Book IV. SAINTS coMPARED TO LAMBS .IN A LARGE PLACE. 753 SIMILE. PARALLEL. to themfelves. STMILE. 1. GOLD is earthly, and of a perifl1ing Nature; it weareth .away by little and little; the more .it is put w ufe, ,the more .it wa(\eth. II. Gold hath its Glory from Art; were it not moulded, thaped, e.nd furbithed by the Wit of Man, ic would not be fo glorious, nor of 1:hat elleem as now it is. Ill. Gold is Gold naturally, as 'it is dug out of·rhe Earth, though not fo pure as it is made afterwards ·by the Art and Indull:ry of Man. Gold, from our vai11 Converfation, but with the pre– cious Blood ofChrijl, as of aLamb without blemijh, r Pet. i. 18, 19. D IS PAR IT Y. 1. THE Saints, though their Bodies be earthly, and die, yet they fl1 all never perifl1; and their better Part is lpiritual, and Onll never fee Corruption. The more Service they do, tht' more glorious .rhey fl1all be. Saints <Ire nor the worle for weanng. !I. Bqt the Saints have <11 theit· Glory from Grace; it is not the 'Nark of Mens Hands, but the Work of God's Hands, that makes them to ihine; they are curioufly wrotJght and fathioned by rhe Spirit, from whence rhey become glorious. Ill. But the Saints were meer Lumps of Filth, Earth and not Gold, naturally. lt is Grace that mak es them ·excellent as .G,;Id; it is Grace that makes them differ from others. 1 N F E R E N C E ~ I. THIS thews forth the great Worth of God's peculiar .Ones: They at:e efieemed by him far more excellent, than .Gold is by Men. I!. It (peaks forth much Comfort to the Godly: God fo prizeth them, that he keeps them as carefully as we do the choicdt and rare£1: Gold. Jll. lt 0Jews.the Excellency of Grace: Grace is of a tratHformin~; Nature; it is like the Philofopher's Stone, it turns every Man and Woman, be rhey ·ever fo vile and bafe Metal, into Gold; i. .e• .it makes them holy, precious, and graciow; Ones .in God's .Sight. ·s A I N T s ·eoMPARE:n TO D 0 :V E s. 1Je ye harmlefs as Doves, Matt. x. . I 6. DOVES are, t. Medc 2. Harmlefs. g. Chail:e. 4· They make their Neil:s in a J{ock. 5· They feed upon pure Grain, not on Carrion, as Fowls of Prey do. 6. Have a lovely Eye, and always fixed 11pon their Mates. 7· They Jove to keep Com– ,pany together. 8. Moum when they have loll: the Sight of their Mates. 9· They arc often molcfted by Fowls of Prey. ·.10. They are \<ery fruitful. 'I. Thq• love to be by fweet Springs and Rivers of Water. 12. They were appointed under the Law for Sa– crifices. 13. fhcy have no Defence but by Flight. Upon all thefe Conliderarions Saints may be compared to Doves; which is largely opened under the Eighth Head of Metaphors, concerning the Church, ~o which we .refer you. SAINTS COMPARED TO LAMBS IN A LARGE ~PLACE. .Now the Lord willfeed them, as a Lmnb ;, a large Place, Hof i.v. 16. EXPOSITORS differ about the Meaning of thefe Words. 'Mercer and 1/atablu>, .' as Mr. Burroughs obferves, would ·Carry it rhus, L aute ut Agnus, mox matlatur: ·• As a Lamb, when it hath large 'Focd, it is foon tlain: So God threateneth Ephraim, ' that he will foon make an end of them; only he will let them profper for a while, and ' feed them largely, but it !hall be,£or the Slaughter, &c. But others rather tmder– ' tland, that God would bring Ephraim under fuch AffliCtion, as 010uld humble them, ·• and make them as a Lamb: Fud them as a L amb, parce ac tenuite1·; nor feed as an ' Heifer, that noted their .Profperity; bur feed as a Lamb, that noteth their Adverlity: 9 F ~For
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