Doct. 4. That Christ is so outwardly mean, that the men of the world do not any way desire him, or that carnal men do see nothing in Christ wherefore they should desire him. To his spouse he is all beauty, ' altogether lovely ;' but to them there was no beauty why they should desire him.
The reasons of the point are these : —
1. Because carnal men neglect the study of Christ ; their hearts are so taken with the things of sense, and the beauty of the creatures, that they do not look any further. We are not much affected with an unknown beauty ; things that we know only by a general hearsay do not work upon us. Christ must be in our thoughts before he can be in our desires. The Jews looked upon Christ's outside, and therefore minded him no further. So men hear of Christ in a slight way ; so far as they know him by the common noise and report, so ftir they close with him. But they do not see why they should desire him, and slight apprehensions stir up but weak affections. The spouse displayeth every part of Christ, to work upon her bowels : Cant. v. 10-1 G, 'My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold ; his locks are bushy, and as black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and finely set. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers ; his lips like lilies, dropping sweet-smelling myrrh. His hands are as gold rings, set with the beryl ; his belly is as bright ivory, overlaid with sapphires ; his legs are as pillars of marble set upon
234 A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION UPON [IsA. LIII. 2.
sockets of fine gold. His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet ; yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, 0 daughters of Jerusalem.' The apostle wondereth that the Galatians should not obey the truth, when Jesus Christ was evidently set forth and crucified among them before their eyes, Gal. iii. 1. It was so in the word, but not in their thoughts. Men's hearts are wedded to the creatures, and so the breasts of their own roe satisfy them, and therefore they do not gaze upon other beauties. 2. Because they reject Clirist ; he is not for their turn ; nay, he is quite contrary to their ends. Carnal men have not all the same ends, but they all agree in this, their ends are carnal. Those that would not come to the wedding-supper, some had their farm, some their merchandise to mind, another had married a wife, and therefore could not come ; all said, they could not come : Mat. xxii. 5, * They all made light of it, and went their ways.' So they all despised Jesus Christ. Home wicked men make riches their end. Now see what Christ saith : Mat. xix. 24, ' It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.' It is by the great power of God that a rich man is saved, as it followeth, ' All things are possible with God.' Now Christ is not for a rich man's turn. Christianity furnisheth men with precepts, not only against unjust gain, but mere desires of gain, or delight in gain. It contains precepts, that the kingdom of God is to be sought first, and his righteousness. And we are to look to these things from God for an additional supply : Mat. vi. 32, ' After these things do the Gentiles seek.' It is not a Christian but a paganish spirit that maketh men so inordinate in the pursuit of gain. Then for honour, preferment, or applause, the scripture is peremptory against it : John v. 44, ' How can ye believe, who seek honour one of another, and not the honour that cometh from God only?' This pursuing of glory, honour, and renown is incompatible with a Christian affection. The force of the argument lieth thus : How can those that seek honour believe in him that contemneth honour ? Only he is fit to believe in God that maketh eternal life the end of his desires and endeavours, which is called the glory that cometh from God. The like argument is used by the apostle : Gal. i. 10, ' For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.' He did not labour to frame his doctrine and life 60 as might be pleasing and suitable to the afiections of men. Pride and ambition are the most unsuitable affections to religion that can be. There is such an antipathy between what God liketh and men like, that it is impossible they should be in the same soul. Then for pleasures ; there are men that have quit human nature, and are so far from desiring Christ, that they do not desire a free use of their reason. Reason is not ibr their turn, and therefore certainly religion is not. This is the very allection that is in the brute beasts. They have some general object, a sensual good, only they differ in the particular modi- fication of the object. Beasts are for grass and water, these for meats and drinks. AH the use they make of their reason is to be more curious than the beasts in their choice ; and therefore Christ is not for their ends : ' Strait is tlie gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life/ Mat. vii. 13. It is spoken specially in opposition to the voluptuous.