The word, to some kind of men, is like the northern air, which parcheth and cutteth. Ahab could not endure the breath of Elias, 1 Kings xxi. 18, seq., nor Herodias the breath of John Baptist, Mark vi. 16, nor the Phari- sees the breath of Stephen and Paul, Luke \'ii. 54, Acts xxii. 22. So too many now-a-days cannot endure the breath of divine truth, when it cuts and pierceth. These words are arrows that stick. If they stick not savingly, they stick to killing. If we cannot endure Christ's breath, we are not his spouse, nor have any communion with him.
' His lips are like Uhes, dropping sweet myrrh,' &c.
This is one excellency of Christ and of his tiTith, that it preserves the soul in a pure estate. It is pure itself, and so it preserves the soul. Myrrh is a hquor that keeps from putrefaction. There is nothing that keeps the soul, but the word that endures for ever. Whereas, on the other side, error is of a putref^ang nature, corrupting and defiling the soul.
' His hands are as gold rings set with beryl,' &c.
Hands are the instruments of actions. Chi'ist's actions are precious. Whatsoever he doth to the church, nay, even when he doth use evil men to afflict and exercise the church, he hath a hand there, a golden, a precious hand, in the evil hand of wicked men. God doth all things by Christ. He is, as it were, God's hand, which all things pass through. Joseph was the second man of Egypt, through whose hands all things came to the rest,
154 BOWELS OPENED. [SeBMON XVII.
Heb. i. 2, John v. 22 ; so all things come through Christ's hands to us ; and whatsoever is his handiwork is good. Even as it is said in the days of his flesh, ' he did aU things well,' Mat. vii. 37, so still, in the church all his workmanship is exceeding well. Though we cannot see the excellency of it, it is all well both in the government of the church and his workman- ship in our hearts, * the new creature.'
' His belly is as bright ivory overlaid,' &c.
His belly, that is, his inward parts. In the Hebrew (p), it is used for the inward affections. They are as bright ivory overlaid with sapphu'es, that is, they are pure. All the inside of Christ, all his affections that he bears, are wondrous good. His love, his desires, his joys, his hatred, all pure, hke pure water in a crystal glass. It may be stirred sometimes, but still it is clear. There are no di'egs at the bottom, because there was no taiut of sin in him.
' His legs are as pillars of marble set on sockets of fine gold,' &c.
That is, all his passages and ways are constant and fii-m, even as pillars of marble. His children are so likewise, as far as they are endued with his Spirit. Christ is yesterday, to-day, and the same for ever, Heb. xiii. 8. In regard of his enemies, he is set out in another manner of similitude, ' as having legs of brass to trample them all in pieces,' Rev. i. 15, But in respect of his constant truth and ways of goodness to his chm'ch, his legs are as pillars of marble.
' His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.'
Lebanon was a goodly forest lying on the north side of Judea, wherein were excellent plants of all kinds, especially cedars. Christ his counte- nance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars, that is, his presnece is goodly, stately, and majestical. So it is and will be when he shews himself, indeed, for the vindicating of his church. Then the enemies thereof shall know that his presence is as Lebanon, and excellent as the cedars.
The children of God are like to cedars, too, for they are Christ mystical. Other men are as shrubs to them, men of no value ; but they are cedars, and grow as cedars in Lebanon, from perfection to perfection, bearing most fruit in their age. Wicked men sometimes are cedars, too, and are said to gi-©w and flourish as the cedars in Lebanon. But look a whUe, and you shall see their place no more. They have no good root, no good founda- tion, Ps. xxxvii. 10. A Christian is a cedar set in Christ the chief cedar. He is a plant that grows in him. He hath an eternal root, and, therefore, he flourisheth eternally.
' His mouth is most sweet, he is altogether lovely.'
His mouth is most sweet. She doubles this commendation. She had said before, his lips are as lilies dropping sweet myrrh. Here she saith again of his mouth, it is most sweet, to shew that this is the chief lovely thing in Christ. The repetition argueth the seriousness of the church's affection to Christ, and of the excellency of that part. The main lovely thing is that which comes from his heart by his words and his lips ; as, indeed, the most excellent thing that we can think of is the expression of the heart of God in Christ, and of Christ's love to us. * His mouth is most sweet,' And, indeed, the best discovery of a true affection to Chi'ist, and of a true estate in grace, is from our afiection to the word of Christ. Wheresoever there is interest into Christ, there is a high respect to the word. ' My sheep hear my voice,' John x. 4 ; and you know what Peter saith, John vi. Many of Christ's hearers and followers forsook him, upon some hard speeches, as they thought, that came from him. Saith Chi'ist to Peter,