Book IV. TtiE CHURCH coMPARED TO A FLOCK OF SHEEP 6 r they preach, by the fervmt Prayers they d;:ily put up to Almighty God, and their hdy and good Ex.unples: Le!your Ltgbt jo Jhwe befm e lVlm, that t!Jty may fee )'ORr good Works, and glorify JOUr Father wbjch is ill flea,·en, :'vlatt v. 16. M E T A P H 0 R. 1' A R A L L E L. V. Sheep are obedient, and rea- . V .. So 13e!ie~ers, and the Church of Chrill:, are dy to follow their Shepherd wh1- ·Olled1mt to Jum : My Sheep, ianh he, bear my therfoever be goeth. it is the Voice, and they foilow me ; and tbe Votce of a Cuftom in lome Countries, for the Stranger thry will not follow, John x. 4, 5· 'l'hou Shepherd to go before the Sheep, Jhalt guide me by thy Comifel. Pjal. lxxiii. 24. &c. To whiCh o~ r Sarvior alludes, Chri!Ps Precepts are the Saints DireCI:ory, John x. 27. and his Practice their Pattern for Imitarion. Hence Paul cxhorttth the Corinthians to follow him, as he followed Chrill:, I·Cor. xi. 1. V I. Sheep are liable to many VL So the Saints of God are fu bjeEt to maniDiteales, manv of them are weak fold \Neakndfes, Tempt<~tions, and Affiir'\ions, and feeble ; \~hich a -good Shrpwhic-h moved the Almighty to great Compafflon, .herd taketh pity of, and enckaand lorely to rebuke the Shepherds of ljrr.el, for vors to heal and flrev.gthen them. their Cruelty and great Rcmilfnefs towlt~S his Flock : 'J'he Dijeafed ha<•eJe notJirer.gtbened, nri– .tber have ye healed that which was jick, &c. And therefore limb, He would hitn fel f take the Wo1k into his own Hands: ]will bind up that .which was broken, aid willflrengtben .that which was jick, &c. VII. A Flock ofSbrep muflnot be ov·er-driven, left they tire. ]4· cob; who was a fkilful Shepherd, knew this, and therefore told Efau -his Brother, char if the Flock were over dnven, thty would cli::-, Gen. xxxiii. 13. V II. So .the Saints or Flock of Ch ri-11: mufl not be over-dr.iven, t.hcy mull: be led gently abng .; and God taketh care ro lay no more upon tl1ern than they can bear. No 'lemptatiou bath taken you, but fiub as is commcn to Man ; but .God is faithful, who will not fliffer JOU to be tempted above what } OU are able ; .and will with the 'l'emptatio" alfo make a fVay /o efeape, /};at ye may be able to bear it, 1 Cor. x. I 3. I-:Ie will not lay upon us more than is righc. VIII. Sheep are lt1bjer'\ to go VIII. So the Sa!nts are fubj<Et tv go aflray aftray, and to be lofi in a VVikierfrom God, and f() wander from hi~ .Prect'pts, 7)iz. ·ne!S ; and upon chat account nred decline in rlu-ir Ze~l, Fairh, and Affcclion Eo the Shepherd's c arc, to reek them, him, and his Ways, and rog.er WJnderingThoughts and fetch them home to the Fold. after the World ; and lometi cr.es they wander, through the Neglect and Careldlnef• of the Un– der-Shepherds: My Sheep,faith the Lord, wandered through all the JIIotmtains, and /lone Jidjearch or feek after them, Ezek. xxxiv. 6. 1have go.'f ajiray likea /ojl Sb!tp, feekthy Servant, &c. Pjal. cxix. 176. IX. Sheep mufl: be led forth into I X. So Chrift's Fhck mu/1 be fed tn good Palgreen Paf1ures, to be fed: And a tt1res, viz. with fOund and wholci(Jme Trlith, oood good Sh<pht rd will rake heed he Doctrine, Food th •t is fit and proper fur them ; put them not into F ields or Meathey mufl not have the Chaff of Mens Traditions, duw_s rhat are not proper for them; nor the corruptGiolfes of cloudy OoCl:ors,tnat Jived for iome Grounds will foon rot and in the dark Tunes ot the Church. 1t behoves fpo1! them. Chrill's M in i!lers to take heed they fulfer not the Sheep under tlkir Charge to fL1ck in rhe Pojf(m of Error and Herefy; for nothing rots and fpoils C hrifl:ians more than that. The Spoufe from hence enquireth of Chrilt, 1 /b<re be feedetb l is Flock ? Cant . i. 7· that is, where his bleffed Gofpel was truly and conftamly preoched, and Ius hdy Ord1n~nces duly adminifreretl, lefl: 01e ihould turn ajide by the Flocks of bis Companions, that is, fuch as call themfelves fo. Chri!t directs her to go fortb by tbe Footjleps of tbe F/o,k, and feed their Kids bejides the Shepherds 'Ients: That is, to follow the DoCtrine and Foot– Heps of the Primitive Church, for that alone is our Rule in all God's holy Wor0 1 ip. 'J'he Lord JS my Shepherd, I jha/1 not want: He maieth me to lie down in green Pa;lures he leadeth me bejides the jiill Waters, Pfal. xxiii. 1, 2 . ' X. Sheep have a ihadowy Place X. So the Saints and Church of G od have a to re/1 in, when the Sun ihines hot blelfed R efl:ing-place in the Time of the greatdt at Noon, whtch IS a great Refre01H ear, Temptation, Affi!t1ion, and Perfccution menr to them, where they chew or whatloevcr may caui'e DtJquiet, and griev~ them
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