did it freely we buy without money or money-worth Isa 55. 1 2. 2. If you aske to what end hee did it It was his own glorie that he might get himselfe glory from poore dust and ashes that little thanke him for all this mercy declared to their souls He Predestinated Redeemed and Adopted us meerely to the praise of the glorie of his grace Ephes 1. verse 6. The end which he aimed at in Calling us was his glory Rom. 9. 23 24 25 26. If you aske me why God that could as well have been glorified in the damnation of poore wretches would chuse rather to be glorified in their salvation and bringing them to life I must run back again to the Fountaine againe meerly because so it pleased him because it was his will There wee must rest I shall now proceed to the Application of this mysterious sweet and precious Doctrine and it might be applyed severall wayes But I shall onely apply the consideration of it as offering you ground and matter First of Humiliation Secondly of Instruction Thirdly of Examination Fourthly of Exhortation Fiftly of Consolation Use 1 First of all for Humiliation Harke Christians is it so that thou wert so lost and undone that none but Jesus Christ could raise thee and hee hath done it when none else could and wil raise thee higher yet and this hee could not have done without taking thy flesh dying upon the Crosse suffering the bitternesse of his Fathers wrath consider then what cause thou hast to be humbled for thy sins 1. Considering that these were they put Christ to death 2 that by these since that time thou hast crucified the Lord of life 1. Consider that thy sins were those that put Christ to death Rom. 4. 25. He was delivered to death for our sinnes Me thinks every one when they heare of Christs Agony and bloudy Sweat of his Whippings Buffetings of his bitter Sufferings c. should be ready to cry out with Pilate Quid mali fecit What evill I pray hath he done Ah none Christian it was to raise thee thou wert dead lost undone he dyed to raise thee thou stolest the fruit he climbed the tree thou enjoyedst the sweetnesse of sinning and he for that was acquainted with the bitternesse of suffering He bore thy iniquity even thine and mine too if we be elected Certainly it was a great griefe of heart to David to remember that he had an hand in the bloud of Uriah that was surely the great transgression that hee complained of to be sure that heart-troubling sinne for which hee puts up that particular Petition Deliver mee from bloud-guiltinesse O God And questionlesse it was no small Trouble of Spirit to Paul afterwards to consider that he was one of them that were consenting to Stephens death Acts 7. 59 60. Chap. 8. verse 1. he afterwards repeats it with shame I was a persecuter Christian here is one murdered by cruell hands not an Uriah not a Stephen but hee that is worth ten thousand of these not an Abell yet his bloud troubled Cain all his life time but one whose bloud cries for better things than the bloud of Abell did here 's the Lambe of God slaine slaine by thy hands he was bruised for thine iniquities and his soule was made an Offering for thy sinnes Is it nothing to thee O Christian when Pilate was but about to condemne him his wife came startled in and cries Have nothing to doe with that just man and when Stephen charged the Jewes Acts 7. 52. for being the betrayers and murtherers of the Lord Jesus they apprehended it as a thing so hainous that they would not endure him beyond that word but were cut to the heart and gnashed upon him with their teeth verse 54. Christians there is none of you here but your sinnes were the betrayers and murtheres of the Lord Jesus that Christ that had such eternall sure and unchangeable thoughts of love to your soules Ah! how great were those sins which could not be remitted without the bloud of the immaculate Lamb of God Me thinks every one of you should sit downe and say Ah Lord that ever I should be such a wretch so farre to provoke the fire of thy wrath that nothing could quench it but the bloud of thy Sonne that I should throw my selfe so deep into Hell that nothing could raise mee but the bloud-shedding of the deare Sonne of Gods love You have had to doe with that just man Christians not to doe with condemning him but even with the vildest acts of Barbarisme were done unto him your hypocrisie was the kisse that betrayed him the sinnes of your hands and feet were the nailes that fastened his hands and feet to the Crosse the sinnes of your body were the Spears that pierced his sacred side the sinnes of your soules were they that made his soule heavy to the death that caused the with-drawings of his Fathers love from him and made him in the heavinesse of his panged soule to cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me O sit downe goe alone weep and weep bitterly for him whom you have pierced for those stripes by which you are healed 2. But secondly if any thing will move your soules to make your head a Fountaine of water and your eyes Rivers of teares Consider That this Christ you have crucified even since his death upon the Crosse for you When the Apostle St. Peter Acts 2. had made a long Sermon of Christs love shewing the Auditors what Christ had done and what he was he summeth up all verse 36. God hath made that same Jesus whom yee have crucified both Lord and Christ Now saith the Text verse 37. When they heard this viz. that they had crucified this Christ they were pricked at the heart This Christ my beloved whom you have crucified by your youth sinnes and life sins this was he that was crucified for you O be pricked at the hearts at this saying Was it not enough that he once was pierced scoffed wounded crucified for you but must you againe crucifie him and which of you doe it not daily Causinus tels us a story of Clodoveyus one of the Kings of France that when he was converted from Paganisme to Christianity while Remigius the Bishop was reading in the Gospell concerning the Passion of our Saviour and the abuses he suffered from Judas and the rest of the Jewes he brake out into these words If I had been there with my Frenchmen I would have cut all their throats In the meane time not considering that by his daily sins he did as much as they had done Which of us is not condemning the crucifiers of Christ for their cruelty and in the meane time we condemne not our selves who by our daily sinnes make him to bleed againe afresh Ah let us judge our selves and sit downe and mourne we are they that have added to Christs bonds that have increased his wounds and the pangs of his grieved soule
which is now glorified with our renewing lusts and corruptions I shall conclude this use with a prayer that God would fulfill to all our soules that gracious promise Zach. 12. 10. That he would poure out the spirit of grace and of supplications upon us and make us to look upon him whom we have pierced and doe pierce daily and mourn as a man mournes for his only Son And be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternes for his first-borne I passe on to a second way of Application viz. by way of Instruction Hath Christ and Christ alone raised us 1. Let us hence be instructed How Instruction much the Lord Jesus Christ loved us And here let my soule be drowned in sweetnesse and in sinking cry out O the depth of unfadomable love What tongue what Saint what Angell can speake out this unspeakable love Pray O pray Christians That Christ Eph. 3. 17 18. may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints What is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Is it love in a friend to passe his word for his friend arrested and ready to be haled to gaole and to take the debt upon himselfe and is it no love in Christ yea is it not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the unspeakable of loves for Jesus Christ when a writ of eternal vengeance was Ready to issue out against you to be your surety and beare the blow off to the breaking of his own armes Was it love in the Roman to personate his friend and upon the Scaffold and after to suffer for him and is it not infinite love for Jesus Christ to take the raggs of your flesh upon him and indeed to dye a death upon the crosse for you for you deare friends for you he was smitten despised rejected of men he dyed to make you live he was content to fall so you might rise Let your thoughts sinke in this ocean and spend your lives in spelling the letters of love that must be joyned in this one word or sentence I Raised thee From hence Secondly be Instructed What a perfect Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ is he leaves nothing for thee to doe but to thanke him hee makes the plaister and layes it on hee trod the Wine-presse alone and there is none with him he hath left thee nothing to do but to believe his last words All is finished he conquered sinne upon the Crosse and death and hell in the grave He will have none to be a sharer with him either in his worke of Merit or Application get but hands he will deliver thee thy pardon ready written granted sealed nay he will help thee with hands too He was made perfect through sufferings Hebr. 2. 10. Heb. 5. 9. Being made perfect hee became the author of salvation to them that obey him 3. From hence againe bee instructed Christian What need thou and every poore soule hath of the Lord Iesus Christ Thou wert fallen and layest as unable to helpe thy selfe as an Infant throwne into an open field Men and Angels were at their wits ends to answer to this question How then can any be saved The Heavens said Salvation was not in them and Earth sayes Salvation is not in us nothing but God-man can doe this great work There is no other name but onely the Name of Iesus by which thou or I or any of the children of men can be saved If thou hast him thou hast enough if thou hast not him it is not all the righteousnesse of Saints and Angels that will make a garment which will not bee too short to cover thy nakednesse O cry Lord give mee Christ Lord give mee Christ or else I dye Thinke not of thy owne merits thy righteousnesse is as a menstruous cloth and as a filthy ragge Christs Righteousnesse is sufficient for thee 4. Let all the redeemed ones of the Lord be instrushed How much they owe and shall for ever owe to him that is become their Saviour It is no slight mercy Sirs to be saved out of everlasting burnings It is a piece of love which as wee can never comprehend so we can never walke up to O let us all say What shall wee render unto the Lord for his mereies wee will take the cup of salvation and praise the Name of the Lord. You would thinke you owed a great deale to him that should exalt you from a Dungeon to a Throne Mephibosheth thought he was mightily honoured to be admitted to eate bread at the Kings Table How much Ah! How much Christians is every of your soules indebted to the Lord Jesus Christ who remembred you in your low estate For his mercy endureth for ever But I passe on further Use 3 From hence may every one try himselfe whether he be raised out of that lost undone condition wherein he was by Nature I have spoke to this in the former Doctrine but because I here meet it so fit again take two Notes of Triall from this Doctrine 1. If you be raised you are raised by Christs merits 2. You are raised according to Christs method 1. If you be raised It is by Christs merits all the Abana and Parphars of thy owne merits would not doe it One drop of that fountaine that was set open for Iudah and Ierusalem for sinne and for uncleanenesse is worth all the waters of thine own Damascus What trusts thou in Christian Is it what thou hast done Alas thou art so far from having any naturall strength as Pelagians and Arminians dreame or any other strength of merits either of thy owne or thy friends which Papists dreame of that if all the Saints in the earth and all the Angels of heaven could unite their forces in one arme and to one act they could as little have lifted thee up out of the pit into which thou wert fallen as thou couldst lift up an house with the palme of thy hand if it were fallen downe It was onely this mighty one this Prince of glory this King of power that could doe it Say therefore as they say that great Papist concluded Tutissimum est Christi merit is confidere it is most safe onely to rest upon him believe it all other trusts are as the bruised Reed of Egypt and as the broken staffe of Assyria which if thou trusteth too they run into thy hand and pierce thee they will cause thee to fall many strides short of heaven when they have carried thee to their furthest their Nil ultra O trust not in them if there be all thy confidence thou art not yet raised 2. If Christ hath raised you it hath been in his method of Application Christ saves none but whom he sanctifies and sanctifies none but whom he justifies and justifieth none but whom he calls Some men are justified they think but they know not which way and
Christ Leaning is not a forced action Indeed as I said before Christ first works this willingnes he it is that gives us power to will and it is by his power that we are willing as it is written They shall be Psa 110. 3. willing in the day of my power But he doth not let us leane before we are willing Leaning is an action proceeds from the will Who is this cometh up leaning Thirdly leaning doth argue love who leans upon his enemies I will not leane upon one whom I cannot trust I must have some good thoughts of his love The soul that leans 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 only the truly beleeving soule Leaning is a loving posture that is the third Fourthly It doth argue fiduciam a resting a trusting the soule upon Christ he that leans upon another reposeth his whole weight trusteth his whole strength upon him He doth as much as say well I know I cannot goe alone I cannot stand but I will trust my self 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 be damned I am damned here I will leane And here you have the second thing plaine viz Secondly The soules hand with which she leanes upon Jesus Christ for salvation and these 4. things which I have hinted from this expression leaning are as the foure fingers of the hand of Faith And we 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 Latine 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 she will onely leane upon her beloved and he only can and will beare her We know that whosoever leanes must have a person to leane upon Secondly There must be a capacity in this arme to beare her some strength yea there had need to 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 than an ordinary portion of her love Here are five things hinted in this Expression 1. It is one whom she loves The word signifies a speciall sort of love and every greater includes a lesse 2. One that she is married to he is welbeloved her dearest love not charum but dilectum one that hath a title to her 3. Her Beloved not anothers Beloved 4. Her Beloved He that is her Beloved not who was her Beloved 5. Her Beloved not her Beloveds First It is one whom she 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 Soul loves Christ more than that wich loaths it self 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 again 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 precious bloud for it yet so unworthy To wooe the Soule that hath need of him and yet never praies to him nor ever was a sutor for mercy This breeds love in the Soule And the more the Soule fadomes her owne misery the more yet she loves and admires 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 welbeloved◠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 than 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 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 than 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 unher Gal. 1. 6. And his glory unto her The glory which thou hast givē me I have given them Her Beloved by right of gift 2. 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 mind to Dinah the daughter of Jacob he sayes 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 3. She is his Beloved and he is hers by right of desert she deserved not him but he deserved her This was a third way by which the Ancients got them wives by some
him and engaged him still to be The servant of thy soule in the work of his Master John Collings Chaplyfield house May 21. 1649. THE LOST SHEEP brought home c. Solomons Song Ch. 8. v. 5. Who is this that commeth out of the wildernesse leaning upon her weld beloved I raised thee up under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there shee brought thee forth that bare thee THis book is called the Song of Songs that is Canticunt excellentissimum the most excellent song so Vatablus and Estius gives the reason because it containes a discourse between Christ the most glorious Bridegrome and his Church or the beleeving soule the Bride The song of songs as a note of Quia sermocinationem cōtinet Christi Sponsi Ecclesiae spōsae Estius eminency Mr. Brightman will have it as well Nota distinctionis quam eminentiae a note of distinction as well as of eminency A song more excellent than any of those that Solomon made the song that sounded sweetest to Canticum excellentius omnibus quae Salomon composuit Brightman Solomons penitent heart whose pen-man was Son and heire to the sweet singer of Israel Whose every note is a note of free grace where every straine is breathed by the spirit of the most high and every close sounds the beleevers close with Christ an union with him who is the head of the Church A song finally wherein every line breathes the perfume of the Rose of Sharon and is beautified with the colour of the Lilly of the Vallies It is a song of love sung in parts by the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of his Fathers love and the wife of his bosome whether the society of beleevers his Church in generall or every beleeving soule in particular It beginns with love Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth for his love is better than wine and it ends with love Make hast my Beloved and come away The fountaine 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 book is a streame of love running betwixt two precious bankes Jesus Christ and the beleeving soule sometimes it is an higher sometimes a lower water it is alwayes some though the flood-gate be not alwayes open The two lovers spend their long in feasting themselves with each others embraces One while the Bridegroome courts his bride with ravishing straines of grace another while she is emptying her soule into her beloveds bosome In the whole there is nothing but a sweet enterchange of delightfull expressions while both seeme to be ravished with each others embraces I shall in handling of the text first open it to you 2 Raise some propositions of Doctrine from it and 3. Handle them by explication confirmation and application For the finding out the meaning of the words it is necessary we should consider them in a double Notion 1. Relatively 2. Absolutely 1. Relatively as they stand in a necessary connexion with the former verses It was now the spouses course to powre out her soul into her beloved's bosome her part began at the 10. ver of the former Chapt. and continues to this verse My text in the former part of it seemeth to be a Parenthesis and the voice of a third person considering the great love exprest by the spouse and her following of him through the most rugged wildernes-ways and even then leaning upon him or considering the great glory and happinesse of the Spouse from the influence of Christ love upon her either in admiration of Christs condiscention that will admit a worm to leane upon him and will stoop to lead it and uphold it in darkest saddest conditions and fill it with light in peace at such times or in admiration of the Spouses glory and beauty by the reflection of her Beloveds countenance or of her constancy and secret power of grace in her that in the wildernesse saddest condition she could leane that the briars and thornes would not seperate her Beloved her quos Deus conjunxit c. or out of an ignorance of her and the secret power of grace in her carrying her out in darkest times and in a wildernesse condition to such an affiance cryes out Qua est illa What manner of creature is this that she should leane Or who is this so glorious a creature that comes up leaning Or what manner of love is this that makes her follow a Beloved through such uncoth rugged dangerous wayes as these 2. But to consider the words Absolutely now in themselves Who is this that commeth up The first question is whose words these are The second what the meaning of them is Expositors differ upon the first Some would have them to bee the continued speech of the Church and say They are an expression of the great love beleeving soules beare to Expositio summi amoris quo Ecclesia prosequitur Sponsum an suit ulla unquam Ecclesia quae tot ac tantos labores perferret tantaque pericula susciperet ad consequendum dilectum suum Haec igitur sunt pignora voluntat is meae quod fide difficultates omnes superavi Tremell ad locum the Lord JESUS CHRIST by comparison What Church or what person ever saith she would undertake so many and so great labours to obtaine her Beloved These are pledges of my good will that by faith I have overcome all difficulties leaning upon him in the wildernesse I shall neither wholly embrace nor altogether reject this sense I am inclinable to thinke the words may be the Spouses but not spoken in Tremelius his sense as from her selfe boasting of her selfe but spoken by a Prosopopeia the Spouse speaking what she conceived others would say concerning her and rather incline to thinke the words should be a Parenthesis than otherwise Beda and M. Brightman with the rest that would have this whole Booke to be a Prophecye of the calling of the Church of the Gentiles will have the words to be the voice of the Jewish Church admiring at the calling of the Church of the Gentiles Who is this What wildernesse-creature is this that she should have any thing to doe with the promised Messias Quem me solum deligere caeteris autem Nationibus rebar esse ignotum Cujus nominis sit haec gens quae ascendit ex deserto Institui videtur haec questio de grandioribus natu sororibus quae stupescent hoc novo inaudito spectaculo Bright ad loc Beda ad locum And therfore those Expositors read it Dilectum meum my Beloved who I thought only had loved and chosen me and should have been unknowne to any other Churches But I see no reason why the words should be only restrained to the Jewish Church nor why illa this should only be understood of the Church in generall whiles that which
wanting to thee Goe sell all that thou hast Christian let me tell thee all this self-Righteousnes must be sold not lost but slighted If thou hast no more than a Bridled nature it is not enough the young man went away from Christ sorrowfull Mar. 10. The Pharisee went away not justified Luke 18. ver 14. Nay secondly if thou hast no more than a refined Nature it is nothing though it be seven times refined It is a piece of Nature That there is a God Nature revealeth it to men and that this God is a spirit and that Si Deus est animus c. Hic tibi praecipuè sit pura mente colendus Seeing God is a spirit he must 1. Be worshipped 2. Be worshipped sincerely Cato could say so this is all but Nature the finest of Nature Thou mayest pray in thy Family Morning and Evening the Heathen would doe as much they would cry to their Penates yes thou mayest doe it and without the Common-prayer Booke too I doe not read that they had one in use to worship their Idols with Nature had given them a tongue to speak their wants without a Tutor and yet be a wretch under the Apple-tree The Pharisee would be so far from being ashamed to pray in his Family that he would not be ashamed to come and pray in the Temple Luke 18. v. 10 11. He fasted twice a weeke They fasted often Mat. 9. 14. They were strict observers of the Sabbath how many quarrels had they with our Lord Jesus Christ for healing for his Disciples but plucking of eares of corne on the Sabbath day Here was Nature seven times purified and yet for all this Christ tels his Disciples Mat. 5. 20. That except their righteousnesse exceeded the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees they should never enter into the Kingdome of God Tremble at this you that are lyers Sabbath-breakers prophane persons unjust in your Callings unconscionable in your walkings with God Tremble at this you that never pray in your Families in your Closets God never heares of you but when you come to Church and then to no purpose neither you are not yet raised nay far from it Flesh and bloud might have revealed this unto you This is the first Note Secondly know If you have not pluckt and tasted of the fruit of the Apple-tree you are still but under it You may remember I construed under the Apple-tree out of Jesus Christ If you have got no benefit by Jesus Christ you have no portion in him if you be not in him and if he be not in you It is the Apostles Note 2 Cor. 13. ver 5. Know you not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates The Apple is in the man that hath eat it Christ is in the soule by a spirituall union if the soule hath any part in him or shall ever have any benefit by him Free Grace is the fruit of this Apple-tree of Paradise Are the Graces of God in you but some may say how shall we know that The tasted Apple is 1. Sweet 2. Cordiall 3. Nutritive 4. Diffusive 1. Sweet Cant. 2. 3. As the Apple-tree amongst the Trees of the Wood so is my Beloved amongst the Sonnes I sate down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was pleasant to my taste The Spouse there compareth the Lord Jesus to an Apple-tree a rare Apple-tree as an Apple-tree amongst the trees of the wood Now he was not only an Apple-tree in himselfe a sweet Tree full of the Apples of Life and free Grace but he was an Apple-tree to her he was her beloved and shee sate downe under his shadow Now it was 1. With great delight 2. His fruit was sweet to her taste If Christ be in thee and thou beest in Christ Christ is very sweet to thee thou sittest under his shadow with great delight and his fruit is pleasant to thy tast 1 Pet. 2. 7. To you that beleeve he is precious His name to thy soule is as an ointment powred forth Cant. 1. 3. Why like an ointment powred forth Mar. 14. v. 3. Joh. 12. 3. When the box of ointment was broken and powred forth on Christs head the whole house was filled with the savour of it Is it thus with thy soule Christian Is Jesus Christ precious to thee Is his name to thy soule like an ointment powred forth Is thy whole heart filled with the sweet smell of Jesus Christ Art thou ravished with his love his incomprehensible his unfadomable love Is Christ in his Ordinances precious to thy soule that thou desirest the sincere milke of the word as the new borne babe desires the milke of the breasts Doth the very thinking of Christ ravish thy heart Doth the naming of him carry thy soule almost above it selfe in an extasie of love Is he like an Apple to thy tast that thy mouth is filled with the sweetnesse of his juice High thoughts of Jesus Christ argue that Jesus Christ is spiritually tasted by thy soule Art thou melted with his love It is a signe thou hast tasted of the fruit of the Apple-tree 2. The tasted Apple is cordiall Cant. 2. 5. Stay me with flaggons comfort me with Apples Cant. 7. 8. The smell of thy nose is like Apples It is spoken there of the Church Apples are cordiall in tast and comfortable in smel Try thy self by this Christian Is Christ cordiall to thy soul when thy soul is fainting swooning in the thoughts of thy self and thine owne wickednesse and vilenesse Doth it then comfort thee to remember Jesus Christ his love and merits Christ is no cordiall to wicked unbeleeving wretches it terrifieth them the more to remember Jesus Christ When the Lord hath awakened their consciences and startled them in their naturall condition tell them of Christ this adds fuell to the flame Why It is this Christ whom they have scorned abused crucified It is this Christ concerning whom they have said We will not have this Christ to raigne over us Now they thinke that they heare that scorned Christ ringing a dolefull peale in their eares Bring those mine enemies that said I should not rule over them and slay them before me But to the Beleever Christ is comfortable when he looks upon himselfe as a great sinner the naming of Christ comforts him Ah! saith he that is he that dyed for my sinnes and rose againe for my justification Rom. 5. 25. When he looks upon all his righteousnesse as a monstruous cloth and as filthy rags the naming of Christ is againe a cordiall to him Ah! saith the soule that is he that was made for me wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption When he looks upon himselfe as a debtor to an infinite justice the name of Christ is a cordiall againe that 's he saith the soule that hath paid the debt to infinite justice for me that for me hath satisfied his Fathers wrath that powred out his soule unto death and was Esa 53 4
whom he justified them he also glorified under Predestination is included Redemption and Sanctification under Justification Now therfore a little to open this mysterie of our Redemption in the Application of it to the soules of them that shall be saved You have seen how there came to be Balme in Gilead and that there is a fulnesse and sufficiency in Christ Now what doth the poore Elect one want that it hath lost in Adam I conceive three things 1. Life 2. Strength 3. Light 1. Life It is a damned Creature in Adam it wants a way of salvation a pardon for its sinnes a righteousnesse to appeare in the sight of God 2. Adam hath left it a weak creature not able to do any thing that is good no not so much as to think a good thought it wants a strength to Act in so as to please God 3. Adam hath left it a comfortlesse creature without any light of Gods countenance shining upon it Now all these are purchased The first of them is necessary to give the first being to a Saint The second is necessary to preserve the Christians being The third ad bene esse for the comfortable being of all Christ is all to the Childe of of God Psalme 27. verse 1. But how doth Christ apply these to the soules of his redeemed ones 1. Saith the Apostle He calls them We say that in effectuall calling which is when God joynes the irresistable power of his Spirit with the outward preaching of the Word God doth these three things 1. Convince the soule of his elect vessell that is a child of wrath by Nature as well as others Ephes 2. 3. what a condition it is in by reason of its Originall and its Actuall sinnes 2. Humble the soule for its sinnes and discover unto the soule the insufficiency of all its owne righteousnesse that it is undone in its sinnes and undone in its righteousnesse and thirdly hee sayes to the soule Yet there is hope looke up to me and live I am as the brazen Serpent onely looke up and thou shalt live And that the soule may be able to look up with a true eye Christ gives faith to the soule to behold him come unto him and to receive him by a true resting and relying upon his Merits for salvation 2. And having thus Called the soule he then justifies it He hath in his Decree justified it from eternity hee hathmeritoriously justified it by his Death upon the Crosse but now hee doth actually and formally justifie it 1. By pardoning its sinnes and acquitting the soule from the obligation it till now lay under to death and forgetting the injury done to himselfe by any of its sinnes 2. By imputing the Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ to the soule by which it appeares the sinner is pardoned not without a satisfaction first given to Justice 3. By accepting graciously the soule thus justified as perfectly righteous for the Lord Jesus Christs sake as if it had never sinned And the worke of true faith in this Justification is to lay hold upon it And thus now Christ applyes the merits of his Death to the soule in conveying life and pardon to it thus hee raiseth it saying to it in its bloud live But this is not all 2. The soule is weake and is not able to live an houre of it selfe Christ therefore in the next place in order to its more perfect raising sanctifies the soule which implyeth two things 1. He gives unto the soule new principles of grace 2. He gives the soule power to act these principles for as except from him we have nothing so without him we can doe nothing Joh. 15. 5. Which power being given the soule from above the soule is raised and becomes strong in the strength of Christ and sets upon works 1. Of Mortification to subdue the strong holds of Satan viz. the remainder of corruption in the soule 2. Of Vivification setting upon such Duties as God hath required of his redeemed ones being exercises of the grace which they have received from the Lord Jesus Christ he gives the soule power to live upon faith to love to desire him to delight in him to do and to suffer for him to be content with him c. Yea and thirdly In his due time he raises the soule to a comfortable life in giving it the sense of his love a perswasion of its Union with the Lord Jesus Christ peace in the inward man shining upon it with the light of his Countenance which is better to it than thousands of Gold and Silver This I say he does in his due time not to all nor continuing it constantly to any but according to his good pleasure thus making knowne to it the Redemption he hath purchased for it and the Justification of its soule which is past in heaven before 4. And lastly in his due time he will yet further raise the soule by taking it to himself and glorifying it with himselfe for ever He will come againe on purpose to raise the soules of his redeemed ones from the dust and to take them up to himself in glory that where he is there they may be also John 16. verse 3. Thus Christ hath meritoriously raised all his redeemed ones and will apply their Redemption with the fruits of it to them in his due time applying life to them by Vocation and Justification strength to them by Sanctification light and comfort to them by shining with the Light of his Countenance upon them and finally giving them Glorification hee shall then perfect his worke of raising us and wee shall live with him in the Highest Heavens for ever I have now done with the Doctrinall part so farre as to shew you 1. That it is Christ that raiseth his Elect ones 1. He is designed 2. He can doe it 3. Hee onely can 4. Hee hath done it meritoriously for all 5. Hee hath done it actually and formally for some and will doe it for the rest And so farre as to shew you the manner how he did it and doth it both in respect of his owne acts in relation to the fitting himselfe for the worke and in respect of his application of it to the soules of his servants If now you aske me the Reasons why and to what end he did it for the reasons of the particular Propositions I have given you them before Now for Reasons in the Generall I shall give you them in two words 1. The moving cause was his owne grace because he would 2. The finall cause was his own glory 1. The moving cause and reason was his owne grace and goodnesse This is the reason of all Gods acts of grace towards the Creature whether Election or Redemption or Vocation or Justification or Sanctification or Glorification the sole cause was in himselfe because he loved us and delighted in us for his owne Names sake c. Isa 43. 25. Deut. 7. 7. Hos 14. 4. His owne will was all the reason he
gave thee comfort in the depths of sorrow what thy merry company did thy duties do it If any thing did it but thy Christ I feare thou art still in the Wildernesse when thou didst mourne as one that mourneth for his onely begotten sonne dist thou look upon him whom thou hadst pierced there is nothing but the blood of Christ can give a cordiall to a fainting soule nothing but the hand-kerchiefe of free grace that can wipe thine eyes nothing but the blotting out of the hand-writing which was written in Gods Booke and thy owne conscience against thee that can make thy heart leave trembling and thy knees leave beating together for terror Thou canst not come out alone if ever thou camest out it was leaning 5. Examine thy selfe How thou hast carried thy selfe since thou camest out How hast thou beene since thou wert humbled and lost in the wildernesse of sorrow What effects hath the wildernesse of sorrow wrought upon thee Hath thy sorrow beene like the sorrow of Achan that thou hast been onely sorry because thou hast been under an Attachment of wrath Or like Ahab renting his cloathes putting on his sack-cloth and going softly 2 Chron. 22. Or like Pharoah saying I have sinned Exod. Or like Balaam saying I have sinned I will returne back againe when he might have had more thanks for his labour and never have come there he had checks enough Art thou worse when thou commest out of the wildernesse of affliction that wee may brand thee with Ahaz his Brand This was that King Ahaz Or doest thou come out of thy Afflictions leaning with thy weak faith strengthened and thy strong faith confirmed Hast thou lost no graines but got in the fire Is thy gold as good weight now as before it is a good signe it is good then But I hasten to the next Use which may be to informe us First The sad condition that all unbeleevers are in Secondly The joyfull condition that all the Children of God are in Thirdly The great love of God that he would send Christ to seeke us up in the wildernesse and give his hand to poore creatures to lead them out And lastly If in every wildernesse wee must leane upon the Lord Jesus Christ It may informe us what need wee have at all times to walke close with the Lord Christ First here see the sad condition that all men and women by nature are in that have not the Lord Jesus Christ It consists in two things First They are in a wildernesse Sinne is a wildernesse Now which of you friends but would thinke himselfe as good as a dead man if he were in the midst of an Arabian desert that he could not see any possibilitie of getting out nor any comfort he could enjoy there terror on every side comfort on no side the Lyons and beasts of prey of every hand ready to devour him and it is well if he can keepe his flesh for food for himselfe for he can get no provision for his body nothing except he would eate the barke of trees or the parched grasse What man would not tremble to thinke of one that should be condemned to such an axile Doe not your hearts pittie as oft as you think of those poore men that were left but halfe a yeare in Greenland And yet O Lord How few pittie themselves O poore creatures Mutato nomine de te fabula narratur the Story is thy owne apply it therefore You that are in your sinnes are all in a sad wildernesse the judgements of God like the beasts of prey are ready to swallow you up on every hand 't is a miracle of mercy you are not in hell there is but a thread betwixt you and death the Sword of Gods wrath hangs over your head while you are at your Drunken Banquets of sinne Oh! what comfort what joy can can you have in the wildernesse friends that when you lye downe at night you know not but you may wake in the morning past Repentance even with Hell flames about you as the Lord lives there is but a haires breadth betwixt you and Hell 2. Consider That you have no one to helpe you out of any wildernesse if Christ be not yours nothing is yours what will you doe in a stormy day of Affliction when you shall cry unto God and he shall say unto you as he once said to the roaring Isralites Jud. 10. 14. Goe and cry unto the gods which you have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation Cry unto your Gold now unto your Lusts now trust your Riches now make you a golden Calfe See if it will now save you O think You that live in sinne and love and delight in sinne what shall I doe in a sad day of sicknesse when the feare of the grave shall surround me and the terrors of Hell shall make me afraid What shall I leane upon when these comforts shall be no comforts when I shall say to all creature-enjoyments miserable comforters are you all Where shall I warme me when these flashes will be out when the sparkes of pleasure and profit shall be choakt and kill'd with the dust and ashes of my grave Heare yee this all yee That kinde a fire that compasse your selves about with sparkes walke in the light of your fire and in the sparkes that you have kindled This shall ye have at the Lords hand you shall lye downe in sorrow Your pleasurable sinnes are but as sparks Sirs What will you doe when your sparkes are out They are as we say of a short flame but a Widdowes joy for a moment Take heed that when your sparks are out you blow not your nailes in hell Take heed that your sparkes doe not kindle everlasting burnings for you What will you doe in a wildernesse of Affliction how will you come out what will you come out What will yee leane upon Secondly This may serve to informe us of the happpy condition of Gods children and that è contrario in a just position to the others misery O lift up your heads yee righteous and be glad yee upright in heart Your happinesse consists in these two things First You are out of the wildernesse out of the danger of Hell and those that can spell in their thoughts but that word hell will know it to be a mercy to be out of the feare of it You are out of the wildernesse O blesse that God that hath helpt you out 't is a great happinesse to be delivered of feares beleeve me Did the wicked men seriously thinke what a weight of wrath they lye under what a cloud of bloud hangs over their heads they would pray till all their knees were melted though they were all steele to be delivered from it Hold up your hands that you have escaped a drowning that you feare not the wild beasts that belong to the wildernesse Gods dreadfull judgements you dare meet the Lyon and the Beare and they dare not set
the print of their teeth upon you A godly man is like a man under protection he owes much but the Bayliffe dares not meddle with him Christ hath undertaken the debt for him he is under the protection of the Sonne of God he can looke a Judgement in the face and never run for it The wicked man on the contrary is like one that hangs upon every bush as we say owes more than he is worth he dares scarse looke out of the doores whiles the Bayliffes are about when the judgements of God are about the wicked wretch dares not looke out he sinks into his grave in the thoughts of it This Plague this Feaver this Ague may be a Bayliffe to arrest me that God hath sent to carry me bound hand and foot and throwne into Hell where is weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth And then thinks with himselfe O that they did so Where is my surety if it should be so who would be bound for the payment of the Debt due for my sinnes and to be paid at Gods Judgement Seat The godly man he likewise saith This Plague this Feaver this Sicknesse may arrest me But suppose they should the Son of God is bound for my Debt My Judge surely will not demand better Surety then his owne Sonne I blesse God I am out of the wildernesse O happy man Here 's a portion of thy happinesse but here is not all 2. Consider That if thou shouldest fall into the corner of another wildernesse Thou hast one to leane upon even in every wildernesse If thou shouldst have a rod upon thy backe thou hast a staffe to comfort thee Thou hast one to lead thee out whensoever thou art in an arme that thou mayest trust to Happy is he that hath a friend in the Court such is thy friend A friend in adversity is better than a brother saith Solomon thou hast a friend in adversity and he is thy brother Thy brother Christ is thy friend that will lead thee through and out of every wildernesse Is the childe happy that in want hath a father to run unto the wife happy that hath a husband in time of sicknesse to comfort her The servant happy that hath a Master in adversity to pitty him then I dare pronounce thee in all times happy Thy husband loves thee thy father sends his son to lead thee thy husband is alwayes by to comfort thee and lead thee by his hand God hath said Esay 58. 11. That he will guide thee continually and satisfie thy soule in drought and make fat thy bones Thou hast alwayes a friend at need a brother in adversity Thirdly Is it so that the Spouse comes out of the wildernesse leaning upon her Beloved This may then shew us the infinite love of God to the creature that he would be pleased to looke us up in the wildernesse and let us leane upon him Christ was led into the wildernes because thou wert there he had a bad journey to fetch thee nome Oh! what should what could besides his infinite free-grace make his bowels of mercy so yerne towards the creature as to look it up in the wildernesse to cloath it naked to wash it polluted to save it damned Christ the shepheard had lost his stray sheep and goes after that which was lost in the wildernesse untill he sindeth it then he layeth it on his shoulders and bringeth it home O blessed be the name of the Lord for his free grace and mercy The shepheard followed the sheep whiles the sheep regarded not the shepheard we were in a wildernesse he came to find us out O! was not this infinite love astonishing mercy Lastly Is it so that we must come out of every wildernesse leaning upon our Beloved O then let this informe us what need we have to walk close with the Lord Jesus Christ what need we have to be fearfull of offending and carefull to please him It is he that must help us in every need he that must lead us in every wildernesse If he forsakes us we are undone Have we but one friend let us keep him then if we anger him we lose our best friend Hath the shiftlesse child need to keep the love of the Father the Babe need to keep in the armes of the Nurse the wife need to keep the love of the husband the blind man need to keep the love of his guid 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 wayes plaine for thee It is he that must carry the Babe of grace in his armes lest it should dash its feet against the stones of affliction It is he that must lead the child of God upon his hand lest in this world of afflictions it fall and hurt it self O keep close in his armes keep thy selfe warme in his bosome feare that which may make thy God go free from thee Gods departing from the creature is a piece of hell thou knowest not how soone thou mayest need him yea thou alwayes needest him therefore take heed of sinning against him thou wilt anger thy 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 sinne 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 soul 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 lost 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 is 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 troop of judgments 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
Mat. 7. 13 14. but then you must not look for the same journies end The Lord give you hearts to consider it and feare to tremble at it 3. And from hence thirdly you may bee instructed that it must bee something more than nature that must make a poore soule beautifull and desirably beautifull in Jesus Christs eyes It must neither bee naturall beauty will doe it nor yet naturall parts no nor natures glory nor the best of nature naturall righteousnesse Matth. 5. 20. It must be something more than flesh and bloud yea something more than flesh and bloud can helpe us with But I passe over this 4. From hence fourthly you may be instructed What an infinit love the Lord Jesus Christ hath loved his Saints with 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold saith the Apostle with what manner of love the father hath loved you with that you should be call'd the sonnes of God Here hee sayes hearken O Daughter the Daughter of a King is honourable but the daughter of the King of Kings is much more honourable But if I may say it here seemes to be a degree of love beyond it the Kings wife is more honourable than the Kings daughter Behold therefore O yee upright in heart with what manner of love the Lord Jesus Christ hath loved you that hee should desire your beauty not only love you but if uncomely poor wretches make you beautifull according to that Ezech. 16. 13 14. nay not only so but desire your beauty not onely like it but desire it O love infinit love when David sent his servants to let Abigail know that hee desired her beauty marke how she admires at it 1 Sam. 25. 41. shee arose and bowed her selfe on the earth and said Behold let thine handmaid bee a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord Doe you heare this newes O yee daughters of men doe you heare this newes that the King of glory the Lord Jesus Christ that hath no need of you that is infinitly above you hath sent me this day to tell you that hee desires your beauty Rise up O yee Saints bow your selves and say Let us be servants to wash his feet c. Let us bee the doore-keepers of his house his meanest servants No Christians you shall be his sons and daughters Nay hearken O daughters here 's more for you The King desires your beauty Spell this love at leisure and now wash your soules follow after Jesus Christ study it with your most serious thoughts live to it with strictest lives What conversation becommeth the gospell what manner of persons should you be Follow on make haste and rise and follow him singing crying as you goe O the heighth and depth the incomprehensible heighth the unfadomable depth of love wherewith the Lord Jesus Christ hath loved sinners before the beginning of the world c. And lastly 5. Can you learn a lesse result from hence than this that Saints selfe-denying despised Saints are happy creatures Terque quaterque beati blessed againe and againe Surely you have not heard mee all this while but you are preventing me in the words of the Psalmist Happy are the people that are in such a case yea blessed are the people that have the Lord for their God we may say of them O nimium dilectis Deo creatures strangely beloved of their God strangely happy in this that the King should desire their beauty Let the world scorne one let them put out the finger and barke at the moone let them mock puritanisme let the way of holinesse be every where spoken against pro hominum arbitrio let them talke so long as you gaine you dance before the ark though Michal mock out at the window You shall be more beautifull the more vile they think you it is for the Kings sake that hath desired your beauty and scornd theirs for the Kings sake that hath chosen you to obtaine everlasting life through Jesus Christ but hath ordained them to wrath and neglected their beauty One would not think now that these creatures that ravish Christs heart should offend worldlings eyes so much surely Christ should have no judgement if these were the contemptible ones of the earth the unlovely creatures Well well Christians let them mocke on after the way which they call simplicity and foolery moping c. worship thou the God of thy fathers thou shalt have thy pleasures when they shall have torments thou shalt have thy crowne and honour when the pride of their glory shall bee stained and that shall lie in the dust These children of vanity forget what Abraham though something too late to doe him good advised their brother to remember Luk. 16. 25. That in their life time they received good things and those precious Lazarus'es evill things but yet a little while and you shall be comforted and they tormented yet a little while and you shall be honoured and they shall be cursing the wombe that bare them and the paps that gave them suck cursing the honour that ruin'd them the pleasures that damned them the worldly glory which hath made them inglorious for ever yet a little while and instead of their sweet smels they shall have the stinkes of fire and brimstone and instead of their girdles rentings of heart for ever instead of their well-set haire they shall have baldnesse they shall spend more time in rending and tearing their haire than ever they did in curling or powdring it Yet a little while and instead of their stomachers they shall have girdings with sackcloth everlasting burnings instead of their present beauty But blessed shall you bee for you shall shine like the Sun in the firmament of the father for the King hath desired your beauty I have at last done with my first use of Instruction I proceed now to a second and that shall bee of examination Vse 2 Are you willing now to know Christians whether Jesus Christ cares for you yea or no whether you be desirable in his eyes yea or no heaven and hell hang upon this thing Trie whether you have forgotten your owne people and your fathers house The most men and women are afraid of the touchstone and are willing rather to take heaven for granted though they find hell for certaine but this is not safe with you Trie your selves then Christians I will helpe you a little in so good a work 1. If you have forgotten your fathers house you have first seene a great deale of folly and vanity in it Man is a reasonable creature and will never leave any thing but he will see some cause to leave it Did the Lord ever yet convince you throughly not with a Notionall but an heart conviction of the folly of your fathers house Did the Lord ever throughly convince you of your evill wayes the sinnes of your natures the customary sinnes of your lives of your education sinnes and your beloved sinnes Had you ever a through conviction of the vanity
betimes believe it there will bee more weeping else when you come to part Dir. 4 Lastly Crie crie mightily unto God that he would take off your heart Believe it it must be his work you will be wearied else in the multitude of your owne indeavours if the Lord draw off the heart it will be drawne indeed Be much in publique prayer but especially be much in secret prayer I must conclude 2. Br. Lastly you that have been taught of the Lord to forget your fathers house that so the King might desire your beauty Let mee plead with you still to forget it more Selfe-deniall is a long and hard lesson a Christian must be learning it from his cradle to his grave and every time hee studies it hee shall find something to be done that is yet behind and all that he hath done to bee done better you have learned in part how to doe it I need not direct you you need no other directions then 1. To study every day more and more the vanitie of the creature Read over the book of Ecclesiastes well it is enough to teach you that lesson 2. Converse little with your fathers house have as little to doe with the world the pleasures or profits or riches or companie or manners of it as you can the lesser the better 3. Be more acquainted with Jesus Christ get neerer to him bee more in communion with him get more tasts of Heaven Earthw ill relish the worse for it I might presse upon you the same motives I urged before and I should doe it with advantages you know what this King is how much to bee desired how much to bee odored you know what a difference there is betwixt the worlds comelinesse and the comelinesse which hee putteth upon his Saints Let mee onely urge one word or rather name it Some read the words quia concupivit Because the King hath desired thy beauty here 's an argument an engaging argument to a Saint The Lord hath effectually made it knowne in your soules that hee desires your beauty more than tenne thousands of others Hee hath whispered not onely in your eares but in your heart his desire to you Ah now Christians be you humble self-denying ones because the King hath desired your beauty Let the love of Christ constraine you to order your hearts and conversations as becommeth the Gospell of the Lord Jesus Christ According to the lawes of this King that hath so passionately desired and so effecaciously declared his desire to your beauty I must have done The Lord adde his blessing FINIS THE RIGHT VVAY TO TRUE PEACE OR A discovery of a Gospell-Mystery how the spirit that is troubled may find Peace in Christ and how A Christian may know whither the Peace which his spirit hath in trouble or with which it comes out of any trouble be Christ's Peace Discovered in a Sermon Joh. 16. 33. By John Collings M. A. Preacher of Gods word in Norwich Joh. 14. 1. Let not your hearts be troubled you believe in God believe also in me London Printed for R. Tomlins 1649 To the Right Honourable the Lady Katharine Courteen Grace Mercy and true Peace Madam WHen this Sermon was first preach'd your Honour was pleased to entitle your selfe to it conceiving it which indeed was composed for my selfe to have been prepared and suted to the temper of your Ladiships spirit at that time So farre my Master onoured me that day as to doe him a double work with the same hand Truly Madam it was a salve provided for my owne use and not intended further than for my friends in that assembly where first I published it and accordingly was laid up in my closet till I brought it forth privately for the use of some other noble friends who were better able then my selfe to judge of the efficacy of it having received from some of them a probatum est and God having made it acceptable and in their estimation more usefull than my own low opinion of the workman's pains in it conceived it They were pleased to desire the recent which to spare my owne paines in transcribing it was the onely cause of my least thoughts of the publication of it Truly Madam in these unhappy times wherein the Presse is become such a prostitute I think I may easily be excused of my ambition to have this or any other worthlesse notes of mine come under it To abate the noise of many things in Print which believe it sounds not at all sweet in my eares I have desired it should be added to some former Sermons which before were in the Printers hands in which also I satisfied but his desires in denying my selfe in my owne But to those worthlesse precedent pieces it comes in a fit place The first of the Sermons tels us what is the state of the Elect by nature The second what is their estate in Christ and describes their way of Restauration The third points out their duty as redeemed ones to lean upon their beloved The fourth minds them of the Saints great duty of selfe-denyall Now in regard that the soule reconciled to God may bee sometimes saying where is my God become and as there is none lives and sins not so none shall live but at one time or other shall meet with trouble I have added this to the other in which I have endeavoured to discover to a Christian how hee may recover his quiet and in the midst of those troubles which in the world hee shall bee sure to meet with find that peace which passeth all understanding The first of these Sermons shews us our originall want of peace being not reconciled to God The second describes our Peace-maker and his severall acts both of purchase and application by which he both made peace for his elect in generall and applies it to each of them in particular The third discovers the instrument and directs the soul in the particular use of Faith which is the instrument to convey this peace to the soule upon all occasions The fourth will teach the soule how to keep its peace And this in case the soule hath lost its peace and the spirit of the Christian bee over whelmed with trouble wil in some measure direct him how to find his peace and how to come out of trouble by the hand of Christ Madam this is a great Gospell mystery It is a subject that deserved a more learned pen and one more experienced in the wayes of God to have discussed and resolved it than that poore worthlesse creature who hath undertaken it That in the world the Saints must look for trouble your Honour knowes I believe by as sad experiences as most of those that tread the wayes of God That in the midst of these troubles in Christ the soule of the Christian may have peace This Text and Sermon Madam I trust wil sufficiently make good both by generall proofe and particular demonstrations In troubles to have peace is no
is predicated of the subject is common to every particular soule as well as to the beleeving Church For every beleever leanes by faith upon the Lord Jesus and comes out of his particular wildernesses leaning upon him And therefore I rather agree with * Non solum vicinae gentes sed etiaÌ„ ipsi qui sunt in populo hanc mirantur sic ascendenteÌ„ ex deserto Luther Luther upon the place not only saith he the Neighbour Nations but those of the same Nation shall admire her comming out of the wildernesse In short I conceive the words have a Prosopopeia in them The Church or soule speaks them as if she should have said Methinks I fancie the world standing wondring at me how I can leane upon Christ in my wildernesseconditions and out of the saddest wildernesse how I can come up by the strength of Christ leaning upon him They will wonder at my glory and honour that Christ will priviledge such a worme as I am so as to lean upon him and that he will help me They will not understand how I can come leaning in the wildernesse they will say Who is this Christs power of Grace in me will be hidden to them and yet they will admire Who is this That comes up out of the wildernes Out of a sad low condition out of a lost rugged condition out of crosses trials afflictions inward or outward But I shall open this terme more hereafter Leaning Tremellius reads it associans associatura joyning or marrying or about to joyne or marry her selfe Vatablus Hierome and Lyra read it Deliciis â—ffluens flowing abounding with delights Beda and Brightman read it Innixa leaning upon her Beloved And so our Translation The quarrell betwixt these Expositors is not so great but I conceive it may easily be thus taken up 1. Leaning is a posture of familiarity And she that is so bold as to leane upon her Beloveds arme is surely lodged in her Beloveds heart and is associans marrying or associatura about to marry to her Beloved and 2. Leaning is a posture of love too She that leanes loves and surely she takes pleasure in her posture she takes delight in her Beloveds company Upon her Beloved Christ Jesus who loves her and having first loved her is now beloved of her He is called Her to denote her propriety in him Thus you have the sence of the former part of the Text. The Church or the beleeving soule fancies that the world seeing her keep her hold on Christ in saddest conditions and keep a close communion with Christ in the midst of briars and thorns in a barren heath and dry ground in the midst of trials would be ready either out of ignorance not knowing the power of grace that upheld and helpt and sustained her or else admiring her happy and glorious condition that in the wildernesse she had such a Beloved to leane upon or admiring the strangnesse of her constancy and patience that she would adhere to Christ at such a low ebbe would either by way of scoffing or admiring cry out Who is this that nothing will part from Christ Or Who is this that Jesus Christ will thus owne and uphold in saddest conditions Or Who is this What power is this that upholds this man or woman in such estates as every one else would bee lost in Who is this that commeth by the feet of faith and patience up out of these deep sad wildernes-straights and yet comes up with such a fixed temper of spirit with such a stayed mind and with such a stedfastnesse of reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ Who is this that commeth up Thus you have the former part opened It followes now in the Text. I raised thee up under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there she brought thee forth that bare thee For the opening of these words and making my way cleare these two things must be resolved 1. Whose part of the Dialogue whose speech these words be 2. What the meaning of them is The first great question is whose part in this dialogue of love these are This is certaine they are either Christ's or the beleevers the opinions of men are divided about it Some think that the words are the continued speech of the Spouse their great reason is because the words both before it and after it are the Spouses Of this opinion are Gregory Aquinas Lyra Hierom yea and learned Mercer and M. Ainsworth There are some others that think they are the words of Jesus Christ minding the Spouse how he raised up his Church say some which I doe not deny so they doe not limit it to the body of beleevers collectively for my owne part I strongly incline to the latter viz. That the words are the words of Christ my reasons are 1. Partly because the 4 verse containes a phrase of speech with which she had twice closed a speech before viz. chap. 3. 5 6. chap. 5. 8. and partly because of the congruity which appeares to me in the sence thus The Spouse before had seemed to cast out words as if she had bin almost ashamed of Christs company and by her walking with him had made her selfe a laughing stock or a wondering stock to the world for so the phrase Who is this may also be taken to which Christ replies I raised thee c. as if he should have said and do I not deserve this and a great deale more too Remember but what I have done for thee I have raised thee up under the Apple-tree c. To which as overcome with love the soule replies v. 6. Set me as a seale c. As if she should say Truth indeed Lord thou hast done it O set me now as a seale upon thine arme as a seale upon thy heart c. A third reason is the incongruity of the sence if the word be taken as the words of the Spouse which will further appeare in the opening of the words The first question being resolved I come to the second To shew you what is the meaning of these words In doing of which 1. I shall shew you the opinion of others 2. I shall reject most of them shewing you reason why I doe so 3. I shall give you my owne opinion concerning the words and reasons for it Sort. 1 1. I will begin with such expositors as would have these words to be the Spouses words and these are either Papists or Protestants The popish expositions run together I say they that is the Spouse the beleeving soule raised thee awakened and applied thee under the apple-tree hanging upon the crosse Gregory saith that the apple-tree is procul dubio arbor sanctae crucis the tree of the holy Crosse Sort. 2 M. Ainsworth and Mercer carry it another way I saith M. Ainsworth that is the Spouse raised thee up by earnest prayer Psa 44. 24. Raised up Christ under the apple-tree the tree of free grace and life mentioned Chap. 2. 3. To this sence
that a child or friend of many teares and prayers should perish Give not over therefore mourning over them crying praying to God for them the Gospell-day lasts What though thy friend by his life yet declares himselfe to be out of Christ yet he may be under the Apple-tree for ought thou knowest though not upon it yet under it Christ that saw Nathaniel under the Fig-tree may see thy child or friend under the Apple-tree and call him and raise him up it is Christs place where he useth to raise his Elect ones I raised thee up under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there she brought thee forth that bare thee THE SPOVSE Raised FROM Vnder the APPLE-TREE OR The way by which Children of Wrath come to be made the Children of Grace Opening the Doctrine of our Redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ both in respect to the Purchase and Application By JOHN COLLINGS M. A. Isa 63. 5. And I looked and there was none to help and I wondred that there was none to uphold therefore my owne arme brought salvation unto me LONDON Printed for Rich Tomlins 1649. The Spouse raised from under the APPLE-TREE CANT 8. ver 5. I raised thee up under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there she brought thee forth that bare thee I Have now done with my first general Doctrine containing Mans misery Hee was brought forth under the Apple-tree there his mother brought him forth there she brought him forth that bare him I am now come to the second Generall part expressing Gods mercy to poore man fallen and undone in this condition expressed in those words I raised thee you may observe 1. The Agent I. 2. The Act Raised 3. The Object Thee I thy Bridegroome the Lord Jesus Christ raised It presupposes a fall I helped up thee My Spouse being in a sad and undone condition The Doctrine is shortly this Doct. 2. That it is the Lord Jesus Christ that helpeth his redeemed ones out of their undone condition 1. I shall inlarge and prove this truth in the generall In these particulars 1. He was designed to doe it 2. He can doe it 3. He must doe it for none else could 4. He hath done it 5. He will doe it After this I shall explicate to you the manner how the Lord Christ raised up his servants under the Apple-tree then thirdly I shall give you the reasons and lastly I shall come to Application First in regard that the Doctrine is propounded indefinitely I shall prove it to you in severall particulars which possibly may some of them beare the force of Reasons too 1. He was designed to doe it It was a designe of Eternity that Jesus Christ should step out of heaven and raise up his elected ones from their lost condition therefore Christ is said by the Apostle to the Hebrewes chap. 3. ver 2. To be an High-Priest faithfull to him that appointed him The businesse from Eternity lay thus Here is man lost and here are those amongst others lost saith God the Father to his Sonne that I have given thee for a portion what shall be done for man Well yet I will study to doe good to a wretched creature Thou shalt in the fulnesse of time goe and bee borne of flesh and bloud and dye for them and satisfie my justice and they shall be thine for a portion therefore they are called the Lords Redeemed ones Isa 35. 9. The holy People the redeemed of the Lord. Isa 62. 12. This thou shalt do saith the Father and upon these termes they shall live believing in thee This was Gods Covenant with the Sonne of his love for us For it is worth the noting that though the Covenant of Works was made betwixt the Lord and Adam personally yet the Covenant was made with Christ and all us in him mystically this the Apostle largely proves Gal. 3. 26. The promises were made to Abraham and his seed hee saies not to seeds as of many but as of one And to thy seed which was Christ The Covenant was made then betwixt God and our representative The Lord Jesus Christ God sayes thou shalt goe and dye for them and I will yet save them believing in thee Content saith the Lord Jesus Christ I will goe and fulfill thy pleasure and they shall bee mine for ever I will in the fulnesse of time dye for them and they shall live in me Psalme 40. verse 6. Burnt-offering and Sinne-offering thou hast not required no it was Self-offering Then said I Loe I come in the Volume of thy booke it is written of mee to doe thy will O my God Hebr. 10. verse 5 6. In what Booke was it written that Christ should come to doe the will of God It was written in Cyphers in the Ceremoniall Law it was written in plainer English in the Prophets But it was written in the Book of Gods Decrees in this sense the Lord Jesus Christ is called Rev. 13. verse 8. The Lamb slain before the beginning of the World And in regard of Gods Decree we may say the Saints were redeemed pardoned Justified from eternity His Father from before all time appointed him to be our High-Priest and hee from before all Eternity subscribed to his Fathers pleasure in it Thus from Eternity he raised us up Secondly as he was designed to doe it so it was not a worke beyond the greatnesse of his strength God in doing it laid help on one that was mighty There was power enough in his mercy price enough in his merits to have bought more than the handfull of his redeemed ones out of the hands of the Devill had they beene to bee sold It is a slandering thought of infinite mercy for me to thinke there is no balme in Gilead there is no Physitian there though our sinnes be mighty yet hee that hath helpe laid upon him is mighty too and the might of our sinnes is nothing to the power of his mercies He was God as well as man his manhood made him our helper his Godhead made him a Mighty helper able to pardon all the sinnes of his Saints and to furnish all their soules with long white Robes of his Righteousnesse Yea thirdly Such a worke it was to raise us that it was hee alone that could doe it all heaven and earth had been at a losse for a satisfaction for divine Justice if it had not satisfied it selfe upon it self See it in Gods word Isaiah 63. verse 5. And I looked and there was none to helpe and I wondred that there was none to uphold therefore mine owne arme brought salvation to them And so Isaiah 59. verse 16. And he saw there was no man and wondred that there was no intercessor therefore his arme brought salvation unto him and his righteousnesse sustained him He saw none would And no wonder at that for none could but if they could they would not All creatures would have been like the Priest and Levite Luke 10. verse 31
thee 2. Thee that wert as low as others Adam left thee as deep in hell as any reprobate there Loe here the infinitenesse of free grace Two were in the same house yea grinding at the same mill of iniquity and thou art taken and the other is left possibly thou wert in thy wildest youth seeming to ride faster to hell than the other were that were thy brethren friends and acquaintance yet the Lord hath raised thee and let the others lye wallowing in their bloud he hath not said to them live 3. Thee that wert his Enemy Was ever dying love yea love in dying extended to an enemy before You have heard of two stories one of a Grecian the other of a Roman paire Theseus and Perithous Pilades and Orestes that would have dyed for their friends each for another but hath any offered to dye for his Enemy Moses would offer to have his name blotted out for his people that were Gods people and which he loved but would Moses have done it for a Philistine yet this hath Christ done O love ye the Lord all his Saints 4. Thee that never askt it He was found of them that sought it not Alas mankind lay as well without a tongue to aske as an hand to help themselves and behold Christ pitied them and amongst them thee his love declared from Eternity towards thee had not so much cause in thee as a poore prayer would have amounted to he was not moved by thy sighs and teares but by his owne infinite love 5. Lastly thee that hast still Rebellion in thee Christ said within himselfe when he dyed upon the Crosse Now is my heart-bloud powred out for as vile wretches as any are and for those that I know will requite my bleeding wounds my dying love with new speares and thornes thus he knew that thou wouldst doe in the time of thy unregeneracie yea and after thou shouldst be called too Who lives and sinnes not Now Christian lay these things to thy heart meditate of study out this love and see if thou hast not cause to say My soule and all that is within me my tongue and all that is without me praise the Lord. But O remember Christian Remember Burnt offering and sacrifice he doth not require but this he requires that thou shouldst doe his will O say Loe I come I am ready to do it But more particularly let me point thee out some particular duties that the Lord requires of thee in a poor answer to his rich Acts of eternall love First hath not he thought his glory too deare to lay aside for a while for thee nor his Word and Truth too dear to pawne for thee nor his bloud too deare to spill for thee hath he valued nothing in comparison of thee O doe thou value nothing in an equall ballance with him be willing to deny thy selfe for him who in every thing hath denyed himselfe for thee Thy Lusts cannot be so pleasing to thee as Christs glory was to him Be content to leave them Thy Honour cannot be so great as his was which he left for thee and became ignoble in our eyes Surely when wee saw him we esteemed him despised smitten of God and afflicted Isa 53. 4. But it was when hee was wounded for our Transgressions and bruised for our Iniquities when the chastisement of our peace was upon him and that by his stripes we might be healed Thy Riches cannot be greater than his yet remember him O remember the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who though he was rich yet for your sake became poore that you through his Povertie might be made rich 2 Cor. 7. Thy life cannot be more deare than his yet he valued not his life for thee but powred out his bloud his precious bloud upon the Crosse that through his bloud thou mightest have remission purchased Learne hence Christian a lesson of self-deniall Be content to suffer for him who was content to suffer that he might raise thee value nothing in comparison of him This Lesson had Saint Paul learned Phil. 3. v. 7 8. What things were gaine to me I counted losse for Christ yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may win Christ c. ver 10. That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death Looke upon nothing in an equall ballance with him 1 Cor. 2. 2. I determined not to know any thing amongst you save Jesus Christ and him crucified Secondly hath Christ entred into a Covenant and given his word to his Father and kept his word with his Father for you O then learne of him Vow your selves to him and keep the vowes of your lips Say with David Psal 116. ver 16. Ah Lord truly we are thy servants we are thy servants and the sons of thy handmaids for thou hast loosed our bonds Say with David Psal 40. Mine eares hast thou opened and bored them Say Ah Lord we come to doe thy will Christ kept his word with his Father for you Ah keep your word with him pay him the vowes which you have made Thirdly Hath Christ to raise you taken upon him your flesh O then Take ye upon your selves his spirit He hath become for you the childe of man doe you become for him the children of God Be made partakers of the divine Nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1. 4. Your Nature was full of imperfection and weaknesse the divine Nature is full of perfection and glory He hath raised you be raised put off your filthy rags and put on change of Raiment Fourthly Hath Christ died that he might raise you from the death of Sinne and from the power of the Second death O then dye to sinne Col. 3. 5. Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection evill concupiscence and covetousnesse which is idolatry for which things c. The Apostle Saint Paul presseth the great duty of mortification from this very principle Likewise reckon yee also your selves to be dead to sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 11. and so on ver 12 13. Let not sinne therefore reigne in your mortall bodies c. Ah throw away the nailes that pierced your Christ Fifthly Did Christ rise from the dead that he might raise you from the death of sinne O then rise to newnesse of life The Apostle Saint Paul presseth this worke of Vivification also from Christs Resurrection Rom. 6. ver 4. We are buried with him by Baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father euen so we also should walke in newnesse of life and so all along that Chapter Sixthly Hath he
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 be taken the other left when two soules are equall in duties fasting mourning in the way that God hath appointed why he should baulke this and take the other when perhaps that which is taken hath been the least penitent too I will conclude with Dr. Davenant is Sacrum Misterium divinae voluntati reliquendum A sacred and secret mistery 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 owne reason and his free grace it s owne cause So then we conclude that the soule cannot move one foot to a spirituall action spiritually not by any common grace it must be only 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 we looke so farre we cannot come but that preventeth us We are as clay in the hands of the Potter we 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 and will endeavour to doe somthing for that God that hath done so much for her It followes the drawing of Gods most holy Spirit Draw me saith the Spouse and I will run after thee First I must be drawne but then I will run In the same moment God makes us to will and we will yet all the efficacy of the Action comes from Gods most holy Spirit It is certaine saith Augustine that Certum est nos velle quum volumus sed ille facit ut velimus qui operatur in nobis velle wee are willing when wee are willing but he makes us willing that workes in us to will and to perform 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 soul 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 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 is it she leanes upon Fourthly What in him she hath to trust to and how in every wildernesse she leans and out of every wildernesse comes up leaning I conceive here are foure things hinted in this expression leaning which I may tearme 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 do 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 beare her Otherwise shee 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 leanning of wearinesse O Lord I 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 heavy laden then I will ease you What shall I doe to be saved saith the Gaolor 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 soul at it's nil ultra sadly sensible of it's lost and miserable condition sufficiently humbled in the sense of it than 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 think that when the Gaolor 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 O what shall I doe What shall I doe though at that instant they know they can doe nothing to help themselves So the Gaoler in a true sense of his owne 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 seen him humbled in some degrees they would as well have prefixed Repent here as Peter did to them Act. 2. Repent and be baptized 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 scornes 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
particulars as briefely as I can The soule must forget the manners of its Fathers house Our Fathers house ever since God and hee parted houses in Paradise is an house of ill manners an house of sinne and wickednesse Now every soule that would make it selfe beautions or desireable in the sight of Christs eyes must shake hands with sin Is 55. 7. Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him returne to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and unto our God and he will abundantly pardon him ay then the King shall desire his beauty but first let him forget the manners of his Fathers house All sinne must bee forgotten But I take it especially foure sorts of sinnes are hinted to us in this Phrase and may more properly be called the sinnes of our Fathers house 1. Originall sinne If we have any thing of Grace or Goodnesse wee never learn'd that at home It is the gift of God through the tutoring of the Spirit But for Sinne wee need not goe abroad to learne that it was bred in the bone that 's one reason why it will never out of the flesh Ez. 16. Thy Father was an Amorite and thy Mother an Hittite We are chilnren of wrath by nature Ephes 2. 3. Psal 51. 4. In sinne did my mother conceive me Now this must be forgotten this is a piece of our Fathers house Men and Women you know are usually borne in their Fathers House We are all borne in the house of bondage which must be forgotten if ever the soule be desireable to Jesus Christ It is a usuall saying of Divines that he that was never truely humbled for Originall sinne was never truely humbled for any sinne 2. The sinnes of our Education The Fathers house is the house where the Childe is brought up All sinne is not bred in us that which is bred in us may bee improved Originall sinne is sinne in the seed Actuall sinne is sinne in the Blade and Fruit. The World is a dusty house you can set a Creature in never a corner of it but it will contract some dust Joseph by being in the King of Egypts house learn'd to sweare by his Masters life According to different breedings are men addicted to different Vanities whether pleasure or honour c. Now when the soul comes unto Christ he must come off these he must forget his Fathers house all his vaine sinfull breeding and all the filth his soule hath contracted by reason of it 3. Sinnes of Conversation and company The Fathers house and the company of it is the childs company those of his Fathers house are his owne people It is true as well for Religion as any thing else Magni refert quibuscum convixeris It is a great matter with whom we converse from accompanying with vaine persons thou shalt learne to bee vaine Cum lupis ululare When the soule comes to Christ it must leave all sins thus contracted they are part of the manders of the Fathers House Paul left his Pharisaisme that he had learnt at Gamaliels feet 4. Customary sinnes must bee left The Child learnes customes in his Fathers House Customary sinning must be left of that soule that would render it selfe for beauty desireable to Jesus Christ Those sinnes which are to the soule as the Leopards spot and the blacknes of the blackamores skinne Inded this is hard Custome hatcheth a second nature Jer. 13. 23. How can you that are accustomed to doe evill do well Yet it must bee done the Fathers house must be forgotten ill customes must be laid aside or good ones wil not be taken up 5. Beloved sinnes must be left Every thing of the Fathers House almost is deare to the child But the dearest sinne must bee shaken hands with Matth. 18. 9. If it bee a right hand it must be cut off if a right eye it must be pluckt out Our Members must be Mortified Col. 3. 5. Thus the maners of our Fathers house must be forgotten All sinnes but especially these sinnes I proceed now Secondly The soule must forget the Company of us Fathers house What is that you will say I will answer you in two particulars 1. Our most near and dearest Relations See Luke 14. 26. If a man commeth to me saith Christ and hateth not Father and Mother and Children and Brethren and Wife and Sisters yea and his own life also he is not worthy of mee He shall not bee so beautifull not so beautifull as that the King shall desire his beauty As it was said Levi did in another sense so must the Saint doe in some sense He must say unto his Father and to his Mother I have not seen him neither must hee acknowledge his Brethren nor know his owne children Otherwise he will never have Levie's Character to bee one that observeth the Lords Word and keeps his Covenant Not that Religion teacheth or commandeth or indureth a Saint to break the tyes of all Religion No besides that it doth not discharge a Saint of his Duty of Nature it puts in a Plea also against such unnaturalnesse Honour thy Father and Mother c. is the fifth Commandement the first with promise saith the Apostle neither doth it allow a Saint to rob his parents of their due with saying Corban it is a gift The Ravens of the valleys shall picke out the eyes of such persons as well as the Devill hath done of their Religion Neither doth it discharge a Saint of his providentiall duty and respect to his relation Hee that provides not for his Family is worse than an Infidell 1. In point of due honour 2. In point of naturall affection 3. In point of Providentiall care Wee must not forget the Company of our Fathers House Gods Commands doe not enterfiere nor will the Gospell in that case give a supersedeas to the Law But 1. if God and they draw severall wayes if the Parents commands crosse Gods then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is better to obey God than men The Parent is to command for God not against him subordinately not supremely he must be obeyed for Gods sake and God too for his sake as by his command he seconds God but Parents can as little yea less discharge the child of its duty to God than the Pope can discharge the Subject of his Allegiance to his Prince 2. If their love becken us out of the way when God calls us or would intice us to make halts in our running through fire and water to him then wee must forget them I have somewhere met with a Speech of St. Hierome to that purpose Saith hee If the Lord Christ should call me to him though my Father should lye in my way and my Mother should hang about my neck I would goe over my Father and shake off my Mother and runne to my Christ Shetterden a Martyr as it is storied of him writ to his Mother thus Dear Mother imbrace the Counsell of
or draw away the heart too much from God take up our Church-time or family duty-time or secret duty-time c. in such case they must bee forgot too 4. Comparatively they must be forgot God must be greater than they in the throne of our heart wee must not love father nor mother nor daughter nor wife nor child more than Christ So Mathew expounds that place Luk. 14. 26. in Matth. 10. 37. wee must not be lovers of any pleasures more than of Christ nor of house or lands or honour or any piece of vanity under the Sunne This is plaine for we must love Christ with all our heart and soule and though the second commandment bee thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe yet it doth not say Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy Christ 5. Lastly In effect they must be forgot Christians must doe as if they had no relations they may rejoyce and buy and sell and purchase and use the world but marke how it is in a forgetting manner 1 Cor. 7. 30. they that rejoyce must be as if they rejoyced not and they that buy as if they possest not and they that use the world as if they used it not Christians may be called by their titles of Rabbi and my Lord and Madam but while they are so they must have a scornfull low slight esteeme of these swelling words of vanity not despising the meanest of Gods Saints but ready in honour to preferre them above themselves and accounting the title of Christian of a servant of God to be a greater title of honour than worldly dignities can invest them with And now I have finished my first taske in the explication of the doctrine in which I have shewed you what of our fathers house must be forgotten 2. How farre we must forget it The second thing I propounded was to shew you how that soule is beautifull with what beauty the soule is beautifull that thus forgets its owne people and its fathers house This I shall shew you 1. Negatively 2. Positively 1. Not with a corporall beauty this makes not the flesh beautifull It ads no lustre to flesh and blood possibly it may discolour that 2. Not by a native beauty no naturall beauty The beauty that will appeare in the soule upon this selfe deniall is not like the beauty of the face which appears after washing off dirt which clouded natures colours 3. Not in the eye of the vaine creature nor in its owne eyes Aske a vaine creature he will tell you that the leaving of vaine dresses and patches and plaitinge of the haire is the way to make the creature look like no body to make it despised in the world c. and such a one perhaps lothes and abhors it selfe as a vile creature Jo. 42. 6. Thus it shall not be beautifull and it is no matter whether it be or no. But secondly such a soule shall bee beautifull these three wayes 1. Imputatione By the beauty of Christ put upon it see for this that notable place Ezech. 16. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. Then wast thou decked with silver and gold and thy rayment was of fine linnen and silke and broidered worke and thou wert exceeding beautifull And thy renowne went forth amongst the heathen for thy beauty for it was perfect through the comelinesse which I had put uppon thee saith the Lord God Christ makes the reflexion of his beauty to bee cast upon such a soule and it becomes beautifull through his comelinesse the soules doing these things doth not make it spiritually any more than corporally beautifull but they being done it becomes comely through Christs comelinesse comely through a comelinesse that is put upon it that 's the first way Secondly It is beautifull 2. Through Christs Acceptation Of free grace Christ said to the young man in the 19 of Matth. Sell all thou hast c. and thou shalt have treasure in heaven not thou shalt earne it but thou shalt have it Christ accepts the soule as beautifull and accounts the soule as beautifull that for his sake will forget its owne people and its fathers house Cant. 4. 1. Behold thou art faire my love behold thou art faire thou hast doves eyes c. 3. Such a soule is beautifull though not in the worlds eyes yet in the Saints eyes The world will hate and despise them but the Saints will love and value them Cant. 6. 1. the Daughters of Hierusalem say unto the spouse whither is thy beloved gone O thou Fairest amongst women the daughters of Hierusalem the Saints account such a soule beautifull It may bee that shee may call her selfe black the greatest of sinners and the least of Saints yea and the world may so call her but those that are godly shall esteeme her comely and the King shall desire her beauty And that leads me to the last particular in the explication of the Doctrine 3. What is the meaning of that phrase The King shall desire thy beauty 1. Generally It is a speech according to the manner of men Gen. 4. 7. it is said of the husband toward the wise Vnto thee shall be his desire And wee meet with that phrase Deut. 21. 11. when thou seest amongst the Captives a beautifull woman and thy desire shall be towards her to make her thy wife 2. But more particularly I think the true meaning of the phrase may bee understood in these particulars First of all it implies That the Lord Jesus Christ shall discover and see an excellency in such a soule we can desire nothing but we shall first discover some excellency in it Now the Lord discovers an excellency in such a soule hee shall eye such a soule as an excelling soule as a lovely soule worthy of him though not through its owne worthinesse and suitable for him 2. It implies That the Lord Jesus Christ shall love such a soule discovering in it a suitable excellency he shall love it his heart will be ravished with it Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart Christs affections will be drawne out to a soule that so forgets it selfe his heart will bee melting towards it and on fire for it there must first bee a love in the soule to the object before the heart bee drawne forth to covet an union with it 3. It implies That the Lord Christ will in his heart preferre such a soule when a mans desire is towards a particular woman to make her his wife he preferres her above other women his desire is not to her sex but to her to her rather than ten thousand others The Lords desire shall bee towards such a soule As you have heard described to you that hee will preferre her above ten thousand of his creatures though the Lord sees thousands of his creatures hundreds in a congregation that the world dotes upon some for their faire faces and on others for their brave parts this Eliab and the
other Shammah yet the Lord that sees all and can judge best lets Eliab and Shammah passe and fixeth his eye upon this selfe denying in the world despised creature and upon it hee fixeth his heart and prizeth such a soule above all the other trumperies and kickshawes of beauty The Lord culs out such a soule his desire is towards her shee is the Esther hee picks out and such a soul is more preferred in Christs eye than this witty man or woman or that gallant this Lord or that Lady Christ hath no desire to them but to this soule his desire is 4. It implies That Jesus Christ will indeavour and effect an union and enjoy such a soule what is the meaning of that phrase the man's desire shall be to his wife but he shall desire to be joyned in marriage to her that they may bee no longer twaine but one flesh and if his desire be towards her and it be a feasible thing he will effect it if shee consent and friends consent c. The Lords desire shall be to the soule that is the Lord Jesus Christ shall indeavour yea and unite himselfe to effect an union with such a soul he shall wooe it yea and shee shall yield for when hee works who can let him Christ will marry himselfe to such a soule make a marriage covenant and tie himselfe in a marriage bond to it for though in man desire may bee frustrated so that desire and enjoyment are two things yet it is necessarily to be understood in Christs desiring whose power is such that hee shall not need starve his desire longer than he pleaseth 5. It implies That the Lord Jesus Christ will court neare communion with such a soule mark how he speaks to the Spouse Cant. 2. 14. O my Dove that art in the clefts of the rocks in the secret places of the staires let me heare thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance comely hee will not onely have communion but hee will covet communion with such a soule hee will desire to have it draw nigh and dwell in his presence to have it come neare him in a duty in an ordinance c. 6. Lastly Hee will love such a soule with a constant and inseparable love it is said The King shall desire thy beauty he shall desire it and never cease desiring of it hee shall for ever desire thy beauty And thus I have opened to you all the three termes now I come to the second taske As I have gone along in opening the generals in severall particulars I have proved the Doctrine that it is so But may some say what ground is there that the Lord Jesus Christ should desire this of every soule that hee will love and marry and have communion with that it should thus forsake its owne people and its fathers house why should Christ hold the soule to this hard meat I shal therefore in the next place shew you the reasons of it And there is a very great deale of Reason for it 1. Because it is the very law of marriage Gen. 2. 24. Therefore shall a man forsake father and mother and cleave to his wife The Lord Christ marries himselfe to the soule It is written I will betroth thee unto mee yea I will betroth thee unto mee for this cause the soule shall forsake its owne people and its fathers house and shall cleave to its Christ for this cause because the soule is married or about to marry to the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore must look to doe as married persons use to doe leave all for their husband 2. A second reason is because while the soule lives at home with its owne people and at its fathers house it cannot be beautifull nor desirable Our owne people are a filthie people our fathers house a nastie house the soule while it hath left that cannot be beautifull nor desirable The most beautifull creature you know if shee bee brought up by sluttish people as wee say and goes in a filthy habit there is a cloud cast over her beauty So it is with a soule while it hath left its sins and vaine company and pride and ambition and pleasures and riches and selfe-righteousnesse it cannot be beautifull in Christs eyes Now beauty is the attractive of the soule the soule must see a beauty in that which it lets out it selfe to in desiring let that be a second reason 3. Because there cannot bee a cleaving to Christ unlesse there be a parting with these Christ requires the highest love of our soules it is the first commandement you know with our Saviours glosse upon it Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soule Hence Christ tels us no man can serve two masters you cannot serve God and Mammon that soule that will hug sin must hate God that soule that will be a companion of Jesus Christ and a companion of Saints must not be a companion of sinners for what fellowship hath Christ with Belial righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse light with darknesse the temple of God with Idols and so the rest Your soule cannot love two thengs with an highest love 2. You cannot in heart truly cleave to two contraries There is a third reason especially if you consider 4. That God is a jealous God you meet with the phrase often and given as a reason why they should doe this or that For the Lord thy God is a jealous God Jealousie is a passion in the soule non patiens consortium in re amatâ saith Aquinas that will not indure or that makes the soule that it will not indure any sharing in the object beloved The woman that hath a jealous husband must leave all her old companions Christian thy God is a jealous God if therefore thou wouldst have him desire thy beauty if thou wouldst have him care for thee thou must forget thine owne people and thy fathers house I will adde but one reason more Lastly 5. Because It is the will of Christ It was the Apostles precept that wives should obey their husbands Now selfe deniall is a great piece of Christs command It is his first request Hee that will be my Disciple let him deny himselfe selfe deniall is the first of Christianity He that hath not learned this hath not learned the A B C of Christianity not so much as the Christ-crosse row as you call it Here should bee reason enough if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee hath said so was enough in Pithagoras his schoole to put the businesse past disputing amongst his schollers I am sure it should bee much more in Christs schoole wee will therefore enquire no further reason for it Let mee now come to application I shall apply it by way 1. Of Instruction 2. Of Examination 3. Of Consolation 4. Of Exhortation Vse 1 Instr It may serve to instruct us in the truth of severall Positions I will only pick out some few 1. It may instruct us That
the mistakes he hath therefore rather chose to put himselfe upon thy charity then put thee or himselfe to the trouble of a table of Errata's which is usually made with trouble and seldome used when it is done A short Table of the severall things contained in the two last Sermons THE Psalme analysed and the words of the Text opened 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. 5. Doctrines noted out of the words 13 14. The fifth Doctrine handled viz. That soule that would have the Lord Jesus Christ desire its beauty must forget its owne people and its Fathers house and whosoever doth that shall be beautifull 14 15 16 c. The Method of handling the Doctrine propounded 15. What is meant by our Fathers house 15. What of our Fathers house must be forgotten opened in five particulars 1. The manners of our Fathers house viz. our sins 16. 5. Sorts of sins chiefely hinted in that expression 16 17 18 19. Sinnes 1 Originall 16. 2 Of Education 17. 3 Of Company Conversation 18 4 Of Custome 18 19. 5 That are our beloved sins 19. 2. The Company of our Fathers house 19 20. That is two-fold ib. 1. Our dearest Relations 19 20. How they must and must not be forgotten 20. Not 1 in honour 2 nor affection nor 3 providentiall care but. 1. If God they draw severall wayes 20 21. 2. If their love beclâ—eâ— us out of the way when God calls us 21. 2. Sinfull Company is the company of our Fathers house 23. 3. The soule must forget the honour and pomp and riches and greatnesse of its Fathers house 24 25 26. How that must be ibid. 4. The soule must forget the pleasures and vanities of its Fathers house 27. That explained 28 29. 5. The soule must forget the Righteousnesse of its Fathers House 30 31. VVhat that is ib. Civility is but a smooth way to hell it is worth nothing no more is fâ—â—â—â—lity in duties â—â— 2. Br. Of Explic. How these things must be forgotten 32 33 34 45. c. 1. Sin and sinfull Company must be forgotten absolutely 32 33. 2. The rest must bee forgotten secundùm quid 33. 3. They must be forgotten Conditionally 33. that explained 34. 4. Comparatively they must be forgotten 35. 5. In effect they must be forgotten 35 36. 3 Br. of the Explication viz. How that soule shall be beautifull that thus forgets its Fathers house 36 37 38. That shewed Negatively Positively 36 37. Negatively not with A corporal beuty 36. A natural beauty 37. in its owne eyes a creatures eye 37. Positively it shall be beautifull 1. By Imputation 37. 2. By Christs Acceptation 38. 3. In Saints eys 38 39. 4. Branch of the Explication viz. what is meant by that phrase The King shall desire thy Beauty 39 40. Opened Generally 39. 2. Particularly Six things implyed in it 40 41 42 43. 1. Christ shall see an excellency in such a soule 40. 2. He shall love such a soule ib. 3. He shall in his heart preferre such a soule 40 41. 4. He will endeavour and effect an union with such a soule 42. 5. He will covet a neare Communion with such a soule 4. 6. He will love such a soul with a constant and inseparable love 43. 5. Reasons of the Doctrine 44 45 46. Because 1. It is the very law of marriage 44. 2. While the soule lives in its Fathers house it cannot be beautifull 44. 3. Till the soule part with these it cannot cleave to Christ 45. 4. Because God is a jealous God 46. 5. Because it is the will of Christ to whom aâ— an Husband the united soule must bee obedient 46 The Application of the Doctrine à 47 ad 89. 1. For Instruction in severall Branches Br. 1. That the most part of the world 〈◊〉 those which the world esteems of are uncomely indesireable creatures in Christs eye 47 48 49 50. Br. 2. Which may the way to heaven lyes and that it is a straight way 51 52 53 54. Br. 3. That something more than Nature must make a soule beautifull in Christs eyes 54. Br. 4. With what an infinite love hath Christ loved his Saints 54 55 56. Br. 5. What happy creatures are poore self-denying Saints 56 57 58. 2. Use For Examination Whether we have forgotten our fathers house and our beauty be desireable in Christs eyes or no. 59 60 61 62 63 c. 1. You have seen a great deale of folly in your Fathers house 60. 2. You have had another excellency discovered to you 60 61. 3. Your parting hath not been without some teares 61 62. 4. You have some combatings of spirit with your fleshly inclinations to go home againe 62 63. 5. Christ is your sole delight and all Christ is your delight 63 64. 6. Doe you abide and dwell with Christ 64. 3 Use For Consolation 1. Against all the uncomelinesse Saints apprehend in themselves 65. 2. Against all the dirt the world casts upon Saints 65 66. 3. Against the worlds low esteem of them 66. Severall Objections of misdoubtings Christians answered 67 68 69 70 71. 1 Ob. I am ready to yeeld to temptations and fall into sinne I feare I have not forgot the manners of my Fathers house An. Notwithstanding thy falling into sinne sometimes yet thou maist have forgot it try therefore 1. Which way stands thy Affection 68. 2. Doe you not chide your selves back 69. 3. How long doe you stay at home 69. 2. Ob. I have not forgotten my Fatheas house I am often in vaine company yea and I love them my heart is too much glued to my Relations Answ 1. Are they thy invited guests or intruders 71. 2. Art thou a companion of them in sin or only in civill actions 71. 3. Dost thou love them with a meer naturall love or more 71. 4. Could thy Relations hinder thee from Christ or thy love hinder thee from discharging thy duty to them faithfully 72 73. 3. Ob. I am not low enough for Christ I am rich and noble c. Answ 1. This is a melancholy fancy fat folk may get in at the straight gate with crowding 74. 2. Dost thou not affect and delight and hunt after worldly pompe and glory 74. 3. Dost thou look upon thy title of the servant of Christ as the highest title of honour 74. 4. Is thy outward greatnesse no snare to thee in the waies of Christ if none of these it cannot hinder thee 74 75 4. Obj. Ah! But I am so much addicted to vaine pleasures c. 1. Answ Dost thou love thy pleasures more then God 76. 2. Wilt thou baulk an opportunity of communion with Christ or his saints to enjoy a vaine pleasure 76. 3. Dost thou affect pleasures that cannot consist with holinesse as adultery c. 77. If none of these thou mayest enjoy them and yet be beautifull in Christs eyes ib. Vse 4. For exhortation 1. To those who have not forgotten their fathers house 77 78 79 80 81.