he had withdrawn himself and was gone She sought him but she could not find him she called him but he gave her no answer It is the case of many good and pious Soul The holy Spirit moves it to some evident piece of spiritual duty for I am not speaking for extravagant impulses to things no where prescribed or directed in the Word of God the Soul is under some spiritual Torpor and listlesness it agrees the thing ought to be done and disputes nothing but the necessity of doing it presently it neglecteth it it may be when it would open to it s Beloved it finds that he hath withdrawn himself and is gone It seeketh him but it cannot find him 2. Secondly We are as prone also vainly to think within our selves If we sin we will repent if we fall we will rise Or though we run into temptation yet we will not fall by it All this while forgetting that although we live yet it is not we but Christ lives in us and we shall stand in need of drawing grace to run after God It is true that if the Believer sinneth he hath an Advocate with the Father even Jesus Christ the Righteous If he falls he shall rise God will succour him when he is tempted but all this proceeds from an influence forreign to him God is able to make him to stand and faithful so as he shall stand But yet his own endeavours are necessary to his standing and Divine Grace is necessary if he be lapsed to his recovery and though he may know if he knows that he is Elected and effectually called and justified that he shall not perish for ever yet this can by no means encourage his presumptuous sinning for these two Reasons 1. Because while he lies under the guilt of sin not repented of he can have no knowledge of his Election or Effectual Calling but hath reason to suspect he hath all this while mistaken the case and state of his own Soul 2. Because he may be saved as through fire and go with an aking conscience even to the gate of the City of God Now it is impossible that in the Judgment of any Soul under the conduct and command of reason the pleasure of sin should appear compensative of the rack of Conscience and the feeling the terrours of God upon the Soul but for a few days If indeed man having fallen from his integrity had a power to rise again at pleasure by the help alone of his own hands he might have from hence a motive to indulge his corruptions but if he hath no such power but what he derives from drawing grace certainly it is the vainest thing imaginable for man to sin upon a presumption of what is not in his power and though he be certain of it in the issue yet he may want it so long as may leave him little pleasure of his sinning little fruit of those things for which he hath been so long ashamed Thirdly From this representation of the state the present state of Man We may observe the difference betwixt our present state and the state of our Pro-parent Adam in the state of Innocency It is a point not half enough thought of and the want of a due consideration of it causeth so many swellings against and blasphemings of the Truth of God in this point They will not understand that although God made Man upright and in Honour yet he abode not in Honour but by seeking out inventions became like unto the Beast that perisheth The state of Man at first was such 1. That he needed not have come to Christ for life he had his liâ—e in his hands There needed no Saviour before we were lost no Mediator or Intercessor before man had offended and consequently no applications of our Souls unto him for life and Salvation and this by the way may shew you the weakness of their reply who when they are told that it is no more injustice with God to call to us for those exercises of Grace in order to our salvation which in our lapsed state we have no power to perform than it is in man to call to him to whom he hath lent a great sum which he by his debauchery hath spent to pay him what he oweth him and to lay him in Prison though he hath nothing to pay for God in creation gave unto man a power to do whatsoever in that state was necessary to his Salvation I say when they are told this they usually tell us That Adam never had a power to repent and believe in Christ Nor was repentance or faith in Christ necessary in that state wherein Adam was created nor would it ever have been necessary either to him or us had he stood in that estate God gave unto Adam and to us in him whatsoever was necessary in that state and if our Fore-fafather and we who dyed in him and fell with him have made a Mediator necessary and repentance and faith in the Mediator necessary and we have no power to these acts nor ever had no not in Adam how yet is God unrighteous in requiring those acts of us though we have no power to perform them Secondly As in that state there was no need of a Christ of a Saviour a Redeemer nor consequently of a being drawn or a coming to him So neither was there need of any such potent drawing in order to our running after him Adam had a perfect power connatural to him to walk with God in the obedience of his will It was the fall that lamed us in our feet and introduced this necessity of Christs drawings in order to our running Let us in a word or two take a view of man now in this that he stands in need of these divine drawings 1. He now stands in need of a Mediator and there is no name given under Heaven by which any Soul can be saved but only the name of the Lord Jesus Christ no Salvation by any other 2. He stands in need of drawing to this Mediator not only of a Child to be born a Son again a Saviour prepared but of the work of the Father and the holy Spirit to draw us to and after this Mediator 1. Drawing as I have shewed you imports a fair treating intreating alluring Souls to what is their great and only happiness this speaks man 1. In a state of aversion from God and his only felicity Mans supreme happiness lies in his union and communion with God as the supreme and greatest good yet he must be drawn to it drawn with the cords of a man allured by mans Rhetorick persuaded to it by mans Logick and ratiocination we as the Embassadours of Christ must beseech and intreat men to be happy in being reconciled to God and thus much is granted to us by those who make themeanest and most jejune interpretation of this drawing 2. Drawing secondly signifieth an act of power This speaketh us not only averse but impotent
Therefore do the Virgins love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This seemeth to be in our dialect an harsh sense and the connexion is not clear To help it therefore Piscator translateth it Quod attinet ad odorem c. As to what belongs to the savour of thy good Ointments c. The Tigurine Version make the middle words as a Parenthesis and translate it thus For the smell of thy good Ointments for thy name is as an Ointment poured out Therefore do the Virgins love thee The only question is whether the Spouses design in these words be to give a reason why her beloved had such an excellent name viz. because of the savour of his good Ointments Or to give a reason why the Virgins loved him or of both these together I think of both The words will bear it But let us come to enquire the import of the words more particularly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The thing spoken of is Ointments these are said to be 1. Good and 2. to have a Smell The Hebrew word from which the word here translated Ointments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cometh signifies to be fat Deut. 32. 15. Jeshurun waxed fat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jer. 5. 4. This word properly signifieth fatness and usually signifieth Oil or Ointment because of the pinguid nature of those things so Prov. 21. 20. Hos 2. 5. The word signifieth any kind of fatness whether caused by Nature or Art But it is not here to be taken literally he needs no Oils nor sweet Ointments to make him sweet But you must know that those Eastern Countries abounded with plenty of Spices and other sweet ingredients of which several compounds were made Oils and Ointments which were exceedingly grateful to the outward senses of which they made both a Religious and a Civil use They made a Religious use of them 1. In Sacrifices 2. In Consecrations Oil was used in Sacrifices Especially in such as were Eucharistical Hence you read of the Oil of gladness for it testified joy and gladness The first use of it in this kind of which you read in Scripture was Gen 28. 18. When God had preserved Jacob in the Night in token of his thankfulness he took the stone upon which he had slept and set it up for a pillar and powred Oil upon it he did the like again Gen. 35. 14 whether it were done as a note of the consecration of the place to the service of God or an Eucharistical Sacrifice may possibly be questioned by some but the latter seemeth to me most probable considering the subsequent use of Oil under the law to this purpose of which you may read in Leviticus Ch. 2. v. 1. 3. 4. It was not lawful in offerings which were to bring iniquity to remembrance Numb 5. 15. No testimony of Joy might there be shewn It was also used in Consecrations of persons and that either to the Kingly Priestly or Prophetical Office Samuel used Oil in the anointing both of Saul David to the Kingly Office The same you read also in the anointing of Jehu 2 King 10. 3. Elisha the Prophet was anointed So was the High Priest You have a description of the Oil and a particular Precept and direction for the composition of it Exod. 30. 22. This was called the holy anointing Oil with which Aaron and his Sons were anointed The Tabernacle also and the Ark with all things belonging to them were to be anointed with it as you will find in that Chapter Besides this Sacred use of Oil there was also a civil and ordinary use of it Thus they used it either for bodily nourishment the widow 1 Kings 17. 12. Told the Prophet that she had but a little Oil in the cruse Or 2. For delight and pleasure as we now use our sweet powders our dry and liquid perfumes Joab chargeth the woman of Tekoah being to personate a mourner not to anoint her self with Oil. Esther and the other Maids that were to be brought before Ahashuerus were for 6 months to be perfumed with Oils Christ complains of Simon that he had not anointed his head with Oil. Mary anointed Christ with Oil or Ointment Joh. 11. 2. and the Woman poured out a Box of Ointment Spikenard upon his head Now from this civil and sacred use of Oil and the effects the terms of Oil and Ointment and Anointing are also used metaphâ—rically in Scripture Thus Oil and Ointments in Scripture signify the graces of Gods Spirit and Anointing signifies that gracious Divine Act by which we are made partakers of those graces To this sense the Psalmist speaketh God hath anointed thee with the Oil of Gladness above thy fellows Psal 45. 7. which the Apostle applieth to Christ Heb. 1. 9. and St. John expoundeth saying The Spirit was not given unto him by measure which is plainly expressed Acts 10. 38. God hath anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power And as the holy anointing Oil under the old Law wetted not Aarons head alone but ran down upon the Skirts of his Garment so this holy metaphorical Oil doth also Hence as David said Psal 92. 10. Thou hast anointed me with fresh Oil and the People of God then were called the Lords anointed So under the New Testament the Children of God are said to have an unction it is said that this Anointing abideth in them Thus that of St. John is made good Of his fulness we have received grace for grace By Christs Ointments we understand then the Grace that was poured out upon him and which dwelleth in him and in this sense I find the generality of sober Expositors agreed Now these Ointments are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good the signification of which term I opened to you before and when I come to the propositions of Doctrine I shall more particularly shew you the goodness of them in every notion of good But these Ointments are also said to cast a Savour At the savour of thy good Ointments A smell or savour is Qualitas olfactu sensibilis some quality of a thing which we discern by our external sense of smelling being conveyed to us by the mediation of the Air By the smell of Christs Graces we can understand nothing else than the Spiritual sense of the love of Christ which by the mediation and breathing of the holy Spirit of God is discerned by the Soul The word in the Hebrew signifies any perception of a thing it is used Is 11. v. 3. where it is said of Christ that the Spirit of the Lord resting upon him shall make him as we translate it of a quick understanding in the fear of the Lord the Hebrew is he shall be smelled in the fear of the Lord. And Judg. 16. 9. we translate it when it toucheth the fire the Hebrew word is the same when it smelleth the fire that is when the fire cometh to it when
and Christ himself speaking to me him of whom God hath said This is my well beloved Son hear ye him For though it be a man that speaketh yet it is a man sent of God cloathed with the Authority of Jesus Christ and speaking to me his Words and in his Name nor am I to regard any thing I hear but what agreeth with what he hath spoken or his holy Prophets and Apostles who were immediately inspired by him The setting right of a Persons first end design and intention gives a mighty conduct to his Actions And as I before said it is very unreasonable to expect Gods presence and Blessing with and upon us where the Heart is not set right with reference to its Intention and Design It is true as to the first Grace God is found of those that seek him not and of those who do not enquire after him No Soul would ever be converted and brought home to God if God did not meet it in his Word before it had thus rightly fixed its design and intention in coming to hear the word of God but what God may do and sometimes doth out of his abounding and preventing Grace is one thing what a Soul may expect from God upon the account of any promise is another thing the Archer may possibly hit the mark though he hath never by his Eye levelled his Arrow at it but he cannot promise himself that good hap No Soul that setteth not his heart aright to seek God in any Ordinance particularly this of hearing his word who doth not before he go set his Face towards Jerusalem set this as a mark in his Eye as the thing which he proposeth to himself Secondly It doth not only comprehend the end of Intention and Design but also the manner and certainly none can pretend to hear the word as the word of God but he must go to it without any levity and with all manner of Seriousness and composure of Spirit No Reverence and Submission of Spirit can be imagined too much for the great Majesty of Heaven We ought not to go to hear the word as if we were going to hear an Oration much less as if we were going to a Play Thirdly We cannot be thought to hear it as the word of God without some previous lookings up to God for a Blessing upon it We go for the Teachings of the Spirit Our Saviour tells us Luk. 11. 14. He gives his holy Spirit to them that ask him Christ first begg'd the Spirit for us John 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall send you another Comforter That comforting Spirit is the Teaching Spirit v. 26. The Comforter which the Father shall send in my Name shall teach you all things As Christ at first prayed to the Father to send the Comforter the Spirit that should teach us all things So he expecteth that we should pray for him for our selves The holy Spirit is given to those that ask him this is a piece of our Houshold Preparation Attend particularly to those Impulses which at some times thou mayest have to hear A Christian shall sometimes find some particular impulses upon him to hear I would not be hear I would not be here mistaken I know there is a dangerous Opinion imbibed and promoved by some Enthusiasts that Christians should never go to perform a Duty whether praying or hearing but upon some particular Impulse or Motion I call this a dangerous Principle because it is the first step to casting off all Duties and Ordinances But yet let no Christian neglect such special Impulses Impulses to Actions that are contrary to our Duty in the revealed Will of God ought to be rejected contemned and abhorred they must come from the boilings of corruption in our own hearts or from the evil Spirit Impulses to Actions which are not expresly commanded nor yet forbidden must be considered and we ought to obey or not obey them as Circumstances pro hic nunc at this or that time may determine it lawful or not lawful expedient or not expedient with Reference to the General rules which God in his word hath given us to guide all our Actions by Impulses to the Performance of our Duty under due Circumstances ought never to be neglected It may be well presumed that God hath something to say to the Soul in particular at such a time when he gives it a special item and monition to go to hear Thirdly be sure thou goest to hear with an humble Heart and with as much of a poor broken and contrite Spirit as thou canst There is a Promise Psal 25. 9. The humble he will teach and another Isa 57. v. 15. Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity and whose name is Holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble Spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the hearts of the contrite ones And Isa 66. v. 2. To the man will I look even to him that is of a poor and contrite Spirit and that trembleth at my word God sendeth the proud Soul empty away take heed of going to hear with a proud Heart self-opinionated as to Knowledge or self-conceited God teacheth the humble dwelleth with the humble looketh upon the humble The Rain that dasheth off and runneth down the Mountains resteth in the Valleys the Instructions Reproofs Convictions of the word which fall upon Men of proud and high Conceits and Opinions of themselves rest and are drunk in by low and humble Souls The broken and contrite Heart is like the plowed ground which is in itself more apt to receive and drink in the word than that ground where the surface is not at all broken but there is besides particular Promises made to Broken Hearts The word you know is compared to Seed in the Parable of the Sower Matth. 13. and in several other Texts the Husbandman useth not to sow his Seed in the whole but in the broken ground Fourthly Be sure you go to hear with unprejudised Hearts willing and desirous to learn Prejudice naturally barreth the Ear to Instruction Ahab's prejudice against Micajah stopt his Ears against the word of the Lord to him and proved his fatal Ruine and Destruction I should never advise Christians to sit under the Ministry of any person they are prejudised against it much contributeth to a prejudice against the word of the Lord spoken by them if therefore in that case I could not remove my Prejudice I would chuse another Preacher but I further added that you should go with Hearts willing and desirous to know the Will of God It is the chapt thirsty ground that most drinks in the Rain and is made most fruitful by it it is the Soul that hungers and thirsteth after the word that profiteth by it and hath a communion with God in it though the Word be Gods and he breatheth upon the Soul according to his own
David saith before he was afflicted he went astray but his affliction had learned him to keep Gods Statutes Psal 119. But it is said of Ahaz 2 Chron. 28. 22. In the time of his distress he trespassed more against the Lord This is that King Ahaz and I am sure the same is said of the body of Israelites Amos 4. 6 7 8 9 10 11. God followed them with judgment after judgment yet they returned not unto him Afflictions are good remembrancers to them who have learned their duty before but they must be some particular afflictions that give leisure for Instructions to be then first given or time for the digestion of them if they can be given I conclude in short whatever use God may sometimes make of Afflictions it is not the drawing by them which the Spouse here prays for Secondly There is a drawing by liberal distributions of mercies of common Providence Thus God saith Hosea 11. 4. I drew them with the Cords of a man with bands of love So Jer. 31. 3. With loving kindness have I drawn thee Love is of a drawing nature it is like the hook in the intrails of a Creature which draweth more forcibly than Cords fastened to the flesh and outward part But experience teacheth us that this is not a sufficient Cord to draw Sinners Souls to God God in his parable of the Vineyard Isaiah 5. repeats what he had done for the Israelites and concludes v. 4. What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it Yet when he looked it should bring forth Grapes it brought forth wild Grapes Oppression instead of Judgment and a cry instead of righteousness How many thousands are there in the world that are incompassed with Mercies of this nature they have healthy bodies pleasing relations full barns plentiful estates they want nothing yet are they Enemies to God and to the Cross of Christ nor do the People of God ordinarily run most after or walk most close with God when they most abound with the good things of this life Gods People Jer. 2. that followed him in a Wilderness and in a land of droughts forsook him when they came into a land that flowed with Milk and Hony whence Agur prayed as much against Riches left he should being full blaspheme God as against poverty And even the man according to Gods own heart offended more when he was come to sit upon his Throne in Hierusalem than when he was hunted like a Partridge in the Wilderness and knew not where to rest and this is seen in our ordinary experience 3. God draweth us thirdly by the potent arguments of the Gospel as it lieth before us to be read or as it is opened and applied to us by the Ministry of the Word Man hath a tunable ear and is a reasonable Creature so as arguments have a great force upon humane nature and the more as any of us are more knowing and rational and able to raise conclusions from Principles Into this sense Interpreters do interpret those words of our Saviour John 12. 42. When I shall be lifted up I will draw all men after me after my death upon the Cross I will send my Apostles up and down the world to be witnesses of my death resurrection and ascension and to persuade men to receive me in my true notion as the true Messias and Saviour of the world Accordingly the Apostle tells the Corinthians that Christ had committed to them the word of Reconciliation Now then saith he 2 Cor. 5. 20. We as Embassadours for Christ as tho God did beseech you by us we pâ—ay you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God and this must be the meaning of that command to the Servants Luke 14 23. Compel them to come in Christ is not there speaking to Magistrates or of their duty but of the duty of Ministers who have no power from him to compel any but by a lively and powerful Preaching the Gospel the potent arguments of which set home upon reasonable and ingenuous Souls by the gifts God hath given to his Ministers have a kind of compulsory force and power in them and the Apostle tells us that Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10. and as men are by it drawn to Christ so they are also by it drawn after him and therefore Peter exhorts Christians 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born babes to desire the sincere milk of the Word that they might grow thereby The believing Soul followeth Christ in the scent or favour of his precious Ointments It is the publishing of the Gospel that makes the name of Christ an Ointment poured out Fourthly God may be said to draw men by the common motions of his Spirit impressing good thoughts upon us either upon occasion of his Providential dispensations or while we read or hear the word some say that there is a common Ministration of the Spirit attending the preaching of the word sufficient to assist every Soul that will to repent and believe and to do what God requires of us in order to Salvation that the holy Spirit doth ordinarily attend the preaching of the word and suggest to and imprint upon the hearts of those that hear it some good thoughts is what will not be denied I believe there are but few who have used to attend the preaching of the Gospel where it hath been faithfully and livelily preach'd but must own that he hath heard the Lord standing at his door and knocking But still the question is whether this be all the drawing which the Spouse here begs No doubt but she begs such a cause such operations of a cause as should be productive of the effect The effects are coming unto Christ running after Christ Coming is not expresly mentioned in this Text but it is Joh. 6. 44. No man cometh unto me except the Father who hath sent me draw him and it is included in the term running The question therefore must be whether such a drawing as is by common mercies by the preaching of the Gospel or by the common work of the Holy Spirit all which reprobates may have is sufficient to innable a Soul yet a stranger to God to come to Christ or to innable any Soul already come to Christ to run after him I think not and therefore I conclude in the last place 5. That both in the Souls first motions to Christ and its further motions after him the Lord putteth forth a powerful influence of his Spirit of grace beyond the arguments of the word the suasion of his Minister and the common work of the Spirit attending all faithful preaching of the Gospel This I take to be that drawing the Spouse here prayeth for and which our Saviour mentions John 6. 44. as some think with an allusion to the phrase of this Text nay some bring that Text John 6 44. to prove this Book quoted in the New Testament This I firmly believe because I am convinced there is such a work
righteousness but his spiritual strength and ability also His fall causing the need of a Mediator and a coming unto him that we might have life caused also the need of the influence of the Holy Spirit upon us to quicken and innable us to com◠unto him and to walk with him Hence there was a need of such a Covenant for God to make as that mentioned Jer. 32. 40. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall never depart from me Thirdly That body of death which remains in the best of Gods People evinceth a necessity of a continued powerful influence of grace to keep the Soul in any motion especially in any quickness of motion after God That we have weights that pressus down a sin which easily besets us a body of death as St. Paul calls it proper lufts lustings of the flesh against the Spirit is evident in holy writ we are indeed at last more than conquerours over this inteftine adversary but it is through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 7. For lust is so connatural to us the lustings of the flesh so strong in us that our regenerate part could never else maintain the Spiritual fight Besides as I shall shew you as we have an impotency so as we cannot so much as will the thing which is good so we have also a natural dulness and aversion to it and this also remaineth in part in the regenerate Soul nor to be conquered without the influence of the holy Spirit Lastly The many hinderances which the Soul hath from its Enemies without will also hinder it from running James tells us that every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed This is a temptation from within à carne this would be too hardfor a Soul in its own strength But it hath also Enemies from without both from its grand adversary the Devil and also from the world I must confess I have met with one never but one that would pretend to maintain a power in man to resist the strongest Temptations without any extraordinary assistance of the Spirit of grace this he would impose upon the world to believe because that Joseph resisted the temptation from his Mistriss That Joseph did resist that temptation is plain in Scripture but that he did it by no further assistance of Grace than Reuben had who defiled his Fathers Bed or Absolom who went in to his Fathers Concubines will want better proof than any I find in his discourse I cannot but think that if man without the assistance of special grace had a power as he boldly saith to resist the strongest temptations we should have none destroy themselves upon temptations to self murder Atbeistical thoughts and Despair It is an inaccountable thing why any should destroy themselves if this Doctrine were true especially if they be persons not before possest of atheistical principles believing there is neither God nor Devil Heaven or Hell who can give an account suppose it in the power of the best of men to resist the strongest temptations without any special grace how David the man according to Gods own heart came to fall into the sin first of Adultery then of Murther To will was certainly present with him as well as with Paul how came he to want a strength to perform but from Gods withdrawing his special influence of grace from him and leaving him to his own strength which though the strength of a renewed man yet is too little to grapple with a strong temptation If even the best of men without the powerful influence of special grace can resist strong temptations how came Peter to fall by denying his Master by swearing and cursing that he did not know him he manifested that to will was present with him by his telling our Saviour that altho all men should forsake him yet he would not God was pleased to with-hold his powerful influence and to leave Peter to the ordinary strength even of a renewed man he was not able to grapple with the temptation It is so far from being true that man hath a power to resist the strongest temptations that without Christs influence assisting he hath not a power to resist any temptation whether from the World the Flesh or the Devil It is Musculus his observation upon John 15. 3 Our Saviour doth not fay without me you cannot do much or all but you can do nothing Nor if it be a strong temptation such as the fear of life c. can a Christian resist and overcome it without a more than ordinary assistance of Divine Grace proportioned to the degree of temptation But vain man would be wise though he be but as an Asses Colt he would be strong though in very deed he is weaker than water he would be all to himself though he be nothing in himself 5. But for a further proof of this Proposition concerning the necessity of drawing powerful influences of Divine Grace both with reference to the Souls first motions and coming to Christ and further motions in following Christ and running after him I shall but appeal to the experience of all converted Souls If there be an heart before me which God hath truly changed any one that is not only converted from one opinion to another or one profession to another from Paganism to Christianity but indeed converted from the love of sin and lusts to the love of God and the hatred of all sin and an endeavour to walk close with God from an opinion and confidence of and in any righteousness in itself wherein it can hope to stand before God to a trusting and relying on the Lord Jesus Christ and his Righteousness I appeal to that Soul what was it thinkest thou that inclined thy heart to accept of Jesus Christ for thy Saviour to commit all the concerns of thy Soul unto him and to alter thy course of life from a principle of love to God and obedience to his will more than anothers who sate in the same Seat with thee or lived in the same House and sate under the same Ministry heard the same Sermons how camest thou to be taken thy Neighbour left how came thy will to move regularly whiles thy Neighbour under the same circumstances still retained his stiff neck and iron sinews and hard heart and continued in the same lewd and sinful courses who made thee to differ Didst thou make thy self to differ How came it that he did not also make himself to differ I know there is no Soul whose heart is truly changed but will say if almighty power had not changed me I had been as bad as any other And so since thy Soul hath been changed thou hast met with Temptations to sin thou hast resisted them overcome them triumphed over them others possibly some very good men have fallen by and under them who
may have a need of and they would be good to us at another time we have no need of but they would be hurtful and pernicious to us and this is the reason why our supplications for some things may be absolute and peremptory for other things they ought to be limited conditioned and put up with a reference of our selves to the will and wisdom of God God cannot give evil things unto his Children though they ask them never so importunately never so frequently This our Saviour hath taught us Luke 11. 11. 12. If a Son shall ask Bread of any of you that is a Father will he give him a stone or if he ask a fish will he for a fish give him a Serpent Or if he shall ask an Egg will he offer him a Scorpion if therefore you being evil know how to give good gifts to your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that ask him Mat. 7. 11. it is give good things to them that ask him It is most certain that no one would ask things that are or would be hurtful to him wittingly Children through ignorance may but if they do their parents that have more wisdom will not give them such things No more will our Heavenly Father who knows it is nothing but ignorance that causeth us to ask any thing of that nature And this may help us to understand Gods dispensations and satisfy the people of God though they have not all those things they ask of God if they be such things as are not absolutely and perfectly good they may be such things as the Lord knoweth under our circumstances would be evil and pernicious to us and we are answered by being denied them for though through our weakness and ignorance we asked them as believing them to be good yet had we known them as indeed they were we would have prayed against them The things we ask must be good and such things as we stand in need of indeed therein lies the nature of goodness or they are no matter of a promise and consequently ought to be made no matter of prayer nor would be but for our infirmity and weakness and consequently they may be denied us and we may never have an answer by receiving the things which we ask but are answered in having them denied to us 2. What we ask must be according to the will of God 1 Joh. 5. 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to the will of God he heareth us The Spirit maketh intercession for us according to the will of God Indeed this doth very little differ from the other for whatsoever is good for us is doubtless according to the will of God It is Gods will that no good thing should be with-held from them who live uprightly But there is yet something further that I shall add under this head which is necessary in order to the receiving of a present answer from God If we would have a present answer we must ask for such things not only as it is the will of God we should have but as it is according to the will of God we should have at such a time as we ask and under such circumstances as we then are Solomon telleth us there is a time for all things God hath appointed times and seasons for all his dispensations of providence he had not only promised Canaan to the seed of Abraham but he had set the time after four hundred and thirty years he had not only promised a deliverance out of the Captivity of Babylon but he had also set the time seventy years Hence Daniel was presently heard when he prayed the Text telleth you that he understood by Books the number of the years whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the Prophet that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Hierusalem Then he set his face to the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications with â—asting c. Dan. 9. 2 3. and while he was speaking God gave him an answer To Habakkuk it fell out otherwise he put up a prayer to to God ch 1. his answer was ch 3. v. 3. The Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak it shall not lie tho it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Had the believing Jews prayed never so often never so seriously for the coming of the seed of Abrahams out of Aegypt and going into Canaan before the four hundred years were expired they could have neither expected nor received any present answer other than according to the tenor of that to Habakkuk because Gen. 15. 16 17. Though God had promised Abraham that he would give unto his Seed the land of Canaan yet he had also told him that they should be strangers in a land that was not theirs and they should serve them and they should afflict them 400 years but afterwards they should come out with great substance and v. 16. In the fourth generation his Seed should come again into Canaan All things are seen by an Omniscient Eye and ordered by an eternal thought Now where the believing prayer meets with an eternal thought as to the time of the mercy there the answer is alwaies present See therefore how confidently the Psalmist prayeth Psal 202. 12. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Sion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come when the time the set time for God to favour a Nation or a particular Soul is come then the answer is alwaies present It is therefore the great wisdom of a Christian before he sets himself to pray to inquire so far as he may whether Gods set time for the collation of the mercy is come But will a good Christian say How shall I ever find out this how shall I knows when Gods set time to favour his Church or to favour my or anothers particular Soul is come Times and seasons are not in our hands nor within the compass of our knowledge The case indeed was plain as to the Jews with reference to their servitude in Aegypt and Captivity in Babylon God had then revealed it to and by his Prophets but we have no such revelations now concerning Nations or Churches much less concerning particular Souls It may be my Soul is under the power of some violent and impetuous temptations under the pressure of some strong lusts 〈◊〉 corruptions in some dark hour of desertion I find 〈◊〉 in the case in Holy Writ these promises are sufficient grounds for me to pray but if my prayer must be suited to Gods will as to the time how shall I ever know how to perform my duty how shall I ever pray in faith 1. As we say in our law When in any contract for payment of any sum of money no particular time is exprest for the payment the
to the King There 's no Faith in Christ nor pure Love to God and Christ to be got at Athens Flesh and Blood will not convey these things into a Soul Lastly Observe how the whole Trinity is concerned in the dispensations of grace It is the note of the Learned Mercer That the Mystery of the Trinity is here held out to us in the Plural Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I touched upon this before though indeed the works of the Trinity within it self be divided The Father begetteth and is not begotten The Son is begotten but doth not beget The Holy Ghost proceedeth from both and doth neither beget nor is begotten and although to denote the order of working in the holy Trinity Creation is made the work of the Father Redemption the work of the Son and Sanctification the work of the Holy Spirit yet it is most certain that all the works of the Trinity out of it self are individed what one person doth all do All that grace of which the Believer is made partaker floweth from the whole Trinity it is from the Father through the merits of the Son and by the Holy Ghost In the second place Will Christ go on in giving to his Saints more grace Let not then those of little Faith be discouraged Let not those that are strong despise the weak nor those who are weak be discouraged and despond in themselves If the Child of God hath Faith but as a grain of Mustard seed it shall increase If it hath but a stock of grace like the Widdows Meal in the Barrel and Oil in the Cruise yet the Meal shall not fail from the Barrel nor the Oil from the Cruise If the Child of a rich and indulgent Parent be despised by another that hath finer Clothes and richer Ornaments than the Wisdom of its Parent thinks fit at present to allow it it will comfort its self that its Father is able to do as much for it that he wants no love to prompt him to it that it hath a large Inheritance that is made sure unto it Shall not the Child of God thus comfort himself from its hopes of glory though it as yet hath but a small earnest of it from that fulness of grace which is in Christ He shall be holden up saith the Apostle speaking of the weak Brethren for God is able to make him stand Rom. 14. 4. And from that readiness that is in Christ and his Promise to give to him that hath so that he shall have more abundantly from the Promise of Christ to the Soul whose cheeks are already comely with Rows of Jewels and Chains of Gold that he will make for it Borders of Gold with spots or badges or studs of Silver Let true grace in the Soul be never so faint and weak it is the Seed of God it shall abide yea it shall grow and increase Hypocrisie is alwaies withering the Hypocrite groweth worse and worse his fair shews and appearances daily decay but true grace is alwaies growing Christ is alwaies adding to it And indeed this is one thing which distinguisheth a sincerity and truth of grace from all the counterfeits of it A Child of God is alwaies growing better and better the Lord is adding to his spiritual habits Wicked men and Hypocrites are growing worse and worse In the last place This Notion calls to all the People of God 1. For an admiration of the Love of God towards them what a God do we serve what a Saviour what a Friend what a Beloved hath every Soul whose Soul sincerely loveth the Lord Jesus Christ The Beloved of your Souls is not like anothers Beloved in himself he is not he is the chiefest of ten thousand he is altogether desires He is not to you as anothers Beloved he is unweariable in his acts of grace and dispensations of goodness Are there any Souls here whose iniquities are forgiven whose sins are covered whose Souls are regenerated renewed through the Sanctification of the Spirit might not these Souls go into their Closets with David and sit down and say Who are we O Lord God! and what were our Souls that the Lord should bring us hitherto that God should wash our Souls white in the Blood of the Lamb and give us another Spirit than we had by Nature a new Heart a new Nature that he should make us partakers of the Divine Nature But this was yet a small thing in the sight of God he hath spoken also of his Servants for a great while yet to come he hath spoken of more grace of making for us Borders of Gold with Badges of Silver A faithful man shall abound with blessings The beginnings of saving grace in the Soul in the Justification of the Soul and the first change and renovation of our Natures are blessings of that nature as Eternity will be too short a time to admire the Love of God in and for but will the Lord also add to his Servants stock and increase their heap will he be still making and preparing new Ornaments for them and giving further grace to them till all their wants shall be supplied all their emptinesses filled up what manner of Love is this Let our Souls be swallowed up in the admiration of this Love Let our Souls and all that is within us bless his holy Name 2. How doth this Notion call to us for all manner of holiness Holiness lyeth in two things 1. The mortification of lusts and sinful habits with the eschewing and declining of sinful acts which are the fruit of those trees 2. The exercises of Godliness Let me shortly press both from this notion of out beloved's being preparing still and making for us Chains of Gold and spots of Silver I will begin with the 2d 1. The exercises of our selves unto Godliness in all those positive duties which God requireth of us Whether they may be more internal such as faith hope Love or more external in our more external communion with God in Prayer reading hearing his word receiving his holy Sacrament Or in our conversation before and towards men I shall press these from this notion upon a twofold consideration 1. These exercises are the way to keep Christ still at work making for us these further Ornaments 2. They are the wearing and using of these Ornaments I say first these exercises will keep our Lords hand continually at work so as he will never be weary but be still adding to our Ornaments of grace I have had occasion often in my former discourses to hint to you that although God be ingaged by his covenant and faithfulness to bring the Souls of believers to glory and consequently to give out to them such necessary supplies of grace as shall make them meet for that inheritance yet he is at liberty as to the gradual manifestations of his grace to dispense them according to his own infinite wisdom and his Peoples behaviour toward him And the promises of that
is incomparable and incomprehensible but it is impossible fully to delineate his glory to you yet something we may speak more particularly 2. Therefore Christs Beauty is a Primitive Beauty The Beauty of the most eminent Saint is no more than a derivative Beauty we are clean through Christ's cleanness and we are comely through Christ's comeliness Take the Saint out of Christ he hath nothing in him but blackness ugliness and deformity all his Beauty is derived from Christ he is but like the Star that hath its Light from the Sun being of it self but a thicker part of coelestial matter yea he is in a lower degree than a Star which the Philosopher saith hath some though a very small Light of his own The Child of God of himself is not only dark but darkness You were once darkness saith the Apostle but now you are light in the Lord. But now Christ is not only lightsom but light it self I am the true Light Job 1. 9. Joh. 8. 12. Yea and his Light his Beauty is from himself Consider him as God equal with the Father and coaevous with him all the Divine Perfections were in him The whole Beauty of the Godhead was in Christ Consider him indeed as to his Humane Nature so his Beauty was derivative the Spirit was given to him though not by measure Joh. 3. 34 Col. 1. 19. It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell But consider now the Lord Jesus Christ personally as God and Man and so all his Beauty was Primitive and from himself His Divine Nature being the Fountain of all Perfections and his Humane Nature receiving the fulness of the Godhead from that Nature to which it was joyned in the fellowship of the same Person Now look what difference there is betwixt the Original Light of the Sun and the borrowed Light of a Star betwixt the Primitive Light of the Fire and the Derivative Light of a Taper such a transcendent difference there is between the Beauty of Christ and the Beauty of a Christian 3. Christ's Beauty is an Essential Beauty When I discoursed to you concerning the Beauty of Christians I told you that their Beauty was accidental and adventitious all those gracious dispositions which are found in the Souls of Saints which make them lovely and beautiful either in the Eyes of Christ or of their Brethren are but adventitious qualities and accidents no part of their Essence But Christ's Beauty is Essential to him It is certainly true that there are no accidents in God all that love and goodness and mercy which is in Jesus Christ that slowness to conceive a wrath and readiness to forgive it is all Essential unto him Essentia Divina identificat sibi omnia quae sunt in Divinis say the Schoolmen Christ is from his Essence wise good gracious holy c. Now every ones Reason will easily apprehend a transcendent difference between Essential and Substantial Beauty and Adventitious and Accidental Beauty But 4. Christ's Beauty is a spotless Beauty He is called the Sun of Righteousness The Sun hath no spots in it it is all beautiful all glorious The Saints Beauty is a spotted Beauty or at least a Beauty attended with spots it is like the Beauty of the Moon the Moon is a glorious creature but the Moon hath its spots Take the fairest Saint in the World he hath some blemishes much grace but some corruption much rectitude but some crookedness yea he is in nothing perfect He believeth but crieth out Lord help my unbelief He loveth God this is his Beauty Oh! but he wants some degrees of love he bewails his want of love to God and begs of God to teach him to love him there 's his spot in his Beauty He doth direct his waies towards God there 's his Beauty But he cries out Oh that my waies were directed to keep thy Statutes there 's his spot there 's his deformity But now look upon Christ there was no spot found in him no defect of Beauty no mixture of deformity no guile was found in his mouth no deceit in his heart no crookedness in his actions 5. Christ's Beauty is a never fading Beauty I remember that I told you concerning the Beauty of the Saints that it is a durable Beauty it is never wholly lost and it is true in the Eyes of Christ but what 's the reason because the Providence of God continually upholds that state of Beauty which is once conferred Nor hath God so ordered the upholding of the Saints Beauty but that it may fade and decay as to degrees yea and be wholly lost as to humane Judgment 'T is true the Beauty of Justification can never be lost can never decay but the Beauty of Holiness may Now Holiness is a great part of the Saints Beauty both in the Eyes of God and also of men But Christ's Beauty can never fade the Rose of Sharon cannot wither this is proved from the third thing If Beauty could fail from Christ the Divine Essence might be extinguished 6. In the last place Christs beauty is a communicative Beauty The loveliest face in the World cannot procreate such another the most vertuous ingenuous mind cannot communicate its vertue and ingenuity so as to possess another Soul with it You have many a Child of God that is exceeding beautiful both by justifying and regenerating grace but what they have is to themselves The wisest Virgins can lend no Oil to the foolish if they do there will not be enough for them both But now Christs Beauty is communicative he is in himself comely and he can put his comeliness upon others yea which is more he can communicate without loss to himself as the Fire gives heat to all in the Room and yet hath no less heat in itself or as the Sun inlightneth the Moon and all the Stars yea and all the World and yet hath as much light still as it had before that communication So doth the Lord Jesus Christ he hath communicated Beauty to ten thousand thousand Saints even to all that have lived since Adams fall to this day They were all comely through his comeliness put upon them yet hath he in himself the same Beauty he ever had But I have spoke enough to the opening of this point I come to the application in three or four words 1. In the first place This calleth to all the Children of God for that great duty mentioned Rom. 12. 3. Not to think of himself more highly then he ought to think but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith The want of this Spiritual Sobriety hath been one great cause of the Drunkenness of this later age 1. Professors have been too apt to think of themselves above others forgetting that of the Apostle in that Chap. v. 10. In honour preferring one before another ah how vile have Brethren seemed in one anothers Eyes How ready have the
not be to her a meer sound much less the savour of death unto death but the savour of life unto life Prop. The great desire of a gracious Soul is after an inward spiritual Communion with Christ in his Word ȧnd Ordinances This is a Point not so well generally understood by the croud of Professors suffer me therefore to spend a few words in the Explication of it All Communion importeth mutual and reciprocal Communication It is an action wherein two Persons do communicate themselves each to other Communion with God implieth God's communication of himself to his creature and the creature's communication of it self unto God To restrain my discourse to the present Subject I am about There is a more external Communion we have with God with reference to his Word in the reading it or hearing it read or Preacht or meditating in it God then communicates his Will to us by the help of Letters Words and Syllables by which we understand things or by the voice of his Ministers sent in his Name to open his mind and will unto us and we communicate with God giving him the homage of our Eyes and Ears our common sense and imaginations this I call a more external Communion And there is a more spiritual internal Communion which a Soul hath with God in it I call it a Communion because God in it doth communicate himself to the Soul and the Soul communicateth it self to God God speaketh by his Word to the heart and the heart receiveth the Divine Impressions and surrendreth up it self to the Will of God In the other there is no more than a communication of the Divine Will on God's part nor any more than the homage of our exterior senses our faculty of reading and hearing the service of our Eyes and Ears our common sense and power of Imagination and of our understanding receiving the notions of Truth In this Communion with God in his Word there is not only on God's part a communication of God's Will but also of God's Power by which the Soul is 1. Irradiated as to the understanding inabled to see things in another light more fully and clearly 2. Subdued as to the Will so as the man is made willing and obedient to the heavenly Revelation transformed into the likeness of the Word so convinced of the truth of it that it can no longer withstand it whether it be a word of Instruction which is the Object of our Faith or a word of Reproof for conviction of Sin or a word of Consolation for refreshing the Soul the Soul can no longer deny or dispute or doubt of the Proposition no longer stand out against the Precept no longer refuse to be comforted The Word of the Lord comes here to the inward part of the Soul 2. There is a further Communication on man's part of himself to God In the former Communion he only lends God his Eye to read his Will his Ear to hear it his imaginative power to think upon it his Passive Intellect or Power to receive Notions of Truth Here he communicates his whole Soul to God his Will and Affections his whole Man It is true here God speaks first we do only velle quum volumus agere quum agimur as Augustine expresseth it that is we only will when we are made willing and act when we are first moved and acted There are some who are great Patrons for the Power of Man's Will as to things spiritual that would elude those Texts about the Teachings of the Spirit and the Teachings of the Anointing spoken of by St. John by asserting That there is such a constant concomitancy of the holy Spirit with the Preaching of the Gospel that whosoever will may be willing and obedient and believe and repent and be obedient I should hearken much to this Notion if the Authors of it could give me a good account how it is then that of two persons hearing the same Sermon and sitting under the same ministration of the Spirit one man only hears it thinks upon it a little and receiveth some notions of it to fit his Tongue with discourse another hath his heart changed by it and transformed into the Image of God and wholly changed as to his Will and Affections and his whole Conversation That it is so is demonstrably true I would know whence it is unless they will make man a God unto himself that is the first cause of truly good and spiritual motions Now this internal Communion with God in his Word which in Scripture is called the Teaching of the Spirit and the Teaching of the Anointing being such as few are acquainted with is little known in the world and therefore some count it Canting and so unwarily blaspheme the Teacher and cannot understand any thing else by it than Ministerial Teaching Others again can understand no Teaching of the Spirit in and by Ordinances but dream that Souls under the Teachings of the Spirit must live above Duties and Ordinances and so turn it into meer Enthusiasm immediate impressions which they pretend to from the holy Spirit of God It may be therefore worth our while to understand it a little You read of it prophesied of old Isa 54. 17. That the Children of the Church should be all taught of the Lord. You read in the New Testament of words which the Holy Ghost teacheth 1 Cor. 2. 14. Yea it teacheth us not words only but things 1 John 2. 27. But the Anointing which you have received in him abideth in you and you need not that any man should teach you but as the same Anointing teacheth you all things and is truth and is no lye Yea it was Christ's own Promise Joh. 14. 26. But the Comforter which the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring to your remembrance whatsoever you have heard from me So as that there is a Teaching of the Spirit is out of all doubt The only Questions are 1. Whether this be concomitant with Ministerial Teachings and superadded to them which we maintain against those who are for immediate Teachings in raptures and by immediate impressions or a thing separate from them and to which Ministerial Teachings are rather hinderances than any furtherance which is what we deny For though we limit not the Holy One of Israel but say that as he did of Old thus teach his Prophets and Apostles so he may by more immediate Impressions and Revelations teach his People still what they are to do or to avoid Yet we say that the Book of Scripture being finished and sealed no such Revelations are by any to be expected and if any man think he hath any such Impressions Revelations or extraordinary Teachings they must be proved by the Word with which if they do not agree they proceed not from the holy Spirit of God neither have they any Light in them Secondly 2. Whether the Teachings of the Spirit be any thing more than Ministerial Teachings in
the Image of him that created him The Child of God is transformed by the renewing of his mind Rom. 12. 2. Regenerated and born again Joh. 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God born again of Water and of the Spirit as our Saviour expoundeth it v. 5. Now this change this renevation respecteth not the substantial power and faculties of the Soul The same powers and faculties the same understanding will and affections I mean the same powers which we call so remain but they are changed as to their quality and aspect unto Objects The same wheels of the Soul remain but they are set right and move more regularly towards what are indeed their true and proper Objects The natural man's understanding is blind and dark and weak and impotent he calleth good evil and evil good bitter things sweet and sweet things bitter his pallate is vitiated so as he neither doth nor can discern things truly and spiritually good Until his nature be cultivated by moral Discipline and some ingenious Education he is like the Beast that perisheth and judgeth of good and evil meerly by sense When it is cultivated he judgeth of it by reason and determines good and evil according to rational Principles and in that riseth no higher than to the perfection of an Heathen Philosopher who knew nothing of any such thing as Union and Communion with God and either believed nothing of the Immortality of the Soul and so took not himself concerned to care for that or at least had a faint belief and an imperfect notion of it But the renewed man hath his understanding opened to discern more excellent things He easily seeth That God is the chiefest Good and thence concludes as rationally that the happiness of man must needs consist in the enjoyment of God in Union and Communion with him as the Heathens determined that the happiness of a man must necessarily lye in the fâ—uition of and an union with the summum bonum the greatest good This being determined by the understanding by that new light and power of discerning given it by God The will of whose nature it is to follow the Dictates of the Understanding ordinarily chuseth and embraceth it by as natural and rational a working as that wretched Soul that knoweth no be tter things than good Meat and Drink and Cloaths and Estates chooseth them and embraceth them before other things Or the more cultivated Soul chooseth Learning and Knowledge and moral Habits Only in rega rd there is a particular Debauchery and Corruption of the Will of man there is a particular work of God upon the Will changing and altering that or else in Spiritual things it would not follow the Dictate of the Understanding and this may be seen in things benea th this Order We indeed usually say the Will is a blind faculty and follows the dictate of the Understanding but since the Fall man is so much mancipated and enslaved to his sensual Appetite that we see in daily experience it doth not The drunkard the unclean persons are daily proofs of it who know well enough that the prosecution of their Lusts in those things doth not only destroy their contrary moral Habits but ruine their Lives Health Reputation yet cannot forbear the pursuit of them But the Will being thus renewed to chuse the best spiritual good the affections move in a natural Order after it and the outward man is commanded to all actions pursuant to it So that I say this Renovation of the whole Man according to the Image of God is the true cause of the Souls willingness and earnest desire after these nearest degrees of Communion with God The understanding being thus fully enlightened to discern that God is the chiefest good and that mans greatest happiness must lie in an Union with him and enjoyment of him 2. To which I know nothing can be added but those measures of experience which every renewed Soul hath how good the Lord is The experience of any good adds much to our Souls value of it as it confirmeth to us our notion and apprehension of it Many things appear better to us in contemplation than in fruition But there can be nothing in nature conceived more effectual to inflame our affections after any Object than when besides the goodness our Understandings have discerned in it upon which our Wills have made their Election of it a superadded experience confirmeth our noton of the goodness of it There is no justified Soul but hath in some measure tasted how good the Lord is and how good a Fellowship and Communion with God is so as it doth but move rationally in willing and desiring the nearest and most intimate degrees of it I added further That this Soul as a mean to obtain it will use rightly ordered Prayer The Reason and ground of this evidently appears if we consider 1. That Prayer is the means to obtain it No man can be so much as presumed truly to will and to desire any thing which he useth no means to obtain or as to which he doth not use the proper means to obtain it if he knows it the good is here is not sensible or rational to be acquired by natural or moral means but is truly and highly spiritual the Communication of the Divine Influences to the Soul and most inward part of man the means must be somthing of Divine Institution somthing which God hath appointed as a mean in order to so great and blessed an end Prayer is one mean of this Nature He gives his holy Spirit to them that ask him saith our Saviour This is a Divine Means under a Divine Ordination and Institution with reference to such an end This the Believer knoweth and it is a means within his Power God hath sent forth the Spirit of Adoption into his Heart teaching him to cry Abba Father The Spirit helpeth his Infirmities with strong cries and groans which cannot be uttered 2. He also knoweth that it is not all Prayer will be effective of this but Prayer according to the Will of God effectual fervent Prayer A man may ask amiss and not receive Though therefore an Hypocrite that takes up with a form of Godliness and aims at no right end in his acts of Homage but drives a by Design for himself in all his duties and seeketh himself more than God may content himself with such performances as answer the low mark which he levells his Arrows at Yet the pious Soul that hath a true aim and design in his Actions must mind such a performance of them as shall bear a proportion to the true end he aimeth at but this is enough to have spoken for the Explication and Confirmation of this Proposition what this rightly ordered Prayer is God willing I shall further open to you in the Application of this Discourse From hence in the first place we may take some measures of our State with reference unto
God None of these things can truly be said of a wicked man or formal Hypocrite 1. It cannot be said that he is truly willing to have such a Communion with God and Christ as I have been opening and describing to you They would not have God rule over them they would have a Christ to save them from the Wrath to come but they would not have Christ to dwell in their Hearts to subdue their Lusts no Hypocrite can truly say this They have no desires after such a Communion with Christ Their desires are all terminated in themselves They say to the Almighty depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy ways If at any time they pray for any thing of this nature it is coldly and lazily and formally secretly wishing they might have no Answer to their Prayers Indeed a true willingness an hearty desire and fervent Prayer after this spiritual inward near Communion with God may I think be trusted to as a mark of one who is a Christian indeed It must argue a mighty change in the Heart of man and such a one as no moral Principles no change upon the meer cultivation of Nature can be imagined to effect Here is clearly a good pursued which no natural man discerneth no natural Understanding judgeth the Eyes of the Understanding must first be opened Here must be an alteration of the Will of man the natural bent and inclination of it must be changed This change cannot be from our selves nor from any Creature but from him alone who giveth to will and to do Secondly You may hence observe that it is not a meer willing a near Communion with Christ that will evidence a truth of Grace It must be a willingness declared by Intense desires and attended with Sutable endeavours It is easy for men to say they are willing Christ should Reign over them and do his will in and upon their Souls when they are really unwilling Yea there may be a real faint velleity but attended with a carelesness as to the obtaining what we pretend to will All Grace habitual Grace is exprest under the notion of willing God is said to give To will and to do To make his people a willing people in the day of his power There are promises made to those who are Willing and obedient And If a man will let him come and drink of the water of life freely and Paul Saith no more than To will is present with me But these Scriptures must not be understood of a meerly pretended and professed willingness nor a faint willingness issued in a few Short breathed wishes but of a true and real willingness discovering it self in the intense motions of the Affections and the intense pursuit of the thing willed by the whole man Such a willingness Speaketh a change in the heart and where it is present with the Soul is accepted But let us upon this occasion enter into our hearts and try our Spiritual State upon this issue viz. Whether we be truly willing and desirous to have this near inward conjugal Communion with this glorious Bridegroom To prove this the Apostle hath expressed the Union between Christ and the Soul made by faith in the Justification of a Soul by the moral Union which in Marriage is betwixt the Husband and Wife Eph. 5. from v. 25. to the End We shall also find that state excellently shadowing out the Communion which should be and is betwixt every Soul and Christ I mean every believing Soul 1. The Husband and Wife are made one flesh Not essentially but morally this was a piece of the Law of Marriage upon its first Institution Gen. 2. 24. Sutably to this the Apostle Speaks 1 Cor. 6. 26. He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit Believers are by Peter said to be made partakers of the Divine Nature Where there is this true Communion between Christ and the Soul there is in his measure the same mind in him thaâ— was in Jesus Christ He in the general willeth the same things that Christ willeth The Glory of God the Sanctification and eternal Salvation of his own Soul and the Souls of others he can as to the main say Fiat voluntas mea mea quia tua Let my will be done mine because thine If he doth in any thing err and not will what Christ willeth it is through ignorance passion or infirmity when he seeth his error his will altereth hence in our prayers in things as to which we are not sure that it is the will of God we should have them every true Christian though he may ask for them prayeth after his Lord's copy nevertheless not my will but thy will be done Canst thou say this That the same Spirit is in thee that was in Christ that in the general in the main thou willest nothing but what Christ willeth that thou art one Spirit with Christ Secondly all Conjugal Communion requires forsaking of Father and mother Gen. 2. 24. A forsaking them to that degree as to dwell with the Husband so as to adhere to the Husband or Wife in case of an opposition this is also the Law of this Spiritual Marriage Psal 45. 10. Hearken O Daughter and consider and encline thine Ear. Forget also thine own people and thy Fathers House The Wife that will maintain duly her Conjugal Communion must 1. Not dwell in her Fathers house if he may not be with her there 2. She must forsake the Precepts Counsels and Advice of her dearest relations where it is contrary to the will of her Husband She must 3. Forsake them in what they are Enemies and opposite to her Husband What are our own people What is our Fathers House But the world and men of it the Counsels and Imaginations and inclinations of our own hearts A true Christian that is by Faith united to Christ is not obliged in order to his or her Communion with him wholly to forsake the world and cast off Earthly Friends converse or relations he is onely bound Not to dwell in the world not to make that his whole business but to have his heart in heaven to use the world as if he used it not Not to hearken to the Precepts Counsels and Advices of the world contrary to the will of Christ Not to take the worlds part in opposition to the Law of Christ thus much the Wives Conjugal Communion with her Husband and the Souls Spiritual Conjugal Communion with Christ calls to it for the preference of Christs will both to its own natural Will and to all the Wills of men Thirdly Look as in Marriages the Communion following that moral Union requires a cleaving of the Married Persons each to other Gen. 2. 24. So the Communion that followeth this Mystical Union requireth this of every Christian to cleave unto Christ to his Truths his Interests and Concerns in the World his Friends his Will all that is his This cleaving I understand not as restrained to the inward
wants but it deriveth from Christ Good things suited to the more external wants of our Body derive from God as the great preserver of man and flow from that common providence of his which dayly worketh in the upholding and preservation of created Beings but good things for our Souls derive from Christ as Mediator and as they are purchased by his blood so they are dispensed out by his Spirit This now can appear to a Soul from no other light but that of Revelation study therefore the holy Scriptures meditate therein night and day they testify all this concerning Christ A full persuasion of these two things 1. That we have immortal Souls ordained to an eternity either of happiness or misery 2. That nothing but the love of Christ can furnish them with those good things which are proper and necessary for them with respect to their Eternal Happiness are enough to convince Men and Women that the loves of Christ are as much better than Wine and to be preferred to it as the Soul is better than the Body and the things suited to its wants better than those things which are only suited to the wants of the outward man But still I say and every days experience maketh it good Non persuaseris etiamsi persuaseris you shall not persuade Men and Women tho you say enough to persuade them though you shut up their mouths and they having nothing to say such a power hath lust in the heart of man into such a debauchery is the nature of man degenerated Admitting men to believe that they have immortal Souls and that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God there is nothing in nature hath a fuller evidence than this truth that the loves of Christ are preferrible to all things in the world and a man cannot act like a reasonable creature in preferring any thing unto them yet who believes it who lives up to this demonstration It is God must persuade the Soul of this and till the Soul hath this written and ingraven upon it by the finger of his Spirit it will never so Judge Lastly therefore Pray mightily that God would open your Ears to see this and persuade your Souls of the truth of it for till he doth it in vain are mens persuasions To move you to it consider 1. This will bear some proportion to the love of Christ to mankind Christ loved us more than these more than all the Kingdoms and pleasures and profits and honours of the world yea more than his own life yea he preferred us to the Angels the fallen Angels for he took not upon him the nature of Angels but the nature of man 2. This will speak the Soul to be a wise and understanding Soul Certain it is as I have already shewed you that the loves of Christ are good before Wine The wisdom of a Soul lyeth much in a right discerning betwixt good and evil and betwixt that which is good and that which is more good or better The excellency of a Soul lyeth in its conformity to God he is an Atheist who owneth not God to be the first Being and to be of all Beings the most excellent and perfect Being So as necessarily that Soul that comes nearest in conformity to God must be the most excellent Soul now that Soul which acteth most up to the principles of improved and pure reason and to the rule of that holy Writ which we all confess to be the revealed Will of God and liveth most up to the Divine Pattern doing what God doth that must needs be the most wise excellent understanding Soul Now will not a little reason serve to convince us that Christ is the most excelling Object and therefore to be preferred to all sublunary enjoyments Doth not the Scripture represent him to us as altogether desires as the chiefest of ten thousand as the well beloved of the Father in whom he is well pleased as he whom we ought to love with all our heart all our Soul all our Strength Doth not the Father the Heavenly Father love him above all other objects To which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day I have begotten thee and again I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son He was brought up with the Father and daily his delight rejoycing alwaies before him 3. This will speak an heavenly sublimated Soul purged from the dregs of sensuality and from an earthly mind a Soul risen with Christ and seeking the things which are above Col. 3. 1. The preference of Wine any sensual satisfactions or any sensible enjoyments to the loves of Christ speaks a dirty Soul that feedeth upon carrion and can be filled with wind Lastly You have heard what an argument this will supply a Soul with in all its addresses and applications to God for any grace or favour no argument can be more moving more prevailing with God none that layeth hold upon more promises or that toucheth God more as a tender Father O therefore labour for this frame of Spirit and give your Souls no rest until you find that they indeed do prefer the love of Christ before all other things in Heaven and Earth Secondly This notion calleth to all you who profess Godliness and to any thing of the Spirit of Adoption which teacheth to cry Abba Father to take heed of a Carnal mind an heart cleaving to any created comforts in excessive degrees so as for the enjoyment of them or any of them to run the hazard of the loves of Christ you will by it prejudice your souls in a great argument which you might use at the Throne of Grace There are amongst others three distempers of heart which those that would do much with God in Prayer must take heed of 1. A revengeful not forgiving frame of Spirit It is a dreadful Text Mat. 6. 15. But if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you Our Saviour hath taught us to pray Forgive us our Debts as we forgive our Debtors 2. A doubting and unbelieving frame of Spirit He that cometh unto God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him he that lifts up his hands unto God must lift up pure hands and that without doubting 3. Thirdly A Carnal heart cleaving to the world preferring the things of the world to the loves of Christ the good things of Grace Lastly Is this such an argument of force with God Let then such as can use it in truth make use of it I doubt not but I speak to many who can in truth say that they value the loves of Christ the tokens of his special and distinguishing love above all earthly contentments when you go to God plead this take unto you words and say Lord let me be made a partaker of thy special distinguishing love thou knowest that my Soul valueth it above mountains of Gold
Rocks of Pearl or ten thousand Rivers of Oil. But possibly some may say This is to plead my own merit I answer no for consider who it is that hath wrought in thy heart this value and esteem Is it not God Did flesh and blood reveal any such thing unto thee thou dost not then plead thy own merit thou only pleadest with God from what he hath already wrought and begun in thee 2. It is but the pleading of the promise which God hath made to them that love him and keep his Commandments 3. Neither dost thou plead thy esteem and value for the loves of Christ as meritorious as thinking that thy prizing the loves of Christ meriteth the further manifestations of them to thy Soul thou only pleadest it as a gracious habit wrought in thy Soul by which God hath fulfilled in thy Soul the condition of the promise thou only beggest of God that he who hath wrought in thy Soul that condition to which he hath annexed his promise would now fulfil also that promise to thy Soul which is annexed to that condition Thus I have finished the discourses I designed upon the first Petition of the Spouse as pressed by her first Argument Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth For thy Loves are better than Wine Sermon XIII Canticles 1. 3. Because of the savour of thy good Ointments Thy name is as an Ointment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee I Proceed to the next Proposition which I at first observed from these words which I then largely opened Christ hath good Ointments which cast a savour my meaning is according to my former explication of the words That the Lord Jesus Christ is filled with the graces of the blessed Spirit which in themselves are as good Ointments and whose excellency is discerned by every true Believer by every Soul that is espoused to the Lord Jesus Christ to use the Apostles phrase I have espoused you to one Husband For a further discourse upon this Proposition let me first shew you 1. What I mean by Christs Grace and when I say he is full of the Graces of the holy Spirit 2. In what respects these graces are like to good Ointments 3. What particular graces of the Spirit are thus like to good Ointments 4. Whence it is that they are discerned and more effectually discerned by a gracious heart than another We read in the Psalmist that Christ was anointed mith the Oil of gladness above his fellows Heb. 1. 3. That he was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power Acts 10. 38. That phrase in the Epistle to the Hebrews borrowed out of Psal 45. as I shewed you is excellently interpreted by John God gave not the Spirit unto him by measure Joh. 3. 34. The Grace of God was said to be upon him Luk. 2. 40. and he is said to be full of Grace and Truth Joh. 1. 14. Grace in Scripture as it relateth unto God is usually taken in one of these two senses 1. For the favour and free love of God by which a Person is accepted of God and so Grace is in St. Pauls Epistles to the Romans and Galatians and in his other Epistles opposed to works thus we are said to be justified by Grace saved by Grace In this sense it is also in Scripture applied to Creatures Esther obtained Grace that is favour in the sight of the King Esther 2. 17. and so in many other Texts Or 2dly it is taken For some holy and virtuous qualities and dispositions by which our Persons being first accepted in Christ we are acceptable unto God Thus it is said Joh. 1. 16. Of his fulness we have all received Grace for Grace thus Love is called a Grace 2 Cor. 8. 6. and in this sense the Apostle telleth the Corinthians God is able to make all Grace to abound to them 2 Cor. 8. 9. In this sense we are commanded to grow in Grace that is in holy virtuous dispositions or habits 2 Pet. 3. 18. It is expounded by 2 Pet. 1. 5. Add to your 〈◊〉 virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly-kindness and to brotherly-kindness charity The Grace of Christ is taken in a double sense 1. Subjectively For that free love and favour which is subjected in Christ and being in him as its Fountain floweth from him to cur Souls In this sense Christ is said to be sail of Grace and truth full of love free love towards his Peoples Souls and truly in this sense Grace comes by Jesus Christ for out of him God loveth no Soul In this sense the Apostle wisheth to the Romans Grace and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ Take Grace in this sense Christ is the Subject of it and the medium by whom it floweth from the Eternal Father to the Children of men he himself was from Eternity beloved of God and that both necessarily and freely being his Fathers Son begotten from Eternity the Father loved him delighted in him and indeed in this sense Christ may be said to have been the object of Grace but he was not anointed with this in time he had it from before all times only as to the Grace of Vnion the humane Nature until Christ assumed it was not beloved of God Christ assuming it it became the object of this Grace 2. But secondly the Grace of Christ is also taken objectively for that Grace which was poured out on Christ as Mediator and this is either 1. The Grace of Vnion which is the free love of God assuming the humane nature into a personal union with the Divine Nature in which thing God put a great deal of dignity upon and shewed a great deal of love unto our Nature 2. The grace of Sanctification by which I understand not the same which the Children of God receive upon Regeneration when of unholy they are made holy of impure they are made pure of proud they are made humble c. But those holy dispositions and qualifications which were found in Christ considered as the Son of Man by vertue of the union of the Divine Nature with the Humane Nature and his anointing with the Holy Ghost not given by measure unto him by which he was not only acceptable to his Father as Mediator but he is also exceeding lovely to his Saints So that when I say Christ hath good Ointments abundance of Grace I understand 1. Abundance of free love which dwelt in him as God over all blessed for ever to be dispensed out according to the particular exigencies of all his Peoples Souls 2. Many gracious dispositions which eminently dwelling in the God-Head from all Eternity were also by the Spirit poured out upon the Humane Nature in his Incarnation These are here called by a Metaphor Ointments and good Ointments 1. Because by the communication of these from the Divine
Christ is so sweet to the Soul I answer 1. Because it signifieth him to be the fountain of the greatest spiritual good to us his name Messiah and Christ signify him to be separated and set apart of God for the accomplishment of the great business of our Salvation his name Emanuel signifies him to have Hypostatically united in one Person the Divine and Humane Nature that he might be a fit Mediator that he might die and merit salvation for us by dying his name Jesus signifies that he is a Saviour his name Shiloh speaketh him to be a Peace-maker his name of an Advocate signifies him to transact our business in Heaven for us his name of High Priest signifies him to have offered for us a propitiatory Sacrifice to have made an atonement for us to bless us to interceed for us the like I might say of his other names Now if the name of a friend who hath done some great kindness for us be oft-times sweet like an Oil poured forth unto us how much sweeter must be his name by whom we are blessed with all Spiritual blessings Secondly Because by his Name or in his name our greatest blessings are obtained How sweet must that name be to the begger upon the use of which all its wants are supplied Is salvation worth any thing There is no other name under Heaven by which we can be saved but only the name of Jesus do our Souls want any thing Whatsoever you shall ask in my Name that I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son John 14. 13. Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my Name he will give it you ch 16. v. 23. Is the Soul trembling under the sense of its guilt doth horrour surprize it do the terrors of the Lord distract it a wounded Spirit who can bear by the discovery of the Lord Christs name to it in the Gospel promises in the mercy truth and faithfulness of Christ it is freed from these The discovery the least discovery of Christ to the troubled Soul is like the Sun beam to the weather beaten and be-wildered Traveller like the shadow to him whom the heat maketh faint like light to him that fitteth in darkness like life to him that fitteth in the shadow of death How sweet is the discovery of Christs truth in his promises the sealing of a promise to a poor doubting Soul Every Soul that hath experienced it will say It is like Oil poured forth I come to the application of this discourse Is the name of the Lord Jesus so exceeding sweet like an Oil poured forth Oh then what is Christ himself It is Origens application Si solo nomine Quid ejus faciet substantia How sweet is the Oil upon the Crown of the head when that which runs down to the skirts of the garment is so sweet Open all created boxes admit that all their sweet qualities would unite and conspire to make one compounded fragrant smell distill all the odoriferous herbs that the Earth bringeth forth mix all the sweet gums and odoriferous spices of Arabia and the whole Eastern part of the world let them all make one body and contribute all their delicious qualities to the composition of one Oil or Ointment to please the wanton sense of a Creature what would they all signify to one Christ Oh blessed Jesus thou that art altogether delights clear the Nostrils of vain Creatures stopt with their own lusts and the vanities of pitiful creature satisfactions and contentments that they may take the air of thy delicious names and follow thee in the savour of thy most precious Ointments Secondly Is the name of Christ in this life so exceeding sweet Oh what will the enjoyment of Christ in Heaven be When the Saints shall see him as he is when they shall be ever with the Lord beholding his face rejoycing in his presence when they shall be at his right hand where are and shall be Pleasures and fulness of Pleasures and that for evermore here we know in part and see in part and the greatest part of that we know of Christ amounteth not to the least part of what we do not know then the Saint shall see him face to face and know him as he is known by him Surely we should cry out with the Psalmist Blessed is the man whom thou chusest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy Courts Here we sit but under the shadow of the Apple tree yet it is with great delight and his fruit is pleasant unto our tast how sweet will it be to be within the arms of it If a Garden of Flowers or a Bed of Spices casteth aâ—sweet smell at a 1000 miles distance what will it do when we come near it O you to whom the name of Christ is as an Ointment poured forth follow the savour of it it will bring you to that place of delights where your Souls shall be ever satiated but never nauseated Thirdly Observe from hence the difference betwixt a natural carnal man and a spiritual man The name of Christ is published in all our parts of the world The Gospel is published that is Christs name saith Gencbrard upon my Text but the natural man discerneth no sweetness in it he can smell sweetness in a perfume but in the name of Christ he can smell nothing sweet Nay what is more unpleasing to a carnal heart than the name of Christ and there is reason for it for to him Christs name is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah his name is a Judge an Enemy c. In the second place what an argument is here to persuade those that hear it to labour for a discovery of Christs name to their Souls To persuade sick and fainting Souls to make application of Christs name to themselves To all to study Christs name more to wear it upon their hearts to meditate of it c. 1. To persuade those who know little or nothing of Christ as yet to get a knowledge of Christs name sweetness naturally enticeth the sense and attracts the Soul shall the incomparable sweetness of Christ draw no Souls unto him shall the air of Solomons name bring the Q of the South from the furthest parts of the Earth and shall Christs name draw never a Sinner invite never a Soul to come and tast and see how sweet how good the Lord is You that are enticed with the smell of a flower that lay out your mony for persumes of no value will you have no value for these sweet Ointments Alexander the great was said to have had such a rare temper of his body that it cast forth a natural sweetness I am sure there is an infinite a transcendent sweetness in the Lord Jesus O let the Virgins love him Men and Women that are in a state of Nature are in one sense Virgins not for purity but as not married to Christ O do you love Christ for the
be something of that mind but that the words are not draw me to thee but draw me after thee So that he thinks she rather desires the drawings of Grace that she might follow him in an holy conversation walking as she had him for an example The sum then of this petition considered as the language of the Church the collective Spouse is this Lord I have in my Bosom many that are indeed drawn to thee in an outward profession in that sense in which thou sayest When I am lifted up I will draw all men after me they are flocked like Doves to the Windows Oh let them yet be drawn more effectually to an hearty embracing of thee for none so comes to thee but he whom the Father draws Lord draw that part of my Members by thy efficacious grace Considered as the voice of a believer the sense is this Lord thou hast made me thine thou hast by thy mighty powerful work of thy Spirit drawn me to thee but I am weak and feeble and not able to follow thee in a course of holiness nor to watch with thee thou who at first hast put forth thy powerful effectual Grace in changing my heart in bringing me to thy self continue the same power of thy Grace commanding me to keep my heart close with thee so as I may never depart from thee I proceed to the next words We will run after thee The former word contained the Spouses Petition this her promise what wilt thou do O thou fairest if the Lord will bestow upon thee the daily influences of his drawing Grace she here answereth and preventeth that question saith she we will run after thee These words may also be conceived to have the force of an argument enforcing her Petition Lord If thou wilt draw me I will not hold back no We will run after thee Here is considerable 1. The Persons promising We where the change of the number is very considerable she had spoken before in the singular Number draw me here she promiseth in the plural We will run 2. The promise itself or thing promised Will run The answering of two questions will open these words 1. What is meant by running 2. Why she saith we will run when before she had only said draw me Qu. 1. What is here meant by Running what doth the Spouse promise under this term of running after Christ 1. The word in the Hebrew doth properly signify a bodily motion and you easily understand what it is to run it is more than to go and walk It is here by a metaphor applied to the Soul or indeed to the whole man for although some of the Hebrew Doctors and some others according to their different notion of the Spouse which I before hinted understand it of Abrahams bodily motion out of his Country or the Israelites motions out of Aegypt and Babylon or the Peoples going to the Temple in Solomons time to worship God yet their notions are doubtless much too low and not at all agreeing to that notion of the Spouse which we have fixed I do therefore fully agree with the most and the most eminent interpreters who acknowledge here a metaphor and that by running some motion of the mind is signified analogous to the motion of the body which we call running now what that is we must further enquire 2. Running doth not only signify motion but some strength in the body so moving The sick and feeble person can hardly stand or go much less run The person running may want some degrees of strength but he must have legs and some strength in his legs or he cannot run The Soul that runneth after Christ must first be possessed of some Spiritual strength The strength of the Soul is an effect of Christs drawing Behold saith the Prophet thou shalt call a Nation that thou knowest not and Nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee First God calls then we run first he putteth strength into them and then they use the strength which he hath given them Isa 0. 31. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength like the Eagle they shall run and not be weary first they shall renew their strength then they shall run 3. Thirdly Running importeth speed and celerity in motion Festinant em significat actionem is De Dieu his note on the Text. David saith I will run the way of thy Commandments Psal 119. 32. which he expoundeth v. 60. I made hast and delayed not to keep thy precepts Buxtorf in his Hebrew Lexicon noteth that the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to run hastily comes from this Hebrew word and others fancy that the latine word Rota that signifies a Wheel hath its Original from this word also Delrio interpreteth it here by festinabimus we will make hast and indeed it is the obvious and ordinary notion of the word thus you know running is distinguished from those flower motions of creeping going walking c. Running argueth a quick and speedy motion the Soul having received from Christ the powerful influences of Divine Grace stands not still creeps not moveth not slowly but makes hast in the ways of God 4. Running argues a free and chearful motion The man that runs hath as we say good will in his way it implies a prompt inclination and readiness of mind Thus Forster an Hebrew Lexicographer notes a great cognation betwixt this word and two other Hebrew words the one of which signifieth to bring forth in plenty and abundance the other to be willing or have a good will to a thing Buxtorf also observeth its affinity to the latter Avendrius also observeth that it signifieth to move readily as the false Prophets ran Jer. 12. 5. Jer. 23. 21. I have not sent these Prophets and yet they ran as Gehazi ran for his bride 2 King 5. 20. Thus the believing Soul that is once drawn by the Spirit of Grace moves in the way of holiness not dragged on to duty by a Foreign Principle It is its meat and drink to do the Will of God It delighteth in the Law of God as to the inward man it was before unwilling but now it is made willing as it is said My People shall be a willing people in the day of my power Grace giveth wheels to the Soul and it oileth the wheels when given Buxtorf noteth that this word is used only to signifie the running of Men not of Beasts Men move not like Beasts rashly and giddily and meerly when they are whipped on or out of wantonness but men propose and know their end and move toward it out of a Principle of Reason and Affection The believing Soul knoweth its end and moveth towards it from a conduct of reason so it moveth speedily and freely after Christ 5. I find some Interpreters judging that the term likewise implyeth a promise of Perseverance There is one Text of Scripture which seemeth to advantage this
Christ told the Inhabitants of Hierâ—salem that he would have gathered them but they would not And hence appears that it is no wonder that Arminians who will allow none but common grace before conversion should contend that it may be finally resisted for there is no doubt but all common grace may be finally resisted 2. But secondly We say there is a working drawing grace which may be for a while opposed but cannot be finally resisted By this the Soul is regenerate and born again and that not after the will of the flesh or the will of Man but the will of God This we say cannot be finally resisted the reasons are 1. Because by this God gives a new heart and a new spirit and causeth the Soul to walk in his statutes as you will find Jer. 31. 18. ch 36. v 26. Now grace cannot be resisted but from an old heart and indeed it is a contradiction to say God may be resisted by a new heart 2. Again if this grace might finally be resisted the whole business of mans Salvation must depend upon his own goed nature and the power of his own will and the proximate cause of a mans repentance faith holiness must be in himself Thirdly We say there is a co-working Grace by which as Augustine saith being first drawn we move being acted we act this is that grace which God followeth converted Souls with that Grace which followeth the Child of God all the days of his life without which he can do nothing Job 1â— 3. through which strengthening and assisting him he can do all things through which he lives and moves in his spiritual sphere this is resistible in part through that law in our members which rebelleth against the law of our mind and brings us into captivity to the law of sin Hence is the spiritual combate the lustings of the flesh against the Spirit Yet this is but a partial resistance not from the whole of the regenerate Soul but from the flesh in it which lusteth against the Spirit from that part which is yet unregenerate Nor shall this resistance be victorious but the same Soul that crieth out O wretched man who shall deliver me from this body of Death shall in the next words say I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ Thus I have shewed you how God in the drawing of a Soul to Christ worketh powerfully But 2dly As he works powerfully so he works sweetly powerfully so that he will be obeyed sweetly so that he is freely obeyed the conversion of a sinner is an act of power but not of violence the mystery of this lieth here Because the effect of grace is upon the will of man Violence is then offered to us when we are compelled to actions contrary to our wills The will is not indeed capable of violence the will may be changed renewed otherwise inclined but not forced force can only be offered to the outward man and why those who contend for a power in man so renew change alter otherwise incline his own will should find a difficulty to allow God as much power as they claim for man who is but a creature I cannot understand Thus far I have shewed you that a Soul must be drawn before it come to Christ I have yet further to shew you that it must be drawn or it will not run after Christ In this drawing indeed there needeth not such a power as in the former the reason is because now to will is present with the Soul as St. Paul saith it only wanteth strength to perform But an influence a powerful influence there must be I believe said he in the Gospel Lord help my unbelief Lord increase our faith said the Apostles without me you can do nothing saith our Saviour Joh. 15. 3. and again saith he as the branch cannot bring forth fruit except it abide in the Vine so no more can you except you abide in me and 2 Cor. 3. 5. Our sufficiency is of God we are not able of our selves so much as to think any thing Phil. 4. 13. I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me we are kept by the power of God to Salvation 1 Pet. 1. 5. The Apostle speaking of the weak Brother saith God is able to make him to stand We stand in grace Rom. 5. 3. Christ prayeth that Peters faith might not fail while Satan winnowed him like wheat God giveth both to will and to do both of his own good pleasure but I shall not need heap up Scriptures in so plain a case I shall have advantage enough to prove it from Reason concluding from Scripture principles 1. In the first place the Scripturé speaketh of the Children of God in this life as in a state of imperfection Not saith the Apostle as though we were perfect or had already attained Phil. 3. 12. To have no further need of Grace speaketh a self-sufficiency and a state of perfection which is every where in holy writ denyed to man in this life nothing needs be added to that man who stands in no need of the power and assistance of Divine Grace but the holy Scripture every where speaketh of the state of man while on this side Heaven as a state in which something is lacking to him of Heaven only as that state wherein just Souls are made perfect wherein that which is perfect shall be come and that which is in part shall be done away Secondly As the Child of God before he comes to Christ is in Scripture represented in a state of death Eph. 2. 1. You hath he quickned Eph. 2. 1. Who were dead in trespasses and sins So when come to Christ it represents him in a state of weakness Ro. 5. 6. When we were yet without strength Christ died for us Not only life but strength was a piece of the purchase of Christ for us Christ saith as to his Sheep John 10. 10. I am come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly The Children of God are all as Mephibosheth the Sons of Jonathan and so beloved of David united to Christ and so beloved of God and must eat bread at his Table but they are all of them like him lame of their Feet Now those that are without strength cannot run running doth not only require life as the principle of motion but strength also to assist the motion what the Apostle saith of their knowledge and prophecying they know in part and prophecy in part is as true concerning all their other gracious habits and acts they are all but in part they are in this like Nebuchadnezzars Image part of Iron and part of Clay Adam indeed had both his legs a full strength and could of himself without any need of the assistance of a Mediator have done all that God required of him in that state as necessary to his Salvation but he fell and did not only for his posterity as well as for himself lose his innocency and
hast not an inch of time at thy command nor canst command thy Sun to go back or to stand still for an hour If James instruct us not to say To morrow we will go to such a Fair or Market without adding If God will surely vain man should not say at such a time I will repent I will believe I will turn to God without saying If God will let me live to such a time and poor creature what if God will not What if he will say unto thee Thou dilatory fool This night thy Soul shall be taken from thee this year this month thou shalt die O the most unrea sonable vanity of men in venturing Eternity upon such incertain contingencies yet this is the usual delusion Augustine confesseth that his foot was once in this snare he resisted motions for his turning to God with cras cras to morrow to morrow I will do it till at length through the power of grace he brake the snare crying out Cras Domine cur non hodie to morrow Lord and why to morrow why not to day This is but the first thing I would say to these procrastinating Souls and not that which properly resulteth from my former Discourse 2. But though there be an obvious contingency in that yet we may admit that thou shalt live unto the time thou hast prefixed to thy self for thy coming and returning unto God supposing yet that no man cometh to the Son unless the Father draweth how vain are the promises that thou makest to thy self Admit thou dost live to that time and that before that time thy heart shall not be more inamoured upon thy lusts and hardened in thy sinful courses but that then thou shalt have as good and fair convictions as now thou hast Yet art thou sure that God will then draw thee Art thou sure thou shalt then be drawn by the Preaching of the Gospel Admit that Art thou sure of the motions impressions and breathings of the holy Spirit of God The Preaching of the Gospel beareth the same proportion to the healing of the Soul that the Pool of Bethesda bare to the healing of bodily infirmities Men might lie there many years the Gospel tells you of one that lay 36 years yet was not healed the Angel indeed came often down and stirred the waters but none thrust him in There is an healing virtue in the Gospel it is the word of Reconciliation the word of the Kingdom The Spirit of the Lord attends the ministration of it it stirreth the Pool but admit this if there be none to help the poor Soul that is impotent into it it is not healed What knowest thou whether the holy Spirit which breatheth where it listeth will breathe upon thee at thy leisure God said of the Old World My Spirit shall not alwaies strive with man If it be not perfectly in thy own power to turn to God when thou pleasest it is the most unaccountable folly imaginable for any to resist the holy Spirit and to vex it yet promising himself the operations and effects of it when he will be pleased to call for and to admit them But I hear some saying Do not you determine that the grace of God cannot be resisted what need your exhortations then not to resist it 1. I have told you that the grace of God may be opposed and resisted but that Grace by which the heart is changed is powerful and finally cannot be resisted but certainly the common grace of God which the Apostle saith hath appeared to all men may be opposed and resisted and finally rejected and is so by the most of those that sit under it and certain it is that mens opposing and resisting of that common grace may provoke him to deny special grace to the Soul that doth it and will justifie God in the denial of it For we have no reason to complain of God's not doing what was truly and purely his part whiles we have not done what is our part and in our power Now though the change of the heart be an act of Divine Power yet acts of moral Discipline and the avoiding gross and scandalous sins and the performance of some religious Duties which God hath prescribed as means though not in themselves sufficient and effectual are things within our power with the assistance only of that common grace which God denieth to none to whom he doth not deny the Gospel And in these the holy Spirit may be opposed and finally resisted though he shall not be finally resisted by any Soul that is ordained to life and eternal Salvation and it is certainly the duty and wisdom of every Soul to take heed of this Resisting this Vexing the holy Spirit because as I said before God shall for ever be justified in the with-holding his gracious acts of power until man hath done what is in his power To which I think I may add that in the day of Judgment there will be wanting a President so much as of one Soul who hath followed the drawings of his Gospel so far as he had power to whom God hath denied the more powerful drawings of his Spirit making a change in the Soul and subduing it to the obedience of Faith and also because God will not have his Spirit alwaies strive with man because he is but flesh 2. But secondly Even the People of God also fall under this reproof though not for such vexings and resistings of the Spirit as natural and unregenerate men are guilty of yet for Quenching the Spirit in its motions and resistances of it in his operations whence the Apostle saw need of those Precepts 1 Thes 5. 19. Ephes 5. 30. We are prone 1. To Quench the Spirit in its motions to duty and to put them off 2. And to promise our selves if we fall we shall rise again When we find some motions to duty which we have reason to conclude to be from the holy Spirit dwelling in us and sometimes from some more than ordinary suggestions to and impressions made upon us we are too ready to put them off to some other time promising to our selves that we then will obey them and hearken to them not considering that as our first coming to Christ dependeth upon the Father's drawing so our running after him depends upon Christ's and his Spirit 's drawing Now though the Lord never forsaketh the Soul that is his as to necessary grace yet he often deserts it as to gradual manifestations in strengthening and quickening influences See that famous instance Cant. 2. The Lord called at the door of his Spouse saying Open my Love my Dove my Undefiled The Spouse grieveth her Beloved's Spirit she would open in the morning when she should have had her fill of sleep when she should be up and drest she had put off her Coat and how should she put it on she had washed her feet and how should she defile them At length v. 5. She rose to open to her Beloved but
the worst of all upon the opinion of some conceited righteousness in our selves or some spiritual power and abilities we have or judge our selves to have the latter is Spiritual Pride nor is any thing more opposite to the truth and Grace of the Gospel the whole design of the Gospel is to exalt Christ as the Lord our righteousness and our strength and our great duty is to accept him in that notion nor indeed can he be truly received in any other notion now can it be reasonably imagined that he whose arm useth to bring Salvation when he looketh and seeth there is none to save should bring Salvation to a Soul that apprehends it hath no need at all of him he hath done enough for it in giving it a reasonable Soul and the Preaching of the Gospel These are now some of those great Evils that are consequential to this error imbibed by the Soul but you will say to me what can a Man or Woman in his or her natural state do in order to his being drawn by Divine Grace To this I answer 1. He may not oppose or set himself against the workings of this Divine Grace 2. He may do some things that may be conducive 1. In the first place do not resist the Grace of God nor set your selves in opposition to it You will say then can Grace be resisted did not you tell us it is powerful and shall be obeyed I answer I did tell you that Grace is powerful and cannot be finally resisted but it may be a long time resisted and opposed The holy Spirit is the most potent agent and must at last overcome but it may be vexed and grieved I know what some will say what if I do resist if I do oppose it if God hath determined me to lise and to Grace as the means it shall at last overcome I answer that is true but yet it is no vain counsel to give any to advise them to take heed of such resistings and vexings of the Spirit of God as it is capable of and that upon a threefold account 1. Because he who thus resisteth the Holy Spirit justifieth God in his condemnation and not putting forth such a power of Grace as shall be effectual of its Salvation those who plead so highly for a power in man to what is Spiritually good lay a great stress upon their fancy that if we do not allow this we make the destruction of a Sinner to be from God not from himself but they do not consider two things 1. That whatsoever destruction we derive from Adam is from our selves for in Adam all died saith the Apostle God is neither bound to restore unto us the Grace he once gave us and we lost nor yet unjust in requiring of us the exercise of that power which we once had of his gift and have lost through our own default for the default of our first Parent in whom we all sinned and dyed was our own 2. That the resistance of the holy Spirit in its more common Grace and operations is a sufficient clearing of God in the condemnation of Sinners though he doth not give out his effectual Grace he hath said that to him that hath shall be given The sense of which tho Mat. 13. and in the parallel Text it may be to him that hath any thing of special distinguishing grace shall be more given of the same nature and kind yet is plainly Mat. 25. 29. where it is used in the exposition of the parable of the Talents To him that improveth what he hath and may very well be interpreted into a promise of further Grace to him that makes a good improvement of common Grace The justice of Gods judgment upon those of Hierusalem was from this manifested to the world That Christ would oft-times have gathered them as an Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings but they would not If a man must be ruined yet surely he should not ruine himself 2. Secondly Tho if thou beest one ordained to life the Grace of God towards thee shall not be finally resisted yet thy resistances and opposition may make the new birth much harder and more full of pain to thee It is a most certain truth that the foundation of God standeth sure the Lord knoweth who are his and not one of those whom the Father hath by his Eternal gift given to Christ shall be lost they may for a time oppose and resist the motions and knocking 's of his Spirit but it shall at last overcome them but the Soul in its coming unto Christ usually meets with the Spirit of bondage making it to fear before it receiveth the Spirit of adoption teaching it to cry Abba Father Now thy opposition and resistances to the Spirit of Grace may keep thee much longer under the Spirit of bondage and for this I appeal to the experiences of all those who have been brought home to Christ whether they have not found the oppositions and resistances which they have made to the knocks and motions of the Holy Spirit have not lain heavy upon them before they have been able to discern a gracious acceptation whether when their faith in Christ hath got above their other sins the follies and vanities of their youth they have not found it stick here They could hope in Christ and in the free and infinite Grace of God through him were it not that they remember how often they refused the tenders of Grace and put off the holy Spirit knocking at the door of their hearts Now what knowest thou O Christian but that thou art an elect vessel one ordained to eternal life and salvation if so thou shalt certainly be brought home to Christ and be saved notwithstanding thy present resistance and opposition but it may be as through fire why shouldest thou make thy new birth more painful and difficult 3. Thirdly When thy Soul is brought home to God if ever thou seest that happy hour it will while thou livest he a grief of heart unto thee to think how long thou didst oppose and resist the Grace of God bringing Salvation in the tenders of it to thy Soul The People of God have their sad and dark hours as well as their hours of light and comfort they will tell you from their own experience that when they reflect a sad Eye upon their former ways they find nothing lying more sad and heavy upon their Souls than their so long resisting and opposing the Grace of God before they submitted to it to all their sins they have added this great iniquity that when the Lord said to them yet Believe and you shall be saved they to go on in their sinful courses put off the Spirit of God from day to day and sent him sad away from their Souls and why should Christians make themselves matter of trouble and sorrow hereafter how graciously soever God will deal with their Souls O therefore let all that wish well to their own Souls be
acts of special powerful Grace but yet in a different kind and degree 2. Secondly Betwixt a real drawing after him and a gradual drawing I told you before that all Divine drawing signifieth a sweet and powerful influence of the Spirit upon the Soul by which it is allured changed and melted into that duty which the Soul oweth to God in obedience to the Gospel now as it is in our drawing of a thing or person to us we may put forth more or less power as we please So in the divine drawings though divine drawing be a mercy of that nature that it shall and will follow the Soul all the days of its life God will never depart from the Soul to which he is thus united to do it good and he will put his fear into its heart that it shall never depart from him yet he puts forth more or less of his power according to the good pleasure of his own will and the conduct of his own infinite wisdom and according also to our behaviour toward him let me for the relief of such a Soul lay down three conclusions 1. First I say there is no Soul by the Father drawn to Christ but that Soul is also and shall be by the Spirit drawn after him Upon the Souls being drawn to Christ there followeth an Vnion between Christ and the Spirit of Christ and the Soul that is so drawn Christ after that time is in the Soul and the Soul is in Christ hence his Spirit is put into their hearts and dwelleth in them a multitude of phrases of that nature are to be found in holy writ It is called an ingrasting into Christ Now it is not possible that the Soul should be ingrasted into such a stock but it must partake of the fatness of the stock and grow up in him the seed of God abiding in the Soul it cannot but grow and spring up in it Some Communion with Christ alwaies follows this union So that unless the union with Christ could be wholly broken and dissolved its communion with Christ cannot be wholly interrupted interrupted it may be but I say not wholly interrupted Secondly 2. The least influence of special Grace keeps the Soul moving for and towards God and in a willingness to sorve and obey him and preserveth it from a total falling away Papists say that we may fall away both totally and finally Lutherans say we may fall away totally but not finally but we say the justified Soul can neither fall away totally nor yet finally if he could fall away totally the union betwixt Christ and the Soul must be dissolved or the union remaining the communion consequent to that union might be wholly interrupted neither of which can be 3. But Thirdly The holy Spirit dwelling in the Souls of Believers and working in them putteth forth its power sometimes more sometimes less as a free agent and according to the good pleasure of his own will as is the drawing so is the running Hence the Soul moveth sometimes with more sometimes with lesser strength sometimes with more promptness and readiness sometimes with less as the holy Spirit is pleased more or less to exert and put forth his power in and upon the Soul Now from this discourse it appeareth that a Soul that findeth that God hath renewed and changed it so far that to will is present with it and it hath an heart to do though it wanteth such a strength such a freedom to and chearfulness in duty as others rejoice in and itself hath sometimes found yet hath no reason to conclude that it was never truly drawn to Christ because as it apprehendeth it is not drawn after him all the evidence of which that it hath is because it doth not run as at other times all this may be yet the Soul may be truly drawn to him and also drawn after him though not so powerfully as it may be it hath felt itself at other times or seen others drawn In the second place This notion may inform us That a running after Christ is the duty of a Christian The life of a Child of God is in Scripture ordinarily expressed under the notion of a walking with God a phrase that some in this age would scoff at but one of the ancientest by which in Scripture a course of holiness is expressed Gen. 5. 24. Enoch walked with God and was not but now if walking be taken in opposition to running there is something more than walking with God the duty of a believer even this running after Christ which I have been describing to you Hence it is also expressed under this notion So the Spouse here expresseth it we will run after thee So David I will run the ways of thy Commandments So St. Paul so run that you may obtain we are not only under an obligation to serve God but to serve him with all our might all our strength to serve him with readiness and freedom of Spirit this is that which elsewhere is called a growing in Grace and corresponds with the Israelites motion and pace to Hierusalem mentioned Psal 84. a going from strength to strength It is a long journey that we have to go from the minimum quodsic the least degree of Grace to the maximum quodsic the fulness of stature which is in Jesus Christ and therefore we had need run sinners run in their sinful courses Lusts get strength and discover their activity daily men make hast to be compleat in sinning to fill up the measure of their iniquities Men make hast to be rich in the world and shall the Children of God make no hast to be rich in Grace David saith My Soul followeth hard after thee Psal 63. 8 St. Paul tells us that he pressed forward toward the Mark Phil. 3. 14. Ah! where are those Souls of whom we can say they run after Christ How few are those Souls that follow hard after God that go as fast as they can though it may be they cannot go as fast as they would 1. How many are there in the world that appear to us as if they were moving after God but move meerly as Machines and Ingines they are rather moved from some forreign principle without them than move from any intrinsick principle all hypocrites all formal professors do so they follow Christ for the Loaves or are drawn from the consideration of their own credit and reputation some are drawn to some degrees of duty from the reflections of their natural conscience this is now no running after God they may do many things which God requires but it is from no internal principle 2. How manẠare there that instead of running halt We dare not say that they do not move at all we hope their hearts are right we hope they are the Children of Jonathan but they are lame of their feet with one foot they seem to go right with another they fail they are like Naaman the Syrian who pretended that he would serve
and be dejected and conclude against themselves as if they had no share in the love of God much less to repine and murmur against God Against murmuring I offered you some considerations under the first branch of application Against condemning your selves or concluding against the goodness of your spiritual state I shall offer something now There is no ground at all for any such conclusion from these providences The Child 's right to the Father is not to be determined from the portion much less from any particular expression of the Fathers affection if the Child be begotten by the Father if owned by him as his Child this is enough tho some other Child may have more smiles and some particular expressions of kindness which it wanteth If a Christian hath any evidence that he is born again not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of the will of God born again of the Spirit by the incorruptible Seed of the Word this is enough to entitle him to a Sonship if he hath received the Lord Jesus Christ this John 1. 12. gives him a right to be called the Child of God and this new birth is discoverable by the new features in the Souls face the Souls assimilation to God in holiness If these things be found it is a most unreasonable conclusion to conclude against thy Sonship for want of some special favours bestowed upon others and not upon thee so as there is no ground for thy reprobating thy self upon this account and concluding against thy spiritual state because of thy want of some degrees of spiritual priviledges by others enjoyed nor hast thou more ground to despond and to deject thy self as if thou never shouldst attain what thou hast not as yet attained David sets us a rare example in this case Psal 42. 5. Why art thou cast down O my Soul why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance The longest night hath a morning following there commonly is a circulation in Divine Providence and as to the Soul of man day and night Summer and Winter follow one another as by a Covenant he that doth not grieve willingly nor willingly afflict the Children of men will not be alwaies crushing the Prisoners of the Earth nor suffer the Souls which he hath made to fail before him 2. As thy condition will prompt thee to endeavour to amend it and to make the case of thy Soul more easy so I would have thee look upon it as thy duty St. Paul had not attained but he forgetting what was behind pressed forward to what was before unto the price of the high calling It is the state of our Souls that we are not perfect neither as to action nor as to fruition but it is all our duty to strive after perfection both after a perfection with respect to action which the Apostle calls a perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord and a perfection as to fruition as to the enioyment of God you have heard that the King of Glory hath Chambers in which he entertaineth some of his peoples Souls admitting them to a fuller further and sweeter enjoyment of himself then others have Let therefore no Christian sit down fully satisfied till he get up into these Chambers I have shewed you a Christian ought to be so far satisfied as if God pleaseth to chain him for a time in a lower room my meaning is to lay a necessity upon him to live beneath these Mountains not to repine murmur against God not to conclude against his spiritual state and interest in God not to despond and defect himself and conclude that because it is now dark it shall never be light with him but yet he ought not to be so far satisfied as not to look after higher degrees of enjoyment of and communion with God There are all the arguments imaginable to be pleaded in this case Whether from profit or pleasure or honour c. But those are so obvious that I shall but wast time to inlarge upon them Every Soul that hath any spiritual sense will acknowledge the desirableness of this But will some Souls say what shall we do that we may attain them I have but four things to offer in this case with which I will conclude 1. Study to abound in active grace The grace I am speaking of is that grace wherein man is partly passive Active grace is that by which we are inabled to our duty in obedience to the will of God the Stairs by which Souls ascend to the Kings Chambers mentioned in the Text as I have interpreted it are the steps of universal holiness which the Apostle calls an holiness in all manner of conversation The promise of Gods shewing his Salvation Psal 50. 21. is made to him that ordereth his conversation aright and the promise of Gods manisesting himself to his peoples Souls is made to them that love Christ and keep his Commandments It is true God sometimes useth his prerogative and hides his face from the most pious and holy Souls for a time and shutteth out their supplications from him you have instances in holy writ as well as in our daily converse but it is past all controversy that those enjoy most of God who walk most with God and the closest walking is the most sweet and comfortable walking Study therefore to excell in holiness that 's the first 2. Behave thy self well in the lower Rooms Look to thy self while God keeps thee in a dark condition that thou dost not add to thine own Chains and lengthen the hours of thy darkness affliction is Gods School by which he fits us for consolation Dost thou ask me what I mean by behaving thy self well I answer short 1 Being watchful and striving against sin those corruptions especially which thou shalt discern most busie in such an hour such as murmuring unbelief impatience c. 2. Keeping up thy hope and saith in God so did David as I shewed you Psal 42. 5. Blessed are they saith our Saviour who have not seen and yet believed 3. Humbly acknowledging thine iniquities thy unworthiness to receive the least mercy or look of grace from God 4. Panting thirsting after fuller degrees of communion with God thus David Psal 63. 1 2. My Soul longeth my flesh thirsteth for thee to see thy power and thy glory c. 3. Abstract thy self as much as thou canst from the world You shall observe that the Servants of God have chosen Mountains places of solitude and removed from the noise of the world when they designed any acts of more special communion with God so Christ often went into a Mountain to pray And God oft chose such places more specially to communicate his mind to his people It was in the Mount God talkt with Moses face to face as a man talks with his friend Divines have observed that those Persons who have enjoyed
case the experience of every Soul maketh it good it is natural to every man 1. Because in all answers of Prayer there must be a soul satisfaction upon some union with the object which it desired Joy is nothing else but the triumph of the Soul upon its union with the object which it desired Prayer is nothing else but the Souls desire expressed with its voice The answer of Prayers must be the Souls satisfaction in the obtaining of its desires this satisfaction ariseth from its union with its object upon which joy is but a proper and natural result and consequent 2. In all answers of Prayer there is an owning of the Soul by God As the Soul by Prayer owneth God acknowledging him the Fountain of that goodness which it beggeth so God in answering Prayer acknowledgeth the Soul Joh. 9. 31. We know that God heareth not sinners but if any man be a Worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth All giving in of things prayed for doth not speak the answer of prayers God may hear and relieve the cry of the miserable when he doth noṫ answer the prayer of the righteous I have before hinted to you that there is an answer of our cries which floweth from Gods common providence as he is a God of pity and tender compassions and there is an answer of Prayers which comes from God as a God of truth and faithfulness how to distinguish these two I may possibly shew you in the application in some measure it is the latter answer not the former which is Gods owning and acknowledgment of the Soul as one for whom he hath a favour 3. There is yet one thing more in the answer of prayers last mentioned which to every thinking Christian is matter of great joy That it is that which speaketh the Soul to be beloved of God in Christ and to have Christ for his Advocate and Intercessor at the Throne of Grace It is in him that all the promises are Yea and Amen It is in his name that the believer asketh and it is he that doth the thing desired according to the promise John 14. 13. Whatsoever you shall ask that I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son and because the thing is confirmed the promise is doubled v. 14. If you shall ask any thing in my name I will do it I shall add no more to the Doctrinal part of my discourse This notion in the first place distinguisheth the Child of God from all Men and Women in the World He is the only man that is glad and rejoiceth in Christ the only person that can say of Christ he is his chief joy 1. There are many that rejoice in their sensual satisfactions There is a man that shouteâ—h by reason of Wine Psal 78. 65. their Vivere est Bibere the pleasing of their Senses their Palate and Eyes and Ears is the greatest good they know after this their Souls move by desires and in the satisfaction of them they rejoice their mirth is madness and their laughter what doth it this of all other is the most sordid joy a rejoycing in iniquity yet this is the chief joy of many poor creatures 2. To others the World is their chief joy Their heart rejoyceth in their labour as the wise man speaketh Eccl. 2. 10. they look on all the work that their hands have wrought and on the labour they have laboured to do and they rejoice the gladness of their heart ariseth from the increase of their Corn and Wine and Oil and they know no better things to rejoice in For this rejoycing in Christ in the sense of his love and the pardon of their sins and the hopes of the glory of God alas how few understand any thing of it I have often had occasion to tell you that the spiritual state of a man or woman is not so much to be determined from his understanding and the notions there men and women may have great degrees of knowledge and yet have unsanctified hearts nor from their external actions An hypocrite may do many things and the best of Gods people in many things offend as from the motions of his will and affections He chuseth the things that please God To will is present with me saith Paul and consequent to this are the workings of the offections Thus a Christian is known by the objects of his love and hatred his hope and fear his desire and jâ—y The last is what I have to do with in this place Joy is one of the fruits one of the fairest fruits of the holy Spirit Gal. 5. 22. will any say to me how shall I know my state by the workings of this affection the answer is in the Text the believer rejâ—yceth in Christ the Apostle tells us that those that are the true circumcâ—sion worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus Phil. 3 3. A believer is not a Stoick as to the things of the World he lives in it and hath need of the things of it but Christ is his chief joy or the head of his joy as David saith of Hierusalem Psal 137. v. 6. But you will say how shall we know this whether Christ be our chief joy I answer 1. Thou wilt not thou canst not rejoice in any course of sin which is contrary unto Christ St. Paul tells us That he delighted in the law of God after the inward man he could not glory in a total freedom from sin he complaineth that he was sometime brought into Captivity to the law of his Members Rom. 7. 22. But he did not rejoyce in iniquity Wicked men sport themselves against God Against whom do you sport your selves Isa 57. 4 Solomon tells us That it is a sport to a fool to do mischief tells us of one who deceiveth his Neighbour and saith am I not in sport his joy is either in the satisfaction of his concupiscible appetite thus St. Peter tells us of some That they count it pleasure to riot in the day time 2 Pet. 2. 13. or in the satisfaction of his irascible appetite thus some sport themselves in doing or beholding mischief they rejoice at the destruction of him that hateth them which was a thing Job purgeth himself from Job 31. 29. or at the destruction of those that they hate they rejoice to do evil Prov. 2. 15. Yea and to see evil done as Edom rejoyced when the Jews were carried into captivity But now the Child of God can be a sharer in none of those joys These joys are incompetent with a rejoycing in Jesus Christ these men rejoyce in those things which crucified Christ I cannot say but a good man under some great temptation mâ—y feel some tickling pleasure in sin and the satisfaction of his appetite through ignorance or passion but he can have no fixed joy in any thing of that nature As a wicked man may have some fit of sorrow for sin so a good man may
keep my Commandments No Soul can so much as pretend to a love to Christ that makes no conscience of keeping the Commandments of Christ 9. The Soul lastly that hath a love for Christ will suffer any thing for his sake it will rather suffer the loss of all things then the loss of Christs favour By these and such like questions and notes as these it will be no hard matter for a Soul to judge of its love to Christ and by that it will be able to judge and determine concerning its uprightness In the last place doth every Soul that is upright love Christ and are the degrees of the Souls uprightness according to the degrees of the Souls love How do we then all stand concerned to love Christ In order to it 1. The Soul must be dispossest of other loves inconsistent and incompetent with the love of Christ Such is the love of all lust of any thing that is contrary to the will of God Such is the excessive and immoderate love of the world Love not the world nor the things that are in the world saith John 1. Joh. 2. 25. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him in like manner we may say If any man love the world the love of Jesus Christ is not in him 2. Do what in thee lies to persuade thy self of the suitableness of Christ to the staâ—e and needs of thy Soul we love nothing but what appeareth good that is some way suitable to and convenient for us All we can do as to this is to read the Scriptures which alone give a true account of the state of Souls To hear them opened and applied to our consciences by able and faithful Ministers to meditate upon what we read and hear Christ must appear to our Souls an amiable object before we can love him 3. Lastly Pray for the Spirit of Grace both effectually to discover Christs loveliness to you and also to draw out your hearts to love him if we must be taught of God to love our Brethren whom we have seen we must much more be taught of God to love Jesus Christ whom we have not seen Those that think man hath a power in his own will to love God do not consider that we have not a power in and of our selves as we often find upon experience to love a creature whom yet it were our great interest to love O pray pray without ceasing that you may love the Lord Jesus Christ remember that the upright love him there is no upright Soul in the World but loves him 2. Thus thou shalt shew thy self to be upright Nothing more discovereth an upright heart then a sincere Love to Christ Now of how great moment it is for a Christian to discern his uprightness I need not tell you I shall conclude with a bare naming of some Scriptures containing promises made to uprightness leaving them to you at your leisure to meditate upon them Psal 7. 10. The Lord saveth the upright in heart Gods Righteousness belongeth to the upright in heart Psal 36. 10. The End of the upright man is Peace Psal 37. v. 37. Gladness belongeth to the upright in heart Psal 97. v. 11. The Generation of the upright shall be blessed Psal 112. v. 2. Light shall arise upon them in obscurity v. 4. They shall dwell in Gods presence Psal 140. 13. They shall dwell in the land Prov. 2. 21. The way of the Lord is strength unto them Prov. 10. 29. The integrity of the upright shall guide him Prov. 11. 3. His Righteousness shall deliver him v. 6. The upright in the way are the Lords delight v. 20. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way but wickedness overthroweth the Sinner Prov. 13 6. Sermon XXXI Cant. 1. 5. I am black but comely O you Daughter of Hierusalem as the tâ—nts of Kedar as the Curtaines of Solomon v. 6. Look not upon me because I am black because the Sun hath looked upon me my Mothers Children were angry with me they made me the keeper of the Vineyards but my own Vineyard I have not kept IT is the Spouse in this excellent Song of Love that yet Speaks Twice we have heard her Speaking to her Beloved Once Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth begging some distinguishing token of his Special love Her heart suggesting to her that her beloved was far more ready to imbrace her then she was to run after him She spake a Second time Draw me and we will run after thee begging the sweet and powerfull influences of divine grace Here now she interrupteth her applications to her beloved with an Apostrophe to her companions whom she here calleth The Daughters of Hierusalem The verse contains a modest apology which the maketh for her self In which are considerable 1. The persons to whom she maketh it here stiled The Daughters of Jerusalem 2. The Apology it self I am black saith she as the tents of Kedar as the Curtains of Solomon c. In the latter is considerable 1. The thing which she apologizeth for That is her Blackness which she confesseth I am black saith she and illustrateth as the teints of Kedar c. 2. The arguments of her Apology or head from whence it is drawn They are four or five 1. The mixture of comeliness with her blackness I am black but comely 2. The Influence of heaven upon her The Sun saith she hath looked upon me 3. The oppositions she had met with on earth My mothers children were angry with me 4. Her worldly diversions and imployments They made me the Keeper of the Vineyards 5. Her own neglect But my own I have not kept Finally She pleadeth with them that they would not look upon her because she was black But what needed this Apology who faulted the Spouses blackness who questioned her comeliness This is not expressed in the letter of the Text but easily understood Patet quod dett axer ant ei nigredinem improper antes It is apparent saith Bernard that they did detract from her charging her with blackness Neither did the true Church of Christ nor any truely believing Soul ever want those that reproached them The man according to Gods own heart heard some telling him There was no help for him in God We must therefore Suppose our Spouse to have heard some saying to her to this purpose Canst thou think that Christ who is the fairest of ten thousand should kiss the with the kisses of his mouth Thee That art by nature an Ethiopian and by thy renewing actuall Sins hast made thy self much more black and ugly Surely when the King of glory humbleth himself to make love to his Subjects he will chuse one much fairer then thou art Did Aaron and Miriam wonder at reproach Moses because he had married an Ethiopian Num. 12. 1. And should not Christ be the wonderment of the whole creation if he should love one so black as thou art
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
and they will find at last that God will give men for them and People for their lives Possibly some will say to us but how shall we know these whom Christ calls the fairest amongst women if we knew them we should give a a due respect to them It is true the Apostle saith The world knoweth us not Nor can they perfectly know them for the Kings Daughter is glorious within saith the Psalmist But yet our Saviour tells you Math. 7. 16. By their fruits you shall know them do men gather grapes of Thorns or Figs of Thistles even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit Will you know what is good fruit see Gal. 5. 22. The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against these there is no law No law of God Add to this Phil. 3. 3. We are the circumcision which Worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Jesus Christ and have no confidence in the flesh these are the true Jews that are such inwardly in the heart and in the Spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God See you therefore any man or woman or any party of men and women in the World who disclaiming any confidence in the flesh any priviledges of birth or Church-state or the merits of any works they have done or can do place their hope for Salvation in Jesus Christ alone trust in him rejoyce in him and Worship God in the Spirit tho it may be not with those external rites and Ceremonies that you do nor under the same circumstances yet heartily Worship God according to the rules which God hath given them that Love God and have a love to all men though more especially to those that fear God and desire to live in Peace as much as in them lyes with all men that are gentle and meek not giving way to rude and boisterous Passions that are good in their behaviours temperate no drunkards no unclean Persons but squaring their lives by the rule of reason because it is also the law of God Let me tell you that against these there is no law No law of God which is the regula regulans the rule by which all the rules and laws of men must be guided or they are nullities and no rules at all These are those whom that God whom you own as your Creator and the great Lord of Heaven and Earth that Christ whom you call your Redeemer your Saviour and who most certainly shall be your Judge and give unto you at the last according to what you have done in the flesh calls the fairest amongst women the most beautiful and lovely Souls in the whole creation judge you whether you ought not so also to call so to account them so to deal with them These are the best men and women in your Cities Parishes c. Take â—reed of using hard Speeches concerning them God will for them execute Judgment as well as for ungodly deeds much more take heed of any hard actions against them he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of Gods Eye Zech. 2. 8. Deut. 32. 10. They have prayed with David Psal 17. 8. Keep me as the apple of thine Eye God hath said concerning them Zech. 2. 8. He that toucheth them toucheth the apple of his Eye Be wise now therefore O ye Princes be instructed O you men of the Earth whether great or small be assured Christ will revenge his Spouses quarrels even the quarrels of all those whom he judgeth the fairest amongst women Let none think to cover their malice against Religion and Godliness under pretences of executing humane Laws the Apostle saith against such is no law no law that will be justified by the law of God no law that will justify either the lawgivers in making it or the Executors in execution of it 1 Tim 1. 9. The law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for unholy and profane for Murderers of Fathers and Murderers of Mothers for Whoremongers for those who defile themselves with mankind for Man-Stealers for Lyars for perjured Persons and other things contrary to sound Doctrine The law that is the law of God is not made for them that is to punish afflict torment them it is made for them to live according to the rule of it It is made to protect them For rulers are not a terror to good works but the evil Rom. 13. 3. And all Magistrats ought to be Ministers of God to Christians for good Rom. 13. 4. Now all humane laws must be either in affirmance of the law of God and to force that or in civil things left to their power as they shall judge to be most for the publick Peace or necessary to uphold Nations and Polities O therefore take heed what you do lest you be found fighters against God Much less let any think to cover their malice with pretences that the Persons they run upon with such a rage are hypocrites Hypocrisy can be but in the heart when there is no contradiction in the conversation that man is no judge of But is it not possible to reconcile at least some part of the men of the World to those to whom the Lord Jesus Christ hath given such a Character Is he not a better Judge then men are Will you make your selves believe for a cloak for your rage that these men are not what they pretend to be I would ask you but one question are they not more righteous then you Are they not more in reading the Word Hearing Prayer Fasting and are not these things duties commanded in that Word which you own to be your rule and to be holy just and good are they not stricter in the observation of Sabbaths Which is so great a piece of Religion that the Prophet expresseth a great part of it under that notion Isa 56. 4 6. Into their hearts you cannot look but their Words are audible do not they fear an Oath more Do they swear and curse and Blaspheme like you or many others do they exceed Heathens Dii omnes deaeque te perdant by their Dammees do they rail and revile and lye like other men Do they drink and whore steal and murder gripe and oppress is not the contrary to this the beauty of a Soul in the Eye of humane reason You have therefore no reason to judge them none of those whom Christ calls the fairest amongst women you must own they are fairer then you or any of your converse and stamp You must find some in the World that are better then your selves or they must be the most comely and beautiful Souls Sirs I beseech you consider how much it becometh a man as a man to judge according to truth And what can be a better standard then the judgment of Christ O let not the People of
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
at Peace with God All that can be said to relieve the Child of God under this complaint to ease him under this burden is this That this misery which befalleth him is but what is common to the very best of men it is a priviledge reserved for the Saints in glory to live in a not interrupted communion with God To be ever with the Lord beholding his face to live in the sense of such a constant communion with Christ as doth afford the Soul a perfect Satisfaction The sublunary Saint is often crying out Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth where tho u feedest This dispensation indeed will speak thee sensibly miserable and sad but it will not speak thee to have no relation to Christ I shall shut up this discourse with a Word or two of exhortation Pleading with you to do what in you lies to avoid such a state and to keep your selves within the knowledg where Christ feedeth where he makes his flocks to rest at noon 1. Consider first That as the Spiritual life of any Soul lyes in its union and communion with Christ So the comfort of his life lyeth in his sense of this communion and knowledge how at all times and in all conditions to Support and to maintain it Our Saviour tells us that As the branch cannot bring forth fruit unless it abide in the Vine so neither can we except we abide in him John 15. 4. That Soul which hath no communion with Christ is as certainly dead as the body is that hath no communion with the head or the branch that hath no communion with the stock Now it is true Sense is not necessary to Spiritual life We live saith the Apostle by faith not by sight But the comfort of the Soul doth depend upon sense and knowledge it is true as to a Christians comfort not to live and not to know that we live are much the same thing as to its happiness it is not but I say as to his comfort it is What quiet can a Christian have in his breast what Peace in his conscience What joy in the Holy Ghost that feeleth no intercourses is sensible of no inward communion betwixt his Soul and Christ 2. Hence consider Secondly That to the waky Christian there is no greater misery upon the Earth then what ariseth from his apprehensions of his having no communion with Christ All the enjoyments of the World will be nothing of Satisfaction to such a Soul it is an evil Nullis medicabilis herbis I say with a waky soul it will be thus some Souls are in a profound sleep they never think of Eternity never consider their latter end they are ignorant and know not the relation that Christ hath to a State of Eternal happiness that as Eternal life is the gift of God so it is through Christ for that the Father hath given into his hands the Power of Eternal life and he giveth it to whomsoever he pleaseth Now these Souls though they have no fellowship no communion at all yet they have no misery no grief from it But I say to the Soul that is awake to consider the Grave the Eternity to which he is hastening 't is the greatest burden imaginable to lye under apprehensions that his fellowship is not with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ 3. Thirdly consider that of all evils those lye heaviest and most sadly upon the Soul concerning which the man or woman is conscious that he himself hath been accessary to them and a cause of them Let a good Christian be at loss for his communion with God let the cause of it be what it will he is sad enough but if his heart smites him that he himself hath been the cause of it Oh! insupportable burden of that reflection he cannot bear the thoughts of his destroying his Soul by his own hands of this you may make an easy judgment by considering the frame of your Spirit under such accidents though of a much lighter nature it is sad enough for a man to lose his estate for a Mother to lose her Child but for the man to think that he lost his estate through his own supine negligence or for a Mother to think she hath been the death of her Child These are wounds healed usually with great difficulty So for a Soul to think it hath lost its communion with its dear Lord by its own supine negligence or any voluntary act of its own which it might have avoided This maketh a deep wound in the Soul But will some say what should what can we do to uphold our communion with Christ and to maintain a sense of it Let me here speak two words The first to such as have their beloved in view and do yet injoy desired communion with him 2. To such as have lost this view in order to their recovery of it To the first I say 1. Be much with him whom your Soul loveth What the Prophet said of Gods presence of Providence is as true concerning the presence of God in gracious influences 2. Chron. 15. 2. The Lord is with you while you are with him if you seek him he will be found of you Souls that are much with God seldom lose their sight of him ordinarily the Souls of men and women first withdraw the communications of themselves unto him through levity and wantonness then Christ withdraweth both in justice to punish in them that levity and in wisdom to make them to seek after him Hos 5. 15. I will go and return to my place until they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early That Soul is seldom or never at a loss to know where Christ feedeth his flocks that keepeth a constant correspondence with him Be much in Prayer especially secret Prayer much in Heavenly meditation and contemplation when the Spouse after her loss Cant. 3. 1 2 had found her beloved I held him saith she and would not let him go How doth the Soul hold Christ so as she will not let him go but by faith and constant and frequent acts of fellowship and communion with him 2. Secondly Take heed of grieving the holy Spirit It is the Apostles Counsel Eph. 4. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit by which you are sealed to the day of Redemption We maintain our fellowship with Christ by the Spirit That takes of Christs and giveth to us and again it takes of ours and giveth to Christ by the Spirit we Pray by its assistance we exercise faith Love c. Christ by his Spirit communicateth himself to us and we by the Spirit do communicate our Souls to him Take heed therefore you grieve not this Spirit either by any presumptuous sinnings or by quenching its motions or resisting its operations Let every Knock every motion and impulse every impression of the holy Spirit be very valuable to and regardable in the Eyes of your Souls 3. Thirdly Maintain in
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
guilt of sin and cries out if I pine away in my iniquities how can I then live And faints at the apprehension of the wrath of God due to it for every single sin and much more for the numberless number of the sins which it hath committed It smells that of the Prophet Isa Ch. 53. v. 5 6. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities the Chastisement of our peace lay upon him and with his stripes we are healed v. 10. His Soul was made an offering for sin Or that of the Apostle Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath Redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us and this refresheth it I have deserved to dye saith the Soul but Christ hath died for me I have deserved to tread the wine press of my Fathers wrath but he hath trode the winepress of his Fathers wrath alone I was born a slave to lusts and corruptions but Christ by dying hath made me free Ah! what a bundle of Myrrh is a crucified Christ to the Soul Hence it smells Spiritual life even from his death for we have Remission of sins through his blood It smells Spiritual peace Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is Christ that died Ro. 8. 38. It smells an access unto God The holy of holies being Sprinkled with his blood and Heaven itself by it Sanctified and made accessible It smells Spiritual liberty For the blood of Christ saith the Apostle purgeth the Conscience from dead works to serve the living God It smells Spiritual strength For through the cross of Christ saith the Apostle my heart is crucified to the World Thus you see that in this action or suffering rather Christ is to the Soul a bundle of Myrrh 4. Look upon Christ as rising up from the dead He is a bundle of Myrrh there too the Soul from hence again smells Spiritual life Rom. 4. 25. He rose again for our justification Spiritual peace Rom. 8. 38. It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again Spiritual strength and quickening Rom. 6. 4. 5. We shall rise with him to newness of life Col. 3. 1. If you be risen with Christ seek the things that are above It smells life from the dead This the Apostle proves 1 Cor. 15 Rom. 8. 11. He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies Nay it smells Eternal life from hence Joh. 14. 19. Because I live you shall live also 5. Look upon Christ as the men of Galilee Acts 1. 11. Ascending up to Heaven Thus he is also a bundle of Myrrh he lives and from hence Job smelt that he should see him with his Eyes the Angels that stood to wait upon his ascension told the men of Galilee so much that as they had seen him ascend so they should see him coming again Hence the believing Soul smells that he shall ascend too for where Christ is there he must be The body is there the Eagles shall flee to it one day He is lifted up and every believer shall be drawn after him Our flesh and blood shall inherit the Kingdom of God For 't is in part there already Heaven is the place whither our forerunner is entred Heaven was an open City before the fall Adam and all his Posterity might have entred presently upon the fall it's gates were lockt up the flaming sword of divine Vengeance kept it but the Captain of our Salvation hath now entred and he keeps the gates from shutting any more till every believer be come In 6. Look upon Christ as sitting one the right hand of the Majesty on high So he is a bundle of Myrrh too Is it so saith the Soul Then he hath favour with God and power with God and what need I any more then for my God my Saviour he in whom I have believed to be in favour with the King of Kings and to have power with the Almighty Nay saith the Soul then I am half in Heaven For Eph. 2. 6. We sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus Christ and I are one if he sits there I sit there too For he is flesh of my flesh 7. Lastly look upon Christ as interceding for us Rom. 8. Heb. 7. He is not there Idle his work is to plead for us to sollicit our business to act our part to do our work And thus he is a bundle of Myrrh to every believing Soul When the poor Soul sinks in the thoughts of its sins renewing after justification Christ is a bundle of Myrrh to it 1 Joh. 2 1. If we sin we have an advocate with the Father even Jesus Christ the righteous When the Soul again sinks at the thoughts of its imperfect duties to think that it cannot do a duty but with so many faults that it may fear the wrath of God for it What a bundle of Myrrh it is to the Soul to think well Christ is in Heaven and he will pick out every fault out of this Prayer this duty c. And so present it in the golden censer Incensed with his merits Thus now I have shewed you how Christ is to the believing Soul a bundle of Myrrh Considered as to his actions as our Redeemer It remains further to shew you that he is so also as to his Spiritual influeuces And Lastly in his Gospel institutions and Ordinances And then I shall come to the Application Sermon LIV. Canticles 1. 13. A bundle of Myrrh is my Beloved unto me he shall lie all night betwixt my Breasts I Proceed in opening the bundle or bag or box of Myrrh which makes my Text give a fragrant smell I have shewed that it is Christ who is thus resembled and have propounded to shew you the aptness of the comparison in five things I am yet upon the 4th He is to the believing Soul a bundle of Myrrh for sweetness I proposed to open this in three particulars shewing you that Christ is so 1. In his mediatory actions 2. In his Spiritual influences 3. In his Gospel Institutions and Ordinances I have done with the first and now proceed to the second To shew you the sweetness of Christ to the believing Soul 2. In his Spiritual influences When he ascended upon high saith the Apostle Eph. 4. he gave gifts unto men he gave gifts to his Church his Ordinances Of those the Apostle speaks but he gives other gifts likewise gifts even to the Rebellious Psal 68. All these are summed up under one head The gift of the Spirit This is that which he calls the promise of the Father He was the promise of the Father of old Ezek. 36. 27. It was his promise John 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Comforter and he shall abide with you for ever Even the Spirit of truth He is sent in Christs name 26. v. he is called the Spirit of Christ hence the
of the Lord Jesus and not an harlot I might have further added That the Soul that is so says so of noâ—e else 〈◊〉 and none but be shall lodg betwixt my breasts She is an harlot that speaks it in any sense less then exclusive If thou canâ—t truly say of the Lord Jesus Christ be shall lodge betwixt my breasts Thou also sayest He shall and none else shall not the sweetest lust I have nor the loveliest piece that the World can afford me not any thing contrary unto him nor any thing besides him That Earthly Object comes too nigh a Christian that comes between its breasts The heart is reserved for the Beloved Deal faithfully I beseech you with your own Souls the World is full of pretenders but I fear me exceeding thin of such as can say and say it in truth and say it cordially That Christ is he and he alone whom they desire should lodge and stay betwixt their breasts But enough for this Use I hasten to conclude Let us in the next place see what this Doctrine will afford us for the promoving our comfort or our holiness by way of Consolation or Exhortation and first for Consolation The term or Verb in the Text speaketh certainty but futuriety and the phrase denotes 1. The Spouse's leave 2. Desire 3. Confidence He shall lodge And thus considered to say nothing of the too Critical note that some make upon the term night as fignifying here a time of affliction in which Christ is an especial comfort to the Soul I say to say nothing of that because the word in the Text doth not necessarily imply a night yet the phrase thus considered the Text and Doctrine offer a great deal of refreshings to those appearingly forgotten Souls who cannot obtain the sensible abidings of Christ with them and are therefore ready to pronounce sadly against their Souls that God is not with them nor they with him As Gideon said If the Lord be with us why are we thus forgetting that God sometimes hideth himself even from the House of Jacob. Let such a Soul observe That the Spouse here doth not say He doth lie alwaies betwixt my breasts though it be true that Christ doth truly and constantly dwell in the heart of his Saints yet 't is often indiscernably to it but she saith He shall lie which imports 1. I will give him leave I will not drive him from my Soul my breasts shall be free and open to him 2. The Spouse's defire it is Vox cupientis 3. It speaks confidence it is Vox fidei the language of Faith which when it speaks properly alwaies speaks in the future tense for hope which is seen is no hope unless when it calls the things which are not in present fruition as if they were because of its being an evidence of things not seen Look as the true Wife is not â—lwaâ—es known by having her beloved Husband in her Arms but first By her readiness so to receive him Secondly By her desire of it as her happiness So is the true Believer not alwaies known by his or her sensible Enjoyments of the Lord Jesus Christ but by the openness of her heart to receive him 2. By the longing of the Soul after him 3. By the confidence of the Soul in him But lastly Oh that the same frame of spirit might be found in you even in every one of you who profess to have tasted how good the Lord is which was here found in the Spouse towards the Lord Jesus Christ that you would all say He shall lodge all night betwixt our breasts I but now told you it imported three things 1. Leave 2. Desire 3. Confidence 1. Lift up your heads O you gates stand ope you everlasting doors that the King of Glory may come in Stand open O my Soul to the Lord Jesus Christ keep your hearts free to the entertainment of the Lord Jesus Christ 2. Make it the business of your desire and prayer 3. Be confident that he will make his abode with you These might be three distinct branches but I have not time to speak fully to each of them For the two first I have prevented my self as to the Arguments which I should use to urge them Consider what I spake to the third Question in the Explication how honourable a thing it is to you how sweet and pleasant how infinitely advantagious and profitable thereis only to be added a word of Direction Will the poor Soul say How should I procure the abidings of Christ with me I mean his abidings as to his gradual Influences For your direction I will only turn you to that one Text Joh. 14. 22. where you shall be resolved from our Saviour's own mouth If any man love me he will keep my words and we will come unto him and make our abode with him Christ is ready enough to stay where he finds love but it must be real love such as is joyned with keeping of his words Be expressive then of your love to Christ 1. By voiding from your heart whatever may be offensive to his Majesty 2. By heightening in your heart a great esteem of him 3. By doing whatsoever he commands you Do you abide with him in a way of duty and he shall abide with you in a way of mercy according to that of the Prophet in the Book of Chronicles to the King God is with you if you be with him but if you forsake him he will forsake you if you be incertain and unconstant with him he will be so with you as to the gradual Influences of his Love With the froward he will shew himself froward 2. I told you it is the Language of Faith He shall lie Faith is the sacred Instrument by which Christ is united to the Soul and it is that by which Communion with Christ is maintained and preserved According to a Christian's Faith it ordinarily is unto it as to Divine Dispensations Faith merits nothing of Christ but it applieth much Believe and the abidings of Christ shall be established upon your Souls but you must know that this Faith must not be a dead Faith but such as works by love Though Faith and Holiness must not be confounded yet unless as to Instrumental efficacy in Justification in the act of justifying they can never be separated But thus much shall serve for this Verse Sermon LVI Canticles 1. 14. My Beloved is unto me as a Cluster of Camphire in the Vineyards of Engedi IT is agreed on all hands that it is the Spouse which yet speaketh and the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we met with from her in the former verse is enough to prove it and to let us know that she is yet speaking concerning her beloved It is also as well agreed that what she saith in this verse amounts to little more then what she had said in the 13. v. Only she expresseth the same thing under a new resemblance but it is
from expressing exuberant affection to it lest the Child by it take advantage to go on in courses of disobedience Christ dearly loves many a poor Soul that hath its wanton tricks and is full of failings but he will not say to such a Soul Behold thou art fair my Love I will add but one thing more 4. Lastly Possibly Christ hath spoke and spoke it to thee often Behold thou art fair my Love Behold thou art fair but thou hast not heard him I have already told you that many of God's People are very deaf of that Ear. I was about to say there is no better sign of a gracious Soul than not to be too ready to hear such messages of peace God sometimes speaks so as the Soul cannot but hear when he pleaseth to set the Broad Seal of his Spirit unto the poor Soul this indeed is an audible voice and distinguishable enough But God in every Sermon speaks to the Believer Thou art fair my Love thou art fair We never Preach those great Truths of God That whosoever believes shall be saved and whosoever is justified by Faith hath peace with God and such like but God to every Believer that hears us speak Thou art fair my Love thou art fair But alas not one of many hath an Ear to hear no not those who truly believe It is in this case as with Samuel 1 Sam. 3. 4 5. Samuel was young and had not been used to the voice of God God calls him once away he goes to Eli the Lord calls a second time Samuel runs to Eli again and so a third time till Eli instructed and assured him it was the voice of God Till the Spirit of God brings the voice of God in the Gospel to the Ear to the inward Ear of a Christian he will not understand God speaking peace to him when indeed he doth speak it In very deed it is for want of Spiritual Logick The Word of God hath the Proposition He that believes is fair Though a man hath been a Thief a Drunkard a Covetous person c. yet if he be washed if he be justified if he be sanctified in the Name of our God and through the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ he is fair Thus much is plain in the Word 1 Cor. 6. 11. But now when the Soul should come to assume But I am washed I am justified I am sanctified there it fails and these may be the Reasons of a gracious Soul's complaint in this case But I have spoke enough to the first of the five Circumstances which I mentioned I proceed now to a second The Spouse had been admiring Christ comparing him to a bundle of Myrrh to a cluster of Camphire or Copher Now Christ adds Behold thou art fair my Love Behold thou art fair Obs High out-goings of a Soul toward Christ are ordinarily productive of great returns of the Love of Christ upon the Soul Duty in us is not the Father of Grace for who hath given first unto God and it shall be repaid to him again but extraordinary influences of Grace are commonly the wages of great duty It is very seldom that any Soul lets Christ know that he is exceeding dear to it but by the next Post the Soul shall know that it is very dear to Christ Doth God hear Ephraim bemoaning himself thus Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God c. Ephraim shall presently hear God saying Is Ephraim my dear Son Is he a pleasant Child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Is the Spouse sick of love Cant. 5. 8. Doth she indeed think her Beloved the chiefest amongst ten thousand c. She shall presently hear him saying Thou art beautiful O my Love as Tirzah c. Turn away thine Eyes from me c. ch 6. v. 4 5. I might instance in many Texts of Scripture but I forbear Will you know the reason of this Take it 1. Negatively 2. Positively 1. Negatively It is not because there 's any merit in duty Christ is no Merchant of Grace he gives it but he sells it not Indeed it is a contradiction to speak of meritorious duty if it be duty it is the payment of a debt on our part and can be no purchase-mony The compass of that Commandment Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy Soul and with all thy strength is of an exceeding latitude there 's no finishing of it by any creature in this life It was from the jejune Interpretation that the Pharisees of old and the Papists of late have put upon the Law of God that they ever dreamt that man was able to perform it much less do any thing of supererogation The foundation-stone of man's Salvation is laid in Grace and the top-stone is Grace too To the whole Building you must cry Grace Grace But Positively 2. It is from the overflowings of Divine Grace in him who is our Fountain-head the Lord Jesus Christ The Eye that weeps for its sin till it can weep no more doth not by its tears make it self an Handkerchief to dry its Eyes but a tender-hearted Saviour moved from his own bowels cannot but afford it one and say unto it why weepest thou The Soul that for Christs sake parts with Father Mother Children Brethren Sisters all doth not by this purchase to it self peace of Conscience or eternal life Alas what proportion is there betwixt things temporal and such as are Spiritual and eternal But he who hath both these to give gives them upon the Souls performing its duty in this particular Matth. 19. 29. The Soul that casts up many a long look to the Lord Jesus Christ and earnestly wisheth for his presence with it and valueth it above the World and seeks for it more then for Gold or hid treasure doth not by this earn Christs Love to it but Christ from the fulness of his grace makes choice of this Soul to reveal himself unto The Prophet Isaiah Ch. 30. v. 18. hath such an expression as this The Lord will wait that he may be gracious unto you Christ is a fountain of Grace a full fountain now when the fountain is brim full of water the water waiteth for an opportunity to diffuse it self it may be there is a bank that hinders the full river that it cannot diffuse its water the water therefore works secretly and softens the bank first till a breach be made and then it emptieth it self by it Christ is a sea a full sea of Grace but sinful man casts up a bank against this sea a bank of unbelief A bank of stone hardning his heart a bank of earth favouring an earthly mind a bank of mud delights in sensual lusts and
of the outward man or the Ornament of the inward man A man or woman may have a sweet complexion a lovely Countenance a beautiful personage and yet have a debauched Soul and so be far from pleasantness yea a man may have a mental beauty and yet not pleasant no good Companion for ones life There are many men who are wise and just and learned and yet possibly through pride morosity or surliness or reservedness not pleasant Pleasantness doth much refer to the conversation and if we allow this sense of the term by which As our own Annotators observe the Spouse doth elegantly correct and raise the sense of what she had before said Then this is that which the Spouse saith My Dear Saviour is not only beautiful in the Eye of my mind both in respect of his Maj sty and glory and of that Grace which was poured forth upon his lips in respect of the eminent perfections both of his Divine and humane Nature but he is also lovely and amiable and so I have sound him in all his dispensations to me and also in all my converse with him Thus it denoteth the pleasantness of the Souls Communion with Christ and may comprehend both his Communication of himself to the Souls of his People in and through his Ordinances and also his Communication of himself to them by way of more immediate Spiritual influences and it importeth thus much That a Christians walking with God is a pleasant walking you know that the life of a Child of God in Scripture is expressed under several Notions it is sometimes called a walking with God It is said of Enoch he walked with God Gen. 5. 22. 24. the like of Noah Gen. 6. 9. it is called a walking in Gods ways And after Gods Commandments A walking with Christ Col. 2. 6. A walking in the Spirit Gal. 5. 16. 25. Christ is he who maintaineth and influenceth and upholdeth a Christians life he is the Companion of his life now that which the Spouse asserts is that Christ is not a sour Companion to make use of the similitude of the Text. Many a Woman hath an Husband who it may be is a comely Person learned sober wise but yet possibly of a morose reserved temper or of a proud and surly disposition he is fair but he is not pleasant Jesus Christ the Husband to a gracious heart is not only beautiful so as a Soul may please it self in beholding of him and looking upon him but he is also pleasant all his dealings and converse with the Souls of his People are sweet and delightful And thus much may serve to have spoken to the first question and for the more general explication of the term the second follows viz. 2. Qu. How is the Lord Jesus Christ pleasant And in what particulars doth his pleasantness appear 1. Pleasantness implies a general sweetness and loveliness in conversation 2 Sam. 1. 26. I am distressed for thee my Brother Jonathan very pleasant wert thou to me David apprehended a loveliness in his converse with Jonathan as a man delights to be in the Company of his friend and hath much Satisfaction in it so it is with the gracious Soul The life of a Christian is a pleasant life because Christ is pleasant to it I told you before that a Christian hath in this life a double converse with Christ 1. In Ordinances and duties 2. By the immediate influences of his Spirit in all his conversation As to both Christ is pleasant 1. It is a pleasant thing for the Soul of a Christian to enjoy Christ in his Ordinances Psal 84. 1 2. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts my Soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord it is a pleasant thing to a Christian to hear of Christ in a Sermon to look up to Christ in Prayer to praise the name of God David upon this argument engageth the Children of God to praise him for it is pleasant Psal 135. 3. Psal 147. 1. 2. It is a pleasant thing to a gracious Soul from the influences of the Spirit of grace to direct his life according to the rule of Gods Word As it was the meat and drink of our Saviour to do the will of his Heavenly Father so it is the meat of a disciple of Christ to do the will of Christ especially when he findeth his Soul advantaged to it from the influences of the Spirit of Christ Rom 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man Observe two things St. Paul doth not say I delight in the Love of God who could do otherwise then so But I delight in the Law of God an holy heart delights in the Law of God but secondly Observe the restriction as to the inward man This may prevent an objection Will some poor Soul say I cannot say that I delight in strictness the Lord Pardon it to me I even force my self upon any close walking But doost thou not delight in the Law of God as to thy inward man If thou doest Christ is pleasant to thee he is not pleasant to thy flesh but he is pleasant to thy Spirit 2. you will further understand how Christ is pleasant to the Soul and receive a further confirmation of it if you but consider what is requisite to make one pleasant as a pleasant Husband or a pleasant Companion of ones life c. I conceive there are three things 1. Some real positive worth A man or woman that hath no worth is pleasant to none but such as are fools or sots Christ hath an infinite worth in him nay you will observe that although a man have much worth in him yet he is pleasant to none but such as may have an advantage from his worth the most learned man in the World hath no pleasantness in him to the apprehension of a Clown that is not in a capacity to partake of his worth so that to make a man pleasant he must not only have a real worth in him but a worth of such a Nature as he to whom he is pleasant may be advantaged such is Christ such are the excellencies of Christ 2. To make a Person pleasant besides a real worth there is required some sutableness of nature and disposition to the party which so judgeth of him take now an eminently learned man in any science though he hath a worth in him and such a worth as might to a novice be advantageous yet all this doth not make him pleasant that which makes the Husband pleasant to the Wife and the Superior pleasant to the inferiour is some congruity of disposition And such a congruity there is betwixt Christ and a believing Soul Christ notwithstanding all that perfection of grace and excellency which is in him and notwithstanding the aptitude and fitness of his grace to the wants of a Soul yet is not pleasant to a natural man he is not beautiful to him because he wanteth Spiritual Eyes to discern
reason why the Word and Ordinances of God are so ineffectual as to some however effectual unto others but I have not time to enlarge so far I shall therefore close up all with one Branch of Application Beseeching every Soul that heareth me this day to labour that Christ may yet be kept in his Bed in our Bed The Bed is the resting place while Christ remaineth and resteth amongst his People The Bed is green The Soul in which Christ resteth is a flourishing Soul the Church in which Christ resteth and in which he dwells is a flourishing Church whiles he walketh in the midst of the Golden Candlesticks they are full of light If he withdraweth himself their light will be darkness Give me leave a little to improve this argument with you to the quickening up of your indeavours to the utmost for the keeping of Christ in our Bed I am the rather ingaged to it from the fears that the experiences of late years and the present juncture of affairs have created in me that Christ is risen up out of his Bed amongst us It was said of old That when the Church had wooden Challices she had golden Priests but after she came to golden Challices she had wooden Priests I cannot say so for our late times The Church of God amongst us hath had golden Priests I believe there was no Nation under Heaven that in such a space of time enjoyed more of the Ordinances of God more able Preachers more powerful and Spiritual administrations The Bed hath been lovely or the Bedstead rather hath been so but hath it been flourishing how few Children have been all this time brought forth unto God The Lord help us Thousands have been perverted but how few have been converted Thousands carried off from the waies of God not so many tens brought into Christ Where are the Souls have been convinced of fin or converted to Christ The conversion of our daies hath been to opinions and factions not to Jesus Christ Yet blessed be God it hath fared with us as with trees withering which bring forth some small proportions of fruit though dwingling as to the proportion and not in so great plenty as formerly but I am afraid we are yet growing worse and worse sure I am if the Lord withdraws his presence from his Ordinances it must be so seeing you may see and not perceive hearing you may hear and not understand Methinks I see our Saviour though now exalted at the right hand of his Father weeping over England as once over Hierusalem and saying O England England thou that hast despised the Ordinances of God and despised those that have been sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thee as an hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings but thou would'st not Behold my house shall now be lest desolate You may have Ministers and you may have Ordinances but you shall not see me henceforth till you say blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. The pulse of the Spirit in Ordinances hath for many years beaten faintly now and then a stroke like the pulse of a dying man I am afraid lest the last stroke should be nigh at hand Where 's the power and presence of God in our assemblies Where 's the taking of Heaven by force which former times experienced Oh that the consideration of the uneomfortableness of a desolate sanctuary or dead Ordinanees in an open sanctuary might awaken you while yet you have hope to do what in you lies that Christ may be kept in his bed with you it is true the wind blows where it listeth and who can command the breathings of it But yet let there be nothing wanting in your indeavours That if God shall measure out such a dispensation your Consciences may not rebuke you as wilful occasioners of it To this end give me leave to advise 1. That you do not first go out of the bed from him The Prophet told the King that God would be with him and his People if they were with God God is not ready to rise up from his Bed of Love he never forsook a People that kept clofe to him The Jews would not be gathered then Christ hid the things from them that concerned their peace Christ in the last day of the feast cried You would not come to me that you might have life First they would not then he would not you have had a Gospel feast possibly this may be the last day of it this day Christ cries to you Oh let him not go away with this dreadful word you will not come to me that you may have life Take heed of despising Ordinances of slighting Christ and the means of grace Take heed of shunning Christs Bed How many are there that shy the Bedstead refuse the Sanctuary how dreadfully do these poor creatures despise their own mercies Your daies of grace for ought I know may be very few you had not need neglect them The woman that will not come nigh the Chamber where her husband lodgeth is not like to have a flourishing Bed 2. But secondly Take heed also of making Christs Bed unquiet to him The unquiet wife often loseth her husbands Company nothing makes Christs Bed so unquiet to him as sin doth The Soul that resisteth convictions quencheth the motions of the Spirit of God thrusteth Christ out of his Bed while you have the light do not only come unto it but walk in it Sanctuary sins make God abhor his Sanctuary and loath his dwelling place Take heed of quenching private motions of the Spirit or of resisting the more publick convictions of the word 3. Give up your selves to the Lord Jesus Christ The Apostle to the Corinthians saith 2. Cor. 8. 5. that they gave themselves to the Lord and then to them Do what in you lies to give up your selves to the Word of God allow not in your hearts any rebellious thoughts against it Audite verbum Dei tacete Something of this you may do when you hear the Word of God convincing you of sin hold your peace to it suffer the conviction to take hold upon your hearts and to have its operation But alas man hath a vain a stubborn an unquiet ungospellized heart What therefore remains but that we should 4. Pray that the Lord would keep us in his Bed and not himself rise up from us let us therefore take unto our selves the words of the Prophet Jeremiah Jer 14. 7 8 9. O Lord though our iniquities testify against us do thou it for thy names sake for our back slidings are many we have sinned against thee O the hope of Israel the Saviour thereof in time of trouble why should'st thou be as a stranger in the land And as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night Why shouldest thou be as a man astonished As a mighty man that cannot save Yet thou O Lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy
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
Bridegroom whose it is to bless us with all spiritual blessings in and through him Supposing the latter the believing Soul directeth her request as her beloved directeth when he commands us to pray saying Our Father If the petition be understood as directed to the Lord Jesus Christ Let him kiss me is as much as Do thou kiss me Vicem nominis supplet vis amoris the force of her love supplyeth the omission of his name saith Lud. de Ponte It is a very usual dialect of Scripture to put the 3d Person for the 2d so the Psalmist God be merciful unto us and bless â—us But 3. Qu. What doth the Spouse mean by Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth Some read it He did kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth Thus the ancient Chaldee Paraphrast Blessed be the name of the Lord who gave us his Law written by the hand of Moses his Scribe who wrote it in two Tables of Stone and spake with us face to face as a man who kisseth his Companions through the greatness of his love wherewith he loved us more than threescore and ten Nations But the stile of the Song is rather pathetical and optative than historical and narrative and it is rather referred to Christ as Mediator than to God the Father or the Lord Jesus Christ considered only as God over all blessed for ever besides that the Hebrew word being in the future tense referrs rather to the time to come than to the time past and I see no need of inventing a figure There is a threefold kiss of which you read in Scripture 1. The kiss of the feet Thus the penitent Woman Luk. 7. 38. kissed her Saviours feet 2. The kiss of the hand Job 31. 27. If my mouth hath kissed my hand 3. The kiss of the lips Prov. 24. 26. and so in many other Texts The Schoolmen tell us of a seven-fold kiss a kiss of 1. Love 2. Union 3. Reverence and Honour 4. Adoration 5. Reconciliation and Peace 6. Treachery as Joab kissed Abner and Amasa and Judas kissed Christ 7. Wantonness According to the usages of several Nations there were several sorts of kisses distinguished by their objects and ends they were wont to kiss the head lips cheek shoulders hands backs feet of their superiours inferiours and equals and that for several testimonies which yet I think are reducible to two heads For a testimony of honour reverence and subjection Thus Parents were kissed by their Children Jacob came near and kissed Isaac Gen. 50. 1. Joseph fell upon his Fathers face and kissed him Thus Exod. 18. 7. Moses went out to meet his Father in Law and did obeysance and kissed him and Orpah kissed her Mother in Law Thus the Persians were wont according to the differences of Persons in respect of quality to give differing kisses Equals kissed one anothers lips the Person who was but a little inferiour kissed his superiours Cheek The lower sort fell at their superiours feet and kissed them Thus Idolaters shewed their reverence to their Idols and the true Worshipers of God were by this distinguished They had not kissed Baal 1 Kings 19. 28. and the Idolaters in Israel said Let the men that sacrifice kiss the Calves Hos 13. 2. Thus also we are commanded to kiss the Son least he be angry Psal 2. 12. which Jerome translates Purely worship the Son This is now a kiss wherewith we ought to kiss Christ but this is not the kiss of the Text. Secondly Kisses were used for a testimony of love which sometimes was hypocritical and so the kissing deceitful such were the kisses of Joab and Judas ordinarily real which might be considered either as continued or interrupted Kisses were 1. Used in token of continuing love As appears by the several precepts of the Apostles regulating the use of them by a law of holiness and chastity Rom. 16. 16. 1 Cor. 16. 20 c. Or 2. In token of renewed love and reconciliation Thus Laban kissed Jacob upon their reconciliation Esau kissed Jacob and David kissed Absalom Beza thus gives the propriety of this testimony in affection Whereas our life lies in the breath which goeth out of our lips and our Soul goes away when our breath at last goes the joining of the friends lips and mouths signifies that they are so dear each to other that they could willingly unite Souls if it could be and bestow their lives each upon other The kiss of the text must needs be this In testimonium amoris for a testimony of love But still here remains a question whether she desires the kiss of Reconciliation 2. Or that which is a pledge of continuing love Those who understand the first confess a breach betwixt God and his Creatures which indeed there was made in the beginning of the world which breach is as to the meritorious part made up by the incarnation death and passion of Christ Indeed there was an ancient Covenant of Grace concerning it Gen. 3. revealed immediately but I say it was done quoad pretium by the incarnation and death of Christ according to those Texts 2 Cor. 5. 18 19. Col. 1. 21. Eph. 2. 16. according to the prophecy Dan. 9. 24. And as to the particular application of that purchase it is daily done by the Spirit of God working faith in us by which we are united to Christ Now the question is whether the Spouse here beggeth 1. Christs coming in the flesh being incarnate and dying for us for the fulfilling of the eternal Covenant of Reconciliation to which some encline 2. Or the kiss of Justification the actual reconciliation of the Soul unto Christ and application of Christ to the Soul by fâ—rth 3. Or The further influences of â— Love as pledges of that first Grace and Seals of that Original love of his to the Souls of his People Indeed the Eternal Son of God kissed us and he stooped much to kiss us when he took upon him our nature uniting finite and infinite corruptible and incorruptible when he nothinged himself for us and this was foreseen and so might be desired Abraham saw the day and rejoyced Joh. 10. 48. and not only Origen and Bernard of old but many modern interpreters think that the Spouse here hath a great respect to this matchless testimony of Divine Love which being granted the Text is no other than the breathings and pantings of the Church of God then living or the particular members of it after the Incarnation of Christ which doubtless was a great object of their desires Kings and Prophets and Righteous men desired to see the things which the Disciples saw and did not see them c. Others understand the text of those testimonies of Divine Love which followed the death of Christ particularly The sending of the Spirit It is true this is called The promise of the Father and was so under the old Testament Ezech. 36.
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
discover it and to manifest himself unto his people As the Sun in the Firmament whose Light in it self is alwaies the same and which hath alwaies the same ability and aptitude to illuminate the Air and to refresh the Earth with its Beams yet gives out its Light variously according to its position in the Firmament or aspect upon the Hemisphere its nearness to or distance from the Object to be inlightened or refreshed or as it is more or less hindered by the interposition of Clouds or Vapours so doth the Sun of Righteousness also diffuse his Beams variously Or as indeed a prudent Father though at all times his heart be full of love to his Children yet in the discoveries and manifestations of it he governeth himself by his own prudence relating to the Child 's good and with respect to the Child's behaviour and demeanour towards him So though whom God loveth he loveth with a great love and to the end yet as to the discoveries and manifestations of it he governs himself by his own Infinite Wisdom and with a great respect to his Peoples carriage and demeanour towards him Hence it is that though every Child of God be beloved of God with the same special and distinguishing Love yet every one lives not under the same manifestations and emanations of it He sheweth to some more to some less to some scarcely any according to the Wisdom of his Counsel and the good pleasure of his own will One soul shall have just light enough to discern that the day is broke in his soul that the Sun is arisen with healing in his wings upon him another shall hardly have so much light as to discern that but shall walk in the dark and see no light Another shall have the Sun of Righteousness more fully shining upon him and be able to say with Job I know my Redeemer lives and that I shall see him with these Eyes and though Worms shall destroy this body yet in my flesh I shall see God Or with Paul Rom. 8. 38. I know and am persuaded that neither life nor death nor any thing shall separate me from the Love of God in Jesus Christ Yea the same soul shall sometimes see its Beloved standing as it were behind the wall and looking in upon it through the Lattice see him in a Glass darkly another time it shall see him with a fuller sight as in the house with it face to face One while it shall only see as by a Wicket of hope open and possibly but imperfectly open neither another while its vision shall be as it were of the Heavens opened and Christ sitting at the right hand of God making intercession for it 2. The more or less of special and distinguishing grace is often measured by the soul's apprehension and particular fancy which judgment possibly is not alwaies according to Truth but yet such as we ordinarily make Thus we commonly judge the comfortable reflections of Divine Love to be the greatest tokens of it The sweetest indeed they are but possibly the strengthening Influences of Divine Grace by which the soul is inabled to perform its spiritual duties and to fight the good fight both against motions to sin from within and temptations to sin from without may be no less manifestations of special and distinguishing grace But take your measures how you will the gracious soul valueth at an high rate the least manifestations of such grace as may evidence to it that it is beloved of God with a special and distinguishing love I do not say the least of these will satisfie such a soul That it will not for the soul in which God hath caused by his Spirit a spiritual thirst after himself is continually crying out Give Give The soul will not be satisfied until in the Resurrection it awakes with God's likeness but in the mean time the least influences of this nature will be to it very precious and desirable The truth of this Proposition will appear to you from the petitions of several of the Servants of God in holy Writ more eminently those which we read of concerning David Psal 4. 6. There be many that say Who will shew us any good Lord saith he lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and in the following words he declares that it should be more to him than the worldlings Harvest or Vintage greater matter of gladness than their increase of Corn Wine or Oil And Psal 84. 9. he asks no more than that the Lord would look upon the face of his Anointed What can be less than Beholding and giving the soul a good look The liberty that the Birds of the Air the Swallow and the Sparrow had to make their Nests about the Lord's Altars one would think argued but a small favour yet David prefers their condition before his One would think the Office of a Door-keeper in the Lord's House were but a small preferment yet David valueth it above a Mansion in the Tents of wickedness The several expressions which David maketh use of in the Psalms to testifie his desires after God such as Beholding Looking upon him Remembring him c. are all evident proofs of this The Woman Luk. 7. 38. counts it honour enough to sit at Christ's feet to wash his feet with her tears and then to wipe them with the hairs of her head The Woman of Canaan is called a Dog and contented with it so she may but lick up the Crumbs under her Master's Table You read of another Woman that cried out If I may but touch the Hem of his Garment The Prophet Zechariah foretold of a time when men should take hold of the Skirt of a Jew saying We will go with you for we have heard God is with you Any thing of Christ is precious to a soul that hath once tasted how good he is Joseph of Arimathea must have his dead body and the Disciples must run to the Sepulchre where he was laid The People of God of old had a favour for the dust of Zion and the stones thereof But much more precious must the least emanations of that virtue be which is in him suited to the wants the spiritual wants of poor souls What can be less than a look a smile a word yet we find these have been very precious to the People of God What can we think of less than the hearing of a Prayer yet David esteemeth this ar an high rate Psal 116. 1 2. For this he professeth his love to God and his resolution to call upon him so long as he lived One would think that of all other Fellowship and Communion with Christ a Fellowship with him in his Sufferings were least desirable St. Paul glorieth in this and speaks of it as a thing desirable Phil. 1. 10. ch 3. 11. And we read of the Apostles praising God that they were thought worthy to suffer for the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ The same Spirit that was in all these
Servants of God is yet to be found in the souls of such as have any acquaintance with or relation to the Lord Jesus Christ And indeed our reason will tell us that it must be so if we consider but these following particulars which will give you a reasonable account of the truth of this Proposition The least token of special distinguishing Grace is of an infinitely sweet and salvifick nature and evidence There are common gifts of the Spirit of God which indeed may be sweet and very grateful to a spiritual nature such are the gifts of Prayer and Prophecy c. but yet are not of a saving nature or evidence a man may have them and perish for ever but it is not so with such influences of the Spirit as are tokens of special distinguishing love spiritual gifts are to be coveted because of a subserviency in them to spiritual and saving ends but they are not of a saving nature and have nothing of a saving evidence in them but in the least token of special distinguishing love there is something of an evidence for Salvation the least of it is of a saving nature Faith that is but as a grain of Mustard seed is as much saving as the strongest Faith is The measures of our comforts much depend upon degrees of grace but our Salvation doth not Christ bids Zacheus go home for that day Salvation was come to his house Salvation cometh to the soul that hour in which the least of special love shineth upon it the least of that brings Salvation and consequently is exceeding sweet and must be so if you consider this soul as first seeking the Kingdom of God allarumed with the spiritual sense of its misery by nature it s lost and undone condition in Adam This is the one thing that such a soul seeks after in comparison with which all other things are as dross and dung to it That it may discern it self beloved of God one of those for whom Christ died and whose sins are washed away with his blood for this it hath wept and prayed and resolved to seek after it and resolved not to be silent There is no evidence of special Love but is suited to some great spiritual want of the soul Our souls are exposed to a great variety of wants All the tokens of God's special Love are suited to some or other of these wants Our souls are impotent and weak both to the performance of spiritual duty and to resist our spiritual adversary to this want now strengthening grace is suited They are dull and heavy and move heavily in spiritual duties to this quickening grace is suited They are sad and troubled for fear of God's wrath to this consolatory grace is suited There is no influence of the special Love of God but is suited to some special want or burden of our souls and therefore the least of them must be exceedingly desirable for so every thing is that suiteth our necessities and so much the more as it suiteth some more special and eminent wants If the Sun doth but arise upon the soul it healeth Mat. 4. 2. though it shineth not out in its fullest glory if Christ spreadeth but a wing over it there is healing in that wing His very shadow gives delight to the soul Cant. 2. 2. the least of his fruit is pleasant to its taste If saith the woman I can but touch the Hem of his Garment I shall be whole Such is the purity of the Saints Love that though they may have an Eye to the Recompence of Reward which his Love brings yet they love him for himself who appears to their souls as Totus desideria altogether desirable It is his Love which their souls thirst after now the least special token of Love sheweth that he loves it and his heart cleaveth to it He that valueth the Love of his friend regardeth not the quantum of the Token but the nature of it if it be of such a nature as he doth not ordinarily give to any common friend that is it which he eyeth If a soul can see any thing which speaketh its Lord joyned to it cleaving unto it this is it which makes it valuable A discerning soul will take little joy in gifts of common providence Riches Honours good Relations common gifts It may and will desire these things while it is in the flesh as they fill up some emptinesses in that our state but it can by no means be satisfied with these things As Haman said when he had been telling his Wife of his great preferments and honours All this doth me no good so long as I see Mordecay sitting in the King's Gate my Enemy is honoured and advanced as well as I So it saith The Lord hath given me riches honour c. but all this doth me no good so long as I see the haters of God enjoy as much of these things as I do let me have some special token of God's Love Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth Fourthly The Child of God knoweth That the least token of Christs special love is more worth than all the world There is no proport on betwixt a corpâ—ral and a spiritual good betwixt what is sutable to our flesh and to our wants in this life and what is sutable to our Souls and necessary for us with respect to our eternal felicity The Philosopher could say Animus cujusque est quisque The mind of a Man is the Man The Christian knows that Anima cujusque est quisque The Soul of a Man is the Man What shall it profit a Man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own Soul The sensual Man values his life above those things that are only good because of their subserviency to that The rational man valueth his mind above his flesh and accordingly sets a price upon knowledge and moral Virtue above those things that meerly gratify his sense The spiritual Man valueth his Soul his Soul considered not only as a rational Being but as a Spirit an immortal Spirit capable of the favour of God and an union and fellowship with him and ordain'd to an eternal existence not only above his body which he knoweth is made up of dust moulded up into flesh and blood and bones but above his mind It really is of more value and he is made apprehensive of it hence he cannot but value the least that tendeth to make that happy above any thing else whatsoever Besides he knows himself created to an eternity and believing that his reason teacheth him infinitely to prefer what is good for him with reference to an happy existence to eternity above any thing that can only serve him for the short time he is to be clothed with flesh and to live in this world This Election of the loves of Christ before all things else and the value he puts upon the least tokens and manifestations of it doth naturally and rationally follow his
reasonings of one part of the world that have pretended to more Learning and Knowledge than others and the prophane scoffs and mockings of a more silly part of it at the greatest Mysteries of the Kingdom of God Some by Wisdom know not God being under the meer conduct of reason and tying up themselves to the meer informations of that natural Eye Some knowing less have blasphemed God and the holy things of God counting their own Ignorance a sufficient excuse for their Blasphemy None knoweth the things of God aright but he that is under the Teaching of the Spirit Take the first Principle of all Religion viz. That the holy Scriptures are the Word of God no Soul knoweth this as he ought to know it but he that is under a further Teaching than that of the Church or of Reason much less doth it know the momentous Propositions that are contained in those holy Writings To all knowledge there is required 1. A sufficient Revelation 2. A sufficiency in our faculty to receive and comprehend the Revelation The holy Scriptures are a sufficient Revelation of all Truth There are no Mysteries of the Kingdom of God to be admitted but what are there revealed But we want a visive faculty a sufficiency in our understandings to apprehend and to conceive them till the Lord by the finger of his Spirit toucheth our Ears and saith Ephatha be opened When Peter made his confession of Christ for which Christ blessed him Christ addeth Flesh and blood hath not revealed it to him Secondly The Spirit teacheth by a special Application of the Word to the Conscience The Word as written is no more directed to one man than to another it equally concerneth all men When we Preach we are like Benhadad's Archers we draw Bows at adventures and let the Lord's Arrows fly who is it that directs them betwixt the joints of one harness more than another that when we reprove sin and denounce the Judgments of God against it saith to this or that sinner Thou art the man or when we display the grace of the Gospel and open the Promises of God teacheth one Soul to apply them while another refuseth the comfort of them All special Application of the Word to the Soul which indeed is the true Teaching is from the holy Spirit of God It is the Spirit that was promised Joh. 16. 8. to convince the world of Sin Righteousness and Judgment It is the Spirit which convinceth the Soul of Truth of Wrath of Love indeed of any thing of Spiritual Revelation It is the Spirit that makes the Word stick to the Soul All the Ministers on Earth cannot make a threatning to stick to the heart of an hard and impenitent sinner nor a Promise stick to a broken and contrite heart until the Spirit comes and joyneth with the Ministration of the Word We sometimes meditate of the Lord's terrours and compose Discourses with the best Art we are able and in the vanity of our hearts are it may be sometimes saying within our selves Surely this Sermon will alarum some sinners open some blind Eyes Another time we study the Grace of the Gospel and with the best Art we can compose Discourses to affect Souls with the sense of the love of God in Jesus Christ and are ready to think surely this Discourse will affect some Souls and bring them to love and admire Jesus Christ to seek to him for pardon and forgiveness to receive him as the Saviour of man as their Saviour We go about our work and when we have done we see cause to return unto the Lord that sent us mourning and saying We have laboured in vain and spent our strength for nothing and in vain The Spirit of the Lord moves not upon the face of our waters there 's not one Soul washed from its filthiness The Angel comes not and troubles the waters though our people lye from year to year at the Pool yet possible not a Soul is cured of its infirmity The Word is but a dead letter it is the Spirit that quickeneth whom he pleaseth The Word the Minister teacheth us by communicating notions but the Spirit only teacheth by particular and effectual Application of notions to our Souls advantage Thirdly The Spirit teacheth by evident Demonstration There is a threefold Demonstration of things 1. The Demonstration of Sense Thus it is demonstrable that the Fire burneth that Snow is white all know that spiritual things come under no such Demonstration 2. The Demonstration of Reason thus a proper effect is a demonstration of the cause Some Propositions in Religion are indeed capable of this demonstration The Creation demonstrateth a Creator c. But alas there are very few things in Religion that fall under the demonstration of Reason most Propositions of that nature depend upon Revelation and theâ—truth of them is to be judged from thence That Christ is the eternal Son of God That he took upon him our Nature died for Sinners In short all the main Propositions of Religion all Propositions immediately concerning our Salvation all Articles of Faith are things which fall not under the demonstration of Reason 3. There is therefore Thirdly a Demonstration of the Spirit St. Paul tells us his Preaching was in the Demonstration of the Spirit that is attended with the Demonstration of the Spirit and let Scoffers say what they will if this Demonstration of the Spirit attendeth not all our Preaching we do but beat the Air and labour in vain Logicians rightly tell us of two sorts of Arguments The one they call Topicks the other Demonstrations The difference of them lies in the effects they have upon our minds The former make a thing only probable to us the other make it certain If a notion appears only probable to us we have some doubts and fears and suspicions about the truth of it Nothing is demonstrated to us but that of the truth of which we have no further doubts against which we can make no Objections Now nothing but the Spirit of God thus teacheth The Gifts of Ministers are various the discourses of some may be meer words oratorial discourses these of all others have least influence upon any but airy Souls others more mind their work and knowing that nothing but the Word of God layeth hold on the Conscience endeavour to prove what they say by holy Writ and some in this are more happy than others as they are more skilled in the Scriptures and the true sense of them others are more rational in their discourses men of great parts good reason though the second sort of these best discharge their Office yet the effect of the best is to make a thing but probable to the Soul The Soul will find out some distinctions excuses and evasions until it comes under this Teaching of the Spirit it is an easie thing to make it probable to the Soul that it is in a road and high-way to Hell and eternal destruction that sin is the
vilest thing in the world that there is no way of Salvation but by Jesus Christ In short any Gospel Proposition may easily be made probable either by reason working from connate natural Principles or at least to those Souls that own the Scriptures to be the Word of God from Propositions of holy Writ but still I say till the holy Spirit of God comes to teach the Soul the Soul will not be fully persuaded indeed not at all persuaded but have this and the other thing to say against it Nothing silenceth the Soul to the revelation of any Spiritual Truth so as it disputeth it no more unless it be perhaps in a fit or under some great temptation but this Demonstration of the Spirit Fourthly The Spirit teacheth by Recapitulation or bringing to remembrance I have my ground for this from that of our Saviour Joh. 14. 6. The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you This Teaching by way of bringing to remembrance is an excellent way of Teaching It is one reason why Christians profit no more by hearing because they never meditate they seldom or never call to remembrance what they have heard If a Schoolmaster should learn a Child his Grammar Rules once and never make him bring them again to his remembrance he would learn but little An improvement in notional knowledge of spiritual things doth depend upon often calling to remembrance what we have heard But the Spirits bringing to remembrance is yet a more excellent thing and there is the same disproportion betwixt our own bringing to remembrance something we have read of the Word of God or heard out of it and the holy Spirit 's bringing to remembrance that there is betwixt Ministerial Instruction and the Instruction of the Spirit of God at the first As man's instruction and first teaching reacheth no further than that power of man's Soul by which he receiveth the bare notion of a thing and that imperfectly too but the holy Spirit instructeth the heart and reins and teacheth the secret and inward parts of the Soul So man's bringing to remembrance things which we have heard from God doth no more than revive the notion of them in our understandings making the first prints of them more deep plain and legible But the holy Spirit 's bringing things to remembrance is a bringing them to the remembrance of the whole Soul renewing those motions of the will and affections which it taught the Soul with reference to those Propositions which by Ministerial Teaching or by reading the Word were first by the help of our Eyes and Ears brought into our Souls and carried by the holy Spirit of God further into the understanding the will and affections by which the Soul is anew instructed convinced comforted strengthened c. to which our repetitions of and discourses of what we have read and heard serve but as means to so noble an end and without the attaining of that indeed is of very little significancy to our Souls real profit and advantage Lastly The Spirit 's Teaching is by strengthening and quickening the Soul to practice We call upon men not to be hearers of the Word but doers of it also but we cannot make them so we cannot give them an inward Principle of Life either strengthening or quickening them to do what we call to them for and this is the reason why we oft-times labour in vain and spend our strength for nothing and in vain Old Adam is too hard for young Melancthon We see this in the experience of every School-Boy The best Teaching is by practice Let a Child learn his Rules never so well he understands them not till he comes to reduce them to practice therefore the best Teachers put Children upon practice as soon as they can Solomon tells us Pro 1. 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge The end of all Knowledge is practice We therefore desire to know that we might practice he that hath not been taught to practice in the things of God hath indeed learned nothing By this time I hope I have shewed you that admitting the teaching of the Letter and of the Ministers there is none left for the teaching of the Spirit and that there is a vast difference betwixt a meer external Communion with God in his Word and an internal Communion with him in and by the Word so as we have no reason either to despise Ordinances or to rest in that external homage which we pay unto God in the observance of them and sufficient reason why the Soul of an understanding Christian should not be satisfied with the reading and hearing the words of Christ's mouth without the kisses of his mouth For the proof of the Proposition I shall give you first the instance of holy David take it as it lieth before you Ps 63. 1 2. 3. O God saith he thou art my God early will I seek thee in a dry and thirsty Land where no water is he means no waters of the Sanctuary The title of that Psalm tells you that Psalm was composed when David was in the wilderness of Judah in the time of his persecution by Saul when he had not the liberty of God's Publick Ordinances In this condition he thirsteth he longeth for what for thee saith he Further yet v. 2. To see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary Because thy loving-kindness is better than life You see David's desires are not terminated in a coming into the Sanctuary but a seeing the power and glory of God in the Sanctuary in an understanding the loving-kindness of God revealed in his Sanctuary And in the expression of the same passion Psal 42. 1. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God My Soul thirsteth for God the living God when shall I come and appear before God It is manifest by the last words that the thing which David thirsted after was a communion with God in the Ordinances of his Worship but yet not after a meer external communion with him My Soul panteth after thee O God for God the living God So in Psal 119. v. 18. Open my Eyes O Lord that I might discern the wonders of the Law not my Ears only to hear thy Law or my Eyes that I may read the Doctrine of the Law but that I may discern the wonders of thy Law Paul did not think it enough that the Ephesians and Colossians had the Word of God amongst them and Preach'd to them by Apostles and men immediately deriving from them but for the former he prayes that the Eyes of their understanding might be opened and for the latter That the Word of God might dwell in them richly but what need have we of any Scripture in the case I appeal to the experience of
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
your Souls an high estimate of Jesus Christ and the influences of his grace If saith Christ any man loveth me I will come to him and make my abode with him John 14. 21. The Soul that truly loveth Christ shall never be ignorant where to find him 4. Lastly Study holiness in all manner of conversation The Spouse saith that he feedeth among the Lillies the Lillies are white and fruitful Let your apprehension of Christs withdrawing the communications of himself to your Souls be no temptation to you to withhold the communications of your selves to him though you may find it more hard and difficult and that you cannot do your duty with so much ease yet do it If you cannot do what you would yet do what you can if as you think you do not you cannot overtake God yet let your Souls press hard after him But what shall be said to that Soul that is at loss and in such a state as that it doth not know where it s Beloved feedeth where he maketh his flocks to rest at Noon 1. Let such Souls look for him in the promise where it wants the sight of him in his Providences There David found him when he cryed out Remember thy Word in which thou hast caused me to hope The promises are Christs place when he returneth from a Soul he retreateth no further All the punishment that our tender Lord putteth his Spouse to suffer is to live by faith not by sight Christ in his Providences may appear to a Soul yea and nay sometimes a friend sometimes an Enemy But in his promises he is always yea and Amen the true and faithful one I have already shewed you that the Promises are those green pastures were Christ feeds his flocks in the Noon of trials and afflictions 2. Look for him in supporting influences when you cannot see him in comforting and quickening influences Christ communicateth himself variously to the Souls of his People not always in the same methods or influences see if thou doest not feel his strength when thou doest not find his consolatory manifestations you have heard that the communion of the believing Soul with Christ never ceaseth it is only our sense that fails or some particular Manifestations or the degrees of them may abate We ought therefore to look narrowly to see if we cannot find any influences of Christ upon our Souls when it may be we cannot discern those which our Eye is most upon 3. Thirdly Be as free as you can in your part of this communion when you cannot discern your Lord so free in his part You may rest upon this That Christ will never be in your debt nor be long wanting in his communications of his grace to that Soul that is ready to communicate it self unto him It may be I or another Soul may not see and discern it but Christ is never behind hand with the Soul as to acts of love Nay we could not be free in communication of our Souls to him without his first influencing our Souls with strength to such a liberty 4. Lastly take the advice of your beloved in the text Go your way by the footsteps of the flock And feed your kids by the Shepherds tents But that leadeth me to the last part of the Text which I called the Direction in answer to the petition Of that if God please in my next exercise Sermon XLVI Cant. 1. 8. If thou knowest not O thou fairest amongst Women Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the Flock and feed thy Kids by the Shepher ds Tents I am now come to the last part of the Text The Beloved's Direction What to do that she might find where her beloved fed his flocks where he made them to rest at Noon It is expressed in these words Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock and seed thy kids by the Shepherds tents By the flocks when I opened the words more largely I told you was meant the Church the People of God often in Scripture compared to a flock I will gather the remnant of the flock Jer. 23. 2. The Lord hath visited his flock Zech. 10. 3. Fear not little flock it is your Fathers will to give you a Kingdom Luke 12. 32. Feed the flock of God 1 Pet. 5 2. So in many other Texts The word in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indifferently signifieth any company of lesser Cattel whether Sheep or Goats though it be most ordinarily applied to sheep as in 1 Sam. 15. 2. Jer 50. 6. Jer. 31. 19 c. The People of God are ordinarily the lesser sort of men and women in the world Not many noble not many wise but the poor of the World hath the Lord Chosen The great ones of the World for the most part are of the Herd not of the flock 1 A flock is a term of multitude Gods People are not the greatest number of the World but yet they are a great number God in the worst times which were those of Ahab had 7000 in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal nor kissed him with their lips St. John saw 144000 sealed Rev. 7. 4. There were two great breeders of Gods antient Flock Leah and Rachel these two did build up the house of God from these came threescore and ten Souls whom God sent to pasture in Egypt there they were killed up apace yet they multiplyed to an exceeding great number from thence they were led like a Flock through the Wilderness by the conduct of Moses and Aaron in Canaan they also increased till for their sins God let in Wolves upon them to destroy them It is true all were not Israel that were of Israel but yet they all constituted the visible Church of the Jews and doubtless there were a great number of them who were of the invisible Church of that little Flock to whom it was the Fathers will to give a Kingdom In Christs time the flock of God began to be gathered together in one and soon after his ascension into Heaven those other sheep mentioned John 10. who were not of the Jewish fold began to be added by vertue of his commission granted to 12 principal Shepherds under the great Shepherd and multitudes were added to this flock since that time the wild beasts of the field and forrest have broken in upon it seeding in several Countries and places But yet they are many 2. A flock is a term of unity The Church of Christ is many yet but one body united by one common faith and under on head All the true Members of it have one Shepherd one law and rule The true Church therefore is doubtless the flock which is here mentioned By the footsteps of the flock The footsteps you all know is the Print of the feet The course of boliness is in Scripture called The way of the Righteous The footsteps of the flock can signify nothing but the Examples of the holy Servants of God which have gone before