'Book II. c H R I s T THE B R E A D OF L I F E. M ET A P HOR. .and Experience that difcovers the '.Virtue of it: And a fmall Morfel •tafted, is better than the great King ,of Bab)'lon's Feafts that were.feen, .and not partaken of. XIII. Bread is a free Portion, and .common to all that will work for iir, it belongs to ~he Poor as well as .the Rich, none excepted from it; .but on a Forfeiture he that will not .work, neither let him eat. PARALLEL. ence·worketh Hope. This was that which Chrift meant when he faid, Except ;-e eat the Flefh of the Son of Man, and drink his Blood, ye have no Life in you, John vi. 53· When you tafte, relifb, and experience the hidden Virtue that is in Chrift, the Ufe of his Name, the Sight of his Perfon, the hearing of him preached will do you no good. XIII. Chrift is a free .Portion, a common Right to the Poor as well as the .Rich; he that will endeavor ro get him, that will labor for the Meat that peri/hethnol, may have him, John vi. 2 7· He feeds the lltmgry with good Things, Luke i. 53· None are forbidden to take of this Bread; thofe that will not look out for it, will certainly lofe ·their Souls at !aft. The Slothful )hall beg in llarveft, and have nothing; his Defire •flayeth him. We are to feek, to ajk, to knock, to ftri-ve, to labor for the Meat that pc– .rifheth 1101, Prov. xix. 15. or perifh for the Want of it. XIV. Bread is abfolurely necefXIV. Jefus Chrift is abfolutely necelfary to fary to common Happinefs; aMan Mens Happinefs; there is no Joy, no Peace, no .cannot enjoy himfelf, or his RelatiTranquillity of Mind, no Content or SatisfaCtion, ons without it; if he hath glorious no Freedom from the fretting Humor of a dif– Apparel, fumptuous and fair Buildtempered Mind, from the hungry craving of a ings,fpacious Gardens, large Fields, galled Conlciente without him. If Relations and PaO:ures, if it were poffible to fpeak, what is it' -ii he cloath himfelf with Silver, rhave the \Vifdom, Wealth, and if he adornhimfolf withJewels, ifhis .Roomsb~ 'Glory of Solomon, and want Bread, hung with rich TapeflrJ, if he ltretcheth him– ,he could take no Comfort in it; {elf on a Bed of lvory, all is as nothing, •it the fretting and hungry .Humor will not ftop the Mouth of Hunger, nor minifter would haunt him, and like the one Night's folid Content or SatisfaCtion; the Worm, and devouring Caterpillars Height of all his Happinels lierh but in the Folly •of Egypt, .eat up and devour all of Advancement, that vanifbeth upon the firft his Comforts. opening of his Eyes, and leeing himfelf loft, and, the facidcft,Cafe without Chrift in the World: H~ dreams he bath fpiritual :Food .; but when he wakes, his Soul is lhrved, and finks within him, he thinks he is full and needs nothing, but is nJked, poor and mifer– able and wants all Things, Rev. iii 17. and there can be none but miferable Comforters round about him, that can fay .little more than there is no Help for him in his God, becaufe he hath negleCted this fpiritual Bread: For he that bath not ·the Son, bath not .Life, but the Wrath of God abideth ttpon him, Jobn iii. 36. X V. Bread, in a Senfe of the X V. A true and real Senfe of the want of want of it, will occafion violent Chrift, will occalion violent Motions, as it did Motions, according to the old.Prowhen the.Poor prelfed into the Gofpel; The Vio– verb: .Hunger will break through .lent took it by Force : The Blind-man cried when Stone-Walls, &c. forbidden; the Woman came for Crumbs upon the fbarp Point of greatRepulfes, and would have XVI. Bread 2s it comprehends . the greateft of Hleffings when pro– mifed, fo the grcateft of.J udgments •when denied; Bread fhall be given, . and thy Waters fball be fure. no Denial, 1\1all. xv. 25, 26, 27, 28. XVI. Jefus Chrift, as he is the Bread of God, the Bread of Heaven, the Bread of Souls, is com– prehenfive of the greatelt Bleffings when promifed or enjoyed, he is the Light of our Eyes, the Joy d' om Hearts, the Life ofour Sovls, his Approach to us far exceeds the Joy of Harveft to an Huf– . bandman: But the greateft ofJudgments when denied; there follows a lean, miferable, ofl:arved, decayed, finking, dying, de!l:royed and damned Soul for ever and ever: Afy Servantsjhall eat, but you foal/ be hungr)', I will break the Staffof Bread, &c. METAPHOR. D I S P A .R I T Y. rJ, BREAD is an earthly Sub– fiance. I. BUT Chrift is _the Bread that came down from Heaven, the fecond Man was the Lord .from Heaven. s .K II. But
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=