If ordinary beauty have such a prerogative and power, and what is amiable and fair, to draw the eyes and ears, hearts and affections of all spectatours unto it, to move, win, entice, allure: how shall this divine forme ravish our souls, which is the fountain and quintessence of all beauty? Cœlum pulchrum, sed pulchrior cœli fabricator; if heaven be so fair, the sun so fair, how much fairer shall he be, that made them fair? For by the greatness and beauty of the creatures, proportionally the maker of them is seen. Wisd. 13.5.

If there be such pleasure in beholding a beautifull person alone, and as a plausible sermon, he so much affect us, what shall this beauty of God himself, that is infinitely fairer then all creatures, men, angels, &c. Omnis pulchritudo florum, hominum, angelorum, & rerum omnium pulcherrimarum ad Dei pulchritudinem collata, nox est & tenebræ, all other beauties are night it self, meer darkness to this our inexplicable, incomprehensible, unspeakable, eternal, infinite, admirable and divine beauty.

This lustre, pulchritudo omnium pulcherrima. This beauty and splendor of the divine Majesty, is it that draws all creatures to it, to seek it, love, admire, and adore it; and those Heathens, Pagans, Philosophers, out of those reliques they have yet left of Gods Image, are so far forth incensed, as not only to acknowledge a God; but, though after their own inventions, to stand in admiration of his bounty, goodness, to adore and seek him;

the magnificence and structure of the world it self, and beauty of all his creatures, his goodness, providence, protection, inforceth them to love him, seek him, fear him, though a wrong way to adore him: but for us that are Christians, regenerate, that are his adopted sons, illuminated by his word, having the eyes of our hearts and understandings opened; how fairly doth he offer and expose himself? Ambit nos Deus (Austin saith) donis & formâ suâ, he wooes up by his beauty, gifts, promises, to come unto him;

the whole Scripture is a message, an exhortation, a love letter to this purpose, to incite us, and invite us, Gods Epistle, as Gregory calls it, to his creatures. He sets out his Son and his Church in that Epithalamium or mystical song of Solomon, to enamour us the more,

comparing his head to fine gold, his locks curled and black as a Raven, Cant. 4.5. his eyes like doves on rivers of waters, washed with milk; his lippes as lillies, droping down pure juyce, his hands as rings of gold set with chrysolite: and his Church a vineyard, a garden inclosed, a fountain of living waters, an orchard of Pomegranates, with sweet sents of saffron, spike, calamus and cinamon, and all the trees of incense, as the chief spices, the fairest amongst women, no spot in her, his sister, his Spouse, undefiled, the onely daughter of her mother, dear unto her, fair as the Moon, pure as the Sun, looking out as the morning;

That by these figures, that glass, these spiritual eyes of contemplation, we might perceive some resemblance of his beauty, the love betwixt his Church and him. And so in the 45. Psalm this beauty of his Church is compared to a Queen in a vesture of gold of Ophir, embrodered raiment of needle worke, that the King might take pleasure in her beauty.

To incense us further yet, John in his Apocalypse, makes a description of that heavenly Jerusalem, the beauty of it, and in it the maker of it; Likening it to a city of pure gold, like unto cleer glass, shining and garnished with all manner of precious stones, having no need of Sun or Moon: for the Lambe is the light of it, the glory of God doth illuminate it; To give us to understand the infinite glory, beauty and happiness of it.

Not that it is no fairer then these creatures to which it is compared, but that this vision of his, this lustre of his divine majesty cannot otherwise be expressed to our apprehensions, no tongue can tell, no heart can conceive it, as Paul saith. Moses himself, Exod. 33.18. when he desired to see God in his glory, was answered that he might not endure it, no man could see his face and live.

Sensible forte destruit sensum, a strong object overcometh the sight, according to that axiome in Philosophy: fulgorem solis ferre non potes, multo magis creatoris: if thou canst not endure the Sun beams, how canst thou endure that fulgor and brightness of him that made the Sun?

The Sun it self and all that we can imagine, are but shadowes of it, ’tis visio præcellens, as Austin calls it, the quintessence of beauty this, which far exceeds the beauty of Heavens, Sun and Moon, Stars, Angels, gold and silver, woods, fair fields, and whatsoever is pleasant to behold. All those other beauties fail, vary, are subject to corruption, to loathing; But this is an immortall vision, a divine beauty, an immortall love, an indefatigable love and beauty, with sight of which we shall never be tired, nor wearied, but still the more we see the more we shall covet him.

For as one saith, where this vision is, there is absolute beauty; and where is that beauty, from the same fountain comes all pleasure and happiness; neither can beauty, pleasure, happiness, be separated from his vision or sight, or his vision from beauty, pleasure, happiness.

In this life we have but a glimpse of this beauty and happiness: we shall hereafter, as John saith, seem him as he is: thine eyes, as Isay promiseth, 33.17. shall behold the King in his glory, then shall we be perfectly inamoured, have a full fruition of it, desire, behold and love him alone as the most amiable and fairest object, or summum bonum, or cheifest good.

This likewise should we now have done, had not our will been corrupted; and as we are enjoyned to love God with all our heart, and all our soul: for to that end were we born, to love this object, as Melancthon discourseth, and to enjoy it. And him our will would have loved and sought alone as our summum bonum, or principall good, and all other good things for Gods sake: and nature as she proceeded from it, would have sought this fountain; but in this infirmity of humane nature this order is disturbed, our love is corrupt:

and a man is like that monster in Plato composed of a Scylla, a lyon, and a man; we are carried away headlong with the torrent of our affections: the world, and that infinite variety of pleasing objects in it, do so allure and enamour us, that we cannot so much as look towards God, seek him, or think on him as we should: we cannot saith Austin, Rempub. cœlestem cogitare, we cannot contain our selves from them, their sweetness is so pleasing to us:

Marriage, saith Gualter, detains many; a thing in it self laudable, good and necessary, but many deceived and carried away with the blind love of it, have quite laid aside the love of God, and desire of his glory. Meat and drink hath overcome as many, whilest they rather strive to please, satisfie their guts and belly, then to serve God and nature. Some are so busied about merchandise to get mony, they loose their own souls, whiles covetously carried, and with an unsatiable desire of gain, they forget God; as much we may say of honour, leagues, friendships, health, wealth, and all other profits or pleasures in this life whatsoever.

In this world there be so many beautiful objects, splendors and brightness of gold, majesty of glory, assistance of friends, fair promises, smooth words, victories, triumphs, and such an infinite company of pleasing beauties to allure us, and draw us from God, that we cannot look after him. And this is it which Christ himself, those Prophets and Apostles so much thundred against, 1 John 17. 15. dehort us from; Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world: if any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the World, as lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world: And the world passeth away and the lust thereof; but he that fulfilleth the will of God abideth for ever.

No man, saith our Saviour, can serve two masters, but he must love the one and hate the other, &c. bonos vel malos mores, boni vel mali faciunt amores, Austin well infers: and this is that which all the fathers inculcate. He cannot (Austin admonisheth) bee Gods friend, that is delighted with the pleasures of the world: make clean thine heart, purifie thine heart, if thou wilt see this beauty, prepare thy self for it.