( 22 )
Christ. O believe on him and be enriched forever (illegible text) Is it so (illegible text) been (illegible text) then O beware ⟨of⟩ wronging the Bush. The owner will highly ⟨resent⟩ the least wrong done to his blessed Bush When Paul in bloody rage, was persecuting and raising flame in the Bush there came a voice unto him Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Every stroke thou givest to my members Christ looks upon it ⟨as⟩ done to himself; for they and he are mystically one. If a man was inflicting griveous tortures upon your Son, would not every cry of his pierce your very heart? What is but a very faint resemblance ⟨of⟩ Christ’s love to believers: for his love is like himself, infinite So that every stroke ye give his people, is given to himself, and he will resent it highly O sirs, what ails the world at the poor Bush ⟨of⟩ Christ; ’tis a very harmless creature, which like an innocent lamb, means and does harm to nobody Indeed sirs, the world cannot endure the heavenly Saviour of Christ that is about believers. Ye ⟨shall⟩ be hated of all men says Christ, for my name’s sake That’s a prediction of the entertainment ⟨believers⟩ shall get from the men of the world. They shall be hated, For what? just for Christ’s name sake that perfumes them and so shall render them agreeable to all men But the world cannot come near Christ’s Bush; they abhor her, she smells so (illegible text) a Saviour of Christ about her that the world which likes nothing but the smell of hell hates her, ⟨and⟩ says with the Edomites. raze, raze her out of ⟨the⟩ land; let not the Bush stand a moment longer (illegible text) our land. And hence they think they would have ⟨a⟩ good and merry time of it, once the Bush ⟨were⟩ rooted up and taken away——Then would the floods of iniquities, errors, patronage, supremacy apostacy and tyrannical usurpations over the ⟨Lord's⟩ heritage, and their other darlings, flow amain, ⟨O⟩ foolish mad and frantic persons, who thus think thus act!