196 FIFTH SNIIMON the attire, the comeliness of his spouse. For his peo- ple to forget him, is for a maid to forget her orna- ments, or a spouse her attire, Jer. ii. 32. The per- fect beauty of the church, is that comeliness of his which he communicates unto her, Ezek. xvi. 14. Of our- selves we are wretched, miserable, poor, naked; our gold, our riches, our white raiment, we must buy of him, Rev. iii. 18. He is the Lord our righteousness, whom therefore we are said to put on, Rom. xiii. 14. He hath made us kings and priests unto our God, Rev. v. 10. and being such, he hath provided beauti- ful robes for us, as once he appointed for the priests, Exod. xxviii. 2. Rev. iv. 4. vi. 11. vii. 9. This spiritual beauty of holiness in Christ's church, is sometimes compared to the marriage ornaments for a queen, Psa. xlv. 14. Rev. xviii. 7, 8. xxi. 2. sometimes to the choice flowers of a garden, roses and lilies, Cant. ii. 1, 2. sometimes to a most glorious and oodly structure, Rev. xxi. 11. 23. sometimes to the shining forth of the moon, and the brightness of the sun, Cant. vi. 10. Rev. xii. 1. All the united excellences of the creatures are too low to adumbrate and figure the glories of the church. [2.] The root and stability of the church is in and from him ; he is the root of David, Rev. v. 5. Ex- cept he dwell in us, we cannot be rooted nor grounded, Eph. iii. 17. All our strength and sufficiency is from him, Phil. iv. 13. Eph. vi. 10. 1 Pet. v. 10. The graft is supported by another root, and not by its own. This is the reason of the stability of the church, be- cause it is founded upon a rock, Matt. xvi. 18. not upon Peter, but upon him whom Peter confessed ; upon the apostles only doctrinally, but upon Christ personally, as the chief corner - stone, elect and pre- cious, in whom whosoever believeth shall not be.
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