But what doth this ship lead us to? certain it is, that it holdeth forth to us the condition of the Church of God, tossed with wind and wave, and the world it self, the earth is a Sea of glass before the Throne, Revel. 4. 6. and that mingled with fire, 1Revel. 15. 2. Of which a word, 1. of the ship, 2. of the Element it saileth in, 3. of the Pilot, 4. of the Anchor and appurtenances, 5. of the wares, 6. of the passengers carried in the ship, 7. of the winds and storms, 8. of the Port and Haven. The ship is, of its nature, a tumbling and a moving creature, and by its constitution and nature ordained for motion. The Church triumphing is landed, and above motion, but the militant Church is a rolling and a tumbling thing; and that first,2 in a natural; secondly, in a civill; thirdly, in a spiritual relation. As the Church consisteth of men in a natural consideration, all are but changes and mere motions; for mans condition in the wood of creatures, he is borne amongst is moveable, he himself is a proud inch of short-living clay. God hath given wheels to time, so that it playeth upon generations, Eccles. 1. 4. One generation passeth away and another cometh, vers. 5. The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down; the Moon looketh not on us, two days, with one face; elements, winds, floods, seas, time, as years, days, hours, living creatures, trees, herbs, flowers, summer, harvest, spring, heavens, stars are all tottering and reeling; and if the earth and the works that are therein, must be burnt with fire, 2 Pet. 3. 12. all must be on their journey toward change and corruption; the best of them for elegance of matter not excepted. The heavens shall wax old as a garment, Psal. 102. 26. 2 The Church in a civill relation is a rolling thing, and that first, as it is in Common-wealths and States. Kingdoms and Monarchies are up and down, green, flourishing, and withering in their cadency like May flowers. God doth roll Kings and ⟨p. 14⟩Kingdoms like Bowls in an Alley; pride, tyranny, unjustice putteth a Bias on the Bowl that it tumbleth over the mount, and God with a put of his foot turneth the Bowl out of its place; the glory and absoluteness of men is a weight that cannot bear it self. Secondly, man the best of the creatures is a vain thing, Psal. 39.
But what doth this ship lead us to? certaine it is, that it holdeth forth to us the condition of the Church of God, tossed with wind and wave, and the world it selfe, the earth is a Sea of glasse before the Throne, Revel. 4. 6. and that mingled with fire, 1Revel. 15. 2. Of which a word, 1. of the ship, 2. of the Element it sayleth in, 3. of the Pilot, 4. of the Anchor and appurtenances, 5. of the wares, 6. of the passengers carried in the ship, 7. of the winds and stormes, 8. of the Port and Haven. The ship is, of its nature, a tumbling and a moving creature, and by its constitution and nature ordained for motion. The Church triumphing is landed, and above motion, but the militant Church is a rolling and a tumbling thing; and that first,2 in a naturall; secondly, in a civill; thirdly, in a spirituall relation. As the Church consisteth of men in a naturall consideration, all are but changes and meere motions; for mans condition in the wood of creatures, he is borne amongst is moveable, hee himselfe is a proud inch of short-living clay. God hath given wheeles to time, so that it playeth upon generations, Eccles. 1. 4. One generation passeth away and another commeth, vers. 5. The sunne also riseth, and the sunne goeth downe; the Moone looketh not on us, two dayes, with one face; elements, winds, floods, seas, time, as yeares, dayes, houres, living creatures, trees, hearbs, flowers, summer, harvest, spring, heavens, starres are all tottering and reeling; and if the earth and the workes that are therein, must bee burnt with fire, 2 Pet. 3. 12. all must bee on their journey toward change and corruption; the best of them for elegancy of matter not excepted. The heavens shall wax old as a garment, Psal. 102. 26. 2 The Church in a civill relation is a rolling thing, and that first, as it is in Common-wealths and States. Kingdomes and Monarchies are up and downe, greene, flowrishing, and withering in their cadency like May flowers. God doth roll Kings and ⟨p. 14⟩Kingdomes like Bowles in an Alley; pride, tyranny, unjustice putteth a Byas on the Bowle that it tumbleth over the mount, and God with a put of his foot turneth the Bowle out of its place; the glory and absolutenesse of men is a weight that cannot beare it selfe. Secondly, man the best of the creatures is a vaine thing,
- 1Eight particulars considerable in the ship in which Christ and his Church is carried.
- 2The Church a moveable thing as a ship.
