* That is, ' liindrances.'— G.
100 BOWELS OPENED. [SeEMON IX.
THE NINTH SERMON.
1 rose to open to my beloved ; hut my beloved had withdraivn himself. —
jCant. V. 6.
Natukaxly we are prone to delays in heavenly things, and then to cover all with excuses. A man is a sophister to himself, whom he first deceives, before the devil or the world deceive him ; which is the reason why so oft in Scripture you have this mentioned: ' Be not deceived, God is not mocked,' Gal. vi. 7. ' Be not deceived, neither adulterer, nor covetous person, nor such and such, shall ever enter into the kingdom of heaven,' 1 Cor. vi. 9. ' Be not deceived,' which is an intimation that naturally we are very prone to be deceived in points of the greatest consequence in the world, to flatter our- selves, as the church doth here, with false excuses. ' I have put off my coat,' &c. But we shall now see in this next verse what becomes of all those excuses and backwardness of the church whereby she puts oft Christ.
* My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
' I rose to open to my beloved ; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet-smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.
' I rose to open to my beloved ; but my beloved had withdrawn him- self,' &c., ver. 4-6.
This comes of her sluggishness and drowsiness, that Christ absented and withdi'ew himself. There are three things here set down in these verses now read.
1 . Christ's withdrawing of himself.
2. His gracious dealing, having ivithdrawti himself.
He doth not altogether leave his church, but ' puts his finger into the hole of the door,' and then leaves some sweetness behind him before he goes. After which is set down,
3. The success of Christ's departure and idthdraiving of himself from her. (1.) Her bowels were moved in her, which were hard before.
(2.) She rose up out of her bed, wherein formerly she had framed and composed herself to rest.
(3.) She seeks and calls after him.
But the doctrinal points which are to be observed out of these verses are these,
Obs. 1. That Christ doth sometimes use to leave his children, as he did tlie church here.
Obs. 2. That the cause is from the church herself, as we see how unkindly she had used Christ, to let him attend her leisure so long. Therefore he, taking a holy state upon him, leaves the church. The cause of his for- saking us is in ourselves. We may thank ourselves for it.
Obs. 3. That though Christ deal thus with us, yet notwithstanding he never leaves us wholly, without some footsteps of his saving grace and everlasting love ; some remainders and ptrints lie leaves upon the soul, so as it lingers after him, and never rests till it find him. He always leaves something. There is never a total desertion'; as we see here in Christ's dealing, ' he puts his finger into the hole of the door.' He stands at the door, and leaves myrrh behind him, something in the heart that causeth a hugering and restless aifection in her towards Christ.
Cant. V. 6.] * my beloved had withdrawn himself.' 101
Ohs. 4. That the church, hij reason ofthk gracious dealing of Christ, (leaving somewhat behind him J is sensible of her former wikindness, is restless, and stirs up herself to endeavour more and more, till she have recovered her former com- munion and sweet fellowship ivith Christ which she had before. She never gives over till Christ aud she meet again in peace, as we shall see in the prosecution. These be the chief points considerable.
Ohs. 1. First, Christ doth use sometimes to leave his church, as here he doth, ' My beloved had withdrawn himself,' &c.
But what kind of leaving is it ?
We must distinguish of Christ's leavings and withdrawings of himself. They are either in regard of outward or inward comforts and helps.
1. Outward, as Christ leaves his church sometimes by taking away the meajis of salvation, the ministry, or by taking away outward comforts, vfhich is a withdrawing of his ; especially if he accompany the taking of them away with some signs of his displeasure or sense of his anger, as usually it falls out. This doth embitter all crosses and losses, namely, when they come fi'om Christ as a testimony of his anger for our former unkindness.
2. Sometimes his forsaking is more inward, and that is double, either in regard of peace and joy, sweet inward comfort that the soul had wont to feel in the holy ordinances by the Spirit of Christ; or in regard of strength and assistance. There is a desertion in regard of comfort and in regard of strength. Sometimes he leaves them to themselves, in regard of strength and supportation, to fall into some sin, to cure some greater sin perhaps.
Now that Christ thus leaves his church, it is true of all, both of the body and of each particular member of the church.
(1.) It is true of the tvhole body of the church, for you have the church complaining, Isa. slix. 14, ' God hath forgotten me,' ' Can a mother forget her child?' saith God again. So Ps. xliv. 9; and in other places the church complains of forsakings. The Scrip tui-e is full of complaints in this kind.