Herein appears Christ's care to thee, that he hath given thee a heart in some degree sensible : he might have given thee up to hardness, security and profane- ness of heart, of all spiritual judgments the greatest. He that died for his enemies, will he refuse those, the desire of whose soul is towards him ? He that by his messengers deskes us to be reconciled, will he put us ofi" when we earnestly seek it at his hand ? No, doubtless, when he prevents us by kind- ling holy desires in us, he is ready to meet us in his own ways. When the prodigal set himself to return to his father, his father stays not for him, but meets him in the way. ' When he prej)ares the heart to seek, he will cause his ear to hear,' Ps. x. 17. He cannot find in his heart to hide himself long from us. If God should bring us into such a dark condition, as that we should see no light from himself, or the creature, then let us remember what he saith by the prophet Isaiah, ' He that is in darkness, and seeth no light,' Isa. 1. 10, no light of comfort, no light of God's countenance, ' yet let him trust in the name of the Lord.' We can never be in such a condition, wherein there will be just cause of utter despair ; therefore let us do as mariners do, cast anchor in the dark. Christ knows how to pity us in this case ; look what comfort he felt from his Father in his breakings, Isa. liii. 5, the like we shall feel from himself in our bruising.
The sighs of a braised heart carry in them some report, as of our afiec- tion to Christ, so of his care to us. The eyes of our souls cannot be towards him, but that he hath cast a gracious look upon us first. The least love we have to him is but a reflection of his- love first shining upon us. As Christ did in his example whatsoever he gives us in charge to do, so he suflered in his own person whatsoever he calleth us to sufier, that he might the better learn to relieve and pity us in our sufferings. In his desertion in the garden, and upon the cross, he was content to want that unspeakable solace in the presence of his Father, both to bear the wrath of the Lojd for a time for us, and likewise to know the better how to comfort us in our greatest extremities. God seeth it fit we should taste of that cup of which his Son drank so deep, that we might feel a little what sin is, and what his Son's love was ; but our comfort is, that Christ drank the dregs of the cup for us, and will succour us, that our spirits utterly fail not under that little
AND SMOKING FLAX. 73
taste of his displeasure which we may feel. He became not ocly a man, but a curse, a man of sorrows for us. He was broken, that we should not be broken ; he was troubled, that we should not be desperately troubled ; he became a curse, that we should not be accursed. Whatsoever may be wished for in an all-sufficient comforter, is aU to be found in Christ,
1. Authority from the Father, all power was given him,' Matt, xxviii. 18.
2. Strength in himself, as having his name the mighty God, Isa. ix. 6.
3. Wisdom, and that from his o\vn experience, how and when to help.
4. Willingness, as being flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, Isa. ix. 6.
[Chapter XVII. — Beproqf of such as sin against this merciful disposition in Christ. Of quenching the Spirit.]
We are now to take notice of divers sorts of men that offend deeply against this merciful disposition of Christ : as, 1, Such as go on in all ill com'ses of life upon this conceit, as if it were in vain to go to Christ, their lives have been so ill ; whenas so soon as we look to heaven, all encourage- ments are ready to meet us and draw us forward. Amongst others this is one allurement, that Christ is ready to Avelcome us, and lead us further. None are damned in the church but those that will. Such as either enforce upon themselves hard conceits of Christ, that they may have some show of reason to fetch contentment from other things : as that unprofitable ser- vant. Matt. XXV. 30, that would needs take up a conceit, that his master was a hard man ; hereby to flatter himself in his unfruitful courses, in not improving that talent which he had.
2. Such as take up a hope of their own, that Christ wiU suffer them to vvalk in the Tv^ays to hell, and yet bring them to heaven : whereas all com- fort should draw us nearer to Christ, else it is a lying comfort, either in itself or in our application of it.
And 3. Those that will cast water themselves upon those sparks which Christ labours to kindle in them, because they will not be troubled with the light of them.
Such must know that the Lamb can be angry, and they that will not come under his sceptre of mercy, shall be crushed in pieces by his sceptre of power, Ps. ii. 9. Though he will graciously tender and maintain the least spark of true grace, yet where he findeth not the spark of grace, but opposition to his Spirit striving with them, his wi'ath once kindled shaU burn to hell. There is no juster provocation than when kindness is churlishly refused.