The branch of the Lord, the beauty of ZionThe branch of the Lord, the beauty of Sion

2. Is Christ the Owner of this House, let the Order and disposal of it, be left to himself. Men are apt to be tampering with his House and Household. They will be so kind and careful, as to say out their wisdom and prudence about it: Thus and thus shall it be, these are parts and members of it. Christ is exceeding jealous of his Honour in this particular: He cannot bear it, that men pretending to his Glory, should think him so wanting in Love, or Wisdom, towards his own, as not exactly to dispose of all things that concern the Reiglement thereof. Men would not be so dealt withal in their own Houses, as they deal with Christ in his. We have all Wisdom enough (as we suppose) to order our own houses: Only, the Wisdom and Love of the Father, leaves his to the discretion of others: these thoughts are not from above.

2. Is Christ the Owner of this House, let the Order and disposall of it, be left to himself. Men are apt to be tampering with his House and Houshold. They will be so kind and carefull, as to say out their wisedome and prudence about it: Thus and thus shall it be, these are parts and members of it. Christ is exceeding jealous of his Honour in this particular: He cannot bear it, that men pretending to his Glory, should think him so wanting in Love, or Wisedome, towards his own, as not exactly to dispose of all things that concern the Reiglement thereof. Men would not be so dealt withall in their own Houses, as they deal with Christ in his. We have all Wisedome enough (as we suppose) to order our own houses: Only, the Wisedome and Love of the Father, leaves his to the discretion of others: these thoughts are not from above.

3. Hath Christ taken his own House to himself upon so many Titles, let not men put those buildings on him for his, which are not so, which he holds not by these Titles. Go to a man that dwells in a stately Palace of his own, show him a hog sty, tell him, this is your House, here you dwell, this is yours; can you put a great indignity on him? No, says the man, that is not mine, I dwell in yonder sumptuous Palace. And shall we deal thus with the Lord Jesus? He hath bought & adorned his own House: a glorious House it is I •now men shall hold out to him, a sty of swine, a den of unclean Beasts, a ruinous Heap, whereof the far greatest part are dead stones, and tell him, this is his Church, his House, will it not exceedingly provoke him? will he bear such a reproach? Nay, he will reject