But what I pray you is this siluer , that men spend in this idle sort ? all that a man hath or can possesse in this world , may be drawne to two heads : the one is time , which how precious it is I neede not tell , but if it were ten times more , it were all too little to spend in our way to heauen . The other is our goods ( that is to say ) all we haue ; whether they be of minde , as reason , witte , will , memory , learning , and such like ; or of body , health , strength , actiuity , prowesse , eloquence , or of outward fortunes , as riches , honour , pleasures , and the like ; all which is heere called Siluer , Apoc. 21. as in heauen all is gold . And this is the siluer the holy Prophet speaketh of , when he asketh vs this question after a manner of increpation , or in chiding sort , saying : why spend yee all these things and not in bread ?

But holy Prophet of God , shall I aske thee a question ? didst thou euer know any that spent much , and cared not how much , and that much of it was not in bread ? could hee liue without eating ? did he not feast and make merry ? and could this be done without bread ? which if thou canst not deny ; why doest thou say they spend , and not in bread ? I acknowledge thee Gods Prophet , and vpon this infallible word by thee deliuered I must build to day : thy thought must bee my theame , thy spirit my text as neere as I can . Bread was therefore heere but an allegory , or figuratiue speech , and by it is meant the bread of life , or bread of the soule ; as appeareth by that which followeth tending all to the soule , and not to the body , where hee saith soone after , Hearing , heare me , and eate that is good , and yoursoule , hee saith , not your body shall bee delighted with fatnesse . And againe ; giue eare , and come to me , heare me , and your soule ( he saith not your body ) shall liue , and I will make an euerlasting league with you . The bread of the soule therefore is the bread hee speakes of , and this onely bread is intended heere ; the bread that nourisheth vs , the bread that strengtheneth vs ; is not to sinne , and perdition , but to heauen and happinesse . This is the bread I say the prophet speaketh of , and no man cares for ; lets it lye moulding by him , and buyeth it not ; is daily offered him , and hee daily refuseth it ; yea scornes the offerer or bringer of it for the most part .

But let vs enter a little further into the matter I beseech you , to find what this bread is , that wee may buy thereof , since it seemeth so necessary . Truely it is not hard to finde , if we would but contemplate our neede : if our bodies were hungrie , wee should know how to seeke , and where to buy : we forget not our dinner or supper , though stomacke we haue none ; the time of the day will remember vs of it : and shall not our vprising then , and downe lying put vs in mind of our soules food for our spirituall good , and life euerlasting ? Let vs stirre vp our zeale a little , and marke what this bread is , and what the worth of it . Open your hands and vnfolde your armes ; that yee may bee ready to catch it , and hold it when you haue it .

This breads right worthy , is in two kinds answerable to our estates or liues in this world , and the world to come . And therefore he calleth it breads , not bread : the one sort of bread for distinctions sake , I call the bread of trauellers , Panem viatorum : Psal. 77. the other Panem angelorum , the bread of Angels : which latter name , although it bee applied sometimes in the first sence , yet in this place for my better methood , and your better remembrance , I will distinguish from the other ; and confine it onely to our estate in heauen , and to our food there . The first bread is that our soules doe feede on , while it is in Via in the way to heauen . And therefore I call it Panem viatorum ; as Saint Chrysostome cals our life heere Figuram viatorum : Hom. 60. in Math. Psal. 101.24 . The other is that it feeds on in the end of the way , when it comes to heauen , and must liue for euer . Of this last I shall speake last in time conuenient ; of the first I shall speake first , and shall resemble it to the Shew bread , 1. Reg. 21. or bread of Proposition , that was giuen to Dauid to eate of , when he had beene weary and hungry , and was pursued by his enemies : and it was such as he might not eate , but with cleannesse of body , as the Scripture declareth .

For the better vnderstanding whereof , and true applying it to our selues , we must know also that three speciall things are comprehended in this bread of trauellers : the one is the word of God . The second all manner of vertues , and good habits in our soules . The third is Sacraments ; all which may rightly bee called bread , and so sometimes are in holy Scripture . The word of God is called by Christ , Mat. 15.16 . Panis filiorum . the bread of children . And the woman of Canaan calleth it the crummes that fell from the masters table . Vertues bee also called bread : sorrowes and teares for sinne is a great vertue . And holy Dauid calleth it bread : my teares haue beene bread to me day and night ; and in an other place , thou shalt feede vs with bread of teares . Psal. 41. Psal. 79. An other vertue like to this is true mortification or pennance , which is signified in Scripture by this word Ashes . Psal. 101. As king Dauid vseth it saying , that he eate ashes for his bread ; as who should say , that ashes were bread to him : All which things and whatsoeuer else that comforts our soule , he may seeme to call by the name of bread , when hee imputes his drinesse of spirit to nothing else , but to the neglect of it , saying , I was withered like hay , and my heart was dryed vp , Quia oblitus sum comedere panem meum , Psal. 101. Because I forgat to eate my bread .

Lastly For Sacraments , Omnia Sacramenta ( saith S. Austine ) All Sacraments that are done in vs by the ministery of Gods seruants , are meate to our bellie . And Christ calleth his supper by the name of Bread : saying , Iohn 6. Hee that eateth this bread shall liue for euer , and preferreth it before Moses his bread , saying , that Moses gaue not bread from heauen , but my Father ( saith he ) giues you true bread from heauen . Note this word true bread : as who should say this were not true bread which wee eate with our meate ; but rather a figuratiue bread , feeding onely the flesh : and the Sacrament the true bread that feedeth and sustaineth the soule , or principall part of man . And these three breads may well bee meant by those three loaues in the Gospell , Luk. 11. which one came to borrow of his friend at midnight , and was importunate for . Whereupon Saint Ambrose asketh this question , lib. 7. in Luc. and makes answer , Qui sunt isti tres panes ( saith hee ) nisi coelestis misterij alimentum , What bee these three loaues , but the foode of heauenly misteries . Hom. 26. in Ioh. Saint Augustine also calles these heauenly things bread , and telles vs the sweetnesse of it , such as is able to intice and force a mans heart to the loue of it , how little soeuer the world doth esteeme it . But to our purpose .

All these three may bee rightly called the bread of Proposition , as I saide ; beeing shewne and propounded for all to buy of , and feede on , that bee yet as Trauellers before they come to their iournies ende . The word of God feedes vs with instruction : Vertues feede vs with imitation : Sacraments feede vs with grace and consolation . The word of God giues life , and motion to our soules : Vertues digestion : and Sacraments augmentation . The word of God with what reuerence it must bee handled : Vertues with what resolution they must bee imbraced : a Sacrament with what puritie it must bee receiued . I vndertake not now to teach : yee know or may know by your learned Prelates , to whom I remit you : onely of vertues I say thus much to you , because they are more within the compasse of your vnderstanding , and yee haue daily vse of them ; that as they be many and very nourishing to your soules ; so are they like flowers in your garden , oyle in your lampes , and corne to your Mill. A Mill will bee fired , and the stones fret out one another without corne in it : euen so doe our passions , they chafe vs and fret vs to nothing , if Vertues come not betweene . The flowers of vertue refresh and comfort the soule , and make it admirably sweete . The oyle of vertue makes the soule so bright and smoothe , that God may see his owne face in it , and acknowledge vs thereby to bee his true Image .

In particular haue wee taken away ones good name , or any thing else that is his ? Let vs make a vertue of it by submission , and restitution . Are we angry at a disgrace done vs ? Let vs not bee hasty of reuenge ; but let vs bee glad if wee can , of such a tryall sent vs . Temperance of body , and chastity of minde , are great vertues and indeere vs to God . I may not omit humility and mildenesse , gentlenesse and affability , Mat. 18. that makes vs the very childe that God tooke vp in his armes , and shewed him for a patterne for all the world to beholde . Fortitude or valour is likewise a singular vertue , without which almost there can bee no vertue ; not humilitie nor obedience can want it , not the least passion vanquished without it : my purpose is not to reckon vp all vertues , but onely to giue instance of a fewe . In one word , yee know all of yee when yee doe ill ; shunne it and amend it : yee know what is vertue also , and when ye doe well , imbrace it and feede on it , it is your soules bread ; and to feede on it hard , makes a fat soule .

These bee the bread you should buy , these the things you should spend your siluer on ; make a houshold booke and keepe account with your selues of your laying out , and expences euery day ; which if they bee not in a good conscience of some of these vertues , or bee in a bad conscience of the contrary ; yee will grow behind hand quickly , and your soules will be so poore , that ye will rid no way in your poast to Heauen-ward . I haue read of a noble Romane called Sextius , who neuer missed night , Senec. lib. 3 de ira . but would call to minde what hee had done amisse that day , and if any day were that he amended nothing in , he accounted it vtterly lost : he learnt it I thinke of some seruant of God , and so may you looke on your compting booke euery night , and see what Items yee haue there , what chast thoughts , and how the contraries resisted ; what patience , and how anger was resisted ; how iust your bargaines and contracts ? how yee pray and haue God in your minde first and last ? how pittifull to the poore , how heedy for swearing , how for cursing , how for ouermuch eating and drinking , idle talke , and ribaldry , Phil. 4. all which yee may doe in him that comforts you , ( as S. Paul saith ) if you put your good wills to it . The horse that carries you , must bee your good will : if your will bee ardent and zealous , hee neuer tyers : if it bee colde , hee holdes not out a day . The winde that launcheth you through the Ocean , must be your good will ; the winde will bee alwaies as great as your will , and your will should bee euer as great as your hunger . Oh that wee might feele our soules hunger as sensibly as our bodies hunger ; wee should then buy this heauenly bread much faster , and plye our soules oftner with these heauenly prouisions then wee doe . Behold the woorth of this bread our holy Prophet offers vs to buy .

But it may be , yee would gladly know why the Prophet calles these things bread , and not by some other name aswell , that may be as signifying for his purpose as this word Bread : Surely wee shall finde in Scriptures if wee marke it , that what we eate to sustaine our bodies with , is called sometimes by the name of Bread , as if there were nothing else before vs to eate but Bread , Exod 3.2 . Kings cap. 9. and other like places ; where to dine or suppe is called to eate Bread , and yet had they other things to eate besides bread . As wee see where Abraham intreated his three guests to come in and eate bread with him , Gen. 18. and yet there was not onely bread , but hony , milke , and veale . And in the first of Kings where Saul accursed them that should eate bread that day ; cap. 14. wee read what punishment came vpon them for Ionathans sake , for tasting onely of a hony-combe in his way , and touched no Bread . Loe heere , where hony also is vnderstood by Bread , as euery thing else may bee which wee eate , both for the generality , and likewise for the necessity of the foode of bread ; since euery one must haue it , and nothing can bee eaten without it .

All things therefore wee see that are foode , is called Antonomastice by the name of Bread , as by the worthiest name : and so of our spirituall food , if a man should aske why our Prophet calleth it bread , and not by some other name , as why doth he not call it Clothing , since we cannot come there without a wedding garment : Mat. 22. why doth he not call it armour or weapons arma nostra spiritualia : 2. Cor. 10. we come not to heauen without fight , neither fight wee without weapons ? why doth he not call it wings , Psal. 54.7 . since we cannot fly without wings ? why doth hee not call it a ladder as it is called in Genesis , cap. 28.12 to clime to heauen by ? why doth he not call it Almes-deedes a thing so much commended in Scriptures ? why calls hee it not I say by none of these , since all these be so necessary for vs ? truely the reason is plaine if we marke it .