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Show C/Jriflt for fiil Sp~ufo. '~'/if be•oy o( heart,_ that he may forf{,rt hif forrow and hi< aJfhllioli. · Bm:ard appheth thts to the effu!iorr of the gifts of the ho(y Spirit upon the Apo£lles, and difciples in the dap of Prnttcoft ; when fome thought that they had been filled with new wine. Indeed the graces of the holy Spirit arc by the Apoftle compared to wine,Epb. 5 · I 9· Be not drmtk.. with Wille wherein is txcefr ; but be ye fiUed rPith the Spirit, &c. Mercer underflands by the houfc of wilze Myftrria Scripwrarum; the M~fleries of the holy Scripture,which i; conformable to the Caldte Paraphrafls DomutDollrin.e,the houfc of doCtrine (referring it to the giving of the Law.) Others underHand it of the iltcre4e ofgract, and the co•{olations of Gods Spirit. The Scripture is the wine-cellar : The influmcet of the Spirit,they are as the wine in this cellar. Some underfland it of the Ordinanu~ of the Gofpel. The Gofpel-difpenfation is indeed an houfe of wme, the Miniflrations and Ordinances of the Gofpel are as the cups by, and out of which this wine is meafured out to the Souls of Go~·s people. I fhall carry it in that fenfe which I believe to be moll proper and to which the others ferve, tiz. concerning the confulations ofGedt Spirit, which the Soul receiveth by the Scripturn; and in the Ordina11cet. This is the houfe of wine, it followeth in the Text, l"l:::!TIN •'itl ,~;l,,; which we tranOate, Hi< h•rmer over me w>t Love. The 70 ... .:e .. -ro. ordain or or.der love upon me; the VHlg. Lat. he hath ordered love upon me; the Syr. and Arabick.., read it wirh the Vi•! g. Lat. difpo[e or order love 'toward me. The Heb. word is 1~1,1 however it be pointed, it mull e.ither come from the Heb. word 'il'"l:•which fi-gnifieth to fee up a !,tandard, Pful. 20. 6. In the name of our God we wiU [<t up our bannert, or from. the N~un 'il'"l which. fignifieth a Stantl-ard, or an En(rg• _fuch as ts ufed· tn battel, and' ts ufed Numb. 2. 3. The Standml of !'"Camp of 'Judah, &c. and the fenfe mufl be either (as we read It) Hts Enjign., IJimntr or Standard,coward· me was love ; or··thus ":hich is in fenfe the fame; He lifted up his Colours,his Enlign: hts Srandard over me, and there was in it Love. Avrnarim noteth that the word 71'"1 may lignify diligo, I Love, becanfe of the great Love which Souldiers have to their colours. The [enfe may be according to an ACtive or Pallive Notion: either Love was that which w,zf wrote ll{'oJn bil Colorm ; or it was Love which drew her Simi to ferve mtder hi< Colottrr. Yon have now the Text opened, J come to th< Ptopolitions which I fha\1 raife out of them; Indeed l ~all need·raife none, the T ext naturally fJJls into two Propnfiti· otis.. t.1bat ,>, . 77 I. That the Lord Jefru Chri{f h•th a banquetting-hoHfe.- into rvhicb 1 Pro he fornetimu bringub hi< (;burch and the.i,.dividual Soult ofthofe tba~ P• trzs(y believe ilt him. Secondly, · .J 2 . Chrijf bat/, a banner for hi< S aintt, and hi<· B1nntr ulove. 2 Prop. I will open the tirO in fome cxplicatoryConalufions. I. 1efi" Chrift h>th from the beginning of the wnrld entertainrd bi< 1 Concl. Chzmh with varintiJ di{pen(>tions of providorce, and dotb Jo yrt rntrrtain rvery true believing Scttl. T nere is an Erernal Love wi{h which God hath loved his people. A Love io God-the Father ~hich moved him co fend his Son into the world, to take upon hun our nature, Job. 3· 16. Chrifis eleCtive Love was everlafiing, and this was equal;according, to this he loved alike his Saints in all Ages, and all his Saints in each particular Age: but this everhflir.g Love is manifefled in providential difpenfations; wbic}\ accord· lng to the wifdom of God have varied in all Ages, and do vary towards particular Saints in every Age. The difpenfations of Chrill to his Church under the Gofpel fpeail a greater love than the legal difpenfation of the fame Covenant of Grace . . The A poOle mentioneth it as a greater Sa/vJtion, a better Covenaltt·, having betlerpromifes: God (faith he) who at jimdry timrr, 'and in diver1 vranners,JPak! ilt timn P'~ rmto the Fathrrs by ·the Proplms h>~h in thrfe lajl dap Jpo~m u•t• Ill by hi< Son. Nor were the m~re fecret difpcnfations of Grace, the fame to the Souls of all Saints in any Age: no not the fame to the fame Souh; but fiil\ varying according to. the good ple1furc of God, and according co his own infinite wtfdom, w~ich bcfl knows how to direCt and apply mean§ in Order to hts eternal purpofe. This is [o plaifl from the whole curre~t of the Gofpel,and the partiClllar experience of the Saints of God tn .~11 Ages, that I lhall not need heap up Scriptures in the proofot tt. . Secondly, Though all the[< di[pr•f"tions, be proper means ill rela- 2 Cone\< t101t to tht great c•d nf the ~ott isS alvation, and profitable to the Church · and tbt Soul tn reference to that end ; yet fome are more fn>eet and plea[.mt tba~ other ; and fo more fitly compared to Chrift 1 ~•nquet :. I fay they are all pr>ptr mta;u to our Sa/vJtion; and· profitable to the S?ulsofGods peopk to chat end. w e cannot deny this .with- ?ut ett.he~ denymp;,d11t they are Difp~nfations of God, or repro3cb-ln ~ Ius mfin~te Wifdom, as not befl underflanding what is mofl f~ttable to the great ends of his own Glory and his peoples Salva- . non. It was profitable to Gods ends, and to the mlnifellations of his< |
