1 486 \___________ ~ ___ S_er_m_o_m_a_t~t_he_E~4r~k_o/' __ ~-------- ---- I tous, neither are wecnly allowed, but inviced w thofe heavenly liquors, Imbriamini o ch.riftmi, Drink, yea, drinke abund~ntly, _o beloved, Cant. 5· 1. This happy libertie ofthe f•ving Gofpdl ofJefus Chnft, dally and lincerely preached to us (N able and beloved Chriftians) is worrhy to be more worth unto us, than all the ueafures, ornammts pri>ileges, of this tranlitorie World; and this, lince throughtheineftimable goodnelfe of God, yee doe, and may find in this latter Houfe; well bath God 1 verified this word in yonreyes and eares; The glory ofthe latter Ho11(e foal/be grwer than I oftbeformer. Hither<o the comparative prailc of the !mer Houfe; the politive followes in the promife ofa gracious effecr; in tbis pla<e will! givepeace: wherein I know not whether the blefling dmh moregrace the place, or the place the bl<fling; both grace each other, B and both bleffe Godspeopl<;In this place will/give peace. Ifye lookeat the bleflingit felfe,it is incomparable, /'ea<t; that whereby the Hebrewes had wont to exprelfe all welfare in rheir f,lutations, and well-wifhes; the Apo!lolicall benediction dichoromizes all good things into Grace and Peace; wherein at the narroweft, by Grace, alllpiriruall favours were lignified; temporall by Peace. The fweet linger oflfraelcould not wi01 betterto Gods Church,than Ptace be within her walls: and behold, this is it I which God will give, Dabo pacem: yea, our eyes fhould lloop too low, if they 010uld I P"''· fix here. The fwett ~irillers ofHeaven, when they fung that divine Caroll, tothe Gl"lJ ttJ GtJd I honourot the firft Chrifirnas,nc:xc to GloriA in excelfis Deo,faid,Inttrrispax; Yet higher, lintb•b·gb<ft thegteatSaviourofthe World, when he would leave the moll preciousLegacieto C 1 ~~::':C~arrb, his deare ones on e:~nh, that they were capable of) he fayes, My peace Igive yo11. And · ' what he there gives, he here promifes, DAbB paam, 1 wit/give it. But where! Whence~ lnthisplace. Not anywhere; not everywhere; butinhis owneHoufe, in his latter Houfe, his Evangelicall Houfe;as if this Liefling weyeconfinedtohis holy walls, he lairh, In this place will I givepe.ce. This flower is not for every foile; it growes not wild, but is only to be found in the Garden of Siun. It is very pregnant which the Plalmift bath, Pfal. 128.5. and '34· 3-The Lord tb.r madeHeaven 4nd Earth,blefftthee DlltofSibn. He doth not fay, The Lord that made the earth blelfe thee out of heaven; nor, The Lord that made Heaven\ bleffe theeout ofheaven; but,ble[Je the.,ut ofSion: As if hee I would teach us, that all bl<flings come, as imme~iarely and primarily from !leaven, fo D mediatcly ond fecondanly from S10n, where th•s Temple llood. Some Ph,lofophers have heldtht Moone to be the receptacle of all the influences ofche heavenly bodies, andtheconvcyancesofthem to this inferiour world, foas all the vertueoftheupper Orbes and Starrcs,are derived by her, to this elementarie Spheare. Such doth both . David and Hagg.u repute the houfe ofGod; whither, asto l•fophs Store-honfe, doth I God convey thebkflings ofpeace. thattheymay be thence tranfmitted to the fans of m<n. How, and why then dorh God give peace in this his Hou(e? Becaufe hcre(as Btrnard well) Deus & audit, & at~ditNr, God heares, and is heard here :audit orantts, erudrt aud trJtrs; he hear<s his fuppliams, andteacheth his hearers. As this place hath two ufes, it is hmh Oratormm, and Auditorit'm: [o in rtfpect of both, cloth it bleiTe us E with peace: our mouth procures it in the one, cur eare in tht: mher; God workes in our hearcs by hoth. In the firft, God fayes, as our Saviourcites it, lJomm m( A Dorm11 orationis: My Hou{t jl•a/1 be called the Her•fe ofprayer. And what bleflingis it, even the bell of Peace, that our p<"yers cannot infeoffe us in~ SAlomon when he would confe. crate the Church he had builr, folemnly fues to God, that be would inveft it with this privilege of an univerfall-gracious audience; and numbring the occalions ofdillreffed Suppliants, mokes it ever the foot ofhis requeft ; ('The,. h"ken to thepra1er that rhy(ervarn fballmake towards this place; HeArt thot~in he.ven,thy dwelling place1andwhen th•• betrejl, have mercy. ) If ever therefore we would have peace outward, inward, 1 private, publick, fecular, fpiriruall: If we would have peace in our ellate, peace in our Land, peace in our Church, peace in our foules, pray for it. And if ever we will ! pray for it, pray here, in Gods houfe,for in this place will/ give puce. In vaineJiall we l looke for it elfewhere ifwe aske it not here. It is true, we are bidden every where to liftnp pure hands to God: buttheycannot be pure, thu are profane; and theycannot bee butprof•ne, that contemne <he holy ordinances ofGod. He faid well, In umpl• vis
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