754 SAINTS COMPARED TO LAM:BS ·rN A LARGE PLACE. Book IV, ' For the Food of' Lamb diffcreth from the Food of an Heifer. That which will ' feeJ a Lamb, will il:arve an Heirer, or an Ox. They have, fiith God, been proud • and wantOn in the Enjcyment of Pe~ce and Plenty; bur now they ihall have ihon ' Commons; I will bring then1 down, and !ay them low at my Feet; they fhall be as ' a Lamb that picks up GraC> in the Vvilderneis, as a Lamb in a large Place : That is, 'foith Mr. Burroughs, they fhall be difperfed among the Countries. They would not ' be fatisficd in Cannmz, which was a narrow Place; and with the Sheepfold of mine ' that was therein; ami now they fhall have more Room, they !11all go Into a 'ian•e '' Place, bt:t it ih all be intO Captivity.' "' Bm now fully to t<lke in the direCt Senfe of the Text, I will feed thew as a Lamb ill a large Place; that is, as a Lamb that ihal\ be alone, one Lamb. 'He fpeaks of a ' Lamb fwgly, becaufe that they fhould be fcarttred one from another. TLey had 'Society, and might have abode in the fweet Enj •yment of it, had they no~ finned 'their Mercies away; but fince they did not make good Uie of their Peocc and Com– ' munion together, God thrcateneth to fcatter them, one in one Place, nnd anmher in • another Place; and they ihould be as a Lamb alone in the vVilderneis, fuccorieis, ' helplefs, ihiitlels, bleating up and down.' Which affords us a profitable Paralki. S I M I LE. L A Lamb in a large Place, that feeds in a Wildcrnefs alone, is very folitary, and, a~ it hath been obferved, wanders about bleating, feeming greatly troubled for want of Company. PAR ALL E L. I. so when God fcattcrs his People by Perfi-– cmion, bccat:fe tl:ey ha.ve not prized nor improved that Peace and Piemy which he hath af– forded them in their own Fold, nor regarded the Sweetnefs of Chrilban Society and Communion togtther, they ·{hall wander about, bleating as it were, being greatly troubled for want of that Fd– lowihip, they once enjoyed . Thus it was with the poor Jews. II. A Lamb alone in a large Il. So a poor Chriflian, that flrays abroar!, or .Place, wandering up and down in gets o\lt of God's Fol.i, and is as a Lamb in a a ' Vildernefs, among Wolves, large Place, is in great danger of bemg ipoiled .Lions, &c. is in great danger of and devoured .every Moment; when fu,h Chril– being devoured every Moment ; tians as abide in the Church, and keep clofe to the when fuch as remain in the Fold Yellowihip .and Communion thereof, are fate. with the Flock, are generally fafe Alia Chrittians that are fcattered, and forced by and very fectlre. Perfecurion from the Society of the Saints, are ob– noxious to many Deaths and Dangers. ·III. A Lamb in a large Place or Wildernefs hath none to help it ; who watches or rakes care of fuch a Lamb? It bath no Shepherd .to .look after it, none that regards it. IV. A L amb in a large Place is forced to feek its own Food, and provide for itfeif, when fuch as remain in the Fold, or in t!1e F lock, the Shephe1 d rakes care of them, and daily feeds them; they have no v,r ant, \\hen the poor .Lamb in the Wildernefs is in hJrd Weather near ftarving. Il l. So thofe<Chriflians that :tray ab;·oad, or ore forced to wander in a bc•, ildered Eftate, have no Fellowihip with God's People, nor are they ·under the fpecial Care or Charge of anv of his par– ticular Minifters ; ·none regard them: \Vhicb is a fore and lamentable State. IV. So fuel·. Chriflians as ftray abroa·1, and walk '-lone, not bdonging to any particular Church, have little Food bm what they can find themfelve£; they .have not thofe fweet and bldfed R efreOl– meim at the Lord's Table, and in the daily Com– munion with God's People, as fuch have who are orderly Members. This made the Spoufe cry out, l ell me, 0 thou whom my Soullovelh, where thou feede.ft, and where tbou make.ft thy Flooks to rr.ji at Noo11, .&c. Cant. i. 7· N •F E R E N C E S. 'I. FROM hence we may infer, what a fore Ev il it is to be fcattered from the F lock of God. Some Oight Chrifiian Society, and think the Yoke of Chrift is roo hard and uneafy for their Necks; ~hey account it Bondage, and nor Liberty; they do not like Chrift's Fold. And how j uit is it with God to blind the Eyes of fuch, and leave them to wander in the Wildernefs, and let them feed as a Lamb in a large Field, ·.being expofed to the Danger of many Enemies? 3 '11. Some
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