Media: the middle things, in reference to the first and last things: or, The means, duties, ordinances, both secret, private and publike, for continuance and increase of a godly life, once begun, till we come to Heaven. Wherein are discovered many blessed medium's or duties, in their right method, manner and proceedings; that so a Christian (the spirit of Christ assisting) may walk on in the holy path, which leads from his new birth to everlasting life. / Drawn, for the most part, out of the most eminently pious, and learned writings of our native practical divines: with additionals of his own, by Isaac Ambrose, minister of the Gospel at Preston in Amoundernes.

SECT. 5. An Example of the souls love to Christ.

AFter entrance by Prayer, and choyce of this theme, the soul may proceed thus:—

1. Description.

O my soul, what is this souls love to Christ, whereof thou stu∣diest? It is a Spiritual fire kindled from above in the hearts of his darlings, towards their Bridegroom the Lord Jesus Christ.

Or it is a sparkle of that fire of the holy Ghost, struck into the tinder of our souls, which immediately smokes, and sends up the flame thitherward, whence it first had its rise: Or, it is the souls rest or reposal of it self in the bosom of Christ, with con∣tent unspeakable and glorious, being perswaded of her interest in that song of the Spouse, I am my welbeloveds, and my welbeloved is mine. This, O my soul, is the nature of thy love to Christ.

2. Distribution.

There is a twofold love, one of desire, which is an earnest long∣ing after that which we believe would do us much good, if we could attain to it; another of complacency, when having at∣tained that which we desire, we hugge and embrace it, and solace our selves in the fruition of it: Now the first of these loves is an Introduction to the second, and both of them (in re∣lation to Christ) issue from a proportionable act of faith prece∣dent: 1. That affectionate longing, and thirsty love, wherewith we pant and gasp after Christ, proceeds from the first acts of faith, whereby we assent to all Gospel-promises, as true and good in themselves, and better unto as then any thing in the world, could we but once be assured that they belong unto us. 2. That other love of complacency, when (with the Psalmist) we return unto our rest, because the Lord hath dealt bountifully with us; when sweetly we repose our selves in the lap of our Savior, with content

unspeakable, and ful of glory, it proceeds from the last act of faith, wherby we are actual perswaded by those welcom whistlers of the Spirit of adoption, that certainly Christ is our Savior, & that our debts are cancelled to the very last mite; only observe (O my soul) these two things of this love: 1. That 'tis subject to all variati∣ons or changes, ebbings and flowings of that perswasion; some∣times in a violent temptation, or in a sensible desertion, our per∣swasion fails, and so this love of complacency is either stupified, or it falls back into that thirsty auxious love of desire. 2. That this love of complacency admits of degrees, proportionable to the degrees of our perswasion; if that be clear and strong, this love is more cheerful and pleasant; if that be weak and obscure, this love is more cold, with many fears and jealousies,—whence this love of complacency may not unfitly be subdivided into an Ordina∣ry and Heroical love; ordinary love proceeds from a weak degree of that last act of Faith; Heroical love springeth from a more eminent and transcendent pitch of perswasion, concerning our own reconciliation in particular: It is called Ordinary, because most Christians (though effectually called) do ordinarily feel but such a timerous love in themselves; it is called Heroical, because it is constantly onely in such, as either besides the evidence of the Word and Spirit, have had some special revelation to put them out of all doubt, concerning their estate to God-ward; or in such as by a certain close walking with God, have been long ex∣ercised in a Christian course, have often entertained Christ Jesus at supper in their hearts, and habituated themselves into a more familiar acquaintance with that holy Spirit, which brings all the good news from Heaven, to those diligent souls which carefully wait for it.

3. Causes.

But whence is this love, O my soul? The Apostle is plain, We love him, because he first loved us: When the Spirit of God in the promises lets in some intimation of Gods love into the soul, then she loves him again: That expression of the Psalmist, The Lord will command his loving kindenesses in the day time, is perti∣nent to this; it is a phrase taken from Kings and Princes, and great Commanders in the field, whose words of Command stand for Laws: so the Lord sends out his loving kindness, saying, Go out, my everlasting love and kindeness, take a Commission from

me, go to that humble, thirsty, hungry soul; go and prosper, and prevail, and setle my love effectually upon him; I command thee do it: It may be at the first visit, the poor soul cryes out, What, I love? What, I mercy? will Christ Jesus accept of me? Oh, I am the worst of sinners; could I pray, or perform duties as some others do, I might have some hopes of mercy; but what? is it possible that the Lord of Heaven should love me? Yes, thee, even thee, saith the Lord: go out my loving kindeness to that poor soul, break open the doors of that weary weltring heart, knock off those bolts of carnal reason, and all base arguments, and clear and warm that broken, bruised, humbled soul, and tell him from me, That his sins are pardoned, his sighs and prayers are heard, and he shall be saved; I charge thee do the work before thou comest in again: Here, O my soul, is the immediate cause, Gods love thus affecting the heart, it breeds a love in the heart to God again: I drew them (saith God) with the cords of a man, even with the bands of love.

4. Effects.

And what are the effects (O my soul) of this love? O this love hath many holy gracious effects, it will make the soul to rejoyce in Christs presence, to grieve in his absence, to please Christ in all things, to desire union with Christ, though it never see good day, though it have no other wages; to bestow readily and freely any thing it hath on the Lord Jesus Christ, to deny it self, or any thing that may come in competition with Christ, to part with her Isaac's, her dearest things, To account all things as dung and loss, that she may win Christ, to be content with no∣thing, but love again from the party beloved, to be ever and anon thinking and musing on the Lord Jesus Christ, to be ordi∣narily and frequently speaking of Christ: Love is full of eloquence in the praises of her beloved, so is the souls love to the Lord Je∣sus Christ. O how that Spouse of Christ runs on in a description of his rarities and transcendencies, My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand (or as it is more elegantly in the Original, He is an ensign-bearer among ten thousand)—He is al∣together lovely, or he is all-entire, he is all composed of loves: Be∣twixt those Verses [10. and 16.] there's a description of Christ, so stuffed with choicest delicacies of expression, that thou canst not match it (O my soul) out of any of those Poets which

have flown highest in amorous inventions; at last she concludes with a triumphant Epiphonema, This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem: Nay, love will make the soul not onely speak, but do any thing for the Lord Jesus Christ: O then she cries, How may I please Christ better? what duty must I do? and what sins must I avoid? if there be any of the bed∣chamber of the Bridegroom, tell me I beseech you, how may I hear, and pray, and walk, and approve my heart to my Christ and King, that nothing may displease him. Lastly, love will make the soul suffer for Christ, and to rejoyce in such sufferings; it is a fire that much water of persecution cannot quench; nay, it feeds on those waters, and grows hotter by them: As opposition riseth against it, so it riseth against opposition, yea, it riseth by it, until it rise above it.

5. Opposites.

Now what are the contraries to this love of Christ, but an hatred of Christ? One would wonder there should be such a thing in the world, as hatred of Christ: But why then should the Apostle threat, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema, Maranatha; (i.) If any man hate Christ, let him be accursed with all maner of execrations or curses in the most desperate maner, expecting due vengeance from the Lord, when he cometh with his holy millions, to execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly: No question there is a world of wicked men, that are under this curse; I speak not of poor Indians, and other Savages of the unchristian world, whose souls are over-clouded with the blackest mists of irreligion, that the prince of darkness can possibly inwrap them in, who come in∣to the world, not knowing wherefore, and go out of the world, not knowing whither; an heavy case, which cannot sufficiently be bewailed with an ocean of tears and blood; but of those that live within the paradice of the Christian Church, that have no∣thing to distinguish them from those Indian Miscreants, but an outward conformity, outward formalities, the charity of other men, and their own slight imaginations: As 1. All open ene∣nemies, gross, hainous and grievous sinners, swearers, blasphe∣mers, drunkards, railers against God, his Ministers, his People, these and the like love sin more then Christ, they love the Devil more then Christ. 2. All fawning Hypocrites, that profess (it

may be) a marvellous affectionate love unto the Lord Jesus Christ, but they are inward haters of Christ.

6. Comparisons.

But to inflame thy love (O my soul) upon Christ, consider whereunto it is like, or to what it may be compared: The Scri∣pture hath described the outgoings of such a Soul, 1. By the parched ground: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty Land, where no water is. 2. By the pant∣ings of a chased Hart: As the Hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 3. By the longings of a teeming woman: I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord, and thy Law is my delight. 4. By the fainting and swooning of one that is in good earnest sick of love: I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you finde my Beloved, that ye tell him I am sick of love: Such souls are commonly cast into an agony, into pangs of love, that love Christ indeed.

7. Testimonies.

And doth not the Scripture express these loves of the soul to the Lord Jesus? If God be your Father (said Christ to the Jews) then will ye love me:—and, Thy name is as an oyntment poured forth, therefore do the Virgins love thee:—and, We will remem∣ber thy love more then wine; the upright love thee:—We love him (saith the Apostle) because he loved us first: I will love thee (saith David) O Lord my strength:—I will cause those that love me (saith Wisdom) to inherit substance:—He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and I will manifest my love unto him:—Look upon me (saith David) and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.

Thus for Information of Judgement, now for the stirring up (O my soul) of thy affections.

1. Relish.

O divine love! O the pleasures, O the joys of this love! O honey and sweetness it self! it is the love of Christ, that sets a price on all other Duties; the least service (even a cup of cold water, or a widows mite) if it have but a grain of this love in it, is a most acceptable sacrifice to God; it is love to Christ that hath the Promises of this life, and that which is to come: I will cause

those that love me, to inherit substance, and I will fill their trea∣sures; —yea, there is a crown of life, which the Lord hath pro∣mised to them that love him; it is love to Christ, that by Christ as∣sures to us all the glorious priviledges, flowing from Christ, as Reconciliation, Adoption, Forgiveness of sins, Justification, Righteousness, Wisdom, Sanctification, Redemption, Possession of all things, All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollo, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and you are Christs, and Christ is Gods. O who can think of this love of Christ, and not be ravished there∣with! Had I a thousand hearts to bestow on Christ, they were all too little, they were never able to love him sufficiently; it is the Lord Jesus that is all strength, and all wisdom, and all ho∣nor, and all beauty; the fountain of all graces, and vertues, and qualities in men: whatsoever grace, or vertue, or quality is in us, they are but so many rayes that come from this Sun of righte∣ousness; he is fairer then the children of men, and grace emi∣nently is poured into his lips.

2. Complaint.

But alas! where is my soul? how dull is my understanding? my affection? how careless, how peevish is my soul, in a business which concerns it so much? how prejudicate is my opinion? how vain are my conceits? O my soul! how ignorant art thou of the incomparable worth, and delightful sweetness that is in the Lord Jesus? how secute, and sleepy, and sensless art thou? O this hard heart of mine! thou canst mourn for losses and cros∣ses of this life, but for the loss of Christ, thou canst not mourn one jot: Didst thou, O my soul, truly affect Christ, the pillow would be washed with thy tears for thy want of Christ, and for thy want of assurance: Wo, and alas, that my minde is taken up with a confluence of worldly lusts, worldly cares, and world∣ly desires! O it is this that quencheth the Conjugal love of my soul to her bridegroom; my loves are now become very adul∣terous loves: wo, and alas, that I have loved the world, and the things that are in this world, that I have followed my base lusts, and adulteries, and abominations; that in stead of loving Christ, I have loathed him, and whipt him, and scourged him, and cruci∣fied him, and preferred the vilest lust (any sin whatsoever) before the Lord Jesus. And now I am musing of this love of Christ,

alas, I feel it not, or if I feel a little, little love of desire, yet I have no sence, no taste, no relish of that love of complacency; there is no such fire, no flames in my breast towards the Lord Jesus.

3. Wishing.

And yet, O that I could love the Lord Jesus! O that he had my heart! O that now I could bid adieu to all other lovers! O that the Father of love, and the Spirit of love would strike one spark of love from the Promise, to kindle it in the heart of his poor crea∣ture! O that I felt a dilatation of my desires after Christ! that God would stretch them, and widen them to the utmost, that I might love Christ with all my heart, soul and might! O that I were even sick of love! O that I were cast into the melting pangs of a divine Christian love! O my soul, consider the want of Christ, and the worth of Christ! O consider the benefits of Christs death, the sweetness of Christs promises, the pleasantness of his commands, the preciousness of his graces, and above all, the infiniteness of his love, and thou canst not but love him! Consider that soul-ravishing Text, God who is rich in mercy, for his great love where∣with he loved us, even when we were dead sins, hath quickned us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kinde∣ness towards us through Christ Jesus: and thou canst not but cry out with the ardency of affection, with the strength, the zeal of love, O! To him, unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God, and his Father, To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

4. Confession.

O my soul, these are sweet motives: But alas, how dull is thy understanding, how dead thy affections? I clearly see there is no strength at all in thee. O how cold, and weak, and faint, and heartless are these thy wishes! O Christ! I would love thee, but I cannot; I finde no ability in my self to love thee; I am no more able to love thee, then cold water is able to heat it self, O where be those scalding affections to Christ Jesus, which holy men have felt in all ages, and striven to express in their Solilo∣quies? O where is this holy, constant, conjugal love? O where

are those swellings, and throwings, and wrestlings, which others have felt in their bowels? O where be those holy fits, those pangs of love, those love-trances, those Seraphical flames of con∣conjugal affection, which made the Spouse cry out, I am sick of love? Alas, I feel a distemper in my affections; I finde it not so easie to love Christ, as many men think, surely it is a very hard and difficult thing to love the Lord Jesus.

5. Petition.

Come then blessed Lord, and shew thy own self to me, I be∣seech thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me the way that I may know thee: —I beseech thee shew me thy glory;— give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ; let me see the beauties and glorious excellencies, and by this means blow my love into a pure flame, yea advance it to a degree of Angelical sublimity. Surely, Lord, I cannot love what I see not, and therefore anoint mine eyes with thy eye-salve, that I may see thy loveliness, and love thee with my best loves: O kindle, inflame, and inlarge my love, that it may rest largely in thee; inlarge the crany which the Spirit hath bored through the flesh into my Spirit, that I may largely see thee, and so large∣ly love thee; inlarge the arteries and conduit-pipes, by which thou the head and fountain of love flowest into thy members, that being abundantly quickned and watered with the Spirit of love, I may abundantly love thee: and do not onely come much, but come often into me, and let my Spirit often be one Spirit with thee, in communitive and fruitive unions; for such often unions with thy Spirit, will make my Spirit more Spiritual, and the more Spiritual she is, the more will she love thee, the God of all Spirits. Blessed Lord, wilt thou love the image, and shall not the image much more love the patern? O that I were sick of love! that my understanding, will and affections were all over∣flown, overcome and amazed, that my faintings were inflamed towards thee, and even melted into thee! O sweet Jesu, touch my soul with thy Spirit, that vertue may go out of thee into me, and draw me unto thee; let the savour of thy oyntments (whose very breath is love) be ever in my nostrils: Give me the flaggons of the new wine of the kingdom, which may lift up my soul above my self in my loves; give me to forget the low and base loves of this world, and by an heavenly excess, transport me into an

heavenly love, that I may embrace Christ who is the Lord from heaven with a love like himself: O give me to believe, for faith and love grow together, and the stronger my faith, the greater will be my love.

6. Confidence.

And this (sweet Jesu) I am fully perswaded thou wilt do: I believe, Lord help my unbelief; surely thou art God, who canst not lye, and thou hast promised, that the upright shall love thee. O how should I but believe thee? and now thou hast in some sweet measure convinc'd me, now thou beginn'st to warm my heart, and to cast me into a love-trance; now that my Spirit is somewhat raised, my heart in some sort inlarged, my minde in some measure fixed upon thee: I make bold (Lord) to conclude with this Spiritual Epithalamium, Blessed Lord, I am thine, one∣ly thine, ever thine, all that I am is at thy command, and all that I have is at thy disposing; be pleased to command both it and me: I know whatsoever I adventure or lose for thy sake, I shall receive with infinite advantage in thy blessed self. I dare trust my Lord with the best thing that ever he gave me, my precious soul. O my bleeding heart and broken spirit doth languish, in a thirsty love, panting and gasping after thee, my blessed Savior: O let me taste how gracious thou art, by some real experiments in my own heart, smile upon me from heaven, answer me with some assuring whispers of the Spirit of Adoption; Kiss me with the kisses of thy mouth, for thy love is better then wine. O let me bathe my soul in the delicious intimacies of a Spiritul communion with thee my God, that I may for ever adhere unto thee with a sincere constancy, and rest in thee with a love of complacency: for I feel, I finde my soul cast into a longing sweat for thee, and nothing can satisfie the importunate longing of my perplexed soul, but thy own self; for thou art my Lord, my love, my life, and thou art altogether lovely, O my dear Jesu! O my dearest Husband! O these holy fits! O these sweet pangs of love grow upon me apace! Upon a sudden, my King, my Savior, I am even sick of love!

Conclusion.

And now, O my soul, return unto thy rest, for the Lord hath been beneficial unto thee: The reason of thy love is Christs love; Thou lovest him, because he first loved thee. Is it thus, O my

soul? hath the Lord Christ indeed discovered his will, to take thee for his Spouse? What, he that is so holy, to marry such an impure wretch as thou art? O how should this but melt thee in∣to a flame of love? what stirrings of love shouldst thou now feel in thy bowels? how shouldst thou now value him, and prize him, and praise him? how should thy glory now sing praises to him, and not be silent? how shouldst thou admire and wonder, that thou couldst endure to be without Christ so long? that thou couldst so slightly think of Christ heretofore? O my soul, henceforward cling to thy Savior, go out of thy self, and creep to him, and affect not onely union, but very unity with him; bathe thy self hereafter again and again, many and many a time in those delicious intimacies of thy spiritual marriage: And to that purpose (O my soul) if sometimes thy love to thy Savior shall cool, O then sweet Savior look upon me in mercy; one look of thine will awaken my love, and make me weep bitterly, that I have loved thee so little, whom to love sufficiently, my best and mightiest loves are most insufficient: Prevent my seeking with thy seeking, be thou present with me in thy providence and power, when thou seemest to be far off me, in the taste of thy sweetness and fruition of thy loves; and then when I have re∣gained thee, I will hold more hardly, and keep more fastly, and love thee more vehemently, by thy power assisting: Provide a stock of loves in the summer, against winter, if it return any more: Come Lord Jesus, and be as the Roe on the Mountains; my life is hid with thee, O appear quickly, that I may quickly appear with thee in glory, and in the happiness of a consummate marriage: Even so, come Lord Jesus, come quickly, Amen, Amen, Psal. 18. to ver. 7.

Notes

• Cant 6.3.
• Psa. 116.7.
• 1 Iohn 4.13.
• Psal. 42.8.
• Hosea 1.4.
• Phil. 3.8.
• Can. 5.10.16.
• Acts 5.41.
• 1 Cor. 16.22.
• Iude v. 14, 15.
• Psal. 63.1.
• Psal. 42.1, 2.
• Psa. 119.174.
• Cant. 5.8.
• Iohn 8.42. Cant. 1.3.
• Cant. i. 4. 1 Iohn 4.19. Psal. 18.1.
• Prov. 8.21. John 14.21.
• Psal. 119.132.
• Prov. 8.21. Iames 1.12.
• 1 Cor. 3.22, 23.
• Psal. 45.2.
• 1 Iohn 2.15.
• Eph. 2.4.5.6.7.
• Revel. 1.5, 6.
• Cant. 2.5.
• Exod 33 13.18.
• Ephes. 1.17.
• Cant. 1.4.
• Cant. 1.2.
• Psa. 116.7.
• Rev. 22.20.