tse. Wherefore let the discouraged soul make this use of it, not to he afraid to do that which is yood, upon fear ive should sin. Indeed, sin will cleave to that we do, but Christ will pai-don the sm, and accept that which
i06 BOWELS OPENED. [SeRMON IX.
is sweet of his own Spirit. Let us not esteem basely of that which Christ esteems highly of, nor let that be vile in our eyes that is precious in his. Let us labour to bring our hearts to comfortable obedience, for it is a sweet sacrifice to God.
Now, whence came all this ? From this that is mentioned, ' My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him,' ver. 4. First, for that expression, he put his finger in by the hole of the door. It implies here that Christ, before he departed, left by his Spirit an impression on the church's heart, which deeply affected her to seek after him.
The fingers spoken of are nothing but * the power of his Spirit.' As the usual Scripture phrase is, ' This is God's finger,' ' God's mighty hand,' Exod. viii. 19, without which all ordinances are inefiectual. ' Paul may plant, and Apollos may water,' 1 Cor. iii. 6, 7, but all is nothing without the working of the Spirit, the motions whereof are most strong, being God's finger, whereby he wrought all that affection in the church which is here expressed. Christ, before he leaveth the church, ' puts his finger into the hole of the door,' that is, he works somewhat in the soul by his Spirit, which stirred up a constant endeavour to seek after him. For why else follows it, ' her bowels were moved after him ' ? which implies a work of the Spirit upon her bowels, expressed in her grief for his absence, and shame for her refusing his entrance, and wherebj" her heart was moved and turned in her to seek after him. From whence, thus explained, observe,
Obs. 1. That oaticard ineans uill do no good, iinless the Jiiiger of Chiist come to do all that is good.
The finger of Clu-ist is the Spirit of Christ— that is, a kind of divine power goes from him in hearing and speaking the word of God, and in prayer. There is more than a man's power in all this. If these work any efiiect, Christ ' must put his finger in.' When duties are unfolded to us ia the ministry of the word, all is to no purpose, but the sounding of a voice, unless the finger of Christ open the heart, and work in the soul.
Use 1. Let us make this use of it, therefore, not to rest in any means whatsoever, but desire the presence of Christ's finger to m-ove and to work upon our hearts and souls. Many careless Christians go about the ordi- nances of God, and never regard this power of Christ, this mighty power, ' the finger of Christ.' Thereupon they find nothing at all that is divine and spiritual wrought in them. For, as it required a God to redeem us, to take our nature, wherein he might restore us, so likewise it requires the power of God to alter our natures. We could not be brought into the state of grace without divine satisfaction, and we cannot be altered to a frame of grace without a divine finger, the finger of God worldng upon our hearts and souls. This should move us, in all the ordinances of God that we attend upon, to lift up our hearts in the midst of them, ' Lord, let me feel the finger of thy Spirit writing thy word upon my heart.' ' Turn us, 0 Lord, and we shall be turned,' Jer. xxxi. 18. Pray for this quickening and enlivening, for this strengthening Spirit. All comes by it.
From this that it is said here, ' that Christ puts his finger into the hole of the door before he removed it,' and withdrew himself, observe,
Obs. 2. How graciously Christ doth deal with us, that he doth aJu-ays leave some grace before he doth offer to depart. Let us therefore, for the time to come, lay and store this up as a ground of comfort, that howsoever Christ may leave us, yet, notwithstanding, he will never leave us wholly ; but as he gave us his Holy Spirit at first, so he will continue Him in us by some
Cant. V. 6.] ' my beloved had withdrawn himself.' 107
gracious work or other, either by way of comfort, or of strength to uphold us. Perhaps wo may need more sorrow, more humility, than of any other grace. For winter is as good for the growing of things as the spring, because were it not for this, where would be the killing of weeds and worms, and preparing of the ground and land for the spring ? So it is as needful for Christians to find the presence of Christ in the way of humiliation and abasement, causing us to afflict our own souls, as to feel his presence in peace, joy, and comfort. In this life we cannot be without this gracious dispensation. We may therefore comfort ourselves, that howsoever Christ leaves us, yet he will always leave somewhat behind him, as here he left some myrrh after him upon the handle of the door. Some myrrh is left always behind him upon the soul, which keeps it in a state and frame of grace, and sweetens it. Myrrh was one of the ingredients in the holy oU, as it is Exod. xxs. 30 ; and so this leaving of myrrh behind him signifies the oil of grace left upon the soul, that enabled the church to do all these things, which ai'e after spoken of.