134 Book IV. 1trolung unto 'j)tfuz. Chap.I .sea.6. -----~-.-B-e-ca-u-fe_o_f_a_ll_T_r_e_c_s -th-e-Vi~e is the Iowe!! ; -·i;g;~-;;ls~-;;i~;;:;:,-;~"7he ground, z. Becaufe of all Trees the Vme ts weakdl; hence they rhar have Vines, have alfo the 1r Elms to fuppon them, and hold. them up.- 3- Becaufe of all Trees, the Vine bath the meanefi Bark and ourfide; It IS of ltttle worth or rrputarion. 4- Becauleofall Pl;l.aS lTrees, the Vine is fru!tfulldl; and therefore it is called thefruitfHl Vine. In every of thefe_r~fpects, Chr~ll" called a Vmc, wh_o by _h1s rncarnauon rook upon him the lowefl: condmon, and made hzmfiif, by emptymg h1mfelf, of no rfpnt.rtion · but he was the Phi!. '· 7· fruitfullell Vine that ever the earth bore; and in this refpect no Vine,' nor all the Yiaes on the earth were worthy to be compared with him, or to be ::-o much a~ rcJemblances of him. I O>all not profecute the refemblances throughout · for, fo I might pafs from his Birth to his Life: and from his Life to his Death ; wh;n the bloud of the Grapes was prelfed Out[; only for theprefent wee'le take aview of this Vine. 1. In its pl•nt. 2 • In its bud. 3. In its blofi'om, 4- In its fruit; and fo an end. I. For th_e plant: the war of Vines is not to be fowed, hut planted; that thus tranfla– ~ed, t~er m1ght better fruchfie: fo our Jefus, fir~ fprung from his Fatl1er, is planted maVrrgms womb; God from God, coeternal With God, but by hisincornationmad~ that b~ was nor, and yet remaining that he was; God of his Father, and man of his Mother ; before all time, yet fince rhe beginning : Bm Mrd tells us, that thi& Vin• Ber.deP.J$ 011 ,fprungofth• Vim, uGodbegottenofGod, the Son of th, Fmh:r, both coettmal and c.n– Vom. fubftantialwith the Father; bm that h1 might better fm[fifie, he WvA pl,mted in the earth· (i.) he wauonceived in a Virgin!lvomb. Th~re is indeed a ref:mblance in this ; in rhi~ refemblance, we mull: be careful tO obferve that communication of properties; ofwhich I told you, we may truly fay, that God was pbnted, or conceived, but not the God– head ; God is a concrete word, and !ignifies the perfon of Chrill; and his perfon was planted or conceived, not !imply asGod; butinrefped of the Man~wod· united roit: and thus be that is infinite, was conceived; and he that is eternal, even he was born– the very fillnefs of all perfection', and all the properties of the divineeffence are by thi; communicationgiven to the nature of man in the perfon of the Son of God; no wonder therefore, that we fay, that this Vine (the Son of God) is planted in Mary; I know fome would have the plant more early; and therefore they fay, that Clnilt was aVine planud in Adam, budded in David, and Jlourifbed in Mary; bur I take this bur for a llourilh ; all before .lvfarywere but types, now was the truth ; now in Mary was Cbrifl: planted, and not before; as in the beginning, there w.unot amfln to till the ground;– but out ofthegroundthe Lord made togrow every tree ;- and a River went our of Eden to w.<tcr the Gardm: to there wa> no man that tilled this ground; but out of this ground (th~ Virgin) the Lord made to grow this plant, watering it by his Spirit: _the holyG!'oft jb11llcome 11pon thee, 11nd the power of the highejt {hall overjhadow thee: Of thiS conception, LukC!. 3 !· and o( the holy Gholls efficiency, I believe, {pake the Prophet, when tbere was fuch longing ~fter Chrills coming in the flefh ; Drop down ye Htav,ens from above, and lettk• skypo11redotvn righteoujnefs, let the earth open, and bring,forth Jalv~tion. But of thrs Conception before. 2. For the Bud; the nature of Vines is to bud, before it blolfom or bringforth its l'lal 2 fruit; fo was it faid of Chrill_before he rame, Trmh j/Mil l·ud oht of the eArth; nq_w ' 5 ' "· what was tbi5 budding of tr~th out of the earth, but Cbrifl born of a woman ( What w.u thetruth (faith Jren.etu and .Anguftine J bm Chrifl'? and what the earth, bur our Jlt.Jl'! l•.e•. L. 3· c.s. andwhat truth budding, bm Chrift being born? Here let us flay a whtle ;_ furdy JC u worth the while (as the Spoufe faid in another place) toger "Pearly to the Vmeyardi,_anJ • Cant. 7·"· tofit bo~ the Vine did Jlourijh, and how the tender grap; did open. · In Chrillscarryingon the great work of our falvauon betore all worl9s! we told you of Gods Councils, as if he had been reduced w fome llrliiS and drfficulues by thecrofs demands of his feveral Attrib•nes ; but Wijdom found out away, how tO reconnkthefe differences by propounding a J'·(iu , and in him. M~rcy and _Trmh met together, il•t.,hte· pial. ss. ro. oufnefs and peace kjffid each othe> . That r:conohauo~ was m the ~ounfel of God t_rom all eternity . bm for the execm.on of this counfel, 11 was now m thefulnds of nme, even at this cl me when Chrill was born: Now in deed and in truth, in execution a_nd performance was the reconciliation of all differences; and of this time was the Pfalmtfts Prophecy m~re efpecially meant . Mercy and Trmh jhall meet together, Rightcoufnefs ""1 Plai.Spo,H. Peace fha/l·kj_Js each other; and1~uth jha/1 budout of the earth, and Kightcoufnefs Jl,.f/lqc._ down from heavetr. . . dl this In thefe words we find firfi a meeung of Gods blelfeJ Attnbutes, and fecon Y . - meeung
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