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A49960
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Ecclesia Gemens, or, Two discourses on the mournful state of the Church, with a prospect of her dawning glory exhibited in a view of two Scriptures, representing her as a myrtle-grove in a deep bottom, and as a knot of lillies among thorns.
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Lee, Samuel, 1625-1691.
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1677
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Wing L894; ESTC R2097
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33,479
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98
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Daughters of Jerusalem are lillies in shew but have thorns in heart and sometimes grow out from the midst of their seeming flowers They 'll prick sometimes as peevishly and perversely as open wicked men and as the Daughters of Babylon What delight can a Saint take in their vain converse their pride and worldliness Many strange Professors start up now adays that bear the leaves of their godly Fathers but not their fruit they go for Daughters of Zion but are haughty Is 3.16 walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes mincing or tripping nicely as they go and making a tinkling with their feet Crepitantibus Calceis Crepidis insistentes A Lap. With their flaps and slaps proclaiming their levity and folly but their hearts are little worth Pro. 10.20 and their tongues like Serpents fork'd with enmity and sharp like crooked thorns against the ways of holiness Song 6.2 let 's depart from them and go with our Beloved into the Gardens to the beds of Spices to feed in the Gardens and to gather Lillies where Christ has his sets and knots of Lillies has pure and holy worshiping Churches there let 's assemble though briars be near yet Christ is nigher 8. Long for Heaven Send up the fragrant odours of your prayers into Paradise where no bleak wind no chilling showrs no piercing thorns shall trouble more Let these Wilderness-prickles sharpen thy pace towards Heaven Eph. 6.15 being well shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace yet leap nimbly through them and hasten from them Cry out of the Valley the Settims the sharp Bushes in the Plains of Moab and pant for Lebanon where thy Lilly shall be planted under the true Vine and the Tree of Life where thorns in duties relations enjoyments shall make thy spirit to bleed no more Where thorns from Devils and a wicked World shall affront and gash no more where thorns from our own hearts or others tongues shall wound no more whether from the Daughters of Gath or Jerusalem 2 Sam. 1.20 from outragious wickedness or perverse formalisme shall touch or prick or punish the Church no more O pray for that Sabbath of rest that Jubilee of joy when from all thy labours sorrows and tears thou shalt rest in the bosome of eternal love when the furrows made by the torrent of tears in thy hollow cheeks shall be fill'd up by the Balm of Gilead when all thy wounds and scarrs shall be bathed into smoothness and beautifully heal'd in those rivers of pleasure that flow at the right hand of him that sits upon the Throne for evermore I should come now to the Second branch of the Doctrine to set forth the love of Christ to his Church and each holy Soul while sighing and groaning among the thorns of this Valley of Achor Add. whereof briefly and close 1. He forms holy sighs and groans in thy Spirit by his Spirit He sends his dove into our hearts Ezek. 36.27 and then we mourn like doves in the clefts of the rock of Ages He puts his spirit within us and then hearkens to the groanings of his own Spirit Rom. 8.27 Song 2.14 O my dove let me hear thy voice why because thy Countenance is comely Non placet vox si displiceat facies Bern. our face is comely in the beauty of his righteousness and therefore our voice is pleasant through the melody of his Spirit 2. Christ sighs with thee He mingles the tears of his Cross with the tears of thy crucifiing afflictions In all their affliction he is afflicted Is 63.9 The thorn never pricks the sides of the Church Zach 2.8 but it touches the apple of his eye Is this lilly parch'd with the Sun Cor Christi aestuat the heart of Christ is affected with holy sympathy Is it blasted with East-winds he comforts and relieves it by sweet Western Gales of his Spirit Is it spotted and stained with dirt struck up by the foot of Beasts he washes it clean in his own laver our very hairs are numbred Ps 56.8 our tears bottled our desires known our steps and wandrings are measured our groans are not hid from him our members are written in his Book that not a bone is broken but he sets them again 3. Christ appears graciously in time of distress he came into the Church when the doors were shut for fear of the Jews and breathed his peace upon them He was with the Church in the Wilderness he visited the lillys in the thorny bush and conducted them planted them in the Land of Canaan It was his hortus pensilis ambulatorius he delighted in his walking Garden through the howling Desarts of Arabia the Type and Emblem of his Gospel Church in all her scatterings and thirsty marches and will never forsake them till like conquering Joshua he bring them to their appointed rest Neither is there any of the least of his beloved ones but he will vouchsafe a gracious ear to their petitions Is 40.41.63.9.4 and carry them in his bosome as all the days of old He delivers frequently incessantly perseveringly he loves them to the end Is 43.3 He gave Aegypt for their Ransome Aethiopia and Seba for them This is matter of argument in our prayer thou hast delivered this people out of Aegypt until now Numb 14.19 And what if we be not fit for mercy he is always fit to shew it when heavenly wisdom judges meet The times of the Church are in the hands of a Father who consults his own bowels and the expediency of his own glory In that day when the design and decrees of mercy unite in accomplishment he can form the hearts of men and fashion them upon the wheel of Providence Let none despond because the Church is not prepared for approaching deliverance The Prophets are full of this encouragement that in such a day he will powr out another spirit and make all things fall in joint and to hit the mark of his appointment The time is hastening and at the doors that the Lord will powr out clean water upon his Sanctuary he will do a new thing on the earth now it shall spring forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nunc germinabit Is 43.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a manifest allusion with that of Zachary Zech. 3.8.6.12 I will bring forth my Servant Zemach the BRANCH called by Luke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Branch from on High when the Beasts of the field the Dragons and Owls of the Gentile Wilderness shall honour me Then shall Zion bud forth and great shall be the glory of her Children from the North and from the West Is 49.12 and those from the Land of Sinim Which some as Arias and others understand of China but more likely of Sin or Pelusium by a trope for the Land of Aegypt Sin being the great fortress at the entrance of Aegypt and South of the Land of Canaan 5. He is
sore displeased with the Heathen that are at ease Zech. 1.15 When Gods a little displeased they leap like Lions from Bashan upon the Church Is 47.6.37.29 When God is wroth with his People for their unholiness and defilements they shew no mercy But God will put a Hook in their nose and lead them back like beasts into the Land of Slaughter for Sacrifices in the Temples of their own Gods Heathen briars may flourish and spread their twins far and near but when once they molest his Church they are nigh to burning Pompey prospered not after he stumbled in the Temple of Jerusalem Many and fatal instances occur in History of Gods vindictive Justice upon his enemies when once they laid hands upon the precious things of Zion Discite justitiam moniti c. learn to beware of Herod's destiny smote by an Angel in the midst of all his glory 6. These Thorns never prick and vex the Church but by his permission and guidance and when he hath performed his work upon Mount Zion Is 13.12 he will punish the fruit of their stout hearts and the glory of their high looks When the People of Zion are meek and humble then they shall arise out of obscurity and shake of their dust and Kings shall come to the glory of Zions rising Is 60.3 Bern. humiliatio parit humilitatem Sanctified humiliation brings advancing humility All their thorns shall be consecrated into sweet briars and all their pricking vexations shall prove medicinal like potions made of the Carduus bendictus the blessed thistle The troubles of the Church both for time and measure are guided by her wise ad holy Husband who hath charged the tossing waves of the Sea hitherto shall ye come and no further 7. He praises his Church and sets off her beauty by the uncomeliness of the adjoyning thorns She is black but comely scratcht but beautiful A Dove begrim'd among the Pots but a Dove still Song 2.10 Arise my Dove my love my fair one Song 1.5 my joy come away The Tents of Kedar set a lustre upon the Curtains of Solomon A Jacob in Laban's Family a Joseph in Pharaoh's an Obadiah in Ahab's gives a perfume to the place they dwell in there 's a wall of fire between the lillies and the thorns Zach. 2.4 to cherish the lillies and to consume the thorns There 's a black side of the Cloud to dannt the Aegyptians but a bright side to enlighten and comfort Israel Let not the Church be discouraged for Christ owns and loves her in the midst of deformities Inser 1. imbecilities and conflicts Though sometimes weak and a little heady and conceited 't is his beloved Spouse still whom he intends to form and beautifie for himself A tender father pitties his sick and weakly Child most of all A gracious Husband compassionates his sickly Spouse especially if sick of love His left hand is under her head Song 2.6 and his right hand doth embrace her A little pettishness and frowardness does not alienate his heart from her if right in the main his generous love winks at many things and pardons all Though the Moon have her spots the Sun distains not to shine upon her and though a Saint may have some foolishness Ps 69.5.14 yet God delivers him from draggling in the mire and suffers him not to sink Uprightness may consist with many imperfections Infer 2. God takes his measures by sincerity and not infirmity that 's a Saints joy He considers our tentations and knows our frame and remembers that we are but dust Ps 103 14 Some frowardness and frettings in the midst of integrity nay a spark of grace is highly regarded though at first struck from Heaven into an ocean of corruption within us its kindling and will be flaming We have our coolings and our warmths some beauty though some deformities and the heart is all with God if the bent and tenour of the spirit be towards him onely take heed lest our weaknesses should eclipse his praise despond our spirits in holy duties and indulging of touchy flashes should habituate into fierceness and thereby become envious at our betters in grace and at last droop and sink into an uncomfortable frame of spirit and then censure and backbite others that faithfully and meekly reprove us for our folly and would restore us to a heavenly frame and communion with God Be sensible and meek under every tryal Infer 3. Let crosses crucifie the flesh within thee and let every affliction mortifie the body of sin and death and still remember thou art Christs Lilly though distressed by manifold thorns Keep in the royal highway to Heaven between fainting and confidence He that faints Prov. 24.10 the strength of his faith is small Nourish faith by Promises they are the milk and hony of the Land of Canaan Keep always some of these precious cordials in the bottles of memory be ware also of too much confidence selfconceit Qui se sibi magistrum constituit stulto se discipulum subdit Bern. Epist 87. a self taught person has a fool to his Master The Church as far transcends the World as a pure unspotted Lilly outshines a crew of intricate thorns upon a cragged rock Inser 4. or as a garden of roses in Sharon is more pleasant then the cursed Mountains of Gilboa unpassable by briars and brambles Puniceis humilis quantum saliunca rosetis As sragrant roses prickly thorns excel Brambles and Myrtles yield no parallel Is 55.13 Let none value true Saints by external grandeur but their vertues and graces humility sweetness peacefulness and innocency Many Professors are esteemed for riches and titles for gold rings and gawdy cloths James 2.3 Sit here at my right hand make room for a Silken Vest and fine toyes upon an empty head and a barren heart Oh how our estimates stick in the mire whom do you most prize and admire a poor sheep-skin Saint that stands his ground in Persecution Heb. 11.37 or a proud Peacock that yelps at a Storme Are ye not carnal and judges of evil thoughts James 2.4 Since it appears not now what it is to be a true Son of God but at that day it will be revealed when we shall see him as he is 1 John 3.2 Infer 5. Let none stand amazed at the pageantry of false Churches nor value the Whore of Rome because of her bravery Rev. 18.16 She 's deckt with Pearles and precious stones but smells strong of Aegypt All the Persumes of Arabia can't hide or choak her stink 'T is not Lateran Musick will consecrate her Masses into audience nor her incense procure access to the Throne of Grace Amos 5.22 I will not smell says the Lord in your Solemn Assemblies Take away the noise of your Songs the melody of your Viols let judgment run down as waters and righteousness like a mighty stream I shall end