1 See my ' Unsearchable Eiches' of Christ, pp. 49-58. [Vol. iii. pp. 41-48. — G.j ' Hab. i. 16; lea. xlviii. 9, and xivi. 12 ; Hab. ii. 5, &c.J
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 575
tilings of God : Cant. v. 2, * I sleep, but my heart waketh ; it is the voice of my beloved that knocketli, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled ; for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night ;' ver. 3, ' I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on ? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?' Christ's head is filled with dew; i.e., Christ came to his spouse full of the dew of spiritual and heavenly blessings. Christ always brings meat in his mouth, and a reward in his hand, Eph. i. 3, 4 ; Kev. xxii. 12. Christ never visits his people empty handed. He is no beggarly or niggardly guest. When he comes, he brings everything that heart can wish or need require. And now stand and wonder at the silly excuse that the spouse makes for herself: ver. 3, Trouble me not, for I am in bed ; my clothes are off, my feet are washed, and I am composed to a settled rest ! But are you so indeed ? might Christ have replied. Is this your kindness to your friend ? 2 Sam. xvi. 17. Is this the part and posture of a vigilant Christian ? Would it not liave been much better for you to have had your loins girt, your lamp burning, and you waiting for your Lord's return ? Is it so great a trouble ? Is it such a mighty business for you to rise out of your bed, to put on your clothes, and to let in such a guest, as comes not to take anything from you, but to enrich you with the best and noblest of favours ? Now mark how severely Christ punishes his spouse's slug- gishness, laziness, slothfulness, and delays to entertain him when he knocked: ver. 6, * I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone : my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him ; I called him, but he gave no answer ;' or he was gone, he was gone, a most passionate complaint for his depar- ture ; or my best-beloved was departed, he was gone away. By the iteration or doubling of this sentence, wherein the spouse complains of the departure of her bridegroom, is signified her great trouble, her hearty sorrow, her inexpressible grief, that lay as a heavy load upon her spirit ; because, by her unworthy usage of him, she had foolishly occasioned him to withdraw his presence from her. Spiritual deser- tions are of three sorts: (1.) Cautional, for preventing of sin, as Paul's seems to be, 1 Cor. i. 2, 8, 9 ; (2.) Probational, for trial and exercise of grace ; (3.) Penal, for chastisement of spiritual sloth and sluggishness, as here in the spouse. Now this last is far the saddest and heaviest ; and therefore as ever you would enjoy the gracious pre- sence of the Lord, take heed of a lazy, slothful, sluggish spu-it in the things of God, in the concernments of your souls. That man must needs be miserable that is lazy and slothful, and had rather go sleep- ing to hell than sweating to heaven. But,
[9.] Ninthly, Take heed of a covetous worldly spirit under the smarting rod, under the severe rebukes of God : Isa. Ivii. 17, ' For the iniquity of his covetousness I was wroth, and smote him : I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.' Covetousness was the common sin of the Jews. This disease had infected all sorts and ranks of men ; this leprosy did spread itself over princes, prophets, and people, as you may see in comparing the scrip- tures in the margin together. ^ Now ' covetousness being the root of
1 Isa. iTi. 11; Jer. vi. 13, and viii. 10; 1 Tim, vi. 10.
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