Spouse the particular Christian she complaineth here of her own voluntary neglect and carelessness as to her own Soul suffering the weeds of lusts and corruptions to grow up and to prevail according to that of Solomon I passed by the Vineyard of him who was vaid of understanding and to it was overgrown with thorns Nettles had covered the face thereof and the stone-wall thereof was broken down Prov. 24. 30 31. This now is the fourth cause which the Spouse here assigneth of her blackness thus I have given you the best account I have been able of the sense of these words which if you take them as the words of the Church the collective Spouse of Christ sound thus O you that are my Brethren members of other Churches you that are my Neighbours the men of the World I must confess I am something black yet not wholly black not inwardly black not without some comeliness I may be a little black yet let not me be the object of your contempt despight or scorn let not my blackness make you decline be afraid or ashamed of the ways of God let it not cause you to err as I have erred I have been under great temptations long and sharp trials of persecution these have a little tanned me and made me to look something unlovely I have had some Neighbours and false Brethren who have allured intiâ—ed and betrayed me my Enemies have imposed upon me a superstitious Worship superstâ—tious Rites and Ceremonies and have prevailed with me something to comply with them Nor am I as to my self to be wholly excused I must own that through my own voluntary omission and neglect I have not kept the Truths and Ordinances of Worship nor any of the Laws of God concerning me so as I ought to have done or might have done If we take the words as the words of the particular believing Soul they sound thus O my Brethren I am I confess black but let not my blackness cause you to trâ—umph over me nor yet for my sake to decline the holy ways of God I have been under many sore and great temptations in great heats of affliction the Sun hath looked upon me others have too much seduced me and I have been misled by them I have been too much intangled in secular concerns so as I have been too negligent as to the concerns of my own Soul From the words thus opened several Propositions may be raised of which I shall discourse in their order I shall only name them at this time That even the Spouse of Christ on this side of Heaven hath her blacknesses which will expose her to the reproach and obloquy of her Brethren and the men of the world Though the Spouse of Christ be black yet she is also comely As the Spouse of Christ ought to know that she is black so she also ought to understand she is comely As the Spouse of Christ ought to own and acknowledge her infirmity and desormities so it is also her duty at sometimes to own and acknowledge her beauty and graces and to justify her self against those who would upbraid her for her blackness It is our duty to take heed how we look upon the Spouses blackness Affliction and persecution from the world will make the Church and people of God look black especially in the Eyes of the men of the world Corruptions within and false Brethren in the bosom of the Church will make both the Church and the particular Soul appear black Great intanglements in worldly affairs will make Gods people look black The yieldings of a Church or of particular Souls to impositions of false and corrupt worship are a great cause of their appearing blackness Nothing makes a Church or particular Soul so black as their own neglect in keeping their own Vineyards the trust which God hath betrusted them with I shall speak something to all or the most of these in their order hereafter Sermon XXXII Cant. 1. 5. I am black but comely O you Daughters of Hierusalem as the Tents of Kedar as the Curtains of Solomon I Shall now begin a larger discourse upon those Propositions which I did but name the last time after my explication of this and the next verses I will join the two first and handle them severally then apply them jointly The Spouse of Christ on this side of Heaven hath her blackness exposing her to the reproach and obloquy of others but she is also comely and therefore ought not to be looked upon because she is black My business in the handling of this Proposition will chiefly lie in these two things 1. First Shewing you wherein lies the Spouses blackness exposing her to the obloquy of others 2. Secondly Shewing you wherein her comeliness lieth The confirmation I shall mix with the explication By the Spouse here I have all along understood the believing Soul the Church of Christ which is a body made up of these as its Members they have both their blackness for which they are exposed to the obloquy of others 1. First Sins and Corruptions make them black The best of men are but as white Swans with black feet they have in them a body of death a law in their members rebelling against the law of their mind the flesh lusting against the Spirit and they are many times brought into a captivity to the law of their members and though these motions to sin be ordinarily suppressed yet they sometimes break out The Pride of one and the ssionate anger and wrath of another and other lusts in others often break out unseemly and make even the best of Gods People appear black the habituated Sinner is all black there is in him no whiteness no comeliness at all The glorified Saint is all white there is in him no blackness at all The militant Saint is partly white and in part black All sin is black Christ therefore in justification makes the Soul white through his blood Rev. 7. 14. They are made white in the blood of the Lamb. In regeneration they are made white cleansed through the washing of water Eph. 5. 21. Hence Christ tells his Disciples except I wash you you can never be made clean they are clean but yet had need wash their seet John 13. 10. If there be in us any thing of faith yet there is also much of unbelief who liveth and sinneth not the righteous man falleth seven times in a day and who can tell how often he offendeth and though indeed the lust and corruption that is in a good mans heart doth not commonly break out into scandalous acts which standers by take notice of yet sometimes they do Lot and Noah were both overtaken with Wine David was overcoâ—e by the stranger that came to his House Peter denied his Master Solomon Asa Jehosaphat all the good Kings of Judah had their great Errors which are as black spots upon their memories to this day And
and persecutions But comely hrough an imputed righteousness and through the habits of grace with which God hath adorned her I come now to apply that discourse and First We may from hence gather the true notion of a child of God and understand how he stands distinguished from one that is a natural man and yet an unbeliever The true notion of a child of God is this He is one who is imperfectly perfect Black but comely you shall observe in Scripture that perfection is both predicated and denied concerning the People of God Not as if I had attained or were already perfect saith Paul Phil. 3. 12. We are commanded to strive after perfection to endeavour to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord but it is a mark which no man hitteth Heaven is the only place where just Souls are made perfect both as to their fruitions and as to their Actions A thing is then said to be perfect and so a person when there is nothing wanting to it or him nothing that can be added and in this sense no man can be said to be perfect on the other side we are not only commanded to study perfection but it is said of many in holy Writ that they were perfect Noah was a just and perfect man Gen. 6. 9. Job was perfect and upright Job 1. 1. Paul saith he spake wisdom amongst them that are perfect 1 Cor. 3. 6. Phil. 3. 15. Let us as many as be perfect A Christian is perfect in the same sense that he is comely In short there is a threefold perfection may be predicated of a Christian 1. A Perfection of Justification In this sense every believer is comely through Christs righteousness put upon him and reckoned to him and he is perfect for the state of justification is a state that admits not of degrees thus we are as the Apostle speaketh to the Colossions compleat in Christ 2. There is a Perfection of Regeneration and Sanctification this is threefold 1. Of degrees thus none is perfect no not one none liveth and Sinneth not against God there is something to be added to the best mans habits and Acts of Grace 2. Of Parts thus again every believer is perfect Sanctified as the Apostle speaketh in body and mind and spirit the man is made a new creature all the faculties and powers of his Soul are renewed and Sanctified 3. Of scope design and intention This is uprightness this is called perfectness because God upon the covenant of grace accepteth the Soul upon the account of Christ as if it had fulfilled the whole Law of God Rom. 8. 3 4. What the Law could not do in that it was weak through our flesh God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin or by a Sacrifice for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit God accounteth the righteousness of the Law fulfilled by those who walk after the Spirit tho personally it is not because Christ condemned sin in the flesh Thus Noah is said to be a perfect man Gen. 6. 9. and Job a perfect man and upright this is expounded v. 8. one that feareth God and escheweth Evil. For in the strict sense of perfection Job saith chap. 9. v. 20. If he justified himself his own mouth should condemn him if he should say he were perfect that should prove him perverse 3. There is a comparative perfection in this sense the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 3. 6. That he spake wisdom amongst them that were perfect and Phil. 3 15. Let us as many as be perfect be thus minded that is as many of us as are comparatively perfect whose attainments as to knowledg and faith are higher than others The State of the Saints is in no other sense a State of perfection So as I say they are imperfectly perfect which is the same with that of the Text Black but comely And this sufficiently distinguisheth the believer from the unbeliever whether the profane person or the hypocrite The unbeliever may say he is black but he cannot say he is comely What beauty can there be in any Soul not reconciled to God they are all blackness all deformity It is true there is a great deal of difference in these men some of them are black and filthy in the eyes of the rational and more orderly part of the World such is the Atheist the profane Curser and Swearer the Blasphemer the Drunkard the Thief the Oppressor the unrighteous and intemperate man these are the fots of the Earth the spots of the World the shame and reproach of the Nation or City in which they live Beasts walking in humane shapes But there are many others who have much beauty in them in the eyes of the World and humane reason yet are not comely in the eyes of Christ If a man be Sober and Temperate Just and Righteous Kind and Charitable tho he liveth not up to the strict rule of the Gospel and the Commandments of God yet living up to the conduct of humane reason and the advantages of humane society which the others infect and destroy the World counteth him a very good man full of beauty and comeliness applaudeth commends and courts him But now the Lord Christ not judging according to the outward appearance but according to the heart seeing in this mans heart no love of God constraining him to these acts nothing of the fear of God awing this mans Soul unto his duty God I say seeing him in these actions neither acting from a persuasion that this is the will of God nor from a belief of the Promises or of the Threatnings nor from an Obedience to the Precepts of God but meerly from Politick and rational principles from self ends interests that he may appear to men to be good and seeking in these actions the praise of men not of God Or meerly under the conduct of reason commanding their passions in order to their more comfortable being in this World and a more honorable and acceptable converse with the best men in it God I say seeing this judgeth these morally vertuous men black we that are Parents to Children and Masters 〈◊〉 Servants tho we cannot judge of their hearts yet can distinguish betwixt actions which they do upon and in obedience to our command and what they do not at our command nor out of obedience to us tho they be things which done please us being what we would have had done God who knoweth the heart will much more do so I remember our Saviour Matth. 23. 23. pronounceth a wo to the Scribes and Pharisees for faith he you pay Tythe of Mint and Annis and Cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law judgment mercy and faith these things ought you to have done and not to have left the other undone Christ judgeth the comeliness of a Soul not meerly from its external acts
but from that faith in the Precepts Promises and Threatnings of the Word from that love fear and obedience to God which ought to have principled those acts and if they had been so would have made those acts more intense certain steddy and uniform if these be wanting the Life-colours are wanting to the Picture Other things make but up the Skeleton of the duty and are but as a draught of the lines of the Face without the Life-colours which seldom have much beauty in them and the Soul notwithstanding all this fair and splendid outside is in his eyes but as a painted Sepulcher within which is nothing but a stench and rottenness and the bones of dead men So that no Soul that is without Faith without the fear and love of God and that acteth not out of obedience to Christ in what it doth but is black wholly black in the Lords eyes how fair soever in its own eyes or the eyes of the men of the world and what Augustine said of old of the best and most vertuous actions of the Heathens is true of the best actions of these titular Christians they are but Splendida Peccata Splendid Sinnings Thus now I say the true Christian standeth distinguished from unbelievers of all sizes whatsoever none of them are comely but wholly black in the eyes of Christ because they have none of his comeliness put upon them The glorified Saint is altogether whitehe hath not onely washed his garments in the Blood of the Lamb but he is also delivered from the infirmities of humane nature from the Sin that easily besetts him the weight that presseth him down the war in his members from the lustings of the flesh against the Spirit the law of his members so often rebelling against the law of his mind and bringing him into a captivity oft times to the law of Sin and is now presented before Christ without spot or wrinkle This is the felicity of his State The Apostle saith that we are now the Sons of God but it doth not yet appear what we shall be Sin here maketh us black affliction and sorrow make us appear more black then we are the translated Soul neither sinneth nor yet suffereth or sorroweth any more the state of the Child of God differeth from these because he is black it differeth from the state of the unbeliever in this life because he is not onely black but also comely hence you may understand the error of those who dream of a state of perfection which the People of God may and do attain in this life some go very high in blasphemy telleng us that we are Christed and Godded and that the believer is as spotless as Christ c. The Apostle indeed tells us we are made partakers of the Divine Nature but it is one thing to be made partakers of another thing to be transformed into the Divine Nature Christ is the chief of ten thousand altogether desires there is no spot no blemish in him The best of Gods people is black as well as comely black through inherent corruption and unrighteousness tho comely in respect of imputed righteousness and inherent habits of grace and holiness The Apostle tells us that by one mans disobedience many were made Sinners and that we are all by nature children of wrath Eph. 2. 3. Those who would have Christ to die for every man being pinched with that question What did Christ then purchase for those that shall never be saved some of them answer he purchased for all a totall freedom from Adams Sin I know no line in Scripture to justify that it was after Christ had dyed that the Apostle tells us we are all by nature children of wrath but he that can fancy that he liveth and sinneth not against God and so is not black through actual sin doth yet more foully deceive himself certainly he must not look into the perfect law of God or else is not able to distinguish white from black If he looked into the divine law he would quickly with Saint Paul see that the law is Holy and Spiritual and Just and Good and that the best of men is but carnal sold under Sin Let not then any glory in a fancyed perfection it is but a glorying in appearance not in reality All that the Spouse gloryeth in is that she was not altogether black It is a true saying of Mr. Calvin that it is the greatest piece of our perfection to be sensible of our imperfections As vain is the glorying also of them who glory in an exemption from afflictions that this Sun hath not lookt upon them afflictions have not scorched them as they have scorched others the Apostle tells us that if we be without chastening then are we Bastards and not Sons It is not our glory to be free from them but to indure them not to be wholly exempted from them but under them to exercise our faith and patience and to glorify God in the Fires The motto of a Child of God is Black but Comely black through remaining lusts and coruptions comely through imputed righteousness and inherent habits of grace and holiness Black through Affliction and Persecution Comely in and under them glorifying God in the Fires by the exercises of Faith and Patience From hence every inquisitive Christian may take just measures of himself he is not to judg of himself by his blackness whether it be the blackness of renewing sin and corruption or the blackness of Affliction and Worldly Opposition and Persecutions Let him examine himself 1. Whether he hath not a mixture of grace with corruption Sin in dominion is not indeed consistent with grace but Sin in being is there are Twins which struggle one with another in every good Soul Every Christian will find he hath a flesh to be crucified members to be mortified and a law in his members some impetuous motions of lust at some times but let him examine whether he doth not find also a Spiritual part and a law in his mind the flesh indeed lusteth against the Spirit that is a Christians blackness but doest thou not also find the Spirit lusting against thy flesh that is thy comliness A true Christian is not to judge himself from the freedom of his Soul from sin but from the war and combate of his Soul with sin He in the Gospel that said I believe Lord help my unbelief expressed the lively Image of every true Christian So doth St. Paul more largely Rom. 7. 18 19 20. For I know in me that is in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me but kow to perform that which is good I find not For the good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do now if I do that which I would not it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me I find then a law that when I would do good evil is present with me
was in my blood live he hath fixed his Love upon me who was by birth an Ethiopian he hath hung a Chain about my neck I am black but I am comely I have met with a story of a Minister who going to visit and pray with a poor creatureâ— possessed by the Devil the Devil thought to have stopt his mouth by objecting to him some sins committed by him in his youth The holy man answered confessing the charge but Satan saith he upon my repentance Christ hath since that washed me with his blood Another story I have met with of a worthy Person who lying upon his sick bed and being alone one opens the door and comes in in the habit of a Scrivener with a Pen and Inkhorn and Paper andsetting himself down at the table in the Chapter called the sick man by name and told him he was sent from God to take account of him of all the sins he had done for which he must presently go and answer to God before his Judgment seat The good man rightly apprehending that it was the Devil had assumed an habit to tempt and distrub him bid him go on and write first Gen. 3. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel Upon which the evil Spirit presently disappeared Speaking only from my memory I may forget some circumstances but this is the substance of the story What the Devil in these cases did by a more audible voice he doth yet every day by impressions made more secretly upon the Spirits of some or other that fear God For tho conscience will of it self often bring sin to remembrance and reflect sins upon the Soul committed long before yet they are some times reflected with such violence and degrees of terror and attended with such strong motions and sollicitations to despair of Divine mercy and to self murder that it is but reasonable to judge there is more in them then the ordinary workings of conscience In such a dark hour as this it will be a great relief to a Soul to think that the Spouse of Christ is black but comely Doth the Devil then object thy blackness whether by reason of past or present sins in bar to thy trust and confidence in God for the forgiveness of them through the blood of Christ Reply to him Satan I have been black I confess it I am black but I am comely also having my Garments washed and rouled in the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World I am as the Tents of Kedar they are black but I am also as the Curtains of Solomon they are exceeding beautiful 3. It also relieveth a Christian under Persecutions and afflictions and against the Worlds upbraidings because of them The Barbarians concluded Paul a Murtherer because they saw a Viper cleaving to his hand and the men of the World are very prone to judge and condemn the People of God for what happeneth to them in this life they see the blackness of Gods Peoples visages under affliction and persecution but the love of God in chastening them that they might not be condemned with the World the exercises of their faith and trial of it and its appearing more precious then that of Gold their patience its perfect worâ— hâ—se are things in which their comeliness appeareth in and under afflictions these are things which they do not see Gods People are also ready to conclude against themselves because of their tryals but there is no just reason for it afflictions are but a blackness of the skin the Child of God may notwithstanding them be within exceeding beautiful and comely The tents of Kedar though they had black and unlovely coverings and outsides yet within might be fill'd with Spices and Riches I shall shut up this discourse with some few words of exhortation to that duty which this notion of truth calls to us for 1. It calleth to all the People of God for humility a mean and low opinion of themselves beauty is often a great temptation to Pride whether it be natural or artificial The Daughters of Sion were haughty and walked with stretched forth Necks and wanton Eyes Isaiah 3. 16. Spiritual beauty gives no advantage to a Soul to think of it self above what it ought to think In all reason we should have been some cause to our selves of that whereof we glory we should have some propriety in it and there should be in it some perfection The comeliness of Gods People is neither natural nor any acquest of their own There are three things which may keep the most comely of Gods Children humble First The consideration of their former blackness Let but any of them look back to the rock out of which they are hewen and to the hole of the Pit out of which they were digged and they will see no reason to be exalted above measure their Father was a Syrian their birth was of the land of Canaan their Father was an Amorite their Mother an Hittite and in the day wherein they were born they were cast out to the loathing of their persons not salted not swadled at all Nor was this all there is none of them but had their conversation in times past according to the Prince of the power of the Air fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Children of Wrath by nature c There is none of them but hath reason to pray that the Lord would not remember the sins of their youth against them and to beg of God that for them he would not write against them bitter things nor make them to possess their years of vanity None of them but before Christs comeliness was put upon them had been guilty of sin enough to make them to walk softly all the days of their lives Secondly The consideration of their present blackness is enough though they are comely yet they are black still they have a body of death a law of their members the lustings of the flesh against the Spirit sins that easily beset them weights that often press them down the beauty of the best of Gods People is but like the beauty of the Moon which is full of spots hath a dark part and often suffers great Eclipses and all whose light is borrowed He observeth not his own heart that doth not see enough in the imperfect and extravagant motions of it to keep him humble Thirdly The third is the consideration from whence he deriveth his beauty If men and women would but debate a little with their own reason they would see no reason to be proud of a comeliness arising from any external Ornament it is something beneath a Reasonable Being to be beholden to a Stone Jewels are no more or a little Earth such are Gold and Silver a Plant or a Fly or a Silkworm or a Sheep a little Wool or Flax for
the faileurs of some sincerer 〈◊〉 of God 〈◊〉 too far to the corruptions of others too many instances of which we have had The opposition which Christians have met with having been a continual dropping upon them and overpowered them to do many things against the dictates of their own consciences thus losing their beauty it is no great wonder if they appear black Indeed from hence almost are all those things which render Christians and Churches black I now come to the application Let not then Christians think it strange if their habits of grace find opposition from within and the actings of their grace meet with opposition from without There is no Child of God but findeth upon experience that his Mothers Children are angry with him his flesh is many times lusting against the Spirit and he findeth a War in his Members As Rebekah was troubled because she found Twins strugling together in her Womb so is many a good Christian when as indeed there is no greater note of Grace then this Combate of the Flesh and the Spirit if thou hadst not two parties within there would be none of these conflicts the unregenerate man hath nothing of them he hath motions to sin but no contrary habits to oppose no lustings of the Spirit against the Flesh such a man may indeed from natural light and the obligation under which the law of nature layeth him sometimes resist motions to more gross and flagitious sins but this combate is rare and in very rare cases and those such where the law of nature is offended or his honour and reputation and profit and advantage is concerned as to his avoiding of them nor is the Battel ever very hot The true Christian hath a double principle the one natural this inclineth and moveth him to sin the other supernatural and infused Both these principles are active and operative and these spiritual conflicts must be expected the discovery of the truth of Grace in thy Soul doth much depend upon thy behaviour in the Spiritual Fight and thy managery of it if thou findest this conflict if thou maintainest it with thy might if thou criest unto God for help and strength if ordinarily thou beest a conquerour Thy opposition is so far from being an evidence against thee that it is a great evidence for thee Nor let good Christians wonder if the exercise of their grace meets with opposition from without and that from their Mothers Children too As there are two parties in every gracious heart so there are and ever were two Parties in the Church of God There were some and those the greater number on whose behalf Paul saith he could wish himself accursed from Christ they were his Brethren and not only his Kinsmen according to the Flesh but Israelites to whom belonged the Adoption and the Glory and the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the Service of God and the promises yet Rom. 9. 6. they were not Israel though they were of Israel neither were they all Children because they were the Seed of Abraham v. 8. They which are the Children of the flesh are not the Children of the promise God in one place promiseth to make his Seed as the Stars of Heaven Gen 22. 17. in another place Gen. 13. 16. As the Dust of the Earth He had a Starry Seed these were a great number for he was the Father of the Faithful the Father of Believers the Father of all Holy Men that do the works of Abraham He had also a dusty Seed this was greater thus it is said he should be the Father of many Nations and he was the Father of the whole Jewish Nation the oâ—â—y visible Church God had for many years upon the Earth but these saith the Apostle are not all Children T is the same case with the Church under the New Testament it is made up partly of presumptive equivocal Members partly of real univocal Members such as glory not in appearance only but in reality that are not as Jews only outwardly nor of that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but they are Jews inwardly Christians indeed and that circumcision which is of the heart in the Spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of Men but of God There is a Baptism in the name of Christ and a Baptism into Christ a Baptism with Water and a Baptism with the Holy Ghost and with Fire all that are Baptized with a Ministerial Baptism with Water are not Baptized with the Spiritual Baptism of Regeneration These two parties in the Church never did never will agree there is in them a different Seed they are acted from different principles and they act to quite different ends Let not therefore good Christians wonder and think it strange if they find still that their Mothers Children are angry with them it is no more then ever was the lot of the true Spouse of Christ and will be her lot until Christ shall come and with his Fan throughly purge his floor Nor do you wonder if these things make you appear b ack The Papists think they make us appear very black when they can tell us of Errors and Heresies Factions Divisions and Schisms amongst us and indeed it is a reproach to us they are spots and blemishes in the Assemblies of Protestants But 1. Are they then so well agreed amongst themselves what mean then the differences betwixt their Dominicans and Franciscans to say nothing of their other Orders What means their Secular Priests and Jesuits so bespattering one another in their Books Though it is very probable that if Protestants could dispense with their consciences to with-hold from the People the sight and knowledge of the Holy Scriptures the rule both of their faith and life so as they know no more to differ about then their Priests tell them or to set up a Judge of all controversies that should be infallible and from whose decrees none must vary And finally to set up an Inquisition to force all mens Obedience to the decrees of that infallible Judge under pain of death I say could Protestants in these things dispense with their consciences to take such methods for unity they might probably arrive at as great if not a greater unity then they can glory in who have been so far from it that themselves reckon 30 or 32 Schisms and those of that nature as according to their principles destroy all unity for so many times some of which lasted a great many years too they have been at a loss for to find the true visible head of the Church We know that the Apostolical and purest Churches that ever Christ had upon the Earth had some that were indeed Mothers Children Members of the visible Church but no Children of our Heavenly Father and that these have constantly been angry with and given opposition to those that have been the true and sincere Members of the Church and have brought in Errors and caused Schisms and
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
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
in the habitable part of his Earth and his Delights were with the Sons of Men. The Apostle tells those of the Ephesians who were Saints and faithful That they were chosen in Christ before the Foundation of the VVorld that they should be holy and without blame before him in Love predestinated unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his VVill. To the Praise of the Glory of his Grace wherein 〈◊〉 hath made us accepted through the Beloved in whom we have Redemption through his Blood the forgiveness of sins according to the Riches of his Grace c. There is no portion of the Word of God that part of it especially which we call the Gospel but affordeth us an abundant proof of this What meant his being made Surety of a better Covenant for us as the Apostle to the Hebrews tell us His being given for a Covenant for the people Isa 42. 6. a Light to the Gentiles to open the Eyes of the blind to bring out the Prisoners from the Prison and them that sit in Darkness out of the Prison-house His being the Lamb slain from the beginning of the VVorld Rev. 13 8. His Speaking by the Mouths of the Prophets as the Apostle tells us His growing up as a tender Plant and as a Root out of a dry ground having no form nor comliness nor beauty to be desired his being despised rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs his bearing our griefs and carrying our Sorrows being Smitten of God and afflicted his being wounded for our Transgressions and bruised for our iniquities when the chastisement of our peace lay upon him His suffering strips that we might â—e healed c. What signified his incarnation his death and 〈◊〉 his resurrection and ascension his taking care for his Gospel to be preach'd to every creature c. his being grieved for the hardness of peoples hearts and troubled for their unbelief his frequent preaching while he was upon the Earth his weeping over Hierusalem his invitations of people to come unto him that they might have life his complaints that they would not come unto him c. I say what do all these things signify from him who needeth not his creature being over all God blessed for ever but that he hath loves an infinite good will to the Children of men No man is at cost taketh pains in any business suffereth hard things to go through it but either out of kindness to himself or to another Our Lord did not do and suffer these things for himself he had no need of them if it were for us it speaks his loves 2. But this is no more than what every one who owneth Christ and the Gospel will easily grant That Christ is Love and hath a Love for the Sons of men yea and that there is an infiniteness and unmeasurableness in the Love of Christ But that he hath Loves in the Other sense Some Specialties of Love some particular propensions to some Souls more than others this is what the proud world cannot so easily digest Yet is this as plain in the Revelation of holy Writ as the other It speaks of an Election or choice of some to Holiness and Happiness before the foundation of the world the choice of Some must suppose the passing by or not electing others experience shews us that not onely the good things of common pro vidence but even the external means of Grace are granted to some not to others 3. Neither doth this grate so much The most perverse opiners in this point must grant the publication of the Gospel an effect of the Love of Christ and that there is a very inequal distribution of it by the wise Providence of God but as to them to whom the Gospel is alike preached they know not how to allow Loves in Christ have they then forgot what the Apostle saith Rom. 9. 6. For they are not all Israel which are of Israel Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all Children But in Isaac shall thy seed be called that is They who are the Children of the flesh these are not the Children of God but the Children of the Promise counted for the seed And again Rom. 2. 28. 29. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circnmcision is that in the heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of men but of God Doth not experience teach us that even where the Gospel is preachd some repent of their sins some are hardened some believe others are lockt up in unbelief some are holy and blameless others are leud and profane But they will say This is not from any Loves in Christ he his alike to all but from the differing motions and inclinations of the will of man I yet ask Whence is it Seing human Souls are Equal and have the same powers and faculties how comes it that one man loveth God and the ways of God another hates and abhorreth every thing almost that hath the image and Superscription of God upon it Is a man a God to himself and the first cause of any motions that are truly and spiritually good Is it not God that giveth to will and to do of his own good pleasure Hath a man any thing which is good which he hath not received If one hath received such a power such an inclination such a disposition from God there is Special Love then Christ hath Loves besides a common Philanthropy a good will to the generality of mankind shewed in other things which will not bring Souls to Eternal Salvation he hath a special Love and kindness to some Souls which he manifesteth in such dispensations to it as shall certainly bring the Soul to Eternal Life and Salvation and these are those of which the text Speaks But I have Spoken enough in evidence of so plain a Proposition as this is I come to the application 1st How should this Revelation of Christ reconcile the world unto him Christ hath Loves for us why should there be found in our hearts or ways any hatred to or opposition against him Yet is not the World full of this What is an opposition to the publication of his Gospel an hatred to his Ministers to his People to his Laws and holy Institutions but an hatred to him Christ hath so judged of it he told some of the first Minister s of his Gospel Math. 10. 14 15. That in the day of Judgment it should be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha than for those that did not receive them and hear his words Wicked men and Enemies to the Gospel are in Scripture called unreasonable men 2. Thessal 3. 2. Absurd men The absurdness and unreasonableness of men that are Enemies to Christ and the Gospel for of such the Apostle speaketh
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
for I delight in the law of God after the inward man 2. Let him Secondly examine himself whether there be not a comeliness in him in and under his blackness of Affliction and worldly opposition A wicked man may be black through affliction but his blackness is like the blackness of a coal which is a dead colour and hath no beauty in it The Child of God is also black from the same cause but his is like the blackness of a polished marble which hath a great beauty and comliness in it The trial of his faith in his afflictions appeareth more precious then that of gold that perisheth his love to God then appeareth by his panting after him and firm adherence of Soul unto him his meekness his patience all shine forth under his afflictions The demeanour of People under afflictions will much discover whose they are 3. Thirdly The comeliness of the Spouse of Christ is not a comeliness without blackness but a comeliness norwithstanding blackness That is to say It is not a Native but an adventitious and Superinduced comliness nor adventitious from any good dispositions or any acts or indeavours of our own singly but a gracious imputation and infusion The imputation of Christs righteousness the infusion of gracious habits a comeliness arising from Christs comeliness put upon the Soul So as tho the poor creature hath been guilty before God and iniquity yet doth sometimes prevail against it the righteousness of Christ being reckoned to him for righteousness and his heart being renewed Sanctified through the Spirit of Christ and the bent of it being set right for God notwithstanding his blackness the Lord doth judge him comely and beautiful overlooking his blackness by reason of sin and infirmity 4. Lastly Every Child of God will own and be truly sensible of his blackness I am black saith the Spouse The hypocrite boasteth of his whiteness come saith Jehu to Jonadab and see my zeal for the Lord God of hosts God I thank thee saith the Pharisee I am not as other men are Extortioners Unjust Adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice in the week I give tythes of all that I possess Luk. 18. 11 12. he owneth nothing in himself but whiteness aversates all blackness yet v. 14. he went away to his house not justified Hypocrites are hardly perswaded to own in themselves any blackness The Children of God are as hardly perswaded to own any beauty or comliness in themselves I gave you before the Instances of David and of Paul The reason is because the hypocrite trusts to a Spiders web a righteousness from himself spun out of his own Bowels and he is concerned to justify his integrity and to make it as whole as he can again all that he doth is to be seen of men and therefore he must set the best face of his actions that he can the Child of God seeketh for no such things in himself but despairing in himself he flyeth to the righteousness of Christ and freely confesseth and owneth his own nakedness that he might be clothed with that righteousness again the Child of God seeketh not the praise of men nor his own honour and glory but seeketh the praise of God and the honour and glory of Christ alone Thirdly This notion affordeth a great relief to the People of God against their own dejections and despondencies 2. Satans temptations and 3. The worlds upbraidings 1. Against his own despondencyes and dejections A Child of God living under the power of that Precept 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your solves prous your selves whether you be in the faith or uâ— is often looking into his own heart and can seldom please himself with the prospect He seeth in his own heart much of Vnbelief much of Vaniâ—y much of Hypocrisy always some lust or other a body of death remaining in him iniquity prevailing against him he sinneth 7 times every day and he seeth it every night and oft times as much out of heart much dejected crying out Vnclean Vnclean I am black wofully black no better then a painted hypocrite I make a fair shew to the World and deceive some of my brethten but alas they do not see that luft and vanity that pride and passion that folly and hypocrisy which I can with half an Eye discorn in my own Soul surely I deceive myself I have no portion in God no relation to Christ I cannot be his Spouse Christian be of good Chear thou art black but art thou not also comely When a Child of God hath found out the best of himself all his comfort will be found to lie in that one text Rom. 8. v. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit He can neither look into his own heart and see his inward thoughts and the motions there nor consider his tongue and the issues of that nor compare the best of his actions with the Divine rule but he feeth himself by all condemned and findeth nothing to relieve him in is dark thoughts but in Christs imputed righteousness and that there no is condemnation to them that are in Christ And that is enough provided that he hath this evidence of his being in Christ That he walketh not after the flesh but after the Spirit 2. It affordeth the same relief against the most desperate temptations of our grand adversary the Devil Satan we say first tempteth to Sin and then he makes advantage of our hearkening to his temptations to tempt us to further sins and those of a more heinous and horrid nature to despair of Gods mercy to destroy our selves c. He first attempteth to make the Soul black by moving it to sinful acts then his next work is to perswade the Soul that God will never pardon such a sinner Christ can never Love such an Ethiopian Hence those strong violent impressions upon Souls under the power of temptations God is an holy God of purer eyes then to behold iniquity he can never set his heart upon such a polluted vile wretch as I am I have been guilty of thousands of willful Omissions of duty and Commissions contrary to my duty possibly some particular sin or sins lie as an heavy load upon the poor creatures conscience The Spouse here hath furnished such a Soul with an answer to the tempter The Spouse of Christ is black but yet comely Let then such a Soul thus answer these suggestions of the tempter O thou Prince of darkness it is true I have been a grievous sinner and as such Christ cannot Love me so far forth as I am black I am unlovely but I am not wholly black Christ cannot Love my sins but he can pardon my sin and Love my Soul The Lord hath been graciously pleased to pardon my sins upon my repentance and my acceptation of the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving him as my Saviour he hath said to me while I
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
work thou gavest me to do Christ and his Disciples have in the general one and the same work to glorifie God Though if we come to speak of the particular actions by which God is glorified by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Believer there is a great deal of difference Christ glorified his Father by performance of the acts of our Redemption according to his Fathers Will we by those good works which he hath commanded yet in the general scope viz. the glorifying of God and the more general mean by which this general End is attained viz. obedience to the Will of God they are both the same Christ glorified his Father by obedience to his Will The Child of God glorifieth God by obedience to his Will both of them glorified God by the praedication of his Name by praising him c. Christ took upon him the form of a Servant and became obedient Phil. 2. 7 8. The Child of God is by Birth a Servant and by Covenant a Servant there is that difference betwixt them but they are both Servants both obedient to the Will of God and both by that obedience serve the great End of glorifying God which justifieth the Notion though the Acts of their obedience differ according to their several spheres and stations In a great Family you know they are all fellow-servants though some of them have a more some a less noble Imployment 3. Christ is their Fellow-worker their Fellow-helper not only with reference to the Father as they both work to the same End and by the same general Means viz. obedience to the Will of God but as he worketh in them and excites their habits of grace and strengtheneth them in the exercise of them Phil. 4. 13. I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Phil. 4. 13. Without me you can do nothing Joh. 15. 3. His Spirit helpeth our infirmities Rom. 8. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it lifts over against them The Child of God without the presence and assistance of Christ cannot pray a prayer nor hear a Sermon nor perform any spiritual duty so as that Christ is not only to the Believer a Fellow labourer and Fellow-servant doing the same work that they do or at least having done the same work but he is their Fellow-helper as to all their own spiritual Motions and Actions 4. You in holy Scripture read of a Fellow-Prisoner Aristarchus and Epaphras are both of them called Paul's Fellow-prisoners Coloss 4. 14. You read also of a Fellow-Souldier Philip. 2. v. 25. Philemon 2. This Notion signifieth one that is a Partner and Fellow to another in Conflicts Combates c. a common Partnership in hazards and sufferings In this sense our Lord properly calleth his Spouse the Believing Soul his Fellow He fought and overcame the same Enemies with whom they daily fight The Christian hath three great Enemies the World the Flesh and the Devil It is true Christ had none of the second to incounter he was born without sin he lived without sin he had no body of death But yet he had to die for our sins all our sins were set in Battel Array against him they were those which nailed him to the Cross but he conquered and declared his Conquest by his Resurrection from the dead The World is our Enemy one of those Enemies against which we are to maintain the Spiritual Fight It was also his Enemy he fought against it and overcame it Joh. 16. 33. Be of good cheer I have overcome the World The Devil is another of our great Enemies against whom we are commanded to put on the whole Armour of God Christ overcame him also Heb. 2. 14 15. Through death he destroyed him who had the power of death even the Devil And the same Apostle in the same Epistle tells us that he was therefore tempted that he might be able to succour those that are tempted The Apostle mentioneth Christ in this Notion when he calleth him The Captain of our Salvation It is long since that he let his People know by his Prophet Isaiah that In all their afflictions he was afflicted He took himself concerned in the persecution of his Church and therefore calleth from Heaven Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Indeed it is not easie to determine what kind of Sympathy the most perfect Nature of Christ is capable of but that he is their Fellow-sufferer the Scripture plainly determineth Thus you see that it is not in a complement that Jesus Christ speaking to his Saints speaks to them in this dialect Thou that art my Fellow But our Translation reads it O my Love and the word as I before shewed you is also so translated properly enough A Friend hath this name in the Hebrew because he is alwaies the companion and associate of his correlated Friend Hence we translate it My Loves and conformably to this our Lord speaketh Joh. 15. 14. You are my Friends if you do whatsoever I have commanded you And again v. 15. Henceforth I call you not Servants I call you Friends Let us a little inquire how Christ approveth himself a Believers Friend Friendship speaketh 4 things 1. Love 2. Free and ingenuous love 3. Mutual and reciprocal Love 4. Mutual communion and converse each with other 1. It Speaketh Love Amicus ab amando This is so obvious to every one that either understandeth any thing of the Revelation or History of holy Writ that it will need very few words to demonstrate Besides the frequent friendly compellations which Christ hath given his People whoso considereth his conjuction with his Father in the Eternal Purposes for their Salvation and all those means by which they are made meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light his concern in the Eternal Covenant of Redemption and of Grace in which he became a Surety for them his taking upon him humane Nature walking up and down in our flesh Dying upon the Cross for us sinners his resurrection from the dead for their justification his ascending up into Heaven and giving Gifts unto men Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints his sending his Spirit to convince the World of sin righteousness and Judgment his daily influence upon his People strengthening quickening and comforting of them his being their advocate with the Father in case both of Sins and duties his passionate expressions while he was on the Earth for the conversion of Souls his intreating them by his Ministers as his Embassadors that they would be reconciled to God the charge that he hath given the World against offending them his declarations of his coming to judge the World to render tribulation to them that trouble them and to them Rest and Peace I say he that considereth any of these things much less all of them together must say that he loved them with an Everlasting unchangeable Love alone suted to all the necessities of his poor Creatures and that he hath willed them good sutable to all
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
By the Beloved speaking in this Song you are to understand the Lord Jesus Christ By the Spouse whom he sometimes calleth his love you may understand the Church and more particularly every truly believing Soul By the Watchmen the Ministers of the Church whom God hath set to watch for Souls By the Daughters of Hierusalem sometimes mentioned either the Members of the Church or the Neighbours of it The two first have the greatest share in the Song the others sometimes speak and are sometime spoken to But this is enough to have spoken by way of preface 'T is time to leave the threshold and to enter in to this pleasant House Only give me leave as an Epilogue to this discourse to subjoin the Judgment of Ludovicus de Ponte though a Papist yet a learned Man who hath copiously interpreted this Spiritual Song and allowing him the Popish Devotion for the Sacred Virgin which makes them all think they see her in every Text hath done much in it well It is prefix'd to his Latine Commentary To this purpose The Book of Solomon which from the nobleness of the Argument is called the Song of Songs is a spiritual conference betwixt that God who is three and yet one or betwixt Christ who is true God and Man and his Church whether ancient or modern and every gracious Soul which is a Member of that Church In which discourse God hath a double part and personateth two several Persons The person of a most wise Instructer or Master delivering to his Disciple the sublime Doctrine of Faith and Holiness 2. The Person of a most endeared lover extolling and courting his most beloved Spouse with wonderful praises and enriching her with great gifts and favours The Church also represents a double Person 1. The Person of a Disciple or Spouse towards God or the Person of a Mistress or companion towards other Souls which she calls the Daughters of Hierusalem The Argument of this Conference as well became such Persons is sublime pleasant profitable and abundantly copious for whatsoever the ancient Prophets sang whatsoever the Evangelists afterwards related or the Apostles Preached whether relating to the mysteries of faith or to holiness and Gospel perfection it is all in this Song comprehended in the style of lovers the style being Spiritual not Carnal But because the Metaphors and Similitudes which fill this whole Book are taken from Carnal Marriages We must pill off the bark that the letter might not kill That being once taken off the spiritual part lying within will enlighten the Soul and quicken and inflame and perfect it For according to our Saviours words it is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing and the words of this Song are Spirit and life to those who do sincerely consider them For as the Ancient Priests of the Jews as we read in the Book of Macchabees when they looked for the sacred fire which they had hidden found nothing but thick water which water to the admiration of all when the Sun shined out of the Cloud again was turned into fire so he who looks upon the Book of Canticles with carnal Eyes will only find the puddle-water of words which the outside letter seemeth to shew which will fill his heart with darkness instead of light with a carnal chilling instead of spiritual heat But if the divine Sun inlightens that which seemed puddle water will become coelestial fire wonderfully inlightning the understanding and inflaming the will But although the whole Book of Canticles containeth 8 Chapters and by Interpreters be divided into three five or more parts yet I believe the first and second Chapters are a sum or breviary of all those mysteries of Faith which are contained in the six other Chapters which is evidenced from this that the close of the second and of the last Chap. are much the same to shew us that the narration of matter is finished in the second Chapter and that from the third Chapter beginneth a new discourse of the same mysteries under new Metaphors and Similitudes Discourses of Divine Love BETWEEN CHRIST and the CHURCH From the first Chap. of the Song of Solomon Sermon I. Cant. 1. 2 3. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth for his loves are better then Wine V. 3. Because of the savour of thy good Ointments Thy name is as an Ointment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee I Have observed in my prefatory discourse that some have fancied that this Book is called The Song of Songs because it contains several Songs in it It is in our Bibles divided into 8 Chapters and by Interpreters into several periods according to their particular fancies Ludovicus De Ponte conceives as I shewed you that the two first Chapters contain a Breviary of all the rest and as an evidence of it alledgeth the same close both of the second and eighth Chapter and from the third Chapter he thinks there begins a repetition of the same spiritual mysteries under new Metaphors whether that notion in the extent of it be true or no doubtless the two first Chapters contain much spiritual Doctrine informing us in the near communion betwixt the Lord Jesus Christ and the believing Soul A learned Interpreter distributes this Chapter into two parts the first he calls Prooemium a Preface the second Colloquium a Conference betwixt the two great Interlocutors in this spiritual discourse In the former you have two things 1. A Prayer 2. An Apology The first in v. 1 2 3 4 7. The second as a Parenthesis v 5 6. The Prayer consisteth of three Petitions each of which is urged by suitable arguments The first petition is v. 2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Month. The second v. 4. Draw me The 3d is v. 7. Tell me O thou whom my Soul loveth c. where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon The further distribution of the Chapter and the several verses in it I shall leave until I come in order to them My Text containeth the first Petition with an argument annexed The petition in those words Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth The argument in the latter words for his love is better then Wine For the just understanding of the words we must consider 1. Who it is that speaketh 2. To whom the Speech is directed 3. what the import of the Petition is As to the first our Translation puts it out of doubt and it is as universally agreed amongst Interpreters that the Person speaking is she who throughout the whole Song bears the Person of the Spouse by which having already rejected the notions of those who understand Pharaohs Daughter or the Shulamite as also of those who restrain it to the Jewish Church must be understood either the Church in the general or the believing Soul in particular who here speaketh Either to the Bridegroom the Lord Jesus Christ or to God the Father of this
it hath any sense of the fire I conclude then that as Christs Ointments are the graces with which he is filled So the savour of these Ointments is nothing else than the souls perception and sense of that Christ by the mediation of the holy Spirit of God breathing his grace and love upon the Souls of his People And this is sufficient to have spoken for the explication of this first phrase It follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy name is as an Ointment poured forth Job speaking of God saith what is his name and what is his Sons name Let us enquire a little concerning the name of Christ in this Text. A name is an appellation given to some person or thing either to express the nature and being of it or to distinguish it from another thing God cannot properly be said to have a name because no term can fully explicate to us his divine essence But yet God is pleased in some little measure to make himself known to us Now whatsoever God thus makes himself known unto us by that is his name More particularly The second Person in the holy Trinity considered as our Mediator and in reference to the great work of mans redemption had several names One expressing the two natures which were united in that Divine Person that was his name Emanuel which signifieth God with us Another expressing the great work which he had to do viz. To save his People from their sins therefore his name was called Jesus A third expressing his designation consecration to his Office thus he was called Messiah and Christ both signifying the same thing Anointed Gregory understands it of the name Christ and the name Messiah so doth Lud. de Ponte Genebrard Lyra and others of the name Jesus But I know no reason why we should dispute so nicely for the particular name when as Christ had several names either expressive of his Divine or Human nature or of his personal capacity as both Natures were united in him or else expressing the vertues and graces of his Person or else relating to one or another or all his sacred Offices and indeed what is said in the Text is true concerning every name of Christ as well as another Each of his names is As an Ointment poured forth And besides I see a more comprehensive interpretation of the term equally true with this Thy name Whatsoever thou art made known by unto us thy word ordinances grace gospel it is all like Oil poured forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word translated poured forth cometh from the Hebrew Radix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath emptied or exhausted Christs name is compared to Oil to Oil emptied poured out Oyl in the Box is sweet very sweet it maketh the Box sweet but it casts not forth its smell abroad nor is the sweetness of it so exceeding great and overcoming as when it is poured forth It is said of the Ointment with which Mary anointed our Lord that when she brake the Box the savour of it filled the room Nor is it said thy name is as an Ointment dropped out but as an Ointment poured forth as Ointment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 emptied or exhausted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Septuagint version Take the Lord Jesus Christ as he is one with the Father God over all blessed for ever so he is the Fountain and Original of Grace full of good Ointments But now look upon him as our Mediator in which notion the names of Jesus Christ Messias Emanuel c. belong unto him so he is as Oil poured forth The grace of the hypostatical union is poured out upon him he is God with us The fulness of the God-Head dwelleth in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bodily The Revelation of Christ to the world as the Saviour of the Sons of Men is as an Ointment poured forth which smells sweet in the Nostrils of all the world and filleth the whole Creation with a sweet savour The more special revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ unto the particular souls of the Saints is as an Ointment poured forth Christ apprehended and applyed by faith unto the soul is exceeding sweet to it To you that believe saith the Apostle he is precious It followeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore do the Virgins love thee Amongst men the term Virgin signifies one who hath not lain with Man neither as a Wife nor as a Strumpet By a metaphor the Servants of God in Scripture are called Virgins because it is their duty and will be their care to keep themselves unspotted from the world from all filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit as the Apostle speaketh the 144000 glorified Saints mentioned Rev. 14. 4. are called Virgins The professors of the Gospel at large are so called in the parable Mat. 25. of which though as to the matter of their own salvation some were wise some soolish yet all kept themselves from the Paganish Spiritual Adultery with Devils Stocks and Stones Gods People of Israel anciently was called a Virgin Jer. 31. 4. 13. And Saint Paul professeth it his desire to present the Saints at Corinth as a chast Virgin unto Christ to which purpose he was jealous over them with a godly jealousy 2 Cor. 11. 2. The word here translated virgins cometh from the Heb. root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to be hid and covered either Because the gravity of former times caused Parents to keep their Virgins as it were hidden in their Houses until Marriage Or else because the modesty of those more innocent times allowed not Virgins to go without their Vails as it were hidden from vulgar sight Rebeccah when she came near unto Isaac took a Vail and covered herself which usage continued a long time after especially in publick Assemblies Tertullian hath a peculiar Book de velandis Virginibus concerning the vailing of Virgins where he bitterly inveigheth against those who had broken those bars of modesty and calleth them capita nundinatitia pudorem ostentatitiae Virginitatis what would he have said to the bare Necks and open Breasts of this Age But I told you by Virgins here are meant the true Children of God who are called hidden ones Psal 83. 3. such who being cleansed have neither spot nor wrinkle but are holy and without blemish thus of old Origen and Gregor magnus and more lately Beda with the generality of modern Expositors interpret it Mercer by Virgins seems to understand the Gentiles who had not heard of Christ yet should be also induced to love him upon the report of his Excellencies revealed to them in the preaching of the Gospel but the other Interpretation is proper enough and more generally received to which I shall adhere These Virgins love Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word translated love is ordinarily used and so interpreted it hath a great cognation with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voluit he hath willed
and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desideravit he hath desired Love is nothing else but a willing of good to the object beloved and desire is the eldest Daughter and first fruit of love For the particles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore they shew the cause of the believers loving of the Lord Jesus Christ because of the savour of his good Ointments The excellencies of grace which are in him of which it hath a spiritual sense This whole verse comprehends a second Argument by which the Spouse inforceth her first petition The first was drawn from that high esteem which her soul had of the love and grace of Christ 2. This is drawn from that particular affection which she had for him common to all spiritual Virgins which she shews was not brutish and irrational no it was because he was full of grace which was more precious than the most excellent Ointments and she had received the savour of this grace for his discovery of himself to the world as a Saviour and more specially to her soul as her Saviour was as an Ointment poured forth You may now take the substance of these two verses and so of the Spouses first and great petition thus Oh! That it might please my dearly beloved Saviour who is my Spiritual Bridegroom to shew me some token of special love and to multiply those tokens to me more specially in and by the words of his Mouth in Gospel Doctrines to speak unto my Soul which doth really prefer the tokens of his love and influences of his grace before the most choice of all creature comforts My beloved is full of grace and love which is sweet like good Ointment every discovery of himself is as sweet as Ointment poured forth therefore doth my Soul love him and not my Soul only but the Souls of all those who are not deflowered by the world and by lusts From the words thus opened several propositions of truth may be observed The mercies which the believing Soul thirsts after are spiritual distinguishing mercies The least of Christ a kiss is exceeding precious to a gracious Soul Though the least influences of grace be precious to believers yet they will not be satisfied without the fullest dispensations of grace and most frequent repetitions of it Believers have special thirstings after the Word of God The kisses of his Mouth The thirst of a true believer will not be satisfied without a Spiritual inward communion with Christ in his Ordinances The kisses of his Mouth A gracious Soul will be very bold and earnest with God for this spiritual communion with him The Lord Jesus Christ hath Loves A variety of Grace The Loves of Christ are better than Wine than all created comforts whatsoever The believing Souls knowledge of the Excellencies which are in Christ is the ground of its earnest desire of fellowship and communion with him It is an excellent Argument for a Soul to use with God for the obtaining of favours from him if it can truly say that it preferreth his favour before all created goods The Lord Jesus Christ hath good Ointments which cast a savour The name of Christ is as an Ointment poured forth Virgin Souls love the Lord Jesus Christ for those excelling graces which they discern in him Sermon II. Canticles 1. v. 1. 2 3. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his Mouth for his loves are better then Wine Because of the savour c. I Have in my former Exercises opened the Text and named those propositions of Doctrine which are couched in the words or rationally to be deduced from them I come now to the particular handling of them beginning with the first The thirst of a believing Soul is after Spiritual distinguishing mercies Nature teacheth every one to say who will shew us any good Good is a thing that all the creation is enamoured upon God is the fountain of all goodness Every good and perfect gift cometh from above from him who is the father of lights Who being not a debtor to the creature must needs dispense it out freely Hence that goodness of God which is his goodness of Beneficence not only dwelling in him as a piece of his divine perfection But flowing from him as a stream from the fountain of his liberality is properly called Mercy whether it be good to us in respect of its sutableness to our outward and bodily wants or to our more inward and Spiritual necessities Hence the Mercies and savours of God are either Bodily respecting out outward Man or Spiritual respecting our inward man The former such now as life health peace and prosperity riches c. are such as God gives to his Enemies as well as to his Friends he maketh his Sun to rise upon the evil and the good And sendeth rain on the just and unjust Math. 5. 45. Spiritual good things again are either Gifts of common or of Special Grace Gifts of common grace such as knowledge invention memory utterance c. These are indeed Spiritual gifts so called by the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. 1. ch 14. 1. because given out by the Spirit of God and tending to innoble the Spiritual part and they are also called the best gifts 1 Cor. 12. 31. They are so in their kind better than those which only concern the outward man but St. Paul himself mentioneth better than these in the very same Text I shew you a more excellent way Neither are these distinguishing favours but given in common to wicked as well as to good men But now there are Spiritual mercies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so called Not only because they come from the Spirit of Grace and innoble the Spiritual part of man but because they are suted to the greatest necessities of our inward man Such are the grace of Justification Union to and reconciliation with God pardon of Sin and the Senses of that pardon together with all the fruits of the Spirit of regeneration and Sanctification These are the distinguishing favours of God which difference the Child of God from him that is not Now I say these are those favours which the believing Soul thirsteth after and longeth for expressed here under the Metaphor of kisses And properly expressed under that notion Men and women use not to kiss such as they hate but such as they have an affection for It is a civil usage amongst us so to salute strangers indeed but frequency of kisses speaks a distinguishing love and some intimacy of Affection and are not ordinary unless amongst very intimate Friends such as is the Husband and Wife Brethren and Sisters c. But yet a little further When Isay the thirstings of gracious Souls are after such distinguishing tokens of divine love I understand it not Exclusively The Children of God are made up of flesh and blood as well as any others and subject to the same necessities and infirmities
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
to and in your soul to inable you further to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. 3. After the beatifical visions of God in another life Learn hence the great difference there is betwixt earthly and spiritual objects of our desires and delights The worlds Crums are little valuable tho some are fond of its Loaves The good things of the world derive much of their value from the quantity of them that it throws into our laps The minimum quod sic the least portions of the pleasures profits or honours of it have little of value in them but the least of Christ is exceeding precious the things of the world affect not the Soul or or its necessities they are not certain pledges of greater measures they will go but a little way to fill the creatures emptinesses but it is otherwise with Spiritual blessings in and through Christ Thirdly You may from hence observe the difference betwixt the Hypocrites and the Saints desires after Christ An Hypocrite may pretend some desires after Christ nay he may really desire something of his love consider Christ as a Saviour as one that brings the Soul to life and immortality so he must necessarily be the object of the desire of every man that hath any view of his own mortality and that Eternal State to which man is ordained Even Balaam saith Oh that I might dye the death of the Righteous that my latter end might he like his But mark ye these are the fullest manifestations of Divine Love these are more than the kisses of his Mouth but for those tokens of love which are below these for such manifestations of the love of Christ as tend to the inabling of the Soul to serve and glorify God by the subduing of Mans will to the will of God the mortification of lusts and corrupt affections these are not at all valuable to a sensual man not indeed to any but to the changed and renewed Soul I do not know any one thing from which a Man may take better measure of himself and a good Christian may better distinguish himself from one that walketh in a vain shew and meerly glorifieth in appearance than this To a good Christian the least of Christs distinguisâ—iâ—g love is exceeding precious and more precious than the greatest portions of the worlds goods The workings of the Spirit of Christ within and upon the Soul subduing the will of Man to the will of God mortifying our Members and the deeds of the Body Taking the affections off the Earth and Earthly things and fixing them on more sublime and spiritual objects the giving of the Soul a good hope through grace these are things which we usually count some of the least tokens of special and distinguishing love Really they are great things nothing of Christ is little but we judge ordinarily according to sense we ordinarily esteem a sense or assurance or full persuasion of the love of God a much greater thing than these But now for a Soul to set an high price and value upon these to be more satisfied more to triumph and rejoice in the conquest of a lust the victory over a temptation than in the conquest of all our Enemies More to desire that our hearts may be filled with love to God desires after God delight in God than to have our Barns filled with Corn or our Purses with Gold and Silver this I take to be such a difference between a Christian indeed and a Christian in a meer Name Title and outward Profession as a Christian may rest in when he is inquiring into his Soul for evidences of the truth of grace Other manifestations of the love of God may be desired for our selves and with a respect only to our selves and the quiet relief and peace of our own Spirits a Christian can desire these only for the glory of God Try your selves therefore Christians by this Touchstone An Hypocrite may desire to know that his Sins are forgiven and that God would not impute Sin to his Soul or that he would impute a righteousness without works an Hypocrite may desire to live with God in glory but these lesser tokens of love he valueth not But alas even the best of Gods People must I fear be here reproved not for their no valuing of these kisses of Christ that is incompetent with a Child of God but for their not enough valuing of them and being too passionate and unsatisfied for want of the comforting manifestations of Divine Love I have before told you that these sensible manifestations of Divine Love are exceedingly desirable and there is no Child of God but is concerned to wish to pray to labour for them But we must take heed that we be not like our little Children whom we shall sometimes see too much slighting and undervaluing and ready to throw away what good things they have because they want some particular thing which they have a mind to which it may be we that are their Parents do not see so proper for them especially under their present circumstances It was lawful for Rachel to wish for to pray for Children but she sinned in saying to her Husband give me Children or else I die Hannah was much in the same error 1 Sam. 1. 8. weeping not eating and vexing her self because she had no Child and in the mean time forgetting that God had given her an Husband who was better to her than ten Sons So it is lawful nay the duty of a good Christian to pray to endeavour for the sweetest and fullest manifestations of Gods love But I have often thought that though these be good things of a Spiritual nature and so vastly differing from the good things of this life yet in this they agree with them that they must be asked with submission to the will of God because they are not de necessariis ad salutem things that are necessary to life and eternal Salvation but such which a Soul may want without any breach of Gods Covenant with the Soul 2. But for a Soul not only too passionately to desire these things which speaketh its not submitting to the will of God in his not dispensing them to it but to over-look deny or undervalue all the tokens for good which it hath received from God meerly because it hath not these and to conclude that it hath nothing of Christs love this is certainly what doth no become a Christian Certainly a Christian ought as much to value himself upon those emanations of grace by which he is inabled to serve and honour God as upon those by which his Soul is rendred more at ease more refreshed and comforted Every kiss of Christ every measure of special distinguishing love is and ought to be precious to a believing Soul Let me in the last place bottom upon this discourse a double word of exhortation The first respecting the Men of the world those I would persuade to leave off their pursuit of
with reference to the Levitical rites Christ speaketh to Peter Joh. 13. much in the same dialect Except I wash thee thou canst have no part in me But the meaning is pardon me remove the guilt of my sin from me but is this enough for this holy Man Is this all that he asketh of God No v. 8. Make me to hear the voice of Joy and Gladness that the Bones which thou hast broken may rejoice There he prayeth for Consolatory Grace Well will this yet satisfie the thirst of this holy Man No he must also have a renewed Heart a right Spirit The Spirit of God resting upon him dwelling abiding in him A right Heart as well as a righteous Heart v. 10. Create in me a clean Heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me v. 11 12. Take not thy holy Spirit from me Uphold me with thy free Spirit He must not only be set right in Gods way but he must be kept right and upheld in it Look upon him in that 119 Psalm Psal 119. 28. Strengthen me according to thy Word The Lord had given him the Pardon of his Sin he had given him Wisdom so as he tells us in that Psalm he was become wiser than his Teachers God had sanctified Affliction to him so as by it he had learned to keep Gods Statutes The Lord had given him an heart to love his Law to make it his Meditation night and day yet he cries Strengthen me O Lord And again v. 25. Quicken me in thy way Quicken me after thy Loving-kindness v. 4. O Quicken me in thy Righteousness Hath he enough yet No one thing he yet wants v. 42. Mine Eyes fail for thy Word when wilt thou comfort me There is hardly any Dispensation of Grace which we do not find David in that Psalm pleading with God for This one instance of David is enough to shew you the temper of every Soul which hath but once tasted how good the Lord is Nor indeed can it be otherwise If we consider the Beauty and excellency which appeareth to such a Soul in every Dispensation of Grace The Spouse saith of Christ in another part of this Song He is altogether lovely There is no part of Christ which is not in itself lovely he is the brightness of his Fathers Glory the fulness of the God Head dwells in him bodily As every Beam of the Sun every Emanation of that Body of Light is lovely to him whose Eyes are open to discern it So every Beam of the Sun of Righteousness every Emanation of his Love must necessarily be lovely to the Soul that hath its senses exercised to discern betwixt good and evil All Beauty is attractive whatsoever appeareth to our Souls lovely and beautiful appeareth also desirable But this is not all though Beauty and Comeliness be attractive and allures our Souls into an earnest desire after it yet profit is more Secondly There is no Dispensation of Divine Grace but suiteth some great want of the Soul It is the same Reason that I gave you why the least of Christ is so pretious Because the least of his Grace is suited to some great want of our Souls What I there applied to the least of his Love I here apply to the varieties of his gracious dispensations and indeed reasonably for there would be no variety in grace if there were not a variety of defects and wants and emptinesses in our Souls that which distinguisheth divine grace is our various wants and necessities and we can as naturally not desire a supply for our own discerned defects and wants as we cannot desire various emanations of divine love suited to the supply of them Nature prompteth us to desire a supply for every craving of our Souls The Soul is sensible that it daily sinneth and cannot but desire pardoning grace and say unto God every day Forgive us our debts it is sensible that it wants purity and holiness and therefore cannot but desire a right Spirit Its wants are many and it therefore desireth various dispensations of grace to supply them they are daily renewing therefore it desires repeated acts of grace to be renewed also A third reason lyeth in the Concatenation of grace The Philosopher saith Virtutes sunt Concatenatae that all vertues are chained together and no man is truly virtuous but hath in him the habits of all Virtue they make Virtue to lie in the reduction of the whole Soul to the rule guidance and conduct of reason I am sure Gratiae sunt concatenatae the Graces of Gods Spirit are like Pearl stringed together and that upon a double account 1. With respect to themselves 2. With respect to our sense and apprehension Pardoning grace never goeth without renewing and regenerating grace God never saith to any Soul Thy Sins are forgiven but he addeth sin no more The Grace of Consolation never goeth without the Grace of Sanctification The Grace of Regeneration is alwaies attended with some degrees of that Grace which strengtheneth and quickneth the Soul unto its Spiritual work and duty 2. As to our sense of it The Grace of God being as I have before said nothing else but the Love of God freely shining upon us with respect to our several circumstances and diversified wants the Soul is prone from the want of a supply as to one thing to suspect its want of all Hence it is that it suspecteth the want of the love of God in the whole from its sense of the want of it in part Indeed this oft-times is the error of a Soul that is truly gracious from it s not distinguishing betwixt those things that are necessary to Eternal life and Salvation and those influences that are meerly accommodating and tending to the better being of the spiritual life the dispensations of which are not meerly directed from the divine love but from the divine wisdom and sometimes are with-held from the wisdom of God by which he directeth his own motions to their ends Hence as Gideon when the Angel came to him and said The Lord is with thee O thou mighty man of valour replyed If the Lord be with us why am I thus So the Soul thirsting after the love of God if any go about to persuade it under its sadness and dejections under the sense of its weakness as to spiritual duties or dulness and heaviness in the performance of them that yet the love of God is toward it it hath a truth of Grace it cries out If God loved me why am I thus I am weak why am I not strengthened or my Soul is dull and dead and heavy why am I not quickned Or I am sad and dejected if God loved me why am I not comforted The Soul of a believer is apt to conceive that because Love is one in God therefore it 〈…〉 be a sharer in his love while it wants any one aspect of it 〈◊〉 might suite its spiritual wants Another reason may be the possibility
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
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
so far from opposing or hindering the drawings of Divine Grace as to do what in them lies in order to the obtaining of them you will say unto me what is that what can we do either as to the hindering or obtaining them 1. First As you may hinder these influences by omitting your attendance upon hearing the word so you may by your conscientious attendance upon it do something in order to the obtaining of it I observe that the blind men in the Gospel observed and placed themselves in Christs walks the way wherein he was to go He that conscientiously waiteth upon the preaching of the Word placeth himself in the way wherein Christ useth to go He that walks to the Ale-house or to his worldly business or abideth in his House when he should walk to a Sermon is out of Christs walk and as this is in his own power to avoid so by not avoiding he hindereth divine drawings The Preaching of the Word is the ordinance of God for the Salvation of the Elect when Christ was lifted up he by this drew all those Gentiles that were converted to the faith of Christ you know in the drawing of a thing by a Cord there is necessary a Cord to draw with which must de fastned to the thing we would draw when it is fastned he that draweth must put to his strength it is not the Cord that draweth but the power and strength of the mans arm that useth the Cord. That which is drawn here is the Soul of man a poor dead Soul that hath in it no principle of Spiritual life and of itself cannot come to Christ He that draweth is God the holy Spirit of God and that by the power of an everlasting arm but now the Cord is the word of God so God hath ordained either some terrible word of threatning or some comfortable word of promise some word of God is by the holy Spirit fastned upon the Soul by this the Soul is drawn yet not by the force of the Word but by the power of the Spirit making use of the Word now he who neglects the reading or hearing of the word hinders his own drawing he rejecteth and refuseth the Cord which though alone it would not draw the Soul yet is the mean the Cord in the hand of the Spirit by which ordinarily Souls are drawn that do come to Christ On the other side those Souls that are diligent and careful to read and hear the Word of God where it is interpreted and applied with most tendency to the conversion of Souls though he doth nothing ultimately and efficiently yet he doth much in a way of means in order to his drawing unto Christ This is the first way 2. As a man may hinder the drawings of God by quenching the motions of the holy Spirit and giving a deaf ear to the knocks of it or delaying its obedience to them suffering vain company or worldly cares to choke the motions of the Spirit and wear out the impressions of the word so he may further them by favouring them retaining such impressions and whetting the word upon his heart There is scarce any person who is a constant attender upon the Preaching of the word but at some time ot other will find some discourse more than ordinarily affecting him and making some more than ordinary impressions upon him now if when a man findeth this he endeavoureth to stifle this conviction or wear off this impression and to work his Soul out of the trouble of it he hereby opposeth and resisteth the drawings of Divine Grace 〈…〉 the other side if he withdraws himself fits alone meditateth upon what he hath heard searcheth the Scriptures to see if it be according to what is revealed there and when worldly business would put it out of his thoughts if he endeavours again to bring it to his remembrance and setcheth it again into his thoughts desiring it may have its perfect work This man now doth what in him lieth to promove divine drawings Thirdly As a man or woman may hinder God's drawings by walking contrary to his or her Light So they may promove them by walking up to their Light and Power The Soul that is drawn to Christ is alive and yet dead Alive as a natural rational Soul dead as to God and Goodness And this answereth an obvious and ordinary Objection viz. What can a dead Soul do The Answer is easie it can do nothing so far as it is dead but though the natural man be spiritually dead yet considered as a man a rational creature he is alive and though he can do nothing that is spiritually good because he is dead in sin yet he may do something that is morally and rationally good because he is rationally alive and under the power and conduct of reason in a great measure He hath some Natural Light he hath a further revealed Light by and in the Gospel and though he hath not a power to live up to all the Light which the Gospel shews him yet he hath a power to sin against that Light to which he might walk up and of which â—he might make a better improvement It is very possible and too too ordinary for men when God draws one way to suffer their passions their vile affections and lusts to draw another and in doing it to triumph over their reason This is highly provocative of God There is a great question about the power and freedom of man's will by nature Sober Divines say the unregenerate man hath no power no freedom to what is truly and spiritually good If any power or freedom may be allowed to the unrenewed will certainly it is most proper to assert it at such a time when the Holy Spirit moveth most strongly by its impulses and convictions The unregenerate man at such a time more than another hath in his power to resist his lusts and motions to sin and give up himself to God if he will now resist this Light and not to his power use this help he thereby hindereth God's drawings Suppose a man in a Pir and weak and not able to get out some strength he hath while he lies still to hold back but none to raise himself upward to get out When a Cord is fastened about him if instead of yielding himself he holds back what he can this man now hinders the charitable drawing that others more strong would lend him Fourthly and lastly Pray to God that he would draw you out of the horrible Pit and miry Clay It is the Holy Spirit that draweth and Christ tells us that he giveth the Holy Spirit to those that ask him But I shall turn my discourse to the Children of God and shew them what is their duty upon the consideration of this truth That no Soul unless drawn by God either comes to or runneth after Christ I shall open it in several particulars First This Doctrine calleth to all who apprehend themselves to be come to Christ
to examine their Calling whether it be such as amounts to a Divine Drawing whether there be any thing wrought in your Souls which flesh and blood could not reveal to you any thing more than could be the effect of the will of the flesh or the will of man I have before enlarged upon this Theme shewing you how you may know whether your Faith be a Faith of the operation of God The work of God upon your Souls with power Whether what you take to be Holiness be the Sanctification of the Spirit You have heard that there is an Assent to the Gospel which may be given upon meer humane testimony or upon probable Arguments of Reason neither of which is true Faith that there may be a Moral Righteousness and a formal course of performing Religious Duties neither of which amount to the Sanctification of the Spirit or a running after Christ upon his drawings I shall here only add that there are two or three things which may draw men to some Reformation of life though Christ draweth not 1. The interests of mens bodily lives and healths and estates Temperance Sobriety Chastity are Virtues in the practice of which men are concerned as to these and though indeed lusts have so far fermented in some debaucht persons that these interests will not draw them to such a Reformation yet in many who have not been tainted by a vitious Education and in whom custom hath not begot a second nature these concerns will draw much as to which aactions Grace comes not in I mean special Graceâ— further than to direct men to do them from a Principle of Faith Love and Obedience to the Will of God and with an aim at glorifying God 2. The Examples of others especially such as are our Superiours whom we honour or reverence or our near friends and companions whom we love may have a great force upon us that we may please them or be like unto them to do many things It is of great concern with whom we converse Many persons in Religion write only by Copies and do acts because they see others do them whom they love admire or have in reverence These Examples alone will not only bring men to a conformity to them in a civil conversation but also to forms of Religion and Worship 3. The inter stâ—of mens credit and applause in the World will go a great way Saul begs of Samuel to honour him before the People The Pharisees sought the praise of men rather than that of God and indeed this is the general cause of Hypocrisie This happens more generally when Religion is in fashion and credit with the world I might instance in several other things but these are sufficient Try therefore and examine your Souls and rest not till you find what may evidence to you that you are indeed drawn by Christ Secondly This Doctrine calls to all the People of God for Humility indeed it evidenceth Humility a necessary ingredient into Saintship A proud Child of God is a contradiction Grace leaves the Soul nothing to boast in nothing to be proud of Is he come to Christ He had never come if the Father had not drawn him Doth he run after him faster than another he had never run if he had not been drawn There were some in the Church of Corinth who were puffed up who despised Paul and thought of themselves above what they ought to think they were full they were rich they had need of nothing Observe the Argument by which the Apostle humbleththem 1 Cor. 4. 7. Who hath made thee to differ from another Or What hast thou which thou hast not received And if thou hast received it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Art thou come to Christ and is not thy neighbour What follows from hence but as the Apostle to the Romans saith that to thee God hath been more good to him more severe Hast thou come of thy self or in thy own strength Christ hoth told us That no man cometh to the Son but he whom the Father draweth Every one as he is learned and taught of the Father cometh unto the Son He who is not drawn is the object of thy pity and deserveth thy prayers thy good counsel and exhortations all the help thou canst give him but thou hast no reason to triumph or boast or glory over him had not the Lord drawn thee thou hadst been in the same circumstances that he as as much a stranger to Christ as he is It is grace special grace which alone maketh the difference betwixt thee and him Dost thou find thy self more strong and able than another to resist a motion to sin whether from the lusts of thy own heart or from the suggestions of of the Devil or from the World Thou standest when another is overcome and falleth Dost thou find more ability to spiritual duties more freedom and liveliness in the performance of them still all this is from grace Without Christ thou couldest do nothing thou hast no reason to glory because what thou hast is received what thou dost is by grace which thou hast received I live saith Paul Gul. 2. 20. yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God So as the Child of God hath nothing to glory in nothing to boast and triumph over his weaker Brother for if he differs it is grace alone makes him to differ Thirdly This notion calleth upon the People of God to bless the Lord if at any time they find their hearts more inabled to run after God Psal 18. 29. By thee saith David I have run or I have broken through a Troop and by my God have I leaped over a wall David owns there to God his Victory over his fleshly enemies but a Christian's Warfare is more spiritual against Principalities and Powers against spiritual Enemies mighty Temptations strong Motions to sin doth he at any time get a Victory against them certainly he is obliged to give God the glory for it is by him that he breaketh through the Troops of the Prince of darkness Hath he difficult duties to perform and hath he found a strength to perform them still the glory is due unto God for by him he leapeth over the wall It is an expression of David's Psal 87. 7. All my springs are in thee Our spiritual life is maintained from many springs A spring of pardoning grace because of our renewing guilt A spring of renewing and sanctifying grace because of the frequent lustings of the flesh against the Spirit and our being brought so often into a captivity to the Law of our members Springs of strengthening quickening comforting grace because of accidents which weaken our strength make us dull and heavy in the service of God and often to walk in the dark and see no light Now all our fresh springs are in Christ whither then but to God
is with the Soul its Spiritual distemper many times is not so much a weakness as a spiritual deadness dulness and inactivity so as it wants a promptness and readiness to its duty It cannot say with David My heart is ready O God my heart is ready I will pray and sing Praise Running argues the absence of this ill temper If the Lord draweth the Soul it will not only serve him but it will serve him with a ready mind and free Spirit praise and duty will wait for God in the Soul it will not only walk but run the ways of Gods Commandments David hath an expression to this purpose Psal 119. 60. I made hast and delayed not to keep thy Commandments Every Soul that loves God keepeth the Commandments of God it is the test of our love to God He that hath my commandments and keepeth them saith Christ John 14 21. he it is that loveth me But there is a great deal of difference in mens keeping and fulfilling the commandments of God The meanest weakest Christian doth in his measure keep the Lords commandments all the commandments of God Psal 119. 6. Then saith David shall I not be ashamed when I have a respect to all thy Commandments He that hath the least of saving Grace sets the law of the Lord in his Eye and makes the word of God a light to his feet and a Lanthorn to his paths and hath a reverence and regard to all the commandments of God and To will is present with him he would walk perfectly with God but in many things he doth offend through weakness and in many things through a dulness and heaviness which sometimes doth affect and afflict his Soul he doth not only want a strength to perform but he wants a life and quickness of Spirit in what he doth but now if the Lord draweth the Soul makes hast and delayeth not to keep the Commandments of God Jacob himself had forgot the vow which he had made unto God when he fled from the face of his Brother Esau God draweth him saith unto him Gen. 35. 1. Arise go up to Bethel make there an Altar to God c. then Jacob made hast and delayed not v. 2. When there is a suspension of this drawing Grace in its co-operating and concurring influences the Soul moves heavily like Pharaohs Chariots when the Wheels are taken off it hath a view of its duty and lieth under convictions as to it and it may be finds strength enough to the performance of it but wants a readiness of mind and is ready when it hath a monition to duty from such as wish well to it to say as he said to Paul Go thy way when I am at leisure I will send for thee Or tomorrow or at such or such a time I will do it as the young man in the Gospel whom Christ bid follow him said suffer me first to go and bury my dead So sometimes the Soul is ready to say suffer me first to go and do such or such a thing So the Soul is ready to delay and put off good motions but when the Lord draweth then it maketh hast and delayeth not to keep his Commandments It longeth for times of duty It is glad when they say unto it Come let us go up to the House of the Lord it sayeth when shall I come and appear before God There is a time when the Soul saith when will the Sabbath come the hour of Prayer come that I may appear before God and pour out my Soul before him This is now when God draweth hard when the Spirit of God cometh upon the Soul in a more than ordinary influence and there is a time when the Soul saith when will the Sabbath he gone the hour of duty be run out This is when the Lord doth not draw in such a manner The believing Soul like the flowers opens or shuts as the Sun of righteousness shineth more or less upon it Let me again allude to that Text Psal 65. 1. Praise watteth for God in Zion Praise is a rent due from our Souls to God we farm much mercy from the great Landlord of all good Praise is all the rent we pay Now look as it is in the world a bad tenant never hath his rent ready so it is with a bad Man he lives upon mercy and it may be hath liberal portions of mercy but God never hears of him to pay his acknowledgments A good Tenant if the times be good hath alwaies his rent ready for his Landlord so as his rent waiteth for his Landlord but if the times be bad even the best Tenants though they have an heart to pay their rent yet may not have it to pay their Landlords may wait for their rents so it is with the best Souls If the Sun of righteousness shines out clearly upon them and the Spirit of Grace draweth powerfully Praise waiteth for God in their Souls If not God may wait for his Praises Hence David so often prayeth Quicken me according to thy word Psal 119. 25. Quicken me in thy way v. 37. Quicken me in thy righteousness v. 40. I have now opened the term Run The Proposition opened lies thus before you That the Soul of a Christian once drawn not only by the motives and arguments of the Gospel improved by the gifts of Gods Minister but by the secret and powerful influence of the Spirit of God upon it doth no longer lie still as the Soul dead in sin nor move from a forreign power put forth upon it but from an inward principle within itself and that not weakly and impotently but with might and strength and that not dully and heavily but with life freedom speed and chearfulness after God in the way of its duty keeping the Commandments of God with its whole heart being first made willing it willeth being first set on work it worketh yet not of itself meerly nor principally I live saith the Apostle yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God I can do all things saith the same Apostle to the Philippians through Christ that strengtheneth me and without me you can do nothing saith Christ to his Disciples Joh. 14. 3. The truth of this further appears from Gods Peoples promises of running upon Gods drawing in that excellent 119 Psal you shall find many passages of this tendency v. 32. I will run the ways of thy Commandments when thou shalt inlarge myheart 33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy Statutes and I shall keep it unto the end v. 34. Give me understanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart v. 35. Make me to go in the paths of thy Commandments v. 36. Incline my heart to thy testimonies The inlarging of the heart his prayer for giving him understanding making him to go in the paths of Gods Commandments c. are but all several phrases
now if we rise higher and enquire how some come to use common Grace better than others when all have an equal Natural power to do those acts of Moral discipline and of Religion also which extend no further then to a bodily labour how it comes to pass that some get leave of themselves of their Lusts and Passions to do them others do not We must say there is an influence of God's Spirit of Grace more upon the one than the other inclining them thereto but so long as others have a Natural power thus far which they do not use God is acquitted of their Blood and their Damnation is of themselves though his abounding grace be more seen as to others whom he doth further incline to a better use of common Grace and their natural abilities but of this I have spoken before and do now little more than repeat 2. The same account must be given of the uneven pace which is discernable in such as are Christians indeed The running of God's own People is not alike though they have all the same renewed Nature and inward principle of life To will is present with them all yet they have not all an equal strength to perform Nor an equal life liveliness freedom and chearfulness in their walkings with God there may be much blame to be laid upon themselves for not using the Grace of God as they ought to do not keeping their Watch as they ought to keep it but the Original cause is the want of Divine drawings which are sometimes with-held as a punishment to some loose and careless walking sometimes as the product of Divine Wisdom for the exercise of some habits of Grace which are not so well tryed and exercised under the full influences of divine grace upon them as under the partial withdrawings of it There might be other uses made of this point but they would be mostly such as were proper to the former Doctrine and there inlarged upon So as I shall proceed no further in Application of this Discourse Serman XXIII Canticles 1. 4. Draw me and We will run after thee YOu have heard the Spouses Petition opened what she means when she saith to her Beloved Draw me you have heard her Promise or Argument opened We will run after thee She prayeth for drawing she promiseth her running Drawing was the act of her beloved Running was her own Act though in force of his drawing But here is as I before observed an alteration of the Number She saith Draw me She addeth We will run She begs but for one she promiseth for more she prayeth for her self she promiseth for others How is this 1. I told you when I opened thé words that some by We understand The Spouse and the Spirit of God in conjunction I and thy Grace This is a Sense hinted by Genebrard and De Ponte upon the Text and it may seem to have some colour from that of Christ Without me you can do nothing and that of Paul Gal. 2. 20. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the Flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God It is a great truth that when ever the Soul runs after Christ the holy Spirit assists its motion but yet it is drawing that is Christ's and his Spirits work running is ours Grace works together with the Child of God but it worketh by drawing the Soul works by running it is not Christ or the Spirit of Christ that is in us that runneth the way of God's Commandments but it is the Soul of the Christian in and with the strength and power of Christ Grace is the Principle of our Spiritual life like the Spirit within Ezechiels Wheels without which the Wheels move not but they are the Wheels that move I cannot therefore agree this sence 2. Bernard hath another Notion She begs saith he The sowre part for her self the sweeter part for others but this is an interpretation which to me seemeth to have many faults 1. It maketh the drawing here prayed for to be a drawing by Afflictions which are indeed the Lord's Cords but such as he seldom draweth Souls to Christ by not are they the proper matter of our Prayer Secondly It turneth the Promise into a Prayer and makes the Sense to be to this purpose Lord for me Draw me with the Cords of Affliction Let others run after thee but I see no ground at all for such an Interpretation It is not others but We she includeth her self It is not let others run but we will run 3. Thirdly If by the Spouse we here understand the Church speaking The Church being many yet make but one Body So the Spouse prayeth for her whole Body which is but one and saith properly draw me and then promiseth for every part Rom. 12. 5. We being many are one Body She prayeth for Grace she promiseth not only action and obedience but unity in her obedience and action God's Kingdom is not divided against its self not different from it self especially in the Fundamentals of Faith and Holiness They are an Army in order and fighting together against the World the Flesh and the Devil but this still is more than I will run 4. I rather choose another sence of this Promise A promise of an endeavour to cause others to run after Christ or a Prophecy that others would run so as the sense should be this Lord draw me and I will endeavour to be a cause of more than my own running after thee others seeing or hearing of thy Grace and Goodness to me shall also by my example be provoked to run after thee In this sence I shall carry it The Proposition resulting from hence is this Prop. That God's sweet and powerful drawing of one Soul to or after himself will be a means of causing others also to run after him God's drawing of John 1 John 26. draweth first two other Disciples who when they heard him followed Jesus and Andrew drew Simon Peter v. 40 Christ's drawing of Philip was the occasion of Nathaniel 's running v. 45. Philip findeth Nathaniel and saith unto him We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets did write Christ draweth the Woman of Samaria John 4. v. 28. She leaves her Water pot and goes her way into the City and saith to the men of the City Come see a Man which told me all things that I ever did is not this the Christ Then they went out of the City and came unto him and v. 41. Many more believed because of his own word There are two main grounds upon which the truth of this Proposition depends 1. The first is the alluring nature of Divine Grace 2. The Second is The exceeding Charity of every pious Soul I will alittle enlarge upon them 1. I say first Divine Grace in the effects of it is exceedingly attractive The love of God saith the Apostle constraineth nor doth it only constrain the
I do not misconceive him David seems in this to have failed Psal 22. 2 3 4. O my God saith he I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them they trusted in thee and were not confounded but I am a Worm and no Man a reproach of Men and despised of the People c. To silence this corruption so exceedingly natural to us let me offer a few things to thy thoughts 1. The first shall be the Lords Prerogative to shew mercy where he will shew mercy This our Saviour hints me in the Parable of the Labourers sent into the Vineyard Mat. 20. 15. when those who had wrought all the day received their penny in proportion to those who had wrought but a few hours they complained the Master of the Vineyard saies to them May I not do with my own what I please All influxes of grace are Gods own It is a prerogative that every one of us claims for himself to dispose of his love especially some degrees of it as we please why should we deny that to God which every one of us claimeth to himself The Prince will not allow the Subject to dispose of his favour no more will the Father allow it to his Child why should we think God is not at the same liberty especially considering 2. That God by it doth us no wrong You have this in the same Text Friend I do thee no wrong Mat. 20. 15. This now dependeth upon this hypothesis that the grace of God cannot be merited by any he that hath the greatest manifestations of Divine love hath them freely he who hath the least discoveries of it hath what he hath freely without any preceding merit in himself If God will let one of his Children walk in the light of his countenance and another to walk in the dark and see no light if he will treat one in Chambers another in a low and more common Room yet he doth not wrong to any There is no injustice in the case in appearance to us he sheweth indeed more severity to the one and more goodness to the other but he is unjust to neither because neither hath merited any thing that he receiveth 3. God hath with held from thee nothing for which he agreed with thee This is a third thing which the Master of the Vineyard told those labourers that repined because they had not more then those who had laboured less Mat. 20. 15. Did I not saith he agree with thee for a peny we can lay claim to nothing of anothers but either upon the plea of a Native right thus the Child laies claim to his Patrimonial Estate as heir at law or upon the account of purchase by vertue of some compact or agreement or some valuable consideration given him for it we can lay no claim to the Grace of God as our Patrimonial right as Heirs to it we are indeed called Heirs but it is by adoption nor upon the account of any valuable consideration given who hath given first to God and it shall be repaid to him again All the claim we can lay to any thing either of Grace or Glory is upon the account of a Covenant that God hath made with us or with Christ on our behalf and by us accepted when we come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ The question is what God hath agreed with us for he hath agreed with us for a Kingdom Fear not little Flock saith Christ it is your Fathers will to give you a Kingdom He that believes on me is not condemned saith our Saviour he is passed from death to life He hath agreed with us for all that grace and mercy which is necessary to bring us to this Kingdom That he will give us a clean heart and a new heart that we shall be kept by the power of God through faith to salvation But where hath the Lord agreed with the Souls of any of his people for equal measures of his manifestative love Nay plainly God in the Covenant of his Grace hath reserved himself a liberty to chastife and afflict his people either for the probation of Grace or for the punishment of sin and this is one species of affliction by which God doth both try the faith and patience and also correct the errors and miscarriages of the best of his people But you will say is not manifestative love promised I answer it is but so are not the measures of it nor yet the particular time for the discovery of it 2. It is but the matter of a conditional promise John 14 21. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him Psal 50. 21. To him that ordereth his conversation aright I will shew the Salvation of God The promises of Eternal life and Salvation are made to Faith and holiness without which both which none shall see God but not to degrees of the one or of the other a weak faith may bring a Soul to Heaven so will an upright and sincere heart though incumbred with many lustings of the flesh against the Spirit but the case is otherwise as to some degrees of the manifestative love of God which much depend both upon degrees of faith and degrees of holiness also Our Saviour hath determined doubts and fears indications of little faith and reason will determine them inconsistent with much joy peace and comfort in the Soul that holiness in some good degree is necessary to our peace will appear to any Soul that considers that nothing but sin will break our peace with God So that if thou beest not conscious to thy self that thy faith is as strong as others and thy ways as perfect before God as theirs thou hast no reason to expect the same manifestations of Divine love No tho thou beest one who truly believest and truly lovest and fearest God God hath agreed with every believer for eternal life and salvation for pardon of sin and a clean heart and the upholding of him by his power unto salvation But he hath not agreed with every such Soul for the same measures of peace and comfort the same degrees of his manifestative love he hath reserved himself a liberty to reward those with these more special favours who walk most closely and exactly with him in their conversations Those therefore who find their Souls under temptations to repine at God for doing more for others then for them should do well to reflect upon themselves and to consider whether the faith of those others be not more strong and their walking with God more close and exact then theirs if it be they are not to wonder that their Souls are more highly favoured and more
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
or despise me for it it is no native blackness it is but accidental to me it is not internal but external that which makes me thus black in your Eyes is those Affl ctions persecutions which I have met with in and from the world The exceeding heat of that sornace of affliction into which the Providence of God hath cast me hath scorched me and that is it which maketh me appear so black in your Eyes It followeth My Mothers Children were angry with me The Chaldee Paraphrast all along taking the Church of the Jews to be the Spouse here mentioned by Mothers Children here understands the Heathen who were the Children of her mother Eve tempting and seducing them to their Idolatryes The thing is true of that Church very often by the Heathen seduced to their Idolatrys but I find amongst Interpreters two other senses much more large and probable 1. Some by Mothers Children understand those lâ—sts and Corruptions which lye in the womb of our Souls Together with the habits of grace Thus Paul complaineth of the flesh lusting against the Spirit and of a law in his mâ—mbers rebelling against the law of his mind 2. others more probably understand such as are presumptive members of the same visible Church The true members of the Church can be no others then such as are ordained unto Life such as are truly Sanctified through the Sanctification of the Spirit But there are many others who from their external profession are presumptive members of it so may be called our Mothers Children tho not the Children of our Heavenly Father such are all false brethren all hypocrites glorying in an External profession and meer outward appearance Such as these are ordinarily angry with such as are the true Spouse of Christ David complained long since that he was become a stranger to his brethren an alien to his Mothers Children the Apostle Acts 20. 30. foretelleth to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus that there should arise of themselves men speaking perverse things to draw many disciples after them you may read at large in the Epistles to the Romans Corinthians Galatians how the primitive Churches of Christ were troubled with them and Paul in his Epistles to Timothy foretells that latter times should be more troubled with such as should resist the truth as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses It was Bernards Observation long since more lately noted by Genebrard upon my text that she doth not call them Brethren but only her Mothers Children not her Fathers for they were of their Father the Devil his works they did Many such there now are will be in the Church to the End of the World who have only a titular relation to Christ no real relation This now is a Second cause which the Spouse assigneth of her blackness There were many false brethren in her communion who had falsely represented and reported her and made her appear far more unlovely in the sight of others than indeed she was this I take to be the most proper sense of this phrase They made me the keeper of the Vineyards The Chaldee Paraphrast by the Vineyards here understands the Idolatry and Superstition of the Heathen to which the true members of the Jewish Church were tempted by the Heathen their Neighbours and the false brethren they had amongst themselves Hypocrites and formal professors are very prone to admit the Superstitions of men in the Worship of God The Pharisees in our Saviours time laid heavy burdens of humane traditions upon others Mat. 23. 4. Into this sense Mercer and Ainsworth interpret the text observing that it is their Vineyards their Vineyards opposed to her own Vineyard seems to imply the false Worship Rites and Ceremonies of dâ—bauched and apostatized Churches There is yet another sense of the words hinted by Delrio and Genebrard It is this They intangled me in secular affairs so made me neglect the things which were Spiritual and of much higher concernment to me This now is a third cause which the Spouse assigneth of her blackness 1. She had before told us she was Scorched with afflictions and persecutions The Sun had looked upon her 2. She had been betrayed by her own lusts and by false brethren and seduced her to intertain their corruptions to keep their Vineyards now she tells us That her secular diversions did also much contribute to her darkness she had been made to serve in the brick-kilns of the world Keeping of Vineyards was a great deal of the labour of those Countrys a painful and laborious imployment therefore you read 2 Kings 25. 12. upon the King of Babylons conquest of Judea that the Captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be Vine-dressers husbandmen those who in the parable had been labouring in the Vineyard tell the Lord of the Vineyard they had born the burden and heat of the day My own Vineyard I have not kept Here now the Spouse assigneth a fourth cause of her blackness The question here is what is meant by her own Vineyard It is manifestly to be understood of something which the Lord had committed to her to keep considering the Church as the Spouse The Oracles of God were committed to the Church of the Jews as the Apostle telleth us Rom. 3. 2. and the Church is called The pillar and ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. Paul tell us 1 Tim. 1. 11. that the glorious Gospel of the blessed God was committed to his trust and telleth Timothy the Ministry was committed to his trust St. Paul calls it his Gospel upon this account Rom. 26. 25. and saith they were put in trust with the Gospel that is the Custody and Ministration of it And St. Paul commandeth Timothy to commit the things which he had heard of him amongst many witnesses to faithful men who should be able to teach others That general term of the Gospel signifieth both the Propositions of the Truth and Doctrine of Faith contained in the new Testament and also those excellent rules which are to be found in it relating both to the Worship of God and the Government of the Church of Christ the dispensation and administration of it This Gospel as to the Ministration of it was by Christ committed first to the Apostles to be by them transmitted to faithful and able men as to the keeping of it to the whole Church The Church of Sardis Rev. 3. 8. is commended for keeping Christs word and not denying his name This undoubtedly is the Churches Vineyard The Province which God hath betrusted to her to keep But every particular Soul hath a Vineyard too And what is its Vineyard but its immortal Soul and the particular trust which God hath committed to it with relation both to its self and others What is the keeping of this Vineyard but a Christians observance of the duties incumbent upon him with reference to his more general or more particular calling So that understanding by the
not only no need of such a publick confession but it may be of a greater mischief and ill consequence then good by reason of a wicked world which watcheth for Gods Peoples haltings to reproach profession and the holy name of God Though therefore in such cases private Confession even of more private sins may be necessary and expedient yet it ought to be managed with prudence as to the manner that is in the best consistency with the end to which it is directed and for the avoiding such things as may tend to the dishonour of God and disadvantage of the more publick interest and cause of God and therefore much wisdom is to be used in the choice of a friend in this case for though Solomon hath advised us Pro. 25. 9 To debate our case with our Neighbour yet in the next words he hath added discover not thy secret to another thereby informing us that Neighbour in that Text is not to be expounded in that latitude as in the Parable concerning him who fell amongst Thieves Every one no not every good man is to be trusted with the Secrets of Souls Considering the end of this action and the great thing that is to be avoided in the performance of it Three things seem requisite in the choice of a private Christian to whom a prudent Christian may thus unbosom himself 1. Silence and Secrecy 2. Knowledge and Wisdom 3. One of whom we may presume that he hath some more then ordinary interest in God 1. I say first Silence and Secrecy Your ordinary experience telleth you that even amongst good men some have a much better command and government of their tongue then others and as it is observable that such fall into more errors themselves then others for in a multitude of words there wanteth not sin so such persons are least to be trusted with the Secrets of Souls 2. Secondly he that confesseth his faults to another doth it in order to his advice and counsel this maketh knowledge and spiritual wisdom requisite in the person whom we chuse to unbosom our selves in this manner unto every man who hath knowledge enough to guide his own Soul in the ways of God yet hath not knowledge judgment or experience enough to give spiritual advice and counsel to his Brother 3. If this Confession be made in order to obtaining the benefit of prayers the same wisdom will direct us to make choice of such as we can reasonably judge to be persons likely to prevail with God in prayer there are some that are more mighty in the Scriptures more exercised in the ways of God then others these are most fit for advice and counsel There are some that are more exercised in prayer then others and more prevailing with God these are fittest to hear our Confessions in order to our advantage by their prayers and these generally are such as walk most uprightly and closely with God The Lord heareth not sinners but if any man be a Worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth John 9. 31. The prayer of the upright saith Solomon is his delight Secondly As there is a great deal of prudence to be observed in the choice of Persons to whom we own and acknowledge our blackness so there is a great deal of piety and charity to be shewed in the manner of the doing of it That which of charity is to be shewen in it is to do it where the Soul of our Brother may be advantaged by the performance of it That of piety which is to be shewed in its Eyes 1. In a right sixing of our end which ought to be the glory of God the general end of all our actions When Joshua exhorted Achan to confess his sin My Son saith he confess and give glory unto God you read in Scripture of a confession of the Lords name a confession of truth and a confession of sin The glory of God is the end of all that is the praedication of his glory for that is all the way we have to glorify God A man by confession of his sins either unto God or men may give glory to God for in confeffing himself a sinner he owned the Lords Power and Soveraignty over him the Holiness and Righteousness of his Law and his patience long-suffering and goodness that he is not cut off and thrown into Hell and indeed there is no confession of sin our duty where this end cannot be attained some way or other God doth not delight in the shame and confusion of our faces but he doth delight in the exalting of his own name and in the praedication of his own praise and glory 2. Secondly Piety is concerned in the manner of the action So it must be doá¹…e with tenderness of heart brokenness and contrition of Spirit indeed without this the enumeration and recital of our sins is but either a glorying in sin or at best but a formaltty and shell of duty A glorying in sin is but a glorying in our shame and what will be far from the Soul of a Child of God A formality of duty is but hypocrisy It is a great vanity for any Soul to think that God should be pleased with a meer empty noise of words which are not expressive of any inward disposition of the heart in which he hath declared himself pleas'd Words in prayer and confession of sins are our duty but they must be such words as are thrust out of our lips by the force of the inward affections of our hearts If a man confesseth his sin unto God either publickly or privately this is requisite Therefore you shall observe that the main thing which God requires is our humbling our selves that signifieth the affection of the heart A man cannot humble himself by the words of his lips without the inward shame and brokenness of his Soul The same thing is necessary in our confessions unto men Under the old law there was Oyl and Frankincense to be poured upon the Meat Offering Lev. 2. 2. and several other Offerings as you will read in that Book but upon the Sin Offering there was no Oyl nor Frankincense to be put Lev. 5. 11. Oyl signified Gladness hence you read that they used it when they would make their Face to Shine and you read of the Oyl of Gladness the Confession of Sin under the Gospel is a Sin Offering to God and must not be offered without a sutable sense and Sorrow of Heart This is a requisite in all Confessions of Sin Lastly We ought with the acknowledgment of our Blackness whether to God or Man to join also the acknowledgment of our Comeliness so far as God hath made any discovery of it to our Souls we ought not indeed to Glory beyond our line and measure but we ought not to conceal what God hath done for our Souls In this both the Glory and Honour of God and the good and incouragement of our dejected and disconsolate Brethren are both concerned nor
easily be gathered the reasonableness of this duty There are four things that call to us for it and make it our duty 1. The first is the honour and glory of God This is the great end of all our actions for this cause we were born for this cause we came into the World I have before told you that we have no other way to glorify God but by the predication or speaking of his greatness or goodness or some other of his attributes and by our holy life and conversation in obedience to his will Now of all Gods attributes there is none wherein he more delighteth then in shewing mercy and whoso tells of Gods acts of grace doth eminently glorify God for the riches of his grace and goodness are discovered in Christ and as in his giving of Christ for poor lost sinners so in the application of that purchased redemption to the Souls of his poor creatures Bless the Lord O my Soul saith David Psal 103. v. 1 2 3. and all that is within me bless his holy name Blessthe Lord O my Soul forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thy iniquities healeth all thy diseases 2. The Second reason is the good of our Brother Next our immediate magnifying and glorifying of God there is nothing more our duty then the consulting the good of our Brethren and he is highly serviceable to God who is any way serviceable to the Souls of others either in winning them to God or advantaging them in their walking with God The Souls of Christians have often great advantages by hearing what God hath done for the Souls of others in their circumstances It incourageth them to make their applications to God to hope and trust in his mercy to wait untill he will be pleased in like manner to be gracious to them David Psal 69. 32. makes this as an argument with which he pleadeth with God for mercy for his Soul He promiseth first v. 30. That he would praise the Lord with a song and magnify him with thanksgiving then he addeth v. 32. The humble shall see this and be gladand your hearts shall live that seek God for the Lord heareth the poor and despiseth not his Prisoners By the humble is to be understood as in many other Texts of Scripture Persons in low mean and afflicted conditions It much conduceth to the raising up of the Spirits of a man under torments of bodily pain and affliction if one comes and tells him I was in the same condition and had the same pain yet I by such and such applications recovered and it is of no less usefulness to one of a poor and broken Spirit for one to come to him under his doubts and fears and despondency because of the guilt of sin when another Christian comes to him and tells him I also was a blasphemer a drunkard an injurious Person yet I obtained mercy I bless God my doubts are resolved my fears scattered and I am inabled through grace to hope in the frèe gerace and mercy of God through the Lord Jesus Christ Wher now such an opportunity as this is which is not very frequent there the good of our Brother calls to us for such a declaration what God hath done for our Souls 3. A third reason is the duty of a Christian so far as he may to avoid Scandal and Offence Offences and mutual dissatisfactions one in another destroy all the freedom and sweetness of Christians communion each with other and it is our duty so to walk as to give no offence to Jews or Gentiles much less to the Church of God 2. Cor 20. 32. There are two ways by which offence is given 1. By doing some actions as to which we are at a perfect liberty by which we cause our Brother to sin against God As to these the Apostle cautioneth Christians very largely both in his Epistle to the Romans and to the Corinthians But these kind of offences are not obviated by Christians declarations of what God hath done for their Souls as to the influences of saving grace but rather by the declaration of his knowledge and forbearing such actions as he hath a liberty to but no necessity that presseth him to the doing of them at least till his Brother be Satisfyed in the lawfulness of them 2. By some Scandalous actions these indeed are Scandala data Scandals that are given and such sores as a Christian ought by all means in his power to endeavour healing of and whether such things have been done before or after a change wrought in our hearts it is our duty to do what in us lyeth to remove the Scandal of them which I know not how it can at first be done without some declaration to the party or Church offended what God hath done for us what a change he hath wrought in us until by a contrary conversation which is a work of time the best evidence we can make it more really to appear to them 4. Lastly The Credit of our professions some times calls to us for it and this is the reason of the performance of this duty with reference to the men of the World who seek all advantages to reproach the good and right ways of the Lord. But this is enough to have spoken doctrinally upon this argument From hence in the first place we may observe That a Child of God may know that he or she is comely Indeed this is not the lot of every Child of God at all times and for them that do know it there are degrees of their knowledge Some have a more some a less certain knowledge but I say a good Christian may know it The Papists indeed make all a Christians faith to be languid and uncertain but Paul was perswaded that nothing should separate him from the Love of God The Spouse knew she was sick of Love and here that altho she was black yet she was also comely tho as the tents of Kedar yet as the Curtains of Solomon also Peter knew that he loved his Master so as he durst appeal to him and say Thou that knowest all things knowest that I Love thee and St. John giving us rules how we might know that we are translated from death to Life supposed that it might be known and if it had not been possible surely Peter would not have quickened us to the use of all diligence to make our calling and election sure That every good Christian doth not certainly know his Spiritual Estate is unquestionable That he who doth know it this day may fall into doubts and fears concerning it is also certain But it is as plain in Scripture that a Christian may walk in the sense and view of his own sincerity and uprightness he may know it by the more special influence of the holy Spirit which witnesseth with our Spirits that we are the Children of God and this is of all other the most certain and comfortable knowledge He may also
Church and People of God ever since God had a Church or a Believer upon the Earth nor what the Scripture speaketh concerning such providences He that condemneth and casteth off a Church as no true Church for some particular Corruptions and undue mixtures doth not consider the state of the Jewish Church which yet God owned and Christ owned by having communion with the Assemblies of it in those things which were of his Fathers institution in it nor yet the state of the Church at Rome and that in Galatia and Corinth all which had their Corruptions and undue mixtures yet are owned by God and Christ as true Churches Where indeed Idolatry is owned in the Doctrine of a Church and ordinarily practised in the Worship of a Church or established as the Worship of it I cannot well tell what to say I do not find that Idolatry was ever established as the Worship of the Church of God in Judah tho I find it several times tolerated and during some wicked Princes reigns practised amongst them but not universally nor so steddily but a succeeding Prince quickly revived the true Worship of God and destroyed the Idols Idolatry seems to be that sin which unchurcâ—e h a Church and makes a People not to be owned by God as his People but that a Church should be condemned as no true Church where this is not found is more then I can find in Holy Writ tho there may be in a Church not so far corrupted a great many corruptions in which it may be a Christians duty not to join with them where Christ is owned and the truths of God necessary to be known and believed in order to salvation are owned and published and the main acts of Divine Worship are performed there is some comeliness So far a particular Christian though we see some particular failings in him and such as may justify the separation of him from a Church as a suspected Leper yet we ought to take heed of looking upon him with too censorious an Eye to restore him in the Spirit of meekness lest we also be tempted 2. We ought not to look upon them with a glad and satisfied Eye It is inhumane to rejoice in the afflictions of any but irreligious to rejoice in the afflictions of any belonging to God This was the sin of the Edomites for which God so severely threatned them by Obadiah v. 12. of his Prophecy Thou shouldst not have looked on in the day of thy Brother in the day that he became a stranger neither shouldest thou have rejoyced over the Children of Judah and to the same purpose Ezek. 35. 15. As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the House of Israel because it was desolate so will I do unto thee thou shalt be desolate and v. 14. When the whole Earth rejoyceth I will make thee desolate I fear there is too much of this ill humour in the world such an hatred to those that fear God and those Churches which walk most strictly up to the rule of the Gospel as produceth a joy and rejoycing when we hear that any evil betideth them We ought to be very careful of our selves as to this this is very far from weeping with those that weep but much less ought we to be glad and rejoice in the sinful falls of professors and miscarriages of such as have had a repute for religion and godliness Nothing is more against Piety and Charity The honour and glory of God is as much concerned in the sins of others as it is in our own sins and we ought no more to glory in the shame of others then in our own shame There is a double rejoycing in the sins of others The first is a rejoycing of wantonness when men out of a meer idle wanton humor can please themselves and others with discourses of Mens and Womens failings The second is a rejoycing of envy and malice when men envy good men their honour and repute in the world and therefore watch for their halting as Jeremiah 20. v. 10. and rejoice when they are fallen All rejoâ—cing in iniquity all looking upon others to that end or of which that is an effect is highly sinful as being against Piety a rejoycing in Gods dishonour and against Charity 1 Cor. 13. 6 a rejoycing in an evil befallen to thy Brother Take heed therefore of this looking upon the Spouse and this is too too frequent and no more then hath always been in the world which alwaies lay in wickedness and from Abels time was alwaies filled with malice against them that loved and feared God David deprecates it Psal 35. 19. Let not those that are mine Enemies wrongfully rejoice over me neither let them wink with the Eye that hate me without a cause v. 21. They opened their mouth wide against me and said Aha Aha our Eye hath seen it And David prayeth bitterly againâ—â— such a generation Lâ—t them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me Aha Aha and so again Psal 70. v. 3. Ham rejoyced in his Fathers nakedness how dreadfully did the Lord revenge it upon him and his Posterity according to the prophetical Curse of his Father Gâ—n 9. 25 26. I have not without trembling seen People make sport at the natural defects of Persons so reproaching God in his works of nature and providence whereas they ought rather to bless God upon such sights who might have made them like unto such imperfect Creatures Not without more trembling sometimes seen and heard men rejoice and make themselves sport with the moral defects and profancness of others their Oaths and Curses and Drunkenness and ribauldry whereas they ought rather to mourn for the dishonour of God and that such things might be taken away from persons who call themselves Christians it argues a very corrupt Soul to rejoyce in the sins of any but to be pleased to rejoice and be glad at the stumblings and falls of Persons that make a profession of Godliness is yet more sinful because God by such sins hath more dishonour and such rejoycing can proceed from no other root but that of hatred to God and envy and malice Thirdly 3. We ought not to look upon the Spouse because she is black with a scornful and despising Eye The Psalmist complaineth Psal 123. v. 4. Our Soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease and with the contempt of the proud And Psal 79. 4. We are become a reproach to our Neighbours a scorn and derision to those who are round about us So Psal 44. 14. Thou makest us a reproach to our Neighbours a scorn and a derision to those that are round about us The occasion of scorn is blacknesâ— either caused through affliction or through temptations and fallings by the prevalence of corruptions Job complained Job 16. 20. That his friends scorned him while his Eyes poured out tears unto God The Church in her blackness was thus despised Lam. 1. 8. so was
duty to be pressing after it I shall but mind you of three things which if they will not prevail with you I know not what to add 1. The concern in it of the glory of God In the obedience of his will for it is what he hath as I have shewed you commanded the winning of Souls Which may be more estranged and alienated from God by an undue behaviour and much reduced by a just and Christian behaviour and the upholding the credit and reputation of religion and godliness 2. Secondly The concern of your brothers good is not little by this thou shalt shew that brotherly Love which is so commended in the Gospel how canst thou say thou lovest thy Brother whiles thou watchest for his halting and art glad and rejoicest when thou seeâ—â— him fallen that scornest and despisest him because he is low and mean and afflicted or because thou observest his foot to have slipped Where is thy pity Where is thy compassion in the case 3. Finally thy own concern is not small in the case Upon this argument the Apostle to the Hebrews perswadeth a remembring of such as are in bonds and adversity Heb. 13. 3 considering that we also are in the body And upon this argument he also perswadeth tenderness to persons black through faults Gal. 6. 2. considering thy self lest thou also be tempted What man is there that may not be afflicted and tossed with tempests as much as any others are What man is there that may not be overpowered at some time or other by his corruptions or Satans temptations Now observe that of our Saviour Luke 6. 37 38. Judge not and you shall not be judged condemn not and you shall not be condemned For with the same measure that you meet withal it shall be measured to you again In these cases the Law of Nature holdeth which Christ hath also Ganonized in his Gospel Whatsoever you would that others should do to you do you the same to them Sermon XXXVII Canticles 1. 6. Because the Sun hath looked upon me I am come now to the sixth Proposition I observed from these words which the Spouse giveth as one reason of her blackness By the Sun I told you I understood the scorchings of Afflictions and Persecutions hence observed That in this life the Spouse of Christ whether we by it understand the true Church or the particular believing Soul is exposed to afflictions and persecutions which make her black The Proposition asserts the Lot of the People of God in this world that is to be afflicted and persecuted to have the Sun look upon them this sense I put upon this metaphor having our Saviour my guide Mat. 13. 6. 21. 2. It sheweth the ill effect or influence which these Persecutions have upon the People of God sometimes that is to make her black or at least to appear so to humane Eyes In the handling of this Proposition I shall 1. Shew you That Afflictions and Persecutions are usually the lot of the Spouse of Christ while she is in this world 2. Whence it is that this is its hard fate to have the Sun to look upon her 3. What collying or blackning qualities there are in afflictions which affect the Spouse 4. Whence it is that because of these Afflictions and Persecutions the Spouse of Christ is judged sometimes black when indeed she is not so Then I shall apply the whole discourse Concerning Afflictions in general I shall speak little they are the common lot of mankind nor is the Child of God more exempted from them then another I shall therefore rather bend my discourse to such kind of afflictions as are the more peculiar afflictions of the Gospel and affect the Spouse of Christ and these are those which we call Persecutions of these our Saviour interpreteth the Sun being up Mat. 13. 6. v. 21. These are such injuries as are done to the Church and People of God sor the Words sake for Righteousness sake for Christs sake which are the several phrases by which these kinds of affliction are expressed Mat. 13. 21. Mat. 5. v. 10. 1 Pet. 1. 14. Any sufferings undergone of choice rather then we will defile our conscience with sin It is true the Etymology of the word will not give us this sense of it but verba valent secundum usum It is the usage of words that must give us the sense of them and this you will find is the sense of this term both in Holy Writ and all Ecclesiastical usage Nor doth it alter the case if men be made sufferers truly upon this account whether they suffer according to an humane law or not for if an â—umane law would have purged such acts from unrighteousness and cleansed them from the guilt of Persecution the Jews had been clear'd who said upon their Crucifying of Christ we have a law and by that law he ought to die and all the Martyrs who have suffered since his time for his names sake excepting such as had died in Massacres and by Assassinations had died as fools died for they generally died in the execution of some laws first made by such as thirsted after their blood Nor is it to be limited only to capital punishments Amongst the noble Army of Martyrs reckoned up Heb. 11. 36. Some had tryal of cruel moâ—kings of bonds and imprisonments some wandred about in Sheep-skins and Goat skins in deserts and Mountains and in Dens and Caves of the Earth and Paul calls Ishmaels mocking of Isaac a Persecution Gal. 4. 29. and as then saith the Apostle he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now Now that this hath been the lot of the People of God in all ages is so evident both from the whole story of Scripture and all Ecclesiastical history that I need not be large in the proof of it He that casteth his Eye upon Adams Family when that contained all the Church God had in the world will find there a Cain rising up against Abel and slaying him because he offered up a more excellent Sacrifice In Abrahams Family he that was born after the Flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit Esau persecuteth Jacob the Egyptians oppress the Israelites there was a continual feud betwixt Judah where the true Church was and Israel after they had Apostatised David in many Psalms tells you how he was continually opposed and maligned What the holy Prophets of the Lord suffered for declaring the truth you may read at large in the Books of the Kings and Chronicles what Jeremiah Daniel Amos the three Children suffered you may read at large in the Prophets If you come to the New Testament you find John Baptist beheaded Christ Crucified Stephen stoned James killed with the Sword Paul variously suffering and all for righteousness sake 2. It may be more worth our inquiry whence these storms arose which our Saviour foretold and were begun with him but grew greater
Look under the vail of Religious Persons in the day of their afflictions The Vail may be black and yet the face White You may possibly see the People of God glorifying him in the Fires eminent faith adherence to God constancy patience shining forth in the People of God in the hour of their tryals you may possibly hear Paul and Silas singing praises unto God at midnight and the Apostles going away from their place of punishment rejoicing that the Lord hath thought them worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ and here a Job resolving that Tho the Lord slayeth him yet he will trust in him These things speak a Lilly tho amongst thorns Sermon XXXVIII Cant. 1. 6. My mothers Children were angry with me I am now come to the 2d cause which the Spouse of Christ here assigneth of her appearing blackness The Anger of her Mothers Children My Mothers Children saith she were angry with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Septuagint translateth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They fought in me or they fought against me In my explication of the verse I told you that some by Mothers Children understand those lusts and corruptions which are members of that body of death which yet remain in the best of Gods People those members mentioned by the Apostle Col. 3. 5. which we have while we live upon the Earth for our exercise to mortify these lye in the womb of the same Soul together with our habits of grace these are those which the Apostle calls the flesh which lusteth against the Spirit These cause that war in our members mentioned James 4. 1. they war against the Soul 1. Pet. 2. 11. Others 2. understand by the Mothers Children mentioned in the text False brethren such members of the Church as are indeed the Children of the Church our visible Mother but not the Children of our heavenly Father Tho in my own judgment I rather incline to the latter as the sense of the Text yet I shall give that deference to those worthy Interpreters that have mentioned the former that there being a truth in that I shall take both senses into the Proposition which I shall law down thus The conflict which particular believers have with their own inbred lusts and corruptions and which the Church hath with false brethren will often make them appear black to the Eye of the World Here are two propositions wrapped up together 1. That true Christians will have conflicts with their own lusts and corruptions and the true members of the Church with such as are false brethren 2. That both the particular Christians and the Church of Christ in these conflicts will appear black 1. True Christians will have conflicts with their lusts and corruptions This is so great a truth that this Spiritual conflict is a note of the truth of grace in the Soul It is indeed as wars use to be sometimes hotter sometimes cooler and more remiss and the Soul is in it sometimes more sometimes less a conquerour as God will please to afford the Soul more or less of his strength but it is always something When God did bring the Israelites into Canaan he was not pleased at once to drive them cut but by little and little Exod. 23. 28 29. neither were they faultless for many of the Tribes did not drive them out Judah could not drive them out Judg. 1. 19. It is said of several of the other Tribes that they did not drive them out Upon which God resolveth that he would not drive them out but they should be as thorns in their sides God in bringing Souls out of a state of nature into a state of grace doth not wholly drive out lust and corruption he bringeth sin out of its Dominion Rom 6. 13. So as it reigneth not in the mortal Bodies of the Saints sin like the tree in Nebuchadnezzars vision Dan. 4. 14. is hewed down many of its branches are cut off and its leaves and its fruit is scattered and the Soul is got from under it but yet the stump of its roots are in the Earth tho bound with a band of Iron and Brass kept under by the law of the Christians mind that he getteth no dominion the Soul is not under the power of it Now as there was a continual war betwixt the Canaanites left in the land and the Israelites so there is a continual war and spiritual combate betwixt those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these passions of sin these lustings of the flesh and the Spiritual part of the Spiritual man Paul doth excellently describe this conflict Rom. 7. 21. I find then a law that when I would do good evil is present with me for I delight in the law of God as to my inward man But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me c. Saint Paul sets forth himself there as a man in a battel and sometimes taken Prisoner So again Gal 5. â—7 For the 〈…〉 Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contr ary the one to the other And indeed in the last words lyes the reason of this war and conflict It is of the nature of contraries to expell one another not to indure one another in the same subject but to be in a continual combate till the one or the other hath got the Victory Grace in Scripture is compared to light sin to darkness light and darkness mutually expell one another so doth Grace and lust Now both these being in the Soul of the regenerate man who is but Sanctified in part and neither of them being lazy and inactive but active and operative principles there must be this conflict which I have mentioned this war in our members which makes the People of God look black 2. And as it fares with individual Christians with respect to their lusts and corruptions so it also fareth with the Collective Spouse the Church of Christ with respect to false Brethren who are the presumptive but not the true members of it 1. such will be in the Church while it is upon the Earth 2. And these will be angry with the true members of it 1. while the Church is upon the Earth it will be like a field of Wheat which hath tares in it the Gospel and the preaching of it is like a drag-net which draweth unto the Church as its shore Fish both good and bad there will come a time when the Lord will take his fan and throughly purge his floor but that will be in the day of judgment if we look upon Gods ancient Church the Congregation of Israel there was a Jannes and a Jambnes that resisted Moses a Corah Dathan and Abiram that rose up against Moses Aaron many false Prophets to mislead People many more false hearts that were easily misled the Chaldee
such a time Other men may seem to do well enough so long as they have rest and ease and prosperity But what will they do in the day of their visitation God takes another care for his People when David can incourage himself in nothing else he can incourage himself in his God When the Fig-tree doth not blossom and there is no fruit in the vine when the fields yield no meat and the flock are cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stall yet even then they can rejoyce in the Lord and be glad in the God of their Salvation Habak 3. 17 18 19. Vnder his shades we shall live saith the Afflicted Church Lam. 4. 20. I state under his shadow with great delight saith the Spouse Cant. 2. 3. There are many promises which God hath made to his People to be their hiding place their rock their Covert their shadow from the storm and from the tempest To which I refer you In the next place What cause of rejoycing and lifting up of the head is here to the People of God whether such as lie under the present pressures of Tryals or Afflictions or such as have these storms in prospect though they be not already fallen upon them Is the noon of Tryals and Afflictions come upon any of you Hath the Lord taken away those gourds which heretofore were a shade to you your health friends estate your outward comforts of what kind soever yet be of good cheer God is only changing your Souls Pastures Hitherto you have lived more immediately upon the creature you shall only now live more immediately upon God hitherto you have lived by sight God is now calling you to live by Faith hitherto your great Shepherd hath fed you in the fields of sensible comforts and enjoyments things that are seen he is now calling you to live upon things that are invisible but every way as sufficient for the support and sustenance of the Soul he that hath fed thee in the morning will not leave thee at noon time Psal 37. v. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good and so shalt thou dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed David saith He never saw the righteous forsaken The Believer shall be fed either with that bread which the world knoweth and calleth so or with that bread which the world knoweth and calleth so or with that bread which the world knoweth not of There is a revolution of time a vicissitude of Providences but there is no change of the Word and Promises of God Verily they shall be fed There shall be no want to those that fear the Lord. A noon may come but Christ hath a shadow a feeding a resting place for his flocks at noon That God who hath kept thee in health will also keep thee in sickness He that hath hitherto kept thee from the malice of a most malicious world will keep thee under the pressures of their malice Only take care to Trust in the Lord and to do good Is not this thy case Hast thou the storm only in prospect but it is not yet fallen upon thee and art thou only tormented with the fears of what is likely to come upon thee oft-times slavish fear proves a great evil and an evil in prospect is greater than when it is fallen upon a person Let this incourage you to hear that Christ hath shades for his People at noon God hath said I will never leave you nor forsake you Let me only commend one Promise to you it is made to the Church and to every Believer as a Member of it it is that Isa 4. 5 6. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her Assemblies a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence and there shall be a Tabernacle in the day-time from the heat and for a place of refuge and for a covert from Storm and from Rain I will shut up this Discourse with a word or two of Exhortation First To such as are yet none of the Inhabitants of Mount Zion None of those I mean who are the true Members of the Church of Christ Those who have no title or are able to make out no title to the dwelling-places upon Mount Zion or any of them what a motive should this be to all such to indeavour what in them lieth to get into Christ's little Flock A noon must come Possibly it is now morning with you and you are more careless but man is born to trouble and it is as natural to humane nature as it is for sparks to fly upward as Job tells us The Children of God in respect to the world's hatred are more exposed to others but there is none who liveth and shall not see death none that lives but must look to be in deaths often of one nature or another It is certainly the highest prudence to be prepared for all Assayes Thou hast no way for this but to get an interest in Christ Whilst thou art an Egyptian thou canst not look for the Priviledges of one that is an Inhabitant in Goshen Doest thou ask me how can this be How should I who am a Goat be transformed into a Sheep Our Saviour answers thee Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God he can be none of that little Flock to whom it is God's will to give that Kingdom Regeneration a new Birth from the holy Spirit can only make this Spiritual Metamorphosis Thy work in order to it lyeth only in some external actions such as refraining what thou canst from sin waiting upon God in Ordinances calling upon God in Prayer not resisting the motions of his holy Spirit 2d Branch Secondly This Discourse ought to quicken such as are of the Flock of Christ in all their Noons of Affliction and Trial to betake themselves to Christ's shades to the places where Christ useth to feed and to make his Flocks to rest at Noon What those shades are I have shewed you our work is to betake our selves unto them It is natural to us when we are pursued to look for a covert for some refuge or shelter where we may hide our selves till the storm be passed over and to flee to such places where we think that we may be secure There is no true shelter but in Christ's shades Let us then inquire what is the duty of a good Christian in an evil day that he may bring his Soul to a rest and quiet 1. The first and great thing is to look out our Evidences to make out our title to and interest in the Lord Jesus Christ We must intitle our selves to the great Shepherd of our Souls as our Shepherd before we can expect that he should in a scorching time make us to lie down in green Pastures and lead us besides the still waters and encourage our selves as David Psal
so it is a creature of a great spirit and courage He rusheth into the Battel and is not afraid Jer. 8. 6. God speaking to Job concerning the Horse giveth an excellent and elegant description of him Job 39. 19 20. where God asketh Job Hast thou clothed his neck with Thunder Canst thou make him afraid at a Grashopper The glory of his Nostrils is terrible He paweth in the Valley and rejoyceth in his strength He goeth on to meet the armed man he mocketh at fear and is not affrighted neither turneth he back from the Sword The Quiverrattleth against him the glittering Spear and the Shield he swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage neither believeth he that it is the sound of the Trumpet He saith amongst the Trumpets Ha Ha and he smelleth the Battel afar off the Thunder of the Captains and the shoutings With respect of this Quality of the Horse I conceive it is that the Spouse is here compared to Horses War-like Horses full of spirit and courage I have likened thee to a company of Horses That is I have made thee bold couragious full of resolution to make a spiritual resistance to thy Enemies to bid a defiance to them no more to regard the reproaches and revilings the threats and rage and violences of wicked men that oppose thee and cause thy trouble than the Horse regardeth the ratlings of the Quiver or the sound of the Trumpet or the glittering Spear or Shield Fear not the rage and madness of thy Enemies I have made thee like to the Horses in Pharaoh's Chariots which are so bred and so spirited that they mock at fear and the more their Enemies rage and make a noise the more couragiously and with the more mettle they go on This I take to be the most proper and likely sense of the Metaphor in this Text accordingly I shall handle it 2. But it is not said To an Horse only but to a company of Horses Why to a company of Horses The term company denotes Multitude and Unity 1. It denotes Multitude The Church of Christ consists of many Individual Believers who in respect of their Innocency and feeding in the same Pastures are compared sometimes to a Flock of Sheep here in respect of that spirit of valour courage and fortitude which animates them all to a company of Horses 2. It is a term which denotes Unity not a numerical Unity but an Unity in some common work and in some accidents common to them all Thus the Apostle saith We being many are one body There is saith the Apostle Eph. 4. 4 5. one Body one Spirit they are called in one Hope of their Calling they have one Lord one Faith one Baptism they have one God and Father of all The Spouse is not compared to a company of Horses in a field or in the streets but to a company of Horses in a Chariot where they draw together run together upon the Enemy Every Believer also hath a Company within himself the several powers and faculties of his Soul armed with the whole Armour of God These are like a company of Horses in Pharaoh 's Chariots 3. But why in Pharaoh's Chariots Pharaoh was a common name to the Kings of Egypt and a company of Horses in Pharaoh 's Chariots signifieth no more than a company of the best Egyptian Horses-Egypt at that time was one of the most famous places for Horses in the world Hence you read that Solomon had Horses brought out of Egypt 1 King 10. 28. And the King of Judah sent his Embassadors into Egypt that they might give him Horses Ezek. 17. 15. So Isa 31. 1. Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help and stay on Horses v. 3. Their Horses are flesh and not spirit So as I think they have but a feeble support from this Text who would make advantage of this Text to justify their notion that this Divine portion of holy Writ is no more but a Love-song betwixt Solomon and Pharaohs Daughter To all this I might add one thing more that the Horse by reason of those excellent qualities which the God of nature hath endued it with hath in all ages been in a very high esteem with men The vanity of some Persons in the expression of this hath been very great Historians tell us the Persians made solemn funerals for their Horses in other places they builded Pyramids over their Sepulchers Alexander the great built a City to the memory of his Horse Julius Caesar set up his Horse a marble effigies The Emperour Commodus would have his Horse buried in the Vatican Our age is more rational then to allow these vanities but yet it is vain enough many a man takes more care for the mangery of his Horse then for the Education of his Child and alloweth his Horses more attendance then his wife Which lets us see what a value men yet put upon this creature So as this sense may be put upon the Words of this Text thou art as dear to me and in as high esteem with me as the Horses in Pharaohs Chariots are to and with him The Proposition then of the Text amounteth to this Prop. That the Church of Christ and every particular believer in it is in Christs Eyes exceeding lovely and highly esteemed of by him and knowing that she is in the midst of Enemies he hath cloathed her with strength for the victory sufficient if she will make use of it he hath made her like to a Company of Horses in Pharaohs Charrots The proof of the Proposition then lyeth in the proof of these two things 1. That the Spouse of Christ is in his Eyes exceeding goodly and beautiful and highly esteemed of by him 2. That she is cloathed with sufficient strength and might to overcome her Enemies For the proof of the former I shall not insist upon it for besides the large discourse I have already spent upon that when I handled that phrase O thou fairest amongst women The expressions of Scripture are so obvious to every Eye where Christ setteth out his Love to and esteem of his Church and every particular believer that I need not spend time in giving you an account of them The latter is no less plain Immediately upon the fall God gave out this promise Gen. 3. 15. The seed of the woman shall break thine head and thou shalt bruise his heel The seed of the woman was Christ and his seed those that believe in him Conformable to this is that promise Rom. 16. 20. God shall bruise Sathan under your feet shortly It was an ancient promise made to Abraham and in him to all that walk in the steps of his faith Thy seed shall possess the gates of its Enemies God saith Zech. 10. 3. That he made his flock as a goodly Horse in the day of battel v. 5. And they shall be as mighty men which tread down the Enemies as mire in the streets in the battel they shall fight because the Lord
is with them I come to the Application I shall only apply it by Exhortation to two great duties Fortitude and unity I begin with the first upon which I shall most inlarge as to which I shall shew you 1. Wherein it lies and discourse it to you as it stands distinguished from a natural Spirit and stomack 2. From a moral fortitude 2. I shall offer you some directions in order to the promoving of it 3. Lastly I shall press it by some arguments It is agreed on all hands that the object of it is dangers and sufferings That the nature of it lyeth in a bold encountring and going through them That the vices opposed to it are 1 Cowardise 2. Rashness or fool hardiness as we call it There is a courage or fortitude which ariseth only from the natural Spirit and courage of the creature Now this is to be found in beasts as much as in men yea and more then in men the reflections of whose reason makes them less Spiritful then Horses or Dogs or Lions c. This commendeth no man for no man hath more of this then many Beasts have So it removeth not man at any distance from a Brute Creature Secondly There is a moral fortitude Which though it must have some foundation in nature for none that is naturally fearful and cowardly will by reason be improved to any degree of valour yet differeth from the other As it ariseth from knowledge and some just improvement of reason and is governed by the dictates of reason and directed to some noble and rational end such now as the preservation of our honour or Country c. But now Christian fortitude is quite another thing as it ariseth 1. From a threefold principle of grace 2. As it is directed by the rule of the Word 3. As it is exercised upon and against sin As lastly it works for a more noble end the glory of God and the Salvation of the Soul you may take this Description of it It is an habit infused into the Soul by the holy Spirit of God inabling the Soul from the dread of the Eternal God a Love to him and a faith in him and his promises to despise the prospect or presence of any danger in a resistance and fighting against sin and all temptations to it governing it self by the rule of Gods Word in order to the glory of God and the Salvation of a mans Soul From hence may easily be gathered both how it differeth from Natural Spirit and stomackfulness which is under no government either of reason or Religion and is a mere natural quality and found in beasts as much and more then in man It also differeth from Moral sortitude both in the Principle the rule and manner of its exercise and the End All which I shall open I shall begin with the first of these 1. The first Principle of Christian Fortitude is the holy Spirit Fear not saith God I will strengthen thee and uphold thee with the hand of my righteousness It is indeed God as the God of Nature that puts the natural Spirit and courage into the Horse or other beasts Job 32. 19. Hast thou saith God given strength to the Horse Hast thou clothed his neck with Thunder But here God acts as the Author of saving grace The holy Spirit is the Author of all gracious habits now there is a threefold Spiritual habit from which this fortitude or Christian courage proceeds they are as it were the Parents of it 1. The first is the fear of God No man is valiant against sin when temptations to it lye from great dangers but he that hath a true dread of God in and upon his heart It is said of Moses Hebr. 11. 27. That by faith he forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he indured as seeing him who is invisible He forsook Egypt in obedience to the command of God he feared not the wrath of the King When he saw he must either incur the Kings wrath or Gods displeasure he feared not the wrath of the King though as Solomon saith The wrath of the King is as the Messenger of death Yet he feared not the wrath of the King here now was courage here was Christian Fortitude Whence was it that he was so courageous The Text tells you He indured as seeing him who was invisible he had the dread of the King of Kings upon his Soul agnovit imperatorem coeli he knew there was one that was higher then the highest mortal and this is necessary and that too in a very good degree to every Soul that is valiant for God Every Person that feareth not God will be a coward in the Spiritual fight 2. A Second habit contributing to this fortitude or Christian courage is The Love of God The Apostle tells you it constrains we see in daily experience the lover will indure no difhonour to be done unto no affront to be put upon the woman that he loveth The vain Gentleman is ready to fight upon any such account The Soul which truly loveth God will fuffer no affront no dishonour which he can help to be done unto and put upon God much less can he allow his own Soul in any such thing what ever be the consequent of it 3. A third habit from which this Christian courage or fortitude ariseth is Faith Faith respecting both the Proposition of the Word and the promise of the Gospel and Person of the Mediatour Faith agreeing to all which the holy Scripture revealeth concerning the wrath of God his power justice greatness concerning the reward of those who well fight the good fight who overcome c. And also hoping and trusting in God for the fulfilling of those promises Natural courage is much from Nature and derives much from the Blood Moral Fortitude deriveth much from Education and Reason Christian Fortitude in encountring dangers ariseth from quite different principles The Christian is stout and valiant in the resistance of sin because he feareth the great and living God whose wrath is a thousand times more formidable then the wrath of the greatest man who when he hath killed the body can do no more God can cast both body and Soul into Hell-Fire Because he loveth God and will suffer any thing rather than grieve and offend him and because he believeth whatsoever God hath revealed in his holy Word concerning the greatness power wrath and justice of God against sin and concerning those who strive in the resistance of it Hence you read in that martyrology which you have Heb. 11. 33. That they through faith subdued Kingdoms v. 34. quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword waxed valiant in the fight v. 35. they were tortured not accepting deliverance v. 36. they had Trials of cruel mockings and Scourgings yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment c. The principles of the Christian valour are not meer Natural Spirit and stomackfulness nor meer principles of honour and
and their natural powers and faculties I therefore add 3. That this may seem plausible to those who either do not consider or will not allow those two contrary Principles which are in every renewed Soul but to those who believe and consider this it cannot Gal. 3. 17. For the Flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that you cannot do the things which you would especially when we consider also the advantage which the Flesh hath in us against the Spirit Vicious habits and inclinations are natural to the soil of our hearts It is a common observation Quod sponte prodit laetius prodit what a soil naturally brings forth it brings forth more vigorously and certainly than what it is made to bring forth by Art and Cultivation The heart of every man naturally inclines to motions and actions contrary to the Will of God Hence Self-denial is the first thing necessary to Christ's Disciple this makes more than a concurse of common Providence necessary to a spiritual act Now in our natural motions there is no opposition and therefore an ordinary conservative power of common Providence is sufficient to their production Nature giving no opposition to them but this reason differeth very little from the first therefore I shall not further inlarge upon this head 4. Lastly If we could exercise gracious habits without any supernatural influence exciting and quickening and also assisting and cooperating Then we might from our selves begin and carry on a supernatural act For suppose one indued with the habits of grace he is only by these furnished with a power to believe to love God c. The Question is Whence he acts and exerciseth these powers If this be from himself then the supernatural act begins and is carried on from himself and God should give only to will but not to do The Apostle tells us in 2 Cor. 3. 5. That we are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is from God If it be answered That as in natural actions God upholdeth the natural powers and faculties of the Soul so in the renewed Nature he upholdeth the Spiritual Powers This is too short for the Question is Whence a Christian is inclined to this or that individual good action and why more at one time than another for there is a never-ceasing influence of God upholding the principles and powers of the renewed Nature yet experience tells us there is not at all times the same power and vigour to act Besides in all God's influences and concurses of Providence with his creatures his influence is according to the nature of the second Cause with which he concurreth But when God concurreth with a spiritual habit or power in the Soul he concurreth with a Second Cause which is supernatural not a native quality in the rational Soul but adventitious superinduced qualities therefore an ordinary concurse of Providence is not sufficient and as the Second Cause with which he concurreth is supernatural so the Effect to be produced is of that nature also To all this might be added the mention so often made in Scripture of the Spirit dwelling in us helping our infirmities working in us And St. Paul's telling us that he lived yet not he but saith he Christ liveth in me Gal. 2. 2â— and that 1 Cor. 15. 10. By the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly than they all yet NOT I but the grace of God that was with me But I have spoken enough to the first Conclusion I laid down proving that our exercise of grace depends upon the Influence of Christ and that considering him not as God only granting his ordinary concurse of Providence to all his creatures motions and actions but considering him as Mediator and from whom the Spirit of Grace proceedeth There must be a double Influence of Christ to a Spiritual Act. 1. The first exciting moving quickening and stirring up the Soul unto it 2. Assisting the Soul in it 2. Degrees of exercises of Grace depend upon the degrees of those Influences Christ tells us That he came into the World that his People might have life and that they might have it more abundantly Joh. 10. 10. The aboundings of gracious acts depend upon the aboundings of Spiritual Life This is so obvious to every man's common reason that I need not inlarge in a Discourse to prove it Every one will conclude That if without Christ we can do nothing we cannot without him do great things if we cannot think a good thought we cannot pray a good prayer nor do an act which must speak a great self-denial and mortification of our members 3. As is the exercise of Grace so is the smell of it I have before told you that some Divines say the exercise of Grace is the smell of it I had rather by it understand the Acceptation of such exercise of Grace with God and the report of it amongst men which indeed dependeth upon the exercise and is more or less according to the exercise of it The more a Soul liveth in the improvement and exercise of those blessed habits with which God hath endued it the more it glorifieth God Joh. 15. 8. Herein is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit so shall you be my Disciples Abraham being strong in the Faith gave glory to God and the greater is the sweet savour which the Soul gives in the World There is nothing in the exercise of gracious habits that is unlovely or unsavoury to that part of the World that hath not through malice out-lawed its reason they are not the exercises of Grace but the breakings out of sin and corruption which give the Souls of Christians any ill report amongst the generality of the men of the World Some few persons indeed there are who have such a perfect rooted hatred of God in them that as they say of the Basilisk that it hath such an hatred and antipathy to man that it will flie upon the Picture of a man so they will flie upon the Image of God where-ever they see it or think they see it but the number of these though in it self too great yet comparatively is but small The generality of men and women in the World are not so bad but a good man living uniformly up to his Principles hath a fairer quarter amongst them But amongst the People of God those who excel in vertue the exercises of Grace alwaies smell very sweet and amongst all men under the conduct of reason as is the exercise of these spiritual habits so is the Christian's smell more or less The Ointment poured forth is that which perfumes the house the reason is because that odoriferous quality is by the Air as its vehicle conveyed to our senses So for men and women in the World
influences of the Spirit are the influences of Christ I shall instance in a sixfold influence of the Spirit of Christ upon the Soul as to all which he is a bundle of Myrrh to his beloved 1. The first is his convincing influence Joh. 16. 8. When he is come he will reprove the World of sin In respect of this influence the Spirit of Christ is called the Spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. They say of Myrrh that in the gathering it makes the hands of the gatherers exceeding bitter but gathered it becomes incomparably sweet Thus it is with the Lord Christ as to this influence of the Spirit upon us the Soul for the time that it is under this influence is full of bitterness but it turneth to an exceeding great sweetness The Book which St. John did Eat was in the Mouth as sweet as hony but in the belly more bitter than wormwood A fit emblem of sin The convictions of the Spirit of Christ are of a quite contrary nature in the mouth they are as bitter as wormwood but in the belly they are exceeding sweet the Soul in the hour of conviction is exceedingly sad and troubled but when convinced how it blesseth God who was pleased to convince it of sin Like the woman who in an hard labour is full of pain and wisheth she had never bred a Child but being once delivered forgets her pain and remembers her throws with pleasure 2. A second influence of the Spirit of Christ is Illumination The Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom and knowledge Isaiah 11. 2. It teacheth us all things Joh. 14. 26. 1. Joh. 2. 27. That is all things necessary to Salvation The things which Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive even these things are revealed to us by the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. Concerning the manner of the Spirits teaching how consistent with the teachings of Ordinances and yet distinct from it I have else where shewed you my business now is to shew you that Christ in this influence is a bundle of Myrrh Light is sweet to the Eye saith Solomon knowledge is that about which the understanding which is the Eye of the mind is exercised and is every whit as pleasant unto the Soul as light is unto the bodily Eye Now as all knowledge is sweet to the Soul so especially the knowledge 1. Of things hidden from others 2. Of such things as are of nearest concernment to us especially if the knowledge be certain 1. I say the knowledge of such things as are hidden from others such knowledge we upon experience find to be very sweet and such a knowledge the Spirit of Christ gives to the Soul The Gospel of Christ is it self called a mystery a thing hidden from ages and hidden from the wise and prudent This indeed is more generally revealed to all but more especially and fully and clearly to the believing Souls But further the Spirit of God reveals the secrets of God to the Souls of the Saints 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. Even the deep things of God its particular election and the truth of its graces c. Now this knowledge is sweet to the Soul 2. The knowledge of such things as are of nearest concernment to us is most sweet Such is the teaching of the Spirit it teacheth us to cry abba Father it teacheth us to see the things that are freely given us of God Add to this that by how much any knowledge is more certain by so much it is more sweet the understanding is not so pleased with probable notions as what is matter of demonstration and assured to the Soul such is the teaching of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 4. It teacheth by demonstration leaving no doubting in the Soul This is a second influence of the Spirit of Christ upon the Soul in respect of which he is a bundle of Myrrh unto the Soul 3. A third influence of the Spirit of Christ is its Sanctifying influence Rom. 15. 16. being Sanctified by the Holy Ghost It is Christ that Sanctifieth Heb. 2. 11. Sanctification is expressed under the Notion of being conformed to the Image of Christ Now as to this influence of grace Christ is a bundle of Myrrh to the believing Soul The unbeliever hates holiness but the Child of God Loves it and desires further degrees of it Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man saith Paul Rom. 7. 22. He his highly pleased when he finds the power of grace in his heart overpowering lusts and corruptions and his Soul every day growing more and more like God and like Christ more full of Spiritual desires Spiritual affections his heart more willing to deny it self to be under the plenary power and Command of Jesus Christ when he finds that it is not he that liveth but it is Christ that liveth in him Christ in respect of this influence is to the Souls of his Saints as a bundle of Myrrh 4. A fourth influence of Christ upon the Soul is his strengthening influence Phil. 4. 13. I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me He strengtheneth the Soul 1. In doing Spiritual duties 2. In resisting Corruptions 3. In suffering sharpest trials The Lord stood by me saith Paul But it is not my present business to discourse either of the several sorts of Spiritual strengthening influences Nor yet of the ways and methods by and in which Christ meeteth the Soul with strength and Communicates strength unto it My work is only to shew you that this influence of his is as a bundle of Myrrh to the Soul Now that Christ in this influence is exceeding sweet to the Soul needs no other proof then the daily experience of the Souls of Gods People how refreshed do they rise up from Prayer when they have found the Spirit of Christ in it helping their infirmities with strong cryes and groans It is said of Hannah 1 Sam. 1. That she rose up and her Countenance was no more sad This was that which made the holy Martyrs take joyfully the spoiling of their goods the burning of their bodies And made them feel no more pain to use the expression of one of them then if they had been upon a bed of Roses So that their Persecutors cursed them saying they had a delight to burn 5 A fifth sort of influences are the Quickening influences of the Spirit of Christ I have formerly told you that the Scripture mentioneth a threefold quickening All of them from Christ and by the Spirit 1. The quickening of the dead body mentioned Rom. 8. 11. This will be as a bundle of Myrrh exceeding sweet when it comes when in the resurrection we shall be like Angels And the thoughts of this are exceeding sweet while we live here 2. The quickening of the dead Soul mentioned Eph. 2. 1. This is exceeding sweet to the Soul when done Oh how pleasant it is to a Soul to remember
him I remember what the Jews said for their Centurion He hath loved our Nation and built us a Synagogue this I am sure of Christ hath loved mankind he hath purchased salvation for some of them O my Soul if thou beest forgotten of God yet love him who would so far humble himself as to pity dust and ashes 2. Hence secondly No wonder if there be some love to Christ appearing in those who have no share nor interest in him It hath been the assertion of some that Common grace and special grace differ not specifically but gradually I think the assertion amongst understanding men but a contest of Logical terms I no way doubt of the truth of this That an unbeliever may love Christ in a sense But the Love of the Child of God vastly differs being an infused habit and of another species Whatsoever is presented to us under the Notion of good whether so really or apparently is plainly the proper object of our love Now such may Christ appear even to an unbeliever who is far from having tasted how good the Lord is hence even in a carnal man there may be desires after Christ good wishes to the interest of Christ upon the Earth yea and he may do much for the Service of Christ either from a general Notion of Christs excellency or 2dly which I should have mentioned before from a supposal that he hath as good a share and interest in Christ as any other though in this possibly he may be mistaken And this is very useful for us to consider that we may not build too great confidences from such desires which we find in our Souls or any such external actions without a due inquiry after their Principle But enough of this I come to the positive part of the Proposition 2. That there is a peculiar excellency in Christ which the believing Soul sees and savours and is not discernable to others My beloved saith the Spouse is a Cluster of Camphire unto me They said to her in 5th of this Song v. 9. What is thy beloved more then another beloved O thou fairest amongst women what is thy beloved more then anothers beloved that thou so strictly chargest us She answers v. 10. My beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand c. For the opening of this I will propound two questions 1. What are those peculiar excellencies which the believer sees in Christ more then another sees 2. How comes the believing Soul to be more eagle eyed then his neighbour To the first 1. The believer sees further into the heighths and depths of redeeming love in the general then another man doth The heighth of redeeming love is too great for a reasonable man to take the Astronomer is lost at taking the heighth of this Star we must be strengthned with might by the Spirit in the inward man Christ must dwell in our hearts by saith and we must be rooted and grounded in love before we shall be able with all Saints to comprehend what is the breadth length and depth and heighth and know the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge The unbeliever living under the light of the Gospel is like the blind man whose Eyes Christ hath once touched and he seeth something of he excellency of Christ but alas he seeth men like trees Christ must touch him again before he sees things clearly the believer seeth Christ as another thing to what the unbeliever seeth 2. The believer discerns a particular respect of Christ to his Soul Ah this this is it which makes Christ as a Cluster of Camphire it is sweet to a rational Soul to see a Saviour Buâ— infinitly sweet for it to see him as its Saviour to cry out my Lord my God Propriety in a good sweetens it infinitly unto a Soul the believer sees Christ as his Christ his Saviour It is sweet to poor Creatures who are so far enlightened as to see the World lyeth in darkness to know that he is the true light enlightning all that come into the World but infinitly more sweet to the Soul when it sees that he hath enlightened it in particular A good woman to a reasonable man is pâ—etious and he loves her quatenus good and vertuous but if she becomes his Wife that strangely indears her to him and shews her a peculiar excellency in him 'T is sweet to a reasonable man that is enlightened to see that all the Sons of Adam are by nature under misery to see that Christ came to Redeem them from this misery and Curse but how sweet must it be for this Soul to apprehend that he hath redeemed it in particular from this misery I shall not need to enlarge further upon this which in so plain Doth any ask Qu. 2. Whence it is that the believing Soul seeth such a peculiar sweetness and excellency in Christ I answer 1. From that special illumination which attends regeneration There is a Common illumination and there is a special illumination the Common illumination is the work of Gods Spirit concurring with the Preaching of the Gospel inabling men to understand and give some general assent to what is there revealed but when the Lord comes to deal savingly with the Soul it opens the Eyes of the Soul to a fuller clearer and more certain sight of Gospel mysteries 1 Cor. 2. 10. God revealeth to his Saints by his Spirit those things which the Princes of the World though they heard the Gospel never knew what things Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor can it enter into the heart to conceive A Commonly enlightned Soul upon the Preaching of the Gospel may see the same things that a believer sees that Christ died c. But it sees them not so fully and clearly as upon special saving illuminations when the Spirit dealeth with the Soul as it were by demonstration and gives it to see a Christ crucified as it were before its Eyes There are two things especially which the Soul upon conversion doth doubtless see after a quite other manner then it saw them before conversion 1. The sinfulness and mischief of sin A man meerly reasonable may see the ugliness and sinfulness of some sins such as are contrary to the light of nature c. A man Commonly enlightned may see more of the sinfulness and danger both of these and of other sins but when the Spirit of God cometh savingly to work in the Soul it seeth the sinfulness and danger even of these sins after another manner sin then becomes exceeding sinful Rom. 7. 13. It then thinks it sees Hell fire before it and is dropping into it and so hath a clearer sight of the danger of it 2. The excellency of Christ is doubtless seen by it too after another manner Of this there needs no greater evidence than the Souls strange workings of affections towards him its groanings after him longings for an interest in him c. 2. This proceeds also from the Souls
hath it that walks with God and hath a fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ By way of Argument let me but plead with you 1. To observe the difference between sensual and intellectual pleasures And again betwixt rational and spiritual pleasures Who is there that observes not how much the satisfaction of the mind in the possession of Learning and Vertue excels all that satisfaction which the Eye hath in seeing or the Ear in hearing Christ is pleasant to the Soul not to the outward but to the inward man The pleasures of the mind are rational or spiritual The proportion which knowledge beareth to the understanding of man and which moral Vertue bears to his Reason makes them pleasant and creates an intellectual rational pleasure But alas it must be imperfect for as the Eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the Ear with hearing so neither is it possible that the Soul should be satisfied with knowledge or moral accomplishments especially when it is awakened to consider Eternity Hence the Learned man that before took pleasure in his knowledge being awakened cries out I with my Learning may go to Hell when one that knows much less may go to Heaven where 's the pleasure But now the Soul that is possessed of Christ hath its heart perfectly at rest because it sees its eternal Interest provided for and cannot discern it self in danger of future misery Furthermore the things in which it takes pleasure are above the rank of all sublimary contentments even such things as Eye hath not seen nor hath Ear heard nor can it enter into the Heart of man to conceive Besides Conscience is quiet Conscience is that which spoils much of the Worlds pleasure for as a good Conscience is a continual feast so an evil Conscience is more or less a continual torment Now Christ is he alone that quieteth the Conscience Many a poor Christless Soul drinks Wine in Bowls and boast in their outwardly happy condition but by and by a finger of a mans hand appears their Conscience begins to stir and to tell them they are damned undone sinners what becomes of their pleasure But now the Soul that is in Christ his Conscience speaks peace to him he hath peace without trouble And to give you a demonstration of this pleasantness of a Christian's life as I remember Christ said of the Lillies they neither spin nor sow yet Solomon in all his glory is not like one of them So give me leave to say Step unto the poor Cottages of Christians who have searce Bread to eat no Silken Rayments to put on no Musick to make them merry no Money to spend no Orchards or Gardens to delight them and yet there 's many a Nobleman many a Gentleman who have all these in abundance yet in all their glory are not like one of these Lillies these poor Souls have more true content and pleasure in one day than they have in all their life nor would they change conditions with them So true is that of Solomon Prov. 15. 16 17. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great Treasures and trouble therewith Better is a dinner of Herbs where love is than a stalled Oxe and hatred therewith I dare warrant you that the Philosopher could have dined more sweetly at home with Bread and Water than at the Tyrants Table of Dainties in view of a sharp Sword hanging over his head by a thred There 's many a poor Christian in this like a true spiritual Diogenes that satisfieth himself with the influence of the Sun upon his Tub better than an Alexander could do himself with a whole World subdued to his feet 2. Observe from hence the difference between Christ and lusts Christ and the World The Soul of man cannot be alone it is either espoused to lusts and to the World or else to the Lord Jesus There 's many a one whose Soul is united to it's lusts Lust is its beloved Can this Soul say Behold thou art fair my Beloved yea pleasant Doubtless nothing less Reason tells the Drunkard that his Drunkenness is a foul thing and Reason tells the Unclean person that his Soul is united to a filthy thing Take him that is united to the World to the Riches of it or to the Honours of it Reason tells him they have no beauty in them nor are they more pleasant than beautiful Ah! what racks of Conscience have prophane sinners oft-times The Wine tickles the throat as it passeth but it maketh the stomach sick The lusts of the flesh leave a Thorn in the Conscience which abides when the pleasure of them is vanished The World pleaseth the Eye while the figure of it passeth before it but it is no more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great fancy and vexation of spirit spoils the pleasure of it But Christ is pleasant never any Soul that followed him repented of it yea those that follow him weeping never repent of their repentings Bring me that Soul which ever said I would I had never known or never walkt with Christ Let this therefore prevail with every Soul that hears me this day to get acquaintance with Christ And 2. With those who have interest in him to labour to grow up in him 1. The former Because he is pleasant 2. The latter Because they have not tasted the bottom of that pleasantness which attends him and the full Enjoyment of him Pleasantness is an alluring thing When Eve saw that the Apple was pleasant to the Eye she took it Gen. 3. 6. When Issachar in Jacob's Prophecy Gen. 49. 15. saw that the Land was pleasant he bowed his shoulder to bear Were you but possessed of this one Truth that Christ is pleasant that the way of Christ is a way of pleasantness it would go a great way to persuade men into it Hearken to the Wise man speaking of Wisdom of Christ indeed and his Grace under the notion of Wisdom Prov. 3. 17. Her waies are waies of pleasantness and all her paths are peace She is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold upon her Hearken you that are at ease in Zion that drink away care and spend your time in singing away the Evil day you that lie upon Beds of Ivory and stretch your selves upon Couches and eat the Lambs out of the Flock and Calves out of the midst of the stall you that chant to the sound of the Viol and invent to your selves Instruments of Musick you that drink Wine in Bowls and fare deliciously every day and dress your selves in gorgeous Apparel I tell you there 's many a poor Soul that hath Christ and is clothed with Rags and feeds upon Roots and drinks Water whose Soul is more at ease and enjoys more pleasure than yours doth O! therefore return you Shulamites return and understand aright the waies of true pleasure from those things that are meer empty shadows of vanity 2. Let this engage you that have received Christ to grow
the fruitfulness of the Church lies in its bringing forth many Sons unto God The more Souls are converted the more fruitful the Church is but without Christ's conjunction with it it bringeth forth none If Christ's presence be in his Church it brings forth many Souls If he be not present it brings forth no Children This will easily appear by considering how the Church of God is Instrumental to the conversion of Souls and by making it appear to you that these causes are not principally efficient sole causes nor can be so but are only instrumental causes 2. That upon experience it is made evident that where Christ doth not concur they do nothing For the first 1. The Church is to be considered as to its parts and as to its priviledges as to what God hath planted in it and what God hath betrusted to it As to its parts So it is made up of Officers and members As to its priviledges so there is committed to it the Oracles of God the Mysteries of God the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven there is none of all these but have or may have for ought I know an instrumental causation in bringing forth Children unto God or in bringing of them up but none of them have a Principal efficiency none of them have a sole efficiency nor can produce the effect without Christs conjunction let us look upon them severally 1. Look first upon the Officers of the Church these were extraordinary such as Apostles Evangelists Prophets Ordinary Pastors and Teachers That these have an instrumental causation in the conversion of Souls is plain they were set in the Church for the perfecting of the Saints Eph. 4. 12. for the perfecting their number and for the perfecting of their graces Paul calls them Fathers 1 Cor. 4. 15. and saith he begat the Corinthians He saith the same of Onesimus but alas as the Apostles of old so Ministers now have no more then an instrumentality in this production Paul planted and Apollos watered but God gave the increase 1 Cor. 3. 6. God was all he that planted nothing he that watered was nothing but God that gave the increase was all v. 7. v. 9 They are but waterers together with God workers together with him Hence though Paul Preached the same Doctrine to all yet he was to some the savour of life unto life to others the savour of death unto death And though his earnest desire was to convert his own Nation it was his hearts desire and Prayer to God that they might be saved Rom. 10. 1. yet he could not effect it And if the Officers of the Church who are under a special ordination of God for the great end of conversion could do no more it will easily be granted of private members whose indeavours in quickening others though they may be sometimes blessed of God to such an end yet doubtless are not more efficient to it then the labours of Ministers nor yet in an equal tendency with their's unto so great an end 2. As to the priviledges granted to the Church The Oracles of God are committed to the Church Rom. 3. 2. it is the pillar and ground of truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. the mysteries of God are committed to it 1 Cor. 4. 1. The keys of the Kingdom of Heaven are Committed to it Mat. 16. 19. I understand ever by the first term the Word of God and the dispensation of it in the Preaching of the Gospel by the second the Sacraments of the Gospel by the third the Censures of the Church I know the terms are more generical and not so to be restrained I only for distinction sake so restrain them at present nor do I meddle here with the disputes whether the dispensation of these or any of these belong to the whole Church or only to Officers nor yet to which of the Officers I shall only assert two things 1. That the Scripture seemeth to assign to all these some instrumentality as to the bringing forth of Children unto God this is plain 1. Concerning the Word 1 Cor. 4. 15. I have begotten you through the Gospel James 1. 18. of his own will begat he us by the word of truth As to the Sacraments for the Sacrament of Baptism we are said to be Baptized into Christ Rom. 6. 3. Gal. 3. 27. and again Acts 2. 38. to be Baptized for the Remission of sins For the Sacrament of the Lords Supper though I dare not assert it a converting Ordinance yet unquestionably it hath its instrumentality to the Salvation of Souls For Censures they have also their instrumentality 1 Cor. 5. 5. the end of their administration is for the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of Christ But now 2. It is as plain that they have but an instrumental causation and separated from the influences of Christ and his concurrence with them they do nothing hence James 2. 18. of his own will begat he us with the word of truth John 1. 13. we are born again not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of the will of God John 3. 5. except you be born again of water and of the Spirit you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Thus the truth is evidenced from Scripture And Scriptural reason 2. In the second place Consider all experience where-ever the Word of God hath been Preached the Sacraments administred Church Censures duly executed so long as Christ hath granted his presence with the administrations they have been made mighty in order to the bringing home of Souls unto God Where the Lord hath withdrawn his presence either as to the generality of Persons under the external administrations or as to any particular Souls they have signified nothing Isaiah doth but make the heart of the People fat and their Ears heavy and shuts their Eyes Ch. 6. 10. he complains that he laboureth in vain and spendeth his strength for nothing and in vain Saint Pauls Gospel is to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Gentiles foolishness 3000 are converted at St. Peters Sermon while Christ is in his Bed with his Church but few or none of the Jews in their Synagogues Acts 19. they were hardened Christ was gone out of his Bed and it was now no longer green and flourished no more But this is enough to have spoken as to the proof of the Doctrine come we now to the Application The Proposition might be applied variously 1. For the confutation of the errors of those who either deny the necessity of any conjunction of Christ with the Soul as to the production of the fruits of grace or at least of such a conjunction as is unquestionably necessary and of those who think that there is a power in mans will ad bonum Spirituale to produce that which is Spiritually good and that a moral suasion is sufficient to the conversion of a Soul 2. We might from hence observe the
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
name O leave us not Sermon LXI Cant. 1. 17. The Beams of our house are Cedar and our Rafters of Fir. THe same Person speaks still which spake in the former verse she had there Commended her beloved and Commended her Bed ever since he came into it she now comes to Commend her and her beloveds house in the words of the Text The Beams of our house are Cedar and our rafters of Fir. The Chaldee Paraph thus glosseth Solomon the Prophet said how beautiful is the house of Lords Sanctuary builded by my hands of Cedar wood But the house of the Lords Sanctuary which is to be builded in the days of the Messias is more beautiful whose Beams are of those Cedars which are in the Paradise of pleasure and the Galleries thereof shall be of Fir Pine c. There are some difficult terms in the Text I must therefore halt a little in the explication of the letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Beams of our houses The word is used two Kings 6. 2. 5. 2 Chron. 3. 7. where it is translated also a Beam Gen. 19. 8. it is translated a roof it comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in Pihel signifies to lay the Beams of an house the Beams of an house are properly those pieces of timber which bear the whole weight of the building The Beams of our house are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cedar The word properly so signifies It is a word often used in Scripture to express that kind of wood which is called Cedar which with us is very rare with them very frequent and ordinary in building we shall by and by further inquire the nature of it The Common usage of the word in Scripture to express Cedars makes me a little wonder at Montanus his translation of it Larices which signifies a certain tree not known saith Vitruvius but to those that dwelt near the Adriatick sea a kind of wood very useful in buildings because in regard of the great bitterness of the sap it was neither subject to worms nor putrefaction nor to be burnt with fire but I know not whether it was known to the Jews or no nor can see any reason to depart from our translation It follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our Rafters of fire some read our Galleries of Cypress some of Fir some of Pine The word translated rafters is used only in this sense in this place it is also used Gen. 30. 38. v. 41. Exod. 2. 16. but in those Texts it is translated gutters and wells And Cant. 7. 5. where it is translated Galleries Pagnine thinks it signifies the little Beams or pieces of timber in buildings These Rafters saith the Text are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word which is no where used in Scripture saving only in this Text which hath given Interpreters a liberty to abound in several senses Hierom makes it Cypress so the LXX Vulg. Lat. Syr. Arab. Others Ash Others Fir. Aben Ezra Thinks it the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fir our translators seem to follow that so doth Montanus and Pagnine The Caldee Paraph makes it to be the wood of the Brutine tree of which tree Pliny speaks and tells us that it is like a Cypress tree The boughs white the smell sweet And a great enemy to Poyson having thus far enquired the literal meaning of the terms let us enquire for the real sense we will first enquire 1. Qu. What is here meant by the house mentioned 2. What the Beams and Rafters of this house are 3. What the excellencies of these sorts of woods were Which maketh the Spouse chuse to compare her and her beloveds house to an house builded of these forts of wood 1. Qu. What is here meant by the house mentioned in the Text Our house Whoso considereth that the Beloved here mentioned is the King of glory the Lord of Heaven and Earth who dwells not in houses made with hands will easily conclude it is no fabrick of wood and stone Christ when he was upon the Earth had no such-place where to hide his head and now the Heaven of Heavens contain him that is here meant True it is that the Lord of old chose a particular house in which he was pleased more eminently to manifest his gracious presence in allusion to which his mystical Spiritual habitation may possibly be called his house But this is not it which is here intended The Chaldee Paraphrast makes Solomon in this a Prophet for foretelling an house of God to which Solomons in all its glory was not like The new Testament mentions a double house of God The first more publick viz. The Church 1. Tim. 3. 15. The second more private The Souls and bodies of believers The Apostle tells the Ephesians that they were become an habitation of God through the Spirit and the Apostle dissuades from the Sin of Fornication upon this argument because their bodies were the temples of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19. By the house here I find Interpreters generally understanding the aggregate body of Christians which we call the Church properly enough called the Lords house because as a man dwelleth in his house so the Lord is said to dwell in his Church 2 Cor. 6. 16. God hath said he will dwell amongst his People that he is in the midst amongst them that he walks in the midst of the golden Candlesticks c. So that by our house in the Text the Church is meant in which Christ dwells and the Saints dwell The 2d Question is What is here meant by the Beams and Rafters The Beams of a building you know are those Principal parts which sustain and uphold the building We must therefore inquire what those things or Persons are which do as it were uphold and bear up the Church some understand by these terms Persons others understand things those who understand Persons understand by the Beams the several sorts of Officers in the Church of God Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors Teachers By the rafters they understand particular Christians So Gregory Per tignacedrina praedicatores designamus per laquearia cupressina ipsos populos figuramus This seems to be conform to that of the Apostle Eph. 2. 20. you are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets But Protestant Writers observe that the Apostle there doth not make the Apostles and Prophets the foundation but Christ Preached by them and their Doctrine And thus they interpret Chrysostom Oecumenius Theophylact Tertullian concluding that the Apostles and Prophets could not be called the foundation upon any other account then with respect to their Ministry and the Doctrine of the Gospel Preached by them For other foundation can none lay then what is already laid Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone Non enim respexit rei nomen sed rem nominis saith Chamier others therefore by the Beams and rafters of Christs house mentioned in the Text understand rather things
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