Troposchēmalogia: Tropes and figures; or, A treatise of the metaphors, allegories, and express similitudes, &c. contained in the Bible of the Old and New Testament To which is prefixed, divers arguments to prove the divine authority of the Holy Scriptures wherein also 'tis largely evinced, that by the great whore, mystery Babylon is meant the Papal hierarchy, or present state and church of Rome. Philologia sacra, the second part. Wherein the schemes, or figures in Scripture, are reduced under their proper heads, with a brief explication of each. Together with a treatise of types, parables, &c. with an improvement of them parallel-wise. By B. K
Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704., De Laune, Thomas, d. 1685. Tropologia. aut
The Church compared to a Flock of Sheep.
Cant. 1.7. Tell me, O thou whom my Soul loveth, where thou feedest, and where thou makest thy Flock to rest at Noon, &c.
Luke 12.32. Fear not, little Flock, it is your Father's good Pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
THe Church, or Saints of God, are compared unto a Flock of Sheep.
| Metaphor. | Parallel. |
| SHeep are clean Beasts, tame and gentle; not wild, as Tigers, Li∣ons, Foxes, or Wolves; nor un∣clean, as Dogs, Swine, &c. | SO the Saints of God are a People ta∣med, as it were, by God's Spirit, from that natural Wildness and Perverse∣ness, made gentle, willing to come into Christ's Fold, cleansed from Impurity of Heart and Life. |
| II. Sheep are simple, a harmless Sort of Creatures, not crafty, rave∣nous, and devouring, as those Sort of Beasts above-mentioned. | II. So the Saints of God are holy; they are taught to be simple concerning Evil:*Be ye (saith Christ) as innocent as Doves. They seek the Hurt of no Man; not like Romish Wolves, who delight in nothing more than in Blood and Rapine, shedding the Blood of those who do not wrong or injure them, but desire to live peaceably in the Land. |
| III. Sheep are meek and patient under Sufferings: Hence our Sa∣viour is said to be led as a Lamb to the Slaughter;*and as a Sheep is dumb before the Shearer, so opened he not his Mouth. See Lamb. | III. So the Saints and People of God are meek and patient under God's hand, both when they suffer for their Sins, or for the Trial of their Graces; as appea∣reth in Job, David, Stephen, &c.*I held my Peace, I opened not my Mouth, because Lord, thou diddest it. |
| IV. Sheep, as they are patient, so they are profitable, both in their Lives, and by their Death. There is scarcely any Creature that brings its Owner greater Incomes than Sheep; they are good both for Food and Cloathing. | IV. The Saints are very profitable ma∣ny ways; the Benefit the World receives by them, or for their Sakes, is very great; they are called the Light of the World, and the Salt of the Earth; now the Profit the World receives in both these respects, is not little. Had there been ten of those Sheep in Sodom, God had not destroyed it; besides, the Angel told Lot, he could do nothing till he was out of the City. What a Blessing was Joseph to his Master, whilst he abode in his House, and Jacob to Laban! They yield the World much Profit, by the Doctrine they preach, by the fervent Prayers they daily put up to Almighty God, and their holy and good Examples:*Let your Light so shine before Men, that they may see your good Works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. |
| V. Sheep are obedient, and rea∣dy to follow their Shepherd whi∣thersoever he goeth. It is the Custom in some Countries, for the Shepherd to go before the Sheep, &c To which our Saviour alludes, John 10.27. | V. So Believers, and the Church of Christ, are obedient to him:*My Sheep (saith he) hear my Voice, and they follow me; and the Voice of a Stranger they will not follow.*Thou shalt guide me by thy Counsel, saith the Psalmist. Christ's Precepts are the Saints Directory, and his Practice their Pattern for Imitation. Hence Paul exhorteth the Corinthians to follow him, as he followed Christ.* |
| VI. Sheep are incident to many Diseases, many of them are weak and feeble; which a good Shep∣herd taketh pity of, and endea∣vours to heal and strengthen them. | VI. So the Saints of God are subject to manifold Weaknesses, Temptations, and Afflictions, which moved the Almighty to great Compassion, and sorely to re∣buke the Shepherds of Israel, for their Cruelty and great Remisness towards his Flock: The Diseased have ye not strengthned, neither have ye healed that which was sick, &c. And therefore saith, He would himself take the Work into his own hands: I will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick, &c |
| VII. A Flock of Sheep must not be over-driven, lest they tire. Jacob, who was a skilful Shepherd, knew this, and therefore told Esau his Brother,* that if the Flock were over-driven, they would die. | VII. So the Saints or Flock of Christ must not be over-driven, they must be led gently along; and God taketh care to lay no more upon them than they can bear. No Temptation hath taken you,*but such as is common to Men; but God is faith∣ful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able; and will with the Temptation also make way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. He will not lay upon us more than is right. |
| VIII. Sheep are subject to go astray, and to be lost in a Wilder∣ness; and upon that account need the Shepherd's Care, to seek them, and fetch them home to the Fold. | VIII. So the Saints are subject to go astray from God, and to wander from his Precepts, viz. decline in their Zeal, Faith, and Affection to him, and his Ways, and to get wandering Thoughts after the World; and sometimes they wander, through the Neglect and Carelesness of the Under-Shepherds: My Sheep,*saith the Lord, wandered through all the Mountains, and none did search or seek after them. I have gone astray like a lost Sheep, seek thy Servant, &c. |
| IX. Sheep must be led forth into green Pastures, to be fed: and a good Shepherd will take heed he Page 123 puts them not into Fields or Mea∣dows that are not proper for them; for some Grounds will soon rot and spoil them. | Page 122IX. So Christ's Flock must be fed in good Pastures, viz. with sound and wholesom Truth, good Doctrine, Food that is fit and proper for them; they Page 123 must not have Chaff of Mens Traditions, nor the corrupt Glosses of cloudy Doctors, that lived in the dark Time of the Church. It behoves Christ's Ministers to take heed they suffer not the Sheep under their Charge to suck in the Poyson of Error and Heresy; for nothing rots and spoils Chri∣stians more than that. The Spouse from hence enquireth of Christ,*Where he feedeth his Flock? that is, Where his blessed Gospel was truly and constantly preached, and his holy Ordinances duly administred, lest she should turn aside by the Flocks of his Com∣panions, that is, such as call themselves so. Christ directs her to go forth by the Foot∣steps of the Flock, and feed their Kids besides the Shepherds Tents: That is, to follow the Doctrine and Footsteps of the Primitive Church, for that alone is our Rule in all God's holy Worship. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want:*He maketh me to lie down in green Pastures, he leadeth me besides the still Waters. |
| X. Sheep have a shadowy Place to rest in, when the Sun shines hot at Noon, which is a great Refresh∣ment to them, where they chew their Cud; and being saved from the Vehemency of the scorching Sun, they with the greater Alacri∣ty return to their Pasture. | X.* So the Saints and Church of God have a blessed Resting-place in the Time of the greatest Heat, Temptation, Af∣fliction, and Persecution, or whatsoever may cause Disquiet, and grieve them; in the midst of which (saith Mr. Ains∣worth) Christ giveth sweet Repose unto his Sheep; they have Peace in Him, tho Tribulation in the World.*They shall not hunger, nor thirst, neither shall the Heat nor Sun smite them, &c. Ʋnder the Shadow of thy Wings will I make my Refuge, until these Calamities be over-past. Hence Christ is said to be as the Shadow of a great Rock in a weary Land. |
| XI. Sheep have many Enemies, as Lions, Wolves, Bears, Dogs, Foxes, and the like; and all their Safety stands only in the Care of their Shepherd: otherwise these cruel Beasts, besides Men, who kill many in a Night, would soon tear them to pieces. | XI. So God's poor Flock have many strong and cruel Adversaries, who would soon tear them in pieces, and utterly de∣stroy them, were it not for the precious Love and Care of Jesus Christ.*We are killed all the day long, and accounted as Sheep for the Slaughter;* hence called the Flock of Slaughter. |
| XII. A Flock of Sheep love to feed and lie down together; it is a difficult thing to scatter and divide them. If they are frighted by an Enemy, or pursued by Dogs, Foxes, or Wolves, and should be separa∣ted, they would soon get together again. | XII. So the Saints of God do greatly love to assemble together:*They that feared the Lord, spake often one to another, &c. They that fear thee, saith David,*will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in thy Word. It is a hard thing to divide Christ's choice Sheep, their Hearts are knit one to another, as Jonathan's was to David's. And if wicked Men, like Dogs and Wolves, do endeavour to scat∣ter them by Persecution, they will soon get together again; as is signified, Acts 4.23. And being let go, they went to their own Company, &c. |
| XIII. A Flock of Sheep are sub∣ject to take Soil and Filth, and there∣fore have need of washing. | XIII. So the Godly and Faithful in Christ Jesus are very subject (as they are in themselves) to contract much Guilt and Pollution, Sin being of a defiling Nature; and therefore it is they are washed by their Shepherd: If I wash thee not,*thou hast no part in me. The believing Corinthians are said to be washed, they were before very unclean and filthy: Such were some of you, but ye are washed,*but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the Name of our Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God, who hath loved us, and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood.* |
| XIV. Sheep will live where other Beasts cannot; they will live upon very hard and barren Commons, where the Grass is exceeding short, and yet seem very well contented. | XIV. So the sincere and truly gracious Soul can live by Faith in a Time of Want and Scarcity, when the Hopes of other Men die, and pine away. And tho the World frown upon them, and they can∣not see which way by an Eye of Sense they should subsist, yet they make a good Shift to live upon the Providence of God, who careth for them, and are very contented and satisfied with such Pasture that God is pleased to put them into. Altho the Fig-Tree shall not blossom,*neither shall Fruit be on the Vine; the Labour of the Olive shall fail, and the Fields shall yield no Meat; the Flocks shall be cut off from the Fold, and there shall be no Herd in the Stall: Yet will I rejoyce in the Lord, and joy in the God of my Salvation. |
| XV. There are oftentimes in a Flock of Sheep some Goats. | XV. So in the Church of Christ are some evil and corrupt Members,* or such who are none of Christ's Sheep, Hypo∣crites, such as are unsound at Heart, who are also called Goats. |
| XVI. Sheep are very fruitful; they multiply in a little Time ex∣ceedingly, tho many are killed by Butchers. | XVI. So the Church of God is fruitful;* from a few they have often encreased to a great Multitude: Nay, tho they have been many of them slaughtered by the perse∣cuting Butchers of Babylon, yet they have rather multiplied the more; from whence that Maxim grew, The Blood of the Mar∣tyrs is the Seed of the Church. |
| VII. In a Flock of Sheep are likely some fat and strong, and some lean Ones; and the strong are some∣times observed to run upon, and abuse the weak, being grown very wanton; these sometimes leap over the Fold, and the Shepherd hath much trouble with them. | XVII. So amongst the Flock of Christ are some fat and rich Saints, and some poor and lean Ones, who do not thrive; you may take it both in a temporal and spiri∣tual Sence: There are also some whom God rebukes and threatens, who are grown so head-strong, that they are waxed wanton and haughty, that they oppress and abuse the Poor; and these God saith he will destroy;* they being grown fat, like Jeshurun, kick against the Lord, and will not live in subjection to his Church, nor abide in the Fold. |
| XVIII. Sheep are sometimes sepa∣rated from the Goats, for some spe∣cial occasion known to the Shep∣herd. | XVIII. So the Sheep of Christ in the last Day shall be separated from the Goats,* by the Lord Jesus: Before him shall be gathered all Nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a Shepherd divi∣deth his Sheep from the Goats; and he shall set the Sheep on his Right-hand, and the Goats on his Left. |
| Metaphor. | Disparity. |
| SHeep may be lost, and torn in pieces, and utterly destroyed by Lions, Bears, &c. | BUt none of Christ's Sheep can be lost nor perish;* tho the Enemy may kill or destroy their Bodies, yet they cannot destroy their Souls. My Sheep hear my Voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal Life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand: My Father that gave them me is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. |
Touching other Properties and Things relating to Christ's Sheep, see the Meta∣phor, Christ the good Shepherd.
