2. Again, that we may please Christ the better, labour to be cleansed from that which is ofiensive to him : let the spring be clean. Therefore the psalmist, desiring that the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart might be acceptable before God, first begs ' cleansing from his secret sins,' Ps. xix. 12.
3. And still we must remember that he himself must work in us whatso- ever is well-pleasing in his sight, that so we may be perfect in every good thing to do his will, having grace whereby we may serve him acceptably. And one prevailing argument with him is, that we desire to be such as he may take delight in : ' the upright are his delight.' It cannot but please him when we desire grace for this end that we may please him. If we study to please men in whom there is but little good, should we not much more study to please Christ, the fountain of goodness ? Labour therefore to be spiritual ; for ' to be carnally minded is death,' Rom. viii. 6, and ' those that are in the flesh cannot please God.'
The church desires Christ to come into his garden, ' to eat his pleasant fruits,' where we see, the church gives all to Christ. The garden is his, the fniit his, the pleasantness and preciousness of the fruit is his. And as the fruits please him, so the humble acknaR\'ledgment that they come from him doth exceedingly please him. It is enough for us to have the comfort, let him have the glory. It came from a good spirit in David when he said, ' Of thine own. Lord, I give thee,' &c., 1 Chron. xxix. 14. God accounts the works and fruits that come from us to be ours, because ^ the judgment and resolution of will, whereby we do them, is ours. This he doth to encourage us ; but because the gi'ace whereby we judge and will aright, comes from God, it is our duty to ascribe whatsoever is good in us, or comes from us, unto him ; so God shall lose no praise, and we lose no encouragement. The imperfections in well-doing are only ours, "^^ and those Christ will pardon, as knowing how to bear with the infirmities of his spouse, being ' the weaker vessel,' 1 Pet. iii. 7.
Use. This therefore should cheer up our spirits in the wants and blemishes of our perfonnances. They are notwithstanding precious fruits in Christ's acceptance, so that we desire to please him above aU things, and to have nearer communion with him. Fruitfulness unto pleasinrpiess may stand with imperfections, so that we be sensible of them, and ashamed for them. Although the fruit be little, yet it is precious, there is a blessing in it. Imperfections help us against temptations to pride, not to be matter of discouragement, which Satan aims at. And as Christ commands the north
16 BOWELS OPENED. [SeEMON I.
and south wind to blow for cherishing, so Satan labours to stir up an east pinching wind, to take either from endeavour, or to make us heartless in endeavour. Why should we think basely of that which Chiist thinks pre- cious ? Why should we think that oflensive which he counts as incense ? We must not give false witness of the work of grace in our hearts, but bless God that he will work anything in such polluted hearts as ours. What though, as they come from us, they have a relish of the old man, seeing he takes them from us, ' perfumes them with his own sweet odours,' Rev. viii. 3, and so presents them unto God. He is our High Priest which makes all acceptable, both persons, prayers, and perform- ances, sprinkling them all with his blood, Heb. ix. 14.
To conclude this point, let it be our study to be in such a condition wherein we may please Christ ; and whereas we are daily prone to offend him, let us daily renew om* covenant with him, and in him : and fetch encouragements of well-doing from this, that what we do is not only well- pleasing unto him, but rewarded of him. And to this end desire him, that he would give command to north and south, to all sort of means, to be effectual for making us more fruitful, that he may delight in us as his pleasant gardens. And then what is in the world that we need much care for or fear ?
Now, upon the church's invitation for Christ to come into his garden, follows his gracious answer unto the church's desire, in the first verse of this fifth chapter :
' I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse : I have gathered my m}Trh with my spice ; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey ; I have drunk my wine with my milk : eat, 0 friends ; drink, yea, di'ink abundantly, 0 beloved,' Cant. v. 1.
Which words contain in them an answer to the desire of the church in the latter part of the verse formerly handled: 'Awake, thou north wind; and come, thou south,' &c.
Then, ver. 2, is set forth the secure estate of the church at this time, ' I sleep, but my heart waketh;' in setting down whereof the Holy Ghost here by Solomon shews hkewise,