Book IV. s A I N T s COMPARED TO w H E A T. 741 fdfors, are puffed up. .dbraham calls himfelf bltt Drifl a11d .d)hes; David, a W1r 11 at>:! 110 Man; Job abhors himftlf, as a nothing Creature, Job xln. 6. Paul fatth, he wa< the leajf of all Saints, Eph. iii. 8. vVhen the empty Hypocnte cnes out, Lord, I thank thee, I am 1lOI ·as other i'vfen, Luke xviii. IL. M E T A P H 0 R. P A R A L L E L. VI. Wheat needs weeding. VI. So the Saints and People of God need weedWeeds many Times come up with ing. Weeds of Corruption often fpnng up, and it and hinder its Growth. trouble them, which did not God, the good Huf- ' band man, root ou1 and dd!roy, would quite fpoil VI I. Wheat hath, it is obferved, fometimes Tares amongft it, which the Hufban,dman fees good to let alone till the Harveli:, left in pluck– ing them om fome of the Wheat bt: pulled up with them. his choicell Wheat, 1-ieb. xii. I 5· VI I. The Field is the World, where the Sai:tts of God, who are comp>red to Wheac, grow, i. e. live, and much Tar;.;·s grow up or live among them in every Nation, City, and Town, Matl. xiii. 38. And it is the Pie •fure of God, that they lhould be let alone, or fuflered to g row together in the V\7orld, thar common Field, though not in the Church. And therefore w.ere the People of God fuch as the wicked Perfecutor calls them, viz. Ta~es, Hereticks, the Offfcouring of the World i yt:t it is direCtly con– trary to the Mind of God, that they lhould be rooted up, aod turned out of the Earth. Let both grow togethe-/, faith the Hufbandman, tillllarve.ft. VIII. Wheat hath a confidera. Vl!I. So the l'eopk of God are not fo foon"' ble Time to ripen, it muft have they fpring up in Grace, ripe for God's Garner, the former and latter R ain; but bllt they need fome Time before they be fit for when it is ripe, it is fevered from cutting down by Death. The former and latter the Tares, and gathered into the !{ain of the Spirit mu(l; fall upon them; they Barn. · ripen gradually. A~d when the Harveft come ', to wit, the End of the World, then the Saints lhall be fevered from the Wicked, the Good come from the Bad, the H oly from the Vile, like as Wheat is levered from the T ares : And thofe th'at appear pure Grain, lhall be gathered into Gvd's Garner, i.e. his bletfed Kingdom; and the Wicked, like T ares, 01all be bound in l.lundles, and caft into Hdl, to be burned in unqurnchable Fire, .il.f1tt. Xiii. 41, 42. IX. \\'heat, when it is fown, IX. So the Saints of G<Jd die, like good Seed dies, anJ nfes again ; ir rifes VVheat, are fown in the Earrh, and flnll rife again, rhe and the fame Wheat, though it fame Body lhaJ.l rife again ; a.1 every Seed hath his rifes more glorious than it feemed own Body, fo lhall every Sa111r tn the Day of the to be when fown. Refurrecbon have hts own Body, though Ius Body lhall nfe more glonous than tt was before. The Apofile faith, '!'hat which thou fowe;q, thou fowcjt 11ot that Body that /hall be, becauft it is fown a natural Bod)', it is raijed a fpiritual; it is Jown in Corruption, but is raifed in Incorruption; it is fawn in Di)honor, and raifed in Glory; it is f awn in lVeakmfs, il is raifed in Power, 1 Cor. xv. 38, 42, 43· X. Wheat is threlhed by the X. So God, to fever the Chaff of corrupt and Hulhandman, to fever the Corn droffy Profeffors, from the pure Grain, viz. fin. tram the Straw·and Chaff. cere Saints, leaves the Wicked as it were to thre01 his People; God's People are often under the Flail -of Perkcution. 1 N F E R E N C E S. 'I. THI'$ may fer•e to reprove the bloody Perfecutors of God's People, who would 'fain pluck up the Saints as Tarts; but let them r.ke heed. lt .GoJ would not have many Tares plucked up, le!t lame of the Wheat be plucked up with them, whar will become of them, who inftead of .plucking the wicked Tares, that perhaps de– ferve the greateft Severity, as bei11g guilty of .innocent Blood, connive. a: fl1ch, and le~ them alone, having much Favor for them, and fer themfelves wholly againft God'$ faithful and innocent People! What unwearicd Endeavors have been ufed, to deftroy and root out the Godly ? I I. It rnay be a Caution to all to take heed how they perfecute Men for Confcience fake; for who can infallibly know fuch as fear not God, nor belong to him, from fucn gC u
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