Of domesticall duties eight treatises. I. An exposition of that part of Scripture out…

§. 69. Of Christs nourishing and cherishing his Church.

2. That The Lord nourisheth and cherisheth his Church, is evident by his continual providence over her in all ages. When first he created man, he ^gprovided before hand all things needful to nourish and cherish him. When he was moved to destroy the earth and all living things thereon, he had care of his Church, and provided an Ark to keep her out of ²the waters, and stored up in the Ark all things needful for ⟨p. 92⟩her. When he purposed to bring a famine on the world, he sent a man before hand to lay up provision for his Church. When ³his Church was in a barren and dry wilderness, he gave them bread from heaven, water out of the rock, and kept their raiment from waxing old, and their feet from swelling. After this ⁴he brought his Church into a land flowing with milk and honey: and so long as it remained faithful he preserved it in that pleasant and plentiful land. Thus he dealt with the Church in her non-age: and thus also hath he dealt with her in her riper age under the Gospel, as experience of all ages may witness. Neither hath he only nourished and cherished her with temporal blessings, but also with all needful spiritual blessings: his word and Sacraments, his Spirit and the graces thereof hath he in all ages given her for that purpose: yea with his own flesh and blood hath he fed her, and with ⁵his own righteousness hath he clothed her.⁶