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2. They are partakers of the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4, partakers of Chrift, of his Spirit, his grace, his image; and like draws to like; the carnal worldling to the world, and the Christian to Christ. As the water exhaled from the fea by the influence of the fun, is gathered into clouds, which diffolved it falls down on the earth again, where caft up by springs it empties itfelf by rivers and brooks into the fea again whence it came, Eccl. i. 7.; fo grace comes down from above, from the fulness thereof in the man Chrift, into his Christians, and watering them does in the exercise thereof mount up again towards him in fuch breathings after him, and concern that he may turn and come to them.

3. All believers may be obferved to be great miscounters of time, when Christ is turned away from them in their night-journey, If. liv. 7. "For a fmall moment have I forfaken thee," &c. compare Pfal. xiii. 1. "How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?" As the time wherein the moon hides her head to the traveller by night feems long, in comparison of the time of her fhining bright; fo the time of Chrift's withdrawing and hiding his face from a gracious foul is a weary time, a kind of petit eternity. Which speaks a mighty concern.

Lafly, When they are themselves, they are refolute for his prefence and countenance, Eph. vi. 15. Grace gives men an edge for holy violence, Mat. xi. 11. It will make men very peremptory for Chrift, that they will not take a refufal, Gen. xxxii. 26. to threap kindness on him, and special interest in him, If. lxiii. 16. to make an argument of their unworthinefs and mifery, mustered up against them to mar their confidence, Mat. xv. 27. and to stick at nothing ftanding betwixt Chrift and them, fo as they may get to him, Phil. iii. 8.

I fhall now conclude this fubject with fome appli

cation of what has been said.

USE I. Of information. This fhews that,

I. The

grace of God enobles the heart, makes it Gg 2

to

to aspire to the highest things, and gives it a bent of defire beyond others. (1.) It carries the heart off this world and sets it on the other world, as the place of their great hopes, Col. iii. 1. Others may defire their portion in this life, and eagerly purfue it there; but they will certainly carry their views quite beyond it to the other world, Phil. iii. 13, 14. (2.) It gives them a new notion of heaven, and refined defires thereof, as the place where they may be with Chrift, Phil. i. 23. Carnal men have carnal defires of heaven, as a place of reft, welfare, and happiness, abftracted from the enjoyment of God in Chrift; but it is Chrift's being there, and full communion with him to be enjoyed there, that is the main spring of the gracious foul's defire to be there, Col. iii. 3, 4.

2. That the foul once truly married to Chrift is fixed as to its choice, never to alter it, on any terms; neither to be boafted from him by the world's frowns, nor bribed from him by its fmiles, Heb. iv. 3. Cant. viii. 5, 7. Be the night never fo dark, the journey never fo hard, they are refolute to go on, till the day breaking they get to him in the other world.

3. The travellers to Zion defire and look for their furniture for the way from Chrift, as well as their entertainment at the journey's end, Cant. viii. 5. "Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?" There are many who discover their hypocrify, by defiring no more of him, than that he will take them into his covenant at the beginning of their way, and into his heaven at the end of it; having little concern for his prefence and countenance during their progrefs. They would have a reft to their confciences from him at their fetting off, and a reft to their fouls from him at the end; but the reft to their hearts, while they are going on their way, they look for in the world and in their lufts. Such will be miferably disappointed; for "without holinefs no man fhall fee the Lord," Heb. xii. 14.

USE II.

USE II. Of trial. Hereby ye may try your ftate. If ye be really joined to the Lord Chrift as your head and husband, to be with him in the other world, it will be your great concern to enjoy fuch communion with him here, as is allowed his people by the way, till ye come to get full communion with him there. There is a twofold communion with Christ allowed his people by the way to the other world.

1. Habitual communion, which is a commonnefs of intereft with him, 1 John i. 3. "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift." This is a neceffary refult of the fpiritual marriage-tie, and believers never want it from the moment of their union with Chrift. They may fet their names on what is his, as having a joint intereft therein with him ;— "all are yours; and ye are Christ's," 1 Cor. iii. 22,23. They have with him a common interest in his righte oufnefs, what he did, what he fuffered, in his Spirit, purchase, graces wherewith he is filled, &c.

2. Actual communion, which confifts in a certain friendly intercourfe betwixt Chrift and the foul, he letting down the influences of his grace on them, and they moving towards him in the exercife of grace, Cant. i. 4. "Draw me, we will run after thee; the King hath brought me into his chambers," c. This a believer may want for a time; and this is the thing defired in the text, under the name of Christ's "turning, and being like a roe, or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether." And the defire of this communion with him is the touchstone of a gracious ftate. There are several degrees of it.

(1.) Communion with Christ by defires awake after him, If.xxvi. 9. "With my foul have I defired thee in the night, yea, with my fpirit within me will I feek thee early;" when the fpiritual hunger and thirst after him is created in the foul, and the foul longs, thirfts, and pants after him, Pf. lxiii. 1. This cannot be but by inAuences from him, whereby the foul is set in motion

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after

after him, Cant. v. 4. It is a step to more, Mat. v. 6. "Bleffed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they fhall be filled."

(2.) Communion with Chrift in the exercife of a faith of adherence to him, Pf.xxii. 1. "My God, my God, why haft thou forsaken me?" Tho' the foul cannot fing, yet it will refolutely fay to him, "My God." Tho' his difpenfations are black and drumly, and feeming to go against the promife, yet the foul will hold by the grip of the promife, faying as Job xiii. 15. "Tho' he flay me, yet will I trust in him." It is a power from on high that teacheth one's hands fo to war.

(3.) Communion with Christ in the exercise of hope, Pf. xlii. 5. "Why art thou caft down, O my foul? and why art thou difquieted in me? hope thou in God, for I fhall yet praife him for the help of his countenance." Tho' fenfible enjoyment is wanting, and there is no prefent feeling; yet the foul believing the promise, hopes for the accomplishment of it in due time. So it waits on about his hand, in the diligent use of the means; expecting a good iffue a length. This is the product of divine influences, according to the apostle's prayer, Rom. xv. 13. "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghoft.

(4.) Communion with Chrift in fenfible enjoyment; when they are admitted to see his face by a faith of affurance, hear his voice fo as to know it, tafte of his goodness, fmell the favour of his name, Cant. i. 3. and to feel the workings of his grace on their fouls. This fills the foul with folid comfort, refined delight, and fometimes with heavenly rapture, 1 Pet. i. 8.

Now what guft have ye for these things? Is it indeed your great concern to reach them the habitual courfe of your life, and fo to have communion with Chrift while in this world, till ye get full communion with him in the other? If the enjoyment of fuch communion with Christ while here, is your great concern, then,

[.] Ye

[1.] Ye will defire it above all things elfe ye can reach in this world, preferring it to the best things that earth affords, Pfal. iv. 6, 7. Ye will value it more than the profits and pleasures of the world, counting them but dung in comparison thereof.

[2.] Ye will highly prize holy ordinances, public, private, and fecret, as the means of communion with Chrift; and yet not be fatisfied with them without communion with him in them. They to whom these are a burden or tastelefs, plainly discover they value not communion with Chrift, these being the galleries wherein the King is held, Cant. vii. 5.; they are not of the Pfalmift's mind, who says, Pfal. lxxxiv. 10. "A day in thy courts is better than a thousand; I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than dwell in the tents of wickednefs." Thofe that reft in them, and are pleased when the task is got done, fhew they value not the true ufe of them, reprefented to us in the spouse's practice, Cant. iii. 2. "I will rife now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will feek him whom my foul loveth."

[3.] It will be your great concern to guard against whatever may mar it, or keep you back from it, and to keep the way wherein you may obtain it. That is you will beware of living in the allowed practice of fin, but be tender and holy in your lives, Pfal. lxvi. 18. John xiv. 21.

USE III. Evidence yourfelves truly married to Chrift, by making it your great concern to have actual communion with Christ here, till ye come to the full enjoyment of him in the other world. To prefs this, I offer these motives very briefly.

1. This is neceffary to evidence your fincerity in the marriage covenant, 1 John ii. 19. "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us." Being carelefs of communion with Chrift, fpeaks that the heart is not with him, but with other lovers.

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