VOL. n. E
66 BOWELS OPENED. [SeRMON V.
after so long knocking ! for the entertaining of liis word is the welcoming of himself, as it is, Col. iii. 16. ' Let the word of God dwell plentifully in you.' And, ' Let Christ dwell in your hearts by faith,' Eph. iii. 17. Com- pare those places ; let the word dwell plenteously in you by wisdom, and let Christ dwell in your hearts by faith. For then doth Christ dwell in the heart, when the truth dwells in us. Therefore, what entertainment we give to his truth, we give to himself. Now what means of knocking hath he not used among us a long time ? For works of all sorts, he hath drawn us by the cords of a man, by aU kind of favours. For mercies, how many deU- verances have we had (no nation the like ; we are a miracle of the Chris- tian world) from foreign invasion, and domestical conspiracies at home ? How many mercies do we enjoy ! Abundance, together with long peace and plenty. Besides, if this would not do, God hath added corrections with all these, in every element, in every manner. Lifection in the air, judgments in inundations. We have had rumours of wars, &c. Threatenings, shakings of the rod only, but such as might have awaked us. And then he hath knocked at our hearts by the example of other nations. By what he hath done to them, he hath shewed us what he might justly have done to us. We are no better than they.
As for his ministerial knocking : above threescore years we have lived under the ministry of the gospel. This land hath been Goshen, a land of light, when many other places are in darkness. Especially we that live in this Goshen, this place, and such like, where the Ught shines in a more abundant measure. Ministers have been sent, and variety of gifts. There hath been piping and mourning, as Chiist complains in his time, that they were like fi-oward children, that neither sweet piping nor doleful mourning would move to be tractable to their fellows. * They had John, who came mourning,' Mat. xi. 17, and Christ comforting with blessing in his mouth. AU kind of means have been used.
And for the motions of his Spirit, who are there at this time, who thus live in the church under the ministry, who cannot say that God thereby hath smote their hearts, those hard rocks, again and again, and awaked their consciences, partly with corrections public and personal, and partly with benefits ? Yet notwithstanding, what little way is given to Christ ! Many are indifferent, and lukewarm either way, but rather incline to the worst.
Let us then consider of it. The greater means, the greater judgments afterwards, if we be not won by them. Therefore let us labour to hold Christ, to entertain him. Let him have the best room in our souls, to dwell in our hearts. Let us give up the keys to him, and desire him to rule our understandings, to know nothing but him, and what may stand with his truth, not to yield to any error or corruption. Let us desii'e that he would rule in our wills and affections ; sway all, give all to him. For that is his meaning, when he says, * Open to me,' so that I may rule, as in mine own house, as the husband rules in his family, and a king in his kingdom. He wiU have all yielded up to him. And he comes to beat down all, whatsoever is exalted against him ; and that is the reason men are so loth to open unto him. They know if they open to the Spirit of God, he will turn them out of their fool's paradise, and make them resolve upon other courses of life, which, because they will not turn unto, they repel the sweet motions of the Spirit of Christ, and pull away his graces, building bulwarks against Christ, as lusts, strange imaginations, and reso- lutions, 2 Cor. X. 3-5. Let the ministers say what they will, and the Spirit
Cant. V. 2.] * it is the voice of my beloved.' 67
move as he will, thus they hve, and thus they will live. Let us take no- tice, therefore, of all the means that God useth to the State, and to us in particular, and every one labour to amend one. Eveiy soul is the temple, the house, Chi-ist should dwell in. Let every soul, therefore, among us, consider what means Christ useth to come into his soul to dwell with him, and to rule there.
And what shall we lose by it ? Do we entertain Christ to our loss ? Doth he come empty ? No ; he comes with all grace. His goodness is a communicative, diffusive goodness. He comes to spread his treasures, to em'ich the heart with all gi'ace and strength, to bear all afflictions, to en- counter all dangers, to bring peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost. He comes, indeed, to make our hearts, as it were, a heaven. Do but consider this. He comes not for his o^vn ends ; but to empty his goodness into our hearts. As a breast that desires to empty itself when it is full ; so this fountain hath the fulness of a fountain, which sti"ives to empty his goodness into our souls. He comes out of love to us. Let these con- siderations melt our hearts for oui- unkinduess, that we suffer him to stand so long at the door knocking, as it is said here.