til I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me, I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerufalem, &c.

1. She tells you how the came to him; fhe found him: what ways and by what means, is not expreffed. It often fo falls out in our communion with Chrift; when private and public means fail, and the foul hath nothing left but waiting filently and walking humbly, Chrift appears, that his fo doing may be evidently of grace. Let us not at any time give over in this condition. When all ways are past, the fummer and harvest are gone without relief, when neither bed nor watchmen can affift; let us wait a little, and we shall fee the falvation of God. Christ honours his immediate abfolute actings fometimes; though ordinarily he crowns his ordinances. Chrift often manifefts himself immediately, and out of ordinances, to them that wait for him in them. That he will do fo to them that defpife them, I know not. Though he will meet men unexpectedly in his way; yet he will not meet them at all out of it. Let us wait as he hath appointed; let him appear as he pleafeth. How fhe deals with him when found; is nextly declared. She held him, and would not let him go, &c. They are all expreffions of the greatest joy and delight imaginable. The fum is, having at length come once more to an enjoyment of fweet communion with Chrift, the foul lays faft hold on him by faith, (to hold fast is an act of faith) refufes to part with him any more in vehemency of love; tries to keep him in ordinances, in the house of its mother, the church of God, and fo ufes all means for the confirming of the mutual love between Chrift and her; all the expreffions, all the allufions ufed, evidencing delight to the

ut

utmost capacity of the foul. Should I pursue all the inftances and teftimonies that are given hereunto in that one book of the Song of Solomon, I must enter upon an expofition of the greatest part of it, which is not my prefent bufinefs. Let the hearts of the faints that are acquainted with these things; be allowed to make the clofe. What is it they long for? they rejoice in? What is it that fatisfies them to the utmoft, and gives fweet complacency to their fpirits in every condition? what is it whofe lofs they fear, whofe abfence they cannot bear? is it not this their Beloved, and he alone?

This alfo they further manifeft by their delight in every thing that peculiarly belongs to Chrift, as his, in this world. This is an evidence of delight, when for his fake whom we delight in, we alfo delight in every thing that belongs to him. Chrift's great intereft in this world, lyes in his people, and his ordinances; his houfhold and their provifion: now in both thefe do the faints exceedingly delight for his fake. Take an inftance in both kinds in one man, viz. David, Pfal. xvi. 3. in the faints and the excellent, or the noble of the earth, is all my delight; my delight in them. Chrift fays of his church, that she is Hephzibah, Ifa Ixii. my delight in her; here fays David of the fame, Hephzibam

my delight in them. As Chrift delights in his faints, fo do they in one another on his account. Here fays David is all my delight. Whatever contentment he took in any other perfons, it was nothing in comparison of the delight he took in them. Hence mention is made, of laying down our lives for the brethren, or any common caufe wherein the interest of the community of the brethren does lye. S

2. For

2. For the ordinances, confider the fame perfon; Pfal. xlii. and 84. and 48. are fuch plentiful teftimonies throughout, as we need no farther enquiring; nor fhall I go forth to a new difcourfe on this particular.

And this is the firft mutual confequential act of conjugal affections in this communion between Chrift and believers. He delights in them and they delight in him: he delights in their profperity, hath pleasure in it; they delight in his honour and glory, and in his presence with them: for his fake they delight in his fervants, (though by the world contemned) as the most excellent in the world; and in his ordinances, as the wisdom of God, which are foolishness to the world.

CHAP. V.

Other confequential affections; 1. On the part of Chrift. He values his faints. Evidences of that valuation. 1. His incarnation. 2. Exinanition. 2 Cor. viii. 8, 9. Phil. ii. 6, 7. 3. Obedience as a fervant. 4. In his death his valuation of them in comparison of others. Believers eftimation of Chrift. 1. They value him above all other things. and perfons. 2. Above their own lives. 3. All Spiritual excellencies: the fum of all on the part of Chrift. The fum on the part of believers. The third conjugal affection on the part of Chrift, pity or compaffion, wherein manifefted. Suffering and Supply, fruits of compaffion. Several ways whereby Chrift relieves the faints under temptations. His compaffions in their afflictions. Chastity the third conjugal affection in the faints. The fourth

on

on the part of Chrift, bounty: on the part of the faints duty.

HRIST values his faints, values his believ

ers. Which is the second branch of that conjugal affection he bears towards them, having taken them into the relation whereof we fpeak. I fhall not need to infift long on the demonftration hereof. Heaven and earth are full of evidences of it. Some few confiderations will give life to the affertion. Confider them then,

1. Abfolutely. 2. In refpect of others: and you will fee what a valuation he puts upon them.

1. All that ever he did or doth, all that ever he underwent, or fuffered as Mediator, was for their fakes. Now these things were fo great, and grievous that had he not esteemed them above all that can be expreffed, he had never engaged to their performance and undergoing. Take a few instances,

1. For their fakes was he made flesh; manifested in the flesh, Heb. ii. 14. Whereas therefore the chil dren pertook of fiefb and blood, even he in like manner pertook of the fame; and the height of this valuation of them the apoftle aggravates, ver. 16. Verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the feed of Abraham, he had no fuch esteem of angels. Whether you take epilambanefthai properly to take, or to take hold of, as our tranflators, and fo fupply the word nature, and refer the whole unto Chrift's incarnation, who therein took our nature on him and not the nature of angels: or for analambanefthai, to help, he did not help nor fuccour fallen angels; but he did help and fuccour the feed of Abraham, and fo confider it as the fruit of

Christ's incarnation, it is all one as to our present bufinefs; his preferring the feed of Abraham before angels, his valuing them above the other is plainly expreffed. And obferve that he came to help the feed of Abraham, that is believers; his esteem andvaluation is of them only.

2. For their fakes he was fo made flesh, as that there was an emptying, an exinanition of himself, and an eclipfing of his glory, and a becoming poor for them, 2 Cor. viii. 9. Ye know the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that being rich, for us became poor. Being rich in eternal glory with his Father, John xvii. 5. he became poor, for believers. The fame perfon that was rich, was alfo poor. That the riches here meant can be none but those of the Deity, is evident by its opposition to the poverty which as man, he undertook. This is alfo more fully expreffed, Phil. ii. 6, 7. Who being in the form of God, counted it no robery to be equal to God, but be emptied himself, taking the form of a fervant, and being made in the fashion of a man, and found in form as a man, &c. That the form of God is here the effence of the Deity, fundry things inevitably evince. As,

I. That he was therein equal to God, that is his Father. Now nothing but God, is equal to God, not Chrift as he is Mediator in his greatest glory: nothing but that which is infinite, is equal to that which is infinite.

2. The form of God is oppofed to the form of a fervant, and that form of a fervant, is called the fashion of a man, ver. 8. that fashion wherein he was found when he gave himfelf to death; wherein as a man he poured out his blood and died: morphen doulou labon, (he took the form of a fervant) is expounded