The Saints Temptations, Sermons · Sermon 19
SERMON XIX.
Solomon's Song, 1.4.
Draw me, we will run after thee.
THere is one Doctrine more which lies in the words, which yet remains to be ſpoken to, and that is this,
Doct. 3. The end why we ſhould deſire the drawings of divine grace, it is, that our hearts may be the more carryed forth after God. Draw me, ſaith the Church, and we will run after thee. The end why the Church deſires to be drawn, is, that her heart may be carryed forth the more after Chriſt.
Here we have two things to ſpeak unto.
1. What the import of the phraſe is, what this running doth imply, Draw me, we will run after thee.
2. How it is that the Saints have their hearts carryed out after God.
1. What this phraſe of running doth import: Running notes ſeveral things.
1. It notes quickneſs and livelineſs of affection, Draw me, we will run after thee, that is, our affections ſhall then be elevated and inlarged towards thee.Am… eſt Pes Aninae. Love is the foot of the ſoul. The feet are the inſtruments of motion, the feet are they that carry us from one place to another; thus the ſoul by its affections is carryed forth to the object that it loves. Running therefore notes the raiſedneſs of the affections. Thus we read how Eliſha run after Elijah, 1 Kings 19.20. He left the Oxen and run after Elijah, that is, his affections were now up and he muſt needs follow Elijah. So that running notes the elevation of the affections: when the affections that were dead and lumpiſh before, begin to move and ſpring afreſh towards God, Cant. 6.12. Or ever I was aware, my ſoul made me like the Chariots of Aminadab. Many make theſe to be the words of Chriſt to the Church. But ſome there are that make theſe to be the words of the Church to Chriſt. Or ever I was aware, my ſoul made me like the Chariots of Aminadab. And if ſo, then it notes the ſpiritual motion and affection that was in the Church towards Chriſt. Her ſoul made her as the Chariots of Aminadab, that is, her affections did move ſwiftly towards Chriſt. Draw me, we will run after thee. Running here in the Text is oppoſed to deadneſs, the Church found her affections flat and dead before, therefore ſhe prays to be drawn by divine grace. Now when ſhe is drawn, ſhe ſaith, ſhe will run, that is, ſhe ſhall have new affections. Her affections that were dead and flat before, ſhall now be quick and lively towards God and Chriſt.
2. Running notes progreſs in Faith and Holineſs, Gal. 5.7. Ye did run well, who did hinder you? the meaning is, you once did make a good progreſs in the Faith, but now ye are ſlidden back. A Chriſtian ought alwaies to make a progreſs, Col. 1.10. Increaſing in the knowledge of God, 2 Pet. 3.18. Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. Non progredi …ſt regredi.Not to go forward is to go backward. A Chriſtian is ſeldom at a ſtand, if he be not going forward, he is going backward, he is declining. Now a Chriſtian ought to run, that is, he ought to make a farther progreſs. Add to your Faith vertue, and to your vertue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, Pet. 2.15.and to temperance patience, and to patience godlineſs, and to godlineſs brotherly kindneſs, and to brotherly kindneſs charity: So likewiſe, Forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth unto thoſe things which are before, Phil. 3.13. Nothing hinders our ſpiritual growth. more than a vain conceit in us, that we know as much already, as need to be known, and that we have attained already as much as we need to attain unto. Paul was of another temper when he ſaies, Not as if I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I preſs towards the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Chriſt Jeſus, Phil. 3.12, 14. To run therefore is to make a progreſs, not to take up with any meaſures of grace already received, but to preſs forwards to that which we have not attained unto.
3. Running notes diligence and activity in the waies of God, 1 Cor. 9.24. So run that ye may obtain, that is, run with care and diligence, put forth your utmoſt vigour and activity in the waies of God, Pſal. 119.32. I will run the waies of thy Commandments, when thou ſhalt inlarge my heart, that is, I ſhall be diligent and active in thy waies, when I have derived grace from thee.
4. Running notes ſtrength and courage in him that runs, Dan. 8.6. The He-goat is ſaid to run to the Ram in the fury of his power: Running therefore notes ſtrength and courage; ſo the Saints running in the waies of God, notes their ſtrength and courage in the waies of God, Iſa. 40.31. They that wait on the Lord ſhall renew their ſtrength, they ſhall mount up with wings as Eagles, they ſhall run and not be weary, they ſhall walk and not faint.
5. And laſtly, Running notes perſeverance in our Chriſtian courſe to the end, Heb. 12.1. Let us run with patience the race that is ſet before us.
The ſecond thing to be ſpoken to, is this, How it is that the Saints have their hearts carryed out after God. The end why they deſire divine grace, is, That they may run in a ſpiritual manner, and that their hearts may be carryed after God. Now how is it that the Saints have their hearts carryed out after God?
1. The Saints have their hearts carryed out after God by deſires and longings after him, Pſal. 63.1. My ſoul thirſteth after thee, my fleſh longeth for thee, Iſa. 26.8, 9. The deſire of our ſoul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee; and in the next Verſe, With my ſoul have I deſired thee in the night, yea with my ſpirit within me will I ſeek thee early. Whileſt other men do mainly and principally thirſt and cover after the creature, holy ſouls do mainly and principally thirſt after God himſelf, Pſal. 42.1. As the Hart panteth after the water brooks, ſo panteth my ſoul after thee, O God. The Hart is a thirſty creature by nature, and when it is hunted its thirſt is greater, ſuch is the thirſt of holy ſouls after God.
But it may be ſaid, What is that thirſt that holy ſouls have after God?
It lies eminently in two things, and it will be good for us to obſerve them, becauſe we may know much what the meaſure of our grace is by theſe two things; Holy ſouls thirſt after Gods gracious preſence here on earth; and they thirſt after Gods glorious preſence in Heaven.
1. Holy ſouls thirſt after Gods gracious preſence here on earth, Pſal. 42.2. My ſoul thirſteth for God, for the living God; when ſhall I come and appear before God? When ſhall I come and appear before God? that is, when ſhall I ſee the face of God in his Ordinances, Pſal. 101.2. When wilt thou come unto me? Nothing more proper to grace than this, to carry out the ſoul in longings after communion with God. If you feel nothing of this in your ſelves, if you do not find ardent, ſtrong breathings and longings in your ſouls after God, you have reaſon to ſuſpect your ſelves that all is not well with you. Unleſs the ſoul be under Temptation, or under the prevalency of ſome corruption at the preſent, or under the withdrawings of the influences of the Spirit of God in ſome time of Deſertion, I ſay, unleſs it be in ſuch caſes as theſe, the pulſe of the ſoul will beat this way, viz. in ardent breathings after God and communion with him; and if we do not find it to be thus with us, we have reaſon to fear the ſtate of our own ſouls, for thus it will be if grace act like it ſelf in our hearts.
2. The Saints have great longings after the ſight of God and the glorious preſence of God in Heaven. Come, come, is the language of the Church in general, The Spirit and the Bride ſay, come, Revel. 22.17. Being confident and willing rather to be abſent from the body, and to be preſent with the Lord. Come, Lord Jeſus, come quickly, is the language of particular Saints. Certainly the pulſe of grace, if I may ſo expreſs it, beats mainly theſe two waies: In longing after a ſenſe of Gods preſence in our ſouls here on earth; and in longing after the perfect injoyment of God in Heaven.
2. The Saints have their hearts carryed out to God by Love. Love is the motion of the ſoul to the thing beloved. The ſoul naturally moves towards that it loves. Love is the weight or ballance of the ſoul, Amor meus eſt pondus meum, eò feror, quò amo.the ſoul is carryed where it loves. Now the ſouls of the Saints are carryed towards God by Love,Pſal. 73.25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee? And, I will love thee, O Lord, my ſtrength, Pſal. 18.1. God himſelf is the great thing in the eye of holy ſouls; though friends be dear, relations dear, yet God himſelf is moſt dear. O Lord, ſaith Auſtin, thou art not only dearer to me than this earth, and all things that are in it, but thou art more acceptable to me than Heaven it ſelf, and all the things that are in it. Hence is that of David in Pſal. 43.4. I will go to God my exceeding joy. The joy of my joy,Laetitia …etitiarum. that is, the top of my joy. Though other things may be amiable to a godly man in their place, yet God himſelf is moſt amiable to an holy ſoul.
3. The Saints have their hearts carryed out to God by Admiration; that which we call admiration, is, the fixing or ſtaying of the mind upon ſome excellent object; the minds fixing or ſtaying it ſelf with delight upon ſome object which it is pleaſed with. Admiration takes in a double act of the ſoul.
1. It takes in an act of the mind or underſtanding; what we admire the mind fixeth and dwells upon; admiration detains and holds the mind fixt in the contemplation of a thing; what we admire the mind doth not preſently go off from, but it ſtaies and dwells upon it.
2. Admiration takes in the act of the will; the will likes and is well pleaſed with the goodneſs of an object, and that makes the mind fix and ſtay upon it.
Thus the ſouls of the Saints are carryed out to God by admiration; Holy ſouls love the divine excellency, and they are pleaſed in it, therefore the will cauſeth the mind or underſtanding to fix it ſelf in the contemplation of it. My meditation of him ſhall be ſweet, ſaith David. Pſal. 104.34.The Saints cannot alwaies get up their hearts to this frame of admiration, and it is matter of bitter complaint to holy ſouls, that they cannot find their hearts ſo taken with the divine perfections, as ſometimes they have been; but this is certain, this is moſt pleaſing to a holy ſoul when he finds his heart moſt taken and raviſhed with the excellencies of God, and when he can admire him more than all created things.
4. The Saints have their hearts carryed out to God by delight. Delight carries the heart powerfully to the object we delight in, what we delight in we cannot but think of, Pſal. 119.47. I will delight my ſelf in thy Commandments, which I have loved: As much as if he ſhould have ſaid, the love and affection which I have to thy Commandments carries out my heart to them. Thus the Saints do ſometimes find their hearts carryed out to delight in God, Iſa. 58.14. Then ſhalt thou delight thy ſelf in the Lord. It is true, it is too ſeldom, too rare, that we can thus delight our ſelves in God, there is one thing or other that interpoſeth to hinder us from delighting in God; ſometimes guilt interpoſeth, that clogs our conſciences, and that hinders us from delighting in God. Sometimes inordinate affection to the creature ſteps in, and when our affections are diverted and turned into another channel, we cannot ſo delight in God as we ought to do. Sometimes ſpiritual darkneſs and deadneſs hinders our delighting in God.
1. Spiritual darkneſs hinders us from delighting in God, we have loſt that ſight of God, we have loſt thoſe apprehenſions of God, which ſometimes we have had; and if we have loſt that ſight of God, and thoſe apprehenſions of God that once we had, no wonder we cannot delight in him, for our affections follow our apprehenſions, as we have heard.
2. Spiritual deadneſs hinders us. Our affections are flat and low, and we cannot get them up to God, ſo (that as was ſaid) it is too ſeldom that we get our hearts into this frame to delight in God; but it is happy with the Saints when they can find it thus with them, it is never ſo well with them, as when they can have their hearts carryed out with delight to God.
5. The Saints have their hearts carryed out to God by adherence. When we can find our hearts intimately and firmly adhering to God, then are our hearts carryed out to him. It is good for me to draw near to God, Pſal. 73.28. It is good for me to adhere to God, Bonum eſt mihi adhaere Deo.ſo the words are rendred by learned men; ſo Pſal. 63.8. My ſoul followeth hard after thee. This following hard after God, implies two things.
1. Strong deſires after God. And
2. Intimate adhering or cleaving of the ſoul to God,Adhaeret anima mea poſt te, hoc eſt, vitae ſecurus acquieſco. My ſoul cleaves after thee, that is, my ſoul reſts ſecurely in thee, ſaith a learned man. My ſoul cleaves after thee, it is as much as if it had been ſaid, Whileſt I think of thee and of thy mercy towards me, although thou ſeemeſt ſometimes as if ſo be thou wouldeſt withdraw thy ſelf from me, yet I go after thee, I follow after thee in thy very foot-ſteps, I follow thee ſo cloſe that I may never let thee go out of my ſight.Adhaerere poſt aliquem nihil aliud eſſe videtur quam veſtigiis fugientis inhaerere. To cleave after another, ſaith a learned man, it is to follow another in his foot-ſteps. Ainſworth obſerves, that this phraſe notes Love, conſtancy, and union in the Spirit, he that cleaves to the Lord is of one Spirit, 1 Cor. 6.17. My ſoul cleaves, that is, it cleaves intimately and inſeparably to thee.
6. And laſtly, The Saints have their hearts carryed forth towards God in a way of ſatisfaction, Pſal. 63.5. My ſoul ſhall be ſatisfied as with marrow and fatneſs. He is ſpeaking of communion with God: If he can have but communion with God, oh then his ſoul ſhall be ſatisfied as with marrow and fatneſs. Nothing can terminate the deſires of the ſoul but an infinite good. When the ſoul hath taken in this and that particular good from among the Creatures, it finds it is ſtill capable of more, and therefore is ſtill deſiring more: but when the ſoul hath met with ſuch a good, as that it can never come to the end and bottom of it, then it is ſatisfied and filled. Now there is good enough in God to fill the ſoul, and there is ſomething ſtill redundant, and therefore it is in God alone, that the Saints find ſatisfaction, and to him it is they are carryed out, ſo as to ſeek ſatisfaction in him.
The firſt Uſe, is, for Application.Ʋſe 1. Let us be exhorted to labour and pray that we may experimentally find our hearts thus carryed out after God, by Deſire, Love, Admiration, Delight, Adherence, ſatisfaction. O let us put it to the Trial, and we ſhall find it true in experience, the more we can find our hearts thus carryed out after God, the more ſweetneſs ſhall we find in this life. It is good for me to draw near to God. We ſhall find it the wiſeſt courſe to have our hearts fixt and centred in God. It is natural to us all to ſeek for reſt. Men are ſeeking far and near to find reſt; but we may wander up and down all our daies, and never find what we ſeek and purſue after, unleſs the purſuit of our ſouls be after God. God alone is the true reſt of ſouls, the quiet and center of ſouls, the more our hearts are carryed out after God, the more reſt ſhall we find. The end of motion is reſt; the end why we move towards the Creatures in deſire and love, is, becauſe we think to find ſome reſt and contentment in them. Now if our ſouls be carryed out after God in holy affections, there, and there only ſhall we find that reſt that our ſouls are longing after. Take this for a certain truth, It will never be well with us, we ſhall never find reſt to our ſouls till we have learned this skill to keep our hearts reſerved for God, and to expect happineſs from nothing but him. Though we may and ought to uſe the Creatures in their place yet we muſt ſtill expect all our happineſs from God. Take the beſt comfort, the beſt condition in this world, yet there is not all the good in it we deſire. There is ſomething that is wanting ſtill, ſomething that we cannot find in any creature, and in any condition. Examine your ſelves and you will find it ſo: Therefore it is not good that we expect to find happineſs in any thing under the Sun, for if we do, we ſhall certainly deceive our ſelves: But if we place our happineſs in God, he will not deceive us, Pſal. 62.6, 7. My ſoul wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him, he only is my rock and my Salvation, he is my defence, I ſhall not be moved. The more our ſouls are carryed out after God, the more reſt we ſhall find. Not but that we may deſire and love the Creatures in their places, but take heed of expecting to find reſt in them, and of expecting happineſs in any thing but God. O let us labour to learn this skill, (and happy are they that can learn it) to keep our hearts reſerved for God as our only happineſs, and to learn to expect happineſs from nothing but him.
Let us be exhorted to pray for Divine Grace,Uſe 2. as the means whereby our hearts may be thus drawn out to God, Draw me, we will run after thee; the Church prays to be drawn that ſhe may run after Chriſt. Before we are drawn, our affections cannot run out after Chriſt. When we find our hearts dead, unapt to move towards God, then ſhould we pray for the drawings of divine grace.Age Domine & fac, excita & revocanos, accende & rape, flagra; Dulceſcas, jam amemus & …ur…amus. Aug. It is the ſaying of Auſtin, Lord, do thou quicken, and ſtir up our hearts, do thou call hack our hearts to thy ſelf, do thou inflame them, do thou raviſh them and allure them, do thou ſet them on fire, do thou ſweeten and indear thy ſelf to us. Now, now let us run and love. Truly till divine grace doth excite, inflame, allure, and ſet our hearts on fire, we ſhall find we cannot run after Chriſt. How often do we find a great weight and mighty clog lying on our ſouls, that we cannot aſcend to God as we would? We ſhould pray therefore that God would remove this weight, that he would quicken our hearts by the drawing of his Spirit. O when our ſouls are carryed forth with life and vigour towards God, then ſhall we find reſt and ſweetneſs, and peace to our ſouls. On the contrary, when our hearts are eſtranged from God, when our affections are flat and dead towards him, we ſhall find nothing but trouble and diſquietment, reſtleſneſs and diſſatisfaction in our ſouls. Return to thy reſt, Pſal. 116.7.O my ſoul, ſaith that holy man. God alone is the reſt of ſouls; ſo far as our hearts are carryed out with life and vigour towards God, we ſhall find reſt, peace, and quiet to our ſoul; ſo far as we depart from him, we ſhall find nothing but trouble and diſquietment: Therefore let us pray with the Chruch here, Draw me, we will run after thee.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Rowe, The Saints Temptations (1675)