am sinking into Hell let me save my selfe from sinking by thy shoulders I am falling Lord let me leane whiles the soule hath any strength to goe it is too proud to be beholden to leane Come unto me ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you Mat. 11.29 First weary then come First heavie laden then I will ease you What shall I doe to be saved saith the Gaoler O I am lost undone I am at a Non-plus O what shall I doe I am weary for I am farre readier to beleeve That that Voice What shall I doe is rather the Voice of the soule at it's nilâ—â—â—tra Sadly sensible of it's lost and miserable condition sufficiently humbled in the sense of it then the voice of a soule thinking it might doe any thing that might be but in the least contributary to the desert of salvation I cannot be perswaded to thinke that when the Gaoler spake those words prostrated by humiliation at the Apostles feet that he had the least thought that he could throw in so much as two mites into the Treasury of free grace But as it is the ordinary speech of one drown'd in the depth of sorrow amazing sorrow O what shall I doe What shall I doe though at that instant they know they can doe nothing to helpe themselves So the Gaoler in a true sense of his own lost condition cryes out O what shall I doe he was weary it was time for the Apostle to bid him leane then beleeve saith the Apostle and thou shalt be saved It is but a wresting of the place or mocking it rather to bring it to perswade that duties preparatory were here excluded Surely had not the Apostles seene him humbled in some degrees they would as well have prefixed Repent here as Peter did to them Act. 2. Repent and be baptized The Fig-leafe is too thin to cover these Opinionists nakednesse Christ came not to call the Righteous but sinners to repentance He is a Saviour but it is for them that are lost in their owne feeling too And the truth of it is the soule scorns to leane upon Christ so long as it is able to goe alone when it hath never a crutch of merits or duties to rest upon then it lookes out for some rest for it's foot for some shoulder to beare up for some staffe to stay it selfe upon Leaning doth argue wearinesse that 's the first Secondly It doth argue a willingnesse in the soule to come to Jesus Christ Leaning is not a forced action Indeed as I said before Christ first workes this willingnesse he it is that gives us power to will and it is by his power that wee are willing as it is written They shall be willing in the day of my power But he doth not let us leane before wee are willing Psal 110.3 leaning is an action proceeds from the will Who is this commeth up leaning Thirdly Leaning doth argue love who leanes upon his enemies I will not leane upon one whom I cannot trust I must have some good thoughts of his love The soule that leanes upon the Lord Jesus Christ loves Christ that Faith that pretended dependancy of any upon Christ that proceedeth not out of a principle of love groweth out of a false root the loving soule is onely the truely beleeving soule Leaning is a loving posture That 's the third Fourthly It doth argue fiduciam a resting a trusting the soule upon Christ he that leanes upon another reposeth his whole weight trusteth his whole strength upon him He doth as much as say well I know I cannot go alone I cannot stand but I will trust my selfe upon thy strength will I leane if I fall I fall So the soule that comes up out of the wildernesse of sinne to the Lord Jesus Christ doth repose it's whole weight upon the Lord Christ it sayes O Lord I am a great and grievous sinner I am not able to stand upon mine owne legges but I trust my soule upon thy armes thou hast mercies and great mercies and free mercies if I fall I fall if I be damned I am damned here I will leane And here you have the second thing plain viz Secondly The soules hand with which she leanes upon Jesus Christ for salvation these 4. things which I have hinted from this expression leaning are as the foure fingers of the hand of Faith And wee may thus give a description of it Faith is the hand of a soule which God hath humbled whereby the soule being not able to stand alone nor daring to trust to any thing else and being made willing by God out of a principle of love layes hold upon Jesus Christ and trusts and rests it selfe upon him for her salvation And that leads me to the third thing I propounded the Person upon whom she leanes the Text renders it Her beloved or as I conceive the old Translation better Her welbeloved The Latin dilectum suum him that is her conjugally beloved This is the last Branch of the Doctrine That though the beleeving soule comes up from the wildernesse leaning yet shee will onely leane upon her beloved and he onely can and will beare her Wee know that whosoever leanes must have a Person to leane upon Secondly There must be a capacitie in this arme to beare her some strength yea there had need be a great deale to hold up the weight of a soule First let us enquire who the Person is rendred in the Text dilectum Her welbeloved in plaine termes her Husband one that hath more then an ordinary portion of her love Here are five things hinted in this Expression It is one whom she loves The word signifies a speciall sort of love and every greater includes a lesse One that she is married to he is welbeloved her dearest love not charum but dilectum one that hath a title to her Her Beloved not anothers Beloved Her Beloved He that is her Beloved not who was her Beloved Her Beloved not her Beloveds First It is one whom shee loves This I hinted at before it is a principle of love that drawes the Soule to leane upon the Lord Jesus Christ The hatred of her selfe hath bred the love of her Saviour in it And no Soule loves Christ more then that which loaths it selfe most When the Soule shall consider what a Brand for Hell it was in its originall how worthlesse a worme it is how basely it hath dealt by God trampling upon his rich offers of Grace scorning his Invitations And againe consider that God hath no need at all of it But if it were burning in hell could be as glorious as in its Salvation and yet would be pleased to powre out his pretious bloud for it yet so unworthy To woe the Soule that hath need of him and yet never praies to him nor ever was a suitor for mercy This breeds love in the Soule And the more the Soule fadomes her owne misery the more yet she loves and admires
Bridegroome These sermons are but a Record of your Honours practice and yet they are a prophecy of your Honours life too The Bride of Christ is not past all her dirty way when shee is espoused to her Bridegroome She walks with him through dirty paths also It is the way of heaven not the way to heaven that is strewed with flowers and roses He knew that told us By much tribulation wee must enter into the Kingdome of God Mortality is but the Christians wildernesse For why should the disciple bee above his Master or the servant above his Lord the Crowne of thorns was not made for Christs head only and if there be written over our heads in letters of glory These are the heirs of heaven what need wee care to hang here nailed to a crosse The nailes of the crosse are sanctified ever since they pierced his sacred Limbs A meditation of Christs agony may bee a cordiall draught for a soule sick with afflictions If Christ walkt upon the Sea to us let us gird our coats and walk also Though Christ seemes to sleepe yet our groanings will awaken him for he taketh care that we perrish not Though Christ shakes himself as if hee intended to shake off our hand sometimes yet let us consider it is because our hands are dirty and not be so foolish to let go our hold Christ may duck but hee will not drowne us He knowes the way out of the wildernesse and will lead us right if we will but leane Though wee sit in darknesse and see no light yet let us trust in the Name of the Lord and stay our selves upon our God we may be persecuted wee shall never bee forsaken we shall come out of the wildernesse leaning upon our Beloved I presume Madam to present these sermons naked to your Honours hands trusting your Ladyship will cover the imperfections with charity they were buried but if the Ghosts must walk I thought it no wayes proper to put them on gayer clothes let them walk in their winding-sheet If they will but tell a story of heaven to any they meet and shew them the way and learn them Christ I will promise them to give them an acquittance for any other debt they owe mee If they will but procure mee the Brides prayers my reward is greater then my desert If God will honour them to win a soule his free grace shall have the honour of it for here is nothing but I have received from his Grace and to it I owe all that I am Madam were not my discourse of heaven and Christ my Epistle might be tedious but I am confident your Honour could be content to hear of your Bridegroome all the day long The Lord grant your Honour yet more sweetnesse in his enjoyments and fill you yet more full of his grace till you shall come out of the wildernesse of mortality leaning upon your beloved into the pleasant Paradise of Glory which is and shall be Madam the prayer of Your Honours obliged Chaplain Iohn Collins THE SPOUSES HIDDEN GLORY SOLOMONS SONG Chap. 8. vers 5. Who is this that commeth out of the Wildernesse leaning upon her beloved THis Booke is called the Song of Songs Canticum Canticorum that is Canticum Excellentissimum the most excellent Song so Vatablus and Estius Quâ—a sermocinationem continet Christi sponsi Ecclesiae sponsae Estius gives the reason because it contains a discourse betwixt Christ the Bridegroome and his Church the Bride The Song of Songs as a note of Eminency thinks hee Mr Brightman will have it as well Nota distinctionis quam Eminentiae a note of distinction as of eminency Canticum excellentius omnibus quae Solomon composuit A Song more excellent then all those which Solomon made The Song that sounded sweetest to Solomons penitent heart But truly well may that be called the Song of Songs where every straine is breathed by the Spirit of the most High whose pen man was Sonne and Heir to the sweet Singer of Israel and had the most wise understanding heart that ever blest a creature whose every note is a note of Free grace and every close a close with Christ an union with him who is the head of his Church Finally where every line breaths the perfume of the Rose of Sharon and is beautified with the colour of the Lilly of the Valleys It is a Song of Love sung in parts by the Sonne of his fathers Love The Lord Christ and the wife of his bosome The Church in generall and every beleeving soule in particular It beginâ— with Love Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth for his love is better then wine Osculum est Symbolum amoris And it ends with love Make hast my beloved and come away The fountain from whence it ariseth is a spring of love and the sea into which it falls is an Ocean of love where the soule that enters is swallowed up of love and drowned in sweetnesse The whole streame of the booke is a streame of love running betwixt two pretious banks Iesus Christ and the beleeving soule Sometimes it runnes an higher sometimes a lower water it is alwayes some though the Flood-gates be not alwayes open The two lovers spend their song in feasting themselves with each others beauties One while the Bridegroome is courting his Bride with ravishing strains of grace another while she is emptying her soule into her beloveds bosome The whole song is but a sweet enterchange of delightfull expressions while both seeme to be ravished with each others mutuall embraces I shall not study the coherence of the Text it being a straine of the Song that stands in small dependency to the other The spouse had now her bridegroome by the hand it was her turne to poure her love into her beloveds bosome from the 10. verse of the former chapter My text seemeth to be a parenthesis standing in small relation to the antecedent or subsequent words but seemes to be rhe voice of some third person viewing this blessed pair sweetly embracing one another and the beloved following her love through most rugged places and wildernesse wayes in those wayes leaning upon Christ either in admiration of Christs condiscention that he would please through wildernesses to lead his beloved or in admiration of the spouse so worthlesse a creature that she should leane or of her beauty by the reflâ—xion of her beloveds countenance or of her constancy that the briaâ—s and thorns of the wildernesse could not separate her beloved and her Quos Deus conjunxit c. cries out Quae est illa quae ascendit ex deserto What manner of creature is this that she should leane or what so glorious creature is this that leans What manner of love is this that makes her follow her Beloved through such uncoth rugged dangerous wayes as these Learned â—remellius would have these words to bee no Parenthesis at all but the continued speech of the Church and sayes
her breeding that in that regard they might say Quae est illa Who is this 2. Her carriage that is admirable this depends much upon breeding you know she shames not her breeding her deportment is according to her birth her companions noble Kings daughters 45. Psal 9. Her carrriage chast a Virgine through a spouse Christus non renascitur nisi in cordibus eorum qui spirituales sunt virgines Deo uno spiritu adherent Christ is not borne againe nor married to those that are not spirituall Virgins and adhere to him alone She loveth righteousnesse and hateth wickednesse 45. Psal 7. and keepeth her garment unspotted from the flesh she carries not her self like the wanton women those that see the Saints carriage for humility for gravity for her whole deportment may in admiration say Quae est illa Who is this What rare what glorious creature 3. Her Beauty is admirable 45. ps 2. She is fairer then the Children of men for grace is poured into her lips Some daughters are beautifull but she is far more beautifull Some in part but she is all faire thou art all faire my spouse She is black that is in her morning but her black morning proves a fair day black by nature faire by grace comely as the Tents of Kedar and Curtaines of Solomon A lilly though amongst thornes 1. Her beauty is a perfect beauty The Church was once calld the perfection of Beauty 2. Lament 25. No beauteous face and deformed body much lesse deformed soule All faire See her full description from the best limner in the 7. chap. to the 7. verse She is without spot or wrinkle 2. It is a desireable beauty Kings shall desire thy beauty amongst Creatures somtimes the flesh may be beautifull but the countenance casts a vaile over and makes the beauty not lovely or desirable but this is a lovely Beauty even in the eyes of Kings 3. It is a constant beauty no sicknesse can make her unlovely nothing can wrinkle the believing soule or curle the gracious brow the lilly of these valleyes looseth no beauty in the scorches of afflictions or haile of sorrow or stormes of temptation but in every condition those that look uppon her may say Quae est illa What so beauteous creature is this 4. She is admirable for her Clothing Her clothing is of wrought gold 45. Psal 13. She shall be brought unto the King in a garment of needlework in her espousall dayes she is cloathed with grace hereafter she shall be clothed with glory she hath put off her widowes garments and put on a garment like the garment Mordecay was arayed with Ester 8.15 Royall apparrell taken out of the wardrobe of glory Blew and white pretious Rayment even of the same cloth with the King of glories attyre Dan. 7.9 Revel 3.5 And with a crowne of glory upon her head and a garment of fine linen and purple Indeed she was cloathed like Iehoshua with filthy garments But God hath said take away the filthy garments from her and I will clothe her with change of Rayment Zech. chap. 3. ver 4.5 1. She is admirable First for the Variety of her clothing Secondly For the perfume of her garments We will open her wardrobe and shew you a few of the changes of Raiment this Bride hath First She hath her Inner garment of Christs righteousnesse her robe of righteousnesse this the Saints are clothed with and this is their long white garment Their inner garment that goes next their soule They are clothed in white Revel 7.13.14 Those that come out of Tribulation and have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb are arrayed in white robes 2. She hath another white garment of chastity which the Apostle bids Timothy put on and the young women must have gownes made of it they were to be chaste and discreet not committing adultery with the pleasures and profits and vain delights as well as men of the world but keepe her whole love and whole soule to God and God alone 3. Shee hath a long garment of Charity her cloak of charity this is both long and full with the others shee clothed her selfe with this she clotheth others with this she clotheth the naked and this is a true garment and it covers a multitude of sinnes 1 Pet. 5.8 A garment that neatly becomes a Christian and which she should be sure to have what ever she wants to the back of her soule Above all have fervent charity saith the Apostle It is a garment that the Bridegroome will looke that his Bride should bee clothed with at the great marriage day Matth. 25.34 c. Come ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdome prepared for you before the foundation of the world for I was an hungry and ye gave me meat c. A fourth change of Rayment shee hath is the hair cloath of humility an homely but precious garment 1 Pet. 5.5 Bee yee clothed with humility The Bridegroome himself woed his spouse with this robe He humbled himselfe and became obedient unto God even to death the death upon the crosse For these two last changes of rayment my heart akes to think how many Christians have left them off Charity is growne cold to a Proverb and humilitie the precious garment of humility changed for the conceited coat of singularity the party coloured coat of factions hath brought this garment out of fashion It hath lost no beauty though it bee pittifully out of fashion A fifth change of raiment is her garment of Moderation a summer garment to be worn when the Sun of prosperity shines hott then let your moderation be known unto all men Philip. 4.5 Sixthly She hath likewise a winter garment of Patience and this the Spouse puts on in a storm Tribulation worketh Patience This the good Church of Ephesus was clad with and her God loved her in this habit Rev. 2.3 And hast borne and had patience and for my name hast laboured and hast not fainted Seventhly Many are the changes of this Spouses Raiment I will only mention one more and that is Vestimentum fidei her Buff-coat of faith this is Pistoll yea Canon proof this shee puts on in a time of warre The shield of faith called Ephes 6.16 This is her militia vestment These are the Spouses severall changes of Vesture and many more she hath garments of needlework and divers colours and she shall have at last a garment of Glory She is glorious for the change of her raiment that the eye of the beholder may be put to amaze and he in admiration say Quae est illa Who is this that commeth up 2. She is admirable as for the change so for the perfume of her garments Psal 45.8 All her garments smell of Myrrh Aloes and Cassia Cant. 4.11 The smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon no perfume like the beleevers sweetnesse sweetnesse that cannot be worn out she gives a smell as she goes like the smell
may cast a covering over the man that hee shall not see the Sun But not over the body of the sunne to hide day-light To whom is she hidden therefore and to whom not hidden What of her is uncovered and what is covered First She is not hidden to God Elijah thought all the saints had beere both dead and buried when hee complained that he was left alone but God saw seven thousand in Israel that had not bowed their knee to Baal Ezechiel saw no mourners but God sent him to mark out such a precious tribe from the tribes of Israel he saw their private drops God need not say concerning the most retired saint Who is this that commeth up Secondly To her selfe she is not hidden She hath her conscience bearing her witnesse the manifestation of Gods love in her owne soule the prints of his foot-steps Gods Spirit bearing witnesse with their own Spirits Christ is written in great letters in their hearts she hath her 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 her marks to know her selfe by By this we know 1 Iohn 2.3 and by this again we know vers 5. 3. She is unknowne and hidden to the world to the saints of the world her brethren know her not and to the men of the world to the one lesse to the other more the saints know her not infallibly It was a true saying of him When any of us come in heaven we shall see some faces there that we never thought had beene there and misse some others that we had verily thought to have found there But yet many wayes may the Saints discerne by the fruits betwixt light and darknesse yet not any that I know so certaine to our duskish eyes that by it I can positively and infallibly say of any This or that is a Saint of God though in charity I ought to judge so of many yet Samuel may bee deceived in Eliab Gods eyes see not as man sees Therefore I have sometimes wondred with what face any man that professeth himselfe a servant of Iesus Christ dare for a fee at a funerall lift a moralist to heaven that possibly burnes in hell that houre I should feare to speak it positively of him that in my deceivable eyes seems a pious Christian They are Hidden ones How many that shine in heaven at this day a glorious constellation that went out of the world clouded and with what face shall a minister of Iesus Christ say more of me then I dare say of my self How comes his assurance if I want mine I know charity in this case is pleaded But I conceive charity is enough shewen to say I hope or we hope if the tree may be judged by the fruits declare the probabilities and leave the soule to God But I am not amongst an indocible kinde of creatures that will tell me they are too old to be taught and I too young to teach them To return therefore whence I digrest and to tell you what of the Christian cannot be hidden and what of them is hidden 1. The acts of his graces cannot bee hidden A Christian must shew his love to God though God clouds himself to him If they have any habit of love in them it will act For Love is strong as the grave and jealousie burnes like fire Cant. 8.6 7. Many waters cannot quench love Their zeale cannot bee hidde no not from the world he cannot heare a wretch sweare see him drunk profaning Gods sabbaths nay abusing his Christs blood but he must speake The zeale of Gods house hath eaten up the Christian as well as his master The hypocrite learns that politick paradox to see and not to see to see and winke Eliah must be zealous for the Lord God of hosts The hypocrite will tell you of discretion O that idoll of discretion said hee and very well that drives the power of Godlinesse out of the Kingdome Discretion indeed is commendable The prudent man ordereth his affairs with discretion but not with discretion as now impleaded The Magistrate must be zealous in his place these tell him he must bee moderate Summum jus est summa injuria he must not anger his rich neighbour to levy the penaltie for swearing or blaspheming nor make the poore men his enemies by executing the Statutes for tipling and drunkennesse he must keepe his oath with discretion and punish sin with discretâ—on and damne his owne soule with discretion too The ministers they must act by the hypocriticall Newters luke-warme principles of discretion too they must not reprove faction till they see how it will be favoured above see what government will be settled and then speak against those that oppose it See the truth of Christ rent in peeces his precious robe of truth torne from top to bottome his church rent limb from limb cut in more peeces then the Levites concubine yet must they say nothing It were indiscretion want of moderation bitter Presbyterianisme what not to speak against these butchers wait and see what will bee done above and so indeed it may be salvation may bee brought to the church another way but we must know then assuredly that wee and our houses and our fathers houses shall perish The word of God was in Ieremiahs heart as a burning fire shut up in his bones Ier. 20.9 Grace commands a Christian Magistrate and a Christian Minister sometimes beyond what the world judgeth discretion witnesse that though an extraordinary case of Phineas for Zimri and Cosbi But alas where is this zeale we have more Discreeter as the world calls them then Gracious zealous preachers by one half meer Gallioes that can see a Church rent in peeces soules perverted truth torne and they care for none of these things And we have more moderate Magistrates then Godly more that the world calls honest then God will thank for their honesty another day It was never before our dayes the Commendation of a Magistrate to be last in action to do nothing against blasphemers Hereticks c. Where â—s these pretended Christians graces O away with these Cyphers on Benches act for God or the Devill When God calls as in these dayes Who is on my side who why do ye hide your heads in holes were there a dramme of grace in your hearts it could not be but we should see a little flame The acts of Christians graces cannot be hidden No one must say of them in that sence Who is this Secondly Their gracious and holy life cannot be hidden They must walk as it becomes children of the light they cannot be saints here and Devils there their company be it good or bad shall be the better for them It was a shrewd failing of Peter to be a Iew amongst the Iewes and a Gentile amongst the Gentiles Paul reproved him to his face for it Thus they are not hidden if they be Gods coine they will have his image and superscription upon them How then are they hidden from the world that they may say who is
flock which God is so tender of that his eye will not endure to see any of it wronged in the least sort before they repent them of the wrong they offer to them before this Spouse cries out to her husband and his wrath be kindled in his b east but a little his wrath is far sooner kindled then quenched In the second place it may be applied by way of discovery First To discover the reason why the children of God meet with such course handling from the men of the world they are accounted as the off seâ—uring of the world and refuse of the Nations It is because they are hidden ones the world knowes them not a King may walk in a place where he is not knowne and the meanest Peaâ—ant not stirâ—e his hatte to him an Emperour may walk in a forreigne Nation and the most sordid clowne not give him the way The Saint is here in a st ange countrey he is in but not of the world I am a sojourner and a pilgrâ—m here said the holy man as all my fathers were Their dwelling their fixed dwelling I mean is not in the world they have tents but they will build no Tabernacles They will scarce say It is good for us to be here their voice is Cupio dissolvi I desire to be dissolved and be with Christ Their inheritance is above the starres their mansion house in the land of glory if once they come in heaven the Saints shall Court th m the blessed Angels shall wait upon them the King of glory their Father shall bid them welcome and their Bridegroome give them joy there they are known here they are not The world saies of them Who are these 2. This may Secondly discover a difference betwixt the meanest Saint and the greatest Worldling Are they so glorious in â—ods eyes how mean soever in the eyes of men learne then that a leathern doublet may be more precious then a scarlet coat These are born of God the Devill is their father how great soever their parentage be You are of your father the devill Ioh. 8.44 There 's their Breeding in Gods Heraldry And the lusâ—s of their father they will doe There 's their Carriage Noâ—withstanding their gay clothes they are clothed with the ragges of unrighteousnesse and their garments are spotted with the flesh Their best clothes w ll not cover this Nakednesse The Saints are glorious these inglorious creatures in the sight of their God 3. Thirdly Are the Saints hidden creatures This may then informe us that all is not Gold that glisters the sincerity and habit of the Saints graces is hidden every one in Israel is not of Israel Saints are hidden creatures hidden to others and something modestly retired to themselves they are such as we must say of them Who are these I like not those that are too much their own trumpets when I heare one boasting of his graces which by the way is the best beauty he hath to glory in if hee might glory in any thing when hee hath nothing but what hee hath received inviting others into his chariot to see his zeale for the Lord God of Hosts as Jehu once did Jonadab though I had rather call a mans title to his lands then his title to the Kingdome of heaven in question which is his best inheritance yet I am ready to suspect such a creature that there is more without then within more in his forehead then in his heart I am ready to feare the Cities running out of the gates the empty vessell soundâ—ng most It is a pretty Simile of a quaint Divine of our owne Those Merchants and other Whole-sale men in a City whose shops are of greatest value and have most solid Merchandise in them set no great shew out at their shop windowes perhaps they are shut up whiles the poore Pedlar layes out every piece of Ribband and bit of Lace hee hath The solid and serious Saint is an hidden creature of whom we must say Who is this Hee doth not care to set out so much at his windowes as hee hath in his shop and yet not so hidden but communicative upon occasion too To demonstrate that the smell of Christs spikenard is upon his clothing that his garments smell of Myrrhe Aloes and Cassia whiles the pedling hypocrite hangs out every seeming grace to the eye of the world I am afraid at this time there is many a painted Theban Lady in the Church of God that will not endure to wash her face many a painted hypocrite that dare not come at the fire We say Good Wine needs no Bush The good Christian needs no Trumpet The beauteous face looks most beautifull through a vaile and odours will smell through a covering It is the painted lewd strumpet that walks the streets brazing every one shee meets that calls to every one to look on her beauty and invites the wild-eyed passenger to her lodgings The modest Gentlewoman weares a vaile and is only seen under that It is the strumâ—et in Christianity that proclaimes her beauty to all and sounds a trumpet before her and invites all to kisse her because she is Christs Spouse O friend take heed let there be more in thy heart and lesse in thy tongue Christs Spouse is all-glorious but not vain-glorious Glorious but it is within Shee hath a glorious inscription but her superscription is not in so big characters You will say of the Saint of God whiles you have a glympse of her beauâ—y through her vaile Who is this As for the other you shall not need ask who they are they are the onâ—ly Church of Chriâ—t The godly party THE well-affected These say Stand by your selves come not neare to us we will have no communion with you for we are holier then you The holy God make them more holy but the Lord grant that none of these boasters be a smoke in Gods nose we find them a fire that burnes all the day Isai 65.5 The next Life is of Exhortation to teach all of us severall lessons 1. To those that are not yet married to this King of glory O that this day might be a day of espousalls And me thinks I have spoke enough to perswade with poore creatures that are vile dust and ashes to consider how glorious they are made after this wedding day What is there desireable in an husband that is not to be found in this mighty Jesus I know but foure things that can make a Bridegrome desireable all which are to be found to the highest in the Lord Iesus Christ 1. Breeding 2. Beauty 3. Riches 4. A loving ingenuous nature I am come this day to plead for my Master with you friends who are but dust and ashes Doth any one here think that the marriage of Christ will disparage their house and his crosse dishonour their coat Know friend my Master whose love I tender thee is the Son of the Lord of lords the Heire of heaven and earth One that hath alwayes
been brought up in the Court of glory One that in the day of thine espousalls to him shall put a degree of honour more upon thee though thou wer 't the Empresse of the world before No honour like the honour to be call'd the sons and daughters of the most High If thou hast an ambitious eye here is an object of highest honour for thee thou shalt be daughter to that King that can bind Kings in chaines and Nobles in links of iron and Bride to him that hath Emperors for his meanest servants and is Heire of eternity 2. Hast thou a wanton eye will beauty move thy affection My Master is the fairest of ten thousand white and ruddy Cant. 5.10 His head is of most fine gold his locks bushy and black as a Raven c. See the full description of him in that Chapter The creatures beauty is mouldring paint but His native beauty is permanent glory 3. Hast thou a covetous eye and doest thou look for a great joynture My Master hath it for thee Hee is rich in inheritance heaven is his and earth is his and the sea is the work of his hands He is rich in moveables Every beast of the forrest is his and the cattell upon a thousand hills The fowls of the mountaine and the wild beasts of the field Ay and all is thine for hee can with-hold no good thing from those that live uprightly The Father of glory gives all with his Son in marriage He hath given us his Son shall hee not with him give us all things 4. Hast thou a sober ingenuous eye that thou thinkest love is the best riches and a certainty in that the best joynture Know that my Master is of a loving nature too Read this delicious Song tell me what Gallant ever courted his Mistresse though far above himself with such Rethoricall expressions of love as this precious Jesus woes poor dust and ashes O tell me poore creature how wouldst thou desire to try my Masters love towards thee O man did ever Bridegroome do so much for his Bride why man he hath come and left his pallace of Glory for thee and lived a scornfull tedious life upon the earth he hath pleaded night and day with his angry father in heaven for thee that thy soule might not be damned but thou mightst be married to him he hath made thee a path for thy prayers to his father and thou hast not had a gracious answer to one prayer but hath come under Christs hand and been sealed with my masters blood Wilt thou try him by what he hath or will suffer for thee Why poor creature for thee hath he been buffeted beaten whipt prickt with a crowne of thorns for thee did he suffer his precious side to be ript with a speare for thee did that precious bloody balsamy sweat trickle down his sacred cheeks for thee was he nailed to crosse for thee he did suffer such torments as made his dying soule cry out Eli Eli lama sabachthani is this no suffering doth not he deserve thee that hath suffered so much for thee that art but a peece of momentary clay The Gallant perhaps will venture his life for his Mistresse but my Master hath more then ventured his life for thee he embraced death for thee He knew he should dye yet to shew that he valued not his heart blood for thee he shund not the crosse I doubt whether a gallant would fight a duell for his Love if he were certain he should be slain in that duel But this my Master hath done for thee Some have a trick to try the constancy of their lovers by making them long suitors If they be content to woe seven years then perhaps they will love This is but an unmannerly trick but yet thus hast thou tryed my Lord and Master most unworthy creature He hath proved himself constant in his patient woings and waitings upon thy scorne this hath been his woing place every minister came with a love-letter from my Master to thee He hath come himselfe many a time and knockt at the door of thine heart whilst thou hast been in bed with sin yea he hath stood and knockt while his locks have been wet with the dew of the night O hard heart Why dost thou tire out my Masters patience most worthlesse creature What hath he not staid for thee long enough is not yet the constancy of his love approved to thee What was it for a portion he should have with thee what portion but sin he must give his blood to cleanse thee before he can embrace thee yet rather then loose thee he will do it O precious melting love here love was stronger then the grave indeed was ever love like his Let me be familiar with thee this day I would gladly make joy in heaven this day for the marriage of some poor soule to my Master What makes thee so coy and scornfull Art thou a creature of such deserts dost thou think What dost thou deserve if any thing it is hell yet he even he who is in heaven it self and glory it self he woes thee What will move thee Thou art vile and filthie polluted in thy blood more loathsome then a toad worse then the stinking leper that goes up and down the streeâ—s O come come this day and be married to the Lord Christ Take him and him alone not for the heaven thou shalt have with him but for the heaven thou shalt have in him he shall make thee admired thou shalt be a Queen thou that art the childe of the Devil shalt become the childe of God thou that wert so filthy shalt learne the carriage of a Kings daughter thou that wert all dirty and besmeared with sin shalt become all faire Thou art all faire my s ouse Thou that hadst nothing but raggs of iniquity shalt now be clothed with the glorious robes of righteousnesse Isai 61. vers 10. Thou shalt be cloathed with the garments of salvation and covered with the robes of righteousnesse Thou shalt be deckt like a Bridegroome and as a Bride decks her selfe with jewells He shall make thee so glister with graces and shine with holinesse in thy life and conversation that the worlds eye shall be dazled upon thee and they shall say of thee Who is this O you that are children of pleasure Come O make haste and be married to this glorious Bridegroome the King of glory waits upon you to honour you this day O come to the wedding become his friends and Eat of his fatnesse and drink of his sweetnesse and be merry and rejoyce in the God of your salvation and let us all cry out Effice O Christe nos dignos ut ad Nuptias Agni aliquando introducamur Lord make us all worthy of such a Bridegroome Secondly Are the Saints of God hidden creatures that the world must say of them Who are thâ—se Then judge not that ye be not judged Say not This man is a Saint and the other a
after a naturall manner till the quickning grace of God come A man may in a wildernesse conceive himselfe lost look about for the way out call for help be willing to be out yet not be one step in the way that will lead him out and this the soule must doe so far as it can Negamus etenim hanc gratiam regenerantem infundi homnibus mertibus sed animis per verbum Dei erectis subactis per praedictas actiones quodammodo dispositis viz. We deny that regenerating grace is infused into sloathfull men but into soules subdued by Gods word and law and after a manner disposed by the foregoing actions yet wee say that even these forgoing actions have their first motions from God and the question is whither God doth not first work a sight and sense of sinne and an humiliation for it by his exciting grace before he comes with his regenerating quickning and saving grace into the soule we say he doth in his ordinary course of his dispensations Only I must here be safely understood that I speak according to mans apprehension for in respect of God nothing is first or last hee works all in an instant all graces together in the soule but the question lies not whether God works the habit of Repentance before the habit of Faith or no for without question he works together all his works but whether God makes humiliation act before faith which wee say hee doth Esau and Iacob may be in their mothers wombe together but Esau may come out and be seene in the world before Iacob yet not tying up the Almighty to this method who can and will work any way even which way it pleaseth him Nor doe we say that any such previous action can be performed by the Creature ut de merito congrui teneatur Gratiam dare That God is bound for the desert of any such previous action to give his inward and regenerating quickning grace But yet this we say Davenant ibid. that in the church of God where men are dayly stirr'd up by the word and spirit to repent and beleeve savingly God will give though not for any of these previous or dispository actions yet freely regenerating grace to all such as are capable of it unlesse they have resisted the Spirit of God in the preceding operations and rejected his quickning grace but yet we deny that any man can performe these actions so but he will offend and resist the Spirit of God in them Now why when as all resist God should reject some as they have rejected him and leave them to the hardnesse of their own hearts and work irresistibly on others who have resisted their God as much and break open their hearts though lock'd and barr'd against him and fill them with quickning grace and pull a Lot out of Sodom by force and draw a soule out of the wildernesse by head and shoulders I say why he should doe it when two are grinding at the same mill take one and leave the other when two are in the same field why the one should bee taken the other left when two soules are equall in duties fasting mourning in the way that God hath appointed why hee should baulk this and take the other when perhaps that which is taken hath beene the least penitent too I will conclude with Dr. Davenant is Sacrum Misterium divinae voluntati reliquendum A sacred and secret mystery to be left to the divine pleasure and the reason lies in the agents own breast It is because he will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy and whom he wills he hardeneth God is his own reason and his free grace it s owne cause So then wee conclude that the soule cannot move one foot to a spirituall action spiritually not by any common grace it must be onely by Gods regenerating and saving grace So that to answer yet more distinctly to the Question In respect of Gods exciting and preventing grace if wee looke so farre wee cannot come but that preventeth us Wee are as clay in the hands of the Potter wee are all dead in sinnes But when the Lord hath changed the soule then it commeth The first motion upon the will is from God before there is any motion of the will unto God but when the will is healed of God then the soule commeth then the soule which was meerly passive before is active wil endeavor to do something for that God that hath done so much for her It followes the drawing of God most holy Spirit Draw me saith the Spouse and I will runne after thee First I must be drawne but then I will runne In the same moment God makes us to will and wee will and yet all the efficacy of the Action comes from Gods most holy Spirit It is certaine saith Augustine That wee are willing when wee are willing but he makes us willing certum est no velle quum volumus sed ille facit ut velimus qui operatur in nobis velle that workes in us to will and to performe Phil. 2.13 And so he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God drawes but he drawes the soule that is willing Ay but first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he makes it willing So I have shewed what proprietie the soule hath in the Action how she commeth and how willing she is to the motion She is drawne but she is willing to be drawne to Jesus Christ But first she is made willing before she is willing ay and in her life after she is come to Christ in her walking with Christ Non suis confidit viribus she trusts not her owne strength she even then commeth leaning which is the next Branch of the Doctrine I have to handle Though she comes up from the wildernesse yet she comes up not of her owne strength but leaning First Let us enquire what the expression holds out to us Secondly What is the soules hand Thirdly Who it is she leanes upon Fourthly What in him she hath to trust to and how in every wildernesse she leanes and out of every wildernesse comes up leaning I conceive here are foure things hinted in this expression leaning which I may terme the foure fingers of the Spouses hand which she layes upon her Saviours shoulders First It doth argue that the soule is weary otherwise she would not leane Secondly It is a willing posture I am not forced to leane I doe it willingly The soule that comes up with Christ is willing Thirdly It is a posture of love Otherwise she would not leane Fourthly It doth argue a confidence that the soule hath in the Lord that he is able to boare her Otherwise she would not trust the weight of her soule upon him First It doth argue wearinesse If she were not weary she would not leane Humiliation is a preface to faith and the way to be found is to be lost It is not a leaning of wantonnesse but a leaning of wearinesse O Lord I
the Lords mercy and loving thus she leanes upon him Secondly It is one that she pleades some title to and interest in she cals him hers Christ is the Bridegroome of the Soule and the Soule is Christs Bride Beloved in all this Song is taken for the highest degree of love and nearest relation conjugall love therefore Christ elsewhere calls her his Sister his Spouse she hath a title to and interest in him possession of him and in another place I am my welbeloveds and my welbeloved is mine She is his and he is hers they have a propriety each in other But suppose we should put the Spouse to prove her title to him What is thy Beloved more then anothers Beloved Or why is he thy Beloved O beleeving soule more than the Beloved of another shew thy title to him And againe why is she Christs more than another Why should the Beleever monopolize Christ and how came Christ to be hers she is his and he is hers by right of gift her heavenly Father hath given her unto him hence is that Phrase of her Saviours Prayer John 17.9 All that the Father hath given me and I pray for all them that thou hast given me She hath given her selfe to him Cant. 1.2 Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth for his love is better then wine She hath said Draw me and I will run after thee ay and he hath given himselfe to her he hath given his grace unto her Gal. 1.6 And his glory unto her The glory which thou hast given me I have given them Her Beloved by right of gift She is his and he is hers by right of bargaine and sale The Ancients had three waies to get themselves wives by gift purchase or desert The Fathers sold their Daughters and the Bridegroome bought his Bride he gave a Dowry for her Hence when Sechem had a minde to Dinah the daughter of Jacob he saies Aske me what Dowry thou wilt and I will give it thee Christ hath bought his Beloved hence saith the Apostle He hath paid a price for us A bloudy price more than all the world was worth But he would have her because he delighted in her and so she is his and he is hers by right of purchase She is his Beloved and he is hers by correlation By right ef desert she deserved not him but he deserved her This was a third way by which the Ancients got them wives by some gallant exploit or great service Their wives were sometimes given them for wages Jacob served fourteene yeares for Rachell Gen. 29.17 David for his Soveraignes daughter encountred great Goliah and afterwards robbed the Philistines of their foreskins he paid more for her then she proved to be worth By this right the beleeving soule is the beloved of Christ he hath served a long service for her not fourteene but above thirty yeares he hath vanquished the Goliahs of our soules and hath conquered our Spirituall Enemies He is hers and she is his by right of possession he dwels in her and she dwels in him The second person in the Trinity is an inmate with the beleeving soule He dwels under the roofe of her heart He hath a chamber in the soule and hath pitched his tent within her and she is in him too united each unto other this is very plainly exprest Ga. 2.20 I live but yet not I but Christ lives in me I am the Carcasse Christ the Soule the Soule moveth the body so Christ moves my soule I move not from any principle in my selfe but from a principle of Grace The life I live in the flesh I live by the life of the Sonne of God who dwelleth in me who loved me and gave himselfe for me Thus you see she may well call Christ her Beloved and Christ may well call her his Beloved He hath a propriety in her and she hath a propriety in him also he hath married her and dwels with her yea and in her dilectum suum her welbeloved indeed Thirdly It is her beloved not anothers beloved Every soule hath a Beloved the Drunkard hath his beloved cups the wanton hath his beloved Queanes the Covetous person his beloved Gold The soule that leanes upon Christ goes not a whoring after other Gods The Spouse of Christ leanes not upon the Papists beloved merits nor upon the Turkes beloved Mahomet nor upon the Pharisees beloved duties nor upon the Idolaters beloved Saints she saies Abrahâ—m knowes her not Isa 63.16 and Israell is ignorant of her but the Lord is her father Christ is her Redeemer and her maker her Redeemer is her husband Creator tuus est sponsus tuus Her Beloved not anothers Beloved 4. He that is her Beloved not that which was her Beloved She once loved her sins and her lust were the beloveds of her soule The name of Baali was in her mouth her lusts were her Lords and they ruled over her But now the name of Baalim is taken out of her mouth she calls the Lord Ishi God alone is her beloved sin was the dearly beloved of her soule but now she calls sin no more Naomi she cals it Marah that which was once the sweetnesse is now the bitternesse of her soule she takes no pleasure in it no nor doth she account her duties her beloved she useth them but she dares not trust her soule upon them she dares not plead any desert in them though once perhaps she had a Pharisaicall conceit that her duties would be her healing yet when she comes to the Lord Christ to leane upon his Arme though she useth duties and is as full of full of Prayer and humiliation as ever she knocks her hand upon her brest and cries she is a sinner Oh! but what remedy the knocking her hand upon her brest she knowes cannot save her no for that God be mercifull to her she leanes upon Christ that is her now Beloved not upon any duties or any other merits that was before her Beloved Fifthly Her beloved not her beloveds The soule that comes to the Lord Jesus Christ loves him intensly and as she loves him best so she loves him only As nothing shall have her whole heart so neither will she divide her heart betwixt him and another he shall have her heart and he only shall have her heart and he shall have her whole heart too she dare trust her strength upon Christ and upon him alone she desireth only to be found in the Lord Jesus who is her Bridegroome she is a Virgin not a Whore she leanes not upon Christ with one hand and her owne merits with another no nor dares she leane upon the merits of another she durst not trust the weight of her soule upon the wings of an Angell nor to the Prayers of a Saint she relies upon God and upon God only The Papists leane upon Christ but not upon him alone she knowes it will be a dishonour both to her and her husband to take any
thing in partem amoris to share with her husband in his love she will keepe her honour in being the wife of one husband And so I have shewed you how she leanes what is her hand who it is she leanes upon what title she hath to him what rules she observeth in her leaning I have but one thing more and that is to shew you what strength there is in the Lord Christs shoulders to beare her how she leanes even in every wildernesse and what fulnesse of strength there is in her husbands arme to keepe her up from falling The first wildernesse you may remember was the wildernesse of sin Here the Spouse cannot be said properly to leane upon her beloved for she wants the hand of faith to lay hold upon Christ and indeed she is not weary yet I do not know why in some sense even in this estate the elect soule is not beholding to free grace he is her Christ here though he hath not yet manifested himselfe to be her Iesus her saviour The elect soule in sin is elect decreed to be saved though she be not declared to be elect she is beloved in decree though God hath not actullay manifested his love unto her he is not her beloved but the soule is his beloved not actually but decretally he hath thoughts of good to her but his thoughts are kept within himselfe till he is pleased to reveale them to her at his best time she is his Beloved though there be no correlation she is in his thoughts his Spouse aye and positively not conditionally The Arminians falsely dreame of Gods conditionall decrees because they comprehend not the wayes of God Beleeving is necessarily required yet it was not a condition in Gods decree The soule is his beloved though yet there be no correlation though she be not his wife yet yet she is intended for his wife To speake according to the wayes of men I may intend to make a woman my wife before I actually declare my intentions to her she is my wife in my determinations and thoughts before I wooe her though not actually my wife before I have wooed her and she hath yeelded too there lyes onely this difference my determination must be but conditionally if she will accept of my proffer'd love There lyes a power in her to refuse Wee may therefore make the simile a little higher A great Emperour buyeth a woman that is a slave which he intends to marry and will whither she will or no yet he will wooe her and if it be possible marry her will as well as her person yet whither she will or no he will and may marry her for she is his purchase she is his wife in his determination before he hath married her But yet even this simile is lame Every simile comparing the wayes of God with the wayes of man must at least halt of one foot for though this Emperour hath power to force the womans body to the action yet he hath no power to force her will to be willing to the action The will is alwayes independent sui juris but God hath power not onely to marry the soule which he hath bought from being a slave to the Divell but to make her willing to marry him yet she is in Christs decree his Spouse before he hath actually revealed his decree unto her So though strictly and properly the soule cannot be said to lean upon Christ in the wildernesse of sinne yet she may be said to be beholden unto the Lord Christ and that thus Every soule hath the like principles of corruption and would act to the full of it's depraved operations were it not for Gods preventing and restraining grace Shee is beholding unto God for his preventing and restraining grace though here she is meerly passive Secondly She is beholden unto God for his exciting grace The foule heares and fasts and prayes meditates of her owne sad condition though for the substance of the action it is her owne yet it is Gods exciting grace makes her willing to hear fast pray though not his speciall saving-grace yet his common grace But this is not a leaning meant in the Text shee leanes here upon Christ but not upon Jesus a Saviour upon God but not as her Beloved And here the soule is brought into a second wildernesse The wildernesse of Sorrow Contrition Repentance call it what you please though I know the latter terme Repentance be controverted by some new Opinionists Yet I know not why wee may not say That a man may repent without saving-grace And for that Repentance which they say must be the effect of faith if I were a Schoole-man I should rather call it Godly Sorrow but I desire not to play upon termes And for their defining Repentance To be a sorrow for sinne out of the sense of the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ it is a definition they have devised for their owne purpose And give them their premises according as they please they would be poore Logicians if they made the conclusion to displease them For from hence they argue If the love of God be the ground and cause of Repentance viz. the love of God manifested and sensible to us wee having apprehended it by faith the speciall love of God then faith must goe before repentance viz. an apprehension of Gods saving love and reliance upon it But I answer the definition which they give us of Repentance is deceitfull it is a definition of a Species in steed of a Genus as wee say in Logick As some unwary Divines define Faith to be an assurane of Gods love in Iesus Christ This is true but this is a faith of the highest stamp and many a precious soule is without this faith to his dying day Faith of adherence is another thing as if I should goe to define a man to be a reasonable creature skil'd in all sorts of Learning Any man would understand me that I did not goe about to describe a man in generall but this or that particular man And I say once againe If I were a Schoole-man I should rather call this A godly sorrow and define Repentance in generall to be A sorrow for sinne there is the genus and differentia Or if there be required a fuller definition with the ground though I conceive such a definition would be more proper to give of Repentance in it's severall kinds then of Repentance in generall yet wee may give it thus It is a sorrow for sinne arising out of the feare of Gods wrath or apprehensions of Gods love And I know not why we may not say That a man may repent without saving grace Bishop Davenant sayes A man by exciting the grace of God may Peccata propria considerare ad sensum corundem expavescere liberationem ab hoc metu exoptare tremble for his sinnes Mark 1.15 Luk. 17.3 4. Ezek 14 6. and mourne for them and desire deliverance out of them and if
staies the Ship of the soule when a tempest of sorrow arises and the waves beate upon it Now this Anchor hath two flukes The first is her Beloveds mercies and merits The second is her Beloveds promises when she is in this sad wildernesse of sorrow her Beloved gives her a staffe of merits and mercy and free grace to leane upon and a clue of promises to lead her out of this Labyrinth and the mercies and merits of her Beloved have two hookes both which take fast hold to stay her soule 1. The fulnesse of them 2. The freenesse of them The fulnesse of them The soule cries out O I am damned Christ suggests to her But didst thou never heare of one that came to save those which were in their owne apprehension damned I deserve to dye everlastingly saith the soule oh but did not he dye for thee that deserved to live everlastingly saith Christ I deserve infinite torments saith the soule Oh! but are not thy Christs mercies infinite mercies saith God Thy mercy held me up My sins have cryed up to heaven saith the soul O but my mercies are above the heavens saith Christ Psal 108.5 My sins are more in number then the haires of my head saith the soule O but my mercies saith Christ are more in number then the sand which lies on the Sea shore Psal 139.17 18. My sins have abounded saith the soule O but my grace hath much more abounded saith Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 5.20 O but my heart is as hard as Iron and the face of my sins like Brasle saith the soule O but that God that made the Leviathan is as strong as the Leviathan He esteemes Iron as straw and Brasse as rotten wood My sins are many saith the soule But were their name Legion saith Christ I could cast them out O but I am an old sinner I have a mountaine of sins But my mercies are from euerlasting saith Christ so are not thy sins and I came to levell Mountaines Luke 3.4 The more old thou art the more glory shall my free grace have all the world shall see I do not pardon thee for any service thou canst or wilt do me thou must ere long lye downe in the grave Thus the soule in this wildernesse of sorrow leanes upon the fulnesse of Gods mercies But secondly there must be freenesse as well as fulnesse or else what hath the soule to do with Christ O saith the soule I know that the least drop of Christ bloud is fully able to wash away all my guilt But oh what have I to do with Christ I am a poore creature â— the fitter object for divine charity what dowry have I for Christ to marry me Because thou hast nothing therefore I will doe it saith Christ If thou hadst any thing that thou thoughtest riches I would not have married thee saith Christ Thou art mistaken in my thoughts I do not marry thee because thou art rich but because I have a delight in thee and have an intention to make thee rich Hosea 14.4 I will heale their back-slidings I will love them freely Ezek. 16.7 8 9. Now the soule being fully perswaded of this that Christ is full of mercy and able to pardon her and free in his mercy therefore willing to forgive her and desiring nothing for her pardon but to live like a Spouse in his sight begins to leane beleeving he will pardon her But yet saith the soule I could desire to see it under Christs hand I thinke I could take his word now So she leanes upon Christs promises which are as the other Fluke of this Anchor Now saies the soule Oh that I had it but under Christs hand that my sins which I am scarce able to thinke can be pardoned may be pardoned though I staid my Jesus his leisure for the sealing of it Here she enquires for first Promises and secondly Presidents Did ever Christ promise saith the Soule to pardon such a scarlet crimson sinner as I am Yes I have saith Christ looke Isai 1.18 Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as snow though they be red like Crimson they shall be as wooll and so Isai 55.6 7. I will have mercy upon you I will abundantly pardon you Matth. 11.29 O but where hath Christ promised freely to dispense these mercies saith the soule Christ turnes her againe to Isai 55.1 2 3. He every one that thirsteth come buy of me without money or money worth O but secondly where did he ever pardon such a sinner as I am saith the soule Christ puts her in mind of Mary Magdalen Manasses O but where one that was so neare hell as I am saith the Soule an old sinner the theefe upon the Crosse saith Christ Now it must not be understood that Christ Jesus should reveale these Promises Audibly to the Soule but 1. Either sets his Ministers a worke to declare his Charters of Grace and read the Soules pardon 2. Or else he suggests into the soule such promises in such a seasonable time which must be taken as the voyce of God to that soule Thus the soule furnished with presidents trusting upon promises wipes her eyes comes out of the wildernesse leaning upon her blessed Saviour and saying O my sweet Saviour thou that hast drawne me from the pit of hell and hast reached out thy arme for a worthlesse lost worme to leane upon thee I dare beleeve thee I now roule my soule upon thee I am shipwract but thou are my harbour and now ô what shall I do for thee O my God! I am sicke of love Thou hast rauished my heart I am thine I am thine Thus have I shewen how the Soule comes out of the wildernesse of sin and sorrow leaning upon her Beloved And here the ship is in harbour but yet ever and anon she is tossed still persecuted though not forsaken This is the most dangerous wildernesse afterwards she is often in the Corner of a Desart I must shew you how even then she leanes and how out of them she comes leaning upon her Beloved She is alwayes a dependent creature she leanes when ever she is wearied The third Wildernesse therefore is the wildernesse of afflictictions in this she leanes out of this she comes leaning upon her Welbeloved id est In afflictions she leanes Christ is her Comfort in her saddest troubles Shee leanes upon him viz. Upon his supporting grace Thy rod and thy staffe comforted me Psal 23. The staffe held him up while the rod was upon his back The rod was a comfort because of the staffe the more he had of the rod the more he had of the staffe also In afflictions the beleeving soule leans upon â—od and sayes 2 Lam. 20. Behold O Lord for I am in distresse Out of the belly of Hell she cries as Jonas chap. 2. First She beleeves that she shall suffer no more then she is able to beare 2 Cor. 12.9 My grace shall be sufficient for thee For Gods
those that know not what to doe to be saved those that feele themselves even in the jawes of hell hee makes apprehensions of his wrath precede the apprehensions of his love But woe and alas how many thinke they have a part in Christ That the Devill hath as great a part in Christ actually as they have heaven is growne the common journeyes end and let men ride which way they list Not the most debauched wretch in a Congregation but aske him what hee thinks shall become of him if he dyes in that condition why he hopes he shall goe to heaven nay I wish he doth not say he is sure of it too All men are sinners He is lost but Christ came to seek and save that which was lost Tell him of mourning for his sinnes if he meanes to be comforted of humbling himself if he means to be exalted of feeling hel if ever he means to feele heaven O then you are a legall Preacher Heare what the other side saith what those you callâ— Antinomian Preachers O these are the onely Gospel-preachers to them This makes them passe for such honest men O they shew a fine Cushion-way to Heaven that you shall not need wet a a foot or eye in But let them preach what they will friend beleeve him who although he knowes but little yet knowes you must goe out of the wildernesse if ever you come there The way is neither the Drunkards Ale-way nor the Adulterers uncleane way nor the Covetous man his dirtie way nor the Ambitious mans high-way nor the Hypocrites hidden way nor the Carnall-Gospellers formall way nor the Antinomians easie way It is a way through a wildernesse not a way in a wildernesse The Spouse is not described by her staying in the wildernesse but by comming out of the wildernesse Who is this commeth out of the wildernesse Secondly Doth the Spouse of the Lord come out of a wildernesse of sorrow leaning upon her Beloved First she is in then she commeth out then this reproves the folly of those that preach men found before they were lost and of those that dreame of leaning before they are in the wildernesse The Spouse leans but it is when she is comming out of the wildernesse Is there none that preacheth downe a needlesnesse of duties that mocks at mourners that learne people a way to be found before they are lost Examine the Scriptures before you trust them under a pretence of exalting Faith doe they not cry downe sorrow for sin and all preparatory duties Nay they doe cry downe the preaching of the Law to bring men to see they are in the wildernesse that they might leane Doe they make you beleeve that preaching the Law is a piece of Anti-christianisme and no one ought to preach it And for their parts they will take heed of it for feare of preaching away their hearers O beware of this leaven For my part I had rather heare them then beleeve them and yet I would not much care for that neither were it nothing but to consider First That this way of preaching hath beene that which God hath most blest by his Servants labours Witnesse our Rogers our Hooker our Pious Shepard those three to which many threes may be added thougn they will scarce come up to the first three Those three Constellations of Heaven that gave more light to darke Travellers that wandred in the night of sinne while they shined in our Firmament then all these Ignes fatui Oh! I would I could not construe it false-fires mis-leading poore Travellers Was ever any of these Leaders so honoured though they have beat up their Drums almost in every street of the Kingdome for followers as to gather such Troopes of Saints to the Christian warfare as these before mentioned Did ever God honour their labours so much as these who poore soules shone in their dayes like lights under Bushels too had onely the corner of a Pulpit or a Pulpit in some blind corner tolerated them Nay looke upon these that have lately fallen into this Veine and were Preachers of Gods whole truth before was not their first fruits better and more accepted of God then their harvest is now Hath not God distinguished which way of preaching he will most honour by making the first ripe grapes sweeter then the whole Vintage were it onely for this And Secondly For the constant experience of the Saints of God let them speake their minds freely hath not this beene the way of their conversion Have not the best Saints in Heaven cryed out of the belly of Hell before God heard their voice Was not Paul strucken downe to the earth before he went in the Triumph of Glory Did not the Gaoler come in trembling and fall at the Apostles feet and cry what shall I doe to be saved before they bid him beleeve and thou shalt be saved Neither can they evade it with saying That trembling was not an humiliation for sinne but occasioned for feare his prisoners were gone Least people should wrest it in that manner The Holy Ghost hath cleared it to their hand for before wee read of his trembling Paul had cryed with a loud voice vers 28. Do thy self no harme for wee are all here Neither do wee read that he trembled for thâ—t at all but like one strucke senselesse and his spirits dead as it were in a fit of desperate madnesse was about with his Sword to let out his owne blood Now I say were it no more then to heare such doctrine contrary to the Doctrine which God hath chiefly honoured in his Servants lips by making it efficacious for the salvation of their soules and contrary to the experience of the generalitie of Gods Servants if not contrary to the Preachers owne former and better thoughts and practice it would be sufficient to make me suspend my faith from being too hastie to beleeve this new way to Heaven But it is enough to confirme me to heare my Christ calling Come unto me all yee that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you Before you are sensible of an heavy load you will need no ease and to heare my Text speaking of leaning but in a wildernesse Nay it may be noted too The Text saith Who is this that commeth Not who is this that jumpeth up from the wildernesse I cannot fancy this going to Heaven at a running jump nor can I like this pressing faith without preaching repentance also Faith is an act of an humble soule Nor can the soule apprehend the beautie of Christ and love Christ before it apprehends it 's owne miserable condition The onely harme this Doctrine doth is to make poore soules presume insteed of beleeving for alas Tell an impenitent soule of beleeving it apprehends it easie because it doth not understand it and runnes on upon a supposition that it hath faith when alas it beleeveth no more then the Divell beleeveth sorrow for sinne is better understood by a carnall heart then faith
as welcome as any thing to him but he is loath to sue a divorce for this Beloved he is loath to part with his old love for a new till he seeth how he can love him But at a venture he will take him in pâ—rtem amoris O wretch flatter not thy selfe if Christ be thy Beloved he will endure no Polygamy you must leave your sins or be without your Christ The true Spouse leanes upon her Beloved not upon her Beloveds upon her now Beloved she forsakes her old Lastly this may serve to reproove 1. Those that would leane upon Christ but they dare not trust their soules upon Christ alone Forsooth he will be the Spouse of Christ but he must leane upon Christ with one hand and his good workes with the other The whore of Babylon commits adultery with her selfe 2. Under this lash comes a better ranke of people that when God hath shewed them their owne sinfull sad condition they do not only performe duties pray and mourne and repent and be humbled all which they ought to do but they are ready to rest in them and make them their Beloved It is naturall to the soule that God hath made to loath its sins to love its duties it finds duties almost as consentaneous to its nature as sins were before and it is too ready to thinke that its saving or damning depends upon such a quantity of teares and humiliation Hence you heare soules in this condition often complaining oh I could beleeve if I were humbled enough if I could but mourne enough This soule doth well to be sensible of the hardnesse of its own heart and it is too true it can never mourne it can never be humbled enough But it doth ill to thinke that free-grace stints its operation and blessed influence to such a quantity of teares if it be humbled enough to see its want of Christ The water runs through the river that is the way to the Sea but it doth not rest in the river but with a swift and continued motion runs betwixt the banks till it comes and is swallowed up in the Sea Even so the soule ought to run through duties but not to rest betwixt the bankes of duties but to run through till it come to the Sea of free-grace where it will be swallowed up of infinite mercy and our imperfections will be drowned in his infinite perfection we ought to take duties in our way to Christ but not to make duties our Jesus God hath ordained that they should fit us for him but it is written My glory will I not give to another The glory of the Lords free-grace is his greatest glory he will not give that to any other None shall share with him in his Spouses love he is a jealous Saviour The Spouse leanes upon her Beloved not Beloveds Thus I have done with my use of reproofe The next use is for examination here may every one try himselfe whether he be the Spouse of the Lord Jesus Christ or no Even by what hath been already said I will reduce it all 〈◊〉 three heads First Examine thy selfe whether thou beest out of the wildernesse of sin yea or no. Secondly Whether thou wert or art in any other wildernesse yea or no. Thirdly What was or is thy demeanour in these wildernesses thou hast been or art in and how hast thou come or dost thou come out Examine whether thou beest not in the wildernesse of sin yea or no It was given as the Character of the Spouse to come out of this wildernesse O but how shall I know that will the soule say I will name two or three notes by which thou mayest suspect thy selfe as from probabilities 1. The wildernesse it is an incult place a place where the soyle was never tilled it is as hard almost as a milstone the over-growne Trees were never pruned the unruly boughs never lopt the bushes never cut or stubbed dost thou finde thy heart in such a condition that it is as hard as ever neither judgement breakes it nor mercy melts it the fallow-ground of it is not plowed nor the seed of righteousnesse sowne in it Thy unruly lusts are not tamed thy life is as much overgrowne with sin as ever it was thy sins were never yet cut off from the body of thy life O friend suspect thy selfe Thou mayest justly feare yea and know too that thou art not the Spouse of Christ thou art in the wildernesse in thy naturall estate Secondly The wildernesse is a barren place it brings forth no corne for the sickle no wholesome fruit no figgs no grapes for mans pallat for can a man gather grapes of thistles or figgs of thornes No pastures wholsome for the beasts The fire hath devoured the pastures of the wildernesse Joel 1.19 And God complained that Nineveh was dry like a wildernesse Zeph. 2.13 Art thou a barren and unfruitfull creature that dost nothing for God thy heart is a barren heart no seeds of good are sowne there thy tongue is a barren tongue no good words come out thence thy whole soule a barren soule not a good action upon the record of thy life Indeed no soule can be barren the soule is of a working nature but sinfull workes are unfruitfull workes in the Apostles language The unfruitfull workes of darknesse and what fruits had ye of those things whereof you are now ashamed Gods Spouse is a fruitfull creature Gal 5.22 The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering c. A barren soule is alwaies a wildernesse soule Those that are borne of God bring forth fruits unto God Thirdly Thou mayest know whether thou beest in the wildernesse or no by the company thou delightest in It is a known rule Noscitur ex socio qui non dignoscitur ex se He that is a wildernesse creature loves wildernesse company the wolves and beares and foxes but he that is out keeps the company of men dost thou love the wildernesse company the swinish drunkard the politike Foxe the malitious Lyon the venemous lyar and slanderer the lascivious wanton more then the Children of God oh suspect thy selfe By this we know saith John that we are translated from death to life if we love the Brethren Lazarus when he was raised from the grave we do not read he went to keep the dead men company again those that God hath raised from the death of their sins live amongst living men and delight in living mens company Thus examine whether thou beest come out of the wildernesse of sin or no. Secondly As comming out of the wildernesse is a sign of the child of God so being in the wildernesse is likewise a note whereby thou mayest know thy selfe Gods Spouse comes out of one wildernesse into another out of the wildernesse of sin into the wildernesse of sorrow and out of that to their Saviour Wouldest thou know whether thou art found or no Examine whether thou wert ever lost or no wouldst thou know whether ever
man need to keep the love of his guide O Christian thou hast much more need to keep the love of thy Christ It is he that must succour thee at every need he that must make the rugged waies plaine for thee It is he that must carry the Babe of grace in his armes least it should dash its feet against the stones of affliction It is he that must lead the child of God upon his hand least in this world of afflictions it fall and hurt it selfe O keep close in his armes keep thy selfe warme in his bosome feare that which may make thy God go from thee Gods departing from the Creature is a peice of hell thou knowest not how soone thou mayest need him yea thou alwaies needest him therefore take heed of sinning against him thou wilt anger the best friend I will assure thee I hasten to the last use which shall be a word of Exhortation Doth the Spouse of Christ come out of the wildernesse leaning upon her Beloved First O then you that are yet in the wildernesse of sinnes come out come out get this Spouses Beloved and then leane upon him 2. You that are in the wildernesse of sorrow for sin afflictions temptations desertions leane upon your beloved live leaning and dye leaning you that say you are sinking and you cannot beleeve Oh leane and come out of this wildernesse leaning upon your Beloved A word to the first Is there any before the Lord this day that is yet in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity with what arguments shall I plead with such a soule Those are not wanting but with what arguments shall I prevaile with such a soule to come unto the Lord Christ were any here drowning in the water a little Rhetoricke would perswade them to let me helpe them out were any cast in a wood I should not need much entreat them to give me their hand and I would shew them a way out of that loosing place why should I not as much prevaile for heaven this day 1 Consider what estate it is that thou takest such pleasure to continue in first It it a dangerous place more dangerous then the sands to the ship thou art ready to be swallowed up of hell every houre in it A troope of judgements waites upon thee to destroy it how canst thou abide consuming fire or dwell in everlasting burnings Secondly Consider it is a joylesse condition There is no true joy to the sinner though he sings sometimes amongst his drunken cups yet he cannot feed heartily upon a feast of joy because the Sword hangs over his head it is but a feigned joy that the sinner hath a sudden short lived flame without any coales underneath to preserve it There is no peace to the wicked saith God and if no peace there can be no joy when the sinner is serious he cannot rejoyce his rejoycing is like the skipping of mad men that know not what they do Thirdly Consider it is a starving câ—ndition The sinners soule starves whiles he feasts bis body like a glutton his soule dyes for thirst when his body is overflowen with drunkenesse It is impossible the puffe-past of iniquity should nourish a soule Doth an Angell feed upon the earth doth a Saint feed upon hell The soule is of an Angelicke substance it cannot feed upon sin sin starves it Dost thou love to be in the middest of thornes dost thou delight to lye downe in sorrow canst thou endure to see thy better part starved whilest thou pamperest thy filthy Carcasse O let this deterre thee from the wildernesse of sin and perswade thee to come out of it unto Paradise There First Thou shalt be in a safe condition Out of the feare of judgements out of hells gunshot There life or death will be either peace temporall or else eternall either grace or glory unto thee here thy soule shall be in a harbour if thousands fall at thy left hand and ten thousands at thy right none shall make thee afraid thou shalt laugh at trouble when it comes Thou shalt be sure to go to heaven either by land or water If thou goest through the fire thou shalt be sure to have Christ with thee Heaven is a security in all estates a protection from all Arrests if the King of Glory hath a mind to sue thee thou shalt not be arrested like other men with a writ of wrath but invited to sup with him in glory only by a letter of love and he will send his Ushers of glory to waite upon thy soule to the chambers of glory Luke 16.22 The soule of good Lazarus was carried by Angels into Abrahams bosome you shall not live like other men haunted with the bloud-hounds of wrath nor dye like other wretches that go out of the world haled by the Serjeants of hell to everlasting prison but quietly sleepe and awake againe one day in glory O who would not desire such a protection for himselfe such a security for his soule who would not throw off his raggs of sinne to put on Christs livery of grace when Christs badge upon his shoulder shall free him from all Arrests That he shall walke up and downe and nothing shall make him affraid Secondly Consider that Heaven is a place as full of joy as ever the wildernesse was full of sorrow and trouble of this I spake before O thinke of the joy of the Saints you children of vaine pleasure you mad-men of the earth that can dance over the hole of the Aspe and put your hands on the Cocatrices den Your false and flattering joy is nothing to the reall joyes of heaven There is joy like the joy in the harvest like the joy when men divide the spoyle The yoke of their burthen is broken and the rod of the oppressour O you that love your drinking meetings and dancing dayes that you would but love heaven where you might drinke new wine with your Lord Christ where you might dance in glory and make all your daies dayes of joy and every houre an houre of pleasure Thirdly consider that there and there only is provision for your soule Christs robes is the only cloathing that will cover the nakednesse of it his flesh is meat indeed and his bloud is drinke indeed there my friends Eate and drinke and be merry there you may have wine and milke without money or without price O spend not your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which profiteth not Here you may eate that which is good Esa 35.1 2 3. and let your soule delight it selfe in fatnesse Here is a Feast of fat things The fatlings are killed O come unto the wedding Why should your roomes bee emptie in the day of the Lords Espousalls You shall bee welcome to my Masters Table Now O now Behold hee stands at the doore and knocks Lord breake where thou knockest If any man will heare his voice and open the doore he will come