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Show 166 Love to ttn abfent Chrifl called for: afTcmblies ? where are your Ordinances? where a~e your CO~·· forts, &c. Whiles you remember how yo~ went with the mu!!l· tude to the Houle of God with the votce of JOY and pratfe. Shew your love to God byjullifying God under his difpenfations, and condemning your letves, for your unprolitablenefs, for. you_r Icning your beloved fiand at your dares and knock whtle hts locks were wet with the dew of the night, and you put him ofi' with excufes, as the Spoufe C~nt. 5· I, 2. ll1ew your love by a thankful receiving and jufl improving of what of God you do in joy or may enjoy. By your mourning b~fore ~od for your prefent wants, hanging your harps upon ·the wtllows ; and weeping wben you remember Sian : By y~ur earneli prayers and · wr<fllings with God for the returns at hts love, and favour to y.ou: For Zions fa/!.t not holding yottr peace, and for Hurufalems fakt, and for your own Souls fake not refifiing nor. letting God to refi till he make his rightm<jnefr to go fortb as brtghme[r, and hif[.lvJtion lik;a light that burneth; Shew your love finally, by not drpxrting from God, keeping ~Iofe to his truths, ways, ordinances ; though (as the Pfalmtfi fpeaks) You be brJ~m '" the place of Dragons, and covmd w_ith the jhadow of death: Keep your Souls Iiflning for every vo1ce of your beloved 10 every hour of darknefs, ready to skip at the leafi found· of his feet or words of his mouth, and able to dillinguifh betwixt the voke of your true fl1epherd· and the voice of llrangers. l ·fhall inllead of many ufe but one Argument to you. · God is never long abjmtfrom that Church, nor from that particul~r· . Son! whofe ajfe{Jions continue up, and ftrong wllh, and for h1m. Tha~ Church, that Soul where there is a lofs of the tirfi love, is in a f1d flate. But !eve melts the heart of him who is love. Muk the Spoufe, Cluill was her b.eloved, though abfent yet her be· loved ; what doth (he fee, what doth fhe fay next l Behold be cometh sk.jpping upon the momJt4ins, RJtd leapiltg "pan the biOs. Let C~rifl his ways, his Ordinances, be· your beloved, and lnok but out with an eye of faith you fh~ll ·fee him . coming to your! f.•tiJfal1ion, aye though there be to the eye of yot1r Senfe mou11· t4ins and bills in the way, great impediments and difficulties ; yes hr. will come leaping over mountains and hiUs·; tiwrnphing over· all difficulties and make hafl:e roth~ tears and cryes, and fu ccours of his people. Thus much flu II ferve to have fpokcn to the fir II l'ropofition obfnved from tl>e Text. Cant. 2. 8. It is the voice of nry bdovcd, &c. I Told yon the Jail• day, that in thefe words, which are the fermer part of the Spoufes fpeech, therc1s a douhle ackno;.v. Iedgment, r. Of the Spou[e's Affection,. and Relation to Chrijl. Mj beloved, 2. Of her beloved's voicr. It IS ( fauh o,e) the VOICe of nry beloved. I told you the !Jil day that I hey ar~ words fpoken with paflion and affection, "l'Y."'"f.•. as '!'"ch. as 1f It were;. 0, There is my beloved ! I hear hun , It IS h1s VOICe: hence I ralfcd two O) fervations 1he lafl day,! witl put them together. Tbe ti'Uc Clumb of Chrifl, and the truly-believing Soul wiU k..norv Prop. Cbrifls voi~e; andrtjoyce in it eJpeci>Uy, afte~ fome tum of.his ab{ enlillg bim[<lf from it. The Propofiuon IS the fame wnh that of our Saviour in the parable of the goad jheplmd, and the jherp, John 1 o. 4· The jheep f ollow him, for they ~rtow his voice, v. 1 4· I l{_now my ftmp, and &m k..nowll of mme. In the opening of the Propofition, I 01all do thefe.things. . 1 will inquire, what i1 thl! vo1ce of Chrift. I. <l_!. Ho'RI the Spoufe doth know the voice ofChrifl: And is able to fay, ]J is the voice of my beloved. 2. Qu. How it doth appear that the true Spou[< of Chrifl dath k..now bif voice, and doth rejoyce in it. · 3· Q!. Wh~Hce if thif j")' of the true Spou[< of ]efus Chri!f, when it hears Q and di{,erneth Chri/ls ~oice? 4· J, Whaiu[<'Riemaymakeofthif? S. Qj• I begin with the lirfl. What if thif voiceof the br/oved l tbif voice of the' Lord jr{ra Chrifll · A voice in the ordinary notion of it amongll men, is nothing elfe but a found, formed in the throat, and caufed by the tongue, by which the creature exprelfeth its mind to another. Now as God is plea fed to exprefs his mind to us, fo he. is faid to have a voice though he hath no body ; nor any bodtly parr<. Now · as G~d hath many ways to exprefs his mind to peopl e,fo he may be laid to have divers voices. God lometim~s exprefTeth his mind to people, by a{Js of providmce; thefe are called rhe Lords ' voice. Thus :P[al. 29. 3, 4, 5· Tlu voice of the Lord bre•ktfh the Cedars, |
