A New Canaan Full of most Pleasant Gardens for the Souls Delight, lately discovered: OR, A Treatise showing, that as the Children of Israel did live in the Earthly Canaan upon Milk and Honey, and other pleasant things wherewith that goodly Land did flow; So Gods Children may most comfortably live now also in a spiritual Canaan, here called A New Canaan, upon the sweet Experiences of, 

1. The Love of Christ,  
2. Mercies and Merits of Christ,  
3. Delights to be taken in Christ,  
4. Comforts to be tasted in Christ,   And that all their dayes. According to that famous Scripture, Cant. 2.3.  
Together with, Heaven Won by Violence, upon Matth. 11.12.  
And, A New and Living Way of Dying, upon, Heb. 11.13.  
By Christopher Jelinger: And now Published with the Dedications thereof, by Christian Friends.  
Printed in the Year, 1664.   

To the Right Worshipful ALLEN PENNY mayor, his Brethren the Magistrates, and all the Inhabitants of the Famous City of exeter; Grace be unto you, and Peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  
Much honoured Sirs,  
I Had provided for you another subject, long before this time, and it was sent up and undertaken by some to be Published and after that to be presented unto you, but hitherto it hath met with obstacles; and therefore whether it may have the happiness to see the Light itself, and to be seen by yourselves, or not, I resolved to procrastinate and put off the manifestation of my grateful mind toward you, for the many Civilities, Courtesies and Favours which you manifested and shewed unto me, when I first arrived at your famous City, out of my Native country, and there first imbibed and learnt your English Language, and then there also preached in it; but forthwith to present unto you some other Tract, and this by Name, though my intent was and is, that it should do good to others also. For I humbly conceive, that it may be very aptly communicated unto many, it containing such things, as may very fitly be assimilated to Christs five loaves, wherewith were fed as you well know, five thousand men, beside women and Children, Matth. 14.21. For what think ye, Honoured Sirs, I pray you of these five things: 

First, Of the sweet Experiences of Christs Love.  
Secondly, His Mercy.  
Thirdly, His Merits.  
Fourthly, His Delights.  
Fifthly, His Comforts?    
Will they not serve as well to feed the Souls of those thousands of Men, Women and Children, which( as I suppose) are in, and near your City, as those five loaves the bodies of those five thousand Men, besides Women and Children? Will not they please them as well? Will not they fill them as well? and will there not be enough thereof left, when they are all filled for many, many thousands more, as after the filling of so many thousands, there were left and taken up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full, vers. 20. to fill many more?  
Worthy Sirs, My Soul longs to do good to your Souls, and if by this Tract I may fulfil my desire, and thereby make you so wise to Salvation, as to labour with all your might after the enjoying of those five pleasant things, which I but now compared to those five miraculous loaves, wherewith Christ satiated so many thousands, for your souls delight; I care not though I myself be censured for pride and presumption, and be counted as Paul was, 2 Cor. 11.16, 17. a fool for my labour; my labour being but small, but your gain and comfort then exceeding great; for then it will be with you, as it was with the Children of Israel, when they lived in the Land of Canaan, and every one did sit under his Vine and under his Fig-tree, as the Lord had promised it, Mich. 4.4. both which, as 
Habita est haec arbour( Ficus) etiam apud veteres commendatissima& primum secundum vitem locum obtinuit. Danaeus in phies. Christ. fol. 138.  Writers tell us, are chief among the trees and plants in our Eden; in that every one of you also will sit under his Vine, and under his Fig-tree: though every one of you properly have not his Vine and his Fig-tree, yet metaphorically under the shadow of Christ and of his sweetest mercy( both which are like to both) according to my Text, I sate under his shadow with great delight; and will live most sweetly in that New Canaan, which in this Book I have discovered as a Land which aboundeth with the sweetest Figs, and apple, and Grapes, and Wines of joy, of jocundity, of delight, of consolation, even to admiration, and wherein that sweetest Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Shadow, our Vine, our Fig-tree, our Apple-tree, our three of Life, Cant. 2.3. Isa. 25.4▪ John 15.1. Rev. 22.2. brings forth his pleasant fruit; not only every month, Rev. 22.2. but also every morning, For his compassions are new every morning, Lam. 3.23. So as that every day every one of you may then say, as the Spouse in my Text, in words at full, I sate down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit( this morning, or this day) was sweet to my taste. And as it was with St. 
Hieron. Epist. 77.  Jerome, when living in his Wilderness, he seemed to be in the Heavenly Jerusalem, where the Angels sing, so it will be with you; for you will then seem to yourselves, to be in the same New Jerusalem, where the Angels sweetest music is, and where that sweetest three of Life, Christ corporally is, and where fullness of joy is, and where pleasures are for evermore, Psal. 16.11. though otherwise you are, as it were, in a wilderness, this world, wherein you are now sojourners, being but, as it were, a barren wilderness, wherein no water, that is the water of Life, is, it being only to be found in the New Canaan, which is here in part, and in the heavenly at full for ever.  
O Sirs! How is it with you, when you hear me speak of these things? Is it not with you now as it was with Monica, blessed Austins Mother? who when she heard her Son most sweetly discourse of the joys of Heaven, cried out and said, Evolemus; Quid facio hic? Let us flee hence; What do I here? That is, Are ye not even ready now to echo forth the same words, after all these sayings of mine, concerning this New Canaan, and the Heavenly too, What do we here? Let us flee hence from the vain delights, namely, and sinful pleasures of this vile world, and get into this New Canaan as fast as we can, to live such a sweet and comfortable life here, as they do, who live therein, and a far sweeter in the Heavenly hereafter for ever.  
But I am loathe to detain you any longer here upon the Borders of that goodly Land; I would to God, you were all in it, and that I might even now leave you in it; and therefore I will humbly take leave of you, and commend you to the good blessing and grace of God, praying hearty, that he will bless you all, and these my Labours to you all, will elevate and lift up the light of his Countenance upon you, that your souls in this thing here may prosper, will behold you with his pleasant face, will grant you all his Grace, that from henceforth you may all live the life of Grace, living and spending the remainder of your breath in the foresaid New Canaan here upon earth, all your dayes with unutterable delight; and after your dayes here ended, with the ANCIENT OF DAYES in the Heavenly, and that in bliss and blessedness sedness, greatness and gladness, peace and prosperity, through all Eternity.  
So prayeth, 
 Your most humble Servant, 
 CHRISTOPHER JELINGER.   

Ejusdem Authoris ad Novam Canaan Poema Salutatorium.  
salue laeta Canan, quam mens mea spectat ab alto,  
Adventare polo, exultans ubi degit Iesus,  
Coelorum Dominus, magno fulgore Coruscans,  
Te mea Musa cupit nunc ostentare decenter,  
Ut tua per totum cernatur gloria Regnum  
Anglorum Regis, sanctos quod continet illos  
Quorum delicias alter complectitur Orbis,  
Et quas hic praesens noster Tractatus abound  
Expandit coram cunctis mortalibus illis,  
Qui satagunt mecum coelestia quaerere Regna;  
O mihi nunc adsis, sanctorum gloria, christ  
Et me sustenta, fratrem ne desere Frater,  
Verum adsis, nostrumque leva, Deus alme laborem,  
Dirigito in suaves hortos,& amaena Vireta  
Quae sunt in superum Canaan dulciatq beata:  
Luctus ubi est nullus, nec sors ingrata, nec ullum  
Infandum Crimen, nec opum Vesana Cupido,  
Nec morbi exangues, nec dirae Mort is imago;  
said fons mellistuus, nec non spectacula grata  
Et ver perpetuum; suaves ubi stumina circum  
Funduntur flores long, laudesque sonoroe,  
Quas nunquam Orphaeae voces, nec Musica dulcis  
Vatis Cyrrhoei arte imitari aequareque posset.  
Atque tuum corpus Pulchrum spectatur ab Ang'lis  
●unctis, qui sunt in coelis, sanctisque beatis,  
Qui te circumstant, dextra laevaque canentes;  
Lumine vestiti niveo, mireque micantes,  
Qualis gemma micat; fulvum quae dividit aurum.  
Magno nate Deo, bone Conditor, atque Redemptor,  
Qui oethera suspendis, terram regis, aequora fundis.  
Vis ne audire preces, quas fundo e pectoris imo?  
Spero quod vis, noli ergo me spernere tristem,  
Nec me languentem dubiis nunc defice rebus  
said mihi Dux esto, ductans supper aethera tecum.  
Me miserum qui tam crebro tua numina posco,  
Et tua tentabo gaudens vulgar subinde,  
Sola Sophocleo miracula digna Cothurno,  
Atque tuas lauds magnas celebrabo per orbem  
Terrarum totum; dum spiritus hos regit artus.  
{αβγδ}.   

not as 
mathias Bredembachius de mister. Num.  some say, because of Righteousness, as if we were to conceive, that righteousness signified by צ Tsade, which they say is put for the Fountain of all that which is taught in this Psalm; but as I humbly conceive, because an envious eye is so expressly forbidden in this Psalm, which therefore leaves out the eye. So this second Chapter of the whole Book of the Canticles, is singular also above all the Chapters thereof, the fifth excepted, because the Greek 
The first Letter and the last of the Greek Alphabet.  Alpha and Omega, to wit, Christ, who is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, Rev. 1.11. doth in a most singular manner begin and end the same, being a Rose in the first, fresh and fair, and a row, lusty and lively, in the last verse thereof, to close up the whole.  
Again, as the 4th verse of the 37 Psalm, is the most singular of all the verses in the whole Psalm, a verse for Delight, as I may term it, so is this third verse, out of which my Text is culled and chosen, and which hath so much affinity with that, the most singular of all the verses of this whole Chapter, being a verse not only for delight, but great delight, yea, taste also; for, I sate down( saith Christ's blessed Spouse) under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. So that you may well expect matter of singular Delight to stream from it, because so much singularity is contained in it. Beloved, When I look upon this Text, me-thinks I see a New Canaan in it, flowing with Milk and Honey, Milk for babes, and honey for all sorts; and therefore I shall call the Treatise which I intend to draw from it, A New Canaan for Saints.  
But to the matter in the words foregoing these; The Spouse of Christ doth show what her Beloved is, I mean still, namely, a Rose, fresh and fragrant, vers. 1. and an Apple-tree, sweet and pleasant in this same 3d verse; In these which I have chosen, what once he was, namely to her, even most sweet to her taste, when she sate under his shadow with great delight: where we are to take notice of,  
1. A Situs, or Site.  
2. A sensus, or sense.  
1. A Site, as we call it in logic, I sate under his shadow with great delight. Where again observe,  
1. Quis, or who? I, which denotes a personal individuum, 
Quis, quid, ubi, quomodo.  even I thy Spouse, thy Love, thy Dove; who love thee, because thou lovest me; whose desire is centred in thee, because thine is in me; whose very soul is wholly carried towards thee, with all its might, because in thee is all its delight.  
2. Quid, or what? Sate; mark, sate, not sit, to show how it was with her once, and sometimes, though it was not so with her then: For, she speaks from her former experience; the whole Text being an Experiment; that is its content.  
2. Sate. This speaks a Duration; that for a considerable season, this was her condition, for the word in the 
From {αβγδ} Sedit, mansit.  Hebrew tongue signifieth an abode.  
3. Sate. Understand by it, not so much the posture of her body, as the affection of her heart, and the temper of her mind, whereby she sate.  
4. Sate, As a mistress, she sate to teach us experience, and to do so too.  
3. Ubi, or where? Under his shadow; and what was that but himself, Isa. 25.4. or the shadow of his great Mercy( as a Learned 
Tomson in Loc.  Writer expounds this place) we may add his Merits, which being branches of that sweet and comfortable Appletree, spoken of in the words immediately foregoing these, Christ I mean( as by it meant) did most sweetly overshadow her, so as none of that burning hear, which proceedeth from the direful wrath of a sin-revenging God, and seizeth on others, could come near her. The 
{αβγδ}  Hebrew is, from a word which signifieth, not only to make a shadow, but also to make a tinkling like a cymbal, to denote the joy and music which it maketh; of which hereafter.  
4. Quomodo, or How? With great delight.  
1. Delight. The 
{αβγδ} I desired or delighted much.  Hebrew is for Desire as well as Delight; but I am resolved, being free to either signification, to stick to your English Translation. Now Delight, is elsewhere, though not here, in Hebrew called Heden, from Hadan, he hath lived in pleasures, as he doth, who is delighted, whence the Greek word {αβγδ}, in English Pleasure, is. And that famous Garden of Adonis, so much spoken of in Heathen Authors( where note, that therefore by this, I shall led you, as it were, into the Garden of Adonis, or Delight) In latin it is called Delectatio, from Delicio, which properly signifieth, I attract, because things delighting us, do attract us. Now there is,  
1. A Divine Delight, which is proper to God, who from all eternity took Delight in his Son, Prov. 8.30. I was daily his Delight.  
2. A Creature-Delight in man, and that two-fold again.  

1. A Natural.  
2. A Super-natural, or a Spiritual.   
1. A Natural, which they define to be, a 
Comment. in 10. Eth.  superfluition of nature; or a 
Cic. Lib. 1. Thusc. Quaest.  Pleasure by its suavity, affecting one of our senses; or a 
Arist. lib. 7. Eth  Motion or passion of a Creature, 
Tho. Aq.  without let; 
4. Sent. Dist. 49. q. 5. a. 1.  following the apprehension of a Natural good, as present by, and to sense. Where note again.  
1. That we call this Delight, Natural, in two Respects.  
1. As Nature is taken in man, in regard of his intellect.  
2. As Nature is taken in him, as it is divided from and against Action.  
2. That though we speak so of a Natural Delight, as distinct from a Supernatural, we do not deny a Preternatural, or Unnatural, as is in those, who take delight in eating of Ashes, Coals, &c.  
2. A Supernatural or Spiritual, which is a motion in the Soul of man, following the understanding, as apprehending a Spiritual and Supernatural good present to it and in it.  
Where Note again, That whereas some make a Question of it, whether Delight may be in the intellect, that it is here 
Delectatio potest esse in appetitu Intellective. Aquin. 2. q. 31. a. 4.  affirmed that it may be.  
For proof whereof I use this Argument. If we may and must take Delight in God, then Delight may be in the Intellect; But we may and must take Dein God, as it is clear from Psal. 37.4. Delight thyself in the Lord: Whereupon it followeth evidently, That Delight may be in the Understanding, because the Sensitive Delight cannot be extended to God.  
2. Great[ Delight.] Where Note again, that there is,  
1. Delectatio Minor, Or a lesser Delight, which is taken in the Creature, as Psal. 16.2. But to the Saints, &c. in whom is all my Delight.  
2. Delectatio mayor, Or, a greater Delight in the Creator, as here in Christ, who is God blessed for ever.  
With great Delight. mark, Great was the Spouses here, and great is every gracious souls delight in Christ; for great are his enjoyments, and great enjoyments have their great resentments: Such a soul being for the present, as it were separated from the Body, elevated to Heaven, saturated with the food of Angels, consolated with the Waters of Life, inebriated with joy unspeakable and full of glory, 1 Pet. 1.8.  
Whence now( to defer a little the handling of the two parts of my Text) do flow these three following Observations, like so many Rivers of crystal.  
The first Crystaline River or Observation hence streaming is,  
Those Souls which are most happily desponsated unto Christ, have their sweet Experiences of Christ.  
The second is,  
Gracious Souls, or Souls espoused to Christ, do and will, and we also must sometimes sit down under the shadow of Christ's sweetest Mercy.  
The third is,  
The Delight which a Saint doth, and we also may take in Christ, is exceeding great.  
As for the first, I shall for its Illustration, resolve these four Queries.  
1. What Experiences, and especially such Experiences are.  
2. How such Experiences differ from speculative knowledge.  
3. In what Faculty of the Soul they consist.  
4. Why such have such Experiences.  
To the first, I Answer, They are openings, as the word sheweth; for Experience is, as Grammarians, and critics tell us, from the ancient word per●o, which signifies aperio, I open, because Experiences do open things to us, as plainly as any thing can; especially, such Experiences as are spoken of here, opening unto us plainly, perspicuously, evidently, the mind and good will of God in Christ to our Souls, and causing them to see, as in a glass, his pleased and appeased face, thorough the Riches of his Grace, Gen. 32.30.  
Or thus, Experience, say 
Isaac Ambrose, in the Believers privileges, Chap. 5. Sect. 1.  some, is a Knowledge and Discovery of something by sense, not evident in itself, but manifested by some event or effect.  
2. To the second, I Answer, That they differ thus:  
Speculative Knowledge is of Universals, but Experiences are Cognitions of 
Videatur Suarez. Disp. 1. De Nat. Met. Sect. 6. c. 22.  singulars. As here for Example.  
Those gracious Christians which are happily espoused to Christ, can tell singularly, and as it were by signs, and tokens, and sense, how such and such a time it was with them, when Christ embraced their souls, when their souls were for the present, as it were in Heaven, when Heaven did center in them, when in them was joy and jocundity, not to be uttered by them, when Mercy did sing, Love smile, and Grace itself did grace and crown their longing desires with long and lasting comfort, streaming from the Throne of Grace, and the God of all Comfort.  
To the third, I Answer, That it consists not so much in the apprehensive, as in the 
Experientia proprie in judicio consistit. Suarez. Met. To. 1. Disp. 1. S. 6. mihi p. 39.  judicative Faculty of the Soul, whereby is generated a kind of ability, whereby a man is rendered prompt to judge of such and such singular effects( that proceed and are wont to come from such a Cause) compared one with another, and found to be like one to the other, as you may see, 1 Sam. 17.34, 35, 36.  
4. To the fourth, I answer, That it must needs be so,  
1. Because they have often tried him: For many be the times when with mighty and strong cries and tears they did make their requests to him; this morning and that morning they were up before day, and when they were up, up were their prayers with them, wrestling with God to the break of the day, Gen. 32.24. nor would they give him over till to them he had made over the Assurance of his love, as a recompense of theirs; and this got them their experience.  
2. Because they are wont to be very familiar with him: For seldom, or never, are they absent from him; if they are at home, they are with him, if from home they are with him; and when they are with him, how boldly, how familiarly, how intimately do they talk with him! like the Spouse in Cant. 1.2. and Luther, of whom 
Vitus Theodorus, Epist. ad Melanct. in Vita Luth. pag. 142.  one writes thus, Once I happened to particular him( which sheweth that he prayed 
Which may be lawfully done, to stir up our affections, Aug. Epist. 121. cap. 9. Aquin. 2.2. q. 8. a. 12.  loud and audibly when he prayed by himself) being at prayer: O what spirit, and life, and faith was there in his Prayers; what he asketh, he doth it with such Faith, and Hope, as speaking with his Father, or his Friend.  
3. Because else, what sound and grounded knowledge would they have? Where Note, That there is a two-fold Knowledge.  
1. A Knowledge in the schools called Quid, 
Oportet advertere, Scientiam esse Duplicem. Alteram Vocant, Quid. Alteram, Propter Quid. Suarez. Metaph. To. 1. D. 1. p. 38.  or because; which only demonstrates a thing to be so.  
2. A Knowledge which they call, Propter quid, that is, for which; which renders a Cause.  
As for the first, That it is generated by Experience is most clear, because it gathereth things from effects, and such and such properties. So I know wine by its taste, Christ's being in me by his mighty working, Col. 1.29.  
As for the second, that it comes by Experience, I will make out and show by this Demonstration: I know that I shall be saved, because I find by Experience that I love the Brethren; so the Apostle, We know that we have past from death to life, because we love the Brethren, 1 John 3.14.  
4. Else, how can they deal as men ought, with their subtle and crafty enemies? You know what the Captain of them all is called, namely, an old Serpent, Rev. 12.9. Because of his long standing and Experience, having fought against Michael and his people, above 〈◇〉 thousand years; and therefore they that are to encounter him and his had need to be experienced Christians indeed. 
Plut. in Apopth.  Paulus Armilius being fallen into Macedonia, where he saw a great army before him, and being animated by Nasica to fight, said, I would, if I were of thine age; as if he should say, if I were of that experience which an old soldier is of. As he, so I; He that will fight against such potent, cunning, crafty enemies, as those powers of the Air are, Eph. 6.12. should be of age, that is, one who hath gotten a great deal of experience and observation, whereby he may deal with such great and puissant enemies of his souls salvation. Now let us draw water, I mean, matter of Application from this first crystalline river, which floweth from the first part of my Text. And,  
1. To begin with a Use of Trial. If any of us would know whether his soul be espoused to Christ, let him look for experiences. Beloved, What experiences have ye? Have ye had any familiar acquaintance with him? Can you say and stand to it that you have seen God, as it were, face to face, when you sought his Face? as Jacob, Gen. 32.30. Have ye, when ye prayed to the Lord, to deliver you from your Enemies, been heard in that thing? as David, Psa. 18.6, 48. Is Christ wont to visit your souls? as Can. 5.1. and according to John 14.18. Do you know what his visits mean? Can you tell how he cometh and goeth, I mean, how he cometh when he visits, and goeth when he leaves, in the case of desertions, as Can. 5.6. Have ye felt the joys of Heaven as those have, who are predestinated to Heaven? we have a Notable place for this, Can. 2.16. My Beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies; that is, he feeds and fills me with his comforts which are like lilies, refreshing, reviving, cooling. See also, 1. Pet. 1.8.  
2. Let this serve for Counsel. Thus,  
1. If it be thus, then to be assured that we are Christs espoused Saints, let us labour for experiences, following these directions.  
1. Searching our memories for things done for us by him. For it is a principle among the learned, Experience is gotten by a manifold 
Multae ejusdem re● recordationes, experientiae vim perficiunt. Aristoteles, Psal. 143.5.  recordation of the same thing, and therefore such a searching will help you much in this thing; insomuch as that therefore Experience, by the Hebricians, is called Cheker, from Chakar, he hath preached out a thing exactly. We have notable expressions for this, Psal. 77.6. I communed with my own heart, my spirit made diligent search. There is searching, which here I require; and then, vers. 11. I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember thy works of old. There is remembering, and this remembering is three or four times mentioned, vers. 3, 6, 11. according to the fore-mentioned Principle, that a manifold recordation of the same thing or things, begets experience, as here, of the works( Mark, works, in the Plural) of the Lord, and of his wonders of old; namely, wonders of Mercy, shewed in old time. Now, as David did, so say you then, every one of you that is espoused to Christ, and so will I by the grace of God; search and remember the works of the Lord, and his wonders which he hath done of old, or of late, in and for my soul. See also, Lam. 3.21. This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. See also, Psal. 143.5. I remember the dayes of old.  
2. By conferring things concerning him; for by an act of collation, Experience is also to be acquired for our consolation, as Isa. 25.4. Thou hast been a shadow from the heat. By an act of collation, I mean a collation of singulars, about the same thing or things, according to a 
Si enim non sit sufficiens similitudo saepe videbitur esse Experientia& revera non erit. Suaretz. Disp. Met. 1. Sect. 6.  sufficient similitude, and concurrence of circumstances; as such a time the Lord helped me, and again, a little after in the like manner as you may see, 1 Sam. 17.34, 35, 36. by the lion and the Bear there, applicable to goliath, for it should seem the lion and the Bear came one after the other; and David slay one after the other, in like manner.  
3. Proving him, as Mal. 3.10, Prove me. Quest. You will say, How shall we prove him?  
I Answer.  
1. By works of Mortification, or by a mortified Life.  
2. By a Godly Life.  
1. By a Mortified Life, and what is that? You are dead, saith the Apostle, Col. 3.3. and then what followeth? Your Life is hide with Christ in God; as if he should say, 
Gagneius in Loc.  saith one, Though now ye are righteous, I add, and though the world do not know your glory, and what you are in God, yet such is your advancement, as that you cannot but know what a blessed and blissful life you live with Christ in God, being dead to sin, for the sake of God. For, thus it is; The Kingdom of God is in us, and it is Righteousness, and Peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, Rom. 14.17. That is hide from the eyes of the world, but not from Gods, nor ours. For in God we live, when to sin we are dead, and that our souls know; mortify therefore your earthly Members, saith the Apostle, Col. 3.5. and so say I, to wit, Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Oh Christians! what is the reason, think ye, that ye have little Experience of Christs love? is it not because you do not live a mortified life? You are too lusty, too lively, too jovial, too proud, too high-minded, too worldly, too passionate, too fierce, too heady, to incontinent, 2 Tim. 3.3, 4. for such Experiences. You Drunkards especially cannot taste how sweet Christ is, because your strong liquour is so sweet to you, and you Usurers cannot tell by experience, namely, what Christ's unsearchable riches are, because you are all for this worlds corruptible riches; and you unclean and filthy livers, and wanton Dames, who are so for unclean touches, looks, embraces, dances, companies, cannot speak one word of Christs embraces, kisses, visits, because of your unchaste carriages, chambering and wantonness, Rom. 13.13. and unseasonable bidings our by night, and unwarrantable Visits. But, if you would once Sampson-like, kill the Lion, which is in your way, that such Experiences cannot come away, and fall for your share also, I mean, your lion-like corruptions, your pride of life, your lusts of the eye, your lusts of the flesh, 1 John 2.16. your covetous practices, your passionate fits, your laziness, your gluttony, your drunkenness, your strife, and envying, Rom. 13.13. it would not be long, before you also, like samson, would find sweet honey, even in the dead lion; that is, in the Mortification of your most lively sins; sweet experiences, I mean of Christs love, usually following a mortified life; and therefore I pray you do so, and the Lord help you in the doing it.  
2. By a godly life. A godly life, is the way to life; and a man is never more truly merry, than when he is truly godly, that is, when he spends his time with God; for then, oh the Consolations! Oh the delectations which then do flow from God! Beloved, could we but see the inside of a man that fears and serves God; oh what joys! Oh what gladness should we there see! as sent from God. For there is joy, and gladness, in the habitations of the Righteous, Psal. 118.15. Understand within, Rom. 14.17. But outwardly, there is commonly but little of it to be seen; and as for the fullness of it, that they shall meet with after death, when they shall be no more seen. And therefore who is there amongst this people, that would see good dayes, and have such experiences, let him have a care to serve God, let him spend his time with God, let him try God but one day so, and he will be able to say, by his own experience, as David by his, One day in thy Courts, is better than a thousand, Psal. 84.10. But hereof I shall have an occasion to speak more fully, when I shall pass over into the land of Delight.  
4. By Wrestling with him. For did not Jacob see God even face to face, and what a wrestler was he? Gen. 32.24, 25, 26, 30. Did not he just then get his greatest Experience when he sought God with all his diligence? Did not God show his very face to him, when he was with so much earnestness and grace entreated by him? There is nothing therefore to be lost, by earnest praying: Earnest praying openeth heaven, shaketh the earth; and overcometh God, who made heaven and earth. O earth, earth; Hear, therefore, the word of the Lord, and wrestle with the Lord of the whole earth, and never let him go. When once you have begun, pray to him with all your might, till you have seen his face to your hearts delight, and can say, as Jacob said, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved, Gen. 32.30. Beloved, the Lord looks for it that we should so wrestle with him; and none, I think, did ever set himself to this great and mighty work indeed, but sped by it indeed; the Lord giving him a glance, and glimpse of his love, because he will not have it said, that any man in vain doth seek his love. I for my part, look upon this, as the chiefest and choicest way, that will led and bring you into the land of Experience, and I would not miss it, for all the wealth which is in the wide worlds circumference For a man shall never try it, if he try it in earnest as he ought, but he shall see somewhat of God, and get some experience of the unexpressible love of Christ, when he shall set himself so to wrestle with Christ; Christ will then answer him in plain terms, hear I am, when he seeth that he will not be denied upon any terms. And therefore, O dear Souls, try this way and Christ will meet you half way. Nay, it may be, when as ye are coming on to try this wrestling, ye are off yet a great way, as once the Prodigal was, when he was coming towards his Father, Luk. 15.20. Oh this wrestling, what a mighty thing therefore it is, for to gain Experience! Beloved, I know you pray most of you, but I fear you do not wrestle, and therefore want experience; therefore wrestle. Prayer of itself alone will not do it, and yet I know that every wrestling is prayer too; but every prayer is not wrestling, that is by many, many degrees beyond it, and will do your business in the matter of Experience. I may say of it, from my poor experience, as David once of the Sword of goliath, There is none like it: give it me, 1 Sam. 21.9. So, there is no means like it, whereby a man may gain experience: give it me.  
Must I use any Incentives? then consider;  
1. That else you cannot be truly wise, as you must be, Ephes. 5.16. for who be the wisest Lawyers, Physitians, Souldiers, but the most experienced? which caused one Tassus, being asked what is the wisest thing? to answer, Experience. Answerably whereunto, I also should answer you, if you should ask me, Who is the wisest Christian? the most Experienced.  
2. That without such Experiences, you can have no assurance of Christs special favour; for, as though a man receive many favours of a great man, yet cannot he assure himself of his special favour, unless he have some special experience of it: So, unless I can experimentally speak of some special tokens of Gods love, I cannot be certain of his special love; though many be the common 
Nemo est hominum, qui dicere posset se non esse participem misericordiae. Zanchi de not debt. l. 4. c. 4.  Mercies with which he crowns me and others; for, do not I know, that he causeth his Sun to shine upon the just and unjust? Matth. 5.45. Labour therefore for Experiences, to be sure of his special love.  
3. That else you cannot speak successfully to others, unless you know what you speak by proof, as David, Psal. 32.8. and Paul, 1 Tim. 1.15, 16. 1 Cor. 1.4.  

Plutarch, in Loc.  Eudamias having heard a Philosopher say, that onely a wise man would make a good Captain, said, It was a good speech, but he that spake it was not to be believed, because he was never a soldier himself. Semblably whereunto, I also say to you, that none will believe you, as not being to be credited when you speak well, if you do not speak from Experience; and therefore be for Experiences, I mean those sweet experiences of Christs dealing with you, which I spake of formerly.  
2. If we are Christs espoused Saints, then let us make use of our Experiences, for such have their sweet Experiences. Experiences are like flowers; for as they recroate us with their colour, refocilate us with their odour, revive us with their savour; so do Experiences refresh us with their calour, replenish us with their vigour, restore us with their succour, and therefore let us use them, and that in two Cases especially.  
1. In Desertions; When we cannot see God, when God and we are become strangers, when strangers insult over us, when over us and in us, sadness and sorrow fullness bear dominion, then Experiences of God. goodness and of his former gracious dealings with us, will do us good in such a condition. And therefore let us say then, as David once, Lord, thou has been favourable to thy Land; thou hast brought back the Caprivity of Jacob, thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin, Selah. So, Lord, thou hast been favourable to us in former times, thou hast turned our Captivity, when sin lead us captives, thou hast taken away all our iniquities and covered all our sins, Selah. And then say, moreover, thou hast taken away all thy wrath, thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger, and then, Turn us, O God, of our salvation, and cause thine anger towards us to cease. Psal. 85.1, 2, 3, 4. Nay, red the whole Psalm, and make, use of it in this case, it is worth your Reading.  
2. So in Oppositions; When enemies rise against us, and Devils roar, when both combine to vex us sore, when their taunts be up, their sarcasms up, their reproaches up, when they device their devices against us, when with their tongues they smite us, when all the day long, and in secret, they trucidate and slay us, Rom. 8.37. being wrathfully displeased at us; then former Experiences will do much good to us, when comfortably we can remember this, that time was, when their hatred was as great as now, and yet they could not harm us, because Christ did love us; and therefore let us not be afraid not dismayed, but rather let us seasonably reflect& look back upon times past, when our enemies would ride over our back, but could not, because God suffered it not, but kept them back, because his love fails not. A notable place for it, we have in Isa. 15.4, 5, 6. Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy, in his distress; a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat; when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall, &c. red the rest. Oh how sweet is such an experiment, in such a case! Oh, it holds up your heads, cheereth up your hearts, sustentates and bears up your hopes; therefore to experience, to experience let us go as to a Mistress, to teach us in all our miseries, assuring ourselves, that he who hath hitherto been all along for us, and loved us, will still love us, and never leave us, but still favour us, and never fail us, defend us, and not deliver us as a prey to those that hate us; his holy Name be blessed and praised by us, now, and for ever.  
I come now to make my Vessel, I should say, my mind, to swim in that second River of crystal, which issueth from the main Sea of my Text: It runs thus.  
Gracious Souls, or souls espoused to Christ, do and will, and we also must sometimes sit down under the shadow of his sweetest Mercy.  
You may add his Merit, if you will, as I informed you formerly, and peruse for a further Confirmation hereof, Isa. 25.4. 1 Tim. 1.13, 16. Heb. 4.16. Where give me leave to tell you, that I am now, and shall be upon as comfortable a point, as possibly I could have chosen for Gods chosen. For I do even most ardently desire to convey the warmest blood, that ever heated the heart of Christ, the sweetest Merits that ever were heard of, the primest balm that ever dropped from the pens of the holy pen-men of Gods blessed Spirit, upon the sacred leaves of the Book of Life; the dearest Mercies that ever rolled together, the relenting bowels of Christs tenderest compassions into their( for sin) broken and tender hearts; and I pray God hearty to bless my labours to them graciously.  
For the better managing of this sweet Lesson I shall do three things.  
1. show, What Christ sweetest Mercy is.  
2. Why gracious Souls do, and will, and must sometimes so sit down under the shadow thereof.  
3. And then apply it.  
For the First, What Christ's Mercy is. It is, I say, the fairest flower in his Garland of Majesty, 
Videatur etiam definitio, Zanch. de Nat. Dei, l. 4. c. 4.  the brightest ray that beameth forth out of that unapproachable light, the loveliest gem that crownes all his boundless, immeasurable, imperial glory, the glory of the King of Glory, Psal. 24.8. wherein he glorieth most, and wherewith he is delighted most, Micah 7.18.  
2. To the Second I answer, that it is, and will, and must be so, for these two Causes.  
1. Because else they cannot stand. It is a common saying, I must needs sit, for I am weary, I can stand no longer; and if the party saying so, be in the field, it will( you know) sit under the shadow of a three, especially if the Sun shine hot: and so saith a gracious soul, I must needs sit, and sit down under the shadow of my Saviours mercy, for I can stand no longer else, especially when it is in the field, militating with satan, and grappling with the wrath of the Almighty, which burns, when it is once kindled, as fervently as the Sun, nay more; and so sits down, being weary, under that most refreshing shadow of Christs sweetest mercy. We have these following notable places for it, Psal. 77.9. Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. Here he grapples with Gods wrath, and then runs to the shadow of his mercy, v. 10, 11, 12. Where he calls to mind his ancient mercies. So, Psal. 85 5. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? here again he luctateth with the Almighties wrath; and then fleeth to the shadow of his mercy, vers. 7. show us thy mercy. Now when I speak of God, I also mean Christ, who also is God, John 1.1.  
2. Because Christ hath promised them his Refreshing mercy, which is a prime property that belongs to a shadow, as Matth. 11.28. Come unto me all you that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; or, as some red the word, will refocillate and retresh you. Never was any poor labourer so refreshed by any creature, never was any poor traveller so refocillated by any shadow, as poor labouring, traveling, sinful, sin-sick souls are by Jesus Christ, when they flee to him to be refreshed by him, by virtue of this precious promise; for it is as much as if Christ should say therein to poor wearied, tired souls, I will turn your depth of sorrow into seas of comfort, your bitter tears into sweetest cordials, your sad dejections into glorious triumphs, your hels of horror, into heavens of joy; and fill your pensive minds with unutterable lightsomeness, your consciences with peace, which passeth all understanding; your now grieved spirits with the incomparable comforts of my blessed and holy Spirit, and your hearts with delights not to be equalled with any here; and with pleasures hereafter, which never, never shall be taken from you, but shall last for evermore. Psal. 16.11. John 16.22. This, this makes gracious souls so bold, as to sit down under the shadow of Christ's sweetest mercy, for rest, comfort, and refreshing, because they have such a sure promise from Christs own mouth to assure them of it. I could give you more Reasons for this blessed Truth, but I intend to reserve some-what for Incentives, which also may serve for Reasons.  
3. My next work is to cause this River of crystal, now to run into your hearts, by the help of a suitable Application. And,  
1. I shall apply it by putting you upon a trial; as thus; Is it thus, that gracious, or to Christ espoused Souls, do, and will so sit under the shadow of Christs sweetest Mercies? Then let us see, whether ever we so sate down under the shadow of his Mercy, and so obtained Mercy: If we would know, whether our souls be such gracious souls, or souls espoused to Christ, which we may know by these following Signatures.  
If we have obtained Mercy, then our case is like Israels, or the Churches of God in Ezekiel, when God shewed it his Love; for his Love and Mercy are parallels, Rom. 9.13, 15. And,  
1. As God circumcised his People, and cut their Navel, which before was not cut, Ezek. 16.4. so are those which have obtained Mercy circumcised, namely in their hearts, with the circumcision made without hands, Rom. 2.29. that is, the fore-skin of sin, which is in the heart, and hath been predominate in their lives is cut away, and they are come away, as they are bid, Cant. 2.10. Whereas, those which have not obtained Mercy, have their fore-skins still upon, and in their very eyes, having eyes full of adultery, 2 Pet. 2.14. and more especially upon their hearts, having hearts exercised with covetous practices, 2 Pet. 2.11. as Usury, and the like, and running after covetousness, Ezek. 33.31. and full of pride, fornication, and malice, envy, Rom. 1.29. and of vile, filthy, and evil thoughts, Matth. 15.19. Hatred, 1 John 3.15. and of hypocrisy, both gross and close, and by name that above many other kinds of it, which Divines call sturdy hypocrisy; which I rather mention because many are guilty of it, and know it not, it carrying them out so far and so high, as that it will not only make them do many things like that young man, Math. 19.20. but also to suffer as the Hypocritical Jews have suffered Persecution these fifteen hundred years, and upwards, being banished from their own Country, and hardly used in almost all Countries for their Religion.  
2. As Gods People then were washed with water, and thoroughly washed from their blood, Ezek. 16.9. so are, and so have those who have obtained mercy, been washed from all their sins in Christs blood; For he loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, saith St. John, Rev. 1.5. And how shall we know that? By that which followeth, and made us Kings and Priests to God, vers. 6. Mark, Priests, offering ourselves, and all manner of spiritual sacrifices to God, Rom. 12.1. Heb. 13.11. and Kings, bearing rule over our eyes, appetites, tongues, hands, feet, and bringing in subjection our own bodies, and the whole body of sin, 1 Cor. 9.27. whereas others who never obtained mercy, though they be never so pure in their own eyes, yet were never washed from their silthiness, Prov. 30.12. Nor can be made to offer and give up themselves wholly to God, nor to bear that rule which the Saints bear over their several members, eyes, tongues, hands, feet, nor to bring the whole body of sin-into subjection; being the very slaves of lust and uncleanness, and the servants of lust and corruption, 2 Pet. 2.19.  
3. As that people were anointed with oil. vers. 9. so are gracious souls with the Holy Ghost, 2 Cor. 1.21. whereas, others are without the Spirit, judas 19. being wholly flesh, John 3.6. that is, altogether carnal.  
4. As that people were adorned with Ornaments, Bracelets, a Chain, Jewels, and the like, vers. 10, 11, 12. So are those which have obtained Mercy, graced with such like Ornaments, for they are graced with Christs Obedience and Righteousness, 1 Cor. 1.30. wherewith they are covered as with Badgers skins, Ezek. 9.19. Phil. 3.9. and with all manner of saving graces, and with a new heart, Ezek. 36.26. and with good works, which are the Jewels, the Bracelets, the Chain, the Silks, the Silver, the Gold, wherewith they are adorned of God; for they are full of Mercy, and alms, and good Works, as Dorcas, Act. 9.36. and out of Christs fullness they have all received grace for grace, John 1.16. In short, as soon as the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, appeared to them, Tit. 2.11. that grace also which brings the assurance of their desponsation, appeared in them; and those good works which we so press upon others, came even pressing in upon them, to make them rich indeed, rich in gracious deeds, rich in good works, 1 Tim. 6.18. Whereas those which have not obtained Mercy, want both Christs Merits and Righteousness, which they are ignorant of, Rom. 10.3. and also inherent Righteousness, together with all the saving graces of God's Spirit; because they have not the Spirit, judas 19. the Spirit, I mean, of grace, Zech. 12.10. Common gists they may have, nay some of them have good store; as for Example, the gift of Prayer, but the grace of Prayer they have not, Zech. 12.10. So a faculty to Mouth they may have, but the grace of Weeping they have not, as you may see in the same place. And a natural, conjugal, parental Love they may have, but the grace of Love  shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, Rom. 5.5. and where by we love that which we see not, to wit, the souls of others, as we love God, whom we see not, John 1.18. Chap. 5.17. they have not.  
Again, Reprobate they are to every good work, Tit. 1.16. So as they either omit every good work, or some especially, as works of Justice, whereby we give God and every man his due, in that they make no conscience of wronging their brethren, by false weights, measures, mixing of wears, and all manner of oppression, and loving and showing of mercy, contrary to Mich. 7.8. in that they either do not relieve, or visit, or instruct their brethren at all, or relieve, visit, and instruct them without Mercy, that is, without being touched with a fellow-feeling of their miseries, contrary to Heb. 13.3.  
Now try and see what manner of men and women you be, for you may as well know, that you sate down under the shadow of Christ mercy, if you did, as a man that fate down under another three, may know that he did; for lo, as it is said of Saul, that after he was anointed by Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all those signs which Samuel had  told him of, came to pass that day, 1 Sam 10.9. So after men have been anointed with the Spirit, and have sate down first under the shadow of Christs mercy, they receive another heart, and become men of another spirit, and all those signs which I spake of but now do inchoatively come to pass, the selfsame day; and therefore this self-same day examine yourselves in order by them, and the Lord help you in the doing of it; for how can you live so as some of you do, not knowing, and so doubting, whether you have obtained mercy, yea, or no? O put this great thing out of doubt this day by such a trial.  
2. I shall apply this Truth, putting myself upon a Use of Addubitation; then, what shall I think of those men and women, who think 〈◇〉 their souls are espoused to Christ; and yet never ●… e down under the shadow of that mercy which cometh by Christ? who will be reputed to be gracious, and yet never tasted of those refreshments which come by his shadow, and are so exceeding glorious; who can tell how sweet their meat, and their drink is, but not how sweet Christ is, who exceedeth both; who solace themselves in the multitude of their worldly contentments, and regard not these superlative and super-abounding enjoyments; whose heaven is in this life, whose life is living in pleasure, whose pleasure is in sin, whose sin was never relinquished, and whose depraved natures were never vanquished. Shall I say that they are gracious, God forbid, unless I will also say that Devils are gracious; for what are they but Devils incarnate? So they will rave some of them, and so they will roar, and so they will lie, and so they will blaspheme, and tare, and so they will hate, and so they will retain their old wicked, crooked natures, and such enemies they be, some of them to all good works, and so voided of grace.  
3. I shall apply this point by way of Exhortation, thus; Must we sit down under the shadow of Christs mercy sometimes? Then let us do so in the Name of God.  
But here two Questions will come to be raised and resolved.  
Quest. 1. Which be those times?  
Quest. 2. How must we sit down under the shadow of Christs Mercy?  
To the first Question, Which be those times?  
I Answer thus.  
First, When we are wheeling about to Christward, in the beginning of our conversion, when Christ is sent to turn us from our iniquities, Act. 3.26. then it is a fit time to turn about to him, and to sand forth cries, Heb. 5.7. and tears for mercy, to the God of Mercy, as the poor Publican did, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner, Luk. 18.13.  
Secondly, When afterwards in our prayers, we pled for relief, for pardons, for answer, and none comes; when the Word never answers us one word, Matth. 15.23. When we know not what to do, we fearing that we shall die, die, namely for ever; because Conscience accuseth, the Law threateneth, Hell Fire appeareth, and we are like to be consumed, Lam. 3.22. unless our sins can be condoned and we justified; then is that also a fit time for us to cry aloud, in that self-same time, as the woman of Canaan cried once, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David, Matth. 15.22. and so to betake ourselves, to the shadow of his Mercy.  
Thirdly, When we are outwardly afflicted, when chastenings embitter our cherishings, when like goodly wheat we are threshed upon with great and grievous crosses, when like precious gold we are tried by fire, when fire and fiery trials do scorch us, anguish and afflictions assault us, troubles and tribulations perplex us; then this shadow of Christs Mercy will be seasonable for us, because that is a time of need with us, by reason of such fiery trials, which are to try us, 1 Pet. 4.12.  
Fourthly, When you are threatened by your private and cruel enemies, when enemies have their combinations, when their combinations are backed with subtle and sly inventions, when inventions go for truth, when truth is like to suffer; a shade of Christs mercy will be more worth to us, than this worlds Signiory, that time being a time of need and misery.  
Fifthly, When God and we are for the present separated, when we cannot see his face, when his face is as it were wrapped up, and he will not look towards us, because he is not well-pleased with us; which how often it is so with us, who knoweth not, being a man of some Experience among us. I for my part can speak it from my sad Experience, that it is almost daily so with me; and that therefore, as Bernard spake it long before me, my daily& almost only and continued cry after Christ is this, Revertere, revertere, return, return, and be thou like a row upon the mountains of Bether.( Cant. 2.17.) or Division, for Bether signifieth Division; and what is such a desertion but a division, dividing Christ and us one from another. But hereof more hereafter upon another account.  
Sixthly, When Satan for some certain grievous falls, troubleth us sore, saying, that though the arms of Christ, and gates of Grace stand wide open, for entrance, and embracement, until the Sun of Grace be set, yet in this case the case is altered; nor is there any room left for our supportation, because we have out-stood the day of visitation, and because the period of his gracious day which hath so long lasted, is now expired; that though the blood of that unspoted Lamb, upon repentance and remorse, saved even them that spilled it, yet will it not save us, because we have afresh, as it were, and without remorse spilled it; that though the promises of Life in the Word of Truth, be made unto poor sinners without stint, limitation, and exception of sins( that against the Holy Ghost only excepted) yet we have no part in them, because our names are not written in the Lambs Book of Life( which was my sad case once) then a shade of Christs grace will be seasonable for us, because of that burning heat, which then we feel within us.  
Seventhly, When we have walked with God, as Noah, Gen. 6.9. when God and we have spent much time together; when together with him, and his Son, we had sweet Communion, when that sweet Communion was the end of our walking; when walking hath made us fit and apt for sitting, we beginning to be some-what weary, Gal. 6.9. then sitting, and sitting under the shadow of Christs Mercy, will be very comfortable for us, and desirable to us; as when we have walked with a dear friend many houres, we desire to sit down at last, as being almost tired.  
Eighthly, When by a piercing Sermon we have been touched to the quick for sin, when sin plaguing us stars in our faces, when our faces begin to be filled with shane, when shane makes us fear, when fear and shane combine to make us pine, and cry under the flaming wrath of the ireful God, as those in Ezek. 33.10. If our transgressions, and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then iive? Then is there a time for us to betake ourselves to Christ's mercy, and to repose our sadded grieved, vulnerated, troubled hearts into the loftest arms of tenderness, rest, peace, and all his heavenly delicacies, and to say as David once( Psal. 39.11.) whose words are thus rendered in your English metre. 
Lord, take from me thy scourge, and plague,  
I can them not withstand;  
I faint and pine away for fear  
Of thy most heavy hand.   
2. To the Question, which is, How we must sit down under that sweetest shadow of Christs tenderest Mercy?  
I Answer, That to resolve this Question, I shall give you these following Directives for the manner of it; As,  
1. You must seek for this shadow, as other creatures, Horses, Mules, Kine do, for a creature shadow. When the labouring Sun hath wrought his tract, upon the top of loughty Cancers back, and when the same flaming Torch doth dart it's burning heat upon their backs, so let us seek the shadow of Christs sweetest Mercy, to sit, to rest, to repose ourselves there-under, and that both in the Word preached, and red, and prayer. Beloved, this seeking after Christ, and resting, or sitting under the shadow of his Mercy is a chief thing. God himself requireth it, Isa. 55.6. Seek ye the Lord. And, Psal. 27.8. Seek ye my Face; and how carefully have Souls desiring Christ done it? As for example, The Spouse, Cant. 3.1. By night, on my bed, I sought him whom I loved. So that Parabollical Merchant, Matth. 13.45, 46. How he sought for goodly pearls, and especially that pearl of great price, which is Christ with his sweetest Merits and Mercy: and should not we therefore so seek after him too, considering what a rest we shall enjoy, if we can find him, and find out his shadow, to sit there under? The very Devils seek rest, and find none, Matth. 12.43. and shall not we, who may be sure to find some, I mean that rest, which cometh, when we come to sit down under the sweetest shadow of his tenderest Mercy? For what saith himself, Seek, and ye shall find, Luke 11.9. Peruse also for this purpose, that famous Scripture, Mal. 3.1. And the Lord, whom ye seek; mark, whom ye seek; namely, Christ, shall suddenly come to his Temple. O sweet seeking! Many seek and find not, but who ever sought Christ as he must be sought, and found him not? So that your labour of seeking after the Lord, will not be in vain in the Lord, 1 Cor. 15.58.  
2. But then you must even set yourselves to seek after him, and his mercy, and that rest which cometh by him, and by sitting under the shadow of his Mercy. Even as Daniel once did set his face to seek God; by prayer, and supplications, with fasting, Dan. 9.3. So do you set yourselves, and your faces in earnest to Christ-ward, to sit down under him, and so consequently to seek after him, with your prayers, and supplications also, and by all manner of means else, which is more than bare seeking. Here take these two sub-directions with you. And,  
1. To set yourselves in good earnest to seek after Christ, and the shadow of his mercy, set up a serious and solemn resolution so to do, as Christs Spouse did; saying, I will rise now therefore, and seek him whom my soul loveth, Cant. 3.2. So let every one of you say likewise, and so will I, by the grace of my God; Arise now, this very day, in the which I have heard the Preacher speak so much of Christs sweetest shadow, and seek him whom my soul loveth, and after the shadow of his tender mercy which my soul so much needeth, and I will set about it, and set myself with all seriousness, and earnestness to it. Thus resolve, and the Lord strengthen you in so good and gracious a purpose, you setting yourselves to the work to some purpose.  
2. To set yourselves to this work, being so resolved, put all your strength, all your endeavours, and your whole heart to it, both in prayer and out of prayer, for then you may be sure to find. We have a notable place for it, in Deut. 4.29. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him; if thou shalt seek him with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. Put to it therefore my Brethren, put to it, and let your whole hearts go, and your whole souls go to seek after Christ, and his sweetest shadow especially in prayer( concerning which you will have more yet in the last Motive) do so, as Daniel did when he set himself to seek God; go and even cry in prayer, saying, Lord Jesus, thou art he whom my soul desireth, and thy Mercy the shadow which she needeth; and therefore, where shall I find thee and it? Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon; for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? Cant. 1.7. And, Lord, where is the shadow of thy Mercies, which I so want in my grievous agonies? For, Oh the heat of thy wrath! Oh the height of thy fury, which oft times is even ready to sink me! O my God, I can no longer forbear this shadow of thy mercy, because I can no longer bear thy Fathers fury; nor can I bear up possibly, nor hold out, amid those many pressures, which I meet with continually, unless this thy shadow cover me, and thyself hold up my head graciously. hid me therefore under the shadow of thy wings secretly, I humbly and hearty beseech thee. Here be large, and as earnest as you can possibly be, setting yourselves to the finding out of this shadow of Christs sweetest Mercy, that it may refresh you graciously. And with all, take this as a Corollary with you, and choose the morning especially for this seeking; a time which I for my part do take for this set-seeking as chief; and the rather because of that famous place, Lam. 3.23. The Lords mercies are new every morning. So that the morning time will be your only time; the sooner the better, though it be a great while before day, after the example of Jacob, Gen. 32.24. Yea, Christ himself who rose a great while before day, and prayed, Mark 1.35.  
3. Then come away, For, Know you not that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Rom. 2.4. so that to partake of this goodness, you must depart from wickedness; and therefore I say, you must come away, even as those which go to sit down under the shadow of a three, do come away from the scorching heat of that burning Lamp, the Sun, I mean, beaming upon their heads, in the canicular and hottest dayes of all the Summer. So do you come away from your burning lusts, and away from your hottest pursuits after your sensual delights, your carnal sports, and pleasures, your covetous practices( 2 Pet. 2.14.) your worldly-mindedness, your revengsul contrivements, your greedy encro●chments, your malicious and spiteful proceeds, and all your other vile and filthy deeds. Or thus, Let Christ himself bespeak you( it may be, you will rather hear him than me) Come with me from Lebanon, my Spouse, with me from Lebanon; look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions dens, from the Mountaines of the Leopards, saith Christ, Cant. 4.7. Mark where we are, before we come to Christ, and away with Christ; we are in Lebanon, that is, in hypocrisy, some of us, gross, or close; for Lebanon signifieth dealbation( and so denotes hypocrisy, or hypocrites, which are like whited sepulchers, Matth. 23.27.) and lieth towards the north of Judea, and is could, as also hypocrisy is, wanting the fire of Christs burning love. Again, we are some of us upon the top of Seir, which is part of Hermon, which lieth east-ward beyond Jordan, Deut. 3.8, 9. and of Amana, which northward separates Cilicia from Syria: I say, we are upon these three tops, that is, Lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, typed out by Seir and Hermon, both parts of one( lust namely) and pride of Life; which like Amana, separateth grace and nature: For, God giveth grace to the humble, 1 Pet. 5.5. which grace divideth between nature and itself in the humble. Again, we are some of us in the lions den, that is, like lions ourselves for fierceness and cruelty, and companions of such; and many of us upon the mountaines of the Leopards, that is, mounted upon the very height of falsehood, hypocrisy and dissimulation, and so like Leopards, which are said to be very false, and cunning, and deceitful creatures. Now, from all this, we must come away, with, and for Christ, for else we cannot take the shadow of Christs mercy, and be cruel ourselves, and show no mercy; we cannot sit down under the shadow of his grace, and yet want grace; we cannot rest ourselves in his goodness, and yet sit down in the chair of wickedness, Psal. 1.1. we cannot live so comfortably, and yet carry ourselves contumeliously, proudly, wantonly: No, no. And therefore let us leave what formerly we did love, let us come away from Seir and Hermon, I mean, from the lusts of the eye, and the lusts of the flesh, after this Sermon; let us forego the tops of Amana, or pride of life, and the dens of lions, to go to the lion of the Tribe of Judah; let us forsake the Mountains of dissembling Leopards, I mean falsehood and hypocrisy, to partake of Christs sweetest Mercy, or else it cannot be. And on the contrary, if we shall so do, or do as the Children of Israel once did, when they put away their strange gods, that is, shall put away our strange sins, which are like their gods, God will soon have mercy on us as he had on them, judge. 10.16. The Dutch Translation is, es lammert him, which is a most emphatical expression; as if he should say, the Lord so laid their misery to his heart, as if it had been his own. Semblably whereunto, he will lay our misery to his heart, and be afflicted when we are afflicted, grieve when we are grieved, repent when we repent, leave when we leave; that is to say, will leave punishing when we leave sinning.  
But I must add two things more, which I had almost forgotten.  
The 1. is, As the Spouse, setting her self to seek her Beloved, left her bed, and rose, Cant. 3.2. so must you in a special manner, leave your beds of love, of ease, of sloth, and come over them to come over to Christ.  
2. As she, to rest on her beloved, and to sit under him, came out of the wilderness, wherein she formerly was, Cant. 5.8. So must we, if we would sit down under the shadow of Christs mercy, come away from resting in duties, and in our doings; for is not this like resting in a wilderness, wherein no water is, that is, no comfort to be had, nor any one drop of mercy, God resisting the proud, 1 Pet. 5.5. and so consequently refusing to show them mercy. So that such proud Pharisees, who trust and rest in their hypocritical doings, can no more look to be justified by Christs mercy, than that proud Pharisee, who so boasted of his works, and restend in them, Luke 18.11, 12, 14. The danger of which condition, wherein such Pharisees, and stately hypocrites are, I will set forth by this familiar comparison. It is with the Soul of a poor Sinner, as with the body of a man; if it be troubled with a slight disease, he may easily be helped, but if the throat begin to swell, and the vital parts be stopped up, that it can receive no meat, every neighbour will say, he is but a dead man, all the means in the world cannot save him, because he can let nothing down. So, though the Soul be full of corruptions, and ill humours, it may be saved; but if it swell with pride, because of duties, as praying, fasting, reading, hearing, and rest in those duties, all the means upon earth cannot help it, to bring it to heaven. And as hard a thing it is to convert such a soul, and bring it to the faith of Christ, as any thing under heaven. See for this, that notable place, Jer. 17.5, 6. Cursed be the man that departs from the Lord( by trusting in the creature) and then, mark what followeth; for he shall be like the heath in the desert, that is, in his resting in duties( which is, as I said, like a desert) and shall not see when good cometh, namely, Mercy shewed to others who trust in Christ. Beloved, all the showers that come from heaven, cannot make a desert fruitful; so all the means under heaven, cannot make a soul which rests in Duties, fruitful for heaven; So that seldom such a proud soul is won to the Faith, to win Heaven: For, How can ye believe, saith Christ, which receive honour one of another, as those do who rest in Duties, and are so proud upon them, John 5.45. Come away therefore from this false resting, if you mean to come to Christ, and to that true resting on Christ, which only pleaseth Christ, else you cannot.  
4. You must stoop, and become humble, and low, as those do who sit, and especially upon the ground under a three. Humility, or humiliation is Gods Daughter, and the dowry which he giveth with this Daughter is Grace, 1 Pet. 5.5. and therefore he that will have this dowry, and with it obtain mercy, must mary this Daughter; as he that would have Naomi's Field, must also get, and take her Daughter, Ruth. 4.5. You have red, I suppose, what others have done in the like case; as for instance, Manasseh, how he humbled himself, and so obtained mercy, 2 Chron. 33.12, 13. And when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers, and prayed unto him; and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. So how the King of Niniveh, with his Ninivites, humbled himself, and so obtained mercy, Jonah 3.6. Mark, he sate in ashes, before he could sit down under the shadow of mercy, Jonah 4.2, 11. And how Mary Magdalen humbled her self, before she obtained mercy. You have red, I believe, in Luke 7.38, 47. And what saith God, Isa. 66. To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. And St. James, Chap. 5.10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up. So that needs you must first become low, if you will be high; bow, and be down, if you will be up; be abased, if you will be exalted; be dejected, if you will be consolated; be in Misery, if you will obtain Mercy. For these two Mercy& Misery, 
Bernard.  as one saith well, are Relatives. No misery, no mercy: all which hath caused such memorable passages to drop from holy mens, and learned Writers pens. God poureth not the oil of mercy, 
Dyke, of the deceitfulness of mans heart. Chap. 15.  saith one, save into a broken vessel. And to the poor humble and broken hearted sinner only the promise of mercy is made; And to such only Christ is promised, who are confounded in themselves, with a sense of their sins, saith 
Calvin. In Isa. 61.  another. stoop then, every one of you that would sit down under the shadow of Christs mercy, and do not stop your ears against these sayings, nor shut your eyes against those Lights; but do as St. 
August. In Confess. Lib. 8.  Austin once, especially if you never obtained mercy yet, nor ever were converted yet; that is to say, as he, to obtain Mercy, when the time of his conversion was at hand, went into his Hosts Garden, and there fell all along under a fig-tree, crying and saying, How long Lord, how long? Why not now? Why should not this day be the last day of my shane? &c. So do you also go into a Garden, or under a three, or into your closerts, and there fall down before the Lord( I have done so myself also, when I thought the time of my Conversion was come) and cry, and say, Why not now, why not now, Lord? Why may not this be the last day of our shane? Oh how long? how long, Lord, shall we wallow so in mire, in dirt, in dung, in sin, and how long wilt thou be angry with our poor souls? Shall thine anger burn for ever? wilt thou shut up thy bowels in displeasure for ever? Shall we never never be remembered? O think upon us now at last, now this very day, and let this be the last day of our shane. Turn us, O God, of our salvation, and show us thy mercy, and grant us thy salvation, Psal. 85.47. Nay, do even here condemn yourselves before the Lord, saying, as Dan. 9.8. Lord, unto us belongs shane, and confusion of faces, and unto us appertaineth death, and Damnation, and Hell fire for ever; and we can look for nothing else, in this our sad condition, unless thou look upon us with eyes of pity, and show us thy compassion; here bring yourselves as low as may be, the lower the better, the humbler in misery, the fitter for mercy; and therefore charge yourselves as much as you can, with an enumeration of your great and grievous offences, with their several circumstances, of time when, places where, and persons against whom, they were committed; to bring yourselves sensible both of the weight of your grievous sins, and also of the direful wrath of the Almighty, and of that formidable punishment of hell fire for ever, due to the same, that so you may be thereby fitted for mercy, when you shall have made yourselves thus sensible, of your great and grievous misery, and may be able to cry with David, out of the Depths, namely, of misery, have I cried unto thee, O Lord, Psal. 13.21. And Deep calleth unto Deep, Psal. 42.7. That is, the deep of misery calleth to the deep of mercy. And if you will we ruled by me, take this as a Corollary with you, and do all this fasting, as Daniel once; who when he sought God with prayer, and supplication, did it fasting, Dan. 9.3.  
5. You must acquiesce in and rest on Christ, and so under the shadow of his mercy; for so he that sirs, rests, when and where he sitteth. This is meant, as I take it, by that sweet, and notable Expression, Cant. 8.5. Leaning upon her Beloved. Beloved, lean therefore upon your Beloved, and your Beloved will lean toward you, when he shal see you so to lean upon him; for mark what followeth, Cant. 8.5. I raised thee up under the apple-tree, that is, when thou wast come to me, and under me, as an apple-tree, both for shadow and for apple; apple, namely of comfort, and shadow of mercy, being faint, and didst even rely upon me, and rest on me; then, and there, I raised thee up being down, and spake comfortably to thee, because thou didst so desire me. So that by all means, you must take up your Rest here, having left resting in duties, and having nothing else to trust to, and to rest in, especially when with inward props and stays all outward supports also fail you, then lay hold on Christ, and rest yourselves under the shadow of his wings, saying, as it is in the prayer of Habakkuk 3.17, 18. Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine, the labour of the Olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herds in the stall; yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. And Isa. 12.2. Behold God is my salvation, I will trust, and not be afraid.  
But here I must resolve three Cases of Conscience.  
The first is, I would rest here were it not for this, that I am so voided of good and so full of evil, as that I think there is not a viler wretch than myself; for this I doubt whether the Lord Jesus will have mercy on me, yea or no.  
To this I Answer. Never doubt of that, for what saith the Apostle? This is a faithful saying, and worthy all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief; Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, 1 Tim. 1.15, 16. Mark, Thou thinkest that there is not a viler wretch living, where thou livest; but Paul saith no, I am chief, the chief of sinners, and so a greater sinner than thou, and yet obtained mercy; and should not this cause thee to rest here?  
2. But I know what thou wilt say further. Paul did what he did ignorantly, and therefore obtained mercy, 1 Tim. 1.13.  
I Answ. 1. It is true. He did what he did ignorantly, namely, against Christians, and Christ whom he knew not, Acts 9.5. But do you think that he never sinned against his knowledge else, being a man of so much Knowledge as he had, by his Testimony, Acts 22.7. And besides, did ye never red, and observe how even after his conversion, he did complain of his sins, which doubtless he committed against his knowledge? Rom. 7.15, 19, 23, 24.  
2. And did not David sin against his own knowledge in the matter of Uriah, and Bathsheba? Did not he know that Adultery was a sin, a foul sin, murder sin, a crying sin, think ye? Yes doubtless: See 2 Sam. 11.15. 2 Sam. 12.5.  
3. So Peter, did not he sin against his knowledge when he denied his Master? Did he not know him, when he said, I know not the man, and swore to it, Matth. 26.74.  
Thirdly, But I have obstinately and wilfully continued in my wickedness, and even turned grace itself into lasciviousness, and despised all the means which have been used for my salvation, and have spent my youthful dayes upon my lusts, and stood it out so long; and will the Lord show me mercy now at last?  
I Answer, This is an heavy case I must confess, but yet I hope, I shall resolve thee. And,  
1. Was not Manasseh not only as great a sinner as any, but also an old one, 2 Chron. 33.1. and one that stood it out against all means used for him? Vers. 16. Nay, did he not, as 
Chron. Char. pag. 30.  some writ, cause his faithful Chaplain, the Prophet Isaiah, who laboured all that he could to reclaim him, to be sawn asunder, as that place, Heb. 11.37. seemeth to confirm the said relation; notwithstanding which he obtained Mercy, vers. 13.  
2. And what was the thief upon the across? did he not spend his youthful dayes in stealing, and robbing? Did he not continue in sin to the last? Luk. 23.40, 41, 42, 43.  
3. And what saith the most merciful God of Heaven himself, concerning himself; the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, Exod. 34.6. Mark he calleth himself, not onely by the name of merciful, but also long-suffering, to show that he can bear, and doth bear, and forbear the greatest of sinners a long time, even many years; as the above said Manasseh, 2 Chron. 33.1.  
4. And doth not the Apostle Paul also confirm the same? nay, doth he not affirm more than the same saying? Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy; that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering: Thus far he saith the same, and then, more than the same in the words following; for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him, and so rest on him to life everlasting. 1 Tim. 1.16. Mark, Christs design in Pauls conversion, was to make him a pattern for you that propose this Case, and for all that shall believe on his name; so that if you can but savingly believe on his name, and rely upon him for his merits, sitting down under the shadow of his sweetest mercy; though you be down, yet you shal be up, though in yourselves you had received the sentence of death, and condemnation, yet in him, and for him, and by him you shall receive the sentence of absolution; though long you have swam down the streams of sinful, and carnal Delectation, yet through his long-suffering and the riches of his grace, you shall, even in this life, receive your spiritual Consolations, and in the world to come the salvation of your souls, to an endless Duration. Nay, my Brethren, even that sweetest saying of the Apostle, which I said but now, doth confirm this same: How like that glorious luminary, and lamp of heaven, the Sun I mean, it shineth brighter and brighter in mine eyes! for I do now see more, much more in it now, then I saw first, because the Apostle doth not only tell us, that he obtained mercy, that in him Christ might show forth long-suffering, but all long-suffering; mark, all long-suffering; not only some in some, but all, for any time that can be name, and in all that should believe, how long soever; whether 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, or 80, years, or upwards, they have persisted in sin, and resisted the Spirit of God by sin. Thus all long-suffering, and so consequently that also which reacheth even to those which have spent their youthful dayes upon their lusts, and those which have stood it out against the very means of grace used for their recovery, and that whereby he can bear and hath born with some forty years, Psal. 95.10. and with others, one hundred and twenty, Gen. 6.3. intending thereby to led them to Repentance, Rom. 2.4. For else how can it be all long-suffering? O sweet affirmation! O confirmation worthy of all acceptation! Oh how this should now satisfy, and answer the doubts and hesitations of poor perplexed sinners! Oh how it should even fully, absolutely, indisputably, ungainsayingly, persuade any of all that hear me, or shall red these sayings, to rest and rely now at last, though it be never, though it be never so late, on Christ for Mercy. But, yet I do not speak this to strengthen the hands of the wicked in their wickedness, nor yet to settle them upon their lees, or to sow Cushions under their elbows; No, no, but all that I have said, is said for the Consolation, support, and animation, of poor, weary, traveling, labouring, repenting, believing sinners; for such only are invited by Christ to come to Christ, as I have formerly shewed out of Matth. 11.28. As for others that are impenitent, and resolve to abide where they are, and to continue in sin, that grace may abound, Rom. 3.1. and yet presume to rely upon Christ for mercy; I must and shall tell them, that not one drop of all that Ocean of love, which floweth in the tender bowels of Christ, not one dram of all that precious oar of grace, which lieth hide in the rich mines of his mercy, not one beam of all that light and lightsomeness which beams from that Almighty and All-gracious Son of Righteouesness, appertaineth to them, nor will ever come for them, unless by a true, and lively faith, and with unfeigned repentance they come to Christ; Christ being resolved in such a case, not to save them, nor to show mercy to them, though he show mercy to thousands, Exod. 34.6. nor to make them partakers of the riches of his grace, though he be full of grace, John 1.16. See Prov. 28.12. Isa. 55.7. Heb. 5.9. Heb. 10.29. More Objections will be answered hereafter.  
6. You must do what herein you mean to do quickly, as Christ said once, John 13.17. running as it were to and under this shadow, as other creatures do run under a shadowy three. For as now God commands all men every where to repent, Joel 2.12. Acts 17.30. So now by a necessary consequence he commands them to accept of mercy, and would not have them to harden their hearts against Mercy, as some do, Rom. 2.4, 5. But to day( saith he) when you hear his voice( Psal. 95.7.) harden not your hearts. Or thus, as Christ once said to Zacheus, when he had got himself upon a Sycamore three, from thence to see Christ, who was higher than that three; Zacheus, make hast and come down, for to day I must abide at thy house, Luke 19.5. So he saith to thee that now also hearest me, and being upon a Sycamore three, where Christ and Mercy have espied thee; that is, upon the three of sin, which is the vilest thing in the world, as the Sycamore, the vilest of all the Trees in the world, as 
Daneus in phies. Christ.  one writes of it, thinking from thence, and thereupon, or continuing therein, to see Christ and his Mercy, which will never be, nor can be: Make hast, come down man, or, thou Peter, thou John, thou Mary by name, for I mean to abide this day, saith Christ, in thy heart; and so saith his Mercy, and I also mean this day to come to thy heart, and therefore, O dear soul, tarry no longer upon thy Sycamore three, the three I mean of Lust, of Gluttony, of Drunkenness, and the like sins, which are like Sycamore Trees, that grow in moist places, and in Egypt especially, that moist country, if you mean to obtain, and to entertain Christ and his Mercy: And that, as I said, this very day. For, as Boaz said to Naomies kinsman, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, Ruth 4.5. So say I, Qua die desponsaris Christo& Misericordiae ejus, eodem die te oportet, ducere poenitentiam quoque; that is, The same day wherein thou desponlatest thyself to Christ and his Mercy, the self-same day thou must also repent, and come down from the three of sin and misery; because these two things are so by God himself joined together, as that no man must put them asunder, Prov. 28.13. Wherefore let me entreat thee, that thou wilt stand there, and stand out no longer, no, not a day longer, but wilt entertain Christ with his mercy, like Zacheus, this very day, penitently and joyfully, that you may be able to say, as Christ of the house of Zacheus, truly this day came Christ and his mercy to my heart graciously. But this I shall pass over yet in one of these Motives.  
Need you Incentives, or Motives, then consider these Six.  
1. Gods and his servants willingness, yea Mercies its self, of your sitting down under the shadow of Christs Mercy.  
2. The Comfortableness of it.  
3. The Seasonableness of it.  
4. The Rareness of it.  
5. The Delightfulness of it.  
6. The Needfulness of it.  
1. Gods and his servants willingness, yea Mercies its self.  
This Motive hath three Branches.  
The first is Gods willingness. For,  
First, The Father bids, and entreats you to sit down, and to accept of Mercy; saying, As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye,( lo how earnest he is, he bids you twice) from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezek. 33.11. As if he should say, I pray you therefore accept of my mercy, according to that noted place, 2 Cor. 5.20. As though God did beseech you by us.  
Secondly, The Son bids you, and begs with you to sit down, saying, Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden. As if he should say, I pray you accept of Mercy, and I will give you rest, for sitting down under the shadow of my mercy brings rest, Matth. 11.28.  
Thirdly, The Spirit bids you, and entreateth you to sit down; For, The Spirit and the Bride say, Come, Rev. 22.17. As if he should say, I pray you accept of Mercy.  
2. His Servants are willing, and bid and entreat you to sit down. And,  
First, So the Apostle, speaking in the Name of all, entreats you, saying, Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christs stead, be ye reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5.20. As if he should say, We pray you all, to sit down under the shadow of Christs wings, and to accept of Mercy.  
Secondly, And my unworthy-self pray you also in Christs stead to be reconciled to God( because unto me also, as I am a Minister of Christ, is committed the word of Reconciliation by Christ, 2 Cor. 5.18.) and so consequently to accept of Mercy.  
3. Nay, Mercy itself doth as it were speak to you, and bid you and entreat you to sit down under her, and to accept of her, saying, I beseech you in Christs name, be reconciled to God, and accept of my proffer. Thus I bring in Mercy her self, as entreating us, as the Apostle brings in Christs love itself, as constraining us, 2 Cor. 5.14. And will you not be entreated now, by so many entreaties? will you not be overcome by so many invitations, so eminently come? Is it nothing with you, that as the Prodigals Father came forth himself, and entreated his elder son to come in, and to sit down, as the rest of his invited guests, at his younger brothers feast, when he saw that he would not come in, Luke 15.28. So God the Father himself comes forth to you and entreats you to come in, and to sit down at your elder Brothers feast, which his mercy maketh; because he seeth that you will not come in? is it nothing with you that the whole Trinity entreats you? Is it nothing that Paul in the name of all the Lords Prophets and holy Apostles invites you? Is it nothing that Mercy her self, which also is God himself,( to say nothing of my worthless-self) doth pray you so? If there were a very sumptuous feast at a great Lords house, made for his Son, and one of you should accidentally come to that Lords house the same time, after many of his invited guests are set down, and the Servants should entreat him to come in, nay that Lord himself should come out, and invite him to come in and to sit down with the rest of his guests, and then the Son also should come forth, and entreat him, and after him his most intimate friend, which is next to him, should come likewise and beseech him to come in; yea, suppose farther, that great Lords Lady her self should come forth also, and beseech him to come in, and sit down at that sumptuous feast; I ask, whether that man could find in his heart to be so uncivil, and so obstinate as to say, I will not come in? I conceive he could not. And will ye, or any one of you be so wilful, and so unmannerly as to be like the Prodigals elder brother, refusing to come in when as that great Lord of Heaven, and Earth, having made and provided a far greater 
Isa. 25.6.  feast, than any Nobleman upon earth can make, and which aptly may be called Mercies Feast, made for his Son, and Sons, his Son to entertain, and Sons to be entertained, entreats him( being, I will not say accidentally, but by good and special providence, so opportunely come to the hearing or reading of these words) to come in, and sit down at Mercies feast, and under Mercies shadow? O by no means, by no means. Beloved, if you do not regard me, nor my entreaties, nor will do any thing for my sake, yet come and sit down now, after so many entreaties of such eminent persons as those three glorious person● of the blessed and ever to be adored Trinity are; and for the sake of the holy Apostles, and of Mercy itself to be magnified for ever.  
2. Consider the comfortableness of it, and that in four Respects.  
1. In respect of the Greatness of Christs Mercy.  
2. In respect of the muchness of it.  
3. In respect of the swiftness of it.  
4. In respect of the Lastingness of it.  
First, In respect of the Greatness of it. For thy Mercy is great to the Heavens, saith David, Psal. 57.10. And the Lord is of great Mercy; Or, as the Hebrew hath, Great in Mercy, Psal. 145.8. that is, his Greatness. Now the greater the shadow of a three is, the more comfortable that shadow is; and therefore how comfortable must the shadow of Christs mercy needs be, which is so great as that it reacheth to the Heavens! so that a thousand thousand thousand sins of yours and mine may be covered with it, and many thousands more, when Gods fierce wrath waxeth hot against them, hid and shelter themselves under it. In the Prophet Micah the mercies of God are assimulated to the main Sea, Chap. 7.19. now how great is the Sea, and how deep its depths? Some 
Alii volunt tantum patere deorsum, mere quantum sursum ad coelum extolluntur altissimi montes;& profunditatem ejus non esse decem tantum stadiorum; ut scripsit Plutarchus in Aemilio. Danaeus in phies. Christ. p. 68. unde, Gr. {αβγδ}, procul a terra.  writ, that in some places the Sea is as deep, as the highest mountains in the world are high; which hath occasioned 
Quantum scintilla ad pelagus collata tantidem est homin is malitia; si eam componas cum benignitate Dei. Chrys. in Esay, mihi. p. 279.  some to say, That therefore our sins are but as a spark to the great Sea; and that as a spark is presently quenched, and swallowed, when it is cast into the Sea, and seen no more, so our sins are immediately swallowed when God casts them into the Depths of the Sea of his Mercy, as it is said, that he will, Micah 7.19. And thou wilt cast all their sins into the Depths of the Sea; because it is so exceeding great. So that this doth for ever silence that great cry which many a man makes, about the greatness of sins, saying, O my sins, how great they be! even so great that I fear they will never be forgiven me: For saith Christ, be it so, that thy sins are great, yet despair not, for as thou art a great sinner, so am I a great Saviour, and as thy sins are great, so my mercies are great, even greater than thy sins are, or can be; nay, one writeth that Christ appeared once to a poor sinner, when he was going to destroy himself, and  told him, do thyself no harm, for rather than thou shalt die, I will die for thee again myself: which must be looked upon as Hyperbollically spoken, if ever it was spoken, for properly Christ cannot die again, and I must confess that it did exceedingly comfort me, when once Gods hand and indignation lay heavy upon me; as also that notable saying in Ecclus. 17.29.( though Apocryphal) How great is the lovingkindness of the Lord, and his compassion unto such as turn to him in holiness? as being agreeable to that famous Scripture Psal. 31.19. O how great is thy goodness( and so mercy also, for they are both convertibles, as Verum and Bonum, Good and True) which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which words, as they have been often comfortably used by sundry 
Aug. Medit. c. 37. De Civ. Dei. l. 29. cap. 24. Solil. cap. 22.  eminent servants of God in their devotions, and distresses, so I believe are much applied still by penitent souls, echoing forth the same after penitent David; descanting upon the same, after this or the like manner. For oh how great, how grievous sinners were we! Oh how we provoked that most gracious, and highest Majesty, by a height of iniquity? and yet did he forgive us the iniquity of our sin, Selah. Psal. 32. 5. O mercy to be admired! O goodness to be magnified from generation to generation! Oh that the great God should look upon such great sinners as we have been! Oh that Goodness itself should look after such as have been so bad! as that they may well be styled, wickedness itself! Oh that the Light itself should look after such as have been so filled with darkness, as that they may be called darkness itself! Ephes. 5.8. So that here there is a Sea of sweetness streaming from that Sea of mercy, which floweth in the bowels of Christ, and a world of comfort arising from that high and lofty three of Life, Christ I mean, whose most refreshing shadow of mercy and goodness reacheth( as you have heard out of Psal. 57.10.) to the heavens, and is greater than all our sins and misery. 
mayor est rei Misecordia, quam omnium homiuum miseria. Idem. Et Gregor. Naz.  Oh that you would now sit down under it, as Christ's Spouse did! Oh that you would be persuaded to it! For can there be a more sweet, more delightful, more comfortable sitting than this! Had you lived in the dayes of Solomon, had Solomon bad you sit down in a Chair of State by him, or above him, as he bid and made his mother Bathsheba to sit so, when she came to him with a Petition for Adoniah, as it is written, Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adoniah, ●nd the King arose to meet her, and bowed himself to her; and sat down in his Throne, and caused a seat to be set for the Kings Mother, and she sat on his right hand, 1 Kings 2.19. You would have  told what sweet sitting that was. Again, had the lamps of your lives shined in the dayes of Christ, the heavenly Solomon, had you been made to sit down with those five thousands of people which Christ fed, and filled, with five loaves and two fishes, had you eaten of those wonderful loaves and fishes, had you been so satisfied with them as they were, had you seen how much was left for many more, you would have  told what a sweet what a comfortable, what an acceptable sitting and eating that was, Matth. 14.17, 18, 19. Well, this sitting down by, and under the shadow of Christ, who is greater than Solomon, Matth. 12.42. And this sitting down( I will not say upon the green grass, as that peoples sitting was, Matth. 14.19. but upon, or rather under, the Lords great and glorious heaps of Mercy, but now spoken of) is infinitely, incomparably swerter than both Bathsheba's was, and that Peoples was. For is not a seat granted by Christ and even made of the very Mercies of Christ, for such as come to him with a petition, I will not say for Adoniah, but for their own lives, and souls, better than Solomons was which he granted to his Mother, think ye? And are not the loave● of mercy and compassion, more miraculous and delicious than those foresaid loaves were? Nay, are they not more filling, and more satisfying too? There being so much satisfactoriness in them, as that thousands, and thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand, may eat thereof and be filled, and( as I said else-where) yet leave enough for so many more. What think ye? And should not all this sweetness, this comfortableness, this greatness of Christs infinite mercy move you to sit down under the sweetness of his mercy? Oh that God would bring your hearts to it! that you may no longer defer it. Amen, So be it.  
2. But I have not yet done with this comfortableness( for all this text is for comfortableness) you must also consider how comfortable this sitting is, in respect of the muchness of Gods mercy. For what saith the Lord, in Exod. 34.6. The Lord, the Lord merciful, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands. What saith that sweet singer of Israel of this muchness, Psal. 86.5. For thou Lord art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous; Mark, plenteous in mercy, unto all them, them that call upon thee; and so to you also, if you call upon him, namely as you ought, and as I have taught you, for mercy. See also, Psal. 5.7. But as for me, I will come into thy house, in the multitude of thy mercy. And there are no less than five places which say, that God is even full of compassions, as Psal. 78.38. 86.15. 111.4. 113.4. 145.8. Which sheweth what a world of mercy and compassion, therefore there is in him, he being infinite, so that his mercy must needs he infinite too, and so consequently, many more than there are creatures in heaven and earth; because God is greater than both, and yet full of compassions. And is not Christ infinite, as God, said to be full of grace also, John 1.16. So that if thou wert as full of sin as the Gentiles were, Rom. 1.29, 30, 31. being filled with malice, wrath, anger, lusts, and hadst had eyes full of adultery, 2 Pet. 2.14. and thy mouth full of cursing and bitterness, Rom. 3.14. yet thou needest not to despair, upon a true repentance and conversion, because he is so full of compassion, Again, I have formerly  told you also how the mercy of Christ is like the great Sea, out of Micah, 7.19. Now can any of you tell those infinite drops of water, which are in that Ocean of water? I know you cannot; nor can you tell those infinite, infinite mercies, which are in that Ocean of mercy, which is God infinite and blessed for ever. So that if thy sins were as many as the sins of Manasseh, which were more than the sands on the Sea-shore, yet those infinite mercies which are in the God of mercy, would cover them all, and ten thousand times more, if thou hadst committed so many more; because they are so many, even as those waters which are in the Sea, cover all those infinite, infinite sands which are in the Sea. So plenteous is Christ in mercy, even beyond all apprehension, conceit, and imagination; I speak it to thy great and unspeakable consolation, if thou be penitent. For this now thoroughly resolveth that grand Objection. I confess I am not guilty of such gross sins, as some are; but Ministers tell us, that as a ship being freighted with overmuch small sand, may sink into the Sea, as well as one that is freighted and filled with great and heavy stones, so a soul which is full of many thousand evil thoughts, and guilty of more than ten thousand evil deeds, which by many are counted to be but small offences, will sink into hell, as well as that man whose soul stands guilty of, and is freighted with such great, and heinous sins, as are like great and heavy stones; and therefore I fear there is no mercy to be had for me, whose case this is, for I must confess that my soul is as full of such thoughts, as the Sea is full of sands; and that I have besides that, done and spoken so much evil, though not in so gross a manner as some, as that I am not able to number those evils which I have spoken and done, because they are so many. I say, this muchness of Christ's mercy, which I am now upon, will clear all this. For saith Christ, by way of concession, be it granted to thee, poor trembling soul, that it is so with thee as thou hast said, yet despair not, for as thy sins are many, and like swarms, and like sands for multitude, so are my mercies many, nay many more. Go and number the Stars, if thou art able to number them, as God once said to Abraham, Gen. 15.5. but I know thou canst nor, and if thou canst not number them, be sure thou canst not number my mercies neither, for they are more than the Stars; and therefore if thy sins were as many as the Stars in the spangled sky, yet would I not have thee to despond, because I am full of compassion, Psal. 78.38. Psal. 111.4. and plenteous in mercy, Psal. 86.15. And I will redeem Israel from all his iniquities, Psal. 130.8. And for that end will intercede to the Father for thee, that he may forgive thee for my sake; for I am the propitiation for thy sins, and not for thine only, but also for the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2.1, 2. O what a world of mercy is here! O what a multitude of tender compassions, flowing in, and following one another, as it were by heaps! Which muchnesse of Christs mercy, caused therefore a 
Divinn misericordia tanta est, ut siquis universa peccata totius mundi commisisset;& doleret quod tum bonum Dominum tam superbe offendisset; firmiterque proponeret amplius abstinere; Deus talem nunquam damnaret. August. de quinque part. Cons. l. 3. c. 44.  very holy man to say, that if one man had committed all the sins of the whole world and did grieve for it, that ever he should so proudly offend so good a God; and firmly resolve to do so no more for the future, God would not damn that man: I add, but as Christ said to the woman taken in adultery, and saying to him, when he asked her, Hath no man condemned thee? No man Lord; neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more, John 8.10, 11. So the same Lord Jesus Christ would tell that man, neither do nor will I condemn thee, though never so many should condemn thee; go and sin no more. So that a truly penitent and believing soul, may confidently and comfortably sit down here under the shadow of all these many and miraculous mercies of the Lord Jesus, and even triumph in the multitude thereof, saying, Where be those thine accusers, as Christ said to the woman, where be those thine accusers? John 8.10. And as the Apostle, Rom. 8.23, 24. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect? it is God that justifieth, who shall condemn? it is Christ that died, &c. And therefore how, O how should this animate, yea inflame souls to flee to the Saviour of souls, and willing to part with all their beloved sins, and God-provoking abominations, to have their part in the multitude of his tender compassions.  
3. In respect of its swiftness, or readiness; For thou Lord art good, and ready to forgive, Psal. 86.5. Saith David, The slowest to conceive wrath, and readiest to forgive, Psal. 103.8. And did not the Prodigal's Father even run to meet his Son, when the Son did but go towards his Father? Luke 15.20. To show, that God is more swift to meet us in the way of mercy, than we are to meet him, as we are coming away towards him out of the ways of misery: And the reason of it is, because it is natural to him to show mercy, and to be merciful; for his Mercy is nothing else but his Nature and Essence, as 
Misericordia in Deo nihil aliud est quam ipsius Essentia quae uua est,& qua una sapiens, justus, misericors est. Zanch. de Nat. Dei l. 4. c. 4.  Divines say. Now what is natural, and cometh naturally, cometh readily; so that for this very cause, God is said to delight in mercy, because it cometh so readily and naturally from him, Micah 7.19.  
I have red of Henry the 4th, King of England, that when a certain holy Martyr, called John Badly, was to be burnt in Kent, Anno 1409. and as he was in the fire cried, Mercy, Mercy, the said King caused the fire to be put out to save his life, thinking he had called to him for mercy, when he in very dead called upon the King of Kings for mercy, as it appeared afterward: however, this I must confess did show in that King a readiness to show mercy to him that should cry to him for mercy; but I must tell you my Brethren, that my Lord and Master, whose name is King of Kings, is not only as ready as he to show mercy to such as call upon him for mercy( as appears in manassehs case, 2 Chron. 33.12, 13. and from that fore-alleadged Psal. 86.5. For thou Lord art ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee. Mark to all that call upon him, and cry mercy, when they are, like that Martyr, in the fire of affliction, and feel the fire of the Lords great indignation) but much more: for that fore-mentioned King caused the same holy Martyr to be burnt for all, afterward crying, mercy Lord, Jesus, Jesus Christ, mercy, because he understood he called upon Christ and not him, for mercy, and refused his proffered stipend; but the King of Kings will never, never cause those to be burnt in the fire of hell, whom once he frees from the fire and fury of sin, crying for mercy to him, in the same words of the same Martyr, and saying, Mercy, Lord Jesus, Mercy. Nay such is his readiness to forgive, as that if a poor penitent, believing, trembling soul doth but say, I will confess my sins to him, he forgiveth it before he doth it; as you may see in Psal. 32. I said I will confess my transgression to the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. So swift is the Lords indulgence, so hasty his benevolence; let me say therefore in this place, every one of you, as once the Lord said to Paul in a trance, Acts 22.18. make hast, and get thee out of Jerusalem quickly; For they will not receive thy Testimony concerning me. So make hast to get thee, I will not say out of Jerusalem, but out of thy Natural condition, and out of thy lazy condition, wherein now thou art, quickly, for that will not suffer thee to receive my testimony concerning Mercy, nor to accept of the proffers which mercy makes to thee; that so being out, thou mayest cry out, Mercy, Lord Jesus Christ, mercy; and that the Lord may let you know, and see by proof the swiftness of his mercy; for which great Mercy, I beseech his heavenly Highness hearty.  
4. In respect of the lastingness of it, for his mercy endures for ever, and his compassions fail not, Lam. 3.22. Psal. 106.1. and Isa. 54.10. The mountaines shall depart; and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, saith the Lord. Oh the stability of the Lords benignity, which is said to be firmer than the hills and mountaines, that we might have strong, and sure consolation thorough its acceptation. I pray observe this, Oh thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted; that followeth immediately, v. 11. For this also clearly answers another great doubt of many a poor, comfortless, troubled soul, which saith I must confess that I am much changed, blessed be God, but then, I am fallen much from what I have been, and do too too often relapse, to the doing of that which I should not do; and that makes me doubt many many times, whether Christs mercy do belong to me, yea, or no. This, this lastingness of Christs mercy answers; For, saith Christ, be it so Dear soul as thou sayest, that thou art so fallen, and dost so Relapse; yet doubt not if thou have a care, to rise again, and be hearty sorry for it; For my mercy is an everlasting mercy, and it is new every morning, Lam. 3.23. and whom I love once, I love to the end, John 13.1. and again he saith Can a mother forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the fruit of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee, Isa. 49.11. Mark, here is Mercy and Love passing the love and mercy, not only of women, but of mothers, for lastingness and continuance; and should not the consideration of it even draw you to Christ, whose compassions never, never fail? Lam. 3.22. though we both▪ fail and fall. 
Clem. Alex.  One of the Ancients compareth Christ to an expert Musician therefore, such as Terpander never was, I add, and such as David himself, that sweet singer of Israel, never was; For he sings new songs of mercy still, and hath new kindes of modes, and variety of comfortable speeches still to fill our hearts and ears with new Songs of mercy still; because his mercy endureth for ever. David is much spoken of for his sweet lesson penned down in Psal. 136. and compared by some to a Nightingale for it; because he so doubles and trebles in it, as a Nightingale doth, when she is upon a sweet tone and note; repeating the same note of ever-during mercy, twenty fix times one after another, for so often he saith it, For his mercy endureth for ever, his mercy endureth for ever, his mercy endureth for ever, &c. But the best of musicans, which is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, how often doth he repeat over and over his sweet songs of mercy, how he doubles and trebles when he is in that tone! I dare say, he saith it a thousand thousand times over to a thousand thousand souls; nay, he uttereth new songs still, both by his Servants and Prophets, and by himself, changing his Note a thousand times. One while he saith, I will be such a ones Father, and he shall be my Son; If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but my mercy shall not be taken away from him, 2 Sam. 7.14, 15. Another while he saith, when he hath been a little while angry with us, and forsaken us, For a little moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee: In a little wrath I hide my face from thee, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer, Isa. 54.6, 7. Another time, Thou hast played the Harlot with many lovers, yet turn again to me, saith the Lord, Jer. 3.1. As if he should say; and I will receive thee into the arms of my mercy, though many be the sins wherein thou didst relapse, and fall back again into the same sink of sin, which my soul abhorreth. And another time, when out of frailty the soul is gone in to Bathsheba, and hath dallied with lust, and played the wanton, even after illumination, as David, but now is wheeling about, and cries Peccavi, saying, with the same David, I have sinned against the Lord, and done foolishly; therefore, Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions, 2 Sam. 12.13. 2 Sam. 24.10. Psal. 51.1. Then, and in such a case, he cometh either himself and saith, The Lord also hath taken away thy sin, thou shalt not die, or sends a Nathan to tell that poor soul so much, 2 Sam. 12.13. But I say again, and cannot say it too often, that I do not mention all these wonders of mercy, to animate any of the Sons of Belial in their presumption upon these great and to be admired mercies of the Lord Jesus; No, no; but I must now after all this, knock oft their fingers from laying hold thereon, as I did formerly, and tell them to their very faces plainly and boldly, that Christ is not only like a Musician making pleasant music with his sweetest mercies, but also like a Bee, which, as it hath it sweet 
Bern. Misericordia Dei melli, justitiavero aculeo comparatur.  honey, so a sting to sting him that provokes it; for so he hath his honey, which is his mercy; but withal his sting, which is his justice or anger, wherewith he stings and plagueth and punisheth such as provoke him with and by their wicked courses, according to that dreadful saying, Deut. 29.19. And it comes to pass, when he hears these words, &c. and he bless himself in his heart, 
Procul item, prophani!  saying, I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst, the Lord will not spare him; but then the anger of the Lord, and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the Curses that are written in this Book shall lye upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from ander heaven. And, Isa. 27.10. He that made them will not have mercy-upon them.  
3. The seasonableness of it. Besoved, a thing may be comfortable and yet not seasonable; as for example, a could cup of water may be comfortable in a journey, and to a traveller, but not in a fever, and to a febriciant; but this sitting under the shadow of mercy is both comfortable and seasonable, for it refresheth us both in our traveling to heaven; and when we are like Febriciants in a grievous heat, being sinsick and set on fire, as it were by the burning wrath of of the God of heaven: Or thus, when journeying for heaven, we are ready to faint, because great is our fear that we shall be tired, before ever heaven will by us be acquired, to quail away, because long is out way, to fall down because Gods wrath is against us, which from heaven is revealed, Rom. 1.18. and from him cometh down; then how seasonable as well as comfortable is Christs mercy, and our sitting down under the shadow of it! even as another shadow is to another creature, when it is scorched, and grievously inflamed with another calor? So that I do not press upon you an unse asonable thing, but that which is as seasonable as any thing; and as for you, I know you are all for that which is seasonable. For, do not ye usually say as well as Solomon, Eccles. 3.1. There is a season for all things; and this is a season for such a thing, and we will take it; and will ye not take this season, and lay hold on this seasonablness? Oh my brethren, can there be a greater seasonableness for you, to be taken by you, I ask ye? For, to give ye some few Instances more besides the former,  
1. Is it not seasonable for us to do a thing, when it is high time to do it? and is it not high time for you to wheel about, as I taught you formerly, and to turn to God; to come away from sin for God, and by faith to sit down under the shadow of the mercy of God? Have ye not put that very thing off as much as any thing, from year to year, from month to month, from day to day, whilst almost every day doth say, every day. 
I will to morrow, then I will,  
I will be sure to do it;  
To morrow comes, to morrow goes,  
And still thou art to do it.  
Thus still Repentance is deferred,  
From one day to another,  
Until the day of death is come,  
And Judgement is the other.   
And is it not high time then, and a seasonable thing for you to harken to me in this thing? O defer it no longer, but take this season; be no longer like Ravens, whose voice is, Cras, cras, to morrow, to morrow; but like Doves, whose voice is, Now, now. And more especially be like Christs Dove in Cant. 2.14. O my dove that art in the cliffs of the Rock. And as that is said to be in the cliffs of the Rock, that is, in Christs blessed wounds, who is thy Rock, 1 Cor. 10.4. So be you also persuaded upon true repentance, and by faith, to get into the same cliffs, or wounds of Christ our Rock for shadow, for in Christs wounds there is also a shadow, even an over-shadowing shadow of mercy, of pity, of compassion, for our unspeakable consolation. Some can speak of it from their own experience, what mercy they have found in these cliffs, these wounds of Jesus Christ. I knew a man in Christ, who having been tossed a whole night about his Election, went next morning, being the Lord's day, to a godly Minister, and opened his case to him, who  told him as once Staupitius  told Luther, in the like case; Brother, be of good Comfort, in the wounds of Christ thy Name is written; whereupon that man, though before he could not believe, nor receive any comfort at all, was immediately ravished with unspeakable Consolation. And therefore like so many Doves, get ye now forthwith to these cliffs, and hid yourselves in these wounds, crying as once those Hierosolomitans did, saying, Hosanna in the highest, that is, now save us thou that art in the highest, Mat. 21.9. And now, show us thy salvation, and now, have mercy on us, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out our transgressions, Psal. 51.1. Thus make hast, and be not by any means like Felix, who said to Paul, Go thy way, when I have convenient season, I will call for thee, Acts 24.25. For can there be a more convenient season for this than this? I press this hast the oftener, because there is great need of it, most men spoiling themselves by delays.  
2. Again, Is it not seasonable for us to betake ourselves to the shadow of Christs mercy, for Mercy; when it is with us, as it was with Niniveh in the dayes of Jonah, when the Lord had said concerning it, yet forty dayes, and Niniveh shall be overthrown, Jonah 3.4. and when Jonah sate on the East-side of the City and made him a booth, and sate under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the City, Jonah 4.5. For, is it not to be feared that the Lords decree is gone forth, that except we repent, and flee to his mercy for Refuge, a great part of christendom within such a time, will be overthrown? Is not the great Turkish Army entered the Christian Territories? Doth not the grand signor threaten us with a general Devastation? And is it not seasonable then for us to sit, I will not say on the East-side of Niniveh, or under the shadow of the Booth as Jonah did to see what will become of Niniveh, but under the shadow of Christs mercy, crying and saying, Lord, what will become of poor christendom, if thou at this time hold thy peace? Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thy biritage to Reproach, that the Heathen should Rule over them: wherefore should they say among the People, Where is their God? Joel 2.13. Ah Lord, for Zions sake, hold not thy peace, but show us thy compassion; for we know thee, and knew the long before now, that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth thee of evil; Jonah, 4.2. And thou Lord knowest, that as in Niniveh there were sixscore thousand, so in christendom many thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left, and also, we will not say, much cattle, but many precious Saints, and sons of Sion, which cry to thee day and night, saying, Will not the Lord have mercy on Sion? will he not make Jerusalem a glory in all the earth? Is not the time near come for Jerusalem's walls to be built up, Psal. 51.18. Is not the time near come, which the Lord spake of by his servants the Prophets, saying, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foandation with saphyres, and I will make thy windows of Agates, and thy Gates of Carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones, Isa. 54.11, 12. O do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion, build thou up the walls of Jerusalem, Psal. 51.18.  
3. Is it not seasonable for us to get us under the shadow of mercy, for mercy, when we are forsaken of God, as we are almost every day, Nay, are it may be, this very day; and shall not we go and cry to the Lord for mercy? saying every one of us that are so forsaken, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Psal. 22.1. O have mercy upon me, and, make hast my Beloved, and be like a row, or a young heart upon the mountains of spices, Cant. 8.14. that is, return as quickly as a young Hart, or row doth run, and let thy mercy also as speedily Return, and come with thee upon thy Saints; which like mountaines of spices, sand forth their Redolent sent, and whose sent therefore is most sweet, and whose sweet prayers for Mercy, are like the sweet murmurs of Turtles in the clests of a Rock, when they are left by their fellowes, as the Saints also many times are; according to that sore-mentioned most famous Scripture, For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken, and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God, Isa. 54.6.  
4. Consider the Rareness of it. shadows are for men and beasts, but some beasts are not for shadows, but rather for the shining Sun: so though mercy is for all, Rom. 11.32. yet are not all for mercy, Rom. 2.4, 5. but one here, another there, is for it. Most men are rather for the pleasant Sun-shine of sinful delights, and of the sensual pleasures of sin for a season, Heb. 11.25. Rara avis in terris; he is a rare bide upon the earth, that cares for those mercies of Heaven; For not one of a thousand that doth; for though God be willing to show mercy to thousands, not being willing that any should perish, but that all should come to Repentance, 2 Pet. 3.9. whereby it plainly appeareth, that I do not persuade you to a thing which is vulgar, ordinary, common, but to one which is singular, extraordinary, and, as I shewed but now, exceeding rare. Now, are we not all for rare things, Rare meets, rare sights, rare seats? Beloved, had you lived in the dayes of Moses, when the mercy-seat was up, Exod. 25.17. from which the Lord was wont to show mercy to his people; how willing would you have been to see it, and to make towards it, to have Mercy shown you from it, there being but one such mercy-seat in all the world? Well, we also have such a mercy-seat the rarest also in all the world, called, The Throne of Grace, Heb. 4.16. a Seat or Throne, not made as that was of pure gold; but pure love, like Solomons chariot Cant. 3.20. Again, a seat, not having two cubits and a half for its length, and a cubit and a half for its breadth, as that, ibidem; but of an infinite, both length and breadth, as you have formerly heard; and should we not therefore be all for this rare seat? should we not turn our faces( all of us) towards it, as the Cherubims there did look with their faces one to another, and so towards that mercy-seat? and as the faces of the whole Congregation of the Children of Israel, were to be towards the same mercy-seat, as it is there required, vers. 20. Toward the mercy-seat, shall the Faces of the Congregation be. And should we not even run now to that Throne of grace; and seat of mercy, and sit, I will not say upon it( that belongs to God) but under it, and under the shadow of it, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in a time of need, Heb. 4.16. O my Brethren, Let us be such rare birds, as those are who so are for Christs mercy, as I have shown. David, did count the swallow, and the sparrow happy, for that they could have their Nests so near God's Altar, Psal. 84.3. And will not you be happy also, think you, if you may be so near this mercy-seat, as I have shown, and there make your Nests? O yes, you may be as happy both as they, and as those who dwell in Gods house, doubtless, vers. 5. Beloved this my God put into my mind, as I was upon the practise of this duty, in my private devotions, before I had penned the same, and me thought it was exceeding sweet to me, and it did make me even mourn for the delight and joy which I took in it; and therefore I would not by any means omit it, but resolved to press it, and so accordingly do now press it upon every one of you, that hears or reads these words, saying; O this very day, let every one of you be like those little Birds, the swallow and the sparrow, which so near God's Alter made their Nests, and had a place there to sit; and sing& make your Nest, as near as you may to that rarest Mercy seat, which I but now spake of, and there sit, as birds under the shadow of a three, and in their Nests, so you under that great three of life which is Christ, and under his blessed shadow, where your Nests ought to be, and there sing as the said little birds, I will not say, some confused songs as they do, but songs of Mercy, Psal. 101.1.  
5. The Delightfulness of it. For, thy comforts delight my soul, Psal 94.9. All Rare things are delightful you know, and so was this rare sitting to Christ's Spouse; for saith she, I sate under his shadow with great Delight. Beloved, you know what a delight Jonah took in his sitting under the shadow of his booth, and under the shadow of his gourd, So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd, Jonah 4.5, 6. Now, if it was such a delight to him, to sit under such a booth; and there under such a gourd which continued but till next morning, v. 7. O how delightful must needs this sitting be under the shadow of Christs mercy, which endureth for ever, and neither doth nor can whither away, as Jonahs gourd did, and makes infinitely more shadow and delight for our souls than that gourd could make for Jonahs head; and will not you sit down under it, and pray to Christ that you may. O go, go my Brethren, and pray hearty that as God made that gourd to come over his head, to be a shadow to him, so he will cause his mercy to come over, and for your souls, to be a shadow to them, and a delight to them, and so sit down there-under, as Jonah under the shadow of his gourd; and that now presently, being therein also like Jonah, which signifieth a Dove, whose tone is Now, as you have heard. But hereof more hereafter when I come to the Land of Delight.  
6 Consider the needfulness of it; and that in regard of, 

1. This Life.  
2. The Life to come.    
1. In regard of this Life; and that again upon six accounts.  
1. Upon the account of Experimental knowledge. For without this sitting you can have none, so as to say experimentally from it, as the Spouse here said, I sate under his shadow with great delight. And as Isa. 25.4. Thou hast been a shadow from the heat. Without it, my Brethren, the greatest of Scholars, when they have run thorough all sorts of Arts and Scien●es, and have been peripatetics, and academics, I know not how long, yet are but sceptics, and stand like Janus in the field of knowledge.  
2. Without it I do not see what you can do in fiery trials and under grievous persecutions, when a shadow of mercy is more worth than a house full of money. Beloved, do not you see, how in a very hot summer season, when that burning Torch, the Sun I mean, throweth down its flaming beams, like flames of fire upon men and beasts; beasts do run to shadows, as not being able to endure such fervent throws. Answerably whereunto, I say, souls are not able to suffer such heats, unless they may then meet with such shadow-seats, or sittings, which are to be had under Christ. Christ himself did therefore so join himself in company with those three harmless Children in the fiery Furnace, Dan. 3.25. because he knew that without him and his mercy, they would never be able comfortably to bear and to suffer that grievous burning heat, which was in that fiery furnace, whereinto they were cast, it having been heated seven times more than it was wont to be heat, vers. 9. And I have 
Theodor. Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 10.  red of a very holy Confessor, called Theodorus, who suffered under Julian the Apostate; and being hanged naked upon the Gallows, was most grievously whipped with thongs, from morning to night, and so taken down and kept in iron chains; that when he was let down some did ask him, what pain he felt when he was so cruelly used? and that his answer was, That at first he felt a little pain, but after that one did appear to him, who with a cooling, soft linen cloath did continually wipe his face from the drops of that sweat which appeared upon his face; and that when his Tormentors left off beating of him, it was rather a grief than pleasure to him; because he that so eased him of his pain, during his suffering, did also then depart from him: so that the comforting mercy of Christ, and our sitting under the shadow of it, is absolutely necessary, under grievous sufferings and persecutions.  
3. So without it, how can ye bear Gods wrath? when Christ himself had his conflict with his Fathers wrath, he had need of an Angel to come down from heaven to comfort him, Luke 22.43.& do you think to luctate with the same wrath, without that Angel of the Covenant, Christ himself, with his mercies, to comfort you? What saith the Church, It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed; because his compassions fail not, Lam. 3.22. It is said of Jonah, that when the Sun did shine hot upon his head, his gourd, which was such a comfort to him, being gone and withered, he fell into this pitiful pang of discontent, which made him wish in himself to die, and to say, It is better for me to die than to live, Jonah 4.8. So when this shadow of mercy is gone, as that of Jonah's gourd, and the wrath of God like the burning Sun, shines fervently upon our hearts, as that other Sun upon his head, we will wish rather to die than live; nay, be ready to curse the very day of our birth, as once Job 3.3. So that upon this account also, we cannot want Christs mercy.  
4. And is it possible for ye( think ye) to hold out without it, in so many hard and longlasting journeys which you must make,& labours which you must undertake for heaven,& be accepted? No, no. Quod caret aiterna requie, durabile non est; That is, that which wants alternal rest, cannot be durable. As for example, the painful labourer cannot stand to his work, and do it to an end, unless he sit down sometimes. So the weary Traveller cannot hold out in his journey, to his journeys end, unless he rest between. No more can you go thorough such a world of duties, as lye upon you to be run thorough by you; nor do such a multitude of work, as is to be done of you, unless you sit down now and then under the shadow of Christs grace and mercy; Mercy being the way, by which we go up to God, and do good, as 
Petr. Loml. dist. 46. l. 4. fol. 391.  one saith well, for God. I laboured more abundantly than you all, saith Paul; but how could ye do so much work blessed Paul? Yet not I, saith he, but the grace of God, which was with me, 1 Cor. 15.10. And therefore seeing we have this ministry, which requireth a world of work to be done by us, as we have obtained mercy we faint not, 2 Cor. 4.1. Mark, we faint not; and how comes this? through mercy, saith he, so that without Christs great mercy, we can never, hold out in duty in that respect; and besides that in another also; in that, as I hinted at it first, your duties without it, will not be accepted, that you may be saved; For, not by works which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, Tit. 3.5. which caused a holy Writer to say, wo to the laudable life of man, if it be judged without mercy; which is no more than holy David said before him. If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand( though he be never so holy) Psal. 130.3. but then mark, what followeth, But there is forgiveness with thee, vers. 4. that is, forgiving mercy.  
5. Especially in that weighty duty of praying and praying in faith, Jam. 1.5. For then we take the greatest journey which we have to undertake, we go to do the hardest work which we have to undergo; we set ourselves to discharge the difficultest of all duties, which do beset us; we impose upon our poor weak shoulders the heaviest of all services which God doth propose to be done by us; and unless mercy help us to bear what we take upon us to bear, though we had the shoulders of Atlas, we shall never be able to bear it but rather shal be necessitated to forbear; for Mercy must then help, Heb. 4.16. Beloved, when a man prayeth as he ought, he accuseth himself, arraigneth himself, condemneth himself, according to 1 Cor. 11.31. Luk. 15.19. And such is his charge wherewith he chargeth his soul, as that he is even ready to sink down under the heavy wrath of God, which he feeleth in his soul, and with the terrors of the Almighty, which like arrows stick in his heart; especially when he hath met with many frowns from Jehovahs angry countenance, and with much of his indignation, before he betook himself to prayer and supplication; and whenas he is in prayer, God is angry with his very prayer, Psal. 80.4. then it goeth hard indeed; and that maketh him cry out in prayer, and to say, Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. And, I am afflicted, and ready to dy from my youth; whilst I suffer thy terrors I am distracted; thy fierce wrath goeth over me, thy terrors have cut me off, Psal. 88.7, 15, 16. So that Mercy, upon this account, is absolutely necessary, in prayer especially; insomuch that there is is scarce a prayer made by any gracious soul, which is not freighted with petitions for mercy, after the most perfect patterns of Davids prayers wherein he did so frequently, and fervently cry to God for mercy; as you may see throughout the whole body of his psalms; which generally do flow, yea, over-flow like the main sea, with Requests of mercy, so that I may boldly say, that I know not a more usefuller, and needfuller thing in prayer, than asking of mercy; insomuch as that I, for my part, do always desire to spend the greater part of a solemn prayer in petitioning for mercy. Cry mercy, therefore my Brethren, above all things▪ and that in faith, when you speak to God in prayer; as thus, making use of something already mentioned upon another account, and some other besides; Lord, I have red, that when thou didst hang upon the three of the across, thou didst cry, and say, I thirst, John. 19.28. Thirsting after my souls salvation: and as thou didst then thirst after that, so do I now thirst, in this heat, after thee the three of Life, and the Water of Life, and thy Compassion; O when shall I be satisfied, and have this my great thirst quenched? O Now, now. Or thus, Lord, I have red, how thou didst once drown the Egyptians in the read Sea, thereby showing mercy to thy people, which else they would have destroyed, Exod. 14.27. O let my fins now, be like those Egyptians, and let them also be drowned in the read Sea of thy great mercy mingled with thy precious blood, which will make it read indeed; and let both even cover them all, as many as they be, as the great Sea covereth all those infinite sands that are in the bottom of it, according to thy holy Word, which saith, and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the Sea, Micah 7.19. Or thus, Enter not into judgement with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified; namely, without mercy, Psal. 143.2. And therefore, O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me, Psal. 86.16. And in thy wrath, remember mercy, Hab. 3.2. Or thus, Lord, I have heard thy servant say, that in comparison of thy great mercy, all my sins are but like a spark of fire to the great Ocean; and therefore now, O my God, have mercy upon me, according to the multitude of thy compassions, and let my great, and grievous, and innumerable transgressions, be like a spark to thy great mercy, and let it, even now, forth-with, immediately quench the same, that they be no more seen. Or thus, cry with the woman of Canaan, and say, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David( who have sinned after the similitude of David) Matth. 11.22. For though I went not properly in unto Bathshebah, and did not slay, as he did, Uriah; yet have I gone in unto the sin of Lust, and Lasciviousness, and Wantonness, committed with mine eyes, or speeches, or imaginations; and likewise have slain my brother, with whom I have been rashly angry, and whom I have hated, 1 John 3.15. And then go on; and whereas she said, My daughter is grievously vexed of the Devil, ibidem, say thou, for else my poor soul will be grievously vexed of the Devil, namely, in hell fire for ever. Again, say, Lord have mercy upon me, and help me, vers. 25. And, Turn me, and I shall be turned, Jer. 31.18. O my God, turn me and make me of thy great mercy to come away from the tops of Shenir, and of Hermon, and Amana, even from the lusts of my flesh, from the lusts of mine eyes, and from my pride of life, and from all that sinful company which formerly hath been so dear to me, and from all my fierce and Leonine anger, and from all my Leopard-like dissembling, hatred, falsehood and hypocrisy, I humbly pray thee. Some haply will blame me for enlarging myself so, in these motives, both for so many misapprehensions, and such repetitions, and large inculcations of some things already and formerly pressed; but I must desire such to attribute it partly to my much enlarged affections, which in the studying of this great point, did so carry me out, even beyond my purpose; and partly to a kind of boldness which I took from others, who did the like, as they may see in Mr. Baxters Everlasting Rest, especially in the fourth and fifth motives. And Mr. Bolton in his Direct. for right comforting afflicted Consciences, p. 25.  
6. In a word, 
Nullus miser de quantacunque miseseria liberatur, nisi qui Dei misericordia praevenitur. council. Araus. c. 2. Con. 14.  without it you can't be freed from any misery, evil, or destruction whatsoever, Lam. 3.22.  
2. In regard of the Life to come. Some things are valued in one Country, but not in another; as for Example, Gold is much esteemed in our country, but not in another: For there is a 
Helin.  Country, wherein they make so little reckoning of it, as that they make letters and mannacles for prisoners of it. Again in Solomons dayes, silver was no more made of than stones, 1 Kings 10.27. and yet in our days it is enough made of. But the mercy of Christ is, and will be esteemed, not only upon earth, in our country, but also in the Heavenly, not only in our dayes, but to all eternity with the Ancient of dayes. We have a notable place for this; 2 Tim. 1.18. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy on that day; namely, of judgement. Mark, mercy will do us pleasure, and be needful for us in the very day of Judgement, when Judgement will be kept in righteousness, when righteousness will be extended to all, when all shall come naked and bare before Christs dreadful Tribunal, to give an account of all that which they have done, when all that which they have done shall come to light. For all things discovered, are mademanifest by the light, Eph. 5.13. And when a manifestation of mercy will be more worth, than this whole worlds Signory: and therefore, O the need which then we shall have of mercy; that we may not, as those which here have shown no mercy, be judged without mercy; but rather, mercy may rejoice against judgement, Jam. 2.13. By this you may all conceive, what use there is and will be, after this life is ended, to bring poorsouls to heaven, and how those that are now in heaven came to heaven; namely, by Christs infinite mercy and merits only. So that if any of us rapt up, like Paul into heaven, were permitted to view all those glorious and crwoned Kings, styled Saints, wearing their several Diadems, and Aureolaes, which are in heaven, were allowed to ask every one of them, how he came to heaven, they would all with one consent answer him, and say, as the Apostle, Not by works of righteousness which we have done: but according to his mercy he saved us, Tit. 3.5. And, It is the Lords Mercy that we were not damned. And thereas you desire to be saved, and to sit down with Ahraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven, Mattb. 8.11. be persuaded now to sit down under the shadow of the great mercy of Jesus Christ, who is the King of heaven. Or thus let me say unto you, according to that notable saying in the Gospel, to be spoken to one, who being bid to a wedding, sits down in the lowest room, Friend go up higher, Luke 14.10. So Friends, sit higher, namely, under the shadow of the highest Majesty, for hitherto you sat too where you sate, in that you were too much addicted to, and set upon the things here below, which are too low for your heaven-born spirits, and did not mind at all their sitting down in the kingdom of heaven above, nor that sitting down under the shadow of Christs sweetest mercy, which befits you better.  
But I desire to come to a final conclusion and period of this most comfortable conclusion.  
Beloved, shall I entreat you now to be ruled? shall I prevail with you after all this? or must more Arguments be used for you to be induced to sit down under the shadow of Christs mercy, besides all those which have been produced? I hope there is no need of it; but that you will be won by so much of Reason as hath been given, to give over resisting, and that from henceforth you will be insisting on the things so fully discovered; that Christs sweetest mercy by every one of you may be recovered; for why should ye stand it out any longer? Have ye never heard many a man say? I am weary with standing, I must sit down? and are not you weary of standing too? Me-thinks you should be, for have ye not stood, and stood it out long enough already? O let me beseech you dear Christians that you will sit down once, and stand no longer, nor stand it out no longer against such clear Convictions, Argumentations, and persuasions used; but this very day wherein you hear his voice in his Ministry, you will yield and submit to the evidence of truth, and demonstration on of Gods holy Spirit, and so rest yourselves under the shadow of his wings, that you may be able to say truly, this day I sate down under the shadow of my Saviours mercy with great delight. I will use no more sails where now I am, to wit, in this Sea of matter▪ being now bound and bent to the Land; I will strike sail, and make toward that Shore where my business mostly lieth, and so get into that Haven of rest which is now before me, there to rest a little while, and afterward I will go ashore, the shore I mean of delight; and the Lord be my good speed, when I shall be there, that I may do well there, whilst I do well there, you trading with me, and I with you, to make you partakers and sharers of that great delight, which is the Merchandise of that pleasant Land; Unto which I pray God now to bring both you and me, to our hearts content. Amen, So be it.  
The Third Observation is,  
There is an exceeding great delight to be taken in Christ. Or,  
The delight which a gracious soul doth, and we also may take in Christ, is exceeding, and will be exceeding great.  
See Psal. 73.25. Psal. 94.19. Mal. 3.1. For the illustration whereof, I shall propose and resolve these Six following Problems.  
The First is, How this delight in strictness differs from joy?  
The Second is, Whether this joy be so great, that it may be called the best among men?  
The Third is, Whether we may not take delight in Creatures too?  
The Fourth, Whether natural delight may not be as great, yea greater?  
The Fifth, Wherein this great delight consists?  
The Sixth, Why this delight is so exceeding great?  
To the First, I answer; That delight is of a larger Extension than joy, for delight is a 
Avicen.  Genus to joy, which is a Species of it. To the Second thus; That this Question had not been moved, if it had not been for 
Platonici.  some who have denied it, that such a delight may be among men, as may be called best, taking best in the abstract, and delights to be generations, and imperfect motions, which will not hold in intellectuals; so that we therefore are bold to hold the Affirmative, because that which is best in every thing is the ultimate end, which is God, pro re, for the thing, who is the best; and, pro usu, or for use. The fruition of God, which cannot be without a delight, so great as that it may well be called the hest among men. For what is God? Is he not the Ocean of all true consolation, the joy of a godly mans life, the life of his joy, the strength, the stay, the basis, the spring, the fountain of all his refreshments?  
To the Third, I answer; That according to the delight which is called minor, or the lesser, we may take delight in Creatures also, as you may see, Psal. 16.2. but not according to that which is called mayor, or the greater here treated on, we neither may nor must, for that is reserved to God, Psal. 37.4.  
2. By another Distinction, That there is a delectation which we call a prime, or primary, and a secondary.  
1. Primary, As that which is to be taken in God, and is also reserved for God, so as that according to it we may say as Christ, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, &c. So, First delight yourselves in God, Matth▪ 6.33.  
2. A Secondary, As that in Psal. 1.3. According to which in the second place, we may take delight in other things as Saints, and in the Law of God; But his delight is in the Law of the Lord.  
To the Fourth, I answer; No. But simply, and of and in itself spiritual delight is greater than any natural or corporal, though it may be more 
Aq. 1.2. q. 31.  vehement, as being better known to the sences, and accompanied with a corporal transmutation: My reason is, because there are three things required to delight. 

1. The Adjunct, Good.  
2. That whereto it is joined.  
3. The Conjunction itself.   But all these are greater in Spiritual delight, than in any Natural; because a Spiritual good is greater than a Natural, forasmuch, as for it, the other, I mean the Natural, is vilipended. Again, the intellective faculty of the Soul is more noble than the sensitive.  
The Conjunction itself, more intimate and inward, because the Intellect doth not onely touch but penetrate all, even with ease; and it is more firm too, because spiritual goods are incorruptible, and not like corporal, corruptible, 1 Pet. 1.18.  
To the Fifth, I answer; That this great delight consists, 

1. In much motion.  
2. In much dilatation.    
1. Mach Motion. Every delight is a 
Aqu. 1.2. q. 3. a. Est motus ainae.  Motion, but not every delight so great a Motion. Motion, you will sav, How can this be? Doth not Delight bring quietness rather than Motion? I answer, Yes. And yet there remaines after that an immutation in the Soul, for which it is called a Motion. True it is, that Motion ceases, according to the Execution of means, when the end is obtained, for which such and such means were used; but it ceaseth not according to the intention of the end thereof, because, as we desire what we have not, so we delight in what we have: and do we not experimentally find it so? Is not the whole soul moved, and much moved with delight, especially, when it is exceeding great? Doth not the Intellect, or Understanding stand frighted with the superlative, and most pleasant ideas of purest delight? Doth not the Will bend and bow itself to that, when once true delight is entred? Are not our Affections transported when this delight is imported? On Beloved, did we but behold the inside of that man in whom this great delight is centred, we should see his very heart leap, his spirits dance, his mind change, because of so great a change.  
2. In much dilatation. For a Saint, being much delighted, doth then much ampliate and enlarge his heart, that it may abundantly, sully, perfectly enjoy that highest good, which it is so delighted with; and so this dilatation is nothing else but a motion to this satitude, which it tends to, and which becometh competent to delight, Metaphorically, in two respects.  
1. In respect of the apprehensive faculty of the Soul; whereby is apprehended the conjunction of that good which is convenient for it, which is its Spiritual perfection and magnitude, according to which the soul is said to be dilated, and magnified.  
2. In respect of the affective power of the soul, which doth acquiesce and rest in the delectable good, which it is delighted with, and even inwardly penitrates into, and so consequently doth so dilate itself, that it may contain and hold the same, and please itself excessively and abundantly thereby. For then, Oh the delectation which there is then perceived when the soul is so dilated! The enlargements which Saints then find in their before straightened spirits, do even infinitely transcend all the blandishments of this present world, being such and so great, as that no tongue can utter them, no pen describe them, no natural heart conceive them.  
To the Sixth problem, I answer; That this delight is so exceeding great.  
1. Because of the rise and spring from which, and with which it cometh.  
2. Because of the Manner, after which cometh.  
3. Because of the season in which usually it cometh.  
1. Because of the rise, from which, and with which it cometh. For it riseth from so vast and large an 
Tho. Aqu. 1.2. q. 31. Est affectio procedens ex apprehensione boni prasentis.  apprehension of the chiefest good, as transcends any ordinary capacity, and ascends up to the highest majesty. Beloved, shall I tell you what is in my mind? when I look upon this rise of this great delight, me-thinks I see an Ocean of all delectables before me; because of that confluence of all that truly good is, which this delight springs from, and which in a manner it containeth; for it followeth, as I  told you formerly, the apprehension of the highest good, in which are concentred all delectable and good things that can be imagined. Now what a great, vast, big thing the main Ocean is, and so consequently, that concavity which contains it, many of us, mariners especially, do know. Semblably whereunto we may well conceive also, what a great thing this great delight must be, which comes from such a Sea of delectables to us, and so( Phil. 3.12.) apprehends the great God, who is that great and chiefest good to be apprehended by us. Oh it must needs be ineffably great, transcendently great, admirably great. O Souls, consider what I say, and see that you may be even ravished with this great delight, and that great and incomparable good, which it apprehendeth, together with all the desirables with which it cometh, they being such as, Non possunt reticeri, nec recitari; that is, may not be concealed, nor recited.  
2. Because of the manner after which it cometh; for it cometh overwhelmingly, being like comforts which come so; as you may see; 2 Cor. 1.5. So our consolation also aboundeth by Christ, or floweth over, as the 
{αβγδ}, Superfluit.  Original hath it. Beloved, if the Ocean Sea should break over all its banks and bounds, how would it come pouring in with all its waves, and waters, and overwhelm us all! just so doth this great delight, which cometh after such a manner as I have shown, overflow us, as coming from God with God, and ascending up even over us to God; as all the Rivers in the world run into the Sea, and so return to the place from whence the Rivers come, according to that famous Scripture, Eccles. 1.7. Hence I say it is, that this delight is so exceeding great, because it cometh so pouring in upon us and into us, like the great Sea; which caused once a 
Ephrem.  holy man to say when he felt this great delight, and the joy of it. O my God forbear, for I am not able to bear this joy, it is so exceeding great. And when 
Manchester ab Mundo.  Seveniaanus the Indian Saint was recovering from sickness, he was heard say, O my God, do not for pitty so overjoy me; If I must still live and have such consolations, take me to Heaven. This he spake being overwhelmed with this great delight.  
3. Because of the season in which it usually cometh; as namely in, or after great and superabounding tribulations, 2 Cor. 1.4, 5. When height of heat, and heaviness of heart do concentre, when hell and horror our souls do enter; when scorchings& scourgings of tongues assail us, when friends and favourers fail us; when nothing but anguish and affliction is before us, and wrath and woe hang over us; when our Canicular dayes, which of all the dayes of the year, are the hottest, are come for us; that is, when our mourning time begins to commence, and our singing time is gone hence; then, and therefore this delight comes to be so great by the wise ordering of our great God; because our trouble and tribulation is also great; according to that fore-cited Scripture, 2 Cor. 1.4, 5.  
I come now to the Application of this Grand Observation. And,  
1. To begin with a Use of Communication. Then why do many of us so little care or labour for this great delight? You will say, Who doth? I answer, Nay, who almost doth not? For as the Apostle said once, whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and division, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 1 Cor. 3.3. So whereas some are for women, others for wine, others for sports, others for new invented and strange apparel, others for strange meat, and for the belly, others for all manner of lasciviousness, which they act even with greediness, others for the world, and the profits, riches, revenues and emoluments of it, taking therein so much complacency, as that of them may be said, what David spake( Ps. 16.2.) of Saints, that in them, that is, such low, base things, is all their delight; are ye not carnal and walk, and live as men, little caring, or labouring for this exceeding great delight? But, why, my Brethen, Why? Is it not,  
1. Because you are ignorant of so great a good, as this great delight is, and the things therein contained, and thereby apprehended, as hath been ostended. The God of this world having blinded your eyes, like a Raven which striketh out the poor sheeps eyes, that she may not see the way to escape his tyrrannie. Knowledge enough, some of you have in many things else, I know, but in this I dare say, you have so little, especially experimental Knowledge, as that what Christ once spake to Nicodemus, may be fitly applied, and spoken to many an old hearer among us, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? John. 3.10. So art thou a minister, a professor, a hearer so long, and knowest not these things, namely the things which have been but now spoken of, this exceeding great Delight, and therefore makest so little use of it.  
2. Is it not because many of you have a conceit, there is a far greater delight to be taken in the things forementioned, than in Christ? Christ being unseen, and those other things which you take such pleasure in, seen, yea, felt some of them, which causeth this conceit; but I would have you know that you are merely consened, and deceived. For, how can the delight of such things be possibly greater than this exceeding great delight, which I here preach up, sith the delectables, which this great Delight apprehendeth, are incorruptible, as I  told you already, and undeceiving; but the delectables which your Delight apprehendeth, both corruptible and deceivable altogether, 1 Pet. 1.18. Mat. 13.22. For Ioe, your delight for the present maketh a goodly, fair, gorgeous show; but when it cometh to handling it is nothing but a feather, when it, to true light, is nothing but a shadow; when it cometh to weight, nothing but smoke; when it cometh to opening it is nothing but an image of plaister-work full of old rags, and patches within.  
3. Is it not because of the worlds strong and and powerful enticements( Prov. 3.1.) allurements, and ill Counsels, which are stronger than our good, and prove too hard for you, and will deceive you at last; as you may see in Demas, 2 Tim. 4.10. Beloved, the world hath a thousand cunning fishers, to lay before you pleasant baits, but all furnished with dangerous hooks within; it hath infinite strumpets of Babylon to offer you drink in golden Cups, full of sensual delights, but all mingled with most deadly poison; it hath in every door an aluring Jael to entice you in to the milk of sinful pleasures; but all have their hammers and nailes in their hands to murder you, when they have lulled you asleep; and you are so simplo as to yield to her rather than to us; to affect her lies, rather, wherein her strength lies, than truth and reality for your eternal safety; to elect her delights rather, though it be to your Destruction, than this great Delight, which we stand for, though it be for your eternal salvation. On folly! O madness!  
4. Is it not because you are so unwilling to take pains, for the greatest and truest gains, and so consequently for this great Delight, which by no means can be had& obtained, unless it be with all our might; for is not operation, at least in part, the cause of its consecution; so that famous 
Aristot. 2. Ethie. cap. 2.  Writer, Delight is a connatural operation, without let. O sirs, you are loathe to be doing, as some are, for this great, and glorious Delight; you love your ease, your beds, your boards, your lazy life too well, and that, together with these other Causes of your not caring for this great Delight, is, or will at last be your undoing; nay, hath it not spoiled you already? For, oh what a deal of sweetest content, and soul-ravishing pleasures, you lo se and forego, letting go this great Delight! there being no sense, nor reason for it at all, why Christ should cast away his sweetest love, upon such as cast away him; should bestow his heavenly solaces upon them which bestow so much needless time, upon pride& vanity, dressing themselves before their Glasses; should give himself to them, who give themselves to nothing but sensual delights, which they pursue with all their might; should poure out those high, and heavenly things, which this great delight apprehendeth, upon such as poure in so muchstrong drink, with such unsatiableness, which he detesteth; and inebriate themselves with so much sinful pleasure as this vile, vain world affordeth. No, No, he will not, he will not: He knoweth better what to do with those precious things, than to throw them away upon you, who do so dote upon those pernicious things; and therefore, Why will ye do so?  
2. Let this serve for our Excitation, to labour for this delight, and to take it because it is so exceeding great; where give me leave to leave with you Directions of two sorts.  
1. Directions showing what means we must use to get it.  
2. Directions showing how you and I must take it.  
For the first sort.  
1. If any of you were not yet espoused to Christ, you must labour to be, that with this spouse, whose words these are, you may then be able so to take it as she did. There is no doubt then to be made of it; For what spouse is there, which( having a Bridegroom alive which she dearly loves) is not delighted in him, and with him. Hence new married people, especially, have their great Delights; so have men and women newly desponsated to Christ, theirs in Christ, Christ being graciously pleased to give his loves to them, who so newly have given their troth to him; as you may see what joy, and delight those newborn babes, and newly married Christians had, 1 Pet. 1.8.  
Question. Thou wilt say, But will Christ have me, if I would have him?  
Answ. He will. O that you could make that good! What if I bring his own written word for it? Let me see it. red what is here written Hos. 2.19. I will betrothe thee unto me for ever. Will you now believe me? I am almost persuaded to it: but there are two things which do mightily discourage me: which be they?  
Answ. 1. Because I doubt whether he mean me, when he saith, I will betrothe thee. Answ. If thou canst but believe, he meaneth thee also; for the promises were made to Abraham and his seed, not seeds, but seed, which is Christ, Gal. 3.16. Now to Abraham and his seed, were the promises made: He saith not, and to seeds, as of many, but as of one; and thy seed, which is Christ: And so consequently to all such as believe in Christ; for they and Christ are all one; and they also are Abrahams children by faith, Gal. 3.7.  
2. Nay, that very word Thee, maketh exceedingly for thee; for what was that people which the Lord spake to, when he said, I will betrothe thee? Reflect upon Hosea. 1.2. and Hos. 2.2. and you will find it to be a people addicted to whoredoms,& adulteries, which it had perpetrated and committed; yet, I will betrothe thee, saith the Lord; whereupon it followeth, that if the Lord could find it in his heart to love such a people, and mary it, he may love and mary thee also, nay, will, if thou canst believe him, though thou hast been a lewd man, or woman, a very harlot, an odious drunkard, a covetous wretch, a person ingulphed in sinful delights, suffocated in sensual pleasures. See farther what is written, Ezek. 16.6, 8. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thine own blood. Mark, the same thing is spoken twice, that we may take special notice of it, and believe God in it; yea, I said unto thee; Note, again it is repeated, I said unto thee; For else, who would believe it, if the Lord had not said it; therefore he doubles it, when thou wast in thy blood; this is now spoken the 3d time,& yet no vain repetition, but a most serious affirmation, that by such a three-fold cord, which is not easily broken, the most free God, might be as it were tied, and bound to stand to what he hath spoken; and what was it, think ye? Oh, it was, that honey-sweet word LIVE. Oh saith the poor trembling, sinful, wrathful, adulterous, covetous soul of man, I shall surely die. No, saith God, thou shalt live: and why Lord? to that the Lord answers, vers. 8. And when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, thy time was the time of love; as if he should say, and that which moved, and made me to say LIVE was LOVE. O sweet love, Canst thou love then such a poor wretch as I am? say thou that hearest me this day, and madest but now a Question of it; I see thou canst, nay I see thou sayest that thou wilt, and therefore why should not I believe thee? O I Believe, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief, Mark. 9.24.  
2. Quest. But what is the second thing which doth discourage thee?  
Ans. Because I fear, I shall not be true, and faithful to him; if I should go near so far, as to be in the mind to mary him, and that he will not therefore have me, because he knoweth so much by me, even as he knoweth what hath already been done, and discovered itself by me. I Answer, Oh let not this dismay thee, for I will betrothe thee unto me for ever; Mark, for ever saith the Lord; to show that he is not like a man who puts off his wife, if she prove unfaithful, and become an adulteress; No, no, he marrieth for ever, and he loveth for ever, John 13.2. and he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself, 2 Tim. 2.13. and though he know it, that we will prove unfaithful, yet will he not see it; for what saith even Balaam, though a false Prophet, He hath not beholded iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel, Numb. 23.21. See also Jer. 31. And besides, when he betroths us to himself, he doth it in Righteousness, Hos. 2.19. that is, he bestoweth on us the 
Jun.& Trem. in Loc.  gifts of righteousness, that we may work righteousness, and not live in unrighteousness; whence it comes to pass, that though sin be in us, yet we be not in sin, that is, do not allow ourselves in any known reigning sin, because we then know the Lord, when by marriage we are made one with the Lord, Hos. 2.20. and so consequently dare not continue in sin against the Knowledge of the Lord; and therefore, tell me now, O Dear soul, whether thou be not onely almost, but even altogether persuaded to be married to the Lord? If thou be, then say so, as Rebeck a once, when she would go with Eleazar to Isaac, said, I will go, Gen. 24.58. so say thou, I will go, and go to be married forthwith to Jesus Christ, that heavenly Isaac, who hath sent his servant to me this day, to move this matter of marriage to me; Oh blessed be the day, whereon such a blessed motion was made, and blessed be the messenger, who was sent with such a message for me. O sweet Jesus, I am coming, I am coming to thee, though it be somewhat late and long first, to take thee by the hand of Faith, for my most loving, and ever-living Husband. O, my dear, take me, oh take me, and let me be thine, and become thou mine, that I may say with thy Spouse, which is thy Love and thy Dear, My beloved is mine, and I am his, Cant. 2.16. Is it done, O dear soul? I hope it is; if not, then O my God, do thou work both to will and to do in this, and in all other souls that hear or red these words, that thy Son may become their Saviour, their Lord, and their most loving Husband this day, and to all eternity, I humbly beseech thee.  
I fear that I have been too long upon this subject, but there was reason for it, because it is the principal thing here to be done; as without which no good can be done to any purpose, to any, or by any of you, till this be done. All things else to be spoken hereafter about means to be used for the gaining of that great delight which you are to get, are but appendices to this. This is foundation matter, as tending to the gaining of faith, without which no flesh can be either saved, or truly delighted; and therefore I hope you will easily, and willingly pardon me; for the future I promise to be breifer.  
2. Be grieved much. Strange! Are not these two, grief and delight contraries?  
I answer, Yes. Yet may grief beget delight per accidence, that is, by accident, and that both as it is in acting, and as it is in remembering.  
1. In acting, so it causes a remembering of the delectable and diligible good, about whose apprehension we are delighted.  
2. In remembering, so it causes delight, in that we remember how we escaped, and were delivered; whence it is, that sometime we are said to weep for joy. Agreeable whereto is also that of blessed Austin, With 
Aug. de Civitate Dei. l. 22. c. 11.  joy and gladness we remembered sadness. For of sadness comes gladness, as you may see, Psal. 30.5. And what think ye of those holy Martyrs which so rejoiced in God, and were so delighted with God? Did not their great joy and delightfulness in God spring up from their foregoing heaviness, and from their grievous sufferings, which they underwent for God. Let us hear some of their triumphant passages. Master Sanders, that blessed Martyr, used these words before he died, I am merry, and I trust shall be merry maugre all the Devils in hell. And Master Aimund burnt in France, after his examination was so full of joy& comfort, as that he did triumph with the Apostle, saying, Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, &c. Rom. 8.35, 36, 37, 38, 39. Beloved how consonant is this to that in 1 Pet. 1.7, 8. Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now, if need be, you are in heaviness. And therefore O blessed teats. O tears to be desired; For, from such tears spring joys, from joys assurances, from assurances delights, even delights unutterable, incomparable, unparallelable. O sirs, set open therefore, set wide open your sluices, your eyes I mean, and let tivers of tears run down over your cheeks, that Christ may delight your hearts.  
More Particularly.  
1. I would have you grieve then especially, and first, when you go about that marriage, which I but now motioned to you, and mentioned among you, for then it is most seasonable, as you may see, Acts 2.37. according to Zech. 12.10. and when you do grieve at such a time, grieve and weep most of all for this, that Jesus Christ that dearest Saviour, hath been so much abased and abused, refused and rejected by you, in that you have so long stood it out against him, and would not have him, when he would have you and even woeth you, as a man woeth a woman, again and again, day by day, and Sabbath after Sabbath, to win your good will; and so consequently, for that you have so long wanted and been without so loving and precious an husband, who so loved you, as that he gave himself for you, Gal. 2.20. For this purpose is that notable saying, Zech. 12.10. They shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his onely Son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. O sirs, do but harken to me in this, and do this, and I assure you by the never-failing word of God, formerly alleged out of Psal. 30.1. that it will not be long, before faith will come, and Christ, by faith, will become your most dear and everlasting Husband, to oblect, and to delight, fill and feast your most heavy and sadded hearts for a season, with unspeakable consolation; according to that famous Scripture, Mal. 3.1. Behold, I will sand my Messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; which is done, when we are brought to a due, and deep humiliation, and to weeping and mourning for Christ: and then, mark what comes after; The Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come, even the Messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come.  
2. I advice you, that after you are espoused to Christ, yet you grieve and mourn, as often as you may; like Sampsons weeping Spouse, which mourned and wept, and bedewed her cheeks with tears all the time, during which her wedding, and the dayes of feasting lasted, judge. 14.17. So be you Christs weeping Spouses, mourning now for one thing, then for another, and more especially in praying, and meditating for sin, and for the want of Christ, and want of Grace, and want of Assurance, I mean the Assurance of Gods favour, pardon of sin, and your future felicity and salvation, which you expect to an endless duration; for then commonly( I for my part do find it so) cometh that joy which I mentioned when I spake of weeping for joy; as it is written, They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy, Psal. 124.6. O sweet weeping! Oh how Saints therefore do prise those precious things, which we call tears; I mean such tears! Oh how they look upon them as so many pearls in their eyes, and falling from their eyes! Oh that my head were full of them, even a fountain of them! mine eyes full of them, my cheeks full of them! Or thus, O that my head were waters( as Jeremy wished once, Jer. 9.1.) and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for my sins, and my wants, and my weakness, and my having so long lived in the tents of Meshech, without Christ, without this great delight, which cometh by Christ; but hereof more hereafter, for I am bent to press this mourning again and again, as occasions shall present themselves, because it is a chief thing.  
3. Love much. For is not 
Aqu. 1.2. q. 32. a. 7.  Love also a cause of delight? Beloved, if you will not believe me, believe Jacob, who loving Rachel with a love surpassing the love of ordinary lovers, so passed his many years, wherein he served Laban for her, labouring hard, not as a Son, but as a Servant to him, as that they seemed to him but a few dayes, for the love he had to her, Gen. 29.20. which plainly sheweth what a delight much love causeth, in that a whole year is as a day with him that loveth. Now if the love of, or to women be so great, and cause a delight so exceeding great, what a love then is that which passeth the love of women? I mean, that wherewith we love God, and what a delight must that needs be which that love produceth! O it must needs be admirable, incomparable, unmatchable. Beloved, Love is lovely, and Love is unitive; I mean Gods love chiefly, for it concatenates and links the lover with the beloved, men with God, the creature with the Creator, who is God blessed for ever. O blessed Love! and therefore, O what a delight! Oh what a content! Oh what 
Gaudium enim amoris Comes esse dicitur, grand. 2. cap. p. 495.  joy! Oh what a complacency must needs thence-from arise, when God and the godly, Christ and Christians are so united, and come together! Oh it must needs be like the delight, which a bride takes, and meets with, when she meets with her beloved, and she and he come together. Come then my Beloved, and Love the Lord, all ye his Saints, and love him much, as those 1 Pet. 1.8. though they never saw him. Nay, come and love him with all your hearts, with all your souls, with all your might, Deut. 6.5. with all hearts sweetly, with all your souls wisely, with all your might strongly. For, Love is strong, when it is true, even as strong as death, Cant. 8.6. O sweet Love! how I love thee! Oh that I could always live with thee, and by thee! Oh that I could do nothing else, or if I must not say so, little else but love! O love for delight; and oh the sweet life of Love, which we live whilst we love! O my Love, sweet Saviour, thou art he whom my soul so desires to love( Cant. 7.12.) O give me thy love, and then I will give thee my love, nay loves! O help me to give unto thee my love! O let thy Banner over me be love( Cant. 2.4.) that I may be able to say of thee, His Banner over me, such a time, was Love, Cant. 1.4. and let my manner of living with thee be love, even all love; that thou mayest say to me, O my Dove, Cant. 2.14. And, O love for Delights, Cant. 6.7.  
4. Let Memory help ye; For that also will cause delight, because Delight comes by the presence of a delectable good, any manner of way taken, and apprehended. But a thing is present as well by Memory, as actually. We should have a Notable place for this, if the Hebrew would favour us in it, Psal. 37.3. Thus rendered in the vulgar Translation, I remembered thee, and was Delighted; whereas the English reads it thus, and was troubled. Well, I look upon this as a mighty help, and you will so look upon it too, when you shall have heard what I shall say; And therefore give me leave to speak on, and let me entreat you with all seriousness and soberness, carnestness and cagerness, to remember what is past. When you were in a grievous Conflict with Satan, and Christ helped you, and delivered you out of the mouth, of that roaring devouring Lion; as David his Fathers Lamb, 1 Sam. 17.34, 35. when you were in a Wilderness with David and his men, that is, in want, wanting the presence of your best beloved, and wanting the sight, and light of his Face, and wanting Assurance, even the assurance of his love, and of the pardon of sin, and of your everlasting bliss; and he came to you as Abigail to David, with bottles of wine, clusters of raisins, and cakes of figs, 1 Sam. 25.18, 19. to refresh him, and his wearied men therewith; that is, with his flagons of sweetest wine, spoken of Can. 2.5. with Cordials made, I will not say of figs and raisins, like hers, but of amber, and pearls, to wit, himself, who is that pearl of great price, Matth. 13.45, 46. And of his precious blood, which is like Ambergreese, nay better, and better than all her raisins, and figs, and bottles of wine; because they refreshed your very souls, when he spake to you, and said, lo, here I am, to comfort your hearts; and lo my precious blood, to wash, and to cleanse your souls, 1 John 1. when you were in an agony, being tossed about your Election, whether ye be predestinated, or no, it may be all night; and about the forgiveness of your sins, as doubting whether God would forgive them; and he come the next Morning( as it was my case once, blessed be his holy Name for it, Now, and for ever, O for ever) and so spake to you, or to thee, that readest these words in particular, My son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee, Matth. 9.2. And, lo, thy name is written in the book of life. When thou wast in a most servant heat, being set on fire, as it were, by the hot burning wrath of a sinrevenging. God; and he hiding his face from thee for a small moment( Isa. 54.7.)( which also was my most sad condition once, in so much as that I felt, methought, even a sensible burning heat in my very tongue) he came and spake to thee so comfortably, as that thou wast able to echo forth the same words which we red in Isa. 12.1. O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me; and thou hast been a shadow from the heat, Isa. 25.4. When thou wast fallen into grievous sins and ensnarements, which took thy veil from thee, I mean thy love, which covers all, and wounded thee most grievously, as thou wast traveling towards the heavenly Jerusalem, which is blessed; from Jericho, this wicked world, I mean, which is accursed; like those thieves which so used that poor man, which traveling from the earthly Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among them; he passing by thee, looked on thee, like that good samaritan, Luk. 10.33. and had compassion thee, thou being left half dead, almost dead; and poured in wine and oil, that is, the sweet wine of his dearest love, Cant. 1.4. and the oil of gladness above thy fellowes, Psal. 45.7. saying, lo my love, wherewith I have loved thee, from everlasting, and shall love thee to everlasting; a love surpassing all love; for that love it was which caused me to lay down my life for thee, Rom. 5.11. Gal. 2.20. And lo, my joy, O my joy, which I will give to no other, but onely to such as I love. In short, let all Gods saints always, or very often, remember that sweet time when God and they came first acquainted together; when together with him, his Father gave us all this; when all things to us, and in us, became new; when New was our acquaintance, when our acquaintance was with the Father, when the Father loved us for the sake of his Son, when his Son kissed us with the kisses of his love, when love wooed us, love followed us, love filled us, becauscit was the time of love; oh this remembering this remembering, how it works, how it delights how it pleaseth! oh the glorious, oh the delicious effects which such a Remembrance produceth, when from such things such matter of sweetest Delight a gracious soul deduceth! O my soul, do thou therefore David-like, spouse-like, Saint-like, remember such things still, that thy Delight may be maintained, yea greatened still; And do thou, O my God, remember me also still, and make me to remember thee, and thy sweetest dispensations towards me still, I humbly pray thee; And let every soul that hears or reads these sayings of mine, say, as God once said in another case concerning Ephraim; I do earnestly remember him still, Jer. 31.20. So, I will earnestly remember him still; namely, God all-gracious, God all-merciful, full of all pity, full of compassion; and I will remember also his gracious dealings with me still. O Blessed souls, so say, and so do ye, and the God of all power be with you, and enable you for so doing; Amen, so be it.  
5. Let operation or working also further you; For doth not it cause delectation to? O yes, insomuch as that by 
Aristot. 2. Eth. cap. 12.  some it is defined to be a connatural operation without letting; and the Reason why operation is said to be the cause of delectation, is, because delectables delight not, unless there be a Conjunction between them, and the thing, or person delighted; which may be either by knowledge, or by inspection; and unless they be had; but such a kind of having, is nothing else but using, and that is by working. Besides, do not we all find it so, and know by Experience what delight we take in our doings, works, and Actions? for Example; as Ministers, in our sermons which we have studied, as Craftsmen in our handy works, especially when the work done is well, and curiously done; so that without doubt, doing, and especially welldoing, will very much advance this great Delight, which here I go to preach up with all my might. Up then, and be doing, and that for Christ, because great will then be your Delight in Christ; for when we are doing, God is doing; when we are mighty in operation, he is mighty in Consolation.  
Quest. You will say; what would you have us to do?  
I Answ. Salvation-works; for so it is written, Work out your salvation, Phil. 2.12.  
Quest. And what be those salvation-works?  
Answ. 1. Believing and living by faith.  
2. A maintaining of good works.  
1. Believing and living by faith. For this is the work of God, that ye believe on him, whom he hath sent, saith Christ, when the people asked him, as you ask me, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? John 6.28, 29. And Heb. 2.4. The just shall live by faith. O sweet life! O life of lives! O life for delight! Beloved, that work is most pleasing, which above all other causes us to take Delight in the doing of it; the subject matter of it whereupon it works being most pleasant; and such a work is believing, for it maketh us see the fairest of all men( John 8.) it sheweth us the New Jerusalem adorned as a Bride for her bridegroom, Rev. 21.2. bespangled with glittering Diamonds, paved with purest gold, beautified with glorious mansions, beautified with spacious dimensions, enriched with rarest and richest pearls, beshined with brightest light, which from every point is poured forth for the children of light. And is not all this most pleasant, delectable, amiable, and therefore able to ravish us with its rareness, to raise us with richness, to persuade us by its pleasantness, and to gain us by its greatness to believe, and to act by faith, and to live by faith, that we may live such a pleasant life, as the life of faith affordeth, and may be so delighted with the Lord, as well as you may be by virtue of those 
Called, Delectationes Fidei. Jun.& Trem. in Psal. 37.  delights which are in faith, and come by believing in the Lord. O souls, believing is the principal work and thing here to be done, and without it no true delight can be taken in any work or thing. Let a man fare, like Dives, deliciously every day, let him feed, like the Israelites, upon Manna and quails; let him apparel himself in cloth of gold; nay, let him go to a higher strain, let him strain himself much to pervolve and to red the sacred leaves of the Book of Life much; let him ply the Throne of Grace with praying much, yet if he believe not in Christ, what delight can he take in Christ? Christ being resolved to impart his mercy and merits to no man living unless he lay hold on him by believing, and live by his faith in his Name. Believe therefore, O believe, dear hearts, and live by believing, that is, live upon promises, live upon Christ, persuading yourselves upon every occasion, that such, and such a promise, nay, every promise concerning you, God will make good unto you▪ and extract what virtue you can from Christ by a like persuasion, for a godly life, and for the gaining that great delight. And thou, O my soul, if others will not, do thou live this life; for then thou beginnest to live, when by faith, thou beginnest to live, not before, thou art as it were dead before; wherefore, O my dear soul, now this very day, begin to live such a life, if thou didst not before, it being a life like sugar, not only sweet in itself, but able also to sweeten all things else that appertain to life, centring and placing thy whole delight in the Lord of life. O my God, help this people, and help me also to live such a life. O Lord of life, put life therefore in this word of thine, and in them, and in me, that we may live to see, and to enjoy that great delight.  
2. Maintaining good works, according to Tit. 3.8. Works being good will do a man a world of good, for they will exhillerate his mind, mind him of his proper place, place him in heaven, heaven his soul in delight, delight being the reward of him that serves the Lord with all his might. To it, therefore my brethren, to it, and having first believed in Christ, and then living by the faith of Christ, spend and impend your time in the service of God. Next, engross duties, be a Helluo, a swallower up of good things; and let the living God have the pre-eminence in all thy doings, doing more for him, than for any man living, especially upon the Sabbath day; let him be served all the day with a holy care, and affection, zeal and circumspection, diligence and dilection, and you shall surely delight yourselves in the Lord, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure upon my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, and honourable, and shalt honour him; not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, Isa. 58.13, 14.  
6. In the next place, Make use of Admiration, which also 
Aristot. 1. Rhet. cap. 11.  causeth Delectation; because it is accompanied with a desire to learn some new thing, and with hope too, that we shall obtain what we do desire; and because men admire rare things, as you may see, Ps. 8.1. which also are delectable, and so consequently delight us: Because, 

1. Of Desire.  
2. Operation.  
3. Newness. As you may see, Cant. 3.1. joined with vers. 6.    
Where note, That the rarer the Delectable is, the greater our Delight is. Stand admiring therefore, and greatly wondering at the great, the wonderful, and to be admired works of Christ if you would take great delight in Christ, for they are all rare; Here learn of David, Psal. 8.1. And as he then admired the Heavens and the hosts thereof, even those Syderial 
Aquila est etiam Sydus, coeleste, in quo 4. stellae. Calepin, in aquila.  Eagles, and glorious Luminaries, the Stars I mean, which shine so bright by night, so do you admire the same, looking upon them( as he did) in the night, when others sleep for your souls delight. For then a man may see the 
The 7. Stars.  Pleiades, 
Ante genua tauri.  Orion, 
Juxta taurum quoque.  Massaroth, or the Twelve signs, and 
Arcturus est stella in Signo Bootoe, post Caudam majoris ursae.  Arcturus with his Sons, Job 38.31. and those other Luminaries which are in that spangled sky. I for my part have taken great delight in it, when rising on purpose by night, I did thorough a Window, standing open towards Heaven, like Daniels towards Jerusalem, lift up mine eyes with Abraham, Gen. 15.5. and beholded the sparkling Diamonds, which are in that gay and glorious Canopy above, and there are severally to be distinguished by their Zones and Circles, under which they are, some moving, and some not; all minding me of my sweet and blessed Saviour, that Star of Jacob, Numb. 24.17. and of my future most blessed and longed for condition in glory, wherein those painful and rightpreaching Teachers, who have turned many unto righteousness, shall shine as the Stars for ever and for ever, Dan. 12.2. O admiration for delight! O delight for admiration! But oh what a Sea of matter am I entered into! It is time for me therefore to take down my sails which I have now expansed, and to draw near to that shore of matter, which I more aim at, for the winning and saving of souls: Only, one thing more I will touch and teach here, before I let fall the Anchor of this my present prosecution of the thing in hand; having considered and admired the moil works of God above, let us come down again, for our delight, and consider his works below, especially that of man, the Master-piece of the whole Creation, below Heaven. Not to speak of the curious fabric of his Body, whose Head stands up like a coheir, Eyes sparkle like Stars, Cheeks resemble Roses, Oh what a rare Soul hath he! Oh what a Memory! What an Understanding! By his Understanding together with Gods assistance have been invented so many Rarities, Arts, Sciences; and especially that of music, which I desire to speak of a little more than all the rest, because it makes most for my present purpose, which is to put you upon delight, in being an Art for delight by reason of its 
Whatsoever is harmonically composed, delights in harmony. relic. Med. p. 155.  harmony. I confess it is of all Arts thought to be the meanest; and yet of six notes curiously varied, are made a hundred kinds of heavenly sounds, that ravish heavenly minds. 
And with division of a choice device,  
The hearers Soul out of his ears entice.   
Nay, so mighty, and strong is its operation, as that even evil spirits have been driven away, and men refreshed by its delectation, 1 Sam. 16.23. And 
Alex. ab Alex. lib. 2. Genital. dier. cap. 17.  Alexander ab Alexandro doth affirm, as that as he, and others of his company traveled through Apulia in the heat of summer, and heard Musicians playing upon divers instruments in every village, they inquired the Reason, and understood that they were such as cured the Tarantuli? whereupon he and the rest being desirous to see this Experement, dismount from their horses, and went into an house, where one was to be cured, whom they found, not onely speechless, but also senseless in appearance; and yet nevertheless, after that the sweet instruments had played a while, he began first to move his hands, then his legs in measure, according to the strokes of the music, and at last rose; and when the Instruments ceased to sound, the sick man again swooned, and fell back in his old disease, and lay for dead; and when the Instruments sounded again, he forthwith rose as before, until at length, all the poison wherewith he was infected, was dissipated and dissolved, and he returned to his sences, and recovered perfect health. To conclude this; there is such a proportionate sympathy between the mind and music, such a secret familiarity, as one saith well, that all our affections are diversely moved, according to the divers kinds of 
August. confess. lib. 10. cap. 33.  harmony; and therefore, oh what a man is man! Oh how rare are his parts, and how admirable is he! And if he be so, What a God is our God who hath made him so! and How admirable is his name in all the earth( Psal. 8.1.) who hath made such an admirable piece of a piece of earth! Oh the delight that this admiration causeth! Oh the sweetness that it yeeldeth! Oh the music that it maketh both in the ears of him that made man, and in the cares of man who maketh it!  
7. The last thing which will notably advance this great delight, is ecstasy; whereby the soul of a Saint is even abstracted from terrestrial, and so attracted by the power and pvissance of divine love; as that for the present, she is, as it were, gone to live in heaven( Phil. 3.20.) being grown into a familiar acquaintance with the God of Heaven.  
Of this ecstasy, the Seraphical Divines make three sorts. One, 

1. Of Wonder.  
2. Of Affection.  
3. Of Action.    
Action is added, because a man is not to live above himself by ecstasy and transportation, and under himself in conversation.  
The First of these three is, in splendore, or brightness.  
The Second, In calore, or heat and warmness.  
The Third, In labour, or labour and painfulness.  
In this ecstasy the primitive Saints had such complacency for the most part, as that it was said then; Never was Saint but had ecstasy. For they did 
Legatur Theodor. de vitis Patrum. Inprimis, de Simeone Prisco.  even labour, by a liquefaction of their souls into God, to espouse themselves to God so, as to put themselves out of the natural deportment of the body, and to live on divine ecstasy, without living, as it were in the body: Nay, some so lived as that it was doubted whether they were living men dead, or dead men living; and therefore no wonder that their delight in God was so exceeding great. Saint Jerome calls God to witness to it, saying, Testor Deum, I call God to record, that after many weeks fasting, it seemed to me, that I was among the very Angels themselves: and what a delight that was, I leave to your consideration. O Souls, if then you would have great delights, nay, live in delights, then live much in ecstasy, and by ir grow into a far greater, and more familiar acquaintance with God, living more than ever yet ye did with him, to him, in him; being, as it were, severed from the body, sequestered from the world, and taken up into glory. But hereof I shall have other occasion to speak hereafter yet more, when I shall come to speak of Contemplation, and of our Conversation to be in Heaven. The God of Heaven bless that in the mean to ye, which hath been said of ecstasy, that ye may be all for it, and great may be your delight which you may gain by it. Amen, So be it.  
I now pass over to the Second sort of Directions, which will show how you and I may, and must take this Great Delight in Christ, to wit; 

1. Wholly.  
2. Humbly.  
3. Hastily.  
4. Frequently.  
5. firmly.    
1. Wholly. That is, you must,  
1. Take Delight in all that is his, I mean, all his Attributes, and all his ways; For, all his ways are ways of pleasantness, Pro. 3.17. Even crosses, and afflictions, not exempted. We have a notable saying for it, 2 Cor. 12.10. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christs sake. And did not the holy Martyrs, who flourished, and suffered since Paul, say the same? so Fox. I will instance but in one, Simeon Laoeus, seeing one Sylvester, his Executioner coming towards him, said, Never saw I man in all my life, whose approach was better welcome to me than thine is; which so wrought upon Sylvester, that he left his office, and went to Geneva, being become an absolute Convert.  
2. Take Delight in him after all manner of modes, as Namely; 

1. Walking.  
2. Talking.  
3. Looking.  
4. Sitting.  
5. Sitting in heavenly places.  
6. Sitting there for some time.  
7. Tasting.    
1. Walking; for there is great Delight to be taken in walking, especially if it be with a pleasant Companion, as here Christ is called pleasant, Cant. 1.16. Thou art pleasant also. And therefore, O Dear Saints, walk with the Head of Saints; and for that end walk into a Garden, as himself was wont to do, John 19.2. Or into the Field, as Isaac, Gen. 24. or, if rain hinder you, into a Chamber, and there walk with him, as a friend with his friend, and a Bride with her Bridegroom. Or thus, walk with him as Enoch, Gen. 5.22. Taking him by the hand, the hand, I mean, of faith; and saying to him as his dear spouse once, Come my Beloved, let us go forth into the field, &c. Cant. 7.11. Concerning which place, and kind of walking, you may see what I have written in a peculiar Treatise, called, Christ& his Saints spending their time together day and night: So that I shall say the less of it here; only this I will add now: and having so entreated, and invited him to go with you, walk with him arm in arm, hand in hand, side by side, and that by faith, for by faith we walk, 2 Cor. 5.7. that is, believe verily that he will walk so with you, yea in you, because he hath promised it, 2 Cor. 6.16. Out of Isa. 52.11. And I will walk in them. Oh sweet walking! O walking for Delight! O walking to be admired! for, is there any such walking in the world like this? You would count it a great matter, and high honour, if any of you might be so much in favour with a great and mighty King, as to be admitted by him to walk with him; but what would that be to this! this beyond all comparison, goeth beyond it; for what an honour is this, for a poor nothing Creature, to walk with its Creator! a poor vile worm with its Makerla man with God! who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Revel. 19.16. and yet such honour have( or may have) all his Saints. O Saints, that I may come with a new supply: walk then, O walk so with that highest Majesty whilst ye may: Nay, go and walk with him, as once Abraham did walk with those three men, or rather with the whole most sacred,& ever to be adored Trinity, appearing in the shape of three men, towards Sodom, Gen. 18.16. so do you walk with him: nay, as he with the same most glorious and ever-honoured Trinity, towards the heavenly Jerusalem; for thither I suppose ye are bent: Are not you, O my brethren? What a glorious and wonderful walk was that, when Father Abraham so walked with the Father of Mercies; when a son of man, so walked with the Son of God; when flesh and blood, so walked with that holy Spirit! O do ye not wish that it had been your lot to have lived then, and that ye might have walked so with them! Well, though you could not be so happy as to walk like Abraham, and together with Abraham, in their company then, yet know for certain, that if ye will not be wanting to yourselves, you may walk with them now, though not under the same or like Dispensation visibly, as with three men, yet invisibly as three glorious, and ever blessed Persons, you personating Father Abraham, and treading into his foot-steps, by believing. And therefore, up, and be going, oh going along with those, I will not say, Men, but persons, for heaven, O for heaven, and the blessing of God go with you. Amen.  
2. Talking with him; for oh the Delight which also we may take, in and by talking! Talking with a dear friend, whom we excessively love, doth even fill us with complacency; and so doth a spouses talking with her best Beloved, fill her. And is not Christ our friend? Oh yes. This is my friend, says his dear Love, Cant. 5.16. And is he not, if we be Saints, our best Beloved also? yes verily, for so he is called, Cant. 2.16. And therefore, look as friend talketh with friend, a Bride with her Beloved, so let us talk with him. You will say. What shall we talk? I Answer. Here I have much to say, but you are not able to bear it now; and therefore I will say no more but this, you may talk with him about any thing you need; but my advice here, and now is, that you will talk with him especially about his kisses, as his door spouse, saying, Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; F●r thy love is better than wine, Cant. 1.2. On these kisses! Oh these loves, they must needs delight us with their sweetness, and even extatize us with their heavenliness; they are so exceeding pleasant, and and so transcendently ravishing; for his very mouth, wherewith he kisses his, how sweet it is! His Mouth is most sweet, nay, sweetness itself, as the Hebrew hath it, saith his dear spouse, Can. 5.16. And therefore, if you would take delight in him, beg to be kissed by him. O Dear saints, what a sweet life might you live, if you would but be more for this Kissing, and for this love, and spend more of your time, in talking with him. Oh! you do not know what a Delight you do forego; neglecting, and forb●aring to go to him more than you are wont by this kind of Talking, which also is praying. Beloved, I pray you, think on it what a happiness, and honour it is, for and to such poor worms as we are, that we can so by praying, and talking, go to case our hearts, and make them light, by a bold approach to that Unapproachable Light; can even poure out our petitions to that all-powerful Majesty; can make our Request known to him, who is styled, in regard of some which are aliens and strangers to him, and know him not, The Unknown God, Acts 17.23. Can draw near to the Throne of Grace for Grace, when we need it, to serve that all-gracious Deity; can walk and talk when we please, about pleasures to be had now and hereafter for evermore, with that ever blessed,& by our poor prayers much to be pleased Trinity; Can go also to apprehended as much as possibly, of that incomprehensible entity. And therefore, O sirs, as Abraham once talked with those 3 men, that is, as I  told you, with the sacred Trinity in the shape of Men, as he walked with the same toward Sodom, Gen. 18.16. So do you talk with Christ, yea, with the whole most sacred Trinity, as you are walking with the same for heaven, saying,( For I said but now; that you may talk of any thing ye need) O Blessed Trinity, as Abraham thy servant, talking with thee, prayed, and interceded for Sodom, so do I now, pray for such and such( name them) and for myself also; O my God do not destroy the Just with the Unjust; do not destroy that which thou hast made, by that which thou hast not made; Do not make us like Sodom and Gomorrha, in thy fiery indignation; Do not give us up like those filthy Cities, to fire and brimstone, therein to burn for ever; but rather, as Abraham brought thee, O ever-glorious Trinity, on in the way toward Sodom, so show us the way to heaven, and bring us on in that we may not miss; For Oh how many by-ways are there which led amiss, and make many miss? and how many are there now that say, here is Christ, and there is Christ, Math. 24.23. This is the way, and that is the way, when no such matter? O Lord Jesus Christ, thou art the way, the way to the Father; O bring me into thy sacred self, and by thyself to heaven; O with what pleasantness might we thus talk with God, talk with Christ! talk so therefore, O Dear Saints, with Christ, that great may be your Delight in Christ.  
3. Looking. For, O the delight which the eye takes in seeing, if it see a beautiful person, or thing! How Jacob was taken with the sight of Rachels beauty, Sichem with Dinahs, David with Bathsheba's, Potiphars wife with Josephs! and shall not we take Delight in Christs, and be taken with it, and him, when we see him, think ye? O yes; For, did not Abraham when he saw his day, John. 8.56. and was glad? And therefore look upon him, to take delight in him. We have divers Scriptures for it, as Cant. 3.6. Behold King Solomon, namely, Christ, the heavenly Solomon: and look upon me, saith Christ, Isa. 45.22. and looking upon Jesus, saith the Apostle, Heb. 12.2. Go forth therefore, O ye Daughters of Jerusalem, and behold Christ, look upon him, and behold his most admirable beauty, for He is fairer than all men, Psal. 45.2. Even as a Bride taketh an Extraordinary great Delight in looking upon her Beloved and sometimes, even therefore talketh with him, that she may look on him, and behold his beauty, if he be of a beautiful Countenance; so do you Bride-like, look in the face of Christ, your best beloved, to be delighted with Christ; and imagine, as you look towards him, as if you did see, besides the beauty of his Deity, his very eyes, which are like two suns shining in their strength; or, like the eyes of doves by the Rivers of waters, washen and fitly set; his cheeks which are like Roses, white, and ruddy, or a bed of spices, Cant. 3.13. his mouth, which is as sweet as honey, yea sweetness itself, Cant. 5.16. according to the Hebrew; his lips which are like lilies; his hands which are like Gold rings, set with the beryl; his legs which are like pillars of marble, set on sockets of fine Gold, Cant. 5.10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Concerning which most Ravishing Description of the Beauty of Christ, see what I have written at large, in my Treatise called, The Rose of Sharon, Pag. 16, 17.  
You will say, Sir, you would have us thus to look upon Christ, and to behold his beauty, and to take extraordinary delight in it; but what if we do what we may, we either cannot see him, or can see no such beauty in him, as it is written, When we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him, Isa. 53.2. What shall we do in such a case?  
I answer, Four ways.  
1. The cause of it may be in your Eyes, for they may be held that you cannot see him, as those Disciples eyes were, Luke 24.16. Which if it be, you must pray Christ that your Eyes may be opened, as theirs were, by Christ, vers. 31.  
2. The cause of it may be in himself. Some of the Jewish 
Rabbi Josue, Ben Levi, in Thalmud. Tract. Sanhed. cap. helec.  rabbis have a conceit, and writ that the messiah is come, but hideth himself for a time for our sins in the Sea, and other desert places, which though it be false in their sense, yet may be found true in another. For Christ, the messiah of the world may, and sometimes doth hid himself behind our wall, Cant. 2.9. that is, the partition wall of 
Bernard.  sin, and that for our sinsul lives, and because he looketh to be importuned to show himself, as in another case, he looketh to be sought unto, to give us new and tender hearts, Ezek. 36.27. Which if it be so, ye must cry to him as Moses, every one of you that put forth this case; Lord, show me thy glory, Exod. 33.18. And, Lord, show me thy face, and show me the light of thy countenance, that therein I may delight myself, and rejoice more than they, whose Corn, and Wine, and oil increaseth, Psal. 4.7.  
3. It may be, some of you have no Faith; For all men have not faith, saith the Apostle, 2 Thes. 3.2. Which if it be, no wonder that ye cannot see him; for by Faith we see him, as Abraham saw him and his day, before he was born, and rejoiced( John 8.56.) as I said before. So that you must make out for Faith in the manner aforesaid, crying especially to God for it, that by Faith you may see him, and rejoice with faithful Abraham.  
4. You may see him in his works, if you cannot see him otherwise, for he hath not left himself invisible to the weak-sighted among men, as you may see, Rom. 1. 19. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath shewed it to them: For the invisible things of him from the Creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things which are made, even his eternal power and God-head. So that they are without excuse. Thus the glorious beauty and power of God and Christ, is to be seen in the Creation, for our great delectation. 
Therein our fingers feel, our Nostrils smell,  
Our palates taste, his virtues that excel.  
He sheweth him to our eyes, talks to our ears,  
In the ordered Motion of the spangled spheres.  Therein therefore go to see him, both day and night, for your souls delight.  
4. Sitting. When we are weary of walking we sit sometimes for our delight, and so did the Spouse here for hers; do ye so likewise for yours. Much hath been said of this sitting, upon the former observation, and therefore I say the less of it now.  
Question.  
If you ask me, How you must sit?  
Answ.  
With, under, and in Christ.  
1. With, according to that notable saying of the Apostle; and made us sit together, mark, together, and so with Christ, Ephes. 2.6.  
2. Under him, for I sate under his shadow, saith the blessed Spouse in my Text.  
3. In him. For, He made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ, mark, in Christ. O high honour! Oh delighting honour! O honour not to be paralleled! To sit with a King in his chair of gold is much, but nothing to this, this exceeds that. For a poor beggarly contemptible Creature, not only to walk with its Maker, but also to sit with him, nay, in him; O what a dignity is that! and yet such a dignity have souls espoused to Christ, that when they are weak and weary, they can even sit down in Christ, and there rest. Oblessed rest! Oh that you, Dear hearts, would so rest!  
5. Sitting in heavenly places. This is added, Eph. 2.6. He made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ; mark, in heavenly places, for there is himself, and there let us be also. So the Apostle reasoneth, Col. 3.1. Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth, mark, sitteth, as I said but now, that we must fit. I have red of a certain 
Jonston. Thaumatogr. p. 172. Thuan. l. 5. Hist.  wonderful, pure, sparkling ston brought from the East-Indies to Henry the Second, King of France, that by no means it could be kept under ground, but it would break forth, and lift up itself, and seek to be in high, spacious, and most capacious places. Such a ston or like it, every one of us should be, so pure we should be, so we should sparkle, so shine, so break forth, not suffering ourselves to be kept under, to be underground, to be for earth, for dirt, for day, for the world, as overcome of the world; but rather seek after high places, high preferments, high advancements, that is, should labour to sit down in those spacious, capacious, and heavenly places above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. O Saints, this is sweet sitting indeed; can ye desire any better? Nay, Is there any better than this, in Christ, in heaven? O heaven, heaven, how doth my soul long to be in thee! O when shall it once be that I shall be fully in thee! When? Whilst I am in the body, I know, I cannot, but my soul may, being rapt up or fleeing up Flee thou hence therefore like a Dove, O my soul, and get thee into heaven( Psal. 56.6) and by the power of Contemplation, sit down in those heavenly places which are there for thy sweetest delectation: and as for those other precious souls which are here, let them also flee h●… e; O let none stay behind! Oh let them all together with mine, be even rapt up, like Pauls, 2 Cor. 12. into heaven. This brings me to Raptures, whereby we come to sit in those places in Christ; for Rapture is the highest degree of Contemplation, which causeth in man towering thoughts, irradiateth his soul with high apprehensions, and elevates him to God, taking him out of himself, to live above himself; the soul being thus attracted by divine love, sweetly complieth, and slideth after those attracts; and then, Oh the delight it taketh in this rapture; the Will taking pleasure, to perceive the Understanding, which is the Souls King; taken into rapture with itself, and the Faculties both of Will and Understanding, enter communicating their ravishments. Wherefore I said, and say it again, be rapt up.  
6. Sitting there for some considerable time, for so much the word sit implies, insomuch as that men are wont to say, when desired to sit, and they minded to be gone, that they will not sit, lest they should tarry too long; besides, the longer we sit there, the greater will be our delight, even exceeding great, as the longer a Bride sits with her Beloved in a Garden for delight, the greater is her delight. For is not Heaven a Garden like that of Adonis, nay exceeding it infinitely, nay, a very Paradise for delights? and therefore as Peter once said to Christ, when being upon Mount Tabor, he was transfigured, and there appeared to him Moses and Elias talking with him, Lord, it is good for us to be here; If thou wilt, let us make three Tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. So let a Saint, who hath begun to sit down in those heavenly places, say to his soul, Soul it is good for us to be here indeed; let us build Tabernacles here, and abide here. O beloved, had ye lived in the dayes of Christ, had you been upon the holy mount with Christ, had you seen him shine so as he did, had you seen Moses also, and Elias with him talking with him, what a delight would it have been unto you to see such a glorious sight? and what a desire would you have had always to have been there! Oh you would never have been weary of being there! Well, that is past, and Christ is to be seen so here upon earth no more, nor Moses, nor Elias; but in those heavenly places which I spake of, you may see as it were with an eye of Contemplation, both him and them, and that with unspeakable delectation, if you will but follow my counsel, so much tending to your super-abounding consolation: and should not you be hearty willing, vehemently willing, not only to be with Christ there, but also to 
Itaque cum carnales homines vix mentem ad Deum elevare queant; hi eo devenerunt ut vix ab eo mentem divellere possint: Quod de beata clara Herpius memorat. Granat. Loc. come. p. 493.  continue with him there? O my brethren, let us all be like Eagles. Eagles will be there where the carcase is, as our blessed Saviour tells us, Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the Eagles be gathered together, Matth. 24.28. and so let us be there where Christ is. Again, Eagles will be there whilst any Carcase is there, and as long as that lasteth; so let us be in those heavenly places by our sitting there till we meet with some sweetness, and as long as our delight& that sweetness lasteth; when that failes, we may come down again and go about our other affairs, and so go up again, after that; being like Eagles also in that, who will be near the Sun, and on high most, and be seldom seen here below, unless it be for food; after which fed on and taken, they betake themselves to their wings, and up they flee again, Prov. 23.5.  
7. Tasting; after the example of Christs blessed spouse in my Text, for so she saith, And his fruit was sweet to my Taste. But of this I shall speak ex professo, or professedly hereafter, when I shall slide into the Second part of my Text; at present, I will give you but a taste of this taste, before I let you go farther, lest ye faint by the way. Beloved, one crumb of that bread of Angels, one drop of that water of life, one bit of that sweetest meat, which Saints and Angels are refreshed and delighted with, and which I shall solicit you to be solicitous of, and to taste of, is better than all the dainties, delicacies, sweet meats of the world, sweeter also than the honey and the honeycomb, as coming from such a Feast-maker, such a Fountain, such a three, as Christ is, our best beloved. O Beloved, it is he whom his blessed Bride compareth to an Apple-tree, Cant. 2.3. As the Apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons; because of those sweetest apple of divine Consolation, which grow upon, and fall from him, for our exhilaration It is he whom the Father hath sealed,& sent from heaven, to feed us poor Israelites, when we are ready to faint away in this barren Wilderness, the world I mean, as with Manna, that bread of Heaven; and he is that sweetest Lamb, which was slain from the beginning of the world, Revel. 13.8. that his precious blood being imbibed, and drunk in by faith, and its persuasion, might fill us with unutterable Delectation.  
O sirs, Will you taste now, what is so provided for you; I say, Taste, for I promise and proffer you but a Taste. fullness is reserved for Heaven, where we shall feed and be filled, eat our meat there ordained, and be satisfied; fare deliciously, without fear, without want; take as much as we will, and not mistake; fare well, drink well, do well, even abundantly, and not die. In the mean time, as sometime the Angel of the Lord said to Eliah, where he lay asleep under a juniper three, having brought him a Cake, baked on the coals, and a cruse of water, Eat and drink, for the journey is too great for thee, 1 King. 19.6, 7. so let me, who have now brought such provision with me, say to you, who have lain asleep under your juniper Trees of sensual Delights and pleasures, or sate asleep, it may be, in your Pues, when the Word of Life was preached, published, and divulged, and asleep in your most sad, and uncomfortable Conditions; Arise and eat, arise and take, and taste, what is here provided, for you have a great journey yet to go, from Sodom to Sion, from Satan to God, from Darkness to Light, from one degree of grace to another, from one delight to another, from one mode to another, from Earth to Heaven, where now I leave you.  
2. Humbly; you must take Delight in Christ. This I add and subjoin, because I fear lest when you shall so talk, so walk, so sit with Christ, &c. you grow and be proud upon so great an honour; therefore I shall by this Directive, labour to keep you down. Beloved, how humble was Father Abraham, when he so talked and walked with the Father of Spirits, as I would have you do, saying, the same time, That he was but dust and ashes, Gen. 18.27. I pray you say so too, yea and think so too. Dust is but a little, little thing, so Ashes, and so must ye be, even little little in your own eyes, yea, nothing; for, such hath God chosen, even things which are not, poor, nothing Creatures, 1 Cor. 1.28. and such we must come to be, if we would take, as we ought, in Christ, that so much hitherto-pressed complacency.  
3. Hastily. We have a Proverb in latin, Qui eito dat, bis dat, He that gives quickly, gives twice; and so we may say likewise, he that doth a good thing quickly doth it twice, I add and twice more easily than he who delayeth the doing of it. Even as when Iron is taken fire hot to be wrought upon, and wax when it is hot to be sealed upon, so I would not have ye to defer the doing of this great and glorious work as ye were wont, but to take it in hand whilst the iron is hot, and the wax hot, that is, whilst your hearts, which are like both, are hot and warm, yea burn within you, as those Disciples hearts, Luke 24.32. And so may the more easily be wrought upon. O my Brethren, are not your hearts now burning, as it were? May not you say now, as those same Disciples, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened the Scriptures to us? Luke 24.32. So, did not our hearts burn within us also whilst this man spake to us this day, so of those Ravishing delights which are to be taken in Christ, and opened the Scriptures, which spake of them unto us, as did Christ? And will not you take this great Advantage then, and work upon them now while you may, they being so capable of receiving the impresses of that holy, and soul-warming word of life, which, with so much life, I have endeavoured to preach to, and to press upon your precious souls! O souls, what say you? shall it be so? Will you do so? O let it be so for the Lords sake. I have red of one, that having tasted once the sweetness of a Sanctified imprisonment, he said, that if he had known the sweetness of a prison before, he would not have stayed out of it so long as he did, but have been in before that time. And so let every soul that hears or reads these words say, If I had known the sweetness of those delights, as now I know them, having heard so much of them, I would not have abstained from them so long as I did, but would have partaked of them, long before now: and so consequently, O my Brethren, to day, this day wherein you hear or red these things( Remember the day of the month, above all dayes of the year, Psal. 95.7.) harden not your hearts, as you have done; but enter, I will not say a Prison, but a Paradise of desirables, of delectables, of delicates unutterable, unmatchable, incomparable, that Paradise, I mean, which hitherto I have shown you; and the Lord be with you.  
4. Quietly. As when we commune with our own hearts, upon other great and weighty matters, which concern the salvation of our souls, we are to be still, Psal. 4.4. So, when we set ourselves, to delight ourselves in Christ, after a solemn manner, let us be still; that is, let nothing then trouble us, or hinder us, but let us be as free, as solitary, as retired, as possibly we can be, for quietness itself is delectable. And it is 
Basil in Hexaem.  reported of the Halcyon, that when she hatches her young ones, near the Seashore, God causes the winds& seas to be all quiet during that time, that she may be able to bring them forth, without being overwhelmed with the waves of the seas: Whence the proverb of Halcyon dayes, that is quiet dayes. And so it should be with us, when we go about this Notable work, of bringing forth this glorious work of delighting ourselves in the Lord: The world, and worldly cares& affairs, must then be far away from us, that the same may not like winds and waves overwhelm us, and all perturbations of mind must be eliminated by us; and if they will not be gone, nor so leave us, and our own hearts hold with them, and become troublesone to us, we must check them for it, and bid them to be quiet, saying to them, as David to his, Why art thou so disquieted withinme? hope in God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the help of my Countenance, and my God, Psal. 43.5.  
5. Frequently. Even as God took delight in his Son daily, even from everlasting; as it is written, And I was daily his delight, Prov. 8.30. So do you also; let Christ his Son be your delight daily, from henceforth, yea, day and night; as Davids blessed man's delight is in the Law of the Lord, according to that notable description of him, His delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth he meditate, both day and night, Psal. 1.2. And like David himself, who saith, Psal. 77.4. Thou keepest mine eyes( not enemies, as some would have it) waking. Just as watches are kept( or kept off) as 
Ut Psalterium Arabicum ac Aethiopicum. {αβγδ} Richard. Cenomanus, in Loc.& Aquila. {αβγδ}.  some note upon the place, according to the 
Ut Psalterium Arabicum ac Aethiopicum. {αβγδ} Richard. Cenomanus, in Loc.& Aquila. {αβγδ}.  Hebrew. I add; or as a Bride keeps her Beloved waking, so didst thou keep me waking, when others were sleeping; and so let Christ keep you waking, when others are slumbering upon their beds of ease, easing yourselves upon the bed of delight by night. Thus frequently: The oftener, the better.  
6. Firmly. Even as the same Son of God rejoiced always before God, as it is written, And I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. Mark, always, Prov. 8.30. So do you rejoice always, and delight yourselves always before him, and in him; and not only upon a fit, or for a 
As Isa. 58. it is said of Fasting.  day as happily now you may, being so much persuaded to it, but all your dayes. I have already said something of this, when I pressed you to sitting under, and with Christ with great delight for some considerable time, and therefore I will say the less concerning this now; but only thus much I will add. As Christ said once to his disciples of watching, And what I say to you, I say to all: watch, Mark 13.36. So, what I have said of sitting, I say of all the modes of delighting ourselves in Christ, Be constant, be firm, be unmovable, 1 Cor. 15.58. Continue ye in my love, said the same Christ once, John 15.9. and so say I now, continue in that walking, and continue in that talking, and continue in that looking, and continue in that sitting, and continue in that tasting which I spake of, and as long as ye live, live so in delight, both day and night, and shrink not, for, No man having put his hand to the plow( this plow) and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God, Luke 9.62. nor is he fit for such delights as are to be taken in God. Wherefore, be you not like unto Lot's Wife, which went out of Sodom, as her Husband and Daughters did, but by the way looked back, and was turned into a Pillar of Salt, which was to be seen long after, even since Christ, as some 
Tertul. in Sodom. Carm. mihi. pag. 646.  writ, and did in a most wonderful manner menstrua pati: but rather being out of Sodom once, that is, out and off from your filthy, sinful, and sensual practices, keep out, and keep on for those heavenly delights which I speak of, and never leave till you come to Zoar, I mean heaven, where no filthy livers are admitted, but Saints only; by whom no reigning sin or uncleanness with such allowance, here was, or could be committed; no fire or brimstone to be seen, but fair sights only, and things to be much respected; no dangers at all, but only delicate fare to be expected: In a word, where pleasures are without displeasures for evermore. Unto which, God of his infinite goodness bring us all.  
But here it will be needful for me to resolve Two Cases of Conscience.  

I. Case.  
You will be ready to say now, Whither will you carry us? you go so high by this your teaching, as that we shall never be able to follow you, at least some of us; and therefore what shall we do in this case?  
I Answer in three Concessions, and three Counsels.  

First Concession and Counsel.  
I believe you will never be able to follow me some of you, unless you be freed,  
First,  
From your former, sinful, sensual delights; for is not that the very grand cause why so many thousand men and women care not for those great delights, which I have so much spoken of, at all, because they are before hand so enchained to their carnal delights, so glued to their enchanting pleasures, so fastened to their sinful sports, as that they are no more able, till freed,( Rom. 6.18.) from the same to flee up to those delights of which I speak, than a fowl whose legs are in a snare, or Anselms bide, which had a ston tied to its feet; though with proud swelling words they brag of liberty, and promise it to others, themselves being the servants of corruption. For of whom a man is overcome( as they are of their lusts) of the same is he brought in bondage, 2 Pet. 2.19. And therefore, my advice is, that you will labour, if any of you be such, first to be freed by Christ, and that by prayer, and faith in his name; For if the Son shall make you free, then shall you be free indeed, John 8.36. otherwise ye 
Quod amissum( Nim. Liberum Art.) nisi a quo potuit dari, non potest reddi. council. Araus. 2. Can. 13.  cannot. It is reported of the Kentish men that when William the conqueror came over to Conquer England, they cried, and said, Kentish men must have Liberty, and Kentish men will have Liberty. Answerable whereunto, do ye also cry out, and say to Christ therefore, Lord Jesus Christ, we must have Liberty, and we will have Liberty, and thou canst give us Liberty, and make us free indeed: and therefore, Lord free us, Lord knock off those bolts which hold us, cut off those snares which keep us, strike off those fetters which fasten us, break off those iron chains which encompass us; O come Lord Jesus, come and deliver us, and make no tarrying. Here be as earnest as you can be possibly, to be freed by the Lord, both fully and speedily; wrestling for it with all your might, that in him may be all your delight.   

Second Concession and Counsel.  
I believe you, that you cannot follow me, some of you, because ye are dead, as the Ephesians once were, Ephes. 2.2. and have been so a long while, even like Lazarus, these four dayes some of you; I mean, 

First, The day of your pueritia.  
Secondly, The day of your Adolescency, or youth.  
Thirdly, The day of your Manly age.  
Fourthly, The day of your Old age.    
And therefore you can take no more delight in Christ, than Lazarus could in the sweetest meat, if any had been set before him, before he was raised by Christ; and that is most peoples Case in our Congregations. So that my Counsel to you is this, that, as when Lazarus was dead, they went and acquainted Christ with it, who also raised him from the dead, John 11.32. So, you also will go to Christ, and acquaint him with your Condition, saying, Lord, I have been dead, lo these four days, or thus long, and therefore could no more delight myself in thee, than a dead man, in the greatest dainties set before him; and therefore, O most mighty Saviour, raise me from the dead also as thou raisedst Lazarus thy Friend. O great friend of poor sinners, who desire to be raised, suscitate me a poor sinner, that I may live, and live in those great delights which are to be taken in thee. O my God, let the same power whereby thou wast raised from the dead thyself, be shown in me, and for me, that thereby I may come to believe in thee, and so may be quickened by thee, as to sit in heavenly places in thee, I humbly pray thee.   

Third Concession and Counsel.  
I believe that you cannot follow me, some of you, because you want wings, even the wings of Eagles, Rev. 12.14. Eagles you are thought to be by some, nay some of you by yourselves, and such as are gathered to,& about Christ, according to Mat. 24.28. Believing verily that you do believe in Christ; but as much the nearer it is for you to think so, as for a man to believe that he is a Prince, when he is but a Peasant; or for him to think that he hath wings, when he hath none. A case very common with the commons, nay, greatest part of men, that are in the Christian world; wherefore, my advice is, that you make forthwith your Request to God, that as to that mystical woman, in Revel. 12.14. were given two wings of a great Eagle, that she might flee away into the wilderness, into her place, away from the Dragon that would have swallowed her; so the two Eagles wings of Prayer and Contemplation, may be given to you, that like earth-despising, dirtshunning,& of low 
Secundum illud de Aquila, Adagium. {αβγδ}, Aquila Trigas aspiciens: de magnis qui pusilla negligunt.  things neglectful Eagles, you may flee away from the same Dragon; I will not say, into the wilderness, but into heaven itself, which is your proper place; where that sweet bread of Life is, which ever lasteth and never perisheth, and where dainties are without death, and delights without delays, for your unspeakable delectation. O my God, help this people to these helps, and help them by thy marvellous might, that having these 〈…〉 eat Eagle, to wit, of eminent Saints, 〈…〉 they may center all their delight: 〈…〉 me also to these two wings of Prayer and Contemplation, that like a great Eagle I may eminently, exemplarily, excellingly, flee towards heaven, Prov. 23.5. and even bathe myself in those unutterable delights of heaven.    

II. Case of Conscience.  
But may we know after all this done, whether we do take that great delight in Christ, which we ought, and as we ought?  
I Answer;  
O Yes, You may know it by its Effects or Evidences; which are these Three.  

First,  
Dilatation. The soul whose great delight is in Christ as it ought, is marvelously enlarged by it, and by Christ; according to that famous Scripture, Isa. 60.5. And thine heart shall be enlarged. Which place is of purpose alleged, and applied by 
Aqu. 1.2. q. 33.  some for this purpose to show, and to hold forth the Effect of delight, and of that great joy that cometh thereby; and the reason of this is, because Dilatation is nothing else but a motion to a latitude, and that is competent to delight, which even penetrates into the delectable to contain it; whereupon in comes this Dilatation.   

Secondly,  
The Soul which is truly delighted with Christ, is all for Christ, as a Spouse which is exceedingly delighted with her Beloved, is all for her Beloved; which makes her to say with Asaph, Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon the earth that I desire besides thee, Psal. 73.25. And with that blessed 
Lambert.  Martyr, None but Christ, none but Christ. And the reason of it is, because it seeth such a beauty, and such an excellency in him, as cannot be found, or seen in any other; he being that fair, that rare, that orient, that rich, that precious Pearl, for which that Parabolical Merchant sold all that he had to buy it, Mat. 13.45, 46. 
Plin. l. 9. c. 35.  Pliny writies that Cleopatra had two Pearls so great, and of such a worth, as that all ages could not yield the like. But I may more truly say of Christ, that all ages and all the world cannot afford such a Pearl, or Jewel as he is, according to that famous Scripture; She, namely Christ, the wisdom of God, is more precious than Rubies, and all the things thou canst desire, are not to be compared unto her, Prov. 3.15. that that maketh her to be all for him: O saith she, if I can but have him, I care for no more.   

Thirdly,  
The soul which truly delights her self in Christ, is not only all for him, but extraordinarily athirst after him, which is more, for delight causes thirst, and extraordinary thirst if it be spiritual, and that which is taken in Christ, as it ought to be; and the reason of it is, because it would have him, as I said before, and cannot have him, as she would, that causes such an extraordinary thirst, even as in naturals. A very rare liquour greatly desired, causes an extraordinary thirst, when it 
Aquin. 1.2. q. 33.  cannot be had, as it is desired. Such a thirst was in David, when he said, As the Hart panteth, or desireth, or as some translate the word, 
Chald. Paraph.  crieth, and yet more emphatically, as the 
Trevetus in Loc.  she hart, whose desire is more eager, again brayeth and runneth after the water-brooks, nay 
Unde Apollinarius, {αβγδ}.  hasteneth to them, as some render the word, because else she dies in 
Secundum Hebr. {αβγδ} Quod foemininum est.  three houres after she hath eaten up Serpents; 
{αβγδ}. Symmachus.  
Epiphan. ad Physiolog. cap. 5.  
Abscisso capite Pauli trees illico fontes extiterunt, ubi resectum subsiliit caput.  So panteth my soul after thee, O God, Psal. 42.1. And the like was there in blessed Paul, at whose beheading, some say, three springs of water did rise to notify his great desire after the three Elohims; when he said, Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, Phil. 1.23. Answerably whereunto saith this blessed Soul, and so do I long, pant, breath and bray after God, and Christ, desiring nothing more than Christ; even as the Hart, when he is grievously athirst desires nothing more than brooks, and rivers of water; because else I die, as the hart doth if he have no water, as they writ of him. Oh if I might but have Christ, whom I cannot have as I would, I would give all that I have for Christ! Oh I would be contented to forego all my Relations, all my recreations, all my earthly delectations, to go to Christ; and there is no sin, nor sinful pleasure, which I am not ready to relinquish for his pleasure; and no forbidden gain, with which I am not hearty willing to part, to have my part in him. Blessed 
Bolton, in his Instruct. for Afflict. Consc. p. 413.  Bolton gives us an instance in a woman which he knew complaining on a time, that she had no hold of Christ, it was said to her, but doth not your heart desire and long after him? Oh, saith she, I have an Husband, and Children, and many other Comforts, I would give them all, and all the good that I shall ever see in this world, or in the world to come, to have my poor soul refreshed with that precious blood of his. I hope this will resolve you.    

Now the Incentives which I shall set before you are these. Consider, 

1. The Needfulness,  
2. The Rationalness,  
3. The Honourableness,  
4. The Sweetness,  
5. The Usefulness,  
6. The Profitableness   Of this great delight.  
And of the doing of all those great things which have been by me premised, prescribed, proposed.  

First,  
The needfulness thereof; for God commands it. Where? Psal. 37.4. Delight thyself also in the Lord. lo, an express, and explicit Precept; so that I may say unto you, as the Holy Apostle to the Athenians, The times of this ignorance, God winked at, but now commands all men every where to repent, Acts. 17.30. So the times of this Ignorance, that you were ignorant of the great necessity of this great Delight, to be taken in the Lord, God winked at; but now, seeing you knowit, he commands you all to repent of your past neglect of it, and for the time to come, to delight yourselves in him, as here you are required by him. And, I say to you moreover, when a King of the earth causeth a Proclamation to be made, concerning a thing which he would have done, though it be but a petty thing you hold yourselves bound to do it, and you will do it, as near as you can. And are not you bound now, nay, much more bound, think ye, by this Proclamation also, which the great King of heaven hath made this day, by his servant David? red the Proclamation, in the fore-alleadged, Psal. 37. to do what he there commands you to do, as namely, to Delight yourselves in the Lord, as you are commanded by the Lord, which is no petty thing neither but so great, and so glorious, as that there can hardly be a greater, or more glorious to be done by us; as you will understand more of it hereafter. Beloved, You are not therefore free, to do this thing, or no, but firmly bound; not left to your own choice, but linked and chained to the doing of it, by the Prophets voice; not permitted to omit any part or piece contained in the said Proclamation, but straightly charged, and obliged by it, wholly and fully to be for this great Delectation. And therefore, I do even require you, by virtue of a warrant which I have in my hand; to wit, this 4th verse, of this 37 Psalm, which here I show you in my Bible opened before you, to do this great thing which the great God, who is my great Master▪ doth command you; saying, Delight thyself also in the Lord. Mark what he saith, thyself; he speaks to thee, in the singular, that readest, or hearest these words now, even to thee John, and thee Peter also, and to thee Mary also, and so to every one of you, according to the word also. See therefore you do it.   

Secondly,  
The Rationalness of it, in three Respects. For,  

First,  
You are of him, Rom. 11.36. Now how are all things, for things of which they are? As for Example, Children for their Parents of which they are, to delight themselves in them; so fish for water, and for the Sea, of which they are; insomuch as partly for that they are called the fish of the Sea, Psal. 88. and will therefore, if they can get, and leap back into the Sea, when they are taken out of the Sea; answerably whereunto we also should be all for the great God, of whom we are; and for that Ocean of Delight and pleasure which is to be taken in his over-flowing sweetness.   

Secondly,  
You are made to him and for him; For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, Rom. 11.36. And are not all things for things for which, and to which they are made, and ordained? As for Example, The fowls of the Air, how are they all for the air, being made for the air, and therefote called the fowls of the air, Psal. 8.8. So that, if you have them in your hands, and let them flee, they will up in the air, there is their Delight; and so should we be for God, and Christ, who also is God, being so made for God, in him should be all our Delight; it is but Rational. Thou hast made my heart for thee( saith August. in Confess.) and it cannot be at Rest till it comes to thee.   

Thirdly,  
None, and nothing can so please, or content us, as he; in four Regards. For,  

First,  
All things else are finite, he infinite; even this great world, as huge a fabric as it is, as containing 
Danaeus in sua phies. Christ. Tract. 3. cap. 23.  9000 French Leucaes, yet hath its ends; so as that a man may say, here is an end of it; whence that Scripture expression is, All the Ends of the earth, Psal. 22.27. But who can show us an end of that infinite and endless being? so that impossible it is, that this world, or any thing in it, should fill, or satisfy the unquenchable thirst of mans soul unless it bath itself in the River of life, and in the immeasurable Ocean of divine goodness, and of those ineffable Delights which flow from Jehovahs face, blessed for evermore.   

Secondly,  
Nay, all other things are not, but he is. How? Not?  
Yes, They are not; for what saith the wisest of all mere men? Wilt thou set thy eyes upon that which is not? For riches make themselves wings, Prov. 23.5. Mark, he instanceth in Riches, because a man should think, that they are something, because we see them with our eyes, and see how gold glisteneth, silver shines, jewels sparkle, and yet they are not; for saith he, they make themselves wings; he saith not, they have wings given them by men, but they make them themselves, for they are so in their own nature, 
Gregor. Mor. l. 1. c. 4.  fugitive by Gods Ordinanation, for he hath put such a fugitive nature into them; and of him men have learned to put such a stamp upon them, in that money is coined round, to show how it is always going, yea running away from us: They flee as an Eagle towards heaven. Mark again, they flee, I said but now, that they are going and running from us, but the Holy Ghost goeth farther, saying, they flee, nay, flee like an Eagle, whose flight doth as far exceed the flight of other birds, as himself exceeds them, being the 
Rex avium. Jonston. in Tha. sua. p. 234.  King of them; nay, towards heaven, and so far enough from them, like an Eagle indeed, who fleeth, as swifter, so 
Altissime volans Danaeus in sua phies. Christ. Tract. 5. c. 33. supra nubes volat ibi solis calore vitium oculorum demitur. Jonston Thaum. p. 235.  higher than any other fowl, even very near towards the Sun for thereat his aim is, to be as near it as he may. Thus riches flee so far away, as not being to return again. And hence is that of the same wisest King, Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity; Eccles. 1.2. And what is vanity? it is just nothing in the Original. But God is not so; No, no, He Is, and truly Is; For, J A M is his Name, Exod. 3.13, 14. And therefore no wonder that so divine a spark as the soul of man is, never ceaseth rising and aspiring until it join itself to that infinite flamme of Glory and Majesty from whence it first issued, as I formerly shewed, and which onely and truly is; and that those things which are not, cannot possibly content her.   

Thirdly,  
All things else here below are deceitful, and he true and faithful, 1 Thes. 1.24. As for other things I'll instance in, 

1. Riches.  
2. Honours.  
3. Pleasures.  
4. Beauty.    

1. Riches.  
Christ himself calls them Deceitful, Matth. 13.22. And so they are, For what a deal of content they promise? But do they perform what they promise? No, no. Go you over all the world, look into Cities, harken at the doors and windows of rich mens private houses, of princes palaces, of great mens chambers, and you shall hear nothing but Lamentations, and pitiful complaints. So that Riches neither do nor give to any Rich man that content which they promise; partly by reason of that which hath been said, and partly by reason of that which now I intend to speak, Namely, because they give no Rest, and no rest, because of these infinite cares, anxieties, and vexatious thoughts, which hang upon his spirit; so that as a clock cannot stand still from running, as long as the peazes do hang thereat, so his mind by reason of such weights, cannot repose day or night, but is forced to beat his brains, when other men take their Rest, for the compassing of those poor low things wherewith he is encumbered. Never did the flies of Egypt so trouble the miserable, and wretched Egyptians, in that they would not suffer them to rest, nor would be beaten off, as these cares trouble and vex rich mens minds: For do they what they can, they cannot keep them off, they rush upon them in the Morning as soon as they awake, they accompany them all day, they forsake them not by night, they follow them to bed, they let them from their sleep, they keep them from their duty towards God, they afflict them in their dreams, they trouble them all the night, and that as long as they live, whereas the aforesaid flies left the Egyptians after a while.   

2. Pleasures.  
What are they but onely deceits of Pleasures? Never did baits, being sweet in Taste, but having dangerous hooks hide under them, so deceive silly fish; never did Laban promising a Rachel and giving instead of her, a blear-eyed Leah, so deceive poor Jacob; Never did Jael offering Sisera milk in a Lordly dish, and thrusting a nail into his brain, with a hammer in her other hand, so deceive foolish Sisera, as pleasure deceives foolish, silly poor men and women, with her bait, under which she hides her hooks, which pierce them; and with her blind Leahs, I should say Delights, which instead of Rachels, I mean fairer delights, must serve them; and with her sweet milk of proffered sinful joys which she seconds with a hammer, and a nail, from she wall, that is, with a fearful death, and formidable Destruction, marring all their carnal mirth, and sinful Delectation.   

3. Honours.  
So Honours, How deceitful they be?  
To day a man is up, to morrow down, like Haman. And as the wheels of a Chariot which turn round, so as that those spoaks which now are upmost, by and by are nethermost, so do Honours turn round, insomuch as that those which now are lifted up on high, do suddenly come, yea tumble down most fearfully. This four Kings taken prisoners by another King observed once, as they were driving the Chariot wherein the Conqueror road in triumph; As these wheels turn, said they, so do mens conditions. Besides, are not honours deceitful, in that they seldom or never make good what they promise, touching remembrance? for they make Ambitious men believe, that they shall be had in everlasting remembrance; but who doth remember one of forty thousand when they are dead? Is not their memory perished with their sound? Doth not Job prophesy of them truly, that their Remembrance should be as ashes trodden under foot.   

4. Beauty.  
The like may be said of Beauty, that it is deceitful; for take the fairest face, and raze or slash it with a knife, or razor, and all that fairness is gone; let there come but an Ague, and all this goodly beauty is marred; let the soul depart but one half hour from the body, and this lovely face is ugly to look on; let it lie but two dayes in the grave, and those which were so hot in love with it before, will hardly abide to behold it now, or to come near it; and if none of these things befall it, yet quickly cometh old age, which riveleth the skin, draweth in the eyes, setreth out the teeth, changeth the hair, even those yellow locks of fair Creatures into gray, and so disfigureth the whole visage, as it becometh more loathsome now, than it was beautiful and alluring before. Besides, what is beauty, but only a little coloured skin, covering raw flesh? but a fair cover of a guilded Book full of woes, and lamentations written within, as covering those woeful and lamentable conditions and qualities, which many fair creatures have within? but a painted snake, fair without and full of deadly poison within? and therefore how truly did that wisest of Kings say of it, Favour is deceitful and Beauty is vain, Prov. 31.30. But is Christ so too? No, no; as I said before, he is faithful, and true in all his promises, and all the promises of God in him, are Yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us, 2 Cor. 1.20. No marvel therefore that all those things which I have now mentioned, and all that can be name in the whole compass and circumference of this wide world besides, can be a commensurate, and proportionable object for so noble and precious a nature as the soul of man is, to give it content, nor can possibly satisfy it, till it sun itself in that almighty Sun of glory, yea throw itself into that boundless, and bottonles Sea of goodness, every drop of whose infinite sweetness, yields so much delight and pleasure, as no natural Understanding can conceive, no tongue can express.    

Fourthly,  
All things else are vexation of spirit, and he is not; as for other things, the wisest King makes it good, Eccles. 1.2. So as that there is no felicity in all that the world adores. Aristotle, while he labours to refute Plato's Ideas, falls upon one himself; for his Summum bonum, or chiefest good is a Chimera, there is no such thing as his felicity, but God or Christ is no vexation, for, he is love itself, 1 John 4.16. and lovely, and there is no such vexation in it. And is not my motion for so great a delight, as I have pressed upon you to take in Christ, rational then? I pray you tell; and if ye be convinced, so as that you cannot gain-say what I have said, then say, that by Gods help you will use those helps, and make an essay of those instructions and Lessons which I have red unto you, from so precious a Scripture, for your unutterable pleasure. The Lord strengthen you, and the Lord bless you, that you may not now neglect so great a blessing.     

Thirdly, The Honourableness.  
Consider the Honourableness thereof, for they that take delight in Christ, walk and talk, and sit with Christ as you have heard; and what an honour is that? What said David once, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a Kings Son in Law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? 1 Sam. 18. So I, seemeth it to you a light thing to walk, and talk, and sit so with the great Kings Son, seeing you are poor nothing creatures, and lightly esteemed? O my brethren, if Honour then be any thing available with you O what an 
Immensum gloria calcar habet.  immense spur should this be to you all, to spur you forward to labour for this great delight, which is so full of Honour! and how it should keep your minds musing, your thoughts thinking, your eyes waking, like Davids, Psal. 77.4. as not suffering you to take your rest, till with this great delight your souls be blessed.   

Fourthly, The Sweetness, or pleasantness thereof.  
How sweet is the tasting of pleasant Wines, and dainty dishes? Now they that delight themselves in Christ do taste, as I shewed you, the sweet fruits of Christ. Again, how sweet is music? and did I not tell you what affinity the Hebrew for a shadow hath with the music which a tinkling Cymbal makes? And should not this inflame you too, to labour after such delights? I have 
In Philo Strato de vita Apollonii, lib. 8. cap. 12.  red of Apollonius, that before his death, he did hear in Dicteas Temple the voice of singing Virgins, saying to him, Come from the Earth, Come ascend into Heaven; Answerably whereunto, you have here heard, as it were, a voice saying to you, Come from the earth, come away from earthly delights, come, ascend up into Heaven, this heaven of true delight, delight, I mean, to be taken in Christ. And will not you? O Saints, come, oh come, and ascend up, come and leave all those sensual delights, which you formerly did so dearly love. What said Naamans servants to their Master once, when he was loathe to do as he was bid, as some here, I believe are unwilling to do what they were bid to do but now; If the Prophet had bid thee to do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, wash and be clean? 2 Kings 5.13. Semblably whereunto, I say to you, If the Lords Prophet, to wit David, Psal. 37.4. and I after him, had bid you to do some unpleasant thing, would you not have done it, being bid to do it, and you bound to obey? how much more then, when he& I bid you so to bathe your selvs in those ineffable delights, which like the River Jordan, are so deep for souls to swim in, and so able to cleanse them from their uncleanness, according to one of their effects formerly shown?   

Fifthly, The Usefulness.  
Consider the Usefulness thereof; and that, 

First, In Preaching and for Preachers.  
Secondly, In Hearing and for Hearers.    

First, In Preaching, and for Preachers:  
For they are just like Sugar, being so exceeding sweet as you have heard. Now, how useful Sugar is, especially in Apothecaries Shops, and for Apothecaries that use it you, know, and how they sweeten all their bitter pills, purges and Medicines with it to make them pass, you know. Answerably whereunto, we Ministers also sweeten our bitters, both Pills and Purges, hard, and to some harsh sayings of ours, I mean with the sweetest Sugar of delight. As for Example.  

First,  
When we tell our people of fasting, we also the same time, tell them of feasting, saying, that fasting is feasting; the sever 〈…〉 of a truly religious fasting, being so many dishes of sweet meats, and flagons of pleasantest wines, Cant. 2.5.   

Secondly.  
So when we preach to them of trouble of mind, the spirit of bondage, Rom. 8.15. Sorrow and sighing for sin, mourning for mischiefs done by them; we tell them also, to make such bitters to go down, That they that sow in tears, shall reap in joy, Psal. 126.5. Where note, by the way, what a strange, and yet very comfottable expression this is: For who soweth in waters? and yet here it is said, They that sow in tears, and so in waters, shall reap in joy. The words being as 
Ambrose.  some would have it, an allusion to Merchants; who trade in deep waters, and from thence brings their returns, which make them glad: Semblably whereunto do such as sow in tears, and trade in such precious and gainful waters, thereby and thence-from get their joy, which is their gain, their harvest, their great reward. Thus we sweeten our bitters with delights; and is not delight a most useful thing then?    

Secondly, In Hearing, and for Hearers;  
To whom it is like honey: for as that is not only sweet in itself, but also sweeteneth other things also, which are not sweet in themselves, and for that end is used by men. So this great delight which I have so much pressed, is not only sweet in itself, but also able to make other things, even our holy& heavenly things sweet, I mean, our prayers sweet, our reading sweet, our meditating sweet, our hearing sweet. O how sweet was Gods Law upon that account to David, even sweeter than honey, and the honey comb, Psal. 19.10. The like I have red of one of the ancient Kings of Ireland, 
Bernard. in vita Malach.  that when he heard St. Malachy preach most sweetly, he cried out, and said, O how sweet are thy speeches, and eloquiaes to my mouth! they are sweeter to me than honey. Now tell me my brethren, whether delight be not useful for hearers then? Truly if it were not for delight, which we find in God, some would not rise so as they do, a great while before day, as Christ also himself did, Mark 1.35. and have( then) so much communion with God, nor would they take up so much of time for contemplation, were it not for this delectation. Delectation raises us, delectation ravisheth us, delectation rejoiceth us; and therefore, Oh the usefulness of it!    

Sixthly, The Profitableness of it.  
Beloved, the emoluments, the gains, the utilities which come by it, are, Tot, ut non possint numerari,& tantae, ut non possint enarrari; that is, so many as that they cannot be uttered. I will only name some, and say of them all, as the Apostle of Godliness, Gealiness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the Life that now is, and of that which is to come, 1 Tim. 4.8. So this great delight is profitable to all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.  

First,  
Of the life that now is. For, verily thou shalt be fed, saith holy David, if your delight shall be in the God of David, that goeth immediately before delight: And he will give thee thy hearts desire; that followeth presently after, Psal. 37.3, 4. So that you cannot want, either,  

1. Necessaries for your bodies.  
If ye be willing and obedient, and so consequently among other things, delight yourselves in me, as you are commanded( Psal. 37.4.) You shall eat the good of the Land, Isa. 1.19. So that you may truly say with, and after holy David, whose words, in the aforesaid Psal. 37.4. are The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, Psal. 23.1. So the Lord is our delight, we shall not want; nay, when you have lost never so much, yea all, you may even sing the same words as Fulgentius once in a storm, after he had lost all upon the Seas, as it is reported of him.   

2. Nor can you want Necessaries for your souls:  
For, when they are almost gone, he will restore them, as Davids, Psal. 23.3. He restoreth my soul. When they want food, he will be meat to them; when drink, he will be drink to them; when heat, he will be fire to them. Nay, desire what you can, and desire what you will, for your poor souls, and they shall have it, Christ will be to them all in all, Col. 3.11. and so the Lord will give you the desire of your heatrs, if in him and with him, you will delight your hearts, according to that fore-alleged famous Scripture, from which I draw this Lecture, Psal. 37.4. Beloved, it is written of Issachar, which signifieth, a man of Reward, or Wages, That he couched down between two burdens, and saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant, and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute, or, as the Greek renders the word, he became an Husbandman, Gen. 49.14, 15. And so do you now, my Brethren; seeing that God is good, and Christ so good, and delight is pleasant, and so exceeding profitable also, couch down between these two sorts of promises, and puty our shoulders to bear, what hitherto you did so forbear, I mean, the burden, if you count it a burden, or rather the weight of that most ponderous matter of great delight to be taken in Christ, hitherto put and pressed upon you; and so become good husbands, or husbandmen of it, and true Iss●… hars, that is, men of Reward, such a Reward as this great delight is. The Lord strengthen you for the bearing of it.    

Secondly,  
Of the life to come. For that is the end of obeyers. He became the Author of Eternal Salvation, unto all them that obey him, Heb. 5.9. Mark. Salvation, and eternal Salvation, which is all one. The Life to come called Eternal, Matth. 25.46. is the recompense of obedient souls, and so consequently of such as delight themselves in the Lord, in obedience to the word of the Lord, Psal. 37.4. So that they shall go from life to life, from glory to glory, from delight to delight, that is, from the oblectaments which they have in the Lord, here in this life, to the enjoyments of a better, and far sweeter; In short, from singing to singing, for they that sow in tears, as those commonly do, who so delight themselves in the Lord, weeping being partly a cause of their delighting, as you have heard, shall reap in joy, or, as the 
{αβγδ}  Hebrew hath it, shall sing, sing, namely, here like Swans before their death, as it is clear from Psal. 30.5. And as the holy Martyrs were wont to sing, when the very fire was kindled about some, and ready to burn a●… others, witness 
Fox in the abridgement of his Acts and Mon. p. 333. 338. Canebat Hieronimus, salue festae Dios.  John ●… sse, and Hierom of Prague, who when they were to be burnt, did sing so, and sing after death, when, namely they are in heaven. For then that famous Scripture, Cant. 2.11, 12. is absolutely fulfilled, lo the Winter is past, the Rain is over, that is, the the stormy winter of Affliction and Persecution is over, weeping over, sorrowing over, sighing over, and gone, For God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. For the former things are passed away, Revel. 21.4. The flowers appear on the earth, that is, the Saints, who shall dwell in the New earth, 2 Pet. 3.13. Most pleasant spring is come for them, to appear like so many flowers, fair and fragrant, whereas before, they were, as it were, in their buds, hide. For our life is hide here, with Christ in God, Col. 3.3. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, 1 John. 3.2. And then O the glory! O the beauty! O the splendour we shall appear in, when he shall appear in glory! And oh the flowers that then will be seen, when he will be seen. But farther. The time of the singing of Birds is come, when namely that foresaid pleasant spring for Saints is come, which is like the Morning( which is called aurora, quasi avium hora, the birds hour as it were, because then they are wont to sing most and sweetest) For then, oh the singing which is and will be amongst those little birds which are styled Saints! Oh the sweetest music which then will be heard, when they shall make music, singing and saying, hallelujah, Salvation and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God. And again, hallelujah; Praise our God, all ye his servants, and all ye that fear him, both small and great; and again Amen, hallelujah. And again, hallelujah, For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him, Revel. 19.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Thus souls which delight themselves in the Lord, shall go from singing to singing, and so to the Lord; nor, will the Lord say to them, as Father Abraham once said to Dives, son Remember, that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things, Luk. 16.25. For the Lords will it is, that such good souls as they be, should receive, and have, as I said before, some oblectaments in the life that now is, and fully in that which is to come, even unto variety, as you have heard, yea, to Eternity O Eternity! here give me leave to paraphrase a little upon both, as rapt up, as it were, into heaven, as according to my promised teaching, as thus; O that blessed Region of paradise! Oh that blessed Region of Delights, where Saints do so sing, and for which I sigh in this valley of tears! oh that life of lives which those rejoicing, singing Saints do live! O life beatifical! O life eternal, even blessedly eternal, and eternally blessed! where there is certain security, secure tranquillity; where there is perfect love, no fear, and everlasting day, swift and pleasant motion, and only Delectation, to an endless Duration!  
hast, hast, O Saints, to that place, that life, that eternal, that blessed life, labouring, and loving to delight yourselves in the Lord, that hereafter and for ever, you may thus joyfully be with the Lord. And O sirs, let us all, even cry out, as one did once saying what do we here? here in the state which hitherto we have been in? it being a state of death rather than of life, of sorrow rather than joy, of sinners, rather than Saints, of servants rather than sons; let us flee hence like Eagles, towards heaven, let all your delight hereafter be in the God of Heaven, let the times past suffice, that we were like blind Wants working and living under ground; let us now and hereafter, even 
Secundum illud de Aquila, Adagium. {αβγδ}. Aquila non captat Muscas.  Eagle-like, scorn all low things, as too much below such high things as our souls are, and even disdain what formerly we deemed to be our greatest gain, nay, count it all, as dross, as loss, as dirt, as dung, in comparison of those ravishing delights which are to be taken in Christ; according to the words of that sweetest Spouse of Christ, I sate down under his shadow with great delight. Nay, come my brethren, and call one upon another, as Curist once upon his disciples, John 14.31. Arise, let us go hence. So, let us rise, and go hence from all our delectables here, which are base and bad, and labour for that great delight, which hath been so pressed upon us this day, and is so full of glory. O my God draw thou this peoples hearts towards thee, and towards thee, and towards this great delight, that they may even run, and labour after thee and it, with all their might, and draw me also, and we will run after thee, and it, Cant. 1.4.  
Having dispatched the first part of my Text, wherein we have a Site, I now come to the second, which holds forth a Sense, And his fruit was sweet to my taste. Where we are to consider again Three things, to wit, Cujus, Quid, cvi; Whose, what, to what.  
1. Whose? His. Namely Christs, whom but now she had compared to an Apple-tree, whose shadow is full of delight, whose delight is full of Heaven, whose Heaven is full of joy, Whose joy is full of Glory, 1. Pet. 1.8.  
2. What? Fruit was sweet.  
1. Fruit. There is a Difference, as the Schools say, between Beatitudes and Fruits. Fruits are looked upon as growing in a narrower compass, Beatitudes in a larger; for more is required, say they, to make a Beatitude, than a Fruit; to wit, a perfection, whereas an inchoation will serve to make a Fruit. Again, there are two sorts of theological fruits.  
1. Such as grow in man made gracious, and come from man, as virtuous Actions, which with, and by the help, and assistance of Gods Spirit, are wrought by man, Rom. 8.13.  
2. Such as are wholly the Spirits,& are only enjoyed by man; as comfort, joy, and the like, Gal. 5.22. here by fruit we are to understand the 
Tomson in Loc. Mirabilis quaedam dulcedo. Granat. in Sylva. Loc. come. p. 493.  Comforts of Christ, who therefore is compared to an apple three, Cant. 2.3. whose apple are his comforts, as they are expounded, vers. 5. Comfort me with apple: I say, it is comfort, or which comes all to one, that hidden Manna which cometh down from Heaven, and feedeth and filleth both Saints and Angels, which are in Heaven, John 6.50. Revel. 2.17.  
2. Was sweet. Here is that which tempers, and qualifies, all the amaritudes, vicissitudes, troubles, trials and tribulations of a Soul made gracious; I mean, this sweet word, Sweet, which sweetens all our bitters, suffocates all our sorrows, transpeciates all our griefs into kinds of joy, of gladness, of consolation, even to admiration. Oh sweet word sweet, O sweet, exceeding sweet: For the Hebrew word is sweetness itself.  
3. To What? To my taste, or, to my Throat; but I retain Taste.  
There is a two-fold Taste.  

First, Proper.  
And what is that? It is, saith the Prince of Philosophers( Lib. 3. de anima, cap. 12.) that sense, whereby things that nourish, are discerned.   

Secondly, Improper.  
And that is a Spiritual, and gracious Taste; whereby a gracious soul, delightfully, and sensibly perceiveth that sweetness which is in God, in Christ, in Heaven; for these are the things which are so sweet to souls destinated for Heaven.   

Whence I extract this Observation.  
That Christ is wont to refresh his espoused Saints with his Comforts, which are exceeding sweet.  
See, Psal. 31.19. Isa. 64.4. John 14.18. 2 Cor. 4.6. Revel. 2.17.  
This Observation is like a three having two Branches.  
The first is, Christ is wont to refresh his espoused Saints with his Comforts.  
The second, That they are exceeding sweet. But I will handle both jointly.  
For the illustration of them I shall propose, raise, and resolve these five ensuing Questions. 

Quest. 1. What these Comforts are?  
Quest. 2. How in Scripture they differ from joys?  
Quest. 3. Whether they be not usually accompanied with joys?  
Quest. 4. Why Christ refresheth his espoused Saints with such Comforts?  
Quest. 5. Why such Comforts are so exceeding sweet?    
Quest. 1.  
What they are?  
I Answer. They are that strength, that life, that satisfaction, which from the comfortable object, is conveyed into the hearts of Saints, by the co-operation of Christs holy Spirit, called, the Comforter, John 16.7. where note, that by their proper nature, they are as Divines call them 
Symonds in his desert. Souls, Case and Care.  Satisfactions, and Strengthenings, according to these following Scriptures, Psal. 27.14. Psal. 52.7. Psal. 114.11. 1 Sam. 23.16. Job 4.4. Isa. 35.3. Or thus, They are the earnest of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 1.22. and of eternal life, the life of the strength of a gracious soul, the apple which grow upon Christ, that sweetest Apple-tree in heaven, and fall down from heaven, the heaven, the paradise, the felicity which Saints, who in Christ have their part here, do enjoy in part, and will more fully be beautified with in heavens glory to all eternity.  
2 Q. How they differ from joy?  
I Ans. 1. 
Amesius de cons. l. 2. c. 15.  Some say, that properly Comfort is no joy at all, but only a repression of grief. But I, together with others, take Comfort, in its latitude, to be the Genus of joy, I mean, spiritual joy; and joy, a species, or degree of Comfort; where note, that there are three degrees of Comfort. 
3 deg. of Comfort.   
The 1. is Rest, Psal. 116.7. Return to thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee; 
1 degree Rest.  which words that blessed Martyr Babilas spake to his soul, when he was to suffer, therewith to comfort his soul.  
The 2. is joy, a higher degree; for 1. 
2 deg. joy. 1.  It is positive Comfort, rest is negative. 2. Rest is a return of the soul to itself, Psal. 116.7. joy an ascent of the soul 
Jos. Scal. in Consc.  above itself, in Hebrew {αβγδ} which speaketh an elation.  
The third is Triumph; consisting in two Degrees.  
1. A Victoriousness, 
3 Degree Triumph.  Rom. 5.3. Hab. 3.18.  
2. An holy boasting, or glorying, Psal. 64.10. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory, or 
Hieron, {αβγδ} 2 Cor. 10.8.  praise, as the Hebrew word will bear it, like men which boast, and praise their condition, as being now able to say, we are past our evils, of sorrow, and sadness which we felt, and feared, and found that honey and that good which we expected; but this boasting is in the Lord, as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord, 1 Cor. 1.31. and as it is to be gathered from the first member of this verse, Psal. 64.10. Shall be glad in the Lord. I shall here in this Discourse take in all these Degrees, and treat on Comfort at large.  
The third Question is, whether the Comforts of Christ be not usually accompanied with joy. 
Resp.   
To this, I answer by a Distinction.  
1. That ordinary joy, ordinarily goeth with them, especially in tribulations, Rom. 5.3. 2 Cor. 1.4.  
2. But extraordinary joy, otherwise called joy unspeakable, and full of glory, 1 Pet. 1.8. doth 
Aliquando intromittis me in affectum multum inusitatum adnescio quam dulcedinem, Aug. 10 in con. c. 40  not, but either a little before death, as we may observe it in sundry dying Saints, Martyrs especially; Witness him, 
Mr. Glover, Fox in his Acts and Mon.  who being come to the Stake, cried out, and said, He is come, Austin, he is come; meaning the Spirit, by whom cometh joy and comfort; and also in young Converts, who for the most part can speak of such an extraordinary joy and great comforts, which thing I find sweetly emblematized in two persons, which the Scripture speaks of.  
1. That lame Cripple, who being restored to the use of his limbs, did leap, and praise God for joy, Act. 39. But we must not think that he did always leap: so Converts, being cured of their lameness; yea, restored to life, will then rejoice extraordinarily, their very heart leaping for joy, but not every day, nor all the day.  
2. That prodigal Son, who had a fatted Calf slain for his welcome, after his return, and a feast made for him; at which there was music, and Dancing, and much rejoicing, Luk. 15.23, 25, 27. but he had not a fatted Calf killed for him every day, nor a Feast made for him every day, nor music made for him every day. So young Converts are feasted with the Lamb, slain from the beginning of the world, in the beginning of their conversion, and after their first return, and they can tell of that sweet music, which unspeakable joy maketh for them, and of that dancing of Spirits, which their extraordinary consolations cause in them: but it is not so with them every day, for after such joys and consolations commonly come desertions.  
The fourth Question is, Why Christ so refresheth his Saints with such Comforts. 
Resp.   
To this I Answer.  
1. Because he is good, Mat. 19.17. 
Omne bonum est communicativum sui.  
Bonitas in Deo causa volendi omnia. Aquin.  every good is communicative of its goodness; as for example, a good Appletree will communicate his good apple: so our good Apple-tree Jesus Christ, will, because of his goodness, impart to,& let fall for us his sweetest apple and consolations, especially in our greatest tribulations.  
2. Because he knoweth that we have need of them: for what men in the world are so hated, spited, maligned by the men of the world, as Christs espoused Saints whom he hath chosen out of the world?& what crosses and trials are there almost under heaven, which they have not their part, and portion in, whilst they are absent from heaven; therefore he doth so comfort them, 2 Cor. 1 5.  
3. That they may be able to comfort others, who also are espoused to Christ, with the same Comforts wherewith themselves were comforted of Christ, 2 Cor. 1.4.  
4. That they may love him the better; for do not we see how much even little children do love such as bring, or give them apple, or sugar-comforts? and doth not the Apostle Peter affirm the same of Gods little children, who so rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, whom, namely Christ, having not seen ye love, 1 Pet. 1.8. O sweet love, which comes by such sweet comforts! Oh love for love! for what are such comforts but Christs loves? and what is our love, but the echo of Christs love, and love rendered for love?  
5. That they may be the more familiar with him, and come the oftener to him, and be the more serviceable to him; even as little children will not onely love them, that give them comforts, but also will hang about them, and come often to them, and to their houses, and will be familiar with them, and be willing to do any thing for them: so Gods children will be familiar with God, and familiar with Christ, and be often at his house, when he brings them, and bestoweth upon them so many of his comforts, and they will hang about him, and lean upon him; as you may see in Christs dear Spouse, whose words these are; His fruit was sweet to my taste; how familiar she was with Christ, throughout this book of the Canticles, and especially in chap. 8. ver. 5. how ready she was to obey him, and how she learned upon him, and did cling about him, after she had been well comforted by him with his apple. For. saith Christ there, who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, namely of this world, which is like a wilderness to obey my command, Cant. 4.8. leaning upon her beloved. Mark, leaning, and so hanging and clinging about him; I raised thee up under the apple-tree; that is added, to show how she was come to him, as an apple-tree for apple, and how he found her sitting, or lying under his shadow, looking for comfort, and for refreshing from him, being ready to faint, and how he raised her up, comforting her with his apple, when she cried to him, and said, Comfort me with apple, Cant. 2.5. O these apple, those apple which drop so from that sweetest appletree, Jesus Christ, how they attract, how they abstract to Christ, and from whatsoever is against Christ! O how they make us fall in love with Christ, when they fall from Christ! O how they make us serve him when we have been served with them by him!  
5. Question. But why are those comforts so exceeding sweet? 
Resolved,   
I Answer.  
1. Because of the end for which they come.  
2. Because of the fountain, from which they come.  
3. Because of the Conduit pipe through which they come.  
1. Because of the end for which they come, to wit, for their exceeding great encouragement; for their troubles are so great( those are they which came out of great tribulation, Rev. 7.14.) Their sorrows so many, their fears more, as that if they should not have sometimes some of those apple to comfort their hearts, overmuch grief would even overwhelm their hearts; and therefore Christ doth with such exceeding sweet consolations consolate their sadded hearts, thereby to encourage, and to strengthen their hearts; according to that famous fore-alleged Scripture, 2 Cor. 1.4.5.  
2. Because of the fountain whence they come: For they come from the great God, Christ, who sends them, being God; as you may see 2 Cor. 1.3.4. The God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations. See also Isa. 51.12. 2 Cor. 6.6. where note, that God is the cause, 
Christs comf. 2 ways.  and fountain of Comfort two ways.  
1. By word.  
2. By dead.  
1. By word; bearing witness to our spirits by his Spirit, that we are the children of God, 
By word.  Rom. 8.16. as thus; Thou John, or thou Peter, art a child of God so plainly.  
2. 
By dead.  By dead, effectually setting upon a mans heart such matter of comfort, as he knoweth will comfort, and strengthen his heart; as for example, that sweet and comfortable Scripture, Psal. 31.19. O how great is thy goodness. Or as 
Vulgata versio& Aug. solil. c. 21.22.  some render the word, sweetness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee. 
Idem, Medit. c. 37  Understand even in this life; and Isa. 64.4, 5. For since the beginning of the World men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meeiest him that rejoiceth, and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways. And 1 Tim. 1.15. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners of whom I am chief. Which sweetest passage so comforted Mr. Bilney once, as that he was even converted by it, and died a glorious Martyr after it, as Latimer reporteth it of him, who also himself was converted by him. Now, my Brethren, do you judge whether these Comforts must not be exceeding great, and sweet, yea infinitely sweet and great, 
Hieron. in Eph. 3.  as some render the words, Psal. 31.19. as coming from the infinite God, and from the infinite multitude of his goodness. Beloved, if there were a River, or Sea, flowing with milk and honey, and from it should issue forth some certain Rivalets into certain Gardens of yours, you would tell how exceeding sweet such Rivalets be. Well, the Comforts which I here speak of, and flow so into the hearts of Christs Saints, which are his Garden, do all of them come, and issue forth like Rivalets from that Sea of sweetness, which is called, The God of all Comfort, flowing, as it were, with the sweetest milk, and honey of divine Consolation; and therefore oh how sweet, how exceeding sweet must they of necessity be?  
3. Because of the Conduit, through which they come; to wit, Christs blessed mouth; which is not onely most sweet itself, but sweetness itself, as the Hebrew hath it, Cant. 5.16. His mouth is most sweet, or sweetnesses; where note, that Christs mouth is most sweet in two respects; 
Christs mouth is most sweet in two respe●ts.  As 

1. Speaking to us most sweetly.  
2. Kissing us most sweetly.    
1. Speaking to us most sweetly, as he spake once to the sick of the palsy; Son be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee, Matth. 9.2. Which words being spoken to a distressed soul what comfort they create, What tongue can explicate? For the foul knoweth full well, that as when a strong wind bloweth upon a 
Chrys. in Psa. 50  Spiders web, the same is by it presently broken, and blown away; so our sins which are but like a Spiders web to his mighty power, are immediately dissolved, blown away, and blotted out, when this mighty word of Comfort is gone forth, like a mighty wind out of his blessed mouth.  
2. Kissing us most sweetly, Cant. 1.2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. O those kisses, those kisses how sweet they be! because they come from the sweetest mouth that is in all the world, coming from him that made the world: O they must needs be sweeter then any Organs, coming from such an Organ. Again, how sweet they must needs be; for what are they, but pure, mere love, yea loves, according to that sweetest sentence, Cant. 1.2. For thy love is better then wine; the Original is loves, and sweeter then wine. O that my Love Christ crucified for me, would always kiss me so with the kisses of his mouth, which is so exceeding sweet. Sweet Love, saith my soul to thee, when shall it once be, that I shall be so loved, and so kissed of thee? Thus these Comsorts come to be so exceeding sweet, because they come through such a Conduit. Beloved, if there were a Conduit near full of sweetest Sugar, and the purest Wine that can be had were to flow through it, and from it; and you to taste it, and did taste it, you would say, that it is sweet Wine indeed: Well, the Comforts of Christ, which are like purest Wines, do run through the very mouth of Christ, as I she wed but now, which is full of sweeteness; nay, as you have heard, all sweetness; and therefore that sweet soul, which doth, or shall taste them, must needs say, Thy loves are better and sweeter then wine, Cant. 1.2.  
Now let me launch forth into the Depths of your hearts, 
The Application.  by some seasonable Application, And  
1. May not this afford me matter of Addubitation, 
Matter of Addubitation.  as thus; Are the Comforts of Christ, wherewith he refreshed his Espoused Saints, so exceeding sweet? then what shall I think, or judge of those which so little care for them, as most men amongst us do? For if they did care for them, and did esteem them to be so exceeding sweet, as indeed they be, they would be as much for them, as ever Jonathan was for that wonderful honey, which he met with in that wood, in 1 Sam 14.25, 26. when it dropped, and where by him it was tasted, when he was faint and wearied, vers. 27. I say, they would be like Jonathan, and be for those comforts, and taste them as he did that honey; for they are like it: so they refresh, and so they strengthen poor, faint, wearied souls: but now they are rather like the Prodigal, who cared more for the husks which the Swine eat, and which yet he could not have, because no man gave them unto him, Luke 15.16. then for his Fathers diet; for so they care more for poor, low, empty things, which Swinish men and women live on, and which yet cannot give them content, because there is nothing in them that can satiate their unsatiable appetites, then for their heavenly Fathers daintiest fare, which he provides for his, and for Christs, their elder Brothers diet, wherewith he dieteth his Brethren, his sweetest Comforts I mean; I say again, what shall I think of such? Shall I tell? I think they are besides themselves, as the Prodigal was; of whom it is said, that at last he came to himself, vers. 17. which sheweth, that before that he was besides himself: For if you should see one leave the daintiest dishes, which he may eat of at a sumptuous Feast, and feed on ashes, or coals, or dirt, and mans dung, like the men of Jerusalem in that siege, Isa. 36.12. would ye not say, that he is mad? And yet so do many of us; for they leave the pleasantest sweet-meats, and the delicatest fare, and feast, which they might partake of in our heavenly Fathers house, and the bread of Comfort, which Christ, who himself is the bread of Heaven, giveth unto Souls predestinated to Heaven, and feed on coals, on ashes, on dirt, on dung, for so are those base, unnatural, filthy, dunghill things, which they so dote on; I mean, their base lusts, baselives, foul and filthy talk, covetous desires, worldly cares, unclean touches, wanton looks, youth-corrupting books, lascivious company, adulterous imaginations, light attire. O sad souls! O pitiful Catastrophe that men, and such too, some of them, as are counted by some the best, should be like Beasts; and that such as are ordained to live like Angels, feeding on the bread of Angels, which ever lasteth, should live like Devils, and feed on the bread of carefulness, and on Swines fare which perisheth!  
2. But why will ye? To come to an Use of Communication. 
Matter of Communication.   
1. Is it not because your stomacks, I should say, your hearts are corrupt, and out of order, being full of rottenness, iniquity, and uncleanness, Matth. 23.27, 28. and yourselves the servants of corruption, 2 Pet. 2.19. So that as men, who have corrupt stomacks, will leave the best and daintiest dishes at a Feast, and rather choose to eat course, or salt meat, so you will leave Christ with all his Comforts, though never so sweet and dainty, and feed on course things, though they be never so salt; I should say, smarting, when you have swallowed them; nay, will even, like Swine, be for mire rather, 2 Pet. 2.27. then that mirth, that music, that melody full of glory, which cometh with, and by that King of Glory.  
2. And are not such Comforts hide from you too? For, what saith the sweet Singer of Israel, singing of those Comforts, and of their sweetness most sweetly; thus in that fore-alleged Psal. 31.19. O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee. Where the 
Vulgata versio.  Original is, which thou hast hide, as 
Origines in c. 9. ad Rom.  some render it, 
{αβγδ}  as agreeable to the hidden Mannah, which runs parallel with this sweetness, Revel. 2.17. 
Rom. 1.18.  One hereupon doth raise this question, Why God should reveal his wrath from Heaven, as he doth, it being against his gracious disposition; and a strange, or extraneous work to him, as he is pleased to call it, and hid his sweetness, goodness, and mercy, wherewith he is so much delighted, Mich. 7.18. and resolveth it thus; that he doth it, because he knoweth mans frailty, and how prove we are to fall through negligence, and therefore holdeth it to be more expedient for men to be kept in awe, and fear, and as it were under hatches, then to be left at large with hopes of sweetness. Thus he so that this sweetness is hide from your eyes; and therefore it is, that you care not for it, but rather choose what seemeth good in your own eyes, and so consequently are without refreshments, without joy, without enjoyments of those sweetest contentments which come from Heaven, come from Christ, Christ being resolved to give none of them unto you, because you will not give your minds to him, nor labour, as you ought, to be so beautified by him, but rather to leave you, if now remain so careless in the wilderness, wherein you you are, and wherein no water is; I mean, none of those strong waters, or waters of Life, which are called Comforts, to make your life a comfortable life: And therefore O doleful, mournful condition that you are in, being out of comfort, out of joy. See that dreadful place, Luke 14.24. For I say unto you that none of those men( careless men, and despisers) shall taste of my Supper.  
3. 
Matter of Exhortation.  I come next, and betake myself to matter of Exhortation, Are Christs Comforts which he bestows upon his Espoused Saints so exceeding sweet; then be perfwaded to labour after them, to taste them; where give me leave to fasten upon you 

1. 
Instructives of two sorts.  Instructives.  
2. Incentives.    
1. Instructives; 
First sort for Means.  And  
1. Instructives, 
General ones.  showing the means which you must use, for the gaining of them.  
2. The manner after which you must taste them.  
1. As for the means, they are 1. these general ones: As  
1. 
General mean,  Resolve upon it: For Resolution is a mighty thing. If a man be resolved to do a thing, he will do it, because he is resolved to do it: As for example, when a man is resolved to take a journey, to Petition his King for some great thing which he needeth, he will go, because of his resolution, whereas another man will not, because he is not so resolved: So when a poor soul is resolved once, I mean in earnest, to go to the King of Kings, which is Christ, for comfort, she goeth, because she is resolved to go; and therefore as the Church, in Isa. 25.9. resolves, and saith, We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation, so resolve you, to take comfort in Christ, and to eat of his pleasant fruit; or thus, as the Prodigal set up his resolution, Luke 15.18. so let every one of us resolve, saying, Hitherto I have been altogether for such empty husks as the Prodigal was, for poor, low, empty, earthly comforts, which Swinish men are for, and feed upon, vers. 16. and with which I could no more be filled, then he with his, because they are not able to give content, and to satisfy a soul: but now I will go to that everlasting Father, Isa. 9.6. Psal. 64.10. All the upright in heart shall glory; Or, as the Original will bear it, shall praise, as I  told you formerly: that is, shall praise their condition; I add now, and shall praise the Lord, as it is written, Isa. 12.1.2, 3. And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.( which also may be said of Comfort before now received) Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust, and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength, and my song,( what a glorying is this) he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation,( which is, or may be referred to sensible Comfort, and joy to come, when the Lords time is come) where take this with you by the way as a Corollary, 
A Corollary.  that when in such a glorying manner you praise God, you must be sure to have pure lips, and clean mouths, therewith to show forth his praises; for else God will not look upon your praising of him, as a glorying in him, and a gloryfying of him, according to his mind declared, 1 Cor. 1.31. The very 
Lorinus in Psal.  Lacedemonians being Heathens, would not receive a good faying, that came from the mouth of a wicked man; but they would have a good man first to say the same with his mouth, before it would pass; and is there any sense or reason, that God should receive our praises that come from filthy mouths? No, no; and therefore to make your praising of him pass, you must get, I will not say an honest man to say his praises for you, after the Lacedemonion fashion, but get pure lips, and other mouths, then some of us have formerly had, when both praises and corrupt communications came forth out of their mouths; that is, you must get your lips washed in Christs blood, and not suffer any corrupt speech to proceed out of your mouths; neither filthy, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which is not convenient, Ephes. 4.29. and chap. 5.4. I am a little the larger upon this, because I would have you by, and in this degree of Comfort, which I call glorying and praising to live comfortably, when you cannot be comforted sensibly, and so I hope you will easily pardon my prolixity  
2. The second Case to be resolved, is,  
Whether a Reprobate, and one that is not truly espoused to Christ, may not also taste much comfort, and a great deal of sweetness in his profession.  
To this I answer affirmatively, being warranted thereof by these following Scriptures, Luke 8.13. They on the rock, are they which when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a time believe, and in a time of temptation fall away. And of that lascivious King Herod it is said, that he heard the Baptist gladly, Mark 6.20. And, It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come: If they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, saith the Apostle, Heb. 6.4, 5, 6. which hath caused some Divines to let fall such dreadful passages as these: Nothing can hinder, saith a famous and most learned 
Gabriel Biel, Lect. 86. mihi fol. 106.  Writer, why even such as have no charity, nor grace, may yet taste of sensible sweetness, and that unto tears,( for they may weep for joy) as is to be seen in some sinners, by the word of God made contrite unto tears, who yet neither do, nor will recede from some certain sins; thus he: and divers reasons he gives for it; and one of his reasons is, That this sometimes comes from the Devil, who thereby seeks to keep such from good works, that they may finally trust to this sweetness, and despair when he withdraweth it. The like is written by an 
Johan. Cancellar de mist. Theolog. pract.  other: There are some Infidels and Aliens that are wicked Seavants, which the heavenly Father feedeth and saturates with his fatness, and with his honey out of the Rock, even as some great Princes will sand sometimes some dainty Dishes from their own Tables, to some Prisoners condemned to death; and that to increase their damnation, for the most ungrateful abuse of his gift, and for a tranfitory reward of their labours and services, such as they are, which they have done for him, any of them. I confess these sayings are very cutting, startling, and formidable; but some had need of such corrosives: and therefore I do mention them, and that no man may deceive himself by such tastes, resting therein.  
3. The third Case, how you may then discern true and sound Comforts from false.  
To this I answer by these three signs. 
Answered by three signs.   
1. True and sound Comforts are hardly gotten, and with much difficulty, and by the use of all manner of means, as praying, reading, fasting, conference, seeking here, and seeking here, as you may see, Cant. 3.1.2.3. what pains Christs blessed Spouse there took upon her bed, and when she was up by night, by day, at home, and abroad, before she could find him whom her soul loved, and before she could get any Comfort by him; so that it is commonly long first, before true Comfort cometh; whereas that which is unsound, and not of the right stamp, cometh lightly and suddenly, as you may see, Luke 8.13. So that one may say to such an one, as Isaac once to his Son Jacob, speaking of his Venison, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, Gen. 27.20. 
Rob. Bolton in his Direct. for right comfort, p. 316.  One writes of a certain man, who  told a Minister, how riding he was on a sudden lightsome; whereupon the Minister  told him, that God was constant in his love; and so the Patient was healed presently. But it fell out shortly aster, that he fell again to his former wicked courses; which what a deceit it was, you may conceive: Thus he.  
2. True and solid Comfort cometh after much trouble, and may be known from false Comfort, by heaviness and brokenness of heart: For, for such Christ is ordained and sent, to bind up the broken-hearted, and to appoint unto them that mourn in Sion, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, Is. 61.3. I choose this place, rather then such places as make mention of mourning onely, because it doth more fully set forth the difference between true Comfort and false; for Hypocrites may mourn too, as you have heard, when their hearts are not broken all the while; therefore I put down this brokenness of heart: and the meaning of it is this; Such as are truly Comforted, have not onely mourned before they were Comforted, but were so exceedingly troubled and grieved, as that their hearts were as it were broken, as some mens mens hearts sometimes are, when they are extraordinarily grieved: and this great heaviness and brokenness of heart may be known again by this; when a Vessel is broken in pieces, you know it will hold no liquor, but let it all out; answerably whereunto when the heart is broken, it can no longer hold the bad liquor of sin, but sin will out, all out, and none will be left there to reign, though some unallowed dregs may remain. We have a notable place for this, 2 Cor. 7.10. For godly sorrow( which runs parallel with this brokenness of heart) worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of; and this repentance unto salvation we know will cast out, and away every abomination, Ezek. 18.30, 31. but now false Comfort cometh either without any sorrow, or but with a little grief; and when all is done leaves one sin or other, which like an other Herodias, Mark 6.17. is not lest, nor repented of; and commonly that sin left, is either lust, or envy, or rash anger, or covetousness, or vain-glory, or stately hypocrisy, which how far it carrieth a man, I tremble to think upon; see Luke 18.11.12. So as that thereby you may know any of you, if it be your case, that though such a time ye felt much Comfort, and wept much before that, yet ye were never truly comforted, nor will be, though ye weep never so much till you leave your abominable pride, your extreme worldliness, your lasciviousness, your wantonness, your passionate fits, your vain, your foolish, your filthy talking, and bridle your unruly tongues: I must not daub, as those which minister comfort unwarrantably unto unworthy persons; and therefore I ripp up these sins, and I pray God to open peoples eyes, that they may see and be convinced of them, and of the unsoundness of all their prerended comforts.  
3. True comfort is accompanied, and followed with and by an holy walking, Acts 9.37. Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and were edified, and walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost; Mark; comfort and a holy walking go together, hand in hand, whereas unsound comfort maketh loose livers and careless walkers; for commonly those whose comforts were not sound and saving, but flashes onely, will omit and neglect either daily meditating, so much required, Jos. 1.8. or self examining, Lam. 3.40 or catechizing of children and servants, Gen. 18.19. Deut. 6.7. or forgiving and forgetting of wrongs, Mat. 18.35. or private Fastings, Esth. 4.16. or wrestling with God in prayer, Gen. 32.24. contenting themselves with a could, formal, repetitional, heartless kind of saying their prayers in private; nay, neglecting the said Duty oftentimes altogether, either apart, or with their Families, as not fearing at all that dreadful curse, Jer. 10.25. Pour out thy fury upon the families that call not upon thy Name.  
You will say, These are but ordinary things.  
I Answer, So they are; but they are ordinarily slighted and neglected; and therefore they are so mentioned.  
2. I advance now to Incentives, And  
1. Consider, that if you will follow these Instructives, you will hereafter live as it were in a new Canaan upon earth.  
2. That you will live in the heavenly Canaan above in heaven hereafter for ever' that will follow.  
1. You will live as it were in a new Canaan upon earth; 
Incentive with its parts.  that is, in a condition, wherein,  
1. You will feed on milk and honey, for what else are Christs sweetest comforts but milk and honey, that will be your meat, even honey which you will suck out of the rock like Israel, Deut. 32.13. I mean those most comfortable words, which like milk flow, and like honey drop from his sweetest mouth, in Scripture phrase, Psal. 19.20. and 1 Pet. 2.1. and which will refresh your souls with unutterable delights; according to that fore-mentioned most famous Scripture, Psal. 94.19. Thy comforts delight my soul; So that of this new Canaan, and sweetest condition, may be truly said what was said, Isa. 7.22. And it shall come to pass for the abundance of milk that they shall give, he shall eat butter for butter, and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land; So it shall come to pass, if you will be brought to that pass which I have shown; that for the abundance of consolations which this life will yield, every one of you shall eat milk and butter, and honey dropping, yea streaming from Christs sweetest lips in this new Canaan, which so floweth and overfloweth with the milk and honey of those ineffable sweetnesses that are in Christ, and come from Christ. O sweet fare which they shall have who the Lord do fear! O how my soul longeth to be in this new Canaan! O who will bring me into it? wilt not thou, O God, who also hast promised it? And as for you dear Saints, O do you also long and labour to live in it, and the Lord in mercy bring us all into it, for the sake of him who is the food and fare of it.  
2. You will drink every one of you that shall live in this new Canaan, new wine, the wine I mean of Christs love, Cant. 1.4. So as that it may be said of you all truly what was said of the Apostle once scoffingly, when they were full of the Holy Ghost; These men are full of new wine, Acts 2.13. For so is Christs love  shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, when he is  shed abroad himself, and poured out upon our hearts, Rom. 5.5. even as sweet as new wine. O sweet love! O lovely wine! O new and pleasant sweetness! O when shall my soul taste it! O when shall she live as she would in this new and sweet condition! and when will you my Brethren live in it! O now, O this very day let it be with you, as it was with the Apostles upon the day of Pentecost! O enter every one of you into that new way of living which I have shown you this day, that entering into it, you may also enter into that new Canaan, which is promised by it, and that being in it, you may taste that new wine which those drink who are in it; yea, may be even full of it, Amen. So be it.  
3. You will receive in it that hundred fold which Christ hath promised to all his followers, which for his sake forsake all, Mat. 19.29. Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my Names sake, shall receive an hundred fold. And what is that Centuplum, hundred-fold? Here let another 
Bernar. in Declam.  holy Divine speak for me; it is, saith that holy man, joy springing up from the adoption of sons of God. This joy, this hundted-fold is promised to forsakers of all that is near and dear unto them; and therefore O dear souls, for the sake of this joy, this hundred fold, forsake your all, even all your dearest Relations, if they prove offensive to you; but especially all your lusts, your pride of life, your life of sense, your sensual delights, your delightful sports, and follow Christ through all the instructives given to you, that Christ with his hundred-fold may follow you, and that in stead of parents left, husbands left, wives left, though it be but for a season, whilst you spend your time in prayer and supplication, and instead of all your beloved sins left, you may meet with that which is an hundred-fold better then parents, and better then husbands and wives, and better then sons and daughters, and sweeter then any of all your sweetest sins. O sinners! who of you should not now desire to live in this Canaan, wherein you can never want either houses, or lands, or livings, or friends, or relations, or pleasures, because of this hundred-fold; for if any time you lose any thing, being in this blessed Canaan, this hundred-fold will make up all your losses, weeten all your crosses, supply all your wants,& satisfy all your desires. Desire it therefore, and labour after it, that you may be beautified with it.  
4. Christ will embrace you in it; for that followeth next, the Spouses tasting of Christs pleasant fruit, and her begging of his comforts afterward, when she did begin to faint, ver. 5. Cant. 2, 5. then ver. 6. his left hand was under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. O sweet embraces! the sweetest that ever were heard of, for here the fairest of all men doth hold and hug in the arms of his mercy a poor sinful soul, to notify the greatness of his love to all men. Again, O height of happiness! O transcending of sweetness! for here this devout and blessed soul meets as it were in the arms of Christ, and so cometh by such a liquefaction to taste of his sweetest consolation, being ravished with delight, extatized in the Spirit, spiritualized in the Father of Spirits, angelized in matchless bliss, emparadized in joy unspeakable and full of glory. O be for these embraces, dear Saints, for all the world cannot afford the like, though by Demas it was so well liked, as that he would rather embrace it, then be for those embraces, which are so incomparably sweeter and better then it, and all the embraces of it. O Beloved, how sweetly might you all live if you would be ruled and follow these instructives, which will bring you to live in the very arms of Christ, enjoying the sweetest comforts which come by Christ. To it then my Brethren, to it, and get into this Canaan, and into these embraces as soon as you can by your ready obedience, which will bring you so great and so sweet a recompense.  
Quest. You will say unto me, Sir, you tell us of strange things: did ever any live in such a Canaan?  
I Answer, Yes, those in 1 Pet. 1.8. did; For so saith the Apostle there, Whom( Christ) having not seen ye love, in whom though now you see him not, yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeak able and full of glory. And those Acts 2.46, 47. Who did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God. And 
As Mr. Fox in his Acts and Mon. reports it.  Samponius Algerius an Italion Martyr writeth thus to his wife out of prison. I shall utter that which none will believe, I have found a nest of honey and a honey-comb in the entrails of a lion? who will believe me; what I shall say, or who would think it, in the deep dark dungeon to find a paradise of pleasures, sweet joy, &c. O my joy, Lord Jesus, led me into that joy, that paradise, that Canaan, and this people too, leading me into all those truths which here have been taught, O God of truth! Here I thought that I had ended this matter, but as I was wrestling with God in prayer about this new Canaan, it pleased his heavenly Highness to put into my mind that famous place in Ios. 5.12. where it is said that Manna ceased when the children of Israel were entred in the land of Canaan, and that they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year, which I apply thus. Beloved, as they entred that Canaan, and Manna ceased, which in itself was good, after they were entred, and they did eat of the fruit of that land that year. So do you enter therefore this new Canaan, and being entred after this praying and preaching of mine, and having heard so much of others, how they did live in such a Canaan; now cease from your former wonted diet, which in itself was not good, and following their example and my teaching eat of the pleasant fruit of this new Canaan, Christs comforts; I mean this year, and that henceforth beginning this very day before you sleep. O my soul! do thou enter first, and being entred say to thy God, O my God, give me this fruit of this new Canaan, to eat this year and this day, I humbly pray thee; And as for you my Brethren, I hope you will not stay behind me, but be of the same mind with me, if not, I pray God once more to bring you in that mind, that you may eat of the fruit of this new land, this year and this day, and every day to your dying day. Amen. So be it.  
2. You will live in the heavenly Canaan above hereafter for ever, if you will follow these instructions. For is not everlasting life also promised to forsakers? Mat. 19.29. and,  
1. To the righteous, Mat. 25.46. and to such hearers, as being Christs sheep hear his voice; and so consequently his Servants voice in the premised instructives, and follow him, John 10.27. Where take this also with you; that as in the lower Canaan here, they that live in it live upon honey, and drink new wine, and rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. So in the higher and heavenly you will feed on that Manna, which is Christ the bread of heaven, which is transcendently, sweeter then honey, and endureth to everlasting life, John 6.27. and imbibe and drink in that sweetest wine of heavenly exhilarations, which is drunk there; according to that mellifluous saying of our blessed Saviour, Matth. 26.29. I will not henceforth drink of this fruit of the Vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers kingdom.  
Where, by this new Wine we are to understand, not that, which they say Christ drank with his Disciples aftes his Resurrection, but that 
Musculus in Loc.  heavenly joy and comfort, which in the kingdom oH even above, Christ; and Angels, and Saints do drink together. O sweet Wine indeed! O Wine of Wines, the sweetest that ever was tasted! Oh, when shall my soul drink of it! O when shall it once be! O souls, what should not a man be willing to do, to do so well, as to drink of this sweetest Wine, which Christ in Heaven drinketh with his Beloved? Beloved, put to it, put to it, for you may, nay, shall drink of it, if you will but now drink in those soul-saving truths, which unto you this time I have proffered, and propined: and you will say, when you shall taste the sweetness of it, sitting down with Christ in his kingdom, and be merry with him, and drink it with him, as he saith himself, for ever and ever, that it is the sweetest Wine that ever you drank. Well, I cannot yet forget, nor forego those words of Christ, they are so exceeding sweet; For what a drinking? what a sitting? what a feasting will that be, when the King of Kings shall sit down with his Guests? I mean, his Saints, as with his fellow Kings, and familiar Friends in his Fathers kingdom, at his Fathers Table, and cheer them up, saying, Eat, O Friends, drink, yea drink abundantly, O Beloved, Cant. 5.1. Nay, shall drink with them himself, and drink no other but new Wine, which is, you know, the sweetest Wine; I mean, Such things as never entred into the heart of man, 1 Cor. 2.9. O be even ravished with this Feast, this Sitting, this Drinking, and labour after it with all your might, that in it hereafter may be all your delight. As for the joys which we taste in this life, in the Canaan which is here below, they are but an earnest-peny of this glory, but an inchoation of this beatification, but a drop of that Ocean of consolation, whereof we shall take our fill in our Fathers kingdom to an endless duration.  
O eternity! O eternity of hilarity, of jucundity! O jucundity with which no Sicilian dainties, no City delights, no life of love, no love of women, or that which passeth the love of women, can be equalled, or compared: For, think of the goodliest sight that ever could be seen, the most melodious music that ever could be heard, the most delicate Diet that ever could be tasted, the greatest Honour that can be obtained, the best Company that may be enjoyed, and all the Comforts that ever you had in this life, and in comparison of those joys, that kingdom, that Sitting down, and Drinking with Christ in it, and that cheering of Christ, and of his Friends, and the sweetness of that new Wine which I spake of, they are but a point, and less then a point, they are but petty joys, Peacock joys, the joys of Prisoners, and poor Pilgrims: For what tongue can express! what mind can comprehend those fore-mentioned joys of Heaven! and what it is to be amongst the choir of Angels, to be with blessed Spirits, to be with the Father of Spirits, to be with him in his kingdom, to be with him and with his Son, to drink with both, and to drink this new Wine of unutterable Delights; to be delighted with his sweetest Company, to behold his glorious face, to see that most bright and shining light, and all without any grief, without any shadow of change! O let us all change our minds therefore; and though some of us had no mind at all before now to change their condition, and to remove from their present state, and manner of life, to go to live in that New Land of Canaan, which I have here discovered, during their present life, and hereafter in that heavenly Canaan, which is called Eternal Life: Yet now be of an other better mind, and mind these two Canaans, so as willingly to forego all your dear things, and beloved sins for their sake, and to go to live in the one now, and in the other hereafter for ever.  
The Lord who himself changeth not, change your minds, and he make ye a willing people upon this day of his power, that by his mighty power you may be made to remove from your earthly delights and dwelling places, wherein you have hitherto mansioned, living in sin, to, and towards those heavenly mansions which are without sin, and to that lower Canaan also, which hath now been discovered to you, as flowing with milk and honey, to dwell in it with the ancient of dayes all your dayes. Having thus prayed, I will try but one stroke more, and so give over: For as a great, old, sturdy Oak is not felled with one blow, but must have many; so man, who is like it, especially if he be of some standing, is not down by and by, but must have divers blows before he will fall, and fall to his work. Now this last stroke which I intend to give, 
The final Conclusion.  shall be this Final Conclusion, which I will fetch from that famous place, Luke 16.16. The Law and the Prophets were until John, since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth unto it. So it was then, and so let it be now. My Brethren, since I preached so much of a new Canaan, nay two Canaans at once, one to be entred here, and another above in Heaven; let Heaven suffer violence, as it were, among you, and let every man that heareth me, or reads these words, press into ir; or to speak a little more suitably, according to the matter in hand; Let every one of you now press into both Canaans( to join both) into the new Canaan, which is to be had here below, actually to live in it; and into that above, by hope, according to Rom. 8.24. and I also will join with you: And I pray God once more to help both you and me in it, that we may all get in, and may be able to say every one of us, Such a day, naming the day of the month, I entred both the higher Canaan and the lower; and being entred, Sate down under the shadow of Christs sweetest merits and mercy, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.  
FINIS.       

POEMA FINALE.  
CHristo Spirituum Deo,  
Certò qui videt omnia,  
Verbo quiregit omnia,  
Sit laus, magnaque Gloria,  
Idque in millia saecula.