The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 2 · Application 1 – Sign 4
Uſe of Examination.
But now, my Brethren, it will bee a great matter of inquiry, whether wee have an intereſt in this love.
As one ſaid when hee looked upon the Rainbow, and in that read Gods Covenant, never to drown the world again. Ah! but ſaith hee, what is this to mee, If I bee drowned, I may bee drowned, though the World bee not drowned.
So may you ſay, You tell us of the exceeding love of Chriſt to his Church. But what if I bee not of his Church? what if I have no intereſt in his Love? what's all this to mee?
But then I ſuppoſe you are deſirous to know whether you have an intereſt in this love. It concerns your everlaſting good to have an intereſt, and your preſent comfort to know you have an intereſt.
Now in this inquiry I would have you
1. To examin your hearts thoroughly. Deceits lye low. A falſe evidence is the fruit of a ſlight and ſuperficial ſearch.
2. In your inquiry let not any thing which is compatible with any, who have no intereſt in this love, bee a bottom, on which your ſoul reſteth.
I have told you ſometimes, and tell you again. Whatever another man may have and do, and yet have no intereſt in this love of Chriſt, cannot bee a ſufficient evidence for thee, that thou having or doing that, haſt an intereſt. — Acquaint thy ſelf with the moſt clearing and proving evidences.
3. Take thy evidences from the carriage of the Spirit: neither at the beſt, nor at the worſt, but the middle way, which is moſt thy ſelf.
If thou look upon thy ſelf at the worſt, thou mayeſt bee diſcouraged. If at the beſt, thou mayeſt bee deceived. Many have had ſuch affections in an Heat, which in cold blood have nothing of them.
4. Judge not of thy ſelf by particular actions and carriages: but look upon the univerſal frame and bent of thy ſpirit. No certain rule is to bee eſtabliſhed upon a particular inſtance, whether good or bad.
I might lay down other rules to obſerve in your inquiry. But wee will come to the inquiry it ſelf.
Wouldeſt thou know whether thou art one with whom Chriſts heart is taken? See whether thou art of his Church. Art thou one, who art taken out of the World? Art thou one, whom God hath called? one whom hee hath juſtified? one whom hee hath regenerated? ſanctified? Art thou one, who art waſhed, purged, renewed?
Theſe might bee in the general; but are too obſcure. But I will name you but one, and it is a plain one, and none more demonſtrative.
Wouldeſt thou know whether the heart of Chriſt bee taken with thee? why then ſee,
Art thou one, whoſe heart is taken with Chriſt? If Chriſt bee taken with thee, thou art taken with Christ. It is a mutual, a reciprocal taking. Whatever God doth to the ſoul, it makes an impreſſion in the ſoul of the like to God. God delights in us; and thereupon wee come to delight in him. God knows us, and thereupon wee know him, Joh. 10.14. God apprehends us, and thereupon wee apprehend him. Hee chuſeth us, and thereupon wee chuſe him. Hee loves us, and thereupon wee love him, 1 Joh. 4.19. His heart is taken with us, and thereupon our hearts come to bee taken with him. Our love to him is nothing elſe but radius amoris Dei erga nos in Deum reflexus: a beam of Gods love reflected back upon God. So that this now is a true character of Chriſts heart being taken with thee, if thy heart bee taken with Chriſt.
Queſt. But you will ſay, How ſhall I know whether my heart bee taken with Chriſt?
Anſ. For the anſwer of this, becauſe upon this foundation I will lay the whole weight of this diſcourſe, in this Uſe,
1. A heart taken with Chriſt, is a heart which knows Chriſt, and hath taſted of Chriſt. Are you ſuch as know Chriſt? Inviſa poſſumus amare; incognita nequaquam.For knowledge of Chriſt precedes the love of Chriſt. Hee who doth not know, cannot love. Things unſeen may, but things unknown cannot bee loved, 1 Pet. 1.8. Whom having not ſeen yee love, but never not known.
All love to Chriſt doth ariſe from diſcoveries and manifeſtations of Chriſt to the ſoul. Either from the diſcoveries of thoſe beauties, thoſe attractive excellencies that are in him, or with that, from the diſcovery of his heart and good will towards us.
Now blind men cannot diſcern of beauties; nor ignorant men of the beauties of Chriſt. Chriſt is to them as a Mine of Gold covered over with earth and rubbiſh: as a Bed of Pearl and Diamonds hid with an heap of ſand: as a glorious Meſſiah under a contemptible outſide. And wanting eyes to ſee through the Veil of his Fleſh. through the bark and outſide of his Humanity, they can behold no beauty in him. As Iſaiah ſpeaks of carnal men, Iſa. 53.2. When you behold him, you ſee no beauty in him, that ſhall make him deſired.
Now then, art thou one who knows Chriſt? did ever God reveal him to thee in a promiſe? what apparitions hath Chriſt made to thy ſoul? what manifeſtations? what diſcoveries that may evidence to thee, that thou knoweſt him?
There are four manifeſtations, or diſcoveries of Chriſt to the ſoul, which do exceedingly take the ſoul. Indeed every apparition of Chriſt doth take the heart: but at theſe times the heart is not only wooed and won, but overcome with his ſweetneſs and glory.
1. After the ſoul hath long lyen bedrid in ſorrow, been overwhelmed in the deeps of Legal Humiliation, and have been broken and ſhattered in peeces with conſternation, and apprehenſions of ſin, and Gods wrath for it. Then a diſcovery of Chriſt, and apparition of Chriſt to the ſoul, is a reſurrection from the dead.
When Chriſt comes by a promiſe into the ſoul, and diſplaies his glory, the Riches, and Greatneſs, and Freeneſs of his Grace, as to Moſes; The Lord God, gracious and mercifull, long-ſuffering, and abundant in goodneſs and truth, keeping mercy for thouſands, forgiving iniquity, and tranſgreſsion and ſin, Exod. 34.6. I, I am hee who forgiveth thy iniquities, &c. Iſa. 43.25. Then is the ſoul beyond expreſſion, inamoured with him; now it is overcome with his beauties and excellencies, and even raviſhed with his love. And this is the firſt eminent taking of the heart with Chriſt.
2. When the ſoul hath been upon the ſtormy Sea of temptations and deſertions; hath long laboured under the ſenſe of Gods withdrawings and abſence from the ſoul. And Chriſt returns again, breaking the dark and thick cloud, and ſhining into the ſoul. Who can then expreſſe the warmth, the comfort, the revivings, the holy heats and flames of love and affection to Chriſt.
You ſee how it was with Job. I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear: But now mine eyes ſee thee. And certainly the ſight of his beauties did take him: thoſe eyes which ſaw him were like a burning-glaſſe to the heart, to kindle the flames and fervors of holy affections towards him again.
You ſee how it was with the Church, Cant. 3.4. Chriſt had withdrawn himſelf: Shee makes inquiry after him, but could not hear of him. At laſt after all her trouble, Chriſt appears to her ſoul. And you may read there, how exceedingly her heart was taken with his return. I found him whom my ſoul loveth; I held him, and would not let him go, untill I had brought him into my Mothers houſe, Cant. 3.4.
3. When the ſoul doth ſit down to contemplate, and read over the beauties and loves of Chriſt: when it is in the contemplations of thoſe ſurpaſsing excellencies, and admired ſweetneſs which is in Chriſt. And Christ (whiles the ſoul is buſy in feeding on theſe thoughts) doth make a diſcovery of himſelf to the ſoul: makes the ſoul to ſee a viſion of his glory: Oh! how is the heart taken with him! it is even drowned and ſunk in a Sea of glory. Ah! what claſping, what imbraces! what loves are there then betwixt Chriſt and the ſoul! It is impoſſible for mee to expreſs: or for mee, or you to conceive. It is a viſion of glory, the porch of Heaven.
4. When the ſoul is under outward preſſures, afflictions, priſon, ſickneſs, upon death-bed. Then a viſit of Christ, a diſcovery of himſelf doth exceedingly raviſh and take the heart. Here is kindneſs indeed, riches for the poor, liberty for a priſoner, a cordial for the ſick; Here is all in Chriſts manifeſtation.
Well then, wouldeſt thou know whether thy heart bee taken with Chriſt? doſt thou know Chriſt? didſt thou ever ſee the face of Chriſt in a promiſe? what apparitions hath Chriſt made to thee? what manifeſtations within thee, in the work of Grace? what manifeſtations to thee, in the beginning of glory? You who know not Chriſt, cannot love Chriſt.
2. Sign. An heart taken with Chriſt, is not exceſſively taken with any thing elſe.
The ſweetneſs of Chriſt doth overcome all the ſweetneſs in other things, in the Creatures.Vincit dulcedo dulcedinem.
As it is nothing but ignorance which makes men admire any thing here on earth: if men knew the excellencie of other things, they could not admire ſuch trifles as they do.
So here, it is nothing but ignorance of better things which makes us dote upon things here below. Did wee ſee his beauties, all the World would bee blackneſs. Did wee ſee his fulneſs, all the World were but emptineſs.
I ſay; did wee but know the excellencies and beauties of Chriſt, and the ſatisfying-ſweetneſs of his love; Nothing ſhould have a room in our hearts, ſave hee only. The higher wee aſcend toward Heaven, the leſſer will the things on earth appear.
If you go to the top of the Mountains, men would appear but ſmall: but if it were poſſible to go up to the Sun, the Mountains would appear nothing.
The love of Chriſt hath a raiſing-power, working our hearts as high as Heaven, and being there, all things here below are of no account and eſteem to the ſoul. So ſaith Paul, a man on fire with the love of Chriſt. Yea doubtleſs I count all but loſs for the excellency of the knowledge of Chriſt — And do count them but dung, that I may win Chriſt, Phil 3.8.
Well then; they whoſe hearts are taken with the Creature, taken with the World, taken with ſin and vanity: Theſe are too groſs to bee taken with ſpiritual loves.
3. Sign.
What the heart is taken withall, the ſoul ſeems to live more in it, than in it ſelf. Do but examine it in any thing the heart is taken withall; whether your comforts, your delights, your happineſs lies not in them. The Worldling hee lives in his poſſeſſions. The Voluptuous man in his pleaſures. And can no more live out of them, than the Fiſh out of the water, the Salamander out of fire. So here. If thy heart bee taken with Chriſt, then thou liveſt more in Chriſt, than thou doeſt in thy ſelf. I live, yet not I, but Chriſt, ſaith the Apoſtle, Gal. 2.20. Thou canſt no more ſubſiſt without him, than the Beam without the Sun: than the ſpark without the fire. Nay, no more live without him, than the body without meat, nay, the body without the ſoul. Chriſt is to the ſoul, as the ſoul is to the body. Now as the body cannot live without the ſoul: So the ſoul cannot live but in Chriſt, who is Anima Animae, the Soul of the Soul, for mee to live is Chriſt.
I ſay, if thy heart bee taken with Chriſt, thou liveſt in Chriſt more than in thy ſelf. Thy life, thy comforts, thy happineſs, they are all folded up in him.
As Judah ſaid of Benjamin. Jacobs life was bound up in the Lads life, Gen. 44.30. So the Soul of Chriſt; my life, my joyes, my comforts, they are all bound up in thee. All my freſh ſprings are in thee; ſaith God of his Church, Pſal. 87.7. And, whom have I in Heaven but thee! and in earth in compariſon of thee! Pſal. 73.25. ſaith the inamoured ſoul of God, his heart was taken with God, and hee lived in God more than in himſelf.
It was the ſpeech of Luther, who (being in a great diſtreſs and ſpirituall trouble) had writ about the walls and table in his ſtudy, in great letters, Vivit. A friend comes to him, and demands the reaſon. Hee replies, Vivit Chriſtus; & ſi non, non optarem unam horam vivere. — His life was in Chriſt. Hee lived more in Chriſt than in himſelf.
Which makes the life of a Chriſtian ſo ſafe, none can hurt him, and ſo ſweet too, being a life in Chriſt out of himſelf. The beſt of others lyes in themſelves: but the beſt of a Chriſtian, thoſe precious things in him, lies out of himſelf, and lies in Chriſt.
4. Sign.
What the heart is taken withall, that the comforts of the life are upheld by from day to day. Wee have many a weary ſtep to go, and can no more go without comfort, than Elijah without food. Comfort is to the ſoul, as the ſoul is to the body. As the body without the ſoul is dead, ſo is the ſoul of men without comfort.
Now would you know what your heart is taken withall: ſee what the comfort of your life is upheld by from day to day.
Is Jeſus Chriſt the comfort of your life? is hee the joy of your hearts?
Ex quovis fonte.Wicked men have varity of ſprings. If one bee drye, they go to another.
But the Saints have but one: Chriſt. And if hee bee gone, all is gone.