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AS the Bridegroom, the bright Son of happi∣ness and Lord of life is of∣ten compared to the Sun of heaven; so his Spouse the Church doth often resemble the Moon: For as the Moon hath all her light from the Sun; so the Church from Christ. And as the shadow of the earth doth somtimes hinder and Eclipse the Moon, that she cannot shew the light of the Sun, the which she received; so our sins like earthly shadows do hinder and debar us often∣times
from giving thanks and glory to God for what we received, and to shew the same to others, giving him the glory from whom they proceed. But as that good Planet the sun faileth not to give light continual∣ly unto the body of the Moon, and to all inferiour bodies, though sometimes it seems to be eclipsed in regard of us: so the glori∣ous Sun of Righteousness doth never fail to give light unto his Church, and his Elect here on earth, though by reason of the black cloud of our sins, he seems some∣times for a while to be ab∣sent from us; And as the Moon will not utterly fail, by any Eclipse that can hap∣pen, though to our sight is
be almost quite darkened; so the Church of God can never faile, nor fall clean a∣way, but shall ever be a Church world without end being grounded upon a sure Rock, Jesus Christ be∣ing the chief corner Stone.
O most glorious Sun of Righteousnes, and the bright day-Star of grace and glory, vouchsafe we beseech thee to lighten our darknesse by thy holy Spi∣rit, and to shew us the pure light of thy countenance, by shining in our hearts and souls: Let thy holy word be a lanthorn to our feet, and a light unto our paths; disperse all the
black clouds of ignorance and errours, that may E∣clipse the light of thy holy Spirit from us; be thou al∣wayes with us unto the end of the world; and pray unto the Father for us, that our Faith may not faile: Marry us unto thy self for ever, that though we seem sometimes to have a faile, yet we may never fall final∣ly from thee, which art the way, the life, and light for ever.