less the spirit let them out: We ebb and flow, open and shut, as the fpirit blows upon us; without blowing, no flowing. There were gracious good things in the church, but they wanted blowing up and further spreading; whence we may obferve, That

We need not only grace to put life into us at the first, but likewife grace to quicken and draw forth that grace which we have. This is the difference betwixt man's blowing, and the fpirit's; man when he blows, (if grace be not there before) spends all his labour upon a dead coal, which he cannot make take fire. But the spirit first kindles a holy fire, and then increases the flame. Christ had in the use of means, wrought on the church before, and now further promoteth his own work. We must first take in, and then send out; first be cifterns to contain, and then conduits to convey. The wind first blows, and then the spices of the church flow out; we are first sweet in ourselves, and then fweet to others.

Whence we see further, That it is not enough to be good in ourselves, but our goodness muft flow out, that is, grow more ftrong, useful to continue, and ftream forth for the good of others. We muft labour to be (as was faid of John) burning and fhining chriftians; for Chrift is not like a box of ointment, fhut up and not opened, but like that box of ointment which Mary poured out, which perfumed the whole houfe with the fweetness thereof: for the spirit is herein like wind, it carries the fweet favour of grace to others. A christian, as foon as he finds any rooting in God, is of a fpreading difpofition, and makes the places he lives in the better for him. The whole body is the better for every good member, as we fee in Onefimus, Philem. x. The meanest perfons, when they become good, are ufeful and profitable; of briers, become flowers: the very naming of a good man cafts a sweet favour, as presenting some grace to the heart of the hearer: for, then we have what we have to purpose; when others have occafion to blefs God for us, for conveying comfort to them by us And for our furtherance herein therefore, the winds are called upon to awake and blow upon Chrift's garden.

That the fpices thereof may flow out.

Hence we fee alfo, That, where once God begins, he goes on, and delights to add encouragement to encouragement, to maintain new fetters up in religion, and doth not only give them

a stock of grace at the beginning, but also helps them to trade. He is not only Alpha, but Omega unto them, Rev. i. 8.; the beginning and the ending. He doth not only plant graces, but alfo watereth and cherisheth them. Where the spirit of Chrift is, it is an encouraging spirit; for not only it infuseth grace, but also ftirs it up, that we may be ready prepared for every good work, otherwife we cannot do that which we are able to do.The spirit must bring all into exercise, else the habits of grace will lie afleep. We need a prefent spirit to do every good; not only the power to will, but the will itfelf; and not only the will, but the deed is from the fpirit. Which fhould ftir us up to go to Chrift, that he may ftir up his own graces in us, that they may flow out.

Ufe.-Let us labour then in curfelves to be full of goodnefs, that fo we may be fitted to do good to all: as God is good and does good to all, fo muft we ftrive to be as like him as may be.In which case, for others fakes, we must pray, that God would make the winds to blow out fully upon us, that our fpices may flow out for their good. For a christian, in his right temper, thinks, that he hath nothing good to purpose, but that which does good to others. Thus far of Chrift's command to the north and fouth wind to awake and blow upon his garden, that the fpices thereof may flow out. In the next place, we have,

2. Chrift's invitation by the church is, come into his garden; with the end thereof" to eat his pleasant fruits."

Which words fhew the church's further defire of Christ's pre fence to delight in the graces of his own spirit in her. She invites him to come and take delight in the graces of his own fpirit. And she calls him beloved, because all her love is, or should be, imparted and spent on Chrift, who gave himself to a curfed death for her. Our love fhould run in ftrength no other way, therefore the Church calls Chrift her beloved. Chrift was there before, but the defires a further prefence of him; whence we may observe, That

Wherefoever grace is truly begun and stirred up, there is ftill a further defire of Chrift's prefence, and approaching daily more and more near to the foul; the church never thinks him near enough to her, until fhe be in heaven with him. The true fpoufe and bride always (unless in defertion and temptation) crieth,"Come, Lord Jefus, come quickly," Rev. xxii. 17. Now thefe

degrees

degrees of Chrift's approaches to the foul until his fecond coming are, that he may manifeft himself more and more in defending, comforting, and enabling his church with grace; every further manifestation of his prefence is a further coming.

But why is the church thus earnest?

First, because grace helps us to fee our need of Christ, and so helps us to prize him the more; which high efteem breeds an hungering earneft defire after him, and a defire of further likeness and fuitableness to him..

Secondly, because the church well knows, that when Chrift comes to the foul, he comes not alone, but with his fpirit, and his spirit with abundance of peace and comfort. Thus the knows what need the hath of his presence, that without him there is no comfortable living: For wherefoever he is, he makes the foul a kind of heaven, and all conditions of life comfortable.

Ufe. Hence we may fee, that thofe that do not defire the prefence of Chrift in his ordinances, are, it is to be feared, fuch as the wind of the Holy Ghoft never blew upon. There are fome of fuch a difpofition, as they cannot endure the presence of Chrift; fuch as antichrift and his limbs, whom the prefence of Christ, in his ordinances, blafts and confumes. Such are not only profane and worldly perfons, but proud hypocrites, who glory in fomething of their own, and therefore their hearts rife against Christ and his ordinances, as laying open, and fhewing their emptiness and carnality. The spirit in the spouse is always faying to Chrift, "Come." It hath never enough of him, he was now in a fort prefent: But the church (after it is once blown up) is not fatisfied without a further presence. It is from the spirit that we defire more of the fpirit, and from the prefence of Chrift that we defire a further prefence and communion with him.

Now, the end and reason why Chrift is defired by the church to come into his garden, is, " to eat his pleasant fruits;" that is, to give him contentment. And is it not fit that Chrift should eat the fruit of his own vine, have comfort of his own garden, to tafte of his own fruits?-The only delight Chrift hath in the world, is in his garden; and that he might take the more delight in it, he makes it fruitful; and thofe fruits are precious fruits, as growing from plants fet by his own hand, relishing of his own fpirit, and fo fitted for his tafte. Now the church know

ing what fitted Christ's taste best, and knowing the fruits of grace in her heart, defired that Chrift would delight in his own graces in her, and kindly accept of what the prefented him with.Whence we fee, That

A gracious heart is privy to its own grace and fincerity, when it is in a right temper; and fo far as it is privy, is bold with Chrift in a fweet and reverend manner. So much fincerity, fo much confidence. If our heart condemn us not of infincerity, we may, in a reverend manner, speak boldly to Christ. It is not fit there fhould be ftrangeness between Chrift and his fpoufe; neither indeed will there be, when Chrift hath blown upon her, and when she is on the growing hand. But mark the order.

First, Chrift blows, and then the church fays, " Come:"Christ begins in love, then love draws love; Chrift draws the church, and fhe runs after him. Cant. i. 14. The fire of love melts more than the fire of affliction.

Again, we may fee here in the church a carefulness to please Chrift; as it is the duty, fo it is the difpofition of the church of Chrift to please her husband.

The reafon is, first, our happiness ftands in his contentment, and all cannot but be well in that house where the husband and the wife delight in, and make much of each other.

And again, after that the church hath denied herself, and the vanities of the world, entering into a way and courfe of mortification, whom else hath the to give herself to, or receive contentment from? Our manner is to study to please men whom we hope to rife by, being careful that all we do may be well taken of them; as for Chrift, we put him off with any thing: If he likes, it, fo it is; if not, it is the beft that he is like to have.

O let us take the apoftle's counfel, Col. i. 9. "To labour to walk worthy of the Lord," &c. unto all well-pleafing; increafing in knowledge and fruitfulness, in every good work. And this knowledge must not only be a general wisdom in knowing truths, but a special understanding of his good will to us, and our fpecial duties again to him.

Again, that we may please Chrift the better, labour to be cleanfed from that which is offenfive to him; let the spring be clean. Therefore the pfalmift, defiring that the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart might be acceptable before God, first begs cleaning from his fecret fins, Pfal. xix. 12.

And

And still we must remember, that he himself must work in us whatsoever is well-pleafing in his fight, that fo we may be perfect in every good thing to do his will, having grace whereby we may ferve him acceptably. And one prevailing argument with him is, that we defire to be fuch as he may delight in; the upright are his delight. It cannot but please him when we defire grace, for this end that we may pleafe him. If we ftudy to please men in whom there is but little good, fhould we not much more study to please Chrift, the fountain of goodness? Labour, therefore, to be fpiritual; for "to be carnally minded is death," Rom. viii. 6. and "those that are in the flesh cannot please God."

The church defires Chrift to come into his garden to eat his pleasant fruits. Where we fee, the church gives all to Chrift.The garden is his, the fruit his, the pleafantnefs and precioufnefs of the fruit is his. And as the fruits please him, so the humble acknowledgement that they come from him, doth exceedingly please him. It is enough for us to have the comfort, let him have the glory. It came from a good fpirit in David, when he faid, "Of thine own, Lord, I give thee," &c. God accounts the works and fruits that come from us to be ours, because the judgement and refolution of will, whereby we do them, is ours. This he doth to encourage us; but because the grace whereby we judge and will aright, comes from God, it is our duty to aferibe whatsoever is good in us, or comes from us, unto him: so God fhall lofe no praife, and we lofè no encouragement. The imperfections in well-doing are only ours, and thofe Chrift will pardon, as knowing how to bear with the infirmities of his spouse, being the weaker veffel.

Ufe. This, therefore, fhould cheer up our spirits in the wants and blemishes of our performances. They are, notwithstanding, precious fruits in Chrift's acceptance, fo that we defire to pleafe him above all things, and to have nearer communion with him: fruitfulness unto pleafingness may ftand with imperfections, fo that we be fenfible of them, and afhamed for them.Although the fruit be little, yet it is precious, there is a blessing in it. Imperfections help us againft temptations to pride, not to be matter of difcouragement, which fatan aims at. And as Chrift commands the north and fouth wind to blow for cherishing; fo fatan labours to ftir up an east pinching wind, to take either from our endeavour, or to make us heartlefs in endeavour. Why should we think bafely of that which Chrift thinks precious? Why VOL. III.]

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