CHRIST And His SAINTS, Spending their time together Day and Night: OR, Christ and his Saints. 1. Walking together in the Fields, by Day. 2. Lodging in the Villages, by Night. 3. Early-Rising together for the heavenly Vineyards every Morning. Being the substance of sundry Sermons upon Cant. 7.11, 12. By Christopber Jelinger, Minister of the Gospel at South-Brent in Devon. Printed for Edward Brewster, at the sign of the Crane in Pauls-Churchyard. 1656. To the Right Worship-the MAjOR, and to his Brethren; and to all the Inhabitants of the town of Plimpton, together with the rest of my loving hearers of the Gentry, and others who dwell in the adjacent Country. Grace be unto you, and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. IT was meet that these Sermons should first come to your public view, being dedicated to you, because they were first preached among you. But I hope you do not think that the sole hearing, or reading of them, will bring your souls to heaven. Heaven must be taken by violence, For the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force, Mat. 11.12. And therefore you must offer an holy violence to your own natures, every one of you, must * Isa. 64 stir up your selus, and lay hold on God himself, must labour hard with yourselves, and with the God of heaven, and force heaven. Heaven hath a new title, Mat▪ 7 14. and straight gate; for straight is the gate which leads to life, and therefore you must strive to enter. Be as wise as Serpents, saith Christ, Mat. 10.16. Serpent's will go to a rock, & creep into the narrow clefts or holes of it, to strip off their old skins, when they are old, that they may become young again; let your wisdom's match theirs, and let Christ, with his strictness, which is the straight gate of heaven, be your rock, & do you thereat exercise your selus, strip your selus, and force your selus to become new, labouring hard to put off the old man, and to put on the new man, which is created after God, in true holiness and righteousness, that so doing you may come to heaven. I beseech you mark what I say, this you must do by faith in Christ; for without him you can do nothing, John 15.5. Without him you cannot come off from your houses of clay and sin, to walk with him over the fields of Contemplation, there to meditate. Without him you cannot forego your old lodgings of sinful and sensual delights, to go with him over his pleasant villages, there to lodge: without him you cannot leave your beds of ease, and rest, to break your beloved sleep, and to rise early enough to get with him to his heavenly vineyards, there to rest. It is said, that when Christ had preached much to his jest beloved disciples of watching, he closed up his lecture at last with this most seasonable Scripture, And what I say unto you, I say to all, watch, Mark 13.37. So I, having spoken much of striving to you, nigh dearly beloved Auditors, I wind up and finish my discourse in like manner, saying, And what I writ unto you I writ unto all, Strive. That is, strive to deny your selus, and to overcome sleep: strive to stir up your selus & to vanquish sloth: strive to conquer your selus, and to have more sweet communion with Christ himself. strive to walk more with him, to lodge more with him, to rise more with him, that when you have been dead and buried, you may be gloriously raised again by him out of your graves at the last day; and being raised by him, rest and reign with him, and walk with him arm in arm, together with all the holy Angels, and all the truly worthy that ever lived, being lifted up to the highest perfection of bliss, endless peace, and blessed immortality, to be enjoied to all eternity. So prayeth Your faithful friend and humble servant in Christ, Christopher Jelinger. TEXT. Canticles. 7.11, 12. Come my beloved, let us go forth into the Field, let us lodge in the Villages: let us go early to the Vineyards. WHen I look upon a Towns life, first, and then upon that which we live in the Country, I conclude that Towns, and Townsmen, are more happy, because they live an easier life, and are not so pe●●ered with a world of businesses and Country work, as men are in the Country; but when I reflect back upon my Te●●, I begin to b●ck in my thoughts, and am in a strait betwixt two, as not knowing whether a Town or City be happier than the country, or the Country happier than either, because I see by it how much a devout soul desires to be in it, by saying to Jesus Christ, Come my beloved, let us walk into the field, etc. And my final determination is this, that neither Townsmen nor Countrymen are or can be happy indeed, unless they have Christ with them indeed, and that if Christ be with them, and centred among them, both are happy alike, because Christ is near to both alike, and because as lines in a Circumference their pious multitudes do all meet in their centre Christ, being all alike for Christ. Now for their sake especially who groan under country burdens I have culed out this precious scripture that by it they may be taught what to do when they are under a Country Pressure as namely, that they must come to Christ to have him come along into their field, and Villages with them, that there he may dispense his love unto them. Yet so as that Citizens, and Townsmen are not to be secluded from them, for I shall but ostend and show, how the Country life also, mark but also, is capable of, and fit for the exercise of that love, which is betwixt Christ and his espoused Saints, thereby leaving room and place for Townsmen and Citizens, among whom Christ takes place. The occasion of these words some do Prompt from the 6 Chapter, of this Book Verse, 11. unto which this Text doth look for there Christ is all for the Field, for Gar●e●s, for Vineyards to see the fruit thereof, and therefore the Church here is so too even all bent for the field too, saying, come my be loved, let us go into the Field, etc. Where three things are nominated, to which her gracious self the Church of Christ I mean in her servant, & flaming love is carried. 1. She is for the Field. 2. For Villages. 3. For Vineyards. 1. Or for a Holy walking with Christ by day. 2. Lodging with Christ by Night. 3. Early Rising with Christ in the Morning. 1. She is for the field, saying, Come my beloved, let us go into the Field; where we have 1. a Compellation. 2. an Excitation. 1. A compellation, My beloved or friend, For the Hebrew signifieth both. 2. An excitation, Come, let us go forth into the Field. 1. Come. 2. Let us go forth. 3. Into the field. 1. Come, the Hebrew is a word which also signifieth to be at leisure, and so the sense is, can you be at leisure. 2. Let us go forth, or go out, for so much also I find in original, or if she had been immured or straightened, and shut up in a narrow compassed alluding thereby to the narrow room which the Jewish church did cover, as some would have, it. 3. Into the field The Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which also signifieth a country Gregory hereby understands, the world; Tomson tells, us that he alludeth to those, who being in love are wont to go forth into the field and country, that there the more freely they may be merry. * Jun. et Termall in Loc. others say, that her meaning is this do not reserve thyself wholly for thyself, thinking upon that blessed day, when we shall meet in glory, but let us join both. For I also desire to think and to confer about that blessed time when we shall be for ever together in joy, I for my part being free to both Mystical and literal senses, yet shall stick to the latter most, having such an original copy before me, which leads and carrieth me for and to it, yet so, as that I shall not be unmindful of the my stical field of contemplation into which souls do walk, who walk abroad for their Heavenly recreation. 2. But let us see next how the church is for villages, or for lodging with Christ by night. Let us lodge in the villages. 1. Let us lodge, or lie by night, as the Hebrew hath it, as if she should say, I do not desire to live as I did formerly, when I slept whole nights carelessly, nor will I be found unready at thy coming; No, I am ashamed now of my former oscitancie, and I am now bend to spend day and night in the Jun et Tremell in Loc. observing of the signs of thy glorious appearing. Or thus, let us take the night too, to solace ourselves together with our mutual society, for I desire to spend even day and night with thee, o sweet Jesus, whom my soul so dear loves; or thus, let us even lie together by night, and wake to gether by night, for I do not desire to spend all the night in sleeping. No but I desire to be up some times * Tomson in Loc. to behold by night the maker of the heaven of the Pleyades of Orion Arcturus & of the rest of those glorious stars which so glitter by night for man's delight or thus to contemplate that great and glorious, essence which commutes the thickest darkest into the brightest morning, and the day into the darkest night. Amos 5.8. 2. In the villages 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some render ad Cypress to Cypress because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth Cyperes that is certain Grapes, which grow in Cyprus, Others take it to be a certain sort of spice called Camphyr Cant. 1.14, but because the same word signifieth * S●e is●m 6.8. hebr. villages to and agrees with lodging better I retain villages, whereby some understand the * Gregu in Loc. gentiles, others alive souls, such as are in country villages others * Theodor in Loc. those souls which have given up their names to Christ. * Exposi t●● 3 Patrum in Lock. I for my part understand first the country literally, and hearts Mystically, that is, Christ's heart and the church's heart, in the which both do mutually lodge. 3. The last thing is the churches early rising with Christ in the morning, Let us get up early to the vineyards; as if she should say, let us rise very early and be up before the Sun is up to behold those trembling and be fore the approaching day flying torches of Heaven, and to salute the fair and pleasant morning carried, in its golden chariot, and that we may contemplate that vast and admirable flame, the Sun I mean peeping forth with its yellow and golden locks. in the canopy of Heaven, to fill the whole earth with its glorious light, after all that darkness which covered it before by night or thus, & then let us rise sweet Jesus, I with thee and thou with me, for I desire & long to see thee who art my light my joy, my Sun, my Sun of righousnesse, that Sun which lighteneth the world with its brightness, and fills the whole earth with its warnesse, is very comfortable, but thou art much more, when as a Bridegroom thou comest forth out of heaven, and showest forth the brightness of thy face to make me glad on earth, and therefore▪ I do so desire to enjoy thee. Q Q. But what are these vineyards I answer some say, * Lyra in Loc. A churches * Theodor in Loc. others those who have received the preaching of the Gospel, as if the Church should say, I mean those precious souls, which together with me have obtained the like pretions' faith, and been made partakers of the like penetrating and soul-searching Gospel-preaching; to these my very hearts desire is to go and see them with my best beloved, saith, the Church to Jesus Christ to whom she is by the same most precious saith espoused for my part I understand such too but not only such for I take these vineyards, to be the Heavenly mansions also filled with glorified Saints which are the vines thereof now let us gather roses which▪ grow in this Scriptures garden. 1. I And observe hence. 1 Do●r. That the country and a country-life also is capable of, and fit for the exercise or manifestation of that love which is between Christ and his espoused Saints for the illustration hereof these. 2. Queries will be proposed and must be resolved. Queen 1 The 1. is how it is so. The, 2. is why it is so. A For the 1. I answer to it if Christ be in it, For therefore the spouse saith to them, Come, because she knew that else she could not do well; for what is the Country without him, but an ark of travel, a school of vanities, a mere labyrinth, a barren wilderness a dirty sty, a tempestuous Sea a meadow full of scorpions a garden full of basilikes a fountain of miseries, a river of tears, a seat where there is but false deceit, travel some labour, fearful rests grievous miseries, a place in which is little also but Shame, Repentance, Sorrow, Reproach, a Centre, in which all these tragedies, as lines in a circle do meet, as namely, Travel without Fruit, Sorrow without Profit, Desire without success, Hope without Remorse, Mirth without Duration, miseries without Remedies. Thus we speak of the Country, if Christ be not there; but if he be, all these miseries cannot hinder the operation of that love which is betwixt him, and his Espoused Saints; for as that tree in Exodus, 15.28. being in the waters of Meribah made them all sweet, so doth he and will make the Country Sweet, which else is as bitter as Marah was. Q. 2 2. But why is it so? A I Answer, Because there also is that which will. 1. Blow up the fire of love. 2. Will feed it. 1. Will blow it up, for there are roses which will mind us of that sweet Rose of Sharon, Christ Cantic. 2.1. And there are Trees, which will put us upon that sweet Tree of life Christ, Revelation. 22.1.2 And there are waters which will lead us to the water of life Christ. John, 4. And there are fruits in the earth, which will draw us to that fruit which the Tree of life doth bear in heaven. Revelation, 22. And is not all this able to blow up the fire of love, if any be in us, when such things are represented, to us, being so lovely so amiable and so Delicious. 2. Will feed it, for in the Country or Fields, are herbs of all sorts good, not only for food but also for Physic, able not only to delight, but also to maintain us and so consequently, able to maintain, to feed, to nourish our love to Christ when in them we do still behold the divin nature the virtue the nourishment, the mightiness the Medicinalnes which is in Christ, who is like a garden of herbs is good for to cure all our ma ladies, for by his stripes we are healed Esay, 53.5. So that in this respect also the Country is capable, and fit for the exercise of that love which is between Christ and his espoused Saints, because all this doth nourish love showing forth that great and mighty Love, which is in Christ whom our Souls love and who by all those very herbs doth manifest to us that mightiness of his love For what a love is it that he shows us, in that he so decketh the green diaperie of the earth, with such a tapestry and variety of all sorts of herbs for our, both food and Physic lo saith the Apostle what manner of love the Father hath showed us, that we shall be called the sons of God. 1. John. 3.1. So we see what manner of love Christ doth show in that we shall see so much of God in all these creatures which were made by God the first use will be one of Raticination, Use. 1 why then are those, of the Country so barren in this exercise. Exercises there are enough in the Country, there is Card-playing Dicing, Dancing, Hunting, Drinking, Night-watching, but as for, the exercise of Christ's love, O how rare is that? Secondly, For how far must a man go before he shall see one go into the field to meditate, to pray, to talk, and to converse with Christ. Thirdly, Christ is the great'st stranger to most, who should be their greatest delight, and the only companion that should be desired by most, but so it is he must be farthest off, & crowders, musicians, Drunkards, Gamesters, Company— keepers, Sabbath-breakers, Whore-Mongers, Harlots, jesters, sport-makers, Rabshakes, that can revile most, must be nearest. And why my brothers, ●an you tell if you will not, or cannot, truly it is because his love is not in you; for did you once love Christ indeed, than you would desire to be with him, as it is meet, you would even long as much to be with him, & to see him as a Bride to see her Bridegroom; you would show then as much love to his Person, as ever you did to any Person, your talk would b Heavenly, your walks Heavenly, for such are the Exercises of those that are lovers of him, because their delight is in him: but mark what I shall say; of you, who live in the Country, and use no such Exercises, as are so Heavenly, when others whose, wingy Solues Heaven do aspire, shall mount up from this Country, which is but Earthly, into that which is Heavenly, than you whose Earthly minded Souls, nothing but earth do desire, must descend from one Country, wherein there is nothing but Travel and Trouble, Madness, and sadness, Tears and Fears, Asperity and Adversity, Certain Pressure, and uncertain Pleasure, into another, where is but Weeping and Howling, Crying, and Frying, Burning, and Blaspheming, in a Lake, which burns With Fire and Brimstone, for ever. Verse. 21. etc. Use. 2 2. Use of Instruction followeth Then let not the Field or Country impedite any of us from the Exercise of that love which is betwixt Christ and us, O let, none say I live in the Country, I cannot do as they that live in Towns, for that is but a frivolous Excuse, or else the Spouse in my would not so desire to be, as Text, you are, in the Country. Doctrine 2 The 2. Doctrine followeth. Devout and holy Souls desire very, much to enjoy the company of Christ abroad as well as at home even in Fields & Villages, to satisfy the longing of their flaming love. For the Illustration whereof, I Propose these. 3. Queries. 1. Qu. What that society of Christ is, which such a Soul doth so much desire. 2. Qu. Why it desireth it so. 3. Qu. Why abroad, as well as at home, &c, To the 1. Qu. I Answer. That it is a ●●caucie, 3 Query, Resolved. as the Hebrew hath it, or being at leisure after an holy and Heavenly manner to walk, to converse to be with Jesus Christ. Christ being sweetly, graciously Friendly, Familiarly, Present, with it, in and by, his blessed spirit, all which I gather from my Text. To the second thus. 1. Because it is most comfort able. 2 Query. Resolved. 2. Most Profitable. 1. Most comfortable, the company of a friend is so, especially if he be of a sweet disposition Christ is so. Can. 5. the last, so in my Text, he is called, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, a friend, see, John. 14.18. which place doth Ostend, and show, that where Christ comes comfort, comes joy comes, delight, comes, because he is the Surge, the well, spring the Fountain, yea, ocean of all, consolation, so that he must needs therefore be a most sweet and comfortable, companion. 2. Most Profitable, for he is not only most sweet, but also most rich, Ephesians. 3.8. The Apostle, tells us of the unsearchable riches of Christ, & then Verse. 9 of the fellowship of the mystery, Verse 3. Fellowship to show what a Companion Christ is, how rich, how rare, how profitabl, which though it be a thing hid from the World, yet cannot be hid from those whose life is hid in Christ, Col. 3.3. For they find it so, when they walk with him so, as the spouse here being unnailed from the World, crucified to the Flesh, embosomed in God, imparadice, in Christ, Separated from Sinners, and Elevated to the highest Horizon, of Christ's sweetest Communion. To the 3. 3 Query Resolved. Query. I Answer. 1. Because the more comfortable, then 2. More profitable. 1. The more Comfortable. The more objects, the more Aspects, that is, the more God showeth himself by objects to us, the more Comfort is felt by us, his pleasant Countenance there, and then shining upon us, so that as a spouse, if she may but see her beloved wheresoever she comes, comes to be the more comforted by him, so souls when they may behold the Face of Christ, in all places abroad and athome in Fields and Villages, must needs increase their Heavenly Solaces. 2. The more profitable when mariners do in all ports and passages unbark riches they must need; be the richer so when devout souls being embarked in Christ for Heaven do every where increase their lading and make it swell by continual additions taking in and with them wheresoever they go the person of Christ and the riches of Christ they must needs desire or be enriched so much the more, that is be the more full of grace, of virtue, of goodness by their daily additions. For when they are at home Christ brings home what others see abroad when abroad he spreads abroad a canopy before them replenished with rarest treasures and richest jewels, to enrich their souls abroad broad as well as at home: every creature which they see being a pearl in their eyes and all creatures together as heaps of treasures in their minds, able to make them thrive most wonderfully, after they be applied by them graciously again, when abroad Christ being with them, carries his riches his merits, his righteousness his spirit with him so that they may have of him what they will because his will is, that they should have as much as they need to make them richer still. use The 1. Use. Use of the Point is this. This may serve as a touchstone then, whereby a man may know whether his soul be such a devout soul yea or no. For if it be this will be his desire. Now how do your pulses beat and what spirits are you of? is it the desire of your souls then to enjoy Christ's sweet society? If it be O how happy are you? For your souls are married to Christ and your Spirits therefore may rejoice in Christ: but if not, that is, if neither at home nor abroad you do enjoy nor desire to enjoy his blessed communion, if when you walk abroad you go without him, taking more felicity in a mere carnal man's or woman's society, if when at home you are even there also from home, not being with Jesus Christ who causeth us to be at home, that is, if you do neither mind him nor see him nor speak with him or of him, but have fellowship with drunkards, and ruffans, swaggerers and swearers, being such yourselves, or else impend and spend your time in nothing else but telling of news or tales, and lies, and calling of names, when you should call upon Christ's name, and keep him company; if so, than I for my part make this conclusion, to come to A 2. Use. 2 Use of trembling that as yet you are not associated with Christ as others are by a connubiall copulation, and that therefore you must look after all your sports, games, pastimes, fellow- merie-meetings and idle walkings up & down in alehouses taverns in fields and villages to walk down to hell, when after a revolution and vi cissitude of all your merriments you shall all be forced to obey the swinge of that wheel not moved by intelligences but by the hand of God whereby all do rise and come to their zenith and predestinated periods. For all your lives and the whole world do run not upon a helix that still enlargeth but a circle where arriving to their meridian they declin again and at last do fall under these horizon again which to they all press amain so that your sitting cannot be long nor your setting a far off, because your breath itself is but short and because your courses which you take make it shorter and will bring you soon to your by Gods predestinated doom. Use. 3 But I would not have it so if I could help it, and therefore am resolved to persuade you, that if you would escape this doom, and make it evident to yourselves and others, that your souls are such devout souls, as are married to Christ, you will. 1. Kindle such desires, which are like fires. 2. Show such desires. 1. that you will kindle such desires. Q Q. How. A A. His desire must be towards you, before yours, can be towards him, as here, for note but the series of the context, and the concatenation of it with my text: first his desire is towards me, saith she, and then come, come then my brethren and because you see this, say, Lord, I see now clearly that I cannot desire thee, unless thy desire be first towards me, and therefore Lord where is that desire of thine which must attract mine, O show it manifest it, let me see it, let it be like fire to me, and let it kindle a fire in me which may never go out even a desire to thee I humbly beseech thee. 2. Show it, as thus. 1. Call him, when you are going abroad to go with you. 2. Take him with you. 3. Talk and walk with him when you have him. 1. Call him, as the spouse here, Come my beloved, I pray you remember these words, and take them with you, I say as Hos. 14.1. so come Lord Jesus, or come my beloved, let us walk into the fields. 2. Take him with you. Q Q. How? A A. Take him by the hand of faith, believing verily that he will go with you; here steel your faith with those mighty & precious Scriptures Cant. 4 last, Let my beloved come into my Garden, and Cant. 5.1. I am come into my garder, which plainly shows how willing he is to go with us and to come to us, being desired by us. 3. Walk and talk with him, when he is come, & you have him with you. 1. Walk, as thus. 1. Going out, as the Hebrew hath it. Q Q. How going out? A A. Not out of this world, for that cannot be but out of the care of this world, that is care for nothing but him when you go that you may not go from him. 2. Keep close to him as he that walketh with his companion and is still close by the side of his companion so be you still hard by him and not far from him who must be far from you. For in him we live we move, & have our being. Act. 17.18. Oh my brethren this keeping close to God, what a sweet thing is it it links us with God it ensoules us in God it toeth us to God it will not suffer us to disgress from the sacred Laws of God therefore let us never from him go when we go abroad so the patriarchs walked with God and so may we if we will but stick close to him walking abroad with him. 2. So talk with him as you walk, even as two companions a man and his wife do talk together when they go into the field together; so let your communication be of and with Christ altogether, see Luke. 24.2. Q Q. What shall we talk. A A. * Jun, et Tremel●. in Loc. Two that writ upon this Scripture say, that that great and glorious wedding which is * Rev, 12.7 coming was here the church's lecture. For her desire was, say they, that he and she might both confer about it, and therefore my advice and counsel is, that when you talk with or of Christ you make that wedding especially the subject of your talking, as thus; tell Christ how much you long to see that day wherein those your eyes shall see him as he is Job 19.26. Your tongues fully praise him, and your souls, being reorganized with you● bodies highly and eternally magnify him, when the corruptibility of that sperm, adam's I mean, which hath dilated itself into so many millions shall put on immortality, for this corruptible must put on in corruption, 1. Cor. 15. and when our retired-selves shall be no more as now we are, as for ourselves, but rather altogether for himself, being ourselves swallowed up in life after death shall be swallowed up in victories 1 Cor. 15. Such let be our discourses with him; again let us tell him, how much we desire then to be always with him, and not only to see him, as it is written, that we shall be ever with the Lord, 1. Thess. 4. the last verse. Here make a discourse upon this Scripture, as thus Lord Jesus, sweet Saviour, how do I long to enjoy that felicity? When I shall be with thee to all eternity. The Bride that hath the Bridegroom cannot possibly so much desire the company and presence of her beloved, as I do the society of my best beloved. For the society and presence of an earthly Husband is but for the present, but thine for ever and therefore how do I wish for that day when I shall come to enjoy thee so when an earthly Bride & Bridgroomes come together all that time seemeth to be but short because it is so sweet, and so will that time doubtless to me when I shall be with thee whereas all my time now seemeth to be too long because I am absent from thee and therefore I do so long to enjoy thee Oh when will it be that I shall be with thee and give my love unto thee Oh let it no the too long too long but assoon as may be I humbly pray thee. A Doctr. 3 A. 3d. Doctrine followeth which I will but name. The gathering calling and bringing home of the blinded Gentiles to jesus christ should be much longed after by such as themselves are in a Church-society with Christ. A. The 4 Doct. Fourth Conclusion is. That Christ's Saints have a great desire to lie and to lodge with Christ by night. For the jllustration hereof I shall put forth and resolve these two problems. Probl. 2 The 1. What it is to lie and to lodge with Christ by night The 2. Why his Saints have such a desire to lie and to lodge with him so. To the 1. I answer. The ●. Probl. 1. It is to have him in the region of our minds, 2. Sol. as Cant. 1.13. betwixt our breasts that is in our thoughts as thus who died for me? Christ who risen for me? Christ who ascended for me? Christ who is my Love Christ. This is the Saints sweet and gracious Symploce according to Rom. 8, 34.35. 2. It is to have him in the arms of our love love is unitiveit unites the lover and the beloved Christians and transspeciates beasts into men men into spouses the spouses I mean of Jesus Christ, Christ being collocated and centred by it in the bosoms of his Saints, when by night he is made the object of it in his Saints hence Cant. 7.11. There, or as the Hebrw hath it, Then will I give thee my love. 3. It is to be taken into the arms of his love by night, Cant. 2.6. His left hand is under my head; and how is that? I answer, here I must break out into this epaheticall exolamation ah thea ocean of divine consolation? Oh sweetness not to be uttered? Oh delights not to be expressed! Oh pleasures not to be paralled! For here the devout soul which lodges Christ by night melteth in the arms of Christ by night feedeth on celestial dainty, is ravished with unexpressible solaces, dissolved into unconceivable joys carried above humane contentments elevated beyond the zenith of all momentany blandishments satiated with the food of Angels extatized with the enjoyments of the bread of Angels. To the, 2. A The 〈◊〉 Answered. Problem I answer thus. 1. The night is no man's friend and therefore it is good, say his Saints, to have such a friend with us, as he is (so called in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉) by night for our Souls delight. 2. The night is very uncomfortable else, when nothing but darkness is over all the Earth, when neighbours are kept asunder when Devils and spirits walk, when horrors and terrors possess our spirit, when dreamer fright us thoughts trouble us, when Satan's envenomed arrows, which fly by night, come thick about us, which also causes Christ's Saints so to desire Christ's company by night, because even then he gives them light Ephes. 5.14. 3. Night's are long, especially in the winter season, and to one that hath not his health and cannot sleep, and therefore Christ's Saints not being able to sleep whole nights, and feeling themselves sick with his love do so desire his company by night that they may talk with him when they cannot sleep and so they may pass away their time by night. 4. The night commonly is the Saints weeping time Psal. 30. Weeping as for a night in Hebrew The night is called therefore Laiil which word hath a great affinity with another which signifieth he hath howled and lamented which also causeth the Saints so to desire Christ by night that he may cheer them up in the night. 5. Night's are a part of life which better expresseth death then life. For every man, truly liveth so long as he acts his nature or some way maketh good the faculties of himself and therefore it is good, say Christ's Saints, not only to sleep. For that is to be dead, but to lie and to lodge with christ by night because that is to be a live with Christ. 6. Night's take up a great part of our time and therefore Christ's Saints who at not willing to miss Christ at any time and to lose so much time do so desire to lodge with Christ by night. 7. Night's are fit for the sweetest enjoyments of Jesus Christ. For there is as it were a divine aptness in our minds that time, which disposeth it for contemplation in a wonderful manner because there is such a silence then and a resting time for the senses of our bodies as that we cannot be the more fit for things of highest concernment to think upon Hence Sophcoles', 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that is a night ceartenly thou art for the most part a partaker of the wisdom of God, which therefore causeth the Saints so to desire to lodge with Christ by night. I do now wheel my thoughts towards you by way of application. And. 1. This point may serve for Communication, 1 Use of Communication as This. Then how do we spend our Nights? Nights are to be spent with Christ, as well as days: If we be his Saints, and yet how many are there, who say, that they are Saints, but can sleep whole Nights, & never so much as think upon Christ, by Night, if any body will sit up with them, by Night, if any body will sit up with them by Night and go to Cards with them, or Drink with them, or Play the Wanton with them, who but they, but let Christ be spoken for? to them, to be lodged by them, and to go to Bed with them, and they will as much nauseate and loath his society, as if he were the loathsomest companion that ever they heard of; for they have no Mind, no Heart, no Desired to that, that is two Tedious, that they do not relish, that they do not like: No, they Sleep, they say as well as Walk, or else they cannot hold out but, I ask; how can you hold out then when you go to Cards, to Dice, to Dancing, to Play the Wanton, For that I am sure you can break your sleep, but for Christ you cannot. And why, my Brethren, Why? Shall I tell you? The reason is, because you know what cards are, and sports are, and the lusts of the flesh are, but what Christ is by Night you never knew since you knew a Night, Christ is, and hath been as great a stranger to you, as one whom you never saw, and therefore, a strange thing it is, to see, how many Nights you Consume, in sleeping or doing that which is worse, when you should spend some part of every Night in a holy communion with Christ, which is far better. But so it is, Christ, who should lie even all Night betwixt your breasts lieth a far off in the bosoms of his real Saints, and some wanton Dames and Carnal Companions must be near to you, because the the love of Christ is not in you; and therefore mark what will follow, as now you lie whole Nights upon your beds, and never mind Christ whilst you are a-bed: So hereafter you must expect to lie in Hell, which will be your bed. I say again in Hell, where there it is Night only and no day, darkness & no Lightsomeness, & where Christ will be as great a stranger to you, as now you are to him, when Namely that great and terrible day of the Lord shall come, when the Sun, itself shall be turned into darkness, and the Stars shall lose their lights when your souls shall be bound up again, with the ligaments of your bodies reorganized with your several members, and re-invested with their several Endowments, that both may suffer together for ever, or thus, when as in your lest sience you must all enter to make up and to complete the Catastroph of your whole lives, when your bad-Night-watching, Night-dancing Night-Playing, Night-whoring, Night-forgeting of jesus Christ, must and will be brought upon the Stage before Christ, that you may be for all▪ and at once doomed and Damned, to Hell for ever Christ being your Inexorsable judge, whom now you might have, and enjoy as a most comfortable Friend. 2. This point may serve for Counsel than you would evidence it to the World, and to yourselves that you are Christ's Saints. Let at be your desire to lodge and Lie with jesus Christ by Night. Here take these. 1. Directives, 2. Incentives. 3. Directives, as. 1. You must be so resolved. 2. Your desires must bereally followed. 2. You must so resolved as, Gant. 1.13. He shall Lie all Night betwixt my breasts so let every one of us say likewise. And so he shall lie betwixt my breast this night and every night and all nights nor will I ever go any more to bed without him or take myrest without him for he is mychief yea only rest because he only can give me rest. 2. Your desires must be really followed as thus. 1. Your hearts must be duly fitted. 2. He must be earnestly solicited. 3. He must be aptly lodged. 1. Your hearts must be duly fitted, as thus. 1. Your hearts must be opened, for they must be like Villages which are open, and there fore as David Psal. 24. at the last Verse, Stand open ye Everlasting Doors, that the King of Glory may Come in. For some men's hearts are like that silly flower in the Judies, which openeth itself against the sun setting: & closeth itself, against the sun rising: For so they open themselves against the evil motions of the Devil, which like the Night▪ And shut themselves against the motions of Christ, and that is the reason, why all this while, Christ never lodged with them one Night, because they closed their bodies against Christ, as not being willing to be troubled with Christ, like some men, who shut their Doors, by Night, against all comers, because they will not be troubled in their sleep, but do you not so dally with Christ, if you mean to lodge, and to lie with Christ. Qu. Que. Can I open my Heart. Ans. I know thou canst not: An. but Christ can: And therefore, pray Christ, that as he opened the heart of Lydia, Acts. 16. so he will open thine. 2. Your hearts must be enlarged For he is a great King Malachi. 1. the last vers And therefore looketh far a large room, and for great enlargements. Qu. Que. What shall I do to have my heart Enlarged? An. Ans. Consider what a companion Christ is by Night, namely the sweetest that you can have, or choose: For his mouth is all sweetness the Hebrew hath it Cant. 5. The last Verse. 3. Your hearts must be swept and Cleansed. For nothing must be there, that may offend his pure eyes, were you to Lodge but a Knight: You would, make clean your Houses, and should not you, much more, make clean your hearts, when you are to lodge, the King, of Kings, in your hearts: O Christians, what are ever, you do, see, that your hearts, be clean therefore? Oh, let no Pride, no, Lust: no Malice: no Covetousness: no Naughtiness: lodge there, and for that purpose, pray that, God will give you faith, in Christ. For that will purify your hearts, that they may be fit lodgings for Christ. Acts. 18.7. 4. Your hearts must be garnished, with grace, with goodness, Godslinesse with, holiness, with Meekness, for with such things Christ is maruclously pleased, as with ornaments, which are, of great price, with God 1. Pet. 3. 2. Christ must be, earnestly Solicited, as namely, that he will be pleased to lie, and tolodge with us all Night. as here, come my beloved, let us lodge in the Villages: That is, in thy heart, and thou in mine, or as, Cant. 4, the last. Let my beloved, come into my Garden, so let my beloved, come into my bed, and Lodge with me, all this Night: or thus into thy hands, I do myself, commit; Sweet Saviour,: which Heaven dost Inhabit? O lodge; O Lie, now all this Night, between Breasts my, for my delight, Nights are terrable, when the Arrows flee, of that wicked one: whom none can see; Watch thou therefore, when I do Sleep, and at my temples sentrie keep. 3. Christ must be aptly, lodged, as thus. 1. As every Night, when we, go to lie with an other, we put off our , so being to lie, and to lodge with jesus Christ, let us put off our sins, our old customs which are not good, our evil thoughts, devices, deceits, deeds, that Christ may repose, himself, with that indeed, see Ephes. 4.22. 2. As he that goeth to lie, and to lodge, with an other, puts on his Night-clotheses, so let us put on ours, that is, Holy and Heavenly thoughts of jesus Christ, as these, let a man's meditations be thus: I am now going to lie, and to lodge with the Holiest, and Faitest, of all men, as he is called; Ps. 45. And therefore, Oh, what manner of person, ought I to be, in all manner of Godliness and holy Conversation. 1. Pet. 3. 3. As those that lie together, talk together, so let us with jesus Christ, and that about 1. Our Graves, and Death. 2. Our End: His Love. 3. Our future Rest. 4. His Absence. 5. Embraces. 6. Darkness. 1. About our Graves and Death: As thus, let a man talk. My bed, me think is an Emblem, of my Grave: For as here I Lie. Down in my bed: So I must lie down in my Grave: But here lies my comfort, that my Saviour hath, by his lying in his Grave, Perfumed mine: Which makes me, to Triumph upon Death, saying, O Death, where is thy Sting, O Grave where is thy, Victory. 1. Cor. 15.5. 2. About our end: his love, as thus: Here now I will * Cane. 7.11. give thee my love; O God, my King, my life, my love, my joy: Which I do, so long, so desire, so thirst, to Enjoy; Oh, Sweet Saviour, where is thy love, Oh, Now, now, Give me thy love, as I am ready to give thee mine; Mine is but weak, and therefore, I beg thine, which is stronger than mine, and and can make it as strong as Death: that I may love thee unto Death, Oh give it me, and do not keep it from me, I humbly pray thee. 3. About our future Rest: as Oh, how sweet was but now my sleep, my rest, my repose with thee, this Night, and if so how sweet will be that which is to come when I shall come to be refreshed with him: and by him, whom my soul loveth for ever: and when I shall clearly see him, though now I cannot: I grant, that if two Bodies were placed be yond the tenth sphere they would not be able see to one another, because they want, a mediaum, to convey light one, to the other, but as for Christ, him we shall see, as he is, when we shall be above, the tenth sphere, because in his own light we shall see him, who is our light, and therefore let us talk with him, about it, that our souls may take delight, and pleasure in it, or thus: if this natural sleep, be so comfortable, Oh, how comfortable, will be, that rest which is to come, when I shall, only walk and no more sleep, feel, and no more faint and no more seek. About Darkness, as thus: Oh, what a Dismal thing, is this Darkness, if all the men on earth should combine against it, they are not able to dispel it, but the light can, so lord jesus Christ chase away all the Darkness, of life, which is in me, and free me from the very Blackness, of Darkness, which is meaned against me, and therefore, do so lord, jesus, I Humbly pray thee, or thus, Oh, how terrible is this darkness and so is my pride my Passion, my Lust, my Malice but if these will both appear against it, it must needs vanish: arise, therefore, sweet Saviour, and shine in the midst, of this Darkness, and dispel it. Oh, Sun of Righteousness, show thyself, and deliver me from this Darkness who have lowed Darkness, more than light, that I may see thy marvellous light. 5. About his absence, if namely we cannot find him like the spouse Cant. 3.1. As thus hath not the Lord, Promised me, that he will be always with me: Saying, lo, I am with you Always, Math. 28. And therefore how cometh, this to pass, that the Lord is such, a stranger to me, this time of Night that I cannot, neither see him, nor feel him, nor hear him, is this to be always with me? Ah, Lord how can it be always, if not now, and therefore now Lord, now, and for all this Night, I humbly Pray thee. 6. About Embraces: as thus, Cant. 2.6. It is Written, His left Hand, is under my Head, and his Right Hand, doth Embrace me: The sense of which Words is this, his left Hand, that is, his punishments, are under me, by reason of him, who is my Head: and his right Hand, that is, Pleasures for Evermore do Encompass me, and therefore Lord jesus, let thy Punishments, which I have deserved not be inflicted: But rather let the Pleasures which are at thy Right-Hand, for Evermore, now over flow me, I humbly Pray thee. 4. As Christ's left hand is under our heads, so let our left hands that is, let our temporals be under his head, my meaning is this, let us mind him who is our head more than our temporals; I pray you think upon it, for commonly we spend much of our time by Night, in caring and carking about the things of this life, but let it be so no more, though we have done so in times past, let that time passed suffice, and let the thing here be no longer so near; for if they be near, Christ cannot be near, and therefore let them be under and him over, I beseech you. 5. As he with his right hand embrace us let everyone of us with his right hand of faith embrace him, that is, let us lay hold on him as the spouse, Cant. 3.3. believing verily that he will lie and lodge with us graciously this night, and so every night, yea eternally, which God in mercy grant. 2. Now incentives, consider that this lying and lodging with Christ by night is a thing 1. Most comely. 2. Most sweet. 3. Most thrifty. 4. Most Heavenly. 1. Most lovely, for so himself is characterized, he is altogether solomon's, Cant. 3.7. Meaning heaven, last, and his heart first, so expositors, explicate, that high and lofty passage, and so the Saints find it that thus they are in heaven, when thus they be with Christ by Night, being separated from the world, separated from Sinners, weaned from sinful, and sensual delights, ensouled in God, heavened in Christ, and sublimated, to the highest zenith of Christ dearest and nearest society, which hereafter shall be contained, to all eternity, and should not all this make, and move us all, to lodge with Christ every Night, for our soul's delight. The 5th. Doctrine. 5thly, I observe hear, that saints have mighty long, together, with Christ, together, with Christ, to visit those heavenly mansions, which are like unto Vineyards: and this point I do but name also, because I hasten, to the principal. The 6th. Doctrine. 6thly, I will name but one more, and then come to that which I chiefly aim at. The lovers of Christ are very much bend together with Christ and assoon as they may, to visit, their brothers, and fellow-saints who by gospel-preaching, have been made the Vineyards, of Christ, 7thly, I note that Christ's espoused Saints have a great desire, The 7th. Do●…. to be up very early, in the morning for and with Christ. For the Illustration hereof I shall propose and Resolve these 3, Queeries. 3 Quer The, 1. Is how for him, The, 2. How with him. The, 3. Why both. For the 1. 1 Querie. Resolved. I Answer to it. That it is (1) to to take a journey from home; so they, as they have had him in their hearts, when they wear a-bed, so they desire to have him, in their minds, when they are up: To take a journey for Heaven and so they carry him, as they rife with him, to the place where they are wont to displace all their Worldly cares, and to pour out their most ardent prayers, mingled with many warm, and blessed, showers of their gracious tears, like blessed Mary, which so sought him Weeping, john 20.15. 3. Why? both so early. I Answer 1. When the Morning comes, light cometh. 2. When the Monning comes▪ joy comes. 3. When the Morning comes, strongth comes. 4. When the Morning comes, opening comes. 1. Light cometh, for the Morning brings that light, which the sun sheds abroad, in all the World, and as thereby light comeeths, into the World, so by Christ light then cometh into the heart, For Christ will give thee light, Quoth the Apostle, Ephesians. 5.14. Understand in the morning chief, in that being that bright and Morning Star, he doth very early a rise in our hearts, when we have very early sought him with all our hearts Pro. 8.17. 2. Joycometh. For the morning is * Aurora, quasi Avium Hora. quasi avium hora, that is, the birds nowre, because it exhilarates and makes those silly creatures so merry, as to sing that time more sweetly than any other time. Now as the Morning makes those poor creatures, so glad, so it makes us, when we are early up with jesus Christ, and Christ with us: then Christ himself, we do lay open our very hearts to Christ telling him as Samson did Dalila all that is in our hearts, Judges, 16.17 Again, our mouths are open then, when crying a loud as David did, when he did rise in the morning Psal. 5.2.3. We give the Lord no rest, till we see heaven open with Stephen, and the son of man standing at God's right hand who but the night before did embrace us with his right hand; all this cometh to be so when the morning cometh, and therefore Christ's espoused Saints do so desire to be up so early with him and for him in the morning. The 1 Use The 1. Use Use of the point will be a use of interrogation, and commination. Then what are we? When one of the ancient fathers had read the 5.6.7. chapters of Matthew he clapped up the book, & said, either these are not the words of Christ, or we are not christians; so I, either these words which I have chosen touching early rising, are not the spirits of God, and the spouses of Christ, or we for the most part are not espoused to Christ. For how few shall a man see or hear of, that will rise so early with, and for Christ. For the world there be enough that will rise early enough; so for mischief, so for drink, that we read Esa, 5.11 so for idle-worship, for eating and for playing Exo. 32.6. But tell such of Christ that he must be sought, and served early, and they will all with one consent excuse themselves as those, Luke 14.18. One will say, that he cannot rise, because he is weak; another, because he is married to a wife, from which he cannot come, a third, that he cannot rise so soon, because he cannot wake so soon; a fourth, that he cannot be up so early, because he goeth to bed so late, or because he cannot sleep the first of the night, or for fear that he shall be sick. But let me tell you my friends 1. what will become of you that can rise for the world, for drink, for mischief, for play, neglecting Christ; the time will shortly come when that inexorable messenger, whose name is the first death, will unflesh you, and when he hath done, the second death will follow after, and hell will have you; for woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they away follow strong drink, Esa. 5.11. The like may be said of others; wóe unto them that rise early to do mischief, and to follow the world with all their might, not caring for Christ. 2. And as for you that love your beds so well, as that you cannot rise at all, but say, yet a little sleep, yet a little slumber, you are but a company of sluggards, For so the spirit of God calls you, and therefore you must look for the sluggards portion, and what is that you will say? I answer, it is poverty, Prou. 6.6.11. That is, you shall want for ever, if being out of Christ, you care not for Christ, to rise with Christ, like purpurall Dives, who wanted a drop of water to cool his tongue when he was tormented in his tongue, as he lay frying in the arms of everlasting flames; and if you be in Christ, and yet will not, as others do, rise early for Christ, Christ will not rise for you, to justify you with the brightness of his face, or to enrich you with the riches of his grace, when others who are more gracious, are refreshed with his likeness, greatned with his goodness, being even freighted by him to the full, and sublimated by him to the highest top of virtue's preferment, than you shall be empty and beggarly, low and lean, void of all consolation, and full of confusion. Use. 2 2. For excitation, as thus. 1. If then you cannot rise with and for Christ in the morning, you must get yourselves espoused to Christ, for than you will, because it is the desire of such so to rise with and for Christ. Q. Q How get ourselves married to Christ. A I answer thus, it is written, 2 Cor. 11.2. I have espoused you to one Husband, namely Christ, and therefore. 1. You must desire God that he will, by one Minister or other, espouse you to his dear Son, that you also may rise with his son. Beloved, it is not to be believed what power there is in the preaching of a Minister which espouseth souls to Christ; Christ is so declared, his beauties so displayed, his rarities so opened, his sweetness so extolled, his merits so expansed, his unsearchable riches so elevated to the zenith of highest commendation, as that souls must needs be enamoured with him, when they hear so much of him, and therefore pray hearty to God that such a one may be sent from God, and when he is sent hear him, that you may be espoused to Christ by him. 2. You must follow as Rebecah did Eleazar. Beloved, believe it, that I, for my part, am come for you, and to you, this time purposely to espouse you to my Master Isaac, I should say, Jesus Chr. who hath sent me to tell you so much that he will marry you Hos. 2.19 and therefore what say you? will you that Christ shall marry you? if it be your mind that he shall, then let every one of you say in his heart, I will, I will, with all my heart, if God will but put faith to take him into my heant. Oh Lord I believe help, my unbelief. 2. As for those that are reputed to be unto Christ espoused, if they would be thereof assured, let them manifest it by their holy desires to rise very early in the morning with and for jesus Christ. Here take these 1. Instructions, with you. 2. Considerations, with you. 1. Instructions. 1. You must be Resolute. 2. Active. 1. Resolute, as the spouse Canticles, 3.2. I will rise now &c. as if she should say, what do I hear, here is nothing but heavienesse & slug gishnesse, dimness and dullness, disconsolateness and dismaidness because he is absent from me who is wont to solace me, and therefore I will come away from my bed of eas, and rise with, or rather before the Sun is up, that the Sun of righteousness may give me his heavenly ease; I was wont to love my bed as much as any, but now for Christ's sake I loathe it, and therefore by the grace of God I will leave it for these; so do ye resolve likewise, saying, Lord we take up here this solemn resolution before thee, that for the time to come we will all become as great early risers with thee, as any thou hast that love thee; our beds we did love, that is certain, but love them so as we did, we will no more whilst we live, but rather we will leave them when the shadows flee a way, and rise we will assoon as the day appeareth, to rise with thee and for thee as long as we live, and this we will begin to do to morrow, God willing, and so every morning by God's blessing, till we are dying. 2. Active, as thus. 1. Offering violence to yourselves. 2. To Christ himself. 1. To yourselves, thus. Because nature is frail, and the Devil strong, you must strive and struggle mightily to come away from your beds of ease, as if you were to win a city; for what saith the flesh, than what saith eas, what saith cuftom, Oh it is too soon, too soon, yet a little sleep, yet a little slumber, an hour hence it is soon enough to rise hence; and if then we do not struglagainst the stream to get up, we go down amain, down with the stream and lie still till 8. till. 9 may ten; and therefore get up against the stream, break your custom, break sleep, and break away from your beds, by force forcing yourselves to rise, and leaping over your beds, as giants and conquerors over walls, to win, to gain, to obtain the Mastery over your own natures, if thereby you know yourselves to be dull and sleepy, and let not your beds hold you when Christ will have you to be up, to hold correspondence with you. 2. Offering Violence to Christ. Christ, and heaven are convex, or convexed; and therefore, look as we must deal with one, so with the other, as for heaven, that you know must be taken by violence, saith Christ himself, peremptorily by, Matth. 11.12. and so say I of Christ▪ semblably, that if we will have him, rising for him, or keep him, rising with him, we must offer violence, to him: Beloved we must wen wrestle with the Lord, that time, as Jacob did, in olden time, Gen. 32.24. That is, we must tell him, in plain terms, that we will have him upon any terms: we must encounter him with the promises of his word: For they are a Christians Sword; As for example. Prov. 8.17. & Matth. 28.20. I am with you always. Hereupon, let a devout soul say to the Lord, being risen for the Lord; Lord, I am up according to thy word, but that cannot please my soul, nor content my heart, nor satisfy my spirit▪ unless I can see thee also in my spirit, my spirit therefore giveth thee no rest, till it can see thee, after my natural rest. For in thee, I enter my chiefest rest. Rest natural is good, but thine is better; and therefore, as I am risen, so let God, let Christ, let my beloved, rise too. Ah Lord? The Sun is risen, or rising upon me, and the light thereof doth shine about me, but where is the light of thy countenance, which shining within me, will infinitely more refresh me. Ah, Shine, Shine, Shine: Thou pleasant and blessed sun of Righteousness, as the sun now shineth, nay before the sun is up, (If thou art up before it,) for thou art before it, and as the darkness now fleeth away, so let my fins flee away & as I now do, or shall see that admirable lamp of heaven, so let me see thee, that glorious sun of Righteousness, I humbly pray thee. Or thus. Ah, this Night I have enjoyed thee, sweet and dear saviour, so I desire to rise with thee, and therefore, come Lord jesus, come, let us rise both, I with thee, and thou with me, I humbly pray thee: Ah, my love, I desire to have thee with me in that very place where I am wont to place myself, to displace drowsiness, and to make room for Godliness, and to talk with thee, as if it were face to face, and therefore Lord leave me not, for I will not leave thee, till thou go with me, and bless me. Dear love, haft thou not said expressly, Lo, I am with you all— ways, and wilt thou leave me now? Ah, far be it from the Lord so to deal witha poor creature which desireth to enjoy this, infinitely more than anyother creature. Besides, how can the Lord be true, in all his say, if he be not in this, Lo I am with you always, if now the Lord do leave me here be earnest with the Lord, and show him the Book, the verse, the place where His promise lieth, and tell him: Lord, arise therefore with me, and show thyself to me, I Humbly Pray thee. 2. Considerations, as. 1. Consider, What good early rising will do. 2. What good this violence will do. 1. Early rising. 1. It will speed all our work. 2. It will chase away all our Enemies. 3. It will sweeten, our present Morning Sacrifice. 4. It will put us into a gracious Tamper all the Day after. 1. It will speed all our work, For in the Morning is all the speed, that is a Proverb amongst us, and we shall find it true, as God is true; When rising early, you shall get Christ to rise with you, we can do our other work with ease, when we have been up very early with Christ, for his ease: when Jacob had been thus early up with his God, he sped the better afterward, when he met with his Brother. Gen. 32. So we, when we have been up with Christ, before the sun is up with us, we far the better, when other things come to be taken in hand by us, whereas else, if we lie it out till, 7.8. Or 9 Our main work, lieth behind, and our other work too lieth back, because we rise no sooner to do it. Oh! it is a mighty speeding, if a Christian, walking with God, when he hath been very early talking with God: And therefore let us rise, let us rise, my brothers early, that Christ may be found of us graciously, and all our work may speed the more blessedly. 2. It will chase away all your Enemies, for Aurora, est latronum expulsiva. That is, the Morning, will chase thiefs, & murderers; thiefs, that would be out, by Night, cannot abide to be abroad when it is light; so sin, so Satan, who troubled us with evil thoughts, before it was day, will shun us, and flee away from us, when by prayer, we betake ourselves to Christ assoon as it is day, and wrestle with his Majesty. Ah, my brothers, it is not to be conceived what a mighty Enemy to sin and temptations are our early devotion, thereby we strangle our lusts, trucidate our pride, prostrate the world, superate our passions, & become Conquerors, over all on terrors, for when the day appeareth the darkness fleeth, and natural fear ceaseth, because the light shineth, Christ I mean, who is the light of the world, and shineth into our hearts, then when being up very early, we seek him with all our hearts, that we may be Master over the world, and not overcome by the world. 3. It will sweeten our morning sacrifice; for aurora est roris insusiva that is, the morning doth infuse the dew, for which cause it is called aurora, quasi aura rorans; now dew is sweet, so the morning spent in duty and improved to Christ will increase and sweeten all our prayers we make to Christ, Christ being pleased to speak to us when we speak to him, and refocillating my spirit and thy spirit, when you and I do worship him in thespirit. For that is his fashion, his custom, his wont course, then to visit souls with his celestial consolation when souls visit him in their early devotion: devotions, me thinketh, are never sweeter therefore, then at that time, when being up betime we are talking with God, before we have talked with man, can see the face of Christ, before we have seen the face of a christian, that is, before we have been abroad among men, who commonly hinder us so much, as that we cannot as we should, be conversant with Christ: they that love their beds, their sleep, their rest, will say, Oh! sleep is sweet, in the morning especially; and I was sweetly a sleep before such a one awak'dme, and loath are such to be troubled therefore in their morning sleep; but I do, and will say so still, that Christ is sweeter, and early rising to talk with Christ, sweeter. For when we do then talk with him, he is wont to talk with us, and when he speaketh to us with his mouth, his mouth is altogether sweet, yea sweetness itself; and when it is so, his saying of himself is found true, that he is that Mannah, which came from Heaven, For he is as sweet to our souls; as that other Mannah was, which feasted so many hundred souls; & we are for the present, whilst we are in prayer as it were in heaven. 4. It will put us in a gracious temper for all the day after; For the morning is * Aurora est caloris t●mperaiiva cooling, Gen. 3.8. They that sweat by night, yet begin to cool in the morning, so we when having been in a sweat, as it were by night, about many things which did then trouble our thoughts; as for example, our predestination before all time, and our justification in time, we rise very early for Christ, are commonly refrigerated exceedingly, & bedewed most sweetly by the spirit of Christ, and when his spirit hath so refreshed our spirits, we relish what his bedewing of us is, and taste as it were the sweetness of it all the day long, and find our souls to be in so sweet a condition, as that we can serve God the better ever after, being put upon any gracious action▪ 2. Consider what good it will do to us. 1. It will prevail with us. 2. It will prevail with Christ. 3. Both will place us in heaven with Christ? 1. It will prevail with us I confess, we may find hard work of it at first, being given to slumber, but violence will master us, if God sanctify it to us, for what is violence think you? it is are moving of a thing out of his place; so much the Hebrew importeth, so the Arablick also. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A quinus in 7 phys. l. 1 c. 1. Aquinus defines it thus, when a thing is moved from one thing to another; where to it hath no proper aptness of its own nature, that is violence, and that which violence forceth, will do more than that which shamefacedness persuades, so quoteth * Vale● Max. l. 3. another. Whereupon I infer, that therefore by God's help we may force our bodies to remove from their beds, if there they were wont mornings to lie, as in their proper place, and had no aptitude of themselves to rise, and that when no persuasion or entreating would do it; force, which goeth beyond all shame, will carry it; and therefore force your selus every morning from the place of sleeping to the place of praying, praying Christ to sanctify unto you the violence which is used by you. 2. It will prevail with Christ. Christ in the beginning of your praying may be strange too; for it is his custom so to do. I for my part find it so, and so do must they that seek him, I do believ; witness Jacob, the woman of Cana an, and others; but go on a while, and persist in praying, or that which we call wrestling; no violence like that which we use in praying: But then this violence, as * Aver, 3 de coelo text. 10 one noteth, is a thing, which though it move, yet will not do so always, but in aliqua hora, that is, in a certain hour; a speech I much wonder at, as it cometh from him, about a thing there treated on by him; but not to be wondered at here, because the morning time which I treat of, is such a time indeed, wherein violence will more speed than any other time, when in prayer with Christ we meet. I confess it is always good, but then especially, because it meets with a powerful help as the morning is, which then doth help. This made Jacob, that great and mighty champion, so victorious, because he risen so soon, and wrestled so stoutly at the break of the day, and made him even get the day. His rising first gained Christ sweetest presence, his violence kept it, and a gracious blessing sweetly crowned it. For violence will surely cause an alteration, because it will cause a breaking through (as the * Hebrew hath it) a breaking through, a rapture, a remove, whereby changing place, and being wrapped up, as it were, into heaven, we fetch down Christ from heaven, and force him, as it were to bless us, before he leavs us. For this is the language of a Saint, I will not leave thee till thou bless me, which when Christ seethe that we will not let him go, he goeth with us, and is entreated by us, before we go from him. I can (to God's glory be it spoken) faith it by experience, that I seldom tried it, but so found it; and the reason is, because he hath bound himself by his own saying, Pro. 8.17. from which he cannot go; and therefore never let ns go from him without him, but strive, but struggle, but offer him violence, to gain and to keep his sweet and blessed presence. 3. It will place us even in heaven with Christ. For by it the soul of a Saint is loosened from the ligaments of the body, his reasoning is so raised on high, he is so translated into heaven, he doth so overlook earthly things, is so collocated near the regal throne of God, though he be an illiterate man, though a poor man, as that when he is so, he mindeth nothing but heaven, seeth nothing but heaven, feeleth nothing but heaven: heaven is in his desires, heaven is in his eye, heaven is in his heart, and heaven is his reward. For by it he feedeth on the bread of Angels, which cometh down from heaven, his solace is the solace of heaven, and his joy the joy of heaven: so Jacob was in heaven as he was wrestling with the God of heaven, and so may you be, if you will do as he did: And therefore it is good for a man to be a mighty man in prayer, a wrestler, an early riser, a most zealous suitor and orator to the throne of grace, because that bringeth the greatest solace, and carrieth a man's soul to heaven. Strive therefore, Oh strive! dear brethren and fellow-Christians, and be men of prayer; be fervent, be importunate, be wrestling with Christ in praying, when early you are up in the morning, that having left your beds on earth, you may make your bed in heaven, where now I leave you. Soli Deo gloria. To God only be all glory. THere is lately extant, a Treatise of the Four last things, Death, Judgement, Hell and Heaven, by Simon Birckbeck, Minister at Gilling in Richmondshire; also Family-Religion revived, or a Treatise, as to discover the good old way of serving God in private houses, so to recover the pious practice of those precious duties to their primitive platform, by Philip Goodwin, Minister of the Gospel at Watford in Hartfordshire. A Treatise of Faith, wherein is methodically handled the Nature of Saving, Justifying Faith, in opposition unto Counterfeit; Helps thereunto prescribed, Hindrances thereunto removed, and several other Gospel-truths clearly discussed, by N.W. late of Lee in Essex: Also the Complete Politician, or policy put in practice, wherein the principles of policy are laid open to the view of all, and the practice of it by the Ancients, discovered to these latter times, illustrated with many excellent rules both Divine and Moral, a Work useful for these times. All these are printed for, and sold by Edward Brewster, at the Crane in Paul's Churchyard.