〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nocumenta Documenta Schola cruis Schola lucis Detrimenta corpotum incrementa virtutum Greg. Iam. 1.17 and hee will not suffer his faithfulnesse to faile towards them Psal 99.32 23. Christ can scourge his friends for and from their sinnes as well as for the exercise of their graces and yet love them dearly constantly and ardently In him is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning Not so much as a shadow colour of alteration or mutation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will in no wise cast you out Joh. 6.37 and he that escapes the Lords affliction may suspect his owne adoption 1 Qui excipiturd munero flagellatorum excipitur à numero filiorum Trees are rooted the more firmely by shaking m Deus unicum habet filium sine peccato nullum sine flagello The Persian Kings shunned familiarity with their Subjects and were seldome seene that they might be the more honoured n Persona Regis sub specie Majestatis occulitur Iust l. 1. so Christ serv's Christiās 1. 'T is not length of time that can worke or occasion an alteration in his love It 's everlasting I have loved thee with an everlasting love Hos 2.19 Jer. 31.3 Behold I will betroth thee unto me for ever Wee may through tract and length of time forget and be forgotten As Joseph forgot his Brethren and was forgotten of them Length of time may either wholly weare out out affections or else coole and lessen their heat and strength towards our familiars But Christ's love tak's not cold is not cooled towards his 't is alwayes firme free full fervent Heb. 13.5 Hee hath said I will ne'r leave thee nor forsake thee The words are emphaticall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is a duplication of the subject of the Promise I will not leave I will not forsake and a multiplication of Negatives o Est negationis conduplicatio ut fit vehementior pollicitatio Estius in locum there are five negatives in the promise by which he intimates he will not yea he will not surely he will not forsake his servants he will never totally reject them he will not utterly forsake them I will not leave you comfortlesse or as Orphanes as children without parents p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non descrit etiamsi dese rere videatur non deserit etiamsi deserat Austin Nam non dicessit Deus quando recessit Secondly no distance of place were it never so great yea although 't were as great as that which is betwixt the lowest earth and highest heaven yet cannot this part Christ and Christians or impare the strength of his affections towards them worke the least alteration in his love yea even now although his glorious Majesty possesseth the heavens yet his heart is where 't was 't is towards his Saints on earth You blessed babes and friends of Christ your head in the heavens prayes for you pleads for you takes notice of you and all your sufferings he 's in Heaven enter'd before you but 't is to make way for you fit a place for you and preserve your roomes till you come assure your selves he cannot forget you doe not you forget him Thirdly nor can strength of deformity worke a change in his love he can love Job on the dunghill with his filthy carcase Jerymiah in the d'ungeon with his rotten ragges q Anima quae nunc pannoso vestitu servili habitu tegi putatur in regno Coelorum Regina nobilis Regi astans reperitur Basil l. de vera Virg. Lazarus whil'st begging with his running sores Jonah in the Whale's belly though his head 's bound up with weeds Abel tumbling in his own bloud Paul and Silas in the stocks with contemptible chaines as he is no respecter of persons so neither is hee a respecter of conditions hee ne'r withholds his affection from his people in affliction CHAP. III. Of the degrees or rather the immensities of of Christ's unsearchable love INfinitnesse ha's no demensities by finite considerations Christ's love is of an infinite nature There 's a measure in every thing sait's our Proverb but Christ's love out-vies the worlds Proverb 't is without me asure ha's no measure in it It 's nothing above Geometrie that 's an Art that may teach to measure the earth but the Heavens are not so farre from the Earth as the degrees of Christ's love are above all Arts and parts of men Can you measure him who ha's measur'd the waters in the hollow of his hand Isaiah 40.12 and meeted out Heaven with a span Christ's love's immense knowing Christians can tell you so and that no mortall can describe its measure we 'l illustrate its greatnesse a little as the earthlinesse of the instrument will permit and leave the rest to be revealed in Heaven to all heavenly minds THe degrees of love as well as the truth strength force and ardencie thereof are as the relation is in which it acts which may be shadowed out thus First Christ loves more then friends there may be a knitting of soules among friends as in Jonathan and David but did you ever heare of a knitting of natures 1 Sam. 18.1 vide 2 Sam 1.26 friends of Christ Christ hath knit your natures to his you are one nature as well as one flesh are you glad on 't can the two natures of two friends be united in one person Christ hath don 't this is the mystery of perfect love The Law commands love thy neighbour as thy selfe but extends no farther but Christ hath done a great deale more marke beleeving soule Christ's love to thee hath excell'd the love of friends For Christ lov'd thee not onely as himselfe as his Father commanded but also more then himselfe as his love constrain'd Hath hee not given his owne life to save thine was not his soule wearie to the death to refresh thine under the powers of that death which is death indeed 't is the second death I meane to which the first is but a shadow Hee was as a sheep led to the slaughter to free his sheep from such shambles I lay downe my life for my sheep that 's the heavenly voice doe you heare it you sheep of Christ Joh. 10.15 Can Paul crie up some that would for his good have pull'd out their right eyes so well they lov'd him oh sanctified soules you have greater cause to crie up Christ for hee would and did draw out both his eyes yea his precious soule to doe you good both now and in your latter end also so well be lov'd you and he is the same hee was you blessed babes of Christ Secondly Friends may peradventure die for friends and that 's the greatest love that man can shew Joh. 15.13 but Christ's love is more he died for foes r Non existentes immo resistentes Ber. sup Cant. ser 20. Rom. 5.8 Christ can bleed freely to make a resisting rebell live sweetly the life
soules to cleanse and sanctifie them to his own and his Fathers use p. 115. 4. Christ loves to save the soule harmlesse preserve and keepe it alive Satan loves to destroy but Christ loves to save page 116 117 Christs affection to his calling for action from them for him Ibid. 1. He 's active for you prayes for you pleads for you at the Throne of grace night and day against the accuser of the Brethren page 118. 2. Satans vassalls are active for him and 't is a most abhominable thing and not to be paralell'd that children of darknesse should doe more for their Father then do children of light for theirs Ibid. PART 2. CHAP. 1. CHrist-like affections working toward Christ page 1. The rise of this 1. Divine love is active and it acts towards Christ for fulnesse p. 2. 2. Christ is the Center to divine Love and arising aloft in him it ha's rest and the soule it selfe is then a serene Spirit page 3. 3. Every thing hath its end and moves towards that love has its end too thitherward it moves Grace has no other end but God glory Love is a grace and a great one full of heavenly motion page 4. 4. Divine Love is the Divine nature and cannot be confin'd in man who is but an heape of earth 't will break forth upward till it become Glory page 5. 5. Best intelects covet best objects Christians have the best intelects therefore they love Christ page 6. Christ how the best object of Love Divine made plaine in three particulars 6. Divine Love goes out workes towards Christ by a Divine instinct it ascends upward for it can doe no other page 8. 7. A spirituall soule is righteous seeth 't is a righteous thing to love Christ see 's some must love Christ shee knowes none has more cause then shee Ibid. 8 A divine soule is reasonable seeth 't is but reasonable to love him who loved her when shee had nothing in her worthy of love page 9. CHAP. 2. CHristians shewing love to Christ and how in twelve remarkable things page 9 c. CHAP. 3. LOvers of Christ how known 1. Such as love Christ see a motive in Christ to stir up love it being the emminencie of an object that ottracts love page 29. 2. A soul that loves Christ thirsts after his presence has never enough of his communion with her p. 30 31. 3. One that loves Christ feares to disprease him true Lovers are loth to offend those they prize and love page 33. 4 True love is of the person of Christ were he without portion or priviledges A Christ under shame as well as Glory a Christ abas'd as well as exalted page 33 34. 5. One that loves Christ would fain he doe like Christ p. 35 36. 6. They love Christs friends as the object of his delight p. 37 38. CHAP 4. THe passage of Divine Love as it works towards Christ may be obstructed and how cleared in six particulars page 39 c. CHAP. 5. CHrist keeping love alive in cbristians and how shewed in many particulars page 50 c. Incentives to love Christ what in ten particulars handled at large page 59 c. PART 3. CHAP. 1. VVHat things agree to make up a right sigt naturall p. 3. Visions of Heaven glorious and why Ibid. They have in them God a glorious object Christ a glorious medium and a light super-sensuall supernaturall and glorious too page 4 c. Right sight of Christ what 1. To see him as he is p. 11 12 13. 2. Right sight of Christ is experimentall page 14. The good arising from such a sight of Christ what express'd in four particulars page 4 c. The evill of the contrary not to see Christ ezperimentally clear'd by four things also page 18 c. 3. Right sight of Christ is to see Christ as a man is seene of Christ p. 21. How a Christian is seene of Christ in two particulars Ib. A perswasion to looke up to Jesus and why p. 23. Incentives to that glorious work what 1. All heires of everlasting life long'd to see Christ before their death and had their desires page 24. The language of a Christ-less man or woman at the Judgement-day what page 25. 2. Mans necessity calls for this hee must minde a Jesus see him by faith for he wants him and there is not another page 26. 3. A right sight of Christ gives a right sight of selfe and selfes estate it being most certain that men never see themselves so well as when they most see Jesus Christ page 28. Sight of Christ what sight of selfe it gives In him we may see what we have been are shall be page 29 c. 4. All right sight of Christ has in 't a sustaining nature a heart-relieving vertue a soule-reviving ability things of Heaven being all supporting much more Christ himselfe page 34. 5. 'T will encrease inward joy a joy of heart which excells the joy of harvest page 37 c. 6. 'T will strengthen patience under the crosse and chstaizement for Christ page 40 41 42. CHAP. 2. THe likenesse betwixt the 1. and 2d. or the naturall and spiritual birth what in eight particulars page 43 c. Four reasons why men should esteem it a greater priviledge to bee borne twice then to be borne but once page 56 57 58 59. How God brings in and brings up returning sinners 1. He principles them 2. Acts them 3. builds them 4. Constrmes them page 60. How God principles those bee will save Ibid. Christ's act by which he drawes out those principles what 1. Illumination page 61. What work light makes in a darke Soule Ibid c. 2. Humiliation page 63. How Christ humbles men kindly page 64 65. To what end Christ humbles layes low chosen vessels page 66. How Christ builds Christians 1. by keeping them and all their graces in continuall action p. 74. 2. By infusing strength suitable to opposition page 75. What Christ in building helps his people to live above whilst they live in the body 1. Above corruption 2. Above temptations 3. Above gracious evidences 4. Above glorious manifestations of his Fathers love how page 79. c. Christ confirms his how p. 87. The effects of such stability of heart in that respect what page 88. The faith of Saints concerning this what page 90. CHAP. 3. CItizens of heaven are strangers here What it is to be a stranger here 4. particulars of that page 92 c. Whence it is that Christ lets his live so far from home that God so kind a Father puts his children into such an unkind world page 105. 1. To put a difference betwixt Earth and Heaven 2. To glimpse out Glory to a faithlesse people page 107. 3. To save others alive page 108 109. 4. To dispose them for higher things and how page 110 111. 5. That grace might have a being as well as glory page 112. Strangers on Earth how knowne
1. By the price they put on glory the thoughts they have of Heaven page 113. 2. By the language they speak page 114. 3. A strangers mind motion is home-ward though he lacks nothing page 116 c. The practice of S t s making good this principle and how Ibid. 4. Strangers in a strange Land content themselves only with things needful page 119. 5 Strangers ingage not themselves too much in the affairs of the natives of strange Lands page 123. How little cause Saints have to love this strange Land or be loth to leave it 1. Till then they 're far from their best friends chiefest favours they are in a farre Countrey whilst from their Fathers house page 124. Other considerations to loosen the Saints from the world p. 125 126. 2. They should not love it be loth to leave it for till then they 'l be foiled vex'd soil'd with filthy sins page 127. Saints being strangers what they should be and doe whilst ranging through this earthly region p. 128. CHAP. 4. SAints have their appointed time of change To be changed what 'T is to have a different manner of being 't is the cessation of a person or thing from being what it once was page 130. The sundry sorts of changes what in 3 particulars p. 131 132 133. 134 To be gloriously chang'd what page 135. A three-fold imployment for Saints in order to a disposing of them for their last greatest and best of changes page 136 c. Saints have need to be chang'd two reasons of that p. 140 c. CHAP. 5. GLory what page 182. What things concur to make up everlasting glory page 183 c. To be glorified compleatly what page 196 c. The glory of the soule in heaven what page 197 c. What the glory of the body shall bee in the Kingdome of heaven page 199 c. What the glory is that soule body shall possesse joyntly p. 206 c. The adjuncts of glory what page 224 c. The Errata Part 1. PAge 1. l. 3. r. acts are p. 6. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 8. l. 12. r. p. 8. l. 2. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 3. l. 10. r. usuall p. 30. r. crucis p. 34. l. 11. r. meted p. 55. l. r. his p. 65. l. 25. r. on p 67. r. risisse p. 80. r. rebellis p. 93. r. nisi p. 114. l. 10. r. shee p. 65. r. nobis p. 73. murorum p. 30. r. numero p. 42. r. Aethyopissam quandam p. 56. l. 12 r. promisory p. 80. r. protegentis dele via Part 2. Page 33. r. in cum p. 62. r. perfecte p. 56. r. absentia p. 68. r. judicant p. 3. l. 19. r. Center p. 56. l. 21. r. Ieopardy p. 59. l. 26. r. Ishmael Part 3. Page 8. l. 7. r p. 12. l. t. r he p. 14. l. 2. r. thy p. 34. l. 23. r. afflictions p. 47. l. 8. r. loth p. 46. l. 2. dele to p. 54. l. 21. r. it s so l. 22. p. 61. l. 24. â— this p. 80. l. 20. r. doubtfull p. 106. l. 8. r. wearie p. 116. l. r. r. those p. 52 l. 14. r. soule p. 158. l. 3. r hearing p. 182. l. 10. dele to p. 183. l. 1 dele where p. 206. l. 4. r. eternally p. 167. r. exosumer esse Christo p. 212. r. Coacreatae Some other lesser faults there bee which the Printer Corrector desire the Reader to relieve with his penne THE YERNINGS OF Christs bowells towards his languishing FRIENDS Joh. 13.1 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Having loved his own which were in the world he loved them unto the end * Quum dilex isset suos qui erant c. Montanus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diligo simpliciter amo CHAP. I. Of the sence of the words and their usefulnesse unto all Christ-obeying Christians WHere affection is the spring of action and operation love is perfect to perpetuitie Christ act's as he is he 's with out end so is his love Things of Heaven are all lasting everlasting you may guesse at their beginnings but never at their endings The word in the originall * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies to love something by adhering to it with the mind and heart a Suidas seu aliquem amore complector cum aliquo amicitiam colo as 1 Joh. 2 10. Mat. 6.24 cha 22.37 Mark 10.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so to be content and satisfied with it as that a man desires nothing else b Me aut amabis aut quo contentus sum diliges Cic. Others say 't is more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as comâ—ounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 valdè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acquiesco quae enim diligimus in iis acquiescimus Alsied in Lexic signisicat contentum esse acquiescere Casaub in Mar. 10.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud LXX Interpretes non semper pro diligere sed pro amicis blandisque verbis compellare laudare sumitur ut Cant. 1.14.2 Paral. 18.2 'T is hearty love Christ is said* to love the young man viz. hee spake friendly to him and dealt gently with him as the word there imports Blessed Messiah the Saints Saviour at his last departure from them adhered to them with all his might soule mind and strength and was so fully satisfied with them tooke such great content in them as that he desir'd no other portion besides them And thus speaking sweetly and kindly to them call's them his owne c Peculiaritèr destinatus Thess 1. v. 5. peculiaris ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cujus est certa quaedam minime cum caeteris communis idea Cajet 1 Cor 11.6 vide Bezam in loc The Lord Christ is call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God's owne Sonne quod sit filius Dei per aeternam generationem as being his peculiar portion His owne every word of Christ hath its weight every word drop's sweetnesse as the hony combe Christians you see your blessed lot you are Christ's owne and Christ is your owne This comfortable kind of speaking to Christians is very usefull in Scripture as Jesus Christ is the faithfull's owne so the faithfull are Jesus Christ's own Rom. 14.4 God is termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beleeving Christians owne master he shall be holden up by his owne Master for God is able to make him stand Christians have you had experience of the powerfull workings of Gods love towards you and on your Spirits and doe you feare a finall falling a partiall or totall declining from Jesus Christ and his sweetest wayes of soule-ravishing contentments Remember God's your owne he both can and will make you stand Those that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion that shall never be removed In generall consider Christ hath and may claime title to all by a right of dominion and so all then are Christs owne as he 's Lord of all creatures
too You are now no more a farre off but are made nigh by my bloud 't is now I in you and you in me and both of us one with the Father hee is my God and your God my Father and your Father Is not here matter for a sweet song yee Singers of Israel and sonnes of God cannot you make melodie in your hearts with the heroick acts of your Master Should you not sing praises for the Victorie of your King the King of Saints you could not shew your selves Roylists of the Court of Heaven Fifthly in that there should be such a sutablenesse and usefulnesse of the worke unto the desires and exigencies of Saints Things may be good in thēselves and yet notwithstanding not being found to sute with the wants of the needie they are not good unto them As the body is not satisfied with things Spirituall so the soule is not content with things Corporall Externall things may satisfie the body help it relieve it in distresse but when the soule is in distresse all the world is to it but like a great Cypher it amounts to nothing There must be a fitnesse in the object the eare is not pleased with light and colours nor is the eye with soundes ſ Eis solum fruimur in quibus voluntas delectata quiescit Aquin. S. P. 1.2 q. 11. a. 3. The spirituall man is carried to spirituall things as the naturall man to naturall things and as in motion there is no rest till in a fit place so in this case you cannot quiet a spirituall soule with a thousand worlds Interest in God must doe her good or nothing Every thing is fitted for its object What comfort doth a piece of flesh yeild to a sheep and of what use is a rich pasture to a man that onely is comfortable to us that is good to us and that onely is good to us that agrees to us The best dish agrees not with him who hath an antipathy against it Silver and Gold Pearles and things precious yea and many more seen things as honour preferment and the like may bee good in themselves and for their usefulnesse as they serve mens turnes But applie seen things to an unseen soule and you 'l find she cannot relish them she feeles no savour in them no more then in a drie chip as our Proverb runs and why because they doe not agree to her as shee is a Spirituall substance therefore not good to her Now of all other good God is the summum bonum t Omne bonum in summo bono and his workings towards his children are about the application of things necessarie for them and sutable to them This great worke of Christ's dying for you hath such a fruit as will fulfill all your desires supplie all your wants redresse all your grievances for in all your comfortlesse conditions ye may fetch comfort from Christ's sufferings and death for you you may fetch sweetnesse thence as thus when you want you may argue did Christ die for a time that I may live for ever and shall I thinke he will not keep me alive here u Dic nobis qui praeparas quid praeparas replebimur bonis dcmus sed qui bus c. quaerimus qued oculus non videt c. Bern. ser 11. in Cant. explicans illud Isayae c. 64.4 for a time also did the Lord give Christ to me and will he not with him give me a conveniency of other things at least as much as is good for me Thus little children you may possesse your soules in peace that passeth understanding Thus the Apostle did my God shall supply all wants yours and mine and Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his owne Sonne but delivered him up for us all how shall hee not with him freely give us all things even all that he hath The distinction of goods in Augustine is exceeding memotable remarkable and sweet There is saith hee Bona Throni and there is bona scahelli goods of the Throne of blisse and grace as God Christ and whatsoever spirituall good hee conferres Secondly goods of the footstoole as the Creatures and comforts of this life the accommodations of this world whence wee may inferre That God and the godly Christ and Christians as they have but one Throne which is heavenly and that to them all so also they have but one footstoole Now God makes the earth his footstoole so should the godly doe also vv Si terram amas terra es si Deum amas quid vis ut dicam Deus es Aug. Christians ought in a good sense to lay the world and the things of the world under the soles of their feet x Quam sordet mihi terra cum Coelum intueor Adrian Pedibus duntaxat terram tangentibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chryst hom 2. de incomp Dēi nat and not make them and prize them as the Crowne of their head And especially when they hinder you from being crowned with Christ's Crowne which is a Crowne of glory and your greatest dignitie Now Christians consider by this and what hath been said what Christ and this blessed act of Christ is to you how that you have the goods of the Throne and now God having given you Christ having procured for you ablessed Throne to set your selves upon what cause have you to be troubled if he denies you or takes from you a footstoole whereon to set your feet Let not your hearts be troubled you beleeve in God beleeve also in Christ and be established for ever yea beleive his Prophets and you shall prosper The second discoverie of love by suffering on the behalfe of his is his suffering with them In all their afflictions he was afflicted and the Angel of his presence sav'd them In his love and his pitie hee redeemed them and he hare them and carried them all the dayes of old 'T is some comfort to have a companion in suffering y Comes in via pro vehiculo est 't is much more comfortable to have a helping companion that will take off some of a mans burthen Hee hath laid help on one that 's mighty First Christ is with his in losses he beares a share of those losses they shall not be all losse to them that feare him he will give them something againe yea some better thing then what they have lost for him and in following or going along with him and though the world bee but as losse to a soule yet Godlinesse is great gaine with contentment He that loseth his life for Christ and the Gospels sake shall save it Mark 8.35 Christ will make up and repair the losse againe and do's not hee give a better thing than this life in the roome on 't What 's this life and all the accommodations thereof to that life which is above the life of the world 's ignoble most mean and passing poore to the life of God and the glorified in Heaven Then friends what