67S THE CHURCH coMPARED TO A BUSH ON FIRE. Book IV. them in the midO: of fuch fierce and cruel Enemies, when a fmall Spark might eauly con fume and ddtroy them in an inftant, but tilat he ftretcheth forth his gloriOus Arms of Grace and drvinc Power for their Succor and Relief. . M E T A P l-:1 0 !{. ):' A R A L L F L. IV. There is one Thing more IV. The Church of God i• rhe chief Place for touchinga !Jufh, which for lllull:rathe Saints of God to dwell or make their Abcde iion fake I fhall here menrion, not in, who in rhc So11g cf Songs are c.Jiled Bi;·ds : '!'be. that the Spirit of God had r<fpect 'I'ime of the Singing of Birds is come, &c. Cant. ii. r '. ro it in this ViGon, t•iz. a Bu01 Which, faith Reverend Mr. Ainfwcrtb, figr.ifies is a com111on Receptacle tor Birds; the Saints, "hn feeling the Comforts of God's lr is the Place wl-:~te rhcy lodge_, \\~ord and Spirit, do En;! the Fr ..ift-s of God, with make their Ncll:s m, and are lel'!Jlrr:•:-, and llymns, and !piritual Songs. 1/)(y cured from nr1ny D.rngcrs that do jhn!! ltft up tbiir Voice, thry )hall fi;•g far :be ji1n– attend them. j~/i)' of tbe Lord; and fn;;n the uttcrmof! Pt?rts of tl·e Eertb ·<..:.:e hei:e heard ~cngs, t':..:c;J Glory to tht Righteous, !fa. xxiv. 16. And indeed in our Judgment the Godly ere comp:·.red to Birds principallr upon thi~ Contiric:·ation, i.e. in reCpeCl w t 11.c!r Sirgincr, which is bid ·down in feve:-al Places of Scripture 3~ ::n undcub:ed Dutr; I wilh that Lbriitians, who ar.e not in the PraCtice thcrtof, would conf'ickr of it. Bur to procef'd, Ho\v fafe is the J3ird, when 01'::~ gtttr.:th in tu the Bufb? So arc the Sainrs, "-\hen they ;;re sot into the Church; God beins a Wall of Fire nc:nd about her, anJ her Defence •.nd Glory en every f;dc. Zecb. i1. 5· . V. It is a flrangt an lmarvellous V. So it is a Grange Sighr, a Prodivy, ~ ~.-1ercy Thing, to fee a B1am~>le Bu01 on to a \\'ondcr, enough to aflonilll all true thinking fire, and nor confumnl; thi s m:ule Chriflian.s, to fee rhe Church of Gc.d, 1he um•:or– jVJofes tO turn afide: I •wlif turn thy, frail, rolluttd, weak, and (!tciining Chu!·ch~ 11jide to fee this grwt SigbJ. as ftr or: fire, )C•', ~111 on a Fl2me, as it we re, many Fires being kindled on her by wicked Ad– verfaries, and yet (he is not confumed! How m:tny l_}lors and hdli01 Co:~rriva:1ces were there on foot againll: poor lfrael in Eg]pl? Fir!t; They mac!c a Law, that the M:dwives fuould kill all their Men-Children, when they did their Ofli e. Secondly; \Vhen th~t would not take, becaufe the Midwives feared God, ad faved the Men-Children alive: 'Ibey feared Gad, it is faid, and did not as tf.e Ki111, of Egypt commanded. &c. Exod. i. 17. T hen they thought of .another 'Nay. another Plot was let on foot, a new .Fire, as it were, was kindlc:d, which was, to cart all the Men.Children into the River~ And l'har.:oh charged all b.'s People, fayi11g, Ewry Son that is born )'e jha!l cajl into tlr,: River, and every Daugbter )'C jha!!fave a!h·c, Exod. i. 2 z. Hence po>r Mofi·s was ca!t joro the F l g~, who afttrwards was an l nftrument in the !-land ot God, by '"vorking m any Signs and Wonders, and appeared to help and deliver lfi'ael, one that Pharaoh little thought of. 1 hirdly ; But this not raking fo effeCtually nl'ither, · they were mofl: .cruell y oppre!fed by hard Servitude, and forced to make their full Talc of Bricks, and .yet Suaw is denied them; which made the Lives of God's People bitter unto them. F ourthly, and laltly; Wh~n rhry ddired L iberty to go and worlhip God, this""' de– nied them, by no means would Pht!raoh confent to ir, but matk his !-lands heaviei and heavier upon rhem. '1 hus \HTe [hey in the Fire Jnd Furr.acc of AffECtion, and y~c ..graciouOy preJCrved, notwid1ftanding their Enemies were fo many, fo crutl, .:.r:d 1J mighty above them. And this was that great Sight that God in a Figure 01ewed to MofcJ; and this great Sight is to be feen et this Day, in this and other 1\'ations. 0 what hellifh Plots and Contrivances have been on foot for many Years lafl: pal\, efpe– cially for the Space of rwo or three Years ! How many Fires have betn kindled to con– fume the poor C hurch of God in Eng!r;11d, and other adjacent Nations! What P lots and Sham-Plots have rhe Popilh Enemies fer on foot, lince the Time that Dr. Oates firfl: d ifcovcred the grand and hellin1 Intrigue ! And yet how wonderfully harh God wrought .to fave us to this Day, norwithO:a ncling we are an unworthy People, and as little de– .fervinO' this divine Favor, in ourfelves, as ever any were, who ever Jived in any Age -of th;Worlcl! The fl:range and perfidious ACI:ings of the Enemy to deflroy us, and the ftrange and wonderful VVorkings of divine Providence to prefen•e us, have been fo admirable, that fucceeding Ages, who fhall read the l-:lifl:ory of thele Times, will doubr– lefs, fcarcely believe them, but rather conclude they are mere Ramances. VI. Herel might note alfo, for VI. ?a fuch as rougbiy and unadvifedlf touch Illuftr.ation fake, that a Brambleand handle the Lord's People, do but pnck and wound
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