he woula go to Hell Being it seems naturally persuaded that cruel bloody and uncharitable men could never be happy in another life 4. I will add a fourth thing though not beforementioned which experience hath constantly shewed us to be of very great force to draw others viz. A bold and couragious Suffering for the Name of Christ It hath been a constant Observation that the Blood of Martyrs hath been the seed of the Church Men naturally are inclined to think there is a great deal in that Religion which will make men so Valiant as to die in the defence and asserting of it There is yet one thing more upon which this much depends that is 5. A Christians communicativeness both of his gifts and of his experiences 1. Of his gifts his knowledge and other gifts by which he informs Christians of the Truth and persuades and argues them out of their sinful courses Come saith David I will teach you the sear of the Lord O that there were more of this in the World than there is how few are those Christians that have either grace or confidence enough to mind others of their conditions and to call upon them to look after Eternity We can call upon our Children and Friends to mind their Worldly concerns we are communicative euough to them of what we know which may help them as to them but how little do we call upon them to strive to enter in at the strait Gate to make their Calling and Election sure What should the reason of this be Is it unbelief or is it carelesness Is it unbelief do we not then believe an Immortal Eternal state of Souls into which no Souls can come but bv and through Christ as the way It cannot be this is the Object of our Hope it is the great thing we have in expectation if we had hope only in this Life we were of all men most miserable Are we confident that our Children our Friends or Neighbours are in the road to this blessed state Certainly there are many of them of whom we can have no such hopes How are we then silent if we know better things then they know why do we not instruct them St. John saith He that hath of this Worlds goods and seeth his Brother in want and releives him not how dwells the love of God in h m 1 Jo. 3. 17. What shall we say of those who have of the goods that relate to another World the Treasures of Spiritual knowledge and seeth his Child his Friend in want and to his power relieves him not how dwells the love of God or of his Childs or Friends Soul in him Dalilah asked Sampson how he could say to her that he loved her when he kept his secrets from her which she was not concerned to know but how canst thou say thou lovest thy Yoke-fellow thy Child thy Friend and concealest from them what thou knowest with reference to their Spiritual and Eternal good and which it is as much their concern to know as it is thine I remember Christ doth thus prove himself his Disciples friend John 15. 15. I have called you Friends for all things which I have heard of my Father I have made known to you that is all things which my Father hath let me know and which are of concern for you to know Thus Christ hath discharged the Office of a Friend to our Souls and should not we do likewise Do we know any thing concerns our near Friends Souls with reference to their Eternals happiness and do we conceal our knowledge from them how do we discharge the Office of Friends to them how dwells either the love of God or the love of them in our Souls 2. Nor is the communicativeness of our own Experiences What we have seen as well as what we have heard of less use or less our duty I know it is a thing which profane Persons may mock at but let them mock on Wisdom shall be justified of her Children I am sure we meet with David and Paul and others of the Servants of God of whom we have a sacred Record very frequent in it Come saith David and I will tell you what God hath done for my Soul I know Men may boast beyond their line or measure they may boast of experiences they never had experiences must be fulfillings of Promises But certainly there can be nothing as a mean more powerful to draw others to a running after Christ in the ways of Holiness then the knowledge of what others have found and experienced in them I am sure it was the practice of the Woman of Samaria of Andrew and Peter and that with great success O let every one of us who have in our hearts any love for God any zeal for the glory of God any kindness for the Souls of others being our selves drawn so behave our selves that others allured by our examples persuaded by our arguments may also run after Christ Let those that cannot as yet discern the Savour of his good Oyntments be helped to discern them at second hand while our Lips feed many and our Garments smell of Myrrh Aloes and Cassia Sermon XXIV Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his Chambers I Have done with the Spouses Petition Draw me and with the argument by which she impleaded her Petition She would then run after him and of the alteration of the number in the promise we will run not I but we I come now to the third thing which I took notice of in the verse which I called The Spouses attestation of her beloveds favour in the answer of her Petition That is in the words I have now read The King hath brought me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto his in Ward-Rooms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Closet His Chambers so we translate it What is necessary for the opening of the words you have heard before It was but even now that we heard the Spouse praying draw me and promising that if the Lord would hear and answer her Prayers both she and others would run after him How presently is her tone altered and her prayer turned into praise Hence I observed Prop. That God is pleased sometimes to make a very quick return to his Peoples Prayers But before I handle this I shall take a little notice of the name she here giveth to her Beloved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the King The word is the same that is every where used to express the sole dominion of a Person over others a term very properly given to Christ and that not only as he is God over all blessed for ever and so the Psalmist telleth us that his Throne is established in the Heavens and his Kingdom ruleth over all but in respect of his Mediatory Kingdom as he is the Lords King whom he hath set upon his holy Hill of Sion Psal 2. 6. to whom he hath given the Heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost part of the Earth for
his Spirit but thy Soul is yet unquiet and impatient it is thy duty yet to wait upon God to chide down thy tumultuous and unquiet thoughts all the risings up and murmurings of thy Soul against God to adore and to admire God where thou canst not see or understand him to acknowledge Gods goodness and holiness though thou canst not discern his goodness as to thee in this particular Thus did David Psal 22. 3. after he had complained that he had cried in the day time and the Lord did not hear and in the night season and was not silent v. 3. he saith But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel This is most certainly our duty under such providences as these are we must not look in this life to understand all Gods ways and methods of providence much less the reasons of them that is a piece of knowledge reserved for another world all that we have to do is to observe and study them and where we cannot find them out to admire and adore them and to wait upon him that wrappeth up himself in thick darkness and hideth his face from the House of Jacob. This waiting doth not only signify a passive quietness silence and patience but an active doing our duty Waiting on the Lord and keeping his way are put together Psal 37. we ought not to leave off praying because in our apprehensions at least our prayers lie by without answer much less to slacken our course of holiness but to resolve as the Church did for Zions sake so for our own sake not to hold our peace we have for this an excellent president in the example of the Church Psal 44. 17. All this is come upon us saith she yet have we not forgotten thee nor dealt falsely in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death then she concludeth with prayer v. 23 24 25 26. Awake why sleepest thou O Lord arise cast us not off for ever wherefore hidest thou thy face and forgettest our affliction and oppression For our Soul is bowed down to the dust our belly cleaveth to the Earth Arise for our help and redeem us for thy mercy sake Sermon XXV Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his Chambers IF any asketh who is this King whom the text speaks of as the question soundeth like that Psal 24. v. 8. Who is the King of glory So the answer must be much the same The Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in Battel the Lord of Hosts he is the King of Glory He is the King of Nations for all the Nations of the Earth are the work of his hands and he hath a Native Lordship and dominion over them He is the King upon the holy hill of Sion the King of Saints they have chosen him he ruleth in them and reigneth over them they have chosen him he hath subdued their hearts unto him and hath chosen them for his peculiar people this is the King of whom the Church and the believing Soul here speaketh and saith The King hath brought me into his Chambers It is the same Person of whom she spake v. 2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth To whom she said v. 3. Draw me and we will run after thee There she spake to him as her beloved here she speaketh of him as a King there she prayed for something that she wanted here she praiseth and giveth thanks for something she had received I have already taken notice of the alteration of her stile of her so sudden giving thanks upon the quick return God had made to her prayers I come now to consider the mercy or good thing she had received which she expresseth in the same metaphorical dialect which she useth throughout this Song The King hath brought me into his Chambers when I at first opened the whole verse I endeavoured to find out what this mercy was in the receit of which the Spouse triumpheth in this text I then considered Chambers as places more lofty then others and and of more privacy and secrecy and from thence concluded that the Spouse by this phrase signifieth some special favours which she had received from God some special and more near and intimate degrees of fellowship and communion with God into which her beloved had taken her The Proposition I offered from the words for my further explication was this That the Lord Jesus Christ hath Chambers in which he sometimes entertaineth the Souls of his people He hath a favour for them all Rooms in his House for all the sizes of his people but he hath Chambers for some or into which he sometimes takes up the Souls of his Saints the subject of my discourse will be such special favours as God sheweth to some Souls or to the Souls of his people at some times This is evident in holy writ Abraham was called the Friend of God Moses is called his Servant emphatically Moses my Servant is dead David the man according to Gods own heart Solomon was named by God Jedidiah a man beloved of God There are four degrees in the love of God as it respecteth the Children of men 1. He hath a Philanthropy or general love which he sheweth towards all He leaveth not the Heathen without witness In him all men live move and have their being from him they have fruitful times and seasons which fill their bellies with food their hearts with gladness their bellies are filled with his hid treasure The patience of God leadeth them to repentance The invisible things of God even his eternal power and God-head are made known to them by his works of Creation by the things which he hath made 2. He hath a more special love for his Church This is seen in his more special providence exercised towards his whole Church which are more watched over and preserved by a common providence then any other body of people are They have also the Oracles of God the Ordinances of God and means of grace and this latter is certainly an effect of the death of Christ 3. He hath yet a more special love for all those within his Church who are effectually called whose hearts God hath seized and subdued to himself they are made partakes of more special grace being called justified and sanctified and such who shall hereafter be most certainly glorified 4. But there is yet another specialty of Divine love even amongst those who are made partakers of special saving graces some are more specially favoured in this life and shall be more eminently then others glorified in that life which is to come These more special favours to the Saints that are all made partakers of the same saving grace are the subject of my present enquiry 1. Some here understand the mansions of glory but they are forced to make an
the consideration of the Matter and Scope I begin with the first of these 1 Prop. The Book of Canticles was Solomon's This is so plainly asserted in the Hebrew Text where this is the first verse that it cannot well be denied without the denial of the other matter contained in it the only ground of scruple is because of the particle ל prefixed in the Original which is oft a note of the Dative or Accusative Case as if it were rather dedicated to Solomon then written by him But to clear this we need not Christopolitanus his fancy that it is to shew us that Solomon here sang not of himself but to the true Solomon Jesus Christ nor yet Delrio's fancy that it signifies as much as secundum The Song of Songs according to Solomon as we say that the Gospel according to Matthew which was wrote by Matthew for the instances in the Titles of Davids Psalms are sufficient to evidence the Grammar good enough in making ל a note of the Genitive Case sometimes Taking that therefore upon the Credit of the Hebrew Text. Let us more particularly enquire 1. Who this Solomon was 2. At what time he wrote this Sacred Book and what probably gave him the occasion of it Solomon was the Son of David the King of Israel The Son of David by Bathsheba the Wife of Uriah born in Hierusalem 2 Sam. 5. 14. So named by his Father David 2 Sam 12. 24. at his Birth it is said The Lord loved him Upon which v. 25. David sent by Nathan and called his name Jedidiah i. e. beloved of God Abulensis thinks it was not his proper name nor was he afterward that we read of called by it Solomon signifies Peaceable he was so named before he was born by Nathan 1 Chron. 22. 9. and that with respect to the peace and quietness of Israel in his days God there Covenanted with David for him that he should be his Son and that he would be a Father to him and the Covenant recorded Psal 89. made with David had a special relation unto him v. 25. 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34. He succeeded his Father in the Kingdom by his Fathers appointment 1 Kings 1. 32. and reigned with such an affluence of Divine Blessings as none might compare with him He loved the Lord 1 Kings 3. 3. and walked in the Statutes of his Father God in Gibeon appeared to him saying Ask what shall I give thee v. 9. He asks a wise and understanding heart to judge his people and to discern good and bad asunder which saying so pleased the Lord that the Lord not only granted what he asked v. 10. 11 12 13. but also riches and honour so as there was none like unto him all his days He builded the Temple and the Lord again graciously appears to him upon his Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings ch 9. The Queen of Sheba came to admire his wisdom for he exceeded all the Kings of the Earth in Riches and Honour 1 Kings 10. 23. Now of this Solomon it is said That he loved many strange Women together with the Daughter of Pharaoh Women of the Moabites Ammonites Edomites Sidonians and Hitties c. and v. 6. They turned away his heart from God when he was old and v. 5. he went after Ashtaroth and Milcom and built high places for Chemosh and for Molech v. 7. And here ariseth a Question to which it is reasonable that I should speake something in this place because this Song is judged to relate much to that action of Solomons life Qu. Whether Solomon sinned in marrying of Pharaoh's Daughter or whether that first match of his was lawful Theodoret and Suidas conclude that he did sin and prove it from 1 Kings 11. 1. where this Marriage of his together with his later Marriages with the Daughters of the Canaaâ—etes seem to be condemned besides that the law of God seems to have been against all such Marriages Deut. 7. 3. and Ezra ch 9. 1. reckons it up as the sin of the people that they had taken to wife the Daughters of the Egyptians c. Bellarmine Cajetan Soto Abulensis and others think That he did not sin in this Marriage to prove which they produce 1 Kings 3. 1. where Solomons making affinity with Pharaoh and taking of his Daughter is mentioned and afterward v. 3. it is said Solomon loved the Lord I walked in the Statutes of David his Father Certain it is allowing no transpositions after this God made his signal appearances to him in Gibeon and upon the dedication of the Temple Besides they urge the Friendship between David and the King of Egypt and the probability of Davids contracting this Marriage for his Son before his death They further say that the Law Deut. 7. 3. did not simply and universally forbid Marriages with the Daughters of Idolaters Joseph Married Potiphar's Daughter Gen. 41. 45. Moses Married Jethru's Daughter Exo. 2. 1. Boaz Married Ruth a Moabitess Ruth 2. and Sampson a Daughter of the Philistines and David the King of Geshurt's Daughter 2 Sam. 3. 2. And there was a particular law directing the formality of such Marriages when any were taken captive Deut. 21. 10 11. Besides there are that observe a wonderful councel of God in it both to reconcile these two contiguous Nations in a politick alliance and also in regard that Solomon was to be a Type of Christ who was to reconcile Jews and Gentiles unto God Others think that the Law Deut. 7. only respected the Canaanites Daughters who by Gods command were to be blotted out but that is of no value for Deut. 21. 10 11. they might marry Captives They therefore think that he sinned not in his marriage of her but 1. In his multiplying of Wives expresly contrary to the Law 2. In his excessive love to and fondness of her 3. In his following her to Apostacy I think Pineda's opinion is truest That it was not by any law given to the Jews simply forbidden to marry the Daughter of an Idolater provided that she was first proselyted to the Jewish Religion which was the term which you know the Sons of Jacob put upon Hamor in the case of Dinah viz. That his People should be Circumcised Thus some of the Jewish Rabbies interpret those precepts Deut. 7. 3. and Exod. 23. 3. Thus the precept Deut. 21. 10 11. is easily reconcilable to that Deut. 7. 3. Hence it is very probably concluded that Pharaohs Daughter upon her marriage subjected herself to the Jewish Religion and that of the Psalmist Psal 44. 10. favours this opinion Forget also thine own people and thy Fathers House so shall the King desire thy beauty Hence we conclude that Solomons marriage with Pharaohs Daughter was lawful and contracted by him in his best state in the beginning of his Reign but it afterwards proved inexpedient we read nothing of Solomons defection nor the ill influence of this match till he was
God be vile in your Eyes who are so highly esteemed by him who is your Lord and Master and by whom you pretend to hope to be saved But to shut up this discourse You that will not conform your judgment to the Judgment of Christ concerning such People and behave your selves towards them accordingly shall certainly be forced to submit to his Judgment spoken of Jude 14. and 15. 2d Branch I would willingly improve this notion a little further not onely to reconcile your judgments to the judgment of Christ concerning the People of God but to reconcile you also to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the ways of God The effecting of the former if I could do it though it might produce some more quiet and peace in the World and reduce men to the rule of reason yet as to your own Souls if that be all all the effect it would have would be to save you from a deeper place in Hell It is not a good opinion of Gods People or a peaceable or kind behaviour to them will bring any man to Heaven I could wish that all who hear me this day to use Saint Paul's words to Agrippa were as the People of God are excepting that reproach and obloquy which they suffer those bonds and imprisonments to which they are exposed that they also would come into the number of those whom the Lord judgeth the best Souls in the World the fairest amongst women 1. Is it nothing to you to come into this reputation Leud profane debaucht Persons let their quality in the World be what it will in Scripture come under the notions of Children of Belial Vain Persons What an object of desire doth corporeal beauty appear to the World What will not a vain woman do to get it to preserve it to dissemble it what time what mony she spends to set it out What care she takes if as to it she be under any defects to hide them to correct them c. Quantum est in rebus inane All this it may be is spent in painting a Sepulcher a rotten post Possibly look into this Masquerade there 's nothing but what is rational filthiness and deformity An understanding void of any valuable knowledge A Perverse and stubborn will against what is rationally good beastly affections her Soul it may be is full of lasciviousness Pride Malice Envy All unlovely things Turbulent Passions Is Spiritual beauty worth nothing Shall Heathens judge a Soul that is knowing subdued to the rule of reason chast good just sober meek modest beautiful and worth a thousand Souls otherwise disposed and qualified and shall Christians judge otherwise shall they think Soul-beauty not valuable Or shall they not judge it worth any thing to be comely with Christs comeliness and in the Eyes of an all seeing heart searching God to be without spot or wrinkle consider Sirs how much this is beneath the name or profession of Christians how we are condemned by wanton gallants desiring corporeal beauty and Heathens valuing the rational beauty of the mind which commends it self to all rational minds before they be debauched 2. Consider what it is to have the King of Kings to desire and to predicate our beauty Psal 45. 11. So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty The King this King is God whose throne is for ever and ever and whose Scepter is a righteous Scepter v. 6. Beauty is in it self attractive but who is there that will not covet a beauty that a King should desire But what are all the Kings of the Earth compared with him who is the King of glory So shall the King saith the Psalmist desire thy beauty How great a thing is this for the great God to have a desire to the Sons of men and a delight in them And further for this King to predicate our beauty as the Lord doth in the Text and did concerning Job Job 2. v. 3. And the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my Servant Job that there is none like him in all the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evil and still he holdeth fast his integrity though thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause For this great King to desire a Souls beauty signifieth to be the Spouse of Christ to be in favour with God in this life and it promiseth an eternal communion with God in glory in the life which is to come when the Marriage of the Lamb shall be consummate and the Bride the Lambs Wife shal follow him wheresoever he goes 3. Lastly consider The consequent of not being of the number of those whom Christ here calleth the fairest amongst Women Amongst men their is a medium betwixt mens looking upon a woman as the fairest and such a one whose beauty they desire and being abominable and odious in their Eyes But as to Christ there is no medium betwixt these two The unbelieving and the abominable are put together Rev. 21. 8. A man may not love a woman so well as to make her his Wife and yet have a kindness for her not hate and abhor her The case is not so betwixt God and the Soul He or she whose beauty the Lord doth not desire is by God hated and abhorred that Soul is abominable in his fight The abominable Rev. 21. 8. shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the Second death These arguments are enough to those who believe there is an Heaven and an Hell who believe there is a God and a Christ and that all mankind are under the favour or disfavour of this great and terrible God To persuade them to get into the number of these whom God judgeth the fairest amongst women Will any say to me but what can we contribute towards it Love is a free thing It is true Love is free and the Love of none amongst the creatures is or can be so free as the Love of God who is the freest Agent but yet hearken to the direction of the Psalmist who doubtless is an infallible guide in this matter Psal 45. v. 10. Hearken O Daughter and consider and incline thine Ear forget also thine own People and thy Fathers house So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty What is our Fathers house but the house of old Adam What are our own People but our own sinful courses our old sinful company How shall we forget them but by hearkening to the Counsels of God considering our state and condition what we are Whither we are hastening what will become of us in the latter end Giving and inclining our Ears to what To the reproofs corrections admonitions instructions of Gods Word to the knocking 's and motions of his blessed Spirit so shall the Lord Jesus Christ the King of Kings the Lord of Lords desire and greatly desire your beauty To those who what ever they are called and go for in the World are Atheists in heart and
their Evils 2. Secondly Friendship speaketh free and ingenuous Love Not the Love of a Child to a Father which is Natural to which he is obliged by a filial duty because of his Fathers care of and provision for him not the Love of a Servant which is purchased by a kind usage and dependance A friend loveth freely The Love of true Friends is ordinarily an inaccountable thing They love one another and can hardly give one another an account of it further than a goodness and excellency a suitableness and likeness which they discern or at least think they see each in other Christs Love to us is free He healeth our backslidings and loveth us freely He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy The reciprocal Love of the believing Soul is not so free and so ingenuous as is his beloveds love to him Yet it is thus far ingenuous that it is not only for that the Soul hath from Christ but for that goodness and excellency which it discerneth in Christ this we had before Because of the Savour of thy good Ointments therefore do the Virgins Love thee 3. Love properly doth not make a friend unless it be mutual and reciprocal Indeed in a large sense a man may be said to be a friend to his Enemy That is to wish well to him and to do him some kind Offices But this is not friendship All Friendship implyeth a reciprocation of Love Christ Loves the believer and every true believer loveth Christ So they are Friends in the strictest and most proper sense Indeed there is a great difference which is well expressed by one of the Casuists thus We will good to him but we do not bestow that good upon him which we will him But he while he willeth good to us also giveth us that good which he willeth and by his loving us maketh us good and lovely But every Child of God truly loveth Christ truly I say that is sincerely though not with that kind or degree of Love with which Christ loveth him Lord saith Peter thou that knowest all things knowest that I Love thee And If any man Loves not the Lord Jesus saith the Apostle let him be Anathema Maranatha 4. Lastly Love of friendship alwaies speaketh Communion betwixt the two Lovers We are bound to Love our Enemies and in every good man there is such a Love even to those that hate them but this is no Love of friendship for the Precept of Love to Enemies obligeth onely against malice and private Revenge and to common Offices of kindness it doth not oblige to intimacy or to any near fellowship and Communion with them We are so far obliged to Love our Enemies as to bear no malice against them to take no private Revenge upon them to be ready to do any acts of kindness for their Souls and any common offices of love But I say we are not by it obliged to make them our intimates nor to keep any fellowship or communion with them But in a Love of friendship there is alwaies Communion or a mutual Communication of the Parties loving each to others Christ gives this account of his love of friendship to his disciples John 15. 15. Henceforth I call you not Servants for the Servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but I have called you Friends for all things I have heard of my Father I have made known to you Christ Communicates himself to believers to such as are his disciples indeed he is in them they in him and he is daily Communicating of his life and strength to them for John 15. 4. Without him they can do nothing They are daily communicating themselves unto him making a secret surrender to him of their hearts their wills their affections Communicating their wants and desires to him by Prayer c. Thus I have justified the notion of Christs Love his friend his Companion to be agreeable to what the Scripture revealeth concerning Christ and the believing Soul This in the first place leadeth us into a just admiration of the Divine Love and condescension Who is this that calleth from Heaven to Earth to the Worms of the Earth and speaketh in this language My Love My Friend My Fellow Is it not he who is the Eternal Son of God God over all blessed for ever he to whom there is none like and besides whom there is no God He whom God calleth his fellow and who thought it no robbery to be equal with the Father And to whom doth he speak Is it not to those who must say to corruption thou art my Mother and to the Worms you are my brethren and my Sisters To those whose Fathers are Amorites and whose Mothers are Hittites who by nature are dead in trespasses and sins unclean Children of unclean Parents Will the Lord Love such Ethioptans as we are by nature Such Enemies as we have shewed our selves by practice Will the Lord make himself a companion to the creature that is but as the dust of his feet What manner of Love and condescension is this For him whom the Eternal Father hath proclaimed to be his Son and that Son in whom he is well pleased in whom the Lord hath set up his rest he whom Kings and Prophets desired to see whom Angels and glorified Saints adore to whom the Father hath given a name above every name he who hath Heaven for his throne the Earth for his footstool and the utmost ends of the Earth for his possession to say to us My Love My Friend My Companion Certainly these terms ought to ravish our hearts and to affect them with in expressible admiration and to whom doth he say thus Is it only to the Glories and beauties of the World To the Emperors Rings Princes and Nobles thereof No he saith thus to every believer even the meanest that treadeth upon the Earth to the most poor distressed afflicted creature to Job that sits upon a dunghill scraping himself with a potsheard to Lazarus that lyeth at the rich mans gate full of sores and begging bread while the Dogs lick his sores to the poorest believer living in the meanest and dirtiest Gottage to those whom the World revileth slighteth scorneth to those who have spit in his face and abused his patience and despised his goodness that have hardened their hearts against him grieved his holy Spirit Yet having repented of these things and being turned to him to these he calleth to these he saith My Love My Friends My Companions He upbraideth them not for their former miscarriages to these he becometh a fellow Prisoner in these he becomes a fellow helper these shall be joint heirs with him Hear O Heavens be astonished O Earth never was Love like this never such matchless Love Let all our Souls swallow up themselves in this gulph of unfathomable Love and while we are sinking let us cry out O the height and depth and length and breadth of the Love of God in Jesus Christ It is a
name O leave us not Sermon LXI Cant. 1. 17. The Beams of our house are Cedar and our Rafters of Fir. THe same Person speaks still which spake in the former verse she had there Commended her beloved and Commended her Bed ever since he came into it she now comes to Commend her and her beloveds house in the words of the Text The Beams of our house are Cedar and our rafters of Fir. The Chaldee Paraph thus glosseth Solomon the Prophet said how beautiful is the house of Lords Sanctuary builded by my hands of Cedar wood But the house of the Lords Sanctuary which is to be builded in the days of the Messias is more beautiful whose Beams are of those Cedars which are in the Paradise of pleasure and the Galleries thereof shall be of Fir Pine c. There are some difficult terms in the Text I must therefore halt a little in the explication of the letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Beams of our houses The word is used two Kings 6. 2. 5. 2 Chron. 3. 7. where it is translated also a Beam Gen. 19. 8. it is translated a roof it comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in Pihel signifies to lay the Beams of an house the Beams of an house are properly those pieces of timber which bear the whole weight of the building The Beams of our house are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cedar The word properly so signifies It is a word often used in Scripture to express that kind of wood which is called Cedar which with us is very rare with them very frequent and ordinary in building we shall by and by further inquire the nature of it The Common usage of the word in Scripture to express Cedars makes me a little wonder at Montanus his translation of it Larices which signifies a certain tree not known saith Vitruvius but to those that dwelt near the Adriatick sea a kind of wood very useful in buildings because in regard of the great bitterness of the sap it was neither subject to worms nor putrefaction nor to be burnt with fire but I know not whether it was known to the Jews or no nor can see any reason to depart from our translation It follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our Rafters of fire some read our Galleries of Cypress some of Fir some of Pine The word translated rafters is used only in this sense in this place it is also used Gen. 30. 38. v. 41. Exod. 2. 16. but in those Texts it is translated gutters and wells And Cant. 7. 5. where it is translated Galleries Pagnine thinks it signifies the little Beams or pieces of timber in buildings These Rafters saith the Text are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word which is no where used in Scripture saving only in this Text which hath given Interpreters a liberty to abound in several senses Hierom makes it Cypress so the LXX Vulg. Lat. Syr. Arab. Others Ash Others Fir. Aben Ezra Thinks it the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fir our translators seem to follow that so doth Montanus and Pagnine The Caldee Paraph makes it to be the wood of the Brutine tree of which tree Pliny speaks and tells us that it is like a Cypress tree The boughs white the smell sweet And a great enemy to Poyson having thus far enquired the literal meaning of the terms let us enquire for the real sense we will first enquire 1. Qu. What is here meant by the house mentioned 2. What the Beams and Rafters of this house are 3. What the excellencies of these sorts of woods were Which maketh the Spouse chuse to compare her and her beloveds house to an house builded of these forts of wood 1. Qu. What is here meant by the house mentioned in the Text Our house Whoso considereth that the Beloved here mentioned is the King of glory the Lord of Heaven and Earth who dwells not in houses made with hands will easily conclude it is no fabrick of wood and stone Christ when he was upon the Earth had no such-place where to hide his head and now the Heaven of Heavens contain him that is here meant True it is that the Lord of old chose a particular house in which he was pleased more eminently to manifest his gracious presence in allusion to which his mystical Spiritual habitation may possibly be called his house But this is not it which is here intended The Chaldee Paraphrast makes Solomon in this a Prophet for foretelling an house of God to which Solomons in all its glory was not like The new Testament mentions a double house of God The first more publick viz. The Church 1. Tim. 3. 15. The second more private The Souls and bodies of believers The Apostle tells the Ephesians that they were become an habitation of God through the Spirit and the Apostle dissuades from the Sin of Fornication upon this argument because their bodies were the temples of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19. By the house here I find Interpreters generally understanding the aggregate body of Christians which we call the Church properly enough called the Lords house because as a man dwelleth in his house so the Lord is said to dwell in his Church 2 Cor. 6. 16. God hath said he will dwell amongst his People that he is in the midst amongst them that he walks in the midst of the golden Candlesticks c. So that by our house in the Text the Church is meant in which Christ dwells and the Saints dwell The 2d Question is What is here meant by the Beams and Rafters The Beams of a building you know are those Principal parts which sustain and uphold the building We must therefore inquire what those things or Persons are which do as it were uphold and bear up the Church some understand by these terms Persons others understand things those who understand Persons understand by the Beams the several sorts of Officers in the Church of God Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors Teachers By the rafters they understand particular Christians So Gregory Per tignacedrina praedicatores designamus per laquearia cupressina ipsos populos figuramus This seems to be conform to that of the Apostle Eph. 2. 20. you are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets But Protestant Writers observe that the Apostle there doth not make the Apostles and Prophets the foundation but Christ Preached by them and their Doctrine And thus they interpret Chrysostom Oecumenius Theophylact Tertullian concluding that the Apostles and Prophets could not be called the foundation upon any other account then with respect to their Ministry and the Doctrine of the Gospel Preached by them For other foundation can none lay then what is already laid Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone Non enim respexit rei nomen sed rem nominis saith Chamier others therefore by the Beams and rafters of Christs house mentioned in the Text understand rather things
old 1 Kings 11. 1. 4. She and his other Wives turned away his heart from God that it was not perfect as was the heart of his Father David He grosly fell away so foully that some question whether he ever had a truth of grace others think his failure a sufficient foundation for their slippery Doctrine of Total and final Apostacy and conclude him damned it is something to our purpose to examine that Question also Qu. Whether Solomons Apostacy was total and final The Arminians say he fell away Totally but not finally Some amongst the Papists have suspended their Judgment concerning his final Apostacy witness the Arch-Bishop of Toledo who had Heaven and Hell pictured in his Chappel and Solomon half in the one half in the other Of this mind are Jansenius Barradius Torniellus Pamelius Feuardentius Hostiensis c. and amongst the Ancients Tertullian and Cyprian to whom also amongst the Protestants Zanchy and Peter Martyr seem to incline Amongst the Ancients Augustine Prosper Basil and Theodoret to whom Pineda reckons Cyprian and Gregory are thought to favour the more severe opinion of Solomons total and final Apostacy Abulensis Tostatus Vega Pererius and Belarmine conclude it The Ancient Jewish Writers and amongst the Ancients of the Christian Church Ireneus Gregor Neocaesar Hilary Hierom Ambrose Cyrill of Hierusalem and others amongst the Papists themselves Aquinas Bonaventure Hugo Cardinalis Comestor Paulus Burgensis Dionis Carthus Genebrard Damianus Pineda Delrio Serarius and Lorinus And with these the generality of Protestants conclude he was no reprobate nor did fall away finally nor say the Protestants totally Solomon saw a great evil under the Sun Princes going on foot while Servants rode on Horseback De-La Champius observeth a greater Evil than this in the impudent Jesuites whose consciences will serve them to reprobate Solomon and Canonize Traytors and other open Servants of Lusts and as he noteth what Dr. Willet long since observed is in this instance verified concerning Bellarmine That it is ordinary with him when he finds his own Doctors divided to take in with the worser part of them We conclude for Solomon that he was a true Child of God and that although he fell yet his fall was neither total nor yet final but he was restored by repentance And for this assertion we conceive we have sufficient Evidence from Scripture besides the Authorities of men already cited declaring their sentiments from several convictions Hierome Cyrill and Pineda urge that Text Prov. 24. 30. where they conceive Solomon speaking in his own Person and saying I went by the field of the sloathful and by the Vineyard of the man void of understanding and loe it was all grown over with Thorns and Nettles had covered the face thereof and the Stone-wall thereof was broken down v. 32. This I saw and considered it well I looked upon it and received Instruction To which Pineda joins Prov. 30. 1 2. which if with the Jewish Rabbines we could conclude that unknown Agur to have been Solomon would give some auxiliary strength to that in the 24th Chap. to advantage which Pineda's observation of the ancient Septuagint mixing the 24. and 29. and these words of the 30th Chap. together as if all were spake by the same man and of himself may be worthy of consideration Bachiarius Serarius and De-La Champius urge a 2d Argument from 1 Kings 11. 43. and 2 Chron. 9. 31. where it is said that when he died he was buried with the Kings of Israel which they think strengthened by their observation that the Scripture mentions the the burial of Ammon Joram and Joash 3 Wicked Princes elsewhere But we must have better Arguments than this for we are told that Abiam 1 Kings 15 8. was buried in the City of David so was Amaziah 2 Chron. 25. 8. and Rehoboam 2 Chron. 12. 1. when on the other side Manasses though reconciled to God before his death yet had not the honour of that burial As the wisdom of divine providence hath left the surface of the Earth for a common walk both for the just and unjust so nothing appears but that the will of God hath left the bosom of it in any part thereof a common bed for them nor do I find any sufficient evidence of any consecrated burial-places so early in the world which had there been and had we found Solomons Tomb there it would have told us no more than the Churches opinion of him and that usually to Princes is very charitable and questionless would have been so to him who was the greatest Prince which the Earth ever saw But certainly for that argument which De-La Champius and Pineda both bring from the Covenant made with David concerning Solomon mentioned 2 Sam. 7. 14. 1 Chron. 17. 13. and Psal 89. v. 20 21 22 c. to the 37th v. we may say of it as David of the Sword of Goliah There is none to it Let us a little view the Text In the first you have the words of God spoken to Nathan going to enquire Gods approbation of Davids design to build a Temple the Lord denies David liberty but takes his offer kindly and bids the Prophet tell David That when his days should be fulfilled and he should sleep with his Fathers God would set up his seed after him which should proceed out of his bowels and establish his Kingdom v. 13. I will establish the Throne of his Kingdom for ever v. 14. I will be his Father and he shall be my Child If he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of Men and with the stripes of the Children of Men But my mercy shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul whom I put away before thee In the book of Chronicles 1 Chron. 17. you have the same thing repeated only there v. 14. you have I will settle him in my house In the 89th Psal you have a larger account of that covenant so far as concerns David v. 20. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28. v. 29. His seed also will I make to endure for ever c. If his Children forsake my law and walk not in my judgments Then will I visit theer transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him Nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Once have I sworn by my Holiness that I will not lie unto David In this Text you plainly discern a Covenant made with David on the behalf of his Seed and that Seed of his that should sit upon his Throne which was Solomon as well as on the behalf of himself Concerning him God saith 1. I will establish the Throne of his Kingdom 2. I will be his Father and he shall be my Child 3. If he sins I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the
seen Secondly The Soul receiveth the savour of these good Ointments By Experience it hath tasted how good the Lord is What it bath heard of God in his Word it hath seen in the communications of his Grace There is no knowledge like to this and there is no Spiritual Virgin but hath had less or more some experience of the Lord 's good Ointments But I come to the Application In the first place this may inform us of the Excellency of the Lord Jesus Christ what an adequate Object he is for every Soul to take a delight and pleasure in It may be worth your observation how the Language of the Scripture concerning Christ is such as seems to court the humour of every Soul to a seeking after a propriety and interest in him by shewing him to have something in him suitable to it that so it might take our hearts off beguiling Objects Every Sinner naturally saith Who will shew us any good Good is the common Mistress of the World Every one courts it They only differ in their fancies and apprehensions of what is so and court shadows and Chimera's One saith Who will shew us any good That is some way to get a penny How shall we heap up Silver as the Dust and Riches as the Sand and joyn house to house and field to field until there be no room left in the Earth Come unto me saith Christ I will give you the Riches of Grace the Riches of Glory Rev. 3. 18. I counsel thee to buy of me Gold tryed in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white Rayment that thou mayest be clothed and the shame of thy nakedness may not appear What shall it profit thee saith he to gain the whole world and lose thy own Soul Another man he cares not for money but for his necessary uses but he hunts after honour that is his good he would be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some great person in the World he would be led about the Streets and hear men cry out Thus shall it be done to the man whom the King delighteth to honour This man now looks upon Silver and Gold but as white and yellow Earth and Sand Idolized a little by a relative value some put upon it He snuffs up the Air and desires no more than a great Name in the world Christ to take them off this pitiful pursuit of the Wind and Chaff of the Air the empty Air of Court Favour or popular Applause tells them he hath honour for them To as many as receive him he gave a p wer to become the Sons of God And if Sons then Heirs Joynt-Heirs with Christ They shall Reign with him They shall judge the World They shall be Kings and Priests to the most High God c. There is a third sort that crys Who will shew us any good Their good is the tickling of their Senses delicious Fare and Drink for their tast fine Rayment for their touch sweet Odours for their smells Musick for their Ears c. Give them but enough of Wine and Strong Drink and Dancings and dainty Food costly Apparel Perfumes sweet Ointments for their Hair c. and a few such trifling vanities which perish with the using and they have enough let who will take Silver and Gold and Honours c. Now that the Lord might draw off these sensual Hearts he proponndeth himself as the object of Pleasure he at whose right hand is pleasure a fulness of pleasure for evermore one who hath Oils and sweet Ointments Wine c. Thus he allureth the appetite of every sinner propounding himself as an object proportioned to it In the second place This Notion will afford every one of us a Note by which we may try our interest in and acquaintance with the Lord Jesus Christ The Note is this If thou beest a Spouse of Christ thou hast a savour of his good Ointments Do the excelling graces of Christ make him appear pretions to thy Soul 1 Pet. 2. 7. To you that believe he is pretious To an unbeliever Christ is vile every unbeliever doth not speak vilely of Christ but he hath a vile estimate of him he judgeth vilely concerning Christ he hath no esteem for him he seeth no excellency in him for which he is to be desired he can understand the value of any Gold but that which Christ calleth Gold tried in the fire Rev. 3. 18. He can fancy the value of any honour except that of being called the Sons of God he can tast any pleasure but that which ariseth from a Souls Vnion and communion with Christ By this we may try our selves what relation we have to Christ In the last place this Notion of Christs good Ointments offers me a fair opportunity to persuade Men and Women of pleasure Vain Christless careless Souls to endeavour an acquaintance with Christ There is a generation in the world whom pleasure enticeth from God and his ways their temptation lies not in their Chests they value not riches if they have mony they throw it away as dirt it lies not in honours they have no itch after great places no but it lies in the cravings of their external senses Their senses itch they must scratch them this is their undoing must be so so long as the practice of Religion lies in self-denyal and a mortification of our members They must drink Wine in Bowls and stretch themselves upon their couches of Ivory and anoint themselves with chief Ointments and chant to the sound of the Viol and invent to themselves instruments of Musick Give them but a few glasses of brisk and generous Wine and a lesson or two upon some instrument of Musick with a foolish wanton Song Give them but gay cloths and a powdered Perriwig a few patches or a little paint for their faces they regard not whether they have a peny in their Purses yea or no and verily Pleasure is the undoing of many a Soul the Woman saith the Apostle it is as true of the man that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth As there are pleasures the meer use of which is sinful so there is scarce any kind of pleasures I mean such gratifications of the outward senses as come under the name of Voluptates but expose Souls to temptations to greater sins and indispose the Soul to the greatest duties they are Snares in which the Devil catcheth many a poor Soul Now how shall these poor Souls be drawn off from this that it may not dance itself into Hell fire Certainly by no means so effectual as the discovering to it that as these pleasures are pernicious and dangerous to the Soul so there are far greater pleasures to be found with Christ Perfumes often are but like paint to a Sepulcher the body the cloaths by a little art smell sweet the mind and Soul the more noble part of man stinks it may be through sordid conditions but most certainly in the Nostrils of God
say it may be more or less God may more or less communicate himself to the Soul as to his influences of strengthening quickning comforting grace and the Soul that moveth from these principles may be able more or less to communicate itself to God in the exercises of meditation faith joy and delight in God Nay sometimes Gods influences may be so secret and indiscernable that the Soul may cry out as one forsaken of God and a stranger to him This hath so plentiful an evidence in Holy Writ as the truth of it cannot be disputed We find David Psal 22. 1. crying out My God! my God why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring and the Psalmist Psal 77 3. I remembred God and was troubled v. 4. I am so troubled that I cannot speak v. 7. Will the Lord cast off for ever And will he be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever Doth his promise fail for evermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies There are many instances of this nature in the Psalms we have an instance in this Song Cant. 5. 1 2. By night upon my Bed I sought him whom my Soul loveth I sought him but I found him not v. 2. I will rise now and go about the City in the streets and in the broad places I will seek him whom my Soul loveth I sought him but I found him not v. 3. The Watchmen that go about the City found me to whom I said saw ye him whom my Soul loveth So Cant. 5. 5. I rose up to open to my Beloved and my Hands dropped with Myrrh and my Fingers with sweet smelling Myrrh upon the Handles of the lock I opened to my Beloved but he had withdrawn himself and was gone my Soul failed when he spake I sought him but I could not find him I called him but he gave me no answer What do all these metaphorical expressions purport but this that there are times when the Soul finds a difficulty to maintain or discern its communion with God Sometimes God doth not as at other times breath upon communicate himself to the Souls even of the best of his people the faileur seemeth to be on Gods part for some just cause the Soul findeth some freedom to impart and communicate its self to God but findeth not Gods assistances influences and communications of himself to it as it desireth and as it hath experienced from God at other times this looks like the case of the Spouse in those two places of this Song before mentioned Sometimes again the Soul easily discerneth the faileur in itself it cannot meditate upon God It remembreth God and is troubled it cannot pray with any fervour nor exercise faith with any boldness this seems to be the case of the Psalmist Psal 77. That the thing is so evident let me therefore rather spend time to search out the reasons of such a dispensation on Gods part and affliction on ours 1. Oh Gods part we usually call such a dispensation a desertion so as the cause of it is the withdrawing of some divine influences from the Soul It was truly said of Augustine Deus non deserit etiamsi deserere videatur Though God seemeth to forsake yet he never wholly forsaketh any Soul to whom he is united it is the withdrawing only of some sensible manifestations of his love All divine desertions are either founded in Divine Justice or in the Divine Wisdom so as the account which can be given of any such dispensation on Gods part must fall under one of those two heads 1. When it is founded in Justice it alwaies is for the punishment of sin For though God upon the Covenant of Grace hath reserved no liberty to himself eternally to forsake his people no nor yet totally yet he hath reserved to himself a liberty for temporary afflictions of them you have as to this particular a fair copy of the Covenant of grace Psal 89. 26. 27 c. The Covenant of Grace was made with Christ from Eternity the tenour of it was revealed variously to Adam upon the Fall to Noah to Abraham to David in that Psalm you have the revelation of it to David v. 20. 21 22 23 24 25 26. He shall cry unto me thou art my Father my God and the rock of my Salvation Also I will make him my first born higher then the Kings of the Earth v. 28. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore and my Covenant shall stand fast with him His Seed also will I make to endure for ever and his Throne as the days of Heaven As this Covenant was made with Abraham and his Seed I am thy God and the God of thy Seed Gen. 17. So in the further revelation of it to David it is declared to relate to him and his Seed Now followeth v. 30. If his Children forsake my Law and walk not in my Judgments if they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments That is if they sin against me for all those phrases do but express sin then v. 32. Will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips God you see hath reserved to himself upon his Covenant of Grace with his People a liberty to visit their transgression with the Rod and their iniquity with stripes but no liberty utterlyto take away his loving kindness from them Afflictions which are there call'd a visitation with rods and stripes either respect the outward or the inward man Those which relate to the outward man are diseases pains persecutions c. Those which relate to the inward man are desertions and temptations which God permitteth though himself moveth none to Evil. Desertions are either total or partial as to the former God hath foreclosed himself by the Covenant of Grace in which he hath said He will never leave his People nor forsake them His loving kindness he will not utterly take from them nor suffer his faithfulness to sail Psal 89. 33. Partial desertions therefore are the only rod the only stripes which God hath reserved to punish his people with as to their inward man who break his Statutes and keep not his Commandments these must be the withdrawings of some manifestations of his love which are promised to those who love him and keep his Commandments Hence it is that as Sampson found the continuing influence of God upon him as to his bodily strength while he kept his vow and covenant with God as a Nazarite yet when he had betrayed himself to Dalilah and she had shaved off his locks he discerned that God was departed from him and he had not strength to do as at other times whatever he resolved so
Christ having both a fellowship with the death of Christ in dying to sin and with the life of Christ in living unto newness of life Upon these accounts and these only is the Believing Soul fair in the Eyes of Christ Before I part with this Observation Let every gracious Soul make a stand upon it and consider what it affords him for Consolation while he looks over his Soul and sees it full of spots and taking a review of his life he can find no ground of hope to his Soul that Christ should cast an Eye of love and pity upon him he sees there 's no proportion between his duties or any actions of his conversation and the holy Law of God Well yet the comfort lies here that the Lord hath not said Blessed is the man that hath no sin for who liveth and sinneth not against God but Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered and to whom the Lord imputeth no sin Psal 32. 1. If we once lose this great Truth of the Justification of a poor Soul by the Righteousness of Christ we have cut up a Bridge which we shall see a need of to go over as often as we enter into any serious thoughts of our own state the weight of all our Souls and all the comfort of them hangs upon this one pin That what the law could not do because it was weak through our flesh that God hath done sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for fin condemning fin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us We have lost all that day that we forsake that desire of St. Paul to be found in Christ not having our own righteousness which is of the law but that which is of God Even the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ But you will say How shall we know that Christ hath thus loved us That must be known by our loving him and so the matter will return to the same point We freely grant that our Justification is to be evidenced for our Sanctification and that even the witness of Gods Spirit is not a single but a joint Testimony together with our Spirits But yet there is a great difference as to Christians comfort in these things That Soul that looks to be made fair with his own works if he rightly understand himself shall never be Satisfied concerning his Spiritual beauty because his works must necessarily be compleatly perfect otherwise the law accuseth and curseth him But he who acknowledgeth that his beauty is meerly from grace freely justifying but yet his receiving of this grace is to be evidenced by his works stands concerned no further to enquire concerning the perfection of his works in order to this end then only to see if they be perfect according to Gospel allowances not according to lawstrictness And such are the Gospel terms that if there be a willing mind a presence to will a delight in the Law of God as to the inward man it is accepted of God Here 's a bottom for him I proceed to the 4th Circumstance which I observed relating to the first Proposition of the Text and that was the term Behold which is prefixed Behold thou art fair and doubled Behold Behold There is a threefold use of this particle in Scripture it denotes 1. presence of a thing 2. Certainty 3. Eminency It may in this Text denote all three 1. It may denote the present state of a believing Soul to be a beautiful state Behold thou art fair now in this life while thou art black with infirmities and corruptions black through afflictions and temptations yet even now thou art fair 1 Joh 3. 2. Beloved Now we are the Sons of God It doth not yet appear what we shall be This particle is often thus used in holy Writ Gen. 29. 2 25. and it is capable enough of this sense in this Text. Behold thou art fair thou shalt not only be hereafter beautiful when the Crown of glory shall be set upon thy head but thou art now beautiful thou doest not apprehend thy self so thou art bewailing thy spots and thy infirmities but I look upon thee as fair with all thy spots I look upon thee as beautiful even now 2. It denotes the certainty of a thing Behold is a particle of Demonstration and is often so used in Scripture There is nothing more certain then what we can behold Thus the particle is used Gen. 16. 2. Behold now the Lord hath restrained me from bearing they are the words of Sarah that is the Lord hath certainly restrained me see Gen. 18. 27. The believing Soul is certainly a beauteous Soul The Beauty of that Soul which truly believes in Jesus Christ is not an imaginary thing it is a true and real thing it is a certainty's Behold thou art fair c. 3. Lastly this particle Behold doth very often denote eminency and excellency When something is wonderful in Nature or otherwise the Scripture useth to make mention of it by prefixing this particle Behold to it So James 3. 3 4. It is a wonderful thing that the strength of an Horse should be ruled by a bit and that so great a bulk as a ship driven about with fierce winds should be turned about with a very small helm and thus it is a very often used in Scripture and it may have that use here Behold thou art fair My Love Behold thou art fair and so it may hint to us these two things 1. That the beauty of a believer is no ordinary beauty but a rare and eminent beauty not like the beauty of Woman not like that vain thing which we call beauty in a natural fense which is only the object of the lust of the Eye no it is a Spiritual beauty which age will not deface diseases will not spoil no outward accidents will hurt a beauty that is not exposed to wind and weather The Kings Daughter is all glorious within and yet so great is her glory that the King of Kings desires her beauty Or secondly it may denote this 2. That it is a wonderful thing that Christ should account a Child of Adam a poor believing Soul beauteous When David considered the Heavens and the Earth he cries out What is man O Lord that thou shouldest remember him or the Son of man that thou shouldest be mindful of him It is a matter of high admiration to any ingenuous Soul to sit down and think that Jesus Christ should account it beautiful But I hasten to the last Circumstance I observed to you that the phrase is doubled Christ doth not only say thou art fair my Love but he doubles the phrase Thou art fair thou art fair There is doubtless nothing superfluous in holy Writ though possibly there may be something both in the matter and stile of which we can give no Satisfactory account almost in all languages these repetitions and