wanting to thee Goe sell all that thou hast Christian let me tell thee all this self-Righteousnes must be sold not lost but slighted If thou hast no more than a Bridled nature it is not enough the young man went away from Christ sorrowfull Mar. 10. The Pharisee went away not justified Luke 18. ver 14. Nay secondly if thou hast no more than a refined Nature it is nothing though it be seven times refined It is a piece of Nature That there is a God Nature revealeth it to men and that this God is a spirit and that Si Deus est animus c. Hic tibi praecipuè sit pura mente colendus Seeing God is a spirit he must 1. Be worshipped 2. Be worshipped sincerely Cato could say so this is all but Nature the finest of Nature Thou mayest pray in thy Family Morning and Evening the Heathen would doe as much they would cry to their Penates yes thou mayest doe it and without the Common-prayer Booke too I doe not read that they had one in use to worship their Idols with Nature had given them a tongue to speak their wants without a Tutor and yet be a wretch under the Apple-tree The Pharisee would be so far from being ashamed to pray in his Family that he would not be ashamed to come and pray in the Temple Luke 18. v. 10 11. He fasted twice a weeke They fasted often Mat. 9. 14. They were strict observers of the Sabbath how many quarrels had they with our Lord Jesus Christ for healing for his Disciples but plucking of eares of corne on the Sabbath day Here was Nature seven times purified and yet for all this Christ tels his Disciples Mat. 5. 20. That except their righteousnesse exceeded the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees they should never enter into the Kingdome of God Tremble at this you that are lyers Sabbath-breakers prophane persons unjust in your Callings unconscionable in your walkings with God Tremble at this you that never pray in your Families in your Closets God never heares of you but when you come to Church and then to no purpose neither you are not yet raised nay far from it Flesh and bloud might have revealed this unto you This is the first Note Secondly know If you have not pluckt and tasted of the fruit of the Apple-tree you are still but under it You may remember I construed under the Apple-tree out of Jesus Christ If you have got no benefit by Jesus Christ you have no portion in him if you be not in him and if he be not in you It is the Apostles Note 2 Cor. 13. ver 5. Know you not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates The Apple is in the man that hath eat it Christ is in the soule by a spirituall union if the soule hath any part in him or shall ever have any benefit by him Free Grace is the fruit of this Apple-tree of Paradise Are the Graces of God in you but some may say how shall we know that The tasted Apple is 1. Sweet 2. Cordiall 3. Nutritive 4. Diffusive 1. Sweet Cant. 2. 3. As the Apple-tree amongst the Trees of the Wood so is my Beloved amongst the Sonnes I sate down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was pleasant to my taste The Spouse there compareth the Lord Jesus to an Apple-tree a rare Apple-tree as an Apple-tree amongst the trees of the wood Now he was not only an Apple-tree in himselfe a sweet Tree full of the Apples of Life and free Grace but he was an Apple-tree to her he was her beloved and shee sate downe under his shadow Now it was 1. With great delight 2. His fruit was sweet to her taste If Christ be in thee and thou beest in Christ Christ is very sweet to thee thou sittest under his shadow with great delight and his fruit is pleasant to thy tast 1 Pet. 2. 7. To you that beleeve he is precious His name to thy soule is as an ointment powred forth Cant. 1. 3. Why like an ointment powred forth Mar. 14. v. 3. Joh. 12. 3. When the box of ointment was broken and powred forth on Christs head the whole house was filled with the savour of it Is it thus with thy soule Christian Is Jesus Christ precious to thee Is his name to thy soule like an ointment powred forth Is thy whole heart filled with the sweet smell of Jesus Christ Art thou ravished with his love his incomprehensible his unfadomable love Is Christ in his Ordinances precious to thy soule that thou desirest the sincere milke of the word as the new borne babe desires the milke of the breasts Doth the very thinking of Christ ravish thy heart Doth the naming of him carry thy soule almost above it selfe in an extasie of love Is he like an Apple to thy tast that thy mouth is filled with the sweetnesse of his juice High thoughts of Jesus Christ argue that Jesus Christ is spiritually tasted by thy soule Art thou melted with his love It is a signe thou hast tasted of the fruit of the Apple-tree 2. The tasted Apple is cordiall Cant. 2. 5. Stay me with flaggons comfort me with Apples Cant. 7. 8. The smell of thy nose is like Apples It is spoken there of the Church Apples are cordiall in tast and comfortable in smel Try thy self by this Christian Is Christ cordiall to thy soul when thy soul is fainting swooning in the thoughts of thy self and thine owne wickednesse and vilenesse Doth it then comfort thee to remember Jesus Christ his love and merits Christ is no cordiall to wicked unbeleeving wretches it terrifieth them the more to remember Jesus Christ When the Lord hath awakened their consciences and startled them in their naturall condition tell them of Christ this adds fuell to the flame Why It is this Christ whom they have scorned abused crucified It is this Christ concerning whom they have said We will not have this Christ to raigne over us Now they thinke that they heare that scorned Christ ringing a dolefull peale in their eares Bring those mine enemies that said I should not rule over them and slay them before me But to the Beleever Christ is comfortable when he looks upon himselfe as a great sinner the naming of Christ comforts him Ah! saith he that is he that dyed for my sinnes and rose againe for my justification Rom. 5. 25. When he looks upon all his righteousnesse as a monstruous cloth and as filthy rags the naming of Christ is againe a cordiall to him Ah! saith the soule that is he that was made for me wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption When he looks upon himselfe as a debtor to an infinite justice the name of Christ is a cordiall againe that 's he saith the soule that hath paid the debt to infinite justice for me that for me hath satisfied his Fathers wrath that powred out his soule unto death and was Esa 53 4
washed and sanctified You heare what you were by Nature borne out of Christ Children of wrath as well as others hath the Lord raised you up hath hee given you to taste of the Apples of free-grace let the remembrance of your former condition perswade you 1. To get thankfull hearts 2. To get pittying hearts 3. To keep humble hearts A word or two of each of these 1. Let this consideration perswade with you to get thankefull hearts Let every soule of you say sing that 103 Psalme verse 1 2 3. Blesse the Lord O my soule and all that is within mee blesse his holy Name Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not his benefits who hath forgiven all thine iniquities who hath healed all thy diseases c. to the 6. verse Christians I have heard a Story of a Gentleman that having rid over a dangerous Passage in the night returning in the morning to see it at the beholding of it sunke down and dyed Astonishment kild him Ah Christian wouldst thou be but perswaded in the morning of thy Conversion when the Lord hath brought thy soule to himselfe wouldst thou bee but perswaded to look with a serious eye of meditation what dangers thou hast escaped now many times in the mad age of thy youth thou ranst over everlasting burnings and wert just sinking wouldst thou but remember how often thou dividedst an haire betwixt thy soule and hell and this not once but againe and againe that the Devill had not thy soule onely in chase but was bearing at thee many a time and hell was opening its jawes upon thee and thy soule was just going alive into the pit Ah Christian wouldst thou but thinke of this me thinks thou shouldst even be ready to sink downe and dye in astonishment nay rather live Christian ascend let thy heart ascend in praises O say Blesse the Lord O my soule My heart and all that is within me praise his holy Name My tongue and all that is without me sing unto his glory Ah! what a miracle of mercy it is that ever one poor soule should come to heaven Stand amazed at it O my soule were not wee all borne blinde How doe any of us see O now let us all say with David Psalme 116. verse 16. O Lord truely we are thy servants we are thy servants and the children of thine hand-maidens for thou hast loosed our bonds I shall shut up this first Branch of the Exhortation with the words of the blessed Apostle Rom. 12. verse 1 2. Now I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that you offer up your bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service And bee not conformed to this world but be yee transformed by the renewing of your mindes that yee may prove what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God Ah Christians God deserves your hearts and hands O bee thankfull But I shall now passe over this first Branch of the Exhortation and the rather because I shall have a more full opportunity to meet with it againe and presse it more home in the next Doctrine which I shall note from those words I raised thee Secondly were you even you Christians also out of Christ when your Mother brought you forth Ah methinkes then the sense of your owne misery should call for the yernings of your soules to those poore creatures that are yet in it I beseech you therefore brethren to put on as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies It was the Apostles exhortation Col. 3. vers 12. though in another case Ah how many objects of such Charity is there every where How many poore wretches in every Congregation in every family that the Lord knoweth are yet in the state of Nature It is ten to one but all of us have either an Husband or a Wife a Father or a Mother or a childe or a brother or a sister or a friend so As the Elect of God put on bowels of mercy for them pitty them pray for them mourne before God for them pluck them as brands out of the fire you know what their condition is how sad and deplorable and what an object of pitty they are Wee that never were yet in the Spanish Inquisition nor ever were yet in the Turkish Captivity yet from but the meer reports of the slavery that poor Creatures suffer there our soules yerne towards their sufferings and wee sometimes could weep to thinke of them and could bee content to part with some pence to contribute towards their reliefe So for our poore brethren of Ireland though praised for ever be our God wee have not seene such butcherings and rapes as they have done nor felt such penury and pinching want as they have done yet he scarce deserves the name of a Christian amongst us that hath not a yerning soule towards them that doth not pray for them that is not afflicted to heare those sad and dolefull relations concerning their sufferings and that would not to his ability contribute something to relieve them Ah Christians that you would be but as sensible of soule-evills as bodily trifling calamities Is not think you the Captivity of hell as sad and dreadfull as to be a Turkish Gally-slave Is not it as sad to be under the Devills clutches as it can be to be in the fingers and under the power of the Irish Rebells Alas let them doe what they can they shall doe no more but kill the body there is their malice spit if that bee done but here both body and soule are in danger for ever And my friends do you think that the Turke hath the tenth part of the Captives that the Devill hath Do you thinke there is not ten thousand times more poore soules under the Devills Lashes than there is Christians under the power of the Irish Rebells and have they a sword have they torments like him and where is the soule mournes over the Drunkard vaine person the swearer or blasphemer where is the soule that sayes to him what are you about to doe and yet I dare say here is not one in this Congregation that hath not a Father or a Mother a childe a brother or a sister or a friend in that Captivity O Christians consider did not you need pitty and prayers thinke you when you were there O save others with feare pulling them out of the fire O pray pray It may bee it is but yet a day and this Herod the Devill intends to make an end of these poore soules Cry cry mightily to God for your poor Children Friends Acquaintance Hark how the Church of the Jewes prayed for the Church of the Gentiles when they were strangers to God Cant. 8. verse 8. We have a little sister and she hath no breasts what shall wee doe for our sister in the day when shee shall bee spoken for So say O Lord I have a little Childe a Father a Mother an Husband a
him and engaged him still to be The servant of thy soule in the work of his Master John Collings Chaplyfield house May 21. 1649. THE LOST SHEEP brought home c. Solomons Song Ch. 8. v. 5. Who is this that commeth out of the wildernesse leaning upon her weld beloved I raised thee up under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there shee brought thee forth that bare thee THis book is called the Song of Songs that is Canticunt excellentissimum the most excellent song so Vatablus and Estius gives the reason because it containes a discourse between Christ the most glorious Bridegrome and his Church or the beleeving soule the Bride The song of songs as a note of Quia sermocinationem cōtinet Christi Sponsi Ecclesiae spōsae Estius eminency Mr. Brightman will have it as well Nota distinctionis quam eminentiae a note of distinction as well as of eminency A song more excellent than any of those that Solomon made the song that sounded sweetest to Canticum excellentius omnibus quae Salomon composuit Brightman Solomons penitent heart whose pen-man was Son and heire to the sweet singer of Israel Whose every note is a note of free grace where every straine is breathed by the spirit of the most high and every close sounds the beleevers close with Christ an union with him who is the head of the Church A song finally wherein every line breathes the perfume of the Rose of Sharon and is beautified with the colour of the Lilly of the Vallies It is a song of love sung in parts by the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of his Fathers love and the wife of his bosome whether the society of beleevers his Church in generall or every beleeving soule in particular It beginns with love Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth for his love is better than wine and it ends with love Make hast my Beloved and come away The fountaine from whence it ariseth is a spring of love and the Sea into which it falls is an ocean of love where the soule that enters is swallowed up of love and drowned in sweetnesse The whole streame of the book is a streame of love running betwixt two precious bankes Jesus Christ and the beleeving soule sometimes it is an higher sometimes a lower water it is alwayes some though the flood-gate be not alwayes open The two lovers spend their long in feasting themselves with each others embraces One while the Bridegroome courts his bride with ravishing straines of grace another while she is emptying her soule into her beloveds bosome In the whole there is nothing but a sweet enterchange of delightfull expressions while both seeme to be ravished with each others embraces I shall in handling of the text first open it to you 2 Raise some propositions of Doctrine from it and 3. Handle them by explication confirmation and application For the finding out the meaning of the words it is necessary we should consider them in a double Notion 1. Relatively 2. Absolutely 1. Relatively as they stand in a necessary connexion with the former verses It was now the spouses course to powre out her soul into her beloved's bosome her part began at the 10. ver of the former Chapt. and continues to this verse My text in the former part of it seemeth to be a Parenthesis and the voice of a third person considering the great love exprest by the spouse and her following of him through the most rugged wildernes-ways and even then leaning upon him or considering the great glory and happinesse of the Spouse from the influence of Christ love upon her either in admiration of Christs condiscention that will admit a worm to leane upon him and will stoop to lead it and uphold it in darkest saddest conditions and fill it with light in peace at such times or in admiration of the Spouses glory and beauty by the reflection of her Beloveds countenance or of her constancy and secret power of grace in her that in the wildernesse saddest condition she could leane that the briars and thornes would not seperate her Beloved her quos Deus conjunxit c. or out of an ignorance of her and the secret power of grace in her carrying her out in darkest times and in a wildernesse condition to such an affiance cryes out Qua est illa What manner of creature is this that she should leane Or who is this so glorious a creature that comes up leaning Or what manner of love is this that makes her follow a Beloved through such uncoth rugged dangerous wayes as these 2. But to consider the words Absolutely now in themselves Who is this that commeth up The first question is whose words these are The second what the meaning of them is Expositors differ upon the first Some would have them to bee the continued speech of the Church and say They are an expression of the great love beleeving soules beare to Expositio summi amoris quo Ecclesia prosequitur Sponsum an suit ulla unquam Ecclesia quae tot ac tantos labores perferret tantaque pericula susciperet ad consequendum dilectum suum Haec igitur sunt pignora voluntat is meae quod fide difficultates omnes superavi Tremell ad locum the Lord JESUS CHRIST by comparison What Church or what person ever saith she would undertake so many and so great labours to obtaine her Beloved These are pledges of my good will that by faith I have overcome all difficulties leaning upon him in the wildernesse I shall neither wholly embrace nor altogether reject this sense I am inclinable to thinke the words may be the Spouses but not spoken in Tremelius his sense as from her selfe boasting of her selfe but spoken by a Prosopopeia the Spouse speaking what she conceived others would say concerning her and rather incline to thinke the words should be a Parenthesis than otherwise Beda and M. Brightman with the rest that would have this whole Booke to be a Prophecye of the calling of the Church of the Gentiles will have the words to be the voice of the Jewish Church admiring at the calling of the Church of the Gentiles Who is this What wildernesse-creature is this that she should have any thing to doe with the promised Messias Quem me solum deligere caeteris autem Nationibus rebar esse ignotum Cujus nominis sit haec gens quae ascendit ex deserto Institui videtur haec questio de grandioribus natu sororibus quae stupescent hoc novo inaudito spectaculo Bright ad loc Beda ad locum And therfore those Expositors read it Dilectum meum my Beloved who I thought only had loved and chosen me and should have been unknowne to any other Churches But I see no reason why the words should be only restrained to the Jewish Church nor why illa this should only be understood of the Church in generall whiles that which
is predicated of the subject is common to every particular soule as well as to the beleeving Church For every beleever leanes by faith upon the Lord Jesus and comes out of his particular wildernesses leaning upon him And therefore I rather agree with * Non solum vicinae gentes sed etiaÌ„ ipsi qui sunt in populo hanc mirantur sic ascendenteÌ„ ex deserto Luther Luther upon the place not only saith he the Neighbour Nations but those of the same Nation shall admire her comming out of the wildernesse In short I conceive the words have a Prosopopeia in them The Church or soule speaks them as if she should have said Methinks I fancie the world standing wondring at me how I can leane upon Christ in my wildernesseconditions and out of the saddest wildernesse how I can come up by the strength of Christ leaning upon him They will wonder at my glory and honour that Christ will priviledge such a worme as I am so as to lean upon him and that he will help me They will not understand how I can come leaning in the wildernesse they will say Who is this Christs power of Grace in me will be hidden to them and yet they will admire Who is this That comes up out of the wildernes Out of a sad low condition out of a lost rugged condition out of crosses trials afflictions inward or outward But I shall open this terme more hereafter Leaning Tremellius reads it associans associatura joyning or marrying or about to joyne or marry her selfe Vatablus Hierome and Lyra read it Deliciis â—ffluens flowing abounding with delights Beda and Brightman read it Innixa leaning upon her Beloved And so our Translation The quarrell betwixt these Expositors is not so great but I conceive it may easily be thus taken up 1. Leaning is a posture of familiarity And she that is so bold as to leane upon her Beloveds arme is surely lodged in her Beloveds heart and is associans marrying or associatura about to marry to her Beloved and 2. Leaning is a posture of love too She that leanes loves and surely she takes pleasure in her posture she takes delight in her Beloveds company Upon her Beloved Christ Jesus who loves her and having first loved her is now beloved of her He is called Her to denote her propriety in him Thus you have the sence of the former part of the Text. The Church or the beleeving soule fancies that the world seeing her keep her hold on Christ in saddest conditions and keep a close communion with Christ in the midst of briars and thorns in a barren heath and dry ground in the midst of trials would be ready either out of ignorance not knowing the power of grace that upheld and helpt and sustained her or else admiring her happy and glorious condition that in the wildernesse she had such a Beloved to leane upon or admiring the strangnesse of her constancy and patience that she would adhere to Christ at such a low ebbe would either by way of scoffing or admiring cry out Who is this that nothing will part from Christ Or Who is this that Jesus Christ will thus owne and uphold in saddest conditions Or Who is this What power is this that upholds this man or woman in such estates as every one else would bee lost in Who is this that commeth by the feet of faith and patience up out of these deep sad wildernes-straights and yet comes up with such a fixed temper of spirit with such a stayed mind and with such a stedfastnesse of reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ Who is this that commeth up Thus you have the former part opened It followes now in the Text. I raised thee up under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there she brought thee forth that bare thee For the opening of these words and making my way cleare these two things must be resolved 1. Whose part of the Dialogue whose speech these words be 2. What the meaning of them is The first great question is whose part in this dialogue of love these are This is certaine they are either Christ's or the beleevers the opinions of men are divided about it Some think that the words are the continued speech of the Spouse their great reason is because the words both before it and after it are the Spouses Of this opinion are Gregory Aquinas Lyra Hierom yea and learned Mercer and M. Ainsworth There are some others that think they are the words of Jesus Christ minding the Spouse how he raised up his Church say some which I doe not deny so they doe not limit it to the body of beleevers collectively for my owne part I strongly incline to the latter viz. That the words are the words of Christ my reasons are 1. Partly because the 4 verse containes a phrase of speech with which she had twice closed a speech before viz. chap. 3. 5 6. chap. 5. 8. and partly because of the congruity which appeares to me in the sence thus The Spouse before had seemed to cast out words as if she had bin almost ashamed of Christs company and by her walking with him had made her selfe a laughing stock or a wondering stock to the world for so the phrase Who is this may also be taken to which Christ replies I raised thee c. as if he should have said and do I not deserve this and a great deale more too Remember but what I have done for thee I have raised thee up under the Apple-tree c. To which as overcome with love the soule replies v. 6. Set me as a seale c. As if she should say Truth indeed Lord thou hast done it O set me now as a seale upon thine arme as a seale upon thy heart c. A third reason is the incongruity of the sence if the word be taken as the words of the Spouse which will further appeare in the opening of the words The first question being resolved I come to the second To shew you what is the meaning of these words In doing of which 1. I shall shew you the opinion of others 2. I shall reject most of them shewing you reason why I doe so 3. I shall give you my owne opinion concerning the words and reasons for it Sort. 1 1. I will begin with such expositors as would have these words to be the Spouses words and these are either Papists or Protestants The popish expositions run together I say they that is the Spouse the beleeving soule raised thee awakened and applied thee under the apple-tree hanging upon the crosse Gregory saith that the apple-tree is procul dubio arbor sanctae crucis the tree of the holy Crosse Sort. 2 M. Ainsworth and Mercer carry it another way I saith M. Ainsworth that is the Spouse raised thee up by earnest prayer Psa 44. 24. Raised up Christ under the apple-tree the tree of free grace and life mentioned Chap. 2. 3. To this sence
Brother a Sister a Friend that hath no grace Lord what shall I doe for her in the day when she shall be spoken for Remember your owne misery and you will pitty their poor soules Thirdly and lastly Were you all borne out of Christ in a sad undone condition by Nature Then let mee perswade you to keep humble hearts Remember but what you were It is enough to tame the swellings of your spirits to thinke that you were not borne worth a ragge to cover your nakednesse you were cast out into the open field to the loathing of your person It was that which the Apostle urged to bring downe the swellings of pride in the Corinthians 1 Cor. 4. 7. For who maketh thee to differ from another And what hast thou that thou didst not receive Now if thou hast received it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Let mee apply those very words to thy soule Christian Art thou proud of thy gifts and proud of thy graces that thou differest from another and excellest another others are nothing to thee c. I beseech thee to consider who maketh thee to differ How came there to be such a difference betwixt thee and other Christians I am sure you were once both under the Apple-tree together there your mothers brought you forth there she brought you forth that bare you Hath Christ made thee to differ What hast thou then that thou diddest not receive Now if thou diddest receive it why diddest thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Wilt thou boast boast of thy owne then Christian boast of thy workes not of thy gifts give Christ his owne and thou art not worth a farthing yea the Lord knowes ten thousand times worse than a begger Wee say and truely too that one that hath been very scandalous if ever the Lord brings him in he had need bee very circumspect and humble And so concerning one that hath been of a verie low and meane condition and by the meere favour of the Prince is raised up to some great dignity wee say it will be a great deale of policy in him to carry himselfe humbly in his place Truely Christian I know no actuall difference by Nature betwixt thee and the vildest damned Reprobate in Hell Indeed there was a difference in God the Fathers Book of Election and in Christs Book of Redemption which is but a transcript of the other but a Creature difference there was none no selfe-difference at all Hath the Lord brought thee in thou hadst need walke humbly and circumspectly Philip would have the Boy to cry at his Chamber doore Philippe memento mortalis es Philip thou art a mortall man remember it be not proud of thy Empire thy Diadem must lye downe in the dust I would have the Christian that the Lord hath given great gifts and parts to be minded of his first estate I would have my Text written in his heart repeated in his eares O remember Christian who it was that Raised thee up under the Apple-tree there thy mother brought thee forth there she brought thee forth that bare thee And now I have done with my Use of Exhortation in its several Branches Use 4 I have but one word more and that is Consolation Is it so that we are borne under the Apple-tree though under out of Christ yet under not out of sight or hope The Apple-tree is over us though by Nature we have no hand to reach up to it Here 's then a word of comfort and hope 1. To those that upon serious examination the Lord hath made seriously sensible that to this houre they are out of the Lord Jesus Christ if yet they be willing to get into him 2. To those of Gods people that walke with sad hearts for the spirituall estate of their children husbands wives friends c. considering that they were all borne out of Christ and for ought they can yet see they have yet no portion in him For the first Is there any whose hearts the Lord hath smitten with the sad apprehensions of this Truth that they are all borne out of the Lord Jesus Christ that begin to say what shall we doe to be saved Loe here is some comfort yet though thou beest borne for the present out of Christ yet possibly thou mayest be borne under the Apple-tree yea for ought thou knowest thou art Christ is the Apple-tree Christ exhibited in his Gospell in the preaching of the Word c. is a glorious Apple-tree full of ripe Apples dropping into the hands of every soule that doth but lift up his beleeving hand to take and eat This is certaine whomsoever Gods secret will shuts out of heaven his revealed will shuts out none who doth not shut out himselfe Come therefore Turne turne why wilt thou dye O thou sinfull creature For ought thou knowest thou art in no worse condition than Manasses and Paul and Mary Magdalene all of them were borne such as thou art Christ cals Hoe every one that thirsteth come c. Come then let not thy sinnes hinder thee there 's merit enough and mercy enough in him O let not faith be awanting in thee Behold it is now Autumne with us Autumne indeed for Gospell-dispensations have been but as green Apples formerly to the times wherein the Lord hath cast our lot never was there such a plenty of soule-enlightening powerfull preaching plenty enough the Lord grant we surfeit not with it O reach out an hand take eat live To encourage consider how the Lord pleads with you Some Apple-trees are so loaden with fruit that when the Apples grow once to their full quantity the boughes bend even to the hand of the gatherer such my friends are our dayes the boughes loaden with Apples of free Grace even bend again to your soules O take eat and your soules shall live The Autumne is plenteous The Gospell is free you may take what you will it shall cost you nothing Christ even bends to you loaden with Apples of Love Ah! how he reacheth out himselfe to your soules despaire not only plucke and eat you are under the Apple-tree Secondly Is there any one here that hath a child husband wife friend brother sister c. that he can have no comfort concerning in regard that they can see no sigues of grace in them let this comfort them yet they may be under the Apple-tree though the Lord hath not discovered himselfe yet to their soules yet he may doe it All the Apples are not gathered off the Tree of Life it is laden yet pray cry for them mourne for them the Lord may yet give them an heart to repent I thinke it was Ambrose told Saint Austines mother being sadly lamenting the condition of her sonne then a Manichee Be of good comfort saith he it is impossible that a sonne of so many teares should perish I will not say so concerning any one but I will say vix probabile est it is scarse probable
you have learn'd of Christ for hee is meek and lowly see Luk. 14. 26 33. concerning this note Christ in plaine English saith whosoever hath it not cannot be his Disciple it is the first lesson of Grace Deny your selves But are you humble and selfe-denying ones selfe-loathing and abhorring creatures doe you even loath your naturall selfe and hate your righteous selfe and forsake all your selfe then are you Christs Disciples doth the spirit of Christ which is the spirit of meeknesse dwell in you and rest upon you then have you learnd of him 5. If you beare the crosse with that faith and patience which you should bear it then you may know you are Christ's Disciples Luk. 14. 27. without this you cannot be Christ's Disciple there is nothing shall more evidence a Christian to himselfe and to others to bee Christ's Disciple than his religious bearing of the crosse his religious carriage under trialls and burthens of spirit this is a great peece of the way in which Christ will be followed of all those that are his Disciples Lastly If you love one another then you may know and all men may know concerning you that you are Christs Disciples Joh. 13. 35 By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples if you love one another Saint John in his Epistles beates much upon this to love the Saints meerly because they are Saints not for their good nature or wit or parts or greatnesse or any respect but impartially because they are Saints It is a good note By these things you shall know your selves whether you be Christs Disciples or no if you be you have a title to his peace And from what you have heard that true peace for the soule in the midst of this worlds troubles is only to be found in Christ and onely that which is drawne from Christ Every Christian hath ground to bring the peace of his spirit the comming of his spirit after trouble to the touchstone that he may be able to know whether it be Christs peace or his owne I shall give you five or six notes for that 1. If it be drawne from some word of God it is true peace Thy soule hath been troubled thy spirit hath been burthened now it is quieted I pray how came your spirit off trouble what was it that helpt thy spirit out of the miry clay what didst thou close with some Gospell-promises didst thou bosome a promise and was that peace to thee this is Christs peace such a peace was Davids Psal 119. 50. This is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickened mee so v. 81. My soule fainteth for thy salvation but I hope in thy word so v. 114. Thou art my hiding place and my shield I hope in thy word so v. 147. Davids peace was drawne from the word of God from what God had spoken in reference to him in particular or at least in generall to one in such a condition Jer. 15. 16. Thy words were found and I did eat them and thy word was unto mee the joy and rejoycing of my heart Many a poore soule before me I doubt not but hath known this way of getting peace when his spirit hath beene full of trouble that he hath not known what to doe perhaps hath not been able to eat or drink or sleep through anguish of heart perhaps a Minister hath been made the sweet messenger of peace to the soule and God hath used him as an instrument to mind the soule of some promise or other which at such a time hath come into the soule as water to the thirsty ground and hath been even as an apple of gold in a picture of silver perhaps the spirit of God according to that promise Joh. 14. 26. Brings to remembrance something that Christ hath spoken some generall promise or some particular promise which proves as the balme of Gilead to the soule to heale its wounds This is a Gospell-peace a sweetly made peace a peace of Christs making in the soule according to the text 2. If thy peace ariseth from a due consideration and application of some thing in the nature of God as hee hath revealed his nature to us whether it be from Gods will or 2. from the meditation of Gods mercy and goodnesse or 3. from a meditation of Gods faithfulnesse the consideration of many things in Gods nature may command peace in a soule but especially these three are fountaines out of which the Saint drawes peace The consideration of the stroke that Gods will had in Davids affliction brought him peace Psal 39. 9. I was dumbe I opened not my mouth because I knew it was thy doing hence was Elie's peace 1 Sam. 3. 18. when his eares amongst the rest could not but tingle at Samuels news hee said It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good Hence was Hezekiah's peace when he could not but bee troubled to heare what should become of his sons and daughters 2 Kin. 20. 17 18. yet hee had peace v. 19. he said good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken Hence was those good peoples peace Acts 21. 13 14. They were troubled at Pauls departure considering what Agabus had prophesied concerning him v. 11. At last they quieted themselves and their minds stood upon this bottom v. 14. They said The will of the Lord be done now if thy peace be concluded upon this account the Lord hath sent a grievous crosse a grievous affliction upon thee and thou wert troubled but thou begannest to think why this was the will of the Lord concerning mee this is the Lords doing and upon the due meditation of this thy spirit growes quiet out of a meere submission and obedience to Gods dispensation This is true peace it was the Saints peace 2. Or perhaps it is from a due meditation of the Lords mercy and goodnesse thou hast a crosse and triall befallen thee but thou beginnest to think well yet the Lord is good to my soule yet the mercy of the Lord indureth for ever and upon this consideration thy soule hath peace this is true peace upon this account was the Churches peace Lam. 3. 21. This I recall to mind therefore have I hope It is of the Lords mercies that wee are not consumed because his compassions faile not they are new every morning c. v. 25. The Lord is good to them that wait upon him even to the soule that seeketh him c. Hence shee concludes peace in sad troubles 3. Or is it from a consideration of the nature of God in his faithfulnesse Lam. 3. 23. Great is thy faithfulnesse Thou sittest down with thy selfe and considerest why am I troubled the Lord hath promised that joy shall be to the upright of heart and that light shall arise out of darknesse to the upright and that though sorrow be for a night yet joy shall come in the morning This God is a faithfull God hee hath said it and shall hee not
doe it hee hath spoke it and shall hee not bring it to passe and upon such like considerations thy spirit begins to bee composed and to returne to its rest This is likewise a gospell-peace a true made right bred peace This was likewise something which the Church cald to mind from whence shee had peace Lam. 3. 31 32 33. The Lord will not cast off for ever though he cause griefe yet wil hee have compassion c. Shee lived upon the reversions of his love by vertue of his faithfulnesse that stood bound for the fulfilling it In short bee it from these particulars or any of the like nature if thy peace be hatched up in thy soule from a due consideration and application of the nature of God as hee hath revealed himselfe in his word it is a true Gospell peace a peace of Christs making in thy soul 3. If the peace that ariseth in thy soule ariseth from a due meditation and a believing application of any thing that Christ hath done or suffred for thee it is a true peace if it arise from a meditation of Christ dying for thee and washing thee with his bloud from Gods accepting thy soule in Christ this is true peace As suppose that thou art under some heavy burthen of spirit in respect of some outward crosses and trialls and now thou sitt'st down and thinkest well yet my sinnes are pardoned yet my soule is washed with the bloud of sprinkling yet the Lord hath accepted mee in his well-beloved why should I bee troubled this is a blessed peace Eccles 9. 7. Go thy way eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy work The Lord commands us to be at peace if we be at peace upon this account Rejoyce saith Christ that your names are written in the book of life Or if thy soule be troubled under the sense of thy sinnes and thou knowest not what to doe at last thou resolvest to cast thy selfe upon a promise to venture in upon Christ saying If I perish I perish and hence thou hast peace this is a true Gospell-peace of spirit In short if it be upon the consideration and application to thy selfe of any thing Christ hath done it is true peace Suppose thou hast some grievous affliction befallen thee thou art afflicted in thy body or in thy estate or in thy relations and this is a sad trouble to thee but now thou sittest downe and thinkest with thy selfe why should I bee thus troubled hath not Christ taken out the sting of this crosse hath it any poyson in it is it not a meere fatherly chastisement hath not Christ overcome the world and upon the due consideration of these things and believing application of such meditations thou findest a quiet secretly steale upon thy soule and thy spirit is becalmed this is a sweet peace a peace of Christ's concluding in thy soule this is according to Christ's rule Bee of good cheare I have overcome the world A fourth note by which thou mayest judge thy peace is this If it bee a peace concluded upon thy former experiences then is it a true peace such was Davids peace Psal 119. 52. I remembred thy judgements of old O Lord and I comforted my selfe David many a time made peace with his spirit this way looking over the old records of mercies and concluding confidently from the past or present mercy to the future Psal 116. 7. Returne to thy rest O my soule for God hath dealt graciously with thee If upon this account thou commandest thy soule to rest because the Lord hath dealt graciously with thee it is a signe the peace of thy spirit is right made The Psalmist whosoever hee was whether Asaph or David that composed that 77 Psal when hee could find peace no way he took this course he went and look't over the old records for it Psal 77. 11 12. It may be thou art under heavy burthens in respect of manifold corruptions or manifold temptations or in respect of some crosses and afflictions that are befallen to thee in this world or thou hast been troubled for some such thing and nothing would comfort thee But at last it came in thy mind the Lord hath delivered mee in many a strait I have seen mercy in many a judgement I have felt his upholding power many a time when I was even sinking and saying my hope is cut off from before the Lord why should I distrust him now why should not that God that hath delivered me in six troubles keep mee in the seventh also that it should not hurt me well I will trust in him c. This peace now is a true peace this is a peace of Christs making in the soul Fiftly If faith be a commissioner on thy soules part in making thy peace thou mayest then know it is a true peace Such was Davids peace Psal 27. 13. I had fainted unlesse I had believed to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living his believing kept him from faintings and settled his soule How is thy peace handed to thy soule Christian is it handed by faith is faith the Dove that thou sendest out of the Arke of thy soule when the waters of trouble are high and doth that returne with the olive branch in her mouth Open the windowes of thy soule and let it in never doubt but it is an olive branch of peace Is it a believing a trusting in the Lords providence or promise a believing a closing with God that works out thy peace feare not thy peace feare not any newes for not being good if faith brings it to thy soule faith seeth God sealing before it seales to thee Let that be a fifth note of triall I will adde but a Sixth Lastly Peace after prayer is ordinarily true peace It is not earned by prayer but it is usually a fruit that groweth upon that root and if thine be such rejoyce in it Such was Hannah's peace 1 Sam. 1. 15. 18. Hannah was a woman as shee reports her selfe of a troubled spirit shee goes and powres out her soule before the Lord and the words say her countenance was no more sad no shee had peace her prayer was answered shee had true peace Indeed any temple-peace is true peace any peace that the soule truly extracts out of ordinances is true peace David when he was so unreasonably troubled with that temptation Psal 73. of the wickeds prosperity at last hee goes into the Sanctuary there his soule was stayed Psal 73. 17. Wouldst thou know then whether thy peace be true or no whether it be Christs peace yea or no such a peace as thy soule may trust yea or no and not in thy peace have great bitternesse examine thy peace whence it came examine thy selfe how thou camest by it didst thou in trouble go and powre out thy soule before the Lord and crie mightily to him wrestle with him c. Didst thou wait upon