Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world

USE 3. We should delight in the Word.

A Third Use of the point is this; Is the ministry of the word such, as hath God and Christ speaking in it? Oh then! How should we delight in it? How should we bless God for it? With what greediness should we come to hear at any time? What? is not the voice of Jesus Christ sweet unto us? We have Christ wooing of us, Christ exhorting of us, and Christ comforting of us. When we come to the Word, O! with what readiness, and cheerfulness should we come to hear the voice of Christ? [If you be Godly, Christ doth delight in your voice] when you are gotten alone in your Closets, and can speak but brokenly, O then! your voice is delightful to him: Therefore the voice of Christ should be very delightful unto you. I will give you a Text or two for proof of this; Cant. 2.14. It is a speech of Christ to the Church; O my dove! that are in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs: let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely. O! let me hear thy voice my dove; O! thou that art in the secret places of the stairs; Art thou got alone into a hole to prayer? got alone behind the door in the secret places? (for it is spoken here of the estate of the Church in times of persecution that they dare not come together openly, (howsoever wicked men will rail at them, and say, they get into corners to do thus and thus) but saith Christ, thou that art in the clefts of the rocks; in the secret places of the stairs, let me hear thy voice; for thy voice is sweet, ⟨p. 302⟩and thy countenance is comely. Against in the 4. Cant. 11. Thy lips drop as the honey-comb, O my Spouse! When the Saints speak of Christ, or speak to Christ, their lips do drop before Christ as the honey-comb. Now what an argument is this? Shall thy lips be so sweet to Christ, and shall not Christs lips be as sweet to thee? the Ministry of the word is as if Christ did entreat thee, and beseech thee; O! how sweet should it be to thee if thou hast the Spirit of Christ? the Church of Christ doth answer what Christ said of her lips, and of her Voice, and of her Mouth: so the Church doth answer to Christ in the 5. Cant. mark what the Church saith of his Mouth, what an Echo is here, and an answer to prayer? saith Christ to the Church, Thy lips (O my Spouse) are as the honey-comb: And thy mouth (O my Saviour) is most sweet. In