Ofthe N AT 1 v 1 T 1E. Sermonr6. . You may fee all this reprefenred,in the Shadowcs ofthe 0 Id Tell:amenr. There IS a book (there)calledExodm,of IfraelJ egredimlr out ofEgypt: Therein,they had Mofes forthmGutde;andheled them to theborders of the Holy land,and there he Hcb.?-'9· left them : To lhew,thc Law brought nothingto perfeElion. Then comes Io[ua (whoni Heb.•. s. the Epijlle to the Hebrewes calls le[m,) the fiaureofours here and by his conduct they were l~d,and put in poffeffionof the Landof promife. ' ~ Ier.; q '· All thts but m type of another Te!bmenr, after to be made (faith Ieremie;) and Hcb.S.G. upon betterpromifes (faith theApoftle:) Namely,our Spiritual! leading, through this G•\.'1·•6. vale of vamtt€, tothctrueland ofpromife, the heavenly Ieru(alem, that isftomabove. whttherthts our Iefm undertake~ to bring all thofe,that will begieidedby Him. . ' 1 , Obferve but the correfpondence, bctweene rhetypc and the truth. Mofes, when_ Exod.p>. he came to leadthe people,found them, how ~ fcattered overallthfl,land of Egypt, td [ceke(ittbble for bnck,tobuild him a City,that foughtthe ruineofthem all. Our cafe nght: the very patterne of it :when our G11ide finds us wandring in vanity,picking up 5'P·'·••· ftrawes, t!ungs that (hall nor profit us; feeking death in the error of D!lr life, till we be fo happy,as ro light into Hisguiding. Secondly,Mofes was to them,not alone Dt~xvia,a G11ide for theway ;but,when enemies cameforth againfl: them,DtexmilitiJ:,a Captdine for thewarre. chrift was[o roo: and farre beyondMofes; For, Hemade us way with thelaying downe of His Efa.)l."· life: So did neither Mofes, nor Io(t••· Woreld die for it, bur Hewould open us a paf– fage ro the place, H:underrooketo bring us to. Was Dux,a Gnide,inHis life: Dux, a Captaine,in Hisdeath. Third!y, Mofes, when rhey fainted by the way, oqtained, in their hunger, Mann4 from heaven; and, in theirrhirft, water out of therocluforthem. Chrij}is(Himfe!fe) thetrue Manna; chrifl; theJliritt.a!lrocke: whom Heleads, He feeds: carries Bethlehemabout H~m. · Heb.r;. 9 . Plaine, by the ordaining of his !all: Sacrament, as the meanes to re-ell:abli(hour Io~:<.;Hs. hearts withgrace, and ro repaire the decaies of our Spiritual! ll:rength: even, Hisowne rr,,," 6 · ' l· jlejb, rhebreadof life; and His ownebtot~d, rhe cup of Salvation. Bread,madeof Him– Ioh. "·'+ felft thenuegran11mfrnmenti, wheat corne (Ioh.rz.z4.) Wine, made of Himfelfe rhe •P· truevine: Went underrhe Sick/e, Elaile, Mtl.ffone,andoven,evenrobemaderhis Efay 6;.;,. bread: Trode (or was troden) in the winepre{{e alone, to pr~pare thiscup ror us. And in this refpeet, it may well beGyd, Bethlehemwas neverBethlehem right; J.oh.6.17, had neverthe name rruely,tillthis day, rhisbirth, thisbreadwasborne, and brought forth there. Before it was-the houfe of bread; bur, ofthebreadthat perijheth: but then, of rhe bread that endureth to everlajling life. That, it might fceme (inter alia) ro have beene one of the ends of His beingborne there,ro make it Bethlehem, verinominis Bethlehemtruely focalled. '· ' · And 'this is Hisoffic~. Now, allrhe doubt will be, how Hecan perfonne this The""""" of officeto us'; goe b«fore us and be our Guide;Seeing,He is now in Heaven,at His jour– HJS/radug. njes.end; and we,inEarrh,by rheway,fl:tll. No matter for that: He bath left us(firll:) rhe •.ay traced by rhe ll:eppes of His bleffed life; which we keeping us ro,fure we are, we cannot goe amiffe. And rhen, as, before H~came in the flelh, He ledthem by the Pfa1. 77 .zo. hand of Mofes andAarolJ, (G11ides chofen, and fcnt by Him;) So doth He,us,now,by the hands ofthofe,\vhom rhe Apof/le, (three feverall rimes;in one Chapter, Heb. 13.) Heh.•J.7. callerh,by this ver.y 'name'Hy•l''"''our Gt~ides: by whom He leads us,ifHe leada us, ••· at all: And orher leading we are not to looke for any. Only to pray, rhey may leade '"· us right;lmd rhcn all is well. And, rhey cannot bur lead~ us right 1 fo long as theybut teach us, to follow the Lambe whither He goeth. For,thetr Office 1s,butt<:> lay forth before us,the way t~aced I'P"·'4-'i· by thell:eps that He went. Thofe Steps,when all1s done, are ever our bell: dtreCt10ns. And, I meanerodo butfo now: as here (not rog9e all:ep ourofrhetext) thereare foure or five of thefe freps, as many as w,ee lhall well carry away·at once. And thefe they be. ' }h~
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