"^Tien the Spirit should witness and seal up the love, the love of Christ to their souls, by an inward kiss, they only content themselves with the out- ward, the bare hearing of the word. But where this -further desire of famiharity with Christ is not, there is but a barren soul, there is no taste of Christ's love. If there were a taste, there would be a fiirther desire of growth in that love. There are some that make a profession of religion, as many that many to cloak their adultery ; so these profess Christ, to cover their strong covetousness and strong faults, that they may have the more strength to commit sin. We must not content om'selves without these outward kisses, but give, as the outward man, so sacrifice the inward man, Rom. vii. 22, the soul unto God. Let those that find, after this trial, these de- sires springing up in them, comfort themselves in this, that they are Christ's, and Christ shall manifest his love more and more unto them. For God hath promised to grant the desires of the righteous, Ps. xxxvii. 4. Hast thou then a longing desire to have a further taste of the love of Christ ? Use the means, and then be sure that Chi'ist will manifest his love more and more imto thy soul.
Use 2. The second use is for exhortation and spiritual direction how we shall come to a further assurance, sign, and fruit of Christ's love. If we de- sire this, we must labour to have, first, chaste judgments, and secondly, chaste affections. A chaste judgment from error, heresy, and schism ; and our afiections chaste from the world, from pleasures and the hke. For Christ is wonderful jealous of our judgments, and of our love. Therefore Paul desires to present the Corinths* a * pnre virgin unto Christ,' 2 Cor. xi. 2. So then, as we must afiectf goodness, so we must profess truth. We must have chaste judgments as well as chaste affections. The spouse of Christ, as she is pure in affections, so she is pm-e in judgment ; she hears his voice and foUows him. ^Miatsoever comes not from the word, receive it not, but reject it. Thus much for the judgment.
So likewise labour for chaste affections. Christ will not have us to divide our afiections ; pai-tly for him, and partly for the world, or partly to plea- sures, and partly to him. He will not have it so. He will have the whole heart and whole afiections, or he will have neither heart nor afiections. If we give our hearts to the world or to the pleasures of the world, the love of which is enmity with God, James iv. 4, then have we an adulterous heart ; which to do is a double sin. As for a wife to commit whoredom is a double sin, there is adultery and breach of marriage covenant ; so to embrace the world after we are contracted unto Chi'ist, is spiritual whoredom and a * That is, ' Corinthians.'— G. t That is, 'love.'— G.
206 THE SPOUSE.
breach of our covenant in spiritual contract. Take heed of worldly-minded ness, which will glue thy affections to the earth, and will not suffer them to be lifted up to Christ. Take heed of the pleasures of the world, lest they drown thy soul, as they do the souls of many that profess themselves to be Christians.
Use 3. Thirdly, if we will grow in the assm'ance of the love of Christ, and have more familiar kisses of his mouth, then labour to get an humble heart, by searching out our own unworthiness in respect of what we are, or were by natm-e. Indeed, we may disparage our credits by abasing our- selves in respect of men, but never can we be too much humbled to our Saviour in acknowledging ourselves unworthy of all that we have. There is no danger in thus debasing ourselves to our Saviour, nay, it is for our honour with God. For those that thus honour him he will honour with his graces ; for he giveth grace to the humble, and with such a spirit he delights to dwell, Isa. Ixvi. 2. Let us with humility, then, acknowledge all to be from his free grace, and with Jacob, acknowledge ourselves to be less than the least of his mercies. Gen. xxxii. 10.
Use 4. Fourthly, if we will grow in the assurance of the love of Christ, v;e must give Christ no peace. Take no nay of him, till he hath given thee the kisses of his love. Many times he delays the manifesting of his love — what though ? Yet wait his pleasure, for he hath waited long upon thee. We see Mary Magdalen, what ado she made when she could not find Christ. He having manifested himself unto her at the beginning, at length he calleth her by her name, demanding for what she wept, and whom she sought, Luke vii. 47. Give him no rest, take no denial, till he answer thee, for he will do it. What did the woman of Canaan ? She gave him no rest till he did apply himself unto her, Mat. xv. 22, seq. Jacob wrestled with God, and woidd not let him go, till he had assured him of his love and favour. Gen. xxxii. 24, seq. He hath promised to grant the desires of the righteous, Ps. xxxvii. 4. Hath he given us such strong desires after him ? Then continue constant importuning him by prayer, and he cannot stand out with us long ; he cannot deny us some further assurance of his love.