Tropes and Figures

Parallels.

THe Sea is a great Convention, (as one words it) or a Multitude of Waters; The gathering together of the Waters called he Seas: So the Wicked are a Multitude of People.

II. The Sea sometimes swells, roars, and rises very high, threatening the Earth as if it would swallow it up immediately: So the mighty Concourse of the wicked and tyrannical Powers of the Earth, many times swell in Pride and Arrogancy, and make a fearful Noise, as if they would in a moment swallow up the Lord's People.

III. The Sea hath its Bounds set by the Almighty: He hath shut up the Sea with Doors, &c. and hath said, Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further; and here shall thy proud Waves be stayed: So the Lord sets Bounds to the Wrath and Rage of the Ungodly; no Creatures can go further than God permits them. As he that made the Sea, can master it; so he can soon put a Stop and Curb to the proudest Oppressor and Persecutor in the World. Let Men be as angry as they will, let them be as stormy as the boisterous Seas; yet the Lord hath said, Hitherto shall ye come, and no further. He stilleth the Noise of the Seas, the Noise of the Waves, and the Tumult of the People. Nay, the Devil himself is like a Sea shut up, he cannot do what he would, he hath Bounds set him, &c.

IV. The Sea at God's command is still; The Wind and Seas oby him: So with one Word speaking (as it were) he can quiet the Wicked, and make them silent in Darkness; He can make this Sea and frightful Storm a Calm, and cause the proud Waves to be still.

V. The Sea produces or brings forth many strange Monsters: So the Multitude of the Wicked, this metaphorical Sea, hath brought forth many a vile and strange Monster. See Dan. 7.3. And four great Beasts came up from the Sea, diverse one from the other; the first was like a Lion, and had Eagles Wings, &c. These four Beasts signified the four Monarchies of the Earth; what a Monster the fourth hath been, all the World hath had full Experience of, that had great Iron Teeth, &c. What Devils incarnate were many of the Roman Emperors, particularly Nero, who ripp'd up the Belly of his own Mother! &c. And what a Monster hath the little Horn been, I mean the Papal Power! what a mighty Mass of innocent Blood hath the Beast and Whore devoured! &c.

VI. The Sea is very restless, it ebbs and flows, and seems to be continually troubled: So the Ungodly are always restless in their Spirtis, like wicked Haman, they never cease Plotting against the Just. Tho they have very great Power, Riches, and Honor, yet because God's Mordecai's will not bow down their Souls for them to go over, all seems as nothing to them; they have Riches, much Gold and Silver, but not satisfied; they enjoy all the Delights and Pleasures the World can afford them, but yet are like the troubled Sea: Many times also their Consciences sorely disquiet them. What Rest soever they may have, yet certainly they are continually void of the true Peace of God, and in this Sence there is no Peace to the Wicked, &c.

VII. The Sea continually casteth forth Mire and Dirt: So the Ungodly never cease casting forth their abominable Wickedness.

Inferences.

LEt not the Saints fear the Ungodly: What though they swell and roar? God hath set Bounds to them: The Wrath of Man shall praise thee, and the Remainder of Wrath shalt thou restrain. No more Wrath of Man shall be let out, no higher shall these Seas swell, than shall tend to the Glory of God; the Over-plus, that Wrath that would indeed prove hurtful to the Godly, and to the dishonor of the Almighty, the Lord will restrain.

II. Pray hard, that God would keep the Doors and Bars of these troublesome Seas fast, and prevent the Danger. I will yet for this be inquired of by the House of Israel, to do it for them.

1. Pray, that God will keep the Sea of Man's Wrath within its limited Bounds.

2. Pray, that God would not suffer Satan to break forth too furiously upon us. If God did not set Bounds to him, no Man could live quiet one hour.

3. Pray, that God would set Bounds to the Sea of Profaneness.

4. And also that he would set Bounds, and drive back the Sea of Error and false Doctrine, &c.

III. This shows the woeful Condition of ungodly Men: They have no Peace, true Peace, whilst they live, and be sure shall have none at Death. Peace is the Portion only of the Lord's People: Great Peace have all they that love thy Law, &c. My Peace I give unto you.

Parallels.

A Dead Man, one that is really dead, is under a total Privation of Life; there is no Life in him: So Man by Sin is totally under the Privation of the spiritual Life of God. Now the Life of God consisteth in a Principle of Grace, which is called a Seed; The Seed (speaking of a Man quickened) remains in him. This Seed, or divine Principle, is unto the Soul, as the Soul is to the Body: but there is no Soul, or Seed of Grace, no Principle of spiritual Life in an unregenerate Man; and therefore really and truly dead in a spiritual Sence, as the Body is dead when the Soul is separated from it. If there be any true and real spiritual Life in an unconverted Man, how can he be said to be dead? for where there is not a total Privation of natural Life, a Man cannot be said to be dead naturally.

II. Dead, the Dead shall hear, &c. This imports, Man was once alive, spiritually alive, considering the Subject of whom our Savior speaks. Man before his Fall, or the Entrance of Sin, was alive; Death was threatened upon Adam's eating of the forbidden Fruit: In the Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die: The Deprivation of the spiritual Life of the Soul, as well as the Life of the Body, was in the Sanction of that Law, Thou shalt die the Death. What Life soever Adam had before he fell, he lost it by his Transgression; and in that very Day he eat, he suffered a Deprivation of the Light of God's Countenance, and spiritual Life of God in his Soul. He lost that supernatural Power of acting towards God spiritually, or Image of God that was in him; so that it was impossible for him to live anymore to God, until quickened by a new Principle of spiritual Life. And hence unregenerate Men are said to be dead, &c.

III. A Man that is dead cannot move, act, or speak; all natural Motions utterly cease; that is the Effect of Death: So unconverted Men have lost all spiritual vital Acts, that is, all Acts and Duties of holy Obedience, acceptable unto God. There is in them a total Defect and Want of Power for any such Acts whatsoever, or else they are not dead, cannot be said to be dead; for when the Soul departs, it leaves the Body uncapable of any kind of Activity. All the natural Power the Body had, by means of the Soul's Union with it, is gone, upon the Separation of the one from the other: So Death falling upon the Soul, or suffering a Privation of the Image of God, or spiritual Life it had, all its internal Power to act or live to God is gone, the the carnal Mind being expressly said to be Enmity against God: An evil Tree cannot bring forth good Fruit. In short, there is in all wicked Men, a Disability or Impotency unto all spiritual Things, to be performed in a spiritual manner; and that it is impossible for them to act and do in a way acceptable to God, till quickened by the Holy-Ghost.

IV. A dead Man is an unlovely Object to look on; for it is Life that puts a Beauty and Glory upon the Body: So an unregenerate Man is an unlovely Object. 'It is Grace only, or that supernatural Principle of spiritual Life, that confers Beauty upon the inward Man, or renders the Soul amiable in God's sight.

V. A dead Man is void of all Sense, he sees not, feels not, hears not: If you cast Fire in his Face, 'tis all one to him; or if you run a Sword into his Heart, he will not complain; lay Mountains of Lead upon him, he feels them not, &c. So those who are dead in Sin, are senseless Souls. Tho the Anger of God is kindled against them, and his Wrath burns never so hot, they regard it not; nay though you throw as it were Hell-Fire into their very Faces, yet they fear it not: Tho there are upon them great Mountains of Sin, and horrid Guilt, yet they feel them not, &c.

VI. A dead Man cannot be raised to Life again, without the mighty Power of God: So the Dead in Sin cannot be raised to Life, without the mighty Power of God's Spirit. Christ, who raised dead Lazarus out of the Grave, must quicken such who are dead in Sins and Trespasses. The Ephesians are said to believe according to the Working of God's mighty Power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the Dead.

VII. A dead Man is loathsome, and fit for nothing but to be put under Ground, or buried out of sight: So the Wicked are loathsome in God's sight, and unless the sooner quickened, they will be good for nothing but to be cast into Hell; some wicked Men are fit to be buried, or thrown into that Grave.

Object. It is by some objected, That there is a wide Difference between Death natural and spiritual: In Death natural, the Soul itself is utterly removed and taken away from the Body, but in Death spiritual it continues: a Man is still, notwithstanding this spiritual Death, endowed with an Understanding, Will, and Affections, by which these Men are enabled to perform their Duties to God.

Answ. 1. In Life spiritual, the Soul is unto the Principle of it, as the Body is unto the Soul in Life natural: For in Life natural, the Soul is the quickening Principle, and the Body is the Principle quickened; when the Soul departs, it leaves the Body with all its own natural Properties, but utterly deprived of them which it had by virtue of its Union with the Soul: So in Life spiritual, the Soul is not, in and by its essential Properties, the quickening Principle of it, but it is the Principle that is quickened: and when the quickening Principle of spiritual Life departs, it leaves the Soul with all its natural Properties entire as to their Essence, though mortally corrupted, (which is equivalent with Death natural); but of all the Power and Abilities, which it had by virtue of its Union with a quickening Principle of spiritual Life, it is deprived. And to deny there is such a quickening Principle of Life spiritual, superadded unto us by the Grace of God, distinct and separate from the natural Faculties of the Soul, is upon the matter to renounce the whole Gospel; it is all one as to deny, that Adam was created in the Image of God, which he lost; or that Sinners are spiritually dead in Sins and Trespasses; and that we are renewed into the Image of God by Jesus Christ.

2. Whatsoever the Soul acts in spiritual Things by its Understanding, Will, Affections, &c. as deprived of, or not quickened by this Principle of spiritual Life; it doth it naturally, not spiritually, &c.

Disparity.

A Man naturally dead is altogether uncapable to make any opposition against the supernatural Power of God, put forth in order to quicken him, or raise him to Life, he can no way, directly or indirectly oppose it. But a Man who is dead, spiritually dead in Sin, when God in a gracious way comes to use Means to quicken him, or raise him to a State of Life, he makes opposition, nay; and doth greatly resist and strive against the good Motions of the Spirit, and Workings of God, in order to his Vivification. So that the Power of God is more manifestly seen in the quickening of one spiritually dead, than in quickening one dead naturally.

Inferences.

FRom hence we may perceive the evil and destructive Nature of Sin: It is spiritually the Death and Ruin of the Soul, and will, without the infinite Mercy of God, destroy it forever.

II. It shows also particularly, what the Nature of Adam 's Sin was, and what it did incur upon his Posterity, viz. not only natural Death, but spiritual Death likewise.

III. It sets forth the Riches of God's Grace in the second Adam, that quickening Spirit, in raising poor dead Souls to Life again.

IV. Here is much Comfort for all sincere Christians, who are raised from Death to Life by Christ, in that there is so great a difference between the State of Adam in Innocency, and our standing in Christ, viz. The Principle of Life in Adam was wholly and entirely in himself. It was the Effect of God's good Will and Power, 'tis true, but it was left to grow on no other Root but what was in Man himself; it was wholly implanted in his Nature, and therein did its Spring lie: But in the Life whereinto we are renewed by Christ Jesus, the Fountain and Principle of it is not in ourselves, but in him, as a common Root of Head: He is our Life. Because I live, ye shall live also. He is the Spring and Fountain of it. He by Covenant also hath undertook to maintain Life in us; he doth renew and increase this Life in us, so that it is impossible that we should spiritually die forever.

V. A Man also from hence may easily perceive, whether he be made alive, or quickened by the Spirit, or no. (1.) A Man that hath Life in him, breaths: So he that is spiritually alive, breaths forth his Soul in fervent Desires to God; Prayer (as some have observed) being the Breath of the new Creature. Hence God, when he would convince Ananias that Saul was regenerated, said, Behold, he prayeth. (2.) There is in him Heat, spiritual Heat and Zeal Godward. (3.) He hath his spiritual Senses; he can see, feel, hear, &c. (4.) 'It is a full Evidence a Man is alive, when he rises up, and walks: So a spiritual Man rises up, and walks in neweness of Life. (5.) A Man quickened hath his Beauty restored again: So a Man spiritually quickened, hath the Image of God restored; he is holy, heavenly, &c.

Parallels.

SOme Men are born blind. All Mankind spiritually may be said to be born blind; for as they are under a Privation of Life, it follows they are blind, that is, their Understanding is darkened.

II. Some Men are blind casually, either by Age, or some Accident. Adam before his Fall, could see; originally Man's Eye-sight was good, but Sin hath put his Eyes out.

III. Blind Men have not the comfortable Benefit of the Sun: So wicked Men receive not the heavenly and sweet Benefit of the Sun of Righteousness.

Tho the Sun shines never so bright, a blind Man is never the better for it, unless his Eyes were opened: So though the Gospel be preached never so powerfully, yet wicked Men see not, nor can they, till the Eyes of their Understanding are enlightened.

IV. Blind Men stumble, and know not many times at what they stumble; they also are in great Danger, without a sure Guide: So wicked Men know not what they stumble at; they stumble at God himself, and at Christ, when they stumble at his Truth, and his People: They know not whither they go, nor the dreadful Danger they are in; they think they are in the right Way to Heaven, and yet are in the broad Way to Hell; they are led ofttimes by those who are as blind as themselves; And if the Blind lead the Blind, they will both fall into the Ditch.

V. Some Men's natural Blindness hath been by the just Judgment of God upon them for their Sin: So God in a way of Judgment blinds the Eyes of some Men, after common Illuminations. He is said to blind their Eyes, and harden their Hearts, that is, he denies them his Grace, and withdraws those common Influences of it from them, suffering Satan to take full Power of them, leaving them to their own Hearts Lusts, and so consequently to final Impenitency.

Disparity.

MEn who are naturally blind, would gladly see; they lament nothing more than the Loss of their Eye-sight: But wicked Men are willingly blind, they love Darkness rather than Light, and refuse the Means God is pleased to afford them, in order to the opening their Eyes.

II. Men who are naturally blind, do gladly accept of a faithful and sure Guide: But wicked Men, who are spiritually blind, refuse that Guide God directs them to, viz. his holy Word; they are neither thankful to God, nor good Men, for any Help afforded them; nay, they vilify such as would take them by the hand to save them out of the Pit of eternal Misery. There is no Blindness like spiritual Blindness. Call upon wicked Men, and entreat them never so often and earnestly, Pray do not go that Way, take heed, Man, O take heed! there is a Pit before you; alas! you are going into the Lion's Den, nay, worse, into everlasting Fire, to Death and Hell: Yet these blind Wretches will go on, live or die, sink or swim, all is one; no Advice or Warning will be received.

Parallels.

A Mad Man is one that is deprived of his natural Reason, a Beast (as it were) in the shape of a Man: So all the Ungodly of the Earth have lost their spiritual Reason, they are Men of no Understanding, and more fitly may be said to be Beasts in the form or shape of Men, than such as have lost their human Reason.

II. Some mad Men are desperate, and very mischievous, care not what hurt they do: O how desperate are wicked Men! how will they swear, curse, and blaspheme the holy Name of God, and dare God to damn them; and for Mischief, they delight in nothing more, spoiling and utterly destroying their innocent Neighbors.

III. Mad Men are usually bound, lest they should proceed too far in their mischievous Ways: So God chains up, or puts wicked Men into Bonds, limits their Power, lest they should go too far in their cruel and mischievous Designs against his People.

IV. Mad Men are usually committed to Prison: So wicked Men are under the cursed Bondage and Slavery of Satan, who takes them captive at his Will.

V. A mad Man will even spit in the Face of his dearest Friend, who with much Affection seeks his Good: So wicked Men do as it were spit in the very Faces of God's faithful Ministers, who in Bowels of tender Love and Compassion seek their Good; and is this any marvel, when they in a base manner spit in the Face of Christ himself?

VI. Mad Men refuse Clothes, and will go naked: So wicked Men refuse spiritually to be clothed with the Robe of Christ's Righteousness; they will go naked in God's sight, or have nothing to cover them but the Rags of their own Righteousness.

There are many other Properties in mad People, which may aptly be applied to ungodly Men; but because divers of them agree likewise with the Characters of Fools or Idiots, we shall refer you to that concerning Fools, &c.

Inferences.

NO marvel if God's People meet with so much Trouble in this World, and are exposed to so many Dangers by the Wicked: alas! they are mad: Let us take the less Notice of what they do to us; they are out of their right Minds, distracted, &c. What a mad World is this! how few are there that are come to themselves! Most Men and Women are mad.

Inferences.

IT shows to what a dreadful degree Men are degenerated, from what they were in their first Make.

II. It shows how hateful and loathsome Sin is to God, that the Spirit in the Word should compare wicked Men (persecuting Men, such as worry and destroy his People) unto Dogs.

III. It shows the Greatness of God's Power and Love to his People, to preserve them in the midst of such Beasts of Prey, as Lions, Wolves, Dogs, &c.

IV. It speaks great Comfort to those that are truly godly; for though the Wicked do often gnash their Teeth at them, yet God hath broken their Teeth, they cannot bite as they would.

Inferences.

I. This further shows the base and cruel Nature of the Ungodly.

II. It serves to inform us, what a Mercy 'tis they are restrained.

III. It may teach us also to cry to God to shackle and pen them up, and break their Horns, viz. destroy or take away their Power.

Disparity.

THere are many excellent Qualities in a Lion, which no way agree to Wicked Men and Tyrants, which we shall leave to the Reader to find out; upon which account God and Christ are compared in the Scripture to a Lion: See pag. 40. & 135. Book 2. of the first Volume.

Inferences.

THo these Lions are very strong and powerful, yet God is stronger than they, and he is against them:

Inferences.

THis may teach us to take heed of two sorts of Men. First, of a flattering and fawning Persecutor. Secondly, of a cunning and subtle Seducer; for Foxes haunt not a Vineyard, or Flock of Sheep, more than these do the Church: (1.) By corrupting the Purity of her Doctrine. (2.) Obscuring the Simplicity of Worship. (3.) Overturning the Beauty of Order, and bringing in confusion, spoiling her Bond of Union, by extinguishing the Vigor and Life of Christianity. (4.) By destroying her Children, and spoiling their Goods, and as much as in them lies ruining their Souls.

2. Therefore let us pray that these Foxes may be taken, like as the Foxes, that one way or other their Craft and Subtilty may be discovered, and they prevented, and hindered from doing more hurt to God's Church.

Inferences.

AS this may call aloud to Wicked Men, to consider the sad and loathsome Estate they are in, so in a special manner it doth reprove all such, that, like Goats, feed and lie down with Christ's Flock, and yet are still but Goats, and as they so abide, they will be found at the left hand of Christ in the day of his appearing to Judgment, when they shall be separated, so as never to have the Company of the Sheep of Christ more; and then shall he say unto them on the left Hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels.

Parallels.

SOme are Thieves from their Childhood, they begin betimes to steal and rob: So the Ungodly begin betimes to be Wicked, they are said to go astray from the Womb, telling Lies, and are by Nature prone to all manner of Sin and Wickedness; hereby depriving God of that Honor, Fear, and Reverence, that belongs to him.

II. Thieves love not the day, lest they should be discovered, but are busy and active in the Night: So Wicked Men hate the Light, They love Darkness rather than Light, because their Deeds are Evil.

III. Thieves run many Hazards and Dangers, venture their Lives to accomplish their Designs: So Wicked Men run great Hazards and Dangers, venture not only the Life of their Bodies, but of their Souls also, to fulfil their Designs and wicked Purposes.

IV. Thieves are a great Terror to honest Men, they put many in fear: So some Wicked and Ungodly Men are a great Trouble, Grief and Terror to those who are Godly; how was the Soul of righteous Lot vexed with the filthy Conversation of the Sodomites? 1 Pet. 2.7.

V. Thieves greatly abuse, rob and wrong others, not only such as are of their own Rank and Quality; but sometimes set upon, and rob Persons in Authority; the Judge, nay and Prince himself, hath been sometimes robbed and abused by Thieves: Did not Tho. Blood but few Years since, steal the King's Crown? So Wicked Men greatly abuse their Neighbors, they do often take away the good Name of such who truly fear God, and sometimes attempt their Chastity, &c. This is not all, they do not only thus endeavor to rob Men, such who are poor Mortals like themselves; but they rob God: and that many ways. (1.) They rob him of his Glory. And (2.) Of their own Strength and Flower of their Age, which belongs to him. (3.) They rob him of their Hearts and Affections, and place it upon the World and their own base Lusts. (4.) They rob him of their precious Time, and squander it away in a foolish and idle manner, upon their Lusts; nay, hath not that Man of Blood (I mean the Pope) robbed Jesus Christ of his Crown and Royal Diadem? doth he not assume that Power and Head-ship to himself, that only belongs to the Prince of the Kings of the Earth?

VI. Thieves ofttimes Kill as well as Steal, and Kill in Stealing, so that they make th • mselves guilty of Murder as well as of Theft: So Wicked and Ungodly Men, by their Ungodly and Sinful Lives, makes themselves guilty of the breach of the whole Law of God, by adding Sin to Sin, and multiplying their Wickedness, and so transgress not only in one, but in every Point, and thereby willfully murder their own Souls, and many times kill and destroy their innocent Neighbors too.

VII. Thieves are sometimes taken in the Fact, or by Pursuit are apprehended, and laid Hands on, that they may answer the Law in that Case made and provided: So Wicked Men are sometimes taken in their Wickedness, by the Hand of God; or if they escape an immediate Stroak in the very Act of Sin, yet they are pursued by God's just Judgment that followeth them, and will overtake them at last.

VIII. Thieves, when taken, would fain make an escape; nay, if they are not held by strong Hand's, they will get loose and run away: So Wicked Men when God's Hand is upon them how fain would they make an escape? when Adam fell in with the Tempter to rob God of his Honor, it is said, he hid himself among the Trees of the Garden, Guilt made him fly; and what pitiful Shifts do all old Adam 's Children make, to ex • use their Sins? Or if they cannot make excuse, then they seek out ways to escape if possible: Some say, their Sins are not so great as others; others say, they were drawn in and enticed; others, that God is merciful, and they doubt not but he will pardon them; others fly to the goodness of their Hearts; some to seeming Repentance, saying, God forgive me, &c. But what ever way they take, till they are truly converted, they are holden by the Cords of their own Sins, and they shall not escape, nor can get out of God's Hand, but must answer for all their Wickedness at their utmost peril.

IX. Some Thieves are so impudent, that they will adventure to rob in the day time, let who will look on, being too strong for the Standers-by: So some Wicked Men are so impudent, that they will adventure to rob their innocent Neighbors of their Goods in a public manner in the daytime; as many of the Papists have served the poor Protestants in former times, in divers Nations, and pretended they had Law for what they did.

X. Some are great Thieves, and therefore called the Captains of the Thieves, under whose Conduct and Direction the lesser Thieves do rob and steal: So some Wicked Men are so notorious in Wickedness, that they lead the Van as it were, and are not only examples to others of inventing new coined Oaths, and sinful Fashions, and Customs; but do command or lay some kind of force upon such, who are under their Power, to be as Wicked as themselves, else they turn them off as not fit to do them Service: as it is written; If a Ruler hearken to Lies, all his Servants are wicked, (that is) he will so discountenance and discourage Truth and honest Dealing, that none but Liars and Wicked Persons can live with him.

XI. Some Thieves are so merciless, they steal and carry all away that People have: So some Persecutors have been so void of pity and humanity, that they have took all away, which some Godly People had, even their very Beds from under them.

XII. There are some sacrilegious Thieves, such as rob Churches, and steal away those things that are set a-part for Divine Worship: So some Wicked Men are Robbers of the Church of God, by taking away his holy Institutions, and setting their Inventions in the room thereof; such are the Romish Crew, &c. Christ tells us, that such who come not in by the Door, but climb up some other way, are Thieves and Robbers: nay if it were possible, the Great Thief the Pope, and his Accomplices, would have robbed us of the Bible, and the true Religion, nay of the true Church itself; however they (with all that adhere to them) have robbed many hundreds, nay thousands, of her true and faithful Members, both of their Goods, Lives and Liberties, for the which they must give • an account at the great Day.

XIII. Thieves are so opposite to honest Men, that they by all means avoid their Company and Society, if possible, when they know them: So Wicked Men, known and discovered to be so, are not at all fit Company for the Godly; nay the Godly are commanded to avoid them, and to have no fellowship with them, so far as possible they may; however if in Civil Things there be some kind of Necessity to buy and sell with them, yet their Sin in that, or any other way, is to be hated and departed from; nay if a Man hath been a Professor of Godliness, and turn to be a Wicked Man, with such a one the Godly are to have no intimacy, that he may be ashamed.

XIV. Thieves know by-ways, and are acquainted with such Places where they may accomplish their Designs, not only as to Secrecy, but Security: So Wicked Men do acquaint themselves with by-ways, and therefore called the way of the Wicked, Let the Wicked forsake his way, &c. Blessed is the Man that walketh not in the way of the Ungodly, &c. Joseph 's Mistress made use of her Skill in the way of the Wicked, when she attempted to rob him of his Chastity: for there was, (1.) Privacy, none saw. (2.) Secrecy, none knew, and (3.) Opportunity, which he might now (without fear of Shame) make use of; and there is not a Wicked Fornicator in the World, but would have owned it as his way, and have chosen it too as a fit Opportunity: But Blessed Joseph walked not in this way, he knew that nothing could be so private, nor be kept so secret, but the All-seeing Eye of God can see it, and will bring it to Light.

XV. Thieves are sometimes taken and committed to Prison, there to be kept safe till the general Assize, or time of Trial, and then are brought forth, tried, and condemned, many times to die, and soon after executed: So Wicked Men are taken by Death, and committed to the Grave, and there they are held fast till the day of the Resurrection, and last Judgment or great Assize, where they shall be tried, and give an account of all their Wickedness done in the Body, against whom Jesus Christ will proceed in a way of Justice; and being arraigned, and indicted for all their Wickedness, Thefts and Robberies, shall be found Guilty, by good Evidence, by the Law of God, Conscience and Nature, and being so found Guilty, shall receive the just Sentence of Hell Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, with a Go ye Cursed.

Disparity.

THieves can but rob and steal such things as are common to Men: But Wicked Men rob God, and cheat themselves of their own immortal Souls, as hath been shown.

II. Thieves endeavor to hide themselves, and are not willing to be known: But Wicked Men commit their Wickedness publicly, and matter not who seeth them, they declare their Sin as Sodom, and hide it not, they are not ashamed to commit their Wickedness in the very Face of the Sun.

III. Thieves ofttimes spare the Poor, and let them pass, but seize upon such as are Rich: But Wicked Men regard neither Poor nor Rich, if they are Godly; nay the Poor of this World (though Rich in Faith) are mostly in their Eye, to be made a spoil, robbed and ruined by them.

IV. Some Thieves after they have received the just Sentence of Death, from which they cannot escape, yet do repent of their Wickedness and receive pardon of God, though they die by the Law of Man: But Wicked Men, living and dying in Sin, after the last Judgment, and Sentence of Eternal Death, cannot repent, neither have they any time so to do, but must be damned without Remedy.

Inferences.

HEnce we may see, how easily Men may mistake themselves, by condemning others, when they are in as bad or a worse state themselves; who is it but will readily cry out against a Thief, and use their utmost endeavor to apprehend him, but how few are there (of the same kind, viz. Thieves, as hath been shown) will lay Hands upon, or condemn themselves; who are, as you have heard, worse than Thieves?

2. How doth it warn the Godly to look to themselves: for if the good Man of the House had known at what time the Thief would have come, he would have watched.

Parallels.

I. NAkedness since the Fall doth not only import not having of Clothes, but the Want of Clothes. As Adam before he fell, had no Clothes, so he needed none; his Nakedness was an Ornament to him; but no sooner had he sinned, but he saw the want of a Garment: So all ungodly Men are not only without spiritual Clothes, but they exceedingly need them; as they have no Righteousness to cover them, so 'tis their Misery. 'It is a lamentable thing to be naked, and 'tis a far more grievous thing to be spiritually naked, to have no real and divine Cover for the Soul.

II. The Shame, Deformity, and all natural Filthiness of a naked Person doth appear; 'tis visible, and he is thereby exposed to Reproach: So the Shame, Deformity, and Vileness of wicked Men, who are spiritually naked, (having not the Righteousness of Christ to cover them) doth appear; and this exposeth them to Shame and Reproach. Sin is the Shame of any People. To see a Man naked, that hath a rotten and polluted Carcase, full of Sores and stinking Ulcers, is a loathsome Sight: But such is the State of the Souls of ungodly Men, they are naked, and their inward Filthin • ss lies fully open to the Eyes of the great God, nay, and much of it appears to the Sight of Men; spiritually there is no Soundness in them, from the Crown of their Heads to the Soles of their Feet, nothing but Wounds, Bruises, and putrifying Sores.

III. A naked Person is exposed to the Extremity both of Cold and Heat. Clothes ke • p the Body warm in Winter, and defend from the parching Heat in Summer; and he that is without them, from hence is in a miserable Condition; every Blast pinches him, the Sun scorches him, &c. So wicked Men lie open to the dreadful Wrath of God, which is set forth in Scripture by Things extreme in their Nature, both in respect of Heat and Cold. O how unable will these naked Souls be to abide the Day of God's Wrath, or to stand before him who is a consuming Fire! The Righteousness of Christ will be as a Cover and Screen between the Saints, and the devouring Flames of God's Anger: but wicked Men have no Defense, no Screen nor Cover; they are naked, exposed not only to the Shame of every Eye, but to the direful Effects of God's dreadful Wrath and Vengeance, &c. whilst they live, and when they die, and forever.

IV. A naked Man is exposed to great Danger by his Enemies; every small Blow may wound him, who hath nothing on to defend him from it; every small Prick will make him bleed: But much greater Danger is he in by great Strokes, and Thrusts of Swords and Spears, and by Arrows and Darts that Enemies may let fly against him; his Condition is not full of Shame, but also full of Danger: So wicked Men, who are spiritually naked, are exposed to great Danger from the Enemies of the Soul. (1.) Sin, nay, every Sin wounds him; the least Sin makes a Wound in his Soul, what Wounds then do great Sins make! (2.) Conscience wounds him, and lashes him sorely. (3.) Satan lets fly his fiery Darts and Arrows against him, and wounds him to the very Heart, and, like an hungry Lion, tears his Soul (as it were) to pieces. (4.) Death and Wrath wound him, he having nothing to defend him from any of these, &c.

V. A naked Person is not fit for any Employment; he is not fit to fight, nor fit to labor: So such who are spiritually naked, are not fit for any spiritual Service; they can neither work for God, nor suffer for God, nor resist Sin and Satan; they are not fit for any Society of spiritual Men, but are unspeakably miserable every way.

Disparity.

NAked Men desire Clothes, they will beg hard for something to cover their Nakedness: But the Wicked are unsensible of their Nakedness, and therefore seek not to be clothed; nay, like mad Men, refuse Raiment. We read, Luke 8.27. of a Man possessed with a Legion of Devils, and the Text saith, he wore no Clothes; his Madness is evidenced by that, he would suffer no Clothes to be put upon him. 'It is a Sign Men are spiritually possessed with a Legion of Devils, that refuse to put on the Garment of Faith and Holiness to cover their Nakedness. These Garments are held forth every day to be sold (without Money, and without Price) in the Ministry of the Word; but so mad are ungodly Men, they had rather go naked, than lay hold on them, and put them on. And is it not just, that such Men should be buried in Hell, in their own Rags, that will not embrace Christ and Holiness, that they may be clothed with eternal Salvation?

Parallels.

HE is a poor Man, that hath nothing that is really or truly good, that hath no Clothes to cover him, but is naked as ever he was born; that hath never a Bit of Bread, nor anything that is good, to eat, but lives upon Husks, Chaff, and Ashes, &c. Now wicked Men are so poor and miserable, that they have nothing that is truly good: they are naked, as we have shown, their Souls are naked; they have nothing to eat but Husks and Ashes; for such are those empty and perishing Things of the World compared to in the Scripture, on which they feed: He feedeth on Ashes, &c. The Prodigal would fain have filled his Belly with the Husks which the Swine did eat. Ephraim (saith God) feedeth on the Wind, &c. Therefore wicked Men are poor and miserable.

II. He is a poor Man, that as he hath nothing, so he can do nothing, whereby to help or relieve himself in his Necessity: Wicked Men, as they have nothing, so they can do nothing, to relieve their own Souls: They have no Clothes, and none can they, by any ways of their own, obtain, or help themselves unto; they have no Food, nor can they procure any: They labor for that which is not Bread, and spend their Strength for that which satisfies not: Therefore poor and miserable.

III. He is a poor Man, that as he hath nothing, and can do nothing, so he hath no Body, neither Friend nor Brother, that can do anything for him: But thus in a spiritual Sence 'tis with wicked Men, and therefore poor and miserable.

IV. He is a poor Man, who as he hath nothing, can do nothing, nor hath any Body to do for him, and yet is many thousand Pounds in debt: Such is the State of wicked Men, they have nothing, can do nothing, have no Friend or Brother to do anything for them, yet do owe ten thousand Talents to God's Justice, which is a great, a very great Sum, and therefore poor and miserable.

V. He is a poor Man, that as he hath nothing, can do nothing, hath none to do anything for him, and is many thousand Pounds in debt; and besides, is a sorry Soul, he has no worth in him, being a vile, base, fordid, and ill-natured Wretch, worthy of no regard or pity, one that no Body will cast an Eye of Compassion upon: But such is the Condition of every ungodly Person, they have no Worth nor Excellency at all in them, they are not worth regard nor pity, there is nothing in them that can move God to respect them, nor his Angels to regard them, therefore very poor and miserable.

VI. He is a poor Man that is in the Condition we have mentioned, and that which aggravates his Poverty is this, He is not like ever to be in a Condition to help himself, nor to find a Friend or Brother to help him: a Man may be today miserable, helpless, and friendless, but in a little time possibly it may be better with him, and he may supply his own Necessities, or get some to relieve him. Now ungodly Men are in the State you have heard, and are never like to be in a better Condition, by any means of their own, or by any Friend of theirs, and therefore poor and miserable.

VII. He is a poor Man that is in the Condition above-mentioned, and not only so, but is sick, wounded, and in Prison, &c. Such spiritually is the State of all wicked Men, viz. sick, wounded, blind, naked, and in Prison, under the Power of Sin and Satan, and therefore poor and miserable.

VIII. Some Men's great and miserable Poverty has come upon them, partly by the Pride, abominable Lust, and Extravagancy of their Parents, and partly by their own Idleness, Lust, and Prodigality: Even so the spiritual Want and Poverty of Men was in part brought upon them by the Sins of our first Parents, and partly by their own actual Sins. This is the State of unregenerate Persons, they are all even thus poor and miserable: And happy are they who see this to be their Condition; Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who see their own Wants, Poverty, and Misery, shall out of the Fulness of Jesus Christ be supplied with whatsoever they need: for though Man naturally be so poor, that he hath nothing, can do nothing, and hath no earthly Friend or Brother that can do anything for him; and besides, he owes ten thousand Talents, and is worth no regard nor pity; yet the eternal God hath found out a Way, for the manifestation of his own glorious Grace and Bounty, to enrich him, and make him happy forever. He that was rich became poor, that we through his Poverty might be made rich.

Disparity.

POor Men are full of Complaints, they commonly bewail their Poverty, and would gladly have all their Wants supplied, and be made rich, if they knew but which way it might be done: But wicked Men, though they are poor, so poor and miserable as hath been shewn, yet they are contented, being woefully blinded by the Devil, &c. So that though they are daily told how they may be made rich, yet they slight all Advice and Counsel, and stubbornly refuse the Riches of Grace and Glory.

Parallels.

A Rock is a barren and fruitless Place; what will grow upon a Rock? So the Hearts of wicked Men are barren and unfruitful to God; they bring forth no spiritual Fruit to him.

II. Rain cannot enter nor soak into a Rock, but as it falls, so it glides off, and runs away: So the spiritual Rain of Heaven, viz. God's Word, though it falls never so powerfully upon ungodly Men, it will not enter into their Hearts: My Word hath no place in you, saith Christ, &c. Good Doctrine, and heavenly Counsel glides off of these spiritual Rocks, like Rain from a Rock, or high Mountain.

III. Rocks and Stones are naturally rough, and unfit for use, until they are hewed and squared, &c. So the Hearts of wicked Men are naturally rough, and unfit for any spiritual use, until they are hewed by the Ax and Hammer of the Word: I have hewed them by the Prophets.

IV. A little thing will not break a hard Stone, or a flinty Rock, &c. So a little Matter will not break a stony or rocky-hearted Sinner; God strikes often, and strikes hard, gives many a Blow upon their Hearts, by his Word, and by his Spirit, and sometimes by Afflictions, before their Hearts will yield, or break in pieces.

V. He that will break a Rock in pieces, or hew Stones to make them fit for use, must have a meet and convenient Instrument: So God makes use of a right and fit Instrument to break in pieces the hard and rocky Hearts of ungodly Men, viz. his blessed Word, in the hand of the Spirit: Is not my Word like a Hammer, that breaks the Rock in pieces?

VI. A Man many times employs Workmen to break a Rock, and hew Stones: So God employs his Ministers, as Work-men in his hand, to break these spiritual Rocks, and hew these rough and ragged Stones, to make them fit to lay in his spiritual Building: I have hewed them by the Prophets.

VII. Seed that falls upon a Rock, or stony Place, though it doth spring up, it soon withereth away, (if the Fowls of Heaven do not pick it up): So the Word of God, if it be sown upon stony and rocky-hearted Sinners, though it may seem to spring up, yet it soon withers for want of Root. They believe for a while, but in time of Temptation fall away.

Inferences.

NO marvel Ministers Work is so hard and laborious, they are God's Stone-cutters, or Rock-hewers; nay, and it fares worse with them than with other Work-men, that work in Stone-Pits, or hew Stones, they labor all Day, and go home at Night, and come again in the Morning, and find their Work as they left it: But God's Workmen hew, and take pains, and leave their People, and come again, and find them worse than before, their Hearts many times growing more hard and obdurate, &c.

II. Let not Ministers notwithstanding all this be discouraged, for they know not but at last God may set a Word home that may do the Business, and make the hard-hearted Sinner tremble, and cry out, as they did, Acts 2.36. Men and Brethren, what shall we do?

Quest. But some may say, From whence doth it arise, or what is the Cause of this spiritual Hardness that is in the Hearts of Men.

Answ. 1. Naturally the Sinner's Heart is hard, and like a Rock; we all brought a flinty and churlish Nature into the World with us; such is the Effect of original Sin.

2. There is also an acquired Hardness. Pharaoh hardened his own Heart; and the Prophet saith, They have made their Hearts as an Adamant-Stone.

3. There is a judiciary Hardness of Heart, which is inflicted by God as a Judge. Men harden their own Hearts against God, and God at length resolves they shall be hard indeed; and therefore he withdraws the common Influences of his Grace from them, and deprives them of all gracious means of softening. And when all these three meet together in a Man, he is irrecov • rably hard and sinful, His Neck is an Iron Sinew, and his Brow brass.

4. A Man is hardened in his Sin gradually; and as he grows harder and harder, so nearer and nearer to eternal Ruin. (1.) He takes leave to meditate on Sin, he rolls it up and down in his Thoughts as it were; a hard Heart lets vain Thoughts dwell in it. (2.) He takes some Tastes of the Pleasure and Delight of Sin, it seems to him as a sweet Morsel under his Tongue; and this is a Sign of a further degree of Hardness. (3.) The third Step is, Custom in sinning; it argues great Boldness to venture often. (4.) And then in the next place, he defends and maintains his Sin, he has got some Plea or Argument for it, he is an Advocate for Sin. (5.) He is angry with them, and secretly hates them in his Heart, that reprove him for his Sin, or advise him against such and such wicked Ways. (6.) He grows soon after this Conscience-proof, and Sermon-proof, nay, and Judgment-proof too; he neither fears Rod nor Sword; a Stone will yield as soon as he. (7.) He after this sits down in the Seat of the Scorner, derides and reproaches the Law, and mocks at approaching Judgments, like the Sodomites. (8.) And at last becomes a Persecutor of them that are godly, like cursed Pharaoh, &c.

Quest. What are the Signs of a hard Heart?

Answ. 1. When many Blows will not break it, nor make the Heart yield. Notwithstanding God lays on hard and heavy Strokes by his Word, by Conscience, and by Judgments, yet nothing works remorse.

2. When that Word or Sermon which wrought powerfully upon another Person, works not at all upon thee.

3. When the divine Rain of the Word glides off of thy Heart, and will not remain or abide with thee, 'tis a Sign thy Heart is hard.

4. When thou art neither troubled for thy own Sins, nor troubled for the Sins of others.

5. When thine own Miseries, the Miseries of the Saints, and the Distresses of Zion, do not melt thee, nor work Compassion in thy Soul: Tho God is dishonored, his Right and Sovereignty invaded, and Ruin seems to be at the Door, yet thou art not troubled at any of these things.

Parallels.

EAgles are very swift in their Flight, and that especially when they pursue their Prey: So cruel Persecutors are swift to shed Blood: They haste like Eagles to the Prey.

II. Eagles are quarrelsome Creatures, preying, devouring, envious, proud, lofty, the Plague and Tormenters of all other Birds or Fowls of Heaven, (as Naturalists observe.) Gesner reports, that in a certain Eagle's Nest were found three hundred Ducks, one hundred and sixty Geese, forty Hares, and many Fishes, &c. In these respects wicked Men, or bloody Persecutors, may fitly be compared to them: They are very quarrelsome, always seeking occasion against the Innocent; envious, proud, and lofty, as appeared in Pharaoh, and others. They are the very Plague and Torment of all their Neighbors. How many hath the Roman Eagle destroyed! how many Thousands, nay, Hundred Thousands of the Sheep and Lambs of Jesus Christ have been found in her Nest! (as I may so say.) In her was found the Blood of Prophets, and of Saints, and of all that were slain upon the Earth.

III. The Eagle is a subtle and crafty Creature: She will fill her Wings with Dust, and get upon a Stag's Horns, and by beating the Dust and Sand into his Eyes she blinds him, and then soon conquers him. She also carries Shell-Fishes on high, letting them fall upon a Rock to break them; which sets forth her great Subtilty, &c. How crafty have many Persecutors been to destroy the Godly! Come, saith Pharaoh, let us deal wisely with them. Their common Practice is, to put the Saints into Wolves Skins, and then set the Dogs upon them, to worry them. Christ was accused for being an Enemy to Caesar, and the Apostles, as Movers of Sedition. Thus the cruel Papists dealt with the good Lord Cobham, and many other Christians, viz. accused them with Treason and Rebellion, that so they might with the better color take away their Lives.

IV. An Eagle is an unclean Creature, and therefore God would not have it to be offered up in Sacrifice; though she be accounted the King of Birds, yet God rather chose the Dove upon this account, and refused the Eagle: So wicked Men are unclean, and their Prayers and Sacrifices, yea, their best Performances, are an Abomination in the sight of the Lord.

V. An Eagle is no comely Bird, she hath no sweet Voice, nor is she good for Food: So wicked Men are not comely, but contrary-wise, very fulsom and ill-favored in God's sight, neither is their Voice sweet in his Ears. Christ takes great delight to see his People, and in hearing their Voice. Let me see thy Countenance, let me hear thy Voice; for sweet is thy Voice, and thy Countenance is comely. But thus he speaks not of the Ungodly: their Persons and Prayers are no ways delightful to the Almighty. God had respect to Abel, and his Offering; but unto Cain, and his Offering, he had not respect.

Disparity.

AN Eagle hath many and excellent Properties, wherein there is a great Disparity between her and ungodly Men; and upon this account the Lord Jesus is compared to an Eagle, and his Saints to Eagles. [See Christ an Eagle in the First Volume.]

Parallels.

THe Devil at first was formed or created by the Almighty; I do not say, he was created a Devil, Sin made him a Devil, but God at first made him; he was created an Angel of Light: So God created wicked Men; they are God's Creatures: Tho God at first made no Man wicked: The Lord created Man upright, but he hath sought out many Inventions. 'It is Sin that hath made Man so vile.

II. The Devil then is grievously degenerated from what he once was; so are wicked Men from what they were in Adam.

III. The Devil is an Enemy to God; he was God's first Enemy: So are wicked Men cursed Enemies of God, and early Enemies too: 'It is thought Man became God's Enemy not many days after Satan fell; he is almost as old an Enemy as the Devil is.

IV. The Devil conspired like a vile Traitor against his lawful Sovereign: So have all the ungodly ever done, and still daily do: They would not have God reign, nor his Laws be obeyed, &c. but would magnify themselves, and their cursed Edicts; above the righteous Laws and Statutes of Heaven.

V. The Devil sins freely, naturally, with full purpose, and cannot but sin: So wicked Men sin freely, 'tis sweet and pleasant to them, 'tis like sweet Wine, &c. They delight in Sin; their Hearts (as Solomon says) are fully set in them to do wickedly: They drink in Iniquity, as the Fish drinks Water. Can the Ethiopian change his Skin? then may they who are accustomed to do Evil, learn to do well. Hence saith the Apostle, Having their Eyes full of Adultery, and that cannot cease from Sin.

VI. The Devil hates those that are truly godly, and seeks to beguile and deceive them: So wicked and ungodly Men hate the Saints, and strive to entice and draw away their Hearts from God and his Ways. Hence, as Satan is called a Deceiver, and a Serpent, so are some of his Children.

VII. The Devil's great design is to encourage Vice and all Profaneness, and by one means or another to suppress real Godliness: So this is the great Design and Endeavor of some wicked Men.

VIII. The Devil is so vile, that God seeth it necessary to lay a restraint upon him, and put him into Chains, or else the World would not have a Moment's time of Peace and Quiet: So ungodly Men are so much like the Devil in this, that God also sees the like need to restrain them: for as the Devil is boundless in his Wrath, Rage, and Malice against Mankind; so are his cursed Emissaries against their Fellow-Creatures: Hence God puts a Hook into their Jaws, and sets Bars to these swelling Seas.

IX. The Devil trembles at the thoughts of God's Wrath, and dreads the Day that is coming: So do wicked Men fear him, not because they love him, but because they are his Enemies, and as such, they fear he will one day reckon with them.

X. The Devil tempts to Sin; he is not contented to be vile himself, but he would fain have others be vile and ungodly as well as he: So wicked Men tempt, entice, and draw others to Sin; they are not content to be ungodly themselves, but strive to defile and corrupt others also.

XI. The Devil is a Murderer, a great Murderer, and takes delight in shedding of Blood, and making Desolation in the Earth, hence called a Lion, and a Dragon: So wicked Persecutors are in this the very Picture of the Devil, viz. great Murderers; their Feet run swift to shed Blood. How many thousands of innocent Souls have the bloody Roman Devils destroyed within these twelve hundred Years! They delight in spoiling, and making desolate the Inhabitants of the Earth, who oppose their Pride, or stand in the way of their Exaltation; and thence they are called Lions and Dragons likewise.

XII. The Devil would fain make those who fear God miserable in this World, he envies their Happiness, and if he was but let loose upon them, he would utterly deprive them of their Goods, of their Children, of their Health, &c. and bring them into a forlorn and miserable Condition, as he dealt with holy Job: So some wicked Men in this are like the Devil, they envy the Peace and Prosperity of God's People, and if God did not restrain them, (were it in their Power) they would rob them of all their Goods, (as some have attempted of late,) nay, and destroy their Off-spring. How many innocent Babes did the Papists destroy in the Massacre in Ireland, crying out, Spare them not, Nits will become Lice! They grutch them their Liberty; and therefore (saith God) The Devil shall cast some of you into Prison, &c. Is the Devil come to be a Pursuivant, or an Officer, or to give Warrants to cast into Prison? No, but it is spoken of wicked Persecutors, that the Devil sets on work.

XIII. The Devil is an Accuser, one that vilifies and reproaches all sincere Christians; he is called the Accuser of the Brethren: Wicked Men are in this also like the Devil, they love to accuse and vilify the Godly in the Land; as Tertullus served Paul, We have found this Man a pestilent Fellow, a Mover of Sedition, &c. They continually labor to render them odious, that so they might be hated, and exposed to the Severity of the Law, and merciless Rage of the rude Rabble.

XIV. The Devil is utterly cast off and forsaken of God, and shall have his Portion in the Lake; there is no hope left him for an Escape; he knows it will forever be his Portion: So some wicked Men are utterly rejected of God, and given up to a reprobate Mind, and there is no Hope left for them of escaping the Damnation of Hell; they shall as surely be damned and tormented forever and ever, as 'tis certain the Devils shall. So that in these, and many other things that I shall pass by, it appears, wicked Men bear a resemblance of the Devil, they are like unto him, they have the Image of the Devil upon them; Sin turns a Man into a Devil. Have not I chosen you twelve? and one of you is a Devil.

Disparity.

THe Devil is a Spirit, a created Spirit; wicked Men are Flesh as well as Spirit. Now the Nature of a Spirit in very many things differs from an human Body, so that in divers respects, there is a great Difference between the Devil and the Ungodly.

Inferences.

NO marvel wicked Men and the Saints agree no better.

II. O what a fearful thing is it to be left and forsaken of God!

III. No marvel wicked Men strive so much to set up and establish the Devil's Kingdom, seeing they are acted by like Principles, and are alike Enemies of God.

IV. The Godly may wonder they are not long ago destroyed, considering the cursed and devilish Disposition of wicked Men, amongst whom they live; 'tis God only that hath restrained them.

Ministers compared to Angels.

MInisters are called Angels.

Ministers compared to Stars.

BY Stars in this place, it appears the Ministers of God's Word are meant.

Ministers compared to Laborers.

THe Lord Christ compares his faithful Servants, that preach his Word, to Laborers, to such as externally work and labor with their hands.

Ministers compared to Watchmen.

Ministers are called Watchmen.

Ministers compared to Trumpeters.

MInisters may fitly be compared to Trumpeters, as divers worthy Men have observed, from these and some other Texts of Scripture: They were the Priests of the Lord in the time of the Law, that blew the Trumpets, &c.

Ministers compared to Spokesmen.

I Have (as if the Apostle should say) acted the part of a Spokesman, I have endeavored to engage your Affections to Christ. Every Minister strives to espouse Souls to the Lord Jesus; as Abraham 's Servant was employed to obtain Rebeka for Isaac. 'It is the main Work of a Minister to win Souls, and bring them over to Christ.

Note. Ministers may fitly be compared to Spokesmen.

Ministers compared to Clouds.

CLouds have divers Metaphorical Notations in the holy Scriptures:

1. For Calamities, or great Afflictions: How hath God covered the Daughters of Zion with a Cloud! Lam. 2.1.

2. Because of the Number and Multitude of Clouds, (for in tempestuous Weather a great Plenty of thick Clouds appear) so an innumerous Company of Witnesses are compared to Clouds, Heb. 12.1.

3. They are also used in Comparison: Behold, he shall come as Clouds: that is, his Army will I make a vast Appearance, the Targum says, as a Cloud which comes up and covers the Earth. Ezek. 38.9.

4. For Vanity and Inconstancy, or Emptiness; hence false Teachers are compared to Clouds without Rain.

5. And upon divers accounts true Ministers of the Gospel may be compared to Clouds; for as false Teachers are like Clouds without Rain; so true Ministers are as Clouds full, or filled with Rain, &c.

How fitly Christ's Ministers may be compared to Clouds, will appear by what follows.

Ministers compared to Fathers.

MInisters are Fathers, spiritual Fathers to Believers.

Ministers compared to Stewards.

STeward, Stewardship, the Original, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , rendered in 1 Cor. 9.17. Dispensation, properly signifieth the Administration of Household-Business, whereof one taketh such and such Care, and doth so dispose thereof, as that he appointeth everyone what they are to do.

Note. True Gospel-Ministers are Stewards, spiritual Stewards, Stewards of God.

Ministers compared to Planters.

GOD is the chief spiritual Planter, Isa. 5.7. & 60.21. & 61.3. Mat. 15.13. None but he can implant a Principle of Grace in the Sinner's Heart; 'tis his proper Work to take us out of the old Stock and Root, and plant us into the new. But forasmuch as these Things are asserted by the Preaching of the Word, Ministers are called Planters: I have planted, &c. They are but under or subordinate Planters and Waterers, to 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , him that gives the Increase, viz. Jehovah.

Ministers compared to Builders.

A Builder is a Metaphor taken from Carpenters and Masons, &c. that build Houses; the Hebrew Word by which Building is expressed, is derived from the Root, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to build or rear an House or City. God in Christ is the chief Master-Builder: He that built all Things, is God; and he is the great Builder of his Temple: Upon this Rock will I build my Church, &c. And yet Ministers under him are likewise Master-Builders, &c.