218 FIFTH SERMON called holy, Isa. iv. '2, 3. then on every vessel in Judah and Jerusalem shall be inscribed, " Holiness unto the Lord," Zech. xiv. 20, 21. then the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall speak plainly, Isa. xxxii. 2 -4. And this should be the endeavour of every one who liveth under the shade of this tree, under the purity of God's ordinances, under the pious government and constitution of such a church, or family as is here de- scribed, (especially in such times when on the one side the world is so much loosened, and estranged from us ; and on the other side reformation in the church is so much desired,) to convert and turn unto the Lord. All endeavours of reformation in a church are miserably defective, when they come short of this end, (which is the ultimate reason of them all,) namely, the repentance and conversion of those who dwell under the shadow of it. When God promiseth to give unto his church the glory of Lebanon, and the excellency of Carm el and Sharon, the consequence of this beauty and reformation in the church is, the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, the lame shall leap, the dumb shall sing, the parched ground shall be a pool, the thirsty land springs of water, Isa. xxxv. 5 -7. The wolf, the leopard, the lion, the bear, the asp, the cockatrice, shall be so turned from the fierceness and malignity of their natures, that they shall not hurt nor destroy in all the holy mountain, but a little child shall lead them all, Isa. xi. 6.9. It is a great happiness and advan- tage to live under the shade of a godly government ; many men have reason to bless God all their days, that they were in their childhood trained up in such a school, where piety was taught them as well as
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