Oh their graces, their comforts, their enlargements, their meltings, and their warmings, &c., are the things that most take them. Their thoughts and hearts are so exercised and carried out about these, that the person of Clirist is much neglected by them. The child is so taken with babies^ and rattles, «&c., that the mother is not minded. And such is the carriage of weak Christians towards Christ. But now souls strong in grace are more taken with the person of Christ than they are with the love-tokens of Christ. They bless Christ indeed for every dram of grace, and for every good word from heaven, and for every good look from heaven; ay, but yet the person of Christ, that is more to them than all these.^ This is remarkable in the church. Cant. v. 9, 10, ' What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women ? &c. My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand,' &c. She doth not say, My beloved is one that I have got so many thousands by, and heaven by, and pardon of sin by, and peace of conscience by. Oh no ! but he is white and ruddy. Her soul was taken most with the person of Christ. Not but that every one is to mind the graces of Christ, and to be thankful for them ; ay, but it is an argument of weakness of grace, when the heart is more exercised about the bracelets, and the kisses, and the love-tokens of Christ, than it is about the person of Christ.* But now saith one strong in grace. My bracelets are precious, but Christ is more precious ; the streams of grace are sweet, but the fountain of grace is most sweet ; the beams of the sun are glorious, but the sun itself is most glorious. A naked Christ, a despised Christ, a persecuted Christ, is more valued by a strong Christian, than heaven and earth is by a weak Christian.^
[11.] Eleventhly, Souls weak in grace are easily stopped and taken off from acting graciously and holily, when discouragements face them.
This you may see in that remarkable instance concerning Peter, in that 26th of Matthew, from the 69th to the end. A silly wench out- faces him; she daunts and dis- spirits this self-confident champion ; she easily stops and turns him by saying, ' Thou wast with Jesus of Galilee,'
5 See Vol. II. p. 301, seq.—Q. 2 < Dolls.'— G.
» Christ is the most sparkling diamond in the ring of glory, &c.
* That wife is but weak in her love that is more taken with her husband's presents than with his person.
5 Christ's person, to a strong Christian, is the greatest cordial in all the world.
58 THE UNSEAECHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
V. 70. ' But lie denied it before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.' He makes as if he did neither understand her words or her meaning; and this false dissembling was a time denying of Christ. New- Mark saith, chap. xiv. 68, that upon the very first denial of Christ, the cock crew, and yet this fair warning could not secure him, but when another maid saw him, and said, 'This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth,' ver. 72, he denied it with an oath, saying, 'I do not know the man.'^ This was fearful and dreadful, and. the worse because his Master, whom he forsware, was now upon his trial, and might say with wounded Caesar, xa/ av tskvov, What! and thou my son Brutus!'^ Is this thy kindness to thy friend, to him that has loved thee, and saved thee, and owned thee ? &c. Then ver. 73, ' Surely thou art one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee.' And ver. 74. ' He began to curse and to swear, I know not the man.
The Greek word that is rendered curse, imports a cursing and a damning of himself, an imprecation of God's wrath, and a separation from the presence and glory of God, if he knew the man.' Some writers say, that he cursed Christ. ' J know not the man,' saith he. Though it were ten thousand times better to bear than to swear, and to die than to lie, yet when discouragement faces him, he is so amazed and daunted, that he tells the most incredible lie that almost could be uttered by the mouth of man. For there was scarce any Jew, saith Grotius, that knew not Christ by siglit, being famous for those abund- ance of miracles that he wrought before their eyes. Neither could Peter allege any cause why he came thither, if he had not known Christ. But, ver. 75, 'He went out, and wept bitterly.' One sweet look of love breaks his heart in pieces, he melts under the beamings forth of divine favour upon him. Once he leapt into a sea of waters to come to Christ, and now he leaps into a sea of tears for that he had so shame- fully denied Christ. Clement notes, that Peter so repented, that all his life-time after, every night w^hen he heard the cock crow, he would fall upon his knees and weep bitterly, begging pardon for this dreadful sin.*
Others say, that after his lying, cursing, and denying of Christ, he was ever and anon weeping, and that his face was furrowed Avith con- tinual tears. He had no sooner taken in poison, but he vomits it up again, before it got to the vitals. He had no sooner handled a serpent, but he turns it into a rod to scourge his soul with remorse. This truth is further confirmed by the speech and carriage of the disciples : Luke xxiv. 21, seq., ' We trusted,' say they, ' that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel, but now we cannot tell what to say to it.' Here their hope hangs the wing extremely. Weak souls find it as hard to wait for God, as it is to bear evil.* This Aveakness Christ checks, ver. 25, ' O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken,' &c. And John xvi. 5, the first news Christ tells them, is of
' Cavchts autem, si pavebis. ' Plutarcli, &c., as before. — G.
^ KciTutahfia-ri^i,,. Vide Calvin on the text in Kora. vi. 19. TIhto aro tlirco toa in the expression of the service of sin : to uncleanness, lo iniquity, and nnto iniquity ; but in the service of God there are only two lus : to righteousness, and unto iioliness ; to note tliat we are more prone to sin before conversion, than we are to grace and liolinesa after conversion. * In loco : Epist.— G.
* Invalidum omne nalurd querulum, weak spirits are over quarrelling and contending. [Seneca : U-; Animi TranqnillitaU: — G.]
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 59