Hierom shake off thy father and mother and children and runne to Christ this would bee a signe thou hadst for-got them Though thou lovest them 2. Notwithstanding that thou lovest them wouldst thou favour them in any sinne against God and onely luke-warmely reprove them like old Elie It is not well done of you O my sons because thou lovest them wilt thou rather let them dishonour God damn their owne soules doe any thing rather than reprove or smite them this love indeed is a reall hatred and will argue little love to God in thy soule But on the contrary though thou lovest them with the tenderest love wilt provide for them with the most providential care yet is thy love so truly tempered that it shall not in the least hinder thee from doing thy duty to Christ no nor yet from doing thy duty to them from reproving sharply admonishing severely is thy love such that it shall not blind thy eyes so as thou wilt wink at the least neglect of duty in them not at the least sin-in them Love them then as wel as thou canst it shall be no sad evidence against thy soule otherwise Parents look to it your children will curse you another day for your love to them you have heard of killing with kindnesse let the kind of death be never so sweet yet the death will be bitter Take heed not of killing the bodies alas that were nothing but of damning your childrens soules and your owne too with miscalled kindnesse 3 Obj. But wil another Christian say I have not forgot my honour and glory I am not low enough I feare to get in at heavens gate I answer first 1. This is like the melancholy conceit of her that a Divine of our owne speaks of of a woman that conceited she was so fat shee could not get to heaven it is the lownesse of mind that God looks at Lords and Ladies if their hearts be not as high as their titles may sit in heaven as well as meaner persons I doe not say they shall have chaires of state set for them but they may have a roome there it may be one or two may sit above them if there bee degrees in glory that gave them place here but as Master Rutherford sayes the least place in Heaven is Heaven though it bee behind the doore But secondly 2. Is not thy outward Pompe and glory that which thou affectest and delightest in it and huntest after Does not thy title tickle thy eare nor swell thy heart if not it can doe thee no hurt all the feare of those swelling things is lest they should breed tympanies in the soule 3. Doe you look upon the title of the servant of Jesus Christ the title of Christian as the farre more honourable title Are you of Theodosius his temper which would you rather chuse to be call'd my Lord or Madam or to be called the servant of Christ which doe you preferre if the latter it is a signe you have forgot the former though you retaine it 4. Is your outward greatnesse and pompe no snare to your soule in the wayes of God Great persons are too ready to think they are above prayers above hearing above meane Saints should such ones as they pray in their families no let their boy do it should they pray in secret and runne up and downe to lectures O no forsooth it is a dishononour to them Heaven was made I confesse for the most part for people of lesser quality 1 Cor. 1. 26 27. James 2. 5. should such as they go to private meetings no better go to a taverne there they shall only foule their soules but keep their clothes cleane But now hath the Lord given thee another spirit it is true thou art great but thy greatnesse is no such snare to thy soule thou canst pray for all thy greatnesse and heare sermons and kneele in a duty for all thy silk stockings and entertain communion with the meanest Saint yea and for a need preferre a lether dublet in honour before thy selfe Though thou beest great it seemes thou hast forgot it 4 Obj. Ah but will a Christian say I am so addicted to mirth and pleasure I must have my vagary and tickle my sense sometimes c. 1 Answ Christian dost thou love thy pleasures more than thy God that indeed were something art thou more pleased with hearing a song than hearing a sermon this sounds high But love God best and for ought I know thy eye for thy recreation may bee delighted in seeing and thy eare with hearing too 2 Answ Wilt thou baulk an opportunity of communion with Christ or with his Saints for a vaine pleasure Wilt thou bee a loser in thy heart to gaine a little pleasure for thine eye or eare or any sense wilt thou misse a family duty an opportunity of hearing Gods word privatly or publiquely thy time of secret duty a time of communion with the Saints to wait upon thy pleasure In such a case I would have thee suspect thy heart otherwise thou mayest recreate thy selfe with them and yet have forgotten them 3 Answ Suppose thy pleasures have been such and are such as are in themselves sinfull as wantonnesse drunkennesse c. Dost thou love them so that thou wilt have them whether God will or no thou wilt break with God to enjoy thy lust this is an ill and a very ill signe But possibly thy pleasures are such as God allowes thee temperately used if such thou mayest so use them and yet the King desire thy beauty I have finished this branch of application I have but one word more to adde It shall be of Use 4 Exhortation Let mee now perswade with you Christians And oh that the Lord would help mee to perswade 1. with you who have not at all yet forgate your fathers house and so consequently your beauty is not at all desirable to Christ 2. With you that have begun to doe well I have a word to both sorts 1 Br. Is there alas is there any poore soule before me this day whose heart smites him and tells him that his soule is not at all yet desirable in the eyes of Jesus Christ is there any poore creature so sadly miserable possibly the world dotes on you for beauty wit parts behaviour c. but in the meane time doe your soules tell you in plaine English that you are despised in Christs eyes As though God did beseech you by mee I pray you in Christs stead be reconciled to God Ah poore soule wouldst thou be desired of Jesus Christ Hearken then O daughter and consider and incline your care forget thy owne people and thy fathers house I know I am pleading with you for an hard thing especially for you that have all the world at will But I beseech you by the love you bear to your precious soules which shall last for ever doe it ah doe it I had need now have the Rhethorick of an Angell yea if I
had yet God must perswade Japhet to come and dwell in the tents of Shem. Let mee offer but a few considerations and venture at a perswading of you and leave the issue with God 1. Consider How will you live when your fathers house failes you for the present it is a full house and you live as wee say as well as a carnall heart would wish you have pleasures and honours and riches even what you would aske the colour is in your cheeks and the marow in your bones But will this last alwayes doth not the fashion of this world passe away and will not the fashion of your bodies passe away what will you doe in that day of your visitation These things may last a while till God comes to keep a Court in your Conscience or hee summons you to a particular judgement or layes you upon your back in a bed of affliction or comes to his last judgement But in any of these dayes poore creature what wilt thou doe when thy perfumed body shall come to stinke in the nostrils of men thy soule shall be more loathed of God a future livelihood would be thought of This will perswade a virgin to marry sometimes But besides 2. Christian Dost thou know the joyes of a married life to Christ dost thou put no difference betwixt being a bondslave to hell and one free in Jesus Christ betwixt the enjoying the communion of the children of the Devill and enjoying the communion of Saints no difference betwixt enjoying the commun on of devils in everlasting torments and the communion of God Angells and Saints in the highest Heavens where eye hath not seen nor hath eare heard nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive what things God hath prepared for them that love him now if thy conscience bee not seared thou hast ever and anon some flashes of hell in thy face The merriest sinner of you all I believe is not alwayes free Is there no difference betwixt that condition think you and a peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost Now you never lie downe in your beds but if you dare look back and consider how you have spent the day your soule is stricken with terrour and there is a dart almost struck through your liver and you dare not let your soules feed upon the thoughts but are glad to shuffle it over for feare you runne madde but if your soules would but forget these vanities ah how sweetly would you sleep and when you had spent a day in duties of hearing or praying how sweetly would your soules look back upon it Now if you were not rock't into a sleep of damnation you would scarce lie downe to sleep but you would feare lest you should wake in the morning with hell flames about your eares nor walke in the day but like the selfe-accused murtherer your eye would be over your shoulder for feare the devill should be laying hold of you then you would lie downe in peace and rise up in peace and nothing would make you afraid Is this world nothing Christian ah that the Lord would perswade you of this Besides 3. Consider Christian there is nothing in your fathers house but you shall find in Christ by a way of eminency Must you forsake your sinnes you shall be filled with the graces of the spirit of God Must you forsake a little idle vaine company you shall have the communion of Saints yea a fellowship with the father and the sonne the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 1. 3. Must you forget your pompe and glory c. you shall bee called the sonnes and daughters of God heires coheires with Christ Rom. 8. Must you forget worldly riches you shall have the riches of grace Must you forget a few vaine pleasures you shall have a fulnesse of pleasures at Christs right hand and that for evermore Psal 16. 11. Must you forget your owne righteousnesse you shall bee clothed with the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ what 's lost by the exchange Christian 4. Consider againe Christ forgot his fathers house for you and yet it was worth many of yours hee forgot the glory the company the pleasures of his fathers house for you he was content for you to be a companion of fishermen yea of sinners yea of theeves when he died upon the crosse for you this he did freely he made himselfe of no reputation hee nothinged himselfe for you Hark what the Apostle sayes 2 Cor. 8. 9. you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who though he was rich yet for your sake hee became poore that you through his poverty might be made rich Let that melting love winne you Besides 5. It is the way to be beautifull what abundance of paines poor vaine wretches take to be beautifull surely this must move Beauty is a desirable thing the vaine creatures of the earth would never else set nature with the heeles upward doe any thing to obtaine it wee should never else have so much precious time lost and so many precious soules undone with paintings and trimmings patchings and perfumings and a thousand such apish tricks but beauty is the idoll of the world to which the very soule shall be offered up in sacrifice and when all this is done the soule is amisse and the way to adorne that is to undresse all againe Hark you that desire beauty here 's the way of beauty which you have not known it is to deny your selves in all these things and whatsoever else is contrary to the law of Christ or short of him yea and this 6. Shall make you desirably beauteous that Christ shall desire you and the Saints shall desire you this is the way to ravish his heart But no more by way of motive God must doe all I know when I have spake my utmost I might tell you who it is will desire your beauty It is the King of heaven of glory and peace the King shall desire your beauty If this all this will not doe the Lord open your eyes and then I am sure it will But this is an hard work and young ones especially had need of a great deale of helpe to it and truly nature affords none all is laid up in Christ onely In order to the getting of it from Christ let me advise you Dir. 1 First With a serious eye to look upon your fathers house and see what there is in it desirable that should so bewitch one that hath not outlawed his or her reason to it Look seriously upon your sinnes will you not see a filthinesse in them Look upon your vaine company bee they what they will will you not discerne some sordidnesse or basenesse in their actions upon your honours and greatnesse will they not appeare bubbles upon your pleasures will they not appeare shaddowes You look upon these things as pictures side-wayes or at a distance that makes you admire them and runne after them come neerer to them will they not look
Company of our Fathers House Gods Commands doe not enterfiere nor will the Gospell in that case give a supersedeas to the Law But 1. if God and they draw severall wayes if the Parents commands crosse Gods then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is better to obey God than men The Parent is to command for God not against him subordinately not supremely he must be obeyed for Gods sake and God too for his sake as by his command he seconds God but Parents can as little yea less discharge the child of its duty to God than the Pope can discharge the Subject of his Allegiance to his Prince 2. If their love becken us out of the way when God calls us or would intice us to make halts in our running through fire and water to him then wee must forget them I have somewhere met with a Speech of St. Hierome to that purpose Saith hee If the Lord Christ should call me to him though my Father should lye in my way and my Mother should hang about my neck I would goe over my Father and shake off my Mother and runne to my Christ Shetterden a Martyr as it is storied of him writ to his Mother thus Dear Mother imbrace the Counsell of Gods Word with Heart and Affection read it with obedienee so shall we meet in joy at the last day Or else I bid you farewell for ever In these now and such like cases that soule that would make its beauty desireable in the eyes of Jesus Christ must like Levi say to his Father and his Mother I have not seen you in these cases he must not acknowledge his Brethren nor know his owne Children They stand in Christs way and Christ calls hastily The Saint must spare no time to parley Naturall affection with them he must forget his Fathers house the deare company of it his Relations Secondly all sinfull Company is the Company of our Fathers house The Company of fooles as Solomon calls it Now all this must be forgotten or else in stead of being saved thy soule will bee destroied Prov. 13. 20. A Companion of fooles shall bee destroied Psalme 119. 63. I am a companion saith David of those that fear thee You must leave your swearing Company and your drinking Company and your vain Company or the King will never desire your beauty The soul that would render it selfe desireable in the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ must make all its delight with David in those that excell in vertue the Saints upon the earth Saul before his Conversion was a companion of those that stoned Stephen and persecuted the Saints Like to like for himselfe consented to his death and was a Persecutor but no sooner had the Lord made his Motion to him but he forgat this company and assayed to joyne himselfe to the Church Thirdly the soule that would render its beauty desireable in Jesus Christs eyes must forget the Honour and Pompe and Riches and Greatnesse of his Fathers house all the high-Towers and Treasures of it c. They that will be Christs Disciples must not take up Crownes and advance themselves and follow him No they must deny themselves and take up the crosse and follow him their Crownes must be of Thornes made after their Masters Coppy They must not be such as love the uppermost roomes at Feasts and the chiefe seats of the Synagogues and Greetings in the Market and to be called of men Rabbi Rabbi Bee not yee call'd Rabbi saith Christ for one is your Master even Christ and all yee are brethren Hee that is greatest amongst them that are Saints must be as a Servant Matth. 23. 7 8 9 10. They must forget that naturall it ching which is in the children of Adam usually and must be scratched with Madam or Rabbi or some high-swelling words of vanity they must not bee such as will swell like that Toad Haman if Mordecay give him not the knee or if their Brother give them not the wall or the way Saints are no such creatures they are such as are not at all taken with any such high titles but Rom. 12. 10. In honour they prefer one before another And they must look upon it as the greatest honor in the world not that they are masters and descended atavis Regibus of great Parentage c. but that they are servants of Jesus Christ the name of Christian the badge of honour first created at Antioch must appeare to them better than the names of Lord or Lady Theodosius was wont they say more to glory that hee was a servant of Christ than that hee was Emperour of the East Now I say That soule that would make its beauty desirable to Christ must forget all these not affect any of them not value them for hee that exalteth himselfe shall bee abased and he that humbleth himselfe shall be exalted Behold a miracle saith Mat. 23. 12. saith Augustine God is an high God yea the most high yet the higher thou liftest up thy selfe the further thou art off him the lower thou humblest thy selfe the nearer he drawes to thee he looks neare to the humble that he may raise them up but sees the proud afarre off that hee may depresse them The proud Pharisee prest as neare God as hee could the poore Publican durst not but stood afarre off God was farre from the one and neare to the other The high towers of the fathers house must bee forgotten yea and so must all the rich coffins and chests of it these are part of the furniture of our fathers house You know what Christ said to the young man when he seemed to bee in love with Christ Matth. 19. 21. If thou wilt be perfect if thou wilt make thy beauty a desirable beauty Goe and sell all that thou hast and give to the poore and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow mee and againe v. 24. It is easier for a camell to goe through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of God You know what Christ saies Mat. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the poore are those that are gospellized But to proceed yet The soule that would render its beauty desirable in Christs eyes must forget the pleasures and vanities of its fathers house all that is in the world 1 Joh. 2. 16. whether it be the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh or the pride of life When the Apostle speaks of lovers of pleasures he puts in more than lovers of God 2 Tim. 3. 4. Jude tels us such as are sensuall have not the spirit Jude 18. 19. Iob in the description of the wicked Job 21. 12 13. tels us that they are such as take up the tymbrell and harpe and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ their children dance they spend their dayes in wealth c. These are they that say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of his wayes What
is the Almighty that wee should serve him and what profit is there that we should pray unto him v. 15. Their fiddles must be laid in the water of true repentance and contrition The daughters of pleasure must undresse if they will be beautifull in Christs eyes they must lay aside their paintings and dressings their curlings and perfumings of the haire where as hee wittily sayes the powder doth forget the dust their ornament must not be the outward adorning of plaiting the haire and of wearing gold and putting on of apparell but the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price 1 Pet. 3. 3 4. The daughters of pleasure must undresse I say for the Lord as he threatned hee would doe in the day of judgement Is 3. 18 19 20. so in the day of mercy to the soule of the vaine creature hee will also take away the bravery of tâ—eir tinckling ornaments about their feet and their cauls and their round tyres like the moone the chaines and the bracelets and the mufflers the bonnets and the ornaments of the legs and the head-bands and the tablets and the eare-rings and the rings and the nose jewels the changeable suits of apparell and the mantles and the wimples and the crisping pinnes and the glasses and the fine linnen and the hoods and the vailes and instead of these send in mercy a girding with sackcloth a rent heart and a weeping eye and a serious soule It was a sure rule that a Divine once gave to another enquiring of him why he did not perswade a Gentlewoman with whom hee was acquainted to leave off some vaine dresses shee wore Saith hee I will first perswade her to get Christ into her heart and then shee will leave these of her selfe The soul that hath Christ in his heart need not to be perswaded to leave its fidling and dancing and love songs and vaine dresses and paintings and revellings and naked breasts it knowes these will not make its beauty desirable in Christs eyes and it is lost labour to perswade others to it When Solomon forsooke God then he ran to pleasures and vanities and sought every thing that should please his carnall eye and tickle his vaine fancy but he no sooner returnes to Christ but hee sayes of mirth it is madnesse and of laughter what doth it Christians you must forget these or Christ will overlook you Tertullian call'd the unvailed virgins of Tetull in lib. de velandis virginibus his time Capita Nundinalitia and Pudor ostentatitiae Virginitatis Phrases I will not English You must forget the pleasures and vanities of your fathers house that is the fourth I will instance but in one thing more Fiftly and lastly You must forget the Religion and Righteousnesse of your fathers house Indeed there is not much there it may quickly bee all forgotten but what there is must all bee forgotten There is a conceited Religion at least a selfe-righteousnesse which is naturall to all the sons of Adam Master Hooker gives this reason for it because our first father Adam was worth so much hee could have gone to Heaven upon his own legs Now as it is with a young spenthrift though hee hath spent all his fathers estate and be not worth a groat yet hee cannot abide to think hee should bee a worse man than his father so it is with the sons of Adam because hee could once have done enough for heaven wee that are his children though he lost all his power before hee died yet we cannot endure to think our selves worse than our father and are ready to think heaven may be erned still and we may doe something for our selves The young man Mat. 19. was at it Master what good thing should I doe to inherit everlasting life and so the converts at Peters Sermon Acts 2. and the Jaylour Acts 16. What shall we doe to bee saved hence is Morality and Civility taken up by some and formality in duties taken up by others and man pitcheth his staffe in himselfe and resolves there to rest but this must bee forgotten if ever we would be desirably beautifull in Jesus Christs eyes for all our Righteousnesses are as menstruous clothes and as a filthie ragge in the sight of God Is 64. 6. and againe Matth. 5. 20. Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall never enter into the Kingdom of God Civility rested in saith a Divine of our owne is but a beautifull abomination it is but a smooth way to hell It is true in the world a civill man is valued at an high rate because the world is full of grosse profanenesse and outrageous wickednesse but Civility is like the Cab of 2 Kin. 6. 25 Doves dung or the asses head the latter was worth fourscore pieces of silver and the fourth part of the first valued at five pieces of silver but it was because there was a famine in Samaria This is that makes Civility rated so high in the world but in it selfe it is worth nothing and Formality in duties as little though it amounts to as much as the Pharisees fasting twice a week and praying thrice a day and paying tythe of all that hee hath Notwithstanding all this all God I thank thee I am not c. yet the poor wretch is poore and miserable and blind and naked All this must bee left and another righteousnesse sought and found before the soule comes up to a desirable beauty And thus I have shewed what of our fathers house and our own people must be forgot Let me come in the next place to shew you how and how farre these things must be left and forgot To that I answer 1. Some of these must be absolutely forgot The manners of our fathers house all sinne and wickednesse must be so forgot Is 55. 7. Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts Hos 14. 8. Ephraim shall say what have I to do with Idols There must bee no willing purposed practice of any sinne how dear soever how accustomed soever however acquired how long soever lived in the wicked man must forsake his way the evill of our doings must be put away evill must bee eschewed so must sinfull company too 2. The rest of them must bee secundum quid forgotten in a great measure Our relations must not be doted upon our honours and worldly glory not hunted after nor must our hearts be taken with them wee must not be lovers of pleasure wee must not rest in our righteousnesse not dote upon it our heat of affection to these things the running out of our hearts to them the fixing of our hearts upon them this must be forgotten c. 3. Conditionally they must bee forgotten If they clash with Christs commands if our Relations would draw us from Christ or retard our way to
Christ if in our acts of love to them we must forget the commands of Christ that either wee must not obey God in our places or wee must break with them and not be thought to love them in this sense they ought to bee forgotten yea to bee hated Christ in this case call'd Peter Sathan this is Christs command Luk. 14. 26. If our honours and glory in the world would lie in the way to keep us from stooping to Christs command and from thence our flesh it would fetch such conclusions as these It is not fit for so great a person as you to have such strictnesse in duties to be acquainted with such meane creatures as many Saints are to go to Church so often to be at private meetingt so much c. In this case we must forget them If our riches begin to stick to our heart and to tempt our heart from God that wee cannot enjoy them but our hearts will cleave to them In such a case a Christian shall bee a saver if as Crates threw his gold into sea that hee may study Philosophy hee also throw away his estate to study Jesus Christ If our pleasures be such as in the substance if such shadowes have any are sinfull or draw away the heart too much from God take up our Church-time or family duty-time or secret duty-time c. in such case they must bee forgot too 4. Comparatively they must be forgot God must be greater than they in the throne of our heart wee must not love father nor mother nor daughter nor wife nor child more than Christ So Mathew expounds that place Luk. 14. 26. in Matth. 10. 37. wee must not be lovers of any pleasures more than of Christ nor of house or lands or honour or any piece of vanity under the Sunne This is plaine for we must love Christ with all our heart and soule and though the second commandment bee thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe yet it doth not say Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy Christ 5. Lastly In effect they must be forgot Christians must doe as if they had no relations they may rejoyce and buy and sell and purchase and use the world but marke how it is in a forgetting manner 1 Cor. 7. 30. they that rejoyce must be as if they rejoyced not and they that buy as if they possest not and they that use the world as if they used it not Christians may be called by their titles of Rabbi and my Lord and Madam but while they are so they must have a scornfull low slight esteeme of these swelling words of vanity not despising the meanest of Gods Saints but ready in honour to preferre them above themselves and accounting the title of Christian of a servant of God to be a greater title of honour than worldly dignities can invest them with And now I have finished my first taske in the explication of the doctrine in which I have shewed you what of our fathers house must be forgotten 2. How farre we must forget it The second thing I propounded was to shew you how that soule is beautifull with what beauty the soule is beautifull that thus forgets its owne people and its fathers house This I shall shew you 1. Negatively 2. Positively 1. Not with a corporall beauty this makes not the flesh beautifull It ads no lustre to flesh and blood possibly it may discolour that 2. Not by a native beauty no naturall beauty The beauty that will appeare in the soule upon this selfe deniall is not like the beauty of the face which appears after washing off dirt which clouded natures colours 3. Not in the eye of the vaine creature nor in its owne eyes Aske a vaine creature he will tell you that the leaving of vaine dresses and patches and plaitinge of the haire is the way to make the creature look like no body to make it despised in the world c. and such a one perhaps lothes and abhors it selfe as a vile creature Jo. 42. 6. Thus it shall not be beautifull and it is no matter whether it be or no. But secondly such a soule shall bee beautifull these three wayes 1. Imputatione By the beauty of Christ put upon it see for this that notable place Ezech. 16. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. Then wast thou decked with silver and gold and thy rayment was of fine linnen and silke and broidered worke and thou wert exceeding beautifull And thy renowne went forth amongst the heathen for thy beauty for it was perfect through the comelinesse which I had put uppon thee saith the Lord God Christ makes the reflexion of his beauty to bee cast upon such a soule and it becomes beautifull through his comelinesse the soules doing these things doth not make it spiritually any more than corporally beautifull but they being done it becomes comely through Christs comelinesse comely through a comelinesse that is put upon it that 's the first way Secondly It is beautifull 2. Through Christs Aceeptation Of free grace Christ said to the young man in the 19 of Matth. Sell all thou hast c. and thou shalt have treasure in heaven not thou shalt earne it but thou shalt have it Christ accepts the soule as beautifull and accounts the soule as beautifull that for his sake will forget its owne people and its fathers house Cant. 4. 1. Behold thou art faire my love behold thou art faire thou hast doves eyes c. 3. Such a soule is beautifull though not in the worlds eyes yet in the Saints eyes The world will hate and despise them but the Saints will love and value them Cant. 6. 1. the Daughters of Hierusalem say unto the spouse whither is thy beloved gone O thou Fairest amongst women the daughters of Hierusalem the Saints account such a soule beautifull It may bee that shee may call her selfe black the greatest of sinners and the least of Saints yea and the world may so call her but those that are godly shall esteeme her comely and the King shall desire her beauty And that leads me to the last particular in the explication of the Doctrine 3. What is the meaning of that phrase The King shall desire thy beauty 1. Generally It is a speech according to the manner of men Gen. 4. 7. it is said of the husband toward the wise Vnto thee shall be his desire And wee meet with that phrase Deut. 21. 11. when thou seest amongst the Captives a beautifull woman and thy desire shall be towards her to make her thy wife 2. But more particularly I think the true meaning of the phrase may bee understood in these particulars First of all it implies That the Lord Jesus Christ shall discover and see an excellency in such a soule we can desire nothing but we shall first discover some excellency in it Now the Lord discovers an excellency in such a soule hee shall eye such a soule as an excelling soule as a lovely
soule worthy of him though not through its owne worthinesse and suitable for him 2. It implies That the Lord Jesus Christ shall love such a soule discovering in it a suitable excellency he shall love it his heart will be ravished with it Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart Christs affections will be drawne out to a soule that so forgets it selfe his heart will bee melting towards it and on fire for it there must first bee a love in the soule to the object before the heart bee drawne forth to covet an union with it 3. It implies That the Lord Christ will in his heart preferre such a soule when a mans desire is towards a particular woman to make her his wife he preferres her above other women his desire is not to her sex but to her to her rather than ten thousand others The Lords desire shall bee towards such a soule As you have heard described to you that hee will preferre her above ten thousand of his creatures though the Lord sees thousands of his creatures hundreds in a congregation that the world dotes upon some for their faire faces and on others for their brave parts this Eliab and the other Shammah yet the Lord that sees all and can judge best lets Eliab and Shammah passe and fixeth his eye upon this selfe denying in the world despised creature and upon it hee fixeth his heart and prizeth such a soule above all the other trumperies and kickshawes of beauty The Lord culs out such a soule his desire is towards her shee is the Esther hee picks out and such a soul is more preferred in Christs eye than this witty man or woman or that gallant this Lord or that Lady Christ hath no desire to them but to this soule his desire is 4. It implies That Jesus Christ will indeavour and effect an union and enjoy such a soule what is the meaning of that phrase the man's desire shall be to his wife but he shall desire to be joyned in marriage to her that they may bee no longer twaine but one flesh and if his desire be towards her and it be a feasible thing he will effect it if shee consent and friends consent c. The Lords desire shall be to the soule that is the Lord Jesus Christ shall indeavour yea and unite himselfe to effect an union with such a soul he shall wooe it yea and shee shall yield for when hee works who can let him Christ will marry himselfe to such a soule make a marriage covenant and tie himselfe in a marriage bond to it for though in man desire may bee frustrated so that desire and enjoyment are two things yet it is necessarily to be understood in Christs desiring whose power is such that hee shall not need starve his desire longer than he pleaseth 5. It implies That the Lord Jesus Christ will court neare communion with such a soule mark how he speaks to the Spouse Cant 2. 14. O my Dove that art in the clefts of the rocks in the secret places of the staires let me heare thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance comely hee will not onely have communion but hee will covet communion with such a soule hee will desire to have it draw nigh and dwell in his presence to have it come neare him in a duty in an ordinance c. 6. Lastly Hee will love such a soule with a constant and inseparable love it is said The King shall desire thy beauty he shall desire it and never cease desiring of it hee shall for ever desire thy beauty And thus I have opened to you all the three termes now I come to the second taske As I have gone along in opening the generals in severall particulars I have proved the Doctrine that it is so But may some say what ground is there that the Lord Jesus Christ should desire this of every soule that hee will love and marry and have communion with that it should thus forsake its owne people and its fathers house why should Christ hold the soule to this hard meat I shal therefore in the next place shew you the reasons of it And there is a very great deale of Reason for it 1. Because it is the very law of marriage Gen. 2. 24. Therefore shall a man forsake father and mother and cleave to his wife The Lord Christ marries himselfe to the soule It is written I will betroth thee unto mee yea I will betroth thee unto mee for this cause the soule shall forsake its owne people and its fathers house and shall cleave to its Christ for this cause because the soule is married or about to marry to the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore must look to doe as married persons use to doe leave all for their husband 2. A second reason is because while the soule lives at home with its owne people and at its fathers house it cannot be beautifull nor desirable Our owne people are a filthie people our fathers house a nastie house the soule while it hath left that cannot be beautifull nor desirable The most beautifull creature you know if shee bee brought up by sluttish people as wee say and goes in a filthy habit there is a cloud cast over her beauty So it is with a soule while it hath left its sins and vaine company and pride and ambition and pleasures and riches and selfe-righteousnesse it cannot be beautifull in Christs eyes Now beauty is the attractive of the soule the soule must see a beauty in that which it lets out it selfe to in desiring let that be a second reason 3. Because there cannot bee a cleaving to Christ unlesse there be a parting with these Christ requires the highest love of our soules it is the first commandement you know with our Saviours glosse upon it Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soule Hence Christ tels us no man can serve two masters you cannot serve God and Mammon that soule that will hug sin must hate God that soule that will be a companion of Jesus Christ and a companion of Saints must not be a companion of sinners for what fellowship hath Christ with Belial righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse light with darknesse the temple of God with Idols and so the rest Your soule cannot love two thengs with an highest love 2. You cannot in heart truly cleave to two contraries There is a third reason especially if you consider 4. That God is a jealous God you meet with the phrase often and given as a reason why they should doe this or that For the Lord thy God is a jealous God Jealousie is a passion in the soule non patiens consortium in re amatà saith Aquinas that will not indure or that makes the soule that it will not indure any sharing in the object beloved The woman that hath a jealous husband must leave all her old