OCR Text |
Show How to ~ttaina.f!ur.ance.. ,. to trul\ God upon his bare •ou4 wi.thout~-lign,without fenlible evidenc~ I hinted to you before that there was n? abfolute need of an extraordinary Revelation, (as. the c":'ncrl of 'Ir;nt would h!ve it ) to bring a Soul _to th1s partiCular certun-ty• 8 Be much in hwing and reading th; rr>ord of God. When AuguJJine was in his trouble he heard a voice laying, 'toUe et lege; Tak; "P and rfadi tali.! "P ~nd read ; he ~oo~ up his.~ibte ~nd read that tel<t of Scripture which brought, him 1~ peace. ~:rny othe· in(Hncts"of the experiences of Chrilhans mrght be gtven, and '·" God tbu~ btdfeth cafual reading often-times; fo ~uch n;ore con; llant reading. The Spirit in an hourofremptatlon brtnglng to mlnd fume portions of Scripture, which we have form~rty read. .ilearing the rr>ord is another means, I mean ~bfervant heartng .. God ' coinmil!iQned his Prophets pf old to JPeak.. eo~fortably "?'o hu ptople; and he tells us, that he creates tbe frurt of ~he ltpt, P:ace, Peace. Preaching is a great fruit, though not the only frmt of the lips : 0 wait a~ wifdoms gate! Lyo a~ the pool of Betbqda; .'tis· true at that Pool, thou mayel\ lye long, of the Angel col!les not do'l'n and £\irs the Pool , and rouls thy Soul in : But of thou Iyell there thou' art in the Angels way. 9• Lalliy, Be much in prayer ( fecret prayer) and to ali r_emember to add,rr>atchiHg and rr>aitiltg : Prayer Is fome of the_frurt ?f the l ·p h' h God creates Peace. It is written that he gwu hu holy · sI 1·, 'Wt ICt them that •t• ' him: an d 1h a t Sp ·m · t ·I S t h e onI y co mrfoi r t er, pm uno "' h' 1 . . k I th"fce cafes Prayer doth great t mgs, t us IS not ex- . you now n ' h' d .. Th · duded. Only add to your Prayer, w~t~ mg ao; wattmg_. .ere is a watching unto Prayer, when Chnlltans gam ~ ~raymg-tome from their flecp,or are 'INtcbf•l upon all opportumtte~ to get. an hour of Prayer. There is a rr>atebing.in P.rayer, wh1ch impheth theintention a{Jidn and fervency of the ·mond on the duty, and t,here is a rr>atcbing after Pr'rlyer; which David calls a !ook!ng np, Habba~ ka getting up to his Watch-Torr>tr toobferve lf.the~ercy were comin ' or when it lhould come, all this watchmg IS thy duty. This ~mplieth waiting. God is a great Soveralgn, and we mufi wait for him. It was the Churches good refolutlon, If. 8. I 7J· b I rr>iU wait 11pou him that bideth hit face from the boHfe if aco , •'!~ I wi~ look..for hirn. ' Cant. .. A My Beloved it minr, auJ I ·arn bi1. II' ferdeth amongft thr Litliu, Vntilthr day brea~, and thr Jh•dorr>J flee a .. ay: !urn my Beloved ~nd be tbou lik.! a Xor and a you11g Hart, upon tbt Mo11Htai111 ofBether. • I Have done with the two fir(\ Propolitions, which I concluded out of 1hefe words. I (ball now go on to the third, obfervcd from the order of the Spoufes words; lbe fays lirll, my Bdooed if mme, then I.zm hi<. The'Propoftlion is this. • ChriJ! it firft o'!"', then we are hi<. I might pollibly have Prop. flrpt th1s Obfervatwn, if I had not been hinted it by other grave lnte~preters, amongll which I find Bernard, I told you before that tnll~ad ?f the Verb •ft which we fupply reading it [ is] my Beloved 11 mme, (and where there is an eUipjis or waut of a Verb th~t is moll ufually unde'rl\ood,) he fuppli~s the Verb intendit: as of ~he fenf~ lb?~ld· ~e, my Beloved intend1,or defig>u for me, a11d I forhrm; and Jufiofieth ttfrom Pfal. 40. I. Irr>aitedpatientlyfortbe Lard, and he iltclined to rne; and addeth, Sponfa re{JbuloquHta e]f, th~ Spoufe here fpeaketh better Ho)J putendtlll meritum; fed pr.emlftt~ J bmejictum, elfe. pr.cwntum dile{Ji grati~ confite>u ; not lirll mentioning her merit, but Gods mercy, and con felling her felf prevented by the Favour of her Beloved ; and this agreeth with 1 Job, 4: IO. Herein is love, not tb11t we luvedGod but that be l•ved 111, and fent hil Son, &c. and faith the A pol\le, R~m. I I. 3 4· Who hath firji given uut~ him l and it }haD be recompen[ed to brm again, P{al. 59· IO. 'Ib~ mm:;• of the Lord (faith David ) jhaUprevent me, Jol~. f 5 • I~. You h>ve not cbJfell me, but I have chofen ) 'OU ; upon whoch BeriJard glo!fes, Nee 111 te eligerem '"~ inveni meri1a [td pr£vt>tt, I faw no merits in thee to make me chufe thee b~t I prevented tbee. To this agreeth that, E>:.ek, o6. 6. 'wben I pafTrd by the., and {aw thee pol'uttd in tby Blood, I{aid Hnto thee whe!' thou JZter.tm thy Blood, livt; yea I faid wbm ~hou J'Pert in thy blooif:, lwt, thrrcerr>hen thou wtrtm thJ blood, v. 8. I Jpread my 1kjrt over tbtt, and covered thy na~dnefi,yea I{rr>are Hltlo thee, &c. If. 65. ' v. r, 2, 3· I •mfoHght of theM that ask;dnot forme, 1 ~m fo~<nd of Pp p , them |