WHEN our Sauiour Christ had performed that heauenly Miracle in féeding fiue thousand men with fiue loaues and two fishes, the people which were sa­tisfied with that gratis chéere, did follow him to the City Caperna­um. But when Iesus perceiued [Page] their hypocrisie, that they were fleshly and carnall hearers, and as a good Writer saith, Parasiti quos platina conglutinat, hypocrites and belly-gods, whom the trencher doth make friends to Christ: like vnto him which when he sweat ouer his trencher yet cryed out, O quanta pa­timur pro amore Christi, Lord what suffer wee for the loue of Christ! Iesus therefore reprehendeth these men, saying, Verily, verily, I say vn­to you, yee seeke me not, because ye saw the miracles, but because ye eate of the loaues and were filled. Yet they obstinately answered him, What miracles hast thou done? hast thou commanded the Sun and the Moone to stand still, as Iosua did? hast thou reuiued the widowes son, as Elias did? hast thou made yron to swimme, as Eliza did? hast thou reuiued the dead bones, as Ezechiel did? hast thou béene in the Whales belly with Ionas: or par­ted the red sea with Moses? Our Fathers did eate Manna in the [Page] Wildernesse, Moses gaue them bread from heauen to eate. But marke I pray you how Iesus did answer them, Nay, (saith hée) Mo­ses gaue you not bread from heauen, but my Father giueth you the true Bread from Heauen: For the Bread of God is he which commeth down from Heauen, and giueth life vnto the world. Then said they vnto him, Lord euermore giue vs this Bread. And Iesus said, I am the Bread of life, hee that commeth to mee, shall not hunger, and hee that beleeueth in me, shall neuer thirst.

And thus much for the coherence, and occasion of our Sauior Christs words: now particularly as they lie in order: First, who is the Bread? Which is Christ, Persona loquens, signified in this word, I. Secondly, what is this Bread? It is the bread of life. Thirdly, the powerfull effi­cacie, and effect of this bread, decla­red in these words, He that cōmeth to me shall not hunger; and he that beleeueth in me, shall neuer thirst.

And first, who is this Bread, which is, Christ: I am the liuing Bread which came downe from heauen, saith Christ. Ego sum panis vitae, & fons aquae viuae. I am the bread of life, and fountaine of liuing water: Omnia nobis est Christ us: (saith Ambrose) si esuris, ipse est pa­nis; si sitis, ipse est fons aquae viuae; si cae­cus es, ipse est lumen; si infirmus es, ipse medicus; si mortuus, ipse vita gratiae & gloriae. Christ is all things to vs: if thou béest hungry, he is bread; if thou beest thirsty, hee is the foun­taine of liuing water; if thou beest blind, he is the light; he is the health of a feuered soule, light of thy life, life of thy desire, heauen of thy minde, guide to thy wandring féet, succourer in necessity, helper in ad­uersity: yea, hee is all things to thée: I am the liuing Bread, saith Christ. The bread which I giue is my flesh, and the drinke which I giue is my blood: my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drinke in­deed. Hee that eateth my flesh and [Page] drinketh my blood, hath eternall life, and I will raise him vp at the latter day.

O blessed meat, O celestiall food: O heauenly Manna: it far excelleth the Poets Ambrosia: would to God that all of vs daily might eate of this Manna: would to God that all of vs which trauell in the Wildernesse of this world, might lodge at such an Inne, where God the Father is the host, the holy Ghost, the Hostesse, the Church the Inne, the Crosse the signe, and Christ the meat and drinke. Aristotle must dine when it pleaseth Philip, but here thou maist haue store of spirituall foode for the repast of thy soule, and take it when it pleaseth thy selfe. Say but thy grace before this blessed banquet, and then sit downe and satisfie thy hunger. The more thou eatest, the more it encreaseth. like to Iupiters Nectar, the more it is drunke of, the more it ouerflow­eth. Neither néedest thou vse the [Page] counsell of Lysander, which he pre­scribed to his Daughters, to drinke with a drop of wine a spoonfull of water. Thou mayest drinke as much of this precious wine as thou wilt, neither canst thou infuse any mixture of water, but of the water of eternall life. This meat is of the like quality with the stone of Thracia, which whosoeuer findeth, is neuer after troubled, so whosoe­uer eateth of this meat, is neuer after grieued: labour therefore to get this meat which endureth to euerlasting life. No water was so good as that which came out of the Rock, no meat so delicate as Man­na which came from heauen, no Wine so wholsome as that which Christ made of water at the mari­age of Cana, no oyle so pretious as that which the Samaritan had, no robe so costly, as that which the fa­ther gaue to the prodigall sonne, no bread, no food, no meat so profita­ble, as this meat of the soule which endureth to euerlasting life. This [Page] meat is water to refresh vs, and wine to cheare vs, this is bread to strengthen vs, and Manna to nou­rish vs, it is a treasure to inrich vs, and a pearle to adorne vs, it is a fire to purge vs, and salt to powder vs, it is a trumpet to call vs, and wisedome to instruct vs, it is a way to direct vs, and life to reuiue vs, it is a Lanterne to guide vs, and a buckler to shield vs, it is phy­sicke to recure vs, and a salue to heale vs: if we haue this meat, this Manna, this bread, we shall haue no néed of Elizeus to increase our oyle, no néed to beg at the gluttons gate, or to send vnto Naball the churle for food: if wee haue this treasure, we shall not néed to robbe the Egyptians: if wee haue this pearle, we shal not néed the gold of Ophir; if we haue this water we néed not draw water at Iacobs wel; Naaman néeds not wash his féet 7 times in Iordan, the sick needs not to goe to the poole of Bethsaida: for this pretious meat, and inestimable [Page] Manna will purge vs from the le­prosie of sinne: So that wee shall loath to drink of the slumbring cup of the deuils sorceries, to be witch vs to sinne: this bread is Homers Mol [...], & Plinies Centauria against all lustfull inchantments: for this bread, this spirituall food, will so clense our minds, and purifie our hearts, that we will alwaies detest the eie-pleasing baits of carnall de­sires, and wholly delight our selues with this inestimable treasure: carnall voluptuousnesse is transito­ry and fading; the minuts that lac­key at the héeles of time, run not faster away then doe these plea­sures: but this spirituall food, this bread of life, is not like palate plea­sing dainties, whose sugered swéet­nesse once relisht is presently gone; but it yeeldeth the hungry soule an euerlasting fruition of most raui­shing swéetnesse: labour therefore for this bread which bringeth to euerlasting life.

The Bées doe labour to get a little honey:

Mella stipant & dulci distendunt nectare cellas.

But this bread is swéeter then honey, or the honey-combe. Our forefathers did eate of the Acorns of the Oakes, and thought them pleasant meat; And we, which by Ceres huswiferie haue learned to bury the reuiuing graine, do thinke that bread most delicate food: O foolish Caterers, let vs rather learne to bury in our hearts this reuiuing graine, that in this gene­rall famine of true Christian food, we may with Ioseph prouide abun­dance of this bread of life, for the benefit of our soules: then should wee not haue such spirituall penu­rie, and dearth of religion, if our hearts were made fertill to bring forth the séeds of our soules nourishment and sustenance. La­bor not therefore for the bread that perisheth but for this bread which remaineth vnto euerlasting life.

Ay, but some will say, where shall we finde this spirituall food, this bread of life? I tell thée Christ is this bread of life. Ay, but hée will perhaps reply: how shall I come to Christ to get this food? I bid thée goe to the Scriptures, (Christs treasury) where thou shalt find this Manna, this bread of life, there is plentifull store, take and satisfie thy selfe; neither néedest thou goe farre to séeke it, as Dauid did the Arke of GOD, or as Iosias did the booke of the Law; Neither canst thou desire with the Glutton, that one from the dead might arise to teach thée how to finde this bread of life: for now adayes (thanks be giuen to GOD for it) the dispen­cers of this bread of life bee plenti­full, who may without feare or pe­ril shew thée the compendious way to séeke this bread of life. Now O­badia néed not feare Quéene Ieza­bel, to hide a hundred Prophets in a Caue: Moses néed not feare King Pharaoh, and say, I haue a stutte­ring [Page] tongue: Ieremy néed not feare the Iewes, and say, I am a child: for now the Ministers of GODS word are maintained, and preser­ued, and may fréely without dan­ger, and boldly without feare, dis­pence of this bread of life. Yea and euery one of Christs faithfull Chil­dren, although he be not an head in the mysticall body of Christ, or an eye, or a leg, yea, if he be but an hād, yet hée may gather of this bread of life; if hée bée but an eare, he may heare of this bread of life; or a tongue, he may praise this bread of life; or a mouth, he may receiue this bread of life. Labor therefore for this bread which endureth to euer­lasting life: I am the bread of life: O Iesus thou art the bread which giuest life: Thou art a guide to our wayes, a guardian to our persons, a Councellor in our doubts, a Com­forter in misery, a Patron in ne­cessity, and wilt thou be bread also? Thou art our kéeper, our shep­heard, our defender, our Sauiour, [Page] and wilt thou be bread also? O Ie­sus thou art light vnto our eyes, musicke to our eares, contentment to our soules, & wilt thou be bread also? O louing Iesus, O merciful Redéemer, O blessed Emanuel, O Iesu, we giue thée our bodies, our soules, our substance, our wealth, our honor, our friends, our children, our life, and all that is ours: Iesus wee are not our owne but thine, claime vs as thy right, kéepe vs as thy charge, loue vs as thy children: Iesus fight for vs when Sathan commeth, heale vs if he woundeth, reuiue vs if hee killeth, receiue vs if we fly into thy merciful bosome: protect when he approacheth, detect vs when he commeth: Iesus thou art our food in the day, thou shalt also be our repose in the night: Ie­sus make vs pliable to thy will, re­signed wholy to thy pleasure. Iesus forsake vs not, lest we perish, leaue vs not, lest we be ouercome: Iesus direct our intentions, correct our follies, erect our cogitations, protect [Page] our endeauors: Iesus grant vs [...]row for our sinnes, feare for thy Iudgements, loue of thy mercies, thankfulnesse for this bread of life. I am the Bread of life, that is, I am the bread of immortall and heauen­ly life, not of this mortall: and earthly life: for else Christ might rather haue said, I am the bread of death, and not of life; for this life is a liuing death, and a dying life: But Christ is not bread of such a life; But, he is the bread of an im­mortall, and neuer-fading life.

Happy therefore is hée which is at this banquet, and tasteth of this bread of life: Neither is this an imaginarie fruition, or a painted banquet, resembling the hungry chéere, which the birds had that fed themselues with Zeuxis painted grapes, vntill with picking at sha­dowes they waxt so leane, that they were glad with Esops Cocke to scrape for a barley corne. But with this bread of life thy Soule shall bee so cherished: with this [Page] Manna thou shalt be so wonderful­ly delighted, that euer thou shalt loath the flesh-pots of Egypt. Hic panis est corpus meum. This bread is my body, and therefore thou canst not mislike it. O you Ministers, the faithfull dispencers of this hal­lowed bread of life, féed duely Christs flocke with this bread of life. Christ said to Peter, Pasce, pasce, Pasce, Feed, feed, feed: Féed with this bread of life, with your doctrine, with your almes: Féed first with this bread of life, for it is the bread of saluation: Secondly, féed with your wholsome doctrine, that Christs shéepe doe not surfet with vice, and so néed the corosiue of his correction to amend them. Thirdly, féed with almes: but what shall I presse you to that? Nay I must in conscience spare you, for the case now so stands, that you are liker to liue of almes, then be able to giue almes: and there­fore till happier times come, wher­in your diuine function may more [Page] bounteously bee rewarded, I will spare you for that point, for neces­sity hath no law. In y^e mean while féed with this bread of life, & spend your breath happily in the fires of deuotion crying alarum spirituall against foule vice, and all wicked­nesse: so at last you hauing not de­frauded Christs children of this bread of life, may haue a most boun­tifull remuneration of your pain­full labours, and enioy all heauen­ly happinesse, and celestiall ioyes, tasting this bread of life, which is prepared for all GODS faithfull children: And thus much shall suf­fice to haue spoken of the first par­cell of my text, I am the bread of life.

Now it followeth, that I should briefly speake of the powerfull ef­ficacie, and effect of this bread of life. Which by the tongues of Angels cannot be so well declared, as by these our Sauiours words, Hee that commeth to mee shall not hunger, and he that beleeueth in me [Page] shall neuer thirst. After a man hath tasted of all manner of delicate meats, yea although he hath carou­sed new grapes in Alexanders cup, and plentifully paid that daily tri­bute to the stomacke, which the law of our nature exacteth, yet that food will not satiate him for euer, so that he shall neuer hunger, or thirst after. But this bread, this bread of life hath another power, and ef­fect, for he that eateth of this bread, shall neuer hunger, or thirst more.

We reade in the fourth Chapter of Mathew, That man liueth not by bread onely: but I say, man onely liueth by this bread: for this bread is the bread of heauen, which gi­ueth life vnto the world. Therefore be carefull to séeke for this bread, for Christ doth not forbid vs to séeke for this bread: hée saith in Ma­thew the sixt Chapter; Be not care­full what you shal eate, or what you shall drinke, behold the fowles of heauen, they sow not, neither reape, nor cary into their barnes, yet your [Page] heauenly Father feedeth them; the Lillies doe not labour nor spin, yet Salomon in all his glory, was not a­rayed like one of these: therefore take no thought, saying. What shall we eate, or what shall we drinke, or how shall we be clothed? but seeke yee the Kingdome of Heauen, and all these things shall bee ministred vnto you. Yet in all these exem­plified admonitions of our Sauiour Christ; hée doth not forewarne vs to bee carelesse for séeking of this bread of life: will Christ forbid vs to séeke himselfe? Christ is this bread of life, féede on his flesh, and nourish your soules: he is the oyle, and lampe, with which the fiue Virgins entered into the Bride­groomes chamber. Hée is the Lord of life, the way of life, the bread of life.

Beléeue in this Lord, come vnto this way, eate of this bread, you shall neuer hunger, or thirst after.

But some man peraduenture may obiect, Can bread extinguish [Page] hunger and thirst? When a man is dry and thirsty, he doth not vse to eate bread.

I answer, that the Hebrewes doe vse this phrase, Panem comede­re, pro coenare, for to sup, as Master Caluin héere well noteth: so we say in the Lords prayer, da nobis quoti­dianum panem, giue vs our daily bread, signifying all necessary things belonging to a man: eate of of this bread of life, and you shall not néed to say, giue vs our dayly bread, for you shall neuer hunger, or thirst after: He that commeth to mee, shall not hunger: Accedat ad Christum omnis anima: let euery Soule come to Christ, and he will refresh it: I will (saith he) féed the hungry soule, and refresh all faint hearts. I am the strength of the féeble, the succour of the hungry, a refuge against euill weather, a sha­dow against heat: a continuall feast, where all hungry and langui­shing soules may satisfie them­selues with celestiall food. O well [Page] are they, and happy shall they bee, which sit at this heauenly Table, and eate of this blessed and spiritu­all meat, the price and redemption of their soules. Here is Manna which the children of Israel shall neuer loath: the wise Ethnick mans saying vpon a feast, here taketh no place: Prima cratera (saith he) ad sitim pertinet, secunda ad hilaritatem, tertia ad voluptatem, quarta ad insa­niam: The first cup belongeth to thirst, the second to mirth, the third to pleasure▪ and the fourth to inso­brietie But at this feast of the Soule, it is quite contrary, for the more thou drinkest, tant o proprior es ad animae sanitatem & salutatem: thou art so much the néerer to the health, and welfare to thy soule. Calistenes said to Alexander, that hee had rather carouse old graines with Diogenes in his dish, then new grapes with Alexander in his cup, for of all the goods (quoth hee), I loue not Aesculapius. But whosoe­euer drinketh in this cup, shall not need [Page] Aesculapius physicke, for it is a pre­sent remedy, and a soueraigne re­storatiue against the maladies of a sinfull soule: it is an excellent po­tion, and a most wholsome purga­tion to expell the leprosie of a sin­seared soule.

The precious stone Sandastra hath nothing in outward appea­rance, but being broken, it poureth forth beames like the Sunne: so this bread of life hath not an out­ward glea of super-excellent good­nesse, but tast it, and then it pou­reth forth such admirable excellen­cie, that thou shalt neuer hunger a­ny more. Therefore the shep­heards of Christs flocke, should onely féed his Lambes with this bread of life.

When they bee hungry, they should fill them with this Bread of life. They should cry vnto them alwaies, Come vnto Christ, and he will giue you the bread of life, so that you shall neuer hunger or thirst any more. The Ministers [Page] should haue a continuall cry, not like the Swallowes, which haue matutinum cantum, a morning song, or as the Grashoppers, me­ridianum cantum, a noone song, or as the Owles, vespertinum can­tum, an euening song, or as the Cocks, antelucanum cantum, a song before morning: But they should haue a morning song, a noone song, an euening song, and a song before day-light, to awake Christs slum­bring shéepe to come vnto Christ, and eate of this bread of life, so they shall neuer hunger for this more. Hee that commeth to mee shall not hunger, and he that belee­ueth in me, shall neuer thirst.

To beléeue in Christ, is the to­tall summe of all Christian Reli­gion: For our faith in the death and passion of our Lord and Saui­our Iesus Christ, is the sure foun­dation of our saluation. Fides in Christo (saith Saint Ierome) est fundamentum humanae saluationis: Faith in Christ is the foundation of [Page] mans saluation: without this faith, all our vertuous actions, and good endeuours bee in vaine. So saith Saint Augustine, Sine fide falsa est omnis virtus, without faith, all vertue is in vaine: Sine fid [...] im­possibile est placere Deo, without faith it is impossible to please God: Sine fide omnis labor vacuus, without faith all our labour is frustrate. Faith is the porter of heauen gate, and not Saint Peter.

Hée that hath faith, yea but as much as a graine of mustard séed, shall be able to remoue mountains: Wherefore let vs labour to get this faith, which being obtained, we shal not néede any other treasury: let vs lay vp this iewell in our hearts, which wil inrich vs euer after. The Anatomists say, that in the heart of man there is a little hole, which hath nothing in it. Whereupon a good writer saith, that this little Cabinet and Cell of the heart, God doth reserue for himselfe, to bee a Chamber, and a priuate mansion [Page] for him to dwell, and kéepe therein: let vs therefore bestow vpon our gratious Lord this pretious gem, this excellent ornament to adorne and beautifie this inward chamber: that when it shall please the Lord to call vs to the high Star-chamber ouer our heads, he may Antipelar­gein; that is, requite vs with farre more sumptuous iewels, and richer ornaments, making vs cohabitors with Angels, and the admired pa­ragons of all perfection: let vs therefore confidently beléeue in Christ, desiring him most heartily and vnfainedly, to giue vs of this bread of life, which is the onely re­storatiue against hunger, & thirst. Auicen like a foole said in his A­phorismes, that good was the best restoratiue. No, no, this bread of life, is the most heauenly remedy a­gainst all diseases: it is a poyson for vice, but a life-giuing potion for vertue. It is the bread of death, for carnall gluttonie; but it is the bread of life, for spirituall hunger. [Page] If thou béest famished, eate of this bread, and it will reuiue thée; it can heale all leprosie of sinne, and re­moue all maladies from a sin-sicke Soule: it is the Nectar of our sal­uation, and the Lethe of our iniqui­ties: tast but once of this bread of life, and thou shalt euer after loath the sugered cates, and bewitching dainties of lustfull affections: looke daily vpon this bread of life, and thou shalt euer after hide thine eyes, and stop thine eares, which are now captiued vassals to behold and heare the legerdemane of hu­mane iugling desires: All Syren songs of carnall concupiscence, and vices loue-lines, which are now im­printed in thy brest, shall be quite cancelled out, after thou hast once digested inwardly, and thy soule hath had an happy concoction of this bread of life: it purgeth all the hidden corruption of mans folly, and giueth working pils to vomit vp originall transgressions: it is the present remedie for a body, [Page] which lieth in a consumption of grace: to tast of this bread of life, within a short space by the vnspea­kable hidden operation, will make a blessed recouery for this langui­shing creature. If thy soule bee hungry or thirsty, behold two sacra­mentall riuers flowing out of the Paradise of Christs body: in the one thou shalt finde this bread of life, in the other this water of life: tast either of them, and thou shalt neuer hunger, or thirst more: yea, the power of this bread cannot bee sufficiently declared by the tongue of the worthiest Orator. Where­fore let vs onely satisfie our soules with this bread of life, whose po­wer, and efficacie our dayly Ora­tor Christ Iesus, hath declared vn­to vs in these words, He that com­meth to me shall not hunger, and he that beleeueth in mee shall neuer thirst. Wherefore to draw to a conclusion, let vs from the bottome of our hearts, desire Christ Iesus euermore to giue vs of this bread, [Page] that when the glasse of our life is runne out, and with the Pheni [...] we may discerne the tearme of our daies, and with the Swan disco­uer our fatall end, that it would please him to féed our hungry soules with this spirituall food, this bread of life, and place them at his heauenly table, to satisfie them­selues▪ with this celestiall banquet: yea, when our breath vanisheth, our eyes waxe dim, and we turned out of the house-roome of this tran­sitory world, repaire vnto our doomesday house, where the worms (the dead mens Lawyers) shall take their fées out of vs their graue clients, and our bodies shal be their bread to satiate their hunger, yet thou (O Iesus) would vouchsafe to giue vs thy body, the only bread of life, for to nourish our hungry soules, that by the wings of a liuely faith we may fly vp to the heauens, and inioy that age of vnspeakeable pleasures: the eternall Father through the merits of his déerest [Page] Sonne, by the scepter of his holy Spirit, so rule our hearts, that wée being righteous as Elias, and our prayers feruent as those of Elias, they may pierce the clouds, and o­pen heauen, and thence bring downe this bread of life, this dew of diuine grace, vpon vs, and satisfie our soules with this mysticall banquet of Christs body. O Lord inflame our tongues with the zeale of deuotion, that our pray­ers may be feruent, and may make a swéet incense to pacifie thy wrath, that thou blotting out all our vnworthinesse out of thy me­mory, maist graciously hearken to our petitions, & maist grant vs this inestimable treasure, the price and ransome of our soules redemption. If Lyons seeke their meat of God, if the Oxe know his owner, & the Asse his Masters crib, grant vs a most carefull desire to craue this meat of our soules, & to wait & seeke for this bread of life, that we which were created by a consultation of [Page] the Deity, redéemed with the pre­tious blood of Christ, sanctified by the holy Ghost, may bee partakers of this blessed bread of life, and in the end, and without all end, sit at his heauenly table, raigning together with the Trinity in the Kingdome of Heauen: to which be all glory, power, praise, and dominion, both now, and for euermore.

Amen.