Use 2. Again, if Christ be so lovely, * altogether lovely,' then let tts labour to be in him, that so we may be lovely to God ; because he is the first amiable thing in the world, in whom we are all lovely. All our love- Uness is in beloved Christ.
Use 3. Again, if Christ be so lovely, here only ive have vherenpon to spend the marrow of our best affections. Is it not pity we should lose so much of our aflections as we do upon other things ? Christ is altogether
158 BOWELS OPENED. [SeRMON XVU.
lovely ; why should we doat upon other things so much, and set up idols in our hearts above Christ ? Is he altogether lovely, and shall not he have altogether our lovely affections, especially when we are commanded, under pain of a curse, to love the Lord Jesus ? Anathema Maran-atha to those that love not Christ, 1 Cor. xvi. 22. Let us therefore labour to place all our sweet affections that are to be exercised upon good, as love, joy, and delight, upon this object, this lovely deserving object, Christ, who is ' altogether lovely.' When we suffer a pure stream, as it were, to run through a dirty channel, our affections to run after the things of the world, which are worse than ourselves, we lose our affections and ourselves.
Let, therefore, the whole stream of our affections be carried unto Christ. Love him, and whatsoever is his ; for he being altogether lovely, all that comes from him is lovely. His promises, his directions, "his coimsels, his children, his sacraments, are aU lovely. AVhatsoever hath the stamp of Christ upon it, let us love it. We cannot bestow our hearts better, to lose ourselves in the love of Christ, and to forget ourselves and the love of all. Yea, to hate all in comparison of him, and to account all ' dimg and di'oss' compared with Christ, is the only way to find ourselves. And indeed we have a better condition in him, than in the world or in ourselves. Severed from him, our condition is vain, and will come to nothing ; but that we have in him is admirable and everlasting. We cannot conceive the happiness which we poor wretches are advanced to in Christ ; and what excellent things abide for us, which come from the love of God to us in Christ, who is so altogether lovely. Therefore let us labour to kindle in our hearts an affection towards Christ, all that we can, considering that he is thus lovely.
Use 4. And let us make an use of trial, ivhether he be thus lovely to us, or no. We may see hence whether we love Christ or no. We may judge of our love by our esteem.
1. Hou' do tve value Christ? what price doth the church set on him? ' He is the chief of ten thousand.' What place, then, should he have in our hearts ? If he be the chief of ten thousand, let us rather offend ten thousand than offend him. Let us say, with David, ' Whom have I in heaven but thee?' &c., Ps. Ixxiii. 25. And when the soul can say to Christ, or any that is Christ's (for I speak of him in the latitude of his truths, promises, sacraments, and communion with his children), * What have I in heaven but thee ? ' &c., then it is in a happy condition. If these things have the same place in our esteem, as they have in respect of their own worth, then we may say truly, without hypocrisy, ' He is altogether lovely to us,' that we truly love him.
2. In the next place, a7-e we ready to suffer for Christ ? We see the church here endures anything for Christ. She was misused of the watch- men. They scorned her, and her ' veil is taken away,' yet notwithstanding, she loves Christ still. Do we stand ready disposed to suffer for Christ ? of the world to be disgraced and censured ? and yet are we resolved not to give over ? Nay, do we love Christ the more, and stick to his truth the faster ? Certainly where the love of Christ is, there is a spirit of fortitude, as we may see in the church here, who is not discouraged from Christ by any means. He is still the chief of ten thousand. When she was wronged for seeking after him, yet he was altogether lovely. Whereas, on the other hand, you have some that, for frowns of greatness, fear of loss, or for hope of rising, will warp their conscience, and do anything. Where now is love to Christ and to rehgion ? He that loves Chi'ist, loves him the more for his cross, as the Holy Ghost hath recorded of some, that they
Cant. V. 13.] ' he is axtogethee lovely.' 159
* rejoiced that they were thought worthy to suffer for Christ,' Acts v. 41. So the more we suffer for him, the more dear he will be to us. For indeed he doth present himself in love and comfort most, to those that suffer for his sake ; therefore their love is increased.
3. Again, where love is, there it enlarrjeth the heart, which being enlarged, enlargeth the tongue also. The church hath never enough of commending Christ, and of setting out his praise. The tongue is loosed, because the heart is loosed. Love will alter a man's disposition. As we see in experi- ence, a man base of nature, love will make him liberal ; he that is tongue- tied, it will make him eloquent. Let a man love Christ, and though before he could not speak a word in the commendation of Christ, and for a good cause, yet, I say, if the love of Christ be in him, you shall have him speak and labour earnestly in the praises of God. This hot affection, this heavenly fire, will so mould and alter him, that he shall be clean another man. As we see in the church here, after that there was kindled a spirit of love in her, she cannot have done with Christ. When she had spoke what she could, she adds, ' He is altogether lovely.' Those that cannot speak of Christ, or for Ckrist, with large hearts in defence of good causes, but are tongue-tied and cold in their affections, where is theu' love ? Put any worldly man to a worldly theme that he is exercised in, and speaks of daily, he hath wit and words at will ; but put him to a theme of piety, you lose him : he is out of his theme, and out of his element. But 'tis not so with those that have ever felt the love of God in Christ. They have large affections. How full is Saint Paul ! He cannot speak of Christ, but he is in the height, breadth, length, and depth of the love of God in Christ, and the knowledge of God above all knowledge. Thus we may discern the truth of our love by the expressions of it here as in the church.