into an external! atl,into a bodily crefture that all that ftood by,mutt fee him doe it. . " ' z Into a b_odily_gefture (I fay;) But then againe,that, into fuch a bodily gefiure i age!l:ure on thts fafhwn. It mutt needs be,hc was greatly, yea ftrangely affetledwith i.h that it made him forget his gravitic, and put akind of Indecorum upon his age, at thofe yeares,to £111 on JP ringing. All men will cafily know,thlt(fuch as he was)fray– ed, di[creet, grave men will never be fo exceeding moved, as to be brought to fetcha fpring, but uponfome very exceeding orcat occafion. . 3 Thirdly, to doeall this, but emly indefire,andnothingbut defire, is yet more ftrange,then the ~eft. In the ftuition, to joy is kindly; but,in the defire,alrogether urt– ufuall; lixrdtavtt, wm vtderet may well be underftood: E:wltavit,ut videret; not (o well•.For, deftre, of it felfe,is a reftletfe thing,unquiet,and complaining: but a very affittlwn of the foule. It makes men, yea the very creature it felfe c(aith the Apoftle) ingemifcere (which is far,fromexultare) togronefor griefe,not,to fpring for Joy ;Sad rather than glad, in that they want their defire. Iudge then, how great agood is tlie good of thtsDay; that, not in the enjoyiog,but,eveninthedefiring ;and that,againtl: the nature of defire,did put old father v1brabam into this Pajion ; and brought from him this at!,the aBof ext<ltation,andmade him even young againe. But I will tell you yet ofanother as ll:range. For,the fame word,you !hall obferve is ufed,oftheBaptijl,while he was yet but a" Embryo,and in his mothersbelly. That, at the enter-view, at1d voice ofthe bldfedVirginMary, he (then,a babe)gave a~ring in the wombe of Elizabeth His Mother. So that we fee,both old and young,Abrabam and I1hn Baptijl,from the eldeft in year~s to the child unborne; itconcernes all; All need it: All are bound to begladof it: All isforthejoyand honour of this Day. And this for his firft ac1, and firft Iey,joy ofdefire, forthere be two. There is ano.: ther in thelaftword 'x"P"· As there be twofights; 1 Vtvideret, and, Etvidit: [o, twojoyes anfwerable; either bath his Joy. And,this firll: is but Iohn Baptijl'sfore-run– ner, to the fecond. For, all this is but theApoftlcs Spegaudentes, yet; but the joy or hope only, anticipating theother, before it come; and joying (as it were) that it !halt joy, when that joyfull time !hall be, And,with this,we muft begin;even with delire,and feekc to potfctfe our foules of it.This carrieth the next,the eye: for,where thedejire is,there wil theeyehe alfo:and, where it is not, no profpethhitherward 1 no window open, that way. Therefore, fer that (as the needle point) right,and all the reil: will follow. For,the truth is;therefore we joy not,bccaufe wefee not; and therefore wefoe not,becaufe we defire not. True it is,an,d pitie it is;Millions there be,never have truefight ofHim: Why~ they have no defire to Him.We muft then begin there,withdefirc,withllt videret,or we fhallnever come to Et vidit. And, for our comfort, the verydejire of this day, or ofany other good thing els, (if it betrue,and uncounrerfeir,) a firft degree it is,and it is not light– ly tobeaccompted of. It isnot nothing, to fay, (ifone can fay,and fay ittrue) exut– tarem 11t viderem. For, ofthisdejire, Exultarem tit is (among other) one CharaBer, Three there be befides; (atld lightly they goe together,)andthey be Sr~ccedanea (as we call them) to any good thing,which we have not,but wi!h that we had,or that we might have. As, if we cannotrepent, cannot abfteine, cannot bcleevt, or live as we ought, thefe Gome in place,and expretfc yet,how we ftand inwardly affetled roward them: Even thefe foure: 1 Ex11ltarem orgm.deremji: , ve!lem 11t: l mcttto ne: 4doleo q11odnon. Ga11deremfi,Glad I wouldbe,ifit w~rc: vel!em111, and I heartily wifh,that irwere; Metuo11e, but fure I doubt, it be not: andDoleoqt~odnon,forry Iam,that it is not.Charaflers they be all :and, ifthey be hearty and true,a figne it is,the.flaxftJJOketh yet: Et tinumfumigans (fo gracious He is)thejlax,ifit do b11tfmoke,He willnot q11ench it.But,ofall the reft,fpecially'ifit be this. For there is vigour and vehemencie,inEx– ultarem"t. It isafervent defire, akind ofhunger and thirft, adefiderio deftderavi,this. E.><llltarem 11t, I would doe any thing; I would give any thing, to have afight of it. And,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=