was a 2d which I also observed from that viz. That as there is a time when such a Soul will conceal its Love to Christ and will not be brought to own its Love to him So there is a time when it will own and acknowledge it This now would lead me to a discourse of those times when a believer is free to own and acknowledge its grace particularly its love to Christ And those times when it findeth a difficulty and will not be brought to do it But I remember I handled that point when I discoursed the forgoing words I am black but comely I shall therefore here pass it over and come to the matter of the petition or thing wherein she desireth to be instructed viz. Where he fed his flock Where he made his flocks to rest at Noon In the explication of the terms of the Text. I considered the Noon time 1. As the time when Shepherds having driven their flocks into some shady places to lye down and rest were themselves most at leisure and one might have the most private free and full communion with them with the least interruptions At other times of the day till night again comes the Shepherd must have a constant Eye upon his flock According to which sense the phrase is expressive of believing Souls desires of all occasions and opportunities when it may have the most private free and full communion with Christ with the least interruptions 2. Secondly As the time when the Sun shines out hottest So it may be understood of the Churches Noon or the Believers Noon When they were most scorched with Trials and Persecutions So there are 3 Propositions which I before observed The first of which I shall begin with Prop. That a believing Soul is very covetous of such occasions and opportunities when it may injoy the most private free and full communion with Christ with the least interruptions Whiles the Shepherd is driving his flock to their pastures he is in motion one may exchange some few words with him but he cannot have much serious discourse with him when he cometh to his feeding place still his Eye must be after his flock which in their feeding may be prone to straggle but at Noon when his flocks are in the shadow that is the fairest opportunity of converse with the Shepherd It is true it is the infirmity of our humane natures that we cannot at the same time duly attend two different things God is not under the Law of it God cannot be so taken up with one business of providence as to neglect another because of it But while Christ is set out to us under imperfect and infirm comparisons he is set out as one compassed about with our infirmities And certain it is that our communion with him in this life admitteth of many interruptions on our part and there are times and places wherein a good Christian may and doth injoy a more perfect free and full communion with his God then he doth or can do at other times and places The Spouse here desireth to know the times places and opportunities of most free full and perfect communion with God and this I say is the object of every believing Souls desire As to times of this nature they are easily discerned by considering what those things are which most interrupt and hinder our communion with God those are either 1. Worldly cares businesses and distractions or 2. Temptations whether from the stirrings of lusts in our own heart for every man saith James is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed Or from his Grand adversary the Devil So that times of freest communion with God are times when we are likely to be most free from the incumbrances of the World or the â—â—â—lestations of our own lusts or Satans Suggestions As to the two latter there are indeed no times as to which which we can promise our selves an absolute immunity As to the former there are two times The morning or the night season 2. The Sabbath day 1. The morning or night season That is a time for rest and when the greatest part of the World are at their natural rest hence you shall observe that the Servants of God have often made choice of these times for their more private and free communion with God Psal 5. 3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning in the morning will I direct my Prayer unto thee and will look up Psal 59. 16. I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning Psal 63. 1. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee v. 6. When I remember thee on my bed and meditate on the in the night watches Times of least business in the World and greatest silence from the noises businesses of the World are the times for freest communion with God not that God is not as ready to hear our Prayers and to communicate himself at other times but because the Souls of Gods People are not so free in themselves for whereas the life of our communion with God lyeth in the attention of our thoughts and fervency of our Spirits And the latter of these hath also a great dependence on the former it is impossible for us to keep our thoughts so intent upon our duty when the noises and businesses of the World distract us as when we have nothing of that nature from the World to disturb or divert us 2. The Sabbath day is likewise such another time and so are other times which we have voluntarily set apart for the Solemn seeking of God but the former especially For tho the Law of the Lord for the Sanctification of the Sabbath hath not such an influence upon the World as were highly to be desired yet in the places especially where we live it hath some influence so that the most of men and women cease from all servile labour and there is a great silence in the World that day in comparison of other days and that law taketh a great hold upon the hearts of all such as truly fear God so as none of them durst ingage themselves in wordly businesses as on other dayes and tho this be not the case as to such solemn days as Christians set apart for religious duties yet we having laid our selves under a private law tho the time at first was our own and we needed not to have dedicated it to the Lord yet having done it we think our selves justly to be more ingaged and concerned to lay the World out of our sight and thoughts and and this doubtless much commendeth the practice of Christians in setting some times of this nature apart for the solemn service of God As to places under the Gospel we have no such place as the Temple at Hierusalem none to which any such promise is made our Rule is Every where to Worship the Father Every where to list up pure hands But yet though there be no particular place concerning which we
with reference to the Levitical rites Christ speaketh to Peter Joh. 13. much in the same dialect Except I wash thee thou canst have no part in me But the meaning is pardon me remove the guilt of my sin from me but is this enough for this holy Man Is this all that he asketh of God No v. 8. Make me to hear the voice of Joy and Gladness that the Bones which thou hast broken may rejoice There he prayeth for Consolatory Grace Well will this yet satisfie the thirst of this holy Man No he must also have a renewed Heart a right Spirit The Spirit of God resting upon him dwelling abiding in him A right Heart as well as a righteous Heart v. 10. Create in me a clean Heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me v. 11 12. Take not thy holy Spirit from me Uphold me with thy free Spirit He must not only be set right in Gods way but he must be kept right and upheld in it Look upon him in that 119 Psalm Psal 119. 28. Strengthen me according to thy Word The Lord had given him the Pardon of his Sin he had given him Wisdom so as he tells us in that Psalm he was become wiser than his Teachers God had sanctified Affliction to him so as by it he had learned to keep Gods Statutes The Lord had given him an heart to love his Law to make it his Meditation night and day yet he cries Strengthen me O Lord And again v. 25. Quicken me in thy way Quicken me after thy Loving-kindness v. 4. O Quicken me in thy Righteousness Hath he enough yet No one thing he yet wants v. 42. Mine Eyes fail for thy Word when wilt thou comfort me There is hardly any Dispensation of Grace which we do not find David in that Psalm pleading with God for This one instance of David is enough to shew you the temper of every Soul which hath but once tasted how good the Lord is Nor indeed can it be otherwise If we consider the Beauty and excellency which appeareth to such a Soul in every Dispensation of Grace The Spouse saith of Christ in another part of this Song He is altogether lovely There is no part of Christ which is not in itself lovely he is the brightness of his Fathers Glory the fulness of the God Head dwells in him bodily As every Beam of the Sun every Emanation of that Body of Light is lovely to him whose Eyes are open to discern it So every Beam of the Sun of Righteousness every Emanation of his Love must necessarily be lovely to the Soul that hath its senses exercised to discern betwixt good and evil All Beauty is attractive whatsoever appeareth to our Souls lovely and beautiful appeareth also desirable But this is not all though Beauty and Comeliness be attractive and allures our Souls into an earnest desire after it yet profit is more Secondly There is no Dispensation of Divine Grace but suiteth some great want of the Soul It is the same Reason that I gave you why the least of Christ is so pretious Because the least of his Grace is suited to some great want of our Souls What I there applied to the least of his Love I here apply to the varieties of his gracious dispensations and indeed reasonably for there would be no variety in grace if there were not a variety of defects and wants and emptinesses in our Souls that which distinguisheth divine grace is our various wants and necessities and we can as naturally not desire a supply for our own discerned defects and wants as we cannot desire various emanations of divine love suited to the supply of them Nature prompteth us to desire a supply for every craving of our Souls The Soul is sensible that it daily sinneth and cannot but desire pardoning grace and say unto God every day Forgive us our debts it is sensible that it wants purity and holiness and therefore cannot but desire a right Spirit Its wants are many and it therefore desireth various dispensations of grace to supply them they are daily renewing therefore it desires repeated acts of grace to be renewed also A third reason lyeth in the Concatenation of grace The Philosopher saith Virtutes sunt Concatenatae that all vertues are chained together and no man is truly virtuous but hath in him the habits of all Virtue they make Virtue to lie in the reduction of the whole Soul to the rule guidance and conduct of reason I am sure Gratiae sunt concatenatae the Graces of Gods Spirit are like Pearl stringed together and that upon a double account 1. With respect to themselves 2. With respect to our sense and apprehension Pardoning grace never goeth without renewing and regenerating grace God never saith to any Soul Thy Sins are forgiven but he addeth sin no more The Grace of Consolation never goeth without the Grace of Sanctification The Grace of Regeneration is alwaies attended with some degrees of that Grace which strengtheneth and quickneth the Soul unto its Spiritual work and duty 2. As to our sense of it The Grace of God being as I have before said nothing else but the Love of God freely shining upon us with respect to our several circumstances and diversified wants the Soul is prone from the want of a supply as to one thing to suspect its want of all Hence it is that it suspecteth the want of the love of God in the whole from its sense of the want of it in part Indeed this oft-times is the error of a Soul that is truly gracious from it s not distinguishing betwixt those things that are necessary to Eternal life and Salvation and those influences that are meerly accommodating and tending to the better being of the spiritual life the dispensations of which are not meerly directed from the divine love but from the divine wisdom and sometimes are with-held from the wisdom of God by which he directeth his own motions to their ends Hence as Gideon when the Angel came to him and said The Lord is with thee O thou mighty man of valour replyed If the Lord be with us why am I thus So the Soul thirsting after the love of God if any go about to persuade it under its sadness and dejections under the sense of its weakness as to spiritual duties or dulness and heaviness in the performance of them that yet the love of God is toward it it hath a truth of Grace it cries out If God loved me why am I thus I am weak why am I not strengthened or my Soul is dull and dead and heavy why am I not quickned Or I am sad and dejected if God loved me why am I not comforted The Soul of a believer is apt to conceive that because Love is one in God therefore it 〈…〉 be a sharer in his love while it wants any one aspect of it 〈◊〉 might suite its spiritual wants Another reason may be the possibility
us to be reconciled unto God If the Lord had only sent to us to give us warning of a wrath to come and timely notice to flee from it leaving us meerly to our own wills whether we would hear or forbear accept or refuse This had been love above the usual mercy of men who do not usually spend much time in treating and intreating those enemies whom they can easily crush and tread under foot Yet had God done no more for our Souls though in this he had shewed great love yet we through the natural stubborness and perverseness of our hearts had been undone for ever How many are in a high Road to ruine and eternal destruction whom God hath been thus intreating and beseeching many years 2. But now that the Lord should not only do this but put forth an act of power though not saving them against their wills yet making them willing to be saved and in order to it not verbally but really willing to receive Christ as tendred to them in the Gospel so as not only to be saved by him but to submit to those Laws and Rules in the observance of which they shall obtain Salvation and not only so but that God should assist the Soul in the performance of these acts not only giving it to will but to do also This certainly must transcendently commend the love and goodness of God to those Souls that have experienced such grace That God doth not so much for all speaks indeed severity to them but that he doth it for any speaks his unspeakable goodness and good will to their Souls I say that he doth not this for all speaks to them severity but yet justice and that not only in regard of that stock of sufficient grace wherewith our Pro-parent was intrusted which being lost God is under no obligation to restore but also in regard that God never denieth his special Grace until the Soul hath abused his common Grace 3. Nay lastly That the Lord should take care of our Souls after that we are once brought to Christ that he should put his fear into our hearts to keep us from departing from him and never depart from us to do us good that drawing Grace should follow us all the days of our life This certainly is the heighth of Divine Love more than this God could not have done for any Soul those for whom he hath done this must be highly beloved What now is left for such a Soul to do but to strive after perfection to live in a constant eying this All-sufficient God this Fountain of all Fulness and living in dependance upon him To live in a continual thanksgiving to and love for that God who hath dealt thus graciously with it and in a daily care not to grieve that holy Spirit by which it was first drawn to Christ and by which it is sealed to the day of Redemption and guided and kept that it doth not slip fatally O love you the Lord all ye his Saints Let drawing Grace find no renitency no resistance from any of your Souls God hath done for you more than others what will you do for God nay what can you do for that God who hath not only called but pluckt you out of the horrible Pit Take the Cup of Salvation and be for ever praising the Lord. Again we may from hence learn though not the proximate yet a true and remoter cause why the Gospel is preached to many so ineffectually Our Saviour tells us Many are called but few are chosen Isaiah cried out Who hath believed our report to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed Paul in his Preaching was to some the savour of life unto life to others the savour of death unto death When Christ himself Preached some believed others were hardened Whence so great a difference when the Word was the same the Preachers the same both to those that believed to those who were hardened They had all reasonable Souls those Souls had all the same powers the same faculties I mean powers and faculties that had the same virtues We see the same in the experience of every day Indeed there may be some Preaching that may bear no better proportion to the instruction of the ignorant or the conviction of a sinner and turning him from his sinful courses than the Clay and Spittle had to cure the blind man's eyes from which no such effect could have flowed but by a miracle but where there is the same Scriptural spiritual lively powerful Preaching we see this effect Two sit in the same seat one's heart is changed the other 's is not one goes on in his leud courses and perisheth for ever the other is converted his heart changed whence is this difference Is it from him that willeth or him that runneth think you or from him that calleth from him that sheweth mercy because and on whom he will shew mercy We will grant that the one doth not make that use of God's common Grace which he might and therefore the Lord righteously with-holds his special Grace But could not the Lord if he pleased influence the one Soul as well as the other to make a good use of his common Grace Hath God think we no influence upon men inclining their hearts to make a due use of his common Grace When men have said what they can the conversion of every Soul is the effect of the Lord 's drawing and when the Lord doth not draw the Soul doth not cannot come or run The natural man hath many things which draw him another way and God is not pleased to put forth his power upon the Soul Indeed properly nothing but our own lusts draw us another way but our natural passions are inflamed several waies You have an instance of the principal of them in the Parable of the Marriage-Feast which the King made for his Son recorded by Luke c. 14. 18 19 20. Matth. 22. v. 5 c. A certain great man Matthew calls him a King made a great Supper Matthew calls it a Marriage for his Son he bade many saith Luke he sent forth his Servants to call them that were bidden to the Wedding saith Matthew They would not come saith Matthew They all with one consent began saith Luke to make excuse They were invited by potent Arguments I have prepared my Dinner my Oxen and my Fatlings are killed and all things are ready come you to the Marriage Matth. 22. 4. In general it is said They would not come they made light of it they made excuse What drew them another way Lu. 14. 18. The first said I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it I pray thee have me excused And another said I have bought five yoke of Oxen and I go to prove them And another said I have married a Wife and therefore I cannot come who is this King Even the King of Kings the Lord of Lords who is his Son but the Lord
admiration Now as we cannot remember any thing but we must think upon it so the remembrance of any object maketh way for further meditation upon it the Spouse promising to remember Christ's Loves promiseth not only the revival of them in her thoughts but the seeding of her thoughts with them the fixing of her heart upon them 3. It implieth suitable affections the exciting of such inward affections in the Soul as the remembrance of so sweet and obliging objects are proper to excite Such as love to God further thirstings and breathings after God a suitable hope and confidence in God Vnbelief in Scripture is called a not remembring because forgetfulness is one cause of unbelief Psal 78. 42. v. 41. They turned back and tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel there was their unbelief v. 42. they remembred not his hand nor the day when he delivered them from the Enemy So Mat. 16. 9 10. Christ calls his Disciples men of little faith for reasoning with themselves because they had brought no bread in a distrust of his power and goodness in providing for them v. 9. 10. Do you not understand nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many Baskets full you took up Our Saviour there chargeth their unbelief upon their not remembring the former works of God No man doth rightly remember the loves of Christ but he who is suitably affected with them and whose Soul moves toward God as one that remembreth his love 4. Lastly Remembring implyeth a suitable practice Thus it is often used in Holy Writ Remember thy Creator in the days of thy Youth is the same with Serve and Obey thy Creator and Remember to keep holy the sabbath-Sabbath-day is the same with be diligent and make it thy businesâ— to sanctify the sabbath-Sabbath-day So then the sense of the Proposition is plainly this Those Souls which have once tasted how good the Lord is and have had any experiences of his special saving grace will and ought to be careful to preserve the savour of it upon their hearts to think and medâ—tate upon them to be suitably affected toward God according to the nature and degrees of them and accordingly to manage their conversations that men may see that they value them above all the pleasures and profits of this world Thus did Asaph Psal 77. v. 10. I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high I will remember the works of the Lord surely I will remember thy wonders of old I will meditate also of thy works and talk of all thy wondrous doings these were the ancient works of God in kindness to his people as you will find v. 14. 15 16. My mouth saith David Psal 63. 6. shall praise thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon my Bed and meditate on thee in the night watches because thou hast been my help So Psal 143. 5. I remember the days of old I meditate on all thy works I muse on the work of thy hands You will find the people of God in Holy Writ much in these resolutions to remember the works of God 1. There is great reason for our remembrance of the loves of Christ more then Wine 1. Because they really are much better than Wine Every mans Soul doth naturally desire good good and evil are the two things which make impressions upon the mind of man evil leaves an impression of fear and sorrow and anger Good makes an impression of love joy delight and as are the degrees of the one and the other so are the impressions made by them Great evils make deep furrows in our Souls and leave great impressions upon our minds minute evils leave lesser impressions so things that are good in the highest degree leave impressions of joy and delight suitable to the nature of that good which is in them The manifestations of the love of Christ to the Soul are the greatest goods and therefore should make the greatest impressions upon us They are goods not suited to the Souls irregular passions but to its greatest wants Health peace success in business are things we call good but their goodness lieth only in a suitableness they have to the wants of our outward man what are any of these things to the Soul the loves of Christ are suited to the wants of the Soul and that not only considered as a reasonable being so knowledge and learning are also suited to the Souls wants and all improvements of reason or means in order to it but to the wants of the Soul considered as an immortal being capable of an eternal happiness Nothing more becomes a reasonable Soul then to put a due rate and value upon things and to prefer what is truly preferrible 2. This is one great reason of the Lords works That he might be remembred for and by them God indeed in his gracious influences aims at the supply of the Soul as to what it needeth but he hath an higher end then this viz. his own glory the glory of his goodness truth and faithfulness Psal 111. 4. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembred It is a complement we sometimeâ— use with our Friends when we make them presents and give them gifts we say we do it that they might have something to remember us by God in the dispensations of his grace and mercy is often in Scripture said to remember his Covenant his word his holy promise and he expecteth that when we receive any such favours we should remember his loves and remember our Covenants and Vows so as that Mâ—n or Woman that doth not remember the loves of Christ doth not answer Gods ends in the manifestations of his love to us nor the expectation which God upon that account hath upon us I shall apply this discourse 1. By reflecting upon the most of Christians for their not living up to this duty 2. By persuading to the revived practice of it Do the most of Christians such I mean as are so called remember the loves of Christ more then Wine What means â—hen the most of peoples never looking after a particular share or interest in them The love of Christ considered in itself is nothing else but his good will to the Children of Men this was evidenced in his not taking upon him the nature of Angels but the nature of the Seed of Abraham in his dying upon the Cross for us the publication of his Gospel to us the committing of the word of reconciliation to his Ministers who are sent out as the Ambassadours of Christ intreating men to be reconciled unto God Do men remember this love more then Wine who reject this counsel of God for their salvation who trample this blood under foot and do despight to the covenant of Grace and all this for what comes under no better notion than this of Wine either things pleasant or things profitable either the satisfaction of their lusts or the filling of their Coffers The world
or despise me for it it is no native blackness it is but accidental to me it is not internal but external that which makes me thus black in your Eyes is those Affl ctions persecutions which I have met with in and from the world The exceeding heat of that sornace of affliction into which the Providence of God hath cast me hath scorched me and that is it which maketh me appear so black in your Eyes It followeth My Mothers Children were angry with me The Chaldee Paraphrast all along taking the Church of the Jews to be the Spouse here mentioned by Mothers Children here understands the Heathen who were the Children of her mother Eve tempting and seducing them to their Idolatryes The thing is true of that Church very often by the Heathen seduced to their Idolatrys but I find amongst Interpreters two other senses much more large and probable 1. Some by Mothers Children understand those lâ—sts and Corruptions which lye in the womb of our Souls Together with the habits of grace Thus Paul complaineth of the flesh lusting against the Spirit and of a law in his mâ—mbers rebelling against the law of his mind 2. others more probably understand such as are presumptive members of the same visible Church The true members of the Church can be no others then such as are ordained unto Life such as are truly Sanctified through the Sanctification of the Spirit But there are many others who from their external profession are presumptive members of it so may be called our Mothers Children tho not the Children of our Heavenly Father such are all false brethren all hypocrites glorying in an External profession and meer outward appearance Such as these are ordinarily angry with such as are the true Spouse of Christ David complained long since that he was become a stranger to his brethren an alien to his Mothers Children the Apostle Acts 20. 30. foretelleth to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus that there should arise of themselves men speaking perverse things to draw many disciples after them you may read at large in the Epistles to the Romans Corinthians Galatians how the primitive Churches of Christ were troubled with them and Paul in his Epistles to Timothy foretells that latter times should be more troubled with such as should resist the truth as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses It was Bernards Observation long since more lately noted by Genebrard upon my text that she doth not call them Brethren but only her Mothers Children not her Fathers for they were of their Father the Devil his works they did Many such there now are will be in the Church to the End of the World who have only a titular relation to Christ no real relation This now is a Second cause which the Spouse assigneth of her blackness There were many false brethren in her communion who had falsely represented and reported her and made her appear far more unlovely in the sight of others than indeed she was this I take to be the most proper sense of this phrase They made me the keeper of the Vineyards The Chaldee Paraphrast by the Vineyards here understands the Idolatry and Superstition of the Heathen to which the true members of the Jewish Church were tempted by the Heathen their Neighbours and the false brethren they had amongst themselves Hypocrites and formal professors are very prone to admit the Superstitions of men in the Worship of God The Pharisees in our Saviours time laid heavy burdens of humane traditions upon others Mat. 23. 4. Into this sense Mercer and Ainsworth interpret the text observing that it is their Vineyards their Vineyards opposed to her own Vineyard seems to imply the false Worship Rites and Ceremonies of dâ—bauched and apostatized Churches There is yet another sense of the words hinted by Delrio and Genebrard It is this They intangled me in secular affairs so made me neglect the things which were Spiritual and of much higher concernment to me This now is a third cause which the Spouse assigneth of her blackness 1. She had before told us she was Scorched with afflictions and persecutions The Sun had looked upon her 2. She had been betrayed by her own lusts and by false brethren and seduced her to intertain their corruptions to keep their Vineyards now she tells us That her secular diversions did also much contribute to her darkness she had been made to serve in the brick-kilns of the world Keeping of Vineyards was a great deal of the labour of those Countrys a painful and laborious imployment therefore you read 2 Kings 25. 12. upon the King of Babylons conquest of Judea that the Captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be Vine-dressers husbandmen those who in the parable had been labouring in the Vineyard tell the Lord of the Vineyard they had born the burden and heat of the day My own Vineyard I have not kept Here now the Spouse assigneth a fourth cause of her blackness The question here is what is meant by her own Vineyard It is manifestly to be understood of something which the Lord had committed to her to keep considering the Church as the Spouse The Oracles of God were committed to the Church of the Jews as the Apostle telleth us Rom. 3. 2. and the Church is called The pillar and ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. Paul tell us 1 Tim. 1. 11. that the glorious Gospel of the blessed God was committed to his trust and telleth Timothy the Ministry was committed to his trust St. Paul calls it his Gospel upon this account Rom. 26. 25. and saith they were put in trust with the Gospel that is the Custody and Ministration of it And St. Paul commandeth Timothy to commit the things which he had heard of him amongst many witnesses to faithful men who should be able to teach others That general term of the Gospel signifieth both the Propositions of the Truth and Doctrine of Faith contained in the new Testament and also those excellent rules which are to be found in it relating both to the Worship of God and the Government of the Church of Christ the dispensation and administration of it This Gospel as to the Ministration of it was by Christ committed first to the Apostles to be by them transmitted to faithful and able men as to the keeping of it to the whole Church The Church of Sardis Rev. 3. 8. is commended for keeping Christs word and not denying his name This undoubtedly is the Churches Vineyard The Province which God hath betrusted to her to keep But every particular Soul hath a Vineyard too And what is its Vineyard but its immortal Soul and the particular trust which God hath committed to it with relation both to its self and others What is the keeping of this Vineyard but a Christians observance of the duties incumbent upon him with reference to his more general or more particular calling So that understanding by the
many that bend their bows for lies Papists are full of courage and mettal for an idolatrous worship wicked men are full of malice courage to accuse inform against and to destroy the People of God but who is on the Lords side Who Where is the courage of Christians for the truths the waies the Ordinances of God They dare not appear for God but seek all waies to hide and cover themselves and to withdraw themselves from the Lords battels They are not like the warlike horse God speaketh of to Job that saith amongst the Trumpets Ha Ha that mocketh at fear is not affrighted and turneth not his back from the Sword It is time for some to shew themselves valiant for God for the truths and Ordinances of God We are afraid that true Religion is almost at its last Gaspe in our times Where is the Spirit of the Lord God of Elijah The Spirit of those Antient Worthies that noble Army of Martyrs that loved not their lives unto Death but witnessed a good confession they transmitted the true Religion to us sealed with their blood the Spirits of Christians do not appear as if we were like to add many such seals to it and pass it also under our Seal to the generation which is like to succeed us Let this a little move us 2. Consider how necessary a grace it is for the times in which we live The whole Life of a Christian upon the Earth is such a warfare such a warring with Principalities and Powers and the Rulers of the Darkness of this World against spiritual wickedness in high places that he had need be called to at all times to put on the whole Armour of God that he may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devil to withstand and when he hath done all to stand But the times wherein we live seem to have a particular malignity against Religion and Godliness above the times we have seen or the daies of our Forefathers The Devil is come down with a great rage we had need of courage and of patience The Casuists trouble their Readers with many Questions in order to the Solution of this one Question When a Christian is obliged to make an explicit Confession of his Faith and to declare what he is and what he will stand to and abide by They agree generally that he is bound to do it where the glory of God is eminently concerned 2. Or where the good of others is in eminent hazard There are certainly two times when the glory of God is eminently concerned in Christians appearing for him 1. When his Truths and Ordinances are like to be trodden under foot 2. When the Name and Things of God are eminently blasphemed I beseech you consider whether these be not times of great reproach and blasphemy were ever the Truths of God more opposed was ever the holy Name of God to that degree blasphemed was there ever a greater rage against Religion and Godliness Is it not now time for Christians to buckle on their Armour to quit themselves like men to arm themselves with courage to shew themselves like a company of Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots Horses that will not be afraid like Grashoppers Horses that paw in the Valley and rejoyce in their strength and go on to meet the armed men 3. Consider That Christ hath made you like the Horses in Pharaoh 's Chariots I will open this in two things 1. He hath put of his strength into you The wise man saith The Horse is prepared for the day of Battel he is prepared by Nature by a great natural Spirit which God hath given him and he is prepared by Art and Managery God hath prepared every Christian for this Spiritual battel by giving him a New Nature We use to say That if the Horse knew its own strength it would be too hard for the Rider God in mercy to man hath hidden the Horses strength from him God in judgment hath hidden Christians strength from them in these sinful times The Church hath a strength in it such a strength as the Gates of Hell cannot prevail against Believers have a strength in and with them if they would but put it forth prisons torments fires in former times could not prevail against them How hath God in these sinful times hidden the wisdom of the wise and the prudence of the prudent and the strength of the strong men from them What a strength was there in Luther when Melancthon was afraid they should perish in their appearing for the Cause of God and he made answer Esto ruamus ruet Christus una Christus magnus ille regnator mundi mallem cum Christo ruere quam cum Caesare stare Be it so saith he Let us perish Christ must perish with us Christ that great Ruler of the World I had rather fall with Christ than stand with Caesar The Horse is not afraid of an Army of armed men he goeth on to meet the armed men he mocketh at fear he is not affrighted he turneth not his back from the Sword he feareth not the rattling of the Quiver nor the glittering of the Spear and the Shield he swalloweth up the ground with fierceness and rage neither believeth he that it is the sound of the Trumpet Christ hath made his People like to these Horses only the strength of the Horse is natural the Believers strength is spiritual Why are we afraid 2. The Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots had doubtless some Armour to protect them and preserve them However he that governed the Chariot took a care of them Thus also were the Horses prepared for the Battel by Art as well as by Nature Thus are Christians also prepared there is an Armour of God prepared for them which they are to put on And Christ who governeth his own Chariot his Church will take care of them Psal 46 5. God is in the midst of the Church therefore it shall not fall Isa 27. 3. I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment last any hurt it I will keep it night and day Psal 125. 2. As the Mountains are round about Hierusalem so the Lord is round about his People He will create a defence upon their glory a cloud and a smoak and a flaming fire upon her Assemblies a Tabernacle a place of Refuge a cover from the storm and from Rain Isa 4. 4 5. 4. And lastly Christ expecteth this from you Thus much methinks is signified to us by the phrase I have compared thee to a company of Horses in Pharaoh 's Chariots The Prince expects that his War-horses should serve him in the day of Battel that they should not be afraid of armed men of Drums or Trumpets c. It is the service we have to do for Christ in the use of the habits of his grace bestowed upon us and in thankfulness for all the goodness he hath shewed us in more calm and quiet times That Christian ill requiteth the Lord for
the consideration of the Matter and Scope I begin with the first of these 1 Prop. The Book of Canticles was Solomon's This is so plainly asserted in the Hebrew Text where this is the first verse that it cannot well be denied without the denial of the other matter contained in it the only ground of scruple is because of the particle ל prefixed in the Original which is oft a note of the Dative or Accusative Case as if it were rather dedicated to Solomon then written by him But to clear this we need not Christopolitanus his fancy that it is to shew us that Solomon here sang not of himself but to the true Solomon Jesus Christ nor yet Delrio's fancy that it signifies as much as secundum The Song of Songs according to Solomon as we say that the Gospel according to Matthew which was wrote by Matthew for the instances in the Titles of Davids Psalms are sufficient to evidence the Grammar good enough in making ל a note of the Genitive Case sometimes Taking that therefore upon the Credit of the Hebrew Text. Let us more particularly enquire 1. Who this Solomon was 2. At what time he wrote this Sacred Book and what probably gave him the occasion of it Solomon was the Son of David the King of Israel The Son of David by Bathsheba the Wife of Uriah born in Hierusalem 2 Sam. 5. 14. So named by his Father David 2 Sam 12. 24. at his Birth it is said The Lord loved him Upon which v. 25. David sent by Nathan and called his name Jedidiah i. e. beloved of God Abulensis thinks it was not his proper name nor was he afterward that we read of called by it Solomon signifies Peaceable he was so named before he was born by Nathan 1 Chron. 22. 9. and that with respect to the peace and quietness of Israel in his days God there Covenanted with David for him that he should be his Son and that he would be a Father to him and the Covenant recorded Psal 89. made with David had a special relation unto him v. 25. 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34. He succeeded his Father in the Kingdom by his Fathers appointment 1 Kings 1. 32. and reigned with such an affluence of Divine Blessings as none might compare with him He loved the Lord 1 Kings 3. 3. and walked in the Statutes of his Father God in Gibeon appeared to him saying Ask what shall I give thee v. 9. He asks a wise and understanding heart to judge his people and to discern good and bad asunder which saying so pleased the Lord that the Lord not only granted what he asked v. 10. 11 12 13. but also riches and honour so as there was none like unto him all his days He builded the Temple and the Lord again graciously appears to him upon his Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings ch 9. The Queen of Sheba came to admire his wisdom for he exceeded all the Kings of the Earth in Riches and Honour 1 Kings 10. 23. Now of this Solomon it is said That he loved many strange Women together with the Daughter of Pharaoh Women of the Moabites Ammonites Edomites Sidonians and Hitties c. and v. 6. They turned away his heart from God when he was old and v. 5. he went after Ashtaroth and Milcom and built high places for Chemosh and for Molech v. 7. And here ariseth a Question to which it is reasonable that I should speake something in this place because this Song is judged to relate much to that action of Solomons life Qu. Whether Solomon sinned in marrying of Pharaoh's Daughter or whether that first match of his was lawful Theodoret and Suidas conclude that he did sin and prove it from 1 Kings 11. 1. where this Marriage of his together with his later Marriages with the Daughters of the Canaaâ—etes seem to be condemned besides that the law of God seems to have been against all such Marriages Deut. 7. 3. and Ezra ch 9. 1. reckons it up as the sin of the people that they had taken to wife the Daughters of the Egyptians c. Bellarmine Cajetan Soto Abulensis and others think That he did not sin in this Marriage to prove which they produce 1 Kings 3. 1. where Solomons making affinity with Pharaoh and taking of his Daughter is mentioned and afterward v. 3. it is said Solomon loved the Lord I walked in the Statutes of David his Father Certain it is allowing no transpositions after this God made his signal appearances to him in Gibeon and upon the dedication of the Temple Besides they urge the Friendship between David and the King of Egypt and the probability of Davids contracting this Marriage for his Son before his death They further say that the Law Deut. 7. 3. did not simply and universally forbid Marriages with the Daughters of Idolaters Joseph Married Potiphar's Daughter Gen. 41. 45. Moses Married Jethru's Daughter Exo. 2. 1. Boaz Married Ruth a Moabitess Ruth 2. and Sampson a Daughter of the Philistines and David the King of Geshurt's Daughter 2 Sam. 3. 2. And there was a particular law directing the formality of such Marriages when any were taken captive Deut. 21. 10 11. Besides there are that observe a wonderful councel of God in it both to reconcile these two contiguous Nations in a politick alliance and also in regard that Solomon was to be a Type of Christ who was to reconcile Jews and Gentiles unto God Others think that the Law Deut. 7. only respected the Canaanites Daughters who by Gods command were to be blotted out but that is of no value for Deut. 21. 10 11. they might marry Captives They therefore think that he sinned not in his marriage of her but 1. In his multiplying of Wives expresly contrary to the Law 2. In his excessive love to and fondness of her 3. In his following her to Apostacy I think Pineda's opinion is truest That it was not by any law given to the Jews simply forbidden to marry the Daughter of an Idolater provided that she was first proselyted to the Jewish Religion which was the term which you know the Sons of Jacob put upon Hamor in the case of Dinah viz. That his People should be Circumcised Thus some of the Jewish Rabbies interpret those precepts Deut. 7. 3. and Exod. 23. 3. Thus the precept Deut. 21. 10 11. is easily reconcilable to that Deut. 7. 3. Hence it is very probably concluded that Pharaohs Daughter upon her marriage subjected herself to the Jewish Religion and that of the Psalmist Psal 44. 10. favours this opinion Forget also thine own people and thy Fathers House so shall the King desire thy beauty Hence we conclude that Solomons marriage with Pharaohs Daughter was lawful and contracted by him in his best state in the beginning of his Reign but it afterwards proved inexpedient we read nothing of Solomons defection nor the ill influence of this match till he was
c. and it proceeds from Christ as the great testimony of his love nor indeed doth Christ otherwise testify his special love than by the influences of his Spirit but I cannot tell why we should restrain it to the particular dispensation in the days of Pentecost I think Piscator expresseth the sense well by suum erga me amorem patefaciat let him manifest to me his love let me know that he loveth me yet supposing it the Reconciled Believing Soul that speaks it seems rather to be understood of further grace than the first grace of regeneration and reconciliation unto God the desire seems to be a desire of free familiar communion with Christ This seems to be the main of her request the great sum of her desires the uppermost of her Souls concernments But observe yet further She begs but a kiss not let him imbrace me but let him kiss me She asketh modestly if saith the woman in the Gospel I might but touch the Hem of his Garment Thus the woman of Canaan also Truth Lord but the Dogs eat the crums Thus the Spouse If he would but kiss me Oh! how precious is the least of Christ to a gracious Soul It is better to be kissed by him than to lie in the worlds arms to be a Door-keeper in the House of God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness But thirdly The word is plural One kiss will not serve the turn she is not a stranger but a Spouse The plural number either imports 1. Various dispensations of Grace Or 2dly Repeated influences of the same Grace 1. It may be understood as denoting various dispensations of Grace Beza saith the Lord kissed the Soul thrice 1. In this life when he is by faith united to it 2. In the day of death when the Soul is taken up into the enjoyment of God 3. In the Resurrection when Body and Soul shall be united and together glorified Another reckons up 7 kisses with which the Lord kisseth his Peoples Souls The Grace of 1. Incarnation 2. The descending of the Holy Ghost 3. The preaching of the Gospel 4. Reconciliation to God 5. Sanctification 6. Divine Consolations 7. The kiss of Glory And the same Author makes the Spouses petition comprehensive of all these certain it is there are various dispensations of Grace there is quickning strengthening comforting Grace and there may be frequent repetitions of these to the Soul according to its particular wants and Gods favour towards it and you may indifferently understand the Text in either sense Fourthly The Spouse here doth not only desire kisses but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the kisses of Christs mouth concerning which observe these 2 things 1. The kiss of the mouth was the highest kiss This was the kiss of Love the kiss of Reconciliation Osculum pacis the kiss of the Hand Feet c. was a kiss of honour and reverence and subjection the kiss of the mouth was the kiss of love and friendship of peace and reconciliation 2. I find most Interpreters hinting by this expression something yet more special viz. Communion with Christ in his word The word indeed is the fruit of the lips and cometh out of the mouth and God may seem in some propriety of speech to kiss the Soul with the kisses of his mouth when he speaks to it in his word The Lord will speak peace to his people saith the Psalmist and I create the fruit of the lips peace peace saith the Lord by his Prophet Isaiah some expositors to further this notion have observed that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies sometimes to instruct but I cannot find that usage of it in holy writ Grace is poured forth upon Christs lips she desires those kisses some drive the notion higher observing the difference between the Doctrine of the Law and that of the Gospel the first is terrible the second sweet and comfortable holding forth nothing but the love of God in Jesus Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their sins hence the Gospel is called The word of reconciliation Lastly She saith Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth She desires not only to hear the Doctrine of the gospel but that Christ should speak it to her The Preacher speaks to the Ear Christ to the heart Quoties ergo in corde nostro quod de divinis dogmatibus sensibusque quaerimus absque monitoribers invenimus toties oscula nobis á Sponso esse data verbo Dei credimus saith Origen so often as we find God by his word Speaking to our hearts so often doth our beloved kiss us with the kisses of his mouth This is sufficient to have spoken for the Explication of the matter of the Text. There onely remains something more circumstantial to be observed The words are Vox Sponsae The Voice of the Spouse According to the civil usage of our Country and I think most others the Lover speaks first Here the Spouse begins It is so betwixt God and the soul Christ speaks first He is found of those that seek him not and of those that enquire not after him He first loves us and our Love to him proceedeth from his Love first manifested to us But you must not understand her that speaks as one that is a stranger and in a state of disunion with her beloved but as one that is already espoused and made a Spiritual Bride not desiring first grace but further grace which she needeth as well as the first grace for he giveth both to will and to do he is both the author and the finisher of faith and other grace Secondly The words are Vox Volentis The Language of a willing Soul Willing that Christ should come near unto it and take it up into fellowship and communion with himself God's people are a willing people They are indeed made so by a divine power Psal 101. 2. But Certum est nos velle cum volumus saith Aug. It is God who makes us of unwilling Willing When he hath had his first work upon our wills and subdued that strong hold unto himself Then we are willing Nay more Thirdly They are Vox cupientis The voice of a panting Soul not barely content that Christ should kiss it but passionately desiring his kisses They are as much as Oh! that he would kiss me Every gracious Soul passionately desireth fellowship and Communion with Jesus Christ Oh! saith holy David when wilt thou come to me Neither is this all the words are not onely to be considered as a good wish or passionate desire but as a fervent prayer Lastly therefore they are Vox supplicantis the Language of a praying soul where observe What she beggs Not riches not honour not pleasures not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not the good things of fortune but the riches of grace her Petition is like that of David Lord lift thou up
they have in them cravings and lustings of the flesh David prayeth hard for his life Psal 39. ult and Abraham for a Child and Job for health Jonas is fond of a gourd and Agur beggeth food convenient for him and although Rachel may be too importunate for a Child and Paul for the removal of the Thorn in his flesh yet there is a lawful desire of the good things of this life allowed yea commanded us in that form of Prayer which our Saviour prescribes We are bid to pray Give us this day our daily bread But the Child of God first seeks the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof according to our Saviours prescript Mat. 6. 33. I remember David hath such an expression as this Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his holy Temple If a Child of God had but one thing to ask of God this should be it that it might behold the face of God this is that which it would seek after and look out for Yea this is that which their Souls desire eminenter These are the things for which they will wrestle with God and will not let him go until he shall bless them with them Other things they will beg but these are the things their Souls will spend their strength in and lay the stress upon did you hear the secret pleadings of the awakened Soul with God you would easily discern the difference between the desires it hath towards outward things and those which are in it towards Spiritual and distinguishing mercies and be easily able to say Those are the things that this Soul would have pardon of Sins sense of Gods love victory over its lusts and corruptions strength and inlargement of heart in the service of God These are the things which this Soul would have It asks a Ring but the kiss is that to which it hath most mind And all this must be understood of the gracious Soul when it is itself not in its fits of passion and infirmity then Elijah and Job and Jonah and any of the Children of God may speak according to the flesh the law of their members prevailing against the law of their mind hath brought them into captivity to the law of Sin These things being premised for the explication the truth of the proposition will be abundantly evidenced from the example of the man according to Gods own heart holy David and that in several Psalms Psal 4. 6. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me There be many that say who will shew us any good but Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon me The light of the Sun will please others but 't is only the light of thy Countenance that will please me Psal 63. v. 1. 2. My Soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is To see thy power and thy glory in the Sanctuary The sight of the Sanctuary will please another but nothing will please David but the sight of Gods power and glory in the Sanctuary Other-where he prays that the Lord would shew him his way and unite his heart to fear his name That God would come unto him and shew himself unto him c. Nor is it hard to find out the reason of it which lies In the sanctification of the renewed man he hath a new heart given unto him A new heart signifies a new understanding a new will and new affections New not as to the faculties themselves but as to the motions and operations of them in which the soul still follows the dictates of reason and proceedeth in the method of a rational creature 1. The Soul is renewed in its understanding from whence proceedeth a new notion and Judgment concerning things The old Serpent cheated our first Parent when he persuaded her that the fruit of the forbidden Tree was to be desired because in the day she should eat thereof her Eyes should be opened and she should be as God knowing good and evil for from that day forward she was struck blind and the Disease according to Divine ordination proved hereditary All we who are the Children of Adam are born blind neither able to take the true notion of good and evil nor yet to make up a Judgment concerning either discerning the things that differ but naturally every one calleth Evil good and good Evil. The Psalmist saith that man stood not in honour but became like the Beast that perisheth In this much like the Beast indeed that we are meerly led by the conduct of a sensitive appetite not discerning those things which are truly and spiritually good and the reason of this is our not understanding our selves for the nature of all good lying in a conveniency and sutableness of the object to us a knowledge of our own state and wants must reasonably be supposed to a right judgment concerning good and Evil. But amongst other Evils accrewing to us by the fall this was one that we are by nature Blind as to our own State and Strangers to our own Souls not understanding that we are by Nature Children of Wrath poor miserable blind and naked but conceiting that we have need of nothing Hence it is that the Soul is not able to judge of the goodness of Union and Communion with God pardon of sin reconciliation with God c. Nor indeed doth it come to understand it until the Eyes of the understanding be opened by the application of Spiritual Eye-salve laid on by the Finger of the holy Spirit of God Till this time the Soul seeth no beauty in Christ nothing for which he should be desired The goodness of Riches and Pleasures and Honours it knows but as for that transcendent goodness and Excellency which is in Christ what it is it doth not understand Hence it naturally desires life health riches honours success in worldly affairs and such common gifts as may serve it in the world with credit and applause and reputation But for spiritual things for distinguishing tokens of love it is not able to take the heighth and length and depth and breadth of the love of God in them nor to discern their conveniency and sutableness to its undone state and condition hence with the Cock in in the Fable it prefers the Barly Corn before that Pearl of great price for the purchase of which the wise Merchant is willing to sell all that he hath But now the regenerate soul hath its Eyes open to discern the things that are excellent and as it is taught by the Spirit of conviction the truth of its natural and unregenerate Estate so its Eyes are opened to see that nothing but the special love of God in Christ is a good suitable to it or worthy of its caring for
and hence the soul is taught by it's own reason to thirst after these manifestations of Divine Goodness as those which above all others are proportioned to its wants and highest necessities 2. But 2dly These desires are not the product of an enlightned understanding only but of a renewed will also So wofully depraved is our corrupt nature that the inferiour powers of our Souls have withdrawn themselves from the command of reason and whereas it is the method of a reasonable Soul to imbrace or refuse a thing with the will according to the judgment which is by the understanding given in concerning it it often falls out otherwise by reason of our Souls disorder He that not only knoweth the will of God but also approveth those things which are most excellent yet hath no hearthimself to close with them he is ready to teach another like the hand of a Statue in a way which directeth a Traveller but moveth not he teacheth not himself hence the renovation of the understanding although the great wheel of the Soul is not sufficient to make the Soul to will those things which are spiritually good Mans Soul is like a Clock broken in pieces every of whose Wheels must be mended before it will again move truly But the gracious man is renewed as well in Spirit as in Body and in Mind The day of the Lords Power is come upon him and of unwilling he is made willing God hath given him to will Phil. 2. 13. taking away that natural enmity and stubborness which was in his heart and disposing and enabling him to will those things which are in themselves most desirable and which are most pleasing unto God Now there is nothing more pleasing unto our Heavenly Father than to see his Children more sond of their Fathers love than of any thing else which is in his hand to bestow upon them And this is the true reason of the gracious Souls thirst after spiritual things To which may be added secondly the Souls assurance That other things shall be added to it Mat. 6. 33. If saith the Apostle he hath given us his Son shall be not with him give us all things All inferiour good things are but appendices to these great spiritual blessings with which the Soul is blessed in Christ Jesus the Woman that hath her Husbands heart easily commandeth his purse The Child of the bosom needs not trouble itself for a new Coat It is a spiritual subrilty of a gracious heart to be most desirous of spiritual things other things will come alone they are but appurtenances to this great possession and an easy faith will assure the Soul that if Men who are evil know how to give good things to their Children who are once possessed of their Affections God will not be wanting to his People especially considering that his liberality extends to the grass of the Field and to the Birds of the Air because they are his Creatures Let this notion in the first place shew you the vast difference betwixt the renewed soul and that which is yet in its natural estate Grace considering our weak estate is not so easily discernable in us from our Actions as from our Affections The bent of the heart doth best discover the state of it whether it be renewed or no. All Men and Women in the Christian world come under one of these three ranks They are either 1. Profane and dissolute Persons Or 2. Hypocrites or seeming professors who have a form of Godliness but deny the power thereof Or 3. Such as are Disciples indeed the true Children of God God is the fountain of all mercy and goodness and nature itself teacheth man something of this Hence every ones Soul is looking out towards God for some good or other 1. The worldling and profane Person says who will shew us any good But what is the good which he thirsts after an increase of Corn and Wine and Oil The objects for the lusts of the Flesh the lust of the Eye and the Pride of life let the Swines belly be filled with these husks and he is satisfied let who will take Grace and Heaven and heavenly things as he understands not his need of them noâ— the excellency that is in them so neither is his Soul carried out in any desires after them 2. The Hypocrites design is of another nature he would fain appear to be something though indeed all his glorying be but a vain shew and a meer appearance when indeed he is nothing Now that which he desires is something proportioned to this end he possibly covets the best gifts like Simon Magus who when he saw That through the laying on of the Apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given said Give me this power also that on whomsoever I lay my hands he may receive the Holy Ghost Acts 8. 18. The Hypocrite may desire a gift of Prayer a gift of Prophecy and such like common gifts of the Holy Ghost which may serve his design in appearing Godly and Religious and this satisfieth him 3. But the gracious Soul is satisfied with none of these All his desire is after the gifts of special grace the obtaining of union with and reconciliation to God the light of Gods countenance c. and nothing less than this will satisfy his thirst It is reported of Luther indeed he reports it of himself that when he first Preached the Gospel in Germany he was much courted by some great Persons and presented with many gifts which made the good man jealous that God intended to put him off with these things but saith he Protestatus sum c I made a protestation to my God that I would not be so satisfied The Sons of Keturah may be put off with portions but Isaac must have the inheritance The gracious Soul is a true Artabazus he thinks his Saviours kiss is better than a Cup of Gold and indeed I know no better evidence of a gracious heart than this to be found unsatisfied without the special and distinguishing love of God yet that you may not deceive your selves I must tell you that as it is possible that one who is a stranger to God may desire these distinguishing favours from God So the desire of those good things which are but the issues of common providence is often found in gracious Souls and that in too high a degree But as the former proceedeth from some inconstant principle and lasteth not long in the unregenerate Soul nor is much in earnest while it continues but like Augustines desire to be rid of his lusts while in the mean time as he confesseth he secretly desired that God would not hear his prayer so the latter desires in the Child of God are secondary and subordinate or if irregular and immoderate no more than fits of passion out of which grace soon recovers him Secondly Let me beseech you all to make these spiritual distinguishing mercies of God the object of your desires I
sweet but these are sweeter than the Hony and the Hony-comb No portions of Scripture are like these to the believer Every verse in the book of God is a Star but as Stars differ one from another in glory so do the Revelations of the will of God in our apprehensionsa s more suited to our necessities For the proof of the proposition There is so much reason for it that were it not that it is fit your Faith for the help of which the Ministry is ordained should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God I might for bear the use of any Scripture texts in the case The World was many hundred years old before there was any written Word of God of which we have any record The first that we read of was the Book of the Law which the King of Israel was commanded to have alwayes before him and to read therein all the daies of his life Saul was the first King of Israel he was a wicked man and regarded not the divine Law The next was David the man according to Gods own heart See his Affection to the word Superlatively exprest Psal 19. 7 8 9 10. 11. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the Testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple the Statutes of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart the Commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the Eyes The Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than the hony and the Hony-comb Psal 119. 14 15 16. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways I will delight my self in thy statutes v. 97. Oh! how I love thy law it is my meditation night and day Read over that excellent Psalm at your leisure you will find in it a strange variety of expressions setting out David's value of and thirst after the Word of the Lord. I had saith he in one passage perished in my affliction if thy Word had not been my delight For the Word of God as delivered by Ministers you shall all along the History of the Scripture observe you read not of one good King of Judah and Israel but they were very desircus in all cases of consulting with the Prophets of the Lord and no doubt but the reading the Law and the Exposition of it in the Sanctuary was the reason why David Psal 42. Psal 63. and Psal 84 so passionately bewailed his being banished from it In short look through all the New Testament you shall find no company of Believers but by some Expressions or other declaring their Zeal for and fondness of the Word of God And the same Spirit continued in gracious Souls after the times that the Scripture makes mention of I remember Hierom tells us of a good woman whom he saith he could never find without a Bible in her hand aud Mr. Fox in his Martyrology tells us a story of Three Maids in Lincolnshire if I remember right who sold their Estates in a time of Persecution to buy a few Leaves of the Bible It were infinite to tell you the instances we have in Ecclesiastical History of the great thirst after and delight in the Word of God which good people have expressed What need we any further Instance than what the Experience of our own Age doâ—h afford How naturally do Souls born again as new born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word of God It is true some Hypocrites especially in times when Religion is in credit and reputation may lay hold of the Skirts of a Jew and say We will go with you I mean may shew some fondness of hearing and reading the Word but no Child of God no regenerate man but is indeed thirsty of it So that as it was said of Paul as soon as he was converted Behold he prayeth so it may be said of every man and woman let them before have been never so loose and vain and careless as to reading and hearing the Word Behold he readeth or Behold he heareth Nor indeed is it possible it should be otherwise If we consider first That this is the Will of God concerning every Soul The Soul is unchanged till it be in some degree willing and obed ent So as what St. Paul spake more openly he saith to God though more privately Lord what wilt thou have me to do Now this is one of the first things that God calleth such a Soul to do Hear saith God and your Souls shall live As God said to Paul Go into the City and it shall be told thee what thou shouldst do So God saith unto the changed Soul Go to Church and hear my Word and go and read in my Word and there it shall be told thee what thou shouldst do Augustin tells us a story that being in a great Agony of Spirit and not knowing what to do he heard a voice as out of an inward Room saying Tolle lege Take up and read The Soul in this doth but conform himself to an impression that is made by the Spirit upon his heart and is coaevous to the hour of his New Birth and this you shall see exemplified not in this or that particular Soul but in every Soul born of God The Infant is not more naturally disposed to suck the breasts of the Mother or Nurse than such a Soul is disposed to read and hear the Word of God from the impression of the holy Spirit of God upon it in the first hour of its Conversion Nor is any thing more reasonable than such an impression if we consider God's Ordination of his Word as the pabulum animae the food and nourishment of the new born Soul 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that you may grow thereby And for this very reason this thirst after and delight in the Word of God never goeth out of a sanctified heart for the Word is the proper nourishment of the Soul in all states it is not only Milk for Babes but Meat for stronger ones By these things men live saith Hezekiah The just shall live by Faith saith the Prophet The Word is the object of this Faith You shall observe that the God of Nature hath planted in most sensitive creatures a knowledge of their proper food and an appetite or desire to it The God of Grace hath given the renewed Soul a knowledge of its proper food too and created in it an appetite to it so as no soul is born again without a knowledge of the Word as that by which it is to live or an appetite to it Nay it is not only necessary to uphold the Spiritual Being of the the Soul but to all the purposes of its well-being Such a Soul findeth the Word an inexhaustible Fountain a large
of such things it desireth thirsteth after and delighteth in Hence the dirty filthy Soul where sense and passion and corrupt and debauched affections predominate covets filthy Books and filthy discourses which are but the issues of Souls of the same complexion with itself the Soul that is something cleaner and hath got its passions something more subjugated unto its reason delighteth in and desireth Books and discourses of its own complexion and which are the issues of Souls like unto itself The Spiritual Man being refined to a further degree and pirch minding the glory of God and Spiritual things hath a thirst after the Word and Sermons which are the true and faithful Interpretations applications of that word as being more pure and Spiritual and so more like to it in its renewed State wherein we are transformed into the likeness of the word Thy word is pure saith David therefore doth thy Servant love it Psal 119 140. It is as natural to the renewed Soul to thirst after the pure Word of God and Spiritual discourses from and upon it as it is to an impure unrenewed Soul to thirst after filthy Books obscene discourses or for the Philosopher or moral rational man to desire after or to delight in Books or discourses of its own complexion especially also if we consider that as sober moral discourses tend both to confirm and promove habits of morality so the Book of God and Spiritual discourses upon and according to it tend to confirm and to promove Spiritual habits in the Soul Lastly The Souls of believers must needs more especially desire and delight in those which are more strictly called Gospel-Doctrines and discourses relating to them because those are they which are suited to the greatest and most pressing wants of the Soul those are the Doctrines wherein the Lord speaks peace and pardon that contain the words of reconciliation I create the fruit of the lips peace peace saith God by his Prophet Isaiah In the historical part of Scripture God speaks instruction in wisdom to his People and tells them the course of his Providence in the world in the government of it both with reference to his People and to their Enemies In the law and preceptive part of Holy Writ and the threatnings of Holy Scripture he tells them their duty what is his will they should do and avoid and what he will do unto them in case they be disobedient to his Commandments and do not walk in his Statutes and keep his judgments In the prophetical part of it so far as it is but an History of what God hath said and done he confirms them in their apprehensions and faith of Gods knowledge of future contingencies and also concerning his faithfulness But it is in the Doctrines of the Gospel alone that he declareth his love to poor Souls in and through the Lord Jesus Christ what Christ hath done and suffered for the redemption and salvation of Man what he is yet ready to do for all such as truly repent and believe and accept of the Mediator It is in that alone that he offers healing to the Nations now every gracious Soul being one who must be supposed to have felt something of the burthen of Sin and the wrath of God due to Man for Sin it is no wonder if the special thirst of such a Soul be after the revelations of Christ in the Doctrines of the Gospel as being most suited to the state of a Soul that is weary and heavy laden and seeking for rest and being wearied in its own indeavours and finding none No wonder if such Sermons such Preaching be most sweet and acceptable unto it if such portions of Scripture such discourses from Scripture be most acceptable and grateful to it's thoughts and most sweet to its meditations as being such which must deliver it from the trouble and uneasiness which the Law which worketh wrath hath given to it finding itself a great transgressor of it Thus I have doctrinally discoursed the hunger of the Soul after the Word of God and a communion with God in it by reading hearing or meditation and the reasonableness of this appetite of the Soul to it There is yet a more excellent internal communion of the Souls communion with God in his Word which infinitely excelleth this and consequently is the more special object of the renewed Souls Spiritual hunger and thirst to which I shall speak But I shall first make application of this discourse Use 1. This Notion may help us to take some measures of our Spiritual State whether we be the Spouses of Christ yea or no the Souls desires or no desires after communion with God in his Word its delight or no delight in that piece of communion with God will go a great way to determine our Spiritual State and how it shall fare with us in the day of Judgment I am sure negatively it is a good note He that hath no desire after no delight in the Word of God hath nothing of God or Christ in him And this is evident from all Scripture experience and reason also Davids experience is instead of all though many more examples might be produced out of Holy Writ There was never any good King of Israel or Judah but call'd for the Law of the Lord and much desired and delighted in the Lords Prophets It is impossible that the Word should have done any Soul good and the savour of it not be left upon it engaging it to prize and value it so long as it lives I only except an extraordinary hour of temptation in which I have known good Souls afraid to read and hear but alas they are at that time not themselves and act not from a free use of their reason This reflects sadly Upon such as neglect reading the Word Some indeed cannot read I know not how to excuse these in times and places where they have such plenty of means to learn As I think those Parents will be inexcusable before God another day that take not care to have their Children when young learned to read So I think those grown Personswhom their Parents have neglected inexcusable who have not used such means as the Age affords in great plenty to learn to read and can hardly believe that Soul to have any fear of God or love to God in it that doth not apply itself to this piece of knowledge But alas how many can read that hardly take the Bible in their Hands from one end of the week to the other Surely we may conclude the Bible never did their Souls good They cannot but have heard that the Lord commanded the King of his People to read in the Book of the Law all the daies of his life And by Gods order was read in the Synagogues every Sabbath Day and can any think himself excused from reading the word we cannot be alwaies hearing nor doth so much knowledge come into our Souls by hearing as may by reading Am I
every good Christian what Soul is there that knoweth any thing of God or of the nature and end of Ordinances that can be satisfied with meer reading of a Chapter of hearing of a Sermon without finding his heart at all affected with what he reads or hears any operation of it at all upon his heart and conscience Formalists indeed who think that God is pleased with noises and empty sounds and with meer bodily labour which profiteth nothing may be satisfied with going to Church and hearing a discourse from a Pulpit and that too of small or no tendency to do good to a Soul but it is impossible that a conscientious Christian that looks upon Ordinances as opportunities under a Divine appointment wherein God hath promised to meet the Souls of people and bless them wherein God hath appointed to come and to speak unto peoples Souls should be satisfied with the meer external action or homage but he must thirst after that blessing which God hath promised to his people when he meets them in places or duties wherein he hath recorded his Name to dwell But I shall shew you further how highly reasonable this is upon this Hypothesis That there is such an inward communion of God with his People in his Institutions One reason may be because a meer outward Communion with God is not distinguishing mercy and this is known to every Soul who knoweth any thing of God Pariter adeunt pariter audiunt said Augustine Hypocrites as well Saints go to Church hear Sermons read Chapters This is a favour God gives to all within the pale of his Church which is a field hath Tares in it as well as Wheat a Drag-net whose swallow hath in it good Fish as well as bad Every Hypocrite may yield God the homage of his Eye and Ear and some thoughts I shewed you before that it is of the nature of a Child of God to thirst after distinguishing mercies This is that which such Souls long after to have some tokens of good from God which may speak God's loving-kindness to them They are awakened to a sense of their lost condition by nature and to a fense of Eternity and they know nothing but the Adoption of Sons nothing but an Union with Christ can do their Souls any good with reference to their greatest wants Besides such Souls as they thirst after what is best suited to their Souls greatest wants so they have learned to value the Love and Favour of God above all earthly things They know that all within the pale of the Church are not in the favour of God many are called and few are chosen Strait is the way and narrow is the gate that leadeth to eternal life and few there be that find it Many shall seek to enter and shall not enter Secondly A meer external Communion with God is upon the point no Communion with him It is indeed improperly called a Communion with him God saith our Saviour is a Spirit and from thence a Christian concludeth that those who worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth I told you before That in all Communion there must be a mutual communication In our Communion with God God communicateth something of himself to the Soul and the Soul must communicate it self in some degrees unto God Now in our meer external Communion with God in the hearing of his Word or reading of it what doth God communicate to us nothing but the revelation of his Will to our exteriour senses or common sense and understanding and the last but in an imperfect degree What doth man communicate of himself to God he lends him his Eye to gather up the Letters of a Book to present them to his understanding he lends him his Ear to hear sounds which may carry some notions of God to the understanding he lends him a little bodily presence and labour to do for a little time what he hath commanded him to do but all this while the man communicateth not his heart and soul his will and affections to God nor doth God communicate any thing of his power and goodness unto the Soul So that if we consider God as a Spirit and who requireth of us the homage of the Soul and inward man it is upon the point no fellowship and communion with God at all Thirdly A meer external fellowship and communion with God in his Word if it may be so called wants those two adjuncts which most allure and inflame the Soul with desires they are pleasure and profit There is no true pleasure in it no true profit and advantage to a Soul arising from it I noted to you before that one reason of the Soul's thirst after communion with God in his Word is the pleasure and sweetness which every pious Soul findeth in it David saith the Word was sweeter to his tast than the Honey and the Honey-comb and he saith That one day in the Lord's Courts is better than a thousand elsewhere But let us a little wistly consider wherein the sweetness of the Word lieth what maketh the Bible to be sweeter than another Book or a Sermon to be a more pleasant discourse than any other The sweetness cannot lie in the gratifying of our exteriour senfes or of our fancy much reading is a weariness to the flesh so is much hearing much study The sweetness of the Word of God and discourses out of it lies in the fittedness of the revelations there and of such discourses to the distresses and spiritual necessities of the Soul and the insight the Word gives us into the great things of God the great Mysteries of the Kingdom of God Now no pleasure no delight no sweetness of this nature ariseth to or in any Soul from a meer external communion with God in it Hence it is that carnal unregenerate men had rather spend four or five hours at a Play or a Musick-meeting or Ball than one at a Sermon they find no sweetness no pleasure at all in the Word The Preacher indeed may be as one that hath the voice of a pleasant lovely Song and have some witty sentences this may please them or if they be persons that are prophane and hate all Religion and Godliness he may use his wit in some jeers and squibs at Religion and this may tickle their lusts a little but a discourse out of Scripture tending to the true ends of Preaching informing the Judgment in the Doctrines of Faith or persuading the practice of Godliness are the most unpleasant sounds in the world to such mens Ears There is no Soul breathing that takes or can take any pleasure from or find any sweetness in reading or hearing that experienceth no inward communion with God in the action or at least that desires none 2. A second great Attractive and mover of our desires is profit and advantage and in this case it must be the profit and advantage of our Souls for they are actions from which no worldly profit and
the Rule which God hath given us Our Souls communion with God through the Spirit is not out of Ordinances but in and by them The Teaching of the Letter is not opposed but subordinated to the Teaching of the Spirit There is room enough for the Teaching of the holy Spirit after the Minister hath done what he can to teach us nor is it to be blasphemed by ill tongued men because themselves do not understand what it means they only speak evil of the things they know not The Power of God upon the heart fastening the words we read and hear upon our hearts and consciences as a Nail in a sure place is a thing only known unto the Souls that have had experience of it But the great thing I desire you might be instructed in from this discourse is The difference betwixt a prophane person and hypocrites and the true Children of God which may be discerned from their affections to the Word of God The prophane person wholly despiseth and slighteth the Word of God both the written Word and the Word Preached it serveth him for nothing but a subject to exercise his prophane wit upon The Hypocrite driving another design glorying in shew and appearance he must have some pretended respect at least to the Word of God but he rests meerly in reading or in hearing and regardeth not either how far God in the Word communicates himself to him nor yet how far he communicates his Soul unto God in the Ordinance Let an Hypocrite go with a multitude and hear a Sermon he hath enough if he can but say I have been at the Ordinance whether his Soul hath been at all instructed or affected whether any Word of God hath come nigh to his heart laid any hold upon his conscience yea or no he hath no true thirst after any communion with God in the Ordinance if he hath been but seen in the Lord's Courts or at most be furnished with matter of discourse to talk of amongst Christians so as they may take him to be a Disciple his ends are satisfied But it is otherwise with a Child of God he is troubled when he cometh from an Ordinance if he doth not find he hath had some communion with God in the Ordinance That God hath either more sealed and further confirmed some Truth to his Soul or convinced him of some sin or comforted him with some Promise some way or other spoken unto his heart Methinks the difference betwixt an Hypocrite and a Child of God in this case may be resembled by the going of a Child with another companion who is no Child to a Father's house where they find themselves splendidly entertained but the Child seeth not his Father's face the Child's companion is pleased and comes home talking and boasting of his entertainment but the Child's heart is sad the end of the Child's Journey was to see his Father's face and to have his Father's blessing without this the good chear doth him no good The formal Hypocrite comes home from Ordinances pleasing himself that he hath been at Church that he hath heard a quaint learned discourse and his tongue may run great descants upon such things as these The Child of God is satisfied with none of these things he went to his Father's house that he might see his Father's face if he can find no evidence of that his Soul is discontented and unsatisfied he cries I have laboured in vain I have lost another day of grace and opportunity of salvation I have been seeking the Lord in vain and waiting upon him for nothing And this is the very reason why a pious Soul cannot hear every body nor take up with all Sermons or discourses he doth not go to Church to hear the voice of a man but the Word of God and goeth with an expectation to meet with a blessing from God and therefore he will hear where the Word of God is so opened so applied as he can expect God's blessing upon it He cannot expect that God's blessing should go along with any to whom he hath said Psal 50. 16 17. What hast thou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldst take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee He will not therefore sit under the Ministry of one that is openly prophane and wicked and of a scandalous life Nor one that teacheth other Doctrine than what is according to sound Doctrine and godliness and the form of sound words delivered in the Word of God or him that giveth heed to Fables and endless Genealogies which minister Questions rather than godly Edifying which is in Faith 1 Tim. 1. 4. When he goes â—o an Ordinance he goeth not to hear the words of men puffed up but the words of God and expecteth that God should meet him and bless him and therefore governs himself accordingly in hearing so as he may probably meet with a blessing from God which he cannot expect from one who so dischargeth his work as he proclaimeth to all that God never sent him though he runs In the next place this will give us another advantage to try our state with reference to God's favour An earnest desire after an inward spiritual communion with God in any Ordinance or Duty and the dissatisfaction of a Soul without it will very much argue a man or woman to be a Christian indeed whereas a bare going to an Ordinance a bare fancy or desire to hear or a meer hearing will speak a man no more than a nominal titular Christian and be an evidence that the Soul resteth in a meer bodily labour and exercise which profiteth nothing This is a great point the being in the Sanctuary will satisfie an Hypocrite nothing but the seeing the power and glory of God in the Sanctuary will satisfie David the man according to God's own heart But it is hard for us to keep a medium in any thing almost As in the heart of a Formalist there is nothing of this desire nothing of this dissatisfaction so many times in the heart of a good Christian there may be too much of this dissatisfaction and a discontent and dissatisfaction founded in some mistake let me therefore a little enlarge upon this so useful a Subject 1. A satisfaction with a bare reading or hearing the Word speaks nothing above formality nothing above what an Hypocrite may arrive at It is said that Herod heard John Baptist gladly yet he was not got up to the Hypocrite's Form There was a people in Ezekiel's time of whom God complained Ezek 33. v. 30 31 32. that talked against the Prophet by the walls and in the doors of their houses yet spake every one to his Brother saying Come I pray you and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And came as the people came and sate before the Prophet as the Lord's people and heard his words but would not do them with their mouths theâ—
Solemnities thither the Tribes went up the Tribes to the Testimony of Israel Hierusalem was as pleasant a place as any was at that time in the world and Absolom being the King's Son had undoubtedly accommodations as good as the City could afford But Absolom had displeased his Father and was sensible he was under his frown and it was not for the pleasantness of the City that he desired a liberty to return but that he might see the reconciled face of his Father and therefore he saith What should I do at Hierusalem if I may not see the King's face Without that Hierusalem was to him but as another place nay in this worse than another place because it was a place where others enjoyed that which he wanted Every Courtier every ordinary Servant of David's Family saw his face Absolom might not I do only allude to it In or near Hierusalem was Mount Zion called the Mountain of the House of the Lord because the Temple stood nigh to it It was prophesied Isa 2. 2. That in the last dâ—ies the Mountain of the Lord's House should be established in the top of the Mountains and should be exalted above the Hills and all Nations should flow unto it And many people should go and say Come you and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord and to the House of the God of Jacob and he shall teach us of his waies and we will walk in his paths 'T is not the going up to the Mountain that pleaseth a gracious Soul unless it finds it self when there taught something of God's waies and inabled to walk in the Lord's paths I shall prets this Exhortation by some Arguments and offer you something of Advice in this case First For Arguments what I gave you for Reasons may serve Thus you shall shew your selves to be Christians indeed The Wise must see the face of an Husband though a little Child may be pleased with the Picture Take an Ordinance of it self it hath something of the impression of God upon it God is there as a man in a Picture but this can never satisfie a truly thirsty Soul after God he thirsts after God himself My Soul saith David thirsteth for thee David must see the power and glory of God in the Sanctuary An Hypocrite may have a fancy to go to Ordinances to hear Sermons c. that 's common to persons that shall perish with such as shall be saved There may be many ends which Hypocrites may have which that may serve well enough But herein as to this point stands a good Christian distinguished from all Hypocrites and Formalists in the world as to this particular Secondly Till your hearts be brought to this Duties will be nothing else but a continual task and a burden to your souls There will be no great pleasure arising to any Soul from a bare reading or hearing the Word of the Lord. The Formalists among the Jews that lookt at nothing but the bodily labour quickly came to prophane the Table of the Lord and to account the meat there contemptible and to say Behold what a weariness is it Mal. 1. 13. Amos tell us chap. 8. 5. that they said When will the New Moon be gone that we may sell Corn and the Sabbath that we may set forth VVheat Nothing will deliver the Soul from the burden of religious duties I mean the looking upon them as such but some Sweetness discerned in them or some Profit which it discerneth arising from them neither of which will be discerned by any Soul which tasteth nothing of God in them nor hath any Communion with him by and through them but these things I before touched upon as also the danger of a meer bodily labour in this religious Duty I shall therefore rather spend the Remainder of my time in directing you what to do that you may not only hear the words of Christs Mouth but be kissed with the Kisses of his Mouth Go out to hear the word of God as the word of God The Apostle blesseth God on the behalf of his Thessalonians 1 Thes 2. 13. That when they received the word of God they received it not as the word of men but as it was in truth the word of God which effectually worketh in them that believe I am afraid this is one thing which is much wanting in many Preachers more hearers the former do not go out to preach the word as the word of God The other do not go out to hear it under that notion as the word of God It is a Phrase hath a great deal in it and is comprehensive of all that previous preparation which is our duty with reference to an Institution of God and that to so great an End as the Salvation of the Soul is If I remember right Plutarch doth somwhere complain of the Heathen that they went to the Temples of the Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not as men do to a place to which they set out upon design and due deliberation considering whither they are going and what their business was there but as men who step in by the by into a place Whereas he saith they should come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prepared out of their Houses What wonder is it if God should not meet them in his Ordinance who come not out of any fixed design to meet him Your Friend hardly thanks you for making his House your Inn stepping out of your Road to see him when your main design is at anothers Journeys end But he thanks you that that is the main design of your Journey 1. That man goeth to hear the word of God as the word of God that aright fixeth his end before he goeth to hear Our Saviour seemeth to reflect upon the want of this in those that went to hear John the Baptist Matth. 11. 7. VVhat went ye out into the wilderness to see A Reed shaken with the wiâ—d But what went ye out for to see A man cloathed in soft Raiment Behold they that wear soft Raiment are in Kings houses But what went ye out for to see A Prophet yea I say unto you and more than a Prophet I would have every Man and Woman before he or she goes out to hear the word of God say to himself My Soul whom am I going to hear A man that shall speak to me smooth things and deliver himself in words that are proper to express what he saith But whom am I going to hear One that hath a pleasant Voice like one that singeth to or playeth well upon an Instrument such a one I may hear in the Schools of Rhetorick and Oratory But whom do I go out for to hear One that can discourse rationally upon an Argument I may hear such a one in the Schools of Aristotle and Plato Whom then do I go to Church for to hear A Prophet One that discourseth of the things of God yea and more than a Prophet I am going to hear God
to the Humane Nature in the personal union of both Natures in the Lord Jesus Christ Christ was sanctified and set apart and constituted as a person fit to be our High Priest and King This as I told you in my last discourse was one of the sacred uses of Oil which the Jews made there was a sweet anointing Oil made by Gods special prescript for the consecration of the High Priest the Tabernacle and their holy Utensils with this also they anointed their Kings This did but typify the anointing of the Holy Ghost and by the receiving of this Vnction Christ was constituted our High-Priest and the King upon the Holy Hill of Sion By the Grace of Hypostatical Vnion he was made so I mean by the union of the Divine and Humane Nature in the one Person of Christ Christ indeed had an Essential Kingdom equal with the Father by his Eternal Generation but he obtained his Mediatory Kingdom by vertue of his Incarnation and Vnction The new and living way was consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh Thus he was made our High-Priest our King our Prophet and by his gracious dispositions and qualifications he was made fit for a Mediator For such an High Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from Sinners and made higher than the Heavens who needed not daily as those High Priests under the law to offer up Sacrifice first for his own Sins then for the People c. Heb. 7. 26. 27. 2. The Graces of Christ were like good Oils or Ointments as they were used in Sacrifice they cannot indeed so properly be called a Sacrifice but they were as the Oyl poured upon the meat offering There is a dispute whether the Passive Obedience of Christ only or his Active obedience also be imputed to us and be our righteousness not to meddle with that supposing his passive obedience to have alone been the Sacrifice yet his Active obedience must be allowed as the Oyl poured upon it The meat offering was usually some Beast or Bird slain but then they were to come and pour Oyl upon it Christs death upon the Cross was his offering That was the Sacrifice but his Graces were as the Oyl poured upon this offering had not he that died been pure and holy righteous and separate from sinners meek obedient c. he could not have been accepted for others for he must have offered for himself as the Apostle teacheth us Heb. 7. 26 27. Thus his personal graces and perfections were like good Oils with respect to the use of Oil in Sacrifice upon the account of them it was that he offered up to his Father a Sacrifice for the Sins of his People which was acceptable Thirdly The Personal Graces and perfections of Christ were like good Oils for their sweet savour These perfections are those things which make the name and person of Christ as a sweet smelling savour in the Nostrils of every understanding gracious Soul what is it which maketh any Soul love Christ what maketh its own private meditations of him or the report which it receiveth of him so exceeding sweet to the Soul but these excellencies and perfections which are in him His free and infinite love to the Sons and Daughters of Men his pity and compassion his slowness to conceive a wrath and readiness to forgive his freeness to heal his Peoples backslidings his purity and holiness his patience and meekness These are those things which make Christ appear so lovely and amiable to gracious Souls Lastly like good Oils they serve the Soul for food What doth a Soul that hungereth and thirsteth after Righteousness seed upon but the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ some indeed have found a Righteousness of their own to feed upon but I doubt whether those Souls that feed on nothing else will appear fair and well liking in the great day of the Lord Suppose a Soul pined away in the sense of its iniquities what doth it live upon but only the free Grace and mercy of God in the Lord Jesus Christ As Hezekiah said in another case By these things men live so doth every Spiritual Soul make use of the Grace of Christ and may say By the Righteousness of Christ I live by thelove pity and tender mercies of Lord Jesus Christ I live By his fulness of grace I live for of his fulness we receive Grace for Grace Thus you see how upon all accounts The grace of Christ is like good Ointments But thus much generally We are upon a Bed of Spices it is good for us to be here let me therefore speak a little more particularly shewing you particularly What these Graces of our Lord Jesus Christ are which are upon all these accounts as good Oils or good Ointments I shall answer this in several particulars 1. The Grace of Vnion is as a good Oâ—l There is a three-fold Union considerable with reference to Christ 1. His Eternal Vnion with his Father This is what he saith in the Gospel once and again I and my Father are one but it is not proper to call this Grace It was natural his Generation who can declare 2. The second is the Hypostatical Vnion of the Divine and Humane Nature in the One Person of the Mediator This was Grace the assumption of our Nature to make one Person with the Divine Nature this was an act of Grace it was not Natural not Eternal but the product of Divine and free 〈…〉 time It was the Grace both of the first and of the second Person in the Trinity to assume humane nature into an Union with the second Person 3. There is an Vnion of Christ with Believers I in you saith Christ and you in me These are mysteries the two latter I mean not to be fully known and understood until Christs second coming At that day saith our Blessed Lord Joh. 14. 20. You shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and Lin you That there is such a thing we know how it is we do not know but in the mean time this is also of Grace This in the second sense is terminated in Christ in the last it is terminated in the truly believing Soul I am sure both are as good Oils That Grace which was both from the Father and himself considered as God by which our Nature was assumed into a oneness with the Second Person in the God-Head This is like a good Oil this was the sweet anointing Oil of his Consecration by this he Was constituted out High-Priest capacitated to offer a Sacrifice to his Father both meritorious and acceptable As God he could not die as meerly the Son of man he could not merit as God-man he could do both O this makes Christ exceeding lovely in the Eyes of a Spiritual intelligent Soul Christ as God is full of Glory and Majesty but his Glory is invisible his Majesty is incomprehensible but now when the Word was made flesh
certainly a forbidden Relation Love not the world saith the Apostle nor the things of the world yet never were more to be found amongst such who are called Christians Thirdly Marriage doth not alwaies spoil Virginity as it signifies Chastity But an heart equally cleaving and inclining to two men will especially if byast to him who is not the Woman's Husband She that hath one true and proper Husband and yet loveth another equally with him or more than he hath lost her Virgin-heart Ah! how many of these are there amongst Professors they are married to Christ in the face of the Church they were baptized into his Name and are under Vows to be the Lord's But as God said of old concerning Ephraim Their heart is divided and therefore they must be found faulty Ah! How many are there that have divided hearts that halt between two Opinions and are not able to conclude with themselves whether Baal be God and they should serve him or God be God and they shall serve him Nay they halt between two Conversations something there is of Heaven in them but alas how much of the Earth how much of sin folly and vanity how much of contradiction to their Profession where 's a Christian Caleb to be found to walk with God fully Fourthly If we have some that are Virgins yet how few beautiful Virgins where 's the beauty the glory of Professors where 's their former shining out before men Ah! call your Children Ichabods call them Ichabods The Glory is departed in a great measure from England from the Professing Party of England Where 's the former sincerity love to God zeal for God plainness of heart sincerity of conversation brotherly love heavenly walking the World the vanities of the World have spoiled Professors beauty The Sun of a little outward prosperity hath shone upon them how are they tanned But in the next place this discourse offers us a fair opportunity to try our Relation to Christ whether we be the Lambs Wife who shall hereafter follow him whithersoever he goes 1. Are you Spiritual Virgins There are tokens of Spiritual as well as Natural Virginity 1. Purity and Chastity in heart as well as outward appearance Blessed are they saith our Saviour who are pure in heart for they shall see God is not thy heart defiled with sensual affections impetuous passions doth not thy Soul cleave to sin and lust 2. Dost thou live like a Virgin an hidden life doth not the world see all that thou hast of a Spiritual life dost thou not like the Pharisees love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the corners of the Streets more than with thy doors shut about thee in thy closet livest thou any thing of that life which is hid with Christ in God is it thy only and greatest care to please thy heavenly Father and Christ thy great Lord and Master 3. Where 's thy modesty the Virgin blusheth presently when any thing is reflected upon her Art thou ashamed when thou committest iniquity and thy heart reflects it upon thee or hast thou a Whores fore-head that cannot blush I might instance in many particulars more but these are enough to try thy Spiritual Virginity 2. A second note of the Spouse of Christ arising from this Text is a love to Christ Love is a natural plant and groweth in every Soul but love to Christ is a plant from Heaven heavenly a plant sprung up from the seed of God in the Soul If Christ should from Heaven propo und the fame question to thee which while he was on Earth he propounded to Peter couldst thou answer with him Lord Thou that knowest all things knowest that I love thee This Grace of all others is most discernable for love is of an active nature and will hardly lie hid The pantings of thy heart after him the acquiescence complacency and delight of thy heart in him will easily discover it to thee if thou lookest narrowly The natural man cannot say that his Soul cleaveth to Christ or thirsteth after Christ or taketh any complacency in the Lord Christ Thirdly As God is the fountain of good and blessing to his Creatures and as Christ hath a fair inheritance of a Crown an Heaven an incomprehensible glory which is annexed to the fruition and enjoyment of him so the worst of men may have a kind of love for Christ or rather for what he bringeth along with himself unto the Soul Lastly Therefore Dost thou love Christ for the savour of his good Ointments because his name is an Oil or Ointment poured forth He that loveth Christ meerly for his Heaven and Glory is purely selfish in his love I deny not but Moses had an Eye to the recompence of reward and so hath every honest and gracious heart without doubt Christs beneficence and goodness unto us and the benefit which our Souls have and hope to have from Christ is and ought to be a very great attractive and to draw out our hearts more and more in love to Christ but herein is the purity of the Saints love he discovereth such an excellency in the Lord Jesus Christ that were he never to have an Heaven with him yet his heart would cleave to him infinitely delight in him if thou canst say that thou thus lovest the Lord Jesus it will indeed speak thee to be a Spiritual Virgin a Spouse to the Lord Jesus I shall conclude my discourse upon this verse with a threefold word of Exhortation 1. In the first place methinks from this metaphorical expression of Saints under the notion of Virgins I have here a fair opportunity to plead with Virgins to be Saints Virgins generally have the object of their love to seek Lo here a most deserving object for every young man every young woman that heareth me Methinks the holy Spirit points out this in the Metaphor Therefore do the Virgins love thee Christ here expresseth himself under the notion of some beautiful young man beautified and adorned with all the advantages both of nature and of art So that the Virgins must love him I noted to you before that some would have the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be rather a term of age then either signifying Sex or State oh that I could this day prevail with you who are young men and young women to love the Lord Jesus Christ Youth is an age a time of love full of love but it usually mispends its self upon vain and worthless objects the young man loves his lusts and his pleasures the young woman loveth dancings and foolish sports and vain company and gay and costly attire but how rare is it to find a young man or woman that sincerely loveth the Lord Jesus Christ truly amongst young or old there is hardly one of a thousand but of those that are in the height and heat of their youth hardly one of ten thousand It is too frequent for us to give our marrow to the Devil
and then think to put off God with the bone O desperate folly and presumption offer this now to thy Prince will he accept it canst thou expect Sinner that Christ should freely love thee when thou art grown old who refusedst him when thou wert young canst thou reasonably think that God will be put off with the fag end of thy life dost thou not know how hardly an old sinner is brought to repentance sin is bred and sed in his bones and it will not out art thou aware how acceptable to God the sacrifice of thy youth is under the old law no Sacrifice was admitted that was above three years old Dost not thou remember how kindly God accepted his young Samuel Abijam Josiah Timothy c. who in their youth inclined their hearts unto him doth the good nature and handsome features and sweet perfumes of the young man please thee and is there no excellency in the Graces of him who is full of Grace and Truth is there no savour in Christs Ointments no sweet Odour from his name poured forth O come you that are Virgins behold your Husband an Husband who if you be poor is able to enrich you if you be mean and base is able to honour and to ennoble you who what ever you want is able to supply you O that upon the pouring forth of his name amongst you in this Sermon this day some of your souls this day might be allured to love the Lord Jesus Christ Secondly This notion obligeth all those that be Saints or profess themselves such to approve themselves to be Virgins the holy Spirit hath so called them certainly it should be their great care to answer their name To keep themselves unspotted from the world undefiled in the way free from the pollution of the world through lust I have toldyou that there are many who go for Virgins but are not they are wedded to some filthy lust or other wedded to the world defloured by entertainnig some corrupt dangerous principles or declining to a corrupt conversation we live in a debauched a debauching age you that stand take heed lest you fall 1. If you lose your Virginity you lose your honour The young Womans Virginity is her honour your freedom from idolatry and superstition your soundness in the faith your purity integrity and holiness of life is your honour Hold fast that thou hast saith Christ to the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3. 11. that no man take thy Crown he who despoileth you of your purity of Doctrine and Worship or who seduceth you to any licentious practices takes away your Crown yea not only your Crown in respect of reputation but your Crown of Glory also John Rev. 14. 1. Saw a Lamb standing upon Mount Sion and with him 144000 having his Fathers name written upon their foreheaas and v. 2. heard a voice from Heaven c. and they the 144000 sang as it were a new Song before the Throne and the four Beasts and the Elders and no man could learn that Song but the 144000. which were redeemed from the Earth v. 4. It followeth These are they which were not defiled with Women for they are Virgins these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth these were redeemed from amongst men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb and in their mouth was found no guile for they are without sault before the Throne of God not defiled with Women Non polluti idololatriá quae est scortat io spiritualis sed virgines fide spiritu saith Pareus not defiled by idolatry which is a spiritual Adultery but Virgins in Spirit and Faith Secondly Consider if you lose your chastity It will be an hard matter to reconcile you to your first Husband If the Virgin be known to have lost her Virginity it is no easy matter to procure her an Husband of any reputation if the Wife hath lost her Virginity that is her chastity it is an hard matter to reconcile her to her Husband If a man put away his Wife and she go from him shall he return to her again Jer. 3. 1. It is true the mercies of God are above the mercies of men it follows there yet return unto me saith the Lord but it is no easy matter for a lapsed Saint to recover his peace many a Bone must be first broken and if such be saved it must be as through fire It is a dreadful Text which you have Heb. 6. 5 6. O keep your integrity and behave your selves like Virgins live an hidden life more and more to God and Christ more and more reserved from the world learn what this meaneth Our life is hid with Christ in God Be like Virgins careful in nothing save only to please Christ who is your spiritual Husband let your behaviour speak your Virgin-modesty and that you may keep your Virgin State and behaviour 1. Take heed of Books that will principle you to a Spiritual Fornication There are 2 sorts of Books in the world which help much to debauch it 1. Amorous Books full of lascivious Songs and filthy stories 2. Heretical Books The first debauch People as to their bodies the latter as to their faith and immortal Souls 2. Take heed of Whorish Company The Chast Virgin is often spoiled by unchast Society Dinah went abroad into wanton company and was deflowred If she had kept her Fathers house she had probably kept her honour How many Christians are defiled both in Judgment and Practice by keeping company with Papists Quakers Socinians c. Lastly O love the Lord all his Saints for the savour of his Ointments for the sweetness of his Name which is as an Ointment poured forth The best are prone to love Christ only for the Peace of Conscience which they have upon their Justification by his blood and for the Heaven they shall have hereafter for his sake His Glory is exceeding sweet This Love is not to be faulted but I would work my own heart and have you study to work up your hearts to an higher pitch Labour to be like Angels The Angels were never Redeemed with the Blood of Christ never knew what trouble of Conscience meant They have a natural right to Heaven yet they love admire adore Christ they are rational though spiritual Subsistences What maketh them to love Christ but the perfections and excellencies which they see in him Let us study to be like Angels to get up our hearts to such a spiritual pitch as this to love Christ for the excellency of his person for the savour of his good Ointments I shall add no more to this Discourse I have now done with this third Verse Sermon XVI Cant. 1. 4. Draw me we will run after thee The King hath brought me into his Chambers we will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy Love more than Wine The upright love thee I Have told you that the eight first Verses of this Chapter
and weak without strength We are like Lot in Sodom though we daily hear that the wicked shall be turned into Hell with all those that forget God though the Lord useth all intreaties with his poor Creatures and the love of God be displayed before us in the fullest measure yet till the Lord doth by us as the Angel did by Lot lay hold upon us and pull us out of our sinful state we move not a jot Yea verily man in his best estate man regenerate and brought home to God must also be drawn or he will not run he must be kept by the power of God through faith to Salvation or he will never come into Heaven when to will is present with us we have no strength to perform The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak O miserable men that we are who shall deliver us from our bodies of death I need say no more it being what is justified by the experience of the best of men and their prayers directed to God accordingly Sermon XIX Cant. 1. 4. Draw me and we will run after thee I Have formerly discoursed from this Text this Proposition That the Soul till drawn doth not run after Christ I am in the application of that discourse and that by way of Instruction This may inform us in the true nature of special saving Grace It is a drawing to and after Christ Grace in its general notion signifieth nothing but free love and favour Let me find grace or I have found grace signifies no more in Scripture than though I have no worth no merit yet shew me love and favour when applied to God it signifieth no more in the general notion whether this love be shewed in the collation of the good things which concern this life or those which concern that life which is to come they are all grace in a large sense because emanations of divine love not merited by Creatures But words taking their significancy more from use than etymology Grace in a more strict and usual notion hath been taken to signify The emanations of Divine love concerning the Souls and Eternal Salvation of the Children of men which is called the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation Now these divine emanations having different effects this Grace of God is also distinguished into Common and special ineffectual and effectual under the notion of common grace we comprehend all those effluxes of divine goodness by which God sheweth his kindness to the Souls of men in order to their Salvation whether they prove effective of their Salvation yea or no under this head some will bring both Election and Redemption owning no other Election than the eternal counsel of God to save such as should believe so denying all eternal Election of persons and making Christs intention in dying to extend to all either equally or at least so far as to put all in a possibility of Salvation if their own perverse wills do not hinder The Publication and proposal of the Gospel with the common influences of the Spirit attending the preaching of it certainly come under this notion for though all hear not that joyful sound yet it is granted on all hands that of those that do hear it to some it is the savour of life unto life to others the savour of death unto death And this is all the grace which some will acknowledge antecedent to the pardon of sins and regeneration But we affirm a further special grace than this is which we call special because it is not equally administred to all no not to all that hear the Gospel saving because it brings salvation not only in a general tender and offer unto all but to that particular Soul upon whom it shineth and so is effectual because effective of the blessed end to which it is levelled and aimed and doth not evaporate in a meer tender and proposal of the will of God This is that which we conceive expressed here and in John 6. 44. under the notion of drawing Which term is fully expressive of the Nature of it as it signifieth both 1. An act of power 2. An act of sweetness and love 1. An act of power The converted Soul is made willing in the day of the Lords power Psal 110. 3 4. The holy Scripture describes us in our natural state as dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. 1. Enemies to God Col. 1. 21. and alienated from the life of God Having hearts harder then rocks then nether milstones iron sinews stiff necks Let those that think a meer intreaty of a Soul to come to Christ that it might have life a meer moral suasion or persuading a Soul to Spiritual duty will change it and renew it and beget in it spiritual habits try what their Rhetorick will do to melt a rock or to raise a dead body If the disadvantage of an ill education and a customary course of debauchery added to our vitiated nature hath such a power to beget in us a moral impotency that the drunkard and the unclean person cannot obtain of himself notwithstanding the advantage of his own ratiocination and the potent arguments drawn from the health of his body the upholding his reputation amongst men the preservation of his estate the pleasing of his sober friends to turn from an Alehouse and Tavern and from the house of the strange Woman no not tho his own experience and the daily experience of others verifieth these arguments and the acts are but such as by the force of reason supposing the common grace of God denied to none may be declined How shall we ever think that a man hath a natural power to the most sublime and spiritual acts and that the power of God must not be put forth upon a Soul causing it to love God and to hate sin and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Two things evince this grace to be an act of divine power 1. The invisibility of Christ and his excellencies 2. The natural alienation of our Souls from him If indeed our need of Christ or the suitableness which is in him to the lapsed state of Souls were either evident to sense or demonstrable to reason or the excellencies of Christ were demonstrable to either something might be said for the sufficiency of rational arguments to persuade the Soul to Christ yet not enough in that case for the sensibility of the goodness of temperance and sobriety and chastity their suitableness to the frail state of our bodies ready to be destroyed by debaucheries opposite to these vertuous habits we see by experience are not enough to keep Souls within the circle and bounds of morality But the other things being neither subject to the demonstration of sense or reason it is most irrational to plead for a power in the will of man to chuse them The sweetness of what the lapsed Soul in its state of alienation from God tasteth in sensible satisfactions is a thing evident to sense and it is
Assemblies I cannot away with even the Solemn Meetings Your New Moons and your appointed Feasts my Soul hateth they are a trouble to me God had appointed all these things he had commanded they should tread his Courts bring Oblations offer Incense keep New Moons and Sabbaths but all these things ought to have been done out of love to God with a Faith in Christ and with pure hearts not being so performed they were no Godliness but meer abomination unto God The case with us under the Gospel is the same though our Acts of homage there prescribed be of another more reasonable and spiritual nature God hath required of us to pray to praise to hear his Word to partake of his Supper He hath also prescribed us the manner in which we ought to do these acts in Faith in Obedience with the intention of our minds attention of our thoughts fervency of spirit Separate the more external acts from these they are no better than formal performances bodily exercises neither acceptable to God nor profitable to our selves If men will call these Godliness or Holiness it is a great mistake The external acts are indeed such as men that live under the Gospel may be excited to perform and may perform without any special influence of Grace by vertue of his natural powers and abilities and the common Grace of God not denied to any But when they are done without due affections and principles and inward motions of the heart correspondent to the nature of the actions according to the revelation of the Divine Will they are no Holiness but Hypocrisie and thus they cannot be performed without the assistance and influence of special Grace Thus from this notion of the necessity of Christ's drawing both with reference to our first coming to Christ for life and further following him walking with him and running after him Christians may be able to judge both concerning the Truth of their Faith and also of their Holiness If either be true they must be the effect of Divine special Grace and more than any can do from the powers of Nature even the best educated Nature not renewed changed and influenced by special and distinguishing grace I am fully of their mind who think that those Souls who are no further changed and reformed or converted than might be from the power of Nature rationally improving Moral Principles and Gospel Motives and Arguments cannot be saved But yet I am so charitable as to think that many may be saved who think they have no other conversion than this the workings of the Spirit of God upon our Souls are so indiscernable and internal that we may possibly mistake them for the workings of meerly our own powers and faculties under the advantages of the Gospel but they must be more than such or else as I have before said man is the first Author of all spiritual good both with respect to action and fruition to himself and clearly his own Saviour and must make himself to differ from another and that by the highest and most spiritual difference and one man's Soul must have different and inequal vertues from the Soul of his Brother whose Soul is of the same species and hath the same faculties But I have dwelt long enough upon this branch of Application Let every one now by this Examine himself whether the Faith that he thinks he hath be a meer Assent to the Proposition of the Gospel upon the Evidence of it he hath had from the Church or from men or a meer languid incertain Assent from probable Arguments of Reason or a meer presumption bottomed upon no Promise Or whether it be a firm and fixed Assent to the Truths of the Gospel understood by him conjoyned with a reliance upon the Person of the Mediator clearly revealed in the Gospel as the only Saviour of Man and producing an endeavour in all things to live up to the condition of the Promise Whether the Holiness which he thinketh his Soul hath arrived at lieth in a meer Moral Righteousness a forbearance of gross and scandalous courses of sin and a doing such acts of Justice and Charity as a man may do from the meer improvement and conduct of reason and a meer Formality of Godliness a performance of such acts of homage as God hath prescribed without respect to the manner in which God hath willed them to be performed If your pretended Faith and Holiness be no more trust not to them as Evidences that you are come to Christ all this may be without any thing of this drawing your Faith is no more than that mentioned Matth. 7. 22. where our Saviour tells you that many pretendedly trusting in and relying upon him as may appear by what they said should say to him in that day Lord Lord Have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful works to whom he would say I never knew you depart from me you workers of iniquity God had never promised Heaven Salvation to a prophesying in his Name nor to a casting out of Devils so as their confidence or reliance on or in Christ was the growing up of a Rush without Mire a trusting without a ground or bottom Your Holiness and Righteousness is no more than that of the Pharisee who gloried Luk. 18. 11 12. That he was not as other men were Extortioners Unjust Adulterers he fasted twice a week and gave Alms of all that he possessed Our Saviour saith he went away not justified And Matth. 5. 20. Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you can never enter into the Kingdom of God Say to your selves severally My Soul thou must one day come before the Judgment Seat of Christ and begging for admittance into Heaven thou wouldest be loth to hear the Lord in that day say to thee Depart from me I know thee not My Soul what hast thou more to trust to than they had Canst thou say any more than Lord I am not as other men I am no Swearer no Drunkard no Reviler no Extortioner no Whoremonger Lord I fast often I go to prayers often and to Church often to hear the Word if thou hast no more to say the Pharisee had as much The interest of a man 's own body or estate the examples of other men the credit and applause of the world may move a reasonable Soul under no other power than that of reason nor other influence than that which all within the compass of the Church where the Gospel is Preached may carry thee thus far without any influence of powerful special Grace Further yet this notion of Truth may help to relieve many good Souls who are discouraged either because they seem to themselves to stick in the New Birth Or because they find in themselves a great weakness to spiritual duties Or impotency in the resistance of their own intrinsick motions to sin or forein
temptations As easie a thing as some make it to believe many Souls smitten of God and truly afflicted under the sense of sin find it one of the most difficult things in the world to give such a firm and steady Assent to the Revelation of the Gospel as will produce in their Souls any grounded confidence and resting on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and shall be productive of such a change of heart and life as the Gospel requireth Hence though they be truly wounded in the sense of sin and have taken up resolutions through the Grace of God to sin no more as they have done formerly yet they cannot tell how to bring their Souls to any fiducial adherence and rest on the Lord Jesus Christ but they are still full of doubts and fears concerning their spiritual and eternal state the guilt of their sins is upon their consciences and they pine away in and under it but they are not able to reach out an hand to the Promise in and through Christ they have deep sights of their misery but they can see no hope no mercy at all in God for them Now to such Souls as these this is some relief to consider That no man cometh to the Son unless the Father draweth him It is no wonder that thou who hast formerly been not a stranger only but an enemy to God canst not at first come unto him without a powerful influence of Divine Grace when as those who are brought home to God stand in need of a daily Divine Influence to enable them to walk with him and to run after him This is not the weakness or frowardness or badness of thine heart alone it is the condition of every lapsed Soul And here the thinking Soul will come to feel the wound given it by the Fall of Adam and its own original corruption No man hath by nature more aptitude than another to acts truly spiritual You will say this is very cold comfort We are sure if we be without Christ we are undone and what if our hearts be no worse than others were till they were made better by the Power of Divine Grace so long as that they are so bad as we cannot come to Christ for life We have been lying in this state at the Pool of Bethesda under the Ordinances of God many months and years others within the time have been rolled in here we lie still as weak as ever I will but offer two things to the relief of a Soul thus complaining 1. That every Christian drawn to Christ doth not presently discern it Faith is one thing the sense of that Faith is another thing Many a Child of Light doth not walk in the Light I would hope charitably that that Soul which complains that it cannot believe and seriously bemoans its impotency doth believe a serious desire to believe is generally the fruit of believing I would say to the Soul that thus complaineth Thou art awakened to consider an Eternity and that thy Soul is hastening towards an Eternity yet thou dost not despair thou hast some hope In what is thy hope What dost thou trust in with reference to thy Eternal Happiness Such a Soul will easily see that its Moral Righteousness or Formal Performance of Duties are not the things it hopeth in Where then is thy hope those degrees of hope which keep thee out of the Pit of despair fixed Where can it be fixed but in Christ exhibited in the Promises of the Gospel so as thou rather complainest for want of sense than for want of 〈◊〉 2. If thou dost but pray and wait thou shalt see Christ will make thee to see that he hath drawn thy Soul unto himself Never poor Soul perished under thy circumstances that is heavy loaden under the sense of sin and weary of its sinful courses and sensible that it hath no Righteousness wherein it can stand before God and panting and thirsting after the Lord and his Righteousness I have alwaies thought that God would not be wanting to any as to his special Grace that had made the best improvement he could of common Grace But this case riseth higher God hath begun his good work in thy Soul and he will perfect it he hath begun with thee in a way of special Grace and more shall be added he hath brought to the birth and shall he not give strength to bring forth so as thou hast nothing to do but to pray to wait upon God in his Ordinances and to wait for God with patience Secondly I hear others complaining They would run after God they would follow the Lord fully the Spirit is willing but the Flesh is weak they find their corruptions their temptations so strong their strength against them so small that they wonder they hold out so long and fear they shall one day fall They cannot find that they run after Christ something of duty they do but with so much dulness and heaviness as is far from running Christian be of good comfort 1. The Lord will draw thee do what in thee lieth the Lord will draw thee Who saith Paul shall deliver me from this body of death He presently subjoyns I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Spouse prayeth in Faith when she saith Draw me and we will run after thee If Abraham had considered his own body at that time dead as to such acts or the deadness of Sarah's womb he had never glorified God by a strong Faith in the Promise Rom. 3. 21. He considered none of these but the Promise only and concluded that what the Lord had promised he was able to perform Thou considerest how busie the Devil is and what he can do How strong thy lusts are how weak thou art and how little thou art able to do But thou dost not consider what a mighty God can do what he can do who hath said To him that hath shall be given and he shall have in more abundance Thou seest a great Mountain of lusts and corruptions great Mountains of temptations and thou art afraid But what art thou O great Mountain before the Lord 's Zerubbabel If it be the Lord's work who shall let him 2. Consider The Lord may sometimes not draw 〈…〉 as at other times and our running will bear a proportion to his drawing The Mother will never leave the little Child to go wholly alone for fear it falls she will alwaies have an hand upon it but she may sometimes put forth more sometimes less of the strength of that hand God never leaveth us wholly to our selves he knows we cannot stand or go without him but he sometimes lets us feel more of his strength sometimes less 3. Going slowly when God slackens his hand is indeed running that is equivalent to a going faster with a further influence It is like the Widdows Mite who hath no more to put in Like Hezekiah's chattering like a Crane Like the voice of David's weeping Like the sorrowful sighings of the
is with the Soul its Spiritual distemper many times is not so much a weakness as a spiritual deadness dulness and inactivity so as it wants a promptness and readiness to its duty It cannot say with David My heart is ready O God my heart is ready I will pray and sing Praise Running argues the absence of this ill temper If the Lord draweth the Soul it will not only serve him but it will serve him with a ready mind and free Spirit praise and duty will wait for God in the Soul it will not only walk but run the ways of Gods Commandments David hath an expression to this purpose Psal 119. 60. I made hast and delayed not to keep thy Commandments Every Soul that loves God keepeth the Commandments of God it is the test of our love to God He that hath my commandments and keepeth them saith Christ John 14 21. he it is that loveth me But there is a great deal of difference in mens keeping and fulfilling the commandments of God The meanest weakest Christian doth in his measure keep the Lords commandments all the commandments of God Psal 119. 6. Then saith David shall I not be ashamed when I have a respect to all thy Commandments He that hath the least of saving Grace sets the law of the Lord in his Eye and makes the word of God a light to his feet and a Lanthorn to his paths and hath a reverence and regard to all the commandments of God and To will is present with him he would walk perfectly with God but in many things he doth offend through weakness and in many things through a dulness and heaviness which sometimes doth affect and afflict his Soul he doth not only want a strength to perform but he wants a life and quickness of Spirit in what he doth but now if the Lord draweth the Soul makes hast and delayeth not to keep the Commandments of God Jacob himself had forgot the vow which he had made unto God when he fled from the face of his Brother Esau God draweth him saith unto him Gen. 35. 1. Arise go up to Bethel make there an Altar to God c. then Jacob made hast and delayed not v. 2. When there is a suspension of this drawing Grace in its co-operating and concurring influences the Soul moves heavily like Pharaohs Chariots when the Wheels are taken off it hath a view of its duty and lieth under convictions as to it and it may be finds strength enough to the performance of it but wants a readiness of mind and is ready when it hath a monition to duty from such as wish well to it to say as he said to Paul Go thy way when I am at leisure I will send for thee Or tomorrow or at such or such a time I will do it as the young man in the Gospel whom Christ bid follow him said suffer me first to go and bury my dead So sometimes the Soul is ready to say suffer me first to go and do such or such a thing So the Soul is ready to delay and put off good motions but when the Lord draweth then it maketh hast and delayeth not to keep his Commandments It longeth for times of duty It is glad when they say unto it Come let us go up to the House of the Lord it sayeth when shall I come and appear before God There is a time when the Soul saith when will the Sabbath come the hour of Prayer come that I may appear before God and pour out my Soul before him This is now when God draweth hard when the Spirit of God cometh upon the Soul in a more than ordinary influence and there is a time when the Soul saith when will the Sabbath he gone the hour of duty be run out This is when the Lord doth not draw in such a manner The believing Soul like the flowers opens or shuts as the Sun of righteousness shineth more or less upon it Let me again allude to that Text Psal 65. 1. Praise watteth for God in Zion Praise is a rent due from our Souls to God we farm much mercy from the great Landlord of all good Praise is all the rent we pay Now look as it is in the world a bad tenant never hath his rent ready so it is with a bad Man he lives upon mercy and it may be hath liberal portions of mercy but God never hears of him to pay his acknowledgments A good Tenant if the times be good hath alwaies his rent ready for his Landlord so as his rent waiteth for his Landlord but if the times be bad even the best Tenants though they have an heart to pay their rent yet may not have it to pay their Landlords may wait for their rents so it is with the best Souls If the Sun of righteousness shines out clearly upon them and the Spirit of Grace draweth powerfully Praise waiteth for God in their Souls If not God may wait for his Praises Hence David so often prayeth Quicken me according to thy word Psal 119. 25. Quicken me in thy way v. 37. Quicken me in thy righteousness v. 40. I have now opened the term Run The Proposition opened lies thus before you That the Soul of a Christian once drawn not only by the motives and arguments of the Gospel improved by the gifts of Gods Minister but by the secret and powerful influence of the Spirit of God upon it doth no longer lie still as the Soul dead in sin nor move from a forreign power put forth upon it but from an inward principle within itself and that not weakly and impotently but with might and strength and that not dully and heavily but with life freedom speed and chearfulness after God in the way of its duty keeping the Commandments of God with its whole heart being first made willing it willeth being first set on work it worketh yet not of itself meerly nor principally I live saith the Apostle yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God I can do all things saith the same Apostle to the Philippians through Christ that strengtheneth me and without me you can do nothing saith Christ to his Disciples Joh. 14. 3. The truth of this further appears from Gods Peoples promises of running upon Gods drawing in that excellent 119 Psal you shall find many passages of this tendency v. 32. I will run the ways of thy Commandments when thou shalt inlarge myheart 33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy Statutes and I shall keep it unto the end v. 34. Give me understanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart v. 35. Make me to go in the paths of thy Commandments v. 36. Incline my heart to thy testimonies The inlarging of the heart his prayer for giving him understanding making him to go in the paths of Gods Commandments c. are but all several phrases
his possession v. 8. which Kingdom he doth not only exercise over all in order to the gathering of his Church subduing the hearts of people unto himself and then over his Church gathered by giving laws to it and setting Officers over it but more particularly in the hearts of all believers in whom he ruleth by his Spirit But why doth the Spouse here speak to her beloved or of hÄ—r beloved in this lofty stile and not rather in that familiar stile which she generally useth in this Song What if we should say 1. That in other places of this Divine Song she is speaking to him here she is speaking of him God is the King of Kings the Lord of Lords yet when we pray unto him we are licensed and commanded to say unto him Our Father when she speaks of him to others she useth another stile and saith the King though we are allowed an holy boldness in our accesses and addresses to the Throne of Grace yet this is not exclusive of that holy fear and reverence which we owe unto God as our King we ought to remember that he who is our Beloved our Father is also our King 2. What if we should say that this lofty compellation is used to enhance the favour that she had received She was not admitted into ordinary Chambers but into Royal Chambers the King hath brought me into his Chambers No words are too big to express the singular favour of God to our Souls 3. What finally if we should say that she changeth her stile to intimate the persons who must expect signal favour from God and to remember her self of her duty in consideration of such favours I say first to intimate to us who those Persons must be that expect any singular favours from God they must be such as apprehend and receive Christ not for a Saviour as a Priest only but such as own and acknowledge him as a King as their Lord to command and to rule over them according to that promise John 14. 21. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he who loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him It might also remember her of the duty she owed unto God in consideration of his favour to her she resolveth to own and to acknowledge him as her Lord her King But these things being premised I come to that Propesition which I raised from the connexion of these words testifying the Lords hearing of her Prayers the words are immediately annexed to her Petition Whence I observed That it pleaseth God sometimes to make very quick returns to his Peoples Prayers That it is so appears 1. By the Lords answering his People sometimes before they speak or while they are speaking Isaiah 65. 24. It shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear Nothing can be quicker then that for God to take notice of what his people have in their hearts to ask and to give it before they can form it by their lips into words or while they are speaking to give an answer you have the first exemplified in David Psal 32. 5. I said I will confess my transgression unto the Lord he had not confessed he had only said in his heart that he would confess his transgression to the Lord and saith he thou sorgavest the inquity of my sin you have an instance of the latter in Hannah the Wife of Elkanah 1 Sam 1. She was praying her lips moved but her voice was not heard yet the Lord heard her and though the time must be fulfilled before she could have a Son yet 1 Sam 1. 18. It is said of her at present that she went away and did eat and her countenance was no more sad She had a present answer of peace her mind was quieted her countenance was no more sad you have another instance in Daniel to name no more Dan. 9. 20. Daniel with the rest of the Jews had been in the captivity of Babylon near 70 years the time was almost expired as to which God had promised they should come out Daniel sets himself to pray and you have a copy of his prayer from Dan. 9. v. 4. to v. 20. Observe now v. 20. And while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my People Israel yea v. 21. While I was speaking in prayer the man Gabriel whom I had seen in a vision at the beginning being caused to fly swiftly touched me about the time of the evening oblation and he informed me and talked with me and said O Daniel I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding at the beginning of thy supplication the Commandment came forth and I am come to shew thee for thou art greatly beloved c. Here now the Lord made a very quick return to Daniels prayer while he was speaking the Lord answered him But a return of prayers may be quick though it be not thus quick but after the interval of some few months days or years Abraham was thus answered as to his Prayer mentioned Gen. 17. and David glorieth in the assurance of this Psal 4. 3. The Lord will hear when I call upon him But now because on the one hand this is a very desirable mercy and many times the Souls of Gods people are discouraged and flagg in duty because the vision is yet for an appointed time It will not be out of our way to inquire what prayers these are that meet with so quick an audience from God God doth not this at all times nor for all persons no not for those who are most beloved of him David himself complaineth Psal 22. 2. O my God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent The Church complains of some times when God is angry with the prayers of his people Psal 80. 4 Gods own People sometimes shoot arrow after arrow to find what they shot first hence you so often meet with it as a piece of the Saints Prayer Hear my prayer O God give ear to my Supplications Let us a little enquire from whence this variety of Providence proceeds as to this hearing and answering of prayers God is the Lord that changeth not therefore we are not consumed we must therefore find the cause in the persons praying or in the prayers which maketh this difference as to Gods answers That so quick and gracious answers may be obtained something is necessary on the party praying Something with respect to the matter prayed for Something as to the manner of putting up the prayer 1. As to the Person praying 1. No Soul can expect such an answer unless persons in special favour with God this the Angel told Daniel Dan. 9. 23. At the beginning of thy supplication the commandment came forth and I am come to shew thee c. for
hurt God denieth it because he would do us good and not hurt In this case if the Lord giveth us an heart content to be without the thing we ask he abundantly answereth our prayers and giveth us the general and true desire of our Souls God sometimes answereth our prayers by giving us idem the same thing which we ask but this he never doth but where he seeth it is for our good and that under our present circumstances sometimes he answereth us by giving us tantundem the value of the mercy though not the particular thing which we ask of God thus he answered Paul as to the thorn in his flesh and this is a real answer and with this every Child of God ought to be fully satisfied and contented But this is enough to have said to this point how Christians may know whether Gods time his set time to favour his Church or the Souls of his people is come a point of great concern in order to the satisfaction of Christians why they have not a present answer to their prayers to abate their dissatisfaction as to the inequal motions of Divine Providence in this answer of prayers 3. Lastly Something is necessary with reference to the manner of our prayers if we would so pray as to receive a present answer So two things are necessary 1. That we pray Believingly 2. Fervently 1. Believingly I opened this before under the first head and therefore shall say nothing to it here 2. Fervently That is that which alone I shall here speak to This is much mistaken if it be thought to lie in the vehemency of our tone and expression it lyeth much deeper in the intension of the mind and the Souls secret affection to and in the duty James tells us ch 5. v. 16. The effectual servent prayer of the righteous availeth much The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifieth operative and working and so working as it produceth the effect The Prophet speaking of God Isaiah 41. 4. useth this expression who hath wrought and done it the Septuagint translate the Hebrew word there by this word the Apostle useth it to express such a working as that by which God bringeth about his decrees Eph. 1. 11. Who worketh all things according to the counsel of his will and again he useth it to express the working of the Devil in wicked men whom he calleth Children of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. In the primitive times those who were acted by the Devil were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of the great power and force which the evil Spirit put forth upon and shewed in those miserable creatures that were possessed Piscator upon the Text Jam. 5. 16. translates it Ardens the burning flaming prayer Beza translateth it Efficax the efficacious prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doubtless signifies that prayer which setteth the whole Soul on work There is a cold dead lazy prayer where the tongue only is set on work or only the tongue and the head or the fancy the one to invent and compose matter the other to utter it but neither of these is that fervent prayer which St. James speaketh of but that prayer which setteth the whole Soul in motion towards God where not only the fancy and imagination and understanding are imployed to invent and suggest matter the will to will it but the affections which indeed in a reasonable creature are but the motions of the will towards its object with the utmost intension to desire it to exercise an hope in God for it c. this is the fervent working prayer mentioned by St. James this prayer doth much with God Jacobs prayer was such a prayer Moses saith he wrestled with God until the morning he said unto God I will not let thee go until thou blessest me the Prophet expounds it Hosea 12. 4. He wept and made supplications unto him by this prayer he had power over the Angel and prevailed as it is there in the words immediately preceding yea and he had a present answer God blessed him before he parted with him as you read in his History Such a prayer was Daniels to which he received also a present answer Dan. 9. v. 3. I saith he set my face to the Lord God to seek by Prayer and Supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes such was Elijahs prayer 1 Kings 18. 42. The text saith He put his face betwixt his knees a posture signifying the great intension of his mind and spirit It is a praying with strong cries and groans which cannot be uttered which is the Apostles phrase Rom. 8. 26. This praying comes up to the first and great commandment Yhou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Soul and all thy strength This is like the drawing the arrow to the head which sendeth it with more force to the mark nor indeed is there a better sign of a sudden answer than when the Lord hath thus prepared the heart A man seldom finds his Soul more then ordinarily fervent and importunate with God for a mercy but when the Lord hath determined suddenly to give it in to him Thus now I have shewed you in what cases God ordinarily gives in speedy answers to his peoples prayer But God doth not do this alwaies David himself complaineth Psal 22. 2. O my God I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent The Church crieth out Psal 80. 4. O Lord God of Hosts how long wilt thou be angry with the prayers of thy people And again he shutteth out my prayer Lam. 3. 8. What should be the reason of these inequal dispensations from the hand of the same God and gracious Father I answer 1 Why may not God do it that we may not track him in his ways He will be known to be a free agent He will sometimes give present answer that his people may be confirmed in their faith that God is a God hearing prayer The God that never said to the seed of Jacob seek my face in vain he will not alwaies give a present answer that we may not ascribe too much unto prayer nor will he alwaies delay that we may not ascribe too little to it If God should alwaies give a present answer we should ascribe too much to prayer and make an idol of a duty That the Lord might secure his own glory and be owned as the God of our mercies the object of our faith and dependence the free fountain of all our good things God is pleased sometimes sooner sometimes later to give in answer to his peoples prayer 2. But there may be reason enough for it fetched from the prayers themselves One prayer may be made more in faith than another more fervent than another more fitted to Gods set time for the bestowing of a mercy than another it is true nothing of these can render the prayer more meritorious our prayers take them at the best are too
his Spirit but thy Soul is yet unquiet and impatient it is thy duty yet to wait upon God to chide down thy tumultuous and unquiet thoughts all the risings up and murmurings of thy Soul against God to adore and to admire God where thou canst not see or understand him to acknowledge Gods goodness and holiness though thou canst not discern his goodness as to thee in this particular Thus did David Psal 22. 3. after he had complained that he had cried in the day time and the Lord did not hear and in the night season and was not silent v. 3. he saith But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel This is most certainly our duty under such providences as these are we must not look in this life to understand all Gods ways and methods of providence much less the reasons of them that is a piece of knowledge reserved for another world all that we have to do is to observe and study them and where we cannot find them out to admire and adore them and to wait upon him that wrappeth up himself in thick darkness and hideth his face from the House of Jacob. This waiting doth not only signify a passive quietness silence and patience but an active doing our duty Waiting on the Lord and keeping his way are put together Psal 37. we ought not to leave off praying because in our apprehensions at least our prayers lie by without answer much less to slacken our course of holiness but to resolve as the Church did for Zions sake so for our own sake not to hold our peace we have for this an excellent president in the example of the Church Psal 44. 17. All this is come upon us saith she yet have we not forgotten thee nor dealt falsely in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death then she concludeth with prayer v. 23 24 25 26. Awake why sleepest thou O Lord arise cast us not off for ever wherefore hidest thou thy face and forgettest our affliction and oppression For our Soul is bowed down to the dust our belly cleaveth to the Earth Arise for our help and redeem us for thy mercy sake Sermon XXV Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his Chambers IF any asketh who is this King whom the text speaks of as the question soundeth like that Psal 24. v. 8. Who is the King of glory So the answer must be much the same The Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in Battel the Lord of Hosts he is the King of Glory He is the King of Nations for all the Nations of the Earth are the work of his hands and he hath a Native Lordship and dominion over them He is the King upon the holy hill of Sion the King of Saints they have chosen him he ruleth in them and reigneth over them they have chosen him he hath subdued their hearts unto him and hath chosen them for his peculiar people this is the King of whom the Church and the believing Soul here speaketh and saith The King hath brought me into his Chambers It is the same Person of whom she spake v. 2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth To whom she said v. 3. Draw me and we will run after thee There she spake to him as her beloved here she speaketh of him as a King there she prayed for something that she wanted here she praiseth and giveth thanks for something she had received I have already taken notice of the alteration of her stile of her so sudden giving thanks upon the quick return God had made to her prayers I come now to consider the mercy or good thing she had received which she expresseth in the same metaphorical dialect which she useth throughout this Song The King hath brought me into his Chambers when I at first opened the whole verse I endeavoured to find out what this mercy was in the receit of which the Spouse triumpheth in this text I then considered Chambers as places more lofty then others and and of more privacy and secrecy and from thence concluded that the Spouse by this phrase signifieth some special favours which she had received from God some special and more near and intimate degrees of fellowship and communion with God into which her beloved had taken her The Proposition I offered from the words for my further explication was this That the Lord Jesus Christ hath Chambers in which he sometimes entertaineth the Souls of his people He hath a favour for them all Rooms in his House for all the sizes of his people but he hath Chambers for some or into which he sometimes takes up the Souls of his Saints the subject of my discourse will be such special favours as God sheweth to some Souls or to the Souls of his people at some times This is evident in holy writ Abraham was called the Friend of God Moses is called his Servant emphatically Moses my Servant is dead David the man according to Gods own heart Solomon was named by God Jedidiah a man beloved of God There are four degrees in the love of God as it respecteth the Children of men 1. He hath a Philanthropy or general love which he sheweth towards all He leaveth not the Heathen without witness In him all men live move and have their being from him they have fruitful times and seasons which fill their bellies with food their hearts with gladness their bellies are filled with his hid treasure The patience of God leadeth them to repentance The invisible things of God even his eternal power and God-head are made known to them by his works of Creation by the things which he hath made 2. He hath a more special love for his Church This is seen in his more special providence exercised towards his whole Church which are more watched over and preserved by a common providence then any other body of people are They have also the Oracles of God the Ordinances of God and means of grace and this latter is certainly an effect of the death of Christ 3. He hath yet a more special love for all those within his Church who are effectually called whose hearts God hath seized and subdued to himself they are made partakes of more special grace being called justified and sanctified and such who shall hereafter be most certainly glorified 4. But there is yet another specialty of Divine love even amongst those who are made partakers of special saving graces some are more specially favoured in this life and shall be more eminently then others glorified in that life which is to come These more special favours to the Saints that are all made partakers of the same saving grace are the subject of my present enquiry 1. Some here understand the mansions of glory but they are forced to make an
Enallage of tenses to justify their interpretation to say the King hath is put for the King shall bring me c. Aquinas Piscator and some others thus interpret the Spouse The question about degrees of glory is not well agreed amongst Divines there are great Divines on either side as to that opinion nor is it a small difficulty to open in what the glory of one Child of God when he comes in Heaven shall excell anothers When it is certain that they shall all see God inherit his Kingdom be satisfied with his likeness and there shall be no want to any Soul there especially we being taught by our Saviour that every labourer in the Vineyard shall have his penny But yet it is very probably judged by Divines That in that firmament as well as in that which is lower the stars shall differ one from another in glory and that when Christ told his Disciples they should sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel he by it expressed some greater degrees of glory then shall be the portion of his more common Disciples besides that the Scriptures speaking of God's rewarding all men according to their works compared with the disproportion which we see in the works of Believers make it yet more probable So that I must confess my self very inclinable in this point to be of the mind of those Divines who think that in the Mansions of Glory there shall be Chambers though I am not able to distinguish them from the lower Rooms in those blessed Mansions But yet I am not inclinable supposing this to interpret the Spouse as speaking of them here but rather judge her by this phrase designing to express her felicity not discerned by the Eye of Faith which is the Evidence of things not seen but by the Eye of Sense some special favour now received from God and I am therefore concerned further to enquire what these favours may be 2. God hath Chambers of special Providence Some indeed understand that Text Isa 26. 20. Come my people enter into the Chambers and hide thy self concerning the Grave because the righteous are taken away as the Prophet saith from the Evil to come But others and I think better interpret it as an invitation of God to his people in calamitous times to betake themselves into the Chambers of his special providenee the Psalmist saith Psal 91. 1. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of his Wings In this Chamber there are Closets there is a special providence that attendeth and watcheth over the whole Church as the whole Nation of the Jews were under more special providences than the Heathens but yet there is a more special providence attends the people of God who are so indeed Which is abundantly proved throughout the 91 Psalm so Psal 34. 18. The Eye of the Lord is upon those that fear him and upon those that hope in his mercy To deliver their Souls from death and to keep them alive in Famine But in regard the Spouse here speaketh not of herself as under any circumstances of outward misery or affliction I do not think this is her meaning in this Text these are not the Chambers concerning which the Spouse boasteth that the King had brought her into them she is speaking here doubtless of more spiritual inward dispensations 3. God hath his Chamber of Audience where he receiveth heareth and giveth answer to the prayers of his people This is a near degree of the Souls communion with God and what God hath promised them Psal 34. 15. The Eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his Ears are open unto their cry And again v. 17. The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and delivereth them out of all their troubles This is a favour which the Lord affordeth every believer the promises of hearing prayers belong to them all but yet in this Chamber there are Closets also God sometimes granteth a more speedy answer to his pecples prayers sometimes he delayeth and seemeth to be angry with and to shut out his peoples supplications from him but you know it was my whole business in my last discourse to prove and to give you some account of this which may very well supersede any larger discourse upon it under this Proposition Abraham Moses and Daniel and Job were all entertained in these Chambers so are many of the Servants of God at this day men mighty with God in prayer such Favourites in the Court of Heaven that they have no more to do then to form their Petitions and to put them into the hands of Christ and to get upon their Watch-Tower with Habakkuk and see what the Lord will answer God seemeth to have said unto them as Ahasuerus said to Esther What is thy Petition O my Child and what is thy request it shall be performed even to the half of my Kingdom Solomon was entertained by God in this Chamber when the Lord appeared unto him in Gibeon and asked him what shall I give thee and when after his prayer upon the dedication of his Temple the Lord again appeared to him and said I have heard thy prayer and have chosen this place for my self a Soul may be said to be brought into this Chamber either when it findeth that God hath answered its prayers at any time Or 2. When it before it prays ordinarily findeth a persuasion within itself that it shall be answered and so goeth with boldness and confidence to the throne of grace and poureth out its self unto God without doubting 4. God hath Chambers which I may call the Chambers of his special presence This being the thing which I conceive chiefly intended in this metaphorical expression I shall spend a little time in the explication of it The Scripture speaking much of Gods presence with and absence from his people his being with them or forsaking them and departure from them that you may in some measure understand those phrases Consider 1. There is a presence of the Divine Essence in all places in respect of which it is said The Lord filleth Heaven and Earth In respect of this he is never far from any of us he is neither shut up in nor shut out of any place nor is he more present in one place then he is in another according to that barbarous verse Enter praesenter Deus est ubique potenter God is every where in respect of his being essential presence and power 2. There is a presence of the Divine goodness it 's communicative goodness for there is an essential goodness which can never be separated from it wherever the divine being is there is infinite goodness but there is in God not only a goodness of perfection which is essential to God and inseparable from him but a goodness of bounty and beneficence which is nothing else but the goodness of God affecting the creature and flowing out upon the creature now this
is full either of such as are excessive drinkers of Wine or Merchants for it but how thin is it of such as have any remembrance of Christs love who as the Apostle tells us died to redeem us from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1. 18. For we were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from our vain conversation but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish who can be said to remember Christs love more then Wine that lives in those sins which crucified him who was the Lord of life Yet is not this the course of the most Men and Women who never think of their dying Saviour to restrain them in their drunkennesses debaucheries in their greatest excesses of Riot Nay how many are there that seldom take the love of Christ into their thoughts the love of their cups and of their Harlots hath made Christs loves to be utterly forgotten by their Souls for how can they say that they remember Christs loves above their lusts that will not quench one lust for his sake they in whom the remembrance of Christs death will not extinguish one vile affection one spark of pleasing lust will not the most of men and women yea such in whose ears the loves of Christ are published every Lords day be found perishing for preferring the very lees and dregs of Wine before the loves of Christ I mean for preferring the basest and most sordid kind of pleasures and satisfactions of the flesh for such are those pleasures which are no more than the gratifying of the sensitive appetite 2. Do not most mens discourses and practice betray them to remember Wine I mean their profitable things before the loves of Christ How much is the world and the things of the world the discourse of all companies upon all occasions how few are the discourses concerning Christ and what he hath done for us an hours discourse of Christs loves in a Pulpit upon the Lords day is thought proportionable to six days discourse about our earthly occasions do we not even grudge the Lord a seventh part of our time for the remembrances of his loves the Lords day is a day to call to remembrance Christs loves It was the day of his resurrection by which he compleated mans redemption the Ministers work is to help us in our remembrance of his loves We have besides our attendance upon the publick ministry a private duty this day incumbent upon us viz. To remember him who died for our sins and rose again for our justification I beseech you consider whether your remembrings of Christs loves upon the Sabbath day bear any proportion to your remembrance of your worldly interests other days I mean not for the proportion of time spent in the one and the other God hath indulged our infirmity in that he hath set apart a seventh day only to himself but examine this whether you remember the loves of Christ on the Lords day as you remember your worldly concerns on any of the other six days do the loves of Christ come into your thoughts as much on the week day as the world comes into your thoughts on the Lords days I sear there is none of us all can say that in this thing our hearts are clean I hope I speak to many who remember the loves of Christ and will never suffer his dying love to go off their thoughts But when we come to these comparative examinations to enquire whether we remember his loves more then we remember our sensual or sensible objects ah how short do we come of the duty of Christians yea of what our selves will own and consess to be our duty Happy is that man that doth not condemn himself even in the thing which he alloweth to be his duty But I had rather spend my time in persuading my self and you to our duty which according to my explication of the text and this propositionwill lye much in two things 1. In a full and perfect remembrance of the Loves of Christ 2. In a remembrance of them proportionable to that degree of goodness and excellency in them I say first in a Scriptual remembrance a full and perfect remembrance of the Loves of Christ I am afraid that we satisfy our selves too much in a Notional formal remembrance of Christs Loves and so please our selves in hearing the Gospel read opened and applyed to our Souls in a formal keeping of the Lords day the day which God hath set apart for us to call to our minds all the acts of our redemption compleated in his resurrection some Churches aware of Peoples awkness to this Spiritual duty have thought fit to appoint other days for a more solemn remembrance of his incarnation and death Nor have I any thing to say against any Christians that will set apart any Special times to remember any Loves of Christ though I do not know that Christ hath left any power to his Church to impose particular times of this nature But alas this is the least part of our duty in the remembrance of his Love We may have a day to remember it in we have such a day every week we may have helps to remember it by The holy Scriptures the Ministers of the Gospel that Preach Christ to their People are such helps But if in these days if with these helps we do not set our selves to meditate of the Loves of Christ to turn our thoughts from other things to the contemplation of and meditation upon the Love of a Christ incarnate the Love of a Christ dying and riseing again from the dead if we do not study to get our hearts affected suitably to such Love with love faith hope c. we do not so live as a People that remember Christ died for our Sins declining whatsoever is contrary to his will and Law in the Gospel do what in us lyeth to promove his honour Glory we are so far from Satisfying our Duty by this formal remembrance of his Love that we are the greatest forgetters of his Love The Jews who never owned him as their Redeemer the Heathen who never heard of his name nor of what he was or did for Sinners can in no propriety of Speech be said to forget his Loves The Christian only the loose Christian the formal Christian he who hears every day of the dying Love of Christ yet goes on to defy him to crucify him afresh and to put him to open shame or he who every Lords day hears the sound of the Loves of Christ and reads of it yet never meditates upon it never suffers his soul by contemplation to pierce into the heights or sound the depths of it whose heart is never truly affected with it so as he hath any Love kindled in his soul towards Christ no breathings after him who exerciseth no faith no hope in him he that lives not in his measure up to it leaving his vain conversation worshiping God in the Spirit
justified of her Children It is enough that the upright love him The upright men are the best men in the world But you will say were there such a beauty such an excellency in Christ why should not every rational man enquire after him and love him The answer is easy Because his beauty his excellency is not obvious to the Eye of sense or to the Eye of reason working from its own principles but only to the Eye of faith that of reason working upon revealed principles The goodness excellency of Christ considered as Mediator doth not lie in a suitableness to our bodily wants no nor to the wants of our Souls considered only as rational and spiritual Beings but in his suitableness to our Souls considered as lapsed and fallen from the happy state wherein they were at first created and by that fall exposed to the wrath of God here and hereafter Now this is revealed only in Holy Writ and is to be discerned only by the Eye of faith So as those who do not by a firm and steady assent agree to the revelation of the word cannot possibly see any excellency in Christ as a Saviour and Mediator between God and Man Secondly Every gracious Soul is from this Proposition justified in all their pangs of love for and toward Christ and in all their actions and sufferings in evidence of this love That there is such a thing as a spiritual love sickness is evident to all those who know any thing of the ways of God with the Soul or the motions of the Soul toward God Let persons of atheistical and profane hearts mock so long as they please no Soul that I know of expresseth more of this nature then his who is stiled by God the man according to Gods own heart Psal 119. 20. My heart breaketh with the longings which it hath to thy judgments at all times Psal 42. 1. As the Hart panteth after the Water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God my Soul thirsteth for God for the living God Psal 63. 1. My Soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee Our Saviour I am sure blesseth those who hunger and thirst after Righteousness Mat. 5. what work would the unhallowed wits of our Age have made with such metaphors as these in their Books of drollery c. they are all expressive of those pangs of love that sometimes affect good Christians in the several states of their Souls and besides these more inward motions the Souls of good Christians cannot but express their love by a zeal for his glory a love to his institutions a regard to all his commandments and durst not do many things as to which their Neighbours find no difficulty because they love the Lord Jesus Christ who hath said If you love me keep my Commandments For Christ that they may shew their love by their obedience unto him they are ready to suffer the loss of all things yea and do count them but dung that they may win Christ for this the men of the world mock them let them mock on The upright love him I remember in the story of David we read 2 Sam. 6. 20. That Michal his Wife the Daughter of Saul mocked him for his dancing before the Ark in a linnen Ephod How glorious saith she was the King of Israel to day who uncovered himself to day in the Eyes of the handmaids of his Servants as one of the vain fellows shamelesly uncovereth himself The holy man gives her a very smart answer saith he It was before the Lord which chose me before thy Father to appoint me to be a ruler over the people of the Lord over Israel therefore will I play before the Lord. And I will yet be more vile then thus c. Whiles carnal men mock at the secret sighings and groanings of Gods people at their frequency and strictness at in or to religious duties and call it all whining and canting and what comes next to the end of their lewd Tongues the Child of God is justified in this that the upright love Christ and all these their expressions of love are for and towards him who hath chosen their Souls to Eternal life and the use of all means which he hath made necessary in order to that Salvation and who for ought yet appeareth hath passed over the Souls of these Scoffers and left them to perish in their gainsayings When ch 5. of this Song the Spouse chargeth the Daughters of Hierusalem that if they found her beloved they should tell him she was sick of love They reply What is thy beloved more then another beloved O thou fairest among Women what is thy beloved more then another beloved that thou dost so charge us Cant. 5. 8. 9. See into what an elogy of her beloved she breaks out to the end of that Chap. My beloved saith she is white and reddy the chiefest of ten thousand c. when the men of the world see a gracious Soul panting sighting and breathing after Christ they are ready to speak to the same sense tho in ruder language what is the beloved of this Soul more then anothers beloved what makes these people so full of prayers and tears so full of duty so fond of the ordinances of Christ This justifies such Souls in all their pantings after Christ in all the passions of their Souls for him The upright love him Thirdly From hence Christians may take measures of themselves and make up a judgment of their Souls whether they be upright Souls yea or no very much lieth upon this many are the promises that in Holy Writ we shall find made to upright Souls Perfection of degrees is our mark but what in this life we cannot attain unto all perfection we are capable of is uprightness this may be attained we are therefore highly concerned to inquire upon our uprightness By this we shall know it The Soul that truly loveth Christ that is an upright Soul so as that which we have to examine is the truth of our love to Christ This inquiry also is considerable in respect of the Apostolical Anathema 1 Cor. 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha It is a great point how a Christian shall certainly know his spiritual state he shall know it by his uprightness how shall he know his uprightness that is to be known by his love to Christ But will some say is not this as hard to be discerned as any thing else I answer surely no. If it be no hard thing for a man to know whether he loves such a woman or a woman to know that she loveth such a man or for any to know they love such a friend such a companion why should it be so hard for a Soul to know whether it loveth Christ or no love will work much in the same manner towards all its objects and though the visibility and sensibility of some objects may draw out
to it without works and not imputing sin as the Apostle expounds the whole business of justification Rom. 4. 5 8. Thus now every believing Soul becomes a righteous Soul in the Eye of God through the righteousness of Christ put upon it This is indeed what some modern wits laugh at But as we say in other cases let them laugh that win so every serious Soul will think it hath cause of rejoycing if it hath thus won Christ to use the Apostles expression Phil. 3. 8. which he expoundeth in the very next words v. 9. And be found in him not having my own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith and I would have all that love their own Souls look to be one of that circumcision which the Apostle speaketh of in that Chapter v. 3. Which worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Some trust in Chariots faith the Psalmist some in Horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our God Psal 20. 7. I do but allude to that Text. There are some that trust to a righteousness of other Saints so do the Papists some trust in a righteousness of their own so do they also amongst others some trust to the meer free grace of God without any regard to a perfect righteousness but we will trust alone in Jesus Christ and in his righteousness I fear what follows in the Psalmist v. 8. will be found true in the day of Judgment Those will be brought down and fall but those that trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and his righteousness will rise and stand upright Those that trust in the good works of other Saints will find at that day they will have none to spare there will not be enough for themselves and much less to lend to others as the wife Virgins told the foolish Virgins in the Parable wanting Oâ—l and offering to borrow of them and those who trust to a righteousness of their own will find that they do but trust to a Spiders webb and which hath these two qualities analogous to a Spiders web 1. That it is a thing spun out of their own bowels 2. That the least touch of it sweeps it away it is what upon examination when judgment is laid to the line and this righteousness to the plummet will be found to be no such thing as will cover the Souls nakedness a bed too short for a Soul to stretch it self in Gods sight upon They say the great Cardinal Bellarmine dying confessed that it was safest to trust to the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ whether he said so or no I am sure it will be found so There is an original blackness which cleaveth to every Soul the not belief of which is possibly the foundation error as to this great point 1. A blackness of imputation The Apostle tells us that in Adam all died we were all in the loins of that our first Parent what he lost he lost for us we in him plucked a fruit of the Tree of forbidden fruit and so loft that Original Righteousness in which God at first made man and became black and unrighteous 2. An inherent blackness for having lost the image of the heavenly we were born with the Image of the Earthly which lay in a Native aversion from God and a Native proneness and aptitude to sin against God This is seen in our native ignorance and blindness stubborness and perverseness in our naturally vile affections turbulent and impetuous passions things very far from the Image of God and hence we are all by nature saith the Apostle Eph. 2. 3. Children of Wrath. To say nothing of those actual sins which are consequent to this native blackness all our thoughts words and deeds contrary to the law of God Divines think the natural blackness of the Soul is well set out by the Prophet Ezek. 16. Thy birth is of the land of Canaan thy Father was an Amorite thy Mother an Hittite In the day wherein thou wert born thy Navel was not cut neither wert thou washed in water to supple thee thou wert not salted at all nor swadled at all none Eye pitied thee to do any of these things for thee but thou wert cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day wherein thou wert born All this while here is no appearance of any thing but filthiness and blackness Now how cometh this black and most filthy creature to be made clean and comely see v. 6. I said unto thee while thou wert in thy blood live There is what we call effectual calling v. 7. I have caused thee to multiply and thou art increased and waxed great and come to excellent Ornaments v. 8. When I passed by thee it was a time of Love yea I spread my skirt over thee and I covered thy nakedness yea I sware unto thee and entred into a covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Then washed I thee with water there the Spouses blackness began first to wear off yea I thoroughly washed thy blood off thee and I anointed thee with Oil. the Psalmist tells us Oil makes the face to shine I clothed thee also v. 14. And thy renown went forth among the Nations for thy beauty for it was persect through my comeliness put upon thee saith the Lord thy God God there under the similitude of a wretched new born Infant and the care of a Parent for it setteth out the woful state of the Jews and Gods care for them and as Divines judge the wretched state of every Soul by nature till washed by Christs blood and made comely by Christs comeliness is also by that similitude excellently expressed but it is plain enough from other texts that our comeliness of righteousness that righteousness wherein we must stand righteous before God is put upon us by Christ and his comeliness though by imputation made ours 2. Christ makes us righteous by putting his Spirit into us Hence he promiseth to put his Spirit into his people and you read of the holy Spirit dwelling in believers and working in them This is the comeliness of Regeneration and Sanctification which is called the Sanctification of the Spirit the Spirit of Christ in us whose fruits Gal. 5. 22. are love joy meekness c. Indeed whatsoever rendreth a soul comely and beautiful in the eye of reason upon the union of which holy Spirit with the soul the soul becomes a new creature old things are passed away and all things are become new In the same hour wherein Christ saith to the soul I will be thou clean he also saith I will be thou pure and holy an habitation for God through the Spirit undefiled in the heart and in the way This is also metaphorically set out by the same Prophet Ezekiel 16. 10 11 12. I decked thee also with ornaments and I put
humiliation before it be brought home to Christ The Soul being enlightned by the Spirit of Grace seeth the vileness and filthiness of its own heart to that degree that it is ashamed and thinks that it cannot abase itself enough in the sight of God and from this disposition of the Soul to abhor loath and shame itself proceedeth this freedom willingness in the Soul upon all occasions with respect had to Christian prudence to vilify itself by the confession of its own blackness and infirmity 2. It proceedeth also from the habit of humility given to and wrought in the heart of every believer this is one of the perfections of the new Creature it differeth from the other little more then as the dâ—sposition from the habit This teacheth the Soul at all times a mean and low opinion of itself The Hypocrite is alwaies proud and looks upon all his gifts and good actions with a multiplying glass which makes them appear more then they are and greater then they are The humble Soul looks upon all as less In me saith Paul there dwelleth no good thing Hence he can hardly be heard to say any thing but in diminution and defamation of himself 3. It proceeds also from this Souls more perfect understanding the mark of perfection He knoweth better then another what God requires of him what degrees of faith love zeal holiness this makes him a better judge of his own imperfections and more ready to confess and bewail them The Hypocrite and natural man understandeth not the breadth of the Divine Law what faith what holiness God requireth of him he is proud knowing nothing as the Apostle speaks of some 1 Tim. 6. 4. not only his Pride prompting him to exalt himself but his ignorance knowing nothing as he ought to know it is the cause of his want of freedom to this duty It is with such a man as it is with a Sophister in the University A little knowledge that he hath puffeth him up he thinks he knows all things But when he comes to be Master of Arts to have lookt into Books a little more and to understand the compass of learning a little better then he complains of his ignorance and the small portion of knowledge which he hath So the man that hath but a mean and imperfect knowledge of the will of God he is proud and thinketh he knoweth all things but when God comes to open his Eyes and to let him see the mysteries of Divine knowledge he seeth more duty then he saw before and consequently more sin and more defects in his own Soul There is a vast difference betwixt that knowledge of duty sin which is in the heart of a Child of God under the illumination of the Spirit of Grace and that which is in a Soul not under that special illumination 4. Again a Christians often compuring himself with others and judging himself by their measures is often a great cause of this The natural man ordinarily chuseth companions like unto himself and judgeth of himself by their measures seeing himself as the Pharisee Luk. 18. to exceed the Drunkard in temperance and sobriety The Extortioner in justice and mercy the Adulterer in chastity The Atheist in a formality of dutiness a form of godliness he seeth no blackness in himself to confess he is Captain of his Form But now the converted Soul being come to be a companion of those that fear the Lord he sets before himself the examples of the Saints of God in Holy Writ and of those that are yet in the world that excel in virtue In the Scripture he reads of the faith of holy Abraham who believed in hope against hope not staggering at the promise through unbelies the patience of Job who when he had lost all his Estate all his Children yet did not speak inadvisedly with his lips nor charge God foolishly he reads of Davids exceeding love and delight for and in the law of the Lord. When he looks amongst his new Companions he sees in one Christian more tenderness of heart in another more faith in a third more zeal and activity for God then he can find in himself hence he cryeth out of his blackness and bewaileth his coming so short of others 5. Again he liveth in a daily sense of his wants and defects My sin saith David is ever before me and so his tongue doth but express the inward sense and apprehensions of his Soul 6. Lastly as all such Souls will be sensible of their defects and wants so they are continually desirous of an healing of their wounds and a Supply and relief Which they know confession is the way to obtain As for confession unto God the Wise man hath told us Prov. 28 13. That he that covereth his sins shall not prosper but who so confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy David telleth us Psal 32. 3. That when he kept silence his bones waxed old through his roaring all the day For saith he Day and night thine hand was heavy upon me my moisture is turned into the drought of Summer What remedy did he find v. 5. I acknowledged my sin unto thee I said I will confess my trangressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my Sin Nor was this a particular favour to David but what others may expect upon the like application to God v. 6. For this shall every one that is Godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him A Godly man knoweth that as the hiding of his disease from the Physician and his wounds from the Chirurgeon is not the way to be cured or healed so neither is the hiding of the nakedness of his Soul fâ—om God the way to have it covered for altho in this there be a difference that our spiritual Physician knoweth our diseases without our discovery of them to him which the earthly Physician doth not yet God notwithstanding his knowledge requiring our acknowledgment makes the case the same And the reason is much the same for the confessing of our sins especially in some cases to a faithful Minister or to private Christians God sent Abraham to Abimelech Gen. 20. 7. For faith he he is a Prophet and he shall pray for thee thou shalt live Genesâ— 20. v. 7 and he sent Jobs friend to Job Job 42. v. 7. and saith he my servant Job shall pray for you for him I will accept This in the first place lets us see the difference between a Child of God and one who is but a formal hypocrite An hypocrite generally seeth nothing but whiteness in himself Jehu can see and call Jonadab to see his zeal for the Lord God but he can see nothing of his own self ends in all that he did The Church of Laodicea said I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing tho at the same time she was wretched
a life according to the rule of the word To worship God according to the prescriptions of the Word in all things it calleth a man to the Law and to the Testimony It obligeth every man in his place to bear a testimony against whatsoever is contrary to the strict rule of the Word Now whoso considereth either the ignorance of the world which knoweth not the Son of God nor him that sent him nor what is the revealed will of God or the sensuality of the world how mad upon their lusts the most of Men and Women are Or the Pride of the world which maketh men impatient either of a verbal reproof by doctrine and admonitions or real reproof by a quite contrary conversation more pleasing to God acceptable to and beautiful in the sight of men Or the affectation of dominion over the conscience which a multitude are possest of and their impatience at good Christians not owning and submitting to their dictates and saying as they say and doing as they do can hardly imagine how those that will live godly in Christ Jesus should live any long time in the world without persecution Now the expectation of those searchings and Sun-burnings will have various good effects upon the Soul 1. It will put the Soul upon preparing for them He that liveth in the expectation of trials will be oft-times putting the case to himself if such a tryal should be what should I do My Soul wouldst thou stand to or desert the profession of thy faith wouldst thou keep close to God or depart from him we should be laying up something in store against an evil day 2. Expected tryals as I before told you are alwaies lighter and more tolerable and endured with more courage and patience We are not so frighted with evils which we see at distances and view in the approaches they make to us Nothing more weakneth a Soul in the bearing of an evil as a sudden surprisal like an Apoplexy to the body it at once stops those passages by which the Spirits should discover and exert themselves Secondly This Doctrine calls to Christians for patience and that both under Persecution and Afflictions and under the censures and obloquies of the world because of them Expectation of tryals is a previous duty in order to our preparation for them Patience is a present duty when the Christian is fallen under them It is indeed the work of the day that very grace which in the hour of tribulation should have its perfect work it lieth partly in a quiet submission to the good will and pleasure of God because he hath laid it upon us an holding our peace because it is the Lords doing partly in a quiet waiting for God in the fulfilling of his promises made to his People under such circumstances There are two things that call for our patience under afflictions 1. The smart of the Affliction for no affliction is joyous but grievous 2. The reproach of the world under it this often doubleth the affliction and maketh it more grievous and intolerable Now consider how many things have occurred in this discourse which may excite our patience under both these 1. This is the lot of the People of God There is none of them but the Sun at one time or other works upon The Apostle exhorteth the Thessalonians 1 Thes 3. 3. That no man should be moved by their Afflictions for faith he your selves know that we are appointed thereunto There is a great deal in that saying to quiet the Spirits of Christians under the burthens of tryals 1. God hath laid those burthens upon them I held my peace saith David because it was thy doing It is the Lord said that good man let him do what soever he pleaseth Perhaps saith David God hath bidden him curse It is a mighty thing to silence the Spirit of a Christian when he can see the hand of God in it 2. It is the Lords appointment What hath befallen us in pursuance of an eternal counsel this speaketh the tryal eventually necessary it speaketh it also good for his People for he hath not appointed us unto wrath nor to any means of that tendency Nor is it thy lot alone but the lot of all those who will live godlily in Christ Jesus The Apostles themselves were appointed thereunto and wherein are we better then our Fathers or our Brethren 2. You have likewise heard why God hath appointed our lot to be Trials and Afflictions for the punishment of our sins and for the tryal and exercise of our Graces this also calls for patience Why should a living man complain a man for the punishment of his iniquity We have much less reason to be disturbed at the trial and exercise of our graces 3. You have heard upon what mistakes it is that the World accounts the Christian black by reason of Afflictions because they judge of their complexions by a meer sensual Eye and from a meer erroneous judgment We have therefore no reason to be disquieted because of it But indeed the main use we should make of this point should be for Caution and that in two particulars 1. That afflictions may not blacken us 2. That we do not judge others black because of them 1. Will afflictions blacken the Spouse of Christ Let us take heed that they have not this ill influence upon us We have heard that they no otherwise make us black then as they are occasions to draw out our lusts and corruptions This is that which we are more especially to watch upon In afflictive providences God tryeth us and Satan and the world also try and tempt us God tryeth our faith our patience our submission to his will whether we will deny our selves and take up the Cross and follow him The Devil and the men of the World which are the Devils instruments try us whether we will desert our profession deny the Lord that bought us forsake the ways of God and imbrace a present World If upon Gods tryal his ends be obtained then are we by our afflictions purified and made white if the Devil and his instruments prevail upon us then are we by our afflictions made black This is the thing we are to take heed of Job 2. 3. after that God had taken away Jobs Estate and Children he saith to Satan Hast thou considered my Servant Job that there is none like him in all the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evil and still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movest me against him to destroy him without a cause How white there did Job appear after his afflictions But I shall not inlarge my discourse to afflictions in the general but limit it to such afflictions as are more peculiar to the Spouse of Christ and which I have had a more special reference to in my former discourse viz. Persecutions or sufferings for our adherence to the truths of the Gospel and the good ways
of God Let us take heed that we be not made black by afflictions of this nature which we shall be if by them we be moved from our good opinion of the ways of God from our profession or practice of them there is no sinner more black then the Apostate See 2 Pet 2. 20. 21. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are again intangled therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them than the beginning For it is better sor them not to have known the way of righteousness then after they have known it to turn from the Holy Commandment delivered unto them Indeed failings in a time of Persecution are caused from a double cause Sometimes meerly from the fear of life or some great danger that will befall to men if they adhere to their former profession failings of this nature make a Soul look black but many such recover themselves and the Lord who can have compassion upon our insirmities pities them and recovers them out of the snare of the Devil this is a blackness we ought to avoid by putting on the whole Armour of God that we may be able to stand in the day of the Lords Battel But there is another defection which is occasioned by Persecutions and Afflictions of this nature That is when men out of a greater love to other ways in a time of tryal renounce the truths of God they have formerly owned and forsake the ways of God in which they have formerly walked to these now Persecutions and Afflictions of this nature are but a slight occasion of their defection and Apostacy and this eminent difference you will find betwixt the others and these The others though they may be prevailed withal to warp and start aside because of the greatness of the temptation it was Peters case in the High Priests Hall yet will never be prevailed with to speak evil of and to revile the truths of God which they have owned nor the ways of God in which they have formerly walked and others yet walk The others being prevailed upon to their Apostacy meerly from the lusts of their hearts and the greater love they have alwaies had tho like Hypocrites they have concealed it to looser principles and a looser way of living take themselves concerned to reproach their former ways and those who yet walk in them This is a dreadful blackness not a tincture upon the face only but a tincture of the heart which by occasion of Persecution for the Gospel breaketh out into the more exteriour conversation To enforce this caution I shall only mention three things 1. That this is the affection only of the stony ground Mat. 13. 6 21. It is a certain sign that those never received the Seed of the Word into honest and good hearts that they never had any root in themselves who when tribulation and persecution ariseth because of the word by and by they are offended He that receiveth the truth in the Love of it cannot so easily abandon the profession of it 1 John 2. 19. They went out from us they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us The day of Persecution and tribulation for the Gospel sake is the day of the manifestation and discovery of hypocrites I do not think that all shrinking in a time of persecution is a note of hypocrisy there is a shrinking through fear in the time of great temptation so Peter shrank But for men to make a defection out of a principle of lust and greater Love to other ways and to reproach and speak Evil of the ways of God which by the way is a certain indication of such a defection this speaketh the man or woman to be no better then an hypocrite nor ever to have been other tho to serve his lusts he disguised himself with a mask of holiness and Religion 2. Secondly consider That no sinner so reproacheth the good and holy ways of God as such a sinner doth He tells the World that he hath tryed them that there is nothing in them that nothing but the ignorance prejudices of his education youth led him into them that the ways of sin profaneness of Formality and Superstition are better and therefore he is at last grown wiser then to take such pains to go to heaven If I would pick out a wretch out of the whole herd of sinners to reproach God to blaspheme the Gospel and the ways of holiness I would pick out onethat had been formerly a professor and had turned away from his profession this wretch pretendeth from experience to justify what others do but loosely discourse 3. Thirdly no sinners must expect a more dreadful Vengeance The reason is evident because none sin against more light There is no man who hath made a profession and lived in any practice of Religion but knows that there is no iniquity in it nothing but what suteth the common reason of mankind not debauched through lust and that those who in any measure live up to the profession of the Gospel are if sober heathens were to be judges the best of men with respect to all duty which the light of Nature teacheth toward the Divine Being and all good offices towards men I say there is none who hath made any profession but knows this and in all his Evil speaking of them doth not sin like an heathen nor like a profane man who speaketh ill of the things he knoweth not but speaketh contrary to the dictate of his own conscience I would not have this understood of those who are made black through these afflictions from the temporary prevailing of a strong temptation these with Pâ—ter tho they fall yet go out and weep bitterly and are recovered and made stronger by their fall but of those others before mentioned to whom Affliction and Persecution are but the externall occasions to draw out the lusts of their hearts which waited but for an opportunity to discover its self 2. Finally to shut up this discourse let this caution us from Judging the Spouse of Christ black because the Sun hath looked upon her You have heard that this is but the Worlds judgment not according to any measures of truth or righteousness To this End 1. Root your selves in this truth That none can judge of Gods Love or hatred from what happeneth to him in this life It is Solomons Maxime and a great truth God governeth the World according to the just Oeconomy of his Providence with respects unto his own wife Ends and no spiritual judgment can be made of the state of any from those administrations oft-times he maketh Princes to go on foot when servants ride on horse back and the wicked to devour those that are more righteous then they 2.
doubtless were the Israelites in Jeroboam's time not only to the men of Judah who adhered to the true Worship of God and the sincerer part of the Ten Tribes who left them and came to Hierusalem to worship But the generality of the Israelites in Ahab's times in the sight of Elijah and those seven thousand whom God told Elijah he had at that time in Israel who had not bowed their knee to Baal nor kissed him with their lips The Use of this will be very short only warning us to be very tender in this point very careful of having to do with these Vineyards It is inconsistent with the keeping of our own the things which God hath committed to our trust It renders Churches and particular Souls also black It is an abatement to our beauty and comeliness These things are spots in our beauty shadows to our glory Nothing more offendeth the Eyes of the Divine Glory nothing more provoketh the Lord to jealousie To those who consideringly read the History of the Jewish Church recorded in the Old Testament nothing need be added upon this Argument I come now to the second sense of these words to which I told you I more inclined to From whence the Proposition is this Prop. That great intanglements in secular affairs will make the Spouse of Christ to appear black Demas did once appear white twice you have an honourable mention of him Col. 4. 14. Luke the beloved Physician and Demas salute you He is reckoned amongst Paul's fellow-labourers Philemon v. 24. but the world made him black 2 Tim. 4. 10. Demas saith the Apostle hath forsaken us and imbraced the present world Martha was doubtless white in her Lord's Eyes yet being cumbred about many things she appeared something black Mary had chosen the better part Luk. 38. 40 41. The Apostles left their Nets when they followed Christ When therefore one askt leave of our Saviour before he followed him to go and bury his dead Christ replied Let the dead bury the dead follow thou me You know the excuses those made Matth. 22. that were invited to the Marriage Feast one had bought a Farm another had bought five yoke of Oxen. Our Saviour hath determined Matth. 6. 24. No man can serve two Masters but either he will cleave to the one and neglect the other or neglect the one and be overcareful for the other What need we any Scripture in the case shew me that man or woman that is intangled in a multitude of worldly affairs and hath not lost something of his beauty if he or she ever had any as to the power and practice of Religion Holiness But it will be demonstratively clear to us if we consider either how much of our time the world will take up or how much of our strength and spirits how it will distract and divide us how much it will allure and intice us or to how many scandals it will expose us Of all these I shall speak a word or two 1. I say first if we consider how much of our time worldly occasions take up All humane actions require time as well as place There is no religious action but requireth time and the more time is spent in our worldly employments the less must or can be spent in religious duties the more our intanglements are in secular affairs the less time we must spend in the acts of our more immediate homage to God Alass how little time hath he who is much imployed in the world for reading hearing praying for any religious service and this is the ordinary plea that men make for the non-performance of them they have no time to read the Scriptures or to pray in their Families or to instruct them or to hear the Word or to imploy their thoughts upon spiritual things Solomon saith of the covetous man that the multitude of his riches will not let him sleep It may be said of others the multitude of their businesses will not let them pray or keep up any course of Religion in their Families it suffers but a few to spend the Lords Sabbath as they ought to do they are so far from sparing God any of their own time that they are more ready to steal his time though it be but one day of seven 2. Secondly Worldly businesses do not only take up much of our time but also much of 〈◊〉 spirits and strength God doth not only require our love and such acts of homage in testification of our love as he hath prescribed but also that we should love him and do those acts with all our hearts with all our might and strength and excess of worldly labour and business wasts our Spirits takes away that might and strength which we fhould spend in the service of God Ah what heartless lifeless prayers and religious duties are performed by men and women taken up with an undue proportion of secular imployments 3. Thirdly They fill the head with a multitude of distractions 1 Cor. 7. 35. The Apostle upon this account v. 34. commendeth a single life to those to whom God had given that gift for saith he The unmarried Woman careth for the things of the Lord that she may be holy both in Body and Spirit but the married Woman careth for the things of the World that she may please her Husband And this saith he I speak to you for your own profit not that I might cast a snare upon you but for that which is comely and that you may attend upon the Lord without distraction Distractions in religious services though they appear not to the world yet really are the blackness of the Soul and it is our duty as much as in us lyeth to serve the Lord with the greatest attention of our thoughts and with as few distractions as we can now the more we are incumbred with secular affairs the greater we shall find our distractions in the service of God For as it is upon the ringing of a Bell though the man's hand be off the Rope and the Bell begins to be still yet for some time we shall discern a din in the sides of the Bell caused from its former motion and agitation So will every observing Christian find that when his hand is off his secular business yet his head will for some time be working upon it and this more especially sheweth a preparation of heart necessary for those in particular who are much imployed in worldly business before they draw nigh to God in the Solemn Duties of his Worship that the noise of their secular affairs may be out of their heads and they may serve the Lord without distractions and not be like to the People whom God complaineth of Ezek. 33. 31. They said come and let us go and hear the Word of the Lord. And saith God they come unto thee as the People cometh and sit before thee as my People and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their
footsteps of the flock 2. Feed thy Kids by the Shepherds Tents O thou whom my Soul loveth or hath loved The Chaldee Paraphrast would have us believe that this seventh verse was Moses his Petition to God when he was about to die for direction from him how the People should be governed when he should be gone and how they should dwell amongst the Heathen whose laws would be more grievous to the sincere part of them then the Sun is to the Traveller at noon day and asking why she should live amongst the Edomites and Moabites who made Idols the companions of the true God and v. 8. the same Paraphrast makes this to be the Lords answer telling his Prophet Moses that if they would not live under the power of the Heathen they must walk in his Commandments and be obedient to the guides he had set over them But doubtless this is a strained sense proceeding from the overgreat fondness of that Interpreter to apply all that is said in this Song to the Jewish Church There are others who according to their different notions of these betwixt whom this Dialogue is instituted carry these words in other senses you know the sense which I have all along followed is that of those and they are the most and the best who make it a Dialogue betwixt the believing Soul or the Church and the Lord Jesus Christ It is then the believing Soul that speaks in this language of a lover O thou whom my Soul loveth Christ is the primary object of the believers love a believer loveth him and none else in a degree to be compared with him or with a love any thing like that love wherewith she loveth him But if she loveth him must she tell him so Modesty maketh the Virgin ordinarily to conceal her passion sinful modesty oft-times maketh her that is a spiritual Virgin to conceal her love to Christ She that may while she is doubting her own sincerity conceal her love to Christ will not conceal it when she lives in any view of it and can say with Peter Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that I love thee Nor when she is to use it as an argument to obtain any favour from him Nor when she is doubting of his love to her how unreasonably soever Nor is the Virgin that is too modest to publish her love to the world so modest as not to own it to him whom she hath resolved upon and chosen for her Husband Bernard hath I think too critical a note upon these words mark saith he she doth not say whom I love but whom my Soul loveth Spiritualem designans dilectionem intimating a spiritual love But yet it is well noted by the learned Mercer that the phrase signifieth more then if she had said Omy Beloved it is as much as if she had said In quem omnes meos affectus effudi saith Beza upon whom I have bestowed my whole heart Tell me where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at Noon Thus she expresseth the thing that she would have under a metaphorical expression the sense of which we are to enquire keeping of Sheep and Goats was a very ancient and in those times a noble employment Abel was the first Shepheard you read of Gen. 4. 2. Rachel was a keeper of Sheep Gen. 29. 6. So was Jacob and David as you know before he came to be King over Israel God called him from the Sheepfold Christ takes unto himself the notion of a Shepheard he calleth himself the good Shepheard John 10. 1 2. c. It was prophecied of him that he should feed his flock like a Shepheard Isaiah 45. 11. and his death was prophecied of under the notion of smiting the Shepheard Zech. 13. 7. Mat. 26. 11. The Apostle calls him the great Shepheard and the chief Shepheard In this dialect here the Spouse speaks to him It was not unusual for the Heathens to discourse matters of carnal and sensual love as transactions between Shepheards and some whom they loved The Holy Ghost doth the same here he by Solomon discourseth this matter of Spiritual and Divine love as a transaction betwixt a Shepheard and one who dearly loved him But what would she have she would know where he fed that is where he fed his flocks where he made them to rest at noon the noon as you know is the hottest time of the day and so by the noon I find some understanding a time of affliction To this I find Mercer and Beza inclining Beza thinketh that the Church here beggeth to know how Christ would have his Church governed and ordered in the middest of temptations and persecutions and beggeth for Christs fullest and clearest manifestations of himself to her at such a time so saith Bernard Mercer thinks it is as much as if she had said Lord I am burnt with the Sun shew me that shadow in and with which thou usest to refresh thy Saints in the hour of affliction There is a promise made to the Church Isaiah 49. 10. They shall not hanger nor thirst neither shall the heat or the Sun smite them for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them even by the springs of waters shall he guide them Now the Spouse here in the opinion of these Interpreters begs to know these shadows where the flocks rested at noon I must confess I more incline to another sense The noon was the hottest time of the day and as in our Country where the power of the Sun is nothing so much as in those hot Countries Cattel seek shadows and resting places where they are a little free from the heat of the weather so they were wont to drive their flocks of Sheep into such shadowy places where both the Shepheard and the Sheep were more quiet and at rest which time was the most free time of the day for the Shepheard when any might more freely discourse him according to that of the Poet Fauste precor gelidâ quando pecus omne sub umbrâ ruminet antiquos paulum recitemus amores So that the Spouse desireth to know where he fed where he made his flocks to rest at noon That is where she might have the most free and uninterrupted communion with him For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions She here implieth that without her Lords direction she was like enough to turn aside She beggeth she might not so turn aside The word in the Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we translate it as one turning aside or that turneth aside and so Pagnine interpreteth it Arias Montanus translates it sicut operiens se as one that covereth her self and indeed so the Hebrew word most commonly signifieth Now this covering themselves was either in token of shame or of sorrow or modesty Mourners were wont to cover their faces Ezech. 24. 17. Forbear to cry make no mourning for the dead bind the tire of thy head upon thee and
such a time Other men may seem to do well enough so long as they have rest and ease and prosperity But what will they do in the day of their visitation God takes another care for his People when David can incourage himself in nothing else he can incourage himself in his God When the Fig-tree doth not blossom and there is no fruit in the vine when the fields yield no meat and the flock are cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stall yet even then they can rejoyce in the Lord and be glad in the God of their Salvation Habak 3. 17 18 19. Vnder his shades we shall live saith the Afflicted Church Lam. 4. 20. I state under his shadow with great delight saith the Spouse Cant. 2. 3. There are many promises which God hath made to his People to be their hiding place their rock their Covert their shadow from the storm and from the tempest To which I refer you In the next place What cause of rejoycing and lifting up of the head is here to the People of God whether such as lie under the present pressures of Tryals or Afflictions or such as have these storms in prospect though they be not already fallen upon them Is the noon of Tryals and Afflictions come upon any of you Hath the Lord taken away those gourds which heretofore were a shade to you your health friends estate your outward comforts of what kind soever yet be of good cheer God is only changing your Souls Pastures Hitherto you have lived more immediately upon the creature you shall only now live more immediately upon God hitherto you have lived by sight God is now calling you to live by Faith hitherto your great Shepherd hath fed you in the fields of sensible comforts and enjoyments things that are seen he is now calling you to live upon things that are invisible but every way as sufficient for the support and sustenance of the Soul he that hath fed thee in the morning will not leave thee at noon time Psal 37. v. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good and so shalt thou dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed David saith He never saw the righteous forsaken The Believer shall be fed either with that bread which the world knoweth and calleth so or with that bread which the world knoweth and calleth so or with that bread which the world knoweth not of There is a revolution of time a vicissitude of Providences but there is no change of the Word and Promises of God Verily they shall be fed There shall be no want to those that fear the Lord. A noon may come but Christ hath a shadow a feeding a resting place for his flocks at noon That God who hath kept thee in health will also keep thee in sickness He that hath hitherto kept thee from the malice of a most malicious world will keep thee under the pressures of their malice Only take care to Trust in the Lord and to do good Is not this thy case Hast thou the storm only in prospect but it is not yet fallen upon thee and art thou only tormented with the fears of what is likely to come upon thee oft-times slavish fear proves a great evil and an evil in prospect is greater than when it is fallen upon a person Let this incourage you to hear that Christ hath shades for his People at noon God hath said I will never leave you nor forsake you Let me only commend one Promise to you it is made to the Church and to every Believer as a Member of it it is that Isa 4. 5 6. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her Assemblies a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence and there shall be a Tabernacle in the day-time from the heat and for a place of refuge and for a covert from Storm and from Rain I will shut up this Discourse with a word or two of Exhortation First To such as are yet none of the Inhabitants of Mount Zion None of those I mean who are the true Members of the Church of Christ Those who have no title or are able to make out no title to the dwelling-places upon Mount Zion or any of them what a motive should this be to all such to indeavour what in them lieth to get into Christ's little Flock A noon must come Possibly it is now morning with you and you are more careless but man is born to trouble and it is as natural to humane nature as it is for sparks to fly upward as Job tells us The Children of God in respect to the world's hatred are more exposed to others but there is none who liveth and shall not see death none that lives but must look to be in deaths often of one nature or another It is certainly the highest prudence to be prepared for all Assayes Thou hast no way for this but to get an interest in Christ Whilst thou art an Egyptian thou canst not look for the Priviledges of one that is an Inhabitant in Goshen Doest thou ask me how can this be How should I who am a Goat be transformed into a Sheep Our Saviour answers thee Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God he can be none of that little Flock to whom it is God's will to give that Kingdom Regeneration a new Birth from the holy Spirit can only make this Spiritual Metamorphosis Thy work in order to it lyeth only in some external actions such as refraining what thou canst from sin waiting upon God in Ordinances calling upon God in Prayer not resisting the motions of his holy Spirit 2d Branch Secondly This Discourse ought to quicken such as are of the Flock of Christ in all their Noons of Affliction and Trial to betake themselves to Christ's shades to the places where Christ useth to feed and to make his Flocks to rest at Noon What those shades are I have shewed you our work is to betake our selves unto them It is natural to us when we are pursued to look for a covert for some refuge or shelter where we may hide our selves till the storm be passed over and to flee to such places where we think that we may be secure There is no true shelter but in Christ's shades Let us then inquire what is the duty of a good Christian in an evil day that he may bring his Soul to a rest and quiet 1. The first and great thing is to look out our Evidences to make out our title to and interest in the Lord Jesus Christ We must intitle our selves to the great Shepherd of our Souls as our Shepherd before we can expect that he should in a scorching time make us to lie down in green Pastures and lead us besides the still waters and encourage our selves as David Psal
This saith he thou hast seen O God keep not silence O Lord be not thou far from me so Psal 38. 21 22. Psal 71. 12. Every Christians experience is a full proof of this so as the Proposition needeth no further proof only let me shew you the reason of it The great Reason is Because we are all of us more prone to live by sight then by faith The Apostle saith we live by faith not by sight He tells you what he himself and other Christians then did and what all good Christians should do The just saith the Prophet shall live by faith But through our infirmity we do live more by sight then we do by faith It is a lesson very hard to flesh and blood could we live more by faith there would be these two consequents to such a life 1. In the day of our sensible contentments we should live more upon the word and promises of God then upon any sensible comforts and enjoyments But it is hard for us to have a staff lent us and not to lean upon it so when it breaketh we come to see our errors and see more need of the influences of Divine Grace at such then at other times 2. We should see as much in God and in Christ to uphold and maintain our selves in an evil day as at any other times for the promises are the same and Christ in whom all the promises are yea and Amen is the same and Gods all-sufficiency is the same he is at all times the God that changeth not This being premised as the great and original cause we may conceive some further and more particular reasons 2. Because in this Noon all creature comforts fail yea and in some afflictions sensible spiritual comforts sometimes fail also In trials that are more external such as bodily afflictions persecutions c. outward comforts fail when the Sun shineth upon our Tabernacles and the rod of God is not upon us we are then ready to forget God when Jeshurun waxed fat he kicked up the heel when these outward consolations are taken away then the Soul beginneth to see that it stands in need of some other supports If the Affliction be some divine desertion then the sensible consolations of the Holy Spirit fail also what Daviá said in his prosperity Psal 30. 6. I shall never be moved we are all of us too prone to say in the day of our prosperity but as it fared him with v. 7. so it fareth with us when the Lord hideth his face we are troubled It is too natural even to the best of men not to know the God of our mercies in the day of our mercies It was Israels sin Hosea 2. 8. For she did not know that I gave her Corn and Wine and Oil. We do not so duly attend to that which we profess to know that our Soul strength and Soul comforts are from the Lord and hence it is that in the day when they are withdrawn we see a more special need of the presence and influence of Christ upon us It is the unhappiness and infirmity of humane nature that we seldom either understand our mercies or the Author and Fountain of them till we come to want them while we have health and peace and liberty while we have inward strength and quiet we neither understand the value of these mercies nor Eye God as we should do as the Author of them but in the noon time of our tryals and afflictions whether more immediately from God in bodily afflictions or divine desertions or more immediately from men then we both understand the value of our mercies and also what need we have of the presence of God with us and the influences of God upon us At other times we live very much upon our more sensible enjoyments now we have not them to live upon and so see a more need of a God and a Christ to live upon 3. Ordinarily at such a time Our lusts and corruptions move very impetuously A man never so well knows the lusts and corruptions of his own heart as in an evil day Natura vexata prodit Sâ—ipsam Anger a man we say and you will see his temper when God by his providence vexeth a poor creature as others will see something so he will see more what lusts and corruptions are in his heart The Devil knew this well enough when he replyed to God commending his servant Job Put forth now thine hand and touch him and he will eurse thee to thy face Now as every good Soul keepeth a watch upon his heart and observeth the motions of sin and lust in his Soul so he never seeth more of the need of the presence and influence of God upon his Soul then when Iniquities prevail against him When Paul cries out of the body of death he presently cries out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me 4. Lastly His Grand Adversary the Devil is never more busy then at such a time Times of afflictions are not only times of divine temptations when God proveth and tryeth his People whether they will adhere and keep close to him but of Diabolical Suggestions and temptations also When the Devil is making tryal whether he can pluck a Soul out of Christs hand and out of his Fathers hand The Psalmist calls the Devil The fowler and he knows hard weather is the best time for his purpose he first gets a commission against Job to take away all that he had saving his life onely and then his Wife cometh and persuadeth him to curse God and dye and he followeth him with many other Suggestions and temptations This was the reason of Saint Pauls writing to the Church of Corinth to restore the incestuous Person who by his order was cast out of their communion lest saith he he should be swallowed up of too much grief and Satan should have advantage against him for we are not ignorant of his devices We are never so sensible what need we have of our friends as when our enemies appear most busy most strong and active Hence it is that although a believer seeth a need of the presence and influence of Christ at all times yet he never seeth so great a need of him as in a time of great and sharp trials and afflictions when trouble is hard at hand I shall shut up this discourse with a Word or two of exhortation shortly This should ingage all of us so to behave our selves towards our Lord in the morning of our prosperity that we may not want his presence and influence in the noon of our trials afflictions and adversity It is a mighty folly in any of us to live as we had no Prospect of the ordinary or necessary contingencies of humane life Prudence quasi providence Solomon saith The wise man hath his Eyes in his head And these Eyes are imployed in looking forward as well as round about him at the present It is a great folly in
their own Child above any others The man of art takes most delight in his own workmanship God can do nothing but what is truly and highly good and he cannot but be most pleased in his own work 2. Secondly The beauty of the Child of God is Christs beauty and lyeth in the Souls assimilation or being made like unto Christ Is he justifyed It is by the imputation of his righteousness Is he regenerated It is through his Spirit and by his regeneration the image of God and Christ is renewed in him in Knowledge righteousness and holiness the like mind is in him that was in Christ Likeness is the Mother of Love and all Love floweth from some likeness or conceived likeness in the object beloved Christ cannot but love that Soul that is made partaker of the Divine nature renewed according to his image made like unto himself The believer was predestinated to be conform to the Image of the Son by Faith Regeneration he is made conform renewed according to the image of God according to the Apostles phrase If Jacob knew his sons coat again and the sight of it was enough to set the Fathers bowels on yerning Christ will doubtless know his own robes and cannot but account that Soul most beautiful that is adorned with dressed in them This in the first place may serve to convince us of the truth of what John tells us 1. John 5. 19. That the whole world lyeth in wickedness For these Souls whom Christ judgeth and calleth the fairest amongst Women The most lovely and beautiful Souls are those who in the Eyes of the generality in the world are counted the most unlovely despicable and contemptible Persons in nature in so much that Godly men and women may take up the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 4. 9. concerning himself and those of his own order 1 Cor. 4. 9. We think that God hath set as forth as it were appointed unto death for we are made a spectacle to the world to angels and to men We are fools for Christs sake profane leud men they are wise we are weak they are strong they are honourable we are despised the People of God in the present age in all former ages are they who hunger and thirst who are naked and buffeted and have no certain dwelling place yet they labour working with their hands being reviled they bless being persecuted they suffer it being defamed they intreat yet are they made as the filth of the world as the off-scouring of all Nations even to this day Thus it was under the Old Testament the prophet complained in his time Isa 59. 15. That truth failed and he who departed from evil made himself a prey but he addeth and the Lord saw it and it displeased him that there was no judgment It was so under the New Testament who was more despised and rejected of men then Christ Who was more reviled contemned abused both in words and deeds then John the Baptist Christ and his blessed Apostles and all the Primitive Christians Christ foretold his disciples that the world should hate them that they should speak of them all manner of Evil persecute them turn them out of their Synagogues c. It is so in our times if there be in any places Persons fearing God and working righteousness Persons that make a conscience of their waies that fear an Oath that durst not drink and swear and curse and blaspheme the living God as others do that make conscience of their worshipping God and are a little more strict and frequent in it then others are These are the Persons against whom the world spits all their venom against whom their hands are lifted up men may meet together to drink and revel to hear leud and profane Songs and Plays but not to pray not to consider and exhort one another to love and to good works what is this an Evidence of but that the world lyeth in wickedness Christ judgeth pious Souls the fairest Souls these are they sor whom he died Whom he calls his Sister his Spouse the fairest Souls in the creation these are those Souls whom the World sets up as marks to shoot all their invenomed arrows bitter words against to offer all affronts and indignities unto Shall not the Lord visit for these things Shall he not be avenged on such a generation Shall a gallant in the World draw his Sword upon the man that affronts his Paramour or Mistress a wanton Woman that he hath espoused or to whom his heart cleaveth and shall the Lord bear these affronts these injuries offered to Souls that are more precious in the Eyes of their Lord then all the world is beside Hear what the Lord said by his prophet as to that antient People of his Isa 43. 2 3. I am the Lord thy God the holy one of Israel thy Saviour I gave Egypt for thy ransom Ethiopia and Seba for thee Since thou wert pretious in my sight thou hast been honourable and I have loved thee therefore will I give men for thee and People for thy life Was this spoken for the Jews only think we or did this concern the profane part of the Jews or those only that feared the Lord walked in his commandments and worshiped him in Spirit and in truth That it was not to be understood with reference to or upon the account of the leud and profane part of the Jewish Nation is evident by Gods declared detestation of them by the same prophet and by others of his Prophets If it were spoken with reference to such as feared God and walked in his commandments and kept close to the rule of Worship which he had given them it holds good still to all Souls that fall under that Character They are precious in Gods fight honourable he hath loved them the holy one of Israel is their Saviour and the worlds hatred of them profane mens reviling contemning abusing them is but a continued Evidence that the world knoweth them not and speaketh evil of and doth evil to things and Persons they know not Or that it lieth in wickedness in a vile and wicked Error of judgment judging those vile and base whom God judgeth precious and honourable and those worthy of hatred whom he loveth though the Lord may for a time suffer his good righteous Servants to be thus reviled thus treated thus abused by leud and ungodly men for the trial of their faith and for the exercise of their patience and that some of the blood of his Saints may be poured into the cup of wicked mens sins that the cup of their iniquities may be full and they may fill up their measures of sinning That upon them may come all the righteous blood of his People which hath been shed yet be assured the Lord will not suffer it alwaies but awake as one out of sleep plead the cause of his People and give Egypt for their ransom and Ethiopia and Seba
God be vile in your Eyes who are so highly esteemed by him who is your Lord and Master and by whom you pretend to hope to be saved But to shut up this discourse You that will not conform your judgment to the Judgment of Christ concerning such People and behave your selves towards them accordingly shall certainly be forced to submit to his Judgment spoken of Jude 14. and 15. 2d Branch I would willingly improve this notion a little further not onely to reconcile your judgments to the judgment of Christ concerning the People of God but to reconcile you also to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the ways of God The effecting of the former if I could do it though it might produce some more quiet and peace in the World and reduce men to the rule of reason yet as to your own Souls if that be all all the effect it would have would be to save you from a deeper place in Hell It is not a good opinion of Gods People or a peaceable or kind behaviour to them will bring any man to Heaven I could wish that all who hear me this day to use Saint Paul's words to Agrippa were as the People of God are excepting that reproach and obloquy which they suffer those bonds and imprisonments to which they are exposed that they also would come into the number of those whom the Lord judgeth the best Souls in the World the fairest amongst women 1. Is it nothing to you to come into this reputation Leud profane debaucht Persons let their quality in the World be what it will in Scripture come under the notions of Children of Belial Vain Persons What an object of desire doth corporeal beauty appear to the World What will not a vain woman do to get it to preserve it to dissemble it what time what mony she spends to set it out What care she takes if as to it she be under any defects to hide them to correct them c. Quantum est in rebus inane All this it may be is spent in painting a Sepulcher a rotten post Possibly look into this Masquerade there 's nothing but what is rational filthiness and deformity An understanding void of any valuable knowledge A Perverse and stubborn will against what is rationally good beastly affections her Soul it may be is full of lasciviousness Pride Malice Envy All unlovely things Turbulent Passions Is Spiritual beauty worth nothing Shall Heathens judge a Soul that is knowing subdued to the rule of reason chast good just sober meek modest beautiful and worth a thousand Souls otherwise disposed and qualified and shall Christians judge otherwise shall they think Soul-beauty not valuable Or shall they not judge it worth any thing to be comely with Christs comeliness and in the Eyes of an all seeing heart searching God to be without spot or wrinkle consider Sirs how much this is beneath the name or profession of Christians how we are condemned by wanton gallants desiring corporeal beauty and Heathens valuing the rational beauty of the mind which commends it self to all rational minds before they be debauched 2. Consider what it is to have the King of Kings to desire and to predicate our beauty Psal 45. 11. So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty The King this King is God whose throne is for ever and ever and whose Scepter is a righteous Scepter v. 6. Beauty is in it self attractive but who is there that will not covet a beauty that a King should desire But what are all the Kings of the Earth compared with him who is the King of glory So shall the King saith the Psalmist desire thy beauty How great a thing is this for the great God to have a desire to the Sons of men and a delight in them And further for this King to predicate our beauty as the Lord doth in the Text and did concerning Job Job 2. v. 3. And the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my Servant Job that there is none like him in all the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evil and still he holdeth fast his integrity though thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause For this great King to desire a Souls beauty signifieth to be the Spouse of Christ to be in favour with God in this life and it promiseth an eternal communion with God in glory in the life which is to come when the Marriage of the Lamb shall be consummate and the Bride the Lambs Wife shal follow him wheresoever he goes 3. Lastly consider The consequent of not being of the number of those whom Christ here calleth the fairest amongst Women Amongst men their is a medium betwixt mens looking upon a woman as the fairest and such a one whose beauty they desire and being abominable and odious in their Eyes But as to Christ there is no medium betwixt these two The unbelieving and the abominable are put together Rev. 21. 8. A man may not love a woman so well as to make her his Wife and yet have a kindness for her not hate and abhor her The case is not so betwixt God and the Soul He or she whose beauty the Lord doth not desire is by God hated and abhorred that Soul is abominable in his fight The abominable Rev. 21. 8. shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the Second death These arguments are enough to those who believe there is an Heaven and an Hell who believe there is a God and a Christ and that all mankind are under the favour or disfavour of this great and terrible God To persuade them to get into the number of these whom God judgeth the fairest amongst women Will any say to me but what can we contribute towards it Love is a free thing It is true Love is free and the Love of none amongst the creatures is or can be so free as the Love of God who is the freest Agent but yet hearken to the direction of the Psalmist who doubtless is an infallible guide in this matter Psal 45. v. 10. Hearken O Daughter and consider and incline thine Ear forget also thine own People and thy Fathers house So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty What is our Fathers house but the house of old Adam What are our own People but our own sinful courses our old sinful company How shall we forget them but by hearkening to the Counsels of God considering our state and condition what we are Whither we are hastening what will become of us in the latter end Giving and inclining our Ears to what To the reproofs corrections admonitions instructions of Gods Word to the knocking 's and motions of his blessed Spirit so shall the Lord Jesus Christ the King of Kings the Lord of Lords desire and greatly desire your beauty To those who what ever they are called and go for in the World are Atheists in heart and
the Harvest but then the Son of man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire where shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth Matth. 13. 40 41 42. Some telling them that there is no communion with Christ but by joining with the Prayers of the Church and receiving the Sacrament with the Church as if an external communion with Christ which Judas a Son of perdition had were all that men and women need look after These different notions and instructions sometimes puzzle the minds of Gods own People and make them to be at a great loss I now come to the Application This in the first Place lets us see what a perpetual use and need there will be of an able standing Gospel Ministry and the goodness of God in providing such an ordinance for his Church The interest of Souls lyeth in two things 1. In an union with Christ and reconciliation to God 2. In a fellowship and communion with him The Ministry of the Gospel is and will be useful to the end of the World on both these accounts 1. For procuring promoving Souls reconciliation to God and union with Christ 2 Cor. 5. 20. Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be you reconciled to God So long as there are any sinners in the World any Souls in such a state as living and dying in it they cannot be saved So long will be need of Gospel Ministers and such too as are both able and faithful There are some in the World that think a Conversion to an opinion from Paganism to the outward profession of Christ is all the Conversion necessary and Baptism all the regeneration necessary according to whose Doctrine all Drunkards Whoremongers Men-stealers Lyers Thieves Extortioners Covetous Persons Sorcerers if Baptized must be saved directly contrary to what the Apostle affirms these indeed may think the Ministry of the Gospel needless Preaching needless amongst Christians and only of use amongst Heathens or count no more need of Ministers then of Philosophers from Athens to read men lectures of a good life and any Ministers any kind of Preaching will serve the turn A lecture out of Aristotle or Plato is as good a Sermon as they see any need of But those who will believe what Paul saith 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. That there are multitudes amongst Baptized Persons not reconciled to God and who shall never come into Heaven which is confirmed also by Saint John Rev. 21. 8. They must see a need of this Ordinance and acknowledge the great mercy in this gift to the Church 2. Nay indeed this Doctrine may convince you That if all within the Church were Christians not in name onely but indeed washed with the blood of Christ Justified and Sanctified yet there would be need of such an Ordinance For the best of Christians are oft times at loss how to uphold maintain their communion with Christ Here now lye th the work of the Ministry of the Gospel as the hand in the way to direct Christians which way to go that they may come to the journies end which they aim at the end of their hopes and the Salvation of their Souls This was the end of Christs institution of them Eph. 4. 12. For the perfecting of the Saints for the edifying the body of Christ If there be such a thing as Christians fellowship and communion with Christ if they may be and often are at loss how to maintain this communion they had need of some to be helpers of their faith and of their joy Which is the Notion of Ministers given by the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 14. Yea and they had need be able Ministers too How various are the cases of Christians how different one from another This work is to be done publickly which indeed serveth for the most of Christians and privately also for those who cannot receive Satisfaction from publick instructions Alas who is sufficient for these things and how slighty a business is ordinarily made of the greatest work the most weighty imployment under Heaven How many watchmen are there that like those mentioned in the 3d Chapter of this Song When the Spouse of Christ comes to them complaining as v. 6. That her beloved hath withdrawn himself and is gone when their Souls fail when they come and tell them that they have sought their beloved and cannot find him they have called but he hath given them no answer instead of relieving of them they smite them wound them take away their vails from them they wound them with cruel and envenomed Words mock and jeer and revile them and know not how to speak a word to the weary indeed not understanding what a wearied Soul means the most they are able to say is what is thy beloved more then anothers beloved The Lord pity his flock and give them Pastors according to his own heart who can feed them with wisdom and understanding and will be faithful in doing of it men to whom the Lord God hath given the tongue of the learned that they may speak a Word in season to those that are weary as he promised Isaiah 50. 4. There are no more pestilent enemies to the People of God then those that would have the flock of Christ without Shepherds or which it may be is worse Supplied with Idol Shepherds as the Prophet calls them Zech. 11. 17. And indeed are like Idols that have Eyes and see not Ears and hear not the name of Shepherds but nothing of the skill and faithfulness required in such a place This Notion Secondly may give some relief to Souls whose condition this may be Here may be some before the Lord this day who are crying out where is my God become Lord when wilt thou strengthen me Quicken me Comfort me I confess the case of these Christians is sad communion with Christ is the life of a good Christians life All the comfort and Satisfaction of his life is bound up in this one thing let him want this he wants all if he be at a loss as to this he is quite lost this is that which differenceth the true Child of God from an Hypocrite the profane man lives without a God in the World all talk of communion with God is but canting the thing it self a Chimera The Hypocrites ends cannot be obtained by this course of life he taketh up with meer external acts of communion never regarding whether he hath any communion with God in and by those acts he can live without any presence of God without any influence of God upon his Soul A Child of God cannot if he wanteth communion with God he calls all into question doubteth of his union and whether he hath not been all this while mistaken whether his Soul be yet actually reconciled and
condescension beyond the grasp of our faith The greatness of it causeth in us a difficulty to believe it Who is a God like our God a Saviour a Redeemer an Husband like our Saviour our Redeemer our Spiritual Husband When they told David that he should have Michal the Daughter of Saul to Wife and persuaded him to it Seemeth it to you saith he a small thing to be a Son-in-law to a King If there be any of you not affected with this Love this transcendent Love give me leave to speak to you in the language of David Seemeth it to you a small thing to be the beloved the friends the companions of the Lord Jesus Christ Ah! That I could send you away this day admiring the divine Love that he should take the fellowship of our nature upon him that he should make us his fellow Citizens admit us to a fellowship with him both in grace here and in glory hereafter that he should be our Companion in tribulation our Companion in labour and follow Soldier But I leave this to be further improved by you in your more private meditations 2. Secondly This notion is of wonderful use to relieve and comfort the People of God under all their present afflictions or fears of greater The face of things as to Gods People hath been a long time gathering blackness and there is this day a great blackness Prisons in the Primitive times were more the habitations of Gods People then Palaces God grant we may not see them to be so again we have been so used to beds of Feathers Down that the thoughts of a bed of straw make us shrink so wedded to our own Country that a strange land appeareth to us a strange thing The Providence of God looketh as if it were preparing Prisons and Fetters and banishments for his People and the hearts of Gods People are every where as sad as the times What a wonderful comfort and relief to the People of God at such a time is it for them to hear the Lord Jesus Christ calling them his Companions His Companions in tribulation and to call himself their fellow Souldier and fellow Prisoner There are a great many arguments with which the suffering Servants of God may be relieved Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer said the Angel to the Church at Smyrna Behold the Devil shall cast some of you into Prison that you may be tryed and you shall have tribulation that you might be tryed and you shall have tribulation for ten days Rev. 2. 10. There are several arguments 1. It is the Devil that cast Saints into Prison He doth it by men as his instruments but he filleth them with their rage and malice 2. It is that they may be tryed God permits it the Devil could have no power against a believer more then against Christ if God did not permit it The Devil and his instruments design is to ruin and to destroy them Gods end is to try them 3. It shall be but a tribulation for ten days a short time The rod of the wicked shall not always rest upon the lot of the righteous Well but how shall they hold out these ten days See Isaiah 43. 1 2. Thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob and he that formed thee O Israel Fear not for I have Redeemed thee I have called thee by thy name thou art mine When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee When thou walkest through the fires thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee In the ten days of tribulation the Child of God shall not be alone he that Redeemed them will be with them This was made good to the three Children in the fiery fornace in Babylon Dan. 3. 24. Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire saith Nebuchadnezzar lo I see four men loose walking in the middest of the fire and they have no hurt and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God He was with Daniel Daniel 9. 22. With Paul and Silâ—s Acts. 16. They could never else have sang in the Prison at midnight Let the People of God lift up their heads as Moses seeing him who is invisible Only take the caution of Peter 1. Pet 4. Let none of you suffer as a Murderer or as a Thief or as an Evil doer or as a busy body in other mens matters But if any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God one this behalf Let men look that they suffer for righteousness sake that is to avoid sinning against God all such suffering is for righteousness sake then they shall never be alone Saul Saul why saith Christ persecutest thou me calling out of Heaven to Paul when he was in his full carreer of persecution of the Church No man can expect that Christ should be a companion to him in his tribulation while he suffereth meetly for his stomach or out of humour much less if he suffereth for doing that which is plainly sinful and which he ought not to have done but if he suffereth to avoid sin against God to keep himself unspotted from the World as he is made a partaker of Christs sufferings so Christ will be a partaker of his sufferings his Companion in suffering and whensoever Christs glory shall be revealed he shall be glad with exceeding joy It is a marvelous sweet notion to suffering Christians to hear that Jesus Christ is and will be their Companion in sufferings fear not therefore Christians in despight of evil men and evil times to keep a good Conscience but Jam. 1. 2. Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations A good Conscience was yet never in Prison alone Nor will this be strange to us if we consider that even death it self though it makes Soul and Body part Company yet it doth not make Christ and a believer part Company Our Bodies shall be raised from the Grave by the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us Rom. 8. 11. There are two great arguments amongst others to comfort the People of God in all their noons of Afflictions 1. That even then they are Christs fellows They then are in the fellowship of his death Phil. 4. 10 11. They suffer with him Rom. 8. 17. They are made conformable to his death Christ is magnified in their body They make up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ 2. That Christ will then be their fellow it is to the Spouse at Noon that he saith here O My Love My Fellow c. When the World is spitting their Venom shewing their utmost Malice and hatred even then Christ is calling to them and saying My Love When the World is casting them out as Pestilent fellows then is Christ saying unto them My Companions Then will he be with them and manifest himself as a friendly Companion to them In
the third place How should this raise up the hearts of Christians above all discouragements as to hard and difficult duties O saith a Christian This is an hard saying who can hear it a difficult duty how shall I ever perform it how shall I ever get up my heart to it Put to thy hand Christian thou canst do nothing of thy self but thou mayest do all things through Christ that strengtheneth thee what cannot Christ and thou do together I live saith Paul Gal. 2. 20. yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Remember Christ hath called thee fellow and why Because he is thy fellow helper in duty as well as thy fellow Prisoner and fellow Souldier in all thy sufferings Only do not like a Sluggard lye down and stand still and cry there is a lion in the way Isa 41. 10. Saith God Fear not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness v. 13. I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand saying unto thee fear not for I will help thee It is Christians great fault they pore upon themselves and discourage themselves from their own natural impotencies and insufficiencies and do not consider that their fruit is found in Christ and all their strength also laid up and found in him and to be derived from him Fourthly Doth Christ say to us My Love And shall not we say to him My Beloved shall not we Love the Lord Jesus Christ and compleat this Love of friendship It is said that when Christ was going with his disciples to Emaus their hearts burn'd within them while they heard him talking by the way Have not your hearts burned within you while you have heard Jesus Christ speaking to you in this dialect My Love My Fellow If you Love them that Love you saith our Lord Matth. 5. What reward have you even the Publicans do so O Love the Lord Jesus Christ all you his Saints for he loveth you and that too with the greatest and most unmeasurable love Is Christ our Companion let us not grudg then to be his Companions and let us behave our selves towards him as towards a Companion and such a Companion This learneth us several things 1. It learneth us what is our constant work and duty viz To Glorify God by doing the work which God hath given us to do by manifesting his name to those whom God hath given us This was Christs work he went up and down doing good saith the Evangelist This was Christs work this should be our work we should be thinking every morning how should I glorify Christ this day How may I shew my self this day a Companion in labour to my great Lord and Master this we cannot do by making our selves Companions of fools nor meer Companions of worldly men but by being the Companions of those that fear the Lord. 2. It learneth us our duty to be couragious valiant in fight striving against sin confident of Victory over all our Spiritual Enemies Of these I have spake before We should also in consideration of this use Christ as our Companion and behave our selves towards him as to our Companion and as to such a Companion as he is I shall direct in that in two or three particulars 1. Be no Companion to Christs Enemies David saith Psal 119. 63. I am a Companion of all them that fear thee Psal 119. 63. Solomon telleth us That a Companion of fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13. 20. Who those fools are you may read 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Revel 21. 8. All such as shall never enter into the Kingdom of God such as shall be destroyed in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone are fools with a witness No Companion to these can shew himself a Companion to Jesus Christ Solomon saith Prov. 28. 7. A Companion of riotous men shameth his Father He that is a Companion an ordinary Company to loose and profane men Drunkards Swearers Blasphemers profane Swearers and cursers and professeth to be a Companion of Christ shameth Christ to whom he pretendeth to be a Companion Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness Eph. 5. 11. If you have see what the same Apostle saith 2 Cor. 6. 14. What fellowship can righteousness and light have with you The Gentleman abhorreth his Mistriss that makes herself a Companion to ever Tapster and Porter 2. Be you much in company with Christ Fellows and lovers use to be so they are never well but when they are so Frequent Communion with God is like the frequent meetings and converses of lovers which ripen things apace for the wedding day The Soul that is much with Christ in Soliloquies and meditations much in Prayer ripeneth apace for glory for the great marriage of the Lamb. Much communion with God hath these two eminent advantages God is by it much indeared to the Soul and the Soul is again reciprocally much endeared to God by it 2. When thou art in communion with Christ be not Idle A man may be in his study and do nothing of moment a Child may truant in the School Domitian may be killing flyes in his Councel-Chamber A Soul may lose that time that it pretends to spend with Christ Spend this hallowed part of your time as Lovers and Companions use to do 1. In imparting your secrets unto Christ Your secret wants doubts fears desires not concealing your most secret thoughts from the Lord. 2. In wooing of your beloved Begging his love and favour crying out to him with the Spouse Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth Draw me and we will run after thee Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at Noon 3. In mutual embraces The embraces of faith and love I held him saith the Spouse and would not let him go Put the hand of faith about the neck of your beloved it is a Chain from which he cannot from which he will not get loose But I have dwelt long enough upon the compellation in the Text my Love or my Fellow I should now come to the matter of my text I have compared thee to a company of Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots But of that hereafter Sermon XLVIII Canticles 1. 9. I have likened thee O my Love to a company of Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots I Am come to the second Proposition I observed from these words I have done with the first raised from the Compellation Prop. Christ hath likened his Spouse to a company of Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots I shall speak to this Proposition in my usual method by way of Explication Confirmation and Application By way of Explication I shall shew you 1. In what sense that term I have likened or I have compared
so it is a creature of a great spirit and courage He rusheth into the Battel and is not afraid Jer. 8. 6. God speaking to Job concerning the Horse giveth an excellent and elegant description of him Job 39. 19 20. where God asketh Job Hast thou clothed his neck with Thunder Canst thou make him afraid at a Grashopper The glory of his Nostrils is terrible He paweth in the Valley and rejoyceth in his strength He goeth on to meet the armed man he mocketh at fear and is not affrighted neither turneth he back from the Sword The Quiverrattleth against him the glittering Spear and the Shield he swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage neither believeth he that it is the sound of the Trumpet He saith amongst the Trumpets Ha Ha and he smelleth the Battel afar off the Thunder of the Captains and the shoutings With respect of this Quality of the Horse I conceive it is that the Spouse is here compared to Horses War-like Horses full of spirit and courage I have likened thee to a company of Horses That is I have made thee bold couragious full of resolution to make a spiritual resistance to thy Enemies to bid a defiance to them no more to regard the reproaches and revilings the threats and rage and violences of wicked men that oppose thee and cause thy trouble than the Horse regardeth the ratlings of the Quiver or the sound of the Trumpet or the glittering Spear or Shield Fear not the rage and madness of thy Enemies I have made thee like to the Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots which are so bred and so spirited that they mock at fear and the more their Enemies rage and make a noise the more couragiously and with the more mettle they go on This I take to be the most proper and likely sense of the Metaphor in this Text accordingly I shall handle it 2. But it is not said To an Horse only but to a company of Horses Why to a company of Horses The term company denotes Multitude and Unity 1. It denotes Multitude The Church of Christ consists of many Individual Believers who in respect of their Innocency and feeding in the same Pastures are compared sometimes to a Flock of Sheep here in respect of that spirit of valour courage and fortitude which animates them all to a company of Horses 2. It is a term which denotes Unity not a numerical Unity but an Unity in some common work and in some accidents common to them all Thus the Apostle saith We being many are one body There is saith the Apostle Eph. 4. 4 5. one Body one Spirit they are called in one Hope of their Calling they have one Lord one Faith one Baptism they have one God and Father of all The Spouse is not compared to a company of Horses in a field or in the streets but to a company of Horses in a Chariot where they draw together run together upon the Enemy Every Believer also hath a Company within himself the several powers and faculties of his Soul armed with the whole Armour of God These are like a company of Horses in Pharaoh 's Chariots 3. But why in Pharaoh's Chariots Pharaoh was a common name to the Kings of Egypt and a company of Horses in Pharaoh 's Chariots signifieth no more than a company of the best Egyptian Horses-Egypt at that time was one of the most famous places for Horses in the world Hence you read that Solomon had Horses brought out of Egypt 1 King 10. 28. And the King of Judah sent his Embassadors into Egypt that they might give him Horses Ezek. 17. 15. So Isa 31. 1. Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help and stay on Horses v. 3. Their Horses are flesh and not spirit So as I think they have but a feeble support from this Text who would make advantage of this Text to justify their notion that this Divine portion of holy Writ is no more but a Love-song betwixt Solomon and Pharaohs Daughter To all this I might add one thing more that the Horse by reason of those excellent qualities which the God of nature hath endued it with hath in all ages been in a very high esteem with men The vanity of some Persons in the expression of this hath been very great Historians tell us the Persians made solemn funerals for their Horses in other places they builded Pyramids over their Sepulchers Alexander the great built a City to the memory of his Horse Julius Caesar set up his Horse a marble effigies The Emperour Commodus would have his Horse buried in the Vatican Our age is more rational then to allow these vanities but yet it is vain enough many a man takes more care for the mangery of his Horse then for the Education of his Child and alloweth his Horses more attendance then his wife Which lets us see what a value men yet put upon this creature So as this sense may be put upon the Words of this Text thou art as dear to me and in as high esteem with me as the Horses in Pharaohs Chariots are to and with him The Proposition then of the Text amounteth to this Prop. That the Church of Christ and every particular believer in it is in Christs Eyes exceeding lovely and highly esteemed of by him and knowing that she is in the midst of Enemies he hath cloathed her with strength for the victory sufficient if she will make use of it he hath made her like to a Company of Horses in Pharaohs Charrots The proof of the Proposition then lyeth in the proof of these two things 1. That the Spouse of Christ is in his Eyes exceeding goodly and beautiful and highly esteemed of by him 2. That she is cloathed with sufficient strength and might to overcome her Enemies For the proof of the former I shall not insist upon it for besides the large discourse I have already spent upon that when I handled that phrase O thou fairest amongst women The expressions of Scripture are so obvious to every Eye where Christ setteth out his Love to and esteem of his Church and every particular believer that I need not spend time in giving you an account of them The latter is no less plain Immediately upon the fall God gave out this promise Gen. 3. 15. The seed of the woman shall break thine head and thou shalt bruise his heel The seed of the woman was Christ and his seed those that believe in him Conformable to this is that promise Rom. 16. 20. God shall bruise Sathan under your feet shortly It was an ancient promise made to Abraham and in him to all that walk in the steps of his faith Thy seed shall possess the gates of its Enemies God saith Zech. 10. 3. That he made his flock as a goodly Horse in the day of battel v. 5. And they shall be as mighty men which tread down the Enemies as mire in the streets in the battel they shall fight because the Lord
all his feeding in green and fat Pastures who when an Evil day comes and the Lord by his Providence calleth out to the World Who is on my side Who is afraid or ashamed to appear for God own his Truths and sacred Institutions Christ hath not compared us to Asses that couch under burdens but to a more generous sort of creatures to Horses to Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots Look upon your selves as such Be not like the cowardly Cur that runs away as soon as a Man takes but up a stone to throw at him We read of Christians in the Primitive times that they would expose themselves to their Tormentors telling them They were Christians In Queen Mary's time the Persecutors cursed the People of God and said They had a mind to burn Oh that Christians in these times had such a courage as the wicked Apostates and their most furious Adversaries might think that Christians in the defence of the Gospel had a mind to suffer whatever their wicked hands durst do against them Certainly he who hath given Christians the grace of fortitude and courage expecteth the exercise of it 2. But secondly This Doctrine calleth aloud to Christians for Unity Christ hath not compared us to Horses in a Field but in a Chariot where they are united Horses in Chariots draw by couples and that maketh their draught the more easie Oh that my head were a fountain of waters my eyes rivers of tears that I might weep day and night for the Divisions amongst the People of God This hath made almost every Horse draw singly and hath almost mired the Lord's Chariots 1. I beseech you consider how God's Enemies are united Gebal Ammon and Amalek Papists and Atheists are united in their opposition to Truth and Holiness against every person and everything which hath any thing of the stamp and impression of God upon it Is it not time for all Protestants to unite all such especially as are Christians not in name only but in deed and in truth It may be we cannot unite in every Principle or Ecclesiastical Practice we have different apprehensions and we cannot reconcile them Can we not forbear one another in love who hath made us more infallible than our Brethren 2. I beseech you consider what already have been the fruits of our breaches and disunion and what is likely to be the further issue of them if not in time prevented Popery is increased many absurd and blasphemous Opinions are propagated what will the end of these things be Shall we not be made a common prey pugnant singuli vincuntur universi while men fight singly they are overcome universally You that have any savour of the things of God upon your Souls that have sense of things and how dismal the state of them is and is like to be I beseech you lay these things to heart The whole Ministry of the Gospel the Ordinances of God are struck at One Truth of God is cryed down after another Lay these things to heart and while you are persuaded that your Brethren own the same common Faith with you and pursue the same common design of the glory of God and Holiness as the means to it give an allowance to them in some things wherein you differ do not arrogate Infallibility to your selves believe it is possible you also may be mistaken and though you are bound to live by your own Faith and walk according to your own Faith and Persuasion yet do not pronounce an Anathema against all that are not just of your size Lay aside your heats and animosities and your differences which are of far less moment than the whole Interest of Christ and his Gospel is I shall conclude my Discourse as the Apostle begins his second Chapter to the Philippians If therefore there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels of mercy Let me add If any concern for the honour and glory of God or the Interest of Christ or Religion in the Nation fulfil the comparison of my Text and be you yet at last like a company of Horses in Pharaoh 's Chariots being like minded having the same love being of one accord and of one mind and do the same thing in bearing a joint Testimony for God Sermon XLIX Cant. 1. 10. Thy Cheeks are comely with rows of Jewels Thy neck with Chains of gold THE Blessed Lover in this song goes on yet in the commendation of his Spouse He had before commended her from her more inward beauty he had called her The fairest amongst women he had compared her to a Company of Horses in Pharaohs Chariots those Phrases had respect to her inward indowments He knoweth not how to leave he here goes on in her further commendation thy Cheeks are comely with rows of Jewels thy Neck with Chains of gold These Phrases speak Riches for Jewels and Gold are things of value and her beauty her artificial beauty For these are Ornaments supposed to add to the beauty and comeliness of the Person that wears them Only there is something looks a little odd according to the guise of our Country where Women use to wear ropes of Pearl about their Necks or Wrists or Jewels on their Breasts or in their Ears but how these should reflect a beauty on her Cheeks is hard to understand but we understand not the fashions of other Countries We read Isa 3. 21. Of Nose Jewels in use amongst the Jews which dressers of Women in our times would find hard to put on And if a way could be found for that we should judge them very strange Ornaments But let me first open the words Our translators add some Words here to compleat the sense In the Hebrew is no more then Thy Cheeks are comely with rows and thy Necks with Chains Our Interpreters not being able to conceive what rows except of Jewels could adorn the face have added these Words to the former part Nor able to conceive what Chains should adorn the Neck of a woman except of Gold or Pearls And having added 〈◊〉 to the former words they add here not of Pearl nor jewels but of Gold Neither are other Interpreters agreed about the translation of the other Words either as to the matter or form As to the form the Septuagint reads the Word as a question How comely are thy Cheeks But most other Interpreters read them positively and indicatively as we read them that difference is not much But there is yet a greater difference as to the matter of the words for the Seventy read it How fair are thy Cheeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as of a Turtle The Arabick and Vulgar Latin follow them The Syriack Interpreters translate it thy Cheeks are fair in thy locks Pagnin Montanus and most others read it according to the sense our translation puts upon it Let me at least attempt to reconcile this difference The Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which unquestionably
instructive Corollary from this discourse Secondly observe The Laws of Christ are both rows of Jewels and also Chains 1. They are Chains of Restraint As Chains about creatures necks restrain their natural Liberty and keep them in due obedience and subjection to their Governours So doth the Law of the Lord. Man is like an unâ—amed Heifer which would run wildly this and that way Christ therefore puts a Chain upon him when he intendeth any Soul for his use I will faith God write my Laws in their inward parts There now is the Chain about the Spouse's Neck Joseph had this Chain about his neck How shall I do this evil saith he and sin against God Do this and live saith he for I fear God and so durst not take any revenge upon you The Children of God have in them lust and corruption but it is chained The Law of God written in their hearts is a Chain upon their lusts and this may mind us to take heed how we abuse that sweet Notion of Christian Liberty Christians are free but they must take heed that they use not their Liberty for a Cloak to maliciousness 1 Pet. 2. 16. that being the Lord's Free-men they do not make themselves Servants of corraption It is not a Liberty to the Devil's Chains but from them not a Liberty to the Flesh but to serve the Lord without fear 2. As the Precepts of the Lord are Chains of Restraint so they are also Chains Indicative of the greatest liberty and honour they are Chains but they are Chains of Gold Chains of Pearl such Chains speak both the liberty and dignity of those that wear them The Law is spiritual and just and good saith Paul But further yet the Precepts of God are also Rows of Jewels It speaks two things 1. Rows of Jewels are things as to which a great Art is seen in the orderly disposing of them There is a strange orderliness to be observed in the Divine Precepts Could you imagine a Family a Church a Common-wealth any Society of men in which the several persons both in their single and relative capacities lived up to the strictness of the Divine Rule respecting them how orderly would they appear even in the Eye of humane Reason All the ugliness and disorder that we see in mens Lives in Families Churches Cities Kingdoms if you observe it arifeth from mens deviations from the Divine Rule through the impetuousness of unmortified passions Hence sinful walking is by the Apostle called properly disorderly walking 2 Thes 3. 6 7 11. And the holy man is called one who ordereth his conversation aright in the last verse of the 50th Psalm 2. Rows of Jewels are Ornaments There is something of beauty and comeliness resulteth from them and it resulteth much from the orderly setting and wearing of them There is a great comeliness in Holiness But of this more in the third Corollary Observe thirdly That Holiness is the only Ornament of a man or woman in the Eyes of Christ The World is at this day full of gawdry Rings and Jewels Bracelets and Necklaces of Pearl Patches and Paintings Solomon hath told us that favour is deceitful and beauty is vain But a woman that seareth the Lord she shall be praised As a Jewel saith he in a Swines Snout So is a fair woman without descretion Prov. 11. 21. Christ accounts holiness the only beauty of a man or woman Our acts of holiness are in his Eyes the only ropes of Pearl and Chains of gold and rows of Jewels We live in an age of great vanity as to Artificial beauty and it would make the heart of a Christian to bleed to see even to what excesses of this nature Persons professing to Religion and Godliness run Let me therefore close this discourse with a word or two of Exhortation 1. To neglect other beauty 2. To study this beauty more and more 3. Not to Satisfy your selves with mere pretences of inward purity whiles your more exteriour conversation gives no evidence to it 1. I say first to neglect other beauty whether natural though that be a great gift of God where it is found Or Artificial which is borrowed from Gold and Silver and Precious Stones and Jewels and fine Cloaths and Linnen c. 1. Consider This is not your beauty That 's our beauty which Commends us to our Husband Jesus Christ He regards not a fine face nor well proportioned limbs he regards not Jewels and Ornaments nor fine Clothes and Linnen They are in his Eyes poor vile things Leave these things to the men and women of the world that have nothing else to Commend them to the wantons of the world The beauty of a Christian lyeth not in these things nay they are his shame and deformity as I shall by and by shew you 2. Secondly let me urge the Precept of the Apostle 1 Tim. 2. 9 Let women saith he adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefastness and sobriety not with broidered Hair or Gold or Pearls or costly aray but which becometh women professing Godliness with good works Mark that phrase which becometh women prosessing Godliness as if he should say these vanities of broidered Hair Gold Pearl costly aray may become men and women of the world and commend them to the world but they do not become men and Women professing Godliness they are not to approve themselves to the vain Persons of the World but to Christ alone these things Commend no Soul to Christ good works an holy life and conversation according to the rule of the Gospel that and nothing but that will Commend a Soul to God that is the only adorning which becometh women that profess to Godliness You have the like in Peter 1 Pet. 3. 3. Speaking of good women whose adorning saith he let it not be the outward adorning of playting the hair and of wearing Gold and putting on of apparel but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit which before God is of great price for after this manner in the old time the holy women also who trusted in God adorned themselves I do know the Common Interpretation which some put upon these Texts as if the Apostle did not wholly forbid these Ornaments but only forbad Christians to look upon these things as their only Ornaments so as to neglect the adorning of the hidden man of the heart Nor indeed do I think these Texts to contain an absolute prohibition of these things to all women that are Christians and at all times I do know that our Saviour seemeth to allow sost rayment to those that are in Kings houses Reason alloweth an aray to Persons according to the Station and quality they take up and are in in the World Religion doth not contradict it But when I consider 1. What of men and womens estates which God hath given them to Cloth the naked to feed the hungry c.
of Spiritual Life so he must be led by the Spirit If God did not excite the Grace bestowed on him it would be choaked by that body of death that lust and corruption which is in the best mens hearts What can the creature do when the Holy Spirit hath quickened his habits of Grace he cannot act and exercise them and put forth spiritual acts but doth he no more need the Influence of the Holy Spirit yes without Christ he can do nothing he must still have the Grace of God with him 1 Cor. 15. 10. Not I saith Paul but the Grace of God which was with me This is now cooperative and assisting Grace He cannot make the Wheel which must carry him in the waies of God working Grace must do that when it is made he cannot set it upon motion Exciting Grace must oil it Assisting Grace must keep it up move with it or he will never come to issue any good action A Believer indeed acteth for the habits of Grace from which he acteth are inherent in him he is not moved like a Machine or dead Engine but yet he is acted that is assisted and helped in his action He is nothing but what he hath received he doth nothing but while he is receiving Let not then the Natural man glory in the power and good inclinations of his own will he neither hath nor can have any power to do that which in a spiritual sense is good until it be given him from above Let not the renewed man glory in his infused habits of Grace for as he did not merit it nor any way purchase them so of himself he cannot use or exercise them But let him who glorieth glory in this that to him Christ is all in all that he liveth he acteth and bringeth a good action to an issue but yet not he but Christ that liveth in him acteth with him and worketh in him what he accepteth from him It is Christ who layeth the foundation-stone and then layeth the corner-stone who is both the Author and Finisher of our Faith we have nothing to do but to cry Grace Grace when we see the work done In the mean time nothing hindereth but that the Soul may rejoyce and boast in the Lord while it walketh humbly with God mourning over the infirmity of its lapsed Nature for certainly man did not come out of God's hands in the day of Creation in this impotent state Let no man therefore despise those that labour under greater degrees of this impotency than he possibly doth but let him bless the Lord who hath further excited strengthened and assisted him to the operations of his Spiritual Life I shall shut up this discourse with a word or two of Exhortation to every Child of God to use his utmost diligence to keep the King sitting at his Table I mean to keep the presence of Christ as much as he can in and with his Soul that so his Spikenard may send forth the smell thereof I shall urge this by one argument and then offer you my advice in the case and so shâ—â— up this discourse 1. My argument shall be drawn from the high concerns of the Soul in its Spikenard sending forth its smell every Soul is concerned in it three ways 1. In point of duty as God thereby is glorifyed 2. In point of comfort as it will evidence its Spikenard to be such indeed 3. In point of honour as it brings the Soul to a repute in the World 1. I say first in point of duty as God is thereby glorifyed For this cause we are born for this cause is every man come into the World that he may bring honour and glory to his great Creator Herein saith our Saviour John 15. Is my Father glorifyed if you bring forth mach fruit and as the Lord is glorifyed by the vigorous exercise of its grace So is he also honoured by the predication of his grace by the sweet smell which our habits and exercises of grace have in the World That they may see your good works saith our Saviour Matth. 5. And glorify your Father which is in Heaven That they may see your good works saith the Apostle and glorify God in the day of their visitation no man so glorifyeth God as he who vigorously exerciseth his habits of grace The barren field is not that field which crediteth the husbandman the barren and unfruitful Soul is not that Soul which bringeth honour and glory to God It is the fruitful Soul whose smell is like the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed that bringeth honour to God and so eminently serveth the great end of his Creation 2. The Soul is not only concerned in it in point of duty but also as to its peace and comfort Indeed it cannot be but that comfort should result from the Souls performance of its duty for the fruit of righteousness shall be peace but yet first as he or she that hath a box of Spikenard or any other odoriferous unguent or perfume which casteth out a sweet savour to delight or refresh others doth first partake of it him or her self so it is with the Spouses Spikenard ordinarily its fruits of righteousness do not only affect others but first affect the Soul in which they are found hereby saith St. John we know that we are traâ—slated from death to life because we love the brethren Hezâ—kiah upon a message of death sent by God to him was refreshed with the smell of his own Spikenard 2 Kings 20. 3. I beseech thee O Lord saith he remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done what is right in thy fight When a Christian comes to lye upon a sick bed or a death-bed it will be no grief of heart unto him but a great pleasure and Satisfaction to consider that he hath with his Spirit served God and indeavoured by holiness in all manner of conversation to shew forth the grace of God bestowed on him not to have been received in vain 3. Lastly a Christian is concerned in point of honour A true Christian is an honourable Person born of God and he is bound to consult his honour and repute in the World It is the smell of a Christians grace that giveth him a name and honour a repute before men The World taketh no notice of our habits of grace while they lye dormant in the Soul but when they shew themselves in our conversations in the exercises of faith humility patience meekness obedience then hath a Christian honour before men Thus you see how a Christian is concerned to have his Spikenard send forth the smell thereof Now seeing so much dependeth upon this that a Christian should keep this glorious King sitting at his Table it followeth that this is of high concernment to every Soul But you will say what can we do toward it is not the Spirit of Christ free as the wind which bloweth where
his conversion the time the Sermon when and by which God was pleased at first to work upon it and work a change in it 3. The quickening of a dull Soul labouring under any Spiritual deadness heaviness or inactivity of this David often Speaks and prays for it Psal 119. Quicken me in thy precepts c. The knocking 's and motions of the holy Spirit are tiresome and tedious and exceeding grievous to a carnal heart they disturb its sweet sleeps in its bed of idelness Security and lust but they are exceeding sweet to a gracious heart The renewed Soul prays for them thirsts after them delights in them and is never more pleased then when it feels itself most alarumed and awakened and spurred on by them 6. The last sort of influences are the comforting influences of Christ by his Spirit The Spirit is called the comforter often John ch 14. 16. It is a piece of its office to seal and to witness It witnesseth with our Spirits that we are the Children of God It sealeth us up to the day of Redemption I shall not need stand to prove that Christ in these is as a bundle of Myrrh The very name comforter imports sweetness and is of it self a bundle of Myrrh to the Soul Now all our Consolations come from Christ Phil. 2. 1. 2 Cor. 1. 5. He was called the Consolation of Israel And the Jewish believers waited for him under that Notion Luk. 2. 25. I have now opened to you the 2d thing and shewed you how Christ in his influences is a bundle of Myrrh One thing yet remains 3. Christ in his Ordinances and Gospel Institutions is a bundle of Myrrh Christ is in his Ordinances We preach Christ crucified saith the Apostle and we are Baptized into Christ Rom. 6. And for the Sacrament of the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 10. 10. It is the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ Christ in these is a bundle of Myrrh to the Souls of believers But indeed Christ in these is only sweet upon the former account viz. in respect of his influences which he is pleased to convey in and through these Organs and separated from these Ordinances signify little but burthen to the Soul Ordinances are sweet to the Soul two waies 1. As God is pleased in and by them actually to convey the influences of Christ and his grace to the Soul Thus they are only sweet to the Soul when it sees the power and glory of God in his Sanctuary 2. As they are under a divine appointment in order to that End Thus Ordinances are sweet to the gracious Soul though at present the Soul doth not meet with and enjoy God in them yet saith the Soul they are those appointments wherein God hath said he will be found and instituted of God in order to that end and it may be my lot as well as others to meet with God in them therefore the Soul prizeth them how precious Ordinances even those which were carnal as the Apostle calls them under the Jewish Oeconomy were to the Servants of God who lived in those times appears by the eminent instances of David in Psal 84. Psal 63. Psal 42 c. The Psalmist speaks of the Body of Jews Psal 84. v. 6. That they passed through the valley of Bacah and went from strength to strength until they all appeared before God in Zion And thus I have opened to you the fourth thing in this similitude shewing you how aptly Christ is compared to a bundle of Myrrh viz. For sweetness but I also noted two things hinted in the term of bundle a bundle or bag notes a quantity of sweets 2. Men use to bind up things in bundles for their better preservation Hence two things more 5. Christ is a bundle of Myrrh He is an heap of sweetnesses exceeding sweet to the gracious Soul The Apostle saith Col. 2. 3. That all the treasures of wisdom are in Christ All the treasures of Soul sweetness are in Christ also There are other things that are sweet to the Worldling and him that is a stranger to Christ Stollen waters are sweet to the Thief Prov. 9. 17. The bread of deceit is sweet to the deceiver Prov. 20. 17. Lust is sweet to the unclean Person yea and to the exterior senses of a gracious Soul other things may be sweet to the Child of God But to the Soul of the Saint considered as a Saint nothing is sweet but Christ he is its bundle of Myrrh all the pleasure and sweetness and delight that it hath in the World on this side of Heaven is either in the meditation of Christ or application of him fiducially or assuredly all his hopes of good are in Christ Christ in him the hopes of glory All his injoyments which he valueth are the enjoyments of Christ and his grace he is a bundle of Myrrh unto it 6. Lastly Christ is to it as a bundle of Myrrh In regard of of its great care and diligence to preserve and keep alive its sense and enjoyments of the Lord Jesus Christ The gracious Soul is very careful to keep its view of Christ Observe the next words He shall lye all night betwixt my breasts of which hereafter Observe again this Spouses carriage Cant. 3. 4. Upon her recovery of Christ when he had absented himself I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him into my Mothers house into the Chamber of her that conceived me See also Cant. 8. v. 1. The Soul that hath had any experiences of Christ and of the influences of his grace binds them up as it were in a bundle The memory of that Soul is the bag and the string too Thus the Psalmist Psal 77. 5. I have considered the days of old the years of ancient times I call to remembrance my Song in the night v. 11. I will remember the works of the Lord surely I will remember thy wonders of old I will meditate also of all thy works and talk of all thy doings And indeed this needeth no further proof then what my former discourse hath given it for it is very connatural to us to be careful in the preserving and keeping â—lose and safe whatsoever is precious to us The Worldling ties up his mony in bags and is very careful to keep safely what he hath got with care the Lady keeps her perfumes and Jewels safe so doth the Scholar his Books indeed so doth every one whatsoever he accounteth sweet and pretious Now nothing being more sweet and precious to the Soul then Jesus Christ and his influences it is as natural to him to indeavour the preservation of them But I have spake enough to the explication and confirmation of the point Have you heard that Christ is to the Soul as a bundle of Myrrh How sottish then is the generality of the World that either despise or neglect their interest in him If ever a People despised their own mercies and set light by the
objects Christ now cannot shew his grace to such a Soul the bank hinders where he pleaseth indeed he worketh secretly takes away the heart of stone and makes it an heart of flesh takes away unbelief vanity earthly mindedness sensual affections and then he emptyeth the treasuries of grace upon the Soul In a word to apply this No wonder then to hear many a poor wretch complain that God never yet spake peace to his Soul others indeed have heard their beloved hath said to others behold thou art fair my love behold thou art fair but they never yet heard such a voice Let me ask thee who thus complainest this question Did Christ ever yet hear thee say as a bundle of Myrrh is my beloved unto me he shall lye all night betwixt my breasts Hast thou served Christ with Ordinary expressions of duty How canst thou expect to be feasted by him with extraordinary returns of mercy If thy breathings after him have been faint and short what reason hast thou to expect that his breathings should be so full upon thee He is indeed a full ocean of free grace but it may be thou hast cast up a bank against him it may be thou hast clogg'd him with an hard heart and unbelieving heart a vain heart a filthy sensual heart Wonder not O Christian that he is so little towards thee in a way of mercy if thou beest scant towards him in thy way of duty There is a generation of men and women in the world who are taken notice of to behave themselves as if they thought that all the World were made to serve them and they not made to serve any but they are an unreasonable generation and sober persons so account of them and accordingly slight them Oh that there might not be such an unreasonable Christian found in the World who should so much as think in his heart that Christ stands concerned to open all his Treasuries of Love upon his Soul which in the mean time hath scarce a thought of doing any thing more than ordinary for the Lord Jesus Christ if thou findest thy heart cold in duty frozen in affections toward Christ wonder not at all if thou findest the bowels of thy Saviour which yern upon others tied up towards thee And I fear me this is the cause of most complaints of this nature although it may be possible that this is not the case of every such complaining Soul witness David Psal 22. 1 2 3 4. 2. What an ingagement doth this Notion of Truth lay upon the Sons and Daughters of men to stretch out their Souls for and towards God Certainly if there be any thing in the World of force to open a Soul for Christ this will do it to hear that Divine Grace keeps pace with our duty and that the proper way to have Christ speak to us and say Thou art fair my Love Thou art fair is for us to get up our hearts in a readiness to say and say it in truth As a bundle of Myrrh is my Beloved to me The Psalmist cries out Psal 34. 12. What man is he that desireth life and loveth many days that he may see good Depart from evil and do good seek peace and pursue it Give me leave to speak to all you who fear the Lord in the same dialect What man is there amongst you who would not gladly have Christ speak peace unto your Souls and whisper the words of my Text in your Ears Thou art fair my Love thou art fair O let Christ be yet more and more precious to you let him have the strength of your Love that you may have the seal of his Love let the World know and let him know that he is dear in your Eyes that you may know that you are fair in his Eyes But this is enough for the second Circumstance which I observed I pass to a third Thou art fair my Love thou art fair It is not said thou O man or thou O woman art fair but thou my Love art fair It is both the observation of our own Annotators and some others Obs The Spouse of Christ is fair as she is His Love I observed to you before that the word signifies Amica Socia a Friend and a Companion the Object of ones love and the Companion of ones life This is not after the manner of the Children of men amongst them Beauty raiseth Love but with Christ it is Love that raiseth Beauty Locutio verbi infusio Doni Christ in calling her fair makes her fair Ezek. 16. 14. Thy Beauty was perfect through my comeliness which was put upon thee saith the Lord God A good complexion with a lovely air of the countenance and a due proportion of bodily parts makes the Children of men fair to a sensual Eye An head well furnished with Notions of Learning and a mind indued with vertuous generous dispositions makes a man fair and beautiful to a rational Eye But it is Grace alone that can make the Soul fair to the Divine Eye 1. Nature doth it not for all are by Nature Children of wrath Eph. 2. 3. like the Infant not cut not washed not swadled Ezek. 16. We are by Nature all Blackamores in the Eyes of God our Father an Amorite our Mother an Hittite 2. Art will not do it Though thou wash thee with Nitre and take thee much Sope yet thine iniquity is marked before me saith the Lord Jer. 2. 22. The Pharisees were men who used as much Art as others yet their Beauty to our Saviour's Eye rose no higher than to the Beauty of a Painted Sepâ—lchre that outwardly is beautiful but within full of rottenness so little that our Saviour saith Publicans and Harlots should as to the Kingdom of Heaven have the preheminence before them 3. Grace then alone must do it Those who are Christ's Love are fair only so far forth as they are his Love his Companions There is a double Grace the first of Justification the second of Sanotification according to the first the Believer is Christ's Love according to the second the Believer is Christ's Companion 1. I say first the Grace of Justification this is gratia gratum faciens that Grace by which the Soul is accepted of God It is the free Love of God shewn to the humbled Soul upon its exercise of Faith pardoning its sins reckoning over the Righteousness of Christ unto it and accepting it as righteous in and through Christ this changeth the Soul's state this is it which taketh away its filthy garments and covereth the Soul with Christ's Robes with this is conjoined the Grace of Regeneration by which God changeth the Soul's nature and disposition old things pass away with it and all things become new this is no quality infused into us or inherent in us but the free and pure love and good will of Christ imbracing us 2. The second is the Grace of Sanctification this makes the Believer the Companion of
he is not pleasant to him because he wants that congruity of disposition which is necessary Christ is holy he is unholy But now the believer is made partaker of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. He is a partaker of Christ Heb. 3. 14. And indeed hence ariseth that particular pleasantness which the believing Soul doth above any other Soul discern in Christ even from that congruity 3. To make any one not only fair but pleasant there will be required of him a Freedom from those things which spoil all pleasantness in converse and a presence and exercise of those dispositions which are in themselves grateful to humane Nature I will instance in two on three and shew you how Christ is freed from the former and possessed of the latter 1. The pleasant man must not be reserved but Communicative A man that is of a reserved close temper may be a worthy Person and have much real worth in him but yet he is not pleasant it is the Communicative man who is the pleasant man Christ upon this account is pleasant he is not reserved from the Souls of his Saints Look now as it is with a man if he be one that hath real worth and abilities to do good to his friend and of a free temper that if his friend speaks to him he presently hears and answers if he asks him a question he presently resolves this man now is a pleasant man Christ is pleasant as he is furnished with a sufficiency of power and ability for the comforting resolving advantaging his Peoples Souls any way so he is not reserved from them How free was he with his disciples while he was upon the Earth how ready if they doubted to resolve them if they asked any thing of him to answer them if he saw them troubled to resolve them c. Christ hath removed the place of his residence but he hath not changed his disposition How free is Christ still with the Souls of his People How ordinarily doth he resolve their doubts speak peace to their Souls answer their Prayers Doth any Soul object against this in the words of David Psal 22. 3. I cry in the day time and thou hearest not and in the night time I am not silent That Soul should do well to inquire whether some reservedness found in it towards Christ hath not caused Christ's reservedness to it whether he doth not restrain Faith He should do well also to enquire whether he be not mistaken Christ oft-times gives Answers which we do not understand Finally Let him wait and he will see that Christ reserves himself only that he might hereafter be more pleasant to the Soul But this is enough to have spoken to this first particular 2. He that is pleasant is not morose but courteous a man may be communicative enough and yet not pleasant he that is of a churlish dogged temper morose in all his behaviour is never pleasant He that is of a gentle behaviour is pleasant Oh how gentle is the Lord Jesus Christ How tenderly he deals with his Peoples Souls A bruised Reed he will not break a smoaking Flax he will not quench Mat. 12. 20. It was prophesied of him of old Isa 40. v. 11. that he should gather the Lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young If he speaks to a poor laden sinner mark how tenderly he speaks Mat. 11. 29. Come unto me you that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you I appeal to the Souls of you that fear God Hath not Christ dealt tenderly with you Hath he pleaded against you with his great Power Have you at any time found him churlish to your Souls Nay who is there amongst you but hath admired his expressions in his Word and the manner of his dispensations unto your Souls and can from experience say He is pleasant If any Soul from its own experience object against this Notion I shall only advise it to consider whether it hath not put a false interpretation upon Christ's dispensations to it Or secondly To distinguish betwixt Christ's ordinary dealings with the Souls of the People and his carriage to it upon some eminent provocations 3. A third thing which makes a man pleasant is humility The proud person is grateful to none no not to him who is as proud as himself but he who is full of humility of a condescending spirit c. is ordinarily pleasant to his Companion Upon this account also Christ is pleasant he condescendeth to us who are of low degree Nothing more indears a Person of Honour and makes him pleasant to his Companion than when there is discerned in him a readiness to stoop and be serviceable to those who are beneath him Oh how pleasant is Christ upon this score to every honest heart From the time that he Nothing'd himself and humbled himself to a death upon the Cross unto this day he hath been and still is thus pleasant to every gracious Soul Every dispensation of special grace makes him thus more and more pleasant to his Peoples Souls But I have spoken enough to the Doctrinal part I come now to the Application By way of inference in the first place let me conclude from hence That a Christian's Life must needs be a pleasant Life To me saith St. Paul to live is Christ Phil. 1. 21. And again Col. 3. 3. Our life is hid with Christ in God A Believer lives from Christ Eph. 2. v. 1. You hath he quickened and he lives in Christ and Christ lives in him Now Christ is pleasant Hearken to our Sponse in this Song chap. 2. 3. I sate down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my tast It is one great discouragement that keeps off men from following the Lord Jesus Christ They have taken up a fancy that Christ is an hard Master reaping where he hath not sown and gathering where he hath not strawed They fancy the life of a Christian a moping life burthened with cares troubled with sorrows c. and think all their friends good daies are gone when once they turn Puritanâ—s and begin to follow after God And in very deed then and not before do they begin to live and to understand what true contentment is Oh! let not this prejudice take hold of any of your Souls come but tast land see how good the Lord is Might but this prevail with any of you to embrace the offers of Christ and to fall in with the waies of God let my Soul go for yours if when once you have truly experienced the Contentment of a Christian's life you do not with David chuse to be a Door-keeper in the House of God rather than to dwell in the Tents of wickedness if you prefer not one day in the Lord's Courts before a thousand elsewhere Let not the deceitful pleasures of the World seduce you if the Earth affords any satisfaction that Soul
hath it that walks with God and hath a fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ By way of Argument let me but plead with you 1. To observe the difference between sensual and intellectual pleasures And again betwixt rational and spiritual pleasures Who is there that observes not how much the satisfaction of the mind in the possession of Learning and Vertue excels all that satisfaction which the Eye hath in seeing or the Ear in hearing Christ is pleasant to the Soul not to the outward but to the inward man The pleasures of the mind are rational or spiritual The proportion which knowledge beareth to the understanding of man and which moral Vertue bears to his Reason makes them pleasant and creates an intellectual rational pleasure But alas it must be imperfect for as the Eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the Ear with hearing so neither is it possible that the Soul should be satisfied with knowledge or moral accomplishments especially when it is awakened to consider Eternity Hence the Learned man that before took pleasure in his knowledge being awakened cries out I with my Learning may go to Hell when one that knows much less may go to Heaven where 's the pleasure But now the Soul that is possessed of Christ hath its heart perfectly at rest because it sees its eternal Interest provided for and cannot discern it self in danger of future misery Furthermore the things in which it takes pleasure are above the rank of all sublimary contentments even such things as Eye hath not seen nor hath Ear heard nor can it enter into the Heart of man to conceive Besides Conscience is quiet Conscience is that which spoils much of the Worlds pleasure for as a good Conscience is a continual feast so an evil Conscience is more or less a continual torment Now Christ is he alone that quieteth the Conscience Many a poor Christless Soul drinks Wine in Bowls and boast in their outwardly happy condition but by and by a finger of a mans hand appears their Conscience begins to stir and to tell them they are damned undone sinners what becomes of their pleasure But now the Soul that is in Christ his Conscience speaks peace to him he hath peace without trouble And to give you a demonstration of this pleasantness of a Christian's life as I remember Christ said of the Lillies they neither spin nor sow yet Solomon in all his glory is not like one of them So give me leave to say Step unto the poor Cottages of Christians who have searce Bread to eat no Silken Rayments to put on no Musick to make them merry no Money to spend no Orchards or Gardens to delight them and yet there 's many a Nobleman many a Gentleman who have all these in abundance yet in all their glory are not like one of these Lillies these poor Souls have more true content and pleasure in one day than they have in all their life nor would they change conditions with them So true is that of Solomon Prov. 15. 16 17. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great Treasures and trouble therewith Better is a dinner of Herbs where love is than a stalled Oxe and hatred therewith I dare warrant you that the Philosopher could have dined more sweetly at home with Bread and Water than at the Tyrants Table of Dainties in view of a sharp Sword hanging over his head by a thred There 's many a poor Christian in this like a true spiritual Diogenes that satisfieth himself with the influence of the Sun upon his Tub better than an Alexander could do himself with a whole World subdued to his feet 2. Observe from hence the difference between Christ and lusts Christ and the World The Soul of man cannot be alone it is either espoused to lusts and to the World or else to the Lord Jesus There 's many a one whose Soul is united to it's lusts Lust is its beloved Can this Soul say Behold thou art fair my Beloved yea pleasant Doubtless nothing less Reason tells the Drunkard that his Drunkenness is a foul thing and Reason tells the Unclean person that his Soul is united to a filthy thing Take him that is united to the World to the Riches of it or to the Honours of it Reason tells him they have no beauty in them nor are they more pleasant than beautiful Ah! what racks of Conscience have prophane sinners oft-times The Wine tickles the throat as it passeth but it maketh the stomach sick The lusts of the flesh leave a Thorn in the Conscience which abides when the pleasure of them is vanished The World pleaseth the Eye while the figure of it passeth before it but it is no more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great fancy and vexation of spirit spoils the pleasure of it But Christ is pleasant never any Soul that followed him repented of it yea those that follow him weeping never repent of their repentings Bring me that Soul which ever said I would I had never known or never walkt with Christ Let this therefore prevail with every Soul that hears me this day to get acquaintance with Christ And 2. With those who have interest in him to labour to grow up in him 1. The former Because he is pleasant 2. The latter Because they have not tasted the bottom of that pleasantness which attends him and the full Enjoyment of him Pleasantness is an alluring thing When Eve saw that the Apple was pleasant to the Eye she took it Gen. 3. 6. When Issachar in Jacob's Prophecy Gen. 49. 15. saw that the Land was pleasant he bowed his shoulder to bear Were you but possessed of this one Truth that Christ is pleasant that the way of Christ is a way of pleasantness it would go a great way to persuade men into it Hearken to the Wise man speaking of Wisdom of Christ indeed and his Grace under the notion of Wisdom Prov. 3. 17. Her waies are waies of pleasantness and all her paths are peace She is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold upon her Hearken you that are at ease in Zion that drink away care and spend your time in singing away the Evil day you that lie upon Beds of Ivory and stretch your selves upon Couches and eat the Lambs out of the Flock and Calves out of the midst of the stall you that chant to the sound of the Viol and invent to your selves Instruments of Musick you that drink Wine in Bowls and fare deliciously every day and dress your selves in gorgeous Apparel I tell you there 's many a poor Soul that hath Christ and is clothed with Rags and feeds upon Roots and drinks Water whose Soul is more at ease and enjoys more pleasure than yours doth O! therefore return you Shulamites return and understand aright the waies of true pleasure from those things that are meer empty shadows of vanity 2. Let this engage you that have received Christ to grow
same numerical acts of Worship in one place we conceive it stands upon no such bottom that it deserves any pains in the confutation of it it may be a good Notion of a particular Church but not an exclusive of the Application of the term to more Now this Visible Church of God is that which is Christ's House The Invisible Church is so and the Visible Church is so He walketh in the midst of the golden Candlesticks 2. That this is Christ's House appears 1. From the letter of Scripture 1 Tim. 3. 15. That thou mayess know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the House of God which is the Church of the living God Timothy's charge was not the Invisible Church but the Visible Church this is called the House of God Heb. 3. 6. Christ is said to be faithful as a Son over his own house whose house saith he we are c. I shall not here dispute the Question whether the hypocritical part of the Visible Church be aequivocal or univocal Members sure I am take those together with the sincere Professors and they make up but one Church which is his House But secondly Look which way you will upon the Church it is Christ's House he hath the dominion of it and he useth it as his House he hath bought it Act. 20. 28. he hath redeemed it with his own precious blood It is given him It is his House by right of donation The Members of it are given him by his Father The Stones of it are his the Saints are the lively Stones built up into this Spiritual House 1 Pet. 2. 5. and they are built upon the foundation of his Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner Stone they are sanctified in and through Jesus Christ his blood is as the Mortar and Cement by that they are united to God and made one each with other The Builder is his Spirit Eph. 2. 22. Consider an House as to the use of it and upon that account they are also his House Is an House the place where a man abideth and dwelleth so is the Church to the Lord Jesus Christ that 's the place where he dwelleth He dwelt of old in Mount Zion Isa 8. 18. there he abideth Is the House a man's resting place so is Zion to God 2 Chron. 6. 41. Psal 132. 8 13 14. The Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I have desired it Is the House a man's feeding place where he dineth and suppeth and feedeth so is the Church Cant. 2. 16. He feedeth amongst the Lillies When the Spouse desired to be informed where Christ fed her answer was Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the Flock Cant. 1. 7. Is that a man's House where he keeps his Wife his Children his Servants such is the Church there Christ keeps his Children his Servants his Spouse Is a man's House the place where he spends what he hath such is the Church there it is that Christ gives out grace and glory yea and every good thing Lastly Is a man's House the place where he is protected and defended such is the Church to Christ there he expeâ—â—s protection for his great Name his Ordinances c. But this is enough to have shewed you the propriety of the Metaphor But 3. The Church is not only Christ's House but it is the Believer's House too not the Believer's House as to dominion and title but as to use No man but Jesus Christ alone hath a dominion and Lordship over the Church of God even the Apostles themselves were but Ministers to it But yet I say The Church is the Believer's House it is the place where he dwells He chuseth rather to be a Door-keeper in the House of the Lord than to dwell in the Tents of wickedness Psal 84. 10. Hear David expressing himself Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his Temple A man cannot be a Believer but he must forthwith be a Member of the Church Invisible None is a true Believer but he immediately by his Profession of that Faith makes himself a Member of the Catholick Visible Church and he will desire to unite himself to the particular Assemblies which are parts of that Catholick Body No sooner were the three thousand converted at St. Peter's Sermon Act. 2. 41. But they added to the Church and there they dwell v. 42. They continue stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers No sooner was Paul converted Act. 9. 26. but he assayeth to joyn himself unto the Disciples And v. 28. he was with them going out and coming in at Hierusalem But this is enough to have spoken to the Explication of the Point I come to the Application which shall be in four words This Notion speaks the Churches 1. Dignity 2. Duty 3. Security 4. Probability of Reformation In the first place This Notion speaks the Church's Dignity It is the Habitation of the King of Kings When Jacob in his Journey to Padan-Aram had had that notable Vision he breaketh out in the morning into this expression v. 17. How dreadful is this place This is none other but the House of God this is the Gate of Heaven I am not speaking of the Church in a local notion but of the true Church The number of true Believers or the number of Visible Professors let the World vilifie them as much as they please they are a Noble Society Those who have clean hands and pure hearts who have not lift up their Souls unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully they shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of their Salvation This is the generation of them that seek thy face O Jacob Psal 24. 4 5 6. Believers may have their infirmities and a Professing People may have their great failings the Lord be merciful to the Professors of England for theirs but yet take them notwithstanding all and they are the best People in the World they are the Lord's Habitation he hath pitched his Tents among them and manifests his presence with them Secondly As it speaks the Dignity of the Church so it speaks the Duty of those who are the Members of the Church Psal 93. 5. Holiness becomes thine House O Lord. The Wise man commands us to keep our feet when we go into the House of God Eccles 5. And God bid Moses put off the shoes from off his feet upon this account because he was upon holy ground he was near the burning Bush where God made himself a temporary Habitation Those that take upon them the Profession of Religion stand concerned to be holy and those that are entred into the Profession of it stand concerned
though the trimming were more costly the cloth was not so good They were all but shadows of things to come The substance is ours What sober Person lives in a Congregation where the Sabbaths of God are strictly observed where the Pastor powerfully plainly clearly gravely Preacheth the wholesome Doctrines of the Gospel Prays powerfully and Spiritually where the Word of God is read and the Sacraments duly and orderly administred where Psalms are daily sung in a Spiritual manner and the Ordinances of discipline are prudently and faithfully executed and doth not see a great comeliness in them at which his Soul is pleased and with which it is delighted 2. As they are exceeding pleasing to a Spiritual heart so there is a lovely Majesty in them and also a great Symmetry and proportion God hath stamped a certain secret Majesty upon every holy institution of his which Commandeth love and reverence for it from all sober Persons who have not outlawed both their reason and Religion too and here again the plainness and simplicity of the Gospel administrations gives advantage to them besides there is a great Symmetry in them the word Preached is verbum audible an audible word the Sacrament is verbum visible a visible word When the Gospel is Preached what is Preached but Christ crucified and what is that which is represented in the Sacrament but a Christ crucified The whole Gospel administration is a goodly thing and doth shine nativa luca in a certain native light of its own and hath such a loveliness attends the pure dispensation of it that the superadding of any humane inventions is but like adding black patches to a lovely face without which it was far more beautiful 3. But lastly the Beauty of the Word and Ordinances of the Gospel lies in this that the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ is upon them This is that which gives them lustre Observe holy David Psal 27. v. 4. one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord to enquire in his holy Temple The gracious Soul sees the Face of God in his Word and the Image of Christ in Ordinances this makes them lovely Look as it is with the body let it be never so goodly a structure the lineaments of it never so proportioned yet if the Soul informs it not there is no beauty in it So it is with Ordinances Christ is the Soul of Ordinances and it is only his stamp upon them his presence in them which makes them lovely and beautiful Take the Word of God as Christ is wrapt up in it the Ordinances of God as they are the institutions of Christ and sacred conduit pipes and means by which Christ conveys himself and the influences of his grace unto Peoples Souls so they are exceeding beautiful they are those performances in which the Soul seeth Christ and meets with Christ and this makes them goodly things 2. The 2d thing which the Proposition praedicates concerning the word and Ordinances is power and Efficacy and usefulness I observed to you concerning Cedars that as they had much beauty and goodliness in them so they had much strength in them which made them very useful for Beams and Rafters fit to bear the weight of materials in building laid upon them and to uphold the building There is a wonderful power and vertue in the Word and Ordinances of God 1. There is a supporting power in them 2. There is a working power in them 1. There is in them a supporting power They support a Church The Apostle saith that the Church is built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Eph. 2. the Church cannot stand without them they support a particular Soul The weight of poor Souls all lies upon the Word of God how often doth holy David speak to this in that excellent Psalm Psal 119. v. 49. Remember thy Word into thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope v. 15. This is my comfort in my affliction for thy Word hath quickened me 81. My Soul fainteth for thy Salvation but I hope in thy word v. 92. unless thy love had been my delight I should have perished in my affliction Nay herein doth the wonderful power of the Word of God appear above the strength of Cedars you must Imagine a Cedar Beam of some proportionable bigness to bear the great weight of a building every stick of Cedar will not do it But now not the whole Word of God only but a particular promise will strangely support and bear up the whole weight of a Soul sinking into despair I have heretofore given you strange instances in this case and I doubt not but many of your Souls can verify this from a particular experience 2. But further there is a working power likewise in the Word and Ordinances this is now more than is in a Cedar beam that hath in it a great strength but it hath no life it is an inanimate thing and so worketh nothing it beareth much but hath no activity in it The words which I speak saith our Saviour are Spirit and life Indeed the life and Spirit which they have is Christs life Christs Spirit without which they are but dead letters and weak things but from Christs concurrence with them they have not only the forementioned power to uphold and bear up a sinking Soul but they have an active working power to cast down the strong holds of the Soul according to that of the Apostle 2. Cor. 10. 4 The Weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into Captivity every thought to the Obedience of Christ But I shall not inlarge upon this being something beyond my Metaphor 3. The third thing which my Proposition predicateth of the Word Ordinances of God is sweetness This is one thing which I observed to you concerning the Câ—dar wood and the pine Tree they were of a grateful and delightful smell The sweetness of the Cedar is a gratefulness to the exterior senses But the sweetness of the Word and Ordinances of God is intellectual they are sweet to the inward man Which intellectual sweetness is yet set out by similitudes of sensible things Psal 119. 103. How sweet are thy words unto my tast What is sweeter then honey saith Sampson Judg. 14. 18. Holy David â—elleth him Psal 19. 10. The word of God is sweeter then the hony or the hony comb and Psal 119. 104. He doubleth the Expression for the further confirmation of it They are the words of God that are the pleasant words of which Solomon saith Prov. 16. 24. Pleasant words are as an hony comb Sweet to the Soul and health to the bones The sweetness that resulteth to the Spiritual sense from
present time is to be understood So God having made promises to his people which shall most certainly in their Season be fulfilled and having not expressed the particular time when God will fulfill them to this or that particular Soul The Soul is warranted at all times to ask them of God for we may certainly pray for any thing which is not contrary to Gods revealed will 2. But secondly We knowing that God in his secret purpose hath determined not only the beings but the circumstances of all things cannot infallibly expect present answers of our prayers by giving us the very things which we ask of God Suppose now a Christian under the power of some strong and impetuous temptation whether from his flesh or from his grand adversary he may pray for deliverance from it because God hath promised an happy issue of temptations he may pray in faith Eying Gods power his goodness his truth and faithfulness and being fully persuaded that God will deliver him nay he may pray for a speedy issue and deliverance with submission to the will and wisdom of God you have it in the case of Paul 2 Cor. 12. 9. When the Lord had given him a thorn in his flesh to buffet him what that thorn in the flesh was whether some impetuous motion to sin from within or without we know not be it what it will it was a great burthen a great affliction Paul prays to be delivered and prayeth thrice and no doubt prayed in faith but his desires met not with Gods set time his answer was My grace shall be sufficient for thee Suppose a Soul walking in the dark and seeing no light it prayeth with David when wilt thou comfort me possibly God is not pleased yet to visit it with his consolation yet its prayer is warranted from the promise God hath promised us the manifestations of the Spirit Joh. 14. 21. It prayeth in faith believing that God is able to do it believing that he is full of goodness a rewarder of them that seek him believing that it shall receive even that particular mercy from God in Gods time but it cannot pray in faith believing that it shall presently be comforted Because as to this 〈…〉 hath no bottom no promise to lay hold upon but yet even as to this it may pray in faith having confidence in God that if it be truly good for it it shall be presently answered Thirdly When a Soul findeth that Gods ends in the affliction are obtained and that it is in such a frame as God hath required a people or a soul to be to whom such promises are made it may then conclude that Gods time his set time is come Here are now two rules to guide an inquisitive Christian in the knowledge of Gods set time for the collation of any mercy which he hath promised whether more publick and national or more private or personal 1. When Gods ends in afflicting are obtained and satisfied We say that God and nature do nothing in vain indeed every rational agent propounds to himself an end of all his or her actions Brute Creatures and such as are not indued with reason move and act for some end or other but their end is set them by another But rational agents propound an end to themselves and their ends being obtained their action ceaseth God is the highest rational agent and propoundeth to himself an end in all his actions and his end is alwaies good his supreme end is his own glory that is the best end and he cannot act for one more ignoble but his mediate ends that is by which he proposeth to get himself glory they are several you shall see much of them expressed in that one text Hosea 5. 15. I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offences and seek my face In their affliction they will seek me early There are also other texts of Scripture which let us know Gods ends in the affliction of his people such as those Jer. 9. 7. I will melt them and try them for how shall I do for the Daughter of my people Zech. 13 9. And I will bring the third part through the fire I will refine them as Silver is refined and will try them as Gold is tryed they shall call on my name and I will hear them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God From these Scriptures now appear three great ends the obtaining of which he aimeth at that thereby he might be glorified 1. The first is a bringing them to the acknowledgment of their transgressions and an humbling of them in the apprehension ef them God by punishing us whether in our flesh or with more internal troubles in our minds brings our iniquities to our remembrance saies to us in every affliction Know therefore see that it is an evil and bitter thing that thou hast done in that thou hast departed from the living God that his fear hath not been within thee and this is one thing which he aimeth at to bring his people to be vile low in their own Eyes when this is done Gods end is ordinarily fulfilled Hence you shall observe that before Gods promise of a gracious return to his People Jer. 3. 14 15. there is put in v. 13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God so that if our affliction hath brought us to this acknowledgment of our iniquities and a lying low before God it may give us encouragement to hope that Gods time his set time is come for though he hath not particularly told us the day and hour when he will return unto his people either in a way of special providence or in a way of special grace yet he having annexed the promise of his gracious returns to his peoples acknowledgment of their offences and humbling themselves he hath effectually told them that when that is done is the time when they may expect to seek his face with a speedy success and gracious issues 2. A second end which God aimeth at in the afflictions of his people whether by with holding some desired mercies from them or making them to feel some sensible smart is the exciting of his Peoples Grace This is plainly expressed in the before-mentioned text Hos 5. 15. I will return saith God unto my place till they ackuowledge their offences and seek my face There are two gracious exercises which the Lord by affliction extiteth 1. The first is the grace of prayer This is most properly signified by the term seek my sace though I know it is a phrase more comprehensive yet that is most ordinarily expressed by it this is not only expressed in that text but in many others Is any man afflicted saith James let him pray so Psal 50. 12. Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt praise me Hence it is an excellent sign
that Gods appointed time to shew mercy either to a people or to a Soul is come when the Lord poureth out upon them the Spirit of grace and supplication he more specially moveth and inciteth his people to ask when it is in his heart to give the mercy that they ask of him and on the other side the restraining of prayer from God on our part or the with-holding the Spirit of Prayer on Gods part is an ill sign that our mercy is yet afar off 2. A second exercise of grace the exciting of which God aims at is that of faith Zech. 13. 9. They shall say the Lord is my God this is now when a Soul for the mercy which it desireth is brought off all dependances upon the creature and brought to a sole Eying of and dependency upon God and this is true both as to more publick and national mercies and also as to more private and personal mercies Israel were a great way off mercy when they trusted on the broken reeds of Aeâ—ypt and Assyria instead of helping them they ran into their hands and more wounded them but they were very near mercy when they said Hos 14. 3. Ashur shall not save us neither will we ride upon Horses neither will we say any more to the work of our hands ye are our Gods for in thee the Fatherless finds mercy Mark what God addeth in the very next words I will heal their backslidings I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as the lilly and cast forth his roots as Lebanon Hence again it appeareth that when People for the mercies they want and would ask of God are brought off all forreign dependencies all creature confidence and brought to a single sole confidence in God this is an excellent sign that the day is dawning upon them and the time come which God hath set in his eternal thoughts wherein he intendeth to shew them favour 3. A third end which God aimeth at in and by our afflictions is the probation and trial of grace I will melt them and try them Jer. 9. 7. I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as Silver is refined and will try them as Gold is tryed Faith and Patience are those two graces which are more eminently tryed in an hour of affliction you have them both mentioned together James 1. 2 3. My Brethren count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations knowing this that the trial of your faith worketh patience and again let patience have its perfect work 1 Pet. 1. 6. You are in heaviness through manisold temptations that the trial of your saith being much more precious then that of Gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire might be sound unto praise honour and glory c. by faith here is meant a relieance and dependance upon God notwithstanding our trials Job expresseth it well Job 13. 15. Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Hence again if a Soul findeth that its affliction be it of what nature it will hath humbled it to Gods foot made it quiet and patient resolving meekly and without repining or murmuring to bear the indignation of God because he hath laid it upon it and that it hath brought him to a reliance and dependance upon God though it doth not see him this again is an excellent sign that Gods set time is come 2. A second rule to know Gods set time by is this When a people or a particular soul is wrought into such a frame as the promise of mercy is made unto David saith of God Psal 20. 17. Thou hast heard the desire of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart thou will cause thine ear to hear Mark first God prepareth the heart then he causeth his ear to hear first he prepareth the hearts of people to receive the mercy then he gives out the mercy now how doth God prepare the heart but by working of it up into such a frame as he hath promised the mercy upon and unto 1. He worketh the heart into a patient meek humble submissive frame he heareth the desire of the humble as you have it in that text but of this I have spoken but now 2. In the mountain of the Lord it shall be seen We are then prepared for mercy when we know not how longer to uphold and subsist without it Isaiah 57. 16. I will not saith God contend for ever neither will I be alwaies wroth for the Spirits would fail before me and the Souls which I have made v. 18. I have seen his ways and will heal him and will lead him also and restore comforts unto him When Peter cried out that he sank then Christ lent hhim is hand when the Soul apprehends itself as it were at the last gasp that is often Gods time for he will not suffer his peoples Spirits to fail nor the Souls which he hath made 3. In such dispensations of mercy to the People of God as must depend upon the destroying or removing of their Enemies the exceeding wickedness of the enemy is a good sign that Gods set time is near for the Salvation of his people from them I build this conclusion upon Gods Word to Abraham Gen. 15. 16. where God gives this as the reason why the seed of Abraham should not till after four hundred years take a possession of the land of Canaan for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full The wicked have their day and their day is with reference to the people of God the very power of darkness but as it is with the darkness of the night they say it is darkest just before the dawning of the day so the darkness caused to the Church of God by the wickedness of the wicked when it is at the thickest is a good presage of approaching light So as though the day of the gteatest malice oppression and wickedness of wicked men be a very sad day even the power of darkness yetin this it speaketh well that the salvation of Gods people is nevernearer 4. Lastly In regard the set times of our mercies are hidden from the best of Gods people in case they have not a present answer in kind they must be content if they have it in value I pray observe this God answereth the prayers of his people more ways then one sometimes he answereth them by denying them nor is this a way of answering to be despised for whatsoever the particular thing be which a reasonable Soul desires its general desire is some good Our reasonable natures will not suffer us to ask any thing which is bad if we so apprehend it now such is the infirmity of our state that we in all circumstances do not know what is good for our selves So that God often in denying a particular desire of our Souls answereth the general desire of our Souls we ask what would do us
reputation and reason which were the principles of the Roman valour but these which I have shewed you 2. As to the Acts of it They are all lawful resistances of sin He will resist unto blood but it still is in striving against sin Heb. 1. 2. 4. And this he doth by a lawful resistance This in the description I called a governing himself according to the rules of Gods Word 2 Tim. 2 5. If a man strive for masteries yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully All sin is a transgression of the law of God No Christian fortitude can be shewen either in the encountring of a danger for not doing what he ought to do Or for the encountring of a danger rather then doing what God hath given him a freedom and liberty to do As to the first a man is not Gods Martyr but the Devils As to the Second he cannot be a Martyr for God but for his own humour God hath left him a liberty he need not suffer unless he will But now there may be several actions as to which a good man doth not see his liberty but lyeth under apprehensions that they are unlawful The Question is what a Christian is to do as to them And whether a Christian can shew any Christian fortitude in incountring dangers rather then doing them To which I shortly answer 1. That it is the duty of every good man as to such actions to use all the means he can as to a true information of his own conscience Reading the holy Scriptures and other good Books interpreting the Scriptures which may rightly inform him Keeping his ear open to all arguments on both sides to all instructions 2. If by no means he can receive Satisfaction as to the lawfulness of such actions the doing of them would be sin to him and he is bound to incounter any danger rather then do them and this is a piece of Christian fortitude The proximate Rule of our actions must be our own Conscience by which I mean our own practical judgment of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of things to be done according to the best information we have or can get concerning the will of God in his word the persuasions commands dictates or practice of others is no rule to us We must resist what our own Consciences tell us is sin and contrary to the will of God But it must be lawfully It must be such a resistance only as Gods Word doth allow us A private Person in the resistance of sin must not resist the power which is the Ordinance of God Rom. 13. 2. It is one thing to do what such powers command another thing by Arms to resist God hath not given the Sword into any private hand and such a Person drawing it shall perish with it we must strive against sin but we must strive lawfully not by ill Language or boisterous actions but by meek and patient Suffering 3. Lastly The End of Christian fortitude must be 1. The glory of God 2. The Salvation of our own Souls 'T is no Christian valour to be valiant for any thing but the truth the honour and glory of God the cause and concern of God in the World and in a matter where the Eternal Salvation of his own Soul is concerned Thus far I have opened to you the nature of this Christian courage and fortitude which I am calling to you for Let me in the next place offer something to you which may promove this excellent habit in your Souls A Natural courage cannot be given where any thing of a Moral fortitude may be promoved by rational arguments education and a due digestion of moral Principles But there must be some good natural foundation of courage for the Moralist in the managery of his disciple to build upon but it is not so as to this Christian fortitude Persons of the weakest sex of the lowest meanest weakest Spirits by nature have been made valiant as to the Spiritual fight from the dread of God the Love of God by saith in the Word of God and in the Lord Jesus Christ Now in order to this excellent habit and so necessary for these times 1. The first thing which I shall commend unto you in order to it is a Sound knowledge of the revealed will of God both concerning sin and concerning duty Knowledge is the foundation of saith It is that which giveth boldness to a man both in speaking and in acting A poor ignorant Person may be valiant but he cannot expect to be so he is Sometimes made valiant in an extraordinary manner by some special instinct and impression of God upon him as that Woman which told her Judges She could not dispute but she could dye for Christ A just knowledge of what I may or may not do of the Nature of God his promises and threatnings is most necessary to a true Christian courage and fortitude He fighteth more like a madman then a Christian that is not first fully Satisfyed in the goodness and justice of his cause 2. A knowing man may be cowardly if he be not rooted and grounded in the faith heartily and firmly believing what he hath the notion of Faith is the only shield that keepeth off the fiery darts of the wicked Now this is the gift of God and the way to obtain it is Prayer Beg of God his Spiritual armour and to make you valiant in the Spiritual fight Math. 26. 41. Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation 3. Set as loose to the World and all your concerns and Relations in it as you can It is observed of great Cities that they seldom hold out long against an Enemy Their Riches their Wives and Children make them Cowards That Man or Woman that hath not learned to deny himself in all his worldly contentments can never be valiant 4. Lastly look unto Jesus the Author and the finisher of your saith who for the joy that was set before him indured the cross despised the shame and is set down on the throne of God consider him who indured such contradiction of sinners in himself lest you be wearied and saint in your minds It is the Apostles advice Heb. 12. 3. The valour and courage of a General oft times puts mettal and courage into his Souldiers retrieveth a day of battel when it is upon the point lost The eying of Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith is of mighty use to us to ingage us to go on to the Spiritual fight without fear or dread Let me press this upon you by a few arguments 1. The first shall be from the ton general decay of this gracious habit in the Spirits of Christians God of 'old complained by his Prophet Jer. 9. 3. That there was a generation of them who bent their tongues like bows for lies but there wâ—â— none valiant for the truth upon the Earth How few are there this day that are valiant for the truth There are