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Show The Applic.tHon of that Noti011 ? Jolt, that's their nature; and not~1ing lefs can. be expcd:ed from rhem : Let it be your bulinefs to )"ftify tht nomn, and to approve yourfelves indeed LiUiu even amongfl Thorns. 1 , A billing LiUiu; though you may be amongf.l Thorns, I told you before that herein !halt it appear if yQu be LiVia intlml,if you have the nature of the Lilly, and npt the colour meciiy, if the feed of God abideth in you. ~. Keeping your Whitentfs and Beanty, fo the Lilly doth. Non met/iocriJ titul111 eft virtutiJ ( faith Bernard, ) inter praiJOI vivm bene, et inter malignos innoctnti.e cJndurem retinere. It is a great honour to a Soul to be good arnongflthe worft of men, and to keep the whitenefs of an holy life in a mofl unholy generati· on. 3. N~y thirdly, I noted to you, that the LiUy !hoots up high· df and if fairr{! amon~.ft the Thorns: let us do likewife,let us be more holy per antiprri~ajin ; let the· wickednefs of the wicked ingage us to walk more flrictly, and more humbly with God. Let not the enmity of linful men difcourage you in the ways of Holi· ncfs. ' 4· La!Uy, The Lilly doth no h•rm to the Thorns amo11gf! wbicb it grows. Be you wife as Serpents ( faith our Saviour,) innocmt M Dovu. The Thorns rend the Lilly, but the Lilly hurts not them, you muft expect that the Thorns of the world, !hould rend your names, rend your efiates, and rend your He!h too ( wlun God lets loofe the chain fo far; ) but far be fuch thin~;s from you. Tbey are left to curling, you are called to Bltf!ing. Oh Bl•fs anJ Cw[enut,you know our Saviours rule: I fay unto yaH; Love ymr en<· mift, do g01d to them th•t bate yo~<, blefs them tbat per[ecute Y'" and pray for thtm that de[pitefiiL'y ufe you. ' 3· This notion aff.rdt fume comf•rt unto tht J><ople o[God. God fending out .Eukj•l to Prophefy to a 1 eevifh people, Ezrk, 2. 6. fpeaks to htm thus: Son of man, be not afraid of tbem, mitber bt thou .J~aid of their wordt,thoHgh Briars and Thorns be witb tbee,and thou dweUe{! among/! Scorpiuns:you that fear the Lord, be not afraid, be not difcouraged, though briars and thorns be with you, though you dwell amongfi Scorpions, amongfl wicked men who arc ready to f~ratch you like Briats, and to fting you like Scorpions; be not afr~td of them, be not afraid to own the name of God,and the pro· · felhon of Religion amOJ!gCithem. r. God can ma/(! the tborns" be a.defcncOo yoH; he can makcyour enemies to be your frien-ds, aod · he he can make them to ferve you, beyond and contraty to theirdifpolition and intention. 2. But belides,God himfelf will be a Tlmnludg to you: he will not ft~ffer them to do you wrong, if they atmnpt it, it {hall be at a like (but far greater) hazard, as he that goes to pluck a r,itty qut of a thick hedge of Thorn'. 4· Laflty, are we as LiUiu amonrft 'Thorns? Oh what· need w= have to walk warily and to makt.Jireight f!ept to our f"t· It is the ufc that dev1Ut Bern>rd makes of it. Vide q~tomodo caute ambu!u i11ter Spilld< , how warily doth the man fct his foot, that treads amongfl Thorns; how lightly doth he tread upon the ground where Tnorns grow: Pleltrl! rft mr<>tdU< Spini•,thc world is full of Thorns, tis all but one great Thicket. 0 r. 'Tread lightly upon it, the lefs you have to dG with it, the lefs pricking of Thorns you will feel. The harder you tread UfOn the world,the more yoll innnglc yourfelves in it,rhe more you lire in the thorns the more the thorns will nm in!o the fk!h yea into your Spirit. 2, Tread w>rily Pfal, 39• r. in it,lf"id ( faith David J I wiU loo~to my wayr ----while the wic~e.t art infight. Take heed offcandalous actions, take heed offufpected actions,ofthings that have an ill report, &c. yo>~ w:tlk amongfi Thorns. The men of the world watch for your halting ! Oh kt them not fee it ! But this is enough to have fpoken to this verfe. Cant. 2. 3· At the Apple tree ••mngft the Tms of the Wood, fa i/ my Btlovftl among the Sons : I [ate Mder hit jhadow rt1ith great delight, and l1iJ fmit w&l [,.eet unto my taft e. THE !art day we heard the Beloved, [The Lord Jeflls Chrill,] telling his Spoufe [his Church and every truly believing Soul, J That !he was as a LiUy amongft 'Ibmu, a whice innocent Lilly amongfl wicked and ungodly men, that are always like grievous Thorns, and· pricking Briars to the houfe oflfrael. In this verfe fhe replies upon him again. As the Appletrrr amonrJI tbt trfuofthe Wood, Jv;, my Beloved among/! th1 Sons, That foe fate un· der bil jhadow with grtJt delight, and hi< fruit n>ll! ple•Jant unto ber tofte. Before I fall to parcelling out the text into [uch Propolirions as it will naturally fall into; kt me takt notice of fame few things. E 2 z. He |