loved for his own sake so all other things for his sake and therefore in an inferiour and secondary place Christ must be loved first of all and most of all first in time and first in place many begin to look toward Christ and heaven when they can look no way else they serve sin the Devil the world first and themselves also before God reserving only the surrows and wrinckles of their old age for God but true Love honoureth Christ with its first fruits it gives God as I may so speak the Maiden-head of its love it s serves him first and none else before him And as first in time so first in place also it lets God have the first and best place it lets him have the highest and chiefest room in the heart it gives the priority to none else sets none before him none equal with him Amor meus Deus meus That which I make my love I make my God therefore covetous men are called Idolaters they make a God of their money though not because they offer sacrifices to it yet because their hearts and affections are set upon it the world hath more from them then God hath but a man that loveth Christ reserveth the first and the fattest for Gods use And as such a one loveth Christ first of all so likewise most of all as primarily so totally he divides not his love betwixt Christ and others Pharaob would have had the Israelites to have left their Cattle behind them when they desired leave of him to go and sacrifice in the Wilderness but what saith Moses non remanebit ungula there shall not an hoof be left behind so when Satan would perswade a lover of Christ not to give all to God but to leave something behind for him and his service he answereth him no there shall not an hoof stay behind he that hath given us all shall command and have all One of these two that entered into the land of Canaan was Caleb Philo Iud. and Philo the Jew etymologyzing his name saith it was quasi Col-leb which in the Hebrew signifies all heart thereby teaching us that Christ must have all our heart all must be given to him if we will enter into the heavenly Canaan 6. This Love is such as being placed upon its object the Lord Jesus it will not be willing to part with him upon any terms What we eagerly desire to have we fear to lose Quod vehementer cupis habere times perdere he that loveth money oh how loth is he to part with it You shall as soon wring water out of a stone as money out of his purse it was a sign Esau loved not his birth-right very dearly because he parted with it so easily but the man in the Gospel loved his sheep well and the woman loved her groat well that took such pains as they did to seek them out again when they had lost them Certainly Christ is worth keeping if you have him worth a seeking if you have lost him they that love him as they should will rather do any thing then part with him to others the matter is not great whether they part with Christ or keep him they are indifferent and the services they do him they do rather out of fashion than out of love he that serves a master whom he loves not his service is an hard task to him but they that love him heartily serve him cheerfully they will suffer no occasions to part them from him or if at any time they do chance to lose him they will never leave till they have recovered and found him A man who loseth his friend loseth one half of himself he is at once both alive and dead and death accords not with life save only to make him more miserable The absence of Christ is bitter to him to whom his presence is sweet See how restless the Spouse was Cant. 3. when she sought him whom her soul loved when she sought him and found him not she could never be at rest till she had got where he was and when once she had him she held him she would not let him go then till she had brought him home to her Mothers House to the chamber of her that conceived her A Love-sick soul desireth nothing more then the presence of Christ here and in Heaven here in the use of his Ordinances Word and Sacraments and they that do indeed love Christ do love to meet him in these in his Word that they may confer with him in his Sacraments that they may eat and drink with him Latatur ancilla ad vocem Petri laetatur anima ad voeem Christi The Damsel rejoyced at the voice of Peter and the soul rejoyceth that the voice of Christ but these are but his back parts the shadow of his presence hereafter then we shall have his presence in glory and this also all that love him do long for I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all saith holy Paul Phil. 1.23 and saith he the Crown of life shall be given to all that love the appearing of Christ as if none could love him that did not love his appearing CHAP. XIII THe second Use is for Exhortation Vse 2 Labour you to be vehement in your love to Christ labour every day for more communion with him Love is the liquefaction and melting of the soul toward her beloved here no excess is or can be vitious the object will warrant the greatest excess of love it is a sin in other things to be violent but not to be violent for the Kingdom of God it is a sin to be sick of love for a poor skin-deep beauty or for any worldly thing whatsoever but not for Christ True it is there may be some accidental errors about the greatness of a Christians affections to Christ when our hearts are so intent upon him as that we are impatient when he delayes the manifestation of himself to us but let me tell you if there be any errors in your love to Christ he will pardon them therefore let your affections be ardent and burning toward Christ Reason teacheth us that he is the Abysle of all perfections and the Center of all love so as a man need not fear committing any excess in loving him with all his might Consider the greatness of Christs love to us When the Lord Jesus did first look upon sinners how black did he see them to be but Christs banner over his people is love he loved us not according to what we were but according to what we should be by grace He hath loved us and washed our sins in his blood Rev. 1.5 What was there in man that could atract Christs love to him there was neither descent nor beauty nor parts nor riches not innocence and goodness Now that the love of Christ might be excessive he makes it to out run the wickedness and sinfulness that is in man
THE Love-sick Spouse OR THE SUBSTANCE OF FOUR SERMONS Preached on Canticles 2.5 By William Gearing Minister of the Gospel Habet omnis amor Vim suam nèc potest vacare amor in animâ amantis August in Psalm 121. LONDON Printed for Nevill Simmons Book-Seller in Kederminster 1665. Unto the Right Worshipful Sir THOMAS WILBRAHAM OF WOODHEY IN THE COUNTY of CHESTER BARONET And to the VERTUOUS LADY ELIZABETH WILBRAHAM HIS WIFE WILLIAM GEARING Dedicateth this ensuing Discourse AS A Publick Testimonial of his Hearty Thanks for their great respects manifested unto Him THE Love-sick Spouse CANTICLES 2.5 Stay me with Flaggons Comfort me with Apples for I am sick of Love CHAP. I. The Introduction ALthough many spiritual things in this Book are lapt up in carnal expressions Yet there is nothing of the flesh in all this Dialogue therefore the Jewish Doctors would not have the common people to read this Book till they were thirty years old lest they should take that carnally which is to be understood in a spiritual and mystical sence All delights are let into the soul by the senses therefore doth the Spouse describe the Lord Jesus by such things as are congruous to every sense To the smell he is Myrrhe Frankincense Spikenard and all kind of perfumes To the taste he is Wine Manna and Apples To the eye he is beauty and comeliness every sense and every affection may be fully satisfied with Christ In the beginning of this Chapter there is an interchangeable Discourse or Dialogue between the Bridegroom and the Bride The Bridegroom speaks ver 1 2. and the Bride ver 3 4 5. The Bridegroom speaks first of himself ver 1. I am the Rose of Sharon and the Lilly of the Vallies there is a transcendent sweetness and an incomparable beauty in the Lord Jesus Then he speaks of the Church ver 2. As the Lilly among Thorns so is my Love among the Daughters All other Assemblies compared with the Church are but as thorns compared to a Lilly Then the Bride speaks ver 3. she commends the worth of the Bridegroom As Christ esteems his Church to be as a Lilly among thorns so she declares Christ to be as the Apple-tree among the Trees of the Forrest Christ is excellent in himself comfortable in his shadow or protection and his fruit was sweet unto her taste In ver 4. The Spouse sets forth the liberal entertainments which Christ had given her He brought me into the banquetting House or the house of Wine according to the Hebrew which may imply either the Wine-cellar the place where Wine is kept or else the Banquetting-house the place where Wine is drunk If it be refer'd to the Wine cellar then it must be applied to the holy Scriptures the true Store-house of all spiritual comfort But I rather understand the house of Wine to be the place where Wine is drunk understanding thereby that communion that the Church hath with Christ in his Ordinances and the enjoyment of all Church priviledges not only for necessity and delight Sola non comedit Aquila but even for abundance As it is said of the Eagle that she loveth not to eat her morsels alone so such is Christs bounty that he loveth not to be in his banquetting house alone but brings in his Spouse to the House of Wine there to refresh her self abundantly Then the Spouse sets forth Christs loving protection of her there His banner over me was Love The stretching out of this banner over her denoteth the magnificence of Christs entertainments and the regality of his protection of her for defending her against all danger and for defiance against all enemies The Church having now tasted of Christs sweetness her desire are very suitable to his entertainments She had ver 3 compared Christ to an Apple-tree and ver 4. compared his Ordinances to an House of Wine therefore she cries out in the words of my Text Stay me with Flaggons comfort me with Apples for I am sick of Love In which words you have 1. The Churches importunate desire and longing for a more comfortable refreshment of Christs presence Stay me with Flaggons comfort me with Apples 2. The Reason of this her longing desire For I am sick of loue The Church is sensible of her want of communion with Christ therefore she is so desirous after him CHAP. II. HEnce I note in the first place Observ That the more a Christian is sensible of the want of Christ the more vehemently will he desire after him and after communion with him A soul that feels the want of Christs seeth him to be altogether lovely and as he is the only object of love he is also the only object of desires He is the Spring head of all perfections and as they are without mixture of default so there is nothing in him which is not perfectly desirable Christs abundance and mans indigence are the first lincks of alliance which we contract with him he is All and we are nothing Christus totus desiderabilis Homo totus desideria less then nothing he is a depth of mercy and we a depth of misery The sense of his infinite perfections and of our numberless imperfections should make us the more desirous after him he is all desirable and we should be all desire Before Christ was known by the name of the worlds Saviour he was known by that of the desired of all people The desire of all Nations shall come Hag. 2.7 His Prophets honoured him with this title before he was born and he might more truly then Daniel be called Vir desideriorum a Man of desires Every soul that desireth after any thing is indigent the soul that desireth foregoes her self to seek out in another what she finds missing in her self Tertullian hath well expressed the nature of this passion when he saith it is the glory of the thing desired and the shame of him that doth desire for a thing must be lovely to kindle our desires 〈…〉 honorâ—â—â— desideratae dedecus desideraâ—tis Tertul. de pâ—enâ—tent it must have charms which may draw us and perfections which may stay us but for certain likewise the Will that doth desire must be indigent and must stand in need of somewhat which makes it seek out a remedy The heart of a Christian hath as it were an infinite capacity which can only be filled with him who is summum bonum Infinita concupiscentia existante homines infamita desiderant Arist 1. paâ—it cap. 6. the chiefest Good it is alwayes empty till it get possession of Christ all other good things do make it but the more hungry and not being able to satisfie it they irritate the desires thereof but do not appease them hence it is as the Philosopher speaks we cannot limit our desires but the accomplishment of one begets another and we run from one object to another to find him out of whom the rest are all but shadows CHAP. III. THis
his affection to Christ who is sick of love for him Love knoweth no reverence what it loveth it loveth and it knoweth nothing else Take all from me O Lord so thou leave me thy self saith St. Augustine 2. It is an elevating and transporting love Mens hearts thoughts and discourses are upon the objects of their love If a Woman love her husband she is ever thinking and talking of him in the time of his absence Absence is a short death Seâ—â—alt de usu passion which entails upon us as much sorrow as the presence of the beloved giveth satisfaction Talk with a man that is Love-sick you talk with a man that is not at home with a man that is absent from himself Extasim facit amor amatores â—uo statu dimâ—vit â—ui juris esse non sâ—ait sed inea quae amant penitus transfert 〈◊〉 de divinis nominib cap. 4. Deplicibus desideriis nemo incedere potest the soul is more where it loveth then where it dwelleth a man that is Love-sick for Christ he passeth through his ordinary employments and doth scarce heed them he passeth through the world as a man at randome he regards not the things of the world for Christ is gotten into his heart and draws up all his affections to himself Take a man that is sick for any earthly thing whether of Ahabs sickness who was sick for Naboths Vineyard or of Amnons sickness who wasted his Spirit in an impure flame burning in lust toward his Sister Tamar that which the soul is sick for it daily dreams thinks and talks of it so the soul that is sick of love for Christ will be as it were extasied and deaded to the things below and be wholly taken up with Jesus Christ He wisheth that all the parts of his body were turned into tongues to praise him or into an heart to love him he seemeth to torment himself that there are given to him two hands to act two eyes to see two ears to hear two feet to walk and but one heart to love he doth not prescribe any bounds to his love he is troubled that Gods greatness is so well known his goodness is no more loved and that having so many subjects he hath no more that love him he doth not prescribe any bounds to his love to Christ but makes it his sole desire and wishes that his heart were dilated that he might infinitely love him if it might be who is infinitely lovely 3. It is a pure and Virgin Love Cant. 1.3 4. Because of the savour of thy good ointments Modus amandi Christum sine medo Bern. thy Name is as ointment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee it is a chaste love not an adulterous love a love of Christ for himself and for his own sake for the savour of his precious ointments during the state of innocence man had no love save only for God and nature was so well tempered with grace as that all her inclinations were holy in this happy state holy love and self-love were as it were the same thing but since mans disobedience his love altered nature and he that lookt upon the glory yf God and his own good with the same eye began to separate them and forgetting what he owed unto God he even made a God of himself but now for a remedy of this mischief Jesus Christ is come into the world to banish self-love from our souls for as one well noteth his coming had no other motive nor his doctrine any other end then the ruine of this dreadful monster and he admits of no disciples who have not changed their self-love into an holy aversion a man cannot therefore be a good Christian nor can he have any strong affections to Christ who doth too excessively love himself Dost thou love Christ for himself or for the loaves Dost thou find a sweetness in his person in his doctrine in his offices in his death blood mediation resurrection and ascension dost thou love him for himself and not for any carnal respects then is thy love a pure and unmixt love 4. It is an obedient love If you love me keep my commandments saith Christ John 14.15 The greatest demonstration of our love to Christ is the love that we bear to his commandments David cries out Oh how I love thy Law I love it above gold Many there are now a dayes that profess much love to Christ yetthink themselves loose from his commandments but certainly he that doth not look on Christ as a Law-giver as well as a Saviour doth not love him Indeed nothing will so enable a man to keep the commandments of Christ as Love will do This is love and his commandments are not grievous therefore saith Austin Nullo mode sunt onerosi labores amantium interest ergo quid ametur nam in eo quod amatur aut non laboratur aut amatur labor August Love never finds difficulties the reason why men object difficulties is want of love Love neither frames nor accepts of excuses love finds no difficulties which it overcomes not love charmeth troubles mingleth pleasures with pains and to encourage us against all difficulties finds out inventions to make them either pleasing or less troublesome to us The troubles of men that love Christ vehemently are never troublesome and they never find pain in serving him whom they love or if they do they cherish it 5. It is a love that swalloweth up all other loves whatsoever There are three sorts of love one ever good the other ever bad the third of its own nature good but accidentally made bad and that which is ever good is this love to Christ which I am now speaking of that which is ever bad is the love of sin that which is of its own nature good but accidentally made bad is the love of those things which we may lawfully affect but we offend in them when we love them disorderly or excessively now this love to Christ swallows up the other loves for the one of them it quencheth and quite extinguisheth it even as water quencheth fire there can no evil motion come into the heart but if the love of Christ be there it will chase it out not at all giving it any place of rest or residence and for the other love it helps to order and rectifie that too teaching a man if he love any such thing yet to love it in due manner and in due measure not preferring his love of that above him for whose sake only he must love it be it parents or children husband or wise or friend be it credit pleasure or profit ease health life be it what it will be the love of Christ ruleing in our heart will so qualifie and moderate the love of these things that it will make it hold its due place and proportion ever reserving the predominance to him whom all creatures must serve chiefly it teacheth us that as God is to be
Christ is so good as he cannot be loved so much as he ought to be and let a man do his utmost he is obliged to confess that the love of Christ doth far exceed the greatness of mans love CHAP. XIV ARE any of you sick of love for Christ Vse 3 then let me excite you with the Love-sick Spouse in my Text diligently to seek after him whom your soul loveth and let me tell you for your encouragement that the Lord Jesus will freely bestow himself upon all those that are sick of love for him and that earnestly pant and seek after him to that end seriously weigh these following particulars 1. Christs giving himself to those that were never sick for him nor sought for him at all I was found of them that sought me not Isa 65.1 So he gave himself tendered and revealed himself to those that never heard of him and into whose hearts it never came to begg such a gift of God how much more then shall they find him that are sick of love for him and earnestly seek him being revealed and tendered to them in the Gospel their want and need of him being discovered to them Seek and you shall find knock and it shall be opened to you ask and you shall receive Shall such receive that never asked how much more shall they receive that ask and cry after him If the door of Gods free grace be opened to such who never knocked at the gate of mercy how much more will he open the door of mercy to such who in the sense of misery shall knock earnestly for mercy It is said of a Roman Emperour Sucton that he would never suffer any Petitioner to go from him with a sad countenance Christ that is full of such bowels of compassion put all the tendernesses and bowels of all the compassionate men in the world into one none can be so tender as his heart is he will not suffer his Petitioners to go from him with a sad countenance Jesus Christ may defer his grace but will not give an absolute denyal 2. Consider that Christ doth as it were wooe poor sinners to seek and sue unto him he doth as it were put up his bills unto us when we go to prayer that we would earnestly pray to his Father that he might be given to us which is a manisest proof that he will freely bestow himself upon such as thus seck for him God calls to us in this manner Call unon me in the day of trouble ask and you shall receive seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened to you What are these but wooing commands and begging commands it is a remarkable phrase Cant. 2.14 O my Dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely Lo here he takes pleasure in beholding his people praying to him mourning and lamenting after him therefore he wooeth his Spouse with prayers requests and petitions to pray unto him the prayers of his people are his delight the praises of Angels and Saints in heaven and the prayers and praises of the Saints on earth is all the musick Christ delighteth in so in the answer of Christ to the woman of Samaria John 4.10 If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith unto thee give me to drink thou wouldst have asked of him and he would have given thee living water Christ there did as it were beg of her to seek him for living water he manifested to her what he was what he would give unto her and give it her he would if she would but ask it of him The same in effect he speaks to every one of us if you would ask of me I would give you living water Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it open thy heart wide open thy desires wide and I will fill thee with mine hidden treasures 3. Christ so far condescendeth as to seek to us to receive him he follows and pursues rebels with entreaties to make up their peace with God then much more will he give himself to them that shall pursue him with intreaties I am come saith he to seek the lost sheep of the house of Israel My great errand into the world is to seek those that are lost to bring them bak again But note that place 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Embassadours for Christ c. Ministers are Christs Embassadours and our commission is to treat a peace between an angry God and sinful men the word that we preach is nothing else but an Embassy of peace the Gospel is called a word of reconciliation but here are the expressions of wonder and astonishment as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled unto God God himself by the mouths of his Ministers entreats you we are the Mediatours of peace between you and him what arguments we use to draw you to Christ are Christs arguments when we command you it is as though God commanded you when we exhort you it is as though God exhorted you so when we pray when we threaten c. so we pray you in Christs stead when we pray you by all the mercies of God by all the bowels of Christ by all the love of Christ manifested in giving himself for you by his sufferings it is as if Christ did in his own person lay open all that he done and suffered for you and entreat you to be reconciled Now shall the God of infinite glory and Majesty so far condescend as to beseech us and to pray us to be reconciled will not he then freely bestow himself upon us when we are sick of love for him when we beseech him and diligently seek him 4. Consider he makes a gracious Proclamation inviting all excepting none out of it manifesting his readiness freely to bestow himself on every one that shall seek unto him John 7.37 In the last day that great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried saying If any man thirst let him come to me and drink Where the greatest concourse of people was there the Proc amation of mercy was published If any among you thirst after living waters let him come to me and drink let him that will come He every one that is thirsty come and buy without money the poorest sort are the most acceptable customers so Prov. 1.20 21. Wisdome crieth without she uttereth her voice in the streets she crieth in the chief places of concourse in the openings of the gates in the City she uttereth her words without in the streets in the high street among the press in the Congregation in the assemblies Why doth wisdom make such publick Proclamation It is 1. To shew his freeness and readiness to receive all that come and to refresh every thirsty soul that cometh to him 2. To take off all excuses
the essence to the Tree but the fruit sheweth that it is a perfect Tree 5. The effects of this love follow 1. Hereby we do delight in God this sheweth wherein true love consisteth There is alwayes a delight and complacency in the thing beloved we read in this book of the Canticles of the bed of love the soul of a believer reposeth it self in Christ as in a bed of Roses therefore his love is grounded upon Experience he loveth God exceedingly as best deserving love above all other Magnes amoris amor Love we say is the Loadstone of love they easily delight most in him of whom they find themselves most beloved A carnal man saith he loves Christ but doth not delight in him he pretends to love him but doth not like him Christ is not an object suitable to his crooked heart therefore he often picks a quarrel with Gods dealings as if God were engaged to him for his love he excepts against Gods Providence as if it were too partial for giving too much to others too little to himself He takes Exceptions against the Law of God as if it were too strict for tying him up from seeking his own pleasures on the Lords day and at no time suffering him to make provision for the flesh Can any man love Christ truly unless he delight in him Who can love his Prince and dislike his Laws his Government Who can love his Image that delighteth not in his person nay where there is dislike upon distimilitude there can be no true love affection cannot subsist nor be constant without judgement nor love without conformity now where there is true love there is a delight in Christ and a constant affection toward him 2. Amor est unio amantis ad antatum It makes a man desire to be united to Christ to enjoy the comfortable presence of Christ to have fellowship and communion with him Love is a desire of Union to the person beloved Upon the affection and liking that we take of Christ it will beget a desire in us to possess and enjoy him Fruition is that which love seeks it is never at rest till it can joyn it self to the object that it loveth till it gets to enjoy and possess it some have therefore resembled love unto fire whatsoever you cast into the fire it is the property of fire to assimilate it to transform it into its own nature and likeness such is the operation of love it transforms a man into the nature of that which he loveth if it be a fleshly object that he loveth it makes him carnal if earthly it makes him earthly if heavenly it makes him heavenly 3. It makes a man wish well to Christ the honour of Christ is more dear to him then all the world than his own life Coeffet Tabul human passion yea then his own salvation as Moses could have been even contented to have been blotted out of the Book of life then that Christ should be dishonoured One defineth Love thus Love is a well-wishing which we testifie with all our power to those to whom we are enclined procuring them for their own sakes all the good we think may give them content The son of Antigonus being sick and none knowing what he ailed the Physitian discovered the cause of it to be his love to his Mother-in-law for still as she came into his presence his pulses fell to beat extraordinarily Thus in our love of Christ when we see any thing done which makes for the honour of Christ it will make our spirits to exult and our hearts to leap within us On the other side when we see his holy name prophaned and dishonoured his Sabbaths defiled his Ordinances contemned this will fill a man that loveth Christ with an holy indignation burst his heart with grief and force his tongue to speak for the honour of him whom his soul loveth You have heard of the son of King Craesus that was born dumb and never spake word in all his life yet in the Battel when he saw the life of his Father in danger the string of his tongue suddenly burst asunder then he cryed to the Enemy to save him it was the King that he fought withall As it was with him when he saw the life of his Father endangered so it is with him that truly loves Christ when he sees the holy Name of God to be dishonoured it goes to his heart to see it and makes him break through all resistances of nature and speak then for the honour of Christ though he never speak more 4. The soul resteth upon Christ as the chiefest good rest is the utmost end that love seeks after and having gotten it it rejoyceth in it without end It is so in Gods own love where he loveth he doth after a sort acquiescere he doth rest pleased and satisfied with it Matth. 3. ult where speaking from heaven and testifying of his beloved son he saith Hic est filius meus dilectus and what he meant by it the following words do declare in quo mihi complaceo or inquo acquiesco in whom I am well pleased or do rest satisfied that is the sweet effect that love hath where it obtains fruition it receiveth full satisfaction Other objects do not satisfie us and no wonder they be flying and transitory What certain aim can a man take when he shoots at a flying Fowl Such be all terrestrial objects when we aim at them and hope to catch them as Solomon speaks of riches they take the wings of an Eagle and fly away from us Jesus Christ is an object more continuing and therefore gives more contentment In setting our loves upon him we find rest and peace it is not so when we set our hearts upon other things our hearts are then full of restless agitations and motion The inferiour part of the elementary Region that is toward the earth is the seat of Winds and Tempests but the upper part that is toward Heaven that is ever said to be calm and peaceable in like sort are our hearts and souls when the love of them doth propend toward these inferiour and earthly things they be full of unquiet agitations tempestuous and troublesome but when they be higher raised viz. to Christ and Heaven-ward then they be calm and quiet there is rest peace solace satisfaction and abundance of tranquility CHAP. XI IN the second place I shall shew what this Love-sickness is and whence it ariseth Love-sickness is a strong impulsion of love in the soul after Christ and a most vehement thirsting after him upon the sense of the want of him It is observable that in this Book of Solomons Song the Spouse is said twice to be sick of love once in the absence of Christ once in his presence In his absence when the Watchmen that went about the City smote her and wounded her and the Keepers of the walls took away her vail from her then she chargeth the
Daughters of Jerusalem thus go tell my beloved if ye find him that I am sick of love Here likewise in the house of Wine she is also sick of love there is an excitation of vehement affections to Christ sometimes through the absence of Christ sometimes in his presence the one is the sickness of hope the other the sickness of desire Hope deferred saith the wise man makes the heart sick and desires not fully satisfied do cause a languishing in the soul when Christ is either wholly withdrawn from the soul or the soul hath but a partial enjoyment of him it causeth this spiritual sickness The want of the thing beloved is a grievous torment to the lover Davids desire of enjoying God was such that it was even his death as it were to want God Pagnin Psal 84.2 it holds forth as Pagnine observeth that Davids soul either extreamly desired the Lord or even died upon the absence of God There is a kind of holy Antiperistasis a strong desire after Christ occasioned through the sense of his absence as we are hottest in seeking after precious things when they are absent and furthest from our enjoyment absence sets love on fire The impression of Christs kisses of his spiritual embracings and of his patient knocking 's at the door of the soul the print of his footsteps the remainders of the smell of his precious oyntments his shadow when he goes out of doors are coals to enflame the soul then is a Christians love to Christ strongest his bowels move the smell of his love like sweet smelling myrrhe is very sweet and piercing The Antients in their Hieroglyphicks painted Love with a Gate or Window in his Stomack wherein were written these two word procul propè afar off and at hand to shew that he that is a lover loveth as well in absence as in presence or rather his love burneth more strongly when he is absent from his beloved As the Harr panteth for the water brooks so my soul panteth for thee O God saith David Psal 42.1 2. My soul thirsteth for God even for the living God No Beast is more thirsty by nature than the Hart is and the Learned observe it is the female kind whose passions are more violent than the Males it is as if one should say no Hart nor Hind can thirst more after waters than his soul did after God and the word panting is to be observed by which David sheweth that he did not only work himself out of breath to enjoy God but also the little breath he had he spent it in breathing after God yea that he might shew his vehement desire he again repeats it My soul thirsteth for God even for the living God Moreover he sheweth his vehement grief for the want of Gods presence My tears have been my meat and drink continually as if he had said such abundance of tears fell from him that he might be said to feed upon them It is an Hell upon earth to be deprived of the presence of God in his Ordinances for what is the chiefest part of Hell but an eternal loss of Gods glorious presence and as the damned shall weep and wail for ever because they shall never enjoy God so the gracious soul will weep and wail as long as he is deprived of God in his Ordinances here upon earth CHAP. XII IS there such a vehement love in some Christians Vse 1 that they are sick of love for Christ then here you may see the cause why Churches at their first plantation and Christians at their first conversion are wont to be raised up to an extraordinary zeal for God it is because Christ hath shed abroad his love into their hearts and love makes them so zealous as they are Indeed carnal men stand wondering at so great a change that is wrought in a Christian that he doth not now run with others to the same excess of riot Many in Jerusalem were astonished at Paul that he in so short a time was so zealous for Christ that a little before was so mad against him that he was now become a Preacher of that saith which before he persecuted what was it that wrought so effectually upon his heart it was the love of Christ The love of Christ constraineth us 2 Cor. 5.12 there was a strong and secret compulsion upon the spirit of Paul that he could not chuse but be so affectionate toward Christ and his truth and else where he saith We can do nothing against the truth but all for the truth we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard Try the strength of your Love to Jesus Christ Vse 2 there are many that pretend they are greatly in love with Jesus Christ that are but feigned Lovers therefore I shall give you the properties of this vehement love to Christ 1. It is a transcendent love such a man loves Christ above all other things he can look upon all things with Paul as dross and dung in comparison of him he desireth nothing else in comparison of him Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Psalm 73.25 God and be only was the object of his desire whom have I in heaven but thee Is not glory and happiness joy and peace in heaven is there not a Crown of righteousness a Crown of immortality and glory there are not these things desirable Is not the sight of and fellowship with Angels and the spirits of just men made perfect desirable no these are not the things which David desireth in heaven it is God only that he thirsteth for let me have God and I have all things without God and Christ even heaven it self is not heaven so upon earth are there not riches and honours and many other desirable things no saith he there is nothing on earth that I desire besides thee Vehement love to Christ drives away a Christians love to other things as the flower of the Vine dissipates Serpents An ancient Lover said that Love had made a Butt of his heart where as soon as it had shot all its arrows it threw it self as an enflamed dart into the bottom of his breast to set him all on fire I have read of another that was so full of love to Christ that when he saw an Epistle or Letter wherein the name of Jesus was not premised it much tormented him saying Saracens had more devotion for Mahomet a man of sin setting his name in the front of their Letters then Christians had for their Redeemer some took delight to ask him many questions From whence comest thou he answered from love Where dwellest thou in love Whom seekest thou after my love he answered them nothing but the word Love You may set bounds and limits to your love to the world to friends to one another Amor nescit reverentiam quod amat amat aliud novit nihil August but who can express the greatness of