The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carryed on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...

Vse.

* 1.1And now we have seen Jesus interred. He that wears at his girdle the Keys of Hell and Death, himself locked up in the Grave. What shall I say of him whom they now laid in the Grave? Shall I undertake to tell you what he was? What he did, suffered, and deserved? Alas! The tongues of Angels must pause and stammer in such a work. I may truly say as Nazianzen said of Basil, no tongue but his own can sufficiently commend and praise him. He is a Sun of righteousness, a fountain of life, a bundle of Love. Of him it might be said in that day, Here lies the lovely Jesus in whom is treasured up whatsoever an angry God can require for his satisfaction, or an empty creature for his perfection. Before him was none like him, and after shall none arise comparable to him.* 1.2 If every leaf, and spire of grass (saith one) nay all the Stars, Sands, and Atomes were so many Souls and Seraphims; whose love should double in them every moment to all eternity; yet would it fall infinitly short of what his worth and excellency exacts. Suppose a creature compos'd of all the choice endow∣ments that ever dwelt in the best of men since the Creation of the World, in whom you find a meek Moses, a strong Sampson, a faithful Ionathan, a beautiful Absolom, a rich and wise Solomon; nay, and add to this, the understanding, strength, agility, splen∣dor, and holiness of all the Angels: it would all amount but to a dark shadow, of this incomparable Jesus.

Who ever weighed Christ in a pair of ballances (saith another) who hath seen the foldings and plyes, the heights, and depths of that glory which is in him? O for such a heaven, as but to stand afar off, and see, and love, and long for him, while times thred be cut, and this great work of Creation dissolved! — O if I could yoke in among the thick of Angels, and Seraphims, and now glo∣rified Saints, and could raise a new Love song of Christ, before all the world. I am pained with wondering at new opened treasures in Christ. If every finger, member, bone, and joynt were a torch burning in the hottest fire in hell; I would they could all send out love praises, high songs of praise for ever more to that plant of renown, to that Royal and high Prince Jesus my Lord.

But alas, his love swelleth in me, and finds no vent. — I marr his praises, nay, I know no comparison of what Christ is, and what he is worth. All the Angels, and all the glorified, praise him not so much as in halves. Who can advance him, or utter all his praise? — O if I could praise him, I would rest content to die of Love for him. O would to God I could send in my praises to my incomparable well beloved, or cast my Love songs of that matchless Lord Jesus over the walls, that they might light in his lap, before men and Angels. — But wh••n I have spoken of him till my head rive, I have said just nothing. I may begin again. A God-head, a God-head is a worlds won∣der. Set ten thousand thousand new made worlds of Angels and Elect men, and double them in number ten thousand thousand thou∣sand times; let their hearts and tongues be ten thousand times more agile and large than the hearts and tongues of the Seraphims that stand with six wings before him; when they have said all for the glorifying and praising of the Lord Jesus; they have spoken little or nothing. O if I could wear this tongue to the stump in ex∣tolling his highness. But it is my daily sorrow that I am confound∣ed with his incomparable Love.

Thus have his enamoured friends faintly expressed his excellen∣cies, and if they have therein done any thing, they have shewn the impossibility of his due praises.

Come and see believing souls, look upon dead Jesus in his winding-sheet, by Faith; and say, Lo this is he of whom the Church said, my beloved is White and Ruddy, his ruddiness is now gone, and a death pale hath prevailed over all his body: but still as lovely as ever, yea altogether lovely.

If David lamenting the death of Saul and Ionathan, said, Daughters of Ierusalem weep over Saul, who cloathed you in Scarlet, with other delights; who put on ornaments of Gold upon your apparel. Much rather may I say, children of Sion, weep over Jesus, who cloathed you with righteousness, and garments of Salvation.

This is he who quitted the throne of glory, left the bosom of unspeakable delights; came in a body of flesh, produced in perfect holiness; brake through many and great impediments, (thy great unworthiness, the wrath of God and man? by the strength of love; to bring salvation home to thy soul. Can he that be∣lievingly considers this do less than faint at the sense of that love

that brought him to the dust of death,* 1.3 and cry out with that Father, my Love was Crucified? But I will insist no longer upon generals, but draw down the particulars of Christs Funeral to your use in the following Corollaries.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vse.
• * 1.2

  Mr. Ienkin.
• * 1.3

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Ignatius.