Bowels Opened, Sermon 19
THE NINETEENTH SERMON.
CANT. VI. II.
I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine, he feedeth among the Lillies.
THese words are a kinde of triumphant acclamation upon all the former passages, as it were the foot of the Song, for when the Church had spoken formerly of her ill dealing with Christ, and how he thereupon absented himselfe from her, with many other passages, she shuts up all at last with this, I am …y Beloveds and my Beloved is mine
Now she begins to feele some comfort from Christ, who had estranged himselfe from her, O, (saith she) notwithstanding all my sufferings, desertions, crosses, and the like, I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine. Words expressing the wondrous comfort, joy, and contentment, the Church now had in Christ, having her heart inflamed with love unto him, upon his manifesting of himselfe to her soule, I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine, hee …cedeth among the Lillies.
There is a mutuall intercourse, and vicissit…de of claiming interest betwixt Christ and his Church, I am Christs and Christ is mine, … am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine.
From the dependance an… order of the words, comming in after▪ desertion for a while, observe,
That Christ will not be long from his Church.Observ.
The spirituall desertions (forsakings as we use to call them) howsoever they be very irksome to the Church (that loves communion with Christ) and to aloving soule, to be deprived of the sence of her beloved, yet notwithstanding they are but short,Why Christ cannot be long abs…nt from his Church. Christ will not be long from his Church, his love, and her desire will not let him, they offer violence, why art thou absent (say they) why art thou so farre off, and hidest thy selfe? Ioseph may conceale himselfe for a space, but he will have much adoe so to hold long, to be straightned to his brethren, passion will breake out. So Christ may seeme hard to be intreeated, and to crosse his owne sweet disposition, as to the woman of Caanan, but he will not long keepe at this distance, he is soone overcome, O woman great is thy Faith, have what thou wilt, when she strove with him a little (as Faith is a striving grace) see how she did winne upon him. So the Angell and Iaacob may strive for a while, but Iaac…b at the length prooves Israel, he prevailes with God. So it is with the Christian soule and Christ, howsoever there be desertion (for causes before mentioned) because the Church was negligent (as we heare) and partly for the time to come, that Christ by his estrangement might sweeten his comming againe, howsoever there may be strangenesse for a time, yet Christ will returne againe to his Spouse.
The Use should be,Vse. 1. not onelyonly for Comfort, to stay us in such times, c…ns…lation to support us in de sertion.but to teach us likewise to waite and never give ever, If the Church had given over here she had not had such gratious manifestations of Christ to her: learne hence therefore this use, to waite Gods leasure. God will waite to doe good to them that waite on him: if we waite his leisure,Isa. 30. …8. he will waite an opportunity of doing good to us, when God seemes not to answer our prayers, let us yet waite, we shall not loose by our tarrying, he will waite to doe us good.
In the next place observe after this temporary desertion, Christ visits his Church with more aboundant comfort then ever before.
Now the Church cannot hold, My Beloved is mine and I am his, That … loose nothing by our largenesse of affection to Christ for his returne to ours is exceeding ours.and Christ cannot hold, but fals into a large commendation of his Spouse backe againe; as she was large in his commendations, so he is large in hers, and more large, he will have the last word, therefore learne by this experience: that all things worke together for the best to them that love God: all things.Rom. 8. 28. What evill? I evill; why even sinne turnes to their humiliation, yea and disertion (those spirituall ills) turnes to their good, for Christ seemes to forsake for a while that he may come after with more aboundance of comfort, when once he hath enlarged the soule before with a spatious desire of his comming, to say, O that he would come, when the soule is thus stretched with desire in the sence of want, then he fils it againe till it burst soorth, My Beloved is mine and I am his▪ it was a good experiment of Bernard, and holy man in ill times tibi accidit, &c. speaking of Christs dealing with his Church, he comes and he goeth away for thy good, he comes for thy good to comfort thee, after which is thou be not carefull to mainetaine communion with him, then he goeth away for thy good to correct thy error, and to enlarge thy desire of him againe, to teach thee to lay sure and faster hold upon him when thou hast him, not to let him goe againe.
If you would see a paralell place to …,That after seeking of Christ in all his means we must wai…e for him looke in Cant. … where there is the like case …t the …pouse and Christ, By night on my bed I sought him, the Church sought Christ not onelyonly by …ay but by night, I sought him whom my s…le loved, though she wanted him, yet her soule loved him constantly, though a Christians soule have not present communion with Christ, yet he may truely say, my soule loves him, because she seekes him diligently and constantly in the use of all the meanes, so we see the Church before my text, cals him my beloved still though she wanted communion with him,This is the surest token of our servent … to Christ. well she goes on, I sought him, but I found him not, would the Church give over there? no, then she riseth and goeth about the citty and about the streets and seekes him whom her soule loved, seekes him and will not give ove…. So I sought him (but I wanted the issue of my seeking) … found him not, what comes upon that, The Watchmen god about the City and find her, of whom, when by her own seeking she could not finde Christ, she inquires, Saw you him whom my s…le loveth, she enquires of the Watchmen, the guides of Gods people, who could not satisfie her fully, she could not find her beloved, yet what doth she, she shewes Verse 4. It was but a li…le that she stayed (after she had used all meanes private and publike, in her bed, out of her bed, by the Watchmen and others: yet saith she, it was but a little that I was past from them, she had not an answer presently, though the Watchmen gave her some good counsell, it was not presently, yet not long after. Christ will exercise us a while with waiting It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soule loved. After all our seeking there must be waiting, and then we shall finde him whom our soule loveth: perhaps we have used all meanes private and publike, and yet finde not that comfort we look for, O but waite a while, God hath a long time waited for thee, be thou content to waite a while for him,If God waite long for us, it is equi…y to waite for him▪ we shall not loose by it, for it followes in the next verse, after she had found him whom her soule loved, I held him, I would not let him goe, so this is the issue of desertions, they stirre up diligence and searching in the use of meanes private and publike, and exercise patience to waite Gods leisure, who will not suffer a gratious soule to faile of its expectation,Psal. 14… at length he will fulfill the desires of them that feare him, and this comes of their patience, grace growes greater and stronger, I held him and would not let him goe, untill I had brought him unto my mothers house. Thus you see how the Spirit expresseth the sametruthin another state of the Church Compare place with place. To goe on, I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine.
The words themselves are a passionate expression of long lookt for consolation. Affections have eloquence of their own beyond words feare hath a proper expression, love vents it selfe in broken words, & sighs, delighting in a peculiar eloquence suitable to the height and pitch of the affection, that no words can reach unto, so that here is more in the words breath'd from such an inflamed heart the… in ordinary construction can bee pickt out (I am my Bel…veds, &c) comming from a full and large heart, expressing the union and communion between Christ & the Church (especially after a desertion) I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine.That there must be union of persons, before union and communion of graces with Christ.
First, (I say) the union, viz. the union of persons which is before all comfort and communion of graces, I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine, Christs person is ours, and our persons are his: for as it is in marriage, if the person of the husband be not the wives, his goods are not hers, nor his titles of honour; for these come all to her, because his person is hers, he having passed over the right of his owne body and of his person to his wife, as she hath passed over all the right of her selfe to her husband so it is in this mysticall marriage that that intitles us to communion of graces is union of persons betweene Christ and his Church, I am my Beloveds and my Beloved himselfe is mine; And indeed nothing els will content a Christians heart, he would not care so much for Heaven it selfe, if he had not Christ there▪ the Sacrament, Word, and Comforts why doth he esteeme them, as they come from Christ and as they leade to Christ, it is but an adulterous and base affection to love any thing severed from Christ.
Now from this union of persons comes a communion of all other things whatsoever,That from … of persons comes commu…nion of … things what soev…r. I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine, if Christ himselfe be mine, then all is mine, what he hath done, what he hath suffered is mine, the benefit of all is mine, what he hath is mine, his prerogatives and priviledges to be the Son of God and heire of Heaven and the like, all is mine, why … himselfe is mine, union is the foundation of communion. So it is here with the Church, I am my Beloveds, my person is his, my life is his, to glorifie him, and to lay it downe when he will, my goods are his, my reputation his, I am content to sacrifice all for him, I am his, all mine is his: so you see there is union and communion mutually betweene Christ and his Church. The Originall and spring hereof is Christs uniting and communicating himselfe to his Church first, the spring begins to the streame, what hath the streame or cesterne in it, but what is had from the spring; first we love him,1 John 4. 19 because he loved us first. It was a true speech of Augustine, Quicquid bo…, &c, whatsoever is good in the world or lovely it is either God or from God, it is either Christ or from Christ, he begins it: it is said in nature, love descends, the father and the mother love the child before the child can love them, love indeed is of a fiery nature, onelyonly here is the dissimilitude, fire ascends, love descends, it is stronger descending from the greater to the lesse, then ascending up from the meaner to the greater, and that for this, Amongst other reasons,Why the magnanimi…y of the greater stoopes in love to the lesser. Because the greater person lookes upon the lesser as a peece of himselfe: sees himselfe in it, the father and mother see themselves in their childe: so God loves us more then we can love him, because he sees his image in us; neither is there only a priority of order, he loves us first, and then wee love him, but also of causality, he is the cause of our love, not by way of motive onelyonly, hee loves us, and therefore from an ingenious spirit we must love him againe, but he gives us his Spirit,Deut. 30. circumciseth our hearts to love him: for all the motives or morall perswasions in the world without the Spirit cannot make us love,1 Thes. 4 9. we are taught of God to love one another, our brethren whom we see daily, saith Paul, much more need we to be taught to love him whom we never saw,That in the new covenant God works both parts. so that his love kindles ours by way of reflection.
In the New-Covenant, God works both parts, his owne and our parts too, our love to him, our feare of him, our faith in him, hee works all, even as he shewes his own love to us.
If God love us thus,How to have our hearts warmed with the love of God. what must we doe? meditate upon his love, let our hearts be warmed with the consideration of it, let us bring them to that fire of his love,…sal. 39. and then they will wax hot within us, and beg the Spirit,I…uk. …. Lord thou hast promised to give thy Spirit to them that aske it, and to circumcise our hearts to love thee, and to love one another, give thy holy Spirit as thou hast promised.That this … of the Church implies
In a word these words, I am my Bel…veds and my Beloved is mine, to joyne them both together, they imply a mutuall propriety, Christ h…th a propriety in me,Propriety and … in Christ peculiar propriety, Christ is mine, so as I have none in the world so mine, whom have … in Heaven but Christ, and what is there in earth in comparison of him, he is mine, and mine in a peculiar manner, and J am his in a peculiar manner, there is propriety with peculiarity▪
Then againe these words I am his, implies … love,Love. all is mutuall in them, mutuall propriety, mutuall peculiarity and mutuall love, I love Christ so as I love nothing else, there is nothing above him in my heart, as Christ loves me more then any thing else (saith the Church) and every Christian: he loves all, and gives outward benefits to all, but to me he hath given himselfe, so love I him. As the husband loves all in the family, his cattell and his servants, but he gives himselfe to his Spouse. So Christ is mine, himselfe is mine, and my selfe a… Christs, he hath my soule, my affections, my body, and all, he hath a … in me and a peculiarity in me, hee hath my affection and love to the uttermost, as I have his, for there is an entercourse in these words.
Then againe, they imply mutuall familiarity,F…miliarity. Christ is familiar to my soule and I to Christ, he discovers himselfe to me in the … of hi… love, and I discover my selfe to him in prayer and meditation, opening my soule to him upon all occasions. Gods children have a … of prayer, which is a spirit of fellowship, and … (as it were) to God in Christ; It is the language of a new borne Christian, he … to his Father, there is a kinde of familia…ity betweene him and his God in Christ, who gives the entrance and accesse to God, so that where there is not a kinde of familiarity in prayer and opening of the soule to Christ upon all occasions, there is not this holy communion. Those that are not given to prayer, they cannot in truth speake these words, as the Church doth here, I … my Beloveds and my … is mine, for they imply sweet familiarity.
Then againe they imply mutuall … one to another,… he is mine and I am his, the one is a glasse to the other, Christ sees himselfe in me, I see my selfe in him, for this is the issue of spirituall love, especially that is breeds likenesse and resemblance of the party loved in the soule that loveth: for love … the soule to the likenesse of the party loved, I am his,That love … the soule to the likenesse of the … l…ved. I resemble him, I am his, I have given my selfe to him, I carry his picture and resemblance in my soule, for theyare words of mutuall confor…ity. Christ out of love became like me in all things, wherein I am not like the Divell (that is … excepted) if he … like me, taking my nature that I might be neare him in the fellowship of grace, My Beloved is mine, I will be as like him as possible I can, I am his, every Christian carries a character of Christs disposition as farre as weaknesse will suffer, you may know Christ in every Christian, for as the Kings coyne carries the stamp of the King, C…sars coyne beares Caesars superscription. So every Christian soule is Gods coyne, and he sets his owne stampe upon it, if wee bee Christs, there is a mutuall conformitie betwixt him and us.
Now where you see a malitious, uncleane, worldly spirit, know that is a stampe of the Divell, none of Christs, he that hath not the Spirit of God is none of his, now where the Spirit of Christ is, i… stamps Christs likenesse upon the soule, therefore we are exhorted, Phil. 2. 5. to be like minded to Christ.
Againe,Mutuall care of one anothers good. these words, I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine, imply a mutuall care that Christ and the soule have one of the good of another, of each others honour and reputation, as Christ hath a care of our good; so a Christian soule (if it can say with truth and sincerity I am Christs) it must needs have care of Christs good,What Christ bath to care for in the world. of his children, Religion and Truth. What? will such a soule say, shall Christ care for my body, soule and salvation, and stoope to come from Heaven to save me, and shall I have no care for him and his glory? hee hath left his truth and his Church behind him, and shall not I defend his truth and stand for the poore Church to the utmost of my power against all contrary power? shall not J stand for Religion? shall it be all one to me, what opinions are held? shall I pretend he cares for me, and shall I not care for that I should care for; Is it not an honour to me that he hath trusted me to care for any thing that he will be honoured by my care, Beloved it is an honour for us that we may speake a good word for Religion, for Christs cause, for his Church against maligners and opposers, and we shall know one day that Christ will be a rewarder of every good word: where this is said in sincerity, that Christ is mine and I am Christs, there will be this mutuall care.
Likewise there is implyed a mutuall complacency in these words,A … complacency or resting love. by a complacency I meane a resting, contenting love, Christ hath a complacency and resting in the Church, and the Church hath a sweet resting contentment in Christ; Christ in us and we in him. A true Christian soule that hath yeelded. up its consent to Christ, when it is beaten in the world, vexed and turmoiled, it can rely on this, I have yet a loving husband, yet I have Christ.
Let this put us upon a search into our selves,What we should retire to and do in afflictions. what we retire to when we meete with afflictions, those that have brutish and beastly soules retire to carnall contentments, to good fellowship, forget, besot, and fly away from themselves their owne consciences and though… of their own trouble, wheras a soule that … any acquaintance with God in Christ or any interest into Christ, so that it may say that Christ is mine and I am Christs there will be contentment and rest in such a soule, whatsoever it meetes with in the world.Is courage in owning Christs cause with re…solution for the Church is reso…lute
The last thing implyed is courage, a branch of the former, say all against it what they can, saith the resolved soule, I will be Christs, here is courage with resolution, agreeable hereto is that, Isa 44. 5. One shall say I am the Lords, and another shall call himselfe by the name of Iaacob, another shall subscribe and surname himselfe by the name of Israel. Where there is not this resolution in good causes, there is not the Spirit of Christ, there is no … into Christ, it is but a delusion and selfe-flattery to say I am Christs, when there is not resolution to stand to Christ, these words are the expression of a resolved heart, I am, and J will be Christs, I am not ashamed of my bargaine, of the consent I have given him, I am and I will be his. You have the like in Micah 4. 5. Mica. 4▪ 5.All people will walke every one in the name of his god, they will resolve on that, and we will walke in the name of the Lord our God for ever and for ever: so that where these words are spoken in truth, that J am Christs, there is necessarily implyed, I will owne him and his cause for ever and ever. He hath married, me for ever and ever, therefore if J hope to have inte…st in him for comfort for ever and ever, I must be sure to yeeld my selfe to him for ever and ever, and stand for his cause in all oppositions against all enemies whatsoever. These and such like places in Scripture runne parralell with this in the text, I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine, not onelyonly holding in the person, but in the cause of Christ. Every man hopes his god will stand for him against the Divell who accuseth us daily: if we will have Christ to stand for us and to be an advocate to pleade our ca…se (as he doth) in Heaven, we must resolve to stand for him against all enemies, Heretiks, Schismaticks, Persecutors whatsoever, that we will walke in the name of our God for ever and ever.
But when the case is not thus with us, and that neither we can feele comfort from Christ,Quest. nor have this assurance of his love to us, what should we judge of such?
We should not wonder to see poore soules distempered when they are in spirituall desertions,Sol. considering how the Spouse cannot endure the absence of Christ,That we should not wonder to see … it is out of love, therefore in the deepest plunge she hath this in her mouth, my Beloved. Therefore let us not judge … of our selves or others, when we are impatient in this kind.
But for a more full answer, in … of feeling of the love of Christ in regard of that measure we would (for there is never altogether a want of feeling) there is so much as keepes from despaire alway, yet if we carry a constant love towards him, mourne to him and seeke after him as the Church here: if the desire of our soules be after him, that we make after him in the use of meanes, and are willing to speake of him, as the Church here, feele or feele not we are his, and he will at length discover himselfe to us.
Let such drooping spirits consider, that as he will not be long from us, nor wholly: so it shall not be for our disadvantage that he retires at all, his absence at length will end in a sweet discovery of himselfe more aboundantly then before,Causes; w…y God absents himselfe from his children. he absents himselfe for our good, to make us more humble and watchfull for the time to come, more pitifull to others, more to prize our former condition, to justifie the waies of God more strictly, to walke with him, to regaine that sweet communion which by our negligence and security we lost, when we are thus prepared by his absence, there insues a more satisfying discovery of himselfe then ever before.
But when is the time that he comes,When usually Christ returnes after desertion to the soule compare this with the former Chapter, he comes after long waiting for him, the Church waited for him, and waited in the use of all meanes, she runs to the Watchmen, and then enquires after him of the daughters of Ierusalem, after this she finds him. After we have waited and expected Christ in the use of meanes, Christ at length will discover himselfe to us, and yet more immediately it was after the Church had so deservedly exalted him in such lofty praises, This is my Beloved, the chiefe of tenne thousand, he is altogether lovely: When we set our hearts to the high exaltation of Christ above all things in the world, proclaiming him the chi…fe of tenne thousand, this at the last breeds a gratious discovery, I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine, for Christ when he sees us faithfull and so loving that we will not endure his absence, and so constantly loving, that we love him notwithstanding so…e discouragements, it melts him at the last as, Ioseph was melted by his brethren.
I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine.
In the words you see a mutuall interest and owning betweene Christ and the Church,That in order of nature Christ is ours first, though in order of knowing it is not so. howsoever in the order of words, the Church saith, I am my Beloveds first, yet in order of nature, Christ is ours first, though not in order of discovery, there is one order of knowing and another order of causing, many things are knowne by the effect, but they issue from a cause; I know he is mine, because J am his, I have given my selfe to him, J know it is day, because the Sunne is up, there is a proofe from the effect: so I know a man is alive, because he walks, there is a proofe of the cause by the effect, I am his, I have grace to give my selfe up to him, therefore I know he loves me, he is mine, thus I say in order of discovery, but in order of nature he is first mine, and then I am his, My Beloved is mine and I am my Beloveds.
The Union and Communion betwixt us and Christ hath beene already spoken off.
Now to speake of the branches, I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine. That Christ is first ours, and then we are his because he is ours, and the wondrous comfort that issues hence, that Christ himselfe is ours.
How comes Christ to be ours,How Christ comes to be ours Christ is o…rs by his Fathers gift, God hath given him for us. Christ is ours by his owne gift, he hath given himselfe for us.By his owne & his Fathers gift
And Christ is ours by his Spirit that witnesseth so much to our spirits,By his Spirit. for the Spirit is given for this purpose, to shew us all things that are given us of God, whereof Christ is the chiefe, therefore the Spirit of Christ tels us that Christ is ours, and Christ being ours, all that he hath is ours.
If he be ours, if we have the field, we have all the treasures in the field, if we have him, we have all his, he was borne for us, his birth was for us, he became man for us, he was given to death for us, and so likewise he is ours in his other estate of exaltation, his rising is for our good, he will cause us to rise also, and ascend with him, and sit in heavenly places, judging the world and the Angells. We recover in this second,Vse. 1. what we lost in the first Adam.
This is a point of wondrous comfort to shew the riches of a Christian,Consolation. his high estate, that Christ is his.
And Christ being ours, God the Father and the Holy Spirit and all things else in the world, the rich promises are ours: for in Christ they are all made, and for him they shall be performed,2 Cor. 1. 20. for indeed he is the chiefe promise of all himselfe, and all are yea and amen in him. Can we want righteousnesse, while we have Christs Righteousnesse, is not his garment large enough for himselfe and us too? is not his obedience enough for us? shall we need to patch it up with our owne righteousnesse? he is ours, therefore his obedience is ours.
And this should be a ground likewise of contentation in our condition and state whatsoever,Vse. 2. Christ himselfe is ours.Contentation. In the dividing of all things, some men have wealth, honours, friends and greatnesse, but not Christ, nor the love of God in Christ; and therefore they have nothing in mercy: but a Christian he hath Christ himselfe, Christ is his by faith and by the Spirits witnesse, therefore what if he want those appendencies, the lesser things, he hath the maine, what if he want a riveret, a streame, he hath the spring, the ocean, him in whom all things are, and shall he not be content. Put case a man be very cove…ous, yet God might satisfie him, what should anxious thoughts disquiet us. When we have such bils, such obligations from him who is faithfullnesse it selfe, when a Christian cannot say, honour favour, or great persons are his, yet he can say, he hath that that is worth all, more then all, Christ is his.
O may some say,Object this is but a speculation, Christ is yours, a man may want and be in misery for all that,Answ. no it is a reality, Christ is ours,Why sometimes wee want out ward things being in C…rist. and all things else are ours, he that can command all things is mine, why then doe I want other things? because he sees they are not for my good, if they were he would not with-hold them from me, if there were none to be had without a miracle, no comfort, no friends, he could and would make new out of nothing, nay out of contraries, were it not better for me to be without them.
That you may the more fully feed on this comfort,Vse. 3. study the excellencies of Christ in the Scripture,Exhortation to study the excelleny of Christ. the riches and honour that he hath,John 17. ult. the favour he is in with his Father, with the intercession that he makes in Heaven, study his mercy, goodnesse, offices, power, &c. and then come home to your selves, all this is mine, for he is mine, the love of God is mine, God loves him and therefore he loves me, because we are both one, he loves me with the same love that he loves his Sonne, thus we should make use of this, that Christ is ours. I come to the second,
I am my Beloveds.
This is a speech of reflection, second in nature, though first in place and in discovery to us, sometimes we can know our owne love, when we feele not so much the love of Christ,1 John. 4. 19. but Christs love must be there first, I am my Beloveds.
How are we Christs Beloved,How we come to be and are in Christ beloved. we are his first of all by his Fathers gift, for God in his eternall purpose gave him for us, and gives us to him, as it is in the excellent prayer, Iohn 17. Father thine they were and thou gavest them me.By his Fathers gift. I had not them of my selfe first, but thine they were before all worlds were, thou gavest them me to redeeme them, and my Commission doth not extend beyond thy gift; I die for all those that thou gavest me, I sanctisie my selfe for them that they may be sanctified, so we are Christs in his Fathers gift, but that is not all, though it be the chiefe fundamentall principall ground of all.
For we are his likewise by Redemption, Christ tooke our nature,By Redemption. that hee might die for us to purchase us. We cost him deare, we are a bloudy Spouse to Christ, as that froward woman wrongfully said to Moses, Exod. 4. …5.thou art a bloudy husband unto me, so Christ may without wrong say to the Church, thou art a Spouse of bloud to me. We were indeed to be his Spouse, but first he must win us by conquest in regard of Satan, and then satisfie justice, we were in such debt by finne, lying under Gods wrath, so as till all debts were paid, we could not in the way of justice be given as a Spouse to Christ.
Nor is this all, but we are Christs by Marriage also,By Marriage. for when he purchased us, and paid so deare for us, when he died and satisfied divine justice, he did it with a purpose to marry us to himselfe, we have nothing to bring him but debt and misery, yet he tooke upon him our nature to discharge all, that he might marrie us, and take us to himselfe, so we are his by Marriage.
Then againe we are his by Consent, we have passed our selves over u…to him,By con…ent. he hath given himselfe to us, and we have given our selves to him back againe. To co…e to some Use of it, if we be Christs as Christ is ours,
First it is a point of wondrous comfort,Vse 1. God will not suffer his owne to want,Consolation against wants. he is worse then an Insidell that will suffer his Family to perish; when we are once of Christs Family, and not onelyonly of his F…mily, but of his body, his Spouse. Can we thinke he will suffer us to want that which is needfull?
Then againe, as it comforts us against want, so it likewise senceth us against all the accusations of Satan,Against all Satans accusations. I am Christs, I am Christs, if hee have any thing to say, loe we may bid him goe to Christ, if the Creditor comes to the wife, she is not liable to pay her owne debts, but saith, goe to my husband; so in all temptations learne hence, to send Satan whither he should be sent, when we cannot answer him, send him to Christ.
And for the time to come,For the tim… to co…e. what a ground of comfort is this, that we are Christs as well as he is ours; what a plea doth this put into our mouthes for all things that are beneficiall to us, Lord I am thine, save me (saith the Psalmist) why? save me, beca…se I am thine, I am thine, Lord teach me and direct me. The husband is to direct the Spouse, the head should direct all the senses: All the treasures of wisedome are in Christ, as all the senses are in the head for the good of the body, all fullnesse dwells in him, therefore pleade with him, I want wisedome, teach me and instruct me how to behave my selfe in troubles, in dangers, in feares; if it be an argument strong enough amongst men (weake men) J am thine, I am thy child, J am thy Spouse, &c. Shall we attribute more pitty and merciemercy to our selves then to the God of mercy and comfort, who planted these affections in the creature? Shall hee make men tender and carefull over others, and shall not he himselfe be carefull of his owne flock? doe wee thinke that hee will neglect his Jewels,I… 62. 3. his Spouse, his Diadem and Crowne? he will not.
But you will urge expe…ience, we see how the Church is used even as a forlorne widdow, as if she had no husband in the world, as an Orphan that had no Father; therefore how doth this stand good.
The answer is,Answer 1. all that the Church or any particular Christian suffers in this world,That the sufferings both of the church and particular persons is especially for cons…rmity with Christ the head. it is but that there may be a conformity betweene the Spouse and the Husband. The Head wore a Crowne of thornes, and went to heaven and happinesse through a great deale of misery and abasement in the world, the lowest that ever was: And it is not meet that the Church should go to heaven another way.
Then againe, all this is but to fashion the Spouse to be like to Christ, but to bring the Church and Christ neerer together,To fashion her to be like Christ that is all the hurt they doe, to drive the Church neerer to Christ then before, Christ is as neere to his Church as ever in the greatest afflictions by his Spirit,That though Christ see …e absent in affliction, yet he is never more grationsly neerer then then, Christ cries out on the Crosse, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me; it is a strange voice, that God should be his God, and yet notwithstanding seeme to forsake him. But God was never more his God then at that present; indeed he was not his God in regard of some feelings that he had enjoyed in former times, he seemed to bee forsaken in regard of some sence, as Christ seemes to forsake the Church in regard of some sence and feeling, but yet his God still. So the Church may say, I am thine still, though she seeme to be forsaken in regard of some feelings, yet she is not deserted in regard of Gods care for support of the inward man and fashioning to Christ. The Church hath never sweeter communion with Christ,That the sweetest Communion with Christ is under the greatest crosses. then under the greatest crosses, and therfore they many times have proved the ground of the greatest comforts, for Christ leades the Church into the wildernesse, and then speakes to her heart, H…sea 2. 14. Christ speakes to the heart of his Spouse in the wildernesse, that is, in a place of no comfort, there are no Orchards or pleasures, but all discomforts, there a man must have it from heaven, if he have any good in the wildernesse. In that wildernesse that is in a desolate disconsolate estate; Christ speakes to the heart of his children, there is in the wildernesse oftentimes a sweet intercourse of love incomparably beyond the time of prosperity.
Againe, to stay your hearts, know this will not be long, as we see here the Church seemed to be forsaken and neglected, fell into the hands of cruell Watchmen, and was faine to goe through this and that meanes, but it was not long ere she met with him whom she sought after. It may be midnight at this time, but the night continues not long, it will be morning ere long. Therefore the Church may well say, Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy, Micah 7. 8.as it is Micah 7. For though I be fallen I shall rise againe, though I sit in darknesse, the Lord will bee a light unto me. It shall not be alway ill with the Church, those that survive us shall see other manner of daies then we see yet (whatsoever we shall our selves) Hence we have also an Use of triall;Tria…l if or not wee bee Christs by giving our selves over to him to bee ruled by him. Whosoever are Christs, they have hearts to give themselves to him, as hee gives himselfe, not his goods or his honours, but himselfe for his Church. So the Church gives her selfe to Christ, my delight is in him, he hath my selfe, my heart, my love and affection, my joy and delight, and all with my selfe, if I have any honour, he shall have it, I will use it for his glory, my riches I will give them to him and his Church and Ministery and Children, (as occasion shall serve). I am his, therfore all that I have is his if he aske it at my hands.That after wee have given our selves to Christ it is an … matter to part with all things unto him. It is said of the Macedonians, they gave themselves to Christ, and then their riches and goods, it is an easie matter to give our riches to Christ when wee have given our selves rst. A Christian as soone as ever he becomes a Christian,… Cor. 8. 5. and ever after to death and in death too, he gives up himselfe to Christ? they that stand with Christ, and will give this or that particular, will part onelyonly with idle things that they may spare, are they Christs, No, a Christian gives himselfe, and all his to Christ: so we see here what we should doe if Christ be ours, let us give up our selves to him, as it is Rom. 12. the issue of all that learned profound discourse in the former part of the Epistle that Christ justifieth us by his righteousnesse and merit, and sanctifies us by his Spirit, and hath predestinated and elected us and refused others, is this, I beseech you, Give up your bodies and soules, and all as a living Sacrifice, That the Churches …fi…dence implies … &c resignation in a deepe sence.holy and accept ableunto God.
In briefe these words imply renunciation and resignation, I am his, that is I have given up my selfe to him, therefore I renounce all others that …and not with his love and liking. I am not onelyonly his by way of service, which I owe him above all that call for it, but J am his by way of resignation, if he will have me dye, I will dye, if he will have me live heere, I will, I have not my selfe to dispose of any longer, I have altogether alienated my selfe. from my selfe, I am his, to serve him, his to be disposed off by him, I have renounced all other.
Therefore here we have another answer to Satan,Answ. if he come to us and solicite us to sinne, let the Christians heart make this answer,An answer to satan against dispaire or … in temptation I am not mine owne, what hath Satan and his instruments to doe with me? is my body his to defile, is my tongue his to sweare at his pleasure, shall I make the temple of God the member of an harlot?1 Cor. 6.…5. (as the Apostle reasons) shall I defile my vessell with sinne? What saith converted Ep…r…m, Hosea 14. 8. What have I any more to doe with Id…ls, for I have seene and observed him. We ought to have such resolutions ready in our hearts: indeed when a Christian is resolute, the world counts such to be lost, hee is gone, we have lost him, say your dissolute prosane persons It is true they have lost him indeed, for he is not his owne, much lesse theirs any longer, but he is found to God and himselfe, and the Church, thus we se… what springs from this, that Christ is ours, and that we are Christs backe againe. Let us carry this with us even to death, and if times should come that God should honour us by serving himselfe of us in our lives, if Christ will have us spend our blood, consider this I am not mine owne in life nor death,That it is our exceeding happines that now we are not our owne. and it is my happinesse that I am not my owne, for if J were mine owne what should I doe with my selfe, I should loose my selfe as Adam did. It is therefore my happinesse that I am not mine owne, that J am not the worlds, that I am not the Divells, that none else hath to doe with me, to claime any interest in me, but I am Christs, if I doe any thing for others, it is for Christs sake. Remember this for the time to come, if there be any thing that wee will not p…rt with for Christs sake, it will be our bane, we shall loose Christ and it too. If we will not say with a perfect Spirit, I am his, my life, my credit, my person is his, any thing his, looke what we will not give for him, at length we shall loose and part with it and him too.
The end of the nineteenth Sermon.