•1-42 THE. COMPASS! ON OF CHRIST TO SINNERS, &c. Book II. _YI. Happy are all fuch ·who take the Counfel of Chri£1:, Chri£1: gives Soul-Cou.nfel, wife Counfel, nght Counfel, early Counfel, needful Counfel, chief Counfel, fafe Coun– fel, Counfel that will enrich the Souls of Men, Counfel that will make them a-ood • , great, and renowned, and happy for ever: Say then -with David, 'Ihou jhalt guide m; by thy CoUJzjel, and afterwards receive me to Glory•, Pfal. lxxiii. 24• . .THF. COMPASSION OF CHRIST TO SINNERS UNDER THE SIMILITUDE oF A HEN. _How often would I have gathered thy Children together, even as a Hen gathereth •her Chickens under her Wings, and ye would not! Matt. xxiii, 37· · THE Lord Jefus !hews by thefe Words his great Compaffion and Afti:Cl:ion to the Jews, who refufed the Offers of his Love and infinite Favor. Three Things are confiderable in the Text. 1. Chrill's Grace and good Intention to <hem, How often would I have gathered th] . Children together, &c. 2 . The Way or Manner which he took in order to the accomplifhing his gra, £ious Defign and Purpofe touching them,-as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her , Wings. 3· The Jews Obllinacy; Ye would not. The Lord condefcends very low in ·making this Simile~f a Hen; the Nature and , Property of which Creature take as follows, fo far as it will hold parallel to the Cafe • in Hand. SIMILE. ' I. NULLUM enim Animal circa pullos fuos tanta Compajji- ' one movetm·, &c. fairh Bernard,* There is no Creature that is moved . with fo much Compaff10n towards , her young Ones, as the.Hen. PARALLEL. I. THE Lord Jefus was moved with the greatell Compaffion imaginable towards the poor Je-ws and Jerufalem, which he was firll fenr to, and came to feek and to fave. This is fignified abundantly by that wonderful PaOion, that feized upon his Spirit, when he came near the City, and by his Expreffions in the Text, &c. it is faid, He -wept over it, &c. ancl cried out with a mournful Voice, Jerufalem, Jerufalem! &c. Matt. xxiii. 3· Luk,; xix. 41, 42. II. The Hen is obferved to fly in the very Face of fuch ravenous _Birds as llrive to defiroy her Chick– . ens; fhe !hives to fave and defend them with all her Might, though , with the mmofi Hazard of her Life. Ill. Such is the Hen's Care of, andAffeCl:ion towardsher Chickens, that fhe for their fakes is made weak in all her Members, and broughc to extrcam Faintntfs. Hoc genus animantis magnum ajfeflum i;z filios habet, ita ut eorum infirmitate c.jfeRa, &c. (faith Aujlin) this Creature {hews great Affection to– .wards her young Ones, that being affet'\ed , with their Wcaknefs, fhe alfo is made wea.k. IV. Tlte Hen clucks often, and ·. w1i~1 a mo,uwful Voice, as ic were, II. The Lord J efus Chrifi to fave and defend the Off-fpring of Ifrael, and the poor Sinners of the Gentiles, did nor refufe to encounter with the greatell of their Enemies: He refified the Devil, who fought to make a prey of them, &c. Matt. iv. 6, 8. No Enemy that !hove to devour us, but Chri£1: endeavoured to defend us from him, Ill. Chrill, that he might fave poor perifhing Sinners, by raking Man's Nature upon him, was made weak in the fame Senfe, as it is faid he became poor: Such was the Grearnefs of his Love and Affection towards us, that he bare our Sicknefl, and carried our Sorrows, !fa. liii. 4• To what Extremity of Faintnefs was he brought, when he fweat as it weregreat Drops of Blood! Matt. xxvi. 30. And when the ponderous Crofs was laid upon him, as they led him to Golgotha, it is faid, he fainted, Luke xxii. 44· He was touched with the Feelings of our Infirmities, being made like to us in a/l'things, Sin only excepted, Heb. iv. 15. IV. Chri£1: calls to poor helplefs and impeni– tent Sinners very often, with a mournful Voice, ·• Bern. de paff Dcm. (pp ..v. .and
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