But to what end must these winds bloiv upon the garden ?
* That the spices thereof may flow out.'
The end of this blowing is, you see, ' that the spices thereof may flow out.' Good things in us He dead and bound up, unless the Spirit let them out. We ebb and flow, open and shut, as the Spirit blows upon us ; -svith- out blowing, no flowing. There were gracious good things in the church, but they wanted blowing up and further spreading, whence we may observe, that,
Ohs. 1. We need not only grace to put life into us at the first, but likewise grace to quicken and draw forth that grace that we have. This is the difference be- twixt man's blowing and the Spirit's. Man, when he blows, if grace be not there before, spends all his labour upon a dead coal, which he cannot make take fire. But the Spirit first kindles a holy fii'e, and then increases the flame. Christ had in the use of means wrought on the church before, and now farther promoteth his own work. We must first take in, and then send out; first be cisterns to contain, and then conduits to convey. The wind first blows, and then the spices of the church flow out. We are first Bweet in ourselves, and then sweet to others.
Ohs. 2. Whence we see further, that it is not enough to be good in our-
Cant. IV. 16.J ' that the spices thereof may flow out.' 13
selves, but our goodness must fiow out ; that is, grow more strong, useful to continue and stream forth for the good of others. We must labour to be, as was said of John, burning and shining Christians, John v. 35. For Christ is not like a box of ointment shut up and not opened, but like that box of ointment that Mary poured out, which perfumes all the whole house with the sweetness thereof. For the Spirit is herein like wind ; it carries the sweet savour of grace to others. A Christian, so soon as he finds any rooting in God, is of a spreading disposition, and makes the places he lives in the better for him. The whole body is the better for evei*y good member, as we see in Onesimus, Phil. 11. The meanest persons, when they become good, are useful and profitable ; of briars, become flowers. The very naming of a good man casts a sweet savour, as presenting some grace to the heart of the hearer. For then we have what we have to purpose, when others have occa- sion to bless God for us, for conveying comfort to them by us. And for our furtherance herein, therefore, the winds are called upon to awake and blow upon Christ's garden, ' that the spices thereof may flow out.'
Ohs. 3. Hence we see, also, that ivhere once God begins, he goes on, and de- lights to add encouragement to encouragement, to maintain new setters up in re- ligion, and doth not only give them a stock of grace at the beginning, but also helps them to trade. He is not only Alpha, but Omega, unto them, the beginning and the ending. Rev. i. 8. He doth not only plant graces, but also watereth and cherisheth them. Where the Spii'it of Christ is, it is an encouraging Spirit; for not only it infuseth grace, but also stirs it up, that we may be ready prepared for every good work, otherwise we cannot do that which we are able to do. The Spirit must bring all into exercise, else the habits of grace will lie asleep. We need a present Spirit to do every good; not only the power to will, but the will itself; and not only the will, but the deed, is from the Spirit, which should stir us up to go to Christ, that he may stir up his own graces in us, that they may flow out.
Use. Let us labour, then, in ourselves to be full of goodness, that so we may be fitted to do good to all. As God is good, and does good to all, so must we strive to be as like him as may be; in which case, for others' sakes, we must pray that God would make the winds to blow out fully upon us, ' that our spices may flow out ' for their good. For a Christian in his right temper thinks that he hath nothing good to purpose, but that which does good to others.
Thus far of Christ's command to the north and south wind to awake and blow upon his garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. In the next place we have —
n. Christ's invitation by the church to come into his garden, with the end thereof,' to eat his pleasant fniits.'
Which words shew the church's further desire of Christ's presence to de- light in the graces of his own Spirit in her. She invites him to come and take dehght in the gi-aces of his own Spirit; and she calls him ' Beloved,' because all her love is, or should be, imparted and spent on Christ, who gave himself to a cursed death for her. Our love should run in strength no other way, therefore the church calls Christ her ' Beloved.' Christ was there before, but she desires a further presence of him, whence we may ob- serve, that