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Show The wordJ opened. Metaphorical exprellions, li~r M a Roe and a young Hatt ; an~ !n that term the M>untaint of Brthrr: for the lirfil !hall open tt m the Explication of the Doctrine. About the lacter I lhall add fomething. - Some mJke thcfe the fame with the Moulllaint of Spictt mentioned Chap. 8. '4· but that is a great incertainry. Some think thefe were forne Mountains belonging to Judea.not now known; or hers think they were the Mountains beyond Jordan, mentioned 2 Sam. 2. 2 9· called there Bithron : Others read tt Brthrl? fo the Spanijh and Conttmplutenfian Bibles, and dtvers of the Ancle1Jt~,amongll which Btrnard and Ambrofe, the letters ., ~nd "'I beong fo much alike might caufe this diver!ity: but Bet her ts molt ~;enerally owned as the trudl reading; it i> like the reading ~f it!Brthel, might be the foundat~on offome Interpreters expound•r:g·tt concerning OrdiJM>Zcet,wtth whrch•the <:;hurch ddires.to be led until the d·.\y of Judgment, Some make It an ~ppellatrve word •. The word fo fignifying,divifion and[.paratmt; and fo fome read It ~h~ Moo111taint •f divifion or feparatron. Probably Bzthron had ItS name from rhe-fcpararion or divilion which J ordm made between fome of the tribes of lfrael. The probabltil frnfe of the Text feems to be: 'lh•t it;, a paffimate defire, or prayrr. of the Clmr,cb, or the believing. Soul tb•tChri(f would return un~o IIIII tbe g ra,, nal mamflfatiollt of hit lnve, and wbile it contimted tn anyjbte of [eparatmt from b' he wc11ld be unto zt at the Roe, a11d tbr you~g l·brt upon the .;;:~ntainr, piNfant and rtfr.fhing, and haj1ning his pr.f.nce. Take ·the Doctrine rhus: . 'I he Spoufe of Cbrift under any rlrgree of his abfence from hir, wzU be tartzef/ly dtfir ''" of hirretttrn ttnto ber,at a Roe, and,, young Hart upo» tbe Moum•inJ of Bethet. · You will ( I trull) remember that in all my difcourfes by the ·Spoufe (have underfiood, eithe~ the Chu.rch or the ~lldtvtdu~l brlieving Soul. Now in the handltng of thrs Propofillon, I wlll en-qui;~' l•t whJt feH[e, and to w.hat degreer Chrift tn.ty be abfent from 1hir Spot~fe, · 2 I wiO fhrw Y'" that thir Sportfe bath alwayr bwz fo far tmJnti; llt of thit abfence, as to be alwaysfuU of prayer, and earmft defirer f," his return to it; and tha~ as a Roc, or a young Hart on the Mor. ntains. • 3• I wtll give you fome reafmt of it, and How CIJriflmay ahfent from hb apowfe. pallion as it hath been always found fo it will be always found in the Spoufe of Chrifl. ' 4- Laflly, I will make fome practical Application of the dif< ourfe. The two firfi l will in my difcourfe handle together. How and to what degrees may Chrifi be abfent from his 1. ~· Spoufe? That Chrifi is never wholly abfent from his Church or from the truly belie~ing Soul, Is out of doubt; while he hath~ body in the world, while he hath members, he is and mull be their head and.proporitonably influence them. I will (faith he, Matt, 28: a o.) be <Pith you tothetnd ofthr "orld, and where two or three ar< g~thered ~og<thtr in bit nam~, he mufi ( for the accompli!hment of hrs pro_mtfe, Matt. IS.) be 111 the midft amongfi them. Nor could he pofi1bly be wholly abfentfrom the believing Soul, without the difTolution of the conjugal ·union ; but yet ifhe were never abfent to fome degrees, lhe never could fay unto him retHrn; nor is this the only Text of Scripture where we have her thus· Praying, P[.d. 6.f. Pfal. So. 14. P[al.9o. 13. and inother ·places you will lind Dnitl, and other of the Servants of God, puttlrig up this Prayer. Let me therefore opeQ. this a little to you. r. As to his coJ'p.DrtalJrrfrncr, fo he is abfent indeed : thus he was-never prefen.t;( at lea(! not-lor any llated time,) but whiles he foj~;>urned in· our flelh,both before that time and ever·fince: thofe who are prefent in the fle!h, muft be in this fenfe ( to ufe the Apollles phrafe) abfent from the Lord : , there will indeed come another time, when we !hall be taken up to meet the Lord in the Air, and !hall ever lie wJth the Lord. But thus he was abfent from his Spoufe until became in the flelh: and thus he hath been ahfen.t-ever Iince he all:ended up into Heaven:· y·eal and fh~ll be abfent ;, for it is wrilten> ~/113 ,2 r. Him the hear!enr muft reodvr until. thr time oftht ref/itHtion •faU thingt: and• therefore we are warned, that If in the mean time any fi10uld come and fay, Lo here u Cbrijf, or Lo ther't i<'Cbrift, we fhould not believe him. But as be· Marrh.•Hl· fqre Chrifis coming"inthe flc!h,.the Ghurch and particular belie-ving Souls difcovered their impatience ofhis abfence by many ferYentd~ lir~:s1for his coming: Simrbltand HJ~nah were waiting for Luker. S• th.e cpl.t{olati.n of I[r,,.,, and the Church ''''"~ time before ·wa~ praying, Ob tb~t tbott .,ouldjl renlzhe heavent and c' me down! and many a paffage is there in this Song, wh~ein the Church is con· X xx ceived |