Chap.S. sea.s. ®cnttatton. 4 . Effects. And what arc the Effefu (0 my foul!) of this lo11~? 0 this lov• hath many_holy gracious effects, it will make the.foul to rejoyce tn S:hn~s prefence, to gneve m h1s ab– fi to plcnfc Chri!l: in all thmgs , to ddire muon With Chnfl:, though 1t never fee ;~~~day, though it have no other wages to be!l:ow r~adily and freely a~y thing it _h~th on the Lord Jefus Chrifl:, io deny 1t fdf, or any thmg that may come tn competitiOn _. with Chri!l:, to part with her Ifaac·s, her deare!l thin~s, To account all ~hings .udung and Pbli. ~ 8 • loJle,that jhe 111 ay win Chrift, to be content w1th norhmg, but love agam _from the party beloved to be ever and anon thtnkmg and muling on the Lord Jefus·Chn!l:, to be ordinarily a~d frequently fpeaking ·of Chrifl:: Love }s full of eloquence in the praifes ?f her beloved fo is the foqls love to the Lord Jefus Chnlt 0 how that Spoufe of Chnfl: runs on in;defcription of his rarities and r:a~fcendenc1es, .'1-11 beloved_ i~ white and ruddy, the chtcfejf among ten thoufand (or as ltlS more elegantly m the Ongmal, He u Cant.5.to,16 an enjign-bcarer among ten thou[m1d) -----He u altogether lo'Ucly; or he u all enttre, he u all compofed of loves: Betwixt t~ofe verfes [10. and 16.] there's a defcription of Chrifl:, fo ftuffed with choicefl: delicaCies of expreffion, that thou canfl: not match it ( 9 my foul!) out of any of thofe Poets which have flown h1ghdl: in amorous inventions: at la!l:lhe concludes with a triumphant Epiphoncma, This is my beloved, and this is my friend, 0 daughters •f Jerufalem: Nay, love will ~akc the foul not onely fpeak, but do any thing for the Lo1d Jefus Chn!l:, 0 then fhe cnes, How may I pleafe Chrift better? what duty mujf I do ,? and what jinnes mujf I avoid? ifthere be any of the bedchamber cf the Bridegroom, tell me I be(eech you, how may I hear, and pray and walk.., an1 approve my heart to my Chrijf and Kml, tbat nothmg may diJPleafe hsm ? Lall:ly, love Will make the . . foul fuffer for Chrifl: , and to rejoyce in fuch fufferings; it is a fire that much water of Afls s, 4~ perfecution cannot quench; nay, \t feeds on thofe waters , and grows hotter by them : As oppolition rifeth aglin!l: it, fo it rifeth again!l: oppofition; yea, it rifeth by it, until it rife above it. S· Oppojim. Now what are the contraries to this love ofChrift, but an ·hamd of Chrift? One would wonder there lhould be fuch a thing in the world, as hatred ofChtifl: But'why 1 cor. , 6 , ill then fhould the Apofl:le threaten, if any man love not the Lord Jefm Chrijf, let him be Anathema, Maranarha; (••) If any man hate Chrifl:,let him be accurfed with all manner of execrations or curfes in the mofl: defperate manner, _expecting due vengeance from the Lord, when he cometh wuh hu holy mslhons, to exemte'Judgement upon 411, and to convince~~~ that·are ungodly: No que!l:ionthere is a world of wicked men, that are 1•Je "·'4; 1 ~ under th1s curfe; I fpcak not of poor Indsans , and other Savages of the unchri!l:ian world, whofe foulS are over-clouded with the blackefl: mill:s of irreligion , that the prince of darknclfe can poffibly inwrap them in,whp come into the world, not knowing wherefore, and go out of the world, not knowing whither; an heavy cafe,which cannot fufficiently be bewailed with an Ocean of tears and blood; but ofthofe that live within the Paradife of the Chriftian Church, that have nothing to di!l:inguilh them from thofe Indian Mifcre.ants, but an outward conformity,outward formalities,the charity of other men, a_nd thesr own flsght nnagmatwns: As r. All open enemies, grolfe . hainous and _gnevou.s !inners, fwearers, blafphemers, drunkards, railers again!l: God, hi~ Mmlfl:ers, h1s People, thefe and the like love fin more than Chrift, they love the Devil more.than Chn!l:. 2. All fawning Hypocrites, that profelfe (it may be) a· marvellous affettwnate love unto the Lord Jefus Chrift, but they are inward haters of Chrifr. 6. Compari£ons. But to inflame thy love ( 0 my foul _i ) upon Chrift, confider wheremito it is like; or to what It may be compared: TheScripture hath qefcribed the outgoings of fuch ~ fo~, I. By the parchedgro1md: My foul thirjfeth for thee, my jlejh_ longerhfor thee P(•lm 6 3 , 1• M a ry and thtrjfy Land, where no,water is, 2. By the pantings o,f a chafed Hart.' As t~~ fart panteth after .the water-brook], fo panteth my foul after tbe~, 0 God. 3. By Pf•l, 42. r, z~ t ongmgs of~ tecmmg woman: I have longed for thy Jalvatiorz , , a Lor.d, and thy . ~~wu ~-:Y dclsght. 4' By the fainting and fwouning of one that is in good earne!l: lick P{al,rr9.174 O ove · I chargeyou, 0 daughters ofJemfalem, ifyo" ftrtdmy Belo11cd, th,it ye tell hinl f amficlz,of_lo'Ue: Such foul~ are commonly call: imp ·an agony, into pangs oflove, that C•nr. S• a~ ove Chn!l: mdeed. B b 2 7 . Tejfim'on)'.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=