Sibbes - Houston-Packer Collection BX9339.S5 B6 1641

,, Blowuponmy Garden. I iAnd let us. {et upon Duties with this encourage– ment, thjlt chriftwill blow upon us, not only to prevent us,but alfoto maintaine his own Graces in us. But 0 ! where is this fl:irring up of our felves,and one another upon thefegrounds~ But,Why is the church compttredto aGarden? .f!.!5ert. Chrifl: herein rakes all manner oftermes to ex- .Anfw. preffe himfelfe and the fiat~ ofthe Church, as it is to him, to !hew us that wherefoever we are., ' ' we may have occafi.on of heavenly thoughts,to raife up our thoughts to higher matters. His Church is his ·remple,when we are in theTemple, it is a_fieldwhen we are there ; AGarden, ifwe I ,t I walke in aGarden : Itisalfo aSpoufeand aSijler, &c. But more particularly the church is refernbled to aGarden. r. Becauf'e a@arden is taken om of the common In "¥Phane. 'J• d f}etls the wAft ground,_ to beappropriate to amorefllrticulttr church u comufe ; fo the church ofchrift is taken out ofthe pared t94 gar– wilderneffe of this waft world, to a particular den. jufe. It.is ~n refpectof the reft,as Gofhe~ toEgypt, Ex.o/;.'2.G. wherem ltghtwas, when all elfe was 10 darknes. 'And indeed wherin cloth the churchdiffer from other grounds, but that chrift bath taken it in ~ It is the fame foy le as other grounds are ; but he dreffeth and fits it to beare fpices and herbs. z. In agarden nothing comes up 1Jttturlllly sfit felfe, but as it is planted and fet ~ fo nothing is good in the heart , but as it is planted anq.fet"by the heavenly Husbandman. We need not fow Ioh.xs.u. the wildernc:s,f0r the feeds ofweeds profper na~ I I turally,theearth is a mother to wec:Eis,buqdl:epe , . mother u --------------~~------------~1.

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