What a comfort is this to Christians, that they have the presence of Christ so far forth as shall make them happy, and as the earth will afford. Nothing but heaven, or rather Christ in heaven itself, will content the child of God. In the mean time, his presence in the congregation makes their souls, as it were, heaven. If the king's presence, who carries the court with him, makes all places where he is a court, so Christ he carries a kind of heaven with him. Wheresoever he is, his presence hath ■s\ith it life, light, comfort, strength, and all ; for one beam of his countenance will scatter all the clouds of grief whatsoever. It is no matter where we be, so Christ be with us. If with the three children in a fiery fru-nace, it is no matter, if ' a fourth be there also,' Dan. iii. 25. So if Christ be with us, the flames nor
22 BOWELS OPENED. [SeRMON II.
nothing shall hurt us. If in a dungeon, as Paul and Silas were, Acts xvi. 24, if Christ's presence be there, by his Spirit to enlarge our souls, all is comfortable whatsoever. It changeth the nature of all things, sweeteneth everything, besides that sweetness which it brings unto the soul, by the presence of the Spirit ; as we see in the Acts, when they had received the Holy Ghost more abundantly, they cared not what they suffered, regarded not whipping ; nay, were glad ' that they were accounted worthy to suffer anything for Christ,' Acts v. 41. Whence came this fortitude ? From the presence of Christ, and the Comforter which he had formerly promised.
So let us have the Spirit of Christ that comes from him ; then it is no matter what our condition be in the world. Upon this ground let us fear nothing that shall befall us in God's cause, whatsoever it is. We shall have a spii'it of prayer at the worst. God never takes away the spirit of suppli- cation from his children, but leaves them that, until at length he possess them fully of their desires. In all Christ's delays, let us look unto the cause, and to om* carriage therein ; renew our repentance, that we may be in a fit state to go to God, and God to come to us. Desire him to fit us for prayer and holy communion with him, that we may never doubt of his presence.
THE SECOND SERMON.
I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have gathered my honeycomb ivith my honey; I have drunk my wine tvith my milk: eat, 0 friends; drink, yea, drink abun- dantly, 0 beloved.'' — Cant. V. 1.
This song is a mirror of Christ's love, a discovery of which we have in part in this verse ; wherein Christ accepts of the invitation of the chui'ch, and comes into his garden ; and he entertains her with the terms of sister and spouse. Herein observe the descnption of the church, and the sweet conqjellation, ' my sister, my spouse ; ' where there is both afl&nity and consanguinity, all the bonds that may tie us to Christ, and Christ to us.
1. His sister, by blood.
2. His spouse, by marriage.
Christ is our brother, and the church, and every particular true member thereof, is his sister. ' I go,' saith Christ, ' to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God,' John xx. 17. ' Go,' saith he, ' and teU my brethren.' This was after his resurrection. His advancement did not change his disposition. Go, tell my brethren that left me so un- kindly ; go, teU Peter that was most unldnd of all, and most cast down with the sense of it. Ho became our brother by incarnation, for all our union is from the first union of two natures in one person. Christ be- came bone of om' bone and flesh of our flesh, to make us spiritually bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.
Therefore let us labour to be hke to him, who for that purpose be- came like to us, Immanuel, God with us, Isa. vii. 14 ; that we might be like him, and ' partake of the divine nature,' 2 Pet. i. 4. Whom should we rather desire to be like than one so great, so gracious, so loving ?
Again, ' Christ was not ashamed to caU us brethren,' Heb. ii. 11, nor * abhorred the virgin's womb,' to be shut up in those dark cells and
Cant. V. 1.] 'sir sistek, my spouse.' 23
straits ; but took our base nature, wben it was at tbe worst, and not only our nature, but our miserable condition and cui'se due unto us. Was be not asbamed of us ? and sball we be asbamed to ovm bim and bis cause ? Against tbis cowardice it is a tbunderbolt wbicb our Saviour Cbrist pro- nouncetb, ' He tbat is asbamed of me before men, bim will I be asbamed of before mvFatber, and all tbe boly angels,' Mark viii. 38. It argues abase disposition, eitber for frown or favour to desert a good cause in evil times.
Again, It is a point of comfort to know that we have a brother uho is a favourite in heaven; wbo, tbougb be abased bimself for us, is yet Lord over all. Unless be bad been our brotber, be could not bave been our busband ; for busband and wife sbould be of one natm'e. Tbat be migbt marry us, tberefore, be came and took our nature, so to be fitted to fulfil tbe work of our redemption. But now be is in beaven, set down at tbe rigbt band of God : tbe true Josepb, tbe bigb steward of heaven ; be batb all power committed unto bim ; be rules all. What a comfort is tbis to a poor soul tbat batb no fi-iends in tbe world, tbat yet be batb a friend in beaven tbat will own bim for bis brotber, in and through whom be may go to tbe throne of grace boldly and pour out his soul, Heb. iv. 15, 16. What a comfort was it to Joseph's brethren tbat their brother was tbe second person in tbe kingdom.