A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture, Collection of sermons 2 · Sermon 26
THE HIDDEN MANNA. THE XXVI. SERMON.
APOC. 2.17.
I will give to eat of the hidden Manna.
Right Honourable, Right Worſhipfull, &c.
IN the Old Teſtament we heare, Sic ait Jehovah, So ſaith the Lord, God the Father; in the Goſpell, Thus ſpake Jeſus; but in this booke for the moſt part, Thus writeth the Spirit; as in this verſe. Wherein you are to obſerve,
1 Literam Spiritus, The letter of the Spirit.
2 Spiritum Literae, The Spirit of the letter.
Or, to uſe rather the Allegory in the text, fixe the eye of your coonſideration upon
1 The golden Pot, the elegant and figurative expreſſion.
2 The hidden Manna, the abſtruſe and ſpirituall meaning.
To him that overcommeth. Hee who biddeth us ſtand upon the higheſt ſtaire, conſequently commandeth us to runne up all the reſt; ſo hee that would have us to overcome, implicitely comandeth us, 1. To have our names enrolled in our Captaines booke: 2. To bee trained in military exerciſe: 3 To follow our Generall into the field: 4. To endure hardneſſe, and inure our ſelves to difficult labour: 5. When battell is joyned to ſtand to our tacklings, and acquit our ſelves like men; never giving over till wee have, 1. repelled, next chaſed, laſtly diſcomfited and utterly deſtroyed our ghoſtly enemies: and when wee are in the hotteſt brunt, and moſt dreadfull conflict of all, by faith to looke upon Chriſt holding out a crowne from heaven unto us; and after wee have overcome in ſome great temptation, and ſeeme to be at reſt, to looke upon the labell of this crowne, and there wee ſhall finde it written, Vincenti dabo, To him that overcommeth indefinitely, not in one, but in all aſſaults of temptation; not in one, but in all ſpirituall conflicts, till hee have overcome the laſt enemy, which is death. There are many, too many, in the militant Church, who drinke wine in bowles, and ſing to the pipe and violl, and never liſten to Chriſts alarum: others there are who hearing the alarum, deſire to be entertained in his ſervice, and give their names unto him, but are not like Timothy trained up in Martiall diſcipline: a third ſort like of training well where there is little danger, but when they are to put themſelves into the field, like the children of Ephraim, turne backe in the day of battell: laſtly, many like the ancient Gauls, begin furiouſly, but end cowardly; in the firſt aſſault they are more than men, in the ſecond leſſe than women. None of theſe ſhall taſte of the hidden Manna, nor handle the white ſtone, nor read the new name, but they who by a timely reſolution give their names to Chriſt, by private mortification, faſting, watching, and prayer, are trained for this ſervice, by faith grapple with their ghoſtly enemies, and by conſtancy hold out to the end. For as Hannibal ſpake ſometime to his ſouldiers, Qui hoſtem vicerit mihi erit Carthaginenſis, hee that conquereth his enemy, what countrey man ſoever hee bee, hee ſhall bee unto mee a Carthaginian, that is, I will hold him for ſuch, and give him the priviledge of ſuch an one: ſo Chriſt ſpeaketh here to all that ſerve in his warres, Hee that overcommeth his enemie, of what countrey or nation ſoever hee bee, I will make him free of the celeſtiall Jeruſalem, I will naturalize him in my kingdome in heaven. In other kingdomes there are ſeverall orders ofaDiſcourſe, & l. origin. des ordores milit. p. 49. Knights, as of Malta, of the Garter, of the Golden Fleece, of Saint John of Jeruſalem, of Saint Saviour, of Saint James, of the holy Ghoſt, and divers others: but in the kingdome of Chriſt wee finde but one onelyonly ſort, viz. the order of Saint Vincents. In all other orders ſome have beene found foreign, white-livered ſouldiers, or carpet-Knights, that either never drew ſword, nor ſaw battell, or baſely fled from their colours: but of this order never any either fled from his colours, or returned from battell without the ſpoiles of his ghoſtly enemies. Hee therefore that will bee of this order muſt bee of good ſtrength and courage, well armed continually, exerciſed in Martiall diſcipline, vigilant to take all advantages, inured to endure all hardneſſe: to ſtrength hee muſt adde skill, to skill valour, to valour induſtry, to induſtry patience, to patience conſtancy, and to all, humility; not to challenge the rewards here propoſed as due to his ſervice, but onelyonly by vertue of the promiſe of him who here ſaith, To him that overcommeth
I will give. foreign, not foreign, I will render or repay: for it is not ſo in this warre as in others, wherein the ſouldier who carrieth himſelfe valiantly in warre, and ventureth his life for his Prince and countrey, may challenge his pay of deſert; becauſe wee beare not our owne armour, nor fight by our owne ſtrength, nor conquer by our owne valour, nor have any colour for our ſervice on earth to pretend to a crowne in heaven. In which regard though wee may expect, yet not challenge; looke for, yet not ſue for; deſire, yet not require as due the reward here promiſed.bLuk. 12.32. Feare not little flock, ſaith our Saviour, for it is your fathers pleaſure to give you a kingdome; it is not his bargaine to ſell you it. Albeit the wages of ſinne is death, and there we may plead merit: yet the Apoſtle teacheth us that eternall life is the gift of God. Upon which words SaintcL. de grat. & lib. arbit. c. 9. Cum poſſet dicere, & recte dicere ſtipendium juſtitiae vita aeterna, maluit dicere gratia autem vita aeterna, ut hinc intelligeremus non pro meritis noſtris Deum nos ad aeternam vitam, ſed pro ſua miſeratione vocare, unde dicitur in pſalmo, coronat te in miſeratione. Auſtines obſervation is very remarkeable; Whereas the Apoſtle might have continued his Metaphor, and ſaid, the wages of righteouſneſſe is eternall life, becauſe eternall life is the reward of righteouſneſſe, as death is of ſinne, yet hee purpoſely put the word gift in ſtead of wages, that wee might learne this moſt wholeſome leſſon, that God hath predeſtinated and called us to eternall life, not for our merits, but of his mercy, according to thoſe words of the Pſalmiſt, He crowneth thee in compaſsion. If there be any merit, in S. Bernards judgement, it is in denying all merit; Sufficit ad meritum ſcire quod non ſufficiant merita. And verily had the Church of Rome all faith, as her proſelytes ſuppoſe that ſhe hath all the good works, yet her ſtanding upon tearms with God, & pleading merit, would mar all her merit, and juſtly faſten upon her the ill name of Meretrix Babylonica, the whore of Babylon. For Meretrix, ſaith Calepine, à merendo ſic dicta eſt, hath her name from meriting. When wee have done all that wee can,dLuk. 17.10. Chriſt teacheth us to ſay, wee are unprofitable ſervants, we have done but that which was our duty to doe. Nay, have wee done ſo much as wee ought to doe? Venerable Bede, to checke our pride who are apt to take upon us for the leaſt good work we doe, telleth us no; quod debuimus facere, non fecimus; we have not done what was our duty to do: and if the beſt of us have not done what was our duty to doe, wee merit nothing at our Maſters hands but many ſtripes. Yet the Church of Rome bluſheth not to define it as a doctrine of faith in her conventicle at Trent, that oureConcil. Trid. ſeſs. 6. Can. 32. Si quis dixerit hominis juſtificati bona opera ita eſſe dona Dei, ut non ſint etiam bona ipſius juſtificati merita, aut non vere merere augmentum gratiae & vitam aeternam, anathema ſit. good workes doe truely merit eternall life. In which aſſertion, as Tertullian ſpake of venemous flowers, quot colores tot dolores, ſo many colours ſo many dolours or miſchiefes to man; ſo wee may of the tearmes of this propoſition, quot verba tot haereſes, ſo many words ſo many hereſies: for
Firſt, it is faith which intituleth us to heaven, not workes, by grace wee are ſaved fEpheſ. 2.8.9.through faith, and that not of our ſelves: it is the gift of God: not of works, leſt any man ſhould boaſt. Fides impetrat quod lex imperat, Faith obtaineth that which the Law commandeth.
Secondly, if workes had any ſhare in our juſtification, yet we could not merit by them, becauſe as they are ours they are not good, as they are good they are not ours but Gods,gPhil. 2.13. who worketh in us both the will and the deed: it is God which worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleaſure: for h2 Cor. 3.5.we are not ſufficient of our ſelves to thinke any thing, as of our ſelves, but our ſufficiency is of God. Whence St.ide lib. arbit. c. 7. Si bona ſunt, Dei dona ſunt; ſi Dei dona ſunt, non coronat Deus tanquam merita tua, ſed tanquam dona ſua. Auſtin ſtrongly inferreth againſt all plea of mans merit, If thy works are good they are Gods gifts, if they are evill God crowneth them not; if therefore God crowneth thy workes, he crownes them not as thy merits, but as his owne gifts.
Thirdly, the workes that may challenge a reward as due unto them in ſtrict juſtice muſt be exactly and perfectly good, but ſuch are not ours.k1 Joh. 1.8. For if we ſay that we have no ſinne, or that our beſt works are not ſome way tainted, we deceive our ſelves, and there is no truth in us. Woe (ſaith St.lConfeſ. l. 13. Vae hominum vitae laudabili, ſi remota miſericordia diſcutias eam. Auſtine) to the commendable life of men, if thou examine it in rigour without mercy. In which paſſionate ſtraine he ſeemeth to take the note frommPſal. 130.3. David: If thou Lord ſhouldeſt marke iniquities, O Lord who ſhould ſtand? and hee fromnJob 9.2.3. Job; How ſhould man be juſt before God? if he contend with him he cannot anſwer one of a thouſand.
Fourthly, were our workes free from all aſperſion of impurity and ſuſpition of hypocriſie, yet could they not merit at Gods hands any thing, to whom we owe all that we can or are, Dei omne eſt quod poſſumus, quod ſumus. The greateſt Champion of merit Vaſques the Jeſuit, here yeelds the bucklers, becauſe we can give nothing to God which he may not exact of us by the right of his dominion: we cannot merit any thing at his hand by way of juſtice. ForoVaſques in Thom. diſput. Non meremur in via juſtitiae, quia pro eo quod alteri redditranquam debitum, nihil accipere quis debet: & ideo ſervi in…tiles dici poſſumus, quod nihil quaſi ſponte Deo demus, ſed demus ea quae in re dominii ex praecepto exigere poſſit. no man can demand any thing as his due for meerly diſcharging his debt, no not ſo much as thankes. Luke 17.9. Doth hee thanke that ſervant becauſe he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
Fiftly, might our workes taken at the beſt, merit ſomething at Gods hands, yet not eternall life. For there is no proportion betweene our finite workes and ſuch an infinite reward:pAug. in Pſal. 36. Quid appendis cum infinito quantumcunque finitum? no finite thing, be it never ſo great, canqBer. ſerm. in annunciat. Quid ſunt merita ad tantam gloriam? weigh downe that which is infinite.
That our workes may beare ſcale in the Sanctuary, and poyſe the reward, five graines muſt be added to them:
1 Propriety.
2 Liberty.
3 Utility.
4 Perfection.
5 Proportion.
Firſt, propriety: wee can merit by nothing that is not our owne worke, no more than wee can oblige a man to us by repaying him his owne coyne. Certainly that which is not our worke is not our merit.
Secondly, liberty: wee can challenge nothing by way of merit for a worke, which wee are engaged by duty to performe, no more than oblige a man to us for diſcharging a bond, which wee were bound under a great penalty by a preciſe day to ſatisfie.
Thirdly, utility or profit: if that wee doe to another no way advantage him, if hee be no whit the better by it, what colour have wee to exact, or reaſon to expect a reward from him for ſuch a worke?
Fourthly, perfection: unleſſe a worke be done ſufficiently, the labourer cannot in juſtice demand his hire, nor the workeman require his price.
Fiftly, proportion: no labour or worke can merit more than in true eſtimation it is worth: the labourer deſerveth his hire, ſuch a hire as is correſpondent to his paines, but no other. Hee that labours but a day, deſerveth not two dayes, much leſſe a weeke, or a moneths hire.
If the plea of merit is overthrowne by the defect of any one of theſe conditions, how much more by the defect of all? 1. If wee have no intereſt in the worke, be it never ſo meritorious in it ſelfe, wee cannot merit by it, becauſe it is not ours. 2. Let it bee ours, and meritorious in another that were not bound to performe it, yet weee cannot merit by it if wee are any way obliged in duty to performe it, becauſe it is not free. 3. Let the worke be free, yet if what wee doe no way redound to his benefit from whom we expect a reward, wee cannot juſtly demand any recompence from him, becauſe our worke is not profitable to him. 4. Let the worke be profitable, yet if it bee not done as it ſhould bee in every circumſtance, wee cannot ſue for the price agreed upon, becauſe the worke is not perfect. 5. Let the worke bee perfect and exact, yet wee can exact no more for it than the skill, or the paines together with the materials deſerve. Preſſe we each of theſe circumſtances, and much more if we preſſe them all together, they will yeeld the doctrine of SaintrBaſil. in pſal. 114. foreign. Baſil upon the 114. Pſalme: There remaines a reſt eternall for them who here ſtrive lawfully, not according to the merit of workes, but according to the grace of our moſt bountifull God. Let us once more ſqueze them.
Firſt, a meritorious act muſt be our owne, if wee have any expectance for it; theſe wee call ours are not ſo: By the grace of God, ſaith the Apoſtle, I am that I am: and his grace in mee was not in vaine: But I laboured more than they all, yet not I, but the ſ1 Cor. 15.10.grace of God which was with mee. And this the ProphttEſay 26.12. Eſay profeſſeth in his prayer to God; Lord thou wilt ordaine peace for us: for thou alſo haſt wrought all our workes in us. If theſe texts are not cleare enough, the Apoſtles queſtion is able to non-plus all the Pelagians in the world:u1 Cor. 4.7. Who maketh thee to differ from another? and what haſt thou that thou haſt not received? There is no good worke which is not compriſed within the will or the deed, and both, as we heard before, are the work of grace in us. Upon this firme ground Saint*In pſal. 102. Si de tuo retribuis peccatum retribuis, omnia enim quae habes ab illo habes; tuum ſolum peccatum habes. Enchirid. ad Laur. c. 302. Ideo dictum intelligitur, non eſt volentis, ne que currentis, ſed miſerentis Dei, ut totum Deo detur, qui hominis voluntatem bonam & praeparat ad juvandam, & adjuvat praeparatam. Auſtine buildeth a ſtrong fort for grace againſt mans merit: If thou rendereſt any thing to God of thine owne, thou rendereſt ſinne; for all the good thou haſt, thou haſt received from God: thou haſt nothing which thou maiſt call thine owne but ſinne: And elſewhere when the Apoſtle ſaith, It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy; wee are thus to underſtand him, That wee ought to aſcribe the whole unto God, who both prepareth the will of man to bee helped, and helpeth it being prepared.
Secondly, a meritorious act muſt be free, in our power, and at our choice to doe or leave undone; our workes are not ſo: for when xLuk. 17.10.wee have done all that wee can, wee are commanded to ſay wee are unprofitable ſervants, we have done that which it was our duty doe. This wedge Marcus the yTract. de iis qui putant ex operibus juſtificari. c. 2. foreign.Hermite driveth in forcibly: The Lord, ſaith hee, willing to ſhew that all the commandements are of duty to be performed, and that the adoption of children is freely given to man by his blood, ſaith, when yee have done all things that are commanded you, ſay, wee are unprofitable ſervants, &c. therefore the kingdome of heaven is not the hire of workes, but a gift of the Lord prepared for his faithfull ſervants.
Thirdly, a meritorious worke muſt bee of uſe, and ſome way beneficiall to him of whom a reward in ſtrict juſtice is demanded; ours are not ſo: for zPſal. 16.2.our goodneſſe extendeth not unto God, hee is farre above it. This naile SaintaL 10. de civ. Dei, c 5. Totum hoc quod recte colitur, Deus credendum eſt homini prodeſſe, non Deo, ne que enim fonti ſe quiſquam dixerit profuiſſe quod biberit. Auſtine excellently faſteneth: If we ſerve and worſhip God as wee ought, the whole benefit thereof accrueth to our ſelves, and not unto God: for no man will ſay that the fountaine gaineth any thing by our drinking of it, &c.
Fourthly, a meritorious act muſt bee compleat, perfect, and without exception; ours are not ſo: for bVide Plat. in dial. Euthyph.bRom. 8.26.wee cannot pray as wee ought, and our very beſt actions are ſo ſtained, that the Prophet Eſay calleth them no better thancEſay 64.6. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteouſneſſe is as filthy ragges. filthy ragges or menſtruous clouts. This arrow SaintdMoral. in Job. l. 5. c. 7. Ipſa juſtitia noſtra, ſi ad examen juſtitiae divinae deducatur, injuſtitia eſt; & ſordet in diſtrictione judicis quod in aeſtimatione fulget operantis. Gregory drives to the head: Our very righteouſneſſe, if it bee ſcanned by the rule of divine juſtice, will prove injuſtice; and that will appeare foule and ſordid in the ſtrict ſcanning of the Judge, which ſhineth and ſeemeth moſt beautifull in the eye of the worker.
Fiftly, a meritorious worke muſt hold ſome good correſpondency and equivalence with the reward; ours doe not ſo: for if wee might offer to put any worke in the ballance, certainely our ſufferings for Chriſts ſake; but theſe are too light, yea ſo farre too light,eRom. 8.18. that they are not worthy to be compared with the glory which ſhall bee revealed in us. Upon this anvile SaintfIn ep. ad Col. Hom. 2. foreign. Idem in pſal. 4. foreign. Chryſoſtome formeth a ſteele weapon; No man ſheweth ſuch a converſation of life that hee may bee worthy of the kingdome, but this is wholly of the gift of God; and although wee ſhould doe innumerable good… deeds, it is of Gods pity and mercy that wee are heard; although we ſhould come to the very top of vertue, it is of mercy that wee are ſaved: AndgAnſel. de menſurat. crucis. Si homo mille annis ſerviret Deo ferventiſſimè, non mereretur ex condigno dimidium diei eſſe in coelo. Anſelme ſteepeth it in oyle; If a man ſhould ſerve God moſt devoutly a thouſand yeeres, hee ſhould not deſerve to be halfe a day in heaven. What have our adverſaries to ſay to theſe things? what doth the learned Cardinall, whoſe name breathes*Bella, Arma, Minae. Warres, Armes, and Threats? here hee turnes Penelope, texit telam & retexit, hee does and undoes, hee ſewes and ravels: after many large books written for merit, in the end Quae dederat repetit, funemque reducit; hee daſheth all with his pen at once, ſaying, Tutiſsimum eſt, it is the ſafeſt way to place all our confidence onelyonly in Gods mercy, that is, to renounce all merit. Now in a caſe ſo neerely concerning our eternall happineſſe or miſery, hee that will not take the ſafeſt courſe, needs not to bee confuted, but either to bee pittied for his folly, or cured of his frenzie. To conclude this point of difference; the concluſion of all things is neere at hand: well may men argue with men here below the matter of merit, but, as St.hEp 29. Cum rex juſtus ſederet in throno ſuo, quis gloriabitur ſe mundum habere cor? quae igitur ſpes veniae, niſi miſericordia ſuperexultet juſtitiam? Auſtine feelingly ſpeaketh of this point, When the righteous judge (from whoſe face heaven and earth fled away) ſhall ſit upon his throne; who will then dare ſay my heart is cleane? nay what hope for any man to be ſaved, if mercy at that day get not the upper hand of juſtice? I need plead no more for this (Dabo) in my text; if it plead not for us at that day, wee ſhall never eat of the Manna promiſed, but it ſhall bee for ever hidden from us. I will give
To eat. The ſight of Manna, which the Pſalmiſt calleth Angels food, eſpecially of the hidden Manna, which by Gods appointment was reſerved in a golden pot, had beene a ſingular favour; but the taſte thereof is a farre greater. The contemplation of celeſtiall objects is delightfull, but the fruition of them much more. Even of earthly beauties the ſight is not ſo great contentment as the enjoying, neither is any man ſo affected with delight at the view of a rich cabinet of jewels, as at the receiving any one of them for his own. Now ſo it is in celeſtial treaſures & delights; through Gods bounty & abundant goodneſſe unto us we own what we ſee, & we taſte what we touch, and we feel what we believed, and we poſſeſſe what we have heard, and our heart entreth into thoſe joyes in heaven, which never entred into the heart of man on earth. In which reſpect the Pſalmiſt breaketh out into that paſſionate invitation;iPſal. 34.8. O taſte and ſee how gracious the Lord is: and S. Paul into that fervent prayer;kPhil. 1.9. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all ſenſe, foreign: and SaintlConfeſ. l. 6. c. 10. Te lucem, vocem, cibum, & amplexum interioris hominis mei, &c. ubi fulget animae quod non capit locus, & ubi ſonat quod non rapit tempus, & ubi olet quod non ſpargit flatus, & ubi ſapit quod non minuit edacitas, & ubi haeret quod non divellit ſatietas. Auſtine in that heavenly meditation; O let mee enjoy thee, the light, the ſound, the food, the love and embracement of my inward man; thou art light to the eye, muſicke to the eare, ſweet meats to the taſte, and moſt delightfull embracings to the touch of my ſoule: in thee that ſhineth to my ſoule which no place comprehendeth; and that ſoundeth which no time meaſureth, or ſnatcheth away; and that ſmelleth which no blaſt diſsipateth; and that reliſheth which no feeding upon diminiſheth; and that adhereth which no ſatiety can plucke away. When therefore the ancients define celeſtiall happineſſe to be the beatificall viſion of God, grounding themſelves eſpecially upon theſe texts of ſcripture:mMat. 5.8. Pſal. 27.8. Bleſſed are the pure in heart, for they ſhall ſee God, and ſeeke his face evermore. My heart ſaid unto thee, thy face Lord will I ſeeke; and,nPſal. 17.15. I will behold thy face in righteouſneſſe: I ſhall be ſatisfied, when I awake, with thy likeneſſe. And,o1 Cor. 13.12 Now we ſee through a glaſſe, darkely, but then face to face; wee are to underſtand theſe ſpeeches by a figure called Synecdoche, wherein a part is put for the whole: for certainely there is a heaven in the will and in the affections, as well as in the underſtanding. God hath enriched the ſoule with many faculties, and in all of them hath kindled manifold deſires; the heat whereof, though it may bee allayed for a time with the delights and comforts which this life affordeth, yet it can never bee quenched but by himſelfe who made the hearth, and kindled theſe fires in it. As the contemplation of God is the underſtandings happineſſe, ſo the adhering to him is the wils; the recounting of his bleſſings, the memories; the embracing him, the affections; and generally the fruition of him in all parts and faculties, the felicity of the whole man. To apply this obſervation to the words in my text: When the diſpenſers of the myſteries of ſalvation open the ſcriptures, they ſet before us heavenly treaſure, they point unto, and ſhew us the golden pots of Manna: but when by the hand of faith we receive Gods promiſes, and are enriched by the graces of the ſpirit, then we owne the pearles of the Goſpell. To heare one who hath the tongue of the learned diſcourſe of the worke of grace, enlightning the minde, regenerating the heart, rectifying the will, moderating the deſires, quieting the affections, and filling the ſoule with unſpeakable joy, is a great delight to us; yet nothing to that we take when we feele grace working upon our ſoules, and producing all theſe divine effects within us. When wee read in holy Scriptures what are the priviledges of the ſonnes of God, wee ſee the hidden Manna; but when thepRom. 8.16.17. Spirit teſtifieth to our ſpirit that wee are the ſons of God; and if ſonnes then heires, heires of God, and joint heires with Chriſt: then we eat
The hidden Manna. Some take the hidden Manna in my text for the myſteries of the Goſpel, others for the ſecret vertues of the Sacraments.qPrimaſius in Apoc. Chriſtus factus eſt homo, ut panem Angelorum comederet homo. Primaſius for Chriſt himſelfe, who, as he ſaith, was made man that man might eate Manna the food of Angels: Pererius for incomparable ſweetneſſe in the contemplation of heavenly things: Cornelius à Lapide for ſpirituall comforts after temptations: all in generall ſpeake to good purpoſe. But if you demand of me in particular, what is this hidden Manna; I muſt anſwer as Cato did when one asked him what he carried ſo faſt lockt up in a cheſt: It is lockt up (ſaith he) that thou ſhouldeſt not looke into it nor know. I cannot tell you what it is, becauſe it is hidden: onelyonly this is open and manifeſt in the Scriptures, that in the Word, the Sacraments, Prayer and Meditation, the Elect of God find hidden Manna, that ſpirituall ſweetneſſe which may be compared unto, or rather preferred before the reliſh of Manna to the corporall taſte. And what St. Cyprian ſpeaketh of the worke of grace in our converſion, Sentitur priuſquam dicitur, it is felt before it can be uttered, may be applied to this hidden Manna, guſtatur priuſquam dicitur, no tongue can ſpeake of it worthily that hath not taſted it: asrPſal. 119.103 How ſweet are thy words unto my taſte … they are ſweeter than hony to my mouth. David did, who preferreth it before the hony and the hony-combe. And St.ſAug. confeſ. l. 9. c. 1. O quam ſuave mihi repentè fuit carere mundi ſuavitatibus & quas amittere metus fuit am dimittere gaudium crat: tu enim pro…s intra…as omni voluptate dulcior. Auſtine, O what pleaſure tooke I in abandoning all worldly pleaſure! for thou, O Lord, enteredſt into me for them ſweeter than any pleaſure. And St. Jerome, who calleth God to witneſſe that ſometimes he found heaven upon earth, and in his ſpirituall elevations and raptures thought that hee communed with quieres of Angels. And St.tSt. Eph. Domine recede à me parumper, quia vaſis infirmitas ferre non poteſt. Ephraim, who was ſo over-filled with joy in the Holy Ghoſt that he made a ſtrange prayer; O Lord for a little while depart from me, and reſtraine the influence of ſpirituall joy, leſt the veſſell breake. And St.uMihi hae pruna roſae videntur. Citat Cornelius à lap Comment. Tiburtius, whoſe inward joyes and ſpirituall raptures ſo drowned his bodily tortures, that when he trod upon live coales he cryed out, ſaying, Theſe live coales ſeeme to me no other than red roſes. The ſcholars of Pythagoras beleeved that the celeſtiall bodies by their regular motions cauſed an harmonicall ſound, and made admirable muſicke, though neither he nor any other ever heard it: and ſhall not we beleeve that there is hidden Manna, though we never taſted it, if not upon the report of theſe Saints who ſpake of their owne ſenſe and experience, yet upon the credit of him who both promiſeth to give this hidden Manna, and is it himſelfe?xJohn 6.51. I am the living bread which came downe from heaven.
Chriſt and his word retaine not only the name of Manna, but the chiefe qualities and properties thereof.
Firſt, Manna rained from the skies; Chriſt and his word came from heaven.
Secondly, Manna had a moſt ſweet yet a new and ſtrange taſte, ſo hath the word; it is ſweeter than hony to the ſpirituall taſt, though the carnall man like better of the fleſh pots of Egypt than of it.
Thirdly, Manna reliſhed according to the ſtomackes of them that ate it, and anſwered all appetites: ſo the word of God is milke to children, and ſtrong meat to men.
Fourthly, Manna erat cibus reficiens & nunquam deficiens, the children of Iſrael fed on Manna in the wilderneſſe till they entred into the earthly Canaan: in like manner the Word and Sacraments are our ſpirituall food till we arrive at the celeſtiall Canaan.
Fiftly, Manna was eaten by it ſelfe without any other meat or ſauce added to it: the word of God muſt not be mingled with human traditions and inventions. They who goe about to ſweeten it with ſuch ſpices marre the taſt of it, and may more juſtly be taxed than that King of Perſia was by Antalcidas, who by pouring oyntment upon a garland of roſes corrupted the naturall ſmell and fragrancie thereof by the adulterors ſophiſtication of art.
Sixtly, ſome portion of the Manna was laid up in the Arke, and kept in a golden pot for after-times; and part of the myſteries of holy Scripture are reſerved for us till we come to heaven: and in regard of ſuch truthes as are not ordinarily revealed in this life, ſome conceive the word to be here termed
Hidden Manna. Howbeit, we need not reſtraine the words to thoſe abſtruſe myſteries, the declaration whereof ſhall be a part of our celeſtiall happineſſe: for the whole doctrine of the Goſpell may in a true ſenſe be called hidden Manna, becauſe it containeth in it Sapientiam Dei in myſterio, the wiſedome of God x1 Cor. 2.7.hidden in a myſterie. For albeit the ſound of the word is gone into all the world, yet the harmonie in it is not obſerved by all. The chapters and verſes of the Scripture are generally knowne, but not all the contents. He that ſaw the outſide of Solomons tents could not gheſſe at the royaltie of that Prince: but he that entred in, and took a particular view and inventory of his pretious furniture, rich hangings, maſſie plate, full coffers, orient jewels, and glittering apparell, might make a good eſtimate thereof. A blind man from his birth, though he may heare of the Sun, and diſcourſe of his golden raies from the mouth of others, yet can he not poſſibly conceive what delight the ſeeing eye taketh in beholding that glorious brouch of heaven, and Prince of the ſtarres. When we heare the laſt will of a rich man read unto us, which we beleeve little concerneth us, though it be never ſo well penned or copied out, it little affecteth us: but if we have certaine notice that by it ſome great legacie in lands or money is bequeathed unto us, then we hearken to it with thirſty eares, and as curiouſly obſerve every line and ſillable therein as Jewellers doe every carrat in a Diamond. Such is the difference betweene the carnall and the ſpirituall mans apprehenſion and affection in the reading and hearing of the written word: the letters and points are not hidden to any that can reade, but the treaſures of wiſedome and knowledge laid up in it, the power and efficacy of it, the price and value of it is hidden to all thoſeyActs 16.14. whoſe heart God openeth not as he did the heart of Lidia. And if the Manna of the word be thus hidden, how much more the Manna of the Spirit, I meane the inward comforts and joyes of thez1 Pet. 3.4. bidden man of the heart? aPlutarch. de tranquil. animae foreign,Diogenes the Philoſopher bid every day holy in a good mans calendar: turne Diogenes his good man into a regenerate Chriſtian, and his Philoſophy will prove good Divinity. For to a ſanctified ſoule every day is holy, on which he keepeth a great feaſt, thebPro. 15.15. feaſt of a good conſcience; at which the principal ſervice is the hidden Manna in my text. In the fields of cSolinus polyhiſt. Campus Ennenſis ſemper in floribus eſt & omni vernus die.Enna in Sicily there is a continuall ſpring, and flowers all the yeere: ſo are there in the mind of a faithfull Chriſtian, it is ſpring there all the yeere: and though he hath not alwayes the ſenſe and ſmelling, becauſe ſometimes his ſpirituall noſtrils are ſtuffed with earthly cares and worldly comforts, yet he hath alwaies within him the ſent of the flowers of Paradiſe. I grant there is a time to rejoyce, and a time alſo to weepe: and I acknowledge that the devouteſt man upon earth, who is moſt raviſhed with divine contemplation, yet doth not alwayes actually rejoyce, that is, apprehend or expreſſe his joy: yet as St.dProſ. de vit. contemplat. l. 1. Non poteſt defraudari delectationibus cui Chriſtus eſt gaudium, quia bono delectatur aeterno. Proſper ſoundly argueth, He can never be without joy and comfort, whoſe joy is Chriſt, becauſe the fuell of this ſacred flame is eternall. Though the earth be ſometimes, as now it is beyond the ſeas, full of darkneſſe and cruell habitations, yet there is ſtillePſal. 97.11. Light is ſowne for the righteous, & gladneſs for the upright in heart. light in Goſhen, in the conſcience of a righteous man.
Light is as it were the joy of the skie, and joy is the light of the minde: now as lights, ſo joyes are of two ſorts:
1 Purer and finer:
2 Impurer and groſſer.
The purer lights burne clearer, laſt longer, and leave a ſweeter ſavour behinde them: the groſſer and impurer burne dimly, ſpend faſt, running into gutters, and goe out with an ill favour. You may obſerve the like difference betweene carnall and ſpirituall joyes; carnall delights that are fed with impure matter, ſuch as are the luſts of the fleſh, and the luſts of the eye,
1. Burne dimly, they yeeld no cleere light of comfort to the minde, they are mixed joyes, and inſincere; Medio de fonte leporum ſurgit amarum aliquid.
2. They ſpend faſt, and are quickly over. Seneca rightly obſerveth,fVoluptas cum accenditur extinguitur. Ita quibus delectatur vulgus, tennem habent ac perfuſoriam voluptatem, & quodeun que invectitium gaudium eſt, fundamento caret. Sen. ep. 23. In praecipiti eſt voluptas, ad dolorem vergit, niſi modum teneat. That pleaſure is quenched in the kindling of it, much like dry thorns under a pot, which make a blaze, & ſodainly are turned into aſhes. In which regard the Romans ſet up the image of Angerona the goddeſſe of anguiſh and ſorrow, in the Temple of Volupia, the Goddeſſe of pleaſure, to ſhew that pain treadeth upon the heele of pleaſure, and anguiſh of mirth.
3. They goe out with a ſtinke; they leave behinde them amara & foeda veſtigia, as Saint Bernard ſpeaketh, a bitter fume, and noyſome ſtench in our conſciences, and a foule print upon our name. But ſpirituall joyes on the contrary,
1. Burne clearely, ſend forth a bright flame; for theſe joyes are ſincere, exceeding unſpeakable and glorious.
2. They laſt long; for they are, as Saint Auſtine calleth them,*Sen. ep. 23. Hoc ad quod te conor perducere, ſolidum eſt, & quod plus pateat introrſus, &c. fortes delitiae, & ſolida gaudia, during delights, and ſolid joyes.
3. They leave a ſweet ſavour behind them; a good report in the world, and a ſweet contentment in the ſoule. For they are Solomons gPro. 16.24.Dulcedo animae, Davids hPſal. 45.7.Oleum laetitiae, Saint Pauls i2 Cor. 2.16.Odor ſuavitatis, and S. Johns Manna reconditum, ſweet to the ſoule, and health to the bones, the oyle of gladneſſe, the ſavour of life, the hidden Manna: O felix & paucis nota voluptas! The world is all ſet upon a merry pinne, though God knowes there is little cauſe; we are all for pleaſure, but it is a paine to a righteous ſoule to thinke what pleaſure, it is griefe to name what joy. In Pontus there is a flower called Rodo-dendrum, of which the honey that is made is rank poyſon; ſuch is the ſenſuall delight that is taken in the uſe, or rather the abuſe of worldly pleaſures; it diſtempereth the taſte, and poyſoneth the ſoule. Not to forſake the Metaphor in my text; all inordinate pleaſures, immoderate joyes, and impure delights are like the Manna that was gathered on the Sabbath day, which corrupted ſuddenly, and became full of wormes: but pure and ſpirituall joyes are like that Manna, which Moſes by Gods appointment laid up in a golden pot, which corrupted not, but preſerved it ſelfe from putrefaction, and the gold alſo from ruſt; the lid or cover of which pot I will endevour to open a little wider, that you may have yet a fuller ſight and quicker taſte of the hidden Manna.
There are three kindes of the hidden Manna:
1 Of the Word:
2 Of the Sacrament:
3 Of the Spirit.
1 The Manna of the Word is that delight which is taken by the hearers in the opening the myſteries of holy Scripture, and applying the ſweet comforts of the Goſpell to the conſcience: and thiskEp. ad Hier. Damaſus conceived to be the greateſt happineſſe in the world.
2. The Manna of the Sacrament is that comfort which the worthy receivers feele in themſelves, after the ſanctified uſe of the elements, by growth in grace, and increaſe of ſpirituall ſtrength: and of this SaintlEp. l. 2. Cyprian was as it were in travell, till hee was delivered of it in his Epiſtle to Cornelius.
3. The Manna of the Spirit is that unſpeakable joy, wherewith the heart is filled, and even leapeth and danceth within us, when wee heare the Spirit teſtifying unto our ſpirits that wee are the ſonnes of God. Pretious metals are digged out of the bowels of the earth, and pearles are found in the bottome of the ſea; and truely ſeldome ſhall we fall upon this treaſure of ſpirituall joy, and pearle of the Goſpell, but in the depth of godly ſorrow, and bottome and loweſt point of our humiliation before God.
1. The firſt taſte wee have of the hidden Manna of the Spirit, is in the beginning of our converſion, and nonage of our ſpirituall life; when after unutterable remorſe, ſorrow, and feare, ariſing from the apprehenſion of the corruption, and guilt of our naturall eſtate, and a dreadfull expectation of wrath laid up for us againſt the day of wrath, and everlaſting weeping, howling, and gnaſhing of teeth with the damned in hell; wee on the ſuddaine ſee a glympſe of Gods countenance ſhining on us, and by faith, though yet weake, hope for a perfect reconciliation to him.
2. A ſecond taſte wee have, when wee ſenſibly perceive the Spirit of grace working upon our heart, thawing it, as it were, and melting it into godly ſorrow, and after enflaming it with an everlaſting love of him, who by his infinite torments and unconceivable ſorrowes, hath purchaſed unto us eternall joyes.
3. A third taſte wee have of it, when after a long fight with our naturall corruptions, wee meet with the Divels Lievtenant, the ſinne that reigneth in us, which the Scripture calleth the plague of the heart; that vice to which either the temper of our body, or our age, or condition of life enclineth us unto; our boſome abomination, to which for a long time wee have enthralled our ſelves, and having perfectly diſcovered it by employing the whole armour of God againſt it, in the end wee get the victory of it.
4. A fourth taſte wee have after ſome heavie croſſe, or long ſickneſſe, when God delivereth us above hope, and ſanctifieth our affliction unto us, and by his Spirit calleth to our remembrance all his goodneſſe to us from our childhood, and anointeth our eyes with eye-ſalve, that wee may ſee the manifold fruits of the croſſe, and finde in our ſelves with David, that it was good for us thus to bee afflicted.
5. A fift taſte wee have at ſome extafie in our life, or a trance at our death, when wee are rapt up, as it were, into the third heaven with St. Paul, and ſee thoſe things that eye never ſaw, and heare words that cannot be uttered. Thus have I opened unto you five ſprings of the waters of comfort; in which after you have ſtript your ſelves of wordly cares, and earthly delights, you may bathe your ſoules: in the bottome whereof you may ſee the white ſtone, which Chriſt promiſeth to him that overcommeth, ſaying, To him that overcommeth I will give to eate of the hidden Manna: To whom, &c.