Use 5. Again, take everything to thine advantage, as his former love and favour, his power, fidelity, and stability. Take advantage from these, and plead for thy desires, as the woman of Canaan. Christ accounts her a dog. Mat. XV. 26. I am indeed so, saith she. She taketh advantage of his words, and thereby pleads for her desire. As the servants of Benhadad catch at words of comfort from Ahab, 1 Ivings xx. 33 ; so continually take advantage from your own experience. He hath been thus and thus good unto thee, these and these means thou hast enjoyed, and thus and thus hath it wrought for my good ; I will therefore follow him now until he assure me of his love in a fm"ther degi'ee.
Use 6. Again, consider thou must be modest in thy desires of this kind. Desire no great matter at the first. I mean, not full assurance of the love of Christ at the first ; but observe the degi'ees of his kisses, and manifestation of his love. The thief on the cross desired but to be remembered of Christ when he came into his kingdom, Luke xxiii. 42, — no great matter ; so do thou desu'e any taste of his love, though never so little. Indeed, so the children of God do. First they desire the pardon of their sins, and having obtained this, they grow more and more in desiring the graces of the Spirit, as seals to assure them of the pardon of them, and of his love unto them, and nearer communion with him.
THE SPOUSE. 207
, Obj. But this communion is not alway felt.
Sol. 1. I answer, if Christ he strange to us, it is from ourselves, not from Christ; for he is all love. It is either because our loose hearts run after some carnal contents ; and then no marvel though Christ shew himself strange unto us, and we go moui'ning all the day long, without a sense of his love.
Or else, 2, It is when tee uill not seek for his kisses, a further taste of his love, as we should, in his ordinances, nor exercise those gi'aces that we have as we should, in attending upon the ordinance, resting by faith upon God's promise for a blessing.
Or else, 3, We are so negligent, that ive do not stir up those graces of God in us by piivate duties.
Or else, 4, We join ourselves to evil company, or to persons led with an evil spirit. These are the causes why Christ is strange to us.
Or else, 5, It is to exercise and try our faith, and to let us see ourselves and our own weakness. Thus he left Peter. Otherwise, it is Christ, his nature, to manifest himself and his love by familiar kisses of his mouth. Search into your hearts, and you shall find that these and such like are the causes why Christ is strange unto you, and why you are senseless * of your communion with him.
Use 7. Consider, again, when it is, at what time is it that we have the sweetest kisses, and are most refreshed with Christ's love. Is it not when we put om* strength to good means, as when we strive with God in prayer, and labour in humility rightly, and profitably to use all his ordinances ? Mark these two well as a means to preserve and increase the assurance of Christ's love in you.
First, how you fall into deadness, and the causes of it.
Secondly, hoiv you come to have most communion with Christ, and at what time, and after what perfonnances. Canst thou say, I was thus and thus dead and senseless of Chiist's love, but now I am thus and thus comforted and refreshed ? either when thou deniedst anything to thyself, which thy heart stood strongly for, or when thou hadst been most careful in holy duties. If we deny ourselves in anything, that our hearts stand strongly for, because it hinders us in holy courses, God will be sure to recompense us in spii'itual things abundantly, yea, and in temporal things many times.
t'se 8. Consider, again, when I was affiicted and had none else to comfort me, then the Lord was most sweet unto me, then he refreshed my soul with a sense of his love.
These may help us much in getting a further assurance of Christ's love. Be stirred up, then, to desire to be where Chi'ist is, and to have the kisses of his love in his ordinances, as further testimonies of his favour, and never rest from having a desire to increase in grace and communion with Christ. So shall you never want assurance of a good estate, nor comfort in any good estate. Cast such a man into a dungeon, he hath paradise there. WTiy ? Because Christ comes to him. Aiid if we have this com- munion with Christ, then though we are compassed about with death, yet it cannot afiright us, because the great God is with us, Ps. xxiii. 4. Do with such a one what you will ; cast him into hell, if it were possible ; be having a sweet communion with Christ, will be joyful still ; and the more sense we have of the love of Christ, the less we shall regard the pleasures or riches of the world. For what joy can be compared with this, that * That is, ' unconscious of,' ' without assurance of,' — G.