Transcribed from the 1817 R. Thomas edition , Many thanks to the British Libraryfor allowing their copy to be consulted.
THE DESCENT
OF
THE BRANCH
INTO THE
WATERS OF SORROW,
TO BRING UP
The Election of Grace.
BEING THESUBSTANCE OF
A Sermon,
PREACHEDBY
J. CHURCH,
OF THE SURREYTABERNACLE.
“AND HE CRIED UNTO THE LORD, AND THE LORDSHEWED HIM A
TREE, WHICH WHEN HE HAD CAST INTO THEWATERS, THE
WATERS WERE MADE SWEET.”“ANDIF WE ARE AFFLICTED IT IS FOR YOUR CONSOLATION.”
Southwark:
Printed by R THOMAS, No, 11, RED LION STREET, Borough.
1817.
p. 3ASermon.
2 Kings, 6th Chap. v. 6.
And the Man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place, and he cut down astick, and cast it in thither, and the iron didswim.
All scripture is written for ourinstruction in the knowledge of the Person and Work of God ourdear Saviour, as the only foundation of our hope, the object ofour faith and love, the only refuge of guilty man, the brightnessof the Father’s glory, and the express image of his love,his wisdom, and his infinite condescension. Holy men of oldspake, and wrote the sacred scriptures, under the divineinfluence of the Holy Ghost. Christ is the main object theyall believed in, looked to, hoped for, and held forth tosucceeding generations. Christ is the substance of thewhole Bible; every passage, in some way or other, like the Starof Bethlehem, points to him; and the most wise and spiritualchildren of the Most High, as divinely taught, must be ever uponthe look-out for Jesus in every part of the divine word. Christ is in every doctrine, in every sacred illustriouscharacter, in p.4every type, in every ordinance, and in every precept, inevery promise, and every Old Testament history, as well as everyNew Testament parable: and where the mind is sweetly influencedby the love of Jesus, it gladly receives Christ wherever it isgiven by the Spirit to see him.
I would not be wise above what is written, nor would I attemptto force the meaning of the blessed Spirit, or misapply it toanswer any purpose; but I must humbly beg to remark, that inreading the circumstance which I have selected for a text, mymind was at first forci