Therefore you may see what kind of atheistical creatures those are, and how much they are to be regarded, that turn off all mth a compendium in religion, Tush, if we Imow that we must love God above all, and our neigh- bours as ourselves, and that Chi-ist died for all, we know enough, more than we can practise. They think these cowpendlums will serve the turn, as if there were not a necessity of growing still further and further in distinct knowledge. Alas ! the soul needs to be fed continually. It will stagger else, and be insufficient to stand against temptation, or to perform duties.
A second general point out of the text is this, that as Christ feedeth still his flock and p)eople, so he feeds them fid hj, pi ent if idly, and sweetly among the lilies. There are saving ti'uths enough. There is an all-sufficiency in the book of God. What need we go out to man's inventions, seeing there is a fulness and all-sufficiency of trath there ? Whatsoever is not in that is wind, or poison. In the word is a full kind of feeding. In fonner times when they had not the Scriptures, and the comforts of them to feed on, what did the poor souls then ? and what do those remaining in popery feed on ? Upon stones as it were. There was a dream of an holy man in those times, divers hundi'ed years agone, that he saw one having a deal of manchet* to feed on, and yet all the while the poor wretch he fed on stones. What folly and misery is this, when there ai'e delicate things to feed on, to gnaw iipon stones ! And what is all the school learning almost, (except one or two that had better spirits than the rest) but a gnawing upon stones, barren distinctions, empty things, that had no substance in them ? They had the Scriptures, though they were locked up in Latin, an unknown tongue. They had the sweet pastures of Christ to feed in ; and yet all this while they fed, as it were, on stones.
This should shew us, likewise, our own blessedness that live in these times, wherein, the streams of the rjospel run abundantly, sweetly, and 2^leasantly. There is a fulness among us, even in the spu-its of the worst sort. There is a fulness almost to loathing of that heavenly manna : but those souls, who ever were acquainted with the necessity of it, rather find a want than a fulness ; and still desire to grow up to a further desire, that as they have plentiful means, so they may have plentiful affections after, and strength by those means. Let us know our own happiness in these times. Is it not a comfort to know where to feed and to have pastures to go to, without suspicion of poison ? that we may feed ourselves with comforts fully without fear of bane, or noisome mingling of coloquintida in the pot, which would * That is, ' white-bread.' See Bolinshed, Description of England, B. ii. c. 6. — G.
Cant. VI. 3.] ' he feedeth among the lilies.' 191
disrelish all the rest? to know that there are truths that we may feed on safely? This the church in the former place, Cant. i. 6, 7, accounted a gi'eat pri- vilege, ' Oh, shew me where thou feedest at noon.' In the greatest heat of persecution, that I may feed among them. So then it is a gi'eat privilege to know where to feed, and so to be esteemed, that thereby we may be stirred up to be thankful for our own good, and to improve these privileges to our souls' comfort.
But the second branch that must be touched a little is, that there is ful- ness noivhere hut in God's house; and that there, ami there oidy, is that which satisjieth the said with fatness and sneetness.
Nay, not only the promises, but the very rebukes, of Scriptm'e, are sweet. The rebukes of a friend, they feed the soul. For we have many corrup- tions which hinder our communion with God, so that a Christian delights to have his con-uptions rebuked ; for he knows, if he leave them, he shall grow into further communion with Chi'ist, wherein stands his happi- ness in this world, and the fulness of his happiness in the world to come.
If this be so, let us know then that when we come to rehgion we lose not the sweetness of our Hves, but only translate them to a far more ex- cellent and better condition. Perhaps w^e fed before upon vain authors, upon (as it were) gravel, vain company ; but now we have our dehght (and perhaps find more pleasure) in better things. Instead of that which fed our idle fancy (vain treatises and the hke), now we have holy truths to dehght our souls. Beheve it, a Chi-istian never knows what comfort is to purpose till he be downright and sincere in religion. Therefore Austin saith of himself, ' Lord, I have wanted thy sweetness over long. I see all my former life (that I thought had such sweetness in it) was nothing at all but husks, empty things. Now I know where sweetness is, it is in the word and truth.'* Therefore let us not misconceive of rehgion as of a mopish and dull thing, wherein we must lose all comfort. If we give our- selves over to the study thereof, must we so ? Must we lose our comfort ? Nay, we have no comfort till we be religious indeed. Christ feeds not his among thorns and briers and stinking weeds, but among lihes. Dost thou think he feeds thee among unsavomy, harsh, fi-etting, galhng things ? No ; ' he feeds among hhes.' Therefore when thou comest to rehgion, think that thou comest to comfort, to refresh thy soul. Let us make use of this for oui- soul's comfort, to make us in love more with the ways of Christ.