SERMON TENTH.

CANTICLES v. 6.

I opened to my Beloved, but my Beloved bad withdrawn himself, and was gone: My soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but could not find him; I called him, but he gave no answer.

THUS

HUS we fee that the life of a chriftian is trouble upon trouble, as wave upon wave. God will not fuffer us to rest in fecurity, but one way or other he will fire us out of our lurking holes, and make us to run after him. How much better were it for us, then, to do our works chearfully and joyfully, fo to run as we may obtain, than to be thus hurried up and down, and, through our own default, coming into defertions, and there receiving rebukes and blows, and delays, ere we have peace again, as it fell out with the church in the fequel? for this text is but the beginning of her feeming mifery. The watchmen, after this, found her and wounded her, &c. But heaven is more worth than all, now that her affections are set on fire; from thence she beftirs herself, is refolute to find out her beloved, whom the highly values above all this world. How her affections were stirred by Chrift's putting in his finger at the hole of the door, we have heard. Now follows her action thereupon; for here is rifing, opening, feeking, calling and enquiring after Christ.

Action follows affection. After her bowels are moved, the arifeth and openeth. From whence we may further obferve, that where truth of affection is, it will discover itself in the outward man, one way or other. If there be any affection of love and piety to God, there will be eyes lift up, knees bended down, and hands ftretched forth to heaven. If there be any grief for fin, there will be the face dejected, the eyes looking down, fome expreffion or other. If there be a defire, there will be a making forth to the thing defired; for the outward man is commanded by the inward, which hath a kind of sovereign commanding power over it, and fays, Do this, and it doth it; fpeak this, and it fpeaks it. Therefore, those whose courses of life are not gracious, their affections and their hearts are not good; for where the affections are good, the actions will be fuitable. Her bowels were moved in her, and presently the fhews the truth of her affection, in that the maketh after him.

1. Her foul failed when he fpake. 42. She makes after him. "My foul failed when he fpake, I fought him, but I could not find him."-Of Chrift's withdrawing himself we spake in general before, wherefore we will leave that and proceed.

My foul failed when he spake.

That is, her foul failed when the remembered what he had fpoke, when he ftood at the door, and faid, "Open to me, my fifter, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is wet with the dew," &c. Now when God's fpirit had wrought upon her, then the remembered what Christ had faid. All thofe fweet allurements were effectual now unto her, especially when she faw that after those sweet allurements Christ had withdrawn himself; for that is the meaning of these words, "My foul failed when he spake unto me." He did not fpeak now, but her foul failed after he fpake; (for so it should be read) that is, after she remembered his speech to her; for now when the opened, he was not there, therefore he could not speak to her.

Obferv.-The word of Chrift, howsoever for the prefent it be not effectual, yet afterwards it will be in the remembrance of it. To thofe that are gracious, it will be effectual, when the Holy Ghoft comes to feal it further upon their heart. Chrift fpake many things to his difciples which they forgot; but when afterwards the Holy Ghoft, the comforter, was come, his office was, to bring all things to their remembrance that they had forgotten before. The Holy Ghoft taught them not new things, but brought former things to their remembrance; for God will make the word effectual at one time or other. Perhaps the word we hear is not effectual for the prefent; it may afterwards, many years after, when God awakes our confciences.

And as this is true of God's children, the feed now fown in them perhaps will not grow up till many years after: fo it is true, alfo, of those that are not God's children, they think they fhall never hear again of those things they hear. Perhaps they will take care, by fenfuality, hardening of their hearts (and thro' God's judgements withal concurring) that confcience shall not awake in this world; but it fhall awake one day; for it is put into the heart to take God's part, and to witness against us for our fins. It fhall have and perform its office hereafter, use it as you will now; and it will preach over those things again that you now hear. You shall hear again of them, but it shall be a

barren

barren hearing. Now we may hear fruitfully, to do us good; but, afterwards, we fhall call to mind what we have heard, and it fhall cut us to the heart. Dives, we know, had Mofes and the prophets to inftruct him, but he never heeded them in his life, until afterwards to his torment: So men never heed what they hear and read, they put off all, and lay their confciences afleep; but God will bring them afterwards to remembrance. But because it is a point efpecially of comfort to the church,

Ufe.-Labour we all to make this ufe of it, to be diligent and careful to hear and attend upon the ordinances of God; for howfoever what we hear is not effectual for the prefent, but feems as dead feed caft into the heart, yet God will give it a body after, as the apoftle fpeaks, at one time or other. And that which we hear now, the Holy Ghoft will bring it to our remembrance, when we fland in moft need of it.

My soul failed when he spake.

She was in a fpiritual fwoon and fainting upon his withdrawing. Whence the point confiderable is, that Christ doth leave his church fometimes, and bring it very low in their own apprehenfions, that their hearts fail them for want of his prefence: So it was with David, fo with Jonah, fo with the church, Lam. iii. 1. we fee it at large.

The neceffity of our fouls and of our estates require this; as fometimes a body may be fo corrupt, that it must be brought as low as poffibly may be, before there can be a spring of new and good blood and fpirits: fo we may fall into fuch a state of fecurity, that nothing will bring us to a right temper but extreme purging. And, ufually, God deals thus with ftrong wits and parts, if they be holy. David and Solomon were men excellently qualified; yet when they tafted of the pleasures and contentments of the world too deep, anfwerably they had, and fo, ufually, others fhall have fuch desertions as will make them smart for their sweetness, as was fhewed before.

But upon what occafions doth a chriftian think efpecially that God doth leave, forfake and fail him?

First, this failing and fainting of the foul is fometimes upon an apprehenfion, as if God and Chrift were become enemies, (as Job faith); and as having fet us as a butt to fhoot at. But this is not all that a gracious and pure heart finks for.

But,

But, alfo, fecondly, for the abfence of Chrift's love, though it feel no anger. Even as to a loving wife, her husband not looking lovingly upon her as he used to do, is enough to caft her down, and cause her fpirits to fail: So for God to look upon the foul (put the cafe not with an angry, yet) with a countenance withdrawn, it is fufficient to caft it down. For any one that hath dependence upon another, to fee their countenance withdrawn, and not to fhew their face as before, if there be but a sweet difpofition in them, it is enough to daunt and dismay them.

3. Nay, moreover, when they find not that former affistance in holy duties; when they find that their hearts are shut up, and they cannot pray as formerly, when they had the spirit of God more fully; and when they find that they cannot bear afflictions with wonted patience, certainly (fay they) Christ hath withdrawn himself. This is first done when they hear the word of God not with that delight and profit as they were wont; when they find how they come near to God in holy communion, and yet feel not that fweet tafte and relish in the ordinances of God as they were wont to do; they conclude, certainly God hath hid his face, whereupon they are caft down, their fpirits fail. And do not wonder that it should be fo; for it is fo in nature. When the fun hides itself many days from the world, it is an uncomfortable. time, the fpirits of the creatures lour and wither. We fee it fo in the body, that the animal fpirits in the brain, (which are the cause of motion and fenfe) if they be obstructed, there follows an apoplexy and deadnefs. So it is between Chrift and the foul, he is the Sun of Righteoufnefs, by whose beams we are all comforted and cheared, which when they are withheld, then our spirits decay and are difcouraged. Summer and winter arife from the prefence and abfence of the fun. What causeth the spring to be clothed with all thofe rich ornaments? The prefence of the fun which comes nearer them. So what makes the fummer and winter in the foul, but the abfence or prefence of Christ? What makes fome vigorous beyond others, but the presence of the fpirit? As it is in nature, fo it is here; the presence of Chrift is the cause of all spiritual life and vigour, who when he withdraws his presence a little, the foul fails.

"My foul failed when he fpake to me; I fought him, but I could not find him; I called, but he gave me no aufwer." The church redoubleth her complaint, to fhew her paffion. A large heart hath large expreffions. She took it to heart that Chrift VOL. III.]

M

did

did not fhew himself in mercy; therefore the never hath done "I fought him, but I could not find him; I called, but he gave me no answer.”

Obferv.-Affection makes eloquent and large expreffions. But chiefly obferve from this failing of the church, the difference between the true children of God and others. The child of God is caft down when he finds not the prefence of God as he was wont, his fpirits fail. A carnal man that never knew what this prefence meant, regards it not, can abide the want of it. He finds, indeed, a prefence of God in the creature which he thinks not of. There is a sweetness in meat, drink, reft; and a contentment in honour, preferment, and riches; and thus God is prefent always with him. But other prefence he cares not for; nay, he fhuns all other prefence of God, labouring to avoid his fpiritual prefence: For what is the reason that a carnal man fhuns the applying of the word and the thinking of it, but because it brings God near to his heart, and makes him prefent? What is the reafon he fhuns his own confcience, that he is loath to hear the juft and unanfwerable accufations that it would charge upon him; but becaufe he cannot abide the presence of God in his confcience? What is the reason he shuns the fight of holier and better men than himfelf? They prefent God to him, being his image, and call his fins to memory, and upbraid his wicked life. Hence comes that fatanical hatred, more than human, in carnal vile men, to those that are better than themselves; because they hate all prefence of God, both in the word, miniftry, and all God's holy fervants. All fuch prefence of God they hate, whereof one main reafon is, because they are malefactors, wicked rebels, and intend to be fo. And as a malefactor cannot endure fo much as a thought of the judge; fo they cannot think of God otherwife (in that courfe they are in) than of a judge, whereupon they tremble and quake at the very thought of him, and avoid his presence.

You know that great man Felix, Paul spake to; (in the Acts) when he spake of the judgement to come, and those virtues, as temperance and righteoufnefs, which he was void of, and guilty of the contrary vices, he quaked, and could not endure to hear him speak any longer. Wicked men love not to be arraigned, tormented, accufed and condemned before their time; therefore, whatsoever presents to them their future terrible eftate, they cannot abide it It is an evidence of a man in a curfed condition, thus not to endure the prefence of God; but what shall God and