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Show Wall. 2. Is it the wall of fome creature-rage and oppofitioll. Thisis oft • llrbrrg wall to hind er the Spoufes more open enjoyments of her Beloved : b ut this is but a wall, made up of brick & !lone, ~ n d mortar : men great and fmall holding together by verrue of a common rage and madnefs again I\ the Lord and His an ointed . Alas 1 this ,.,,u will not lall long, Chrill hath his battering Ram when he pleafeth to ufe it, his undermining Wifdom when he will plcafe to employ it, by which this waU fh•ll either be broken ~own or blown up: be therefore of good comfort .; Is 'it the# aU of !li s ·~ ,on infinitt Wt[do(IJ l then thou hall no rea lim to be trou· bled; it is'better for thee that he 1\ jinds behind tbt waU ( ifhis wif· dom be it ) than that he wer< in thy houfe. ' 2. Secondly. Is Chrill behi11d thy waU, thou ftand ell conaerned th en. lf the riiaU'be-the #'ali of tlfyhea•t, or the "'aU •f thy bt{f! an!l ·corrrtptinilr, to endeavour to make his way for him into thy Soul, fo far as is ·in 'thy power : Beat dooi>n that ..,aJJ ·nf l>•rtition which i< bet,.i:xt thu and thy Belovrd. The P C.:.Imift Pfalm 2 4· 9· cryes olot, !--ift t<f> y ol<r btadr, 0 J'" gatu, lift rhein up Y"' evcrla11iJtg doort, a~d the'King ofglory Jh•Ucome in. Give' me leave to fpeak to you Chrilllans: do you w':lnt the p<~fence .of God with your Alfemblies 1' \vith your Souls,&c. as at former timos ? Brrak,.dowlt ya:tr wJUr, brd k ddwn·your partition-waUr, and the'King of Glory fh all t,nter in. Get that hard Beart broken, that llubborn Spi· rit mor tified, thadlull and dead He<~rt quickened, that llrong Hold thrown do 'om , whatever it be that keepeth thy Soul• from the free enjoyment of thy Saviour. ·open the 'door ofthyncarr and tfl-y"Btl oved fh all enler in: To·e~gage you to fame care thi; way, let me tnfnd you of what in the brginnlng I hinted to you, viz. Thill Chri!l Jbndetb behind the W•U; it is not laid, he reiJerh, hi:' !i ttr:J;h : no, he Oandeth. It is the pofiure, I. or o,, th)l w.<iwh f ar an opport unity, 2. Of one th•t ifyJwtth not how 'to re'~ till11e hath it • . T he' Proph<t hath fuch an q<prellion,.Ej:.y '30. 1 S. and tberefor~wzU the Lord w~i • that ht m•y be graciour ttnto you. Men ufe to wait that are the receivers of Grace and Kind. nefs; But fuch is the Infini te mercy and goodnefs of God , that he \'' ~itcth that he may dillribute kind nefs; he waiterh that he "may be gracious 1 Oh, what an e ncoutagement this is to every grado(,~oul, to fee \vhat it is that t hinders rhe Church in · her ~nj<>y menlcs of God ! what fins have provoked God ? or what fins tHey are that have provbked e;od to withdraw himfdf from th eir their particular Souls, and to labour to be humbled for them, and by mortification to purge them our, that fo the waU of fi· paration being thrown down, the Church may enjoy its Bela· ved and the part icullr Soul may enjoy its beloved again as at for~er times. The Lord while he is behind the waU,llands, he refts in the bofoms of his people : but he flandr when he abfintl and withdraws himfelf from his people. • ' 3· Lallly, Doth Chril\ 1\and behind o11r waU? what reafon have we then to keep our fta tion ill the houfe , and to take heed how we behave our felves there r I fpeak to- -you in the Meuphor of the T ext. I t is good to be ne~r to t-he L? rd Jefus C:hrift:. Stand fa!\ in the prafrice and profeliton of Hohnefs, and to the pure{\ profeffion of it. Though it may not ev<n with the ilri· del\ Servants of Goa be at all times alike, yet Chritl is. always either with thrm in the houfe, or 1\anding behind their waU ; he is always with them, or coming to 1hem,or vet'j nigh t hem. The time of defertion is ordinarily a time of great temptation, and great Apof\acy; when the wicked Servant concluded that his Lord war gmt a far journry, then he fell to tal and driHA with lh< drHHk.!"· But, Oh take heed what you do ! Chrill is nqt far off, at any time, he is but behind our waU, when he is not within oHr w•Ds. He is very nigh when we poffibJ.y judg hirn afar off: yea, and if Chrift be under the waD, we had all of us alfo need to take heed what we do within the hou!C; .and the rather becaufe he that 1\andeth there 'is neither b1ind that he canno; fee, nor idle that he will not'ufe his vifiyc .Faculty, but in the time of his abfence from his Church, or from the parti. cular Soul, ·he is looking 'in at fhe \\!tndo'!'s• .But tbis.:Propofi. tion mu(\ be the Subjefr. oiJJJy next Exercife. - -. ., '·. -1\\ I ' Gg u:~ '· f', I ,, .... ,, L ·\.. . \ • ~ •.i ' ~" ,•,' Ca!·L ·- ' • ' ) |