Sibbes - Houston-Packer Collection BX9339.S5 B6 1641

0 thou[aireft among ~omen. l21 What ! now foire when her 'flltile wastaken SE:a.XIV· away~now foire when theWatchmen abafed her; now foire when lhewas difgraced ~ Yes,now ifoire and now foire, in the fight ofthedaughters of IertJ[alem,. and in the fight of Chrifi that cals her the faireft among women:So that under all difgraces, infirmities and fcandals, under all the £hame that rifeth in the foule upon fin, under all thefe clouds there isaoexcellency of the Chun;~,fhe is, The fairifl amongwomen, notwithftanding all thefe: 0 thou foireft amongwomen. ; · Whence comes this (atrenejfe umltr (ufbfleming · .f2.!5rl oulcne{ft ar;d dtfgrace? It comes fromwithout,it isborrowed beauty, Anfw. asyouhaveit, Ezek.I6.J,z. By riature we lie in ourbloud,there muft beabeautyput upon us,we are faire with the beauty tnat we have out of Chrifis wardrope. The Church fhines _in the beames of Chrifis Righteoufnelfe, fhee is not borne dms faire , but new borne faire.r. The Church of Chrift is all-glorious, but it is with– in, pot feen of the world, {be hath a life, but it is a ht4den life, our glory ~tnd our life is bidden in (hrilt : It is hid fometimes from the Church ir That Grace one!JI f!Jaker u. loveljto Chrift •. Pfal45, Col.J. 1 felfe, who fees gnely her deformity and nor her I \beauty;herdeath, bot not her life,becaufeherlife t:hat rhecburcb 'ishtd. Here is amyfiery ofReligion, The church u never more· \is neq;er morefoire then whenflu }.ttd?eth her tef't to faire in cbri/fs 1.. o 1' 'J c; eye , then when tJt moft defOrmed; Never morehappy·then when foe }bt (eer &com. · judgeth her (elfi to bemi{erAhle; Nevermore flrong ~lainer m~~ ofj then w~en foe fecles her felfi to be weake ; Never :z.er~:/;~;~:tles.~ more reghteOf# then when Jhe fieles her [elfi to be Y m~ ~ · -=="'

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