The useful benefit of this Observation teacheth us, to make way through our own natural wretchedness, to the admiration of our Saviours gracious goodness. He loved us tantillos & tales, paruos & pravos, so small in deserts, so vile in defects; without any precedent congruity, or subsequent cond•gnity, in nobis, quod à nobis, in our selves, that was or is of our selves: For all the beauty of S•ons daughter, is derived from Gods Son. gThy renown went forth among the Heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, sayeth the Lord God. God said once to Jerusalem, hThy birth and thy Nativity is of the land of Canaan, Thy Father was an Amorite, and thy mother as i Justite. None eye pitied thee, but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person. But when iI passed by thee, and •wor• thee polluted in thine own blo•d, I had compassion on thee: I washed thee with water, clothed thee with broidered wo•k, decked thee also with ornaments, put a Jewell on thy forehead, and a beautiful crown on thy head. We have all an Amorite to our Father, an H••ne to our mother; I mean, are concei•ed and borne in sin; to •o•le, and full of corruption, that there could no temptation ⟨p. 11⟩be shot from us, to wound the breast of Christ with love. Sported we were, and nothing but nakedness was left to cover us: sick, but without care of our own cure: deformed and luxate with the persecution of vanities; quadrupedated with an earthly, stooping, groping, grovelling, covetousness: not only spotted and speckled (in concret• ) but spots and blemishes, (in abstracto) pollution it self. As Micah calls Jerusalem and Samaria, not pec•antes, but peccata: kWhat is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? Or as Lucan speaks of the wounded body. Totum est pro vulnere corpus. The whole body is as one wound. Blood touched blood, and sore broke out into sore: all ulcers were coagulated into one by a general rupture; that even lour righteousness was as filthy rags. Oh then how ugly were our sins! If old iniquities could provoke, or new ones revoke his favour, we had store to tempt him. If the raw and bleeding wounds of voluntary sins: if the halting foot of neuterality, the blear eye of ignorance, the ear deaf to his word, the tongue dumb in his praise:
The vsefull benefite of this Obseruation teacheth vs, to make way through our owne naturall wretchednesse, to the admiration of our Sauiours gratious goodnesse. Hee loued vs tantillos & tales, paruos & prauos, so small in deserts, so vile in defects; without any precedent congruity, or subsequent cond•gnity, in nobis, quod à nobis, in our selues, that was or is of our selues: For all the beauty of S•ons daughter, is deriued from Gods sonne. gThy renowne went forth among the Heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comelinesse, which I had put vpon thee, sayeth the Lord God. God said once to Ierusalem, hThy birth and thy Nati•ity is of the land of Canaean, Thy Father was an Amorite, and thy mother as i Iustite. None eye pittied thee, but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person. But when iI passed by thee, and •wor• thee polluted in thine own blo•d, I had compassion on thee: I washed thee with water, cloathed thee with broydered wo•k, decked thee also with ornaments, put a Iewell on thy forehead, and a beautifull crown on thy head. We haue all an Amorite to our Father, an H••ne to our mother; I meane, are concei•ed and borne in sin; to •o•le, and full of corruption, that there could no temptation ⟨p. 11⟩be shot from vs, to wound the breast of Christ with loue. Sported wee were, and nothing but nakednesse was left to couer vs: sicke, but without care of our own cure: deformed and luxate with the persecution of vanities; quadrupedated with an earthly, stooping, groping, groucling, couetousnes: not onely spotted and speckled (in concret• ) but spots and blemishes, (in abstracto) pollution it selfe. As Micah cals Ierusalem and Samaria, not pec•antes, but peccata: k
- gEzek. 16.14.
- hVer. 3.
- iVer. 5.6, &c.
- kMic. 1.5.
- lEsa. 64.6.
