13. THE THIRTEENTH SERMON

THE THIRTEENTH SERMON

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him I am sick of love. What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? &c.—Song of Solomon 5:8-9. THE soul, as it is of an immortal substance, so in the right and true temper thereof, [it] aspireth towards immortality, unless when it is clouded and overpressed with that ’which presseth downwards, and the sin which hangeth so fast on,’ as the apostle speaks, Hebrews 12:1,* which is the reason of those many and diverse tossings and turmoilings of the enlightened soul, now up, now down, now running amain homewards, and now again sluggish, idle, and lazy; until roused up by extraordinary means, it puts on again. As the fire mounteth upwards unto its proper place, and as the needle still trembleth till it stand at the north; so the soul, once inflamed with an heavenly fire, and acquainted with her first original, cannot be at rest until it find itself in that comfortable way which certainly leads homewards. An instance whereof we have in the church here, who, having lost her sweet communion with Christ, and so paid dearly for her former neglect and slighting his kind invitations, as being troubled, restless in mind, ’beaten and wounded by the watchmen,’ bereft of her veil, &c. Yet this heavenly fire of the blessed Spirit, this ’water of life,’ John 4:10, so restlessly springing in her, makes her sickness of love and ardent desire after Christ to be such, that she cannot contain herself, but breaks forth in this passionate charge and request—

’I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him I am sick of love.’

Thus we may see that the way to heaven is full of changes. The strength of corruption overclouds many times, and damps our joys. How many several tempers hath the church been in! Sometimes she is all compounded of joy, vehemently desiring kisses of her best beloved. She holds her beloved fast, and will not let him go; and sometimes, again, she is gone, hath lost her beloved, is in a sea of troubles, seeks and cannot find him, becomes sluggish, negligent, overtaken with self-love, after which when she hath smarted for her omissions, as here again, she is all a-fire after Christ, as we say, no ground will hold her, away she flies after him, and is restless until she find him. Where by the way we see, that permanency and stability is for the life to come; here our portion is to expect changes, storms, and tempests. Therefore they must not be strange to particular persons, since it is the portion of the whole church, which thus by sufferings and conformity to the head, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, must enter into glory, while God makes his power perfect in our weakness, 2 Corinthians 12:9, overcomes Satan by unlikely means, and so gets himself the glory, even out of our greatest infirmities, temptations, and abasements. But God, though he make all things work for good unto his children, Romans 8:28, even the devil, sin, and death, desertions, afflictions and all; yet we must be warned hereby not to tempt God, by neglecting the means appointed for our comfortable passage, but open to Christ when he knocks, embrace him joyfully in his ordinances, and let our hearts fly open unto him. For though, through his mercy, our wounds be cured, yet who would be wounded to try such dangerous experiments, as here befell the church in her desertions, for her sluggish negligence, deadness, and self-love? So that we see there is nothing gotten by favouring ourselves in carnal liberty, security, or by yielding to the flesh. The church stood upon terms with Christ when he would have come in to her; but what ensued hereupon? She fell into a grievous desertion, and not only so, but finds very hard usage abroad, all which she might have prevented by watchfulness, carefulness, and opening to Christ knocking. It is a spiritual error, to which we are all prone, to think that much is gained by favouring ourselves, but we shall find it otherwise. See here, again, that God will bear with nothing, though in his own, but he will sharply punish them even for omissions, and that not only with desertion, but sometimes they shall meet with oppositions in the world.

David cannot scape with a proud thought in numbering of the people, but he must smart for it, and his people also, 2 Samuel 24:1. God is wondrous careful of his children to correct them, when he lets strangers alone, Amos 3:2. It is a sign of love, when he is at this cost with us. And it should tie us to be careful of our behaviour, not to presume upon God’s indulgence; for the nearer we are to him, the more careful he is over us: ’He will be sanctified in all that come near him,’ Leviticus 10:3. We see the Corinthians, because they come unreverently to the Lord’s table, though otherwise they were holy men, ’some of them are sick, some weak, others sleep, that they might not be condemned with the world,’ 1 Corinthians 11:30.

Let none, therefore, think the profession of religion to imply an immunity, but rather a straighter* bond; for ’judgment begins at the house of God,’ 1 Peter 4:17. Whatsoever he suffers abroad, he will not suffer disorders in his own house, as the prophet says, ’You only have I known of all the families of the earth, therefore you shall not go unpunished,’ Amos 3:2. The church is near him, his spouse whom he loveth, and therefore he will correct her, not enduring any abatement, or decay of the first love in her. And for this very cause he threateneth the church of Ephesus, ’to remove her candlestick,’ Revelation 2:5. To proceed. The poor church here is not discouraged, but discovers and empties herself to the daughters of Jerusalem. As it is the nature of culinary fire, not only to mount upwards, but also to bewray itself by light and heat, so of this heavenly fire, when it is once kindled from above, not only to aspire in its motion, but to discover itself, in affecting others with its qualities. It could not contain itself here in the church, but that she must go to the daughters of Jerusalem. ’I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him that I am sick of love.’ Therefore they may doubt that they have not this heavenly fire kindled in them, that express it not seriously; for of all affections, it will not be concealed. David wonders at his own love: ’Oh, how I love thy law! Oh, how amiable are thy tabernacles!’ Psalms 119:97.

Again, we see here, that where the soul is sick of love, it stands not upon any terms, but it humbleth and abaseth itself. We say that affection stands not with majesty. Therefore Christ’s love to us moved him to abase himself in taking our nature, that he might be one with us. Love stood not upon terms of greatness. We see the church goes to those that were meaner proficients in religion than herself, to pour out her spirit to them, ’to the daughters of Jerusalem.’ She abaseth herself to any service, 1 Thessalonians 2:3. Love endureth all things, 1 Corinthians 13:7, anything to attain to the thing loved; as we see Hamor the son of Shechem, he would endure painful circumcision for the love he bore to Dinah, Genesis 34:24. So, Acts 5:41, it is said they went away rejoicing, after they were whipped, because they loved Christ. The spirit of love made them rejoice, when they were most disgracefully used.

Sometimes where this affection of heavenly love is prevalent, so that a man is sick of it, the distempers thereof redounds to the body, and reflects upon that, as we see in David: ’That his moisture became as the drought of summer,’ Psalms 32:4; because there is a marriage and a sympathy between the soul and the body, wherein the excessive affections of the one redound and reflect upon the other.

’Tell him that I am sick of love.’ Here is a sickness, but not unto death, but unto life; a sickness that never ends but in comfort and satisfaction. Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after Christ, they shall be satisfied, Matthew 5:6, as we shall see afterwards more at large.

Knowledge gives not the denomination, for we may know ill and be good, and we may know good and be evil; but it is the affection of the soul which cleaves to the things known. The truth of our love is that gives the denomination of a state to be good or ill. Love is the weight and wing of the soul, which carries it where it goes; which, if it carry us to earth, we are base and earthly; if to heaven, heavenly. We should have especial care how we fix this affection; for thereafter as it is, even so is our condition. ’Ask thy love of what city thou art, whether of Jerusalem or Babylon,’ as Austin saith. Now the daughters of Jerusalem reply unto the church, wondering at her earnestness,

’What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?’

Instead of giving satisfaction to her, they reply with asking new questions, ’What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved,’ &c. Wherein ye have a doubling of the question, to shew the seriousness of it. Of this their answer there are two parts.

1. A loving and sweet compellation, ’O thou fairest among women.’

2. The question doubled, ’What is thy beloved more than another beloved?’ And again, ’What is thy beloved,’ &c., ’that thou dost so charge us?’ As if they should say, ’Thou layest a serious charge upon us; therefore there is some great matter surely in thy beloved that thou makest such inquiry after him.’ Thus the weaker Christians being stirred up by the example of the stronger, they make this question, and are thus inquisitive. But to speak of them in their order.

’O thou fairest among women.’ Here is the compellation. The church is the fairest among women in the judgment of Christ. So he calls her, ’O thou fairest among women,’ Song of Solomon 1:8; and here the fellow-members of the church term her so too; fair, and the fairest, incomparably fair.

Quest. But how cometh she to be thus fair?

Ans. 1. It is in regard that she is clothed with Christ’s robes. There is a woman mentioned clothed with the sun, Revelation 12:1. We were all ennobled with the image of God at the first, but after we had sinned we were bereft of that image. Therefore now all our beauty must be clothing, which is not natural to man, but artificial; fetched from other things. Our beauty now is borrowed. It is not connatural with us. The beauty of the church now comes from the Head of the church, Christ. She shines in the beams of her husband, not only in justification, but in sanctification also.

2. The church is lovely and fair again, as from Christ’s imputative righteousness, so from his righteousness inherent in her, the graces she hath from him. For of him we receive grace for grace. There is never a grace but it is beautiful and fair; for what is grace but the beams of Christ, the Sun of righteousness? So that all must be fair that comes from the first fair, all beautiful that comes from the first beauty. This beauty of grace, whereby it makes the church so fair, springs from these grounds.

First. In that it is from a divine principle and original. It is not basely bred, but from heaven. And therefore it raiseth the soul above nature, and makes the subjects wherein it is as far surpass all other men, as men do beasts.

Secondly. In regard of the continuance, it is everlasting, and makes us continue for ever. ’All flesh is grass, and as the flower of grass,’ saith the prophet, Isaiah 40:6; and it is repeated in the New Testament in divers places. All worldly excellency is as the flower of grass. ’The grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord (that is, the grace that is imprinted in the soul by the Spirit with the word), that abideth for ever,’ 1 Peter 1:24, and makes us abide likewise.

Use 1. From this fairness of the church, let us take occasion to contemplate of the excellency of Christ that puts this lustre of beauty upon the church. Moses married a woman that was not beautiful, but could not alter the complexion and condition of his spouse. But Christ doth. He takes us wallowing in our blood, deformed and defiled. He is such a husband as can put into his church his own disposition, and transform her into his own proportion. He is such a head as can quicken his members; such a root as instils life into all his branches; such a foundation as makes us living stones. There is a virtue and power in this husband above all.

Obj. But she is black.

Ans. She is so, indeed, and she confesseth herself to be so. ’I am black, but comely,’ Song of Solomon 1:5. (1.) Black in regard of the afflictions and persecutions of others she meets with in this world.

(2.) Black, again, in regard of scandals; for the devil hates the church more than all societies in the world. Therefore, in the society of the church there are often more scandals than in other people; as the apostle tells the Corinthians there was incest amongst them, the like was not among the heathen, 1 Corinthians 5:1.

(3.) She is black through the envy of the world, that looks more at the church’s faults than virtues.

(4.) The church is black and unlovely, nothing differing from others, in regard of God’s outward dealing. ’All falls alike to all,’ Ecclesiastes 9:2. They are sick and deformed. They have all things outwardly whatsoever in common with others.

(5.) Lastly and principally, she is black, in respect of her infirmities and weaknesses; subject to weakness and passions, as other men. The beauty of the church is inward, and undiscerned to the carnal eye altogether. The Scribes and Pharisees see no virtue in Christ himself. It is said, ’that he came among his own, and his own could not discern of him: the darkness could not comprehend that light,’ John 1:5; John 1:11. Now, as it was with Christ, so it is much more with the church. Let this, then, be the use of it.

Use 2. Oppose this state of the church to the false judgment of the world. They see all black, and nothing else that is good. Christ sees that which is black, too; but then his Spirit in them (together with the sight of their blackness) seeth their beauty, too. ’I am black, but comely,’ &c. Be not discouraged, therefore, at the censure of the world. Blind men cannot judge of colours. It is said of Christ, ’he had no form or beauty in him, when we shall see him,’ Isaiah 53:2. (1.) Not in outward glory, nor (2.) in the view of the world. If we be, therefore, thought to be black, we are no otherwise thought of than the church and Christ hath been before us.

Use 3. Again, let us make this use of it against Satan in the time of temptation. Doth Christ think us fair for the good we have? Doth he not altogether value us by our ill? and shall we believe Satan, who joins with the distempers of melancholy or weakness we are in (which he useth as a weapon against the soul), to make us think otherwise? ’Satan is not only a murderer, but a liar from the beginning,’ John 8:44. We must not believe an enemy and a liar withal. But consider how Christ and the church judgeth, that have better discerning. And let us beware we be not Satans* to ourselves; for if there were no devil, yet in the time of temptation and desertion we are subject to discouragement, to give false witness against ourselves. We are apt to look on the dark side of the cloud. The cloud that went before the Israelites had a double aspect, one dark, the other light, Exodus 14:20. In temptation we look on the dark side of the soul, and are witty in pleading against ourselves. Oh, but consider what Christ judgeth of us, ’O! thou fairest among women;’ and what those about us that are learned, who can read our evidences better than we ourselves, do judge of us. Let us trust the judgment of others in time of temptation more than our own.

Use 4. Learn again here, what to judge of the spirits of such kind of men as are all in disgracing and defacing the poor church. Their table talk is of the infirmities of Christians. They light upon them as flies do upon sore places, and will see nothing that is good in them. Oh! where is the Spirit of Christ, or of the church of Christ, in them that thus bescratch the face of the church? when yet ofttimes their hearts tell them these poor despised ones will be better than themselves one day, for grace shall have the upper hand of all excellences. The church is fair and fairest. Grace is a transcendent good. All the excellency of civility and morality is nothing to this. This denominates the church the fairest. She is not gilt, but pure gold; not painted, but hath a true natural complexion. All other excellencies are but gilt, painted excellencies. ’The whore of Babylon,’ she is wondrous fair! But wherein doth her beauty consist? In ornaments and ceremonies to abuse silly people that go no further than fancy. It is an excellency that comes not to the judgment, but the excellency of the church is otherwise. She is ’the fairest among women.’ She hath a natural fairness. As gold is pure gold, so the church is of a pure composition, glorious within. It is for the false, whorish church to be glorious without only, but the true church is glorious within. But that which we should especially observe is, that we should labour to answer this commendation; not only to be fair, but the fairest; to be transcendently, singularly good; to do somewhat more than others can; to have somewhat more in us than others have. For it is answerable to the state of a Christian. Is a Christian in an excellent rank above other men? Let him shew it by a carriage more gracious, more fruitful and plentiful in good works. There is a kind of excellency affected in other things, much more should we desire to be excellent in that that is good, that we may not be fair only, but the fairest. This the apostle St Paul excellently presseth to Titus, his scholar, Titus 2:14, and to all of us in other places, that we should be ’a peculiar people, zealous of good works,’ not only to do them, but to be zealous of them, and to go before others in them, standing as standard-bearers. Therefore those that think they may go too far in religion, that they may be too fruitful, are not worthy the name of the spouse of Christ; for she is fair, yea, the fairest among women, ’The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour,’ Proverbs 12:26. Therefore we should excel in good works, as the apostle exhorts us, ’to labour after things that are excellent,’ 1 Corinthians 12:31; 2 Peter 1:8, as if he should say, Is there anything better than other, labour for that. You have some so far from this disposition that they cry down the excellencies of others, lest the fairness of others might discover their blackness. Thus we leave the compellation, and come to the question.

Quest. ’What is thy beloved more than another beloved?’ And they double it, ’What is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou so chargest us?’

Questions are of divers natures. We shall not stand upon them. This is not a question merely of ignorance, for they had some knowledge of Christ, though weak. Nor was it a curious nor a catching question, like those of the scribes and pharisees unto Christ, to instance in that of Pilate, ’What is truth?’ John 18:38, when Christ had told him the truth. ’What is truth?’ saith he, in a scornful, profane manner (l), as indeed profane spirits cannot hear savoury words, but they turn them off with scorn, ’What is truth?’ This here in the text is not such, but a question tending to further resolution and satisfaction, ’What is thy beloved more than another beloved?’

First of all, observe that these of the church here were stirred up by the examples of other members of the church to be inquisitive after Christ, so to be satisfied. Hence observe that there is a wondrous force in the examples of Christians to stir up one another. We see here, when the church was sick of love, the other part of the members began to think, what is the reason the church is so earnest to seek after Christ? There is some excellency sure in him. For wise men do not use great motions in little matters. Great things are carried with great movings. We use not to stir up tragedies for trifles, to make mountains of mole-hills. The endeavours and carriages of great persons that be wise, judicious, and holy are answerable to the nature of things. And indeed the church judgeth aright in this. Then see the force of good example. Any man that hath his wits about him, when he sees others serious, earnest, and careful about a thing, whereof for the present he can see no reason, especially if they have parts equal or superior to himself, will reason thus presently:—

What is the matter that such a one is so earnest, so careful, watchful, laborious, inquisitive? It is not for want of wit; surely he hath parts enough, he understands himself well. And then he begins to think, sure I am too cold. Hereupon come competition and co-rivality,* surely I will be as good as he.

Use. Let us labour, therefore, to be exemplary to others, and to express the graces of God; for thus we shall do more than we are aware. There is a secret influence in good example. Though a man say nothing, saith one, there is a way to profit from a good man though he hold his peace. His course of life speaks loud enough. We owe this to all, even to them that are without, to do them so much good as to give them a good example, and we wrong them when we do not, and hinder their coming on by an evil or a dead example.

Let this be one motive to stir us up to it, that answerable to the good we shall do in this kind shall be our comfort in life and death, and our reward after death. For the more spreading our good is either in word, life, or conversation, the more our consciences shall be settled in the consideration of a good life well spent, our reward shall be answerable to our communication and diffusion of good; and whereas otherwise it will lie heavy on the conscience, not only in this life, but at the day of judgment and after; when we shall think not only of the personal ill that we stand guilty of, but exemplary ill also.

It should move those therefore of inferior sort to look to all good examples, as the church here to the love of the other part of the church. Wherefore are examples among us but that we should follow them? We shall not only be answerable for abuse of knowledge, but also of good examples we have had and neglected. Doth God kindle lights for us, and shall not we walk by their light? It is a sin not to consider the sun, the moon, the stars, the heavens, and works of nature and providence, much more not to consider the works of grace. But one place of Scripture shall close up all, which is, Romans 11:11, that the example of us Gentiles at length shall stir up and provoke the Jews to believe. To those stiff-necked Jews example shall be so forcible that it shall prevail with them to believe and to be converted. If example be of such force as to convert the Jews that are so far off, how much more is it or should it be to convert Christians! Wondrous is the force of good example! So we come to the question itself, ’What is thy beloved more than another beloved?’ &c.

We see there is excellent use of holy conference. The church coming to the daughters of Jerusalem, speaking of Christ her beloved, that she is ’sick of love,’ &c., the daughters of Jerusalem are inquisitive to know Christ more and more. Here is the benefit of holy conference and good speeches. One thing draws on another, and that draws on another, till at length the soul be warmed and kindled with the consideration and meditation of heavenly things. That that is little in the beginning may bring forth great matters. This question to the church and talking with her, ’I charge you, if you find my beloved, to tell him that I am sick of love,’ breeds questions in others, ’What is thy beloved?’ &c. Whence, upon the description of her beloved, her heart is kindled, she findeth her beloved; so that talking of holy and heavenly things is good for others and ourselves also.

It is good for others, as it was good for the daughters of Jerusalem here; for thereupon they are stirred up to be inquisitive after Christ. And it was good for the church herself, for hereupon she took occasion to make a large commendation of Christ, wherein she found much comfort.

2. Good conference, then, is good for ourselves; for we see a little seed brings forth at length a great tree, a little fire kindleth much fuel, and great things many times rise out of small beginnings. It was a little occasion which Naaman the Assyrian* had to effect his conversion, 2 Kings 5:2. There was a poor banished woman, a stranger, who was a Jewish maidservant. She told her lord’s servants that there was a prophet in Jewry that could heal him, whereupon he came thither, and was converted and healed. And Paul sheweth that the very report of his bonds did a great deal of good in Cæsar’s house, Philip. 1:13. Report and fame is a little matter, but little matters make way for the greater. This may put us in mind to spend our time fruitfully in good conference, when in discretion it is seasonable. We know not, when we begin, where we may make an end. Our souls may be carried up to heaven before we are aware, for the Spirit will enlarge itself from one thing to another. ’To him that hath shall be given more and more still,’ Matthew 13:12. God graciously seconds good beginnings. We see the poor disciples, when they were in a damp for the loss of Christ, after he comes, meets them, and talks of holy things. In that very conference their hearts were warmed and kindled, Luke 24:32. For, next to heaven itself, our meeting together here, it is a kind of paradise. The greatest pleasure in the world is to meet with those here whom we shall ever live with in heaven. Those who are good should not spend such opportunities fruitlessly. And to this end, labour for the graces of the communion of saints; for there is such a state. We believe it as an article of our creed. How shall we approve ourselves to be such as have interest unto the communion of saints, unless we have spirits able to communicate good to others? pitiful and loving spirits, that we may speak a word in due season.

What a world of precious time is spent in idle conversing, as if the time were a burden, and no improvement to be made of the good parts of others. Sometimes, though we know that which we ask of others as well as they do, yet notwithstanding good speeches will draw us to know it better, by giving occasion to speak more of it, wherewith the Spirit works more effectually and imprints it deeper, so that it shall be a more rooted knowledge than before; for that doth good that is graciously known, and that is graciously known that the Spirit seals upon our souls. Perhaps the knowledge I have is not yet sealed sufficiently; it is not rooted by conference. Though I hear the same things again, yet I may hear them in a fresh manner, and so I may have it sealed deeper than before. Experience finds these things to be true.

Again, we should labour here to have our hearts inquisitive. The heathen man accounted it a grace in his scholar, and a sign that he would prove hopeful, because he was full of questions. Christians should be inquisitive of the ways of righteousness; inquisitive of the right path which leads to heaven; how to carry themselves in private, in their families; how in all estates; inquisitive of the excellency of Christ. ’What is thy beloved more than another beloved?’ Questions end usually in resolutions; for the soul will not rest but in satisfaction. Rest is the happiness of the soul, as it were. When a question is moved, it will not be quiet till it have satisfaction. Therefore doubting at the first, breeds resolution at the last. It is good therefore to raise questions of the practice of all necessary points; and to improve the good parts and gifts of others that we converse with, to give satisfaction. What an excellent improvement is this of communion and company, when nothing troubles our spirit, but we may have satisfaction from others upon our proposing it. Perhaps God hath laid up in the parts of others, satisfaction to our souls; and hath so determined that we shall be perplexed and vexed with scruples, till we have recourse to some whom he hath appointed to be helpful to us in this kind. Many go mourning a great part of their days in a kind of sullenness this way, because that they do not open their estate to others. You see here the contrary practice of the church. She doubles the question: ’What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?