The Church Compared to a Flock of Sheep

    THE CHURCH COMPARED TO A FLOCK OF SHEEP

    "Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, and where thou makest thy Flock to rest at noon," &c., Song 1:7.

    "Fear not, little Flock; it is your Father s good pleasure to give you the kingdom" Lu 12:32.

    The Church, or saints of God, are compared unto a Flock of Sheep.

    METAPHOR

    I. Sheep are clean beasts, tame and gentle; not wild, as tigers, lions, foxes, or wolves: nor unclean, as dogs, swine, &c.

    PARALLEL

    I. So the saints of God are a people tamed, as it were, by God's Spirit, from their natural wildness and perverseness, made gentle, willing to come into Christ's fold, cleansed from impurity of the heart and life.

    METAPHOR

    II. Sheep are simple, a harmless sort of creatures, not crafty, ravenous, and devouring, as those sort of beasts above mentioned.

    PARALLEL

    II. So the saints of God are holy; they are taught to be simple concerning evil: "Be ye, saith Christ, as innocent as doves," Mt 10:16. 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.

    METAPHOR

    III. Sheep are meek and patient under sufferings: hence our Saviour 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," Isa 53:7. See Lamb.

    PARALLEL

    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 appeared in Job, David, Stephen, &c. "I held my peace, I opened not my mouth, because Lord, thou didst it, Ps 39:9.

    METAPHOR

    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 clothing.

    PARALLEL

    IV. The Saints are very profitable many 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," Mt 5:16.

    METAPHOR

    V. Sheep are obedient, and ready to follow their shepherd whithersoever he goeth. It is the custom in some countries, for the shepherd to go before the Sheep, &c. To which our Saviour alludes, Joh 10:27.

    PARALLEL.

    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," Joh 10:4-5. "Thou shalt guide me by thy counsel," Ps 73:24. Christ's precepts are the saint's directory, and his practice their pattern for imitation. Hence Paul exhorteth the Corinthians to follow him, as he followed Christ, 1Co 11:1.

    METAPHOR.

    VI. Sheep are liable to many diseases, many of them are weak and feeble; which a good shepherd taketh pity of, and endeavours to heal and strengthen them.

    PARALLEL.

    VI. So the saints of God are subject to manifold weaknesses, temptations, and afflictions, which moved the Almighty to great compassion, and sorely to rebuke the shepherds of Israel, for their cruelty and great remissness towards his Flock: "The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick," &c. And therefore saith, he would himself take the work into his hands; "I will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick," &c.

    METAPHOR.

    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," Ge 33:13.

    PARALLEL.

    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 man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able; and will the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it," 1Co 10:13. He will not lay upon us more than is right.

    METAPHOR.

    VIII. Sheep are subject to go astray, and to be lost in a wilderness; and upon that account need the shepherd's care, to seek them, and fetch them home to the fold.

    PARALLEL.

    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 carelessness of the under-shepherds: "My sheep, saith the Lord, wandered through all the mountains, and none did search or seek after them," Eze 34:6. "I have gone astray like a lost Sheep, seek thy servant," &c. Ps 119:176.

    METAPHOR.

    IX. Sheep must be led forth into green pastures, to be fed: and a good shepherd will take heed he put them not into fields or meadows that are not proper for them; for some grounds will soon rot and spoil them.

    PARALLEL.

    IX. So Christ's Flock must be fed in good pastures, viz., with sound and wholesome truth, good doctrine, food that is fit and proper for them; they must not have the chaff of men's traditions, nor the corrupt glosses of cloudy doctors, that lived in the dark times of the Church. It behoves Christ's ministers to take heed they suffer not the Sheep under their charge to suck in the poison of error and heresy; for nothing rots and spoils Christians more than that. The spouse from hence enquireth of Christ, "Where he feedeth his Flock?" Song 1:7; that is, where his blessed Gospel was truly and constantly preached, and his holy ordinances duly administered, lest she should turn aside by the Flocks of his companions, that is, such as call themselves so. Christ directs her to "go forth by the footsteps of the Flock, and feed their kids beside 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 beside the still waters,'" Ps 23:1-2.

    METAPHOR.

    X. Sheep have a shadowy place to rest in, when the sun shines hot at noon, which is a great refreshrnent to them where they chew their cud; and being saved from the vehemency of the scorching sun, they with the greater alacrity return to their pasture.

    PARALLEL.

    X. So the saints and church of God have a blessed resting-place in the time of the greatest heat, temptation, affliction, and persecution, or whatsoever may cause disquiet, and grieve them, Song 1:7, in the midst of which, saith Mr. Ainsworth, Christ giveth sweet repose unto his Sheep; they have peace in him, though tribulation in the world, Joh 16:33. "They shall not hunger, nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun smite them," &c., Isa 49:10. "Under the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over-past," Ps 57:1. Hence Christ is said to be as the "Shadow of a great rock in a weary land," Isa 33:2.

    METAPHOR.

    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.

    PARALLEL.

    XI. So God's poor Flock have many strong and cruel adversaries, who would soon tear them in pieces, and utterly destroy 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," Ro 8:36; hence called the "Flock of slaughter," Ec 11:4.

    METAPHOR.

    XII. A Flock of Sheep love to feed and lie down together; it is a difficult thing to scatter and divide them. If they be frightened by an enemy, or pursued by dogs, foxes, or wolves, and should be separated, they would soon get together again.

    PARALLEL.

    XII. So the saints of God do greatly love to assemble together: "They that feared the Lord, spake often one to another," &c., Mal 3:16. "They that fear thee," saith David, "will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in thy word," Ps 119:74. 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 scatter them by persecution, they will soon get together again; as is signified, "And being let go, they went to their own company," Ac 4:23.

    METAPHOR.

    XIII. A Flock of Sheep are subject to take soil and filth, and therefore have need of washing.

    PARALLEL.

    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," Joh 13:8. 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," 1Co 6:11; Re 1:5.

    METAPHOR.

    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.

    PARALLEL.

    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 though the world frown upon them, and they cannot 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 as God is pleased to put them into. "Although 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 rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of my salvation." Hab 3:17-18.

    METAPHOR.

    XV. There are oftentimes in a flock of Sheep some goats.

    PARALLEL.

    XV. So in the Church of Christ are some evil and corrupt members, or such who are none of Christ's Sheep, hypocrites, such as are unsound at heart, who are also called goats, Mt 25:33.

    METAPHOR.

    XVI. Sheep are very fruitful; they multiply in a little time exceedingly, though many be killed by butchers.

    PARALLEL.

    XVI. So the Church of God is fruitful; from a few they have often increased to a great multitude, Ac 2:40-41. Nay, though there have been many of them slaughtered by the persecuting butchers of Babylon, yet they have rather multiplied the more; from whence that maxim grew, The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.

    METAPHOR.

    XVII. In a Flock of sheep are likely some fat and strong, and some lean ones; and the strong are sometimes observed to run upon, and abuse the weak, being grown wanton; these sometimes leap over the fold and the shepherd hath much trouble with them.

    PARALLEL.

    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 spiritual sense: 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, Eze 34:16.

    METAPHOR.

    XVIII. Sheep are sometimes separated from the goats, for some special occasion known to the shepherd.

    PARALLEL.

    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 divideth his sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left," Mt 25:32-33.

    METAPHOR.

    Sheep may be lost, and torn in pieces, and utterly destroyed by lions, bears, &c.

    DISPARITY.

    But none of Christ's sheep can be lost or perish; though the enemy may kill or destroy their bodies, yet he cannot destroy their souls, Mt 10:28. "My Sheep hear my voice, and 1 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," Joh 10:27-28

    Touching other properties and things relating to Christ's Sheep, see the metaphor, Christ the Good Shepherd.