:B.COK 'IV. TnE CHURCH .co:.!PARED To A MOTHER. MET A P li 0 R. Bulh is attended with Thorns, and often offends and wounds luch as r..)ughly and ur.adviiCdly medd!e with ic. PARALLEL. wound themlelves thereby.; as nnft plainly 'P· peared in the <.afe of Pharaoh, and the E;yptiau. What became of them? Thofe that 2fll H~1: Go•.i's People, fh•ll be afllrcted, nay, wounded And 1 -will l!ndo all that r'.iJlift thae, Zeph. iir. 19 Gcd knowcrh how to make Jerufalem a burthcnlome Scone tor all People: All tbat burthen them(dves with it foal! be cut in pieces, tbougb ail the Earth Jbould be gathered together t!'{:!inft it, Zecb. xii. 3· Hence Chri!t gave pcrftcuring Saul Warning ofrhe Danger: it is hard for thee to kick againft the Prids, Ae!s ix. 5· Thnfe that lock againrt (,od's Church, do but kick again!( the Pricks; they do but hurc, wound, and undo rhem– klvt"s thereby. ;\s for Difparities, they are many, and fo ob1·ious to all, that I fhall pafs them by; for though the Chnrch or· Go:J is here reprelentc 1 by a Bramble Bufh, yet .f11e is in Chriil's Sight as a Lrlyamong Thorns; a;:d her \Yorrh and G!ory through the: Lord Je:tlS is fo grcor, that 01e very far furpalfeth all the People and F am ilies of thr r .arth. Nurhi ng of all created Things dmh Chrii1 think good tr!Ough to let fonh and illuftrate tht: Ueamy and Exce!kncy of his Church and People by, hof\lever unworthy lhe is in .lr r own Srghr, or in the Eyes .of the finful \Vor!J. N ~ E R £ N C E S. 1. (':., DMIRE the Gr,tce and Love of (joJ, tire ,\!mighty Jehovah, that inhabiteth .~.. ....._ Eternity, that he fhould out or· his ab'l thln~J t F:o~\·cr, WJOd Will , and great Con– <kf er. lion, dwell in a pear Bram.ble-il.ufh! Who is able to conceive tilis rich and undekrved Favor. I[. It alio it1forrneth us, how it comes to pafs that the poor Saints and Church of God ar~.": pre!t:rved tn this day : It is becaufe God is among ti1em, God dwe_lleth in the Dufh : The Lord dwel!crh in Si.'ou, to cornforr, n:vivc, uphold, f.1ve and deliver her in the ll•y of Trouble. I! I. lt may fi:rve to humble us, and la)' us low in our own Eyes. What are the bell: of God's l'eople by Nature, and in thtmle!ves, .but as a Bufh, Briar, or thorny l !edge ? It is God ''ha hach made us to differ from others. lV. le may dntr tht \Vicked, and for evc:,r be a Warning to them, to forbear per– fecm ing God's Pe<~ple ; for that ic will prove at Iaft to rhcir utter Ruin; they kick ;bul ag~Hnlt thL Pncks. \f , .Remember the good Will of him., and fetk his lllrffing, th;\r.dwclt in the Buflt. lHE c H u R c 1-I CO.\!PARED TO A M 0 THER. '0 that thou -wert as my Brother, that fucked the Breajls of my Mother! Cant. viii. 1 , .Jenifakm, whi~h is abo1.:e, is free, 't:Jihb is the !\1u,her r:f us all, Ga/. iv. 26. BY jVfotb~r in/he!~ Scriptures is.r:~e·a~ tl.lC c.h~l.~dl of GoG, or as fon:e e~pounO i~ the Untver,a.l Cnurch. As Gm1 IS a Dl:hev-.=r s l' ather, fo the Church JS his Mvther. MET A PH 0 R. d. A Mother is the Wife of an I1uiband ; .ir imports a rviarriagt:~St;Ht. Every godly Wo– :man d1at is a Mother, can fi1cw .who is, or was, her Huiband. PARAL LEL. L ~[DE Cln;rch isthe Spoufe and Wife of ChriO:. Fo,- th_r Mai:er is tb)' !lufomtd, tbe Lord ~f Ihjls is lis N:wu·, !fa. liv. 5· Wberefore, my Bretbrrn, )'t r•lft are breo~:~e dead to the Law by the Body of Cbrijl, tiNt _l'efoou'd be married to another, e7:eiJ. lo him that is rrnfed fi·om the Dead, tbat W( jbou!d briiigfcrtb Fruit zmlo God, Rom. vii. 4· IT. ,\ Mother is one that beJr. I!. So the Church beareth and bringeth forth ·eth and bringeth forth Children. Children to Chrift: Of Z ion it foal! be faid, 'l'bis . a11d that ]!!fail was born in ho·, Pfal. ixxxvii. 5· Hence the Samts are called Sons and Daughters, and Children of Zion. Ill. A Mother travails, and is Ill. So the Church is faid to travail, and be 'n in _great Pain, in bringing forth Pain, in bringing forth of Children to Chrift : Chr!dren. As fooil as Zion travailed, foe brought fot·th her Chi,dren,
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