282 Pfat.ss.lo. Gods bountie often cauteth ournegleet. The Angels reioyce at our commingon- to Hcauen. Thecouetoue not fodelighted On the Saturday after in recciuing,asGod ingluing. Y him.Daaidharetvpon this firing ; For thyNamesfake,ó Lord,be merciful!untomy fin,fer it isgreat;Lord,thy Mercieis aboue allthy Works ;that the world Mould knowthee by this name,is thegreateft Attribute that thou takeft delight in : for thyNames fake therefore let me befeech thee,that thouwilt haue niercie on my miferie,forit is exceedinggreat. Make me one of tbyhiredSeruants . GilbertustheAbbot faith, That thefe were veriehumble and fubmiffiue thoughts,as hewas aSonne, but fomewhat too af- fronting for fo free and liberal aFather : fay his deferuings were neuerfopoore, neuer fomeane, fuchweakehopes,and fuch abafe opinion could not but bee a great iniurie tofo goodand gratious aFather. Gregorie Nazianzenfaith of him, Others cannotreceiuemore willingly, thanhegiues cheerefully. To the Conetousand to the Needy,thereis not anycontent comparableto that ofreceiuing;yet grea- teris thecontentment whichGod taketh ingiuing.Hereuealed to t.ílbrahain his purpofedpunifhment vpon Sodome,and onely becaufehe shouldbegand intreat for their pardon : and this Patriarke was fooner wearie in fuing , than Godin granting. AndifGod did demand his Sonneof him, it was not with an intent tohauehim facrificehim, (for heediuerted that Sacrifice ) butto take occafion thereby to giue hima typeof theoffering vpofhis owne Sonne : giuingafha- dowofdefert to that which camenot within thecompaffe ofdeferr. Whatfays the AbbotGu4riciie f He that gaue his fonne forthe redeeming ofProdigalls, What can he denie vnto them. God is fo liberall (faith Tertullian)that hee lo- feththerebymuch of his credit with vs : for,the Worldgainesagreat opinion, whenwith agreat dealeofleifu re, and agreat dealeofdifficultie, itflowly pro- ceeds in doing good ;but God, he loferh thisrefpeét throughhis too much fa- cilitieand frankenetfe inhis doing of his courtefies. The Gentiles ( faith this learned Dodtor) judging of Faithbyoutwardappearances,,could not beperfua- ded thatfuch facile and mean thingsinoutward thew,could inwardlycaufefuch fupernaturalleffeEts, and fach diuine Graces,as in that bleffed Sacrament of Baptifine. When be muyet agreat way of, ¿9c. The Prodigal! defired that his Father would intertaine him into his feruiceasanhired feruant; and heehadno fooner fight ofhim, but heran with open armes to receiue him, and was fo ouerioyed to feehim, andmadehim that cheere, that the Prodigal! knewnothow now to vnfold his former conceiued words. Saint John in forme ofa Citie fawthat coeleftiail Ierufalem ;and faith,That it had tweluegates;and ineachofthem an Angell ; which did typifie two thingsvnto vs : The one, That he gates were open. The other, That theAngelis (hewed thecontent they tooke in expeEtingour commingto Heauen. When thou dooft nor like ofa gueft, thou wilt get thee from the doore; butif thou loue him,thou wilt haft thither to receiue him. But this his father didmore; for henofooner fpied his fonne afarre off,but he hafted outofhis houfe toimbrace him,& prefently puts him into anew fuit ofcloaths, that others might not feehowtotter'dand torne hewas returned home.But God went aflop furtherthan all this, for hee repaires tohim to thePigges-ftie to pur good thoughts into his head. Loue vfeth tomakeextraordinarie hafte in relie_ uing thewants ofthofeperfons whomwee loue. Andforafmuch as Godloueth more thanallthe Fathers befides in theworld, hee madegreater haft than any otherFather could. Inclinauit Color & defendit, FleebowedtheHeartensandcame dawn; That hemightnot detaine himfelfe in defcending, he made theheauensr toftoope. Salomon faithof W f dome, Thatnone fhall preuent her diligenceand' care; ,
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