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The cloth laid for supper.

was risen from the dead.*

Women therefore are

highly favoured, and shew by these things that they are sharers with us in the grace of life.'

Now the cook sent up to signify that supper was almost ready and sent one to lay the cloth, and the trenchers, and to set the salt and bread in order.

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Then said MATTHEW, the sight of this cloth, and of this fore-runner to the supper, begetteth in me a greater appetite to my food than I had be'fore.'

GAI. So let all ministering doctrines to thee, in this life, beget in thee a greater desire to sit at the supper of the great KING in his kingdom: for all preaching, books, and ordinances here, are but as the laying of the trenchers, and as setting of salt upon the board, when compared with the feast that our LORD will make us when we come to his house..

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So supper came up; and first a heave-shoulder

And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him; weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment, Luke vii. 57, 38. And there followed him a great company of people and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. Luke xxiii. 27. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre : and when they found not his body, they came, saying, That they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive, Luke xxiv. 22, 23. And many women that were there, beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him. Matt. xxvii. 55.

What the supper consisted of.

and a wave-breast were set on the table before them; to shew that they must begin the meal with prayer and praise to GOD. The heave-shoulder, DAVID lifted his heart up to GOD with; and with the wavebreast, where his heart lay, with that he used to lean upon his harp when he played.-These two dishes were very fresh and good, and they all eat heartily thereof.*

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The next they brought up was a bottle of wine, as red as blood. So GAIUS said to them,

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Drink 'freely, this is the true juice of the vine, that makes glad the heart of GOD and man.' So they drank and were merry.t-The next was a dish of milk well crumbled: but GAIUS said, Let the boys have that, that they may "grow thereby."---Then they brought up in course a dish of butter and honey. Then said GAIUS, Eat freely of this, for 'this is good to cheer up and strengthen your judg

* By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name, Heb. xiii. 15. And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave-offering of the sacrifice of your peace-offerings, he among the sons of Aaron that offereth the blood of the peaceofferings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part. For the wave-breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace-offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest, and unto his sons, by a statute for ever, from among the children of Israel. Lev. vii. 32-34. Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. Psal. xxv. 1.

+ I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. John xv. 5.

As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. 1 Pet. ii. 2.

The apples and nuts.

'ments and understandings.' This was our LORD'S dish when he was a child: "Butter and honey shall "he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and "choose the good." Isaiah vii. 15. Then they brought him up a dish of apples, and they were very good tasted fruit. Then said MATTHEW, May we eat apples, since they were such, by and with which 'the serpent beguiled our first mother?'

Then said GAIUS,

'Apples were they with which they were beguil'd,
Yet sin, not apples, hath our souls defil'd.

Apples forbid, if eat, corrupt the blood,

To eat such, when commanded, does us good:
Drink of his flagons then, thou Church his Dove,
And eat his apples who are sick of love.'

Then said MATTHEW, I made the scruple because awhile since I was sick with eating of fruit.' GAI. Forbidden fruit will make you sick, but not what our LORD hath tolerated.

While they were thus talking, they were presented with another dish, and it was a dish of nuts.* Then said some at the table,' Nuts spoil tender teeth, ' especially the teeth of the children.' Which when GAIUS had heard, he said:

'Hard texts are nuts, (I will not call them cheaters,)
Whose shells do keep their kernels from the eaters;
Open then the shells, and you shall have the meat;
They here are brought for you to crack and eat.'

* I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded. Sol. Song vi. 11.

A riddle answered by GAIUS.

Then they were very merry, and sat at the table a long time, talking of many things. Then said My good landlord, while ye nuts, if you please, do you

the old gentleman, are cracking your open this riddle.'

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A man there was, (though some did count him mad,)
The more he cast away the more he had.'

Then they all gave good heed, wondering what good GAIUS would say; so he sat still awhile, and then thus replied:

'He who thus bestows his goods upon the poor,

Shall have as much again, and ten times more.'

Then said JOSEPH, 'I dare say, Sir, I did not 'think you could have found it out.'

'Oh,' said GAIUS, I have been trained up in 'this way a great while: nothing teaches like expe'rience: 1 have learned of my LORD to be kind; ' and have found by experience, that I have gained

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thereby. "There is that scattereth, and yet in"creaseth; and there is that which holdeth more

than it meet, but it tendeth to poverty." "There "is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great "riches." Prov. xi. 24. xiii. 7.

Then SAMUEL whispered to CHRISTIANA, his mother, and said, Mother, this is a very good man's 'house; let us stay here a good while, and let my 'brother MATTHEW be married here to MERCY be'fore we go any further.'

MERCY works for the poor.

The which GAIUS the host overhearing, said, 'With a very good will my child.'

So they staid here more than a month, and MERCY was given to MATTHEW to wife.

While they staid here, MERCY, as her custom was, would be making of coats and garments to give to the poor, by which she brought up a very good report upon Pilgrims.

But to return again to our story. After supper the lads desired a bed, for they were weary with travelling then GAIUS called, to shew them their chamber; but said MERCY, I will have them to 'bed.' So she had them to bed, and they slept well : but the rest sat up all night; for GAIUS and they were such suitable company, that they could not tell how to part. Then after much talk of their LORD, themselves, and their journey, old Mr. HoNEST, (he that put forth the riddle to GAIUS,) began to nod. Then said GREAT-HEART, ' What, sir, you begin to be drowsy! come, rub up, now here ' is a riddle for you.' Then said Mr. HONEST, Let 'us hear it.'

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Then said Mr. GREAT-HEART,

'He that will kill, must first be overcome :

Who live abroad would, first must die at home."

'Ha!' said Mr. HONEST, it is a hard one, hard to expound, and harder to practice. But come, landlord,' said he, 'I will if you please, leave my part to you; do you expound it, and I will hear 'what you say.'

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(12.)

3 B

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