Book IV. Tm: CHURCH cALLED THE CITY oF GOD. 6ss Sixrhly, a Dwelling-place there. There is a glorious Privilege; they dwell near the King, behold him in the Galleries every Day ; they dwell in God's Courts, nay_, in his Houfe: Blejfed are they that dwell in thy Houfe, they will be .fti/l praijing thee, Selah, Pfal. ]xXXIV. + 'rhey that are planted in the Houfe of the Lord, jhalljlourifh in the Courts of our God, they jha/1 bring forth Fruit in old Age, &c. Pfal. xcii. 13. r. It is a ftrong and fure Dwelling-place: He/hall dwelt on high, his Place of Defence jhall be the Munition of Rocks, lfa. xxxii. 18. and xxxiii. 16. 2. It is a rich and glorious Dwelling-place. 3· It is a pleafant Dwelling:place. 4• It is an honorable Dwellmg·place. 5· It is and fhall be a peaceable Habitation. Look upon Zion, the City of o11r So– /enmities: 'rhine E;·es jhall fee Jenifalem, a quiet Habitation, a Tabernacle that jhall not be taken down; not one ofthe Stakes thereof jhall ever be removed, neither jha/1 any of the Cords thereof be broken, !fa. xxxiii. 20. Seventhly, They have a Right and Privilege to chufe their own Officers; every free Citizen hath his Voice at every Election. No Minifter, Bithop, or Deacon, may be impofed upon them without their own free Confent. Eiahthly, They have a Right to all the Bleffings and Privileges of the River, the Strea~Js whereof make glad all the·Inhabitants, the Nature of whofe ·water you have heard. Ninthly, They have a Right to the City-Guard, which always attends them, whither– foever th·ey go, or whatfoever they do, when they are about their proper Work, which arc the good Angels. Tenthly, The !all: Privilege I !hall mention is, Sonthip. But to as many as received him, to them gave he Power, or Privilege, to become the Sons of God, John i. 12. Be– caufeye are Sons, God bath fent forth the Spirit of his So11 into your Hearts, crying, Abba, Father, Gal. iv. 6. MET A PH 0 R. X Ill. Some Cities have a com– mon Stock in them, out of which the poor decayed Citizens are often fupplied and helped in their Dif– trefs, and thereby delivered from Utter Beggary. PARALLEL. XIII. The Church hath a common Stock or Storehoufe belonging to it, called the unfearchable Riches of Chri!l:, out of which all poor decayed Chri!l:ians have their Wants fupplied, Eph. iii. 8. That Grace that is treafured up in Chrif1:, is always ready to be given forth to his poor Children; and by this means they are kept from Ruin, and being utterly undone. Jvfy God jhall fupply all your Needs, according to his Riches in Glory, by Chrift Jefus, Phi!. iv. '9· XIV. A City hath alfo a ftriCl: ·warch appointed to keep the Gates, and to fee tlJat no Accident happen in it, to the Hurt and De– triment there-of. XIV. The Church, or City of God, hath alfo a !l:rong and faithful Militia, or fpiritual Watch, which are the holy Angels. Thefe are called Watchers, or Watchmen, Dan. iv. 23. and in other Places, the Lord's Ho.ft, or the Armies of Heaven, who are mighty in Power, one of them being able to deflroy all the Church's Enemies. Thefe keep the Saints Day and Nioht; they encamp about them, and fee that no Evil come unto them. Befiries them, God is f.,id to watch over his People continually, who is called, the Watchman of lfrael, and :he Savior thereof in the Day of<rroub!e. U11/e[< the Lord kup the City, the Watchman waketh but in vain, Pfal. cxxvii. 1, 2. Bef1des, there are the Mini!l:en of the Gofpel, who are called Watchmen. See the flxth Head of Metaphors. XV. A great and famous City XV. The Ciry of God is famous in.refpect of hath Towers and Battlements beits Towers, and Places of Secmity. Walk abo111 longing to it, not only for OrnaZion, and go •·otmd aboul her; mark well her Bul· ment, but alfo for Strength, and warks, confider her Palaces, that ye may tell it to Security from Evil. t6e Generation following: For this God is our God for ever and e-ver, and he 'vi// be our Guide until Death. '!he Name of the Lord is a .ftrong <rower, &c. Pfal. xlviii. 12, L3, 14. Every one of the blelfed Attributes of God are as fo many Towers of Saf<ry to his Churoh. See Slrong-<rower in the firft Head of Metaphors, XVI. So
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