Name I will mention but three things First His Word is his Name The Gospel of Christ is his Name that expresseth to us what Christ is Christ saith that he had manifested his Father's Name unto the men whom he had given him out of the world Joh. 17. 6. that is his Fathers Truths the Doctrine of his Gospel The Lord Jesus is made known by his Gospel That doth the same thing for Christ that our Name doth for us it lets the World know whose Son Christ is what he is what he hath done and suffered for Sinners and this is to the Soul exceeding sweet as an Oil that is poured forth Secondly His Mercy is his Name All those declarations of his love and good will towards his Peoples Souls of which his Gospel is full All the Emanations of his Love When the Lord telleth Moses his Name he thus proclaimeth it The Lord The Lord merciful slow to anger As God gets him a great Name upon Pharaoh and the wicked of the Earth by executing Justice and Judgment so he gets himself a great Name amongst his Saints by shewing meâ—cy His Name is I even I am he that blotteth out transgressions for my own Names sake I will heal your backslidings and love you freely Lastly His Truth is his Name By Truth I mean his Faithfulness in fulfilling his Word Thy Truth reacheth unto the Clouds saith David Psal 108. 4. David Psal 138. 2. resolveth to praise God's Name for his Loving-kindness and for his Truth Jesus Christ is much known to us by his Truth and Faithfulness to his Promises making good to his Peoples Souls what he hath said hence he is called the Amen the Faithful and the true Witness Rev. 3. 14. Pareus upon that Text saith that Christ is called the Amen for that reason which the Apostle giveth 2 Cor. 1. 19 20. because he is not Yea and Nay but he is Yea and because all the Promises of God in him are Yea and Amen Thus I have opened to you what that Name of Christ is which the Spouse compareth to an Oil or to an Ointment poured forth 2 Qu. But why to an Oil poured forth Certainly for the usefulness of it under that circumstance Ointment in the Box Oil inclosed and kept up in the Vessel is no way so useful as when it is poured out If we use it for food it must be poured out if for Medicine if for Ornament which way soever we use Oil or Ointment it must be poured out then it becomes useful to us But that which I take to be what is principally intended is Thy Name is exceedingly infinitely sweet Oil is sweet in the Vessel where it is kept it is sweet if but dropped out by drops But saith the Spouse of Christ Thy Name is as an Oil or Ointment poured forth Thou hast not only a sweetness and excellency in thy self but all the grace and mercy in thee is communicated and that not in drops or little measures but as Oil poured forth that hath scope of Air enough to diffuse it self in and by If Christ had No Name by which he could be made known to us yet there would be in him as God blessed for ever infinite goodness as well as Majesty and Glory the fulness of the God-Head would be in him he would be full of Grace and Truth but now his Name makes him to be as an Oil poured forth by that we behold his glory the glory as of the begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth Joh. 1. 14. When the invisible incomprehensible excellency love and grace of Christ is made known unto us either by the Gospel or by the emanations of his grace and mercy or the demonstrations of his truth and faithfulness by any of his personal names or names of Office wâ—ich are given to him then like Oil or Ointment poured out he appears to the Soul transcendently incomparably sweet This now appears both from Scripture and from experience 1. From Scripture how sweet are thy words unto my tast faith David Psal 119. 103. More to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than Honey and the Hony-comb Psal 19. 10. In his name shall the Gentiles trust Mat. 12. 21. Adam had a little of Christ made known unto him One promise we read of no more The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head Gen. 3. 15. It was like Oil poured forth and kept him from a deliquium in the sense of the first sin and his being turned out of Paradise Abraham heard a little of Christs name it was to him like Oil poured forth he saw my day and rejoiced saith Christ John 8. he saw the day star arise afar off he saw but the morning the dawning of the morning too of Christs day and at a great distance how sweet was it to him He saw my day saith Christ and he rejoiced I might give you very many instances of the sweetness which the Saints of God perceived upon the several discoveries of Christ made to them But what needs any further demonstration than what ariseth from the consideration of the thing and from the experience of any Child of God to whom Christ is or hath been made known how sweet must rest be to one that is weary ease to one that is heavy laden both these are promised from Christ Mat. 11. 29. how sweet must the name of a Saviour be to one that is lost and undone the name of Redeemeâ— to one that is a Captive The name of a Mediator to one that hath offended a potent adversary able to crush him every moment 2. I appeal further to the experience of every Child of God even every Soul who hath tasted any thing of Christ and who hath heard any thing of his Name when a Soul is troubled to think how often how heinously it hath offended God how sweet is the name of a Mediator when it is brought to a sense of its sin and apprehends itself lost and undone how sweet is it to remember the name of Jesus given unto Christ because he was to save his People from their sins when a Soul considereth that without Blood without a Sacrifice there is no remission of Sin how sweet then is the name of an High Priest over the House of God who offered up himself once for our Sins and having done so ascended up into Heaven and ever sitteth at the Right Hand of God to make intercession for the Sins of his People How sweet to the Soul that is afraid lest its lusts should have dominion over him is the name of Christ as a King given unto him because he is to rule in the hearts of those who are once subjected and subdued unto him How sweet are his mercy his truth his promises when at any time the latter are applied to the Soul and the former any way made known in the Soul Doth any one ask whence it is that the name of
of all Souls to whom the Gospel is Preached which is very strange for which of us seriously willeth any effect and want no power to effect it and the thing is not effected that an Almighty God should seriously will what he from all eternity knew should never be effected and will that which he hath a power to effect yet never is never shall be effected is a strange piece of Divinity or sense Or else it is faulty 2. By maintaining a greater power in the will of man in its lapsâ—d state than in the will of God which is against all reason and can be owned by none but such as deny God to be omnipotent I have in opening and proving the Doctrine said enough to shew you the vanity of this dream I shall only add a word or two 1. That this pretended willing of God which they affirm to be real and serious and yet inefficacious not producing the effect is incompâ—tent with that infinite wisdom and knowledge which must be in him who is the fountain of all knowledge and wisdom Indeed man who hath no knowledge of future contingencies may sâ—riously will that such a person should be moved exhorted and call'd upon to do such or such a thing upon the doing of which he should have an estate and yet he may be left at perfect liberty whether he will do it or no and so the reward may not be certain but contingent to him But that God who from all Eternity had a certain perfect knowledge who would and who would not believe and could not know it but because he had willed it for the will of God only from Eternity could make that certain which it itself was but contâ—ngent I say that this God should seriously will the salvation of all those to whom the Gospel should be Preached and their faith and holiness as a means in order unto it when he from all eternity knew that only some of those to whom the Gospel should be Preached would believe and obey and therefore knew it because he had eternally willed their faith and holiness and salvation I say this is a strange mystery which it will be hard for any thinking men of any degrees of sense or reason to understand 2. Indeed if this Doctrine were true no Soul could be saved at least it were possible that no Soul should be saved Our Lord tells us Joh 6. 44. That no man cometh unto him but he whom the Father draweth and every one as he is learned and taught of the Father cometh unto him So then it is not of him that willeth noâ— of him that runneth but of the Lord who sheweth mercy and man that is born again is not born again of the will of the Flesh nor of the will of Man of God And it must be said of God He hath begotten us not only he hath treated and intreated us and proposed salvation to us but he hath begotten us influencing renewing changing the heart of the Creature by his power not leaving us to the power of our wills upon his word being pâ—eached unto us and the arguments of the Gospel used to us I appeal to any whose heart God hath changed whether they think their hearts had ever been turned to God if this had been all God had done for them that is given them his Gospel and by that invited them to turn unto him nor can it be supposed that when an all-knowing all wise God from all Eternity had a certain infallible knowledge who should be eternally saved and of the powers and inclinations of all mens hearts that he should leave the means in order to this salvation so imperfectly willed that it was left possible that by those means none should ever be saved and obtain what he certainly fore knew and therefore fore-know because he had willed it But I have already abundantly shewed you the opposition of these notions to the plain revelations and reason of Scripture It is said that God opened the heart of Lydia Acts 16. 14. And certainly if man had such a power being unregenerate to repent and believe upon the proposal of the Gospel and pressing the arguments of it supposing the common work of the Spirit always attending the Gospel he would much more have a power being converted to walk with God to run after him for the Soul not changed is not only impotent but unwilling and stubborn when converted it is willing though â—eâ—k yet not so weak as before conversion and according to all reason the Soul which is both stubborn and wholly weak hath more need of a power foreign to its own power which can be no other than the power of God then that Soul which is now made willing and only weak and not so weak as the inconverted Soul is but this is enough to shew you the vanity of these principles which yet obtain so much in the world 2. The Papists say the same thing that the others speak they will grant That man hath no power to spiritual things without the assistance of Divine Grace he cannot believe say they the mysteries of Divine Salvation this Bellarmine proves from Joh. 6. 4. where he desires his Reader to observe that it is not no man doth but no man can come to the Son except the Father draweth him Nay he tells us that without the special grace of God to help him man cannot love God nor prepare himself for Grace nor will any thing which tends to Salvation oâ— Godliness But then they tell us 1. That this Grace of God is not the sole agent That the Soul of man as to the first grace is no meerly pâ—ssive but also active God indeed calleth and by special grace excites and his grace aideth the will of man in believing He falls heavily upon Luther Calvin and Chemnitius for saying that the Soul in the reception of the first grace is meerly passive Pelagians and Arminians ascribe to the will of Man the whole power of closing with the promise by faith being once offered in the preaching of the Gospel Papists seem to divide Gods glory betwixt him and the will of man God say they must send his Grace but his Grace is not that alone which produceth the effect for the power of mans will though infeebled by the Fall is yet alive and God accommodating the Soul with the aid and assistance of his Grace the Soul joins with it and this they assign for the reason why one heart is changed and not another for God proposeth his special grace to all where by the way you may take notice that they call special Grace what we call common because administred to all because free will works better in him that is converted than in the other thus still Arminians and they are agreed that the fountain of all Spiritual and Eternal good is in mans self that man makes himself to differ and so hath wherein to glory and that man is the first
uneven towards us that in the darkness of our Spirits we might sometimes read the darkness of our loose and sinful conversation God thus punisheth our pride our hypocrify our neglect of duty our wilful yielding to temptations to which we might have made a better opposition And upon the withdrawing of these influences we have all just reason to search and try our own hearts and to reflect upon our own ways to search out if we can the cause why when others are in the Mount with God we are still kept in the valley while they are in the Chambers we are kept in the lower Rooms this is certain that though possibly the punishment of sin be not alwaies the next cause moving God to such dispensations yet we have alwaies reason to suspect it having our Souls never so free from sin but we may find enough to justify God in them 2. It may be reasonable that God should thus deal with us that we might know as I told you in handling the other Doctrine that his grace is free and he a free agent in the dispensation of it Not only first grace but further grace also in God is free indeed else it could not be grace we should never understand the freeness of grace if it were equally dispensed We in our little manifestations of our love to our fellow creatures challenge to our selves a liberty and think our selves free to shew it where we will God certainly must in justice be allowed the same which we should not be brought to see and acknowledge if we saw God treating all his Servants and at all times to the same rate and in the same degree 3. It may be the mind of God to make a trial of his peoples grace to draw forth some habits into acts which would not be so exercised if some of his people were not under different dispensations and the same Souls sometimes variously exercised The Soul that is with the Lord in his Chambers is more a receiver from God then a giver to him It gives him the exercise of its saith in its reflex act which indeed is not very properly an act of faith It offereth up unto God the sacrifice of joy of praise and thanksgiving it followeth here in the next words we will be glad and rejoice in thee It may exercise its love of complacency and delight in God But all this while where is the exercise of the Souls panting and breathing after God of its faith of adherence unto and dependence upon God of its hope in God and patient expectation of and waiting for God where is the exercise of its patience and submission to God under severer providences It is reasonable that God should see all those blessed habits which he hath infused into the Soul drawn forth into act 4. The good Judas asked Christ John 14. 22. Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self to us and not to the world Christ told him because they loved him more and kept his Commandments better There is the same reason to be assigned why Christ will manifest himself to some of his Saints more then to others because at some times the love of his people more manifesteth itself to him by a stricter keeping of his Commandments and the love of some good men is greater for God Now to encourage men as I before said to perfect holiness in his fear though he will give them all glory yet some shall in this life have Gods goodness made to pass before them more then others that others may see what it is to be much with God 5. Lastly God often doth it for the good of others And indeed this generally is the reason of that more special communion with God which some have more then others as to the Revelation of his mind and will unto them thus God would not hide from Abraham the thing which he had to do against Sodom because Abraham had a Family to instruct God taketh Moses up into the Mount and revealeth his mind and will unto him that he might teach the People over whom God had set him his Statutes and Judgments the same reason is to be given of Gods special communications to the Prophets under the Old and the Apostles under the New Testament and doubtless the same reason is to be assigned for Gods more full revelation of his mind and will already revealed in the Scripture to his faithful Servants in the Ministry who generally know more of the sense of Scriptures and the mind and will of God revealed in them then other Christians do because God designeth that the Priests lips should preserve knowledge and the people should enquire at them and there is the same reason to be given for some more then ordinary influences of grace upon some Christians Souls See 2 Cor. 1. 4. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comforts who comforteth us in all tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selves are comforted of God God hath made us one for another and in the dispensings out of his own gifts and graces he hath respect unto the serviceableness both of Ministers and others one to another But this is sufficient for the Doctrinal part of this discourse Sermon XXVI Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his Chambers YOU have heard the Proposition raised from these words God hath Chambers in which he sometimes entertains the Souls of his people As there are specialties of common Providence so there are specialties of special and distinguishing grace He takes some of those who love and fear him into nearer degrees of fellowship and communion with him then he doth others Man will claim himself a prerogative in this the Parent will be more fond of more kind to one Child then another though he owns them both as his Children and will give to them both a portion The Prince who hath a tender love for all his Subjects yet will be allowed his favourites Let us not then accuse God in such dispensations of partiality or injustice let us not murmur that we have lesser shares in his manifestative love This is a thing we are very prone to Christ taught it us in the Parable of the Prodigal Luke 15. The Son that was alwaies at home with the Father v. 28 29. was angry and would not go into his Fathers House no not though his Father intreated him because the Father had killed a satted Calf to entertain his Prodigal Brother returning our Saviour doubtless intended in that parable to check the Jews envy at the kindness Christ was about to shew to the Gentiles or did at that time shew to Harlots to Publicans and Sinners but it reacheth further we shall find all our hearts too prone to this to repine at the further manifestations of the love of God to others Souls then unto ours If
easily be gathered the reasonableness of this duty There are four things that call to us for it and make it our duty 1. The first is the honour and glory of God This is the great end of all our actions for this cause we were born for this cause we came into the World I have before told you that we have no other way to glorify God but by the predication or speaking of his greatness or goodness or some other of his attributes and by our holy life and conversation in obedience to his will Now of all Gods attributes there is none wherein he more delighteth then in shewing mercy and whoso tells of Gods acts of grace doth eminently glorify God for the riches of his grace and goodness are discovered in Christ and as in his giving of Christ for poor lost sinners so in the application of that purchased redemption to the Souls of his poor creatures Bless the Lord O my Soul saith David Psal 103. v. 1 2 3. and all that is within me bless his holy name Blessthe Lord O my Soul forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thy iniquities healeth all thy diseases 2. The Second reason is the good of our Brother Next our immediate magnifying and glorifying of God there is nothing more our duty then the consulting the good of our Brethren and he is highly serviceable to God who is any way serviceable to the Souls of others either in winning them to God or advantaging them in their walking with God The Souls of Christians have often great advantages by hearing what God hath done for the Souls of others in their circumstances It incourageth them to make their applications to God to hope and trust in his mercy to wait untill he will be pleased in like manner to be gracious to them David Psal 69. 32. makes this as an argument with which he pleadeth with God for mercy for his Soul He promiseth first v. 30. That he would praise the Lord with a song and magnify him with thanksgiving then he addeth v. 32. The humble shall see this and be gladand your hearts shall live that seek God for the Lord heareth the poor and despiseth not his Prisoners By the humble is to be understood as in many other Texts of Scripture Persons in low mean and afflicted conditions It much conduceth to the raising up of the Spirits of a man under torments of bodily pain and affliction if one comes and tells him I was in the same condition and had the same pain yet I by such and such applications recovered and it is of no less usefulness to one of a poor and broken Spirit for one to come to him under his doubts and fears and despondency because of the guilt of sin when another Christian comes to him and tells him I also was a blasphemer a drunkard an injurious Person yet I obtained mercy I bless God my doubts are resolved my fears scattered and I am inabled through grace to hope in the frèe gerace and mercy of God through the Lord Jesus Christ Wher now such an opportunity as this is which is not very frequent there the good of our Brother calls to us for such a declaration what God hath done for our Souls 3. A third reason is the duty of a Christian so far as he may to avoid Scandal and Offence Offences and mutual dissatisfactions one in another destroy all the freedom and sweetness of Christians communion each with other and it is our duty so to walk as to give no offence to Jews or Gentiles much less to the Church of God 2. Cor 20. 32. There are two ways by which offence is given 1. By doing some actions as to which we are at a perfect liberty by which we cause our Brother to sin against God As to these the Apostle cautioneth Christians very largely both in his Epistle to the Romans and to the Corinthians But these kind of offences are not obviated by Christians declarations of what God hath done for their Souls as to the influences of saving grace but rather by the declaration of his knowledge and forbearing such actions as he hath a liberty to but no necessity that presseth him to the doing of them at least till his Brother be Satisfyed in the lawfulness of them 2. By some Scandalous actions these indeed are Scandala data Scandals that are given and such sores as a Christian ought by all means in his power to endeavour healing of and whether such things have been done before or after a change wrought in our hearts it is our duty to do what in us lyeth to remove the Scandal of them which I know not how it can at first be done without some declaration to the party or Church offended what God hath done for us what a change he hath wrought in us until by a contrary conversation which is a work of time the best evidence we can make it more really to appear to them 4. Lastly The Credit of our professions some times calls to us for it and this is the reason of the performance of this duty with reference to the men of the World who seek all advantages to reproach the good and right ways of the Lord. But this is enough to have spoken doctrinally upon this argument From hence in the first place we may observe That a Child of God may know that he or she is comely Indeed this is not the lot of every Child of God at all times and for them that do know it there are degrees of their knowledge Some have a more some a less certain knowledge but I say a good Christian may know it The Papists indeed make all a Christians faith to be languid and uncertain but Paul was perswaded that nothing should separate him from the Love of God The Spouse knew she was sick of Love and here that altho she was black yet she was also comely tho as the tents of Kedar yet as the Curtains of Solomon also Peter knew that he loved his Master so as he durst appeal to him and say Thou that knowest all things knowest that I Love thee and St. John giving us rules how we might know that we are translated from death to Life supposed that it might be known and if it had not been possible surely Peter would not have quickened us to the use of all diligence to make our calling and election sure That every good Christian doth not certainly know his Spiritual Estate is unquestionable That he who doth know it this day may fall into doubts and fears concerning it is also certain But it is as plain in Scripture that a Christian may walk in the sense and view of his own sincerity and uprightness he may know it by the more special influence of the holy Spirit which witnesseth with our Spirits that we are the Children of God and this is of all other the most certain and comfortable knowledge He may also
old 1 Kings 11. 1. 4. She and his other Wives turned away his heart from God that it was not perfect as was the heart of his Father David He grosly fell away so foully that some question whether he ever had a truth of grace others think his failure a sufficient foundation for their slippery Doctrine of Total and final Apostacy and conclude him damned it is something to our purpose to examine that Question also Qu. Whether Solomons Apostacy was total and final The Arminians say he fell away Totally but not finally Some amongst the Papists have suspended their Judgment concerning his final Apostacy witness the Arch-Bishop of Toledo who had Heaven and Hell pictured in his Chappel and Solomon half in the one half in the other Of this mind are Jansenius Barradius Torniellus Pamelius Feuardentius Hostiensis c. and amongst the Ancients Tertullian and Cyprian to whom also amongst the Protestants Zanchy and Peter Martyr seem to incline Amongst the Ancients Augustine Prosper Basil and Theodoret to whom Pineda reckons Cyprian and Gregory are thought to favour the more severe opinion of Solomons total and final Apostacy Abulensis Tostatus Vega Pererius and Belarmine conclude it The Ancient Jewish Writers and amongst the Ancients of the Christian Church Ireneus Gregor Neocaesar Hilary Hierom Ambrose Cyrill of Hierusalem and others amongst the Papists themselves Aquinas Bonaventure Hugo Cardinalis Comestor Paulus Burgensis Dionis Carthus Genebrard Damianus Pineda Delrio Serarius and Lorinus And with these the generality of Protestants conclude he was no reprobate nor did fall away finally nor say the Protestants totally Solomon saw a great evil under the Sun Princes going on foot while Servants rode on Horseback De-La Champius observeth a greater Evil than this in the impudent Jesuites whose consciences will serve them to reprobate Solomon and Canonize Traytors and other open Servants of Lusts and as he noteth what Dr. Willet long since observed is in this instance verified concerning Bellarmine That it is ordinary with him when he finds his own Doctors divided to take in with the worser part of them We conclude for Solomon that he was a true Child of God and that although he fell yet his fall was neither total nor yet final but he was restored by repentance And for this assertion we conceive we have sufficient Evidence from Scripture besides the Authorities of men already cited declaring their sentiments from several convictions Hierome Cyrill and Pineda urge that Text Prov. 24. 30. where they conceive Solomon speaking in his own Person and saying I went by the field of the sloathful and by the Vineyard of the man void of understanding and loe it was all grown over with Thorns and Nettles had covered the face thereof and the Stone-wall thereof was broken down v. 32. This I saw and considered it well I looked upon it and received Instruction To which Pineda joins Prov. 30. 1 2. which if with the Jewish Rabbines we could conclude that unknown Agur to have been Solomon would give some auxiliary strength to that in the 24th Chap. to advantage which Pineda's observation of the ancient Septuagint mixing the 24. and 29. and these words of the 30th Chap. together as if all were spake by the same man and of himself may be worthy of consideration Bachiarius Serarius and De-La Champius urge a 2d Argument from 1 Kings 11. 43. and 2 Chron. 9. 31. where it is said that when he died he was buried with the Kings of Israel which they think strengthened by their observation that the Scripture mentions the the burial of Ammon Joram and Joash 3 Wicked Princes elsewhere But we must have better Arguments than this for we are told that Abiam 1 Kings 15 8. was buried in the City of David so was Amaziah 2 Chron. 25. 8. and Rehoboam 2 Chron. 12. 1. when on the other side Manasses though reconciled to God before his death yet had not the honour of that burial As the wisdom of divine providence hath left the surface of the Earth for a common walk both for the just and unjust so nothing appears but that the will of God hath left the bosom of it in any part thereof a common bed for them nor do I find any sufficient evidence of any consecrated burial-places so early in the world which had there been and had we found Solomons Tomb there it would have told us no more than the Churches opinion of him and that usually to Princes is very charitable and questionless would have been so to him who was the greatest Prince which the Earth ever saw But certainly for that argument which De-La Champius and Pineda both bring from the Covenant made with David concerning Solomon mentioned 2 Sam. 7. 14. 1 Chron. 17. 13. and Psal 89. v. 20 21 22 c. to the 37th v. we may say of it as David of the Sword of Goliah There is none to it Let us a little view the Text In the first you have the words of God spoken to Nathan going to enquire Gods approbation of Davids design to build a Temple the Lord denies David liberty but takes his offer kindly and bids the Prophet tell David That when his days should be fulfilled and he should sleep with his Fathers God would set up his seed after him which should proceed out of his bowels and establish his Kingdom v. 13. I will establish the Throne of his Kingdom for ever v. 14. I will be his Father and he shall be my Child If he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of Men and with the stripes of the Children of Men But my mercy shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul whom I put away before thee In the book of Chronicles 1 Chron. 17. you have the same thing repeated only there v. 14. you have I will settle him in my house In the 89th Psal you have a larger account of that covenant so far as concerns David v. 20. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28. v. 29. His seed also will I make to endure for ever c. If his Children forsake my law and walk not in my judgments Then will I visit theer transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him Nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Once have I sworn by my Holiness that I will not lie unto David In this Text you plainly discern a Covenant made with David on the behalf of his Seed and that Seed of his that should sit upon his Throne which was Solomon as well as on the behalf of himself Concerning him God saith 1. I will establish the Throne of his Kingdom 2. I will be his Father and he shall be my Child 3. If he sins I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the
there praying to be delivered from those that are unreasonable upon many accounts but eminently in this that they hate do all the despight mischief they can to him who is full of Loves to them We shall sometimes find in men and women a strange aversion from such as truly Love them they cannot get up their hearts to love a man or woman that Loves them but it is very brutish very unreasonable for any of us to hate and malign and to seek to destroy one that Loves us Such brutes are all those that are Enemies to Christ and his Gospel Christ hath Loves for us these Loves are declared in his Gospel that declareth God in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their sins the publication of the Gospel is a great act of this Love the faithful Ministers of the Gospel are the Messengers to publish this Love what an unreasonable thing it is now for men to make them the But of their malice I remember when the Jews cryed out concerning Christ Crucify him Crucify him and Pilate asked them why What evil hath he done They like a company of unreasonable bruits could give him no answer but still they cryed out the more Crucify him Crucify him Doth not the same brutish cry hold up even at this day in some wretches mouths They can give no reasonable account why they should oppose the publication of the Love of Christ to poor lost Sinners yet they do it with a rage reaching up to Heaven This is now to be unreasonable men why should you persecute him who loveth you Yet verily as St. Paul said of himself The more he loved the Galathians the less he was beloved of them So it feareth with Christ and all that hath relation to him the more faithful the Minister of Christ is in preaching the Gospel the more diligent and zealous he is to gain Souls to Christ the most hated he is and the reason is because it thus fared with Christ Joh. 15. 18. If the world hateth you you know it hated me before it hated you But Oh let this reconcile your hearts unto Christ That he hath Loves No ingenuous man but will repay Love for Love He who repayeth hatred for Love is of the Devil eminently he doth Evil without a provocation because he Loves to do Evil. Secondly What an Invitation doth this Notion afford to the most miserable forlorn Souls to Kiss the Son to receive and close with the Lord Jesus Christ Whilest our Lord was upon the Earth he told the people That when he was lifted up he should draw all men after him Alas that this word All in that Text must be englished by Many Christ is lifted up upon the Cross and therein he hath shewed us that he hath Loves Infinite Loves For Greater Love than this hath no man shewn than that a man lay down his Life for his Friends Yet this is greater Love while we were Enemies he dyed for us Yet how few are drawn after him How few can be persuaded to accept him as their Lord and Saviour What is the reason one man is drawn after his sensual Appetites after his Lusts and those draw quite from Christ Men cannot be his Disciples except they deny themselves mortify their Members Others are drawn after the World and are not at leasure to come to Christ and besides the friendship of the World is enmity with God! Others have some thoughts of coming to Christ but they are afraid Christ should not receive them I shall have occasion to Speak to the 2 d sort when I come to the next Proposition to shew you that Christs Loves are better then Wine Indeed both to the first and Second I might Speak as Saul once to his Courtyers will the Son of Jesse give you Vine-Yards c. Can the World can your Lusts give you Peace of Conscience and joy in the holy Ghost Will they bring you to the favour of God and to eternal Life But they are onely the 3 d Sort whom I would here Speak to Is there a Soul here that is almost persuaded to be a Christian A Christian not in Name but in Deed and is afraid Christ should not be willing to receive it Hear what God saith 2 Cor. 6. 17. Come out from amongst them and be you separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you Observe what I have bin discoursing Christ hath Loves an Inclination and Propension to do good to the Sons of Men He hath declared it in a variety of gracious Acts from before the Foundation of the World It encouraged the Servants of Benhadad to go to Ahab to beg their Masters Life that they had heard that the Kings of Israel were merciful Kings Let this be an incouragement to you to come to Christ to hear that Christ is a merciful High Priest who casteth away none that cometh unto him Certainly it would incourage the greatest malefactor to go to a Prince to beg his pardon and to thâ—oâ— himself into the arms of his grace and mercy if he could but be persuaded that the Prince were full of Love and had a particular propension and inclination of kindness to the family from which he derived This you have heard particularly made good to you concerning Christ You that have been the greatest trangressors the oldest Sinners yet return and come I remember when Isaac told Esau that Jacob had come before him and got the blessing he replyed Father thou hast many blessings bless me also It may be you may be thinking so in your hearts such and such persons they have obtained the blessing they had not been so vile so prosane as I have been O but yet remember the Lord Jesus Christ hath many blessings not Love but Loves come unto him and he shall bless thee also When thy thoughts are overwhelm'd in the thoughts of thy sins sink them again into the thoughts of Christs Loves thou wilt find that is as great a depth as the other is Yea thou will find the same difference as betwixt the Shore and the main Sea Near the Shore the Mariner may find it several fathom water enough to drown a man But off at Sea he finds himself out of the soundings all the lines he hath will find no bottom So a Soul in the thoughts of his sins may find himself beyond his depth he is drowned in the thoughts of them Ah but yet there is a Sounding his Sins are not Infinite so there is a sounding but if he lancheth his thoughts into the depths of Gods grace and Christs Loves there is no soundings let therefore no Soul be discouraged from coming unto Christ Fourthly Hath Christ Loves How sutable a Saviour hath God provided for poor sinful creatures The Apostle to the Hebrews Heb. 7. 26. having said of Christ v. 25. That he is able to the uttermost to Save them that come unto God by him addeth For such an
high Priest became us c. Give me leave upon this argument to make use of the same words Christ hath Loves such a Saviour became the Sons of men and that upon a three fold account 1. As love stands opposed to hatred and wrath and Enmity Considering man as Gods Creature he was not hated of God God hâ—teth not the work of his own hand but considering him as a lapsed creature as degenerated into the Plant of a strange Vine after that God had created him a generous noble plant so he became the object of Gods wrath hatred and Enmity We were Children of wrath by nature saith the Apostle E ph 2. 3. God is angry with the wicked every day How Sutable to us now is it to have a Saviour That is Love and who hath Loves considering the aversion in the holy Divine Beeing from Mankind as rebellious Seed a Seed of Evil doers Who could have suited us to have become a Saviour unto us but one who had akind propension and inclination to us inclining him to the great work of mans Redemption and Reconciliation to God especially also considering that there could be no remission of sins without blood no reconciliation without the reconcilers Death he had need have loves that should dye for his Friend and he much more who should dye for Enemies that were by his death to be made friends 2. As Loves signifies multitude and infinitness of Love We have all a multitude of sins and there is a kind of infiniteness in sin indeed our Acts of Sin are not infinite we cannot number them we cannot measure them but they are to be numbred that is our comfort so that the ballance is on Gods side he hath infinite Mercies But there is an infiniteness of a will to sin in every Sinners heart if a Sinner were let alone he hath such a depth of vileness in his heart that if he were to live infinitely he would sin without limits without bounds infinitely there is an infiniteness in the guilt of Sin we had need of a Saviour that should have Loves an infinite of Love a multitude of Mercies for our multitude of Sins numberless pardons for numberless Sinnings we Sinned yesterday we sin this day and we shall sin to morrow If Christ had not Loves we could have no hopes 3. Thirdly such a Saviour became us As Loves signifyes a Variety of gracious inclinations We have a variety of wants Our wants are not all of one nature we have need of Love to pardon us and to bring us into a state of favour Love to preserve us and uphold us when we are in such a state of favour One or another gracious aspect and inclination of Christ would not have been enough for our Souls which are not onely miserable and stand in need of mercy but poor and stand in need of the riches of divine grace and naked and stand in need of the long White robe of Christs righteousness and blind and stand in need of his Eye Salve We are all Emptiness and stand in need of his fulness that we might receive of his fulness Grace for Grace Less than infinite Loves and variety of gracious inclinations a readiness to serve our Souls in a variety of distresses with a sutable Supply of grace grace suited to every necessity of our Souls could not have fitted our Souls which have not only wants and infirmities but are incompassed about with wants and infirmities Fifthly Let this report of Christ to your Souls ingage you to indeavour to be made the Objects of these Loves I have observed to you before that this text doth not speak of the Love of Christ with respect to his Father but with respect to us to the Sons of men they are the objects of the Loves of Christ here mentioned How should we all study and indeavour that we may be the Beloved the objects of these Loves not of his Love onely but of his Loves Arminians keep a great deal of stir with a Philanthropy in Christ a common Love which he hath for all the Sons and daughters of men Nor is the question betwixt them and other Divines so much about the thing as the extent of it Sober Divines will many of them grant in Christ a common Love to all mankind and speak of some things which they take to be the effects and products of it but admit it yet it is certain he hath also an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a good pleasure of his will or Special kindness to some Souls So he hath Loves that is the benignity and kindness of his inclinations is more to Some than to others Let none of us satisfy our selves to be the Object of Christs Love unless we be the object of his Loves I shall press this onely with One Argument It is this Nothing but the Loves of Christ can serve our Souls as to their true Spiritual and eternal Concernment There is a great stir made in the world about a common Love which Christ should have for all the Sons and daughters of men and there are many that would make the Death of Christ to be the Effect of this Common Love And so conclude that he intentionally dyed for all and Every man Others are not of that mind but yet will allow all men and women in the world to receive some good from Christ and that not onely considered as God over all blessed for ever and one with his Father and so in him we live move and have our Being But as Mediator It is from him they say that the world yet stands that the Gospel is preached to the worst of men I see little in this worth the contending for I would gladly know what real advantage accrueth to any Soul from being the common object of Divine Love Admitting that all shal not be saved for whom Christ dyed which they must hold who hold that Christ dyed for all and every man unless they hold universal Salvation I would fain know what relief any Soul can have from this notion of Christs dying for all which some so much contend for Supposing that all men shall not be saved but those onely whom Christ hath loved with a Special Love Nothing can possibly revive a Soul troubled as to its Spiritual and eternal concerns but some evidence of that It is said of the young man who came to Christ so hopefully Mar. 10. 21. kneeling to him saying Master what good thing may I do that I may obtain everlasting Life that he loved him With that general Love which he hath for all his Creatures especially such as have any seeds of goodness in them yet the Text saith he went away Sorrowful Let us labour for the Special Love of Christ Such tokens of his Love as may distinguish betwixt us and those who shall perish But to shut up this Discourse This notion calleth upon all of us who would be like Christ to have Loves also There are two
he may go to God or no whether he hath one good Argument to use which may be of avail with God We have many words to say many Arguments to use and when it is a clear day with the Soul it can easily discern it and fill its mouth with words of several natures but in a dark day under the prevailings of Melancholy or boisterous Temptations it can find many Arguments to deter it from Addresses to God it s own vileness and unworthiness considered with God's purity and holiness the multitude of its sins its former Prayers as it fancieth lying by not answered but it cannot find one Argument to incourage it But every Christian hath at all times many Arguments if he could discern them David made his vileness and unworthiness an Argument Psal 25. Pardon mine iniquity saith he for it is great That 's an Argument all have and at all times Ah! but saith the Soul this is no other than the vilest person hath He may plead the freeness of Divine Grace The Soul that goeth to God for Free Grace can never want an Argument but still this is common and no more encouraging a Believer than another man We may plead our own misery and sad state misery is the object of Grace and Mercy but still this is common The vilest sinner may go and plead with God for mercy because his state is miserable A true Christian would have an Argument of a more special nature and such a one as in the use of he could go boldly and with confidence to the Throne of Grace Admitting this Proposition every good Christian hath such an Argument such an Argument as no unregenerate man hath such an Argument as he may go to God with with boldness and confidence God was never yet wanting to the truly hungring and thirsty Soul after his Love such an Argument as if pleaded with God and being in truth alwaies prevailed with God I shall shut up this Discourse with some few words of Exhortation 1. To all To labour to bring up their hearts to this to prize the favour of God above all other things whatsoever How you shall know whether your hearts be brought up to it or no I have before shewed you but suffer me here to give you some Directions in the case and to press it with some Arguments Until we do find that our Souls do set such an estimate upon the Loves of Christ we can never use it as an Argument with God This is therefore the first thing which we have to do to be restless till we find that we can say it in truth that we value Christ's Loves above all earthly things Nor will this ever be effectually done till the holy Spirit of God comes upon our hearts with its impressions and demonstrations all that we can do will bear no more than the notion of means in order to that blessed end Of that nature much may be directed First Let thy Soul and its immortal state with its condition referring to that state be much in thy thoughts It is one great reason why men neglect and are careless as to the Loves of Christ because they do not remember they have immortal Souls nor consider any future state or their own circumstances relating to it Men know that they have bodies and experience hunger and thirst and cold and so are very busie in taking care what they shall eat and drink and put on but they do not know at least they do not attend to their knowledge of it and have no certain knowledge and persuasion that they have immortal Souls that can no more die with the body than eat drink or sleep with it so as they take no further care than for their outward man Neither do they attend to the consideration of the condition of their Souls with respect to an eternal existence but run away with presumptuous fancies that God will not suffer them to perish for ever determining concerning their Souls according to their fancies and the dictates of their own vitiated reason not according to the revelations of the Divine Will would men think more of their Souls and consider the immortality of them would they determine concerning them according to Divine Revelation it were impossible they should so far as generally they do neglect the care of them They would quickly see that all the good things of the world could not affect the Soul with any good and therefore must needs be invaluable things compared with those things that will secure the Souls happiness both here and for ever If men believed they had immortal Souls their reason would teach them quickly to conclude that they are better than the body which is but earth and which must return to dust and consequently whatsoever is good for the Soul must be infinitely more good than what only serveth the necessities of our earthly part and that neither but for a little time But the truth is as the Fool hath said in his heart there is no God So he hath also said in his Heart I have no Soul no such immortal substance as Preachers talk of there is no such thing as Heaven or Hell most unregenerate men are in their Hearts Atheists The natural reason of all men teacheth them to look after their concerns and interests and to prefer greater before lesser interests and to value what makes for their greatest interests above what is only subservient to an interest of lesser value Mens preference of created comforts before the loves of Christ proceedeth meerly from their ignorance that they have Souls to look after or at least unbelief of it if they notionally know it their not understanding the nature and spiritual concerns of their Souls or at least their erronious fancies and conceptions of an universal Salvation of all or all at least that are baptized the first thing to be done rationally to possess Men and Women of the excellency of Christs loves above Wine above all sensual things or any sensible things is to possess men of this knowledge and to keep their Eyes waking to the consideration of it and to engage them to take their measures of these things from the revelation of the will of God in his word not from their own wild fancies and ratiocinations Secondly Possess your Souls of the impossibility of their receiving of any good any thing suited to their necessities but only from Christ There is no other name given under Heaven there is no Salvation in any other The power over all Souls is committed unto Christ The Father forgives Sins but it is for Christ's sake as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you saith the Apostle we have Redemption forgiveness of Sin through his blood In him we have righteousness peace through him we have access an entrance into the holâ—est of all the Father hath given unto him Eternal life that he should give it to whomsoever he pleaseth There is no good thing suited to a Souls
David saith before he was afflicted he went astray but his affliction had learned him to keep Gods Statutes Psal 119. But it is said of Ahaz 2 Chron. 28. 22. In the time of his distress he trespassed more against the Lord This is that King Ahaz and I am sure the same is said of the body of Israelites Amos 4. 6 7 8 9 10 11. God followed them with judgment after judgment yet they returned not unto him Afflictions are good remembrancers to them who have learned their duty before but they must be some particular afflictions that give leisure for Instructions to be then first given or time for the digestion of them if they can be given I conclude in short whatever use God may sometimes make of Afflictions it is not the drawing by them which the Spouse here prays for Secondly There is a drawing by liberal distributions of mercies of common Providence Thus God saith Hosea 11. 4. I drew them with the Cords of a man with bands of love So Jer. 31. 3. With loving kindness have I drawn thee Love is of a drawing nature it is like the hook in the intrails of a Creature which draweth more forcibly than Cords fastened to the flesh and outward part But experience teacheth us that this is not a sufficient Cord to draw Sinners Souls to God God in his parable of the Vineyard Isaiah 5. repeats what he had done for the Israelites and concludes v. 4. What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it Yet when he looked it should bring forth Grapes it brought forth wild Grapes Oppression instead of Judgment and a cry instead of righteousness How many thousands are there in the world that are incompassed with Mercies of this nature they have healthy bodies pleasing relations full barns plentiful estates they want nothing yet are they Enemies to God and to the Cross of Christ nor do the People of God ordinarily run most after or walk most close with God when they most abound with the good things of this life Gods People Jer. 2. that followed him in a Wilderness and in a land of droughts forsook him when they came into a land that flowed with Milk and Hony whence Agur prayed as much against Riches left he should being full blaspheme God as against poverty And even the man according to Gods own heart offended more when he was come to sit upon his Throne in Hierusalem than when he was hunted like a Partridge in the Wilderness and knew not where to rest and this is seen in our ordinary experience 3. God draweth us thirdly by the potent arguments of the Gospel as it lieth before us to be read or as it is opened and applied to us by the Ministry of the Word Man hath a tunable ear and is a reasonable Creature so as arguments have a great force upon humane nature and the more as any of us are more knowing and rational and able to raise conclusions from Principles Into this sense Interpreters do interpret those words of our Saviour John 12. 42. When I shall be lifted up I will draw all men after me after my death upon the Cross I will send my Apostles up and down the world to be witnesses of my death resurrection and ascension and to persuade men to receive me in my true notion as the true Messias and Saviour of the world Accordingly the Apostle tells the Corinthians that Christ had committed to them the word of Reconciliation Now then saith he 2 Cor. 5. 20. We as Embassadours for Christ as tho God did beseech you by us we pâ—ay you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God and this must be the meaning of that command to the Servants Luke 14 23. Compel them to come in Christ is not there speaking to Magistrates or of their duty but of the duty of Ministers who have no power from him to compel any but by a lively and powerful Preaching the Gospel the potent arguments of which set home upon reasonable and ingenuous Souls by the gifts God hath given to his Ministers have a kind of compulsory force and power in them and the Apostle tells us that Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10. and as men are by it drawn to Christ so they are also by it drawn after him and therefore Peter exhorts Christians 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born babes to desire the sincere milk of the Word that they might grow thereby The believing Soul followeth Christ in the scent or favour of his precious Ointments It is the publishing of the Gospel that makes the name of Christ an Ointment poured out Fourthly God may be said to draw men by the common motions of his Spirit impressing good thoughts upon us either upon occasion of his Providential dispensations or while we read or hear the word some say that there is a common Ministration of the Spirit attending the preaching of the word sufficient to assist every Soul that will to repent and believe and to do what God requires of us in order to Salvation that the holy Spirit doth ordinarily attend the preaching of the word and suggest to and imprint upon the hearts of those that hear it some good thoughts is what will not be denied I believe there are but few who have used to attend the preaching of the Gospel where it hath been faithfully and livelily preach'd but must own that he hath heard the Lord standing at his door and knocking But still the question is whether this be all the drawing which the Spouse here begs No doubt but she begs such a cause such operations of a cause as should be productive of the effect The effects are coming unto Christ running after Christ Coming is not expresly mentioned in this Text but it is Joh. 6. 44. No man cometh unto me except the Father who hath sent me draw him and it is included in the term running The question therefore must be whether such a drawing as is by common mercies by the preaching of the Gospel or by the common work of the Holy Spirit all which reprobates may have is sufficient to innable a Soul yet a stranger to God to come to Christ or to innable any Soul already come to Christ to run after him I think not and therefore I conclude in the last place 5. That both in the Souls first motions to Christ and its further motions after him the Lord putteth forth a powerful influence of his Spirit of grace beyond the arguments of the word the suasion of his Minister and the common work of the Spirit attending all faithful preaching of the Gospel This I take to be that drawing the Spouse here prayeth for and which our Saviour mentions John 6. 44. as some think with an allusion to the phrase of this Text nay some bring that Text John 6 44. to prove this Book quoted in the New Testament This I firmly believe because I am convinced there is such a work
I do not misconceive him David seems in this to have failed Psal 22. 2 3 4. O my God saith he I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them they trusted in thee and were not confounded but I am a Worm and no Man a reproach of Men and despised of the People c. To silence this corruption so exceedingly natural to us let me offer a few things to thy thoughts 1. The first shall be the Lords Prerogative to shew mercy where he will shew mercy This our Saviour hints me in the Parable of the Labourers sent into the Vineyard Mat. 20. 15. when those who had wrought all the day received their penny in proportion to those who had wrought but a few hours they complained the Master of the Vineyard saies to them May I not do with my own what I please All influxes of grace are Gods own It is a prerogative that every one of us claims for himself to dispose of his love especially some degrees of it as we please why should we deny that to God which every one of us claimeth to himself The Prince will not allow the Subject to dispose of his favour no more will the Father allow it to his Child why should we think God is not at the same liberty especially considering 2. That God by it doth us no wrong You have this in the same Text Friend I do thee no wrong Mat. 20. 15. This now dependeth upon this hypothesis that the grace of God cannot be merited by any he that hath the greatest manifestations of Divine love hath them freely he who hath the least discoveries of it hath what he hath freely without any preceding merit in himself If God will let one of his Children walk in the light of his countenance and another to walk in the dark and see no light if he will treat one in Chambers another in a low and more common Room yet he doth not wrong to any There is no injustice in the case in appearance to us he sheweth indeed more severity to the one and more goodness to the other but he is unjust to neither because neither hath merited any thing that he receiveth 3. God hath with held from thee nothing for which he agreed with thee This is a third thing which the Master of the Vineyard told those labourers that repined because they had not more then those who had laboured less Mat. 20. 15. Did I not saith he agree with thee for a peny we can lay claim to nothing of anothers but either upon the plea of a Native right thus the Child laies claim to his Patrimonial Estate as heir at law or upon the account of purchase by vertue of some compact or agreement or some valuable consideration given him for it we can lay no claim to the Grace of God as our Patrimonial right as Heirs to it we are indeed called Heirs but it is by adoption nor upon the account of any valuable consideration given who hath given first to God and it shall be repaid to him again All the claim we can lay to any thing either of Grace or Glory is upon the account of a Covenant that God hath made with us or with Christ on our behalf and by us accepted when we come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ The question is what God hath agreed with us for he hath agreed with us for a Kingdom Fear not little Flock saith Christ it is your Fathers will to give you a Kingdom He that believes on me is not condemned saith our Saviour he is passed from death to life He hath agreed with us for all that grace and mercy which is necessary to bring us to this Kingdom That he will give us a clean heart and a new heart that we shall be kept by the power of God through faith to salvation But where hath the Lord agreed with the Souls of any of his people for equal measures of his manifestative love Nay plainly God in the Covenant of his Grace hath reserved himself a liberty to chastife and afflict his people either for the probation of Grace or for the punishment of sin and this is one species of affliction by which God doth both try the faith and patience and also correct the errors and miscarriages of the best of his people But you will say is not manifestative love promised I answer it is but so are not the measures of it nor yet the particular time for the discovery of it 2. It is but the matter of a conditional promise John 14 21. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him Psal 50. 21. To him that ordereth his conversation aright I will shew the Salvation of God The promises of Eternal life and Salvation are made to Faith and holiness without which both which none shall see God but not to degrees of the one or of the other a weak faith may bring a Soul to Heaven so will an upright and sincere heart though incumbred with many lustings of the flesh against the Spirit but the case is otherwise as to some degrees of the manifestative love of God which much depend both upon degrees of faith and degrees of holiness also Our Saviour hath determined doubts and fears indications of little faith and reason will determine them inconsistent with much joy peace and comfort in the Soul that holiness in some good degree is necessary to our peace will appear to any Soul that considers that nothing but sin will break our peace with God So that if thou beest not conscious to thy self that thy faith is as strong as others and thy ways as perfect before God as theirs thou hast no reason to expect the same manifestations of Divine love No tho thou beest one who truly believest and truly lovest and fearest God God hath agreed with every believer for eternal life and salvation for pardon of sin and a clean heart and the upholding of him by his power unto salvation But he hath not agreed with every such Soul for the same measures of peace and comfort the same degrees of his manifestative love he hath reserved himself a liberty to reward those with these more special favours who walk most closely and exactly with him in their conversations Those therefore who find their Souls under temptations to repine at God for doing more for others then for them should do well to reflect upon themselves and to consider whether the faith of those others be not more strong and their walking with God more close and exact then theirs if it be they are not to wonder that their Souls are more highly favoured and more
for I delight in the law of God after the inward man 2. Let him Secondly examine himself whether there be not a comeliness in him in and under his blackness of Affliction and worldly opposition A wicked man may be black through affliction but his blackness is like the blackness of a coal which is a dead colour and hath no beauty in it The Child of God is also black from the same cause but his is like the blackness of a polished marble which hath a great beauty and comliness in it The trial of his faith in his afflictions appeareth more precious then that of gold that perisheth his love to God then appeareth by his panting after him and firm adherence of Soul unto him his meekness his patience all shine forth under his afflictions The demeanour of People under afflictions will much discover whose they are 3. Thirdly The comeliness of the Spouse of Christ is not a comeliness without blackness but a comeliness norwithstanding blackness That is to say It is not a Native but an adventitious and Superinduced comliness nor adventitious from any good dispositions or any acts or indeavours of our own singly but a gracious imputation and infusion The imputation of Christs righteousness the infusion of gracious habits a comeliness arising from Christs comeliness put upon the Soul So as tho the poor creature hath been guilty before God and iniquity yet doth sometimes prevail against it the righteousness of Christ being reckoned to him for righteousness and his heart being renewed Sanctified through the Spirit of Christ and the bent of it being set right for God notwithstanding his blackness the Lord doth judge him comely and beautiful overlooking his blackness by reason of sin and infirmity 4. Lastly Every Child of God will own and be truly sensible of his blackness I am black saith the Spouse The hypocrite boasteth of his whiteness come saith Jehu to Jonadab and see my zeal for the Lord God of hosts God I thank thee saith the Pharisee I am not as other men are Extortioners Unjust Adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice in the week I give tythes of all that I possess Luk. 18. 11 12. he owneth nothing in himself but whiteness aversates all blackness yet v. 14. he went away to his house not justified Hypocrites are hardly perswaded to own in themselves any blackness The Children of God are as hardly perswaded to own any beauty or comliness in themselves I gave you before the Instances of David and of Paul The reason is because the hypocrite trusts to a Spiders web a righteousness from himself spun out of his own Bowels and he is concerned to justify his integrity and to make it as whole as he can again all that he doth is to be seen of men and therefore he must set the best face of his actions that he can the Child of God seeketh for no such things in himself but despairing in himself he flyeth to the righteousness of Christ and freely confesseth and owneth his own nakedness that he might be clothed with that righteousness again the Child of God seeketh not the praise of men nor his own honour and glory but seeketh the praise of God and the honour and glory of Christ alone Thirdly This notion affordeth a great relief to the People of God against their own dejections and despondencies 2. Satans temptations and 3. The worlds upbraidings 1. Against his own despondencyes and dejections A Child of God living under the power of that Precept 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your solves prous your selves whether you be in the faith or uâ— is often looking into his own heart and can seldom please himself with the prospect He seeth in his own heart much of Vnbelief much of Vaniâ—y much of Hypocrisy always some lust or other a body of death remaining in him iniquity prevailing against him he sinneth 7 times every day and he seeth it every night and oft times as much out of heart much dejected crying out Vnclean Vnclean I am black wofully black no better then a painted hypocrite I make a fair shew to the World and deceive some of my brethten but alas they do not see that luft and vanity that pride and passion that folly and hypocrisy which I can with half an Eye discorn in my own Soul surely I deceive myself I have no portion in God no relation to Christ I cannot be his Spouse Christian be of good Chear thou art black but art thou not also comely When a Child of God hath found out the best of himself all his comfort will be found to lie in that one text Rom. 8. v. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit He can neither look into his own heart and see his inward thoughts and the motions there nor consider his tongue and the issues of that nor compare the best of his actions with the Divine rule but he feeth himself by all condemned and findeth nothing to relieve him in is dark thoughts but in Christs imputed righteousness and that there no is condemnation to them that are in Christ And that is enough provided that he hath this evidence of his being in Christ That he walketh not after the flesh but after the Spirit 2. It affordeth the same relief against the most desperate temptations of our grand adversary the Devil Satan we say first tempteth to Sin and then he makes advantage of our hearkening to his temptations to tempt us to further sins and those of a more heinous and horrid nature to despair of Gods mercy to destroy our selves c. He first attempteth to make the Soul black by moving it to sinful acts then his next work is to perswade the Soul that God will never pardon such a sinner Christ can never Love such an Ethiopian Hence those strong violent impressions upon Souls under the power of temptations God is an holy God of purer eyes then to behold iniquity he can never set his heart upon such a polluted vile wretch as I am I have been guilty of thousands of willful Omissions of duty and Commissions contrary to my duty possibly some particular sin or sins lie as an heavy load upon the poor creatures conscience The Spouse here hath furnished such a Soul with an answer to the tempter The Spouse of Christ is black but yet comely Let then such a Soul thus answer these suggestions of the tempter O thou Prince of darkness it is true I have been a grievous sinner and as such Christ cannot Love me so far forth as I am black I am unlovely but I am not wholly black Christ cannot Love my sins but he can pardon my sin and Love my Soul The Lord hath been graciously pleased to pardon my sins upon my repentance and my acceptation of the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving him as my Saviour he hath said to me while I
say it may be more or less God may more or less communicate himself to the Soul as to his influences of strengthening quickning comforting grace and the Soul that moveth from these principles may be able more or less to communicate itself to God in the exercises of meditation faith joy and delight in God Nay sometimes Gods influences may be so secret and indiscernable that the Soul may cry out as one forsaken of God and a stranger to him This hath so plentiful an evidence in Holy Writ as the truth of it cannot be disputed We find David Psal 22. 1. crying out My God! my God why hast thou forsaken me Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring and the Psalmist Psal 77 3. I remembred God and was troubled v. 4. I am so troubled that I cannot speak v. 7. Will the Lord cast off for ever And will he be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever Doth his promise fail for evermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies There are many instances of this nature in the Psalms we have an instance in this Song Cant. 5. 1 2. By night upon my Bed I sought him whom my Soul loveth I sought him but I found him not v. 2. I will rise now and go about the City in the streets and in the broad places I will seek him whom my Soul loveth I sought him but I found him not v. 3. The Watchmen that go about the City found me to whom I said saw ye him whom my Soul loveth So Cant. 5. 5. I rose up to open to my Beloved and my Hands dropped with Myrrh and my Fingers with sweet smelling Myrrh upon the Handles of the lock I opened to my Beloved but he had withdrawn himself and was gone my Soul failed when he spake I sought him but I could not find him I called him but he gave me no answer What do all these metaphorical expressions purport but this that there are times when the Soul finds a difficulty to maintain or discern its communion with God Sometimes God doth not as at other times breath upon communicate himself to the Souls even of the best of his people the faileur seemeth to be on Gods part for some just cause the Soul findeth some freedom to impart and communicate its self to God but findeth not Gods assistances influences and communications of himself to it as it desireth and as it hath experienced from God at other times this looks like the case of the Spouse in those two places of this Song before mentioned Sometimes again the Soul easily discerneth the faileur in itself it cannot meditate upon God It remembreth God and is troubled it cannot pray with any fervour nor exercise faith with any boldness this seems to be the case of the Psalmist Psal 77. That the thing is so evident let me therefore rather spend time to search out the reasons of such a dispensation on Gods part and affliction on ours 1. Oh Gods part we usually call such a dispensation a desertion so as the cause of it is the withdrawing of some divine influences from the Soul It was truly said of Augustine Deus non deserit etiamsi deserere videatur Though God seemeth to forsake yet he never wholly forsaketh any Soul to whom he is united it is the withdrawing only of some sensible manifestations of his love All divine desertions are either founded in Divine Justice or in the Divine Wisdom so as the account which can be given of any such dispensation on Gods part must fall under one of those two heads 1. When it is founded in Justice it alwaies is for the punishment of sin For though God upon the Covenant of Grace hath reserved no liberty to himself eternally to forsake his people no nor yet totally yet he hath reserved to himself a liberty for temporary afflictions of them you have as to this particular a fair copy of the Covenant of grace Psal 89. 26. 27 c. The Covenant of Grace was made with Christ from Eternity the tenour of it was revealed variously to Adam upon the Fall to Noah to Abraham to David in that Psalm you have the revelation of it to David v. 20. 21 22 23 24 25 26. He shall cry unto me thou art my Father my God and the rock of my Salvation Also I will make him my first born higher then the Kings of the Earth v. 28. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore and my Covenant shall stand fast with him His Seed also will I make to endure for ever and his Throne as the days of Heaven As this Covenant was made with Abraham and his Seed I am thy God and the God of thy Seed Gen. 17. So in the further revelation of it to David it is declared to relate to him and his Seed Now followeth v. 30. If his Children forsake my Law and walk not in my Judgments if they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments That is if they sin against me for all those phrases do but express sin then v. 32. Will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips God you see hath reserved to himself upon his Covenant of Grace with his People a liberty to visit their transgression with the Rod and their iniquity with stripes but no liberty utterlyto take away his loving kindness from them Afflictions which are there call'd a visitation with rods and stripes either respect the outward or the inward man Those which relate to the outward man are diseases pains persecutions c. Those which relate to the inward man are desertions and temptations which God permitteth though himself moveth none to Evil. Desertions are either total or partial as to the former God hath foreclosed himself by the Covenant of Grace in which he hath said He will never leave his People nor forsake them His loving kindness he will not utterly take from them nor suffer his faithfulness to sail Psal 89. 33. Partial desertions therefore are the only rod the only stripes which God hath reserved to punish his people with as to their inward man who break his Statutes and keep not his Commandments these must be the withdrawings of some manifestations of his love which are promised to those who love him and keep his Commandments Hence it is that as Sampson found the continuing influence of God upon him as to his bodily strength while he kept his vow and covenant with God as a Nazarite yet when he had betrayed himself to Dalilah and she had shaved off his locks he discerned that God was departed from him and he had not strength to do as at other times whatever he resolved so
Children of men Psal 89. I will visit his transgression with a rod and his iniquity with stripes 4. My mercy shall not depart from him as from Saul Psal 89. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him Nor suffer my faithfulness to fail 1. God covenants that although Solomon should sin yet he would not take his mercy from him The very term of Mercy signifies more than the continuance of the Crown to him for as Tychonius observes David would have understood little mercy for his Son to have enjoyed a temporal Kingdom and lost an eternal inheritance 2. The punishment which God threatens to him in case of sinning was but a Rod. The Rod of Men for if we should allow nothing to Pineda's Criticisme upon the term used Enosh to signify men here which properly signifies a weak old man who cannot lay on strokes hard but chastiseth his Child gently so as the Rod of Men here mentioned should be opposed to the grounded staff mentioned Isaiah 30. 32. which God makes to rest upon others yet certainly the termof a Rod with the adjunct of Men speaks a very gentle chastning with which eternal punishment is no way consistent 3. Add to this That the Holy Ghost the most certain Interpreter of Scripture 1 Cor. 6. 18. Applies the very promise here made to the Children of God I will be a Father unto you and you shall be my Sons and Daughters I say who so considereth these things must certainly conclude that Gods obligation by this Covenant extended further than the continuance of the temporal dominion in his line which is also advantaged by the consideration that Solomon in his life time was chastened with the Rods of Men 1 Kings 11. God stirred up against him Hadad Rezin and Jeroboam He was doubtless chastened of the Lord that he might not be condemned with the world Nor can any reasonably think to avoid the dint of the Argument drawn from these Texts by telling us That a greater than Solomon is understood in them even he of whom Solomon was but a Type For although it be true that divers of the Ancients favoured that notion amongst whom was Augustine Ambrose Tertullian and Theodoret and that some passages in the aforementioned Texts seem to be by the Holy Ghost himself applied to Christ amongst which that eminent part of this Covenant I will be to him a Father c. besides that others seem applicable to no other as where he promiseth to establish his Kingdom for ever yet it is as true that the promise I will be to him a Father as I shewed before is also by the Holy Ghost applied to believers 1 Cor. 6. 18. and those who understand the Hebrew Idiome know that the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth often signify less than Eternity strictly so called and it is as certain that Hierome and divers others of the Ancients apply these Texts literally to Solomon Possibly they compound the business better who considering Solomon as a Type of Christ divide the Covenant made with David betwixt Solomon and Christ thinking that part concerneth Solomon and part concerneth Christ Sure it is that Solomon built the material Temple not Christ and Solomon alone not Christ was in a capacity to forsake the Commandments of God and for the promissory part if we say it concerned Solomon in the letter and Christ in the Mystery and Antitype I think we shall not much err nor will this interpretation at all weaken the strength of our argument I find a 4th Argument for this eminent Person brought from 2 Sam. 12. 24 25. compared with Neb. 13. 26. and 1 Kings 3. 3. from whence De-La Champius observeth 3 things 1. That it is said God loved him 2 Sam. 12. 24. And the Lord loved him Neh. 13. 26. He was beloved of his God 2. In token of this love God gave him his name Jedidiah i. e. beloved of God 3. The Scripture saith he loved the Lord. The consideration of the latter makes the plea vain of those who to avoid the dint of this Argument would interpret Gods love of that general favour which he extends to every Creature distinguished from that by which he elevates the Creature to a participation of the Divine Nature for that love is not so efficacious as to produce a reciprocal love in the Creature to God again we therefore love him because he loved us first which being granted unless we grant God as mutable as man and deny what he hath said that whom he loves he loves to the End We must allow that Solomon notwithstanding his great miscarriages was yet beloved of God and died in a state of Grace Now to these Arguments might further be added as strong presumptions in the case yielding at least some auxiliary strength That no Text speaketh so desperȧtely concerning Solomon that the Scripture 1 Kings 11. 4. speaking of his falling seems to hint it a sin of infirmity in his old age and through the great temptation of his Wives That he did only tolerate Idolatry not make it the Religion of the Nation That he after this as is at least probably and generally concluded wrote in testimony of his repentance the book of Ecclesiastes That he was the Sacred Penman of Scripture These things may much confirm our charitable opinion in the case for although it be true that I know no reason to the contrary but that God who made use of the Son of Perdition to preach his everlasting Gospel might also with consistency enough to the wisdom of his Providence make use of a Child of Perdition to write and ingross what his holy Spirit first dictated nor saith Augustine hath God less consulted his own glory in it for now all the good and glory of the truth revealed in those books will be given to God Beside it is said that Balaams Song is also recorded in Scripture and a piece of holy writ yet considering that no one book of holy writ was wrote by such a withered hand as that of a reprobates and that the Scripture fixeth no such mark upon this great Person who was the Author of three Books there and that one of these Books at least appears let Bellarmine say what he will to be wrote after the days of his Vanity and hath in it evident marks of his nauseating his lusts and former vanities of pleasure love riches c. Nor have there been wanting some who have thought so of the other two Books also viz. the Proverbs and the Canticles And to these if we add that he was an eminent Type of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I say if we lay all these things together we shall I think neither stand in need of the Rabbinical figments who tell us formal stories of Solomons repentance Nor yet of that auxiliary help in which Pineda much triumpheth which Petrus de Castro affords from that Sculpture in leaden Plates wrote in ancient Arabick Characters and