Book IV. SA INTS ,coMrARED To P AL)\1; -TREES. 739 METAP HOR. exceeding pleafant and delicious, that a Man can hardly forbear, and make an end in T ime. P AR AL LE L. are very fruitful Trees; they may fit!y in this re– fpeC!: be compared to the Palm Tree. VIlL The Palm T ree will thrive VIII. Thus the Righteous flourifh like the Palm under heavy Preifures or W eights · Tree, they increafe in Grace and Holinefs, though that are hanged upon it. The under great Burdens and Pretrures, Pfal- XCII. 12. l'alm Tree, faith Mr, Caryl, doth The Devil !hives to prefs them d()wn, Sm en · grow up, when ic is moft preffed dc:avors to prefs them down, wicked Men en.., down. Vlhen there are the headd,n•or to prefs them down, and yet they thrive viefl: Weights hung upon it, then and grow exceedingly: 'Ihe Righteousjhall hold on it grows hivhefl: ; when it is, as it his Way, and he that bath clean Hands jhall grow were, kept down, the Burdens that flronger and flronger. lt is faid of the People of ore upon it cannot make it bow, lfrae/, when Pht1raoh put heavy Weights upon .nor <>row crooked. This Tree, them, when he fet Talk M afters to affiiC!: them with faith 0 .Ainfworth, though prelfed, their Burdens, the more he affiii'led them, the more yet it endureth and profpereth. It they multiplied, Exod. i. 11, 12. Perfecution ne– -is a Tree of an excellent Nature. ver does godly Chrifl:ians any harm ; they gro,., the more, nor onlv in Number but in Goodnefs. .It refines and purifies them, i t purges and makes then; white, they grow in Faith, in Patience. 'l'ribulation worketb Patience, mtd Patience Experience, and Experience Hope, Ram. v, 4, 5· Here is a growing and flouri!l1ing like the Palm Tree, under heavy Pre!lcires and Afflictions. They get more Knowledge ;,lfo of their own Hearts, and more Acquaintance and Communion with God; the Spirit of Grace and Glory refleth upon fuch. And thus the Highteous flouri!h like the Palm Tree, under Weights and heavy Preffures of AffiiCI:ions. IX. The Branches of the Palm Trees w"re uled as Signs of Victory and R ejoicing, when the People would exprels their great Joy. When they beheld Ch-ift riding tri– umphantly to Jerufalem, they cut down Palm Branches, &c. John xii. Alfothel-lundred ForryFourThou– lillld, who were redeemed from the' Earth, that were cloathed in white, IX. Saints are as ,Palm Branches in Chrifl's Hand, as a Sign of that glorious ViC!:ory he hath obtained over Sin, Satan, the \Vorld, Death, Hell, and Wrath, and all other Enemies whatfoever. Aifo, as one obfervesJ their being comp1red ro the Palm Tree, may fignify rhut lJCtorious ar.d tri– umphant State, and eternal Joy, which they fhall obtain, after the heavy Prelfures, Sorrows and At~ fl iC!:ions, that ancnd th<:m in this Worlcl_, are ended. .are fait! to have Palms in their Hands, Rev. vii. 9· N F E R E N C E S. 1 I. T I-IIS fhews forth the Excellency of true Grace : Such IS its rare Nature, that it caufed1 the Soul that rect:ives it eo grow hkt: a PJ!m Tn:e. H. God hereby ot:twits the Mighty. 'lbere is no Counfdogai;rfl the Lord. The Un– godly hang their Weights upon Chri!t's Palm Trees, and what is their lmen t and Pm– po{i: in fo doing, you may re<td in the Scriptures: Come o;z, faith Pbaraoh, let us deal <oijely u•ith them, how was that? To lay vVeights and Burdens upon them : T o what End? Left they fhould multiply. They refolved to keep them down, they flrO\<e t~ l11nder thm Growth, they defigncd to fpoil their Multiplying, and their Growth 0 Number, as alfo 111 Grace and Vmue; bm they were like the Palm Tree, the more they were oppretred, the more they grew and multiplied. That way Men think to hinder the Trmh, to obll:ruCI: the Gofpel from flourifhing; that way God takes to make it fpread and flounfh the more. Thofe Things that happened to the Apoflles, to binda their Mmiltry, God made for the Furtherance of the Goli>el. l ll. Th;s fhould raife up our Hearts to magnify the Power, W,fdom, and Goodnefs ofGod, who over-rulesThing:s thus in the World; who turns I hat fOI·Goocl , which wicked Men ddign. for the great l-Iurt of his poor People. 'This a!Jo cometb f;om the Lord of Hafts, who rs wonderful in Counftl, and excellent in Working, He makes the Ri<>hteous w flourifh like the Palm Tree, to grow upwards, by thofe \Vays and Means wl~ch one would tl11nk wollld bring them quite down, and utterly fpoi l their growin<>, ' Likl! ' as when we fee the Corn laid ar, and threfhed with a Flail, one would ~hink there ' were great Hurt intended to tbe Corn, but it is only to feparate it from the Straw ,, and Chaff, that it may appear in its own Beauty and Ufefulnefs: So the L ord hath 'his
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