The Eye is the Store- hookofall fauour. Sunday inLent. Ser.25; 433 thou coulditnot chufe but hauetaken pittie of vs. The Chroniclers of thofe Times report of Alexander the Great, That hehad Corarum,& anaiunt, a hard andcouetous heart: but his couetoufnéffe he ouercame by his ambition ofcom- mand and empire ; and hishardneffe byhis eye-pittie. Diadort" ftorieth, That feeing in Greeceagreat number ofpoore foules that werenaked anddiftreffed, the teares trickled fromhis eyes, and tookeorder that they fhould be furnifhed forthwith both withcloaths andmoney. If thenaheart that is naturally hard; cannot indure tofeemen in miferie , and not relieue them ; Flow muchmore (hall God,who ismade all ofmercie and compaffion, extend his pittie towards vs The Princes of the Philiftines found this to betrue, whenmaking the fimi- litudeof their loathfòme andpainful! difeafe ingold, theyprefenred them be- fore the Arke, conceiting with themfelues , That God but looking vpon the mcerefimilitudeoftheir Emerodes,his bowel's would beemoouedwith com- patliontowards them. Pulchrioresfuntoceli tuivino ; Winequickens the fpirits, it comforts& cheereth theheart; butthe eyes ofGod aremore louely tolooke to,and farbetterthan the belt wine. Cumfubleuafetoculor Iefur,dI vidi fret. Therewas a timewhen God did put the repairingand remedying °four feries in our eyes; Sicat ocidiancillainmanibus Domingfaa,itaocuh nofiri adDeum Dominum noflrum,&c. As the eyesofa louing and faithful! handmaid are all wayes attending onherMiltreffe, obferuing euerie the lealt caft of her counte- nance; foour eyes fhould be Iä11bending,& asit were hangingcontinually ouer that diuine Fountaine,till we draw from it the water ofMercie and ofPittie. O Lord, thouart bound to takepittieon me , becaufe I hauemyne eyes fixed and nayled asit wereto thymercie. This careGod did reprefentvnto vs,when he commanded c goferto ere&that dead brafen Serpent,totheend that thofewho were ftmgby thofe liningferpents, might by looking thereupon bee healed ; 4's manyas arebitten, andlookevponit,Jiallliue. That Precept of Leaiticus ten- ded to this purpofe, Thefeuenthyeare/hallbra Sabbath efrefl unto the land,itThal be the Lord; Sabbath, thou(halt neitherfin, thefield, norcut the vineyard. This was Na- tures feaft of reff ; obligingvs to lift vp oureyes to Heauen, and tobegof God ourdaylybread. For toomuch plentie &aboundancedothmakevs oftentimes to abandonGods prouidence, and to grow forgetful!ofthe carethat he hath of vs. Out of thefame reafonhe would not that the promifed Landfhould beLo- cus rigatus, awatred land,like to that oftheouerflowingof Nilus;but that they fhouldexpel and looke fortheir water from Heauen : forin /Egypt, the power that they had to openat theirpleafure the waters ofNilus, and to inrich their grounds therewith, was nofmall meaner to makethem forget God. But Experience crying out witha loud voyce, That our oyesdo notendeavour to bakevpfo highas theyfliould,and that when theyought to liftthem vptoheauen, they caftthem downeto the ground : The remedyingofour miferieswasmade ouer to his eyes; giuing vsthereby fuchgood fecuritie,that to beholdhis eyes, and tobe cured, is all one. The Fabricke ofthe Templeboing ended , Salomen made amolt devout prayervntoGod ; wherein heedidearneftly petition him, That hewould be pleafed tolooke downvpon this his houfe with a gracious and fauourableeye ; for, ôLord, ifthou /halt butvouchfafe to grace thisTem- pleby beaming forth thereupon the refplendentrayesof thofe thyeyes, which arethe lightand lifeof the Church, I !hall giue it forgranted,thatit (hall furelÿ hand in thygrace& favour ; Let thyne eyesbe open to this route netAndday.There Oo isno íS.06 6. Theeye is; preralenr ors forWith Cod: Narvi.at; taxis.t, jRrg.s.ag.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=