554 THE WORD OF GOD COMPARED TO A NET. Book III. I. Woulde!hhou have the Kiffes of his Mouth? Thou muft with Mary Magdalene, fall down, and kifs his Feet, and bedew them with the Tears of a broken [-ltart; be humbled for thy Sin. 2. If thou woulde!l, have him give thee a Kifs of Reconciliation and Affection, do thou kifs him with a Kifs of SubjeCtion: Kifs the Son left be be angry, Pfal. ii. 15. If thou want Motives, take thefe following: t. The Father prefents his Son, the Lord Jefus Chrift, before your Eyes in the Gofpel (as he doth the like himfelf) as a Perfon every way dtlerving your Love and Affection, to fee whether you will refpeCt him or not. 2. The Father highly honoreth the Son; he bath given all Things into his Hand, he is his Heir. 3· The Father hath fent him into the World to feek himfelf a Spoufe. 4· He became Fle01, that he might be a fit ObjeCt for Sinners. 5· Chrift hath a great Defire to give himfelf unto you, and fo become yours for ever. 6. He hath abundance of Love, great and ftrong AffeCtion. 7· Chrifl: left his Glory, and came into the World in a low and contemptible Con– dition, and denied himfelf for thy fake; and wilt not thou accept of him? 8. Shall he die, and come through a Sea of Blood to engage thy AffeCtion, and wilt not thou yield him a Kifs of Subjection I 9· Shall he fend his Minifters, as Spokefmen, to entreat you, and will you fay, Nay? 10. Shall he move you by the Motions of his Spirit, and Checks of Confcience, and will you ftill refufe to clofe in with him ? , t. Shall he knock loud and long, and cry continually to you, and can you ftill ftand it out againfl: him? 12. Will not your Gain and Preferment be great? 'What Honor and Dignity, ex– celling Union with Chrifl:, can you think to meet withall? I 3· Are you not like to be miferable at lafl:, if you die before you have an lnterei1: in him: If any love not the Lord Jefus Cbrift,_let him be Anathema Maranarha. IV. But fame may fay, How comes it to pafs the Spoufe is fo bold, and thus fa– miliarly fpeaks to Chrift, Let him kifs me.~ Should not Fervor d Affection have with it Humility of Reverence? To this fays Bernard, Ne eaufamiui pr,efumptionem, ubi a.Jfeflio urget ; recl.1mat pudor, fed urget amor, qui nee eonfilio temperatur, nee pudore frd'natur. Do not plead Pre– fumption, where Affection .prelfes forward; be neither kept back by Advice, nor refl:rained by Bafhfulnefs, in your Approaches to Chri!l:. Be!iues, Saints, who truly love Chrift, may boldly come to Chrilt. Tokens of Love, and Evider.ces of divme Favor, are the proper Rights and Privileges of Believers; they may be bold with their dearefl: Friend. THE WORD OF GOD COMPARED TO A NET. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a Net eaft into the Sea, Matt. xiii. 47· soME 'tmderfl:and by the Net, and Kingdom of Hea~·en, that our Savior intends the Church; others the Gofp•l. It may have refpect to both, bm in my Opinion it is more clearly applicable to the Gofpel. PAR ABLE. I. A Net is made or prepared, as a convenient Thing to catch Fi!h. II. A Net is made ufe of by fkilful Filhers; it requires Wifdom rightly to ufe it, to the End it is PARALLEL. I. THE Gofpel or Word of God is appointed to catch or convert the Souls of Men: Fear not, from henceforth thou Jhalt catch Mtn, Luke v. 10. I!. The Word of God is made ufe of by lkilful and able Minifl:ers; and it requires much fpiritual Wifdom, rightly to ufe it for the Conver!ion of Smnero,
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