c H R I s T THE R 0 0 T OF D A V I D. Book II. M E T A P I-I 0 R. I. THE Sun is a Creature, and had a beginning; and when Time is [wallowed up of Eternity, it will fet and rife no more, John i. 3· II. The Sun gives Light, but cannot give Sight; the Sun-Beams, though never !o powerful, cannot make a blind Man fee. Ill. The SLin lbincs bm in one Hemifphere at once; when it rifes .to us, it fets to our Antipodes. IV. The Sun hath damaging as well as healing ~alities, defaces Beauty, maketh Men faint, Cant. i. 6. Fruits are fometimes withered to nothing by it. V. The Sun is inanimate, hath neither rational, fenfitive, nor ve– getative Life, though in fame Senfe nlled the Fountain of Life. VJ. The Sun is the Servant of Men, from the Root 1!17~1!1 to mi– nifter. It is Idolatry to worft1ip it. D IS P A RI T Y. I. JESUS Chrift is God, in his EfTence oncreated, and without beginning. Chrift endureLh for ever, h~ is Alpha and Umega, the Begtnnmg and the l!.ndmg, the Firft and the Laft, Rev. 1. 8. II. Chrift. gives Sight as well as Light, he made the Bl111d to fee. He alfo cures fpiritual Bhndnefs, as Sa1tl's, by /lnauias, /lc?s ix. 17. j'vfatt. XX. 30. Ill. Chrilt is able to lbine over the whole \'Varid at once. It may properlv be faid of him, as of the King of AJ!j·ria, the Stretchin"' out of his Wings is able to cover the .Worll at one Moment, !fa. viii. 8. IV. Chrift hath no hurtful quality; he quickens the Soul, never makes it faint. He makes De. formity beautiful and lovely, ripens, but never withers the Fruits of Grace. His Beams are de. Hru<'l:ive to none, but fuch as have no Root; fuch indeed he withers, Matt. xiii. 6. V. Chrift has Life, Light, and Heat, and is "often in Scripture called our Life, Cot. iii. 3, 4· for he gives and maintains both natural and fpi– ritual Life. VI. Chri!l: is our Lord, whom Men and Angels muft worlbip; all the Hart of Heaven adore him. It is grofs Impiety not to worihip him. N F E R E N. C E ~ I. HENCE we may learn to know the Worth and Excellency of Cluifi, as alfo the indifpenfible and abfolute Neceflity every Soul lies under of receiving Divine Illuminations from this everlafting Sun: For as natural Bodies periih without the In– fluence of the natural Sun ; fo will Souls, if the Sun of Righteoufnefs give not his Life-cherilbing Efficacy. II. Hence we may alfo fee, how greatly we are concerned to pray earne!lly to God, that our Hemifphere may never be deprived of this Sun of Righteoufnefs, nor over– fpread with the Clouds of fuperftitious Popery, nor other heretical Errors and Darknefs. Ill. This may lbew the Folly and Madnefs of fuch as would drive the Light of the Gofpel out of the World: 1. In refpeEt of the vVrong and Injury they would do the World thereby, if they could effeCt it. 2. Their Inability to accomplilb it. IV. Hence we may infer the Neceflity of laboring whilft it is Day; we know not how foon our Sun may fet, and we are not fure of another. The Lord thus threatens the Prophets, that caufe the People to err, I wit! caufe the Sun to go down at Noon, &c. Amos viii. 9· Which Judgment the Lord God in Mercy deliver England from. CHRIST THE R 0 0 T OF D A V I D. I atn the Root and Off-Jpring of David, &c. Rev. xxii. 16. THERE is a great and glorious Myftcry in thefe vVords;. many underftand not how Jefus Chrift lbould be the Root, and yet. the Off-JP.rmg of Davzd. ThiS Text a<>rees with thofe Words of our Sav10r, lf Dav1d cal!ed hzm Lord, how then ts he Jazd 1 ;' be his Son? * They underftood him not. Chri!l:, as he is God, is David's Lord, and the Root of David; but as he is Man, he is his Off-fpring, and hence elfewherc called the Branch. • Caryl on Jr;b xxix. 19. Chrift
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