and the further grace of God merited It is all given We will saies Christ make for thee The porro esse as well as the esse the aboundings as well as the first breathings and motions of Spiritual life are all from God 4. Lastly He speaketh in the Plural Number We will make This is either spoken Stylo Regio in the stile of a Prince Christ is a great King Or else as it is said Gen. 1. 26. Let us make man to denote the Plurality of Persons in the Divine Being and the concurrence of the whole Trinity in the collation of Grace and more Grace upon believers It is a rule in Divinity omnia opera Trinitatis adextra sunt indivisa All the works of the Trinity out of itself and with relation to the creatures are individed what is the Act of one Person is the work of all three Persons The Father created the Son createth and the Holy Ghost createth So in the works of Providence The Father worketh hitherto and the Son worketh This is eminently true in that noble work of Providence The Collation of special grace John 14. 23. If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and We will come unto him and make Our abode with him The Text being thus opened you see to what point in Divinity it leadeth us The Doctrine is this Prop. That Christ is ready to give out more grace more Spiritual Ornaments to the Souls of believers where he seeth the Cheeks of his Saints already comely with Rows of Jewels and their Necks with Chains of Gold he will still be preparing for them Chains of Gold with Spots of Silver To this purpose is the promise Matth. 13. 12. To him that hath shall be given and he shall have in more abundance It was the end of his coming into the World not only that his People might have life but that they might have it more abundantly John 10. 10. And he acteth in the dispensations of his grace according to and in fulfilling of the end of that his coming He giveth out pardoning grace abundantly Isaiah 55. 6 7. He will abundantly pardon even according to and much above the abundings of sin in the creature As sin hath abounded grace shall much more abound Rom. 5. And as sin reneweth so his gracious acts of pardoning are renewed also Sanctifying grace and that indeed is properly the Ornament of a believer he giveth abundantly He fills the Souls of his People with joy and peace in believing that their Souls may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost Rom. 15. 13. He maketh the Souls of his People to abound in loves hence the aboundings in this gracious habit are made the matter of the Apostles prayer 1 Thes 3. 12. They could not grow in grace if he were not alwaies ready to give out more grace for all Acts must proceed from habits and a growth and improvement in gracious Acts must flow from an increase of the power and principle of acting If any one asks the reason of this Liberality of Christ to his Spouse it is not hard to assign it 1. That fulness of Grace and Love which is in him is the great ground and cause of it what makes the loving Husband who knoweth that his Wife is already full stockt with Cloaths and Linnen and Rings and Jewels and other Ornaments that yet he can never go abroad but he must bring her home something to add to her stock in these things but only first he finds that his purse will hold out to it He hath wherewithal to do it 2. His Love and kindness to his Wife is such as constraineth him to it so as he can never think she hath enough and he is still giving to her as if she had nothing Christ is a fountain of fulness the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily and of his fulness saith John we receive grace for grace The full fountain runneth over neither doth he lose any thing by his communication while he giveth grace he is but like unto the Sun which loseth no light by imparting its light to the World Then his Love to his Saints is infinite transcendent he must not be outvyed by his creatures Doth therefore a loving Husband when his Wife hath already a competent wardrobe and a competent number of Ornaments yet add to her stores and so much to supply her wants as to shew his own Love and kindness to her How much more shall the Lord Jesus do it So that in this reason there are indeed three The first is that infinite fulness of grace that is in him which cannot terminate it self in him without a communication to the creature the Second is the nature of his communication which is such that he loseth nothing by it He saith we will make thee borders of Gold men and women are not so forward to give what they have aliunde from without themselves As what they have from themselves and are no losers by the communication of The term make doth not denote a non praeexistence All the Chains of Gold with which Christ adorneth his Spouse are coaevous with Christ himself given out in the pursuance of an Eternal purpose purchased with the blood of Christ but it signifieth that Christ hath them of his own And then thirdly His exceeding Love to his Spouse causeth the giving of them out It is said of Paul Acts 18. 5. That he was pressed in Spirit and Testified c. Christ is pressedin Spirit with Love to the believing Soul His heart is ravished as he afterward expresseth it in this song Thou â—ast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse This love is the great and first moving cause of these communications as the loving husband that hath an estate which will bear it and a Wife wherein he greatly delighteth is alwaies giving her such things as he judgeth will be pleasing and acceptable unto her so our blessed Lord having first made his grace acceptable to the Soul and then loving that Soul that hungreth and thirsteth after him with a transcendent love cannot but be daily Satisfying such a Soul with his good things 2. A second Reason of this is the Renewing wants of his Spouse Love doth not giveâ—bare measure but sheweth it self further than in a bare supply of wants Ministring also to the pleasure and delight of the Person beloved but to wants and desires it cannot be wanting the Soul of a Christian through the revival of lusts and corruptions within itself and through the repetition of temptations and in regard of Gods various dispensations to it stands in need of the daily increase of grace Nogood Soul hath so much grace but it still wants A prudent husband though very loving and tender may judg his Wife hath Ornaments enough and therefore may cease to add to her stock though she may not have some particular Ornament because though she hath it not yet she
Children of men Psal 89. I will visit his transgression with a rod and his iniquity with stripes 4. My mercy shall not depart from him as from Saul Psal 89. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him Nor suffer my faithfulness to fail 1. God covenants that although Solomon should sin yet he would not take his mercy from him The very term of Mercy signifies more than the continuance of the Crown to him for as Tychonius observes David would have understood little mercy for his Son to have enjoyed a temporal Kingdom and lost an eternal inheritance 2. The punishment which God threatens to him in case of sinning was but a Rod. The Rod of Men for if we should allow nothing to Pineda's Criticisme upon the term used Enosh to signify men here which properly signifies a weak old man who cannot lay on strokes hard but chastiseth his Child gently so as the Rod of Men here mentioned should be opposed to the grounded staff mentioned Isaiah 30. 32. which God makes to rest upon others yet certainly the termof a Rod with the adjunct of Men speaks a very gentle chastning with which eternal punishment is no way consistent 3. Add to this That the Holy Ghost the most certain Interpreter of Scripture 1 Cor. 6. 18. Applies the very promise here made to the Children of God I will be a Father unto you and you shall be my Sons and Daughters I say who so considereth these things must certainly conclude that Gods obligation by this Covenant extended further than the continuance of the temporal dominion in his line which is also advantaged by the consideration that Solomon in his life time was chastened with the Rods of Men 1 Kings 11. God stirred up against him Hadad Rezin and Jeroboam He was doubtless chastened of the Lord that he might not be condemned with the world Nor can any reasonably think to avoid the dint of the Argument drawn from these Texts by telling us That a greater than Solomon is understood in them even he of whom Solomon was but a Type For although it be true that divers of the Ancients favoured that notion amongst whom was Augustine Ambrose Tertullian and Theodoret and that some passages in the aforementioned Texts seem to be by the Holy Ghost himself applied to Christ amongst which that eminent part of this Covenant I will be to him a Father c. besides that others seem applicable to no other as where he promiseth to establish his Kingdom for ever yet it is as true that the promise I will be to him a Father as I shewed before is also by the Holy Ghost applied to believers 1 Cor. 6. 18. and those who understand the Hebrew Idiome know that the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth often signify less than Eternity strictly so called and it is as certain that Hierome and divers others of the Ancients apply these Texts literally to Solomon Possibly they compound the business better who considering Solomon as a Type of Christ divide the Covenant made with David betwixt Solomon and Christ thinking that part concerneth Solomon and part concerneth Christ Sure it is that Solomon built the material Temple not Christ and Solomon alone not Christ was in a capacity to forsake the Commandments of God and for the promissory part if we say it concerned Solomon in the letter and Christ in the Mystery and Antitype I think we shall not much err nor will this interpretation at all weaken the strength of our argument I find a 4th Argument for this eminent Person brought from 2 Sam. 12. 24 25. compared with Neb. 13. 26. and 1 Kings 3. 3. from whence De-La Champius observeth 3 things 1. That it is said God loved him 2 Sam. 12. 24. And the Lord loved him Neh. 13. 26. He was beloved of his God 2. In token of this love God gave him his name Jedidiah i. e. beloved of God 3. The Scripture saith he loved the Lord. The consideration of the latter makes the plea vain of those who to avoid the dint of this Argument would interpret Gods love of that general favour which he extends to every Creature distinguished from that by which he elevates the Creature to a participation of the Divine Nature for that love is not so efficacious as to produce a reciprocal love in the Creature to God again we therefore love him because he loved us first which being granted unless we grant God as mutable as man and deny what he hath said that whom he loves he loves to the End We must allow that Solomon notwithstanding his great miscarriages was yet beloved of God and died in a state of Grace Now to these Arguments might further be added as strong presumptions in the case yielding at least some auxiliary strength That no Text speaketh so desperȧtely concerning Solomon that the Scripture 1 Kings 11. 4. speaking of his falling seems to hint it a sin of infirmity in his old age and through the great temptation of his Wives That he did only tolerate Idolatry not make it the Religion of the Nation That he after this as is at least probably and generally concluded wrote in testimony of his repentance the book of Ecclesiastes That he was the Sacred Penman of Scripture These things may much confirm our charitable opinion in the case for although it be true that I know no reason to the contrary but that God who made use of the Son of Perdition to preach his everlasting Gospel might also with consistency enough to the wisdom of his Providence make use of a Child of Perdition to write and ingross what his holy Spirit first dictated nor saith Augustine hath God less consulted his own glory in it for now all the good and glory of the truth revealed in those books will be given to God Beside it is said that Balaams Song is also recorded in Scripture and a piece of holy writ yet considering that no one book of holy writ was wrote by such a withered hand as that of a reprobates and that the Scripture fixeth no such mark upon this great Person who was the Author of three Books there and that one of these Books at least appears let Bellarmine say what he will to be wrote after the days of his Vanity and hath in it evident marks of his nauseating his lusts and former vanities of pleasure love riches c. Nor have there been wanting some who have thought so of the other two Books also viz. the Proverbs and the Canticles And to these if we add that he was an eminent Type of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I say if we lay all these things together we shall I think neither stand in need of the Rabbinical figments who tell us formal stories of Solomons repentance Nor yet of that auxiliary help in which Pineda much triumpheth which Petrus de Castro affords from that Sculpture in leaden Plates wrote in ancient Arabick Characters and
Rocks of Pearl or ten thousand Rivers of Oil. But possibly some may say This is to plead my own merit I answer no for consider who it is that hath wrought in thy heart this value and esteem Is it not God Did flesh and blood reveal any such thing unto thee thou dost not then plead thy own merit thou only pleadest with God from what he hath already wrought and begun in thee 2. It is but the pleading of the promise which God hath made to them that love him and keep his Commandments 3. Neither dost thou plead thy esteem and value for the loves of Christ as meritorious as thinking that thy prizing the loves of Christ meriteth the further manifestations of them to thy Soul thou only pleadest it as a gracious habit wrought in thy Soul by which God hath fulfilled in thy Soul the condition of the promise thou only beggest of God that he who hath wrought in thy Soul that condition to which he hath annexed his promise would now fulfil also that promise to thy Soul which is annexed to that condition Thus I have finished the discourses I designed upon the first Petition of the Spouse as pressed by her first Argument Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth For thy Loves are better than Wine Sermon XIII Canticles 1. 3. Because of the savour of thy good Ointments Thy name is as an Ointment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee I Proceed to the next Proposition which I at first observed from these words which I then largely opened Christ hath good Ointments which cast a savour my meaning is according to my former explication of the words That the Lord Jesus Christ is filled with the graces of the blessed Spirit which in themselves are as good Ointments and whose excellency is discerned by every true Believer by every Soul that is espoused to the Lord Jesus Christ to use the Apostles phrase I have espoused you to one Husband For a further discourse upon this Proposition let me first shew you 1. What I mean by Christs Grace and when I say he is full of the Graces of the holy Spirit 2. In what respects these graces are like to good Ointments 3. What particular graces of the Spirit are thus like to good Ointments 4. Whence it is that they are discerned and more effectually discerned by a gracious heart than another We read in the Psalmist that Christ was anointed mith the Oil of gladness above his fellows Heb. 1. 3. That he was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power Acts 10. 38. That phrase in the Epistle to the Hebrews borrowed out of Psal 45. as I shewed you is excellently interpreted by John God gave not the Spirit unto him by measure Joh. 3. 34. The Grace of God was said to be upon him Luk. 2. 40. and he is said to be full of Grace and Truth Joh. 1. 14. Grace in Scripture as it relateth unto God is usually taken in one of these two senses 1. For the favour and free love of God by which a Person is accepted of God and so Grace is in St. Pauls Epistles to the Romans and Galatians and in his other Epistles opposed to works thus we are said to be justified by Grace saved by Grace In this sense it is also in Scripture applied to Creatures Esther obtained Grace that is favour in the sight of the King Esther 2. 17. and so in many other Texts Or 2dly it is taken For some holy and virtuous qualities and dispositions by which our Persons being first accepted in Christ we are acceptable unto God Thus it is said Joh. 1. 16. Of his fulness we have all received Grace for Grace thus Love is called a Grace 2 Cor. 8. 6. and in this sense the Apostle telleth the Corinthians God is able to make all Grace to abound to them 2 Cor. 8. 9. In this sense we are commanded to grow in Grace that is in holy virtuous dispositions or habits 2 Pet. 3. 18. It is expounded by 2 Pet. 1. 5. Add to your 〈◊〉 virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly-kindness and to brotherly-kindness charity The Grace of Christ is taken in a double sense 1. Subjectively For that free love and favour which is subjected in Christ and being in him as its Fountain floweth from him to cur Souls In this sense Christ is said to be sail of Grace and truth full of love free love towards his Peoples Souls and truly in this sense Grace comes by Jesus Christ for out of him God loveth no Soul In this sense the Apostle wisheth to the Romans Grace and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ Take Grace in this sense Christ is the Subject of it and the medium by whom it floweth from the Eternal Father to the Children of men he himself was from Eternity beloved of God and that both necessarily and freely being his Fathers Son begotten from Eternity the Father loved him delighted in him and indeed in this sense Christ may be said to have been the object of Grace but he was not anointed with this in time he had it from before all times only as to the Grace of Vnion the humane Nature until Christ assumed it was not beloved of God Christ assuming it it became the object of this Grace 2. But secondly the Grace of Christ is also taken objectively for that Grace which was poured out on Christ as Mediator and this is either 1. The Grace of Vnion which is the free love of God assuming the humane nature into a personal union with the Divine Nature in which thing God put a great deal of dignity upon and shewed a great deal of love unto our Nature 2. The grace of Sanctification by which I understand not the same which the Children of God receive upon Regeneration when of unholy they are made holy of impure they are made pure of proud they are made humble c. But those holy dispositions and qualifications which were found in Christ considered as the Son of Man by vertue of the union of the Divine Nature with the Humane Nature and his anointing with the Holy Ghost not given by measure unto him by which he was not only acceptable to his Father as Mediator but he is also exceeding lovely to his Saints So that when I say Christ hath good Ointments abundance of Grace I understand 1. Abundance of free love which dwelt in him as God over all blessed for ever to be dispensed out according to the particular exigencies of all his Peoples Souls 2. Many gracious dispositions which eminently dwelling in the God-Head from all Eternity were also by the Spirit poured out upon the Humane Nature in his Incarnation These are here called by a Metaphor Ointments and good Ointments 1. Because by the communication of these from the Divine
Christ is so sweet to the Soul I answer 1. Because it signifieth him to be the fountain of the greatest spiritual good to us his name Messiah and Christ signify him to be separated and set apart of God for the accomplishment of the great business of our Salvation his name Emanuel signifies him to have Hypostatically united in one Person the Divine and Humane Nature that he might be a fit Mediator that he might die and merit salvation for us by dying his name Jesus signifies that he is a Saviour his name Shiloh speaketh him to be a Peace-maker his name of an Advocate signifies him to transact our business in Heaven for us his name of High Priest signifies him to have offered for us a propitiatory Sacrifice to have made an atonement for us to bless us to interceed for us the like I might say of his other names Now if the name of a friend who hath done some great kindness for us be oft-times sweet like an Oil poured forth unto us how much sweeter must be his name by whom we are blessed with all Spiritual blessings Secondly Because by his Name or in his name our greatest blessings are obtained How sweet must that name be to the begger upon the use of which all its wants are supplied Is salvation worth any thing There is no other name under Heaven by which we can be saved but only the name of Jesus do our Souls want any thing Whatsoever you shall ask in my Name that I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son John 14. 13. Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my Name he will give it you ch 16. v. 23. Is the Soul trembling under the sense of its guilt doth horrour surprize it do the terrors of the Lord distract it a wounded Spirit who can bear by the discovery of the Lord Christs name to it in the Gospel promises in the mercy truth and faithfulness of Christ it is freed from these The discovery the least discovery of Christ to the troubled Soul is like the Sun beam to the weather beaten and be-wildered Traveller like the shadow to him whom the heat maketh faint like light to him that fitteth in darkness like life to him that fitteth in the shadow of death How sweet is the discovery of Christs truth in his promises the sealing of a promise to a poor doubting Soul Every Soul that hath experienced it will say It is like Oil poured forth I come to the application of this discourse Is the name of the Lord Jesus so exceeding sweet like an Oil poured forth Oh then what is Christ himself It is Origens application Si solo nomine Quid ejus faciet substantia How sweet is the Oil upon the Crown of the head when that which runs down to the skirts of the garment is so sweet Open all created boxes admit that all their sweet qualities would unite and conspire to make one compounded fragrant smell distill all the odoriferous herbs that the Earth bringeth forth mix all the sweet gums and odoriferous spices of Arabia and the whole Eastern part of the world let them all make one body and contribute all their delicious qualities to the composition of one Oil or Ointment to please the wanton sense of a Creature what would they all signify to one Christ Oh blessed Jesus thou that art altogether delights clear the Nostrils of vain Creatures stopt with their own lusts and the vanities of pitiful creature satisfactions and contentments that they may take the air of thy delicious names and follow thee in the savour of thy most precious Ointments Secondly Is the name of Christ in this life so exceeding sweet Oh what will the enjoyment of Christ in Heaven be When the Saints shall see him as he is when they shall be ever with the Lord beholding his face rejoycing in his presence when they shall be at his right hand where are and shall be Pleasures and fulness of Pleasures and that for evermore here we know in part and see in part and the greatest part of that we know of Christ amounteth not to the least part of what we do not know then the Saint shall see him face to face and know him as he is known by him Surely we should cry out with the Psalmist Blessed is the man whom thou chusest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy Courts Here we sit but under the shadow of the Apple tree yet it is with great delight and his fruit is pleasant unto our tast how sweet will it be to be within the arms of it If a Garden of Flowers or a Bed of Spices casteth aâ—sweet smell at a 1000 miles distance what will it do when we come near it O you to whom the name of Christ is as an Ointment poured forth follow the savour of it it will bring you to that place of delights where your Souls shall be ever satiated but never nauseated Thirdly Observe from hence the difference betwixt a natural carnal man and a spiritual man The name of Christ is published in all our parts of the world The Gospel is published that is Christs name saith Gencbrard upon my Text but the natural man discerneth no sweetness in it he can smell sweetness in a perfume but in the name of Christ he can smell nothing sweet Nay what is more unpleasing to a carnal heart than the name of Christ and there is reason for it for to him Christs name is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah his name is a Judge an Enemy c. In the second place what an argument is here to persuade those that hear it to labour for a discovery of Christs name to their Souls To persuade sick and fainting Souls to make application of Christs name to themselves To all to study Christs name more to wear it upon their hearts to meditate of it c. 1. To persuade those who know little or nothing of Christ as yet to get a knowledge of Christs name sweetness naturally enticeth the sense and attracts the Soul shall the incomparable sweetness of Christ draw no Souls unto him shall the air of Solomons name bring the Q of the South from the furthest parts of the Earth and shall Christs name draw never a Sinner invite never a Soul to come and tast and see how sweet how good the Lord is You that are enticed with the smell of a flower that lay out your mony for persumes of no value will you have no value for these sweet Ointments Alexander the great was said to have had such a rare temper of his body that it cast forth a natural sweetness I am sure there is an infinite a transcendent sweetness in the Lord Jesus O let the Virgins love him Men and Women that are in a state of Nature are in one sense Virgins not for purity but as not married to Christ O do you love Christ for the
giveth an allowance both for their infirmimities and temptations upon which account he calleth to us to behold the patience of Job though Job had his fits of frowardness and impatience and often calleth his Spouse fair and undefiled though she hath many defilements But. 1. The Spouse upon these accounts is black in her own Eyes 2. In the Eyes of others 1. In her own Eyes she is black two things make her so 1. Her Humility 2. Her Love jealousy The Child of God is alwaies vile in his own Eyes and hath a very low and mean opinion of himself and therefore condemneth himself for every motion and prevailing of corruption I am a worm saith David and no man a reproach of men and despised of the peoplâ— Psal 22. 6. O wretched man that I am saith St. Paul who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7. in another place he calleth himself the greatest of sinners and the least of Saints Woe is me saith the Prophet I am a man of unclean lips the sense of former sins makes them call themselves black I am saith Paul not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of Christ The sense of present corruptions also makes them so judge Iniquities saith David prevail against me Hence is the ordinary dialect of pious Souls There was never any had such unbelieving hearts such proud dead false hypocritical hearts as ours are Those who are most eminently comely in the Eyes of Christ are usually most black in their own Eyes 2. Their Love-jealousy is another cause Their love for God is so great that they suspect every frown of Providence as speaking God out of favour with them for their sins Hence it often proveth as great a matter of difficulty to persuade the Child of God that God hath any favour for him as it is to persuade a sinner that God hath any displeasure to him 2. Secondly which possibly is here chiefly intended She is black in the Eyes of others The World dealeth by the Disciples of Christ as it dealt with him nor is it reasonable to expect that the Disciple should be above his Master or the Servant above his Lord they saw Christ despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs they hid their faces from him and esteemed him not The men of the world see the people of God men of sorrows and acquainted with griefs they despise them and esteem them not yea for the most part their business is to blacken them loading them with reproach and calumny and laying to their charge things which they know not and all this through an implacable enmity put betwixt the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent or because they see themselves condemned by the more righteous conversation of such as fear God Nay it often so falls out that the People of God are black in the Eyes of their Brethren through mistakes as Eli mistook Hannah or through envy or prejudice c. But this is enough to have spoken concerning the Spouses blackness 2. Let me now come to shew you how and in what sense she is comely 1. She hath a comeliness besides her blackness 2. In some of her blackness there is a comeliness 1. The Spouse is not wholly black besides her blackness she hath a great beauty and comeliness Every believer hath something of unbelief in him but he is not an unbeliever he hath a truth of faith in him there is his comeliness Paul had a law in his members that was his blackness but he had also a law of his mind that was his comeliness All sin and lust is blackness all gracious habits are the Souls beauty and comeliness The unbeliever the natural man is wholly black the godly man is not so there is a mixture in his Soul he is come into Canaan tho some Canaanites yet dwell in the Land the faith and love and obedience of a good man his pantings and breathings after God his complacency delight and rejoycing in God these are all his comeliness The Church of God may have spots in her assemblies these are her blackness but she keepeth up her assemblâ—es and hath the Ordinances of God in them that is her comeliness she may have several hypocrites meer seeming professors these are her spots from these is her blackness but she hath many that love the Lord Jesus Christ in truth and sincerity these are her comeliness she may-suffer some erroneous principles to be published in her that is her blackness but she keepeth the foundation doctrines of faith and holiness pure and incorrupt that is her comeliness 2. In much of her blackness there is a beauty and a comeliness It is Bernards note whatsoever is black is not therefore uncomely The Eye is black yet comely Marble is black but yet it is comely Christ is black but yet he was comely Look upon him saith that devout man clothed with raggs blew with Stripes daubed with his Enemies Spittle pale with death you will say he was black but yet he was comely yea the Chiefest of ten thousand The Apostles saw him comely when upon the mountain they beheld his glory at his transfiguration Nay in his blackness there was comliness to see him under all this becoming obedient to his Fathers will even unto death the bitter death upon the Cross working out the redemption and Salvation of all those whom the Father had given him this was comely When the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us saith St. John we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of God full of grace and truth Look upon the Child of God as daubed and besmeared with the filth and obloquy which the men of the World cast upon him Scorched with Afflictions followed with dark and hellish temptations so indeed he looketh black in our carnal Eyes but in other respects he is comely even in this blackness 1. As by these afflictions Christ is magnified in his body and he is made conformable unto Christ and filling up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ So he is comely All conformity to Christ is beauty Paul desired no more then that he might know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings and be made comformable unto his death Philip. 3. 11. This is what our Saviour told his disciples John 15. to comfort them under the Worlds hatred which he knew would make them to appear black If the World hateth you it hated me first The suffering child of God lookes black but as Christ is by his sufferings magnified in his body as he is by his sufferings made more like to Christ so he is comely 2. Secondly As a believers afflictions perfect him for glory so even in his blackness there is a comeliness The Captain of our Salvation was made perfect as the Apostle tells us through suffering Heb. 2. 10. and so must the Souldiers
to the King There 's no Faith in Christ nor pure Love to God and Christ to be got at Athens Flesh and Blood will not convey these things into a Soul Lastly Observe how the whole Trinity is concerned in the dispensations of grace It is the note of the Learned Mercer That the Mystery of the Trinity is here held out to us in the Plural Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I touched upon this before though indeed the works of the Trinity within it self be divided The Father begetteth and is not begotten The Son is begotten but doth not beget The Holy Ghost proceedeth from both and doth neither beget nor is begotten and although to denote the order of working in the holy Trinity Creation is made the work of the Father Redemption the work of the Son and Sanctification the work of the Holy Spirit yet it is most certain that all the works of the Trinity out of it self are individed what one person doth all do All that grace of which the Believer is made partaker floweth from the whole Trinity it is from the Father through the merits of the Son and by the Holy Ghost In the second place Will Christ go on in giving to his Saints more grace Let not then those of little Faith be discouraged Let not those that are strong despise the weak nor those who are weak be discouraged and despond in themselves If the Child of God hath Faith but as a grain of Mustard seed it shall increase If it hath but a stock of grace like the Widdows Meal in the Barrel and Oil in the Cruise yet the Meal shall not fail from the Barrel nor the Oil from the Cruise If the Child of a rich and indulgent Parent be despised by another that hath finer Clothes and richer Ornaments than the Wisdom of its Parent thinks fit at present to allow it it will comfort its self that its Father is able to do as much for it that he wants no love to prompt him to it that it hath a large Inheritance that is made sure unto it Shall not the Child of God thus comfort himself from its hopes of glory though it as yet hath but a small earnest of it from that fulness of grace which is in Christ He shall be holden up saith the Apostle speaking of the weak Brethren for God is able to make him stand Rom. 14. 4. And from that readiness that is in Christ and his Promise to give to him that hath so that he shall have more abundantly from the Promise of Christ to the Soul whose cheeks are already comely with Rows of Jewels and Chains of Gold that he will make for it Borders of Gold with spots or badges or studs of Silver Let true grace in the Soul be never so faint and weak it is the Seed of God it shall abide yea it shall grow and increase Hypocrisie is alwaies withering the Hypocrite groweth worse and worse his fair shews and appearances daily decay but true grace is alwaies growing Christ is alwaies adding to it And indeed this is one thing which distinguisheth a sincerity and truth of grace from all the counterfeits of it A Child of God is alwaies growing better and better the Lord is adding to his spiritual habits Wicked men and Hypocrites are growing worse and worse In the last place This Notion calls to all the People of God 1. For an admiration of the Love of God towards them what a God do we serve what a Saviour what a Friend what a Beloved hath every Soul whose Soul sincerely loveth the Lord Jesus Christ The Beloved of your Souls is not like anothers Beloved in himself he is not he is the chiefest of ten thousand he is altogether desires He is not to you as anothers Beloved he is unweariable in his acts of grace and dispensations of goodness Are there any Souls here whose iniquities are forgiven whose sins are covered whose Souls are regenerated renewed through the Sanctification of the Spirit might not these Souls go into their Closets with David and sit down and say Who are we O Lord God! and what were our Souls that the Lord should bring us hitherto that God should wash our Souls white in the Blood of the Lamb and give us another Spirit than we had by Nature a new Heart a new Nature that he should make us partakers of the Divine Nature But this was yet a small thing in the sight of God he hath spoken also of his Servants for a great while yet to come he hath spoken of more grace of making for us Borders of Gold with Badges of Silver A faithful man shall abound with blessings The beginnings of saving grace in the Soul in the Justification of the Soul and the first change and renovation of our Natures are blessings of that nature as Eternity will be too short a time to admire the Love of God in and for but will the Lord also add to his Servants stock and increase their heap will he be still making and preparing new Ornaments for them and giving further grace to them till all their wants shall be supplied all their emptinesses filled up what manner of Love is this Let our Souls be swallowed up in the admiration of this Love Let our Souls and all that is within us bless his holy Name 2. How doth this Notion call to us for all manner of holiness Holiness lyeth in two things 1. The mortification of lusts and sinful habits with the eschewing and declining of sinful acts which are the fruit of those trees 2. The exercises of Godliness Let me shortly press both from this notion of out beloved's being preparing still and making for us Chains of Gold and spots of Silver I will begin with the 2d 1. The exercises of our selves unto Godliness in all those positive duties which God requireth of us Whether they may be more internal such as faith hope Love or more external in our more external communion with God in Prayer reading hearing his word receiving his holy Sacrament Or in our conversation before and towards men I shall press these from this notion upon a twofold consideration 1. These exercises are the way to keep Christ still at work making for us these further Ornaments 2. They are the wearing and using of these Ornaments I say first these exercises will keep our Lords hand continually at work so as he will never be weary but be still adding to our Ornaments of grace I have had occasion often in my former discourses to hint to you that although God be ingaged by his covenant and faithfulness to bring the Souls of believers to glory and consequently to give out to them such necessary supplies of grace as shall make them meet for that inheritance yet he is at liberty as to the gradual manifestations of his grace to dispense them according to his own infinite wisdom and his Peoples behaviour toward him And the promises of that
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
knowledge convictions and faith and proceedeth upon the same reason upon which any reasonable creature valueth a greater and more comprehensive good above what is of an inferiour vertue and more insignificant Nor is this other than according to the workings of our Souls in other cases towards Creatures which we have made the objects of our love The good look and smile of an Husband a letter from him a small token be it never so small how welcome and acceptable is it to the Wife The reason lies in her love to her Husbands Person To you that believe saith the Apostle he is precious It is impossible indeed rationally impossible that a Soul should believe take it in what sense you will but it must love the Lord Jesus Christ Take believing as it signifies no more than a firm and steady assent to the proposition of the word revealing Christ to us as he is the eternal Son of God the brightness of his Fathers glory the express image of his Person full of kindness to the Sons of Men pitying them taking a delight in them willing to save them and to communicate of his fulness to them and to this end coming from Heaven to Earth clothing himself with out flesh encompassing himself with creature infirmities then dying upon the Cross that he might purchase us unto himself c. I say it is not possible that a Soul should firmly and steadily assent and agree to these things but he must love Christ But if you take believing in the second sense as it signifieth the Souls receiving of him as its Lord and Saviour its resting and relying upon him and trusting him with all its Spiritual and Eternal Concerns it is impossible but that the Soul should have a love for him above all created Objects and having so it cannot but naturally desire to be mutually beloved and be passionately desirous of some evidences of it and the least evidences of the reciprocations of love on his part who is so exceeding dear in the Eyes of the Soul must needs be exceedingly desirable to and valuable by that Soul This is yet further advantaged from the consideration of the exceeding low Opinion and Estimate which grace teacheth every soul upon whom it hath shined to have and make of it self The proud man valueth nothing but great things from his friend nay he scarcely thinks any thing great enough for him to put any value upon The reason lies in the high opinion which he hath of his own worth and merit but the humble man puts a value upon the least kindness because he hath a low and mean opinion of himself so he looketh upon every thing as more than he could merit or challenge Naaman huffs when the Prophet sends to him to go and wash in the waters of Jordan he expected the Prophet should have come out and stroked him and he thought the Waters of Abana and Parphar were as wholsome as those of Jordan were The Centurion desireth but a good word from Christ when Christ spake of coming to his House Mat. 8. 8. Lord saith he I am not worthy thou shouldst come under my roof The Woman of Canaan knowing her self to be a Dog challengeth no more than Crums Every gracious Soul is sensible that it deserveth nothing but Hell and Wrath this makes the least tokens of Divine love highly valuable in its Eyes who am I said Elizabeth that the Mother of my Lord should come to me who am I saith an humble Soul that the Lord should look upon me that the Sun of righteousness should shine so much as with one healing beam upon my Soul Hence it valueth the least tokens of special love It valueth nothing less than that this proceedeth from its knowledge and spiritual judgment of things that differ It valueth the least of this This proceedeth partly from its knowledge partly from that humility with which it is clothed as with a Garment 7. Lastly This Soul knoweth that Christs Love will not terminate and be bounded with little things The least tokens of distinguishing Love are but the Earnests of a greater bargain they are but the first-fruits to a larger Harvest Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God Psal 92. 13. God at first gives the soul but a good hope a glimpse of his glory but it shall go on from faith to faith and strength to strength Are the least tokens of Christs distinguishing Love so valuable so desirable what should then his fullest and largest tokens be the things which God hath prepared for them that love him which Eye hath not seen Ear hath not heard nor can it enter into the Heart of man to conceive The Assurance of his Love The Manifestations of himself to his Saints in glory If it be so sweet so desirable to see him in a glass darkly what will it be to see him face to face If his kisses be so desirable what will his imbraces be If the Hem of his Garment be so full of vertue and a touch of that so desirable what is his long white Robe which is the white linnen of his Saints If a good word a good look be so good what will it be to be set as a seal upon his Heart and upon his arm Surely that love will be as strong as death as the coales of that fire which send forth a vehement flame Let this notion of truth and the experience which any of your souls have had of the truth of it kindle in you further flames of desire after the further enjoyments of Christ in this life Imperfect tasts of desirable things use to do so in other things Quo plus sunt potae plus sitiuntur aquae Yet in all created goods there is ordinarily more in expectation than fruition but it is not so in Spiritual things The Apostle prayeth for the Ephesians That they might be able with all Saints to comprehend what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that they might be filled with all the fulness of God Eph. 13. 18 19. It is most certain that there are many holy and gracious Souls that want assurance they may live they may die without it but that Soul hath nothing of grace that doth not desire it that doth not thirst and pant after it 2. What will it be to be ever with the Lord what an object of spiritual thirst and desire is a fulness of communion with our Lord in his Fathers House when we shall know as we are known see Face to Face How should this fill all our hearts with desires to be dissolved that we might be with Christ which is best of all The least of Christ is good but that full fruition is best Let this discourse leave some strong pantings in your hearts 1. After the assurance of Gods love 2. After the further manifestations of Christs strength
vilest thing in the world that there is no way of Salvation but by Jesus Christ In short any Gospel Proposition may easily be made probable either by reason working from connate natural Principles or at least to those Souls that own the Scriptures to be the Word of God from Propositions of holy Writ but still I say till the holy Spirit of God comes to teach the Soul the Soul will not be fully persuaded indeed not at all persuaded but have this and the other thing to say against it Nothing silenceth the Soul to the revelation of any Spiritual Truth so as it disputeth it no more unless it be perhaps in a fit or under some great temptation but this Demonstration of the Spirit Fourthly The Spirit teacheth by Recapitulation or bringing to remembrance I have my ground for this from that of our Saviour Joh. 14. 6. The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you This Teaching by way of bringing to remembrance is an excellent way of Teaching It is one reason why Christians profit no more by hearing because they never meditate they seldom or never call to remembrance what they have heard If a Schoolmaster should learn a Child his Grammar Rules once and never make him bring them again to his remembrance he would learn but little An improvement in notional knowledge of spiritual things doth depend upon often calling to remembrance what we have heard But the Spirits bringing to remembrance is yet a more excellent thing and there is the same disproportion betwixt our own bringing to remembrance something we have read of the Word of God or heard out of it and the holy Spirit 's bringing to remembrance that there is betwixt Ministerial Instruction and the Instruction of the Spirit of God at the first As man's instruction and first teaching reacheth no further than that power of man's Soul by which he receiveth the bare notion of a thing and that imperfectly too but the holy Spirit instructeth the heart and reins and teacheth the secret and inward parts of the Soul So man's bringing to remembrance things which we have heard from God doth no more than revive the notion of them in our understandings making the first prints of them more deep plain and legible But the holy Spirit 's bringing things to remembrance is a bringing them to the remembrance of the whole Soul renewing those motions of the will and affections which it taught the Soul with reference to those Propositions which by Ministerial Teaching or by reading the Word were first by the help of our Eyes and Ears brought into our Souls and carried by the holy Spirit of God further into the understanding the will and affections by which the Soul is anew instructed convinced comforted strengthened c. to which our repetitions of and discourses of what we have read and heard serve but as means to so noble an end and without the attaining of that indeed is of very little significancy to our Souls real profit and advantage Lastly The Spirit 's Teaching is by strengthening and quickening the Soul to practice We call upon men not to be hearers of the Word but doers of it also but we cannot make them so we cannot give them an inward Principle of Life either strengthening or quickening them to do what we call to them for and this is the reason why we oft-times labour in vain and spend our strength for nothing and in vain Old Adam is too hard for young Melancthon We see this in the experience of every School-Boy The best Teaching is by practice Let a Child learn his Rules never so well he understands them not till he comes to reduce them to practice therefore the best Teachers put Children upon practice as soon as they can Solomon tells us Pro 1. 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge The end of all Knowledge is practice We therefore desire to know that we might practice he that hath not been taught to practice in the things of God hath indeed learned nothing By this time I hope I have shewed you that admitting the teaching of the Letter and of the Ministers there is none left for the teaching of the Spirit and that there is a vast difference betwixt a meer external Communion with God in his Word and an internal Communion with him in and by the Word so as we have no reason either to despise Ordinances or to rest in that external homage which we pay unto God in the observance of them and sufficient reason why the Soul of an understanding Christian should not be satisfied with the reading and hearing the words of Christ's mouth without the kisses of his mouth For the proof of the Proposition I shall give you first the instance of holy David take it as it lieth before you Ps 63. 1 2. 3. O God saith he thou art my God early will I seek thee in a dry and thirsty Land where no water is he means no waters of the Sanctuary The title of that Psalm tells you that Psalm was composed when David was in the wilderness of Judah in the time of his persecution by Saul when he had not the liberty of God's Publick Ordinances In this condition he thirsteth he longeth for what for thee saith he Further yet v. 2. To see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary Because thy loving-kindness is better than life You see David's desires are not terminated in a coming into the Sanctuary but a seeing the power and glory of God in the Sanctuary in an understanding the loving-kindness of God revealed in his Sanctuary And in the expression of the same passion Psal 42. 1. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God My Soul thirsteth for God the living God when shall I come and appear before God It is manifest by the last words that the thing which David thirsted after was a communion with God in the Ordinances of his Worship but yet not after a meer external communion with him My Soul panteth after thee O God for God the living God So in Psal 119. v. 18. Open my Eyes O Lord that I might discern the wonders of the Law not my Ears only to hear thy Law or my Eyes that I may read the Doctrine of the Law but that I may discern the wonders of thy Law Paul did not think it enough that the Ephesians and Colossians had the Word of God amongst them and Preach'd to them by Apostles and men immediately deriving from them but for the former he prayes that the Eyes of their understanding might be opened and for the latter That the Word of God might dwell in them richly but what need have we of any Scripture in the case I appeal to the experience of
high Priest became us c. Give me leave upon this argument to make use of the same words Christ hath Loves such a Saviour became the Sons of men and that upon a three fold account 1. As love stands opposed to hatred and wrath and Enmity Considering man as Gods Creature he was not hated of God God hâ—teth not the work of his own hand but considering him as a lapsed creature as degenerated into the Plant of a strange Vine after that God had created him a generous noble plant so he became the object of Gods wrath hatred and Enmity We were Children of wrath by nature saith the Apostle E ph 2. 3. God is angry with the wicked every day How Sutable to us now is it to have a Saviour That is Love and who hath Loves considering the aversion in the holy Divine Beeing from Mankind as rebellious Seed a Seed of Evil doers Who could have suited us to have become a Saviour unto us but one who had akind propension and inclination to us inclining him to the great work of mans Redemption and Reconciliation to God especially also considering that there could be no remission of sins without blood no reconciliation without the reconcilers Death he had need have loves that should dye for his Friend and he much more who should dye for Enemies that were by his death to be made friends 2. As Loves signifies multitude and infinitness of Love We have all a multitude of sins and there is a kind of infiniteness in sin indeed our Acts of Sin are not infinite we cannot number them we cannot measure them but they are to be numbred that is our comfort so that the ballance is on Gods side he hath infinite Mercies But there is an infiniteness of a will to sin in every Sinners heart if a Sinner were let alone he hath such a depth of vileness in his heart that if he were to live infinitely he would sin without limits without bounds infinitely there is an infiniteness in the guilt of Sin we had need of a Saviour that should have Loves an infinite of Love a multitude of Mercies for our multitude of Sins numberless pardons for numberless Sinnings we Sinned yesterday we sin this day and we shall sin to morrow If Christ had not Loves we could have no hopes 3. Thirdly such a Saviour became us As Loves signifyes a Variety of gracious inclinations We have a variety of wants Our wants are not all of one nature we have need of Love to pardon us and to bring us into a state of favour Love to preserve us and uphold us when we are in such a state of favour One or another gracious aspect and inclination of Christ would not have been enough for our Souls which are not onely miserable and stand in need of mercy but poor and stand in need of the riches of divine grace and naked and stand in need of the long White robe of Christs righteousness and blind and stand in need of his Eye Salve We are all Emptiness and stand in need of his fulness that we might receive of his fulness Grace for Grace Less than infinite Loves and variety of gracious inclinations a readiness to serve our Souls in a variety of distresses with a sutable Supply of grace grace suited to every necessity of our Souls could not have fitted our Souls which have not only wants and infirmities but are incompassed about with wants and infirmities Fifthly Let this report of Christ to your Souls ingage you to indeavour to be made the Objects of these Loves I have observed to you before that this text doth not speak of the Love of Christ with respect to his Father but with respect to us to the Sons of men they are the objects of the Loves of Christ here mentioned How should we all study and indeavour that we may be the Beloved the objects of these Loves not of his Love onely but of his Loves Arminians keep a great deal of stir with a Philanthropy in Christ a common Love which he hath for all the Sons and daughters of men Nor is the question betwixt them and other Divines so much about the thing as the extent of it Sober Divines will many of them grant in Christ a common Love to all mankind and speak of some things which they take to be the effects and products of it but admit it yet it is certain he hath also an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a good pleasure of his will or Special kindness to some Souls So he hath Loves that is the benignity and kindness of his inclinations is more to Some than to others Let none of us satisfy our selves to be the Object of Christs Love unless we be the object of his Loves I shall press this onely with One Argument It is this Nothing but the Loves of Christ can serve our Souls as to their true Spiritual and eternal Concernment There is a great stir made in the world about a common Love which Christ should have for all the Sons and daughters of men and there are many that would make the Death of Christ to be the Effect of this Common Love And so conclude that he intentionally dyed for all and Every man Others are not of that mind but yet will allow all men and women in the world to receive some good from Christ and that not onely considered as God over all blessed for ever and one with his Father and so in him we live move and have our Being But as Mediator It is from him they say that the world yet stands that the Gospel is preached to the worst of men I see little in this worth the contending for I would gladly know what real advantage accrueth to any Soul from being the common object of Divine Love Admitting that all shal not be saved for whom Christ dyed which they must hold who hold that Christ dyed for all and every man unless they hold universal Salvation I would fain know what relief any Soul can have from this notion of Christs dying for all which some so much contend for Supposing that all men shall not be saved but those onely whom Christ hath loved with a Special Love Nothing can possibly revive a Soul troubled as to its Spiritual and eternal concerns but some evidence of that It is said of the young man who came to Christ so hopefully Mar. 10. 21. kneeling to him saying Master what good thing may I do that I may obtain everlasting Life that he loved him With that general Love which he hath for all his Creatures especially such as have any seeds of goodness in them yet the Text saith he went away Sorrowful Let us labour for the Special Love of Christ Such tokens of his Love as may distinguish betwixt us and those who shall perish But to shut up this Discourse This notion calleth upon all of us who would be like Christ to have Loves also There are two
But I have I fear said enough not only to convince you that the most men and women in the world are guilty of a false judgment either judging Wine in the literal sense or at least in the figurative sense better than Christs love but also to convince Gods own People that they do not sufficiently live up to and practice what they profess to Believe I might add another thing 6. Whosoever purchaseth Wine or a satisfaction from any creature by a disobedience to the commands of Christ doth most certainly judge that Wine that creature better then Christs loves The demonstration of this depends upon this That no man or woman can truly say they love Christ or groundedly expect that Christ should love them that doth not keep his Commandments or that wilfully ordinarily and presumptuously breaketh them tho there none lives who doth not sin against God I shall shut up this discourse with a word of exhortation which must be to a preference of the loves of Christ before Wine I shall press this exhortation upon you by some arguments My first argument shall be drawn from the reasonableness of this That a reasonable Soul should judge of things not according to any appearances from false representations but as they are I have spoken enough to persuade any person that believeth that he is not a meer lump of flesh but hath a reasonable Soul and that he is not a creature of this life meerly but ordained to an Eternal Existence and that the Soul of every man by nature and his state is such as the holy Scriptures speak it to be that the loves of Christ are more suited to his necessities his true real wants than it is possible that any created comforts should be now admitting this what more doth become areasonable creature than to judge them so All other judgment is but fallacy and deceit and of all deceit and fallacy there 's nothing so unworthy of a man as to cheat and deceive himself Thus every Soul doth that judgeth any thing better than the Loves of Christ Further yet there is nothing more unworthy of a man then to outlaw himself and suffer his passion to domineer over his reason the course of mans Soul according to reason is for his will to follow the dictate of his understanding for him to pursue the things which he judgeth most excellent and though in other things indeed man doth not so ' he seeth that which is better and doth that which he confesseth and judgeth worst yet all this is passion and so far as a man walketh or acteth thus he acteth not reasonably but this is but the first argument and considereth them meerly as men 2. The second shall concern you as Creatures What an indignity do you put upon the Creator to prefer the Creature before him Wine is but a Creature Riches Honours the World and all that is therein it is all but a Creature Christ is God over all blessed for ever It is a mighty degradation of God in our hearts to prefer any thing to his loves How can any man think that God should look upon that Soul that dethroneth him and preferreth some of his creatures yea of the meanest of his Creatures in his affections before him how righteously shall God leave that Soul to the creature as its portion that chuseth it and chuseth it in preference to his loves Thirdly Consider what an ill requital this is of Christs love to you This argument now concerneth you as you are Christians and believe that Christ in the fulness of time left his Fathers Throne and took not upon him the nature of Angels but the nature of Man Christ in his love his redeeming love to you hath manifested a double preference 1. A preference of your good to his own glory and manifestative favour from God his Father Christ indeed in his estate of humiliation was the beloved Son of his Father his Father in that time proclaimed him his only begotten Son in whom he was well pleased But he had not those manifestations of that love as before he was incarnate He was made a curse for us that the blessing of Abraham might come down upon us he cryed out upon the Cross my God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me 2. A preference of you to Angels He took not upon him the nature of Angels but your nature now how ill do you requite this love of your Saviour in preferring a creature to it how can we believe the Gospel and all that it telleth us of the dying loves of Christ and do this Oh therefore let not this be the condemnation of any poor Soul that heareth me this day let none of us incur the guilt of this Idolatry God aggravateth the Peoples sin of Idolatry from this that they said to a stack and to a stone thou art our Father the more base and low and unworthy the object is that is preferred before another the greater is the provocation of the preference Let us then so live so walk as by our conversation to evidence to the world that the Loves of Christ to our Souls are better than all the Wine which the world can afford us Let us not break a divine Precept to embrace any thing which this World can afford us in this we shall be so far from acting like to Christians or Creatures that we shall not act like men possessed of reasonable Souls Let us in our hearts more thirst in the Spirit after Christs Love than the worlds imbraces let us delight more in any reports of the love of Christ any discourses concerning it than in any worldly objects Let us be more diligent in use of means to gain Christs love than to gain the whole world Let us be more satisfied in the enjoyment of any thing of it than if we enjoyed all the World can afford us I remember Solomon saith The blessing of God maketh rich and addeth no sorrow therewith The Loves of Christ make the Soul happy and mixeth no sorrow with that happiness Wine is a sweet liquor but it will intoxicate in time it will grow flat and acid and there is no created good but will at one time or other grow flat sharp if the Soul be not drunk with it There is a satiety in pleasure riches honour there is a time when there will be no pleasure in them when we shall be able to see no goodness at all in them Let us neglect them upon the prospect of the vanity of them and the vexation of Spirit that is in them before we come to experience their vanity and rottenness I have shewed you a far more excellent object Christs loves are better than Wine Sermon XI Cnt. 1. 2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth For thy loves are better than Wine FOr thy loves are better then Wine I have handled these 2 Propositions which the matter of these words affords us I have now only
of relation hath taken to him that of a Father to let us know there is in his gracious nature something analogous or proportionable to the heart and bowels of Earthly Parents to their Children and accordingly our Saviour argues that if any of our Children ask of us bread we will not give them a Stone nor a Scorpion instead of Fish and thence concludeth that if we being evil know how to give good things to our Children much more will our Heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him You many of you know the heart of a Father To which of you would it not be a great argument to draw you out to any acts by which you could manifest your loves to a Child for your Child to come and beg your love to it telling you that it valueth your love above all things in the world that it had rather have your love your heart towards it than have all the estate you can give it Shall there not be something in the heart of God proportionated to this affection in your hearts Is it possible that a Child of God should come to God and in sincerity say to him Father I beg some tokens of thy special distinguishing love to my Soul thou that knowest all things knowest that I love thee and that my Soul doth value thy loves above all that the world affords and Gods heart should not yearn and his bowels melt towards such a Soul God must say of the voice of such a Soul as Isaac sometimes said It is the voice of my Son Jacob None but a Child can speak such a language 4. Finally No arguments can be of more force to use with God than such wherein the Interest of his own glory is concerned The Glory of God being his own great end which he pursueth in all his actions he useth a great argument to God that saith unto him Father glorify thy self So gracious is God that he gives us leave to fetch arguments from our selves our own wants and the misery we are in which arguments affect God as he is a God full of pity and tender compassion But those arguments which we can fetch from the Interest of his own glory seem to have a greater force as complying with what is the Lords great and chiefest end He that sets an high value and estimate upon the love of Christ giveth God a great deal of Glory preferring him to all things in the world for God cannot be more glorified by the Creature than to be in heart esteemed above and preferred to the whole Creation So as that Soul that goeth to God with this argument doth in effect say Father my Soul hath glorified thee upon the Earth and doth give thee the glory of being the most excellent object and more desirable than all the world besides Now therefore glorify thy self in manifesting of thy love to me that I may further exalt thee in thy rich and free Grace I now come to the application By way of Instruction first we may observe That the meanest Child of God is furnished with a better argument to encourage his hopes in his addresses to the throne of Grace than the greatest and proudest Sinner in the world hath There are arguments which Sinners may use from the infiniteness and freeness of the divine bounty and goodness from their relation to God as his Creatures from the greatness of their misery c. and they may obtain something from God upon these pleas from that infinite goodness and compassion that is in the Divine Nature but no unregenerate man can use this argument which hath in it a much greater force On the other side there is no the meanest child of God not the meanest believer that is in the world but hath this argument to use with God Other arguments may be of avail with God for the obtaining some good things of this life this is of force for the obtaining those of highest consequence relating to the internal and eternal happiness of the Soul Secondly This offers us a great incouragement to examine our selves upon this point Whether we have a due estimate of the loves of Christ Whether we can truly say to our blessed Lord That his loves are better than Wine and that we value them not only above all sensual satisfactions which the profane scandalous Sinner doeth not but above all sensible satisfactions which no unregenerate carnal man doth I remember when our Saviour examined Peter about his love to him he propounded to him this question Joh. 21. 15. Simon Peter lovest thou me more than these I do know that many Interpreters by these in that Text understand his other Disciples standing by There was a time when Peter preferred himself as to his love towards his Master to all the other Disciples Tho saith he all should deny thee yet I would not deny thee Peter since that time was humbled our Saviour had a mind that his humility should be manifested and therefore say some he propoundeth that question to him but I remember Bernard in one of his Sermons upon the Canticles puts another sense upon the words Lovest thou me more than thou lovest these and so it may be referred either to the company with whom he was or to the diversion of fishing they were employed in or to the great draught of fish which they had taken I do but allude to the text who so truly loveth the Lord Jesus Christ if all the persons and things in the world were before him must be able to say I love Christ more than these Admit his friends and nearest relations to be in his Eye all the pleasant and delectable things in the world all the Crowns and Scepters and honours in the world all the Gold and Silver and Houses and Lands in the world in his Eye He must be able to say I love the Lord Jesus Christ more than these yea if his own life be set before him not to be enjoyed without the loss of Christs love he must be able to say that he loves Christ more than that Mat. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loveth Son or Daughter more than me is not worthy of me Lu. 14. 26. If any man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple But I have formerly given you some directions how to try your selves whether the loves of Christ in the apprehension of your Souls are good before Wine and shall therefore add no more on this argument In the third place This notion may be of great use to relieve Christians doubting whether they have any one good Argument to use with God in their applications to him 2. Whether any of their Prayers have at any time pierced the Heavens and been accepted of God A good Christian is often doubting whether
wants but it deriveth from Christ Good things suited to the more external wants of our Body derive from God as the great preserver of man and flow from that common providence of his which dayly worketh in the upholding and preservation of created Beings but good things for our Souls derive from Christ as Mediator and as they are purchased by his blood so they are dispensed out by his Spirit This now can appear to a Soul from no other light but that of Revelation study therefore the holy Scriptures meditate therein night and day they testify all this concerning Christ A full persuasion of these two things 1. That we have immortal Souls ordained to an eternity either of happiness or misery 2. That nothing but the love of Christ can furnish them with those good things which are proper and necessary for them with respect to their Eternal Happiness are enough to convince Men and Women that the loves of Christ are as much better than Wine and to be preferred to it as the Soul is better than the Body and the things suited to its wants better than those things which are only suited to the wants of the outward man But still I say and every days experience maketh it good Non persuaseris etiamsi persuaseris you shall not persuade Men and Women tho you say enough to persuade them though you shut up their mouths and they having nothing to say such a power hath lust in the heart of man into such a debauchery is the nature of man degenerated Admitting men to believe that they have immortal Souls and that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God there is nothing in nature hath a fuller evidence than this truth that the loves of Christ are preferrible to all things in the world and a man cannot act like a reasonable creature in preferring any thing unto them yet who believes it who lives up to this demonstration It is God must persuade the Soul of this and till the Soul hath this written and ingraven upon it by the finger of his Spirit it will never so Judge Lastly therefore Pray mightily that God would open your Ears to see this and persuade your Souls of the truth of it for till he doth it in vain are mens persuasions To move you to it consider 1. This will bear some proportion to the love of Christ to mankind Christ loved us more than these more than all the Kingdoms and pleasures and profits and honours of the world yea more than his own life yea he preferred us to the Angels the fallen Angels for he took not upon him the nature of Angels but the nature of man 2. This will speak the Soul to be a wise and understanding Soul Certain it is as I have already shewed you that the loves of Christ are good before Wine The wisdom of a Soul lyeth much in a right discerning betwixt good and evil and betwixt that which is good and that which is more good or better The excellency of a Soul lyeth in its conformity to God he is an Atheist who owneth not God to be the first Being and to be of all Beings the most excellent and perfect Being So as necessarily that Soul that comes nearest in conformity to God must be the most excellent Soul now that Soul which acteth most up to the principles of improved and pure reason and to the rule of that holy Writ which we all confess to be the revealed Will of God and liveth most up to the Divine Pattern doing what God doth that must needs be the most wise excellent understanding Soul Now will not a little reason serve to convince us that Christ is the most excelling Object and therefore to be preferred to all sublunary enjoyments Doth not the Scripture represent him to us as altogether desires as the chiefest of ten thousand as the well beloved of the Father in whom he is well pleased as he whom we ought to love with all our heart all our Soul all our Strength Doth not the Father the Heavenly Father love him above all other objects To which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day I have begotten thee and again I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son He was brought up with the Father and daily his delight rejoycing alwaies before him 3. This will speak an heavenly sublimated Soul purged from the dregs of sensuality and from an earthly mind a Soul risen with Christ and seeking the things which are above Col. 3. 1. The preference of Wine any sensual satisfactions or any sensible enjoyments to the loves of Christ speaks a dirty Soul that feedeth upon carrion and can be filled with wind Lastly You have heard what an argument this will supply a Soul with in all its addresses and applications to God for any grace or favour no argument can be more moving more prevailing with God none that layeth hold upon more promises or that toucheth God more as a tender Father O therefore labour for this frame of Spirit and give your Souls no rest until you find that they indeed do prefer the love of Christ before all other things in Heaven and Earth Secondly This notion calleth to all you who profess Godliness and to any thing of the Spirit of Adoption which teacheth to cry Abba Father to take heed of a Carnal mind an heart cleaving to any created comforts in excessive degrees so as for the enjoyment of them or any of them to run the hazard of the loves of Christ you will by it prejudice your souls in a great argument which you might use at the Throne of Grace There are amongst others three distempers of heart which those that would do much with God in Prayer must take heed of 1. A revengeful not forgiving frame of Spirit It is a dreadful Text Mat. 6. 15. But if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you Our Saviour hath taught us to pray Forgive us our Debts as we forgive our Debtors 2. A doubting and unbelieving frame of Spirit He that cometh unto God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him he that lifts up his hands unto God must lift up pure hands and that without doubting 3. Thirdly A Carnal heart cleaving to the world preferring the things of the world to the loves of Christ the good things of Grace Lastly Is this such an argument of force with God Let then such as can use it in truth make use of it I doubt not but I speak to many who can in truth say that they value the loves of Christ the tokens of his special and distinguishing love above all earthly contentments when you go to God plead this take unto you words and say Lord let me be made a partaker of thy special distinguishing love thou knowest that my Soul valueth it above mountains of Gold
to the Humane Nature in the personal union of both Natures in the Lord Jesus Christ Christ was sanctified and set apart and constituted as a person fit to be our High Priest and King This as I told you in my last discourse was one of the sacred uses of Oil which the Jews made there was a sweet anointing Oil made by Gods special prescript for the consecration of the High Priest the Tabernacle and their holy Utensils with this also they anointed their Kings This did but typify the anointing of the Holy Ghost and by the receiving of this Vnction Christ was constituted our High-Priest and the King upon the Holy Hill of Sion By the Grace of Hypostatical Vnion he was made so I mean by the union of the Divine and Humane Nature in the one Person of Christ Christ indeed had an Essential Kingdom equal with the Father by his Eternal Generation but he obtained his Mediatory Kingdom by vertue of his Incarnation and Vnction The new and living way was consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh Thus he was made our High-Priest our King our Prophet and by his gracious dispositions and qualifications he was made fit for a Mediator For such an High Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from Sinners and made higher than the Heavens who needed not daily as those High Priests under the law to offer up Sacrifice first for his own Sins then for the People c. Heb. 7. 26. 27. 2. The Graces of Christ were like good Oils or Ointments as they were used in Sacrifice they cannot indeed so properly be called a Sacrifice but they were as the Oyl poured upon the meat offering There is a dispute whether the Passive Obedience of Christ only or his Active obedience also be imputed to us and be our righteousness not to meddle with that supposing his passive obedience to have alone been the Sacrifice yet his Active obedience must be allowed as the Oyl poured upon it The meat offering was usually some Beast or Bird slain but then they were to come and pour Oyl upon it Christs death upon the Cross was his offering That was the Sacrifice but his Graces were as the Oyl poured upon this offering had not he that died been pure and holy righteous and separate from sinners meek obedient c. he could not have been accepted for others for he must have offered for himself as the Apostle teacheth us Heb. 7. 26 27. Thus his personal graces and perfections were like good Oils with respect to the use of Oil in Sacrifice upon the account of them it was that he offered up to his Father a Sacrifice for the Sins of his People which was acceptable Thirdly The Personal Graces and perfections of Christ were like good Oils for their sweet savour These perfections are those things which make the name and person of Christ as a sweet smelling savour in the Nostrils of every understanding gracious Soul what is it which maketh any Soul love Christ what maketh its own private meditations of him or the report which it receiveth of him so exceeding sweet to the Soul but these excellencies and perfections which are in him His free and infinite love to the Sons and Daughters of Men his pity and compassion his slowness to conceive a wrath and readiness to forgive his freeness to heal his Peoples backslidings his purity and holiness his patience and meekness These are those things which make Christ appear so lovely and amiable to gracious Souls Lastly like good Oils they serve the Soul for food What doth a Soul that hungereth and thirsteth after Righteousness seed upon but the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ some indeed have found a Righteousness of their own to feed upon but I doubt whether those Souls that feed on nothing else will appear fair and well liking in the great day of the Lord Suppose a Soul pined away in the sense of its iniquities what doth it live upon but only the free Grace and mercy of God in the Lord Jesus Christ As Hezekiah said in another case By these things men live so doth every Spiritual Soul make use of the Grace of Christ and may say By the Righteousness of Christ I live by thelove pity and tender mercies of Lord Jesus Christ I live By his fulness of grace I live for of his fulness we receive Grace for Grace Thus you see how upon all accounts The grace of Christ is like good Ointments But thus much generally We are upon a Bed of Spices it is good for us to be here let me therefore speak a little more particularly shewing you particularly What these Graces of our Lord Jesus Christ are which are upon all these accounts as good Oils or good Ointments I shall answer this in several particulars 1. The Grace of Vnion is as a good Oâ—l There is a three-fold Union considerable with reference to Christ 1. His Eternal Vnion with his Father This is what he saith in the Gospel once and again I and my Father are one but it is not proper to call this Grace It was natural his Generation who can declare 2. The second is the Hypostatical Vnion of the Divine and Humane Nature in the One Person of the Mediator This was Grace the assumption of our Nature to make one Person with the Divine Nature this was an act of Grace it was not Natural not Eternal but the product of Divine and free 〈…〉 time It was the Grace both of the first and of the second Person in the Trinity to assume humane nature into an Union with the second Person 3. There is an Vnion of Christ with Believers I in you saith Christ and you in me These are mysteries the two latter I mean not to be fully known and understood until Christs second coming At that day saith our Blessed Lord Joh. 14. 20. You shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and Lin you That there is such a thing we know how it is we do not know but in the mean time this is also of Grace This in the second sense is terminated in Christ in the last it is terminated in the truly believing Soul I am sure both are as good Oils That Grace which was both from the Father and himself considered as God by which our Nature was assumed into a oneness with the Second Person in the God-Head This is like a good Oil this was the sweet anointing Oil of his Consecration by this he Was constituted out High-Priest capacitated to offer a Sacrifice to his Father both meritorious and acceptable As God he could not die as meerly the Son of man he could not merit as God-man he could do both O this makes Christ exceeding lovely in the Eyes of a Spiritual intelligent Soul Christ as God is full of Glory and Majesty but his Glory is invisible his Majesty is incomprehensible but now when the Word was made flesh
Name I will mention but three things First His Word is his Name The Gospel of Christ is his Name that expresseth to us what Christ is Christ saith that he had manifested his Father's Name unto the men whom he had given him out of the world Joh. 17. 6. that is his Fathers Truths the Doctrine of his Gospel The Lord Jesus is made known by his Gospel That doth the same thing for Christ that our Name doth for us it lets the World know whose Son Christ is what he is what he hath done and suffered for Sinners and this is to the Soul exceeding sweet as an Oil that is poured forth Secondly His Mercy is his Name All those declarations of his love and good will towards his Peoples Souls of which his Gospel is full All the Emanations of his Love When the Lord telleth Moses his Name he thus proclaimeth it The Lord The Lord merciful slow to anger As God gets him a great Name upon Pharaoh and the wicked of the Earth by executing Justice and Judgment so he gets himself a great Name amongst his Saints by shewing meâ—cy His Name is I even I am he that blotteth out transgressions for my own Names sake I will heal your backslidings and love you freely Lastly His Truth is his Name By Truth I mean his Faithfulness in fulfilling his Word Thy Truth reacheth unto the Clouds saith David Psal 108. 4. David Psal 138. 2. resolveth to praise God's Name for his Loving-kindness and for his Truth Jesus Christ is much known to us by his Truth and Faithfulness to his Promises making good to his Peoples Souls what he hath said hence he is called the Amen the Faithful and the true Witness Rev. 3. 14. Pareus upon that Text saith that Christ is called the Amen for that reason which the Apostle giveth 2 Cor. 1. 19 20. because he is not Yea and Nay but he is Yea and because all the Promises of God in him are Yea and Amen Thus I have opened to you what that Name of Christ is which the Spouse compareth to an Oil or to an Ointment poured forth 2 Qu. But why to an Oil poured forth Certainly for the usefulness of it under that circumstance Ointment in the Box Oil inclosed and kept up in the Vessel is no way so useful as when it is poured out If we use it for food it must be poured out if for Medicine if for Ornament which way soever we use Oil or Ointment it must be poured out then it becomes useful to us But that which I take to be what is principally intended is Thy Name is exceedingly infinitely sweet Oil is sweet in the Vessel where it is kept it is sweet if but dropped out by drops But saith the Spouse of Christ Thy Name is as an Oil or Ointment poured forth Thou hast not only a sweetness and excellency in thy self but all the grace and mercy in thee is communicated and that not in drops or little measures but as Oil poured forth that hath scope of Air enough to diffuse it self in and by If Christ had No Name by which he could be made known to us yet there would be in him as God blessed for ever infinite goodness as well as Majesty and Glory the fulness of the God-Head would be in him he would be full of Grace and Truth but now his Name makes him to be as an Oil poured forth by that we behold his glory the glory as of the begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth Joh. 1. 14. When the invisible incomprehensible excellency love and grace of Christ is made known unto us either by the Gospel or by the emanations of his grace and mercy or the demonstrations of his truth and faithfulness by any of his personal names or names of Office wâ—ich are given to him then like Oil or Ointment poured out he appears to the Soul transcendently incomparably sweet This now appears both from Scripture and from experience 1. From Scripture how sweet are thy words unto my tast faith David Psal 119. 103. More to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than Honey and the Hony-comb Psal 19. 10. In his name shall the Gentiles trust Mat. 12. 21. Adam had a little of Christ made known unto him One promise we read of no more The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head Gen. 3. 15. It was like Oil poured forth and kept him from a deliquium in the sense of the first sin and his being turned out of Paradise Abraham heard a little of Christs name it was to him like Oil poured forth he saw my day and rejoiced saith Christ John 8. he saw the day star arise afar off he saw but the morning the dawning of the morning too of Christs day and at a great distance how sweet was it to him He saw my day saith Christ and he rejoiced I might give you very many instances of the sweetness which the Saints of God perceived upon the several discoveries of Christ made to them But what needs any further demonstration than what ariseth from the consideration of the thing and from the experience of any Child of God to whom Christ is or hath been made known how sweet must rest be to one that is weary ease to one that is heavy laden both these are promised from Christ Mat. 11. 29. how sweet must the name of a Saviour be to one that is lost and undone the name of Redeemeâ— to one that is a Captive The name of a Mediator to one that hath offended a potent adversary able to crush him every moment 2. I appeal further to the experience of every Child of God even every Soul who hath tasted any thing of Christ and who hath heard any thing of his Name when a Soul is troubled to think how often how heinously it hath offended God how sweet is the name of a Mediator when it is brought to a sense of its sin and apprehends itself lost and undone how sweet is it to remember the name of Jesus given unto Christ because he was to save his People from their sins when a Soul considereth that without Blood without a Sacrifice there is no remission of Sin how sweet then is the name of an High Priest over the House of God who offered up himself once for our Sins and having done so ascended up into Heaven and ever sitteth at the Right Hand of God to make intercession for the Sins of his People How sweet to the Soul that is afraid lest its lusts should have dominion over him is the name of Christ as a King given unto him because he is to rule in the hearts of those who are once subjected and subdued unto him How sweet are his mercy his truth his promises when at any time the latter are applied to the Soul and the former any way made known in the Soul Doth any one ask whence it is that the name of
contain three Petitions which the Spouse by which we understand the Church or the believing Soul maketh to her Beloved the Lord Jesus Christ The first I have done with together with the Arguments ments which she used to enforce it I am now come to the second comprehended in this Verse with the Arguments by which she presseth it Her first Petition was in those words Let him kiss me 〈◊〉 the kisses of his mouth Here she saith Draw me Our English Annotations make the connexion thus Lord do not only invite and call me by the Preaching of thy Gospel which are the kisses of thy mouth but command me by the Power of thy Spirit Or thus Let me not only be passively happy in receiving tokens of love from thee but make me active in maintaining communion with thee Let me run after thee and to this purpose do thou draw me Thus the coherence of her Petitions seemeth to lie Some there are that do not make this a new Petition but adjoyn the beginning of this Verse to the latter end of the former and read it thus The Virgins love thee and have drawn thee after them thus the Seventy read it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and after them Origen and Greg. Nyssen expounding it of the Faith of the Saints by which they draw Christ after them according to his Promise Where two or three are gathered together in my Name I will be in the midst amongst them But though there be something of truth in this yet this Interpretation is I think justly slighted by Lud. de Ponte and others even of the Papists the greatest Admirers of the Fathers And although the Copies of the Seventy which we have indeed thus read it yet Symmachus and Aquila the two other Antient Greek Translators read it as we translate it And I am sure that is the true Translation of the Hebrew where the Verb is in the Imperative Mood though there be a little change of the Vowels in regard of the Affix according to the Rules of Grammarians For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so I conclude they are clearly a Petition and thus the Vulg. Lat. reads them with the Tigurine Translators Pagnine Montanus Piscator Junius and indeed almost all others Agreeing therefore in that let me consider 1. The parts of the Text 2. Then open the terms And thirdly and lastly Raise and handle such Propositions as it will afford and may be useful to us You may in the Text please to consider 1. The Spouse's Petition Draw me 2. The Argument by which she enforceth this Petition We will run after thee Where 't is observable 1. The parties promising We. 2. The thing promised A running after Christ 3. The Spouse's Acknowledgment of her Beloved's speedy Answer to her Prayers The King hath brought me into his Chambers 4. And lastly The Effects this Answer had upon her they are three 1. We will rejoyce 2. We will be glad in thee 3. We will remember thy Loves more than Wine Then you have the Spouse's Justification of her self in this passion The upright love thee Let me now come to open the terms This word for it is but one in the Hebrew contains the Spouse's Petition It is agreed by all that it is the Spouse that speaks by which the Jews who understand nothing of the Gospel-Church in this Song understand Abraham and the Church of the Jews Aben-Ezra a Jewish Doctor would have these the words of Abraham speaking to God to draw him out of his own Country into Ur of the Chaldees according to that hard Precept to flesh and blood Gen. 12. Solomon Jarchi another of them makes it the voice of the Jewish Church speaking to God to bring them back again to Hierusalem out of Captivity The old Chaldee Paraphrast and Lira with him make it the voice of the Church of the Jews coming out of Egypt speaking unto God that he would go before them as he did by the Cloud and the Pillar The Righteous of that Generation then said Draw us after thee O thou Lord of the whole world We will follow thee in the way of thy goodness Mr. Cotton makes the Spouse to be either Solomon himself desiring to be drawn to Christ or the Church of the Jews desiring Solomon by Laws and Edicts and Proclamations to draw them to their duty Rupertus his notion applying the words to Elizabeth John Baptist's Mother and of some Popish Writers making them the words of the blessed Virgin are hardly worth mentioning any more than theirs who would make them the words of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon We have fixed the Spouse with the most and best Interpreters to be the true Church of God and every individual believing Soul and then it is easie to know to whom the words are directed viz. unto God and whether we understand the first or second Person in the Trinity is not at all material For besides that they are both but one in their operations respecting the creature Drawing is made in Scripture the act both of the Father and the Son No man saith Christ cometh unto me unless the Father draweth him And again When I am lifted up I will draw all men after me But drawing is a term of motion there must be a term to which Whither would the Spouse be drawn This is not so plainly exprest in the English as in the Hebrew I shall speak more to it by and by but I shall first open the term Draw and shew you what the Spouse desireth of her Beloved in this term I find the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Hebrew signifying four things 1. It sometimes signifies no more than to go to go on and forward so Jud. 4. 6. Go and draw toward Mount Tabor Exod. 12. 21. Draw out and take you a Lamb that is go out Job 21. 33. Every man shall draw after him that is by little and little follow him to the Grave But it would spoil the sense to interpret it so in this place The Me following makes this sense inconsistent 2. Sometimes it signifieth the pulling of a thing or person to a place by some violence or force Thus you read of the Heifer that had not drawn in the yoke Deut. 21. 3. So it is said God draweth the mighty with his power Job 24. 22. And you read of the man that drew a Bow at adventure That is an act of strength and power you know 1 King 22. 34. So they drew Joseph out of the Pit and Jeremy out of the Dungeon Gen. 37. 28. Jer 38. 13. And David prayeth that he might not be drawn away with the wicked Psa 28. 3. In all which places this word is used 3. Because in love and fair persuasion there is a kind of force compelling a reasonable and ingenuous person The word is sometimes used to express also such an action It is said of the wicked Psal 109. v. 12. He draweth the poor into
to examine their Calling whether it be such as amounts to a Divine Drawing whether there be any thing wrought in your Souls which flesh and blood could not reveal to you any thing more than could be the effect of the will of the flesh or the will of man I have before enlarged upon this Theme shewing you how you may know whether your Faith be a Faith of the operation of God The work of God upon your Souls with power Whether what you take to be Holiness be the Sanctification of the Spirit You have heard that there is an Assent to the Gospel which may be given upon meer humane testimony or upon probable Arguments of Reason neither of which is true Faith that there may be a Moral Righteousness and a formal course of performing Religious Duties neither of which amount to the Sanctification of the Spirit or a running after Christ upon his drawings I shall here only add that there are two or three things which may draw men to some Reformation of life though Christ draweth not 1. The interests of mens bodily lives and healths and estates Temperance Sobriety Chastity are Virtues in the practice of which men are concerned as to these and though indeed lusts have so far fermented in some debaucht persons that these interests will not draw them to such a Reformation yet in many who have not been tainted by a vitious Education and in whom custom hath not begot a second nature these concerns will draw much as to which aactions Grace comes not in I mean special Graceâ— further than to direct men to do them from a Principle of Faith Love and Obedience to the Will of God and with an aim at glorifying God 2. The Examples of others especially such as are our Superiours whom we honour or reverence or our near friends and companions whom we love may have a great force upon us that we may please them or be like unto them to do many things It is of great concern with whom we converse Many persons in Religion write only by Copies and do acts because they see others do them whom they love admire or have in reverence These Examples alone will not only bring men to a conformity to them in a civil conversation but also to forms of Religion and Worship 3. The inter stâ—of mens credit and applause in the World will go a great way Saul begs of Samuel to honour him before the People The Pharisees sought the praise of men rather than that of God and indeed this is the general cause of Hypocrisie This happens more generally when Religion is in fashion and credit with the world I might instance in several other things but these are sufficient Try therefore and examine your Souls and rest not till you find what may evidence to you that you are indeed drawn by Christ Secondly This Doctrine calls to all the People of God for Humility indeed it evidenceth Humility a necessary ingredient into Saintship A proud Child of God is a contradiction Grace leaves the Soul nothing to boast in nothing to be proud of Is he come to Christ He had never come if the Father had not drawn him Doth he run after him faster than another he had never run if he had not been drawn There were some in the Church of Corinth who were puffed up who despised Paul and thought of themselves above what they ought to think they were full they were rich they had need of nothing Observe the Argument by which the Apostle humbleththem 1 Cor. 4. 7. Who hath made thee to differ from another Or What hast thou which thou hast not received And if thou hast received it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Art thou come to Christ and is not thy neighbour What follows from hence but as the Apostle to the Romans saith that to thee God hath been more good to him more severe Hast thou come of thy self or in thy own strength Christ hoth told us That no man cometh to the Son but he whom the Father draweth Every one as he is learned and taught of the Father cometh unto the Son He who is not drawn is the object of thy pity and deserveth thy prayers thy good counsel and exhortations all the help thou canst give him but thou hast no reason to triumph or boast or glory over him had not the Lord drawn thee thou hadst been in the same circumstances that he as as much a stranger to Christ as he is It is grace special grace which alone maketh the difference betwixt thee and him Dost thou find thy self more strong and able than another to resist a motion to sin whether from the lusts of thy own heart or from the suggestions of of the Devil or from the World Thou standest when another is overcome and falleth Dost thou find more ability to spiritual duties more freedom and liveliness in the performance of them still all this is from grace Without Christ thou couldest do nothing thou hast no reason to glory because what thou hast is received what thou dost is by grace which thou hast received I live saith Paul Gul. 2. 20. yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God So as the Child of God hath nothing to glory in nothing to boast and triumph over his weaker Brother for if he differs it is grace alone makes him to differ Thirdly This notion calleth upon the People of God to bless the Lord if at any time they find their hearts more inabled to run after God Psal 18. 29. By thee saith David I have run or I have broken through a Troop and by my God have I leaped over a wall David owns there to God his Victory over his fleshly enemies but a Christian's Warfare is more spiritual against Principalities and Powers against spiritual Enemies mighty Temptations strong Motions to sin doth he at any time get a Victory against them certainly he is obliged to give God the glory for it is by him that he breaketh through the Troops of the Prince of darkness Hath he difficult duties to perform and hath he found a strength to perform them still the glory is due unto God for by him he leapeth over the wall It is an expression of David's Psal 87. 7. All my springs are in thee Our spiritual life is maintained from many springs A spring of pardoning grace because of our renewing guilt A spring of renewing and sanctifying grace because of the frequent lustings of the flesh against the Spirit and our being brought so often into a captivity to the Law of our members Springs of strengthening quickening comforting grace because of accidents which weaken our strength make us dull and heavy in the service of God and often to walk in the dark and see no light Now all our fresh springs are in Christ whither then but to God
Soul in which it is shed abroad through the Holy Ghost but it also constraineth others at least to some inquiries after it The Fathers kindness to one Child maketh every Child more studious to please him and the Masters kindness to one Servant encourageth others to their duty We have not perfect single Hearts to act meerly in compliance with a preeâ—pt even Moses himself had an eye to the recompence of reward Nor are we only incourag'd from the prospect of a futur recompence but we must also be encouraged from some promises or hopes of present assistance Solomon tells us The Sluggard saith there is a Lion in the way We are prone to fancy Lions where indeed there are none The way of holiness is a plain and lightsome way no rough nor dark way God hath said Waysaring men though fools shall not err therein but we know not how to adventure and indeed there are Lions and Mountains in the way The roaring Lion is in the way who goeth about continually seeking whom may he devour we have Mountains of Lusts and Corruptions as well as of Worldly Temptations that are in our way Christ hath told us that his Yoke is easie his burden is light We cannot understand it Is it an easie thing to deny our selves to take up the Cross and to follow Christ To keep a steady even pace with God The very Thoughts of the difficulty of a Christians life make many to turn away from it looking upon the Yoke of Christ as a Yoke which no Flesh and Blood is able to bear But now the effects of Divine Grace upon one Soul here incourageth many others We are like Travellers going toward the City of God we meet with Rivers over which we must pass the River seems deep and the Stream seems to run swift here our Hearts fail but as it is with earthly Travellers in such a case if one ventures through and gets safe on shore then many follow So when we see some that were under our discouragments from entring upon the ways of God yet through Grace got into them and finding them easie and pleasant this is a great encouragement to others I have known some who have long stumbled at this Stone Better never to know the way of Righteousness never to enter into a course of Profession than having entred into it to fall Back that I shall do I shall never be able to hold on in a course of Duty I shall never conquer such Corruptions c. Now when God draweth but one Soul others are incouraged to run Psal 40. v. 1 2 3. I waited saith David patiently for the Lord he inclined to me and heard my cry He brought me up also out of an horrible Pit out of the miry Clay and set my seet up-a Rock and established my goings and he hath put a new Song into my Mouth even praise unto our God Many shall see it and fear and trust in the Lord. One blessed Martyr is upheld by God and Burns chearfully his ashes set many others on fire From hence it is that the conversation of Christians is a Winning conversation and Christians are persuaded to walk that others may be won by them There is nothing unlovely in the effects of special Grace Serenity and peace of Conscience contentation in all Estates Justice and Charity towards men they are all the effects of Grace and exceeding lovely in the Eyes of all reasonable Creatures 2. A second ground of this lyes in that Charity or good will toward men which is the steady effect of this grace whosoever is taught of God to love God is also taught to love men all men with a love of good will though the Saints only with a love of complacency or delight Two things in pursuit of this will be found the effects of true Saving grace in every Soul that hath been made partaker of it 1. First Such a Soul will reveal the grace that it hath received 2. It will excite and quicken others to look after their share in the same grace 1. First A gracious Soul is alwayes communicative Grace in the Soul is like new Wine in the Bottle which must have vent see David Psal 66. 16. Come and hear all you that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my Soul I cried unto him with my Mouth and he was extolled by my Tongue Christ when he healed the lame Man in the Gospel bid him that he should tell no Man of it yet he must go and publish it He never when he heals a Soul saith to it Tell no Man of it nay he saith the quite contrary When thou art converted saith he to Peter Strengthen thy Brethren Luk. 22. 32. Such a Soul cannot hold its peace Job could not eat his bodily morsels alone but much less can the Soul eat his Spiritual Morsels and let none know of it If the Woman in the parable could not find her lost Groat but she must call in her Neighbours and spend it upon them how shall a Man that discerns his lost Soul to be found his lost Peace and strength and liveliness to be recovered not call his Neighbours and tell them what God hath done for him Sorrow and joy both fill the Heart both pain it the communication of either unto others in some degree easeth it There are in the World Mysteries of other knowledge which Men have and do very studiously conceal because the more are made partakers of them the worse it is for those who got the first knowledge they get the less but it is otherwise as to Grace that is an inexhaustible Fountain all may have their fill of the Fountain of Living Waters and the Soul that makes first discovery of it to another loseth nothing by the discovery If Abraham knoweth any thing of the mind of God he will teach his Family therefore God will not hide from Abraham what he intends to do to Sodom Several reasons might be given why grace will not lye hid in the Soul Such a Soul apprehends it self under some Obligation of duty that of Christ to Peter when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren must not be understood as a special and particular precept 2. The Joy of that Soul that hath any evidence that it hath tasted of of this grace is such as cannot be concealed little Streams may be circumscribed by the Banks of the River but great falls and flows of Water will overflow them We cannot bite in great passions Nor can a greater joy fill the Soul than that which ariseth from the sense of God's special love either in the first Collation of it upon or the returns of it unto the Soul 3. Again this Soul knoweth That much of God's praise ariseth from his Peoples telling of his wondrous works you shall in Scripture observe it as a constant piece of God's Peoples thanksgiving and what we are often called to for Now the good report which a pious Soul
case the experience of every Soul maketh it good it is natural to every man 1. Because in all answers of Prayer there must be a soul satisfaction upon some union with the object which it desired Joy is nothing else but the triumph of the Soul upon its union with the object which it desired Prayer is nothing else but the Souls desire expressed with its voice The answer of Prayers must be the Souls satisfaction in the obtaining of its desires this satisfaction ariseth from its union with its object upon which joy is but a proper and natural result and consequent 2. In all answers of Prayer there is an owning of the Soul by God As the Soul by Prayer owneth God acknowledging him the Fountain of that goodness which it beggeth so God in answering Prayer acknowledgeth the Soul Joh. 9. 31. We know that God heareth not sinners but if any man be a Worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth All giving in of things prayed for doth not speak the answer of prayers God may hear and relieve the cry of the miserable when he doth noṫ answer the prayer of the righteous I have before hinted to you that there is an answer of our cries which floweth from Gods common providence as he is a God of pity and tender compassions and there is an answer of Prayers which comes from God as a God of truth and faithfulness how to distinguish these two I may possibly shew you in the application in some measure it is the latter answer not the former which is Gods owning and acknowledgment of the Soul as one for whom he hath a favour 3. There is yet one thing more in the answer of prayers last mentioned which to every thinking Christian is matter of great joy That it is that which speaketh the Soul to be beloved of God in Christ and to have Christ for his Advocate and Intercessor at the Throne of Grace It is in him that all the promises are Yea and Amen It is in his name that the believer asketh and it is he that doth the thing desired according to the promise John 14. 13. Whatsoever you shall ask that I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son and because the thing is confirmed the promise is doubled v. 14. If you shall ask any thing in my name I will do it I shall add no more to the Doctrinal part of my discourse This notion in the first place distinguisheth the Child of God from all Men and Women in the World He is the only man that is glad and rejoiceth in Christ the only person that can say of Christ he is his chief joy 1. There are many that rejoice in their sensual satisfactions There is a man that shouteâ—h by reason of Wine Psal 78. 65. their Vivere est Bibere the pleasing of their Senses their Palate and Eyes and Ears is the greatest good they know after this their Souls move by desires and in the satisfaction of them they rejoice their mirth is madness and their laughter what doth it this of all other is the most sordid joy a rejoycing in iniquity yet this is the chief joy of many poor creatures 2. To others the World is their chief joy Their heart rejoyceth in their labour as the wise man speaketh Eccl. 2. 10. they look on all the work that their hands have wrought and on the labour they have laboured to do and they rejoice the gladness of their heart ariseth from the increase of their Corn and Wine and Oil and they know no better things to rejoice in For this rejoycing in Christ in the sense of his love and the pardon of their sins and the hopes of the glory of God alas how few understand any thing of it I have often had occasion to tell you that the spiritual state of a man or woman is not so much to be determined from his understanding and the notions there men and women may have great degrees of knowledge and yet have unsanctified hearts nor from their external actions An hypocrite may do many things and the best of Gods people in many things offend as from the motions of his will and affections He chuseth the things that please God To will is present with me saith Paul and consequent to this are the workings of the offections Thus a Christian is known by the objects of his love and hatred his hope and fear his desire and jâ—y The last is what I have to do with in this place Joy is one of the fruits one of the fairest fruits of the holy Spirit Gal. 5. 22. will any say to me how shall I know my state by the workings of this affection the answer is in the Text the believer rejâ—yceth in Christ the Apostle tells us that those that are the true circumcâ—sion worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus Phil. 3 3. A believer is not a Stoick as to the things of the World he lives in it and hath need of the things of it but Christ is his chief joy or the head of his joy as David saith of Hierusalem Psal 137. v. 6. But you will say how shall we know this whether Christ be our chief joy I answer 1. Thou wilt not thou canst not rejoice in any course of sin which is contrary unto Christ St. Paul tells us That he delighted in the law of God after the inward man he could not glory in a total freedom from sin he complaineth that he was sometime brought into Captivity to the law of his Members Rom. 7. 22. But he did not rejoyce in iniquity Wicked men sport themselves against God Against whom do you sport your selves Isa 57. 4 Solomon tells us That it is a sport to a fool to do mischief tells us of one who deceiveth his Neighbour and saith am I not in sport his joy is either in the satisfaction of his concupiscible appetite thus St. Peter tells us of some That they count it pleasure to riot in the day time 2 Pet. 2. 13. or in the satisfaction of his irascible appetite thus some sport themselves in doing or beholding mischief they rejoice at the destruction of him that hateth them which was a thing Job purgeth himself from Job 31. 29. or at the destruction of those that they hate they rejoice to do evil Prov. 2. 15. Yea and to see evil done as Edom rejoyced when the Jews were carried into captivity But now the Child of God can be a sharer in none of those joys These joys are incompetent with a rejoycing in Jesus Christ these men rejoyce in those things which crucified Christ I cannot say but a good man under some great temptation mâ—y feel some tickling pleasure in sin and the satisfaction of his appetite through ignorance or passion but he can have no fixed joy in any thing of that nature As a wicked man may have some fit of sorrow for sin so a good man may
rejoycing in him living up in a close obedience to his Law this is the man that forgetteth the Loves of Christ But yet if there be a Soul that hath experienced the Loves of Christ in a particular application to it self that hath given it self a liberty to the flesh and walked in a contrary course to what the Law of Christ requireth this Soul yet more forgets his Loves because he had a deeper impression of them upon his heart the Love of Christ made an impression only upon the others Ears but it hath entred into this man's Soul He is the greatest forgetter of his Love You shall observe in holy Writ that all sin is exprest under the notion of forgetting God Psal 50. 22. and in a multitude of other Texts and this not only because a forgetting of God is the cause of all the Violations of his Law which we could not violate if we remembred God as we ought to do but because indeed all sin in God's account is an actual ' forgetting of him God accounts us to know to remember no more than we are affected with and live up unto Therefore Christians let us make it our business not only to call to mind the Loves of Christ but to remember them in that sense which God calleth a remembrance of them 2. Let us not satisfie our selves with a bare remembrance of his Loves but labour to remember them more than Wine more than the most sweet and pleasant the most gainful and profitable things which this world affords Think that you hear Christ speaking in your Ears in the language in which he once spake to Peter setting all the pleasant and gainful things in the world before you and then saying to you Christians Love you me more than these Let me shew you the reasonableness of this 1. Consider if thou canst not say so Thou dost not answer the Loves of Christ in any degree I am now speaking to such as are Christians not in name and profession only but in deed and in truth Such a one may suppose all the fallen Angels under Christ's Eye even those Legions in the Air and in the bottomless Pit Creatures in their Original more perfect and glorious than man but fallen from their first Integrity and think he heareth Christ saying to him Poor Soul I have loved thee more than all these I died not for these I died for thee I took not upon me the Nature of Angels but the Nature of the seed of Abraham 2. He may suppose all the Heathen Nations under Christ's Eye The great Emperours of Turkey Persia China and other parts of the world with the millions of Souls under their jurisdiction and think that he heareth Christ again saying to him Poor Soul I have loved thee more than these Thou hearest my Gospel Read and Preached every Lord's Day hast thou not seen hast thou not heard These great Nations of the world and all the great Rulers of them never heard the joyful sound I was never Preached in their Streets they were never wooed never intreated to come to me that they might have life I have loved thee more than these Further yet thou mayest fancy all the prophane men all the sensual and carnal men all Hypocrites all unregenerate men whose hearts are yet locked up under unbelief under Christ's and thy Eye and suppose that thou hearest thy great Lord and Saviour saying to thee Poor Christian I have loved thee more than all these They are yet wallowing in their native blood as thou wert before I passed by thee in my time of love and said unto thee live they are yet Children of wrath in an hourly danger of having it come upon them to the utmost I have plucked thee out of Sodom Thy heart by nature was as hard as theirs as much prejudiced against thy own salvation I have made thee to differ I have loved thee more than all these May I rise one step higher to commend the Love of Christ to thy remembrance thou mayest fancy all that glory which Christ had with his Father from before the beginning of the world all the blessed company of Heaven all the riches of Christ's glory and felicity before his and thy Eye and fancy that thou hearest Christ say to thee My poor creature I have in a sense and for a time loved thee more than these I left my Father's Throne and right Hand him whom I was alwaies before brought up with him I left all to come down from Heaven to Earth to take thy flesh to be born of a Virgin and to be laid in a Manger to live a poor and contemned life in the world to die a shameful and ignominious death and all this to purchase for thee Eternal Life and Salvation and to redeem thee from thy vain conversation Have I not loved thee more than these What doth the Apostle say less than this when he saith 2 Cor. 8. 9. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor that you through his poverty might be made rich In what degree then canst thou be said to answer the Loves of Christ if when there is set before thee no more than the pleasures of sin which are but for a season the profits and enjoyments of this life which thou canst have no more than a Lease for Life of if thou canst not say Yea Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that I remember thy Love more than these Either this intoxicating Wine of sinful lusts and pleasures how gratifying soever they be to my fleshly appetite or this pleasant and gainful Wine of worldly Riches Estate Honour Preferment c. Oh that Christians would think of this 2. The second Consideration is yet more dreadful viz. He is not worthy of the Loves of Christ who doth not remember them more than Wine What Christ sometimes said of Love is as true concerning this remembrance of his Loves which is an act of Love Matth. 10. 37. He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me and he that loveth Son dâ— Daughter more than me is not worthy of me And what he saith there of natural Relations is doubtless as true concerning sensible Enjoyments in this world Riches and Honours c. which are objects of your love much beneath reasonable creatures in nearest relation to uâ— It is certainly as true That man or woman that remembers any sensible Enjoyment and is more affected with it than the Loves of Christ is not worthy of his Loves Certainly nothing more becometh us who pretend to be creatures endued with reason than to value things according to their measure and their true and just valuation You will say he is not worthy of a Jewel of great price that valueth a Pebble before it And by the way this will be enough to convince us all that we are saved by Grace and have what Love we have from Christ freely
Christ himself Is 53. 3. But how far is this from the duty of Christians where is the scorners Brotherly love and compassion how doth he forget that himself also is in the body and may be tempted Affliction is what may befall the best of men and who can scorn and despise a Christian fallen through infirmity and temptation that considers how David and Peter fell and that himself standeth by Grace and that the reason of his standing is because God keepeth off from him the like temptations that others meet with 4. It is our duty not so to look upon the Spouse in the day of her blackness as because of it to be scared from her company to shun and avoid her and to withdraw our selves from her either from advising and counselling her in order to her cleansing or doing what in us lieth in order to it Solomon saith A friend loveth at all times and a Brother is born for adversity If there were no obligation upon us from any religious bond or relation yet our participation of the same common humane nature ought to oblige us to pity counsel advise and what we can to help Persons in distress but Religion lays yet an higher tie upon us as it obligeth more specially to love the Church and to love the Brethren and to be Friends to those that are Christs Friends now a Friend loveth at all times Our Saviour in the Parable of him that fell amongst Thieves Luke 20. 31. determines him no Neighbour that seeing the man stripped of his rayment and wounded and half dead came and only looked on him and passed on the other side much less can such a one call himself a friend God by Obadiah tells the Edomites v. 11. of their standing on the other side when the strangers carried the Jews away into captivity Nor are we only obliged to this in case of the Spouses blackness through affliction but through sin also and corruption and that both in the case of the particular Christian and of the Church of God let me a little inlarge upon this because I fear there is too much failing of Christians upon this account 1. In the case of the particular Christian It is true there may be such faileurs of particular persons as may oblige conscientious Christians to shun an intimacy with them I have written to you saith the Apostle 1. Cor 5. 11. not to keep company if any man be called a Brother be a fornicator or covetous or an Idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one no not to Eatâ— 2. Thessal 3. 14. If any man obey not our Word by this Epistle note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed But observe the next words yet count him not as an Enemy but admonish him as a Brother I ought not wholly to withdraw my self from that man who may have so fallen as it may be my sin to have an intimacy of fellowship and communion with him I ought not to count him as an Enemy whom yet I may not make my intimate and bosom friend but what I can do by counsel and advice by reproofs and admonitions in order to his recovery I am bound not to neglect so as I ought not wholly to withdraw my self from him 2. In the case of a Church black through corruption the admission of undue mixtures of members of erroneous doctrine Supâ—rstitious rites c. it is undoubtedly our duty not to defile our selves by communion with her in those things wherein her blackness appeareth But it is also our duty not so to withdraw from it as to lend it none of our help There is indeed a time when God saith of a Church Wherefore come out from amongst them and be you separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and will be a father unto you and yoâ— shall be my Sons and daughters saith the Lord God Almighty God said so to the Jews when Jeroboam set up the Calves at Dan and Bethel The honest Priests and Levites resorted to Judah out of all their coasts leaving their suburbs and possessions and after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came to Hierusalem to Sacrifice to the Lord God of their Fathers 2. Chron. 11. 16. But where God hath not said to a People you are not my People where Idolatry is not crept into the Worship of a Church nor such errors in Doctrine as destroy the foundations of faith and repentance tho it may be the duty of Christians not to be so blind as not to see manifest errors and corruptions and to mourn for them yet it is also their duty not so to look upon them as wholly to shun communion with such a Church so far as Christ owns it and to put themselves out of the obligations of charity and brotherly Love or to think themselves discharged from such obligations all the diseases and wounds of Churches are not incurable and we ought so far as we can to attend and indeavour the cure of them It is indeed a sad case when a Church is so far corrupted as to its officers and members as a Christian can see no hope of a reduction of it to the divine rule but certainly a great deal of waiting and patience in this case is our duty tho that a Christian can be obliged all the days of his life to keep in the communion of a Church in which he cannot injoy all the Ordinances of the Gospel according to the will of Christ is more then I know But it is one thing to Satisfy our own consciences as to the purity of acts of Worship and communion another thing wholly to reject cast off and condemn such Churches in which we cannot see such a purity It is apparent that in and after our Saviours time the Church of the Jews had wofull mixtures and were corrupted both in Doctrine and in Worship and in discipline indeed little in it was right The whole Ceremonial Worship was abolished by the death of Christ He pulled down that partition wall betwixt the Gentiles and the Jews and abolished the law contained in Ordinances yet observe the Apostles practice tho they kept their private meetings of the Christians yet they also went into the Temple and into the Synagogues and Acts 19. v. 8. When Paul came to Ephesus he went into the Jewish Synagogues and spake there for 3 Months disputing and perswading the things belonging to the Kingdom of God But when diverse were hardned and believed not but spake evil of that way before the multitude then indeed he departed from them and separated the disciples disputing daily in the School of one Tyrannus If the foundation Doctrines of the Gospel be any where denied or blasphemed the ways of God reproached in any Church and those that walk in them reviled and persecuted or Idolatry
affection which a woman may have for many men none of which she intendeth to make her Husband and she may do many common acts of kindness for them so there is a common love which a man may have for Christ and many common actions which they may do in his service the question therefore is how a man or woman may know whether he or she may with confidence look up to Heaven and say O thou whom my Soul loveth Let me add a word or two upon this argument here though I have before spoken much to it 1. I desire you to observe in the first place that the Spouse speaketh here in the singular number O thou whom my Soul loveth so must every Soul do that loveth Christ in truth a divided Soul is alwaies faulry That Soul which hath any thing in Heaven or Earth to be compared with Christ doth not love him It is true that love is a diffusive affection and may respect several objects but note these two things 1. These objects must be only diverse not contrary Contraries naturally expel one another there is nothing but sin and last that is contrary to Christ you cannot saith our Saviour love God Mammon he that saith to any lust O thou whom my Soul loveth cannot in truth say so unto Christ How many in the world by their fondness upon their lusts shew their want of love to Christ 2. Conjugal love admitteth neither parity nor priority The Wife that loveth her Husband as she ought to love him must neither love any other before him or better then other nor yet in a proportion equal with him she must love him before and above all things Our Saviour hath determined this in saying He that loveth Father or Mother or Brother or Sister more then me is not worthy of me and he that loveth Son or Daughter more then me is not worthy of me 2. Soul-love will be known also by Soul-longings Love teacheth the Soul to long after 1. Union with the object beloved 2. A sense of reciprocal love 3. Communion with the object beloved If thy Soul loveth the Lord Jesus Christ it will be seen in thy longings after him in the hour of his apprehended adsence or after such degrees of his presence as thou hast not yet attained and after a sense of his reciprocal love the Soul that truly loves is impatient till it discerneth itself mutually beloved it will also long after communion with Christ you read Davids temper as to this Psal 84. 1 2 3. Psal 42. 1. Psal 63. 1. Alass how few are there whose pulses beat with any strength for God 3. Love thirdly is discovered by a complacency delight satisfaction in the presence of the object beloved according to the degree of its presence As it longeth for its object when absent so it rejoyceth and melts in the embraces of it when present What satisfaction hath thy Soul in an Ordinance or Duty in which thou hast seen the power glory of God the presence of Christ in his Ordinance 4. Love again is seen by the Soul's sorrow for a departed Christ The loving Wife weepeth when she for any time parteth with her Husband and is solitary when he is gone Mary's love to Christ was discerned by her weeping because she knew not where they had laid him And the Jews cryed out when they saw Christ weeping over the grave of Lazarus Behold how he loved him The dispensations of Christ to the Soul sometimes are very dark he seems to be gone and as it were buried out of the Soul's sight how beateth thy heart at such a time art thou afflicted or art thou not 5. If thy Soul loveth the Lord Jesus Christ it will be seen by thy anger a any thing whether in or from thy self or others which grieveth or offendeth him Love to its power will suffer no injury to the Beloved The Wife will not her self abuse her Husband nor to her power will she suffer any other if unwarily ignorantly or in a passion at any time she hath done it she is angry at her self for it and if others do it she is ready to seek a revenge upon them What indignation what revenge saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 7. 11. is produced by godly sorrow which is the effect of love 6. If thy Soul loveth Christ thou wilt reveal all the Secrets of thy Soul to him he shall know all thy griefs all thy desires and wants thou wilt be much in prayer much in secret prayer Dalilah charged Sampson for want of love to her because he had concealed his secrets from her Christ on the contrary justifieth his love to his Disciples Joh. 15. 15. by his telling them all he had heard of his Father 7. If Christ be he whom the Soul loves the Soul will be much in the meditation of him Whatsoever is the object of our Love is much in our thoughts O how I love thy Law saith David Psal 119. 97 99. it is my meditation night and day What room in thy thoughts hath Christ and the things of Christ 8. The Soul that is full of love is like the Fountain which is full and must overflow If we love any persons we are often talking of them upon all occasions talking for them and very often as we can get opportunities talking with them What are thy discourses of Christ to others How dost thou use thy Tongue in discoursing for Christ when there is need What discourses hast thou with Christ in prayer 9. Soul-love is like the Sun that cannot shine upon the Glass of the house but its refracted Beams will pierce thorow and shew themselves upon the walls the floor the pavements A love to Christ will look thorow him and shew it self upon every thing that hath relation to him his People his Ministers his Word and Ordinances Psal 16. 2 3. O my Soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord my goodness extendeth not to thee but to the Saints that are in the Earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight 10. And lastly If you love Christ with your Souls you will keep his Commandments yea if it be to sacrifice an Isaac to pluck out a right Eye or cut off a right Hand This is our Saviour's mark Joh. 14. 15. Obedience is the first and most genuine fruit of Love and if it be such as shall speak a true Love in the Soul to Christ it must be 1. Internal as well as external 2. Universal not partial 3. Constant and not only for a fit But of these things I have spoken before and therefore shall not inlarge c. Sermon XLII Canticles 1. 7. Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at Noon I have done with the first Proposition I observed from these Words from the compellation O thou whom my Soul loveth viz. That Christ is he and the only he whom the believing Soul loveth there
at Peace with God All that can be said to relieve the Child of God under this complaint to ease him under this burden is this That this misery which befalleth him is but what is common to the very best of men it is a priviledge reserved for the Saints in glory to live in a not interrupted communion with God To be ever with the Lord beholding his face to live in the sense of such a constant communion with Christ as doth afford the Soul a perfect Satisfaction The sublunary Saint is often crying out Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where tho u feedest This dispensation indeed will speak thee sensibly miserable and sad but it will not speak thee to have no relation to Christ I shall shut up this discourse with a Word or two of exhortation Pleading with you to do what in you lies to avoid such a state and to keep your selves within the knowledg where Christ feedeth where he makes his flocks to rest at noon 1. Consider first That as the Spiritual life of any Soul lyes in its union and communion with Christ So the comfort of his life lyeth in his sense of this communion and knowledge how at all times and in all conditions to Support and to maintain it Our Saviour tells us that As the branch cannot bring forth fruit unless it abide in the Vine so neither can we except we abide in him John 15. 4. That Soul which hath no communion with Christ is as certainly dead as the body is that hath no communion with the head or the branch that hath no communion with the stock Now it is true Sense is not necessary to Spiritual life We live saith the Apostle by faith not by sight But the comfort of the Soul doth depend upon sense and knowledge it is true as to a Christians comfort not to live and not to know that we live are much the same thing as to its happiness it is not but I say as to his comfort it is What quiet can a Christian have in his breast what Peace in his conscience What joy in the Holy Ghost that feeleth no intercourses is sensible of no inward communion betwixt his Soul and Christ 2. Hence consider Secondly That to the waky Christian there is no greater misery upon the Earth then what ariseth from his apprehensions of his having no communion with Christ All the enjoyments of the World will be nothing of Satisfaction to such a Soul it is an evil Nullis medicabilis herbis I say with a waky soul it will be thus some Souls are in a profound sleep they never think of Eternity never consider their latter end they are ignorant and know not the relation that Christ hath to a State of Eternal happiness that as Eternal life is the gift of God so it is through Christ for that the Father hath given into his hands the Power of Eternal life and he giveth it to whomsoever he pleaseth Now these Souls though they have no fellowship no communion at all yet they have no misery no grief from it But I say to the Soul that is awake to consider the Grave the Eternity to which he is hastening 't is the greatest burden imaginable to lye under apprehensions that his fellowship is not with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ 3. Thirdly consider that of all evils those lye heaviest and most sadly upon the Soul concerning which the man or woman is conscious that he himself hath been accessary to them and a cause of them Let a good Christian be at loss for his communion with God let the cause of it be what it will he is sad enough but if his heart smites him that he himself hath been the cause of it Oh! insupportable burden of that reflection he cannot bear the thoughts of his destroying his Soul by his own hands of this you may make an easy judgment by considering the frame of your Spirit under such accidents though of a much lighter nature it is sad enough for a man to lose his estate for a Mother to lose her Child but for the man to think that he lost his estate through his own supine negligence or for a Mother to think she hath been the death of her Child These are wounds healed usually with great difficulty So for a Soul to think it hath lost its communion with its dear Lord by its own supine negligence or any voluntary act of its own which it might have avoided This maketh a deep wound in the Soul But will some say what should what can we do to uphold our communion with Christ and to maintain a sense of it Let me here speak two words The first to such as have their beloved in view and do yet injoy desired communion with him 2. To such as have lost this view in order to their recovery of it To the first I say 1. Be much with him whom your Soul loveth What the Prophet said of Gods presence of Providence is as true concerning the presence of God in gracious influences 2. Chron. 15. 2. The Lord is with you while you are with him if you seek him he will be found of you Souls that are much with God seldom lose their sight of him ordinarily the Souls of men and women first withdraw the communications of themselves unto him through levity and wantonness then Christ withdraweth both in justice to punish in them that levity and in wisdom to make them to seek after him Hos 5. 15. I will go and return to my place until they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early That Soul is seldom or never at a loss to know where Christ feedeth his flocks that keepeth a constant correspondence with him Be much in Prayer especially secret Prayer much in Heavenly meditation and contemplation when the Spouse after her loss Cant. 3. 1 2 had found her beloved I held him saith she and would not let him go How doth the Soul hold Christ so as she will not let him go but by faith and constant and frequent acts of fellowship and communion with him 2. Secondly Take heed of grieving the holy Spirit It is the Apostles Counsel Eph. 4. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit by which you are sealed to the day of Redemption We maintain our fellowship with Christ by the Spirit That takes of Christs and giveth to us and again it takes of ours and giveth to Christ by the Spirit we Pray by its assistance we exercise faith Love c. Christ by his Spirit communicateth himself to us and we by the Spirit do communicate our Souls to him Take heed therefore you grieve not this Spirit either by any presumptuous sinnings or by quenching its motions or resisting its operations Let every Knock every motion and impulse every impression of the holy Spirit be very valuable to and regardable in the Eyes of your Souls 3. Thirdly Maintain in
communion with Christ 1. Some will pretend to the Spirit as their rule They have an anointing they tell us which teacheth them all things and so pretend to follow the motions and impressions of the holy Spirit But there is no certainty in this pretended Rule for all Spirits are not of God The Spirit hath given us the Rule of the word for you heard before That all Scripture is given us by divine inspiration and that it is able to make the man of God wise to Salvation The Spirit teacheth nothing contrary to the Word The Word directs us to follow the footsteps of the Flock There can be no certainty in pretended impressions from the Spirit which are contrary to the Word of God no nor any security For all such pretences must Issue in the deceit of our own hearts we following our own lusts and imaginations in stead of the holy Spirit or which is worse the impressions of the evil Spirit Yet this is the rule of all Enthusiasts 2. Others call out to us to follow the Church the practice of the Church in all ages And indeed if they could make appear to us what that was they would say something but what certainty can there be in this rule while they that talk of it can neither make that Church appear to us nor yet what their practice was we know who were the Church in the Apostles age and we know what their practice was by the records of holy Writ but who the Church were and what their practice was in latter ages we cannot tell and by consequence there is no certainty in this rule we may follow the steps of the Synagogue of Sat an instead of the steps of the flock of Christ 3. The Papists call to us to follow Traditions and indeed for the Traditions delivered us by the Apostles we see reason to follow them and if they could by an unquestionable record make out any thing to us which had been received as an Vniversal Tradition of the Vniversal Church we should have a great respect and reverence for it but for unwritten Traditions which the Papists put into an equal ballance with the Word of God for Christians rule being as they pretend delivered as rules by the Apostles to the Church of God as we know no need we have of such so we have no certainty that any such things were ever so delivered and therefore can see no security in receiving them or giving any ear unto them 4. There is a 4th sort that in distresses are much for seeking God and walking according to the impressions we have upon such seeking this practice is founded upon an excellent bottom 1. A Precept for the owning and acknowledging of God in all our ways 2. A Promise that he will direct our steps Prov. 3. v. 6. Seeking of God at all times at such times especially is the great duty of Christians and if rightly done cannot be in vain but for the right performance of it a Christian must have respect both to the matter of his Prayer and also to the manner of it It is to the matter of our Prayers onely that I am here concerned to speak As to this our rule is that it must be something consonant to the will of God I mean his will revealed in his Word Hence it followeth 1. That when God hath revealed his will in his Word for or against a thing which we are about to do for us to seek God whether we should do it or no forbear it or no is to tempt and provoke God This is like Balaams going to inquire of God whether he should go with the Messengers of Balak after that God had plainly told him he should not go We ought to acquiesce in the determination of Gods will in his Word whether in the Precepts or the examples of the Servants of God recorded there and for things forbidden to avoid them for things commanded to do them here 's no place for seeking God as to the doing or forbearing so that although for things of this nature as to what God hath commanded us to do we may and ought to seek God for direction help and assistance in the doing of them And as to things forbidden we may seek God for strength to avoid them and all temptations to them yet we may not seek God whether we should do the things so commanded and forbear the things so forbidden yea or no. Such seeking of God is but asking leave to sin against him 2. In particular actions as to which Gods Word hath not particularly directed us it is our duty to seek God for direction and having first well considered the general rules of the Word of God if we find the action neither commanded nor forbidden according to them we may for ought I know attend the impressions we find upon our Spirits after such sincere and serious seeking of God And take them to be the will of God concerning us as to such actions But this is but a digression from my subject This is enough to shew you there is no such security or certainty in any direction we can have as in following the footsteps of the flock of Christ the prints of whose feet we find in the Word of God 2. It is as reasonable that we should feed by the Shepherds Tents that is attend upon Divine institutions if we would enjoy any fellowship and communion with God for it is unreasonable to expect the influences of Divine Grace in any way but such only as God hath promised he will give them in much less in the neglect or contempt of any such means as he hath appointed The promise is Exod. 20. 24. In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and bless thee Our communion with God depends upon his coming to us and blessing us Where God will come unto us and bless us there we may there we shall have communion with him Now where will God come unto us and bless us In all places where he recordeth his Name to dwell what doth that signify but in all his sacred ordinances and institutions Conformable to this is his promise in the New Testament Mat. 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name that is at my command or by my order there am I in the midst amongst them and to his Ministers his promise is made Mat. 28. 19 Go you therefore and teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and loe I am with you alway to the end of the world Where can we expect communion with God but where he hath promised to be with his People to meet them and to bless them Observe from hence how unreasonable they are that talk of a communion with God or expect any such thing who make not the Word of God a light to their Feet who go not
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
it is wholesome against insection helpeth women in travel cureth consumptions quickeneth the appetite c. I shall not dwell upon this because I do not think it chiefly intended But Christ in this sense is to the believing Soul a bundle of Myrrh healing all the Soul's diseases Ps 103. 3. He is that tree Rev. 22. 2. Whose leaves are for the healing of the Nations He healâ—th the broken in heart Psal 147. 3. What he did while he was upon the Earth by his miraculous power as to mens bodies Mat. 4. 23. Healing all manner of Sickness that he doth now in Heaven for the Soul by his saving efficacy 3. Myrrh is as I told you a great preservative against putresaction Which was the cause of their using of it about dead bodies either putting it into the body after the Egyptian Method or outwardly anointing or embalming the body with it after the Jewish Method Christ is the same to the Soul where he dwells he preserveth the Soul against the putrifaction of lusts and corruptions The Apostle speaks this Rom. 6. 3. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Where he argues that the Souls Interest in Christ arising from its justification preserveth the Soul against putrifying lusts that sin cannot have dominion over it because it is not under the law but under grace But I hasten to the 4th which in the Judgment of Interpreters is chiefly intended here 4. Myrrh whether in the Herb Spice or Gum is exceeding sweet Hence you read of beds and garments persumed with Myrrh Now the greater quantity there is the stronger the odour must be Christ is a heap of sweets exceeding sweet to the Soul his mouth is most sweet Cant. 5. 16. his Cheeks are as sweet Flowers his lips drop sweet smelling Myrrh Cant. 5. 13. Sweetness to the nostrils is nothing else but a smell that arising from some hidden quality in the thing that emits it and conveyed to the nostrils by the air gratifies that outward sense There is a sweetness that is mental too A Notion is as sweet to the Scholar as a perfume is to a Lady Prov. 13. 19. Desire accomplished is sweet to the Soul Christs sweetness is mental sweetness he is sweetness not to the nostrils but to the Soul and so he is a bundle of sweets Let me unty this bundle of Myrrh a little And shew you how Christ is sweet I will open it to you in three things 1. He is exceeding sweet in his actions as our Redeemer As to these he is a bundle of Myrrh there were many of them His Vniting of the Divine nature to the Humane nature in his Incarnation his fulfilling the law his death upon the cross His resurrection ascending sitting at his Fathers right hand making intercession for us The Soul smells of all these by Meditation and faith and the smell is like that of a bundle of Myrrh shall I shew you how 1. For his Incarnation with the manner of it he united the divine and humane nature by an hypostatical union was conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost in the womb of a Virgin without the help of man Mr. Ainsworth and others think this Text hath a special referenee to this this is Christ now considered as wrapt in swadling clothes and laid in a manger The Soul smells of this by a firm and stedfast divine faith believing the thing because God hath said it in his word though it cannot see it by the evidence of reason and sense And the Souls smells of it continually by meditation And O how sweet it is to a believing Soul Then saith the Soul first he that Sanctifieth and I that am Sanctified are both one I see Christ is not ashamed to call me Brother 2. Then faith the Soul I see I have a merciful high-Priest that knoweth how to pity a poor piece of flesh hungring and thirsting and full of infirmities 3. Again here 's comfort saith the poor Soul to me I was born a leper under the imputed guilt of Adams sin I was conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity But my Saviour was born without sin the vessel was made pure by the overshadowings of the Holy Ghost and no impure hand contributed to his conveyance into the World I was born a Child of wrath indebted to justice before I knew what I did but he was born a Child of Love He was born with a knowledge of humane infirmities to know how to pity me but without sinful infirmities That he might be in a capacity to save and help me Again saith the Soul Then I see a perfect and sufficient Saviour One meâ—rly God considering the justice of God that could give no remission without blood could not have saved me because he could not have died for me and so have destroyed him that had the power of death One meerly man could not have saved me for he could not have merited But a Person that was God and man God and man in one Person must needs be in a perfect capacity as man he died as God he merited nay the Person that was God-man both died and merited How sweet is this to the Soul torturing it self with thoughts for the filthiness of its nature troubled with humane infirmities perplexed with thoughts how Christ should be able to save it c. This is but one of his actions 2. He fulfilled the law for us I am not of their mind that think that Christs active obedience is not imputed I think the Apostle speaks plain enough to the contrary Rom. 8. 3 4. And if not he yet the Prophet By his knowledge he shall justifie many You read that he was made righteousness for us And doubtless whatever some may fancy the obedience of the Person which was God-man could not be an homage due from the humane nature of Christ which was indeed but a creature Christ fulfilling the Law is exceeding sweet to the gracicious Soul This poor Soul when renewed is but renewed in part in many things offendeth and the sense of its daily backslidings makes it tremble How sweet is it now to the Soul to be able to conclude thus to its self Though there be much guile found in my heart and in my mouth yet in his mouth there was no guile found though I have been an Absolom rebelling against my Heavenly Father from my youth upward yet he was an Adonijah a Son that never displeased his Father 3. Look upon him in the laying down of his life How sweet is the meditation of it to a poor Soul Christ crucified is a bundle of Myrrh indeed from hence the Soul draweth many pretious smells hence it is that the Soul smelis Spiritual life with all the consequences and dependencies upon it Hence it smells Spiritual liberty with all the sweet fruits of it I say from hence it smells Spiritual life to itself when it is almost suffocated with the apprehension of the