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Show , wh4t arc the /4ttim which Chri.ft lookfth? when he faw the day of CluHi afar olf, fa~ Chriil but throu~h tha Lattice; yet (faith our Saviour ) bt rt)oywJ. All the believing ]m1 who only faw Chriil in aL•mb, a Scape-goat, &c. faw him but through the Lattice, yet the light was very ~we.ec to them. Indeed all the Saints that have lived, and do yet hve tn the world,have but f~en Chriflthroughthe lattice of mort41i(Y,through the Iaiiie< of OrdinanceJ; yet lbc:re are many of them who have · feen him as a Flower !hooting forth, the fight they have had of Chrill hath filled their Sodls with a fpiritualjoy, pleafure and delight. The Church of God, and particular Souls have bee11 many times in fu.ch a Clate, that they have not had that enJoyment of their Btlove.d,that light ofChrill which they have had at o· ther times: but yet the little which they have.fecn and called of him hath been cxcee.ding pleafant. The very J,{t, and ftonu of Zim are de!ireable, ·Pfolm 1 0 2 . 1 +· The Jewilh Harp! were fweet to them when they were in Babyl>ll. Pfalm '37· r. You read of three Women in the Gofpcl: One deli red no more but to .,afh hu f<tt a11d to kjfi them; Another but to touch the be~ of bu gartrJ'nt. A third ( that was Mary Magdalen ) but to have hw dead body. .lt was f wect to Da~id to be a door· flteper m tbe houfe of_ the Lord Pfalm 84. ro. The reafon is, becaufe Cant. 5· t6. He >r al. tagetber defrru. You !hall lind the Spoufe defcribing he~ Beloved from part to part,Cant. 6. 10, 1r. Every part w~s beautt~ul: Yea, give me leave yet to add a little. further, that o~t-tlmcs Chrtils looks (in this life) through the Lalltce,are more pmed than thofe more full by the Spoufe. The believing Soul, the Churc~. of Chritl, receives 1 hem with more thankfulnefs, and more admtrtng of the Love of Chrill then !he received his fuller manifellation; the reafon is ~he far:.e as why a crufl of Bread is oft-times more pre• cioos, more thankfully received, mQre greedily eaten by the hun· giy man, than a full T•ble when his appetite was not. fo good. Falling in fpiritual things as well ·as to natural food, qutckens the appetite, ' 2. Secondly, ·:rhe phrafe imports fomething m? re, vzz. l :hat . Cbriji'Jlook! 1<pon his Spou{e even tbrougb tbe latlzce, are fru ztf~l 4nd profitable to the $oul1 of his S ai»ts :· and this may be ~n 1ddl• tiona! reafon why they are fo f weer an,d plta fant, every thmg that we apprehend profitable being upon that very account as proli· ·table, alfo fweet. I fay, ~ny afpeCl: of Chrill is profit•ble, it is like the buddint, of the Flower which bringeth fruit to the Owner, as ' · ·· ' · well well as pleafare to his Eye. Chrill gave Pettr a: look after that he had denied him , it was profitable to him, for the Text [Jith, he went out and wept bitterly. When the Woman had but touched the hem of his garment, it is f1id, that vtrtue went or~t from him, and he difcerned it. There are feme bewitching eyes, that carry mifchicf in their looks : ChriO's Eyes are vertuous Eyes , he never looks upon a Soul, ~u t venue goes out with his look. Hence Gods !hewing mercy to hts people, healing, delivering them, &c. It is in Scripture exprell under the notion of Gods lookiog upon them; and prayers for help,are exprdfed allo in this phrafe. Chrift is compared to the Sun in the Firmament : now the leaH afpeCl: of the San upon the Earth is you know not only amiable and glo· rio us, but it is alfo prolitable,it cheareth and refre!herh the Earth,. and emirs a vertue, by which the plants are refre!hed, ahd grow: fo it is with Chrill, his look upon the Spoufe , upon his Church, 1.1pon the Souls of his people, is a chearing, comforting, refre!hiug look, when he looketh through the Lattice, he flourifheth through the Lattice. But this is enough to have fpoken to the Dochinal part of the l'ropolition: I come to the llfe. In the lirfl place, Obferve the diffmnce here betwixt Earth and 1 Vfl Heav.n ,yea, betwixt the fiatt a11tl condition of the Sp,ufe of Chrilf ' e-., hfre on Earth. Take the Church, the Soul that h1th the bell, freell and fullell enjoyments of Chrill here, they fee him but tbrougb the Lattice. Alas, how little do we fee of Chriti? But faith the Apo(lle, It doth not yet apprar n>hat we (haU bt. The truth is, it doth not yet appear to us what Chrifl il ? Alas. 1 how little do we yet know ofhim? You now fee Clm(f, as his Word revealeth him,as we are able to exprefs him, and {o he is very glo-rious, very fweet; but how little can he 01ew you of the Sea,that lades it with a fpoon into a little hole? or how li tt le doth he fee of it, that only feeth it in a Land- skip, or in a little creek where it comes up? We are not able to tell you what Clu irt is to hi~ Saints: If we could tell it you, you arc not able ro cOflceive it. When that your corr~tptiblr fhaU have P"' on im:<~rrttption , and you fhall fee him ar br if clothed with all his F-a thers glory, and letting out his Love to the utmoll in glorifying yon wirh his glory; when you lhall behold him face to lace. and with open f.ce behold the glory of God; when the Soul !hall not be cooped "P to the nar- ·tow and llrait view it now hath by an earthly eye , nor re!l.rai· net! as now it i1 by an nndue dillance and lew capacity ;Oh! what ~i' wW |
