992 TheRate of tbe.0:&urch Cyr, t, rtót-seem sit lei-rep/emCince the dayes ofSolomon, 2 Chro. 3o. 16. But were thercot dove-like eyes, which when hee oonfdered their wanton .looker even towards the Brazen Serpent, hee com- manded it . bee broken , though it had been Gods own ordi- nance, and anexcellent Monument of former memory, z Kings t.8. 4. Loehere- excellent chaflity joyned with like-wifdom. Verf. My-welbeloved,behold thouartfair and ptenfant : t11fs our Bed isgreen. How coherent is this praife? which afwel! inftru6teth the niinde in knowledge,as it endueth the heart with Religion. It is one thing for us to be thankfull to Chrift, and another thing for Chrift to be thankful! to us. He accounts us thankful! by reafon of cle&ion, we feel not him fweet-and pleafanr,before webecalled to the know- ledge of the truth : and our hearts be kindled with a delire of god- lincf .&utifany godly one deffre;to know the !late of the Church after the death of Hez.ekas,the Bride declareth it in commendations of the Bridegroom. She then flouriiheth, when fhe may freely be- hold and fet forth thebeauty of her:beloved,which verily hapned in the time of Iofia' , in wholeexcellent fanc`tity the Church faw the fweetneflè ofher beloved, a Chro. 34. and 35. At fixteene veers of age he began to -leek the God of his father Daiiid, four yeers after, to deer luda and lerufalem from the high places'and thegroves: and from carved and molten images, x Chro. 34. 3. Religion adorneth every age but efpecially that tender age a1well 'for the prefent and unexpe red ripencs ofir,as for agreater hope thetof in time to come, But the latter part of the verfe,declarerh more fully the Hatory of Aldnaffes&Amman. Alfa orar bed is green.TheKings chamber(before) fignified the Temple. Neither is it to be doubted but ( Bed) is here ufed for the fame, which is wont tobe placed in the more inward and privy Chamber,Where the godlystay injoy Chrif} moft familiar- ly. This Bed waxeth green like the meadowes, in the beginning of the fpring , whole beautie the wititer'had defaced, if they had al- wayes kept their greenneffe, it had been unneceffary tomake men- tion.of,it And if Iotas had fucceedednext after Hezekas , it had been asftperfinous to make mention of the Temples flourishing, as of green grafle in fummer. The words then declare afwell that winter which miferably afflicted the Church under Mana(Tes anal Ammon, which (hook ofFaltogether the flowers of godlineffe , and expofed Chrifts Bed to all injuries and tempeftuous fformes, 2 Chro. 33- As alto the pleafantneffe of a milder time,' under lóúrrs, who heauti-
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