Use 2. ' My love, my dove,' &e. There are all words of sweetness. He labours to express all the affection he can. For the conscience is subject to upbraid, and to clamour much. So that there must be a great deal of persuasion to still the accusing conscience of a sinner, to set it down, make it quiet, and persuade it of God's love. Therefore he useth all heavenly rhetoric to persuade and move the affections.
Use 3. In this that the church is undefiled in Christ, let us learn when afflicted in conscience, not so much to judge of ourselves by what rce feel in ourselves, as by what faith suggests. In Christ therefore let us judge of our- selves by what we are as in him. We are poor in ourselves, but have riches in him. We die in ourselves in regard of this life, but we have a life in him, an eternal life ; and we are sinners in om'selves, but we have a righteousness in him whereby we are righteous in his sight, 1 Cor. v. 21. We are foolish, unskilful, and ignorant in ourselves, but he is our wisdom in all whatsoever is amiss in us. Let us labour to see a full supply of our
Cant. V. 2] 'my undefiled.' 85
wants made up in Christ. This is to glorify God as much as if we could fulfil the law perfectly. If we were as undefiled as Adam was, we could not glorify God more, than when we find ourselves and our conscience guilty of suis, yet thus by the Spnit of God to go out of ourselves, and to see our- selves in Christ, and thus to cast ourselves on him, embrace him, and take that gift of God given us, Christ ofiered to us, because God so commands, John iv. 10. We honour God more than if we had the obedience that Adam had at first before his fall. For now in the covenant of grace, he will be glorified in his mercy, in his forgiving, forbearing, rich, transcendent mercy, and in going beyond all our unworthiness and sins, by shewing that there is a righteousness pro\'ided for us, the righteousness of God-man ; whose obedience and satisfaction is more than our disobedience, because it is the disobedience of man only, but his obedience and righteousness isf the obedience and righteousness of God-man. So it satisfieth divine justice, and therefore ought to satisfy conscience to the full. Our faith must an- swer Christ's carriage to us. We must therefore account ourselves in him * undefiled,' because he accounts us so. Not in ourselves, but as we have a being in him, we are undefiled.
Use 4. Again, see here, Christ accounts us, even in regard of habitual grace, undefiled, though ice have for the jj resent inany corruptions. Let us therefore learn a lesson of moderation of so excellent a teacher ; let us not be ashamed to learn of our Saviour. What spirit shall we think they have, that will unchurch churches, because they have some defilement and un- brotherly brethren, accounting them no churches, no brethren, because they have some imperfections ? Why hath not Christ a quarrel to the church then ? is he blind ? doth his love make him blind ? No ; he seeth corrup- tion, but he seeth better things ; somewhat of his own, that makes him overlook those imperfections, because they are such as he means to mortify, subdue, wear away, and to fire out by the power of his Spirit, which as fire shall waste all those corruptions in time. So it is with the church. Put the case, she hath some corruptions ; that it be not with her, as it should be, yet she is a church notwithstanding. The church of Corinth, we see, Paul styles them saints and brethren, with all those sweet names, 1 Cor. i. 2, notwithstanding they had many corruptions among them.
Use 5. We have a company of malignant spirits, worse than these a great deal, atheistical persons, that have no religion at all, who, out of malice and envy, ivatchfor the haltinrf of good Christians ; who can see no- thing but defilement in those that have any good in them, nothing but hypocrisy, moppishness, all that is naught ; who, if they can devise any blemish, put it upon them. Whereas Christ sees a great deal of ill in the church, but he sees it to pardon, subdue, and to pity the church for it, ex- tolling and magnifj-ing its goodness, '\^^lat spirits are those of that watch to see imperfections in others, that their hearts tell them are better than they, that they may only disgrace them by it ; for goodness they will see none.
Use 6. And likewise, it should teach us not to wrong ourselves with false judgment. We should have a double eye : one eye to see that which is amiss in us, our own imperfections, thereby to carry ourselves in a per- petual humility ; but another eye of faith, to see what we have in Christ, our perfection in him, so to account of ourselves, and glory in this our best being, that in him we have a glorious being, — such an one whereby God esteems us perfect, and undefiled in him only. The one of which sights should enforce us to the other, which is one end, why God in this world leaves corruption in his children. Oh, since I am thus undefiled, shall