• COD A iltr!L:bEJL ~oak It METAPHOR. VIII. Storms, Tempefts, excef" five Rain, Snow, Heat or Cold often force the Hulbandman to a Celfation of his Labor, and an E– pemy may compel him from his ·work. IX. A Hulbandman grows old, and dies, and leaves his Hulban– dry. DISPARITY VIII. None can hinder the Almighty from his Labor-1w11i work and who jhalllet it. !fa. xliii. 1;>. IX. God the fpil'itua;1 Hulbandman, never grows old, and can never die, but is ever taking Care of his Hulbandry. C 0 R 0 L L A R I E S. I. THIS!hews the \j'Onderful Condefcenfion of the great and almighty God in com– parmg htmfelf to an Hulbandman, an Employment ofgreat T01l and very hard Labor, yet profitable and honeft. 2. Shews the great Privilege, Dignity and Security of the Church of Chriit, being the Plantation of the great God, in which he takes Delight; the Reft of the World being like a barren aRd howling Wildernefs to it-Wo is me that 1fojourn in Mefech and dwell iilthe 'J'ents of Kedar, Pfal. cxx. 5· 3· It lbews the Neceffity of being truly grafteu into this Vineyard; a bare Profeffion will not do, as in the foolilh Virgins Cafe-He has a quick Eye, and will foon find out fuch as bear no Fruit, or are rotten at Heart, fuch he cuts down and burns. 4·· Here is Caufe of Joy to thofe that are truly implanted into Jefus Chrift, they are .under his fpecia1 Care and Watdt, they jhall jlourifh, and bring fo,.th Fruit in old Age– Walled in on e-very Side, cmd fo very Jafe. 'John xv. 2. Pfal. xcti, 13· 14G 0 D A B U I L 0 E R. Except the Lord build the Houfe, they tabor in vain that build it, Pfal. (XXvii. 1. Wifdon; bath built her a Houfe, Prov. ix. But he that built aU 'fhings is God, Heb. iii. 4• IN thefe Scriptures,.aRd many others, God is called a Builder, which is a Metaphor taken fromCarpenters and Jviajons, that build Houfes: TheHebrewWord by which Building is exprelfed, is derived from the Root i"D:l· (0oxoJol'm) ,edificavit, extmxit Domum vel Urbem, to build or rear a Houfe or City, 1 Kings x. 4· Metaphorically, tt is put for Procreation and Education of Children, of which Families are as it were built, Gen. xvi. 2. (2.) For reparing decayed Places, 1 Ki11gs xii. 2,5. (3.) For the Re)lo– ration, Prefervation, and Exaltation of God's People, ]er. xxxi. 4· The Greek Word, x"TM"'v"~w, pr,eparo, inflruo, to prepareor build up, is (as Jllyricus fays) amilitary Word, andfignifies (vafa inltrumentaq; caftrenfia colligere) the Gathering together ofVef!ils or Utenfils of the Camp, of x"T"' & ~"'"''• a Vejfel. God may be faid to be a Builder, in a four-fold Refpeft. 1. He created or built the vifible World. 2. He built or conftituted the Church Militant. 3· The Church 'Triumphant. 4· The invifible World, the celeftial City, or New 'jerufalem, for the Church Triumphant to inhabit, when the vifibk World is dilfolved. In a Builder we are to conftder three Things, viz. Skill, Strength, ACtio~: 1. Skill w contrive; 2. Strength to provide; and, 3· ACtion to complete. All which are fatrly applicable to God as a Builder, as appears in the following Particulars. METAPHOR. I. A Builder is an Artift, a Man ofWifdom, to contrive the fitteftModel of theWhole in gene– ral, and of the diil;inft Rooms and Parts in particular. PARALLEL. I. GOD, the firft Founder and Builder of all Things, is that great Mafter of Wtfdom, of whom it is [aid, that he finds out Knowledge of witry Inventions, that he is wife, and perfeCt 1 ~ Know.edge; that lm \Vtfdon1JS unfearchable, an. b"
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