416 CHRIST UNDER THE SIMiqTUDE OF AN APPLE-TREE. Book II, SIMILE. IlL The Apple-Tree yields fweet and pleafant Fruit. PARALLEL. HI. Jefus Chrift the Divine Apple·Tree bears moft fweet and pleafant Fruit; his Fruit was fweet {faith the Spoufe) to my Tafte. See the Metaphor of the Vine. IV. The Apple-Tree cloth wonIV. Jefus Chrift infinitely excelleth and furderfully excel the wild and barren paffeth all ObjeCts and Things whatfoever, He is Trees of the Defert, which bear no the chiefeft among ten 'I"hottfand, Cant. ii. 3· yea, Fruit, or elfe that which is four the chiefefr in the whole World, none liketo him and unwholefome. in Heaven or Earth. V. The Apple-Tree, whether V. Jefus Chrift is very beautiful; whether you take it in the Blo£rom, or when you confider him in his Incarnation or Exalta– its Fruit is fully ripe, is a very tion, he is moll: amiable and lovely, We bebeld beautiful Tree, and to look upon bis Glor;•, as the Glory of the only begotten Son of very lovely and amiable. God, &c. ]ohn i. 14. VI. The Apple-Tree in its VI. How tranfcendentlyfwcet is the Scent and Leaves, Buds, Bloffoms,Fruits,&c. Odor of our ble!fed Savior! How fweet are the hath very fweet and comfortable Comforts of his Spirih his Word and heavenly Smells : The Spoufe alludes to it DoCtrine! Thy Word, faith David, is fu;uter than when lhe cries to her Beloved to Honey or theHoney·Comb, Pfa/. xix. 10. Wordsfitly comfort her with Apples, Cant. i. 5· Jpoken are like Apples of Gold in Piflures of Silver, Prov. xxv. 11. God's Word is not only fweet, but rare and valuable ; C:hriil is wholly delectable, his Conception, Birth, Life, Death, Burial, Refurrection, Afcenfion and lnterceffion fmell exceeding fweet. SeeVine. VII. The Apple-Tree, NaturaVII. Chrift is of a foft and tender Heart, full lifts obferve, is a very tender Tree; of Bowels of Compaffion to poor Sinners; weep– Pliny faith, L ib. xvii. Cap. 546. ing over perifhing ones, and thus it was foretold it is the tendereft of all Trees. of him by the Prophet; He jhaltgrow up as a tender Plant, and as a Root, out of the dry Ground, VIII. An Apple-Tree is a very fhadowy Tree; its Shadow refre01eth, and by common Experience is found comfortable to fit under in the Heat of the Day, &c. Ifa. liii. 2. VIII. J efus Chrift is a Shadow many ways to his Church; Ifatdown under his Shadowwithgreat Delight, Cant. ii. 5· He is a Cover from the fcorching Heat of theWrath of God, a Shadow for Need; and he is a Shadow for Delight, Re– frelhing and Pleafantnefs. Shadow is ofcen ufed in Scripture to denote Protection and Mercy, Pfal. xvii. 8. Ifa. iv. 6. xxv. 4- and xxxii. 2. Pfal. lvii. 1. and xci. 1. See Rock, Habitation, Vine, &c. IX. It is a rare Sight to fee an IX. It was a rare Sight to fee J efus Chrift in Apple-Tree grow in a Wood. the Days of his Fle01, dwelling in the Wood of X. The Leaves and Fruit of the Apple-Tree are medicinal. XI. An Apple.Tree in themidft of the Trees of the Wood affords oftimes much Refrelhment to wea– ry Travellers. METAPHOR. I. AN Apple-Tree is fubject to decay ; in time it doth wither decay and die. I!. The Fruit of the Apple– Tree will foon rot and come to no– thing. Ill. The Fruit of the Apple– Tree hath fome pernicious ~alities in it, it is only external and it perilheth in the ufing. this World amongft Men. · X. The Leaves of this Tree of Life, are for the healing of tbe Nations, Rev. xxii. r. XI. So when a poor, weary Soul, or fpiritual Pilgrim meets with this Divine Apple-Tree, and partakes of the Fruit thereof, he is fweetly re– frelhed and fupported thereby. D IS PAR IT Y. I. THE Lord Jefus Chrift never decays, nor ceafeth from yielding Fruit. !I. But the Fruit of the Lord Jefus Chrift is incorruptible, and will never fade nor decay, it endureth for ever. hereof had abundance of Reil:, 2 111. But Chrift's Fruit hath no bad nor hurtful ~ality ; it is fweet, but furfeits not, breeds no Worms; but on the contrary, purges the Soul from all inward Filth, and makes it hcalthful; this Fruit is fatisfying. The Spoufe by eating Peace, Content and Satisfaction. IV. There
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