I do not misconceive him David seems in this to have failed Psal 22. 2 3 4. O my God saith he I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them they trusted in thee and were not confounded but I am a Worm and no Man a reproach of Men and despised of the People c. To silence this corruption so exceedingly natural to us let me offer a few things to thy thoughts 1. The first shall be the Lords Prerogative to shew mercy where he will shew mercy This our Saviour hints me in the Parable of the Labourers sent into the Vineyard Mat. 20. 15. when those who had wrought all the day received their penny in proportion to those who had wrought but a few hours they complained the Master of the Vineyard saies to them May I not do with my own what I please All influxes of grace are Gods own It is a prerogative that every one of us claims for himself to dispose of his love especially some degrees of it as we please why should we deny that to God which every one of us claimeth to himself The Prince will not allow the Subject to dispose of his favour no more will the Father allow it to his Child why should we think God is not at the same liberty especially considering 2. That God by it doth us no wrong You have this in the same Text Friend I do thee no wrong Mat. 20. 15. This now dependeth upon this hypothesis that the grace of God cannot be merited by any he that hath the greatest manifestations of Divine love hath them freely he who hath the least discoveries of it hath what he hath freely without any preceding merit in himself If God will let one of his Children walk in the light of his countenance and another to walk in the dark and see no light if he will treat one in Chambers another in a low and more common Room yet he doth not wrong to any There is no injustice in the case in appearance to us he sheweth indeed more severity to the one and more goodness to the other but he is unjust to neither because neither hath merited any thing that he receiveth 3. God hath with held from thee nothing for which he agreed with thee This is a third thing which the Master of the Vineyard told those labourers that repined because they had not more then those who had laboured less Mat. 20. 15. Did I not saith he agree with thee for a peny we can lay claim to nothing of anothers but either upon the plea of a Native right thus the Child laies claim to his Patrimonial Estate as heir at law or upon the account of purchase by vertue of some compact or agreement or some valuable consideration given him for it we can lay no claim to the Grace of God as our Patrimonial right as Heirs to it we are indeed called Heirs but it is by adoption nor upon the account of any valuable consideration given who hath given first to God and it shall be repaid to him again All the claim we can lay to any thing either of Grace or Glory is upon the account of a Covenant that God hath made with us or with Christ on our behalf and by us accepted when we come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ The question is what God hath agreed with us for he hath agreed with us for a Kingdom Fear not little Flock saith Christ it is your Fathers will to give you a Kingdom He that believes on me is not condemned saith our Saviour he is passed from death to life He hath agreed with us for all that grace and mercy which is necessary to bring us to this Kingdom That he will give us a clean heart and a new heart that we shall be kept by the power of God through faith to salvation But where hath the Lord agreed with the Souls of any of his people for equal measures of his manifestative love Nay plainly God in the Covenant of his Grace hath reserved himself a liberty to chastife and afflict his people either for the probation of Grace or for the punishment of sin and this is one species of affliction by which God doth both try the faith and patience and also correct the errors and miscarriages of the best of his people But you will say is not manifestative love promised I answer it is but so are not the measures of it nor yet the particular time for the discovery of it 2. It is but the matter of a conditional promise John 14 21. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him Psal 50. 21. To him that ordereth his conversation aright I will shew the Salvation of God The promises of Eternal life and Salvation are made to Faith and holiness without which both which none shall see God but not to degrees of the one or of the other a weak faith may bring a Soul to Heaven so will an upright and sincere heart though incumbred with many lustings of the flesh against the Spirit but the case is otherwise as to some degrees of the manifestative love of God which much depend both upon degrees of faith and degrees of holiness also Our Saviour hath determined doubts and fears indications of little faith and reason will determine them inconsistent with much joy peace and comfort in the Soul that holiness in some good degree is necessary to our peace will appear to any Soul that considers that nothing but sin will break our peace with God So that if thou beest not conscious to thy self that thy faith is as strong as others and thy ways as perfect before God as theirs thou hast no reason to expect the same manifestations of Divine love No tho thou beest one who truly believest and truly lovest and fearest God God hath agreed with every believer for eternal life and salvation for pardon of sin and a clean heart and the upholding of him by his power unto salvation But he hath not agreed with every such Soul for the same measures of peace and comfort the same degrees of his manifestative love he hath reserved himself a liberty to reward those with these more special favours who walk most closely and exactly with him in their conversations Those therefore who find their Souls under temptations to repine at God for doing more for others then for them should do well to reflect upon themselves and to consider whether the faith of those others be not more strong and their walking with God more close and exact then theirs if it be they are not to wonder that their Souls are more highly favoured and more
Man 's but a shadow and a Picture is That shadow's shadow yet don't judge amiss Though here you onely on the shadow look What followes read The Substance is i' th' book THE INTERCOURSES OF DIVINE LOVE BETWIXT Christ and his Church OR The Particular Believing Soul Metaphorically expressed by Solomon in the first Chapter of the Canticles or Song of Songs Opened and Applied in several Sermons upon that whole Chapter In which the Excellencies of Christ the yernings of his bowels towards Believers under various circumstances the workings of their hearts towards and in communion with him with many other Gospel Propositions of great import to Souls are handled By John Collinges D. D. Solomon divinitus inspiratus Christi Ecclesiae laudes aeterni Connubii cecinit Sacramenta simulque expressit sanctae desiderium animae Epithalamii carmen exultans in spiritu jucundo composuit Elogio figurato tamen Nimirum velabat ipse instar Moysis faciem suam non minus forsitan in hâc parte fulgentem to quod illo adhuc in tempore nemo aut rarus erat qui revelatà facie gloriam illam speculari sufficeret Bernardus 1 Serm. in Cantica London Printed by T. Snowden for Edward Giles Bookseller in Norwich near the Market-place 1683. To the Lady Ann Knightley Madam AMongst the many Spiritual mercies by which within these fifty years last past England hath been exalted to heaven as our Saviour said of Capernaum the plenty of good Books hath not been the least so as there is hardly any point in Divinity which hath not been judiciously handled both dogmatically polemically and practically and discourses upon it published in our own Tongue The things hid in times of Popery yea and for many years in the beginning of our Reformation have been made known the things covered have been revealed what was at first spoken in darkness hath been told in the light preached upon the house tops and so published that all those who would might read and understand Certainly no Nation under Heaven of which we have any record was ever blessed with the Means of Grace to that degree none ever had more judicious Interpretations of the Word of God nor more serious and faithful Applications of it to the Consciences of men and women so as if either the Doctrine or Duty of the Gospel be yet hid to any it is much to be feared that it is to such only who shall perish But of all good Books we have been exalted in none more than those which have bin wrote on practical Subjects Books of all others to be most highly valued as more immediately serving the great end of man in shewing him the way of Salvation directing his coming to Christ and walking with him of which we have had such plenty as indeed there would be no more need of writing on such Subjects if the Vanity of our Natures did not more incline us to a discourse upon the same Argument newly wrote than to what hath been written as well some years since by which means the multiplying of good Books doth not a little contribute to the much reading of good Books and that I am sure contributes much both to knowledge and practice the two great ends that every Preacher ought to aim at so as I cannot be of their mind who would have no more written of this nature because so much hath been already wrote any more than I can be of theirs who think there is now no such need of Preaching because formerly there hath been so much So long as there are any Souls in the World who know not Christ and live not up to the Rules of his Gospel there will be need both of the one and of the other nay were there none such there would be need of it to keep up the Grace of God bestowed upon men in its warm exercise Nor me thinks should there be one Preacher of the Gospel who should not publish the glad tidings of it and leave some Record to the Ages to come of his faithfulness in that work The Riches of Divine Grace can never be too much published we can never enough declare his love who for our sakes became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich Such like thoughts as these Madam have brought these Discourses into a more publick light They were composed many years since soon after my entrance into the publick Ministry I am willing they should be a Testimony to the world what Doctrine I then Preached and see no cause yet to be ashamed of and what scope or design I have alwaies propounded to my self The Gospel of the Kingdom Christ The faithsul saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesâ—â— came into the world to save sinners 1. Tim. 1. 15. The Apostle Doctrine Acts 4. 12. That there is no Salvation in any other then in Christ for there is no other name under Heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved were the great things I took my self concerned as a Preacher to publish to the world Together with what our Saviour hath taught us That he who believeth him i not condemned But he that believeth not is condemned already shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3. 18. 36 and that Faith without works is dead These were the greaâ— things I had in my eye to open explain and apply to people My apprehension that I saw much of these things revealed in the Song of Solomon though clouded under Metaphorical expressions was that which led me to the study of that difficult portion of holy Writ than which undoubtedly there is no portion of the Old Testament more Evangelical according to the common Hypothesis agreed by the most valuable Divines in all Ages viz. That it contains a Dialogue between Christ and his Church or particular believing Souls in it If any think I might have chosen plainer Texts from which to discourse these things I freely yield it as to many of them But shall this excellent Book alwaies acknowledged a sacred portion of holy Writ by the wisest man upon earth stiled the Song os Songs that is the most excellent Song lie by us as the Vision of a Book that is sealed or be bound up in our Bibles for nothing Or can there be any work more worthy of a Divine than to attempt the clearing of so incomparable a piece of Divine Revelation from that darkness which it pleased God to cloath it with in a time when the most which he spake concerning Christ was in Types 〈◊〉 Prophecies or Metaphors Time together with the Sermons of â—hrist and his Apostles have expounded the Types and Prophecies of Christ Is it not a work worthy of us to explain the Metaphors that we might have a Christ wholly unveiled There 's no great fear of any dangerous erring in the case if he that explaineth taketh care that his Explication agreeth with plainer Revelations Madam I think I may
which the Soul apprehends of obtaining all grace Let a thing appear to us never so beautiful never so useful yet if we lye under an apprehension of its impossibility to obtain it this moderateth its desires after if nay extinguisheth them for our Reason forbids our Wills to move after things which we apprehend not possible to be obtained But such is the goodness of God towards us that there is no dispensation of his love but he hath somewhere or other promised and revealed to us as possible to be obtained by us Now good apprehended possible to be obtained by us is the proper object of the desires of our Souls we are told that it hath pleased the father that in Christ all fulness should dwell And that the fulness of the God-Head dwelt in him bodily 1 Col. 19. 2 Col. 12. and of his fulness saith the Evangelist Joh. 1. 16. We have all received grace for grace To pass by other interpretations of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some understand Grace suited to all that Grace which is in Christ There is no habit of Grace in Christ suited to our human nature and state but believers may receive something from him in proportion to it There is no love of God to Christ which fitteth us or may fit us in our proportions but we may receive Nay there is no love of God which floweth from the fulness of the Divine Nature of which we are capable but the believer may receive For saith the Apostle the Fulness of the God-Head dwelt in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bodily In him as our mediator that he might communicate to those that are the members of his body and that I take to be the properest sense of those words Of his fulness that is of the fulness of the God-Head which dwelt in him as Mediator and dwelt in him so as that he could communicate it to those that believed in him Hence he tells us that all power was given unto him both in Heaven and Earth and that the Son of Man had power upon Earth to forgive Sins and that God had given unto him Eternal life that he might give it to whomsoever he pleased so as the Soul apprehends all grace not only beautiful and lovely but also as possible to be obtained by it from Christ and having such apprehensions of it conjoined with its before-mentioned apprehensions of the beauty and excellency of it and the usefulness of it with respect to the various and renewing wants of the Soul it must necessarily desire it This notion may as the other which I have handled shew you 〈◊〉 difference betwixt the desires of the Hypocrite and those of the true Child of God after Grace There may be some desires after Grace in Souls in whom there is no true and real change of heart but they are either terminated 1. In the common gifts and graces of the Spirit Or 2. in the Comfortable manifestations of it 3. Or at furthest in some particular dispensations of it The common gifts and graces of the Spirit of God may be desired by those in whom the love of God doth not dwell By common gifts I mean knowledge utterance an ability to pray to discourse of the things of God c. And the reason is because these may serve a double end which an Hypocrite may have 1. His honour and credit and reputation in the world Common gifts and graces may give Men and Women a great name in the Church of God though they will give a Man no place in the Kingdom of God They may especially as times may go much serve a man both as to his lust of gain and covetousness and also as to his lust of Ambition and seeking after the honour which is from men and serve him to appear as some body in the world and to make him pass for a great Professor and help him to preferments also in the Church and so serve his Belly You have an eminent instance of this in Simon Magus Acts 8. 9. of whom it is said That he used Sorcery and bewitched the People of Samaria giving out himself to be some great one v. 13. He beheld the signs and miracles that were done this Man now to augment his reputation and probably that he might be in a capacity to get more mony than he had been able to get by his tricks of Hocus Pocus and diabolical Arts seeing the Apostles conveying the Holy Ghost to their Disciples by their laying on of hands he did not only desire the graces of the Spirit thus far but offered them mony for that power that upon whomsoever he laid his hands they also might receive the Holy Ghost There is no doubt but whatsoever may promove the lusts of an Hypocrites heart may be the object of his desire Now as a National knowledge of the things of God or the common practical gifts and graces of the Spirit may serve a man as to his profit and advantage or as to his honour and reputation so they mightily gratify the lusts of an Hypocrites heart who doth all to be seen of Men and whose utmost design is but to glory in appearance and in the praise of Men. Besides this they may also serve him very far in the quieting of his natural conscience Natural light discovering to us that there is a God doth also shew us that there is some homage due to him and hence ariseth a natural obligation upon men to be doing something in discharge of this homage to which these common gifts are subservient The like might be said of moral habits which are but common grace men that are 〈◊〉 touched with the love of God or desire to please him may yet see a beauty and a profit too in a moral just and righteous conversation and desire so much grace as may keep him from the scandal and reproach of the world and from the ruining of himself and Family or Relations Nay Secondly his desires may extend to the consolatory manifestations of the love of God the pardon of his sins and the sense of that pardon what should hinder In a time when a Prince is free of his pardons it is not impossible that some of his Subjects may take out their pardons that it may be have no great sense or apprehension that they stand in need of them Hypocrites that live within the compass of the Church of God are often hearing of sin and the wrath of God due to sin to Original sin to Actual Sins to Sins of Omission and Negligence as well as those of Commission and Presumption they also hear daily proclamations of Gods grace and readiness to forgive what should hinder but that they ex abundanti cautela tho they be not touched with any great sense of sin tho they have some good opinion of their own Righteousness may yet earnestly desire to know their iniquities are forgiven and that the Righteousness of Christ might be imputed to them
further to consider the relation they stand in to the Petition considered as an argument used by the Spouse to inforce it I have already shewed you they are brought in by the Spouse 1. Partly to shew us the reason why the Spouse so earnestly desired these tokens of Christs distinguishing love viz. because she had found them good yea good before Wine as is the Hebrew Idiom 2. Partly as an argument she inforceth her Petition drawn from the value she set upon the love of Christ Each of these will afford us a distinct Proposition That the ground of Believers earnest desire after the tokens of Christs distinguishing love and nearest communion with him is their knowledge and experience of the goodness and transcendent excellency of it That it is a good argument for Christians to use in pleading with God for the choicest dispensations of his grace if they can truly tell him that his Grace is very precious to them These 2 propositions remain yet to be handled I begin with the first of them 1 Prop. The ground of Believers earnest desires after the tokens of Christs distinguishing love is their knowledge and experience of the goodness and transcendent excellency that is in it I say their knowledge of the goodness and transcendent goodness of those tokens of Divine Love By knowledge I here mean no more then their believing apprehension God hath in his word revealed the excellency of them this revelation they have read and heard and God hath wrought in their hearts a firm and steady assent to the Divine Revelation This indeed is Gods first work in the Soul the motion of the will and affections follow it I added and experience Experience is a sensible evidence Knowledge is gained by reading and hearing experience by seeing and enjoying knowledge conduceth something to move the Will and Affections experience more The reason is because good things in the fruition and enjoyment of them do not alwaies answer our first apprehensions of them and expectations from them but nothing can be imagined more potent to incline the whole Soul to any thing than knowledge in conjunction with experience justifying our apprehension As we have heard saith the Psalmist Psal 48. 8. so have we seen in the City of our God when a Soul hath not only heard of the Loves of Christ but its Eyes hath seen them the Soul hath tasted how good the Lord is this mightily engageth the Affections Especially if we further consider that whereas in all sensible objects called good the fruition or enjoyment rarely answers the report of them or the apprehension of them which the Soul first entertained and apprehended it is quite contrary here the enjoyment infinitely transcends the notion and apprehension so that as the Queen of Sheba said to Solomon It was a true report that I heard in my own land of thy Acts and of thy wisdom howbeit I believed I eved not their words until I came and mine Eyes had seen it and behold the half was not told me thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard 1 Kings 10. 6. 7. So saith the Soul that being justified by faith hath arrived to a peace with God Lord it was a true report that I read in thy word and heard from thy Ministers while I was yet in my natural state and condition of thy loves and the infinite sweetness that is in them how beit I believed not the words until my Soul came to tast something of it and behold the half of that quiet and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost the half of that serenity of conscience and satisfaction which the Soul hath from a peace with God was not told me thy loves far exceed the fame which I heard I shall lay the proof of this Doctrine upon these 2 Propositions which have a natural rational evidence to every reasonable Soul 1. The Soul of man naturally and necessarily knowing an object to be good and wanting it in whole or in part to any considerable degree doth desire it and without such knowledge it desires it not It is a rule in Philosophy we will nothing but what to us appeareth good It is our misery in our lapsed state that many things to us appear so which are not so but they must so appear or we cannot will them Three things must concur to make any thing the object of a reasonable Souls desires 1. An apprehended goodness in it That is an apprehended Sutableness in it to our state or circumstances if there be never so much goodness in a thing if we have no knowledge of it no apprehension of such goodness in it our will moveth not by desire toward it Hence it is that the Clown desires no learning and the man of learning and knowledge desireth no excess of gold or Silver Though there be a goodness in learning and knowledge Yet the Clown apprehends it not so doth not desire it and though there be some degrees of goodness in a great estate yet the Philosopher and man of contemplation apprehends it no further than as it serveth for a Viaticum a Travelling Penny to pay for food rayment whiles he passeth through the world And indeed this is the true reason why the sensual profane man saith to the Almighty depart from me and to Christ what do I care for thee for being under no conviction of his lost and miserable estate and possibly hardly believing that he hath an immortal Soul or shall have any existence beyond this Life he seeth nothing in Christ or the loves of Christ that any way suteth the necessities and wants of his Soul and Ignot i nulla cupido what good a man doth not know he never longeth for 2. A Second thing concurring to make the Object of desire is an apprehended possibility of attaining to or enjoying what he apprehends so sutable for the reason of man will not suffer his Soul to move towards what he apprehends impossible to be attained Hence as no Schollar ever heartily desired all kinds degrees of learning knowledge so no worldling ever desired all the Gold and Silver in it Hence it is also impossible that a Soul under an habituated despair should heartily desire the Love and favour of God which it apprehends not possible for it to obtain 3. The object of it must be somthing which the Soul wanteth either in whole or in part either as to the thing it self or as to some degrees of it or at least what it apprehendeth itself to want Still apprehension is necessary for De non Entibus non apparentibus eadem est ratio It is the same thing as to this motion of the Soul not to have a good and not to apprehend that it hath it for our Souls move according to their apprehensions and this is the reason none desires being though they may desire the continuance of it the healthy man desireth not health though he may bless God for it
of the Spirit necessary and that both as to the Souls first coming to God and further walking with God tho as to the latter the Soul being renewed and sanctâ—fied there be a far less influence necessary than as to the former yet even after sanctification the Apostle tells us that we are kept by the power of God through Faith to Salvation and Christ tells his Disciples that without him they could do nothing Joh. 15. 3. And St. Paul saith 2 Gal. 20. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God But indeed the great question is upon the first Arminians will grant special grace to believers but no more than common grace to all men in astate of unbelief Let us therefore first enquire 1. Whither there be not something of a divine power and influence necessary to cause any Soul to come to Christ beyond the Preaching of the Word and that common concurrence of the Spirit with the word Preached and all the suasions and arguments can be used by Ministers and of what nature this pâ—wer is We affirm it Jesuites and Arminians deny it let me shew you upon what arguments we assert it I shall not instance in all or the 4th part of what hath been or might be said only speak something to satisfy you remembring that I am now preaching a Sermon not writing a controversy 1. Those who assert that there needeth no such act of the divine power must necessarily make man a God to himself I mean the Author of the greatest Spiritual and Eternal good both in respect of action and fruition whatsoever is moved is moved from a living principle within self or from another Either man is moved to Christ as drawn by the Father or from a principle of life within himself I know they will say it is from his own power of willing now besides the multitude of Scriptures which this is opposed to Eph. 2. 1. You hath he quickned who were dead in Trespasses and Sins Psal 110. 3. The People shall be a willing People in the day of thy Power Phil. 2. 13. For it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his own good pleasure I say besides these This opinion makes man the author of the greatest good to himself 1. In point of action it makes him the author of th se gracious acts and habits by which a Soul is made meet for the inheritance of the Saints of life repentance faith and new obedience expresly contrary to those Scriptures which tell us that it is given to us to believe Phil. 1. 29. That Faith is not of our selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2. God gives repentance unto life and a multitude of other Scriptures 2. And in point of fruition too man by this Doctrine is his own Saviour for Eternal life is every where promised to repentanâ—e faith and new obedience which according to this principle are all works proceeding from our selves so man is become a Saviour to himself by this new Divinity and the author of the highest good to himself and hath nothing to bless God for but only making him a Man not a Beast for being indued with a reasonable Soul and living under the Gospel he hath a power of himself to repent to believe in Christ to do whatsoever Eternal life is promised to in the Gospel unless they will say he is beholden to God for the Covenant of Grace annexing eternal life to these performances and accepting sincerity instead of perfect obedience which yet leaves the regenerate Soul no more to bless God for than the vilest and most profane Sinner that liveth where the Gospel is preach'd for he also hath a reasonable Soul a will equal with others there is a covenant of grace equally established for Judas as well as Peter according to this Doctrine One is under the means of Grace and the common aids and assistances of the Spirit as well as the other for the good inclination of his will to accept the terms of the Gospel which the profane person hath not the regenerate Soul hath no body to thank but himself and to applaud himself for the principle of goodness of which it seems he is an author to himself Secondly This Doctrine leaves the Soul something to glory in before God The Apostle treating of Justification by faith in opposition to that of works argueth thus Rom. 4. 2. If Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory but not before God The Proposition of that Text which alone in this case I will make use of is That God hath so ordered the causes in the Salvation of Man that man hath no cause of glorying before God to that purpose he speaks Rom. 3. 27. Where is boasting then it is excluded but admitting that there needed no power to change the heart but what is in mans will boasting is not excluded a man hath wherein to glory and that before God he shall say Lord it is true thou fixedst an eternal Covenant of Grace thou madest me a man thou gavest me the Gospel and the preaching of it but notwithstanding all that thou ever didst for me I might have gone to Hell as well as a thousand more for whom the same Covenant was made as well as me to whom thou gavest a Soul of the same species with mine the same Gospel the same Preaching the same common grace if I had not had a principle of goodness in my own will of which my self was the cause I had been damn'd notwithstanding all thou didst for me as many others shall be for whom thou didst as much as for me Is not here glorying before God Is boasting excluded by this Divinity The main parts here as to mans Salvation are given to a mans self For I pray observe a man cannot repent truly and believe and obey the Gospel and perish for ever now all these it seems a man may do from himself without any act of Divine power inabling him more than a reprobate to do them but he may have a common Covenant of Grace establish'd for him as well as others he may have a reasonable Soul he may have the Gospel preach'd to him and the common aids and assistances of the Spirit and yet perish for ever So as plainly all that necessarily brings Salvation makes the Soul meet for it and accompanieth it all this is from man nothing is from God but that notwithstanding which he might have perished for ever Thirdly This Doctrine most absurdly ascribes unequal vertues to Souls that are equal as to their species faculties and vertues All reasonable Souls are equal their faculties are the same their vertues and powers the same their Souls are under equal means motives aids assistances whence is it that one mans will is enclined to believe to receive Christ to obey his laws the others not Are not here inequal vertues ascribed to
again hath here made thee to differ No pious Soul that understands itself but will here cry out Grace Grace powerful distinguishing Grace So as this Doctrine is consonant to the experience and judgment of the best of men the other contrary to their experience and reason and therefore not like to prevail much in the world with any who either understand what grace and holiness is nor what the state of man is since the fall I could only wish that those who so glory in a power they have to come to Christ and to walk with him and run after him and to incounter and overcome the greatest Lions in the way would let us see it by their strict and close walking with God without putting such a sense upon the Commandments of God as the Pharisees did of old whom Christ confutes Mat. 5. according to which they may indeed be kept by vertue of that common Grace of God which he denieth to no man This is enough to have spoken Doctrinally upon this Subject Sermon XVIII Canticles 1. 4. Draw me and We will run after thee I Proceed to the Application of the Proposition which I largely opened and confirm'd in my last exercise viz. That no Soul cometh to or runneth after Christ till it be first drawn not only sweetly allured but powerfully by God inclined I come now to apply it This in the first place may inform you of the Vanity both of the Arminian and Popish Tenets as to this great point Arminians think it hard to be accounted Enemies to the Grace of God yea they will profess themselves to own special Grace but by the Grace of God they understand no more than exciting Grace the Grace of God in the Gospel which hath appeared to all men and by special Grace they only mean that further Grace which is given to them who have first made a good use of the power God hath created in their wills They say that wherever the Gospel is preached there goes alongwith it such a presence of the Spirit that if men will they may without any further influence of Divine Grace upon one more than another repent and believe c. That God when he calleth them by his Gospel giveth to sinners not only necessary but sufficient Grace for faith and obedience and seriously commandeth them to believe and obey under the promise of eternal life if they do these things and the contrary threatning of eternal death if they do not This calling they say is in Scripture called an Election unto Grace differing from that unto gloty and Eternal Salvation This calling is effected and perfected by the Preaching of the Gospel and the vertue of the Spirit conjoined with it and that with a gracious and serious intention on Gods part of working faith in all those who are so called whether they believe and be saved in the issue or pertinaciously refuse faith and eternal Salvation for they tell us there is an effectual calling so called rather from the event than from the intention of God properly so called which calling obtaineth its saving effect not from any precise intention of God to save men or because it is so made by the secret and singular wisdom of God that it effectually agreeth with the will of him that is called or because in and by it the will of him who is called is so determined to faith by an irresistible and an almighty power not less than that of Creation or raising the dead that it cannot but believe and obey but because man doth not put in a bar which he might do to the call of God nor resist Divine Grace They tell us there is another sufficient grace which is ineffectual which through a failure on mans part hath not a saving effect but is unfruitful and obtaineth not its due and desired effect only through mans voluntary and vincible fault Hence they will tell you that they attribute all to Grace they make that the beginning the reason of the progress and perfection of all good so that without preventing exciting following and co-operating grace the regenerate man himself can neither will nor do any good nor resist any temptation But they mean by Grace nothing but the means of grace and such an assistance of the holy Spirit as alwaies attends it and one as well as another hath that sits under the Gospel for that which we call special grace or distinguishing grace the drawing of the text by which God powerfully influenceth the Souls of some not of others and worketh faith and dispositions to new obedience in them they deny any such thing and so attribute to the will of man all the change of the heart which we call conversion or regeneration hence they will tell you that God never so worketh in any Soul but man may hinder and finally resist his operations This is their opinion which how contrary it is to truth and how absurd it is I have shewed you in my former discourse what Bradwardin saith of the Pelagians may be applied to these Teachers They make God pauperculum Mercatorem like a poor Pedlar that indeed carries about his Grace and persuades men to receive it But man is made the buyer Thus saith that grave Author God should rather gratiam suam commutare ac vendere quam dare commute and sell his grace rather than bestow and give it Doubtless the will of God is the efficient cause of every good thing that is done the first mover in every good motion the begetter and preserver of it Amantissima genitrix vivifica conservatrix as Bradwardin expresseth it l. 1. cap. 9. and maintaineth it from reason and the concessions even of Philosophers They will tell us they will grant this That God is the first cause and mover as to all good and that all this is of his grace but he moves us only by external calling and the common assistance of his Spirit They much delight in those terms aids and assistances of his Spirit by which they plainly grant the will of man the first cause and make the Spirit but an aiding assisting cause Again how is the conversion of a sinner from the Grace of God whose Grace it seems extends no further before conversion to the person to be converted than to the person that still continues in its hardness and inconverted state so as it is not the Grace of God that causeth the Soul to differ for as to that there is no difference the same administration of grace both to those whose hearts are changed and to those whose hearts are not changed They tell us grace and in the same degree of administration may be yea is resisted by many of those to whom it is administred This opinion must be faulty either 1. By maintaining that God doth not seriously and efficaciously will the salvation of any Soul the contrary to which in words they affirm and instead of it say he seriously willeth the salvation
cause of any true Spiritual saving motion and so inequal vertues are as I said before ascribed to Souls of the same kind under the same circumstances and endowed with the same rational faculties Secondly They also agree That the operations of Divine Grace are no other than what may by the power of mans will be not only opposed but finally resisted so as they shall produce no effect and that drawing grace is no more then an intreating and moral suasion no such act of power as we would have it to be man comes to Christ alone he is not drawn Therein they agree with the other 3. Finally they say the converted Soul can of itself do acts of righteousness obey the Commandments of God and ordinarily needs no quickning only assisting Grace This is not to be allowed in the Latitude though there be something of truth in it there is certainly a greater power and ability to spiritual good in the converted then in the unregenerate and unconverted Soul we dare not say the Soul converted moves not acts not but as acted and is also in that state meerly passive God hath now infused a principle of life into it his Spirit dwelleth in it But we say that even the justified Soul still stands in need of a constant divine influx and that in a powerful degree and Bellarmine himself grants that as the Soul hath at all times need of Gods assisting exciting and protecting grace for Christ saith without me you can do nothing so in some hard cases and in the performance of some hard difficult duties he hath need of powerful influences of Grace So as the Jesuite himselfdurst not ascribe so much to the power of mans will though altered by grace as those bold men amongst our selves who will have man have a power not only in ordinary cases but to resist the strongest temptations It is a sign they neither ever knew what a strong temptation meant Nor what it is to resist and evercome them But this is enough to shew you the vanity of these Doctrines Secondly My discourse on this proposition will let all of us see the exceeding solly of resisting and vexing or grieving or quenching the holy Spirit of God at any time in its operations or motions you meet in Scripture with all these terms expressing the opposition which vain man maketh to the holy Spirit of God two of them resisting and vexing are applied to men wicked and unregenerate Acts 7. 51. You do always resist the Holy Ghost and thus you read of vexing the Spirit The Apostle writes to the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit 1 Thes 5. 19. and to the Ephesians Eph. 4. 30. not to grieve it As the man that is unregenerate may resist and vex so those that are renewed may quench and grieve the Holy Spirit The Proposition which I have opened to you shewing you the necessity of our being drawn by this Holy Spirit if we ever come to Christ or being come if we hold on in our way and run after him and walk with him justifies those reproofs and exhortations of the Apostles evincing it to be the greatest folly imaginable voluntarily to do any such acts by which this blessed Spirit should be resisted vexed quenched or grieved 1. This may be done by persons whose hearts are not yet changed they sit under the ministration of the Gospel which is the ministration of the Spirit and a glorious ministration and besides the suasion of the potent arguments contained in it set on by all the art of the Ministers of Christ gifted by God for this end and authorized by God to this work there is hardly any of them but find some inward impressions of the Holy Spirit shewing them a necessity of believing and obeying the Gospel if they would ever obtain Eternal life this they cannot deny but cannot through the prevalency of their passions above their reason obtain of themselves to hearken to these admonitions and yield obedience to these impressions but after the prickings of their lusts they must go they cannot deny themselves in their pleasures or profits be they never such forbidden fruit yet on the other side possibly their consciences bear so hard upon them that they cannot quiet them without promising that they will amend their ways they will turn to God they only beg a little time and cry out with the Sluggard yet a little sleep yet a little slnmber a little folding of the hands to sleep like Trades-men that know they must not spend all their time in their Beds if they do their Families must starve yet their Eyes are heavy and they cry to those that call them It is not time to rise yet an hour or two hence is time enough So these men sitting under the sound of the Gospel will grant you that if they live and die in such courses as at present they walk in their Souls must perish to all Eternity But this they intend not only it is not time yet to awake ouâ— of sle p a year or two hence is time enough let them have some lâ—tâ—sâ—â—ction in the pleasures of youth they will repeat and believe before they die and upon this presumption they at present 〈◊〉 the holv Spirit of God from time to time and vâ—x iâ— noâ— only appearing in the Ministration of the Gospel but in its more common motions and impressions This is what I would shortly shew you the vanity of from the asserted truth of this proposition Two things I would say to these Souls That whatsoever humane action is to be done naturally requireth time and place and that the Earth is the place and this life is the time for such actions for saith Solomon Eâ—â—l 9. 10. There is no work no device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave whither thou goâ—st upon which he exhorts us Whatsoever thy hand fâ—â—dâ—â—h to do do it with all thy might It is only while we are upon the Earth that we are in the way with God whom we have made our adversary and whom we are concerned quickly to agree with when we die we are delivered to the Judge the Spirit returneth to God that gave it When our Dust returns to its Dust Our comp sâ—um is then dissolved and no action can be the action of the whole man When our bodies come to be covered with Earth our bodies move and act no more In the Grave none repents believeth prayeth or praiseth or any way remembreth God Thou sayest to morrow or within a few years I will amend I will repent how knowest thou in what capacity thou shalt then be what a day or a month or a year will as to thee bring forth The present time alone is thine and but a little of that neither that which as Gerard speaks dicendo praeterit currendo praeterlabitur is gone while thou speakest of it slipt away while thou thinkest of it What talkest thou of to morrow of the next week month year who
because they agree the truth of the Propositions of Scripture they may miserably deceive their own Souls a Man by a mere natural power may as well agree that there was such a one as Jesus of Nazareth once in the world who went about doing good exhorting men to a good life and was Crucified c. as that there was in England a William the Conqueror or any thing else that is to be found in other Books of tolerable credit and reputation in the World Or if men think that they do truly believe because they agree many propositions of the Gospel which are evident in the light of Reason they again deceive themselves here may be nothing of the operation of God in this faith Nay if they agree the Propositions of the Gospel because they are revealed there and in the mean time do not agree the Scriptures to be the Word of God but look upon them in the same rank with human writings or only by an human saith agree them to be the Word of God because the Church hath so deliver'd and transmitted them here is all this while no thing of the special operation of God Nor will this agreement produce any steadiness and firmness of practice commensurate to the Revelation but only commensurate to the nature of the Assent which being not fixed constant nor it may be not universal but to some part only of the revelation must necessarily bring forth no more than a saint partial and incertain practice Hence it is that Hypocrites may do many things contained in the law and at one time be more warm than at other times But if thy Assent be the special operation thou assentest to the whole revelation because God hath fixed in thy Soul a persuasion that it is from him who cannot lie it is also steady and fixed and tho some doubts may possibly incumber thee sometimes yet they hold not long and thou firmly and generally with allowance for the frailty and infirmity of human nature endeavourest to live up to the whole of that duty which the revelation imposeth upon thee which thou canst not do without relying on Christ and him alone for Salvation and having a respect to all the Commandments of God And indeed herein that agreement or assent which is the special work of God in the Soul differs from that which is but a meer natural action 1. In that it is more fixed certain and universal and this must be so for our assent is according to our light we must first see before we agree the truth of a proposition now the light of the holy Spirit is without doubt the clearest and brightest light Our natural reason gives us but a dim light as to matters of Faith 2. In that it layeth a stronger obligation to practice Reason will tell us that the more firmly we believe the truth of Propositions holding forth rewards and punishments relating to our practice the stronger we shall find our obligation to practice in order to the obtaining such rewards or avoiding such punishments 3. In that it layeth an obligation to a more universal practice The obligation to practice riseth no higher than the assent so as if there be any duty to which we do not agree our assent obligeth to no practice of that Now the holy Spirit persuades us of the truth of the whole revelation and that in the fullest and truest sense Hence it is that the true believer is more warm and universal in his obedience than it is possible another should be because his assent unto the truth is from a quite differing light and a quite differing work of God the assent of the former proceeding but from a common work of God in nature the latter from a work of special grace by the Spirit of God upon the Soul I will not much contend with those who will have true Faith to be a practical Assent to the Proposition of the Gospel if they by Assent mean a firm and steady Assent and by practical such an Assent as obligeth strongly to an universal practice of whatsoever is revealed as our Duty 1. Because I know a reliance upon Christ for eternal Salvation must be the effect of such an Assent 2. Because I know there can be no reliance on Christ without such a praevious Assent to the Proposition of the Gospel 3. Because I know there can be no such thing without the mighty Power of God upon the Soul So that in this sense the Soul must be drawn by the Father before it come to Christ Only let none deceive themselves as to this point of true Believing by fancying such an Assent to the Doctrine of the Gospel true Faith wherein God hath no further concern than as he influenceth acts of Humane Nature flowing from that order of operations which he hath set in all rational Souls True Faith must be more than this 2. As to Faith men are also prone to cheat themselves by calling their Natural presumption Faith we say Faith lies in a resting and reliance on Christ Now many will tell us they rest and rely on Christ and yet it is no difficulty to evince they do but presume and not believe Resting and relying on Christ for Salvation must be the Father's drawing Natural presumptions are meerly from our selves Every man is willing to hope well for and to prophesie good unto himself Hence living under the publication of the Gospel and having heard of an eternal Life and Salvation and this to be had through Christ and by resting on him many naturally cry they rest on Christ and trust in him and him alone And our Saviour lets us know that men may die with such confidences Matth. 7. 22 23. Now there is a resting and reliance on Christ which is the Operation of God yea and the mighty work of God upon the Soul and this many a poor Soul finds that lives months and years under the Spirit of bondage before it can rest on Christ and quietly commit it self unto him and there is a resting which is no more than a natural hope or confidence arising either from the Souls natural desire of good to it self or from its ignorance of the true grounds of a true resting and reliance And indeed by this may these two be distinguished and known asunder That resting and reliance upon Christ for any spiritual and eternal blessing which is the Operation of God is alwaâ—es bottomed on a Promise and testified by a life suitable to the condition upon which that Promise is made These two things are alwaies in it 1. I say first it is founded upon a Promise for all Grace and Eternal Life being the gift of God it is as vain a thing for any to be confident they shall have it without God's revelation of his Will as to it with reference to them as it is for any man to pretend a confidence and trust in another for the making him rich with a great part of his Estate
he woula go to Hell Being it seems naturally persuaded that cruel bloody and uncharitable men could never be happy in another life 4. I will add a fourth thing though not beforementioned which experience hath constantly shewed us to be of very great force to draw others viz. A bold and couragious Suffering for the Name of Christ It hath been a constant Observation that the Blood of Martyrs hath been the seed of the Church Men naturally are inclined to think there is a great deal in that Religion which will make men so Valiant as to die in the defence and asserting of it There is yet one thing more upon which this much depends that is 5. A Christians communicativeness both of his gifts and of his experiences 1. Of his gifts his knowledge and other gifts by which he informs Christians of the Truth and persuades and argues them out of their sinful courses Come saith David I will teach you the sear of the Lord O that there were more of this in the World than there is how few are those Christians that have either grace or confidence enough to mind others of their conditions and to call upon them to look after Eternity We can call upon our Children and Friends to mind their Worldly concerns we are communicative euough to them of what we know which may help them as to them but how little do we call upon them to strive to enter in at the strait Gate to make their Calling and Election sure What should the reason of this be Is it unbelief or is it carelesness Is it unbelief do we not then believe an Immortal Eternal state of Souls into which no Souls can come but bv and through Christ as the way It cannot be this is the Object of our Hope it is the great thing we have in expectation if we had hope only in this Life we were of all men most miserable Are we confident that our Children our Friends or Neighbours are in the road to this blessed state Certainly there are many of them of whom we can have no such hopes How are we then silent if we know better things then they know why do we not instruct them St. John saith He that hath of this Worlds goods and seeth his Brother in want and releives him not how dwells the love of God in h m 1 Jo. 3. 17. What shall we say of those who have of the goods that relate to another World the Treasures of Spiritual knowledge and seeth his Child his Friend in want and to his power relieves him not how dwells the love of God or of his Childs or Friends Soul in him Dalilah asked Sampson how he could say to her that he loved her when he kept his secrets from her which she was not concerned to know but how canst thou say thou lovest thy Yoke-fellow thy Child thy Friend and concealest from them what thou knowest with reference to their Spiritual and Eternal good and which it is as much their concern to know as it is thine I remember Christ doth thus prove himself his Disciples friend John 15. 15. I have called you Friends for all things which I have heard of my Father I have made known to you that is all things which my Father hath let me know and which are of concern for you to know Thus Christ hath discharged the Office of a Friend to our Souls and should not we do likewise Do we know any thing concerns our near Friends Souls with reference to their Eternals happiness and do we conceal our knowledge from them how do we discharge the Office of Friends to them how dwells either the love of God or the love of them in our Souls 2. Nor is the communicativeness of our own Experiences What we have seen as well as what we have heard of less use or less our duty I know it is a thing which profane Persons may mock at but let them mock on Wisdom shall be justified of her Children I am sure we meet with David and Paul and others of the Servants of God of whom we have a sacred Record very frequent in it Come saith David and I will tell you what God hath done for my Soul I know Men may boast beyond their line or measure they may boast of experiences they never had experiences must be fulfillings of Promises But certainly there can be nothing as a mean more powerful to draw others to a running after Christ in the ways of Holiness then the knowledge of what others have found and experienced in them I am sure it was the practice of the Woman of Samaria of Andrew and Peter and that with great success O let every one of us who have in our hearts any love for God any zeal for the glory of God any kindness for the Souls of others being our selves drawn so behave our selves that others allured by our examples persuaded by our arguments may also run after Christ Let those that cannot as yet discern the Savour of his good Oyntments be helped to discern them at second hand while our Lips feed many and our Garments smell of Myrrh Aloes and Cassia Sermon XXIV Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his Chambers I Have done with the Spouses Petition Draw me and with the argument by which she impleaded her Petition She would then run after him and of the alteration of the number in the promise we will run not I but we I come now to the third thing which I took notice of in the verse which I called The Spouses attestation of her beloveds favour in the answer of her Petition That is in the words I have now read The King hath brought me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto his in Ward-Rooms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Closet His Chambers so we translate it What is necessary for the opening of the words you have heard before It was but even now that we heard the Spouse praying draw me and promising that if the Lord would hear and answer her Prayers both she and others would run after him How presently is her tone altered and her prayer turned into praise Hence I observed Prop. That God is pleased sometimes to make a very quick return to his Peoples Prayers But before I handle this I shall take a little notice of the name she here giveth to her Beloved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the King The word is the same that is every where used to express the sole dominion of a Person over others a term very properly given to Christ and that not only as he is God over all blessed for ever and so the Psalmist telleth us that his Throne is established in the Heavens and his Kingdom ruleth over all but in respect of his Mediatory Kingdom as he is the Lords King whom he hath set upon his holy Hill of Sion Psal 2. 6. to whom he hath given the Heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost part of the Earth for
against them Thus David complains Psal 35. 11. that in the day of his ealamity False witnesses did rise up against him and laid to his charge things that he knew not The men of the world whose malice and hatred prompteth them to injurious actions against innocent persons conceive themselves obliged to defend themselves against the common reason of the world which teacheth them to cry out against such acts of violence with raising lies and slanders concerning such as they so oppress and persecute he that is any thing acquainted with the Psalms of David or other parts of Holy Writ will find that what we see in the age we live in was but the old practice of wicked and profane Persons ashamed to own the true cause of their hatred and malice It was Matchiavels maxime Fortiter calumniare aliquid adhaerebit lay loud enough though never so false upon thy adversaries something will stick to them and indeed it is hardly imaginable but it should 2. A second reason of this judgment is because the most of men judge of blackness and comeliness by a meer sensual Eye The life of the Spouse is an hidden life her beauty is an hidden beauty The world doth not consider the afflictions of Gods People Spiritually as they are the tokens of Divine Love for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every Child whom he receiveth nor as they purge away the Souls dross and take away its Tin as they melt it and try it and give faith a perfect exercise and patience a perfect work nor are they able to discern the Souls exercises of faith and patience of humility and meekness and quiet submission to the will of God The afflicted Spouse may not only be exceeding beautiful in the Eyes of Christ but in the Eyes of the Saints and People of God in their affliction and tribulation and the generality of men yet see no beauty and comeliness in them because their beauty is spiritually discerned all that is external is blackuess and unloveliness they are only glorious within 3. The generality of men and women in the world judge of the love and hatred of God by what is before men in this life The beauty of the Spouse of Christ lieth in two things 1. In her acceptation with God 2. In her habits of grace and the exercise of them both these are hidden from the Eyes of the world they see not the internal frame of a believers Soul as I but now told you and as their habits of grace are hidden things the world knoweth us not faith John so their state of favour and acceptation with God is an hidden thing also they cannot understand how God should love him or her against whom he suffers men to prevail to such a degree so that the wicked devours the men that are more righteous then they they judge of Gods love and hatred to Souls by what in this life happens to them The Apostles phrases 2 Cor. 4. 8 9. are all riddles to them we are troubled saith he on every side but not distressed we are perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed I have done with the Doctrinal part of my discourse Is this the lot of the Spouse of Christ to be Sun-burnt with afflictions and persecutions Is it their lot to be afflicted and will afflictions make them black and appear more black then possibly they are what then is our duty 1. In the first place it is certainly our duty to expect afflictions of this nature and to expect such usage under them as the people of God before us have constantly met with Our Saviour Christ having given to his hearers the law of his Discipleship Lu. 14. v. 27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple addeth further v. 28. 29 30 31. For which of you intending to build a Tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost whether he hath sufficient to finish it left happily after he hath laid the foundation and is not able to finish it all begin to mock him saying this man began to build and was not able to finish Or what King going to make war against another Ring sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand Or else while the other is yet afar off he sendeth an Embassage and desireth conditions of peace Our Saviour Christ by those two similitudes teacheth us all the duty of a pre-consideration a thinking before hand what may afterwards happen to us in the profession of religion and the owning of him and the profession of the Gospel It is certainly a true saying Mala inopinata graviora the less prospect we have of evils the more inexpected they come upon us the more heavy they prove to us unthought of evils are alwaies most intolerable because we are least prepared for them Let every good Christian therefore live in view of those Afflictions which the Apostle calleth the Afflictions of the Gospel 2 Tim. 1. 8. Either because they constantly or most ordinarily follow the profession of it or because indeed it is unreasonable to think that any person should either adhere to the propositions of truth contained in it or live up to the rule of life which the Gospel prescribeth and be free from them If saith our Saviour John 15. 18. The world hateth you you know it hated me before it hated you and v. 20. Remember the word that I said unto you the Servant is not greater then the Lord if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you These things saith our Saviour John 16. 1. 2 3. I have spoken unto you that you should not be offended they shall put you out of the Synagogues yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doth God good service It is a most unreasonable thing for men to meet with more pleasing things and prosperity in the profession of Religion then the Author of that Religion or any of his Disciples ever met with or then he hath told us we should meet with in the profession of it who knew all things or that we should expect more tranquillity in the profession of Religion then the nature of that profession considered together with the ignorance and corruption of the world doth promise the professors of it It is true there is nothing in the nature and profession of the Christian Religion considered singly and apart by itself that is unlovely or disobliging to any it is a Religion full of good will toward men But considering this Religion together with the corruption of the world there is much in it which he that looketh but with a rational Eye will see that the world is never like to bear better then it hath hitherto done it tieth a man up to believe Propositions according to the revelations of the Word To live
absurd and false are supposed in order to the forming of a true conclusion But in the Text it is certain that it doth Our Lord in saying If thou knowest not Supposeth that the Spouse might not know and therefore he directeth her in the latter part of the Text. It is certain that the term know in Scripture doth not alwaies signify the comprehending the thing spoken of in our understanding it sometimes signifieth to approve sometimes to attend to what we know sometimes to Experience I take here the first and most natural signification of the term to be the Sense If If thou knowest not that is if thou beest ignorant If thou beest at a loss At a loss for what I told you that to perfect the Sense we must supply something from the foregoing verse from the matter of the Spouses Petition She had desired him to tell her where he fed his flock where he made them to rest at noon Where she might have the best freest and least interrupted fellowship and communion with him especially in a time of great distress and affliction To this he answereth O thou fairest amongst Women If thou knowest not that is if thou knowest not where I feed my flocks nor where I make them to rest at noon Go thy way c. The words might lead me to a more general discourse of the imperfection of a believers state in this life Or to a more particular discourse concerning those grains of ignorance which may be allowed a gracious Soul But as the first is too general so the latter is too hard a task until the world be better agreed then it yet is about the number of fundamental truths necessary to be known and believed in order to Eternal life and Salvation Besides I think my Text considered as an answer to the preceding petition guides me to another thing The Spouses request was to be instructed how she might enjoy a full and free communion with her Lord especially in a time of trial and distress with reference to this petition her Lord answereth her If thou knowest not Supposing she might as to this at some times be ignorant and at a loss The Proposition is plain Prop. That even the best of Gods People the fairest amongst Women may sometimes be at a great loss where and how to maintain their desired communion with Christ I shall open the Proposition in three conclusions Then confirm and apply it 1. The Souls communion with Christ lyes in their reciprocal communications of themselves each to other All communion is made up of a mutual communication of two or more Persons I have discoursed the nature of communion largely in some of my former discourses and therefore shall say little of it now Onely I say all communion lyes in a mutual and reciprocal communication Thus two friends have communion each with other by frequent meetings together mutual discourses and communications of the Secrets of each others hearts one to another The Subjects in this communion are Souls clothed with bodies and their communion is bodily But now the Soul considered with Christ as its correlate in this communion are Spirits and their communion is more Spiritual The Soul performeth its part in it by the secret exercise of the powers God hath given it upon Christ as the object By Spiritual Meditations the exercise of faith love hope desire joy and delight c. By giving up its will to his will assenting to what he dictateth in his word consenting to what he there commandeth c. Christ communicates himself to the Soul by the secret influences of his Spirit opening and inlightening the understanding bowing and inclining the will influencing the affections convincing strengthening quickening comforting the Soul Indeed there is a more external communion with God but separated from this it signifieth nothing to the Souls advantage so we are said to have communion with God in reading and hearing his word praying receiving the Sacraments the Soul hath in these no further fellowship communion with God then it in them exerciseth these more inward powers in more external acts by the advantage of the bodily members so far as it poureth out itself to God in prayer by the words of the lips or opens its heart to God in hearing the word receiveth it with faith and love and meekness c. So far and no further hath the Soul in these duties any communion with God Nor doth God communicate himself to the Soul that is not made to believe and obey what it heareth further then to let it know his will with the advantage of such arguments as his Ministers are inabled to use by vertue of those gifts which he hath given them to fit them for their ministration 2. There can be no union between Christ and that Soul with whom Christ hath not a constant communion communion is the Daughter of union according to the nature of the union Wherever communion wholly ceaseth the union is dissolved Indeed where the communion is voluntary not from a natural cause there may be great differences in the degrees of it but wholly interrupted it cannot be hence God and Christ have a constant communion with the believing Soul this is by the Spirit of God given to them and dwelling and working in them and the seed of God abiding in them Our union with Christ is preserved by the same means by which it was at first made which was by Gods first communication of his power and goodness to the Soul and the Souls communication of itself by faith to him Thus the Vnion was first made between God and the Soul thus it is and must be maintained and upheld The reason why we say the Soul once in a state of grace cannot fall from it either finally or totally is not from the ability and certainty of their own wills however renewed and sanctified but from the more constant and certain influences of the Spirit of Grace which is given to the Soul dwelleth in it and worketh in it Christ hath not only promised to come to them that love him and keep his Commandments but to make his abode with him hence the union between Christ the Soul is not only compared to the moral union between the Husband and Wife Eph. 5. 30. but to the natural union between the Vine and the Branches John 15. 1. betwixt which while they remain united there is a constant communication and in very deed did not the Soul of a believer daily receive divine influences and communications it must wither and die as naturally as the Branch doth when the union is broken betwixt it and the Vine and this our Saviour teacheth us John 15. 4. As the Branch cannot bring forth fruit unless it abideth in the Vine so no more can you except you abide in me 3. Although the Souls communion with Christ can never be wholly interrupted and broken yet it may be more of less and sometimes indiscerned by the Soul I
of God We believe that in all Ages of the World Christ hath had a Flock a number that have heard his voice and followed him to whom he hath given and will give Eternal Life but they have been under various dispensations sometimes more and sometimes less perspicuous to the World We believe that it hath been the design of Rome ever since the Mystery of Iniquity began to work in it to blot out the prints of the feet of the Flock of Christ in former times we therefore reasonably in pursuit of this Direction of Christ's overlook the Churches of this and former Ages The practice of those of Rome in this and late ages we know to be directly contrary to the Word of God The practice of the Primitive Church in former ages we are incertain of further then what is contained in holy writ we know that it hath been the policy of the Papists to blot out all the records of those times which might make against them any thing that might shew us that the Doctrine Worship Discipline of the Church in those ages was different from their present practices we know that the records of the Primitive Churches practice excepting that in the Apostles time recorded in Scripture have been mostly in their hands and they have blotted out and put in what they pleased to justify their Idolatry and Superstitions we therefore call to the Law and to the Testimony to the holy Scriptures we are sure they have not been kept in their hands onely we believe them the pure Word of God We say there is no other certain rule no other unquestionable record of the footsteps of the flock We know they are able to make the man of God wise to salvation thoroughly furnished to every good work All Protestants acknowledg them a perfect rule as to matter of Doctrine we say they also are so as to Worship and Discipline and as to all our conversation We know the practice of the Saints and Servants of God in holy Writ not reproved by it are the footsteps of Christs flock for others we know not we are sure if they were contrary to the footsteps of the Servants of God in holy Writ they are no footsteps of the flock of Christ which hears his voice and owneth that only and will not follow strangers 2. As to the Shepherds mentioned in the Text We know Christ is the true Shepherd the chief Shepherd He feedeth his Flock like a Shepherd He ascending up into Heaven hath betrusted his Flock to Pastors and Teachers to Under-Shepherds we know that if these be Christs Shepherds they must take and follow Christ's directions and they are no further Shepherds then they do so He hath indeed betrusted to some his Gospel the Ministration both of the Doctrine and the Ordinances of the Gospel As they are to publish no other Doctrine so they are to prescribe no other Rules of life either for the Worship of God or government of the Church they have no legislative power in the Church committed to them only an executive power to execute those Laws those Ordinances which Christ the Supreme Shepherd and his Apostles which were his first Commissioners have left This is the trust which Christ hath committed to them in the discharge of which alone they can be faithful they are not the Ministers of men but the Ministers of Christ By the Tents of those Shepherds who do this all Christians are bound to ab de and to feed themselves neither casting off Divine institutions nor submitting to humane institutions contrary to the Divine rule and if the Divine rule be a perfect rule whatsoever is besides it is contrary to it for it reproacheth it with imperfection or else is meerly idle and Superfluous That this is the duty of Christians will appear both from the the consideration of the end for which God hath left us the footsteps of the flock in holy Writ and also from comparing this with other courses 1. Let us first consider the end for which God hath lest us the footsteps of his flock in holy Writ and when he ascended up on high gave gifts unto men and amongst others Pastors and Teachers The footsteps of the flock of Christ are to be found in the Word of God you have in Scripture not onely the instructions of David the words of the man according to Gods own heart but the practice of David recorded under several circumstances Not onely the Doctrine and instructions of the Apostles in their Sermons and Epistles but the Acts of the Apostles teaching us their practice Now though it be true that their examples oblige us in nothing wherein they did not follow the Lord Jesus Christ nor in any thing which they did in conformity to the Ceremonial law wherein they used a liberty that law being dead with Christ but through a gracious indulgence allowed for a time till the believing Jews could be Satisfied concerning the abolition of it in order to the gaining the Jews and walking towards them without offence upon which account Paul both circumcised Timothy and purified himself Nor are their examples our rules in what they did as Apostles or as men indued with the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost working miracles or speaking with tongues for as we cannot do the latter so we want their mission and more extraordinary commission to do the former Hence Ministers are under no obligation to do as they did fixing no where but going up and down preaching the Gospel and settling Churches yet in other things wherein they acted as Ministers of the Gospel or private Christians we are bound to the imitation of them and God hath left us their actions upon sacred record for our instruction For whatsoever is written aforetime is written for our learning Rom. 15. 4. The Apostle telleth us That all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness This is the end for which God hath given us the Scripture and all the Scripture 2 Tim 3. 16. 2. It is the most safe and certain rule The two great things that commend a rule given with reference to any end is the security of it and the certainty of it To walk by the footsteps of Christs flock recorded in Scripture must be a safe rule no man needeth fear sinning against God by obeying his Word and living up to the rule direction and prescription of it sin must be something contrary to the Divine Rule In following other rules men may err in following of this rule they cannot err The certainty of a rule much commends it If the Trumpet give an incertain sound who shall prepare himself for the battel If there be no certainty in a rule who can follow the direction of it Let us now compare this rule as to this case what a Christian is to do especially in a time of affliction and distress to maintain and uphold his
discover it and to manifest himself unto his people As the Sun in the Firmament whose Light in it self is alwaies the same and which hath alwaies the same ability and aptitude to illuminate the Air and to refresh the Earth with its Beams yet gives out its Light variously according to its position in the Firmament or aspect upon the Hemisphere its nearness to or distance from the Object to be inlightened or refreshed or as it is more or less hindered by the interposition of Clouds or Vapours so doth the Sun of Righteousness also diffuse his Beams variously Or as indeed a prudent Father though at all times his heart be full of love to his Children yet in the discoveries and manifestations of it he governeth himself by his own prudence relating to the Child 's good and with respect to the Child's behaviour and demeanour towards him So though whom God loveth he loveth with a great love and to the end yet as to the discoveries and manifestations of it he governs himself by his own Infinite Wisdom and with a great respect to his Peoples carriage and demeanour towards him Hence it is that though every Child of God be beloved of God with the same special and distinguishing Love yet every one lives not under the same manifestations and emanations of it He sheweth to some more to some less to some scarcely any according to the Wisdom of his Counsel and the good pleasure of his own will One soul shall have just light enough to discern that the day is broke in his soul that the Sun is arisen with healing in his wings upon him another shall hardly have so much light as to discern that but shall walk in the dark and see no light Another shall have the Sun of Righteousness more fully shining upon him and be able to say with Job I know my Redeemer lives and that I shall see him with these Eyes and though Worms shall destroy this body yet in my flesh I shall see God Or with Paul Rom. 8. 38. I know and am persuaded that neither life nor death nor any thing shall separate me from the Love of God in Jesus Christ Yea the same soul shall sometimes see its Beloved standing as it were behind the wall and looking in upon it through the Lattice see him in a Glass darkly another time it shall see him with a fuller sight as in the house with it face to face One while it shall only see as by a Wicket of hope open and possibly but imperfectly open neither another while its vision shall be as it were of the Heavens opened and Christ sitting at the right hand of God making intercession for it 2. The more or less of special and distinguishing grace is often measured by the soul's apprehension and particular fancy which judgment possibly is not alwaies according to Truth but yet such as we ordinarily make Thus we commonly judge the comfortable reflections of Divine Love to be the greatest tokens of it The sweetest indeed they are but possibly the strengthening Influences of Divine Grace by which the soul is inabled to perform its spiritual duties and to fight the good fight both against motions to sin from within and temptations to sin from without may be no less manifestations of special and distinguishing grace But take your measures how you will the gracious soul valueth at an high rate the least manifestations of such grace as may evidence to it that it is beloved of God with a special and distinguishing love I do not say the least of these will satisfie such a soul That it will not for the soul in which God hath caused by his Spirit a spiritual thirst after himself is continually crying out Give Give The soul will not be satisfied until in the Resurrection it awakes with God's likeness but in the mean time the least influences of this nature will be to it very precious and desirable The truth of this Proposition will appear to you from the petitions of several of the Servants of God in holy Writ more eminently those which we read of concerning David Psal 4. 6. There be many that say Who will shew us any good Lord saith he lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and in the following words he declares that it should be more to him than the worldlings Harvest or Vintage greater matter of gladness than their increase of Corn Wine or Oil And Psal 84. 9. he asks no more than that the Lord would look upon the face of his Anointed What can be less than Beholding and giving the soul a good look The liberty that the Birds of the Air the Swallow and the Sparrow had to make their Nests about the Lord's Altars one would think argued but a small favour yet David prefers their condition before his One would think the Office of a Door-keeper in the Lord's House were but a small preferment yet David valueth it above a Mansion in the Tents of wickedness The several expressions which David maketh use of in the Psalms to testifie his desires after God such as Beholding Looking upon him Remembring him c. are all evident proofs of this The Woman Luk. 7. 38. counts it honour enough to sit at Christ's feet to wash his feet with her tears and then to wipe them with the hairs of her head The Woman of Canaan is called a Dog and contented with it so she may but lick up the Crumbs under her Master's Table You read of another Woman that cried out If I may but touch the Hem of his Garment The Prophet Zechariah foretold of a time when men should take hold of the Skirt of a Jew saying We will go with you for we have heard God is with you Any thing of Christ is precious to a soul that hath once tasted how good he is Joseph of Arimathea must have his dead body and the Disciples must run to the Sepulchre where he was laid The People of God of old had a favour for the dust of Zion and the stones thereof But much more precious must the least emanations of that virtue be which is in him suited to the wants the spiritual wants of poor souls What can be less than a look a smile a word yet we find these have been very precious to the People of God What can we think of less than the hearing of a Prayer yet David esteemeth this ar an high rate Psal 116. 1 2. For this he professeth his love to God and his resolution to call upon him so long as he lived One would think that of all other Fellowship and Communion with Christ a Fellowship with him in his Sufferings were least desirable St. Paul glorieth in this and speaks of it as a thing desirable Phil. 1. 10. ch 3. 11. And we read of the Apostles praising God that they were thought worthy to suffer for the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ The same Spirit that was in all these
necessitous Creatures it also obtaineth several names and admits of several distinctions and is shewed by several Acts. The Grace of God in the sense I am now speaking to it signifyeth nothing but the free love of God looking upon the Sons of Men with respect to the several necessities of their Souls It s variety ariseth from us and our necessities it is not divided in the fountain only in the stream and thus Grace admits of several distinctions which I shall open to you in a few words that you may rightly understand the various notions of it The most famous distinction of it is into that which doth render the Soul acceptable to God and that which is love and freely given but doth not make the Soul acceptable in Gods sight at least not first acceptable or is not that for which God doth at first accept the Soul The first is that which we call the Grace of Justification which is the free love of God shining upon the Soul imputing to it a righteousness without works and not imputing transgression as the Apostle expoundeth it Rom. 4. 6. 8. the second we call the grace of Regeneration and Sanctification which is the love of God freely shewed to the Soul by which its heart is renewed and changed and filled with new habits and dispositions inclining and inabling it to what God requireth of it This is Grace it is from the power and free love of God though it be not that grace for which God at first accepteth the Soul as the Papists say This Grace of Regeneration and Sanctification is also usually distinguished into Habitual and Actual Habitual Grace is nothing else but the free love of God shining upon the Soul inabling it to will and to choose the things that are good and pleasing to God he giveth to will saith the Apostle and we are made willing in the day of his power saith the Psalmist Actual or acting Grace which is the love of God shewed to the Soul in inabling us to do the things that are good for as it is he that giveth to will so it is he who giveth to do both of his own good pleasure and our Lord told his Disciples John 15. 3. Without me you can do nothing There is another distinction of Grace into Preventing and Subsequent Preventing Grace is that love of God which preventeth and goeth before any good motions or actions of ours according to that of the Prophet I was found of them that sought me not and of those that did not inquire after me This is usually called the first grace Subsequent grace is that love of God which followeth this and is variously manifested to the Souls of Gods People In the first we are meerly passive we only receive it in the other we are active There are other notions of grace but I shall instance only in one more Special grace is the free love of God either concerning the being of a true Christian or 2dly Concerning its well being That grace which concerneth the being of a true Christian which quickneth the Soul which before was a Child of Wrath dead in trespasses and sins is either the Grace of Justification and what concerneth that this is first grace and preventing grace Or 2. The grace of Regeneration by which a new heart is given unto us and we are inclined disposed and inabled to the operations of a spiritual life Or Secondly What concerneth the better being of a Christian in the managing of all the actions and concerns of the spiritual life This again is divided into quickning grace strengthening Grace and consolatory Grace 1. Quickning grace may either signify that love of God by which our Spiritual powers habits and inclinations are drawn out into acts 2. Or that whereby a Soul is made more active and lively and free in the service of God which removes those difficulties that heaviness and deadness and dulness which we often find upon our Souls as to spiritual things For this you read David so often praying in Psal 119. Strengthening grace which is the love of God shewed to the Soul in further inabling it both to its spiritual actions and to the managing of the good fight against the World the Flesh and the Devil the Apostle calleth it a being strengthened with might in the inward Man of this Saint Paul speaketh Phil. 3. 13. I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Consolatory grace which signifieth the love of God shining upon the Soul that is sad and heavy refreshing it either from the view and sense of the truth of its gracious habits or from the sealings of some promise giving the Soul an assurance or full persuasion of the love of God David crieth out when wilt thou comfort me Thus you see the variety of gracious dispensations the love of God is one as it is in him as the fountain but it divideth itself into several streams as it shineth upon divers Souls or the same Soul oft-times in differing circumstances or with respect to divers wants which our Souls have Secondly As there is variety in the dispensations of grace so grace discovers itself in various acts Divines say that the grace of Justification so far as it respecteth the Souls State varieth not Nor is repeated but the acts of grace referring to our justified estate they are repeated God doth not pardon sin before it is committed but repeateth his gracious act in pardoning as the Soul repeateth its transgressions Now this is that which I say in this proposition that the Spouse of Christ the truly gracious Soul is not satisfied with any single dispensation of grace nor with a single act it desires not only the first grace but further grace not only the grace of Justification but the grace of regeneration also not only gracious habits but that it may be excited and quickned to spiritual actions not only that it may do them but that it may do them with some strength and vigour with some life and chearfulness it desires renewed acts of pardon renewed influences of spiritual strength and life Let us but a little see it in the great instance of David the man according to Gods own heart we shall find him speaking to our purpose in several Psalms Psal 19. 13. Cleanse thou me from secret faults there he beggeth for pardoning love will this satisfy this holy man will he think it enough if God pardoneth his Sin see what followeth in that Psalm Keep back thy Servant from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me he must have strengthening as well as pardoning grace he desires to be freed from the commanding as well as from the condemning power of Sins Look into the 51 Psalm a Psalm much spent in petitions for special grace v. 7. He prays for pardon Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than the Snow he speaks in an old Testament phrase
sweet but these are sweeter than the Hony and the Hony-comb No portions of Scripture are like these to the believer Every verse in the book of God is a Star but as Stars differ one from another in glory so do the Revelations of the will of God in our apprehensionsa s more suited to our necessities For the proof of the proposition There is so much reason for it that were it not that it is fit your Faith for the help of which the Ministry is ordained should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God I might for bear the use of any Scripture texts in the case The World was many hundred years old before there was any written Word of God of which we have any record The first that we read of was the Book of the Law which the King of Israel was commanded to have alwayes before him and to read therein all the daies of his life Saul was the first King of Israel he was a wicked man and regarded not the divine Law The next was David the man according to Gods own heart See his Affection to the word Superlatively exprest Psal 19. 7 8 9 10. 11. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the Testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple the Statutes of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart the Commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the Eyes The Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than the hony and the Hony-comb Psal 119. 14 15 16. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways I will delight my self in thy statutes v. 97. Oh! how I love thy law it is my meditation night and day Read over that excellent Psalm at your leisure you will find in it a strange variety of expressions setting out David's value of and thirst after the Word of the Lord. I had saith he in one passage perished in my affliction if thy Word had not been my delight For the Word of God as delivered by Ministers you shall all along the History of the Scripture observe you read not of one good King of Judah and Israel but they were very desircus in all cases of consulting with the Prophets of the Lord and no doubt but the reading the Law and the Exposition of it in the Sanctuary was the reason why David Psal 42. Psal 63. and Psal 84 so passionately bewailed his being banished from it In short look through all the New Testament you shall find no company of Believers but by some Expressions or other declaring their Zeal for and fondness of the Word of God And the same Spirit continued in gracious Souls after the times that the Scripture makes mention of I remember Hierom tells us of a good woman whom he saith he could never find without a Bible in her hand aud Mr. Fox in his Martyrology tells us a story of Three Maids in Lincolnshire if I remember right who sold their Estates in a time of Persecution to buy a few Leaves of the Bible It were infinite to tell you the instances we have in Ecclesiastical History of the great thirst after and delight in the Word of God which good people have expressed What need we any further Instance than what the Experience of our own Age doâ—h afford How naturally do Souls born again as new born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word of God It is true some Hypocrites especially in times when Religion is in credit and reputation may lay hold of the Skirts of a Jew and say We will go with you I mean may shew some fondness of hearing and reading the Word but no Child of God no regenerate man but is indeed thirsty of it So that as it was said of Paul as soon as he was converted Behold he prayeth so it may be said of every man and woman let them before have been never so loose and vain and careless as to reading and hearing the Word Behold he readeth or Behold he heareth Nor indeed is it possible it should be otherwise If we consider first That this is the Will of God concerning every Soul The Soul is unchanged till it be in some degree willing and obed ent So as what St. Paul spake more openly he saith to God though more privately Lord what wilt thou have me to do Now this is one of the first things that God calleth such a Soul to do Hear saith God and your Souls shall live As God said to Paul Go into the City and it shall be told thee what thou shouldst do So God saith unto the changed Soul Go to Church and hear my Word and go and read in my Word and there it shall be told thee what thou shouldst do Augustin tells us a story that being in a great Agony of Spirit and not knowing what to do he heard a voice as out of an inward Room saying Tolle lege Take up and read The Soul in this doth but conform himself to an impression that is made by the Spirit upon his heart and is coaevous to the hour of his New Birth and this you shall see exemplified not in this or that particular Soul but in every Soul born of God The Infant is not more naturally disposed to suck the breasts of the Mother or Nurse than such a Soul is disposed to read and hear the Word of God from the impression of the holy Spirit of God upon it in the first hour of its Conversion Nor is any thing more reasonable than such an impression if we consider God's Ordination of his Word as the pabulum animae the food and nourishment of the new born Soul 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that you may grow thereby And for this very reason this thirst after and delight in the Word of God never goeth out of a sanctified heart for the Word is the proper nourishment of the Soul in all states it is not only Milk for Babes but Meat for stronger ones By these things men live saith Hezekiah The just shall live by Faith saith the Prophet The Word is the object of this Faith You shall observe that the God of Nature hath planted in most sensitive creatures a knowledge of their proper food and an appetite or desire to it The God of Grace hath given the renewed Soul a knowledge of its proper food too and created in it an appetite to it so as no soul is born again without a knowledge of the Word as that by which it is to live or an appetite to it Nay it is not only necessary to uphold the Spiritual Being of the the Soul but to all the purposes of its well-being Such a Soul findeth the Word an inexhaustible Fountain a large
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
from God and Heb. 9. 14. the Apostle tells us That the blood of Christ purgeth our Consciences from dead Works to serve the living God Hence the Apostle 1. Cor. 1. 30. Telleth us that Christ is made unto us Wisdom Sanctification and Redemption 5. The 5th great Want of the Soul which I mentioned was Hopes or Assurance of an happy Existence to all eternity This Want now accrueth from the Soul's Immortality The Consideration that God hath created us under an Ordination to an Eternal Existence and State Admitting this which indeed is the main thing that distinguisheth a reasonab'e Soul from the Soul of a brute Creature it is impossible that the Soul should be under any degree of Happiness that hath not some Hopes or Assurance of Glory That its Soul shall go to God when it leaveth the Body And that the Body shall rise again in a joyful Resurrection in which it shall be again united to the Soul that both may live with God for ever Now this is a Good which floweth unto the Soul from the Loves of Christ This needs no further proof than 1. That no Soul is born to this glorious and incorruptible Inheritance for we are by nature Children of Wrath and eternal life is the Gift of God as the Apostle tells us Rom. 6. The Gift of God is eternal Life and it is a gift which cometh from God to us by the Hands of Christ John 17. 2. As thou hast given him Power over all Flesh that he should give eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him And John 10. 28. Speaking of his sheep saith he I give unto them eternal Life and they shall never perish Now as their having a certain right to and their future possession of eternal Life is necessary for them in another Life when this transitory Life shall be determined so the hopes or full assurance of it is necessary for them to make them in any measures happy while they live here And this is in and from Christ also and therefore he is called our Hope 1 Tim. 1. 1. And the the Apostle Col. 1. 27. saith Christ in us is the Hopes of Glory That is all the Hopes we have of Glory are from Christ This is abundantly enough to evince that positive goodness that is in the Loves of Christ their high and sutable conveniencies to the necessities and wants of our Souls I shall in the next place shew you the transcendent Goodness and excellency that is in them that they are as the Text saith Better then Wine or as it is expressed in the Hebrew Idiome good before Wine Wine as I have before shewed you literally Signifies the Juice of the Grape Figuratively whatsoever is good sweet and excellent in the World Now take it in one or both Senses The Demonstration is very easy I shall make it in 3 particulars 1. First all the Goodness that is in Wine taken either litterally for the Juice of the Grape or Figuratively for all created comforts lies in a Sutableness of them and that but for a time neither to the more external wants of a Creature Three things must be yielded concerning all created Goods 1. None of them reach the wants of the Soul which is the best and noblest part of man What do Pleasures Riches Honours whatsoever this world affordeth signify as to the Souls wants It wants Pardon of sins Will any of these procure or purchase it It wants a Righteousness wherein to stand before God Will these procure it It wants Peace of Conscience Will those give it It wants Purity Will they cleanse it It naturally wants a Right and title to Glory and the Hopes or Assurance of it Can any of these help the Soul to it They indeed sute the more external wants of Man The wanton Sense wants grateful Objects They will Supply it The body wants Food and Rayment they will Supply it But for the more inward Spiritual Wants of the Soul they have no Sutableness to them no conveniency But as I have shewed you the Loves of Christ have nay they are not onely suted to the Souls greatest wants but to the Bodies also at least so far as the Soul hath influence on the Body upon the Happiness of which it undoubtedly hath for a good Conscience is a continual feast The Contentment which Grace filleth the Soul with the Mortification and Subduing of the Passions and stubborn Will of Man have a great Reflection upon the Health and chearfulness of the Body So that here is a double Argument to prove the Loves of Christ better than Wine 1. From their Sutableness to the necessities and wants of the Soul which are the wants of the noblest part of man 2. From their sutableness to the wants both of Soul and body by reason of the Reflection which the Souls good hath upon the outward Man even in this Life to say nothing of the joyful Resurrection of the Body and the Happiness both of Body and Soul reunited in the Enjoyment of God for ever 2. All created Comforts last but for a Season and that a little Season They only sute the wants of our Bodies in this Life Riches profit not in the day of Wrath Honours lie down with our Bodies in the dust Pleasures cease when our senses which they gratified are gone Nay very often the Sutableness or gratefulness of these created Goods extinguisheth before the determination of our natural Lives When Barzillai was Fourescore years old his Eye took no pleasure in seeing nor his Ear in hearing There are daies in this Life Eccles 12. 7. in which a man shall say he hath no pleasure in them What do Riches Honours Friends Pleasures signify in a day of Sickness 3. No created good suteth all our wants one suteth one want another fills up another Emptiness none suteth all But the Love of Christ as it suteth our Soul wants So it is Suted to all times and is certain and a Supply to all wants of Souls This is my first Argument to prove his Loves better then Wine 2. Secondly there is no need or want which Wine or created goods supplieth but the Love of Christ will supply and much more eminently and abundantly Let me open this in a few particulars 1. Wine in regard of the Subtile Spirituous nature of it hath a great vertue to exhilarate the Spirits and to raise up the Affection of Joy Hence you read of those who shout by reason of Wine Psal 78. 65. And the Psalmist saith VVine makes glad the heart of Man Psal 104. 15. and Ecc. 10. 19. Wine maketh merry But do not the Loves of Christ do this much more Eph. 5. 19. And be you not drunk with Wine wherein is Excess but be you filled with the Spirit speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs making Melody in your heart to the Lord. David Psal 4. cries out Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon me for thou thereby
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
there will be no sincere desires in the Soul after these things The Schoolmen tell us there are three ways by which we gain the Knowledge of a thing By Signs Conjectures and Effects as some Causes are known 2. By the enquiry of our Reason into the nature of it 3. By Divine Revelation The Excellency of the Loves of Christ is a spiritual thing and to be judged upon Spiritual accounts and in a Spiritual manner The natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2. 14. So as the natural Reason of a Man will serve him very little to the gaining of this Knowledge by the Effects having never experienced it he cannot know it so as there is no other way to know it but by Divine Revelation God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2. 10. hath revealed them to us by his Spirit And v. 12. We have received the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God So as that I say God must shew some special token of his Love to our Souls for good before we can shew any Love to him or make so much as one step toward him Observe from hence That a Believers Soul moves rationally and accountably enough in all its desires after the Loves of Christ The Souls of Believers are not so unintelligible as some prophane Persons would make them in their Passions for and Motions towards Christs Loves The Knowledge a Soul hath or the Experience which it hath had of the Goodness and Excellency of any Object moves the reasonable Soul to the desires of it Admitting the Believer to see things in another Light than a natural Man hath or can see in to have other Notions of Good and Evil and to take the measures of them from their subserviency to the Spiritual and eternal good of the Soul the Passions and Desires of his Soul after Christs Love are as natural Motions of the reasonable Souls as the Worldlings Desires after Riches or the sensual Mans Passions for such things as gratifie the sensitive Appetite The Reason why every Soul moveth not after these Spiritual Things is because every Soul seeth not the Good and Excellency in them Multitudes hardly know that is believe they have immortal Souls that shall outlive their Bodies in a state of Happiness or Misery or if they know or believe that yet they do not believe that there is no other name under Heaven by which they can be saved but only the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Nor ever had any experience of the Love of God to Souls Their deriding of Religious Passions and the Breathings of pious Souls after the Manifestations of Divine Love flows from their ignorance of them and their unreasonable Rudeness in speaking evil of the things which they know not The original difference betwixt a person truly pious and panting after the Love of Christ and others lies here These Creatures know that they have Souls Souls ordained to an eternal existence either in HÄ—ll or Heaven in eternal Happiness or in eternal Misery They believe what God hath said that there is no other Name under Heaven by which Men and Women can be saved but only the name of Jesus Christ neither is there Salvation in any other That he that believeth on him is not condemned and he that believeth not is damned already the Wrath of God abideth on him and he shall never see Life they do not only read these things in their Bibles and hear them from their Preachers but the Holy Spirit of God hath firmly persuaded them that they do as fixedly believe them as they do any thing of sensible or rational Demonstration they have more waky thoughts with reference to Death Mortality and Eternity are things more in their Eyes than in the Eyes of others Again they have tasted and experienced more of the Love of Christ Allow the Souls of others to be in the same Circumstances they would have alike Motions but because they are ignorant knowing nothing of Spiritual Things or at least nothing as they ought to know it thence it is that their Souls move not this is now but the natural working of reasonable Souls in other cases nor is there any such unaccountable or unintelligible thing in it And indeed this gives us the true Reason why every unregenerate Soul is so cold in its motions toward Christ and also may inform us how far it is possible such a Soul may go in motions of this nature The Reason why such a Soul moves no more is want of Evidence which such a Soul hath of the Goodness of his Loves Simple Goodness and Excellency in an Object is not attractive of the Soul but Goodness apprehended by evidenced and appearing to us All the apprehension that it is possible a natural man should have of the Loves of Christ must be from Reading Hearing or its own Reasoning and concluding from what it hath so heard or read for it wants both the demonstrative persuasion of the Holy Spirit and also any experimental Tasts or sensible Evidence All Knowledge which hath no better Foundation will arise no higher than to beget in the Soul an Opinion and leaves the Soul at some Incertainties and unfixed and hence its Motions towards an Object of which it hath no better Evidence are also incertain and faint and fluctuating Knowledge being the Foundation of Desire Reason will tell us that the Desire must bear proportion with the Knowledge The unregenerate man having no Knowledge of Spiritual things that is productive of more than an Opinion the desire must be incertain and faint according to the nature of the Opinion that causeth it By this also Christians may be able to take some Measures and make up some Judgments of themselves whether the desires they find in their Souls after Christ and his Loves be such as are peculiar to the Souls of Believers yea or no. We usually say that Desires after Grace are Evidences of it and there is a truth in it but all desires are not so for as I have said there may be desires after Christ and his Loves in an unregenerate Man commensurate to that knowledge which he hath of the Goodness of them but this will speak nothing of good to the Soul only such Desires as flow from a Christians Knowledge of Faith and from Experience He that hath only a knowledge of Christ and his Loves from Reading the word or from the Report of Ministers may so far desire Christs Loves as may serve him for his own ends nay though he hath no great Faith as to that eternal State of Happiness to which Christ brings the Soul but hath only received Notions of such ablessed State to which he gives no great credit yet for his own Security because his notions may be true though he hath no great fixed persuasion of them he may yet desire the Loves of Christ so far as to bring him to
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
certainly a forbidden Relation Love not the world saith the Apostle nor the things of the world yet never were more to be found amongst such who are called Christians Thirdly Marriage doth not alwaies spoil Virginity as it signifies Chastity But an heart equally cleaving and inclining to two men will especially if byast to him who is not the Woman's Husband She that hath one true and proper Husband and yet loveth another equally with him or more than he hath lost her Virgin-heart Ah! how many of these are there amongst Professors they are married to Christ in the face of the Church they were baptized into his Name and are under Vows to be the Lord's But as God said of old concerning Ephraim Their heart is divided and therefore they must be found faulty Ah! How many are there that have divided hearts that halt between two Opinions and are not able to conclude with themselves whether Baal be God and they should serve him or God be God and they shall serve him Nay they halt between two Conversations something there is of Heaven in them but alas how much of the Earth how much of sin folly and vanity how much of contradiction to their Profession where 's a Christian Caleb to be found to walk with God fully Fourthly If we have some that are Virgins yet how few beautiful Virgins where 's the beauty the glory of Professors where 's their former shining out before men Ah! call your Children Ichabods call them Ichabods The Glory is departed in a great measure from England from the Professing Party of England Where 's the former sincerity love to God zeal for God plainness of heart sincerity of conversation brotherly love heavenly walking the World the vanities of the World have spoiled Professors beauty The Sun of a little outward prosperity hath shone upon them how are they tanned But in the next place this discourse offers us a fair opportunity to try our Relation to Christ whether we be the Lambs Wife who shall hereafter follow him whithersoever he goes 1. Are you Spiritual Virgins There are tokens of Spiritual as well as Natural Virginity 1. Purity and Chastity in heart as well as outward appearance Blessed are they saith our Saviour who are pure in heart for they shall see God is not thy heart defiled with sensual affections impetuous passions doth not thy Soul cleave to sin and lust 2. Dost thou live like a Virgin an hidden life doth not the world see all that thou hast of a Spiritual life dost thou not like the Pharisees love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the corners of the Streets more than with thy doors shut about thee in thy closet livest thou any thing of that life which is hid with Christ in God is it thy only and greatest care to please thy heavenly Father and Christ thy great Lord and Master 3. Where 's thy modesty the Virgin blusheth presently when any thing is reflected upon her Art thou ashamed when thou committest iniquity and thy heart reflects it upon thee or hast thou a Whores fore-head that cannot blush I might instance in many particulars more but these are enough to try thy Spiritual Virginity 2. A second note of the Spouse of Christ arising from this Text is a love to Christ Love is a natural plant and groweth in every Soul but love to Christ is a plant from Heaven heavenly a plant sprung up from the seed of God in the Soul If Christ should from Heaven propo und the fame question to thee which while he was on Earth he propounded to Peter couldst thou answer with him Lord Thou that knowest all things knowest that I love thee This Grace of all others is most discernable for love is of an active nature and will hardly lie hid The pantings of thy heart after him the acquiescence complacency and delight of thy heart in him will easily discover it to thee if thou lookest narrowly The natural man cannot say that his Soul cleaveth to Christ or thirsteth after Christ or taketh any complacency in the Lord Christ Thirdly As God is the fountain of good and blessing to his Creatures and as Christ hath a fair inheritance of a Crown an Heaven an incomprehensible glory which is annexed to the fruition and enjoyment of him so the worst of men may have a kind of love for Christ or rather for what he bringeth along with himself unto the Soul Lastly Therefore Dost thou love Christ for the savour of his good Ointments because his name is an Oil or Ointment poured forth He that loveth Christ meerly for his Heaven and Glory is purely selfish in his love I deny not but Moses had an Eye to the recompence of reward and so hath every honest and gracious heart without doubt Christs beneficence and goodness unto us and the benefit which our Souls have and hope to have from Christ is and ought to be a very great attractive and to draw out our hearts more and more in love to Christ but herein is the purity of the Saints love he discovereth such an excellency in the Lord Jesus Christ that were he never to have an Heaven with him yet his heart would cleave to him infinitely delight in him if thou canst say that thou thus lovest the Lord Jesus it will indeed speak thee to be a Spiritual Virgin a Spouse to the Lord Jesus I shall conclude my discourse upon this verse with a threefold word of Exhortation 1. In the first place methinks from this metaphorical expression of Saints under the notion of Virgins I have here a fair opportunity to plead with Virgins to be Saints Virgins generally have the object of their love to seek Lo here a most deserving object for every young man every young woman that heareth me Methinks the holy Spirit points out this in the Metaphor Therefore do the Virgins love thee Christ here expresseth himself under the notion of some beautiful young man beautified and adorned with all the advantages both of nature and of art So that the Virgins must love him I noted to you before that some would have the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be rather a term of age then either signifying Sex or State oh that I could this day prevail with you who are young men and young women to love the Lord Jesus Christ Youth is an age a time of love full of love but it usually mispends its self upon vain and worthless objects the young man loves his lusts and his pleasures the young woman loveth dancings and foolish sports and vain company and gay and costly attire but how rare is it to find a young man or woman that sincerely loveth the Lord Jesus Christ truly amongst young or old there is hardly one of a thousand but of those that are in the height and heat of their youth hardly one of ten thousand It is too frequent for us to give our marrow to the Devil
us to be reconciled unto God If the Lord had only sent to us to give us warning of a wrath to come and timely notice to flee from it leaving us meerly to our own wills whether we would hear or forbear accept or refuse This had been love above the usual mercy of men who do not usually spend much time in treating and intreating those enemies whom they can easily crush and tread under foot Yet had God done no more for our Souls though in this he had shewed great love yet we through the natural stubborness and perverseness of our hearts had been undone for ever How many are in a high Road to ruine and eternal destruction whom God hath been thus intreating and beseeching many years 2. But now that the Lord should not only do this but put forth an act of power though not saving them against their wills yet making them willing to be saved and in order to it not verbally but really willing to receive Christ as tendred to them in the Gospel so as not only to be saved by him but to submit to those Laws and Rules in the observance of which they shall obtain Salvation and not only so but that God should assist the Soul in the performance of these acts not only giving it to will but to do also This certainly must transcendently commend the love and goodness of God to those Souls that have experienced such grace That God doth not so much for all speaks indeed severity to them but that he doth it for any speaks his unspeakable goodness and good will to their Souls I say that he doth not this for all speaks to them severity but yet justice and that not only in regard of that stock of sufficient grace wherewith our Pro-parent was intrusted which being lost God is under no obligation to restore but also in regard that God never denieth his special Grace until the Soul hath abused his common Grace 3. Nay lastly That the Lord should take care of our Souls after that we are once brought to Christ that he should put his fear into our hearts to keep us from departing from him and never depart from us to do us good that drawing Grace should follow us all the days of our life This certainly is the heighth of Divine Love more than this God could not have done for any Soul those for whom he hath done this must be highly beloved What now is left for such a Soul to do but to strive after perfection to live in a constant eying this All-sufficient God this Fountain of all Fulness and living in dependance upon him To live in a continual thanksgiving to and love for that God who hath dealt thus graciously with it and in a daily care not to grieve that holy Spirit by which it was first drawn to Christ and by which it is sealed to the day of Redemption and guided and kept that it doth not slip fatally O love you the Lord all ye his Saints Let drawing Grace find no renitency no resistance from any of your Souls God hath done for you more than others what will you do for God nay what can you do for that God who hath not only called but pluckt you out of the horrible Pit Take the Cup of Salvation and be for ever praising the Lord. Again we may from hence learn though not the proximate yet a true and remoter cause why the Gospel is preached to many so ineffectually Our Saviour tells us Many are called but few are chosen Isaiah cried out Who hath believed our report to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed Paul in his Preaching was to some the savour of life unto life to others the savour of death unto death When Christ himself Preached some believed others were hardened Whence so great a difference when the Word was the same the Preachers the same both to those that believed to those who were hardened They had all reasonable Souls those Souls had all the same powers the same faculties I mean powers and faculties that had the same virtues We see the same in the experience of every day Indeed there may be some Preaching that may bear no better proportion to the instruction of the ignorant or the conviction of a sinner and turning him from his sinful courses than the Clay and Spittle had to cure the blind man's eyes from which no such effect could have flowed but by a miracle but where there is the same Scriptural spiritual lively powerful Preaching we see this effect Two sit in the same seat one's heart is changed the other 's is not one goes on in his leud courses and perisheth for ever the other is converted his heart changed whence is this difference Is it from him that willeth or him that runneth think you or from him that calleth from him that sheweth mercy because and on whom he will shew mercy We will grant that the one doth not make that use of God's common Grace which he might and therefore the Lord righteously with-holds his special Grace But could not the Lord if he pleased influence the one Soul as well as the other to make a good use of his common Grace Hath God think we no influence upon men inclining their hearts to make a due use of his common Grace When men have said what they can the conversion of every Soul is the effect of the Lord 's drawing and when the Lord doth not draw the Soul doth not cannot come or run The natural man hath many things which draw him another way and God is not pleased to put forth his power upon the Soul Indeed properly nothing but our own lusts draw us another way but our natural passions are inflamed several waies You have an instance of the principal of them in the Parable of the Marriage-Feast which the King made for his Son recorded by Luke c. 14. 18 19 20. Matth. 22. v. 5 c. A certain great man Matthew calls him a King made a great Supper Matthew calls it a Marriage for his Son he bade many saith Luke he sent forth his Servants to call them that were bidden to the Wedding saith Matthew They would not come saith Matthew They all with one consent began saith Luke to make excuse They were invited by potent Arguments I have prepared my Dinner my Oxen and my Fatlings are killed and all things are ready come you to the Marriage Matth. 22. 4. In general it is said They would not come they made light of it they made excuse What drew them another way Lu. 14. 18. The first said I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it I pray thee have me excused And another said I have bought five yoke of Oxen and I go to prove them And another said I have married a Wife and therefore I cannot come who is this King Even the King of Kings the Lord of Lords who is his Son but the Lord
Jesus Christ Of whom he said This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased What are the fatlings kill'd how are all things ready the Lord Jesus Christ hath dyed there is in his blood a sufficiency of merit The Gospel is Preached the Ministers of Christ are sent out to offer reconciliation with God union with Christ to all those to whom the Gospel is Preached a great part of them will not come they make light of the tender of Grace and Salvation what is the matter that they find any difficulty to make hast to their own happiness The three great causes are mentioned and they fall under these three heads 1. Worldly enjoyments 2. Worldly imployments 3. Sensual and sensible satisfactions these have all a power upon man by reason of that lust which is in them either the lust of the Eye or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life 1. Wordly enjoyments hinder some The first said I have bought a Farm I must go and see it The young man Mat. 19. seems to have a good mind to follow Christ Christ bids him first go and sell all that he had and he should have riches in Heaven The Text saith he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions Mat 19. 22. Our Saviour upon it saith to his Disciples Verily I say unto you a rich man shalt hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven It is easier for a Camel to go through the Eye of a Needle then for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Another Evangelist expounds this by one that trusteth in his riches The desire of getting riches and the over-much complacency and delight of the Soul in them together with mens valuing themselves upon them are three great drawers of the Soul from Christ The first as it over-ruleth the Soul to an evil covetousness oppression and unjust methods and measures of gain and so brings him into the herd of those that shall never come into Heaven The Second as it melteth the Soul into sensuality and hindereth those acts of Self-denial and Mortification without which a man cannot be Christs Disciple nor ever come into Heaven The 3d As it swells the Soul with pride and lifts it above religious Duties which it judgeth too mean for it suited to poor people but not to Persons of its degree and quality in the world 2. Worldly Employments hinder others Alass That Men and Women should be too busie to attend the making their calling and election sure but so it is The second said I have bought five yoke of Oxen and I must go and prove them Some Men and Women are not at leasure to be saved as they are not at leasure to pray that the thoughts of their heart might be forgiven them or to hear that their Souls might live Licitis perimus As many perish by the ill uses of lawful things as by reaching their hands to absolutely forbidden fruit more die by meat then by poison Though the Drunkard cannot keep the narrow path that leads to Eternal life yet what hindereth but that a sober Person should what more lawful then to buy five yoke of Oxen and to try and use them when we have them It is the command of God that In the sweat of our Face we should eat our Bread Ah! But if the Cart draws to the Market when God calls to the Solemn Assemblies of his People the five yoke of Oxen prove of fatal consequence O cupide negotiator saith De-Ponte when a man hath so much business about his body that he hath no leasure to attend the business of his Soul he is over-busy and makes his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when his Trading is so much in the world as is inconsistent with having his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his conversation in Heaven then much business makes him mad and his time is but like Domitians spent in catching of flies instead of attending the concerns of the Roman Empire the concerns I mean of his immortal Soul I would have the active men of the world sometimes think whether they have not too much business to manage and go to Heaven too This made our holy Mr. Palmer bless God who had call'd him to the work of the Ministry which drew mens minds towards God whereas most other imployments divert the Soul from God 3. Sensual and sensible satisfactions are another kind of things which potently seduce and draw off the Soul from God Another said I have married a Wise and cannot come Never yet any mist of Heaven but had some impediments or other the others prayed to be excused this guest saith I cannot come Riches draw hard so do worldly business and imployments but ah Pleasures pleasures are the bane of Souls like the silly Bee they are drowned in their own Hony Gods voice grates upon the Ears accustomed to Musick and all manner of delightful sounds A bleeding crucified Christ is a most ingrateful object to the wanton Eye that hath been used only to behold pleasant things Yet it is to be observed that he doth not say I am going to an Harlot but I have married a Wife cannot come Still Licitis perimus These are those potent Seducers which suiting with the strong natural byass inclinations of our hearts draw off from Christ Man is too weak to withstand the force of them God doth not please upon every Soul to whom the Gospel is Preached to put forth his power Hence Souls of the same species under the same means and assistances yet incline and move diversely There is there can be nothing in man that makes him in practice to differ from his Neighbour Let not therefore he who is thus drawn glory for it is God who hath drawn him Nor let any murmur on the behalf of those who are not thus drawn Grace is the Lords own he may do with it what he pleaseth Augustine saith well concerning Grace the cause why it is given to one not to another may be hidden and secret but unjust it cannot be In the mean time as I said before I believe at the great day there will be not be found so much as one Soul that shall be able to accuse God for the denial of this Grace this powerful and effectual Grace who hath not voluntarily resisted and vexed the holy Spirit of God in the use of that common Grace for the want of which he hath no reason to complain and shall not the Lord be justified in refusing to draw those who have first suffered a base lust which was in their power to have resisted to draw them away from him Shall not this powerful Grace be righteously denied to them who have suffered themselves by a revel to be drawn from a Sermon 2. Further yet we may from hence have an account of those many startings aside from God of which his own People are guilty and the inequality of gracious motions and actions Some seem to us to stand still
particular is in letting us know 1. That that faith which will do the Soul any good as to Eternal Salvation must be as the Apostle stiles it Col. 2. 12. a faith of the operation of God The work of Faith with power as the Apostle speaks 2 Thessal 1. v. 11. It is call'd the gift of God Eph. 2. 8. Not of our selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2. 8. The work of God Joh. 6. 29. This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he hath sent It is not only the Commandment of God 1 Joh. 3. 23. and the gift of God but the work the operation of God a work with power such a faith as is an effect of the Fathers drawing This if duly observed will go a great way to guide us in this inquiry it will let us seeâ— that that believing which is the mere product of natural powers is not that coming to Christ to which the promise of life and Salvation is annexed Two things men ordinarily deceive themselves with as to this business of Faith 1. Judging any kind of blind and languid assent to the proposition of the Gospel to be that believing to which the Holy Ghost in Scripture annexeth the promise of Salvation A great many know no more by believing but their agreement that Jesus Christ is the Son of God that he was made man and died for us All which and much more the Devils believe and yet tremble I do not think that an assent to the Proposition of the Gospel be the assent what it will is that Faith which justifieth It is not the Proposition of the Gospel but the Person of the Mediator that is the object of that Faith some indeed tell us that Faith is an operative assent and by that they have mended the matter but if the Person of the Mediator not the Proposition of the Word be the formal and proper object of true Faith no assent can be the justifying act of Faith for the Proposition must be the object of that There are several kinds of assent according to the light in which we see a Proposition We assent to things oft-times meerly upon report and hear-say so as the assent is a meer humane Faith Thus most Englishmen assent to this that there was such a Person as William the Conquerour A thing they can see in no other light than that of humane reports in History of all other assents this is the weakest and most invaluable and before we give it there must appear to us a probability in the thing upon this account none but those who judge themselves obliged to believe what the Church saith and that those Books were written by the order of the Church believeth or assenteth to the strange stories in the Popish Legends because their reason tells them the things are improbable yea impossible without a miraculous operation which they see no reason God should work in such a case nor will men give their assents in such cases but where they are not much concerned whether the thing be true or false so as it is equal to them to agree the thing or to deny it 2. Men assent to things upon the evidence of ratiocinations they form conclusions from principles and then assent to them Now in regard our reason is not infallible this assent likewise though more strong than the other yet is but saint and incertain and alters as we see better reason for the contrary 3. There is an assent which is given to a Proposition upon the account of a divine revelation Now this assent is stronger or weaker as the Revelation is more fully or imperfectly incertainly agreed A man by a natural power may assent to the Proposition of the Gospel as delivered to him by men he that thus assenteth doth no more assent to what the Gospel saith of Christ than to what Histories tell him of what was done by the Saxon or Norman Kings many hundred years ago Reason working upon its own principles sheweth us nothing of Christ The Scriptures are by all Christians generally lookt upon as the Word of God but no man hath any certain and firm persuasion that they are so but he who is persuaded of it by the Holy Spirit of God all arguments from tradition and reason have their incertainties and though they are useful to make it probable to others yet they do not produce a certainty of persuasion in our own Souls hence the assent to such Propositions as are only revealed in Scripture must also be faint and incertain and consequently not operative or very incertainly operative so that although it may produce something of practice whiles the fit of assent is upon the Soul yet it produceth no steady certain constant practice so as though it should be granted that a practical assent to the Proposition of the Gospel be true justifying faith to which is annexed the pardon of sin yet if by it we mean such an agreement of our minds to the truth as produceth a certain steady constant or ordinary practice and course of life conformable to the propositions of truth which we agree as this will imply trusting and relying on Christ for life and salvation so it is such as is the operation of God in the Soul and that not in a way of common providence as our abilities to speak or move are but in a way of special favour and working for mans agreeing to the holy Scriptures to be the Word of God firmly and steadily being the reason why he agrees the truth of the propositions which are revealed in it alone and that being the special work of God in Souls that shall be saved of necessity such also must be the assent to the Propositions that are revealed in it and which can be seen by the Soul in no other light So as indeed I do not think there is much in it more than a strife about words or at least a very great nicety whether true justifying Faith be a practical assent to the Propositions of the Gospel or a reliance on the Person of the Mediator or rather both for a practical assent doth necessarily infer a reliance on the Person of the Mediator Admitting that this is one Proposition of the Gospel Acts 4. 12. That there is no Salvation in any other for there is no other name given under Heaven amongst men whereby we must be saved and that the Soul in its practice of holiness hath any Eye to the recompence of reward it is impossible there should be any practical assent to use the term of some that is any assent to the Proposition that shall produce any truth or constancy of practice without a reliance upon and trusting to the Person of the Mediator and this must be the special work and powerful operation of God in and upon the Soul But now if men make any kind of languid weak and incertain assent to the Gospel Faith and think that they have true Faith
uneven towards us that in the darkness of our Spirits we might sometimes read the darkness of our loose and sinful conversation God thus punisheth our pride our hypocrify our neglect of duty our wilful yielding to temptations to which we might have made a better opposition And upon the withdrawing of these influences we have all just reason to search and try our own hearts and to reflect upon our own ways to search out if we can the cause why when others are in the Mount with God we are still kept in the valley while they are in the Chambers we are kept in the lower Rooms this is certain that though possibly the punishment of sin be not alwaies the next cause moving God to such dispensations yet we have alwaies reason to suspect it having our Souls never so free from sin but we may find enough to justify God in them 2. It may be reasonable that God should thus deal with us that we might know as I told you in handling the other Doctrine that his grace is free and he a free agent in the dispensation of it Not only first grace but further grace also in God is free indeed else it could not be grace we should never understand the freeness of grace if it were equally dispensed We in our little manifestations of our love to our fellow creatures challenge to our selves a liberty and think our selves free to shew it where we will God certainly must in justice be allowed the same which we should not be brought to see and acknowledge if we saw God treating all his Servants and at all times to the same rate and in the same degree 3. It may be the mind of God to make a trial of his peoples grace to draw forth some habits into acts which would not be so exercised if some of his people were not under different dispensations and the same Souls sometimes variously exercised The Soul that is with the Lord in his Chambers is more a receiver from God then a giver to him It gives him the exercise of its saith in its reflex act which indeed is not very properly an act of faith It offereth up unto God the sacrifice of joy of praise and thanksgiving it followeth here in the next words we will be glad and rejoice in thee It may exercise its love of complacency and delight in God But all this while where is the exercise of the Souls panting and breathing after God of its faith of adherence unto and dependence upon God of its hope in God and patient expectation of and waiting for God where is the exercise of its patience and submission to God under severer providences It is reasonable that God should see all those blessed habits which he hath infused into the Soul drawn forth into act 4. The good Judas asked Christ John 14. 22. Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self to us and not to the world Christ told him because they loved him more and kept his Commandments better There is the same reason to be assigned why Christ will manifest himself to some of his Saints more then to others because at some times the love of his people more manifesteth itself to him by a stricter keeping of his Commandments and the love of some good men is greater for God Now to encourage men as I before said to perfect holiness in his fear though he will give them all glory yet some shall in this life have Gods goodness made to pass before them more then others that others may see what it is to be much with God 5. Lastly God often doth it for the good of others And indeed this generally is the reason of that more special communion with God which some have more then others as to the Revelation of his mind and will unto them thus God would not hide from Abraham the thing which he had to do against Sodom because Abraham had a Family to instruct God taketh Moses up into the Mount and revealeth his mind and will unto him that he might teach the People over whom God had set him his Statutes and Judgments the same reason is to be given of Gods special communications to the Prophets under the Old and the Apostles under the New Testament and doubtless the same reason is to be assigned for Gods more full revelation of his mind and will already revealed in the Scripture to his faithful Servants in the Ministry who generally know more of the sense of Scriptures and the mind and will of God revealed in them then other Christians do because God designeth that the Priests lips should preserve knowledge and the people should enquire at them and there is the same reason to be given for some more then ordinary influences of grace upon some Christians Souls See 2 Cor. 1. 4. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comforts who comforteth us in all tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God God hath made us one for another and in the dispensings out of his own gifts and graces he hath respect unto the serviceableness both of Ministers and others one to another But this is sufficient for the Doctrinal part of this discourse Sermon XXVI Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his Chambers YOU have heard the Proposition raised from these words God hath Chambers in which he sometimes entertains the Souls of his people As there are specialties of common Providence so there are specialties of special and distinguishing grace He takes some of those who love and fear him into nearer degrees of fellowship and communion with him then he doth others Man will claim himself a prerogative in this the Parent will be more fond of more kind to one Child then another though he owns them both as his Children and will give to them both a portion The Prince who hath a tender love for all his Subjects yet will be allowed his favourites Let us not then accuse God in such dispensations of partiality or injustice let us not murmur that we have lesser shares in his manifestative love This is a thing we are very prone to Christ taught it us in the Parable of the Prodigal Luke 15. The Son that was alwaies at home with the Father v. 28 29. was angry and would not go into his Fathers House no not though his Father intreated him because the Father had killed a satted Calf to entertain his Prodigal Brother returning our Saviour doubtless intended in that parable to check the Jews envy at the kindness Christ was about to shew to the Gentiles or did at that time shew to Harlots to Publicans and Sinners but it reacheth further we shall find all our hearts too prone to this to repine at the further manifestations of the love of God to others Souls then unto ours If
or touch and indeed this is the judgment of the greatest part of the world when they say who will shew us any good this is all they understand by it who will gratify our sensitive appetites These are the things they desire delight and rejoice in these men rejoice in nothing but in pleasures profits or honours such things as either serve the lust of the Eye or the lust of Flesh or the pride of life 2. A second Eye by which we discern good and accordingly judge of it is the Eye of Reason God hath indued man with a reasonable Soul which hath several powers and faculties amongst the rest the understanding by which I understand that power in man by which he apprehendeth things and the reason of them and takes the impression of notions that which is suited to this we call good and upon a much truer notion then the other Hence is some mens thirst and desire of knowledge and knowledge is as sweet to them as Wine is to the Drunkard they discern an excellency in the mind and Soul above what is or can be in the fleshly part of a man and delight more in understanding then the voluptuous man doth in pleasure or the worldly man in wealth that is their good for which they contemn pleasures and all sensual satisfactions 3. Our third way of apprehending good is by the Eye of saith which the Apostle tells us is the evidence of things not seen There are some whom God hath so far enlightned by the revelation of his will as they do not only know that they have bodies and a sensitive part which requireth satisfaction to its several cravings and a more noble part which is the mind capable of understanding things and the reasons and causes of them but Souls an immortal part capable of the favour of God of an union and communion with him they know that the happiness of man can lie in nothing beneath the favour of God nothing beneath an union and communion with him they have read it in the Word of God to which God hath wrought in their hearts a firm and full assent that no man cometh to the Fathers but by Christ There is no other name given under Heaven no other way by which they can arrive at a true peace and happiness either in this life or in that which is to come And from hence it is that all their desires are after Christ all their hope in him and he becometh their chief joy 2. A second reason of their rejoicing in Christ more then other mens lies in their different relation to him and interest in him or apprehensions at least of that relation and interest I told you before that although an apprehended good be the object of our love before we enjoy it the Soul cannot but take some pleasure and complacency in what he apprehendeth under that notion yet while the Soul cometh to have some relation to it some propriety and interest in it though it may move towards it by desire and hope yet it comes not to a joy and rejoycing in it till it comes to have some apprehension that it hath obtained it You may see this in other things suppose a man of the world to fancy a great estate or a great degree of honour and diâ—nity to be good or that an ingenious Child fancieth the like of knowledge both the one and the other may desire these things at a distance the man of the world may wish he had such an Estate and the Schollar may wish he had such degrees of learning and knowledge but till the one and the other have attained what they desire in some degree they cannot rejoice in it neither is their mind satisfied nor at rest It is the same case as to a spiritual man He is enlightned to see he hath a Soul of a further capacity then the most men understand their Souls to be that he hath some further wants then the most understand that they have he believeth the Scriptures and understands that he wants peace and reconciliation with God he understandeth that there shall be a Resurrection a day of Judgment and that he must one day be in an happy or in a miserable eternity so as he wants the security of a better life when this life shall be at an end upon this account he may be pleased with the thoughts of Christ as he by whom these good things alone can be obtained he may desire Christ he may hope in him but till he comes to apprehend that he hath obtained a part and interest in him it is impossible he should rejoice in him and according to his apprehensions of his interest so is his joy and rejoycing in Christ There must be some union betwixt the Soul and its object before there can be any joy and rejoycing 1. There is an union of contemplation We cannot so much as contemplate a desirable object but our Soul must have some union with it and there will a proportionable joy attend this indeed this will be of all other the weakest in degree because this is the lowest degree of union imaginable Thus a man may rejoyce in the contemplation of a door of salvation opened to Mankind by Christ before he hath made any use of it at all to enter in thereat Thus the Angels at the Birth of Christ proclaimed glad tidings and joy to all people 2. There is an union of hope when the Soul doth not only contemplate some great and eminent good but apprehendeth it attainable by itself tho not without some difficulty as this union of the Soul with its object now is closer and fuller then the other so the joy that resulteth from it must necessarily be more hence in Scripture you read of the rejoycing of hope which the Apostle would have believers keep firm 3. There is an union of sensible possession or which is the fame of faith and full persuasion which makes things unseen visible to us and as this of all other is the most full and perfect union so it causeth the most full and perfect joy it most satisfieth the Soul and brings it most to its rest and causeth the greatest triumph and festival in the Soul even a peace which is past all understanding There is no believer but hath obtained one of the two latter unions with Christ No unbeliever that hath obtained more then the former An unbeliever may have heard that Christ came into the world to save Sinners to seek and to save that which is lost and may have a proportionable joy but alass how little must it be while he neither feeth a need of him nor yet can have any apprehension that he hath any share or interest in him It can be no more then as the rejoycing of an understanding man to hear that an able Physician is come into the Country before he is sensible of any need he hath of him or hath had any experience of his skill and ability
But there is no true believer but either hopes in his mercy or hath some assurance of his love and from hence it is 1. That the true believer alone can rejoyce truly rejoice in Christ 2. That one believer rejoyceth in him above what another can I say the true believer alone can rejoyce in Christ for he alone is sensible of that goodness and excellency that is in him and he alone is apprehensive of any relation that he hath to him or any interest in him others are without Christ he alone can say my Lord and my Saviour And hence I say it is that one believer can rejoice in Christ more than another because one mans apprehension of his part and interest in Christ may be more full than anothers One hath but the apprehension of a good hope the other may have a full persuasion But though there may be a great difference in the degrees of believers joy yet they concur all in their object Christ is the object the singular object of all their joy After this discourse I need not enlarge in telling you how Christ becomes their object of joy not meerly considered as God blessed for ever nor meerly considered as Mediator betwixt God and Man and the Saviour of lost Sinners if he were not so they could not rejoice in him but neither doth his being so give them any cause of rejoycing but in the notion in which he is mentioned all along this Song i. e. considered as their Bridegroom as united unto them and having a particular favour and relation to their Souls For though good considered abstractly may be the object of our love desire and hope yet only good united to us is the object of joy yea and good apprehended by us as our portion and according to the degree both of our union with the good and apprehension of that union so will our joy be And hence again the most perfect joy of believers must necessarily be in their glorified estate hence Heaven is called Out Masters joy for as our union with God and Christ will be there most full and perfect so our apprehension of it will be most clear and not interrupted But that is not the theme of my present discourse I am speaking of the object of believers joy in this life not in that which shall be in that life which is to come when their joy will be unspeakable and full of glory I added in the Proposition that Christ is the singular object of their joy We will saith the Spouse be glad and rejoice in thee this is â—ruâ— both exclusively and inclusively 1. Exclusively 1. He will râ—joyce in nothing inconsistent with the fruition of Christ There is a â—â—mâ—al rejoycing in the satisfaction of mens lusts this is the joy of an Epicure the Drunkard shouts for new Wine And you read of some whose rejoycing was to devour the poor Hab. 3. 14. I told you before that Joy is nothing else but the satisfaction that the Soul hath and the rest which the Soul takes with the Triumph which it makes in its union with that Object which it judgeth good Now the gratifying of lusts and pleasing the senses and the concupiscible or irascible appetite being that which low-born Souls have chosen as their good their rejoycing in this satisfaction is natural to them This Joy is but for a moment Job 20. 5. and shall one day be turned into heaviness Jam. 4. 9. This mirth this laughter is madness as Solomon speaks Eccles 2. 2. like the crackling of Thorns under a Pot Eccles 7. 6. Sorrow saith Solomon is better than it for those that thus laugh shall weep Luk. 6. 25. The Soul that loves Christ cannot rejoyce with this Joy Charity rejoyceth not in evil 1 Cor. 13. This is inconsistent with the enjoyment of Christ and of his favour with that self denial which is necessary to those that will be his Disciples with that taking up of the Cross which is another Law of his Discipleship 2. It is exclusive of rejoycing in any thing without him Though Christ and his Love and Favour be the believing Soul's supreme good the One thing which he desireth yet there are other things which he may and doth account good in their order God hath not forbidden a man to rejoyce in the Wife of his youth and in the Children which God hath given him nor in those providential dispensations by which he accommodateth the lives of his people and maketh them more sweet and happy but the believing Soul cannot rejoyce in these things unless at the same time he seeth reason also to rejoyce in Christ Men of the world can rejoyce in full Barns Coffers though in the mean time they have no sense no hope of the pardon of their sins and reconciliation with God the reason is because they have set up these things as their chief good and are not affected with the concerns of their Souls as they relate to Eternity But neither can the Believer partake of these Joys The Soul can neither rejoyee in any enjoyment exclusive of its chief good nor yet in any thing in the absence of its chief good A believing Soul in any measure satisfied concerning the Love of God to it can rejoyce in the Wife of his bosom in the Children which God hath given him in the accommodations with which God hath blessed him as to the sweetning of this life but without some assurance or some good hope at least through grace that Christ is his and he hath the favour of God in and through his blood he can rejoyce in none of these things It was a peevish expression of Haman Esth 5. 11 12 13. When he told his friends of the glory of his riches the multitude of his Children and all the things wherein the King had promoted him and how he had advanced him above the Princes and Servants of the King and how that Esther had invited him and none but him and the King to the Banquet which she had prepared and added All this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mordecay the Jew sitting in the King's gate Envy slayeth the fool saith Solomon But every pious Soul when he thinks how God hath blest him with a loving Wife sweet and dutiful Children a plentiful Estate yet saith All this availeth me nothing so long as I suspect and fear that I have no part or Interest in Christ There be saith David many who will say Who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me thou hast put gladness into my heart more than in the time that their Corn and Wine increased 3. The Joy of the Soul in Christ is such that it can rejoyce in him alone It is the expression of the Prophet Habakkuk ch 3. v. 17 18. Although the Figg-tree shall not blossom neither shall there be fruit in the Vine the labour of the Olive shall sail and the Fields shall yield no
meat the Flock shall be cut off from the sold and there shall be no Herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord and I will joy in the God of my Salvation The believing Soul can rejoyce in nothing without Christ and it can rejoyce in Christ when it hath nothing more to rejoyce in Let a gracious Soul have but the sense of God's Love in Christ to his Soul he can say to all the world as Esau though not upon such a consideration said to his Brother Jacob I have enough my Brother I have enough keep what thou haft unto thy self Am I justified and regenerated have I peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ have I the pardon of my sin and a righteousness wherein I can stand before God it is enough If the Lord will not give me Bread to eat nor Children to continue my name if I die Childless so I do not die Christless it is enough If I have not Raggs to cloth me nor an Estate to leave Portions to six and also to seven yet I have said to the Lord Thou art my Portion it is enough Hence ariseth a good Christian's contentment in all Estates I have learned saith Paul in all estates to be content content to want content to abound content to have little or much as the Lord pleaseth If the Lord will take away such a man's Children Estate c. he saith with Job The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the Name of the Lord. If I have my part in Christ saith he I have yet enough Omnia mea mecum porto I have my All as the Philosopher is reported to have said when his City was on fire and his Neighbours reflected on him going out and carrying nothing along with him nor concerning himself for the share of Estate he had in it If the Believer considereth his body he seeth a crazy constitution diseases growing upon him if he looks into his Family and seeth it empty of Children if into his Grounds and seeth them bring forth nothing but Weeds and Thistles if into his Stalls and seeth them empty of Cattel yet if he looks into his Soul and finds any evidences of the Love of Christ he can rejoyce in them this must be understood when he seeth himself stript naked not by his own wicked hands but as Job was by the effective Providence of God for the loss of the things of this life the good things of the common Providence of God caused by our own sinful hands and miscarriages oft-times hinder this Joy as they make it difficult to us to see the Love of God in and under them 4. And lastly This Soul rejoyceth in Christ Primarily Emphatically Supremely The Child of God is a parta ker of flesh and blood and hath a sensitive appetite which when gratified necessarily causeth a joy proportionate to the good which it receiveth hence he rejoyceth in the good things of common Providence as well as another man but not as much as another man not upon the same account that another man doth Christ is the Believer's chief Joy and as his title to the good things of this life differs from the title of another so his joy in them differeth from the joy of another All men may have a natural legal title to the good things of this life Dominion and Title is not founded in grace but it is mended by grace Another man derives from God as the Lord of the whole Earth who by his common Providence distributeth portions to the Sons of men as he pleaseth but the believer doth not only derive from God as the supreme Lord but from Christ all is yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods saith the Apostle so that while he rejoiceth in the gifts of common Providence he rejoiceth in Christ because he rejoyceth in these things as coming from the hand of a Father reconciled to him by the blood of Christ he rejoiceth in the good things of this life as the loving Wife reioiceth in some present made her by her Husband not so much in the fineness or costliness of it though that may also please her humor as in the kindness and love of her Husband shewed in giving it her So the believer more rejoyceth in the goodness of God shewen to him in any dispensation of Providence then in the thing which God hath given him or her and he supremely rejoiceth in Christ whiles he rejoiceth in a lower comfort Let me shew you this in the instance of Hannah whose story you have 1 Sam. ch 1 2. She was the Wife of Elkanah she had no Children and was passionately desirous of the blessing of Children an affection common to all of that sex especially and for which there was some more special reason in that Age and Nation partly because of the promise of a numerous issue to Abraham so as the Women that were Barren lookt upon themselves as hardly the genuine Children of Abraham at least not sharers in his blessing partly because they knew the Messias was to be born of a Jewish Woman and every Child-bearing Woman might have an expectation to be his Mother Under this great affliction she applies her self to God by prayer the Key of the Womb is one of those Keys which the Jewish Doctors say God keepeth in his hand God hears her prayer she conceiveth and brings forth Samuel as in the first Chapter she names him Samuel to testify her joy in receiving him as an answer of her Prayer upon which she dedicates him to the Lord 1 Sam. 1. 28. So in the second Chapter she sings a Song of praise mark the phrase of it 1 Sam. 2. 1. Mine heart rejoyceth in the Lord my Horn is exalted in the Lord. Her Child was the next object of her joy but how doth she rejoice in him the primary object of her joy was the Lord her great joy in Samuel was as God by giving him to her shewed her his love and that he had not shut out her supplications from him She rejoyced in God Supremely in Samuel Subordinately in God Emphatically in her Child more remissly Thus doth a good Christian rejoice in Christ thus is he the singular object of a believers joy David calleth God the gladness of his joy we translate it his exceeding joy Psal 43. 4. The Prophet Isaiah faith Isaiah 29. 19. The meek shall encrease their joy in the Lord and the poor amongst men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel Yet the proximate cause was v. 20 Because the terrible one was brought to nought and the scorner consumed and all those that watched for iniquity cut off Hence Christ commandeth his Disciples not to rejoice in this that the Devils were subject to them but that their names were written in the Book of Life Doubtless the subjection of Devils to them was true matter of joy ah but it was no primary object no supreme object of their joy no
have some fits of pleasure and delight in sin but neither of them will be constantâ— and abiding a good mans pleasure in sin is but a fit of sensuality a wicked mans trouble for fin is but a fit of distast It is a good sign that he or she rejoiceth in God and in Christ that can find no sensual satisfaction to rejoice in Secondly It is a sign that Soul truly rejoyceth in the Lord Jesus Christ that can rejoyce in no sensible enjoyment without the sense of God's love in and through him The unquietness and dissatisfaction of the Soul in the midst of all its sensible comforts if at any time it wants the sense of God's love and the pardon of its sins in and through Christ will much evidence Christ to be the Head of his Joy or his chief Joy There are few Souls in this life whose daies are without clouds sometimes they walk in the light sometimes in the dark and see no light now for a Soul under the fullest affluence of created comforts to be able to rejoyce in nothing in the absence of the sense of Christ's love is an excellent sign Abraham Gen. 15. 2. when God bid him ask him what he should give him replyeth Lord what canst thou give me so long as I go childless This now argued that a Child was the chief of his desires and the chief Joy which he had in prospect Abraham had a plentiful Estate a beloved Wife but his dissatisfaction for want of an Heir spake a Child to be his chief Joy an object which his heart was ready more to rejoyce in than in all that he had besides it When the Soul is at this pass that it can say Lord thou hast given me an Husband or a Wife and Children and I acknowledge thy goodness in them thou hast given me a plentiful Estate and I desire to bless thy Name for that but Lord what canst thou give me what canst thou do for me so long as I want the sense of thy love in Christ all these things are nothing to me whiles I have this dissatisfaction though it will not speak the Soul at this time actually rejoycing in Christ yet it will speak Christ to be its chief Joy Thirdly It is a sign that Christ is the chief Joy of the Soul if it can rejoyce in Christ alone when there is no fruit in the Vines when the Figg-tree doth not blossom and the labour of the Olives faileth as Habakkuk expresseth it that is when all sensible external satisfactions fail That Soul which hath not chosen Christ for his portion will hardly be content with Christ alone Mephibosheth declared that Davia's return in peace to Hicrusâ—lem was his chief Joy when upon David's saying Thou and Ziba divide the Lands he calmly replied 2 Sam. 19. 30. Yea lâ—t him take all for as much as my Lord the King is returned to his House in Peace It is said of the Primitive Martyrs Heb. 10. 34. That they indured with joy the spoiling of their goods knowing that they had in Heaven a far more induring substance Our hearts may be ready to deceive us in this point when we only put a case to our Souls and the thing appears at a distance It may be therefore we may come to a nearer judgment what our Souls would do in such a case by observing the frame and temper of our Spirits and what their support is under smaller losses and deprivations of more external comforts There is none of us but at some time or other suffer something from the hand of God immediately or from the hands of men We lose possibly a dear relation or a part of our estates supposing now that at this time thou hast no apprehensions of the wrath of God no fears as to the pardon of thy sins and thy interest in Christ how is thy Spirit under such providences canst thou look above them and yet rejoice that thy Christ is not taken from thee if you should see a Woman in the loss of a Child or Children yet lifting up herself above her sorrows and blessing God that it is not her Husband he is yet alive you would easily conclude that her Husband was her chief joy though she had some pleasure some satisfaction in her Child yet her Husband was the head of her joy 4. Lastly Canst thou joy in Christ Supremely not in thy mercies so much as in the God of thy mercies and in thy mercies only as thou seest the favour and goodness of God in them you read Luke 10. 17. that after Christ had sent out the 70 they after some time returned and made this report to him Lord even the Devils are subject unto us through thy name Christ tells them v 19. Behold I give you power to tread on Serpents and Scorpions over all the power of the Enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you notwithstanding in this rejoice not that the Spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven God saith thus to many of his people Behold I give you comfortable Wives towardly and dutiful Children plentiful Estates success in your tradings and worldly businesses I set an hedge of providence about you whatsoever you take in hand doth prosper Notwithstanding rejoice not in this let not this be the great matter of your content and satisfaction But rejoice in this that I have given you my Son and through him the pardon of your sins and favour with me an evidence that your names are written in the Book of Life He that can do this makes Christ the head of his joy And if you can do this 1. You will be more troubled at the fears or apprehensions of the loss of Christs love then at the fears or apprehensions of the loss of any external satisfactions whatsoever 2. You will be rather willing to part with all then to do any thing that may hazard your loss of Gods favour Thus the Martyrs shewed that Christ was their supreme joy Let us labour to find this evidence of grace in our Souls to bring up our hearts to be glad and to rejoice in Christ in that manner as I have opened to you and particularly to rejoice in the answer of our prayers I will inlarge upon both these branches a little Let us be unquiet in our spirits until we find that our hearts are brought to this to rejoyce in Christ solely and supremely to rejoyce in him as our righteousness as our strength as our portion as our All in all I told you before that the Apostle Phil. 3. thus describeth a true Christian one that was of the true Circumcision The Jews he calls there the Concision but saith he We are the Circumcision who rejoyce in Christ Jesus He speaketh there of a reioycing in him as our Righteousness as he from whose perfect Righteousness alone the Soul expecteth Salvation This is in opposition to a rejoycing in any Birth-priviledges or
that understand you have Souls under an ordination to an eternal Existence that know the state of the Soul by nature and have tasted also how good the Lord is to you to whom Christ is precious and whom you will easily acknowledge your chief Joy I am calling to you but for the exercise of an habit with which God hath indeed indued you the exerting of a power with which God hath blessed you the using of a right which God hath given you There are amongst others two great causes why Christians do not so rejoyce in Christ as they ought to do 1. The first is Their giving too much way to unbelief and despondency Though we cannot increase our own Faith without special grace assisting yet we may promove our unbelief favouring our despondency and cherishing our doubts and giving way to our groundless fears and forgetting the Covenant of Grace not saying often enough to our Souls Why art thou cast down O my Soul c. 2. The second is Their too much carnality or worldliness Where almost is the man to be found that cannot rejoyce in his worldly Affluences although he wants the sense of the Love of God in Christ or that if he were tried would not find it an hard matter to rejoyce in God if the Fig-tree did not blossom and there were no fruit on the Vine How ready are we to rejoyce in our creature-comforts when we have them more than in the Love of Christ to our Souls whence is this but from our too much savouring minding and living upon Earth and earthly things Is the hearing of Prayers such a matter of joy to a gracious man how should this engage us 1. So to pray that we may receive an answer of them from the Lord 2. To look after our Prayers and the answers of them that the sense of such an answer may excite our joy in Christ As to the first I have spoken so fully to it under the first Doctrine I handled from this Text that I shall not need again to inlarge upon it here I shall only inlarge upon the second Foolish Children that shoot Arrows and never look after them lose that pleasure and content in their game which those have who observe what becomes of their Arrows and how near they come to the mark to which they are directed and levelled Formal Christians who send up Prayers to Heaven and never look after them never consider whether the Lord answereth them yea or no lose that pleasure and satisfaction which the Soul hath that watcheth his Prayers and with David when early in the morning he hath directed his Prayers to God as Psal 5. 3. looketh up You read of the Prophet Habakkuk when chap. 1. he had been putting up his Prayer to God he resolveth chap. 2. v. 1. to stand upon his watch and to set himself upon the Tower watching to see what God would say unto him Here now comes in a considerable question viz. How a Christian shall know whether God hath heard and answered his prayers yea or no The difficulty lies upon two things 1. Vpon God's different ways of answering 2. In regard we may receive the good things we receive from God meerly from him as a God full of pity and tender compassion seeing and pitying the misery and needs of his creatures as our Saviour saith He hears the young Ravens when they cry unto him Not as from a God in Christ reconciled and hearing us upon the account of his Truth and Promise and the Intercession of Christ Now the answer of those Prayers only which are answered upon the account of Christ and testifications of the Love of God in Christ can bring the Soul to a gladness and rejoycing in Christ upon that occasion and motive As to the first 1. I see no reason for a Soul that hath been importunate with God for some good thing which it hath not yet received if it finds it self satisfied under the want of it and content to submit to the Will of God in the denial of it and to resign up it self to his good pleasure as to the collation of it upon him I say in such cases as these I see no reason for a Christian to question whether this answer be from God as a God of Truth and Faithfulness fulfilling his promise to the Soul His promise to his people is to with-hold from them no good thing that is nothing which shall be truly and really good for them considered in their circumstances Now where a sensible good is with-held and denied that a real good may be bestowed and the Soul is also brought to see its own mistake in the desire of that sensible good and to acquiesce in the good pleasure of God in not giving it nay to acknowledge that it is better for it not to have it and is quiet and satisfied certainly this is one of the clearest answers of our prayers and no Soul ought to question but this is a return of prayers Let us put a case Suppose a Christian lying under the power of some mortal disease under which he hath often prayed that if it were possible God would make the bitter Cup of Death to pass from him Still he or she groweth weaker and weaker worse and worse as to his or her bodily state but they find within themselves a further contentedness with the good pleasure of God a power to glory in their tribulation and to rejoyce in the hopes of that glory of God to which its affliction is bringing it a desire not to be unclothed meerly and free from its pain but clothed upon that mortality might be swallowed up in life What reason now hath a Christian to suspect whether this be in answer to its prayers and slowing from God as a God of Truth fulfilling his Word seeing as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 5. 5. He that hath wrought us for the self same thing is God who hath also given us the earnest of the Spirit It is a good thing here that is given the Soul it is given it by God it is he who hath wrought the heart into this frame It is given in upon and after earnest prayer and though it be not the very thing in specie which we asked yet it is in value more abundantly compensating the things we asked and finally the thing which we did ask we asked with submission to the Will and Wisdom of God so that as to these kinds of answers I take the case to be clear 2. As to the giving in of such spiritual mercies as we have begg'd of God in their kind whether they be peace of Conscience strength against temptations power against corruptions sensible consolations more freedom and liveliness unto and in duty there is as little reason to doubt because they are the very good things we a kt 2. Of such a spiritual nature as God doth not use to give them to Souls that are strangers to him 3. The matter of
was in my blood live he hath fixed his Love upon me who was by birth an Ethiopian he hath hung a Chain about my neck I am black but I am comely I have met with a story of a Minister who going to visit and pray with a poor creatureâ— possessed by the Devil the Devil thought to have stopt his mouth by objecting to him some sins committed by him in his youth The holy man answered confessing the charge but Satan saith he upon my repentance Christ hath since that washed me with his blood Another story I have met with of a worthy Person who lying upon his sick bed and being alone one opens the door and comes in in the habit of a Scrivener with a Pen and Inkhorn and Paper andsetting himself down at the table in the Chapter called the sick man by name and told him he was sent from God to take account of him of all the sins he had done for which he must presently go and answer to God before his Judgment seat The good man rightly apprehending that it was the Devil had assumed an habit to tempt and distrub him bid him go on and write first Gen. 3. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel Upon which the evil Spirit presently disappeared Speaking only from my memory I may forget some circumstances but this is the substance of the story What the Devil in these cases did by a more audible voice he doth yet every day by impressions made more secretly upon the Spirits of some or other that fear God For tho conscience will of it self often bring sin to remembrance and reflect sins upon the Soul committed long before yet they are some times reflected with such violence and degrees of terror and attended with such strong motions and sollicitations to despair of Divine mercy and to self murder that it is but reasonable to judge there is more in them then the ordinary workings of conscience In such a dark hour as this it will be a great relief to a Soul to think that the Spouse of Christ is black but comely Doth the Devil then object thy blackness whether by reason of past or present sins in bar to thy trust and confidence in God for the forgiveness of them through the blood of Christ Reply to him Satan I have been black I confess it I am black but I am comely also having my Garments washed and rouled in the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World I am as the Tents of Kedar they are black but I am also as the Curtains of Solomon they are exceeding beautiful 3. It also relieveth a Christian under Persecutions and afflictions and against the Worlds upbraidings because of them The Barbarians concluded Paul a Murtherer because they saw a Viper cleaving to his hand and the men of the World are very prone to judge and condemn the People of God for what happeneth to them in this life they see the blackness of Gods Peoples visages under affliction and persecution but the love of God in chastening them that they might not be condemned with the World the exercises of their faith and trial of it and its appearing more precious then that of Gold their patience its perfect worâ— hâ—se are things in which their comeliness appeareth in and under afflictions these are things which they do not see Gods People are also ready to conclude against themselves because of their tryals but there is no just reason for it afflictions are but a blackness of the skin the Child of God may notwithstanding them be within exceeding beautiful and comely The tents of Kedar though they had black and unlovely coverings and outsides yet within might be fill'd with Spices and Riches I shall shut up this discourse with some few words of exhortation to that duty which this notion of truth calls to us for 1. It calleth to all the People of God for humility a mean and low opinion of themselves beauty is often a great temptation to Pride whether it be natural or artificial The Daughters of Sion were haughty and walked with stretched forth Necks and wanton Eyes Isaiah 3. 16. Spiritual beauty gives no advantage to a Soul to think of it self above what it ought to think In all reason we should have been some cause to our selves of that whereof we glory we should have some propriety in it and there should be in it some perfection The comeliness of Gods People is neither natural nor any acquest of their own There are three things which may keep the most comely of Gods Children humble First The consideration of their former blackness Let but any of them look back to the rock out of which they are hewen and to the hole of the Pit out of which they were digged and they will see no reason to be exalted above measure their Father was a Syrian their birth was of the land of Canaan their Father was an Amorite their Mother an Hittite and in the day wherein they were born they were cast out to the loathing of their persons not salted not swadled at all Nor was this all there is none of them but had their conversation in times past according to the Prince of the power of the Air fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Children of Wrath by nature c There is none of them but hath reason to pray that the Lord would not remember the sins of their youth against them and to beg of God that for them he would not write against them bitter things nor make them to possess their years of vanity None of them but before Christs comeliness was put upon them had been guilty of sin enough to make them to walk softly all the days of their lives Secondly The consideration of their present blackness is enough though they are comely yet they are black still they have a body of death a law of their members the lustings of the flesh against the Spirit sins that easily beset them weights that often press them down the beauty of the best of Gods People is but like the beauty of the Moon which is full of spots hath a dark part and often suffers great Eclipses and all whose light is borrowed He observeth not his own heart that doth not see enough in the imperfect and extravagant motions of it to keep him humble Thirdly The third is the consideration from whence he deriveth his beauty If men and women would but debate a little with their own reason they would see no reason to be proud of a comeliness arising from any external Ornament it is something beneath a Reasonable Being to be beholden to a Stone Jewels are no more or a little Earth such are Gold and Silver a Plant or a Fly or a Silkworm or a Sheep a little Wool or Flax for
Confession of our sins one to another called for Jam. 5. 16 17. is one of those holy things which must not be cast before Dogs one of those Pearls which must not be thrown before Swine Thus you shall observe in St. Paul that in that part of his Epistles where he writeth with reference to the Saints he openeth himself and layeth himself naked but where he speaketh of himself with relation to the false Apostles there he magnifieth his Office 4. A fourth case is where a Child of God can probably judge that by his confession of his sin and owning of his blackness before men he may be advantaged by their counsels or by their prayers There are two ways by which a Christian may be advantaged by the confession of his sins unto men 1. With respect to the obtaining of his pardon 2. With respect to his peace or the obtaining a sense of his pardon 1. I say with respect to his obtaining pardon Not that it is in the power of man to pardon sin he only can discharge a debt to whom it is owing Sin is a debt to the justice of God and who but God can remit this debt It is not in the power of Pope or Priest or Minister to pardon sins or grant absolution to any but declaratively he can indeed declare the will of God to pardon the sins of those that truly repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ but that is all the Minister can do in the remission of sin the Act is Gods the Ministers absolution is valid or invalid as the Person doth or doth not truly repent and truly believe But yet I say the confession of sins not only to Ministers but to private Christians may be of great use and effect in order to the obtaining of our pardon by vertue of that promise 1 Joh. 5. 16. If a man see his Brother sin a sin which is not unto death he shall ask and give him life who hath not sinned unto death Now unless we know that our Brother hath sinned how shall we ask for him and unless we have seen him how shall we know it without his own confession of it us 2. But secondly It must also be of great advantage to us with respect to our peace or sense of pardon and that is not only as the other by obtaining their prayers for us but also by obtaining their advice and counsel thus oft-times a Christians owning and confessing some particular sins either to a judicious and faithful Minister or to some judicious and well experienced Christians proveth a great ease and relief to his mind by their speaking of some word in season or by some seasonable advice and counsel Now in such a case as this a Christian may be under the same obligation to confess his sins unto men that every one is to do what is of most proper Spiritual advantage to his Soul 3. Lastly There are some cases wherein a Child of God will own his blackness even bâ—fore the world 1 When he cannot conceal it without denying the truth A Christian is not bound to proclaim his Sin to the men of the world when it may tend to the reproach and blaspheming of the name of God but if the case be so that he hath failed in their sight and they come to the knowledge of it and charge him with it they must not tell a lie to cover their own shame When Tamar Gen. 38. 25. sent to her Father in law the Signet and Bracelets and Staff with that message By the man whose these are I am with Child Discern I pray thee whose are thâ—se Judah acknowledged them and said she hath been more righteous than I. 2. When the sin is known and is an eminent injury to our Neighbour In case of all injuries to men which are capable of reparation and satisfaction satisfaction is necessary in order to Gods pardon if we be able to make it but not confession in all cases As now suppose a Servant hath stolen from his Master during his service with him and his Master be one that is an Enemy to Religion and Godliness afterwards God changeth this Servants heart he is certainly bound to his ability to make his Master reparation full satisfaction but I do not know that he is bound to come to confess it unto him who probably would make no other use of it then to reproach and blaspheme the name of God and that way and course of Religion in which he is ingaged But in case the thing be known then confession even to man may be our duty to take shame to our own Souls and give glory unto God 3. Lastly a Child of God will confess his sin even before Men of the World where he sees a probable opportunity to do other sinners good by it And this most commonly happeneth when men have been companions in sin one to and with another When men have been companions one to another in Drunkenness These Sabbath-breaking or any other course of sinning A good man may sometimes probably judge that his owniâ—g and confessing with tears to his old Companions his fellowship with them in sinning may probably invite them to a fellowship with him in a consideration of his or their ways in a sense of and godly sorrow for their sins and if he hath any such hopes any such prospect he will confess his blackness even to them Thus I find some Divines interpreting that Jam. 5. 15. Confess your sins one to another That those who have been colleagues and companions in sin one to another should confess and bewail their sins each to other tho I must confess I rather think that Text is to be understood of intimate serious Christians confessing their sins freely one to another in order to the obtaining of the benefit of each others prayers because of what follows And pray one for another These now are those cases and times in and under which the Spouse of Christ will confess and acknowledge that she is black black through the prevailings of sin and corruption Of this Confession of sins we have plentiful instances in Scripture both of such as were more publick and such as were more pâ—ivate it is brought as one argument to prove the Holy Scriptures to be no humane Writings but the Word of God and that holy men wrote as they were inspired by God that they have published their own failings and made their own sins to stand upon Record to Posterity which is not the way of ordinary Writers who commonly write for their own honour and praise Besides the Scripture instances we have it in the daily practice of Gods people not only in their dayly prayers they put up to Almighty God but in their more private converses with Ministers and with fellow Christians which are very full of these confessions and abasements of themselves This freedom of Gods People in owning and acknowledging their blackness proceedeth from several causes 1. The Souls
can we imagine that we should be more concerned to discover our own vileness and naughtiness then Gods Grace and Mercy But of this I shall speak more fully in my handling the Second part of the Proposition Sermon XXXV Canticles 1. 5. I am Black but Comely O ye Daughters of Hierusalem c. I Come now to the second part of the Proposition I raised from these words I had no more time in my last discourse then to handle the former Prop. There are times when Christians are bound to own their graces and to declare what God hath done for their Souls There are such times when good Christians must not only say they are Black but also own that they are Comely That this is a duty appeareth from the practice of the Servants of God in holy Writ Psal 66. 16. Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my Soul And indeed what are most of the Psalms of David but declarations of this nature to say nothing of Pauls speeches before Festus and Agrippa c. But whatsoever I intended for the proof of it I shall bring under the explication applying it to the particular cases The Question is Qu. When and in what cases are Christians concerned to own acknowledg and declare unto others their grace and what God hath done for their Souls As I said of the other piece of a Christians duty so I shall say of this It is their duty 1. To own and acknowledg it to God 2. To the Church of God 3. To the Men of the World sometimes 1. To God This is their unquestionable duty at all times and you shall find it the frequent practice of the Servants of God in Scripture If we have any Comeliness it is Christs Comliness put upon us and it is but reasonable that God should have the acknowledgment of it to his Honor and Glory But of this there is no question neither is this the acknowledgment of the Text she is here speaking not unto God but to the Daughters of Jerusalem It is our duty also in some cases to own our Comeliness through grace unto men 2. To the Church of Christ and to particular Christians 1. To the Church and that in two cases 1. Upon our Admission into it 2. Upon our Re-admission and restoring to the Priviledges of it We find in the first Plantation of Churches of the Gospel there was ordinarily such a confession and acknowledgment It is said Mat. 3. That those who were Baptized of John were Baptized in Jordan confessing their Sins Matth. 3. 6. After Christs Ascension into Heaven we read of the three thousand Souls added to the Church that they were first pricked at the Heart and said to Peter and to the rest of the Apostles Men and Brethren what shall we do and in Acts 8. 36. when the Eunuch said to Philip Here is Water what doth hinder me to be baptized Philip answereth if thou believest with all thine heart thou maiest and he answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God In those first admissions into the Gospel Church it is plain that Confession of Sin and Profession of a Faith in Christ were required as necessary and previous to Baptism by which Persons were admitted into a fellowship with the Church of God But altho the first admission into Gospel Churches were only of Grown Persons able to make Confessions of their Sins and a Profession of their faith in Christ which were alwaies done upon such admissions yet the Children of such persons so Baptized have been alwaies taken to be within the Covenant and so Members of the Church also but whether compleat Members or no hath been a question and indeed generally denied and something further required of them before they have been taken into a full Communion with the Church in the Ordinance of the Supper For that being an Ordinance of the Gospel which is a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith as was said of Circumcision with reference to Abraham Rom. 4. 11. It is but reasonable to conclude that none have a right unto it but such as are made Partakers of that Righteousness of Faith those that by an eye of Faith can discern the Lords Body by an hand of Faith lay hold upon Christ under those sensible signs and representations and that by Faith can Eat the Flesh and Drink the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ while with the Mouths of their Bodies they Eat the Bread and Drink the Wine Hence the Apostle commands us to examine our selves and so to Eat of that Bread and Drink of that Cup and telleth us that whoso Earteth the Flesh and Drinketh the Blood of the Lord unworthily Eateth and Drinketh Judgment unto himself and hence it is that some evidence both of Knowledg and Regeneration is judged necessary to such as have a full Communion in this Ordinance with the Church of Christ The best evidence whereof is undoubtedly an holy conversation That a verbal declaration in this case is absolutely necessary I cannot say which may be made in hypocrisie and it made signifies nothing if not confirmed by an holy Life where it can be made in truth and with freedom of Spirit it is doubtless exceeding satisfactory both to the Ministers of Christ who are Stewards of the Ministries of God of whom it is required that they should be faithful distributing their Masters goods according to their Masters order and to the Members of the Church with which they are joined But I by no means think that it ought to be insisted on as to many Christians who may be under fears and doubts and despondencies but evidence the change of their hearts by a holiness of life Thus far I have a little digressed to give you my judgment in this point By which you may se how little the difference in this case is betwixt Brethren would they calmly listen to hear and to understand one another and not judge each other not heard 2. Upon our re-admission or restoring to the Church of God The judicial separation of Scandalous persons from the Church is a sufficient evidence that no persons unholy in their lives ought to be admitted into a communion with it and that they are no more then presumptive members of it or if you will visible members that is such as in outward appearance are so but when by any open action they discover the contrary they ought to be separated from it and not restored without repentance of which repentance indeed it being the change of the heart we are no infallible judges having no rule of judgment but being forced to trust to the sincerity of Profession joined with a visibly reformed Conversation The Church of Christ in all ages so far as we may trust any account we have had of it hath required both 1. A verbal declaration of what God hath done for the offending party working in him or her a Godly shame
our Souls and the Souls of those that are in relation to us are a trust committed to us by the Lord of the whole Earth by Christ who hath dyed for us So that here is both the relation of a Superiour and of a friend in the case obliging us to take a due care for the keeping of our Vineyards 3. The more eyes we have upon us observing how we manage our trust the more careful we are ordinarily as to the managery of it This is a trust as to which God who hath entrusted us hath an Eye to us how we discharge it this needeth no great proof whoso believeth Gods Omnisciency and considereth the observing Eye which God keepeth upon all men and all their actions so as they are all written in a Book must know and believe this Lastly the more accountable we are for any trust the more we take our selves obliged to keep it with all diligence The trust of every mans Soul is a trust for which he must account Rom. 14. 12. So then every one of us shall give an account of himself unto God we must give an account to him who is ready to judge both the quick and the dead 1 Pet. 4 5. of what must we give an account but of our Souls their Elicit Imperate acts the Apostle tells us that it is the duty of Pastors and Governours of Churches to watch for Souls because they must give an account Certainly it is as much the duty of every particular Christian to watch over his own Soul because his Soul is a trust of which he must give an account to him that is ready to come to judge both the quick and the dead Nor are we only to give an account of our Souls but of the Souls committed to our charge This the Apostle telleth us plainly Heb. 13. 17. as to those who are Governors and Pastors of Churches and God told it Ezechiel Ezech. 3. 18. Son of man saith he I have made thee a watch-man to the house of Israel v. 18. When I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely die and thou givest him not warning nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his Life the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thy hand This is that which made Chrysostom think that there were but a few Ministers that would be saved But it is as true concerning Superiors in other relations God never bringeth a wife into the bosom of any husband nor addeth a Child or Servant to any family but he saith to the husband of that wife to the Parent of that Child or those Children to the Master of those Servants All Souls are mine The Souls of these Persons I commit to thy trust if thou doest not warn them from sinful courses if thou doest not walk towards them as a man of knowledge and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord they shall die in their ignorance in their iniquity but their Souls will I require at thy hand A consideration which if duly weighed by the Sons of men would awaken men to another kind of Government of their families and another kind of instruction of them then I fear is ordinarily to be found in families 2. I shall add but one thing more The better any man keepeth the Vineyard of his own Soul or the Vineyard of his family the more fruit he shall reap from it His Vintage will be the better there is little fruit to be expected from a neglected Vine Our Vineyards those I mean of our own Souls and the Souls of others under our trust do not only bring forth fruit to the honour and Glory of God but unto our selves and that very considerable 1. In our peace of Conscience here in this Life 2. In that glory which is the object of our future hopes The fruit of righteousness is peace and quietness and assurance for ever Keep your Vineyards that you may drink the sweet fruit and wine thereof that joy and peace which is the fruit of believing and of an holy life and conversation This will be very pleasant to us while we live much more when we come to die Lord Remember saith Ezekiah upon his sick bed how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart Conscience checks us for nothing but the neglect of some Vineyard or other which the Lord hath intrusted us with 2. Your glory hereafter will be the more I know there is a question in Divinity whether there shall be any degrees of glory It is hard to shew you wherein the glory of one Saint shall excel another but I think it is plain enough that there shall be differences of glory in Saints that shall be glorified and if so doubtless those that have best kept their own Vineyards shall have the largest penny And those that have best discharged their trusts to the Souls of others shall have the larger share in glory He that winneth Souls is wise And the Prophet Daniel tells us that those who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the Stars for ever and ever Sermon XLI Cant. 1. 7 8. Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at Noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy Companions If thou knowest not O thou fairest amongst Women go thy way forth by the footsteps of the Flocks and feed thy Kids beside the Shepherds Tents IT is the Spouse who yet continueth her speech to her Beloved She hath spoken once to him desiring some tokens of his special and distinguishing love v. 2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth She hath spoken a second time to him desiring strength from him to run after him She now putteth up a third petition v. 7. Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions To which her beloved replyeth v. 8. If thou knowest not O thou fairest amongst Women go thy way by the footsteps of the flocks and feed thy Kids by the Shepherds Tents The words easily fall into two parts 1. The Spouses Petition to her Beloved Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth c. v. 7. 2. Her Beloveds answer v. 8. If thou knowest not O thou fairest amongst Women c. In the Spouses Petition is considerable 1. Her compellation O thou whom my Soulloveth 2. Her Petition Tell me where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon 3. Her argument For why should I be as one who turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions In the answer is also considerable 1. His compellation O thou fairest amongst Women 2. His particular direction and information of her in two things If thou knowest not go thy way forth by the
23. 4. Though I walk through the shadow of death I shall fear none evill for thou art with me thy Rod and thy Staff comfort me 2. That done a Christian's next work is to look out the Promises which God hath made either such as are more general and respect his People under any Trial or such as are more special and relate to the People under any Trial or such as are more special and relate to the People of God under such particular pressures of Affliction that they lie under The Book of holy Scriptures is a great Store-house there is scarce any condition of Christians to which some Promises are not suited It is of great use for a Christian to know and understand and be acquainted with the Promises They are as the Jointure to the Wife all that she hath to live upon only with this difference the Woman liveth not upon the Jointure which her earthly Husband hath made her till he be dead Christ died once he dieth no more but ever lives but the Promises are what the Soul liveth upon when God seems as dead withdrawing himself from the support and protection of his People A good Christian ought not therefore to be a stranger to them 3. It is the duty of a Christian to betake himself to these shades to eye the Promises to commit himself unto them to hope in them these are acts and exercises of Faith Come my People saith God by his Prophet Isaiah Enter into the Chambers and hide thy self for a little time till the indignation be overpast Our coming is by Faith committing our selves unto God and trusting in him 1 Pet. 4. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their Souls unto him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator Christ is the primary object of our Faith the Promises are the proximate objects In such a time therefore let every good Christian call the Promises to his mind whet them upon his Soul offer his Soul to them call upon it to trust in them 4. It is the duty of a Christian at such a time to wait upon God with patience God ought to be trusted in regard of his Truth and Faithfulness his Power and Goodness He ought to be waited upon in regard of his Majesty and Greatness and Wisdom The Promises are oft-times made in general for help deliverance strength and the like without specifying the particular way and method which God will use and without limitations of time He that believeth maketh not hast 5. There must be a close walking with God though we be sore broken in the place of Dragons and covered with the shadow of death yet we must not forget the Name of our God our heart must not turn back from him we must not deal falsly in our Covenant with him nor suffer our steps to decline from his way Psal 44. The Promise Psal 37. 4. that we shall dwell in the Land and be certainly fed is prefaced with a Precept to trust in the Lord and to do good And the advice of the Apostle Peter is to commit our Souls in well doing unto God as to a faithful Creator 6. Lastly Prayer must be added the promises are Gods bonds by which he hath made himself a Debtor to his Creature Prayer is an action of ours by which we put these bonds in suit Sermon XLIII Cant. 1. 7. Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at Noon for why should I be like one of them that turneth aside by the flocks of thy Companions I Am still upon the Spouses third Petition to her Beloved Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon Methinks I could say with Peter when he was with his Master upon the Mount of Transfiguration It is good for us to be here let us build here two Tabernacles one for the Spouse another for her Beloved What she would have in this Petition clouded with Metaphors I have more fully before opened either a more full communion with Christ most free from interruptions Or his more special influence upon her in her hours of affliction and persecution I have spake something already to it in both these senses I have but one thing to add before I come to the words which are the reason of her Petition that is from the form of the words considered as a prayer so expressive both of her wants and desires a supply The Proposition I shall shortly speak to is this Prop. That though a Believer at all times fees a need of the presence and influence of the grace of Christ yet more especially in the time of afflictions and tryals Return unto me for I am married unto you saith the Lord was Gods language of old to his ancient Spouse the People of the Jews The Apostle largely pursueth the same metaphor Eph. 5. 32. This is a great mystery I speak concerning Christ and the Church so he concludeth his discourse the Wife desireth her Husbands presence at all times God hath made the Woman the weaker sex and the Wife stands in daily need of her Husband whom God hath made her head to guide and conduct her she is not only as a Vine for fruitfulness but for weakness and dependency also so is every believing Soul it hath alwaies need of that promise I will never leave you nor forsake you But as the Wife hath more especial need of the Influence and assistance of her Husband in times and matters of difficulty and distress so hath the believing Soul so that he at all times prayeth with David Psal 27. 9. Hide not thy face from me put not away thy Servant in anger thou hast been my help leave me not neither forsake me O God of my Salvation The Child of God knoweth what will follow at any time if the Sun of Righteousness doth not shine upon him all his protection strength life healing is in the shadow of his Wings But yet I say he or she seeth a more especial need of his presence and influence in the noon of sharp Trials and Afflictions Hence you shall observe that though the Servants of God have kept their daily courses of prayer yet at such times they have used themselves to more solemn addresses and applications to God of which you have plentiful instances in Scriptures in the solemn fasts and prayers put up to God in such times and their more special Petitions put up with reference to such times and dispensations of Providence Hence David cryeth out Psal 22. 11. Be not far from me for trouble is near for there is none to help me and again v. 19. Be not thou far from me O God make hast to help me so again Psal 35. 22. It was a time of great outward straights with David as you may see by reading all the former part of that Psalm v. 22.
the Harvest but then the Son of man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire where shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth Matth. 13. 40 41 42. Some telling them that there is no communion with Christ but by joining with the Prayers of the Church and receiving the Sacrament with the Church as if an external communion with Christ which Judas a Son of perdition had were all that men and women need look after These different notions and instructions sometimes puzzle the minds of Gods own People and make them to be at a great loss I now come to the Application This in the first Place lets us see what a perpetual use and need there will be of an able standing Gospel Ministry and the goodness of God in providing such an ordinance for his Church The interest of Souls lyeth in two things 1. In an union with Christ and reconciliation to God 2. In a fellowship and communion with him The Ministry of the Gospel is and will be useful to the end of the World on both these accounts 1. For procuring promoving Souls reconciliation to God and union with Christ 2 Cor. 5. 20. Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be you reconciled to God So long as there are any sinners in the World any Souls in such a state as living and dying in it they cannot be saved So long will be need of Gospel Ministers and such too as are both able and faithful There are some in the World that think a Conversion to an opinion from Paganism to the outward profession of Christ is all the Conversion necessary and Baptism all the regeneration necessary according to whose Doctrine all Drunkards Whoremongers Men-stealers Lyers Thieves Extortioners Covetous Persons Sorcerers if Baptized must be saved directly contrary to what the Apostle affirms these indeed may think the Ministry of the Gospel needless Preaching needless amongst Christians and only of use amongst Heathens or count no more need of Ministers then of Philosophers from Athens to read men lectures of a good life and any Ministers any kind of Preaching will serve the turn A lecture out of Aristotle or Plato is as good a Sermon as they see any need of But those who will believe what Paul saith 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. That there are multitudes amongst Baptized Persons not reconciled to God and who shall never come into Heaven which is confirmed also by Saint John Rev. 21. 8. They must see a need of this Ordinance and acknowledge the great mercy in this gift to the Church 2. Nay indeed this Doctrine may convince you That if all within the Church were Christians not in name onely but indeed washed with the blood of Christ Justified and Sanctified yet there would be need of such an Ordinance For the best of Christians are oft times at loss how to uphold maintain their communion with Christ Here now lye th the work of the Ministry of the Gospel as the hand in the way to direct Christians which way to go that they may come to the journies end which they aim at the end of their hopes and the Salvation of their Souls This was the end of Christs institution of them Eph. 4. 12. For the perfecting of the Saints for the edifying the body of Christ If there be such a thing as Christians fellowship and communion with Christ if they may be and often are at loss how to maintain this communion they had need of some to be helpers of their faith and of their joy Which is the Notion of Ministers given by the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 14. Yea and they had need be able Ministers too How various are the cases of Christians how different one from another This work is to be done publickly which indeed serveth for the most of Christians and privately also for those who cannot receive Satisfaction from publick instructions Alas who is sufficient for these things and how slighty a business is ordinarily made of the greatest work the most weighty imployment under Heaven How many watchmen are there that like those mentioned in the 3d Chapter of this Song When the Spouse of Christ comes to them complaining as v. 6. That her beloved hath withdrawn himself and is gone when their Souls fail when they come and tell them that they have sought their beloved and cannot find him they have called but he hath given them no answer instead of relieving of them they smite them wound them take away their vails from them they wound them with cruel and envenomed Words mock and jeer and revile them and know not how to speak a word to the weary indeed not understanding what a wearied Soul means the most they are able to say is what is thy beloved more then anothers beloved The Lord pity his flock and give them Pastors according to his own heart who can feed them with wisdom and understanding and will be faithful in doing of it men to whom the Lord God hath given the tongue of the learned that they may speak a Word in season to those that are weary as he promised Isaiah 50. 4. There are no more pestilent enemies to the People of God then those that would have the flock of Christ without Shepherds or which it may be is worse Supplied with Idol Shepherds as the Prophet calls them Zech. 11. 17. And indeed are like Idols that have Eyes and see not Ears and hear not the name of Shepherds but nothing of the skill and faithfulness required in such a place This Notion Secondly may give some relief to Souls whose condition this may be Here may be some before the Lord this day who are crying out where is my God become Lord when wilt thou strengthen me Quicken me Comfort me I confess the case of these Christians is sad communion with Christ is the life of a good Christians life All the comfort and Satisfaction of his life is bound up in this one thing let him want this he wants all if he be at a loss as to this he is quite lost this is that which differenceth the true Child of God from an Hypocrite the profane man lives without a God in the World all talk of communion with God is but canting the thing it self a Chimera The Hypocrites ends cannot be obtained by this course of life he taketh up with meer external acts of communion never regarding whether he hath any communion with God in and by those acts he can live without any presence of God without any influence of God upon his Soul A Child of God cannot if he wanteth communion with God he calls all into question doubteth of his union and whether he hath not been all this while mistaken whether his Soul be yet actually reconciled and
as these be ordained by whom they will Bishops or Presbyters or only sent out by the Church let them be ordained by what Rites and in what manner they will it is plain they are Christs Shepherds Let there have been defects in their entrance and admission by the Church into the ministry God hath now sealed their ministry all defects are taken away 5. Our Saviour hath given us another note of a true Shepherd John 10. 4. When he putteth forth his Sheep he goeth before them he doth not only lead them by his voice but by his feet I shall never believe that Christ sent an open Drunkard to persuade men not to be drunk with wine wherein is excess nor a Scandalous and unclean Person to tell men that Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Nor a profane Swearer to Preach to men Swear not at all Christ indeed did send out Judas but he was under no Scandalous Character till he betrayed his Master A secret Hypocrite whom we do not discern may be judged by us sent of Christ But a Scandalous profane Person cannot The Church ought to cast out such unsavoury salt if she neglects her duty I ought not to neglect mine I am bound to feed by no such Shepherds Tents 6. The true Shepherds of Christ will not traduce and revile one another the false Apostles traduced Paul to the Corinthians as an hireling and a weak man c. you read not that Paul and Peter c. ever did so there was some hot Contests betwixt Paul and Barnabas and Paul and Peter but they never ended in revilings and seeking of a proof of Christ one in another In short if you see any Ministers who are able to Pray and Preach and faithful in doing it and who in Preaching mind the Souls of the People and feed them not with the air of a few fine Words Nor with rotten and corrupt Doctrines Any whom the Lord owneth making them blessed instruments to turn Souls to God any who walk before their flock who live up to what they Preach in all holiness of life conclude these are the Shepherds Tents by which Christ hath commanded you to feed if you would have any communion with him Regard not what Romish Priests say that they have no Apostolical Succession no what Enthusiasts say that they are wirelings therefore none of Christs Shepherds He is no hireling that receiveth wages for the labourer is by God determined worthy of his hire He is an hireling in the sense of Christ John 10. that regards not the Souls of People and looks at nothing but his hire I shall only press your feeding by the Shepherds Tents 1. From the former advantages you have had from your Souls feeding there I shall allude to that of the Apostle Galat. 3. 2 3. This only would I know of you were not you converted from sin unto God by the Ministers of Christ by such Shepherds as I have been describing to you Were your hearts first changed by those that declaim against Ministers and Ordinances c. 2. Consider the moful Examples of those who have cast off the Ministry and Ordinances of God What horrors have filled the Souls of some What stupid blindness have others fallen into How many of them are delivered up by God to strong delusions to believe lies or to a loosness of life and conversation to commit iniquity with greediness and that without any apparent sense or feeling I could give you several strange instances but I shall rather chuse to leave you to be informed by your own Observation Sermon XLVII Canticles 1. 9. I have compared thee O my Love to a company of Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots I Have done with the Answer of the blessed Lover to his Spouse's Petition she prayed him to let her know where he fed where he made his Flock to rest at Noon How in her state and circumstances of Affliction she might enjoy the fullest and sweetest communion with him He hath directed her to go her way by the footsteps of the Flock to feed her Kids by the Shepherds Tents But he hath not finished his Discourse 'T is seldom that Christ in his Answers to his Peoples Prayers giveth them strict and bare measure it is ordinarily pressed down and running over He goes on I have compared thee O my Love to a company of Horses in Pharaoh 's Chariots Upon a view of other Translations I find little or no difference what is is mostly about terms The word which we translate Love the LXX translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My Neighbour others My Kinswoman The word which we translate a company of Horses the LXX and those who follow them the Syriack and Arabick translate my Mare Pagnine Montanus the Vulgar Latine and our Translation read it a company or my company of Horses We will shortly inquire the sense of those two terms The first word which we translate My Love cometh from the Hebrew root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in its primary signification signifieth to feed as a Shepherd feedeth his Flock In a secondary sense it signifieth To associate to shew ones self a companion to another or a friend because Shepherds use to associate together thence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a Substantive in the Feminine Form used both in this verse and again v. 15. chap. 4 1 7. ch 2. 2. 10. 13. ch 5. 2. signifieth one who doth intimately associate him or her self with another so may be translated by My Friends my Love or My Companions or any other term of like signification It is not material which For the other term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the question is Whether it should be translated My Mare or my company of Horses the Original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth an Horse thence cometh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Feminine Form which is the word used here I think that in the Feminine Form it is only used in this Text so that it is difficult to determine which is the truest Translation My Mare or My Horse or My company of Horses or a Mare an Horse a company of Horses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often used to signifie a single Horse Psal 32. 9. A company of Horses Exod. 14. 9. It is also as hard to determine whether it should be read My company of Horses or a company for though the Affix often hath the force of the Pronoun of the first Person yet it is sometimes added Paragogically so Pagnine and Mercer determine it here and justifie it from the like usage of it Lam. 1. 1. Isa 1. 21. Besides that the following words in Pharaoh 's Chariots would make one think it should not be translated My Company but A Company In the words is 1. A very amicable Compellation My Friend My Love My Associate 2. A Comparison where is 1. The Person comparing I have likened 2. The Person compared thee 3. The Thing to which she is compared Horses A company of Horses
their lives These times make me often to think of that saying of Hierom Grande est Christianum esse non dici To be a Christian that is a great and difficult thing to be called so that is a poor and mean and very easy thing Look abroad and see how few serious and uniform Christians are to be found in the World how few who in any measure answer that great name by any severity of life and conversation If Luxuriousness in meats and drinks if excess in apparel and dresses if griping the poor if cruelty towards Persons in distress and oppression and covetousness and adding house to house speak Christians we have too much of these things even amongst Professors But if a true believer must shew forth his faith by works of piety towards God and works of righteousness and charity towards men if they must abound in good works and their light must shine before men so as they may see their good works and glorify their Father which is in Heaven how small is the number of Christians in this age wherein there is so much talk of it We must say of many Professors to Religion as once Isaac said of Jacob Gen. 27. 22. The voice is Jacobs voice but the hands are Esaus hands There are many whose voice indeed is Jacobs voice they talk like Saints O but their hands are Esau's hands Let them come unto you that you may feel them Their habits are Esau's habit they eat and drink like Esau they deal in the World like Esau They are Virgins upward beasts downward monsters in Religion Oh let not this be any of your Character Know it to be your duty as much to abound in Prayer hearing fasting exercises of repentance and mortification as others make it their vanity to abound in good words costly apparel in Pride and Luxury You must have Christs rows upon your Cheeks his Chains about your Necks I shall conclude with that of the Apostle to the Philippians Philip. 4. 8. 9. Finally Brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue and if there be any praise think on these things These things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do And the God of peace shall be with you Sermon L. Canticles 1. 11. We will make thee Borders of Gold with Studs of Silver THE Chaldee Paraphrast out of his unreasonable fondness to make this whole Song to be nothing else but a discourse betwixt God and the Congregation of Israel thus glosseth upon these words It was then said unto Moses go up to the firmament and I will give thee there two Tables of stone cut out of the Sapphire of the throne of Glory shining like the best Gold ordered with lines written with my own Fingers in which are ingraven the Ten commandments which are more pure then Silver purified seven times c. I should hardly mention this ancient Jewish Paraphrast so often but to convince the Atheistical Spirits of latter ages that the Jews did not understand this excellent Song as a meer wanton Love Song between Solomon and the Daughter of Pharaoh Neither did Gregory Nyssen Gregory the great nor Bernard who with others of the Ancients have wrote Commentaries upon it so understand it though they agreed not with this Paraphrast concerning the Persons in it The Paraphrast you see makes the law given on mount Sinai to be the Borders of Gold and studs of Silver I am not much satisfied with the translation of the words by our interpreters because I find no other Interpreters agreeing with them The 70 interpreters who are followed by those who made the Arabick Version interpret it images or pictures The Syriack Interpreters translate it Chains Arias Montanus and the Vulgar Latine translate it Collars Junius and Tremellius translate it Golden threds Pagnine translateth it Golden Jewels Besides the word here used is the same with a small alteration of the form which we had in the foregoing Verse and there we translated it Rows why we should here translate it Borders I cannot tell I think the Tigurine Version translateth it best They translate it Ornament a convenientia Convenient Ornaments It is certain the word signifieth some such Ornaments as Women used in those times and Countries Ornaments differ both in several Countries and in several Ages in the same Country so that it is no wonder if Interpreters are at a loss so many hundreds of years since exactly to translate words signifying things so variable after such a distance of time and in another country The more general translation of Ornaments suitable Ornaments is doubtless the best I am as little satisfyed with the translation of the other word studs others translate it Points the Sepeuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 marks It is granted by all that the word is derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifyeth to point This word is not that I can find used any where in holy Writ except in this Text â—and Gen. 30. 31. in those chapters it signifyedâ— the spots which were upon the lambs after the sheep had conceived upon the sight of the pilled and straked rods which Jacob had laid before them in the troughs The Dutch translators interpret the Term Buttons or knobs of Silver doubtless the truest translation were with Badges or spots of Silver Mercer faith the Phrase doth signify the highest and most excellent Ornaments But the difference about the words maketh no difference in Interpreters as to the sense so that it is but a light difference The sense is we will give thee yet more and more excellent Ornaments Let me only note to you four or five things which will much conduce to clear up the sense and lead us to that Proposition of truth and point in Divinity which the Text holds forth 1. I conceive first That you will all here understand a Metaphor drawn from Women who delight much in Ornaments of Gold and Silver and other precious things Christ here speaketh to his Spouse as to a delicate Woman which Loves such Ornaments and promiseth her such My Spouse faith Christ shall have her Ornaments too answerable to though infinitely excelling Ornaments of Gold and Silver Most excellent Ornaments tho Spiritual and of a far other Nature 2. He had before said That her Cheeks were comely between the Rows of Jewels and her Neck with Chains of Gold she was richly adorned but saith Christ she shall have more also Habenti daâ—itâ—â— To her that hath shall be given and she shall have more abundantly I will not cease to adorn her 3. Thirdly He doth not say Thou shalt buy thee Borders of Gold with thy mony No not yet I will give the some mony which thou shalt improve and with the improvement buy thee more Grace is not merited Nor is the first grace given
guilt of sin and cries out if I pine away in my iniquities how can I then live And faints at the apprehension of the wrath of God due to it for every single sin and much more for the numberless number of the sins which it hath committed It smells that of the Prophet Isa Ch. 53. v. 5 6. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities the Chastisement of our peace lay upon him and with his stripes we are healed v. 10. His Soul was made an offering for sin Or that of the Apostle Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath Redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us and this refresheth it I have deserved to dye saith the Soul but Christ hath died for me I have deserved to tread the wine press of my Fathers wrath but he hath trode the winepress of his Fathers wrath alone I was born a slave to lusts and corruptions but Christ by dying hath made me free Ah! what a bundle of Myrrh is a crucified Christ to the Soul Hence it smells Spiritual life even from his death for we have Remission of sins through his blood It smells Spiritual peace Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is Christ that died Ro. 8. 38. It smells an access unto God The holy of holies being Sprinkled with his blood and Heaven itself by it Sanctified and made accessible It smells Spiritual liberty For the blood of Christ saith the Apostle purgeth the Conscience from dead works to serve the living God It smells Spiritual strength For through the cross of Christ saith the Apostle my heart is crucified to the World Thus you see that in this action or suffering rather Christ is to the Soul a bundle of Myrrh 4. Look upon Christ as rising up from the dead He is a bundle of Myrrh there too the Soul from hence again smells Spiritual life Rom. 4. 25. He rose again for our justification Spiritual peace Rom. 8. 38. It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again Spiritual strength and quickening Rom. 6. 4. 5. We shall rise with him to newness of life Col. 3. 1. If you be risen with Christ seek the things that are above It smells life from the dead This the Apostle proves 1 Cor. 15 Rom. 8. 11. He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies Nay it smells Eternal life from hence Joh. 14. 19. Because I live you shall live also 5. Look upon Christ as the men of Galilee Acts 1. 11. Ascending up to Heaven Thus he is also a bundle of Myrrh he lives and from hence Job smelt that he should see him with his Eyes the Angels that stood to wait upon his ascension told the men of Galilee so much that as they had seen him ascend so they should see him coming again Hence the believing Soul smells that he shall ascend too for where Christ is there he must be The body is there the Eagles shall flee to it one day He is lifted up and every believer shall be drawn after him Our flesh and blood shall inherit the Kingdom of God For 't is in part there already Heaven is the place whither our forerunner is entred Heaven was an open City before the fall Adam and all his Posterity might have entred presently upon the fall it's gates were lockt up the flaming sword of divine Vengeance kept it but the Captain of our Salvation hath now entred and he keeps the gates from shutting any more till every believer be come In 6. Look upon Christ as sitting one the right hand of the Majesty on high So he is a bundle of Myrrh too Is it so saith the Soul Then he hath favour with God and power with God and what need I any more then for my God my Saviour he in whom I have believed to be in favour with the King of Kings and to have power with the Almighty Nay saith the Soul then I am half in Heaven For Eph. 2. 6. We sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus Christ and I are one if he sits there I sit there too For he is flesh of my flesh 7. Lastly look upon Christ as interceding for us Rom. 8. Heb. 7. He is not there Idle his work is to plead for us to sollicit our business to act our part to do our work And thus he is a bundle of Myrrh to every believing Soul When the poor Soul sinks in the thoughts of its sins renewing after justification Christ is a bundle of Myrrh to it 1 Joh. 2 1. If we sin we have an advocate with the Father even Jesus Christ the righteous When the Soul again sinks at the thoughts of its imperfect duties to think that it cannot do a duty but with so many faults that it may fear the wrath of God for it What a bundle of Myrrh it is to the Soul to think well Christ is in Heaven and he will pick out every fault out of this Prayer this duty c. And so present it in the golden censer Incensed with his merits Thus now I have shewed you how Christ is to the believing Soul a bundle of Myrrh Considered as to his actions as our Redeemer It remains further to shew you that he is so also as to his Spiritual influeuces And Lastly in his Gospel institutions and Ordinances And then I shall come to the Application Sermon LIV. Canticles 1. 13. A bundle of Myrrh is my Beloved unto me he shall lie all night betwixt my Breasts I Proceed in opening the bundle or bag or box of Myrrh which makes my Text give a fragrant smell I have shewed that it is Christ who is thus resembled and have propounded to shew you the aptness of the comparison in five things I am yet upon the 4th He is to the believing Soul a bundle of Myrrh for sweetness I proposed to open this in three particulars shewing you that Christ is so 1. In his mediatory actions 2. In his Spiritual influences 3. In his Gospel Institutions and Ordinances I have done with the first and now proceed to the second To shew you the sweetness of Christ to the believing Soul 2. In his Spiritual influences When he ascended upon high saith the Apostle Eph. 4. he gave gifts unto men he gave gifts to his Church his Ordinances Of those the Apostle speaks but he gives other gifts likewise gifts even to the Rebellious Psal 68. All these are summed up under one head The gift of the Spirit This is that which he calls the promise of the Father He was the promise of the Father of old Ezek. 36. 27. It was his promise John 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Comforter and he shall abide with you for ever Even the Spirit of truth He is sent in Christs name 26. v. he is called the Spirit of Christ hence the
objects Christ now cannot shew his grace to such a Soul the bank hinders where he pleaseth indeed he worketh secretly takes away the heart of stone and makes it an heart of flesh takes away unbelief vanity earthly mindedness sensual affections and then he emptyeth the treasuries of grace upon the Soul In a word to apply this No wonder then to hear many a poor wretch complain that God never yet spake peace to his Soul others indeed have heard their beloved hath said to others behold thou art fair my love behold thou art fair but they never yet heard such a voice Let me ask thee who thus complainest this question Did Christ ever yet hear thee say as a bundle of Myrrh is my beloved unto me he shall lye all night betwixt my breasts Hast thou served Christ with Ordinary expressions of duty How canst thou expect to be feasted by him with extraordinary returns of mercy If thy breathings after him have been faint and short what reason hast thou to expect that his breathings should be so full upon thee He is indeed a full ocean of free grace but it may be thou hast cast up a bank against him it may be thou hast clogg'd him with an hard heart and unbelieving heart a vain heart a filthy sensual heart Wonder not O Christian that he is so little towards thee in a way of mercy if thou beest scant towards him in thy way of duty There is a generation of men and women in the world who are taken notice of to behave themselves as if they thought that all the World were made to serve them and they not made to serve any but they are an unreasonable generation and sober persons so account of them and accordingly slight them Oh that there might not be such an unreasonable Christian found in the World who should so much as think in his heart that Christ stands concerned to open all his Treasuries of Love upon his Soul which in the mean time hath scarce a thought of doing any thing more than ordinary for the Lord Jesus Christ if thou findest thy heart cold in duty frozen in affections toward Christ wonder not at all if thou findest the bowels of thy Saviour which yern upon others tied up towards thee And I fear me this is the cause of most complaints of this nature although it may be possible that this is not the case of every such complaining Soul witness David Psal 22. 1 2 3 4. 2. What an ingagement doth this Notion of Truth lay upon the Sons and Daughters of men to stretch out their Souls for and towards God Certainly if there be any thing in the World of force to open a Soul for Christ this will do it to hear that Divine Grace keeps pace with our duty and that the proper way to have Christ speak to us and say Thou art fair my Love Thou art fair is for us to get up our hearts in a readiness to say and say it in truth As a bundle of Myrrh is my Beloved to me The Psalmist cries out Psal 34. 12. What man is he that desireth life and loveth many days that he may see good Depart from evil and do good seek peace and pursue it Give me leave to speak to all you who fear the Lord in the same dialect What man is there amongst you who would not gladly have Christ speak peace unto your Souls and whisper the words of my Text in your Ears Thou art fair my Love thou art fair O let Christ be yet more and more precious to you let him have the strength of your Love that you may have the seal of his Love let the World know and let him know that he is dear in your Eyes that you may know that you are fair in his Eyes But this is enough for the second Circumstance which I observed I pass to a third Thou art fair my Love thou art fair It is not said thou O man or thou O woman art fair but thou my Love art fair It is both the observation of our own Annotators and some others Obs The Spouse of Christ is fair as she is His Love I observed to you before that the word signifies Amica Socia a Friend and a Companion the Object of ones love and the Companion of ones life This is not after the manner of the Children of men amongst them Beauty raiseth Love but with Christ it is Love that raiseth Beauty Locutio verbi infusio Doni Christ in calling her fair makes her fair Ezek. 16. 14. Thy Beauty was perfect through my comeliness which was put upon thee saith the Lord God A good complexion with a lovely air of the countenance and a due proportion of bodily parts makes the Children of men fair to a sensual Eye An head well furnished with Notions of Learning and a mind indued with vertuous generous dispositions makes a man fair and beautiful to a rational Eye But it is Grace alone that can make the Soul fair to the Divine Eye 1. Nature doth it not for all are by Nature Children of wrath Eph. 2. 3. like the Infant not cut not washed not swadled Ezek. 16. We are by Nature all Blackamores in the Eyes of God our Father an Amorite our Mother an Hittite 2. Art will not do it Though thou wash thee with Nitre and take thee much Sope yet thine iniquity is marked before me saith the Lord Jer. 2. 22. The Pharisees were men who used as much Art as others yet their Beauty to our Saviour's Eye rose no higher than to the Beauty of a Painted Sepâ—lchre that outwardly is beautiful but within full of rottenness so little that our Saviour saith Publicans and Harlots should as to the Kingdom of Heaven have the preheminence before them 3. Grace then alone must do it Those who are Christ's Love are fair only so far forth as they are his Love his Companions There is a double Grace the first of Justification the second of Sanotification according to the first the Believer is Christ's Love according to the second the Believer is Christ's Companion 1. I say first the Grace of Justification this is gratia gratum faciens that Grace by which the Soul is accepted of God It is the free Love of God shewn to the humbled Soul upon its exercise of Faith pardoning its sins reckoning over the Righteousness of Christ unto it and accepting it as righteous in and through Christ this changeth the Soul's state this is it which taketh away its filthy garments and covereth the Soul with Christ's Robes with this is conjoined the Grace of Regeneration by which God changeth the Soul's nature and disposition old things pass away with it and all things become new this is no quality infused into us or inherent in us but the free and pure love and good will of Christ imbracing us 2. The second is the Grace of Sanctification this makes the Believer the Companion of
Christ having both a fellowship with the death of Christ in dying to sin and with the life of Christ in living unto newness of life Upon these accounts and these only is the Believing Soul fair in the Eyes of Christ Before I part with this Observation Let every gracious Soul make a stand upon it and consider what it affords him for Consolation while he looks over his Soul and sees it full of spots and taking a review of his life he can find no ground of hope to his Soul that Christ should cast an Eye of love and pity upon him he sees there 's no proportion between his duties or any actions of his conversation and the holy Law of God Well yet the comfort lies here that the Lord hath not said Blessed is the man that hath no sin for who liveth and sinneth not against God but Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered and to whom the Lord imputeth no sin Psal 32. 1. If we once lose this great Truth of the Justification of a poor Soul by the Righteousness of Christ we have cut up a Bridge which we shall see a need of to go over as often as we enter into any serious thoughts of our own state the weight of all our Souls and all the comfort of them hangs upon this one pin That what the law could not do because it was weak through our flesh that God hath done sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for fin condemning fin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us We have lost all that day that we forsake that desire of St. Paul to be found in Christ not having our own righteousness which is of the law but that which is of God Even the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ But you will say How shall we know that Christ hath thus loved us That must be known by our loving him and so the matter will return to the same point We freely grant that our Justification is to be evidenced for our Sanctification and that even the witness of Gods Spirit is not a single but a joint Testimony together with our Spirits But yet there is a great difference as to Christians comfort in these things That Soul that looks to be made fair with his own works if he rightly understand himself shall never be Satisfied concerning his Spiritual beauty because his works must necessarily be compleatly perfect otherwise the law accuseth and curseth him But he who acknowledgeth that his beauty is meerly from grace freely justifying but yet his receiving of this grace is to be evidenced by his works stands concerned no further to enquire concerning the perfection of his works in order to this end then only to see if they be perfect according to Gospel allowances not according to lawstrictness And such are the Gospel terms that if there be a willing mind a presence to will a delight in the Law of God as to the inward man it is accepted of God Here 's a bottom for him I proceed to the 4th Circumstance which I observed relating to the first Proposition of the Text and that was the term Behold which is prefixed Behold thou art fair and doubled Behold Behold There is a threefold use of this particle in Scripture it denotes 1. presence of a thing 2. Certainty 3. Eminency It may in this Text denote all three 1. It may denote the present state of a believing Soul to be a beautiful state Behold thou art fair now in this life while thou art black with infirmities and corruptions black through afflictions and temptations yet even now thou art fair 1 Joh 3. 2. Beloved Now we are the Sons of God It doth not yet appear what we shall be This particle is often thus used in holy Writ Gen. 29. 2 25. and it is capable enough of this sense in this Text. Behold thou art fair thou shalt not only be hereafter beautiful when the Crown of glory shall be set upon thy head but thou art now beautiful thou doest not apprehend thy self so thou art bewailing thy spots and thy infirmities but I look upon thee as fair with all thy spots I look upon thee as beautiful even now 2. It denotes the certainty of a thing Behold is a particle of Demonstration and is often so used in Scripture There is nothing more certain then what we can behold Thus the particle is used Gen. 16. 2. Behold now the Lord hath restrained me from bearing they are the words of Sarah that is the Lord hath certainly restrained me see Gen. 18. 27. The believing Soul is certainly a beauteous Soul The Beauty of that Soul which truly believes in Jesus Christ is not an imaginary thing it is a true and real thing it is a certainty's Behold thou art fair c. 3. Lastly this particle Behold doth very often denote eminency and excellency When something is wonderful in Nature or otherwise the Scripture useth to make mention of it by prefixing this particle Behold to it So James 3. 3 4. It is a wonderful thing that the strength of an Horse should be ruled by a bit and that so great a bulk as a ship driven about with fierce winds should be turned about with a very small helm and thus it is a very often used in Scripture and it may have that use here Behold thou art fair My Love Behold thou art fair and so it may hint to us these two things 1. That the beauty of a believer is no ordinary beauty but a rare and eminent beauty not like the beauty of Woman not like that vain thing which we call beauty in a natural fense which is only the object of the lust of the Eye no it is a Spiritual beauty which age will not deface diseases will not spoil no outward accidents will hurt a beauty that is not exposed to wind and weather The Kings Daughter is all glorious within and yet so great is her glory that the King of Kings desires her beauty Or secondly it may denote this 2. That it is a wonderful thing that Christ should account a Child of Adam a poor believing Soul beauteous When David considered the Heavens and the Earth he cries out What is man O Lord that thou shouldest remember him or the Son of man that thou shouldest be mindful of him It is a matter of high admiration to any ingenuous Soul to sit down and think that Jesus Christ should account it beautiful But I hasten to the last Circumstance I observed to you that the phrase is doubled Christ doth not only say thou art fair my Love but he doubles the phrase Thou art fair thou art fair There is doubtless nothing superfluous in holy Writ though possibly there may be something both in the matter and stile of which we can give no Satisfactory account almost in all languages these repetitions and
though the trimming were more costly the cloth was not so good They were all but shadows of things to come The substance is ours What sober Person lives in a Congregation where the Sabbaths of God are strictly observed where the Pastor powerfully plainly clearly gravely Preacheth the wholesome Doctrines of the Gospel Prays powerfully and Spiritually where the Word of God is read and the Sacraments duly and orderly administred where Psalms are daily sung in a Spiritual manner and the Ordinances of discipline are prudently and faithfully executed and doth not see a great comeliness in them at which his Soul is pleased and with which it is delighted 2. As they are exceeding pleasing to a Spiritual heart so there is a lovely Majesty in them and also a great Symmetry and proportion God hath stamped a certain secret Majesty upon every holy institution of his which Commandeth love and reverence for it from all sober Persons who have not outlawed both their reason and Religion too and here again the plainness and simplicity of the Gospel administrations gives advantage to them besides there is a great Symmetry in them the word Preached is verbum audible an audible word the Sacrament is verbum visible a visible word When the Gospel is Preached what is Preached but Christ crucified and what is that which is represented in the Sacrament but a Christ crucified The whole Gospel administration is a goodly thing and doth shine nativa luca in a certain native light of its own and hath such a loveliness attends the pure dispensation of it that the superadding of any humane inventions is but like adding black patches to a lovely face without which it was far more beautiful 3. But lastly the Beauty of the Word and Ordinances of the Gospel lies in this that the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ is upon them This is that which gives them lustre Observe holy David Psal 27. v. 4. one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord to enquire in his holy Temple The gracious Soul sees the Face of God in his Word and the Image of Christ in Ordinances this makes them lovely Look as it is with the body let it be never so goodly a structure the lineaments of it never so proportioned yet if the Soul informs it not there is no beauty in it So it is with Ordinances Christ is the Soul of Ordinances and it is only his stamp upon them his presence in them which makes them lovely and beautiful Take the Word of God as Christ is wrapt up in it the Ordinances of God as they are the institutions of Christ and sacred conduit pipes and means by which Christ conveys himself and the influences of his grace unto Peoples Souls so they are exceeding beautiful they are those performances in which the Soul seeth Christ and meets with Christ and this makes them goodly things 2. The 2d thing which the Proposition praedicates concerning the word and Ordinances is power and Efficacy and usefulness I observed to you concerning Cedars that as they had much beauty and goodliness in them so they had much strength in them which made them very useful for Beams and Rafters fit to bear the weight of materials in building laid upon them and to uphold the building There is a wonderful power and vertue in the Word and Ordinances of God 1. There is a supporting power in them 2. There is a working power in them 1. There is in them a supporting power They support a Church The Apostle saith that the Church is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Eph. 2. the Church cannot stand without them they support a particular Soul The weight of poor Souls all lies upon the Word of God how often doth holy David speak to this in that excellent Psalm Psal 119. v. 49. Remember thy Word into thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope v. 15. This is my comfort in my affliction for thy Word hath quickened me 81. My Soul fainteth for thy Salvation but I hope in thy word v. 92. unless thy love had been my delight I should have perished in my affliction Nay herein doth the wonderful power of the Word of God appear above the strength of Cedars you must Imagine a Cedar Beam of some proportionable bigness to bear the great weight of a building every stick of Cedar will not do it But now not the whole Word of God only but a particular promise will strangely support and bear up the whole weight of a Soul sinking into despair I have heretofore given you strange instances in this case and I doubt not but many of your Souls can verify this from a particular experience 2. But further there is a working power likewise in the Word and Ordinances this is now more than is in a Cedar beam that hath in it a great strength but it hath no life it is an inanimate thing and so worketh nothing it beareth much but hath no activity in it The words which I speak saith our Saviour are Spirit and life Indeed the life and Spirit which they have is Christs life Christs Spirit without which they are but dead letters and weak things but from Christs concurrence with them they have not only the forementioned power to uphold and bear up a sinking Soul but they have an active working power to cast down the strong holds of the Soul according to that of the Apostle 2. Cor. 10. 4 The Weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into Captivity every thought to the Obedience of Christ But I shall not inlarge upon this being something beyond my Metaphor 3. The third thing which my Proposition predicateth of the Word Ordinances of God is sweetness This is one thing which I observed to you concerning the Câ—dar wood and the pine Tree they were of a grateful and delightful smell The sweetness of the Cedar is a gratefulness to the exterior senses But the sweetness of the Word and Ordinances of God is intellectual they are sweet to the inward man Which intellectual sweetness is yet set out by similitudes of sensible things Psal 119. 103. How sweet are thy words unto my tast What is sweeter then honey saith Sampson Judg. 14. 18. Holy David â—elleth him Psal 19. 10. The word of God is sweeter then the hony or the hony comb and Psal 119. 104. He doubleth the Expression for the further confirmation of it They are the words of God that are the pleasant words of which Solomon saith Prov. 16. 24. Pleasant words are as an hony comb Sweet to the Soul and health to the bones The sweetness that resulteth to the Spiritual sense from
c. It is true the Doctrine of the Law and Gospel the Propositions of truth contained in both are much one and the same The moral precepts the same and the promises the same c. Yet that great Proposition of truth De Mâ—ssia venturo concerning the star that should come forth out of Jacob the coming of Shiloh The raising of the great Prophet like to Moses c. This Proposition was perfected in the Gospel and turned into another of far more comfort to us viz. That Christ is come and hath dyed for our siâ—s c. But all the Propositions of the Gospel are of eternal truth and all the Ordinances of the Gospel are like Beams of Cedar that shall never decay That 's the first Inference 2. Observe from hence The blindness of many Peoples Eyes and the hardness of our hearts together with the unreasonableness of unbelief You have heard that there is a Beauty and a sweetness in the Word and Ordinances of God they are beautiful to the Eye and they are sweet unto the tast and to the smell the lips of Christ drop sweet smelling Myrrh what is the reason then that the most of People can tast no sweetness in them nor see any beauty in them Alas the most men and women in the World have no more savour of a Sermon or Sacrament then in the white of an Egg They see more beauty in a play-book or an history then they can see in the holy Word of God the reason is this they are void of Spiritudl senses they have their exteriour carnal senses they can tast sweetness in an Hony-Comb but they have not any Spiritual sense they can tast no sweetness in the Word of God which to Davids tast was sweeter then the Hony-comb They must needs want Spiritual sense for they want Spiritual life they are dead in trespasses and sins no sooner doth the Lord quicken a dead Soul but it savoureth the things of God and tasts that sweetness and sees that beauty in the Word of God and in the Ordinances of God of which I have been discoursing 2. As it discovers the want of Spiritual sense in an unbelievers Soul so it also discovers the hardness of mens hearts The Word and Ordinances of God have a power and Efficacy in them but alas how few do they make any impression upon But I shall not insist upon this as not so proper to the resemblance of the Text. Let me rather 3. Infer the unreasonableness of unbelief from what you have heard of the supporting power of the Word of God The Word of God is the greet supporter of Souls under all afflictions temtations in all distresses and agonies c. God is indeed pleased as to some of his People to give them in sensible evidences of his love sealing them up by way of assurance of his love unto the day of redemption and blessed are they who are in such a case but this is not the portion of all the People of God the most of Christians have nothing but the royal Word of God to trust to and upon this all their hopes hang as to Eternity And we are so carnal that we find it an hard thing oft-times to keep up the building of grace faith and hope upon this foundation but are ready to sway and sink through distrust and doubtings through unbelief and anxiety of thoughts c. This is that which we call unbelief The unreasonableness of which is sufficiently evidenced from the stability of the Word of God it is a Beam of Cedar Thou that thinkest it an hard thing to have nothing but a bare Word of God to trust to unless thou hast some sensible evidence that canst not believe without a sign consider 1. That the Word is the Beam of the Church The whole Church of God is built upon the Word it is that which God hath judged sufficient at all times for his People God the Father had no more than Christ's word for the price of all the Souls that were saved from the beginning of the World until the time of Christ's Death and Passion when the price was actually paid into God's hand All the Believers that were saved from Adam till Christ's coming in the Flesh had no more to trust to for their Salvation than the Royal Word of God That the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpents head That a Messiah should come and be slain to make reconciliation for iniquity c. They all trusted on these words of God and were saved 2. Consiâ—er This Beam is a Beam of Cedar it is an incorruptible thing The Apostle calls the Word and Oath of God two immutable things It must needs be so because of the immutable Nature of God he is a God that cannot lye that cannot speak that which is false he is a God that cannot repent he cannot like man eat his word or recede from it David saith That the Word of the Lord is settled in the Heavens The Grass may wither and the Flower may fade but the Word of the Lord must stand for ever Heaven and Earth shall pass away but one jot or tittle thereof cannot fail Hath he said it and shall he not do it Hath he spoken it and shall not he bring it to pass The Apostle calls the word of Prophecy a sure Word The word of Prophecy is sure and the word of Promise is sure therefore trust to it 3. It is a Beam that never yet brake never Soul miscarried that trusted its whole weight upon it What greater Arguments can any have to persuade his Soul to trust to the Word of God than these two First That the Nature of the word is such that it cannot fail The truth of God cannot be turned into a lye Secondly That no instance can be produced of any Soul that miscarried in its confidence Look over all the Book of God and find me Gods Word given to any Soul for anything whether temporal or spiritual and it was not made good unto him indeed the Visions have sometime tarried beyond the patience of God's People but they have alwaies been fulfilled in their seasons 4. Consider how unreasonable a thing it is that thou shouldest trust to the word of a man and distrust the Word of a God You think your selves concerned to trust in the Royal word of a King in the serious word of a Noble Person in the word of an ordinary Friend who is but accounted morally honest how unreasonable a thing then is it that thou shouldest not take the word of a God the word of him who cannot lye To sum up this then Christian what though thou hast nothing but the word of God to trust to either for those things which concern thee as to this Life or for those things which concern thee as to another Life yet the Word of God is enough it is the Beam of Christ's House and it is a Beam of Cedar which cannot corrupt or putrifie
a life according to the rule of the word To worship God according to the prescriptions of the Word in all things it calleth a man to the Law and to the Testimony It obligeth every man in his place to bear a testimony against whatsoever is contrary to the strict rule of the Word Now whoso considereth either the ignorance of the world which knoweth not the Son of God nor him that sent him nor what is the revealed will of God or the sensuality of the world how mad upon their lusts the most of Men and Women are Or the Pride of the world which maketh men impatient either of a verbal reproof by doctrine and admonitions or real reproof by a quite contrary conversation more pleasing to God acceptable to and beautiful in the sight of men Or the affectation of dominion over the conscience which a multitude are possest of and their impatience at good Christians not owning and submitting to their dictates and saying as they say and doing as they do can hardly imagine how those that will live godly in Christ Jesus should live any long time in the world without persecution Now the expectation of those searchings and Sun-burnings will have various good effects upon the Soul 1. It will put the Soul upon preparing for them He that liveth in the expectation of trials will be oft-times putting the case to himself if such a tryal should be what should I do My Soul wouldst thou stand to or desert the profession of thy faith wouldst thou keep close to God or depart from him we should be laying up something in store against an evil day 2. Expected tryals as I before told you are alwaies lighter and more tolerable and endured with more courage and patience We are not so frighted with evils which we see at distances and view in the approaches they make to us Nothing more weakneth a Soul in the bearing of an evil as a sudden surprisal like an Apoplexy to the body it at once stops those passages by which the Spirits should discover and exert themselves Secondly This Doctrine calls to Christians for patience and that both under Persecution and Afflictions and under the censures and obloquies of the world because of them Expectation of tryals is a previous duty in order to our preparation for them Patience is a present duty when the Christian is fallen under them It is indeed the work of the day that very grace which in the hour of tribulation should have its perfect work it lieth partly in a quiet submission to the good will and pleasure of God because he hath laid it upon us an holding our peace because it is the Lords doing partly in a quiet waiting for God in the fulfilling of his promises made to his People under such circumstances There are two things that call for our patience under afflictions 1. The smart of the Affliction for no affliction is joyous but grievous 2. The reproach of the world under it this often doubleth the affliction and maketh it more grievous and intolerable Now consider how many things have occurred in this discourse which may excite our patience under both these 1. This is the lot of the People of God There is none of them but the Sun at one time or other works upon The Apostle exhorteth the Thessalonians 1 Thes 3. 3. That no man should be moved by their Afflictions for faith he your selves know that we are appointed thereunto There is a great deal in that saying to quiet the Spirits of Christians under the burthens of tryals 1. God hath laid those burthens upon them I held my peace saith David because it was thy doing It is the Lord said that good man let him do what soever he pleaseth Perhaps saith David God hath bidden him curse It is a mighty thing to silence the Spirit of a Christian when he can see the hand of God in it 2. It is the Lords appointment What hath befallen us in pursuance of an eternal counsel this speaketh the tryal eventually necessary it speaketh it also good for his People for he hath not appointed us unto wrath nor to any means of that tendency Nor is it thy lot alone but the lot of all those who will live godlily in Christ Jesus The Apostles themselves were appointed thereunto and wherein are we better then our Fathers or our Brethren 2. You have likewise heard why God hath appointed our lot to be Trials and Afflictions for the punishment of our sins and for the tryal and exercise of our Graces this also calls for patience Why should a living man complain a man for the punishment of his iniquity We have much less reason to be disturbed at the trial and exercise of our graces 3. You have heard upon what mistakes it is that the World accounts the Christian black by reason of Afflictions because they judge of their complexions by a meer sensual Eye and from a meer erroneous judgment We have therefore no reason to be disquieted because of it But indeed the main use we should make of this point should be for Caution and that in two particulars 1. That afflictions may not blacken us 2. That we do not judge others black because of them 1. Will afflictions blacken the Spouse of Christ Let us take heed that they have not this ill influence upon us We have heard that they no otherwise make us black then as they are occasions to draw out our lusts and corruptions This is that which we are more especially to watch upon In afflictive providences God tryeth us and Satan and the world also try and tempt us God tryeth our faith our patience our submission to his will whether we will deny our selves and take up the Cross and follow him The Devil and the men of the World which are the Devils instruments try us whether we will desert our profession deny the Lord that bought us forsake the ways of God and imbrace a present World If upon Gods tryal his ends be obtained then are we by our afflictions purified and made white if the Devil and his instruments prevail upon us then are we by our afflictions made black This is the thing we are to take heed of Job 2. 3. after that God had taken away Jobs Estate and Children he saith to Satan Hast thou considered my Servant Job that there is none like him in all the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evil and still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movest me against him to destroy him without a cause How white there did Job appear after his afflictions But I shall not inlarge my discourse to afflictions in the general but limit it to such afflictions as are more peculiar to the Spouse of Christ and which I have had a more special reference to in my former discourse viz. Persecutions or sufferings for our adherence to the truths of the Gospel and the good ways
us in the way of holiness And feed thy Kids by the Shepherds tents Kids as you know are young Goats Once in Scripture Goats are put in opposition to sheep Math. 25. to signify the wicked of the Earth which hath given Interpreters occasion to interpret this phrase thy fi lt by and unclean thoughts But it is observable that though Goats be a term once used in Scripture in that sense yet Goats are not alwaies mentioned in holy writ in an illâ—sense In this very Song the Spouses hair is compared to a flock of Goats Ch. 4. v. 1. The Goat to the Jews was not an unclean beast the hair of it was much used about the Tabernacle and the body of it was often used in Sacrifice Their interpretation therefore is doubtless to be preferred who interpret it 1. Either of the weak Members of Christ oâ— 2. of the infirm faculties of the Soul By the Shepherds tents It is all along a Metaphor The flock is the Church The true Sheep of this Flock are those who hear the voice of Christ and follow him as himself tells us My Sheep hear my voice and follow me The Principal Shepherd is Christ John 20. 1 I am the true Shepherd He administreth this great charge committed to him by his Father by inferiour Shepherds He led his ancient People the Jews like a Flock by the hands of Moses and Aaron and afterwards made use of several Shepherds to feed them Christ committed his Flock to the 12 Apostles with power to ordain Pastors and Teachers The Shepherds tents signify the places where they feed the Flock of Christ Shepherds in those countries had no fixed houses but moveable tents which they carried about with them and pitched now here now there as was most convenient for the feeding of their Flocks If any ask me where we shall find these footsteps of the Flook I answer in the Word of God we have no other infallible record of them that I know so that by the footsteps of the Flock and the Shepherds tents two things are clearly to be understood 1. The Examples of Gods Saints recorded in Scripture 2. The Ordinances of God dispensed by his faithful Ministers Hither doth Christ send his Spouse inquiring where he fed where he made his Flocks to rest at Noon You see whither my Text would lead me viz. To a discourse concerning the Word of God â—s the Rule of Christians the certain footsteps of the Flock are to be found there 2. To a discourse concerning our duty to imitate the Saints of God Something I must touch upon as to both these but I shall discourse neither of them in their latitude having fully done it lately in set Discourses upon those Arguments I shall now speak to neither of them further than they relate to the direction of the Text Being both the surest compass for a Christian when he is at loss to direct his course by when he is in distress and knows not what to do Hence the Doctrine is Prop. The surest way for Christians to support and maintain their communion with Christ under any doubts or dark dispensations of God to them is for them to keep to the examples of the Saints of God under such dispensations and to keep themselves close to Divine Institutions The Proposition you see is concerning Christians injoying and upholding their communion with Christ in a day of darkest dispensations in the Noon of Trials and Afflictions 2. It directeth a double means in order to this end 1. A keeping to the footsteps of the Flock 2. Feeding by the Shepherds Tents I shall speak to this by way of Explication Confirmation and Application By way of Explication the only Question is What Flock what Shepherds are here spoken of 1. It must be Christ's Flock that is plain There are other Flocks in the World but the Text is doubtless to be understood of the Flock of Christ which I before shewed you was the Church of Christ 2. I think it reasonable also to determine That that Flock is here meant for whose feet we have the best assurance that they were guided and upheld by the unerring Spirit of God The Papists call to us for this to keep to the footsteps of the Flock But when we come to ask them where that Flock is they will tell us it is at Rome where it hath been kept and fed by a lineal Succession of Bishops from the Apostles times The name of the Church of Christ is an honourable name this maketh every Party cry out as the Jews of old The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord are we There is scarce any company of Hereticks and Sectaries but lays claim to this name Neither can this Text be understood of all those that are within the Pale of the Visible Church which hath in it bad as well as good but of that little Flock only who hear Christ and follow him and those to whom it is our heavenly Father's will to give a Kingdom the footsteps of those who have made the Word a light to their seet and a lamp to their paths for none can be so absurd as to think that Christ here directeth his Spouse to go her way by the footsteps of those who walk contrary to the will of his Father Now where shall we find where can we find those of whom we are sure they were of this little Flock or where shall we find the certain practice of such but in the Records of holy Writ For the present Church of Rome those that know the second Commandment or any of the Revelations of the Divine Will against Idolatry must know this Flock is not to be found there For the Primitive Church if they mean the Apostolick Church the Church in their Age whose Story we have Recorded in the Acts of the Apostles we agree with them that this is the Flock whose footsteps we are to follow yet no further than they followed Christ Be you followers of me saith the Apostle as I am of Christ but for the following Church after their Age we are so much at loss to know what they did Antichrist hath so trodden out their footsteps so purged and corrupted all Writings that should give us any true account of what the Church did that we can by no means allow the Record of their practice to be a sufficient Guide to us We have no sufficient Evidence of the prints of their feet in matters wherein the Eternal Salvation of our Souls are concerned We have a more sure word of Prophecy and we are sure we are not to follow them in any thing wherein they did not follow Christ We conclude then as to this matter that Christ in these words intended to give his Spouse a certain Rule to follow the steps of those whom they might be sure it was Christ's Flock and whose footsteps might be seen This Flock can be only that the print of whose feet we have in the unerring Word
nor fail for ever Nor indeed 5. Is that Assurance of things not seen which God gives to any Soul any thing more than the sealing and particular application of the Word In the mean time it is the Word that supports and upholds the Soul The sealing of the Spirit adds no new strength to the Word only helps me to bear my self upon it 3. Is there such a Beauty Sweetness Strength and Power and such an incorruptible and immortal Nature in the Word of God and in the Ordinances of God Oh that these things might commend them more to all you that hear me this day Under this head let me plead with you for these things 1. For a knowledge and understanding of and an acquaintance with the Word of God Let the beauty of an Object be never so perfect it pleaseth not me if I look not upon it or looking upon it do not observe and understand it Let the sweetness of an Object be never so great it affords me no pleasure unless I tast it Let the power and efficacy of a thing be never so much it is nothing to me if I make no application of my self to it or it to me And in very deed this is the reason why the most poor Souls see no beauty understand no sweetness in the Word of God why they feel nothing of the power and strength of it because they seldom look into it or if they read in it and attend upon it they observe not what they read and hear they understand not the Mysteries of the Gospel they make no appplications of the Word of God to their Souls nor of their Souls to the Word and try not the strength of it Oh let the Word of God be precious to you Read it and read it over and over again thou wilt every time discern some sweetness in it which before thou didst not discern hear it and hear it often observe what thou readest and what thou hearest get understanding in the Lord's Statutes make application of the Word to thy Soul and of thy Soul to the Word When thou art in straights as to thy outward condition or as to thy spiritual condition thou wilt then find this sweetness beauty power and efficacy in the Word which till that time affords but matter of discourse to thee 2. Let this plead with you for a due Attendance upon Ordinances The Word the Sacraments every Ordinance of the Gospel they are the Beams and Rafters of the Church which deserve all your care and diligence to uphold and maintain and to keep up in their perfect strength glory and beauty They are Beams of Cedar and Raferes of Fir they have a sweetness beauty and excellency in them and this beauty and excellency which is in them will not be discerned by the Soul that neglects its Attendance upon them FINIS A Catalogue of Books Printed for or to be sold by Edward Giles Bookseller in Norwich near the Market-place SEveral Discourses concerning Actual Providence A Word in Season Denfensative Armour against four of Satan's most fiery Darts Sermons upon the whole first and second Chapters of the Canticles All Published by John Collinges D. D. Allen's Way of the Spirit in bringing Souls to Christ The Glories of Christ set forth with the Necessity of Faith in several Sermons By Mr. Thomas Allen late Minister in Norwich Several Sermons of Mr. Timothy Armitage late Minister in Norwich Lougher's Precious Promises the Portion of Overcommers The Saint's Ebenezer By Mr. Francis English late Minister in Norwich Directions for Learners to Spell English right The History of the Protestant Reformation as it was begun by Luther The Dead Saints Speaking Being a Sermon Preached upon the Death of Mr. Newcomen English Presbytery The Ordinary matter of Prayer drawn into Questions and Answers Good Reader THough the Printer hath acquitted himself in the Printing this Book as well as we can reasonably expect in a Book of this bulk yet the Author must beg thy charity as for some misplacing of stops or letters which might be the Authors fault as well as the Printers so for correcting the following Errata's which if not all are yet the most considerable that will trouble thee Page 9. line 13. read should me p. 18. l. 26. r. we call p. 29. l. 26. r. quarrel the p. 31. l. 34. r. Christ by that of p. 47. l. 18. r. such subitam c p. 74. l. 2. r. nothing more than that p. 79. l. 1. r. can find p. 85. l 23. r. from us by p. 87. l. 40. r. keep them p. 88. l. 1. r of themselves and l. 22 r. expose us p. 105. l. 9. r. excuse For p. 116. l. 9. r. room left p. 117. l. 7. r. chapter or p. 129. l. 24. r. when that is p. 130. l. 28. after himself add can promise himself to meet him p. 144. l. 3. r. to such p 147. l. 1. r. only so far p. 154. l. 32. r. it fareth l. 35. r more hated p. 150. l. 26. r. you that l. 39. r. to you p. 169. l. 13. r. abate a cup p. 185. l. 24. r. It is desire p. 136. l. 19 r. is the use l. 36. r. is observable p. 248. l. 22. r. exult p. 268 l. 34. r. out of God p. 289. l. 12. blot out For altho p. 307. l 7. r. make peace p. 341. l. 20. r. they are p 351. l. 4. r. not know p. 438. l. 36. r. signifie p. 472. l. 29. r. the Rod of God p. 479. l. 33 r. the fruit p. 487. l. 7. r. is much p. 491. l. 21. r. Ezâ—k 16 8. p. 498. l. 4. r. he must not tell a lye to cover his own p. 506. l. 4. r. in it lyes p. 513 l. 36 37. blot out For one to come to him p. 516. l. 16. r. a Christian to consider his p. 550. l. 27. r. it getteth p. 566. l. 31. r. its ends p. 614. l. 6. r. their ordinary p. 618. l. 11. r. then others p. 626. l. 1. r. understand p. 628. l. 2. r. God cannot p. 629. l. 13. r. command On l. 16. r. not lawful l. 32. r. St. Paul saith l. 33. r. But I observe p. 630. l. 17. r. every good Soul p. 631. l. 10. r. aedificans l. 14. r. not lay p. 636. l. 18. r. of such p. 657. l. 28. r. is so is evident p. 659. l. 39. r. 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