£cok IV. THE CHURCH COMPARED TO THE MOON. 659 q. She is defended, becaufe in her are the Laws, Statutes, Ordinances, and holy Inllitutions of her King, the Lord Jefus, where he is worlhipped and adored in Spirit ·and TIUth, !fa. ii. 3· I N F E R E N C E ~ I. HENCE all that .dwell in Zion may be provoked to a diligent Improvement of their great Privileges, to the end they may be enriched with all thofe fpirirual Jtiches, and dignified with that Honor that appertameth to a true Demzen thereof. II. Take Comfort and Encouragement alfo, whatever the A ttempts of the Ene– mies are, yet abou't all her Glory !hall be a Defence. All thofe whofe Feet !land within her Gates, may read Honor, Safety, and Salvation as it were written upon her Walls, !fa. iv. 5· · Ill. Let it be your Delight to prefer her above your chiefeft Joy; as fhe is called the -holy City, fo be ye alfu holy, that you may declare yourfdves unto what City it is you -du belong, Pjal. cxxxvii. 6. IV. How may this call home all thofe that are gone aftray, and invite all that profefs p:ood Will unto Sion, to let their Feer !land withm her Gates, for the Lord hath de– fired it for his Habitalion. Holy David made this his one Thing delireable, viz. to dwell in God's 1-louli:, to be a Denizen of this City; and why thould not you? Pfal. xxvii. 4• V. Let it be a Warning to all Sion's Enemies, to take heed how they lift up their Hands againft her; or reproach God, and them that dwell in Heaven; let them lay down their Arms, and fight again!l: her no more. '!'be Lord jha/1 roar alfo out ofZion, and ulier his 1/oice out of Jerufalem, and the !leavens and the Earthjhalljhake: But the Lord will be the Hope of his Peoplt, and the Strengtb of the Childrm of Ifrael. So jha/1 ye know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy Mountain, &c. Joel iii. 16. THE CHURCH OF GOD COMPARED TO THE MOON. She is fair as the Moon, Cant. vi. to. THE Moon is called in Hebrew Lebanah, of her Whitenef,, and bright Shining. The State uf the Church, all Expolitors agree, is lignified hereby. The Church may in many refpecrs be comp"red to the Moon. SIMILE. I. NATURALISTS affirm, rhe Moon receiveth her Light from the Sun. ll. The Moon receiving Light by theBeamsofthe Sun, fhe fhines forth, and giveth Light to the World. PARALLEL. I. THE Church hath all her Light from Chrift, the Sun of Righteou!nefs, Matt. iv. z. 11. So the Church receiving Light from Chrift, fhe fhines fonh in Brightnds and Glory. The Sun gives Light, bur receives none; the M"Oon both gives Light, and receives Light: So Chrift, as God, hath his Light in himfelf; but as Medi– ator, hath his Light from the Father, to communicate it to the Church, that the Church may give Light to the World. Ye are the Light of the World, Matt. v. '4· · IlL The Moon giveth Light tO IlL So the Church gives her Light forth to enthe World only m 1he Night. lighten Sinners, whiltl: the Night of this World laHeth. IV. TheMoon, though very fair and bright, yet, as N aturalifts ob– ferve, hath her Spots. V. The Moon hath her various Afpects: Sometimes fhe is in the Full, and fometime. in the Wane ; IV. So the Church, though pure and holy, yet in herfelf is not W>thout Spots of Sin, No Saint is without Blemifhes. If we fay we have no Sin, we deceive our[elves, and the 'l'ruth is not in us, 1 John 1. 8. • V, So the Church is uncler various Srates and Changes. She doth not always fhine as at Full Moon, or fend fonlt a full Brightnefs, but is fametimes
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