682 THE CHURCH coMPARED TO A GARDEN. Book IV. ME T A P H 0 R. P A R A L L E L. XIV. Some Mothers have XIV. So the Univcrfal Church hath many Daughters who have Children. • Daughters, many. particular Churches, which arc very fruitful to Chrifl:. There are many Dijparities, wherein the Chmch excelleth other Mothers, which I leave to the ingenious Reader to find out. I N ' p E R E N C E S. I. THIS !hould teach Believers to reverence and obey the Church of God, as dutiful Children do their godly Mother, in all Things. II. And take care they do not grieve her. Ill. To have relenting Bowels towards her in all her Troubles. Shall our Mother be in difl:refs, and ready to be devoured by hunwy Lions? and fhall not her Children be in bitternefs of Soul for her? When Sion is affiitled, we fhould be affiitled; when her Eyes are wet, {hall ours be dry? vVhen fhe is f.1d , fhould not we be fad too? IV. How doth this greatly reprove them, who infl:cad of comfortin a of her in her Widowhood State, add to her Sorrow? " THE CHURCH COMPARED TO A GARDEN. A Garden enclofed is my Sijler, my Spoufe, &c. Awake, 0 North Wind; and come tbou South WiNd, and blow upon my Garden, &c. Cant. iv. 12, 16 . I am come into my Garden, my Sijler, my Spoufe, Cant. v. 1. THE Chu;ch ofChrifl: is or may fitly be compared to a Garden. METAPHOR. I. A Garden is a Piece taken out ofcommon orwafl:eGround, appropriated to more fpecial Ufe than the refl:. I!. The Ground of a Garden be– fore it be planted, is as barren, and as unprofitable, as the refl: out of which it was taken. PARALLEL. I. THE Church of God, and every lllliever, or Member thereof, is taken om oft he com– mon Mafs of Mankind, to be a chofen and fded People to Chrift. !I. The People of God, and Soul of every Be– liever, naturally were as barn:n, blind, finful Ene~ mies to God, a~d every way as vile and rebellious, as any other Sinners in the World. And were by Nature the Cbildifll af Wrath, as well as others, Eph. ii. 3· Who bath made thee to differ from anotbcr? &c. Ill. In a Gardtn no choice or Ill. So no lpiritual good Thing can grow or rare Thing cometh up naturally fpring up in our Hearts, until the Seed of Grace of itfelf, until it be fown or plantbe fown in us, or a divine Principle of Life be imed therein. planted. IV. A Garden, before it be IV. So mull: our Hearts, like fallow Ground, fawn or planted, mufi be digged, be digged up with powerful Convictions of the purged, and well prepared. Word and Spirit, that fo Grace may the better take root in us. Hence it is faid of God's Vine– yard, when he was refolved to bring Judgment upon it, It jha/1 not be pruned, nor dig– ed, Jfa. v. 6. Hence God calleth upon them to plow up their fallow Ground, and fow not among '{horns, Jer. iv. 3· V. A choice Garden is walled or well fenced about, for its Secu– rity, from .Danger and Spoil. V. So the Chttrch of God, or every Chrifiian, is hedged or walled in. Haft thou not made a Hedge about him, and about all he bath, on <·•ery fide? &c. Job i. 10. God is faid to be aWall of Fire round about Jerufalem. See Vineyard. Zech. ii. 5· · VI. A choice Garden hath in it VI. So in thcCh.urch are many choice, pleafant, many Plants, Herbs, and Flowers, and profitable Plams, of God's own Right·hand of great worth and value, both planting: It is jo·wn with holy right Seed, ye Men for Pleafure and Profit. of ljrael are his pleajant Plants, Jer. v. 8. .All choice and faving Graces, and Gifts of the Sptm, arefound in God's Garden. Vl!. So
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