Sweet and Soul-Persuading Inducements Leading Unto Christ, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Meanes diſpoſing and inabling to receive Chriſt.THus of the manner of receiving Chriſt in the Goſpell, the ſecond thing is the medium, or meanes diſpoſing and inabling us to receive Chriſt with rejoycing and thanksgiving. The meanes are theſe:
1. Full depoſition of what is contrary to Chriſt. 3. Things to be depoſed and laid aſide. 1. Sin.1. A full and through depoſition and putting aſide of all that is contrary to Chriſt. 1. there muſt be a depoſition of ſinne, all motes, diſtempers, and blindneſſe being put away out of the eye, the eye joyfully receives the Sunne, ignorance and errour being put out of the underſtanding; Chriſt the Sunne of Righteouſneſſe is joyfully received in our knowledge, the knowledge of Chriſt becommeth cleare and pleaſant to the ſoule; witheredneſſe and infirmity being removed from the hand, the hand readily receives the gift: Unbeleefe which wounds and withers the hand of faith, being removed from the heart, man cheerFully entertaines Chriſt, and is filled with xRom. 15.13.all ioy in beleeving; rebellious, proud, and mutinous perſons being put out of the kingdome, the King is joyfully entertained by the people; pride, y2 Cor. 10.5.imaginations, and every high thing which doth exalt it ſelfe againſt the knowledge of God being caſt downe and brought into captivity to the obedience of Chriſt, Chriſt is gladly received; ſtrange love and ſtrange lovers being put farre from the wife, the husband is cheerfully received by the wife; the removall of ſtrange luſts, and corrupt affections prepares the heart to a joyfull entertainment of Chriſt; He that doth not ſorrow for his ſinne, cannot rejoyce in Chriſt; He that doth not hate the former, can never love the latter; He that doth not empty himſelfe of the one, can never be filled with the other. The Jebuſites told David, unleſſe he tooke away the blind and the lame hee ſhould not enter into the fort of Syon. Unleſſe wee take away the blind and the lame, ignorance, infidelity, and all uncleanneſſe out of our ſoules, Chriſt will never enter into our hearts, we cannot receive Chriſt into our ſoules, the keeping in of ſin is the keeping out of Chriſt; the holding faſt of corrupt affections, is the looſing of Chriſt Jeſus; as the Philiſtines keeping up of their Dagon wrought a removall of the Arke. 2.2. The World. There muſt be a depoſition of the world z1 Ioh. 2.15.in affection. We muſt not love it in aMat. 6.25.cogitation; we muſt have no diſtracting thoughts about it; in bProv. 23.5. Col. 3.2.eſtimation, we muſt not overprize, but eſteeme it as a thing which is not; in c inquiſition, we muſt not ſeeke the things which are here below, as if our happineſſe conſiſted in the finding of theſe things; in dMat. 6.24.ſubjection, we muſt not be the ſervants of the world; in ePſal. 62.10.affiance, we muſt not build upon them; in fIam. 4.16. Iam. 4.4. 1 Ioh. 2.15. Mat. 6.24.rejoycing, we may not rejoyce in them. He that is married to the creature is divorced from Chriſt; he that loves this hath no love to Chriſt; he that is the ſervant of this cannot ſerve Chriſt; therefore as Chriſt overthrew the gIoh. 2.15.tables of the money-changers, and whipt the buyers and ſellers out of his fathers houſe: ſo muſt we whip the love, thought, command, and delight of the world out of our hearts, that we may receive Chriſt; it is a great unhappineſſe to loſe Chriſt for the gaine of the world; it were ſtrange folly in a woman to refuſe a wiſe, a potent, beautifull, victorious, and noble Prince, and marry her ſelfe to a fooliſh, impotent, baſe, beggerly, and deformed captive.
3. There muſt be a depoſition of our ſelves, 3. Our ſelves.we muſt lay aſide our ſelves in reſpect of opinion, we muſt have very low thoughts of our ſelves in reſpect of delight and pleaſure, we muſt not pleaſe our ſelves in our ſelves, but loath ourſelves in reſpect of Love; we muſt not love our ſelves, pleaſe, mind, and exalt our ſelves, but deny our ſelves; in reſpect of truſt, we muſt not truſt in our ſelves, but be jealous of our ſelves, diſtruſt our owne hearts, accuſe and condemne our ſelves; and in reſpect of the end, we muſt not intend our ſelves, propoſe our owne ends, but intend Chriſt, and the glory of Chriſt. Thus we muſt lay aſide our ſelves, and empty our ſelves of our ſelves, that wee may receive Chriſt; the empty veſſell receives the liquor, there is no place for it in the full.
2. Holy preparation.2. Holy, wiſe, and carefull preparation to the hearing of Chriſt in the Gospell. Eliſha before he propheſ…ed before Jehoſaphat and Jehoram, called for a Muſitian to play ſome ſacred ſong, the better to appeaſe his ſpirit, and put his mind in a quiet and heavenly frame, and then the hand of the Lord was upon him, and he prophecyed: Thus before we come into the preſence of Chriſt, to heare, we ſhould by ſome holy meditation, and fervent prayer, gather home our thoughts, take off our ſelves from the world, ſuppreſſe and put away the diſtemper of our ſpirits, worke our hearts into a holy and gracious frame and tempor, and compoſe our ſelves to heare; ſo ſhall the hand of God he upon us in hearing, and we ſhall heare, and receive Chriſt with much joyfulneſſe; the preparedneſſe of the eye to ſee, of the care to heare, and of the pallate to taſte, makes them joyfull in ſeeing, hearing, taſting; the ſoules joy and comfort in hearing is ordinarily ſutable to mans preparation. Man is aſhamed and grieved to receive his Prince into a ſ…rded and filthy houſe; but having his houſe clenſed, garniſhed, and all things ſet in order, he is joyfull in the entertainment. Want of preparation is the cauſe of much diſcomfort, ſadneſſe, and dulneſſe in hearing: Chriſt comming in the Goſpell is very comfortably entertained by the ſoule which is duely prepared.
3. Gracious intereſt in Chriſt.3. Sure and gracious intereſt in Chriſt. Beleeve in Chriſt, lay hold on Chriſt, ſelect, and take Chriſt unto your ſelves, make him yours: As the Merchant ſold all for the precious pearle in the parable, and made the pearle his owne: ſo ſell all, put away all your ſinnes, remove all worldly vanities, and intereſt your ſelves in Chriſt; as the woman leaves her owne people, and her fathers houſe, to make another man her husband, thus, leave the world, your ſinfull acquaintance, your corrupt and carnall cuſtomes, come off from them all, and apply your ſelves to Chriſt, eſpouſe your ſelves by faith and love to him, and then your ſoules ſhall joyfully wait upon him in the Goſpell; as the Queene waits upon the King in his bPſal. 45.15.palace, with joy and gladneſſe; as the bride doth joyfully heare the voice of the bridegroome; thus the Spouſe profeſſeth her joy and comfort in Chriſt in the Goſpell, his mouth, his word and doctrine, is moſt ſweet, he is altogether lovely. There is the expreſſion of her joyfull receiving Chriſt in the Goſpell, this is my Beloved, and this is my friend; there is the declaration of her intereſt in him; Chriſt is ever more or leſſe joyfull to the heart of man in the Goſpell, according to mans aſſurance of intereſt in him; he never feeles Chriſt a ſweet and gracious comforter, that looks upon him in his word as a ſtranger.
4. Cleare and lively diſcerning, 4. Cleare diſcerning of Chriſt worth.and apprehenſion of the dignity, worth, and excellency of Christ: He that hath a jewell and knowes not the worth of him, is nothing affected with him; like Eſops cocke, he rejoyceth more in a barley corne; iIſa. 53.1, 2.ignorance of the worth of Chriſt takes away the ſoules delight and joy in Chriſt; the wiſe Merchant knowes the worth of a pearle, and is much joyed at the finding of him; the wiſe Chriſtian knowing the price and worth of Chriſt, is much joyed when he meets with Chriſt in the Goſpell … the Spouſe in Solomons Song ſets forth her kCant. 5.apprehenſion of the beauty, worth, and excellency of Chriſt; of his Godhead and manhood in one perſon; of his glory, innocency, grace, mercy, and juſtice, of his preheminence and exaltation above all creatures, of his glorious kingdome, his unſearchable wiſedome, his gracious and mercifull beholding of grieved ſinners, his beauty and comelineſſe to the eyes of faith, and concludes at length, his mouth is moſt ſweet and altogether lovely; His mouth, the doctrines, words, promiſes, comforts of his Goſpell, are very ſweet as the honey or the honey-combe; ſtrive then more clearly to diſcerne the worth of Chriſt, if you intend the increaſe of your comfort in Chriſt: The prophane lMat. 8.Gaderine that thinks more highly of his ſwine then of Chriſt never meets with joy in Chriſt.
5. Holy making uſe of Chriſt.5. Holy and gracious making uſe of Chriſt in the Gospell. The eye makes uſe of the Sunne, it ſees by it; the care makes uſe of the voice, it diſcernes what is ſpoken by it; the thirſty traveller makes uſe of the fountaine, he quencheth his thirſt with it, refreſheth himſelfe by it: And all theſe rejoyce, the eye in the Sunne, the care in the ſound, and the thirſty in the fountaine, and in theſe they rejoyce becauſe they make uſe of them. Make uſe then of Chriſt in his Goſpell; as a ſcholler doth of his teacher, learning heavenly wiſedome; as a ſicke man doth of his Phyſitian, recovering ſpirituall health by him; as a beſieged City doth of their Captaine, feeling him caſting downe the holds of ſinne, and reſtoring thy ſoule to freedome; as the wiſe man in the parable did of the rocke, build upon him; the more uſe you make of Chriſt, the more comfort you ſhall find in Chriſt, Chriſt is both unprofitable and uncomfortable to him that makes no uſe of him, as a ſealed Well, and an eclipſed Sunne. There is a price (ſaith Solomon) in the hand of a foole, but he hath not a heart to make uſe of him. We have Chriſt in the Goſpell, a pearle of great price, and it is mans exceeding great fooliſhneſſe not to make uſe of Chriſt Ieſus.
6. Experience of Chriſts ſaving worth.6. Bleſſed and heavenly ſence, and experience of Chriſts ſanctifying and ſaving worke upon our ſoules in the Goſpell. The influence and operation of the Sunne upon the earth in the Spring, makes it appeare very pleaſant and joyfull; the ſence of Chriſts gracious worke upon the heart, glads the heart, he mCant. 1.4.brought me (ſaith the Spouſe) into his chambers, that is, he revealed unto me the ſecret of the Lord, the ſecret worke of the Lord in the illumination of my underſtanding, in the regenerating of my heart, in the quickning of my ſoule, in the putting of a new nature upon me, in the pacifying of my conſcience, and comforting of my ſoule, theſe are the chambers whereinto ſhe was brought, the ſecret and bleſſed wayes of Chriſt with a gracious ſoule; and what found ſhe in theſe chambers? how was ſhe affected with this worke of Chriſt? We will (ſaith ſhe) be glad and rejoyce in thee, we will remember thy love more then wine. Experience of Chriſts gracious operation upon man makes the ſoule of man joyfull; the more we feele the bleſſed working of Chriſt within us, the greater are our rejoycings; Mans unſenſibleneſſe of Chriſt and his gracious diſpenſations, deprives man of Chriſts ſweet and bleſſed comforts,