A New Canaan Full of Most Pleasant Gardens, Treatise · Incentives
Now the Incentives which I shall set before you are these. Consider,
1. The Needfulness,
2. The Rationalness,
3. The Honourableness,
4. The Sweetness,
5. The Ʋsefulness,
6. The Profitableness
Of this great delight.
And of the doing of all those great things which have been by me premised, prescribed, proposed.
First,
The needfulness thereof; for God commands it. Where? Psal. 37.4. Delight thy self also in the Lord. Loe, an express, and explicite Precept; so that I may say unto you, as the Holy Apostle to the Athenians, The times of this ignorance, God winked at, but now commands all men every where to repent, Acts. 17.30. So the times of this Ignorance, that you were ignorant of the great necessity of this great Delight, to be taken in the Lord, God winked at; but now, seeing you knowit, he commands you all to repent of your past neglect of it, and for the time to come, to delight your selves in him, as here you are required by him. And, I say to you moreover, when a King of the earth causeth a Proclamation to be made, concerning a thing which he would have done, though it be but a petty thing you hold your selves bound to do it, and you will do it, as near as you can. And are not you bound now, nay, much more bound, think ye, by this Proclamation also, which the great King of heaven hath made this day, by his servant David? Read the Proclamation, in the fore-alleadged, Psal. 37. to do what he there commands you to do, as namely, to Delight your selves in the Lord, as you are commanded by the Lord, which is no petty thing neither but so great, and so glorious, as that there can hardly be a greater, or more glorious to be done by us; as you will understand more of it hereafter. Beloved, You are not therefore free, to do this thing, or no, but firmly bound; not left to your own choyce, but linkt and chained to the doing of it, by the Prophets voice; not permitted to omit any part or peice contained in the said Proclamation, but straightly charged, and obliged by it, wholly and fully to be for this great Delectation. And therefore, I do even require you, by vertue of a warrant which I have in my hand; to wit, this 4th verse, of this 37 Psalm, which here I shew you in my Bible opened before you, to do this great thing which the great God, who is my great Master▪ doth command you; saying, Delight thy self also in the Lord. Mark what he saith, Thy self; he speaks to thee, in the singular, that readest, or hearest these words now, even to thee John, and thee Peter also, and to thee Mary also, and so to every one of you, according to the word also. See therefore you do it.
Secondly,
The Rationalness of it, in three Respects. For,
First,
You are of him, Rom. 11.36. Now how are all things, for things of which they are? As for Example, Children for their Parents of which they are, to delight themselves in them; so fish for water, and for the Sea, of which they are; insomuch as partly for that they are called the fish of the Sea, Psal. 88. and will therefore, if they can get, and leap back into the Sea, when they are taken out of the Sea; answerably whereunto we also should be all for the great God, of whom we are; and for that Ocean of Delight and pleasure which is to be taken in his over-flowing sweetness.
Secondly,
You are made to him and for him; For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, Rom. 11.36. And are not all things for things for which, and to which they are made, and ordained? As for Example, The fowls of the Air, how are they all for the air, being made for the air, and therefote called the fowls of the air, Psal. 8.8. So that, if you have them in your hands, and let them flee, they will up in the air, there is their Delight; and so should we be for God, and Christ, who also is God, being so made for God, in him should be all our Delight; it is but Rational. Thou hast made my heart for thee (saith August. in Confess.) and it cannot be at Rest till it comes to thee.
Thirdly,
None, and nothing can so please, or content us, as he; in four Regards. For,
First,
All things else are finite, he infinite; even this great world, as huge a fabrick as it is, as containing *Danaeus in sua Phys. Christ. Tract. 3. cap. 23.9000 French Leucaes, yet hath its ends; so as that a man may say, here is an end of it; whence that Scripture expression is, All the Ends of the earth, Psal. 22.27. But who can shew us an end of that infinite and endless being? so that impossible it is, that this world, or any thing in it, should fill, or satisfie the unquenchable thirst of mans soul unless it bath it self in the River of life, and in the immeasurable Ocean of divine goodness, and of those ineffable Delights which flow from Jehovahs face, blessed for evermore.
Secondly,
Nay, all other things are not, but he is. How? Not?
Yes, They are not; for what saith the wisest of all meer men? Wilt thou set thy eyes upon that which is not? For riches make themselves wings, Prov. 23.5. Mark, he instanceth in Riches, because a man should think, that they are something, because we see them with our eyes, and see how gold glisteneth, silver shines, jewels sparkle, and yet they are not; for saith he, they make themselves wings; he saith not, they have wings given them by men, but they make them themselvs, for they are so in their own nature, *Gregor. Mor. l. 1. c. 4.fugitive by Gods Ordinanation, for he hath put such a fugitive nature into them; and of him men have learned to put such a stamp upon them, in that money is coined round, to shew how it is alwayes going, yea running away from us: They flee as an Eagle towards heaven. Mark again, they flee, I said but now, that they are going and running from us, but the Holy Ghost goeth farther, saying, they flee, nay, flee like an Eagle, whose flight doth as far exceed the flight of other birds, as himself exceedes them, being the *Rex avium. Jonston. in Tha. sua. p. 234.King of them; nay, towards heaven, and so far enough from them, like an Eagle indeed, who fleeth, as swifter, so *Altissime volans Danaeus in sua Phys. Christ. Tract. 5. c. 33. supra nubes volat ibi solis calore vitium oculorum demitur. Jonston Thaum. p. 235.higher than any other fowl, even very near towards the Sun for thereat his aime is, to be as near it as he may. Thus riches flee so far away, as not being to return again. And hence is that of the same wisest King, Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity; Eccles. 1.2. And what is vanity? it is just nothing in the Original. But God is not so; No, no, He Is, and truly Is; For, J A M is his Name, Exod. 3.13, 14. And therefore no wonder that so divine a spark as the soul of man is, never ceaseth rising and aspiring until it joyn it self to that infinite flame of Glory and Majesty from whence it first issued, as I formerly shewed, and which onelyonly and truely is; and that those things which are not, cannot possibly content her.
Thirdly,
All things else here below are deceitful, and he true and faithful, 1 Thes. 1.24. As for other things I'le instance in,
1. Riches.
2. Honours.
3. Pleasures.
4. Beauty.
1. Riches.
Christ himself calles them Deceitful, Matth. 13.22. And so they are, For what a deal of content they promise? But do they perform what they promise? No, no. Go you over all the world, look into Cities, hearken at the doores and windowes of rich mens private houses, of princes pallaces, of great mens chambers, and you shall hear nothing but Lamentations, and pitiful complaints. So that Riches neither do nor give to any Rich man that content which they promise; partly by reason of that which hath been said, and partly by reason of that which now I intend to speak, Namely, because they give no Rest, and no rest, because of these infinite cares, anxieties, and vexatious thoughts, which hang upon his spirit; so that as a clock cannot stand still from running, as long as the peazes do hang thereat, so his mind by reason of such weights, cannot repose day or night, but is forced to beat his brains, when other men take their Rest, for the compassing of those poor low things wherewith he is incumbred. Never did the flies of Egypt so trouble the miserable, and wretched Egyptians, in that they would not suffer them to rest, nor would be beaten off, as these cares trouble and vex rich mens minds: For do they what they can, they cannot keep them off, they rush upon them in the Morning as soon as they awake, they accompany them all day, they forsake them not by night, they follow them to bed, they lett them from their sleep, they keep them from their duty towards God, they afflict them in their dreams, they trouble them all the night, and that as long as they live, whereas the aforesaid flies left the Egyptians after a while.
2. Pleasures.
What are they but onelyonly deceits of Pleasures? Never did baits, being sweet in Taste, but having dangerous hooks hid under them, so deceive silly fish; never did Laban promising a Rachel and giving instead of her, a blear-eyed Leah, so deceive poor Jacob; Never did Jael offering Sisera milk in a Lordly dish, and thrusting a nail into his brain, with a hammer in her other hand, so deceive foolish Sisera, as pleasure deceives foolish, silly poor men and women, with her bait, under which she hides her hookes, which pierce them; and with her blind Leahs, I should say Delights, which instead of Rachels, I mean fairer delights, must serve them; and with her sweet milk of profered sinful joyes which she seconds with a hammer, and a naile, from she wall, that is, with a fearfull death, and formidable Destruction, marring all their carnal mirth, and sinful Delectation.
3. Honours.
So Honours, How deceitful they be?
To day a man is up, to morrow down, like Haman. And as the wheels of a Chariot which turn round, so as that those spoaks which now are upmost, by and by are nethermost, so do Honours turn round, insomuch as that those which now are lifted up on high, do suddenly come, yea tumble down most fearfully. This four Kings taken prisoners by another King observed once, as they were driving the Chariot wherein the Conqueror rode in triumph; As these wheels turn, said they, so do mens conditions. Besides, are not honours deceitful, in that they seldom or never make good what they promise, touching rememberance? for they make Ambitious men believe, that they shall be had in everlasting remembrance; but who doth remember one of fourty thousand when they are dead? Is not their memory perished with their sound? Doth not Job prophesie of them truly, that their Remembrance should be as ashes trodden under foot.
4. Beauty.
The like may be said of Beauty, that it is deceitful; for take the fairest face, and raze or slash it with a knife, or razor, and all that fairness is gone; let there come but an Ague, and all this goodly beauty is marred; let the soul depart but one half hour from the body, and this lovely face is ugly to look on; let it lye but two dayes in the grave, and those which were so hot in love with it before, will hardly abide to behold it now, or to come near it; and if none of these things befall it, yet quickly cometh old age, which riveleth the skin, draweth in the eyes, setreth out the teeth, changeth the hair, even those yellow locks of fair Creatures into gray, and so disfigureth the whole visage, as it becometh more loathsome now, than it was beautiful and alluring before. Besides, what is beauty, but only a little coloured skin, covering raw flesh? but a fair cover of a guilded Book full of woes, and lamentations written within, as covering those woeful and lamentable conditions and qualities, which many fair creatures have within? but a painted snake, fair without and full of deadly poyson within? and therefore how truly did that wisest of Kings say of it, Favour is deceitful and Beauty is vain, Prov. 31.30. But is Christ so too? No, no; as I said before, he is faithful, and true in all his promises, and all the promises of God in him, are Yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us, 2 Cor. 1.20. No marvel therefore that all those things which I have now mentioned, and all that can be named in the whole compass and circumference of this wide world besides, can be a commensurate, and proportionable object for so noble and precious a nature as the soul of man is, to give it content, nor can possibly satisfie it, till it sun it self in that almighty Sun of glory, yea throw it self into that boundless, and bottomless Sea of goodness, every drop of whose infinite sweetness, yeelds so much delight and pleasure, as no natural Understanding can conceive, no tongue can express.
Fourthly,
All things else are vexation of spirit, and he is not; as for other things, the wisest King makes it good, Eccles. 1.2. So as that there is no felicity in all that the world adores. Aristotle, while he labours to refute Plato's Ideas, falls upon one himself; for his Summum bonum, or chiefest good is a Chimera, there is no such thing as his felicity, but God or Christ is no vexation, for, he is love it self, 1 John 4.16. and lovely, and there is no such vexation in it. And is not my motion for so great a delight, as I have pressed upon you to take in Christ, rational then? I pray you tell; and if ye be convinced, so as that you cannot gain-say what I have said, then say, that by Gods help you will use those helps, and make an essay of those instructions and Lessons which I have read unto you, from so precious a Scripture, for your unutterable pleasure. The Lord strengthen you, and the Lord bless you, that you may not now neglect so great a blessing.
Thirdly, The Honourableness.
Consider the Honourableness thereof, for they that take delight in Christ, walk and talk, and sit with Christ as you have heard; and what an honour is that? What said David once, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a Kings Son in Law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? 1 Sam. 18. So I, seemeth it to you a light thing to walk, and talk, and sit so with the great Kings Son, seeing you are poor nothing creatures, and lightly esteemed? O my brethren, if Honour then be any thing available with you O what an *Immensum gloria calcar habet.immense spur should this be to you all, to spur you forward to labour for this great delight, which is so full of Honour! and how it should keep your minds musing, your thoughts thinking, your eyes waking, like Davids, Psal. 77.4. as not suffering you to take your rest, till with this great delight your souls be blest.
Fourthly, The Sweetness, or pleasantness thereof.
How sweet is the tasting of pleasant Wines, and dainty dishes? Now they that delight themselves in Christ do taste, as I shewed you, the sweet fruits of Christ. Again, how sweet is Musick? and did I not tell you what affinity the Hebrew for a shadow hath with the Musick which a tinkling Cymbal makes? And should not this inflame you too, to labour after such delights? I have *In Philo Strato de vita Apollonii, lib. 8. cap. 12.read of Apollonius, that before his death, he did hear in Dicteas Temple the voice of singing Virgins, saying to him, Come from the Earth, Come ascend into Heaven; Answerably whereunto, you have here heard, as it were, a voice saying to you, Come from the earth, come away from earthly delights, come, ascend up into Heaven, this heaven of true delight, delight, I mean, to be taken in Christ. And will not you? O Saints, come, oh come, and ascend up, come and leave all those sensual delights, which you formerly did so dearly love. What said Naamans servants to their Master once, when he was loath to do as he was bid, as some here, I believe are unwilling to do what they were bid to do but now; If the Prophet had bid thee to do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, wash and be clean? 2 Kings 5.13. Semblably whereunto, I say to you, If the Lords Prophet, to wit David, Psal. 37.4. and I after him, had bid you to do some unpleasant thing, would you not have done it, being bid to do it, and you bound to obey? how much more then, when he & I bid you so to bathe your selvs in those ineffable delights, which like the River Jordan, are so deep for souls to swim in, and so able to cleanse them from their uncleanness, according to one of their effects formerly shewn?
Fifthly, The Ʋsefulness.
Consider the Ʋsefulness thereof; and that,
First, In Preaching and for Preachers.
Secondly, In Hearing and for Hearers.
First, In Preaching, and for Preachers:
For they are just like Sugar, being so exceeding sweet as you have heard. Now, how useful Sugar is, especially in Apothecaries Shops, and for Apothecaries that use it you, know, and how they sweeten all their bitter pills, purges and Medicines with it to make them pass, you know. Answerably whereunto, we Ministers also sweeten our bitters, both Pills and Purges, hard, and to some harsh sayings of ours, I mean with the sweetest Sugar of delight. As for Example.
First,
When we tell our people of fasting, we also the same time, tell them of feasting, saying, that fasting is feasting; the sever… of a truly religious fasting, being so many dishes of sweet meats, and flagons of pleasantest wines, Cant. 2.5.
Secondly.
So when we preach to them of trouble of mind, the spirit of bondage, Rom. 8.15. Sorrow and sighing for sin, mourning for mischiefs done by them; we tell them also, to make such bitters to go down, That they that sow in tears, shall reap in joy, Psal. 126.5. Where note, by the way, what a strange, and yet very comfottable expression this is: For who soweth in waters? and yet here it is said, They that sow in tears, and so in waters, shall reap in joy. The words being as *Ambrose.some would have it, an allusion to Merchants; who trade in deep waters, and from thence brings their returns, which make them glad: Semblably whereunto do such as sow in tears, and trade in such precious and gainful waters, thereby and thence-from get their joy, which is their gain, their harvest, their great reward. Thus we sweeten our bitters with delights; and is not delight a most useful thing then?
Secondly, In Hearing, and for Hearers;
To whom it is like honey: for as that is not only sweet in it self, but also sweetneth other things also, which are not sweet in themselves, and for that end is used by men. So this great delight which I have so much pressed, is not only sweet in it self, but also able to make other things, even our holy & heavenly things sweet, I mean, our prayers sweet, our reading sweet, our meditating sweet, our hearing sweet. O how sweet was Gods Law upon that account to David, even sweeter than honey, and the honey combe, Psal. 19.10. The like I have read of one of the ancient Kings of Ireland, Bernard. in vita Malach.that when he heard St. Malachy preach most sweetly, he cried out, and said, O how sweet are thy speeches, and eloquiaes to my mouth! they are sweeter to me than honey. Now tell me my brethren, whether delight be not useful for hearers then? Truly if it were not for delight, which we find in God, some would not rise so as they do, a great while before day, as Christ also himself did, Mark 1.35. and have (then) so much communion with God, nor would they take up so much of time for contemplation, were it not for this delectation. Delectation raises us, delectation ravisheth us, delectation rejoyceth us; and therefore, Oh the usefulness of it!
Sixthly, The Profitableness of it.
Beloved, the emoluments, the gaines, the utilities which come by it, are, Tot, ut non possint numerari, & tantae, ut non possint enarrari; that is, so many as that they cannot be uttered. I will only name some, and say of them all, as the Apostle of Godliness, Gealiness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the Life that now is, and of that which is to come, 1 Tim. 4.8. So this great delight is profitable to all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
First,
Of the life that now is. For, verily thou shalt be fed, saith holy David, if your delight shall be in the God of David, that goeth immediately before delight: And he will give thee thy hearts desire; that followeth presently after, Psal. 37.3, 4. So that you cannot want, either,
1. Necessaries for your bodies.
If ye be willing and obedient, and so consequently among other things, delight your selves in me, as you are commanded (Psal. 37.4.) You shall eat the good of the Land, Isa. 1.19. So that you may truly say with, and after holy David, whose words, in the aforesaid Psal. 37.4. are The Lord is my Shepheard, I shall not want, Psal. 23.1. So the Lord is our delight, we shall not want; nay, when you have lost never so much, yea all, you may even sing the same words as Fulgentius once in a storm, after he had lost all upon the Seas, as it is reported of him.
2. Nor can you want Necessaries for your souls:
For, when they are almost gone, he will restore them, as Davids, Psal. 23.3. He restoreth my soul. When they want food, he will be meat to them; when drink, he will be drink to them; when heat, he will be fire to them. Nay, desire what you can, and desire what you will, for your poor souls, and they shall have it, Christ will be to them all in all, Col. 3.11. and so the Lord will give you the desire of your heatrs, if in him and with him, you will delight your hearts, according to that fore-alledged famous Scripture, from which I draw this Lecture, Psal. 37.4. Beloved, it is written of Issachar, which signifieth, a man of Reward, or Wages, That he couched down between two burdens, and saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant, and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute, or, as the Greek renders the word, he became an Husbandman, Gen. 49.14, 15. And so do you now, my Brethren; seeing that God is good, and Christ so good, and delight is pleasant, and so exceeding profitable also, couch down between these two sorts of promises, and puty our shoulders to bear, what hitherto you did so forbear, I mean, the burden, if you count it a burden, or rather the weight of that most ponderous matter of great delight to be taken in Christ, hitherto put and pressed upon you; and so become good husbands, or husbandmen of it, and true Iss…hars, that is, men of Reward, such a Reward as this great delight is. The Lord strengthen you for the bearing of it.
Secondly,
Of the life to come. For that is the end of obeyers. He became the Author of Eternal Salvation, unto all them that obey him, Heb. 5.9. Mark. Salvation, and eternal Salvation, which is all one. The Life to come called Eternal, Matth. 25.46. is the Recompence of obedient souls, and so consequently of such as delight themselves in the Lord, in obedience to the word of the Lord, Psal. 37.4. So that they shall go from life to life, from glory to glory, from delight to delight, that is, from the oblectaments which they have in the Lord, here in this life, to the enjoyments of a better, and far sweeter; In short, from singing to singing, for they that sow in tears, as those commonly do, who so delight themselves in the Lord, weeping being partly a cause of their delighting, as you have heard, shall reap in joy, or, as the foreignHebrew hath it, shall sing, sing, namely, here like Swans before their death, as it is clear from Psal. 30.5. And as the holy Martyrs were wont to sing, when the very fire was kindled about some, and ready to burn a… others, witness *Fox in the abridgment of his Acts and Mon. p. 333. 338. Canebat Hieronimus, Salve festae Dios.John …sse, and Hierom of Prague, who when they were to be burnt, did sing so, and sing after death, when, namely they are in heaven. For then that famous Scripture, Cant. 2.11, 12. is absolutely fulfilled, Loe the Winter is past, the Rain is over, that is, the the stormy winter of Affliction and Persecution is over, weeping over, sorrowing over, sighing over, and gone, For God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. For the former things are passed away, Revel. 21.4. The flowers appear on the earth, that is, the Saints, who shall dwell in the New earth, 2 Pet. 3.13. Most pleasant spring is come for them, to appear like so many flowers, fair and fragrant, whereas before, they were, as it were, in their buds, hid. For our life is hid here, with Christ in God, Col. 3.3. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, 1 John. 3.2. And then O the glory! O the beauty! O the splendor we shall appear in, when he shall appear in glory! And oh the flowers that then will be seen, when he will be seen. But farther. The time of the singing of Birds is come, when namely that foresaid pleasant spring for Saints is come, which is like the Morning (which is called aurora, quasi avium hora, the birds hour as it were, because then they are wont to sing most and sweetest) For then, oh the singing which is and will be amongst those little birds which are stiled Saints! Oh the sweetest musick which then will be heard, when they shall make musick, singing and saying, Allelujah, Salvation and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God. And again, Allelujah; Praise our God, all ye his servants, and all ye that fear him, both small and great; and again Amen, Allelujah. And again, Allelujah, For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, let us be glad and rejoyce, and give honour to him, Revel. 19.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Thus soules which delight themselves in the Lord, shall go from singing to singing, and so to the Lord; nor, will the Lord say to them, as Father Abraham once said to Dives, son Remember, that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things, Luk. 16.25. For the Lords will it is, that such good souls as they be, should receive, and have, as I said before, some oblectaments in the life that now is, and fully in that which is to come, even unto variety, as you have heard, yea, to Eternity O Eternity! here give me leave to paraphrase a little upon both, as rapt up, as it were, into heaven, as according to my promised teaching, as thus; O that blessed Region of paradise! Oh that blessed Region of Delights, where Saints do so sing, and for which I sigh in this valley of tears! oh that life of lives which those rejoycing, singing Saints do live! O life beatifical! O life eternal, even blessedly eternal, and eternally blessed! where there is certain security, secure tranquillity; where there is perfect love, no fear, and everlasting day, swift and pleasant motion, and only Delectation, to an endless Duration!
Haste, Haste, O Saints, to that place, that life, that eternall, that blessed life, labouring, and loving to delight your selves in the Lord, that hereafter and for ever, you may thus joyfully be with the Lord. And O sirs, let us all, even cry out, as one did once saying what do we here? here in the state which hitherto we have been in? it being a state of death rather than of life, of sorrow rather than joy, of sinners, rather than Saints, of servants rather than sonnes; let us flee hence like Eagles, towards heaven, let all your delight hereafter be in the God of Heaven, let the times past suffice, that we were like blind Wants working and living under ground; let us now and hereafter, even *Secundum illud de Aquila, Adagium. foreign. Aquila non captat Muscas.Eagle-like, scorn all low things, as too much below such high things as our souls are, and even disdain what formerly we deemed to be our greatest gain, nay, count it all, as dross, as loss, as dirt, as dung, in comparison of those ravishing delights which are to be taken in Christ; according to the words of that sweetest Spouse of Christ, I sate down under his shadow with great delight. Nay, come my brethren, and call one upon another, as Curist once upon his disciples, John 14.31. Arise, let us go hence. So, let us rise, and go hence from all our delectables here, which are base and bad, and labour for that great delight, which hath been so pressed upon us this day, and is so full of glory. O my God draw thou this peoples hearts towards thee, and towards thee, and towards this great delight, that they may even run, and labour after thee and it, with all their might, and draw me also, and we will run after thee, and it, Cant. 1.4.
Having dispatched the first part of my Text, wherein we have a Site, I now come to the second, which holds forth a Sense, And his fruit was sweet to my taste. Where we are to consider again Three things, to wit, Cujus, Quid, Cui; Whose, what, to what.
1. Whose? His. Namely Christs, whom but now she had compared to an Apple-tree, whose shadow is full of delight, whose delight is full of Heaven, whose Heaven is full of joy, Whose joy is full of Glory, 1. Pet. 1.8.
2. What? Fruit was sweet.
1. Fruit. There is a Difference, as the Schools say, between Beatitudes and Fruits. Fruits are lookt upon as growing in a narrower compass, Beatitudes in a larger; for more is required, say they, to make a Beatitude, than a Fruit; to wit, a perfection, whereas an inchoation will serve to make a Fruit. Again, there are two sorts of Theologicall fruits.
1. Such as grow in man made gracious, and come from man, as vertuous Actions, which with, and by the help, and assistance of Gods Spirit, are wrought by man, Rom. 8.13.
2. Such as are wholly the Spirits, & are only injoyed by man; as comfort, joy, and the like, Gal. 5.22. here by fruit we are to understand the *Tomson in Loc. Mirabilis quaedam dulcedo. Granat. in Sylva. Loc. Com. p. 493.Comforts of Christ, who therefore is compared to an apple tree, Cant. 2.3. whose apples are his comforts, as they are expounded, vers. 5. Comfort me with apples: I say, it is comfort, or which comes all to one, that hidden Manna which cometh down from Heaven, and feedeth and filleth both Saints and Angels, which are in Heaven, John 6.50. Revel. 2.17.
2. Was sweet. Here is that which tempers, and qualifies, all the amaritudes, vicissitudes, troubles, trials and tribulations of a Soul made gracious; I mean, this sweet word, Sweet, which sweetens all our bitters, suffocates all our sorrows, transpeciates all our griefs into kinds of joy, of gladness, of consolation, even to admiration. Oh sweet word sweet, O sweet, exceeding sweet: For the Hebrew word is sweetness it self.
3. To What? To my taste, or, to my Throat; but I retain Taste.
There is a two-fold Taste.
First, Proper.
And what is that? It is, saith the Prince of Philosophers (Lib. 3. de anima, cap. 12.) that sence, whereby things that nourish, are discerned.
Secondly, Improper.
And that is a Spiritual, and gracious Taste; whereby a gracious soul, delightfully, and sensibly perceiveth that sweetness which is in God, in Christ, in Heaven; for these are the things which are so sweet to souls destinated for Heaven.
Whence I extract this Observation.
That Christ is wont to refresh his espoused Saints with his Comforts, which are exceeding sweet.
See, Psal. 31.19. Isa. 64.4. John 14.18. 2 Cor. 4.6. Revel. 2.17.
This Observation is like a Tree having two Branches.
The first is, Christ is wont to refresh his espoused Saints with his Comforts.
The second, That they are exceeding sweet. But I will handle both joyntly.
For the illustration of them I shall propose, raise, and resolve these five ensuing Questions.
Quest. 1. What these Comforts are?
Quest. 2. How in Scripture they differ from joyes?
Quest. 3. Whether they be not usually accompanied with joyes?
Quest. 4. Why Christ refresheth his espoused Saints with such Comforts?
Quest. 5. Why such Comforts are so exceeding sweet?
Quest. 1.
What they are?
I Answer. They are that strength, that life, that satisfaction, which from the comfortable object, is convey'd into the hearts of Saints, by the co-operation of Christs holy Spirit, called, the Comforter, Iohn 16.7. where note, that by their proper nature, they are as Divines call them *Symonds in his desert. Souls, Case and Care.Satisfactions, and Strengthenings, according to these following Scriptures, Psal. 27.14. Psal. 52.7. Psal. 114.11. 1 Sam. 23.16. Job 4.4. Isa. 35.3. Or thus, They are the earnest of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 1.22. and of eternal life, the life of the strength of a gracious soul, the Apples which grow upon Christ, that sweetest Apple-tree in heaven, and fall down from heaven, the heaven, the paradise, the felicity which Saints, who in Christ have their part here, do enjoy in part, and will more fully be beatified with in heavens glory to all eternity.
2 Q. How they differ from joy?
I Ans. 1. *Amesius de cons. l. 2. c. 15.Some say, that properly Comfort is no joy at all, but only a repression of grief. But I, together with others, take Comfort, in its latitude, to be the Genus of joy, I mean, spiritual joy; and joy, a species, or degree of Comfort; where note, that there are three degrees of Comfort.3 deg. of Comfort.
The 1. is Rest, Psal. 116.7. Return to thy rest, O my soul, for duplicate page duplicate page the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee; 1 degree Rest.which words that blessed Martyr Babilas spake to his soul, when he was to suffer, therewith to comfort his soul.
The 2. is joy, a higher degree; for 1. 2 deg. joy. 1.It is positive Comfort, rest is negative. 2. Rest is a return of the soul to it self, Psal. 116.7. joy an ascent of the soul *Jos. Scal. in Consc.above it self, in Hebrew foreign which speaketh an elation.
The third is Triumph; consisting in two Degrees.
1. A Victoriousness, 3 Degree Triumph.Rom. 5.3. Hab. 3.18.
2. An holy boasting, or glorying, Psal. 64.10. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory, or *Hieron, foreign 2 Cor. 10.8.praise, as the Hebrew word will bear it, like men which boast, and praise their condition, as being now able to say, we are past our evils, of sorrow, and sadness which we felt, and feared, and found that honey and that good which we expected; but this boasting is in the Lord, as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord, 1 Cor. 1.31. and as it is to be gathered from the first member of this verse, Psal. 64.10. Shall be glad in the Lord. I shall here in this Discourse take in all these Degrees, and treat on Comfort at large.
The third Question is, whether the Comforts of Christ be not usually accompanied with joy. Q. 3Resp.
To this, I answer by a Distinction.
1. That ordinary joy, ordinarily goeth with them, especially in tribulations, Rom. 5.3. 2 Cor. 1.4.
2. But extraordinary joy, otherwise called joy unspeakable, and full of glory, 1 Pet. 1.8. doth *Aliquando intromittis me in affectum multum inusitatum adnescio quam dulcedinem, Aug. 10 in con.c. 40not, but either a little before death, as we may observe it in sundry dying Saints, Martyrs especially; Witness him, *Mr. Glover, Fox in his Acts and Mon.who being come to the Stake, cried out, and said, He is come, Austin, he is come; meaning the Spirit, by whom cometh joy and comfort; and also in young Converts, who for the most part can speak of such an extraordinary joy and great comforts, which thing I finde sweetly emblematized in two persons, which the Scripture speaks of.
1. That lame Cripple, who being restored to the use of his limbs, Person. 1 did leap, and praise God for joy, Act. 39. But we must not think that he did alwayes leap: so Converts, being cured of their lameness; yea, restored to life, will then rejoyce extraordinarily, their very heart leaping for joy, but not every day, nor all the day.
2. That prodigal Son, who had a fatted Calf slain for his welcome, Person. 2 after his return, and a feast made for him; at which there was Musick, and Dancing, and much rejoycing, Luk. 15.23, 25, 27. but he had not a fatted Calf killed for him every day, nor a Feast made for him every day, nor Musick made for him every day. So young Converts are feasted with the Lamb, slain from the beginning of the world, in the beginning of their conversion, and after their first return, and they can tell of that sweet Musick, which unspeakable joy maketh for them, and of that dancing of Spirits, which their extraordinary consolations cause in them: but it is not so with them every day, for after such joys and consolations commonly come desertions.
The fourth Question is, Why Christ so refresheth his Saints with such Comforts. Q. 4Resp.
To this I Answer.
1. Because he is good, Mat. 19.17. Cause. 1 *Omne bonum est communicativum sui.*Bonitas in Deo causa volendi omnia. Aquin.every good is communicative of its goodness; as for example, a good Appletree will communicate his good apples: so our good Apple-tree Jesus Christ, will, because of his goodness, impart to, & let fall for us his sweetest apples and consolations, especially in our greatest tribulations.
2. Because he knoweth that we have need of them: Cause. 2 for what men in the world are so hated, spighted, maligned by the men of the world, as Christs espoused Saints whom he hath chosen out of the world? & what crosses and tryals are there almost under heaven, which they have not their part, and portion in, whilest they are absent from heaven; therefore he doth so comfort them, 2 Cor. 1 5.
3. That they may be able to comfort others, who also are espoused to Christ, with the same Comforts wherewith themselves were comforted of Christ, Cause. 3 2 Cor. 1.4.
4. That they may love him the better; for do not we see how much even little children do love such as bring, Cause. 4 or give them apples, or sugar-comforts? and doth not the Apostle Peter affirm the same of Gods little children, who so rejoyce with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, whom, namely Christ, having not seen ye love, 1 Pet. 1.8. O sweet love, which comes by such sweet comforts! Oh love for love! for what are such comforts but Christs loves? and what is our love, but the echo of Christs love, and love rendred for love?
5. That they may be the more familiar with him, Cause. 5 and come the oftner to him, and be the more serviceable to him; even as little children will not onelyonly love them, that give them comforts, but also will hang about them, and come often to them, and to their houses, and will be familiar with them, and be willing to do any thing for them: so Gods children will be familiar with God, and familiar with Christ, and be often at his house, when he brings them, and bestoweth upon them so many of his comforts, and they will hang about him, and lean upon him; as you may see in Christs dear Spouse, whose words these are; His fruit was sweet to my taste; how familiar she was with Christ, throughout this book of the Canticles, and especially in chap. 8. ver. 5. how ready she was to obey him, and how she leaned upon him, and did cling about him, after she had been well comforted by him with his apples. For. saith Christ there, who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, namely of this world, which is like a wilderness to obey my command, Cant. 4.8. leaning upon her beloved. Mark, leaning, and so hanging and clinging about him; I raised thee up under the apple-tree; that is added, to shew how she was come to him, as an apple-tree for apples, and how he found her sitting, or lying under his shadow, looking for comfort, and for refreshing from him, being ready to faint, and how he raised her up, comforting her with his apples, when she cried to him, and said, Comfort me with apples, Cant. 2.5. O these apples, those apples which drop so from that sweetest appletree, Jesus Christ, how they attract, how they abstract to Christ, and from whatsoever is against Christ! O how they make us fall in love with Christ, when they fall from Christ! O how they make us serve him when we have been served with them by him!
5. Question. But why are those comforts so exceeding sweet? Quest. 5Resolved,
I Answer.
1. Because of the end for which they come.
2. Because of the fountain, from which they come. Reas. 3
3. Because of the Conduit pipe through which they come.
1. Because of the end for which they come, to wit, Reas. 1 for their exceeding great incouragement; for their troubles are duplicate page duplicate page so great (those are they which came out of great tribulation, Rev. 7.14.) Their sorrows so many, their fears more, as that if they should not have sometimes some of those apples to comfort their hearts, overmuch grief would even overwhelm their hearts; and therefore Christ doth with such exceeding sweet consolations consolate their sadded hearts, thereby to encourage, and to strengthen their hearts; according to that famous fore-alledged Scripture, 2 Cor. 1.4.5.
2. Because of the fountain whence they come: For they come from the great God, Christ, who sends them, being God; as you may see 2 Cor. 1.3.4. The God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations. See also Isa. 51.12. 2 Cor. 6.6. where note, that God is the cause, Christs comf. 2 ways.and fountain of Comfort two wayes.
1. By word.
2. By deed.
1. By word; bearing witness to our spirits by his Spirit, that we are the children of God, 1By word.Rom. 8.16. as thus; Thou Iohn, or thou Peter, art a childe of God so plainly.
2. 2By deed.By deed, effectually setting upon a mans heart such matter of comfort, as he knoweth will comfort, and strengthen his heart; as for example, that sweet and comfortable Scripture, Psal. 31.19. O how great is thy goodness. Or as *Vulgata versio & Aug. solil. c. 21.22.some render the word, sweetness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee. *Idem, Medit. c. 37Understand even in this life; and Isa. 64.4, 5. For since the beginning of the World men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meeiest him that rejoyceth, and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy wayes. And 1 Tim. 1.15. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners of whom I am chief. Which sweetest passage so comforted Mr. Bilney once, as that he was even converted by it, and died a glorious Martyr after it, as Latimer reporteth it of him, who also himself was converted by him. Now, my Brethren, do you judge whether these Comforts must not be exceeding great, and sweet, yea infinitely sweet and great, *Hieron. in Eph. 3.as some render the words, Psal. 31.19. as coming from the infinite God, and from the infinite multitude of his goodness. Beloved, if there were a River, or Sea, flowing with milk and honey, and from it should issue forth some certain Rivalets into certain Gardens of yours, you would tell how exceeding sweet such Rivalets be. Well, the Comforts which I here speak of, and flowe so into the hearts of Christs Saints, which are his Garden, do all of them come, and issue forth like Rivalets from that Sea of sweetness, which is called, The God of all Comfort, flowing, as it were, with the sweetest milk, and honey of divine Consolation; and therefore oh how sweet, how exceeding sweet must they of necessity be?
3. Because of the Conduit, through which they come; Reason. 3 to wit, Christs blessed mouth; which is not onelyonly most sweet it self, but sweetness it self, as the Hebrew hath it, Cant. 5.16. His mouth is most sweet, or sweetnesses; where note, that Christs mouth is most sweet in two respects; Christs mouth is most sweet in two respe…ts.As
1. Speaking to us most sweetly.
2. Kissing us most sweetly.
1. Speaking to us most sweetly, Respect. 1 as he spake once to the sick of the Palsie; Son be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee, Matth. 9.2. Which words being spoken to a distressed soul what comfort they create, What tongue can explicate? For the foul knoweth full well, that as when a strong wind bloweth upon a *Chrys. in Psa. 50Spiders web, the same is by it presently broken, and blown away; so our sins which are but like a Spiders web to his mighty power, are immediately dissolved, blown away, and blotted out, when this mighty word of Comfort is gone forth, like a mighty wind out of his blessed mouth.
2. Kissing us most sweetly, Cant. Respect. 2 1.2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. O those kisses, those kisses how sweet they be! because they come from the sweetest mouth that is in all the world, coming from him that made the world: O they must needs be sweeter then any Organs, coming from such an Organ. Again, how sweet they must needs be; for what are they, but pure, meer love, yea loves, according to that sweetest sentence, Cant. 1.2. For thy love is better then wine; the Original is loves, and sweeter then wine. O that my Love Christ crucified for me, would alwayes kiss me so with the kisses of his mouth, which is so exceeding sweet. Sweet Love, saith my soul to thee, when shall it once be, that I shall be so loved, and so kissed of thee? Thus these Comsorts come to be so exceeding sweet, because they come through such a Conduit. Beloved, if there were a Conduit near full of sweetest Sugar, and the purest Wine that can be had were to flowe through it, and from it; and you to taste it, and did taste it, you would say, that it is sweet Wine indeed: Well, the Comforts of Christ, which are like purest Wines, do run through the very mouth of Christ, as I she wed but now, which is full of sweeteness; nay, as you have heard, all sweetness; and therefore that sweet soul, which doth, or shall taste them, must needs say, Thy loves are better and sweeter then wine, Cant. 1.2.
Now let me lanch forth into the Depths of your hearts, The Application.by some seasonable Application, And
1. May not this afford me matter of Addubitation, 1Matter of Addubitation.as thus; Are the Comforts of Christ, wherewith he refreshed his Espoused Saints, so exceeding sweet? then what shall I think, or judge of those which so little care for them, as most men amongst us do? For if they did care for them, and did esteem them to be so exceeding sweet, as indeed they be, they would be as much for them, as ever Jonathan was for that wonderful honey, which he met with in that wood, in 1 Sam 14.25, 26. when it dropped, and where by him it was tasted, when he was faint and wearied, vers. 27. I say, they would be like Jonathan, and be for those comforts, and taste them as he did that honey; for they are like it: so they refresh, and so they strengthen poor, faint, wearied souls: but now they are rather like the Prodigal, who cared more for the husks which the Swine eat, and which yet he could not have, because no man gave them unto him, Luke 15.16. then for his Fathers diet; for so they care more for poor, low, empty things, which Swinish men and women live on, and which yet cannot give them content, because there is nothing in them that can satiate their unsatiable appetites, then for their heavenly Fathers daintiest fare, which he provides for his, and for Christs, their elder Brothers diet, wherewith he dieteth his Brethren, his sweetest Comforts I mean; I say again, what shall I think of such? Shall I tell? I think they are besides themselves, as the Prodigal was; of whom it is said, that at last he came to himself, vers. 17. which sheweth, that before that he was besides himself: For if you should see one leave the daintiest dishes, which he may eat of at a sumptuous Feast, and feed on ashes, or coals, or dirt, and mans dung, like the men of Jerusalem in that siege, Isa. 36.12. would ye not say, that he is mad? And yet so do many of us; for they leave the pleasantest sweet-meats, and the delicatest fare, and feast, which they might partake of in our heavenly Fathers house, and the bread of Comfort, which Christ, who himself is the bread of Heaven, giveth unto Souls predestinated to Heaven, and feed on coals, on ashes, on dirt, on dung, for so are those base, unnatural, filthy, dunghill things, which they so dote on; I mean, their base lusts, baselives, foul and filthy talk, covetous desires, worldly cares, unclean touches, wanton looks, youth-corrupting books, lascivious company, adulterous imaginations, light attire. O sad souls! O pitiful Catastrophe that men, and such too, some of them, as are counted by some the best, should be like Beasts; and that such as are ordained to live like Angels, feeding on the bread of Angels, which ever lasteth, should live like Devils, and feed on the bread of carefulness, and on Swines fare which perisheth!
2. But why will ye? To come to an Use of Communication.2Matter of Communication.
1. Is it not because your stomacks, Cause. 1 I should say, your hearts are corrupt, and out of order, being full of rottenness, iniquity, and uncleanness, Matth. 23.27, 28. and your selves the servants of corruption, 2 Pet. 2.19. So that as men, who have corrupt stomacks, will leave the best and daintiest dishes at a Feast, and rather choose to eat course, or salt meat, so you will leave Christ with all his Comforts, though never so sweet and dainty, and feed on course things, though they be never so salt; I should say, smarting, when you have swallowed them; nay, will even, like Swine, be for mire rather, 2 Pet. 2.27. then that mirth, that musick, that melody full of glory, which cometh with, and by that King of Glory.
2. And are not such Comforts hid from you too? For, Cause. 2 what saith the sweet Singer of Israel, singing of those Comforts, and of their sweetness most sweetly; thus in that fore-alledged Psal. 31.19. O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee. Where the *Vulgata versio.Original is, which thou hast hid, as *Origines in c. 9. ad Rom.some render it, foreignas agreeable to the hidden Mannah, which runs parallel with this sweetness, Revel. 2.17. *Rom. 1.18.One hereupon doth raise this question, Why God should reveal his wrath from Heaven, as he doth, it being against his gracious disposition; and a strange, or extraneous work to him, as he is pleased to call it, and hide his sweetness, goodness, and mercy, wherewith he is so much delighted, Mich. 7.18. and resolveth it thus; that he doth it, because he knoweth mans frailty, and how prone we are to fall through negligence, and therefore holdeth it to be more expedient for men to be kept in awe, and fear, and as it were under hatches, then to be left at large with hopes of sweetness. Thus he so that this sweetness duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page is hid from your eyes; and therefore it is, that you care not for it, but rather choose what seemeth good in your own eyes, and so consequently are without refreshments, without joy, without enjoyments of those sweetest contentments which come from Heaven, come from Christ, Christ being resolved to give none of them unto you, because you will not give your minds to him, nor labour, as you ought, to be so beatified by him, but rather to leave you, if now remain so careless in the wilderness, wherein you you are, and wherein no water is; I mean, none of those strong waters, or waters of Life, which are called Comforts, to make your life a comfortable life: And therefore O doleful, mournful condition that you are in, being out of comfort, out of joy. See that dreadful place, Luke 14.24. For I say unto you that none of those men (careless men, and despisers) shall taste of my Supper.
3. 3Matter of Exhortation.I come next, and betake my self to matter of Exhortation, Are Christs Comforts which he bestowes upon his Espoused Saints so exceeding sweet; then be perfwaded to labour after them, to taste them; where give me leave to fasten upon you
1. 1Instructives of two sorts.Instructives.
2. Incentives.
1. Instructives; First sort for Means.And
1. Instructives, 1General ones.shewing the means which you must use, for the gaining of them.
2. The manner after which you must taste them.
1. As for the means, they are 1. these general ones: As
1. 1General mean,Resolve upon it: For Resolution is a mighty thing. If a man be resolved to do a thing, he will do it, because he is resolved to do it: As for example, when a man is resolved to take a journey, to Petition his King for some great thing which he needeth, he will go, because of his resolution, whereas another man will not, because he is not so resolved: So when a poor soul is resolved once, I mean in earnest, to go to the King of Kings, which is Christ, for comfort, she goeth, because she is resolved to go; and therefore as the Church, in Isa. 25.9. resolves, and saith, We will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation, so resolve you, to take comfort in Christ, and to eat of his pleasant fruit; or thus, as the Prodigal set up his resolution, Luke 15.18. so let every one of us resolve, saying, Hitherto I have been altogether for such empty husks as the Prodigal was, for poor, low, empty, earthly comforts, which Swinish men are for, and feed upon, vers. 16. and with which I could no more be filled, then he with his, because they are not able to give content, and to satisfie a soul: but now I will go to that everlasting Father, Isa. 9.6. duplicate page duplicate page page missing Psal. 64.10. All the upright in heart shall glory; Or, as the Original will bear it, shall praise, as I told you formerly: that is, shall praise their condition; I adde now, and shall praise the Lord, as it is written, Isa. 12.1.2, 3. And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. (which also may be said of Comfort before now received) Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust, and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength, and my song, (what a glorying is this) he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation, (which is, or may be referred to sensible Comfort, and joy to come, when the Lords time is come) where take this with you by the way as a Corollary, A Corollary.that when in such a glorying manner you praise God, you must be sure to have pure lips, and clean mouths, therewith to shew forth his praises; for else God will not look upon your praising of him, as a glorying in him, and a gloryfying of him, according to his mind declared, 1 Cor. 1.31. The very *Lorinus in Psal.Lacedemonians being Heathens, would not receive a good faying, that came from the mouth of a wicked man; but they would have a good man first to say the same with his mouth, before it would pass; and is there any sence or reason, that God should receive our praises that come from filthy mouths? No, no; and therefore to make your praising of him pass, you must get, I will not say an honest man to say his praises for you, after the Lacedemonion fashion, but get pure lips, and other mouths, then some of us have formerly had, when both praises and corrupt communications came forth out of their mouths; that is, you must get your lips washed in Christs blood, and not suffer any corrupt speech to proceed out of your mouths; neither filthy, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which is not convenient, Ephes. 4.29. and chap. 5.4. I am a little the larger upon this, because I would have you by, and in this degree of Comfort, which I call glorying and praising to live comfortably, when you cannot be comforted sensibly, and so I hope you will easily pardon my prolixity
2. Case. 2 The second Case to be resolved, is,
Whether a Reprobate, and one that is not truly espoused to Christ, may not also taste much comfort, and a great deal of sweetness in his profession.
To this I answer affirmatively, being warranted thereof by these following Scriptures, Luke 8.13. They on the rock, are they which when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a time believe, and in a time of temptation fall away. And of that lascivious King Herod it is said, that he heard the Baptist gladly, Mark 6.20. And, It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come: If they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, saith the Apostle, Heb. 6.4, 5, 6. which hath caused some Divines to let fal such dreadful passages as these: Nothing can hinder, saith a famous and most learned *Gabriel Biel, Lect. 86. mihi fol. 106.Writer, why even such as have no charity, nor grace, may yet taste of sensible sweetness, and that unto tears, (for they may weep for joy) as is to be seen in some sinners, by the word of God made contrite unto tears, who yet neither do, nor will recede from some certain sins; thus he: and divers reasons he gives for it; and one of his reasons is, That this sometimes comes from the Devil, who thereby seeks to keep such from good works, that they may finally trust to this sweetness, and despair when he withdraweth it. The like is written by an *Johan. Cancellar de Myst. Theolog. pract.other: There are some Infidels and Aliens that are wicked Seavants, which the heavenly Father feedeth and saturates with his fatness, and with his honey out of the Rock, even as some great Princes will send sometimes some dainty Dishes from their own Tables, to some Prisoners condemned to death; and that to increase their damnation, for the most ungrateful abuse of his gift, and for a tranfitory reward of their labours and services, such as they are, which they have done for him, any of them. I confess these sayings are very cutting, startling, and formidable; but some had need of such corrosives: and therefore I do mention them, and that no man may deceive himself by such tastes, resting therein.
3. Case. 3 The third Case, how you may then discern true and sound Comforts from false.
To this I answer by these three signes.Answered by three signes.
1. Sign. 1 True and sound Comforts are hardly gotten, and with much difficulty, and by the use of all manner of means, as praying, reading, fasting, conference, seeking here, and seeking here, as you may see, Cant. 3.1.2.3. what pains Christs blessed Spouse there took upon her bed, and when she was up by night, by day, at home, and abroad, before she could find him whom her soul loved, and before she could get any Comfort by him; so that it is commonly long first, before true Comfort cometh; whereas that which is unsound, and not of the right stamp, cometh lightly and suddenly, as you may see, Luke 8.13. So that one may say to such an one, as Isaac once to his Son Jacob, speaking of his Venison, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, Gen. 27.20. *Rob. Bolton in his Direct. for right comfort, p. 316.One writes of a certain man, who told a Minister, how riding he was on a sudden lightsome; whereupon the Minister told him, that God was constant in his love; and so the Patient was healed presently. But it fell out shortly aster, that he fell again to his former wicked courses; which what a deceit it was, you may conceive: Thus he.
2. Sign. 2 True and solid Comfort cometh after much trouble, and may be known from false Comfort, by heaviness and brokenness of heart: For, for such Christ is ordained and sent, to bind up the broken-hearted, and to appoint unto them that mourn in Sion, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, Is. 61.3. I chuse this place, rather then such places as make mention of mourning onelyonly, because it doth more fully set forth the difference between true Comfort and false; for Hypocrites may mourn too, as you have heard, when their hearts are not broken all the while; therefore I put down this brokenness of heart: and the meaning of it is this; Such as are truly Comforted, have not onelyonly mourned before they were Comforted, but were so exceedingly troubled and grieved, as that their hearts were as it were broken, as some mens mens hearts sometimes are, when they are extraordinarily grieved: and this great heaviness and brokenness of heart may be known again by this; when a Vessel is broken in pieces, you know it will hold no liquour, but let it all out; answerably whereunto when the heart is broken, it can no longer hold the bad liquour of sin, but sin will out, all out, and none will be left there to reign, though some unallowed dregs may remain. We have a notable place for this, 2 Cor. 7.10. For godly sorrow (which runs parallel with this brokenness of heart) worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of; and this repentance unto salvation we know will cast out, and away every abomination, Ezek. 18.30, 31. but now false Comfort cometh either without any sorrow, or but with a little grief; and when all is done leaves one sin or other, which like an other Herodias, Mark 6.17. is not lest, nor repented of; and commonly that sin left, is either lust, or envy, or rash anger, or covetousness, or vain-glory, or stately hypocrisie, which how far it carrieth a man, I tremble to think upon; see Luke 18.11.12. So as that thereby you may know any of you, if it be your case, that though such a time ye felt much Comfort, and wept much before that, yet ye were never truly comforted, nor will be, though ye weep never so much till you leave your abominable pride, your extreme worldliness, your lasciviousness, your wantonness, your passionate fits, your vain, your foolish, your filthy talking, and bridle your unruly tongues: I must not daub, as those which minister comfort unwarrantably unto unworthy persons; and therefore I rip up these sins, and I pray God to open peoples eyes, that they may see and be convinced of them, and of the unsoundness of all their prerended comforts.
3. True comfort is accompanied, and followed with and by an holy walking, Acts 9.37. Sign. 3 Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and were edified, and walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost; Mark; comfort and a holy walking go together, hand in hand, whereas unsound comfort maketh loose livers and careless walkers; for commonly those whose comforts were not sound and saving, but flashes onelyonly, will omit and neglect either daily meditating, so much required, Jos. 1.8. or self examining, Lam. 3.40 or catechizing of children and servants, Gen. 18.19. Deut. 6.7. or forgiving and forgetting of wrongs, Mat. 18.35. or private Fastings, Esth. 4.16. or wrestling with God in prayer, Gen. 32.24. contenting themselves with a cold, formal, repetitional, heartless kind of saying their prayers in private; nay, neglecting the said Duty oftentimes altogether, either apart, or with their Families, as not fearing at all that dreadful curse, Jer. 10.25. Pour out thy fury upon the families that call not upon thy Name.
You will say, These are but ordinary things. Objection.
I Answer, So they are; Answer. but they are ordinarily slighted and neglected; and therefore they are so mentioned.
2. I advance now to Incentives, Incentiv. 2 And
1. Consider, that if you will follow these Instructives, you will hereafter live as it were in a new Canaan upon earth.
2. That you will live in the heavenly Canaan above in heaven hereafter for ever 'that will follow.
1. You will live as it were in a new Canaan upon earth; 1Incentive with its parts.that is, in a condition, wherein,
1. You will feed on milk and honey, Part. 1 for what else are Christs sweetest comforts but milk and honey, that will be your meat, even honey which you will suck out of the rock like Israel, Deut. 32.13. I mean those most comfortable words, which like milk flow, and like honey drop from his sweetest mouth, in Scripture phrase, Psal. 19.20. and 1 Pet. 2.1. and which will refresh your souls with unutterable delights; according to that fore-mentioned most famous Scripture, Psal. 94.19. Thy comforts delight my soul; So that of this new Canaan, and sweetest condition, may be truly said what was said, Isa. 7.22. And it shall come to pass for the abundance of milk that they shall give, he shall eat butter for butter, and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land; So it shall come to pass, if you will be brought to that pass which I have shewn; that for the abundance of consolations which this life will yield, every one of you shall eat milk and butter, and honey dropping, yea streaming from Christs sweetest lips in this new Canaan, which so floweth and overfloweth with the milk and honey of those ineffable sweetnesses that are in Christ, and come from Christ. O sweet fare which they shall have who the Lord do fear! O how my soul longeth to be in this new Canaan! O who will bring me into it? wilt not thou, O God, who also hast promised it? And as for you dear Saints, O do you also long and labour to live in it, and the Lord in mercy bring us all into it, for the sake of him who is the food and fare of it.
2. You will drink every one of you that shall live in this new Canaan, new wine, the wine I mean of Christs love, Cant. 1.4. So as that it may be said of you all truly what was said of the Apostle once scoffingly, when they were full of the Holy Ghost; These men are full of new wine, Acts 2.13. For so is Christs love shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, when he is shed abroad himself, and poured out upon our hearts, Rom. 5.5. even as sweet as new wine. O sweet love! O lovely wine! O new and pleasant sweetness! O when shall my soul taste it! O when shall she live as she would in this new and sweet condition! and when will you my Brethren live in it! O now, O this very day let it be with you, as it was with the Apostles upon the day of Pentecost! O enter every one of you into that new way of living which I have shewn you this day, that entring into it, you may also enter into that new Canaan, which is promised by it, and that being in it, you may taste that new wine which those drink who are in it; yea, may be even full of it, Amen. So be it.
3. You will receive in it that hundred fold which Christ hath promised to all his followers, Part. 3 which for his sake forsake all, Mat. 19.29. Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my Names sake, shall receive an hundred fold. And what is that Centuplum, hundred-fold? Here let another Bernar. in Declam.holy Divine speak for me; it is, saith that holy man, joy springing up from the adoption of sons of God. This joy, this hundted-fold is promised to forsakers of all that is near and dear unto them; and therefore O dear souls, for the sake of this joy, this hundred fold, forsake your all, even all your dearest Relations, if they prove offensive to you; but especially all your lusts, your pride of life, your life of sense, your sensual delights, your delightful sports, and follow Christ through all the instructives given to you, that Christ with his hundred-fold may follow you, and that in stead of parents left, husbands left, wives left, though it be but for a season, whilst you spend your time in prayer and supplication, and instead of all your beloved sins left, you may meet with that which is an hundred-fold better then parents, and better then husbands and wives, and better then sons and daughters, and sweeter then any of all your sweetest sins. O sinners! who of you should not now desire to live in this Canaan, wherein you can never want either houses, or lands, or livings, or friends, or relations, or pleasures, because of this hundred-fold; for if any time you lose any thing, being in this blessed Canaan, this hundred-fold wil make up all your losses, weeten all your crosses, supply all your wants, & satisfie all your desires. Desire it therefore, and labour after it, that you may be beatified with it.
4. Christ will embrace you in it; for that followeth next, the Spouses tasting of Christs pleasant fruit, Part. 4 and her begging of his comforts afterward, when she did begin to faint, ver. 5. Cant. 2, 5. then ver. 6. his left hand was under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. O sweet embraces! the sweetest that ever were heard of, for here the fairest of all men doth hold and hug in the arms of his mercy a poor sinful soul, to notifie the greatness of his love to all men. Again, O height of happiness! O transcending of sweetness! for here this devout and blessed soul meets as it were in the arms of Christ, and so cometh by such a liquefaction to taste of his sweetest consolation, being ravished with delight, extatized in the Spirit, spiritualized in the Father of Spirits, angelized in matchless bliss, emparadized in joy unspeakable and full of glory. O be for these embraces, dear Saints, for all the world cannot afford the like, though by Demas it was so well liked, as that he would rather embrace it, then be for those embraces, which are so incomparably sweeter and better then it, and all the embraces of it. O Beloved, how sweetly might you all live if you would be ruled and follow these instructives, which will bring you to live in the very arms of Christ, enjoying the sweetest comforts which come by Christ. To it then my Brethren, to it, and get into this Canaan, and into these embraces assoon as you can by your ready obedience, which will bring you so great and so sweet a recompence.
Quest. You will say unto me, Sir, Question. you tell us of strange things: did ever any live in such a Canaan?
I Answer, Yes, those in 1 Pet. 1.8. Resolved. did; For so saith the Apostle there, Whom (Christ) having not seen ye love, in whom though now you see him not, yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeak able and full of glory. And those Acts 2.46, 47. Who did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God. And *As Mr. Fox in his Acts and Mon. reports it.Samponius Algerius an Italion Martyr writeth thus to his wife out of prison. I shall utter that which none will believe, I have found a nest of honey and a honey-comb in the entrails of a Lyon? who will believe me; what I shall say, or who would think it, in the deep dark dungeon to find a paradise of pleasures, sweet joy, &c. O my joy, Lord Jesus, lead me into that joy, that paradise, that Canaan, and this people too, leading me into all those truths which here have been taught, O God of truth! Here I thought that I had ended this matter, but as I was wrestling with God in prayer about this new Canaan, it pleased his heavenly Highness to put into my mind that famous place in Ios. 5.12. where it is said that Manna ceased when the children of Israel were entred in the land of Canaan, and that they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year, which I apply thus. Beloved, as they entred that Canaan, and Manna ceased, which in it self was good, after they were entred, and they did eat of the fruit of that land that year. So do you enter therefore this new Canaan, and being entred after this praying and preaching of mine, and having heard so much of others, how they did live in such a Canaan; now cease from your former wonted diet, which in it self was not good, and following their example and my teaching eat of the pleasant fruit of this new Canaan, Christs comforts; I mean this year, and that henceforth beginning this very day before you sleep. O my soul! do thou enter first, and being entred say to thy God, O my God, give me this fruit of this new Canaan, to eat this year and this day, I humbly pray thee; And as for you my Brethren, I hope you will not stay behind me, but be of the same mind with me, if not, I pray God once more to bring you in that mind, that you may eat of the fruit of this new land, this year and this day, and every day to your dying day. Amen. So be it.
2. You will live in the heavenly Canaan above hereafter for ever, if you will follow these instructions. Incentive. 2 For is not everlasting life also promised to forsakers? Mat. 19.29. and,
1. To the righteous, Mat. 25.46. and to such hearers, as being Christs sheep hear his voice; and so consequently his Servants voice in the premised instructives, and follow him, Iohn 10.27. Where take this also with you; that as in the lower Canaan here, they that live in it live upon honey, and drink new wine, and rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory. So in the higher and heavenly you will feed on that Manna, which is Christ the bread of heaven, which is transcendently, sweeter then honey, and endureth to everlasting life, Iohn 6.27. and imbibe and drink in that sweetest wine of heavenly exhilarations, which is drunk there; according to that mellifluous saying of our blessed Saviour, Matth. 26.29. I will not henceforth drink of this fruit of the Vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdome.
Where, by this new Wine we are to understand, not that, which they say Christ drank with his Disciples aftes his Resurrection, but that *Musculus in Loc.heavenly joy and comfort, which in the Kingdome oH eaven above, Christ; and Angels, and Saints do drink together. O sweet Wine indeed! O Wine of Wines, the sweetest that ever was tasted! Oh, when shall my soul drink of it! O when shall it once be! O souls, what should not a man be willing to do, to do so well, as to drink of this sweetest Wine, which Christ in Heaven drinketh with his Beloved? Beloved, put to it, put to it, for you may, nay, shall drink of it, if you will but now drink in those soul-saving truths, which unto you this time I have proffered, and propined: and you will say, when you shall taste the sweetness of it, sitting down with Christ in his Kingdome, and be merry with him, and drink it with him, as he saith himself, for ever and ever, that it is the sweetest Wine that ever you drank. Well, I cannot yet forget, nor forego those words of Christ, they are so exceeding sweet; For what a drinking? what a sitting? what a feasting will that be, when the King of Kings shall sit down with his Guests? I mean, his Saints, as with his fellow Kings, and familiar Friends in his Fathers Kingdome, at his Fathers Table, and chear them up, saying, Eat, O Friends, drink, yea drink abundantly, O Beloved, Cant. 5.1. Nay, shall drink with them himself, and drink no other but new Wine, which is, you know, the sweetest Wine; I mean, Such things as never entred into the heart of man, 1 Cor. 2.9. O be even ravished with this Feast, this Sitting, this Drinking, and labour after it with all your might, that in it hereafter may be all your delight. As for the joyes which we taste in this life, in the Canaan which is here below, they are but an earnest-peny of this glory, but an inchoation of this beatification, but a drop of that Ocean of consolation, whereof we shall take our fill in our Fathers Kingdome to an endless duration.
O eternity! O eternity of hilarity, of jucundity! O jucundity with which no Sicilian dainties, no City delights, no life of love, no love of women, or that which passeth the love of women, can be equalled, or compared: For, think of the goodliest sight that ever could be seen, the most melodious Musick that ever could be heard, the most delicate Diet that ever could be tasted, the greatest Honour that can be obtained, the best Company that may be enjoyed, and all the Comforts that ever you had in this life, and in comparison of those joyes, that Kingdome, that Sitting down, and Drinking with Christ in it, and that cheering of Christ, and of his Friends, and the sweetness of that new Wine which I spake of, they are but a point, and less then a point, they are but petty joyes, Peacock joyes, the joyes of Prisoners, and poor Pilgrims: For what tongue can express! what minde can comprehend those fore-mentioned joyes of Heaven! and what it is to be amongst the Quire of Angels, to be with blessed Spirits, to be with the Father of Spirits, to be with him in his Kingdome, to be with him and with his Son, to drink with both, and to drink this new Wine of unutterable Delights; to be delighted with his sweetest Company, to behold his glorious face, to see that most bright and shining light, and all without any grief, without any shadow of change! O let us all change our minds therefore; and though some of us had no mind at all before now to change their condition, and to remove from their present state, and manner of life, to go to live in that New Land of Canaan, which I have here discovered, during their present life, and hereafter in that heavenly Canaan, which is called Eternal Life: Yet now be of an other better mind, and mind these two Canaans, so as willingly to forego all your dear things, and beloved sins for their sake, and to go to live in the one now, and in the other hereafter for ever.
The Lord who himself changeth not, change your minds, and he make ye a willing people upon this day of his power, that by his mighty power you may be made to remove from your earthly delights and dwelling places, wherein you have hitherto mansioned, living in sin, to, and towards those heavenly mansions which are without sin, and to that lower Canaan also, which hath now been discovered to you, as flowing with milk and honey, to dwell in it with the antient of dayes all your dayes. Having thus prayed, I will try but one stroke more, and so give over: For as a great, old, sturdy Oak is not felled with one blow, but must have many; so man, who is like it, especially if he be of some standing, is not down by and by, but must have divers blowes before he will fall, and fall to his work. Now this last stroke which I intend to give, The final Conclusion.shall be this Final Conclusion, which I will fetch from that famous place, Luke 16.16. The Law and the Prophets were until John, since that time the Kingdome of God is preached, and every man presseth unto it. So it was then, and so let it be now. My Brethren, since I preached so much of a new Canaan, nay two Canaans at once, one to be entred here, and another above in Heaven; let Heaven suffer violence, as it were, among you, and let every man that heareth me, or reads these words, press into ir; or to speak a little more sutably, according to the matter in hand; Let every one of you now press into both Canaans (to joyn both) into the new Canaan, which is to be had here below, actually to live in it; and into that above, by hope, according to Rom. 8.24. and I also will joyn with you: And I pray God once more to help both you and me in it, that we may all get in, and may be able to say every one of us, Such a day, naming the day of the MonethMonth, I entred both the higher Canaan and the lower; and being entred, Sate down under the shadow of Christs sweetest merits and mercy, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
FINIS.
POEMA FINALE.
CHristo Spirituum Deo,
Certò qui videt omnia,
Verbo quiregit omnia,
Sit laus, magnaque Gloria,
Idque in millia saecula.
End of the text · Christopher Jelinger, A New Canaan Full of Most Pleasant Gardens (1664)