The trial & triumph of faithThe tryal & triumph of faith

¹If death were as far from our knowledge as Graves and Coffins (which to our eyes preach death) are near to our senses, even casting the smell of death upon our breath, so as we cannot but rub skins with corruption, We should not believe either Prophets or Apostles, when they say, All flesh is grass, and It is appointed for all to die; Eternity is a great word, but the thing it self is greater; death the point of our short line teacheth us what we are, and what we shall be: Should Christ, the condition of affairs we are now in, the excellency of Free-grace, be seen all in their own lustre and dye, we should learn much wisdom from these three; Christ speedeth little in conquering of lovers; because we have not seen his shape at any time, we look not upon Christ, but upon the accidents that are beside Christ; and therefore few esteem Christ a rich penny-worth: But there is not a Rose out of heaven, but there is a blot and thorn growing out of it, except that one only rose of Sharon, which blossometh out glory, ⟨image 4⟩every leaf of the Rose is a heaven, and serveth for the healing of the Nations, every white and red in it is uncomparable glory, every act of breathing out its smell, from everlasting to everlasting, is spotless and unmixed happiness: Christ is the out-set, the master flower, the uncreated Garland of Heaven; the Love and Joy of men and Angels; but the fountain-love, the fountain-delight, the fountain-joy of men and Angels is more, for out of it floweth all the Seas, Springs, Rivers, and floods of love, delight, and joy; imagine all the rain and dew, Seas, Fountains and floods since the Creation were in one cloud, and these multiplied in measures, for number to many millions of millions, and then divided in drops of showers to an answerable number of men and Angels, this should be a created shower, and end in a certain period of time; and this huge cloud of so many Rivers and drops should dry up, and rain no more; but we cannot conceive so of Christ, for if we should imagine millions of men, and Angels to have a co-Eternal dependent existence with Christ, and they eternally in the Act of receiving grace for grace out of his fullness; the flux and issue of grace should be eternal as Christ is;

¹If death were as far from our knowledge as Graves and Coffins (which to our eyes preach death) are near to our senses, even casting the smel of death upon our breath, so as we cannot but rub skins with corruption, We should not believe either Prophets or Apostles, when they say, All flesh is grasse, and It is appointed for all to die; Eternity is a great word, but the thing it self is greater; death the point of our short line teacheth us what we are, and what we shall be: Should Christ, the condition of affairs we are now in, the excellency of Free-grace, be seen all in their own lustre and dye, we should learn much wisdom from these three; Christ speedeth little in conquering of lovers; because we have not seen his shape at any time, we look not upon Christ, but upon the accidents that are beside Christ; and therefore few esteeme Christ a rich penny-worth: But there is not a Rose out of heaven, but there is a blot and thorn growing out of it, except that one only rose of Sharon, which blossometh out glory,