The Intercourses of Divine Love Betwixt Christ and His Church, Frontispiece – Dedication
Man's but a shadow, and a Picture is That shadow's shadow yet don't judge amiss. Though here you onelyonly on the shadow look What followes read. The Substance is i'th' book.
THE INTERCOURSES OF DIVINE LOVE BETWIXT Chriſt and his Church, OR The Particular Believing Soul.
Metaphorically expreſsed by Solomon in the firſt Chapter of the Canticles, or Song of Songs.
Opened and Applied in ſeveral Sermons, upon that whole Chapter.
In which the Excellencies of Chriſt, the yernings of his bowels towards Believers, under various circumſtances, the workings of their hearts towards, and in, communion with him, with many other Goſpel Propoſitions of great import to Souls, are handled.
By John Collinges, D. D.
Solomon divinitus inſpiratus, Chriſti, & Eccleſiae laudes & aeterni Connubii cecinit Sacramenta, ſimul que expreſſit ſanctae deſiderium animae, & Epithalamii carmen exultans in ſpiritu jucundo compoſuit Elogio, figurato tamen. Nimirum velabat & ipſe inſtar Moyſis faciem ſuam, non minus forſitan in hâc parte fulgentem, to quod illo adhuc in tempore, nemo, aut rarus erat, qui revelatà facie, gloriam illam ſpeculari ſufficeret. Bernardus 1 Serm. in Cantica.
London, Printed by T. Snowden, for Edward Giles Bookſeller in Norwich, near the Market-place. 1683.
To the Lady Ann Knightley.
Madam,
AMongſt the many Spiritual mercies by which within theſe fifty years laſt paſt, England hath been exalted to heaven (as our Saviour ſaid of Capernaum) the plenty of good Books hath not been the leaſt, ſo as there is hardly any point in Divinity, which hath not been judiciouſly handled, both dogmatically, polemically, and practically, and diſcourſes upon it publiſhed in our own Tongue. The things hid in times of Popery, yea and for many years in the beginning of our Reformation, have been made known; the things covered have been revealed; what was at firſt ſpoken in darkneſs, hath been told in the light, preached upon the houſe tops, and ſo publiſhed, that all thoſe who would might read, and underſtand. Certainly no Nation under Heaven (of which we have any record) was ever bleſſed with the Means of Grace to that degree; none ever had more judicious Interpretations of the Word of God, nor more ſerious and faithful Applications of it to the Conſciences of men and women; ſo as if either the Doctrine or Duty of the Goſpel be yet hid to any, it is much to be feared that it is to ſuch only who ſhall periſh. But of all good Books we have been exalted in none more than thoſe which have bin wrote on practical Subjects, Books of all others to be moſt highly valued, as more immediately ſerving the great end of man, in ſhewing him the way of Salvation, directing his coming to Chriſt, and walking with him, of which we have had ſuch plenty, as indeed there would be no more need of writing on ſuch Subjects, if the Vanity of our Natures did not more incline us to a diſcourſe upon the ſame Argument newly wrote, than to what hath been written as well ſome years ſince, by which means, the multiplying of good Books doth not a little contribute to the much reading of good Books, and that I am ſure contributes much both to knowledge and practice (the two great ends that every Preacher ought to aim at;) ſo as I cannot be of their mind who would have no more written of this nature, becauſe ſo much hath been already wrote, any more than I can be of theirs, who think there is now no ſuch need of Preaching, becauſe formerly there hath been ſo much. So long as there are any Souls in the World, who know not Chriſt, and live not up to the Rules of his Goſpel, there will be need both of the one and of the other; nay, were there none ſuch, there would be need of it, to keep up the Grace of God beſtowed upon men in its warm exerciſe. Nor me thinks ſhould there be one Preacher of the Goſpel who ſhould not publiſh the glad tidings of it, and leave ſome Record to the Ages to come, of his faithfulneſs in that work. The Riches of Divine Grace can never be too much publiſhed, we can never enough declare his love, who for our ſakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. Such like thoughts as theſe, Madam, have brought theſe Diſcourſes into a more publick light: They were compoſed many years ſince, ſoon after my entrance into the publick Miniſtry. I am willing they ſhould be a Teſtimony to the world, what Doctrine I then Preached, and ſee no cauſe yet to be aſhamed of, and what ſcope or deſign I have alwaies propounded to my ſelf: The Goſpel of the Kingdom; Chriſt; The faithſul ſaying, worthy of all acceptation, that Chriſt Jeſ… came into the world to ſave ſinners, 1. Tim. 1. 15. The Apoſtle Doctrine, Acts, 4. 12. That there is no Salvation in any other then in Chriſt, for there is no other name under Heaven given amongſt men whereby we muſt be ſaved, were the great things, I took my ſelf concerned as a Preacher to publiſh to the world. Together with what our Saviour hath taught us, That he who believeth him i not condemned: But he that believeth not is condemned already—ſhall not ſee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him, Joh. 3. 18. 36, and that Faith without works is dead. Theſe were the grea… things I had in my eye, to open, explain, and apply to people. My apprehenſion that I ſaw much of theſe things revealed in the Song of Solomon (though clouded under Metaphorical expreſſions) was that which led me to the ſtudy of that difficult portion of holy Writ; than which undoubtedly there is no portion of the Old Teſtament more Evangelical, according to the common Hypotheſis agreed by the moſt valuable Divines in all Ages, viz. That it contains a Dialogue between Chriſt and his Church, or particular believing Souls in it. If any think I might have choſen plainer Texts from which to diſcourſe theſe things, I freely yield it as to many of them. But ſhall this excellent Book, alwaies acknowledged a ſacred portion of holy Writ, by the wiſeſt man upon earth ſtiled the Song oſ Songs (that is, the moſt excellent Song) lie by us as the Viſion of a Book that is ſealed, or be bound up in our Bibles for nothing? Or can there be any work more worthy of a Divine, than to attempt the clearing of ſo incomparable a piece of Divine Revelation from that darkneſs which it pleaſed God to cloath it with in a time, when the moſt which he ſpake concerning Chriſt, was in Types … Prophecies, or Metaphors. Time, together with the Sermons of …hriſt and his Apoſtles, have expounded the Types and Prophecies of Chriſt. Is it not a work worthy of us to explain the Metaphors, that we might have a Chriſt wholly unveiled? There's no great fear of any dangerous erring in the caſe, if he that explaineth taketh care, that his Explication agreeth with plainer Revelations. Madam, I think I may further ſay, that there is no portion of holy Writ ſo copiouſly as this, expreſſing the infinite love, and tranſcendent excellencies of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. None that more copiouſly inſtructs us, what he will be to us, or what we ſhould be toward him, and conſequently none more worthy of the pains of any who deſires to Preach Chriſt. My Meditations upon the ſecond Chap…r compoſed in my maturer years, were publiſhed ſome years …nce: Thoſe upon this Chapter have (being done in my younger time) ſtaid, till I could get ſome leiſure to peruſe them my ſelf, and correct ſome things in the ſtile, eſpecially (our juvenile fancies, ſeldom pleaſing us in our maturer years.) You will, I hope, Madam, pardon my Dedication of them to your Ladyſhip: Your …lf knows how great Obligations you have laid upon me: I cannot anſwer them: Theſe are all the Requitals we can make our Friends for their kindneſſes. Silver and gold I have none, but what I have I humbly preſent your Ladyſhip with; nor ſhall I have been wholly unſerviceable to your Ladyſhip in your higheſt concerns, if any thing in theſe Diſcourſes ſhall help further to inflame your Soul with love to him who is the chiefeſt of ten thouſand, and contribute to the ſending of your Soul to Heaven in the admiration of your Beloved, where you ſhall ſee him as he is, whom theſe Diſcourſes will but ſhew you as in a glaſs darkly. Now the God of Peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jeſus, that great Shepherd of the Sheep, through the blood of the everlaſting Covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleaſing in his ſight, through Jeſus Chriſt, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
April 3. 1683. Your Ladiſhips moſt humble Servant, JOHN COLLINGES.