' My sister.' This was spoken of before in the former verse. The church of God is Christ's sister and spouse. We are knit to him both by con- sanguinity and by affinity. The nearest affinity is marriage, and the nearest consanguinity is sister. So that there are all bonds to knit us to Christ. Whatsoever is strong in any bond, he knits us to him by it. Is there any love in an husband, a brother, a mother, a friend, in an head to the mem-
72 BOWELS OPENED. [SeeMON VI-
bers ? in anything in the world ? Is there any love scattered in any rela- tion, gather it all into one, and all that love, and a thousand times more than that, is in Christ in a more eminent manner. Therefore he styles him- self in all these sweet relations, to shew that he hath the love of all. Will a sister shut out a brother, when the brother comes to visit her, and do her all good ? Is this unkindness even in nature, to look strangely upon a man that is near akin, that comes and saith, ' Open to me, my sister?' li the sister should shut out the brother, were it not most unnatural ? And is it not monstrous in grace, when our brother comes for our good, and in pity to our souls, to let him stand without doors ? Remember that Christ hath the same affections, to account us brothers and sisters, now in heaven, as he had when he was upon the earth. For after his resurrection, saith he to his disciples, ' I go to my God, and to your God, to my Father, and to your Father,' John xx. 17. He calls himself our brother, having one common Father in heaven, and one Spirit, and one inheritance, &c. This is a sweet relation. Christ being our brother, his heart cannot but melt towards us in any affliction. Joseph dissembled a while, out of politic wisdom. Gen. xlii. 7, seq., but because he had a brother's heart to Benjamin, therefore at last he could not hold, but melted into tears, though he made his countenance as though he had not regarded. So our Joseph, now in heaven, may seem to withdraw all tokens and signs of brotherly love from us, and not to own us ; but it is only in show, he is our brother still. His heart, first or last, will melt towards his brethren, to their wonderful com- fort. ' My sister,' &c.
' My love.' That word we had not yet. It is worthy also a little stand- ing on, for all these four words be, as it were, the attractive cords to draw the spouse, not only by shewing what he had sufiered, but by sweet titles, ' My love, My dove.'
What, had Christ no love but his spouse ? Did his love go out of his own heart to her, as it were ? It is strange, yet true. Christ's love is so great to his church and children, and so continual* to it, that his church and people and every Christian soul is the seat of his love. That love in his own breast being in them, they are his love, because he himself is there, and one yviih. them, John xvii. 26.
He loves all his creatures. They have all some beams of his goodness, which he must needs love. Therefore he loves them as creatures, and as they be more or less capable of a higher degree of goodness ; but for his church and children, they are his love indeed.
Quest. But what is the ground of such love ?
Ans. 1. He loves them as he beholds them in his father's choice, as they are elected of God, and given unto himself in election. ' Thine they are, thou gavest them me,' John xvii. 6. Christ, looking on us in God's election and choice, loves us.
Ans. 2. Again, he loves lis became he sees his own graces in its. He loves what is his in us. Before we be actually his, he loves us with a love of good will, to wish all good to us. But when we have anything of his Spirit, that our natm-es are altered and changed, he loves us with a love of the intimatest friendship, with the love of an head, husband, friend, and what we can imagine. He loves his own image. Paul saith ' that the wife is the glory of her husband,' 1 Cor. xi. 7, because whatsoever is in a good husband, the wife expresseth it by reflection. So the chui'ch is the glory of Christ ; she reflects his excellencies, though in a weak measm-e. They * That is. ' abidinsr.'— -G.
Cant. V. 2.] * my lote.' 73
shew forth his virtues or praises, as Peter speaks, 1 Pet;* ii. 9. Thus he sees his own image in her, and the Holy Ghost in his church. He loves her, and these in her, so as whether we regard the Father or himself or his Spirit, the church is his love.
Alls. 3. Jf lie consider also what he hath done and suffered for her, we may well say the church is his love. Besides the former favours, not to speak of election, he choosed us hefore we were. In time he did choose us by actual election, by which ho called us. We had an existence, but we resisted. He called us when we resisted. And then also he justified us, and clothed us with his own righteousness, and after feeds us with his own body. As the soul is the most excellent thing in the world, so he hath provided for it the most excellent ornaments. It hath food and ornaments proportion- able. What love is this, that he should feed our souls with his own body, and clothe us with his own righteousness ! ' He loved me,' saith Paul, Gal. ii. 20. What was the effect of his love ? ' He gave himself for me.' He gave himself, both that we might have a righteousness to clothe us with in the sight of God, and he gave himself that he might be the bread of life, ' My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed,' John vi. 55. The guilty, the self-accusing soul feeds upon Christ dying for its sins. Again, Rev. i. 6, you have his love set forth, ' He loved us ; ' and how doth he witness it ? 'He hath washed us wdth his own blood, and hath made us kings, and priests, &c. The like you have, * He loved us, and gave himself a sweet sacrifice to God for us,' Eph. v. 2. When this world is at an end, we shall see what his love is. He is not satisfied till we be all in one place. "WTiat doth he pray for to his Father ? * Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am,' &c., John xvii. 24. Run through all the whole course of salvation, election, vocation, justifica- tion, glorification, you shall see his love in all of them. But it were an infinite argument to follow to shew the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, Eph. iii. 19 ; and it is too large for us to know all the dimen- sions of it, to see the height, breadth, depth, and length of it, which we should ever think, speak, and meditate of, because the soul is then in the most fit temper to serve, love, and glorify God, when it is most apprehen- sive of his gi'eat love.