The Song of the Beloved Concerning His Vineyard, Part 2 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
…he louelove and merciemercy of God to his people ſignified by this, that hee made a VVine-preſſe in the Vineyard. verſ. 2.
WEe hauehave heard of the hedging, cleanſing, and planting of the Vineyard, as alſo of a Tower …uilded in the middeſt of the ſame. Vn…o this (the Lord continuing his care, …oſt and regard, willing to omit nothing)The Winepreſſe. … added a Wine-preſſe. The Pro…het ſaith, he digged therein a Lake, or a …eſſell, or a Tun: The Greeks call it Lenor: …hat is, a Veſſell, in the which the liquor …f Grapes, or the new Wine, is woont to …e preſſed out. But becauſe the word is …iuerſly taken, it hath pleaſed the Latine …nterpretors, to tranſlate it Torcular, the which we call in Engliſh, a Wine-preſſe, a …hing incident to the Vineyard. For by …his, the Grapes are preſſed, and the Wine …aken out to the right vſe. And this was a token of the conceiued hope of the fertilitie of this Vineyard, in and about the which, ther was beſtowed & imploied ſuch care, diligence & vnmeaſurable expences▪
2. But for as much as the Prophet ſpeaketh in a parable or dark ſaying, which needeth an explication, we may not omit to ſearch out the true meaning of the Prophet, & ſenſe of his words, leaſt that whiles we ſpeak with the tongue, we obſerue not Pauls rule, to ſpeake to edification. By a Wine-preſſe in the Scriptures, is ſignifiedThe preaching of the law, and doctrine of the Croſſe. ſometime the preaching of the Lawe, and the Doctrine of the Croſſe, the which by the power of the ſpirit of God doth wonderfully breake downe the pride of mans heart, the courage of the cruell oppreſſors of the Saints, ſhaketh euerie ſtrong holde which is raiſed vp againſt the Lords annoynted, and ſtriketh into their hearts a terror of the diuine iudgements, their owne conſciences beeing guiltie, accuſing them of ſinne. Becauſe the children of Iſrael, whom the Lord brought out of Egypt, were by nature ſtiffe-necked & hardhearted, neither would be reſtrained and nourtred by that law which the Lord had written with his finger in the harts of mē, …e at length gaue them a law written, the which alſo, he cauſed Moſes to proclaimeExo. 20. …nd publiſh openly, to be both heard and …nowne vntounto all. This law did the Pro…het expound vntounto the people, and …om thence did denounce the iudgemēts …f God vponupon them that tranſgreſſed the …he ſame.
3. Saint Iohn t… …ptiſt, before he prea…hedThe preaching of Iohn Baptiſt. Chriſt Ieſus, & made the people ac…uainted with the ſweeteſt ſolaces of the Goſpel of Chriſt, prepared their harts with …aw, and the doctrine of the Croſſe, ſay…ng: Repent ye: for now is the Axe laide to Mat. 5. & …. & 21.…he roote of the tree: ſo that eueryevery tree which …eareth not good fruite, ſhall be he wen downe …nd caſt into the fire. Chriſt himſelfe cal…eth into memorie this lawe, denouncing …udgements and wo on the rebellious people, and to banniſh out of the hearts of his Diſciples, that vaine dreame touching the pleaſures of a worldly kingdome and car…all libertie: he ſaith plainly, He that will …he my Diſciple, muſt take vp his croſſe & fol…low me. Saint Peter, when hee would …bruſe the hard hearts of the Iewes, who had crucified the Lord Chriſt, & ſo preſſe… out thereof the liquor of contrition, the teares of ſorrowfull eyes, and the water of a bruiſed heart and greeued ſpirit acceptable to the Lord, put the Winepreſſe… in vre: he hauing accuſed them, as guiltie of ſinne: preached vntounto the IewesAct. 2. 38. & 3. in theſe words: Repent ye: or amend your liues. Againe. Repent and turne ye…, that your ſinnes may be blotted out. In thisGood Grapes. Wine-preſſe, were bruiſed Adam and Herah, Dauid and Salomon, Peter, Magdalen, Paul, and other the ſeruants of God, who vponupon the Preaching of the Law… and Doctrine of the Croſſe of Chriſt, hauehave (as the right Vine) yeelded vntounto the Lord the ſweete liquor of godlineſſe, when ſome others beeing obſtinate and hard-hearted, beeing brought vntounto the Wine-preſſe and bruiſed (like vntounto the naughtie Vine) hauehave yeelded him theNaughtie Grapes. vnpleaſant liquor, and vnſauerie ſap of wickedneſſe and ſinne; as Pharao, King Saule, Herod, Iulian, Nero, Iudas, Demas, Simon Magus, and ſuch others.
4. Sometimes the Wine-preſſe, ſignifiethPaſſiōs and afflictions. all paſſions and afflictions, the …hich it hath pleaſed the the Lord to …y on his people for their ſinnes: as …ee reade in the Bookes of the Iudges …nd Kings of Iſrael, how oftentimes …e Lord afflicted, not onelyonly priuate and …ngular perſons: but alſo great perſo…ages, and whole countries for their ab…ominations and ſinnes, as it was requi…e for him ſo to do, and yet in merciemercy, as …erein expreſſing the nature of a louing …ther, to his diſobedient child. BeyondThe paſſion of Chriſt. … others, thoſe paſſions and croſſes, which … pleaſed God to lay vppon his owne …onne Ieſus for our ſinnes, are by this Vine-preſſe, excellently depainted and ſet …orth. This is the ſame Vine, whom the …ather ſent foorth from his boſome and …lanted in his Vineyard: this is that lambIſa. 53. The right Wine. Iudg. 9. …aine from the beginning, whoſe bloud …ſſuing forth from the Wine-preſſe of his …roſſe, hath pleaſed God, and comforted …nen. And thus he ſaith: I hauehave troden the Iſa. 63. 3.Wine-preſſe alone: albeit, this was ſome…imes ſpoken againſt the Idumeans and …nemies which perſecuted the Church, …nd which the Lord himſelfe would deſtroy, and therefore he is ſet forth there as a victorious King or Captaiue, all bloudie and redde, after the great ſlaughter of his enemies: yet do the holy fathers vnderſtand the place of the Croſſe and paſſion of Chriſt, by the which hee, powring out of his bloud, did ouer come the diuell.
Now, as he would, that all they which followe him ſhould take vp their Croſſe and do the ſame: ſo would he, that wee ſhould not refuſe to tread this Wine-preſſe with him, as Peter, Paul, Iames, Iohn, Stephē, Polycarpus, & other his faithfull Apoſtles Martirs and Miniſters hauehave in their places done, and ſo yeeld forth the precious liquour of the Vine.The Miniſterie of the word and diſcipline.
5. Sometimes the Wine-preſſe noteth the externall miniſterie of the word of God, the exerciſe of the Lawe of God, and that godly diſcipline, by and in the vſe whereof the ſweete iuyce of righteouſneſſe and holineſſe is wroong out and applied to the glory of God, and the edifying of the Church. And ſurely this thing is as needfull in the Church at all time and times, as is the hand of a man vntounto his bodie, by the which that …ode is taken and applied whereof the …ody liueth: and as needfull, as is the …ine-preſſe to the Vinitor. And Vine to …eſſe out and bring to right vſe the liquor … the Grapes. And this ſurely was …erformed (as the Lord would hauehave it) …y the meanes of thoſe godly Kings, …rinces, Iudges, Captaines, Magi…ates, Prophets, Prieſtes, and Mini…ers, which the Lord raiſed vp and pla…d ouer, in, & among the people of Iſrael … time to time as the Hiſtories and teſti…onies of holy ſcriptures do truly teſtifie.The fulneſſe of all things
6. Sometimes by this Winepreſſe is no…d the fulneſſe, aboundance and plentie … all good things. And indeed they were …nderfully enriched, proſpered and bleſ…d, far beyond all other Nations (as the …riptures report.) In thi… ſenſe, vnderunder this …nerall word are collected and drawen …gither (as it were) not onelyonly all thoſe …nefites and bleſſings before particular… named and conſidered: but alſo … others whatſoeuer (if any more can … thought on) which the Lord had be…wed on them. By the which he would that this peop… ſhould be fully perſwaded of his gre… louelove towards them, for whom he was … willing to do whatſoeuer was meete, … requiſite to be done, to their ſacietie a… happineſſe.
8. Lo, all theſe things hath the Lo… done and beſtowed on his Vineyar… that is, on his people… Now let vsus hea… and conſider what he expecteth of the… in lieu of thoſe his bleſſings: and there… note (as we may compare our con… and bleſſings with theirs) what he no… requireth of vsus, whom he hath in his lo… enriched & adorned with ſo many nob… benefites, and diuine graces.