The Church Compared to a Mother

    THE CHURCH COMPARED TO A MOTHER

    "O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my Mother!" Song 8:1. "Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the Mother of us all" Ga 4:26.

    BY Mother in these scriptures is meant the Church of God, or as some expound it, the universal Church. As God is a believer's Father, so the Church is his Mother.

    METAPHOR

    I. A Mother is the wife of an husband; it imports a marriage-state. Every godly woman that is a Mother, can show who is, or was, her husband.

    PARALLEL

    I. The Church is the spouse and wife of Christ, "For thy maker is thy husband, the Lord of hosts is his name," Isa 54:5. "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him that is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God," Ro 7:4.

    METAPHOR

    II. A Mother is one that beareth and bringeth forth children.

    PARALLEL

    II. So the Church beareth and bringeth forth children to Christ: "Of Zion it shall be said, this and that man was born in her," Ps 87:5. Hence the saints are called sons and daughters, and children of Zion.

    METAPHOR

    III. A Mother travails, and is in great pain, in bringing forth children.

    PARALLEL

    III. So the Church is said to travail, and be in pain, in bringing forth of children to Christ: "As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children," Isa 66:8. The Church may be said to travail two manner of ways: (1.) By preaching, prayer, and by other godly means and endeavours, to bring forth poor sinners out of a state of nature into a state of grace. Paul was said to travail in pain, till Christ was formed in those to whom he preached." (2.) She travaileth by preaching, prayer, tears, and sufferings, and other lawful ways to bring forth her children out of a state of bondage, and external slavery and captivity, into a state of perfect peace, joy, and prosperity, free from all outward violence and thraldom, according to the promise of God; "Therefore will I give them up, until the time which she that travaileth hath brought forth:---Then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel," Mic 5:3.---"She being with child, cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered," Re 12:2.---"For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail and anguish, as of her that bringeth forth her first child. The voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth forth her hands, saying, woe is me now, for my soul is weary because of murderers," Jer 4:31. "Be in pain, labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail. For now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field; and thou shalt go even to Babylon, there shalt thou be delivered, the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies," Mic 4:10.

    METAPHOR

    IV. A Mother, when she hath brought forth her children, layeth them to her breasts, to feed and nourish them, and letteth them lie in her very bosom, taking abundance of care and compassion of them.

    PARALLEL

    IV. So the Church of God, when she hath in a spiritual manner brought forth children, she giveth them her two precious breasts, which are the sound and sacred doctrine of the Old and New Testament; those she draweth forth, to give her "new born babes the sincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby," 1Pe 2:2.

    METAPHOR

    V. A godly Mother giveth good counsel and instruction to her children, Pr 31:1. It was a great mercy to Timothy, that he had such a good woman as Eunice to be his Mother, who took care to give him good education, and brought him up religiously; it is said, "He knew the holy Scriptures from a child."

    PARALLEL

    V. So the Church of God giveth good counsel and instruction to all her children. Saints are not only fed by the Church, but well taught also. Solomon exhorts the sons of wisdom to "hear, the instructions of their father, and not to forsake the law of their Mother, Pr 1:8. The true Church teacheth nothing for doctrine, but what she hath received from the mouth of Christ. She doth not, like the Mother of harlots, teach for doctrine cursed fopperies, idle, ridiculous, and superstitious ceremonies, which are a reproach to the Christian religion, and a great hindrance both of the Jews and heathens from owning of it. They are all holy rites, pious and undeniable laws and just rules of discipline, consonant to the holy Word of God, that she teacheth all her children.

    METAPHOR

    VI. A Mother ought to be obeyed and reverenced in all things by her children; her just commands must be submitted to. It is a great evil to rebel against a Mother.

    PARALLEL

    VI. So the Church of God ought to be obeyed and reverenced in all things. It is an abominable evil to slight or disobey the Church, our spiritual Mother. Her instructions and admonitions must be received with all due care and readiness; and those who stubbornly and obstinately refuse to submit, are guilty of great sin.

    METAPHOR

    VII. A wise and godly Mother greatly loves, and is tender of all her children. She taketh care to carry it evenly towards every one of them; not to indulge any one out of a fond and great passion, and slight another, because not so beautiful and amiable to look upon.

    PARALLEL

    VII. So the Church of God taketh care to carry it tenderly, and with much wisdom, to all her children. She acts not partially towards them, to countenance one more than another; the weak and poorest saint is as dear to our spiritual Mother, as the strongest and richest of them.

    METAPHOR

    VIII. A tender Mother hath much compassion and bowels towards her weak, sick, and helpless children, her heart aches many times for such.

    PARALLEL

    VIII. So God's Church is filled with bowels of pity and compassion towards her weak and distempered members. How is she troubled for such as are under temptations, or fallen into any spiritual distemper of the soul! The Church's bowels should exceed the bowels of a natural Mother to her sick children upon this account.

    METAPHOR

    IX. A gracious and godly Mother loveth those children best, that are most dutiful, and who dearly love, and are most like their father.

    PARALLEL

    IX. So the Church of God loveth those children or saints best, that are most diligent, dutiful, and obedient to Christ, and to all the good and wholesome laws of the family; who love, and are most like God, in mercy, heavenly-mindedness, in good works, and acts of piety and charity to the poor; these she esteems and prizes highly, Mt 5:45.

    METAPHOR

    X. A Mother is allowed by the father to chastise or correct those children, that grow heady and proud, or any ways misbehave themselves to the dishonour of the father, and reproach of the family.

    PARALLEL

    X. So the Church is allowed, nay, required by Christ, to correct by gentle reproof, those children or members that do transgress the law of God; and if they grow heady, proud, and stubborn, she reproves them sharply; but if that will not reclaim them, but that they still proceed in a rebellious mind, and misbehave themselves, she proceeds further, and taketh the rod of Church-discipline, and withdraws herself from them, and alloweth them not to come to the table with the rest of her children. Nay, if they fall into any scandalous evil, to the reproach of Christ, his truth, and the household of faith, she chastiseth them with the rod of excommunication, and putteth them quite out of the family. "Deliver such an one unto Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, 1Co 5:5.

    METAPHOR

    XI. A mother is sometimes allowed in the absence of the father, to be chief governess in the family, and to choose, according to the direction of the father, a steward over her house, and other inferior officers, and as they behave themselves, she ought to encourage them, and continue them, or otherwise turn them out of their offices.

    PARALLEL

    XI. So the Church of Christ in his absence is appointed to govern all the affairs of his house, and according to those holy laws and directions left by him, ought to choose a steward, viz., a bishop, minister, or pastor, to take the charge of the great affairs of the family, and other inferior officers, as deacons, &c., to take care of the poor; and as the pastor or deacons behave themselves, she ought to encourage him or them, and continue them in their places; but if they fall into sin, or neglect their work, and are unfaithful in their places, she hath power to correct, and turn them out; always provided, she act according to rule: "Against an elder receive not an accusation, under two or three witnesses," 1Ti 5:19.

    METAPHOR

    XII. A Mother, though her Children prove never so vile and ungodly, hath no power to kill them; if she do, though they are her own children, she is deemed by the law a murderer, and as such must die.

    PARALLEL

    XII. So the Church of God, though some of her members prove very vile, and will not be under her government; or turn heretics, sucking in damnable errors; yet the most she can do, is to pass the censure of excommunication against them. "An heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject," &c., Tit 3:9-10. And therefore the Mother of harlots, for putting to death such as she calls heretics, is deemed, by the law of God and nations, a murderer, and, as such, must and shall in God's due time die. "Her plagues shall come upon her in one day, death, mourning, and famine, and she shall be utterly burnt with fire; for strong is the Lord God that judgeth her," Re 18:8.

    METAPHOR

    XIII. It is a great and high honour to a Mother, that her children and family are well governed, having their food in due order, and that her children and servants are all at her beck, and dearly love one another, and when none of them are missing at dinner, or duty-time.

    PARALLEL

    XIII. So it is the honour of the Church of Christ when all her children humbly and faithfully submit themselves to good order and discipline, when all of them carefully attend their respective duties, and do not absent themselves, when she calleth them together at times of public worship, or upon any other occasion, as to rectify disorders, or choose officers, &c. how lovely and amiable is it, and how doth it tend to the glory of the Church, to see saints live together in love and unity, always making conscience of those laws, that respect the well ordering, and religious government of the family or household of God, Ps 133:1-2.

    METAPHOR

    XIV. Some Mothers have daughters who have children.

    PARALLEL

    XIV. So the universal Church hath many daughters, many particular Churches, which are very fruitful to Christ.

    There are many disparities, wherein the Church excelleth other Mothers, which I leave to the ingenious reader to find out.

    INFERENCES.

    I. This should teach believers to reverence and obey the Church of God, as dutiful children do their godly Mother, in all things.

    II. And take care they do not grieve her.

    III. To have relenting bowels towards her in all her troubles. Shall our Mother be in distress, and ready to be devoured by hungry lions? and shall not her children be in bitterness of soul for her? When Sion is afflicted we should be afflicted; when her eyes are wet, shall ours be dry? when she is sad, should not we be sad too?

    IV. How doth this greatly reprove them, who instead of comforting of her in her widowhood state, add to her sorrow?