England faithfully watcht with, in her wounds: or, Christ as a father sitting up with his children in their swooning state

Coloss. 1.18. He is the head of the body, the Church.

SOmethings have a generall glory: look upon a pearl when you will, where you will, and it shines and sparkles upon you: so doth Christ. Christ is looked upon before, in reference to the world, here in reference to such as are taken out of the world; in the former he is looked upon with respect to the crea∣tion, and here with respect to the Church, and in both admired, as great and glorious.

Christ wears a garment without seme, a generall glory, his working-day suit is all full of pearls. Consider Christ under any notion in reference to this world, and you consider him in his working suit, in his countrey cloaths, in his travelling apparell, and yet in this, shining; earth, heaven, the Church, is filled with his glory; he is head in the one, and in other.

Christ makes a similitude between the worlds, between this and that above; there he is all fair, and so he is here; condition suits, as the sunne goes in the same height: we and they above, can see nothing but a perfection in the sunne that shines upon us, and no lesse moves desire amongst us. Man hath an exact eye, though not an exact heart, he will see much, ere he will love a little. Things must be very clean, which you swallow; persons must be very complete and without exception, which we set over us, whatever we be our selves, which are to move under them.

[ 1] The sunne shines in order to draw, and gain. Nature is full of art to cavill; unlesse things have all glory, they have no glo∣ry;

if there be any hole in the coat, love goes out, and gets gone there, but there is none in Christs. Criticks must be con∣vinced, and then they will stand still and consider; perfection makes conviction in the most criticall spirit, and till the soul can tell no longer how to take exception at others, it will not begin to take exception at it self.

[Use.] Sinners we proffer you gold that is tried, gold that hath no drosse, gold that is all gold. Look upon Christ under any no∣tion, and make exception against him if you can; look upon him in reference to his words, and he shines in them all: look upon Christ in reference to the old creation, in reference to the new creation, or in reference to heaven, and what can you ex∣cept against him? nothing. Why do you not love Christ then? It must be because you will not, or because you cannot. Some persons are convinced of the worth of Christ, yet maintain mo∣tion towards other things as dearer, and will do this: your will shall hang you, the thing which you love better then Christ, shall be the gallows. Stubborn hearts, find no compassion; Christ will plead for no man, that will not love him, although he know him, and have other encouragements to draw him on to him. My people would none of me, and I will none of them.

Persons which are overmastered with a bad heart, and can∣not do what they would, find mercy from the Lord, but others are let alone to live as they will, and die in their shame: com∣plaining hearts, Christ is perfect in glory, would you love him? Christ shines in the world, and he shines in the Church, in the Church militant, and in the Church triumphant, he is great every where, would you love him? Yes. This is accepted. Christ accepts according to that you have, and out of this smoke shall come a flame. Holy desires, is Christ conceived in the wombe of the soul, do but stay a little time, and thou wilt feel the babe leap in the wombe, doth it not now? O how strongly doth that soul come to love Christ, which would love him, but cannot.