A Fathers Testament, Chapter 14
CAP. XIV.
What are the means to bring Christ, and our Souls together?
AS it is in the earthly, so also in this heavenly Contract. The Man is the Suiter; the Woman is Wooed. In him is required to ask, and seek; in her only to accept, and consent. Christ loves first: then we, 1 Ioh. 4.19. He in love proffers himself to us, and we (when he hath wonn us) embrace his offer with love, and willingly receive him. His hand whereby he give… himself, is his Word; (the Gospel, written, his Love-letters, Preached, his wooing) our hand whereby we receive him is only our faith: by which the Vnderstanding assents, and the Will consents: so the only condition, …nd demand of God for consummation of the …ontract, is Faith.
First therefore, That Father of lights (by the light of his word) discovers to us th… person of the Lord Iesus in his nature; God, and Man. 2. In his Offices; King, Priest, and Prophet. 3. In his Relation to us… Husband, Head, Saviour. 4. In his love, and actions of love: Incarnation, Humiliation, Exaltation. This light he so effectually brings home to us by the work of his Spirit; that whereas (heretofore) we saw no beauty in him that we should desire him, (Isa. 53.2.) now we see no beauty but in him: we behold his glory, as the glory of the only begotten Son of God, Joh. 1.14. And so strong an impression doth it work, that the Understanding (convinced by Gods Spirit) receives the testimonies, subscribeth, and seals to this truth of God, (Joh. 3.33.) and then plainly sees, confesses, and with joy so judges that all things are dung, and loss in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ Iesus his Lord, Phil. 3.8. And this is the first act of faith, wrought in the Understanding, whereby the Apprehensive faculty conceiveth this truth, and the Iudicial signs it.
The second is in the Concupiscible faculty; …or the same word by the same work of Gods Spirit, which perswaded the Judgement …o assent, draws on the Will to consent: and …s it giveth power to the one to conceive, … to the other to receive Christ aright. To …his end the Word cleerly demonstrateth as …ell the misery of man without him, as the …appiness with him, and both infinite, (as …oh. 3.36. & 1 Ioh. 5.12.) It sets out him in relation to us as the Vine, us in relation to him as the Branches, Ioh. 15.1, &c. grafted in him we are cleansed, fruitful, ver. 3, 4. but without him we can do, we can have nothing; neither sap, nor fruit, but are withered, and burned, Joh. 15.5, 6. In him, and his house we flourish, grow fat; and the more we grow in age, the more we grow in fruit…ulness, (Psal. 92.13, 14.) but out of him, (as the branches of a Vine) altogether useless, cast into the fire for fuel, the fire devours both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burnt, Ezek. 15.4. Vine-branches, (of all other) are in the Vine most useful, and noble, out of the Vine most base, and useless.
It propounds him to us as an Husband… us to him as a Spouse: Woman was mad… for man, and without him is unfruitful, an… useless: him to us as an Head, us to him a… his limbs, and body; In him we live, move, an… have our being, Act. 17.28. without him w… are senseless, dead, nothing.
And whereas the heart is easily draw… with that triple cord, of profit, pleasure… preferment, it evidently discovers to u… 1. Our gain, and great advantage by him i… life, and death, (Phil. 1.21.) all other thing… loss, Phil. 3.8. 2. The infinite delight, an… sweetness in his shadow, Cant. 2.3. the fu… carouses out of the Rivers of his pleasures, Psal. 36.8. the woe (Hos. 9.12.) and torments of his absence, Rev. 14.10. so that our spirits refuse all comfort, and are utterly overwhelmed, Psal. 77.3. 3. The height of honour, and advancement in him, Ioh. 12.26. (Honos est in Honorante) Honour is in the giver, not receiver. The more excellent the person is who gives honour, the more excellent is the honour received from his hands. What comparison then between the honour which comes …rom man, and the honour which comes from God only? we are never truly honourable, but when we are precious in his sight, Isa. 43.4. In him we are Kings, (Rev. 1.6.) and this kingdom heavenly, (2 Tim. 4.18.) and everlasting, (2 Pet. 1.11.) that cannot be moved, Heb. 12.28. out of him we are Children of the Devil, (Joh. 8.44.) and so devils, (Joh. 6.70.) who being thrown out of Heaven, and unworthy to be seated in any (the very lowest) place formerly designed for the Creature, have a new, and peculiar place prepared for them beneath all other, the Deep, (Luk. 8.31.) and bottomless pit, Rev. 20.1. where they are bound up in everlasting chains of darkness, Jude 6.
And yet further the Word shews us the easie conditions which in this Contract God demands of us, subjection, obedience, and service to our heavenly Spouse. And le…t our dimm eyes (which are easily taken up with the empty shew, and vain name of liberty) might be frighted (as with Bug-bears) when they look upon a yoke; he hath laid open the nature, and manner of this service, (concerning which I shall say more in the next) so that the spirit of man sees in it the glorious liberty of the sons of God, (Rom. 8.11.) and no liberty but in this bond, no rest, joy, or comfort but in this sweet service. Most true it is that no man can come unto Christ, unless the Father draw him, and as true, that every man who hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Christ, Joh. 6.44, 45. The cords therefore by which the Father draws us unto his Son, are those lessons, whereby he teacheth us. 1. In God, his love which passeth knowledge, (Ephes. 3.19.) the love of the Father giving us his Son, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life in him, (Ioh. 3.16.) and the love o… the Son, giving his life for us, (Ioh. 15.13.) when enemies, (Rom. 5.10.) 2. In us ou… extream necessity of him, being of all Creatures the most miserable without him, and infinitely blessed with him.
These are those cords of a man (for the will of man cannot be drawn by violence of compulsion) the bands of love, Hos. 11.4. Thus our heavenly Spouse wooes us; thus he speaks comfortably unto our hearts, (Hos. 2.14.) and allures us. Then the Will cheerfully consents, calls him Ishi (my husband) not Baali (Lord). Thus our Saviour betroths us to himself for ever, betroths us in righteousness, in judgement, in loving kindness, and we know the Lord, Hos. 2.16, 19, 20.
This is that root of faith, Col. 2.7. which springing from the incorruptible seed of Gods Word (Rom. 10.17.) sends up the stalk of love, and working by love, (Gal. 5.6.) brings forth the ear, fruitful in every good work, increasing in some thirty, in some sixty, in some an hundred fold, Matth. 13.23. This is that hand of faith whereby when the Lord Iesus is offered unto us we receive him, (Joh. 1.12.) 1. In the understanding, by conceiving aright of him, learning Christ as he is taught us, (Ephes. 4.20, 21.) 2. In the will, by embracing him, Heb. 11.13. This is that grace of the Spirit, by which when we are questioned in the Church (after those wooings of Christ in his word) Wilt thou have the Lord Iesus Christ to thy wedded Husband? wilt thou love, honour, obey, serve him, and keep thee only unto him? the soul answers, I will, and so gives it self to Christ, and by the seal of baptism becomes the sealed fountain of the Lord Iesus, (See Cant. 4.12. with Prov. 5.18.) and is tyed unto him in an indissoluble knot of those everlasting espousals: so that neither death, nor life, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things present, nor things to come shall be able to separate from the love, (Rom. 8.38, 39.) from the boord, and bed of the Lord Iesus.
And is this all which is required in such a match? doth he ask neither portion, nor beauty, nor honour (nay gives all these) nothing but our hearts? (filthy hearts that he may cleanse them, dead hearts that he may quicken them, beggarly, and empty hearts that he may enrich, store, and fill them with the fulness of God?) Oh then shut not the door against such a Suiter. Open your heart for him; give it to him: where can you so well bestow it? how graciously will he receive it? how lovingly will he cherish it? how sweetly will he embrace it? and oh how infinitely happy, and blessed will you be in his sweet embraces.
But is there nothing else demanded but the heart, and will in this spiritual match, and union with Christ? Nothing more to make the match; but after the marriage, those conjugal duties are required, which will soon make us feel and confess how happy we are in such an espousal. Hearken then willingly to his suit, and thus in your hearts cheerfully answer him.
Behold, behold me: view, search every part:
Let beauty wooe thy eyes, thy eyes thy heart.
Thou dost, Lord, what thou speak'st; I somewhat see,
That I see nothing, nor my self, nor thee.
'Noint thee: what seest thou now? What tongue can tell?
In thee ten thousand heav'ns, in me an hell.
How lik'st thy self poor soul? how lik'st thou me?
Lord, I am dung, and all things dung to thee.
I made thee first, and come, now, new to make thee;
I… then thou lik'st, stretch …orth thy hand, and take me.
Take thee? Lord thou more rich than heav'n can make thee…
I poor; tak'st thou no portion but to take thee?
Lord I am naked, foul, thou can'st but loath me thee:
Ask'st thou no beauty but to cleanse, and cloath me?
Oh I am base: my self my self disdain:
Wilt thou no honour, but with thee to reign?
Is this thy whole demand, to leave mine own,
And take thee for my portion, beauty, Crown?
A glorious offer: madness to refuse it:
An easie choice: yet wretch I cannot chuse it.
Maim'd wretch! I see my bliss; yet, till thou make it,
I have no will to chuse, no hand to take it.
Let th'hand, which thee, which all thy glory proffers,
Give me an hand to take thy glorious offers.
Form, draw mine eyes; so shall I still behold thee…
Make, hold my hand: so shall I take, grasp, hold thee.