4. When the Lord withdraws, seek again and again, be sick after him, Cant. 3. 1, 2, 3. Cant. 7. 6, 7, 8. Joh. 20. 1, 2, 3, 13. and know that Christ is never so absent, but there may be also much cause of praising and humble blessing God, if there be love-sickness for him, hunger after him, and a spiritual missing of him, as there is reason to complain of the withdrawing of his influences; For Cant. 3. when Christ is absent, he is not absent; the soul is shined upon when the soul is overclouded,1 for it is noon-day at mid-night; he is absent as to feeling, as to finding, and quiet enjoying. I sought him, but I found him not; and again, I sought, him, but I found him not: but he is strongly present and shining, as to influences of grace. 1. In painful seeking in the bed by night, Cantic. chap. 3. ver. 1. ⟨p. 119⟩2. In and about the broad streets and ways, v. 2. 3. In using public means; watch-men, saw ye him? v. 3. 4. In using other means in private. I went a little further. 5. In holy missing. I found him not, v. 1. I found him not, v. 2. In holy finding, v. 4. I found him. 6. And all the while his presence is mighty in the soul-love to him. I sought him whom my soul loved, four times expressed, v. 1. v. 2. v. 3. v. 4. so that the gleaning is better then the full harvest, the mid-night absence hath as many sweet privileges as the noon days presence. A sinners seeking, loving, and longing and languishing after lost Christ is Heaven upon Earth; his pawns he leaves behind him are rich and sweet; nor can one be out of Heaven in a better desertion then missing and seeking the face of Jacob's God, Psal. 24. 6. Psal. 27. 8. Jer. 50. 4. so groundless often is our complaining that we want Christ, that Christ guides and tutors us badly, that he mis-guides rather. Ah, how sinfully querulous are we? he does all things well, his absence is presence, his frownings sweet and profitable. Yet is not this spoken to cool our fervour of seeking when we miss him, and find him not, but rather we are to go on; not to say any thing of Law-smiting and of Law-firings of the soul under apprehended wrath, especially that which hath Gospel-hope, and Gospel-sickness after Christ conjoined with them;2 Rom. 7. The Law slew me. The Law kills no man who is under Christ out of hand, yea to such as are under grace somewhat of the Gospel-heaven cleaves to the Law-hell.
4. When the Lord withdraws, seek again and again, be sick after him, Cant. 3. 1, 2, 3. Cant. 7. 6, 7, 8. Joh. 20. 1, 2, 3, 13. and know that Christ is never so absent, but there may be also much cause of praising and humble blessing God, if there be love-sickness for him, hunger after him, and a spiritual missing of him, as there is reason to complain of the withdrawing of his influences; For Cant. 3. when Christ is absent, he is not absent; the soul is shined upon when the soul is overclouded,1 for it is noon-day at mid-night; he is absent as to feeling, as to finding, and quiet enjoying. I sought him, but I found him not; and again, I sought, him, but I found him not: but he is strongly present and shining, as to influences of grace. 1. In painful seeking in the bed by night, Cantic. chap. 3. ver. 1. ⟨p. 119⟩2. In and about the broad streets and ways, v. 2. 3. In using publick means; watch-men, saw ye him? v. 3. 4. In using other means in private. I went a little further. 5. In holy missing. I found him not, v. 1. I found him not, v. 2. In holy finding, v. 4. I found him. 6. And all the while his presence is mighty in the soul-love to him. I sought him whom my soul loved, four times expressed, v. 1. v. 2. v. 3. v. 4. so that the gleaning is better then the full harvest, the mid-night absence hath as many sweet priviledges as the noon days presence. A sinners seeking, loving, and longing and languishing after lost Christ is Heaven upon Earth; his pawns he leaves behind him are rich and sweet; nor can one be out of Heaven in a better desertion then missing and seeking the face of Jacob's God, Psal. 24. 6. Psal. 27. 8. Jer. 50. 4. so groundless often is our complaining that we want Christ, that Christ guides and tutors us badly, that he mis-guides rather. Ah, how sinfully querulous are we? he does all things well, his absence is presence, his frownings sweet and profitable. Yet is not this spoken to cool our fervour of seeking when we misse him, and find him not, but rather we are to go on; not to say any thing of Law-smiting and of Law-firings of the soul under apprehended wrath, especially that which hath Gospel-hope, and Gospel-sickness after Christ conjoyned with them;
- 1Christs absence is sometimes as good as his presence.
- 2We are not to strive with the Law.
