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Show How Chriflat any)ime il'abjent from-hil Spot~f t. · 3• Whence it it, that the Sfou~ ofChrift wzO love him tho~gh abfmt. 4· Tf'bat improvemtnt may be made of thil. ·. r. ~· When may Chrifi be faid to he J The Church, abfcnt trom his Spoufe? . • 1 The believing Soul• . I . Zim hath faid, 'Ihe Lord b~th forfak.m me, my God hath forgoiim me. 7acob and lfrael faid, My r~Joy u, hid from the Lord; and my judgment is paffid over by my God; 'byt obferve the Lords an[wer, I[. 49· 15. Call a woman forget her fockjng Cb(ld,fo that ]he fhou/d not have compaffion of the fruit ef the r~Jomb l yea, t!Jty may forget, h11t I will not forget thee ; Behold l have gravm tbre 11pon the palmi •f my b•nds, &c. and to the other obferve the' Lords anfwer, I). 40. 2 7, 2 8. why [aye~ tho~t,O Jacob! why {peak{~ thou 0 I[rael, &c. Hail thou not heard, h•ft tbou net k,.nown, &c. yet certain it is that Chri{\ may ab[ent bimfe/f ( in feme fenfe) both from his Church, and from the truly believing Soul. The prefence of God and ChriC\ is ufually difiinguHbed into his, t. Effintial prefe~ce; 2 •. hit.G.loriom pre{mce. 3· hil Graciulll pre[ence. I• A$ to his Fffin· tialprefrnce,wehave it always with us; for his infinite effencefil· leth Heaven, Earth, Hell, all places. .Of this the Pfa'lmifi [peaks, ' Pfal. 139· 7, 8,.9, ~ o, •tt. Thus he is ·never far off from any of us. 2. As t• hi< Glorioz~ prrfence, that is in Heaven where he doth more eminentlymanifefi his Glory. 3· Hi< Graciolif prtfonce, is the manifeftation of hit Goodne)r and Mercy. Gods infinite prefence tilling all places, is continually worli.ing; and ·as there is an infinite -power always attending the facred elfence of God, fo it is always exercifed in the world; either in a way of mercy and goodnefs, or-in a way offevuity and jnllicc. In works of mercy, preferving and upholding, the beings, .facultieS, and profperous llates of his people;.orderit>g all means proper to that.end,whether -refpetlin_g the good of rhefr Bodies and out.ward man,-or rhe -good of thetr Souls and inward man. In a way ofjuflice, withdrawing his up· holding and preferY.ing Providence, .and the means, which at o· ther times he a/fords them in order to their External, Internal, or Eternal good. Now in regard, 1-hat ~indicative' atls'oflullice, ( !hough the Lords work ) are his llrange work as fuch which·he never doth, wirho:,~ fome catife in th~ creature firfi moving him to them: And works of goodnefs and mercy are the Lords morP. ' 11Uural H~w chrift,t all) Hmt k ahfent frMt hil Spo~tfo. n1tuubvorll>, !towing more freely,and- purely from·himfdf wilh· out any caufe at all in the Creature. Hence when the lord doth nodo the world exercife that power which always attendeth hts infinite being, in the preferving and upholding his Creatures, or not preferving and upholding them in their good, and profpu?us cllate,relating to their Bodies and Souls,and directing and gt~mg them m~ans proper to that end; but on the contrary exerc1feth his power ,in a9licHng 'them,eirher by his own hand,or by the De· vii or·by the hands of wicked men, the Lord is faid to for{ak• the~, and I> drp•rt from them; and during fuch difpenlinions,hc is faid to be afar of[; to be 11b{mt, to have l•ft thm; not that he -tla1h not a lovt to them, and a care of them ; but 1hat 1 his care fm then\ and Love •to them, is not declared1in fuch atls of gracious Providence as formerly, ,and in that refpe.d is hidden from them ; This is Chrills abfence from the Church, or from the Soul. 1, Chrifi then may be faid to be abfent from his Church, .,ben his providmce is'tW [ucb an hedg abo11t tlmt< a1 informrr timrs, bur hefuffers :he wild beafis1and boars, wjcked men, to break in npon. ihem, to difiurb their Affemblies; to drive their pafiors into c<Jrocrs; to cafi·the members of :it into priCons,&c. when he d ~nic$ unto them, the fteedorrr and• liberty of his Ordinances, that the f fee' not their figns o~ Prophets (as the Pfalm.ilt fpeaks, Pfal. 7 4• .,, 9•) Or when though they have his Ordinances, yet he with· draws his ufual influence upon them,maldng his word and Sacra. rbents fweel and-favoury, powerful and elfetl:ual unto his people« Souls. ·\, · '· \ ~ . Secondly, Cl1rifi may then be faid 'to be abfent from a plrticLI· lar perfon, when he withd•a>Ps tither lhe inf/iunm of bit good prot~ idence which it formerly had, or the grad11al maniftflazions of·his lfJOre inward, fpecia\Grace, Strengthening, ~ickening, Comfor· ting the Souls· of his people. This then is · that which I under· ftood by an-abfent Chrifi; who ( I·fay ) though abfent i; yet btl9ved of the (:hurchllnd of every-truly believing Soul.) proceed to the fecond thing. 2. ~· flow-doth the Spoufe evidence her love to an abfent Chrifi ?- , L'ove differently refpetl:s aRd entertaineth an abfent & a prefent C>bjecl';, The true Church nf Chcifi af!d the ttuly believing Soul, in the day ofGods.hiding ofpimfelffrorn it,tefiilieth her Love m1ny w.ays. . · ' ·t · ' |
