A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture, Collection of sermons 3 · Sermon 32 · Part 5
THE REHEARSERS CONCLUSION, OR THE FASTENING THE BORDERS TO THE SPOUSE HER NECKE AND BREAST.
PLiny aPlin. l. 2. nat. hiſt. c. 44. Metellae Craſsi uxoris ſepulchrum ita conſtructum eſt, ut quinquies candem verborum ſententiam regerat.writeth of an Eccho ſounding from the Tombe of Metella, Concluſion.which repeated the ſame ſentence five ſeverall times: this five-fold Eccho I am now become in your eares, eandem ſententiam quinquies regerens, rehearſing now my Text five times, foure in repetition and application to the foure Preachers, and now the fifth time in the concluſion and application to my ſelfe. Vary the tranſlation as you pleaſe, yet the collation will ſtill hold; if you ſtand to the laſt, and reade the words, wee will make thee borders of gold with ſtuds of ſilver, the collation is already made: for the foure borders are the foure methodicall diſcourſes, beautified with variety of art and learning, which I have imperfectly rendered; and nothing remaineth, but that (as it were) with a ſilke ſtring or ribbon I gather the rowes of pearle, and all the borders of gold together (which before I tooke off, that we might more particularly view them) and faſten them all to the Spouſe her neck & breaſt by drawing towards an end, and preſſing cloſe my exhortation to the heart of this great aſſembly. If you follow learned Junius his tranſlation, Faciemus tibi aureas lineas cum punctis argenteis, you may be pleaſed to interpret the foure lines of gold drawne at length, to bee the foure Texts handled and unfolded at large by the Preachers: and the puncta argentea, or the points of ſilver, ſpeciall notes of obſervation upon them, placed as points or prickes in a line, ſome in the beginning, ſome in the middle, and ſome in the end. The points beginning and continuing wee have already paſſed, and are now come to puncta terminantia, the cloſing points; or rather period and full poin of all. But if you preferre the Seventies tranſlation before either, and will have the Text rendred thus, Faciemus tibi ſimilitudines auri cum punctis argenteis, Wee will make thee ſimilitudes or reſemblances of gold with points of ſilver; my application ſhall bee in the words of Origen, Nos tibi aurea ornamenta facere non poſſumus, non tam divites ſumus ut Sponſus, qui aureum tibi monile largietur; nos ſimilitudines auri faciemus. And indeed what are the imperfect notes which I have imparted to you, but ſimilitudines, obſcure reſemblances of thoſe borders of gold I ſpake but now of? In which reſpect, as when Marcellus in his Pageant brought in golden Statues or Images of the Cities hee had taken, and afterwards Fabius brought in the ſame carved in wood; Chryſippus ſaid wittily, Has illarum thecas eſſe; ſo it may bee truly ſaid, that the Sermons which I have repeated were but illorum thecae, covers, or at the beſt tables and indexes of theirs: the blame whereof lyeth not wholly upon the broken veſſell of my memory, or my noters: for though the veſſell be ſound, and ſet direct under the ſpouts mouth, it is not poſſible▪ but that ſome drops ſhould fall beſides, and others be blowne away with the winde. The heavenly doctrine of the Preachers powred downe in great abundance like great ſhowers of raine from heaven, they themſelves were as golden ſpouts, at whoſe mouth though I ſet my pitchers as cloſe and ſteady as I could, yet many ſilver drops went beſides them; notwithſtanding you ſee they are full and runne over. Take you yet another ſimilitude, that you may have ſimilitudines, according to the letter of my Text, as the Seventy reade it. The foure Sermons were like foure Garlands crowning the Spouſe of Chriſt, out of which I have culled ſome of the chiefeſt flowers; and howſoever in the plucking of them and ſorting them many leaves are ſhattered, and ſome flowers loſt, yet there are more left than can bee contained within the handfull of the time allotted. Wherefore now I will leave gathering, and fall to making up my Poſie, winding up all the flowers orationis meae filo, with the remainder of the thrid of my diſcourſe upon the Text.
We will make thee borders of gold with ſtuds of ſilver. As out of the branches of trees there ſhoot firſt buds, then bloſſomes, and laſt of all fruit; ſo out of Texts of Scripture, which are branches of the tree of life, iſſueth firſt the literall ſenſe, which becauſe it groweth immediatly out of the barke and ſtocke of the letter, reſembleth the bud: and then the ſpirituall, which becauſe it is moſt pleaſant and beautifull to the eye of the ſoule, may bee likened to the bloſſome: and thirdly the morall ſenſe, which becauſe it is moſt fruitfull, and immediatly profitable for our inſtruction, may be termed the fruit. To illuſtrate this by the words of my Text, or rather the words of my Text by it. The literall ſenſe is of Solomon his Queen, richly decked; the ſpirituall is of Chriſt his Church, rarely furniſhed; the morall is of ſacred vowes religiouſly to be performed. You ſee
1 The bud of the literall,
2 The bloſſome of the ſpirituall,
3 The fruit of the morall ſenſe.
But herein you are to obſerve a remarkable difference between the tree of life and other trees: for their buds are but a degree to the bloſſomes, and the bloſſomes to their fruit, neither bud nor bloſſome beare fruit; but in the tree of life both the bud, which I compared to the literall, and the bloſſome, which I called the ſpirituall, and the fruit, which I termed the morall, beare ſeverall and diſtinct fruits. For inſtance, the bud yeelds this fruit, That it is lawfull for noble and honourable women, eſpecially Kings wives & daughters, to weare rich attire and coſtly ornaments. The bloſſome yeelds this fruit, That as Gods goodneſſe hath abounded to the Church under the Goſpel, ſo all Chriſtians ought to abound in love and thankfulneſſe to him. Laſtly, the morall ſenſe, which I termed the fruit, yeeldeth over and above this fruit, That what the friends of the Spouſe here promiſe, all godly paſtors and people ought to performe, that is, theſe out of the riches of their learning, they out of their worldly wealth ought to adorne and beautifie the Church, and in different kindes make for the Spouſe of Chriſt borders of gold with ſtuds of ſilver.
To gather firſt the fruit of the bud, or literall ſenſe. If coſtly apparrell and precious attire were an abomination to the Lord; if cloth of gold and ſilver, and borders of pearle and precious ſtones were as great a deformity to the minde as they are an ornament to the body, the Scripture would not ſet outbGen. 24.22. Rebecca in bracelets and abiliments of gold, norcEzek. 6.11, 12. Ezekiel in the perſon of God upbraid the Synagogue as he doth: I decked thee with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thine hands, and a chaine on thy necke, and I put a jewell on thy fore-head, and eare-rings in thine eares, Ver 13.and a beautifull crowne upon thy head; thus waſt thou decked with gold and ſilver, and thy raiment was of fine linnen and ſilke: nor Solomon deſcribed hisdPſal. 45.9. Queene in a veſture of gold of Ophir: neither the PropheteEſay 61.10. Eſay have compared the Spouſe of Chriſt clothed with the garments of ſalvation, and covered with the robes of righteouſneſſe, to a Bride adorned with jewells. And therefore howſoever Saintf1 Tim. 2.9. Paul, and Saintg1 Pet. 3.3. Peter forbid women to aray themſelves with gold, or pearles, or coſtly aray: and SainthDe habitu Virg. Cyprian is yet ſeverer againſt coſtly apparrell, ſaying, Nullarum ferè pretioſior cultus eſt, quàm quarum pudor vilis eſt: and, Serico & purpurâ indutae Chriſtum induere non poſſunt, auro & margaritis, & monilibus ornatae ornamenta pectoris perdiderunt (which I ſpare to Engliſh in favour of that ſexe): yet, as I conceive, the holy Apoſtles & the devout Father in theſe & the like wholſome and neceſſary admonitions, condemne not ſimply Gods ſervants for the uſe, but rather prophane perſons for the abuſe of theſe beautifull creatures of God; they ſeek to abaſe the pride of the heart, not abate the price of theſe merchandizes. They taxe, and that moſt juſtly, three vices too common in theſe luxurious times,
1 Vanity in the gariſh forme of apparrell.
2 Exceſſe in the coſtly matter or ſtuffe.
3 Indecency and immodeſty in both, or either.
Or they ſpeake comparatively, that women ſhould not ſo much deſire toiAntiph. Poet. foreign. adorne their out-ſide with reſplendent pearles, as their inward parts with jewells of vertue and grace.
We have gathered the fruit of the bud: come we now to the bloſſome, that is, the beautifull allegory or ſpirituall ſenſe; which containeth in it a gracious promiſe made to the Church, either of larger bounds and limits, likened to the borders of gold, or of a greater meaſure of knowledge in holy Scriptures, quae ſenſibus aureae ſunt eloquii nitore argenteae, Rupertus, Iſidorus, and Gregorius.or abundance of the gifts of the ſpirit, which no otherwiſe adorne the Church with their variety, than a golden chaine or border wrought about with ſtuds or ſpecks of ſilver. Now if God hath made good theſe his promiſes to us, ſhall we make fruſtrate our holy vowes to him? the better he hath been to us, the worſe ſhall we prove to him? hath hee made more of us than any Nation upon the earth, and ſhall we make leſſe of him? No, the more we have received at his hands, the more let us lift up our hearts and hands unto him, or elſe for our unthankfulneſſe hee will take the chaines and borders of gold from our Church, and put them on ſome other, that will more thankfully accept them. O let us reſemble theſe reſemblances in my Text, the borders of gold with ſtuds of ſilver, which, as they receive luſtre from the Sunne-beames, ſo they gild them, and reflect them backe with clearer light, and greater heat. Sacriledge hath already picked out, and plucked away many Oe's and Spangles of ſilver from our Church, Hereſie begins to corrupt her gold, God grant for our ungratitude and ſecurity in time we loſe not both.
I will cloſe up your ſtomacke, and my diſcourſe, with the fruits of the morall ſenſe of this Text. For the tree of life herein reſembleth the Perſian Pomecitrine, which (as Theophraſtus and Pliny write) Simul frondeſcit, floreſcit, & fructificat; at the ſame time hath buds, bloſſomes, and fruits on it: and which is more ſtrange in this than in that, each of theſe beare their ſeverall fruits. You have taſted the fruits of the bud or literall ſenſe, and of the bloſſome and ſpirituall; let us now plucke the fruits of the morall.
Wee. Who ſpeak here? The three perſons, ſay three of our prime late Divines, Junius, Mercer and Whitaker: nay rather, ſaith Roſetus out of Origen and Jerome, the friends of the Bride, or her companions. For this Song is a kind of divine Paſtorall, or Marriage play, conſiſting of divers acts and ſcenes; or a ſacred Dialogue with many interlocutory paſſages. Firſt, the Bride comes in and ſaith, Let him kiſſe mee with the kiſſes of his lips: then the Bridegroome, I have compared thee, O my love, to a troupe of horſes in Pharaoh's chariots; thy cheekes are comely with rowes of ſtones, and thy necke with chaines. After which words he withdraweth himſelfe, and ſitteth at his repaſt, Ver. 12. and leaveth the Bride with her companions, as it were alone on the Stage; who thus ſpeake to her, Wee will make thee, &c. The words in the originall being indifferent to either Interpretation, I will rather be an Electicke, than a Criticke, chuſe out of both, than cenſure either. Admitting then the friends of the Bride to parley with her, what ſay they? We will. Which we? we of the Clergy, or you of the Laity? We of the Clergy, ſaith Aquinas, Rupertus, kSanct. in bunc loc. Nam in murenulis Scriptura ſacra oſtenditur, quae auro ſpiritualium ſenſuum fulget interiùs, & argento coeleſtis eloquii nitet exterius.Sanctius, and Iſidorus Hiſpalenſis. For by the borders of gold are meant the holy Scriptures, which ſhine inwardly with the gold of ſpirituall ſenſes, and outwardly with the ſilver of heavenly elocution. Nay, rather yee of the Laity, will others ſay: for we of the Clergy may ſay truly with Peter, Aurum & argentum non habemus, wee have no gold to make borders of, nor ſilver to make ſtuds of. If it be lawfull for mee to interpoſe my ſentence, I would ſay queſtionleſſe both: for both are retainers to this Queene, both are friends and ſervants of this Spouſe, bothy owe homage unto her, both muſt offer unto her gold, ſilver, and precious ſtones: we out of the treaſury of our knowledge, you of your wealth and ſubſtance. Our borders of gold are methodicall and elaborate Sermons and Treatiſes; yours are charitable deeds: wee make the Spouſe borders of gold by ſacred collections out of Scripture; you by liberall collections, according to Scripture: we by ſetting forth learned works tending to devotion; you by ſhewing forth noble works of bounty & magnificency, proceeding from devotion, firſt of our workes, and then of yours.
1 Firſt, I obſerve it is ſaid we will make thee borders, in the plurall number, not a border of gold, with ſtuds of ſilver, in the ſingular. It is not ſufficient to make the Spouſe one border, be it never ſo rich; we muſt make her many borders. Chriſt his threefold paſce injoyneth at leaſt a double diligence in preaching:lJohn 21.15, 16, 17. Syn. ſect. c. 19. foreign, &c. paſce after paſce teacheth us that we muſt draw line upon line, urge precept upon precept, lay linke upon linke, and joyne pearle to pearle, to make the Spouſe a border. Peradventure you will ſay better one excellent Sermon than many meane and ordinary, Nardi parvus onyx eliciet vini cadum: one border of true pearle is more worth than a thouſand of glaſſe or ſophiſticate ſtones; one picture drawne with true and rich colours ſtands in more than many ſlubbered over with ſleight waſh colours. I grant it; and it were to be wiſhed that they who preach ſeldomer did it alwayes more accurately, that the defect in the number might be ſupplied in the weight of their Sermons: but certainely experience ſheweth, that the water corrupteth in the conduits, that are ſo ſtopt that they either runne not at all, or but ſparingly: and that the golden ſpouts which adorne the Temple, and run more frequently and fully, yeeld the ſweeteſt and moſt wholeſome water: and St.mBaſil. ep. foreign. Baſil obſerves the like of Wells, that they grow the better the more water is drawne out of them. Howſoever, conſidering the dulneſſe of hearing, and meane capacity of the ordinary hearer, and brittleneſſe of memorie in all, I wiſh thoſe that are of moſt eminent gifts to diſpenſe the myſteries of ſalvation more frequently than they uſually doe, under pretence of more accurate preparation: becauſe it is moſt true whichnEraſ. Apoph. in Catone. Cato ſaid in his defence for diſtributing pieces of ſilver amongſt his ſouldiers, whereas other Captaines beſtowed gold on them: Melius eſt ut plures argentum quam pauci aurum referant, it is better that many ſhould beare away ſilver than a few onelyonly gold; or to clothe my allegorie with the words of my text, that many, if not all, receive from them ſtuds of ſilver, than a few, or perhaps ſome one, a border of gold.
2 Secondly, I obſerve that it is here ſaid borders of gold: the matter of the borders or chaines muſt be gold, the matter of our Sermons muſt be the pure word of God, which is compared in Scripture to the pureſto1 Pet. 4.11. gold. If any man ſpeake (ſaith St. Peter) let him ſpeake as the Oracles of God: not Popiſh legends, not ſcholaſticall ſubtleties, not morall eſſayes, no nor ſentences of holy Fathers, as the ground-worke of their building; but as buttreſſes or ornaments onelyonly. For aspIn Mat. hom. 21. Origen rightly inferreth, Sicut omne aurum quod fuit extra templum non eſt ſanctificatum, ita omnis ſenſus qui reperitur extra divinam Scripturam, etſi admirabilis, non eſt ſanctus; as no gold without the Temple was ſanctified, ſo no ſenſe or ſentence is holy, though it ſeeme never ſo admirable, if it bee without the Scripture, that is, neither expreſſed therein, nor deduced by good conſequence from thence.
3 Thirdly, I obſerve that it is ſaid borders of gold, with ſtuds of ſilver: this gold muſt be wrought into borders, our obſervations and meditations upon Scripture muſt be digeſted into order; and they may be illuſtrated alſo with varietie of humane learning, and choyce obſervations and ſentences of other eminent writers, as it were ſtuds of ſilver: ſuch as we finde not onelyonly in St. Jeromes epiſtles, and St. Auſtines bookes of the Citie of God, and Euſebius his tractates De praeparatione, & demonſtratione Evangelii, and Clemens Alexandrinus his Stromata; but alſo in the divinely inſpired writings of St. Paul.
4 Fourthly, I obſerve that it is ſaid borders of gold, with ſtuds or ſpangs of ſilver, not borders of gold and ſilver, much leſſe borders of ſilver, with ſtuds of gold: the borders of gold were not made to ſet out the ſtuds of ſilver, but contrariwiſe, the ſtuds of ſilver to beautifie and illuſtrate the borders of gold. We muſt not apply divinity to art, but art to divinity, leſt we deſervedly incurre the cenſure of St.qBaſil. ep 62. foreign. Baſil upon ſome preachers in his dayes, They preach art and wit, and not Chriſt crucified. We muſt not make our Scripture texts ſerve to vent our ſecular learning, but contrariwiſe, modeſtly, and moderately uſe ſecular learning to explicate andrSanctius in hunc locum. Concionatores ars talis eſſe debet, ut auri nitorem non obſcuret ſed accendat, quod in monili praeſtant argentei vermiculi. illuſtrate texts of Scripture: ſentences of Fathers, and other Authors, may be ſcattered in Sermons, as ſpangs of ſilver about the Spouſe her border, the border muſt not be made of them. A faireſQuintil. inſt. orat. Ut affert lumen clavus purpurae loco inſertus, ita certè neminem deceat intexta pluribus notis veſtis. jewell in the hat, or pendants at the eare, or a chaine of gold or ſtrings of pearle about the necke, become the parts well: but to bee all hung about with foure hundred diſtinct jewels as Lollia Paulina was, and not onelyonly to bore the eares with rings, but alſo to dig holes in the cheekes, chinne and lips, and there ſticke pretious ſtones after the manner of thetBertius Geograph. Peruvians, were vaine folly, if not madneſſe. I have done with our taske, I come now to yours.
Although it properly appertaines to our skilfull Bezaleels and Aholiabs to make borders and chaines for the Spouſe, yet you are to contribute at leaſt to the making of them: it is your duty to bring into her wardrobe jewels of gold, and jewels of ſilver, and jewels of raiment. It is not enough to love God with your ſtrength, you muſt honour him alſo with your ſubſtance. It is not onelyonly required that you communicate with your Paſtors in the Word and Sacraments, but alſo that you communicate to him that teachethuGal. 6.6. in all good things: you have not well acquitted you of your devotion when you have given Chriſt your eares, you muſt farther give eare-rings to his Spouſe: it will not excuſe you to write Chriſt his words in the palmes of your hands, if you make not bracelets for her armes: you have not done all when you have bowed your necke to his yoake, you muſt farther decke her necke with chaines: there is ſomething more required of you than to put on the Lord Jeſus, you muſt cloathe his Queene in a veſture of gold. Where can you better beſtow your wealth than upon the Church which receiveth of you glaſſe, but returneth you pearle; receiveth from you carnall things, returneth to you ſpirituall; receiveth from you common bread, returneth to you ſacramentall; receiveth from you covers of ſhame, returneth to you robes of glorie: in a word, receiveth from you earthly traſh, returneth to you heavenly treaſure? When God commanded the people to bringxExod. 35.5. offerings to the Lord, they brought them in ſo freely, that there needed a Proclamation to reſtraine their bounty. And Livie reporteth of the Romans, that when the Tribunes complained that they wanted gold in the treaſurie to offer to Apollo, the Matrons of Rome plucked off their bracelets, chaines and rings, and gave them unto the Prieſts to ſupply that defect. And who knoweth not that our Forefathers in the dayes of ignorance placed all Religion in a manner in building religious Houſes, and ſetting them forth moſt gorgeouſly? O let not the Jewes exceed us Chriſtians, let not Hereſie, Idolatry and Superſtition out-ſtrip true Religion in ſacred bounty. If their devotion needed bridles, let not ours need ſpurres: If they built Temples upon the ruines of private families, let not us build private houſes upon the ruine of Temples: If they turned the Inſtruments of luxury into ornaments of piety, let not us turne ornaments of piety into inſtruments of luxury. As nothing is better given than to God, ſo nothing is worſe taken than from his Church. Will God, thinke you, enrich them, who ſpoyle him? will he build their houſes, who pull downe his? will he increaſe their ſtore, who robbe his wardrobe? will hee clothe them with his long white robe, who ſtrip his Spouſe of her attire and comely ornaments? Nay rather, as Aeneas, though before he had purpoſed with himſelfe to ſpare the life of Turnus, yet when hee eſpyed Pallas girdle about him, EtyVirg. Aenid. notis fulſerunt cingula bullis. he changed his minde, and turned the point of his ſword to his heart, ſaying, Tun' hinc ſpoliis indute meorum eripiêre mihi? ſo our bleſſed Redeemer, when hee ſeeth his Prieſts garments upon ſacrilegious perſons, and the chaines and borders of his deareſt Spouſe upon their minions neckes, will ſay, Tun' hinc ſpoliis indute meorum eripiêre mihi? ſhalt thou eſcape judgement, who haſt robb'd mee thy Judge? ſhall I ſpare thee, whom I finde with mine owne goods about thee? ſhalt thou get out of my hands, who quaffeſt like Belſhazzar in the bowles of my Sanctuary, and braveſt it in my Spouſe attire?
Now, as the ſpeciall operations of the ſoule reflect upon themſelves; and, as definition defines, and diviſion divides, and order digeſteth, ſo alſo repetition may and ought to repeat it ſelfe. For the cloſe of all then I will recapitulate my recapitulation, and rehearſe my ſelfe, as I have done the foure Preachers.
Of this parcell of Scripture, Faciemus, &c. I have made a threefold explication, and likewiſe a threefold application; the firſt explication was of the rich attire of Solomons Queene; the ſecond of the glorious types of the Jewiſh Church under the Law; the third of the rich endowments, large borders, and flouriſhing eſtate of the Church under the Goſpel. My application was firſt to the Clergy; ſecondly, to the Laity; thirdly, to this preſent exerciſe. The friends that here promiſe to adorne the Spouſe with rich borders, I compared to the foure Preachers, their Sermons to the foure borders, both in reſpect of the matter and the forme: their matter was Scripture doctrine, like pure gold; their forme exquiſite art beautifying their Scripture doctrine with variety of humane learning, and ſentences of the ancient Fathers, like ſpangles or ſtuds of ſilver. In the borders of Solomons Queene, there was the repreſentation of a Dove, whence they are called Torim, whichzBrightman in Cant. ſome tranſlate Turtures aureas; and their preaching was not in the inticing words of mans wiſedome, but in the evidence of the ſpirit, which deſcended in the likeneſſe of a Dove. The borders were joyned together, and in their Sermons there was good coherence: for whereas there are two parts of Divinity,
1. The firſt de Dei beneficiis erga homines.
2. The ſecond de officiis hominis erga Deum.
The former were handled in the two former Sermons, and the later in the two later.
The benefits of God are either
1. Spirituall, as Redemption, of which the firſt diſcourſed.
2. Or Temporall, as the wealth of the world, of which the ſecond.
The duties of man to God are either
1. Proper to certaine men in regard of their ſpeciall place or calling, as Magiſtrates or Miniſters, of which the third.
2. Common to all Chriſtians, as to offer ſacrifices of righteouſneſſe to God, of which the fourth.
The firſt, as a Herald, proclaimed hoſtility, Awake, O ſword, &c.
The ſecond, as a Steward of a Court, gave the charge, Charge the rich, &c.
The third, as a Judge, pronounced a dreadfull ſentence, In the day thou eateſt thou ſhalt dye the death.
The fourth, as a Prophet, gave holy counſell and heavenly advice, Offer, &c. That we may be free from, and out of the danger of the blow of the firſt, and the charge of the ſecond, and ſentence of the third, wee muſt follow the advice of the fourth. All foure may bee likened to foure builders,
The firſt fitted and laid the corner ſtone.
The ſecond built a houſe, whoſe foundation was laid in humility, Charge the rich that they be not high minded: The walls raiſed up in hope, to lay hold on eternall life: The roofe was covered with charity, that they bee rich in good workes.
The third beautified it with a garden of pleaſure, and hee fenced it with the Diſcipline of the Church, as it were with a ſtrong wall.
The fourth built an Altar to offer ſacrifice.
The firſt made according to the laſt Tranſlation borders of gold: his ſpeciall grace was in the order and compoſition.
The ſecond, according to Junius his verſion, Lineas aureas, golden lines: his grace was in frequent ſentences and golden lines.
The third, according to the Seventies interpretation, made Similitudines aureas, golden ſimilitudes, comparing our Church to Paradiſe.
The fourth (as Brightman rendreth the words) made turtures aureas, golden turtles, gilding over, if I may ſo ſpeak, our ſpirituall offrings with a ric… diſcourſe of his owne. Pliny *Lib. 37. nat. hiſt c. 2 In Opale eſt Carbunculi tenui…r ignis Ame…hyſti fulgens purpura & Smaragdi virens m…re, &c.writeth of the Opall ſtone, that it repreſented the colours of divers precious ſtones; by name the Ruby or Carbuncle, the Amethyſt, the Emrald, and the Margarite or Pearle. In like manner I have repreſented unto you in this Rehearſall the beautifull colours of divers precious ſtones: in the firſt the colour of the Ruby; for he diſcourſed of the bloudy paſſion of Chriſt. In the ſecond the purple colour of the Amethyſt; for hee treated of riches and purple robes, and the equipage of honour. In the third the green colour of the Emrald; for hee deſcribed the green and flouriſhing garden of Eden. In the fourth, the cleare or white colour of the Chryſtall or Pearle; for hee illuſtrated unto us the ſacrifices of righteouſneſſe, which are called white, in oppoſition to the red and bloudy ſacrifices of the Law. The Opall repreſenteth the colours of the abovenamed precious ſtones, incredibili myſturâ lucentes, ſhining by an incredible miſture: a glimpſe whereof you may have in this briefe concatenation of them all. God hath given us his Sonne the man, that is, his fellow, to be ſacrificed for us, as the firſt taught; and with him hath given us all things richly to enjoy, as the ſecond ſh…wed: not only all things for neceſſity and profit, but even for lawfull delight and contentment, placing us as it were in Paradiſe, as the third declared. Let us therefore offer unto him the ſacrifice of righteouſneſſe, as the fourth exhorted. Yee whom God hath enriched with ſtore of learning, open your treaſures, and ſay to the Spouſe of Chriſt, out of theſe we will make thee borders of gold with ſtuds of ſilver. Yee of Gods people, whom hee hath bleſſed with worldly wealth, open your treaſures, and ſay to the Spouſe of Chriſt, out of theſe wee will make thee borders of gold with ſtuds of ſilver: and then bee yee aſſured, God will open the treaſures of his bounty, and the three perſons in Trinity will ſay, We will make you borders of gold with ſtuds of ſilver; and not onelyonly borders for your breaſts, and chaines for your neckes, but alſo eare-rings for your eares, and bracelets for your hands, and frontlets for your faces, and a crown for your heads: wee will enrich you with invaluable jewels of grace here, and an incorruptible crowne of glory hereafter. So be it heavenly Father, for the merits of thy Sonne, by the powerfull operation of the Holy Spirit. To whom, &c.