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Show chriftsfruit, &c-; whom Chrift was incarnate, died, rofe again, &c. that Soul I' f:i_y ,an not perifh; fo that althou!',h the world afford·s. fome frutt which is better than other; yet only the A:ppletrec m my Text bringethforth fruit fuited to the Souls_ neceility. . 2. Confider rrhat a [ad Symptomert u for aSoulnot; to tafle zl! moft '-.. proper and accommodate food: what would you thmk of a· palla~, that could not ta!le any fweetnefs in bread, or ought elfe, ":'htch ts properly any mans-food; but could ta!le a f.weetnefs m Hay and Om, in Grafs and Chaff? Y:ou would certa~nly fay that pallae was exceedingly vitiated, and fignified a v.ery dtl\empered body; what will you fay to a reafonable immortal Soul bred to an eter-nity, but can ta!le no lweetnefs in any thing that hath any_tendency. to It to a Soul that can tafie afweetnefs in lu!l but none m Grace, that 'can taf!e a Cweetnefs in the vanity of the creature, but nothing in Chrifl ?· certainly this Soul mufl be a perHhing Soul. 3. Confider bow fweet [oroer the fruit of otbft' tr<er be to you •t· preflnt> no fruit butt hi< wiU tafte [t111eet to you_ in yoHT dymg hour ; fuch an hour will come, yea it haf!~ns, ltfurpnzeth many, they .report· of an Emperour flying from an Enemy , that. uffered a Ktngdom for a·cup ofwaur.. Brethren! when you come to die, ~ad you a. Kingdom to gil·e,you would give It f~r an apple from thts Appletree •. It is-true ther.e was a. Soul that· Ja thela!l hour had the prlviledg to pluck an apple from this tree ( it was the !hlef on the Gtofs:.) Ohe (faith that ancient) that none might-de!patr ~ but o~e, that no man might prefume. 0 babour·to be acquamted wtth that fruit wbiley.ou live, which can alone. be fweet to -you whenybu come to die. . , Will you fay ?· but- what can we do?· can ':"e alter our- pal-lats ?· is tho way of man in himfelf I Ianfwer,lknow you cannot, yet fomtthing is to be done by you in ~way of mean~· , r·. Get,a.Kitowled{f;•ftbif'{rHII ofCbrift ;, f!udy Cbnfl more,andJ the Gofpel more, and the fuitablenefsof Chrifi, to the necdlity of, your Souls-more. 2. ,Do not [ati<fy your folf -w.itb a meernotional. /(Nowledg of' tbe· myfteriu·ofthe Gojpel,,but thinil,~<pon ·them. ~. Pray tv God td give yoio~our port in·Chrifl•; to !liew-you yourneed of him, and the excellene:y t-hat· is in hjm, and-.to chang~ ~our·. heart for you,. that you may be able to difcem and t:?.lle fpmtual• things + .Take heccli of otier-&Ltt6in.g you~ So11l1 with. other f~~ Thli t:ifie of one ~hing fpoils the taf!e of another Ordinarily, efpecially ifth:e taf!cs be ~ontrary : while thy Soul is filled with lulls, and with deligns for the world, and continuances for this life ; -thou wilt taf!e little f weetnefs in Chrill: wafh thy mouth clean from thefe things and thou wilt be the better prepared to taf1c the fruit of the Appletree, and find it fweet to thy talle. Cant. 2,4; He brOH[.ht "" i~eto hi<l>•Hquetting-boNje, and bis 'ba11ner over ute wM Love. I T is the Spoufe you fee which yet fpeaketh, we took our !all leave efhcr under the Appletrer, which (he fate under witb great Jtligbt, and hi< frHit wM fweet ttnto her ta[le: We find her in this Text removed into the banqruttiNg-houfe. So faith the Text,· he brought me int• tbe ba11quettiwg-bouje. The Reb. and Srpt~<<gint call it the hoHje of wine. Wine you know is a piece of a banquet. The houfe of wine is the houle of joy, and rejoycing. Bernard reads, The King batb brought me ; and rakes nOtice ot the dilfer~ nt Appellation which theSpoufe giveth to Chrifl in'herconverfe with him from that which (he gives him when !he is fpeaklng of ?im. B~t ~he not~ is lofi, f~r I cannot find the term King, either 10 the Ortgm~l,or to any anctent Ver!ion. We had it indeed,chap. I. 4: in a _phralc much like t~is o! the Text ; The King b~tb brought mt mto bu Chambers: but tn thtsText we have it not. The houfe of ~ine,faith Mr. Ain[wortb, is either the "'ille-ctVars fo called becaufe wines are there lodged, I Cbron. 2 7·.'!-7. or th~ banqttetting;· ho~fe (as we ~ranllate II ) becaufe we· ufe wine at banquets; Every one wtll underfland it a figurative and metaphorical exprellio~ drawn from the Cufiome of men, who as an exprdlion of thetr great love to their friends, either carry them to a "'inrceUar, or entertam them at a b•nq>tet. Eflber made a baHquet of wi;u. WhatChrW_s rr>ine ~s will eafily be under!\ood by underllanding the .nature of wtne;whtch by realon oft he fweetnefs is very grateful ro the tafie,and by reafon ofitsl>eat and {lrm•th refre!heth and cheareth the heart, Pfal. I O+ IS· wine which :he;reth the heart of max : And the Wife-man upon this acc~unt, willeth it to be given to hi"' L, 2 tb•t |
