6;i Three kinds offrieadlhip. How the loue ofChrift towardsvs did fill grow greater and greater. Ofthe LordsSupper, uerthem vp to the crueltieofthe Croffe : Asahead, to haue it crowned with thornes,a face tobcfpit vpon andbuffeted, a mouth tobediftafted withvinegre and gall , handsand feet tobe bored and nayled a fide to bee pierced. And thoughhee knew that this his loue to mankind, was to bring all this torment and miferie vpon his facredperfon,lnfinerm dilexiteos, Ynto the endhee lowedthem. The neererhis death grew,thegreater grew his loue.That con parifon of the riueris not much amiffe,which takes it's head or beginning froma finali foun tame, and by littleand littlegoes increafing, till in the endit feemes to bea Sea. We cannot fay that there was any thing little or (mall in our Sauiour Chrift : butin fome fort, taking from his infancie, it may comparitiuelybee thus vnder- flood, His loue was littleat the.fidi, it began topude forrh inthole his teares in- thecratch; it went on, drawingmore water in his Circumcifion; inhis ex :le into Ægypt, in his failings, prayers, penitenccs, fermons myracles, and whenhee came towafh his Difciplesfeet, and togiue vntothem his body andblood, then was it full fea with him. The Iewes did put this queflion, How can ;his man giue vshisflefb to beeaten? Saint Auguftine tells vs, I will tell you how ; In the begin. ping wasLoue,& that Louewas with God,& God was that Loue ; and this may ferue asan anfwerto all queftions that maybedemanded in this kind. And as in all other things fromhis childhood, he went (to our feeming) growing vp (till more and more ; fo did his loue likewife goe dayly increafing,euen to the honre of his death, (hewing that he loued vs vnto the end. When a mountaine takes fire, at firílthe fire is but fmall, but by degreesgroovesgreater and greater, tillit comes at Taft like another tna tobe amountaine of fire. feremy faith, That he law a feething pot, The pot by littleand littleconies to take heat, till at lait it falls a boyling, but the fire under it may be fo great , that it may bubble and runneouer,throwingoutall that is within it. In our Sauiour Chriflsbreaft, the fireofhis loue didalwayes Teeth andboyleapace, but in theend this fire grew to fogreata flame, that itthrew out that his flefh, andmade that his blood to ouerflowwhichwas knit to hisfoule, and Diuinitie. T hatman which Ezechiel faw in the firft chapter ofhis Prophetic , onewith his feet ftanding vpon a Sa- phyre,whowas all fire ; butfrom the headto thegirdle, the fire was leerer and hidden ; but from thegirdle downward,euen tothe very feet,all was on a bright flame. His feet flood vpona Saphyre,which is the colour of heauen,toPhewve- tovs thebleffedneffe which he did inioy from the very ìnftant of his concepti- on, asalfo to lignifievntovs, that all the lifeofour Sauiour Chrift,was a flaming fire ofLouc.But in thofe hisyoungeryeares, it was fora whileas it were fmothe- red and reprefl`ed , but afterwards brake forth into thofe flames, that when his hourewas come,and that hewas todye, Thole whom he kneed, he¡ouedvnto theend. Somehaue fayled ouer the whole Mediterranean, haue toucht vpon the coatis thereof, andentredvp into it's riuers ; Others hauepaft the Srreight,andarriued at the Capede buena Ej erance, ofgoodHope. Therewasa man that rounded all the world,as ifhe had flood incompetition with the Sunne ; but loran this,his Na- uagationwas not at an end. Eueryday more countries are difcouered : but in the fea ofLoue there is not that place,which the Shipofthe Croffe bath notfayled into,Omniaconfanaptionuvidit frnem,&Minot; dilexit eos, Hefast the end ?facon- fumption,and lowedthem vnto the end. Ariftotle fets downe in his Ethicks threekinds of friendfhips. Honcftam,vtile,lucundum. That is,grounded on Honeftie, Profit, andPlea- lure. Thatwhich isgroundedvponprofit,will ceafe,when that ceafeth:Thou. hafta friend
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