Book It. CHRIST T!iil BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR. 463 fir!l:FruitsoftheSpirit; trains :is well as conducts; he rewards .according to theWorks of Piety ·and Goodnefs, as well as he commands to do them; he concludes this Day of Grace when he comes to judge, as well as he began it when he came io fave. He u01ers in the difmal Night of Darknefs to the Wicked, as well as he uiliers in the Day of glad Tidings and great Joy to the Righteous; he appears after the going down of the Sun and fhutting up of Mercy, as well as before the RiGng of the Sun, and clear Approach ofMerty; he is a Harbinger to Captivity, as well as to the Year of Jubilee and Deliverance; he fends down to Hell and Darknefs, as well as he fends up eo Heaven and Glory. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, Rev. i. g, J-ooking unto Jefus, the Author and Finijher of our Faiih, Heb. xii. i. METAPHO~ PARALLEL XVII. TheMorningStarthough XVII. Jefus Chrift, and the Light of the it may be obfcured by Mifts, Fogs, Gofpel, althoughfometime,obfcured by the means Cloud,, and dark Vapors; yet noof mifty foggy Clouds, Powers of Darkntf;, Igno– ihing can hinder its Courfe, but it ranee, Unbelief and Herefy ; yet noth.ingcan hin– conftantlykeepsitsMotionandCirder his Courfe, but he con{bntly keeps his glori– cle in the Heavens, cannot be preous Circle in his Difpenfation, and keeps a conti– vailed againft by any malignant nual Motion in a way ofDivine Providence until the Power whatfoever. Thieves and Time of his Kingdom and Patience be over. He tvil Men like not its Appearance, that bath promifed to come, will come, and will yet cannot obftruCl its Motion in not tarr)•, Heb. x. 37. 'Ihe Lord whom ye feek, the Firmamein, nor flop its Light will fuddenly come to his 'l'emple. Behold I co111e from iliining on the Earth. quickly, and my Reward is with me, Rev. i. 7· He cannot be prevailed againft by any malignant Powers of Earth or Hell. Herod, Pontitis Pi/ate, the High Priert, the whole Body of the Jews, the Romans, Mahometans, and Papifts that hate him and his glorious Appearance, cannot obftruCl his Motion and Operation in the Church or World, nor in any-wife extinguifh his Light from its glorious Splendor. Hereafter jha/1 they fee the Son of Ma11 coming in the Clouds of Heaven with Power mid great Glory, Matt. xxiv. 30. It is hard for thee to kick againft Ihe Pricks, Aflsix. 5· 'Ihe Difciples waxed bold and multiplied. The Blood of the Martyrs was tile Seed of the Church. 0 Galilean! thou haft overcome me, faith wicked Julian. On this Rock will I build my Church, and the Gates of He/ljha/1 notprevail againft it, Matt.xvi. i8. TheAdmini!l:ration ofChri!t is like the Path of the J uft, that jhineth more and nzore unto the perfm Day. Of his Kingdom there jha/1 be no End; up011 the 'Ihrone of David, to order and eftabli/h it with Judgment and with Jujlice from henceforth, even for ever, !fa. ix. 7. XVIII. The Morning Star, as XVIII. Jefus Chrilt in all that hath been or it hath chafe Properties and Excan be faid, exceeds in Brightnefs and Glory; cellencies already expreffed; fo for, as nath been manife!led, he is the Brightnefs laftly, it exceeds all other Stars for of his Father's Glory, in which refpect he exceeds Brightnefs and Glory. Angels and Men; for though he was the OjfJPri1zg of David, yet he is the Bright mid Morning Star, Rev. xxii. 16. M E T A P H 0 R. D I S P A R: I T Y. I. THE Morning Star did not L JESUS Chrift the Bright and Morning Star, make itfelf, nor other Stars. made the Orbs wherein the Stars are fixed, with the su·n, Moon and all the World befides. And thou, Lord, in the Beginning didjllay the Foundations of the Earth, and the Heavens are the Work of thy Hands, Pfa/. cii. 25. I!. .The Sun, and Morning Star, I!. Jefus Chrift thought it no Robbery to be are two Things; for the Morning equal with God, Phi!. ii. 6, 7· And he is not Star is much inferior to the Sun in only the Bright and Morning Star, but alfo the Light and Glory. Sun of Righceoufnefs, (fee Sun.) '!'he Brightnefs of his Father's Glory, and the expref~ Image of his Perfon, and he upholds all 'l'hings by ,the Word of his Power, Heb. i. 3· . Ill. The Morning Star gives Ill. Jefus Chrift gives internal l_ight, which but external Light to the corporal illuminates the Minds and Souls of all Believers. Senfe. • This is the true Light, who is not only the Light of the World, but delivereth alfo all thofe that lrul)'jo/low ·him out of Darknefs, and bejloweth on them the Light of Life, John viii. 12. IV. Jefus
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