And desire also to this purpose, the spirit of revelation, that which Paul prays for, Eph. iii. 18, ' that we may know that knowledge that is above all knowledge, the height, depth, and breadth of God's love in Christ.' So sweet is God in the greatest abasements of his children, that he leaves such a taste in the soul of a Christian, that from thence he may be able to say, * This is my beloved,' when his beloved seems not to care for him. When the church seemed to be disrespected and neglected of Christ, yet she says, ' This is my beloved, and this is my friend, 0 ye daughters of Jerusalem.'
Cant. VI, 1.] ' WHiTHEE is thy beloved gone ?' 165
Shall rich men boast of their riches ? Shall men that are in favour, boast of the favour of gi'eat persons ? Shall a man that hath large possessions boast and think himself as good and as great as his estate is ? Shall a base- minded worldling be able to boast ? ' Why boastest thou thj'self, 0 mighty man?' Ps. lii. 1. Nay, you shall have malignant- spirited men boast of their malignant destructive power. I can do this and that mischief. Shall a man boast of mischief, that he is able to do mischief? and hath not a Christian more cause to boast in God and in salvation ? Lord, shine on me, says Da^•id, Ps. iv. 6, let me enjoy the Ught of thy countenance ; and that shall bring me more joy than they have, when their corn and wine in- creaseth. Know this, as he goes on in the same psalm, that God accepts the righteous man.
Therefore let us think we have much more cause to boast of God and of Christ in a spii'itual manner, than the worldling hath of the world. Is not God and Christ our portion ? and having Chi'ist, have we not all things with Christ ? Put case all things be took from us. If a man have Christ, he is rich though he have nothing else. If he have all without him, his plenty is (as a father saith, and as it is in truth) beggary. But whosoever hath Christ may thus rejoice with David, ' The lot is fallen to me in plea- sant places ; yea, I have a goodly heritage,' Ps. xvi. 6. Would we have more than God in Christ, a ring with a diamond veiy precious in it ? Now the daughters of Jerusalem, hearing this large expression of affection, ask,
' Whither is thy beloved gone, 0 thou fairest among women ? whither is thy beloved turned aside ? that we may seek him with thee,' chap. vi. 1.
Here is another question. The first which the daughters of Jerusalem ask is, ' What is thy beloved ?' whereupon the church took occasion to ex- press what her beloved was : upon her expression closing up all with this general, ' This is my beloved, and this is my friend.'
Then the second question is, ' Whither is thy beloved gone ?' One ques- tion begets another ; and indeed if this question be well satisfied, what is Christ above others ? this will follow again. "Where is he ? How shall I get him ? How shall I seek him ? What is the reason this second ques- tion is seldom made ? Whither is he gone ? how shall I get Christ ? Be- cause the fonner question, namely, ' What is Christ ? is so seldom made. For if we did once know what Chi'ist is, we would be sure with the daughters of Jerusalem to ask whither is he gone, that we may seek him with thee.
We see here is a growth in the desires of the daughters of Jerusalem, whence we learn.
That grace, though it he in never so Utile jn-oportion at the first, it is groiv- ing still.
From the first question, ' What is thy beloved ? ' here is a second, upon better information, ' Whither is thy beloved gone, that we may seek him with thee ? ' Nothing is less than grace at the first, nothing in the world so little in proportion. The kingdom of heaven is compared to a grain of mustard seed. Mat. xiii, 31, seq. That is, the work of grace in the heart, as well as in the preaching of the gospel, in the beginning is little. It is true of the work of grace, as well as of the word of grace, that it is like a gi-ain of mustard seed at first. ' What is thy beloved ? ' inquires the church at first ; but when she hears of the excellency of Christ, then, ' Whither is thy beloved gone ? ' Grace begets grace. There is a connection and knitting together in religion. Good things beget good things. It is a strange thing in rehgion how great a matter ariseth of a little beginning. The woman of Samaxia had but a small beginning of gi-ace, and yet she presently di-ew
166 BOWELS OPENED. [SeEMON XVIII.
many of her neighbours to believe in Christ. So Andrew, John i. 41. As soon as he was converted, he finds his brother Simon, and tells him that he had found the Messiah, and so brings him to Christ. And Philip, as soon as he had got a spark of faith himself, he draws also Nathanael to come to Christ. Paul speaks of his bonds, how the noise of them was in Caesar's court, Philip, i. 13, and many believed the very report, which, howsoever it is not a working cause, yet it may be a preparing, inducing, leading cause to such things, from one thing to another, till there follow this change and full conversion. You see here the daughters of Jerusalem growing. Therefore, let us labour to be under good means. Some of the Romists and others, which are ill afi'ected and grounded in that point, they think that the efficacy of grace is, as we call it, from the congruity, fitness, and proportion of the means to the heart and will of man. And thereupon God converts one and not another, because there is a congruous and fit ofiering of means to him when he is fitly disposed, and another is not fith^ disposed. Therefore, there follows not upon it effectual caUing. So that the virtue of the means offered depends upon suitableness and fitness in the party to whom the means are ofiered, and not upon the power and blessing of God. Verily, this is plausible, and goes down very roundly with many weak persons ; but this is a false and a gross error, for unless God by his Holy Spirit do work by the means, no planting and watering will bring any increase, and change the heai-t and mind. Though there were greater means in Chi'ist's time when he wrought these miracles, than any time before, yet all those could not convert that froward generation; and it was Moses's complaint in the wilderness, where they had abundance of means, ' God hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear until this day,' Deut. xxix. 4. WTien a man is planted under good means and frequents them, then ordinarily it pleaseth God, by the inward workings of his own power- ful Spirit, to work greater matters; and those that keep out of God's reach, that will not come into places where they may hear good things, there is no hope of them. Though there be many ill fish in the net, yet there is no hope to catch them that are without the net. So those that are kept out of all opportunities and occasions whereby God's Spirit may work upon them, there is no hope of them.