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Show 1·~- Efay so. 6. when in the church the voicecfthe'turtle, • the 1urtle. 'Ihe pt<tting forth of the.Fig·tree; the [mrUing of the Vines with the tender grapes,are meant fome f~iritual things having fome proportion to, and refemblance with, thefe indications of ·Summer. Now what thefe fpiritual things are is the great bufinefs of our enquiry/ There is a great liberty t«ken, (and for ought I khow law lUI enough) by Interpreters in the Expofition of thefe and fuch-like expre1lions: give me leave alfo to abound .in my own fenfe. I mufi when I have done prove the Propofiti· on to you which refulteth from my Explication and if t do that yo~ will be no lof~rs, t~ough I d~ not fall in .;ith the particular notions of others 1n thetr Expofiuons of chefe rnetaphorical.Exprdlions, in giving the fenfe of which none can pretend to infal· J,bility. Two paffages ·I lhall apply to the Church: the other three to the particul•r Sottl, The two paffages which I lhall ap· ply to the Church are thofe: r. The voice oftbe Tztrtle i< heard in our Laud. 2. The time oft be finging of Birds is come. Let us enquire in~o the meaning of both thefeExpreilions fhortly. The fi,fl Q!lelhon then here, What is here meant by the voice of the rurtlel The voice of Mojes (fay fome of the Jewilh R4bbieJ who will allow ~o Ch':rches but thdr own SY,.nagogues, no Pulpits but Mo{rs h1~ Chm, no Preacher But Moju hirnfelf.) The Voice of God callmg the people out of qypt, and giving them rell inCanaan with •.Victory over their Enemies, (fay others of them.) Perhaps, ( fa.lth lcar~e~ Mm<r,) tbe voice of God caUing from Heaven and foJ·m~, Tbu 11 ':'Y ffJeU-belo~ed Son in whom I am weU-plea( ed? Vo~ dtvm.e [apuntu, the votce of heavenly wifdom, faith Or~gen, and to tillS fenfe we generally interpret this phrafe. '[be Go[p".i< freely preached and doubt leis well enough; for whereas the vote~ of the THrtle he_re is me~:ioned as a jig11um vrris, a fign of theSprtng, and _the thmg figntticd by it rnufi be fome fign of 'Salvatzoll? and JPtrt~>t~l good. We are furc there is no greater fign of Salvatwn and fprntual good to the Church than the preaching of the GofPel, nor is the preaching of the GofPel unfitly compared to the votce of the Turtle. · 1. For ·firll, '!he Turtle i< JH harmlefi peacefUl Bird, the birds of prey llnke at a, and tf thty gee advantage tear it at their pleafur<, but that hurts none of them. Chrill was the true T~trtle he who g4ve hi1 bacb,,to the fmitm, and hi1 chee~ to them wh• pl.,; ked •ff t111d the ji11gi11g of Birdr is heard. 2 95 off the hair, who was led at a lamb to tbt fl•ughter, and as a j1mp Efay H· 7• before thrfhearers Jo opened he not his nuulh, who when be r:t>JS revi- Il'et. 2. 23: led, reviled not again, when he fuff'"ed be tbreatned not; and the Gofpel, (which is the voice of this Turtle is the Gofpelofpet~ce too, Epbef, 6. 15. when it was firll pnbli01ed you know the terms of the heavenly Holl, Lukf 2 .14. On .-rtb peace,and good-wiUtowards J11CII. The true profeffors of it too are (like David,Pfolm 1 20. ;·.) for peace; however when they fpeak, there is a genera tim for war, The birds of prey tear them, but they have learn(d to /eve their Mar. 6. 12, Enemies, to do good to tbtm that hate them, to ble{'s, and pray for tbem that perfecztte them. 2. The voice of the Turtle is vox gemebunda, a mournful voice. The Gofpel is the voice of the Tuttle in this fenfe too; we preach Chrift crucified, faith the Apollle; 'tis vox /.eta to us as it brings us the glad-tidings of Salvation, bnt 10 Chrifr it was Vox Gemebunda, being the product of his bitter pailion ; though the wine of !he .wineprefr be fweet, yet. the labour of treading the wincprefs IS bHter, and he tr•d tbt wmeprefr of hi1 fatherJ wrath alone; yea to us it is Vox gemebunda too, a Turtles mournful voice. What faith the Gofpel? Repent for the Kingdom of H.aven is at ba11d, Mark 3· 7• When the twelve werefent out they preacbed that men _fhqu/drepent, Mar. 6. r2; When the Apofiles preached ·the G•fPel, they preached, Repent and be baptized, Ac1s 2. 38. Repent and be convrrted, Acts 3. 19. Now Repentance is a mournful tone. Tbr voice oftheTurtlefl heard in our 1411d. T he preaching ~f th~ Gofpe~, calling up~n, perfuading, all men co repent and beheve~• s plenufully heard tn the Church. 2. Thetime of the finging of the 1lird1 it come. T his is the fecond phrafe which I told you I lhonld apply to 1he Church of Chrifi, who are the Birds in that air but the members thereof? :what is their fiogiog, but the liftings up of their voices unto God tn pu~lick pra~er and praifes? The time when the finging of the B1rds IS come, IS cedainly the time when the people ot God have a lr~rty to walt upon him in his Ordinances, in bisTernple tofilll!; ofh11 glo;y. Th;n th~y fing tmto God, lifting up their voice jointly unto htm that ml11btteth th¢ praifes ot his people. Then they finguntothemfelves, Pfalm 122. r, 2. I was !!,lad when they foid untu _me, Let lU go up to the, hmf' of tbe Lord, our fret _(hail j/.•ud ••n:hmthy gates, 0 Hierujalrm, The Lord never makes h1s peuple fo Joyful as when he cmictil them intu the boufi of Prayer. And · wha~ |
