登陆注册
5214200000326

第326章

"Wisdom hath builded her an house, and hath set up seven pillars; she hath sacrificed her victims, she hath mingled her wine in the bowl; she hath also furnished her table.She hath sent her servants summoning to the bowl with excellent proclamation, saying, Who is simple, let him turn aside to me.And to the void of sense she hath said, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled for you."(2) Here certainly we perceive that the Wisdom of God, that is, the Word co-eternal with the Father, hath builded Him an house, even a human body in the virgin womb, and hath subjoined the Church to it as members to a head, hath slain the martyrs as victims, hath furnished a table with wine and bread, where appears also the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, and hath called the simple and the void of sense, because, as saith the apostle, "He hath chosen the weak things of this world that He might confound the things which are mighty."(3) Yet to these weak ones she saith what follows, "Forsake simplicity, that ye may live; and seek prudence, that ye may have life."(4) But to be made partakers of this table is itself to begin to have life.For when he says in.another book, which is called Ecclesiastes, "There is no good for a man, except that he should eat and drink,"(5) what can he be more credibly understood to say, than what belongs to the participation of this table which the Mediator of the New Testament Himself, the Priest after the order of Melchizedek, furnishes with His own body and blood? For that sacrifice has succeeded all the sacrifices of the Old Testament, which were slain as a shadow of that which was to come; wherefore also we recognize the voice in the 40th Psalm as that of the same Mediator speaking through prophesy," Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire; but a body hast Thou perfected for me."(6)Because, instead of all these sacrifices and oblations, His body is offered, and is served up to the partakers of it.For that this Ecclesiastes, in this sentence about eating and drinking, which he often repeats, and very much commends, does not savor the dainties of carnal pleasures, is made plain enough when he says, "It is better to go into the house of mourning than to go into the house of feasting."(7) And a little after He says, "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, and the heart of the simple in the house of feasting."(8) But I think that more worthy of quotation from this book which relates to both cities, the one of the devil, the other of Christ, and to their kings, the devil and Christ:

"Woe to thee, O land," he says, "when thy king is a youth, and thy princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in season, in fortitude, and not in confusion!"(9) He has called the devil a youth, because of the folly and pride, and rashness and unruliness, and other vices which are wont to abound at that age; but Christ is the Son of nobles, that is, of the holy patriarchs, of those belonging to the free city, of whom He was begotten in the flesh.The princes of that and other cities are eaters in the morning, that is, before the suitable hour, because they do not expect the seasonable felicity, which is the true, in tile world to come, desiring to be speedily made happy with the renown of this world; but the princes of the city of Christ patiently wait for the time of a blessedness that is not fallacious.This is expressed by the words, "in fortitude, and not in confusion," because hope does not deceive them; of which the apostle says, "But hope maketh not ashamed."(10)A psalm also saith, "For they that hope in Thee shall not be put to shame."(11) But now the Song of Songs is a certain spiritual pleasure of holy minds, in the marriage of that King and Queen-city, that is, Christ and the Church.But this pleasure is wrapped up in allegorical veils, that the Bridegroom may be more ardently desired, and more joyfully unveiled, and may appear; to whom it is said in this same song, "Equity hath delighted Thee;(12) and the bride who there hears, "Charity is in thy delights."(13) We pass over many things in silence, in our desire to finish this work.

CHAP.21.--OF THE KINGS AFTER SOLOMON, BOTH IN JUDAH AND ISRAEL.

The other kings of the Hebrews after Solomon are scarcely found to have prophesied, "through certain enigmatic words or actions of theirs, what may pertain to Christ and the Church, either in Judah or Israel; for so were the parts of that people styled, when, on account of Solomon's offence, from the time of Rehoboam his son, who succeeded him in the kingdom, it was divided by God as a punishment.The ten tribes, indeed, which Jeroboam the servant of Solomon received, being appointed the king in Samaria, were distinctively called Israel, although this had been the name of that whole people; but the two tribes, namely, of Judah and Benjamin, which for David's sake, lest the kingdom should be wholly wrenched from his race, remained subject to the city of Jerusalem, were called Judah, because that was the tribe whence David sprang.But Benjamin, the other tribe which, as was said, belonged to the same kingdom, was that whence Saul sprang before David.But these two tribes together, as was said, were called Judah, and were distinguished by this name from Israel which was the distinctive title of the ten tribes under their own king.

For the tribe of Levi, because it was the priestly one, bound to the servitude of God, not of the kings, was reckoned the thirteenth.

For Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Israel, did not, like the others, form one tribe, but two, Ephraim and Manasseh.

同类推荐
  • 太上洞玄灵宝八威召龙妙经

    太上洞玄灵宝八威召龙妙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 道门经法相承次序

    道门经法相承次序

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大方广佛华严经普贤菩萨行愿品

    大方广佛华严经普贤菩萨行愿品

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神峰通考

    神峰通考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 观音玄义记

    观音玄义记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 平书

    平书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 订正仲景全书金匮要略注

    订正仲景全书金匮要略注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 笏山记

    笏山记

    《笏山记》六十九回,是清末长篇小说中的一部奇书。主线是一位叫颜少青的才子如何建立笏山王国,成为笏山王。笏山是小说虚构的一块与世隔绝的地域。本书兼有侠义、言情、公案、战争、理想等类小说的成分小说的吸引力在它曲折离奇的战争故事,以及在战争中夹杂着颜少青与十五位女子之间的爱情纠葛。
  • 海贼盖伦

    海贼盖伦

    【这是海贼同人】我,盖伦,有系统。此外,书名其实是《海贼王世界里的正义骑士、能抗能打大宝剑、德玛西亚之力盖伦》的缩写。【新书】《李青的奇妙冒险》求各位书友老爷支持!
  • 品读中国城市人性格

    品读中国城市人性格

    人是城市的载体和灵魂,城市的性格渗透在人们的衣食住行、言谈举止之中。在通讯发达、交通迅捷的时代,异地求学、经商、旅行,成为我们日常的生活主题,品读城市性格、掌握各地人群特征,既是“胸怀祖国”的表现,也是为了更好地与人交往、拓展个人发展空间的需要。本书精选了全国42个最有代表性的性格城市和地区,让我们一起来品读中国城市的性格,品位各大城市人的性格魅力,感受它们之间不同的特质!
  • 一用就灵刮痧拔罐祛百病

    一用就灵刮痧拔罐祛百病

    实用有效:刮痧、拔罐畅通经络保健康。好学易懂:一学就会,全家人都能轻松操作。速查速用:病症快速检索,方便对症自疗。
  • 城郊小医生

    城郊小医生

    自幼被一个神秘老头当成超级医生培养的孤儿叶修,为了积蓄力量复仇,进入燕京城郊区一个小医院成为了一个普通医生,想要低调平静地过日子,却接连遇到各种状况……
  • 实用妇科医学

    实用妇科医学

    科疾病长期困扰广大妇女。随着医学科学的进步,医疗新技术、新方法不断涌现,妇科学取得了飞速的发展,这在帮助我们提高诊疗水平的同时,也对妇科医务人员的知识结构和医疗水平提出了更高的要求。为满足广大妇科医务人员实际工作的需要,我们编写了这本《实用妇科医学》。全书共十章,系统地介绍了妇科炎症、妇科胂癌、妇科内分泌疾病、妇科急症等常见病的病因、临床表现、诊断及治疗,对妇科介入和妇科微创等新技术和新理论也做了简要的说明。本书内容丰富翔实,具有科学性、先进性、操作性强的鲜明特点。本书可作为妇科临床工作者日常的参考书,可供各级妇科医师、临床研究生、进修生及其他相关专业医师参考。
  • 幻变诸天归一剑

    幻变诸天归一剑

    飘然万里驱神剑,历尽千劫铸此身。一念轮回前世梦,仙风吹动镜中春。QQ群:707827776,欢迎大家加入!
  • 治愈系短篇小说

    治愈系短篇小说

    短篇小说,一个又一个的故事,无衔接,不定时更新(有些可能不是治愈系的,可能有悲的)