out therefore do the virgins love thee yea he â—an give a Soul-charming vertue to the very words of his name and cause the very naming of him kindle a flame of love in the Soul that many waters cannot quench thy name is as ointment that is powred forth He can open with his finger the â—stest lock that is upon the heart of any sinner Cant. â— 4. my beloved put in his hand by the hole of the â—â—or my bowels were moved for him and if it â—o not open freely he can drop a litle mirrhe from is finger upon it that shall make it easy â— rose â—â— to open to my beloved and my fingers droped myrrhe verse 5 and 6. yea without once asking liberty he â—an ravish a sinners heart and when ever he comes â—pon such a design he coms rideing in King Soâ—â—mons Chariot the midst whereof is paved with love â—â— the daughters of Ierusalem Cant. 3. 9. 10. and after the Kings Chariot follows a large train the Chariots of Aminadab waiting to convoy and bring â—p his willing people Cant. 6. 12. and if once the â—â—ul is got up into the Chariot the King bids drive the 13 verse return return O Shulamite return â—urn and then farewell thy Fathers house Psal. 5. 10. forget thine own people and thy fathers house â—ow the Chariots of Aminadab the Chariots of the â—ords willing People run upon these four wheels â— plain termes the inward power of Grace whereâ—â— the Lord allures sinners and gains them to himself consisteth and is carryed on of these Four â—1 A sound and clear Information of the understanding and Illumination of the mind as it is â—â—ten in the Prophets and they shall be all taught of God John 6. 45. out of Isai. 54 13. with Ier. 24. 7. and I will give them an heart to know me 1 John 5. 20. he hath given us an understanding that we maâ— know him that is true If a man by nature and study were never so judicious and learned yet ere he bâ— converted and effectually allured to ingage throughly in Covenant with God he hath need to be taught of God that the eyes of his understanding being opened he may know that which passes knowledge Otherways it may seem a strange saying but it is that which is noted in the Scripture of truth and the Scripture expressions of opening the eyes giving an understanding and the like make it clear That the meanest Saint and convert hath more knowledge of Christ and seeth somewhat in him that the most Subtile Seraphick Resolute or Angelick Doctor unconverted cannot see So that whatever differences there be betwixt Saving and Common knowledge there is certainly a difference even in regard of the intensive degree 〈◊〉 clearness or if it be not so let any man tell 〈◊〉 what such expressions mean 2 Cor. 4. 6 that God who commandeth the light to shine out of darkness hatâ— shined in our hearts to give the light of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and verse 3 and the Gospel is hid from those that perish for Satan hath blinded their mindes and no doubt many of these had more natural judgment and learning with more of the means also than some of theâ— that believed To conclude there is greater odd betwixt a Saint and a Rabbi than betwixt a Raâ—â—â— and an Idiot for the last two I now suppoâ— them unconverted are neighboured in Nature but Grace separats the first from them both 2. The inward power of Grace consisteth in a powerful inflection and Bowing of the Will. Psal. 110. 3. thy People shall be willing in the day of thy power the Lord findeth sinners Unwilling he worketh on them not willing and he makes them Willing The Will as I said before is the strongest hold of the Soul and the most wilful piece of the man command the Will and you command the man the New Will say Divines is the New Man and therefore the Lord is concerned to possess the Will and this he doth wherever he savingly allures a Soul for he scorns any should say that they serve and follow him against their will all his Souldiers are Volunteers his People are a Willing People I find a Godly Man once saying and all such must say it often the good which I would that I do not Even as by Conversion oft times the greatest sinner becomes the greatest Saint so the Will before Conversion the most obstinate and unplacable enemy doth afterward become the most kind and trusty friend to God for in the midst of many exorbitancies of affections and irregularities of Practice and Conversation the Will retains its loyalty and persists in its duty to the Lord and when the whole Soul is in an uproar and confusion like that of the City of Ephesus Act. 19. 32. a most lively Representation of a Soul in Perturbation wherein some cryed one thing some another for the Assembly was confused and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together All this while the Will is at ready to protest for the Lord as the superstitious Ephesians were for their Diana And when in a disorder all plead liberty I consent unto the Law says the will Rom 7. 16 and 25 with the mind I serve the Law of God 3. The inward power of Grace consists in a sweet Inclination of the Affections Deut. 30. 6. The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy Soul The Psalmist Prayes Psal. 119. 36. incline mine heart unto thy testimonys and Psal. 141. 4. incline not mine heart to any evil thing The Affections are ticklish things By much working and subduing with frequent turnings they become as ductile and formable as the potters clay whereof he makes a vessel as it pleases him Like those we call Good Natures they are sweet Companions but not so sure And as readily you do not leave them as you found them so you shall hardly find them where you left them nor know you when you have them or when you want them They are primi ocâ—upantiâ— they can refuse no body They welcome all comers follow all Counsels comply with all Companies And in a word they are compleat Conformists And they are courted by so many Lovers that it is much if they turn not common strumpets to the dishonour and grief of this concerned chaste Suter Who is broken with such whorish Hearts Ezek. 6. 9. Again they are like an Instrument with many Strings they make sweet Melody in Gods Service but with the least wrong touch you Mis-tune them Indeed the Saints have their affections frequently to Tune and it requires a time to do it This causes that the Affection of Grief which is the Basse of the Soul is oftest in Tune and keeps in Tune longest with the Saints Psal. 57. 7 8. When David's Heart was fixed his Harp was out of Tune when his
in Intimate and more than ordinary fellowship with God as I cited of Moses before we would enter the Clouds and go up into the Mount to God and we shall be no homlier than welcome Cant 4 8 invites us to this We never find David higher upon it than in the Wilderness We owe that sweet 63 Psalme to the Wilderness of Iudah in the 8 verse where of it is said my soul followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholdeth me and in the 5 verse my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyfal lips If a Soul make a visit to God from the Wilderness they may expect Joseph's Brethrens entertainment they may resolve to Dine with him at noon Our Lord Jesus learned this of his Father This is a desart place says he and we cannot send the People away fasting lest they faint by the way Yea and after they may have that sweet Musick my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips and Psal 57. 7 8. my heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed O Lord says he I am now well at my heart I will sing and give praise Awake up my Glory awake Psaltery and harp I myself will awake early and that was also a Wilderness Psalme We owe the 4 Psalme to the Wilderness likwise and the 84 whereof more anone Take we then the direction that the times of our affliction be times of more than ordinary Communion with God 5. In the Wilderness we would be diligent to seek good occasions and means for the relief of our Afflictions and supply of our wants Need must make vertue with us Psal. 84. 5 6. Blessea is the man in whose heart is the ways of them who passing thorow the vally of Baca make it a well We must not like the unjust Steward refuse in this case both to dig and beg we must use all means lawful both spiritual and natural with God and men we must with Nehemiah both Pray to the Good God of Heaven and supplicat the King Nehemiah 2. 4 5. The day has been when the Nobles and Estates of Scotland and our Courtiers would have suted and courted the King for a Commission to build the City of the Lord and of their Fathers Sepulchers the Church owning that Faith wherein their Fathers Died who have left there to Posterity the Sepulchers and lasting Monuments of their Fidelity Zeal and Religious gallantry when a Great man would have pleaded for a liberty and protection to a faithful Minister Then Israel and the Lords People in their bounds in commendation of their Zeal and Diligence sang that song Numb 21. 17 18. Spring up O well sing ye unto it the Princes digged the well the Nobles of the People digged it by the direction of the Law-giver with their staves But now since our Princes and Nobles turned herdmen to the Philistines and servants to Prelates their work hath been to stop and take away and strive for Isaac's wells to deprive the People of God moe ways than one of those occasions of pure and plentiful Ordinances which they had digged and drunk of had with labour provided and with refreshment enjoyed See the case in ane Allegory Gen. 26. from the 17. verse to 23. I fear when this generation is gone and if carcasses fall not in the Wilderness if God make not a clean field if he do not root out and make a speedy riddance of this evil Generation from the face of the earth wiser men than I are much deceaved that Nigrum theta or black mark shall be found written upon the Sepulchres of most of our Nobles Nehemiah 3. 5. that the put not their necks to the work of their Lord. And when it is come to that then who knows but the sons and little ones of our Nobles may be Well-diggers And as it was in the case of the drought Ier. 14. 3. may come to the waters and to the pitts may be such as shall seek out and labour for the means of their Souls refreshment The Lord may bring the little Ones of those transgressors whose carcasses fall in a Wilderness into a land flowing with milk and hony Numb 14. 31 32. Mean time let us be digging in the Wilderness let us seek occasions for our Souls and where we do not find them let us make them 6. In the Wilderness we would thankfully receave and improve thriftily all offers of accidentall occasions that providence layes to our hand Psal 84. 6. the rain also filleth the Pools that is the Lord will now and then be giving his out-wearyed People some unexpected means of present relief and refreshment which they must acknowledge and use till they get better and more lasting occasions Rain water in a Pool is neither so good nor so enduring as a spring or fountain of living Water and yet the former is good where the latter cannot be had for to the hungry Soul every bitter thing is sweet and little will do a poor man good If God give us an occasion of a good Sermon or a Communion or make any other good means to drop upon our heads as unexpectedly as the rain falls from the Heaven or if we have the benefit of the neighbour-hood of a faithful Minister for the time these things howbeit for their nature and vertue they be fountain water yet herein the best of them is but like a Pool that they are of an uncertain endurance For such is the condition of these Wilderness-times that where one day you have a fountain the next day you have nothing or an empty cistern nor is there throughout all the land so much as one Rehoboth Gen. 26. 22. one well that the Philistines do not strive for Therefore we must drink for the drought that is to come we must hear for the time that is to come Isai. 42. 23. we must make the best we can of every occasion that remaines or accidentally offers for the time and we must feed upon the little Oyl in the crâ—ise and the handful of Meal in the barrel till there be plenty in the Land 7. In the Wilderness we would make use of good Company yea we would make much of it where ever we can have it Psal. 84 7. they go from sirength to strength as our Translation reads it but the Original hath it They go from company to company or from troop to troop Indeed solitude and want of good Company is not the least of the evils of the Wilderness as I shewed above in the description of the wilderness and I believe the People of God in these times will bear me witness in this But we would seek good Company and make use of it Mal. 316 the fearers of God that were then in the Wilderness spake often one to another But wandering and unsettlment another great mischief of the Wilderness will not let the Saints lodge
tryed the Experiment of all things Sublunary that they are but vexation of Spirit and a very Vanity And will a man fill his Belly with the East-wind The most refined Spirits and artificial Extracts of natures fullness hath no more fitness and congruity to satisfy a Soul than Chaff or Sand hath to nourish a humane Body Nor did Nebuchadnezar eat Grass with the Oxen until his heart was made like the Beasts Moreover the Glory of all things transitory hath not the Civility to see the Soul to its rest But serve it like wicked Companions who have debauched a man all the day and leave him to dry a Kennel at night O when the Soul shall run out into Eternity and Death shall draw the Courtain upon all things Worldly Then it shall be seen that the things that are seen are but Temporal And then if the Soul would return to call but for a cup of cold water of all its sensual Pleasures it cannot have passage For there is a great Gulf fixed betwixt So that they who would pass from hence to you cannot neither can they pass to us that would come from thence Luk. 16. 26 To close this consideration Remember that the wise God called him a fool a great fool a rich fool Who for that his Barns were full would say to his Soul Soul thou hast much good laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and be merry Luke 12. 19 20. But O! the revenue of Godliness God and the Light of his countenance Christ and his Merits the Holy Ghost with his Comforts and Graces the Justification of Faith the Peace of God the Joy of the Holy Ghost the hope of Glory are things of great Beauty to please our Souls withall 3. The Consolations Joyes Pleasures and Delights of Godliness are the choicest of any For however as the Proverb is a small thing will make fool fain and as little makes him sad Yet the Delights of a Wise-man are such as are the things he delighteth in Ps. 4. 7. Thou thorough the light of by countenance hast put gladness in my Heart more â—â—an in the time when their Corn and their Wine inâ—eased O Lord I am as far above the envy of the ungodly as they are below mine The Worlds great prejudice against Godliness is that they fancy it an unpleasant thing void of delight But â—â—tum est in organo And no doubt if men found that delight in Holiness which they do in wickedness we should quickly have the World a Proâ—lyte to Godliness O then that my Words were weighed and that the World would give me a air hearing but in this one consideration no doubt I had then gained Delight is a very alluring thing and trahit sua quemque voluptas every one follows whither his I leasure and Delight â—ads him Nor is it any wonder that so it be â—r Delight and Pleasure is the very flower and â—ossome of Happiness the accomplishment and â—st act of Blessedness differing from Vertue and Godliness as the Flourish from the Tree the Rose â—â—m the Bush. The Scripture placeth the Saints â—lessedness both in the Estate of Grace and Glory Pleasure and Delight That Delight is a mans â—lessedness in the state of Grace see the Command Psal. 37. 4. the Promise Isai. 64 5. the â—â—ints professed practice of whom Christ is the chief and chiefly meant Psal. 40. 8. The Motive given by the Spirit of God Prov. 3. 17. And that Delight hath the same place in Glory if any that have heard of such a thing as Heaven did ever once doubt of it it is more than clear from Psal. 16. 11 Revel 21. 4. with many the like places If men knew to do the Epicureans right in their opinion of Felicity and could speak as Philosophers and not as taunting Satyricks I could rather be than be called an Epicurean For Imperious custom even like Diotrephes who in all things loveth the preheminency hath usurped sofar upon the World that she prevaileth equally in mens Words and practices calling things as she lists Whence a sensual Sow wallowing in the mire of Lust must bear the name of an Epicurean whercas in Truth an Epicurean is no other than a man placeing Happiness in rational Pleasures and intellectual Delights worthy of men Even as I according to the Scripture have placed it in those Delights that are Spiritual and becoming a Saint The cutting off of a Member deserves not the name of a Cure but is the Uncomfortable result of the desperate wits of Extremity and Necessity in a deplorable Case and an expedient intending the preservation of the whole with the loss of the part For better it is to go to Heaven with one Eye Hand or Foot than to be cast into Hell with two The Stoical Apathetick method if the Stoick be not as much wronged as the Epicurean is but a pitiful cutting at best a curb no wayes a Cure of a corrupt World A man will suffer much before he suffer the loss of his Limbs and he hath wrought but an undesirable Cure that by cutting off of a Member hath made a man creple or maim The World will want much before they want their Pleasures and Delights And indeed who would choose to be miserable Wherefore the only expedient method in this case will be diversion whereby men may save their Members the World may enjoy Delights and Pleasures for measure as much greater as for quality better than formerly in their courses of Iniquity only they must not run any more in the Channel of Sensuality but in the vein of Religion and Spirituality Consider then the Delights and Pleasures of Godliness and then let reason say who hath the sweetest Life the Saint or the Bruit 1. For their nature they are unspeakable and full of Glory 1 Pet. 1. 8. the Word is significant in its own Language 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a glorifyed â—oy a very Heaven upon Earth A Joy of the same Nature though not to the same degree with that in Heaven The Saints Delights in Earth are a cup of the same Wine for kind which they shall drink in the Kingdom of their Father though it be not of so high a colour nor of so rich a relish to us here in the Cellar as it is to them at the Kings Table Holiness is much mistaken in the World and so is Heaven and Happiness which is no other than the top and upper â—nd of Holiness or Holiness in its Holy-dayes Cloathes If men would consider this I suppose some should be as afraid of Heaven as they are of Holiness Yea I am really of the mind if God should open a door in Heaven to a Prophane Liver and say Come up hither that he should not dare to enter The Beauty and Light of that Glory so contrary to Darkness would dazle and confound and utterly undoe him If a man should be permitted yea commanded to throw himself into a burning Fiery Furnace like that of
your lusts Iam. 4. 1. Ungodly mens lusts are like themselves for extremes they are and they are like extremes that differ alike from themselves and from the mids A varice differeth as much from Prodigality her Sister Vice as from Liberality her contrary vertue But Godliness sets a man at one with himself it is a heart-uniting thing Psal. 86. 11. unite my heart to fear thy name It makes a good understanding betwixt the understanding the will the affections and the whole man And blessed be the Peace-maker shall she not be called the Child of God 5. Is it not the great Glory of Godliness that as many do sute her as few do espouse her and she hath as many pretenders as few matches Are not all men her pretenders Do not her greatest adversaries pay her the Devotion at least of a complement Is not their great request to her like that Isai. 4. 1. only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach Do not her greatest enemys Glory to be called her servants Call an evil man good and you cannot please him beeter for he hateth as much to be called evil as to be good And loveth as much to be evil as to be called good And it is yet as much her Glory that few do enjoy her But pray whom doth she reject are they any but the Ungodly those unworthy Persons that were brought in upon her and came to mock her nor doth she despise any that have not first despised her or should she prostitute her self to such as care not for her none get a Rejection from her without their own consent and they take it before they get it for as none are Godly so neither are any Wicked against their will Lastly Beside the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come which makes Godliness profitable to all things 1 Timoth. 4. 8. It is the ready way even in ordinary probability to give a man honour wealth and pleasure and to continue these with him yea even in this World I would these tymes did give a better testimony to this Observation but I hope the Observation shall stand when some are fallen and shall continue when these times are past way for that these things are as naturally purchased by good and vertuous as lost by lewd and wicked practices And how shall a man have Honour who prostitutes himself to courses wherein he hath none but base and unmanly persons for his Companions Are not Pages Grooms and Lackeyes as good fellows as their Lord himself at Whoreing Drinking Swearing Carding where all are fellows Is not my Lord well Honoured when he sends his man to convoy a Whore to the Chamber who because upon the Road he uses to lead the way for his Master thinks he will do him the like service here and serves him with his own remains But who doth not Reverence the Presence and Honour the Face of a really Good man Yea many a time such an one hath more Reverence than God himself with Evil men who dare do many things in the Eyes of God that they will be loath to do in presence of such a man Yea how convincing many a time is the Carriage of a Godly man to his greatest Enemies Surely thou art more Righteous then I said Saul to David and when a Mans wayes please the Lord he maketh even his Enemies to be at peace with him Prov. 16. 7. An excellent Divine I think it is Greenhame sayes well Let not a Saint be afraid of Men for that by his Prayers he hath more Power of their Hearts than they themselves have And the Scripture sayes the same 1 Pet. 3. 13. And who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good And how well had it been with the Profane Ruffian that he had spent that Time Strength Estate and Credit for God in the way of Godliness with the sweet and sure gain of his Soul which he hath wasted in riffling and base living with the evident hazard of his Soul's ruine if that may be said to be ruined that was never repaired nor in case But be it yet that the godly man attaineth not to these advantages Temporal The Peace of Righteousness the Contentment of Soberness the Considence of Faith and the Rejoycing of Hope do more than compense all that is wanting elsewhere and cause that a good man is satisfied from himself Prov 14. 14. Now let all that hath been said be a reproof of the Worlds hard opinions of Godliness and give cheque to their unkind dealing with her as if she were a sorry Piece to be desired by none but such as would be miserable I have not yet travelled so far but that I can remember from whence I set forth In my entry upon the point I told my Erand was with Eleazar Abraham's Servant Genes 24. To seek a Wife to my Master's Son and to Espouse and bring home Souls to Christ And now to conclude Let me with them Gen. 24. 57 58. Call the Damsel and enquire at her Mouth Wilt thou go with the man And she said so be it said unto me I will go The fourth and last thing we learn from the point in a word Is to put a good construction upon all Gods Dispensations to his People for his thoughts towards them are Thoughts of Peace and not of evil to give them an expected end Jer 29. 11. And in complyance with the Lords great design in the vicissitudes of all our Lots let us learn to give him more of our Hearts For he brings his People into the Wilderness and there he allures them If these Melancholly times do but make us more tractable condescending and kind to Christ Iesus we may well expect that he will speak comfortably unto us I will bring her into the Wilness and will speak comfortably unto her ANd thus I am led by the hand into the fourth and last thing proposed to be considered in the Text. The juncture and coincidence of the Churches affliction and the Lords Consolations I will bring her into the Wilderness and I will speak comfortably un to her Hence the Doctrine is That the Lord useth to tryst his peoples sadest afflictions with his sweetest consolations He is a God that comforteth those that art cast down It is his way and use The Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 5. abounded in consolations by Christ as their sufferings for Christ abounded And reading through all the Scripture I never find the Saints more indulged with the sweet consolations of God and his kind manifestations than in the greatest afflictions Reasons of this are 1. His free love and kindness So it becomes him with whom the fatherless find mercy He loveth and preserveth the Stranger he is a Father of the Fatherless and a Husband to the Widow a Judge of the oppressed out of his holy habitation He will be known in adversity to be a Friend 2. Their necessity