The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 2 · Sign 6 – Sign 9
6. Sign.
An heart taken with Chriſt, thirſts after communion with, and nearer conjunction to Chriſt. You know whatever your hearts are taken withall, you deſire, and thirſt after communion, and converſes withall. So it is here betwixt Chriſt and the ſoul. The ſoul taken with Christ longs to bee with him, and thirſts after communion with him.
1. In Grace here.
2. In Glory hereafter.
1. In Grace here. Oh! How the ſoul once taken with Chriſt deſires converſes with him, in prayer, in hearing, in meditation, Iſa. 26.8, 9. The deſire of our ſoul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my ſoul have I deſired thee in the night; yea with my ſpirit within mee will I ſeek thee early. And this is the Genius of a ſoul taken with Chriſt: that duty doth not content him, if hee finde not Chriſt in duty. If the end of a duty have left him on this ſide Chriſt, it hath left him ſo far ſhort of comfort.
Others indeed, though they do a duty, yet as their hearts ſeek not Chriſt in the duty, ſo their ſouls can reſt content without him, when the duty is done: but it is otherwiſe with a right-born-ſoul.
'Twas the ſpeech of Bradford, that hee could never leave a duty, till hee had found communion with Chriſt in the duty: till hee had brought his heart into a duty-frame. Hee could not leave confeſsion, till hee had found his heart touched, broken, and humbled for ſin; nor Petition, till hee had found his heart taken with the beauties of the things deſired, and carried out after them: nor could hee leave thankſgiving, till hee had found his ſpirit inlarged, and his ſoul quickened in the return of praiſes.
And it was the happineſs of Bernard, a Heaven upon Earth, that hee ſaith of himſelf, I never went from thee, without thee. Nunquam abs te, abſ que te recedo. Coelum extra Coelum.Hee found God in every duty: hee had communion with God in every prayer; which indeed is Heaven on this ſide Heaven.
Thus hee, whoſe heart is taken with Chriſt, thirſts after communion with him, and no duty contents him, wherein hee hath not found either his quickening, or his comforting-preſence: either communion with his Grace, or communion with his comfort.
2. As hee thirſts after communion with him here in Grace: ſo doth hee deſire communion with him in Glory, To bee with the Lord, as the Apoſtle.
Whiles the ſoul is here, it ſees the diſtance too great betwixt Chriſt and it, that ſhee cannot injoy that ſweet communion with him. As the Apoſtle ſaith. Whiles wee are preſent in the fleſh, wee are abſent from the Lord. And therefore the ſoul breaths after him, deſires to bee with him. Cupio diſſolvi, ſaith the Apoſtle, I deſire to bee diſſolved, and to bee with Chriſt.
The like of David, Pſal. 42.1, 2. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks; ſo panteth my ſoul after thee, O God. My ſoul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When ſhall I come and appear before God! Hee had taſted the ſweetneſs of Chriſt, and did not fear the bitterneſs of death.
Vitam in Patientia; mortem in Deſiderio.Hee had Life in Patience; Death in Deſire; becauſe by death hee ſhould bee carried to more ſweet and intimate conjunction with Chriſt.
It was the ſpeech of Auguſtine, Lord, I will dye, that I may injoy thee. Eja Domine, mortar ut te videam, nolo vivere, Volo mori.I will not live, but I will dye. I deſire to dye, that I may ſee Chriſt; and refuſe to live, that I may live with Chriſt.
And this diſpoſition you ſee in the Spouſe here. Her heart being taken with Chriſt, ſhee could not brook the diſtance betwixt Chriſt and her; and therefore cryes out, Cant. 8.1. Make haſte, make haſte my beloved.
Though in one ſenſe it is true; hee that beleeves makes not haſte; yet here hee that beleeves moſt, and loves moſt, makes moſt haſte.
The more the ſoul beleeves, and the more the heart is taken with Chriſt, the greater are the deſires to bee with him.
Till Simeon had gotten Chriſt into his armes, hee was unwilling to dye: but after hee had Chriſt in his armes; Lord, now letteſt thou thy ſervant depart in peace; for my eyes have ſeen thy ſalvation.
Indeed here are but the Eſpouſals between Chriſt and the ſoul. Some Broken-Rings, Contracts, Eſpouſals, betwixt Chriſt and us. But then is the great Marriage-day, the Solemnization of our Nuptials, to all eternity.
Here wee do ſee him but dimly and darkly, at the beſt, and there are oftentimes clouds come in, and interpoſe themſelves, between Chriſt and us: but then wee ſhall ſee him face to face, and never ſhall there cloud come between Chriſt and us to all eternity. There wee ſhall ſee him in his Glory, his full diſcoveries.
Here wee injoy him but in part. The diſtance is great betwixt him and us. All which diſtance doth ariſe from that within us. Were it not for ſin wee might bee in Glory, even in Grace. But then wee ſhall injoy him in fulneſs.
Heaven is the place, which God hath intended to ſet forth himſelf to his People in his Glory, to all eternity. Where there ſhall bee no fears, no ſin, never ſmoak of diſtruſtfull thoughts ſhall ariſe more. Where there ſhall bee no ſorrow, no tears. All ſighing and ſobbing ſhall paſs away, and nothing but joy ſhall keep the houſe.
Wee are now the Sons of God. But it doth not yet appear what wee ſhall bee; for wee ſhall ſee him as hee is.
7. Sign.
A heart taken with Chriſt thinks nothing too much to do, nothing …o much to ſuffer for Chriſt.
You know Love cannot bee poſed. Wee ſay, there is no difficultie in Love. Things impoſsible to others, are eaſie to them who love. And things burthenſome to others, delightfull to them who love. If once thy heart bee taken with Chriſt, thou wilt think nothing too much to do, nothing too much to ſuffer for him.
As Chriſt thought nothing too much for us, becauſe his heart was taken with us; neither ſhall wee think any thing too much for Chriſt.
Wee read how prodigal the Saints have been of their Riches, their Blood, their Lives for Chriſt, becauſe they loved him.
1. They have not accounted their eſtates too dear for him, Heb. 10.34. They took joyfully the ſpoiling of their goods.
2. They have not accounted their lives too dear, Rev. 12.11. They loved not their lives to death for him.
If they muſt dig in Mines, or be caſt to bee devoured by Wild-Beaſts for Chriſt, as it was the uſual ſentence of Chriſtians,Chriſtiani ad n… talla ad Ecſtias. in the primitive times, they were willing to do and ſuffer it.
See this in the Virgin of whom Baſil ſpeaks, who was condemned to death, becauſe ſhee would not worſhip Idols.
And the like of old Polycarp and others.
This is certain: A ſoul taken with Chriſt knows no difficulty in its love. It loves him with an unlimited, an uncircumſcribed love, which no duty, no difficulty can poſe.
8. Sign. A heart taken with Chriſt is exceedingly caſt down with the withdrawings and abſence of Chriſt.
The comforts of the ſoul are laid up in Chriſt: and when hee is gone, all is gone. Comfort gone, Joy gone, the Heart gone with him.
As Mephiboſheth ſaid; Take all, now my Lord is come back: ſo the ſoul ſaith, Take all, take the World, take Riches, take Heaven, and Glory, ſo far as Heaven and thou are two things. That my Lord may return with my ſoul. Datkneſs is terrible to the ſoul, and this is thick darkneſs, and therefore ſaith with Abſolom, let mee ſee his face, mea non proſunt ſine te, nothing beſides thee, can either ſatisfie or profit mee.
9. Sign. A heart taken with Chriſt is fully content and ſatisfied with the injoyments and poſſeſsion of Chriſt.
The poſſeſſion of the thing beloved doth content the ſoul ſo far as there is ſatisfaction and contentment with it. The reaſon why wee do not meet with full contentments and ſatisfactions here in the poſſeſſion or our loves, is becauſe they want of fulneſs.
But now it is not ſo with Chriſt. Hee is able to brim the ſoul, to ſatisfie the ſpirit to anſwer all the deſires of the heart; and therefore the heart taken with him, needs muſt reſt ſatisfied and contented with him.
Such a gulf of deſire is in the ſoul of men, that if God ſhould caſt in a thouſand worlds, there would bee no contentment, except Chriſt bee caſt in. And Chriſt is ſo full contentment, that if God beſtow him, they will neither need nor deſire any more.
And thus much ſhall ſerve for the uſe of tryal; wee will now come to an uſe of Exhortation, and conclude this.