6. There is no such sleeping but the heart is waking, and breaks out in these acts first, and misses him; he knocks, ⟨p. 238⟩and says, Open; then she knew he was without. They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him, John 20. I sought him, but I found him not, Cant. 3. 2. there is a discerning that it was his knock and breathing. And 2. his voice, My heart waked at the voice of my Beloved. 3. She knew his very words, and repeats them, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, &c. though then sleeping. 4. There is a spiritual wishing; O! if I could open and overcome the temptation of carnal drowsiness; this appears in the Spouses confession of the excuse, he knocked and spake lovely, and I refused rudely to open; I have cast off my coat, this is told by her by way of confession of sin; I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on; for there may from the habit of grace arise an habitual and a conditional desire that the temptation had never assaulted,1 and yet there is an absolute consent to the temptation, and a wish that this sinful pleasure were not astray to the Law; which is in effect a labouring to reconcile my carnal lust and the Lord's holy Law, and it is as if I should say, Ah, if I might enjoy my lawless pleasure, and yet the Lord not be displeased: some sick mans lusts after contradictions that in his fever he might drink wine, and yet be free of a further pain of fever; but all this is but a virtual fretting against God that ever he made such a Law. Eve desired that the falsely supposed Godhead which Satan said should be the reward of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, should have been really and truly in eating that fruit, and that was a clear fretting against the wisdom of God, who made such a law as lays bands upon men, and forbids them to eat of all fruit, Gen. 3. 2, 3. yet would difference be made betwixt the carnal mans wish,2 that he might enjoy his sweet lusts, and not feel the smart of the evil of punishment; and the spiritual mans woulding not to do the evil that he hates, Rom. 7. 15, 16. and yet he does it, and so virtually desires there were nothing offensive and displeasing to God in it. 4. From this habit it is that the Spouse sends commendation to absent Christ (to speak so) and desires the daughters of Jerusalem to tell him that she is sick of love for him, Cant. 5. 8. 5.
6. There is no such sleeping but the heart is waking, and breaks out in these acts first, and misses him; he knocks, ⟨p. 238⟩and says, Open; then she knew he was without. They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him, John 20. I sought him, but I found him not, Cant. 3. 2. there is a discerning that it was his knock and breathing. And 2. his voice, My heart waked at the voice of my Beloved. 3. She knew his very words, and repeats them, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, &c. though then sleeping. 4. There is a spiritual wishing; O! if I could open and overcome the temptation of carnal drowsiness; this appears in the Spouses confession of the excuse, he knocked and spake lovely, and I refused rudely to open; I have cast off my coat, this is told by her by way of confession of sin; I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on; for there may from the habit of grace arise an habitual and a conditional desire that the temptation had never assaulted,1 and yet there is an absolute consent to the temptation, and a wish that this sinful pleasure were not astray to the Law; which is in effect a labouring to reconcile my carnal lust and the Lord's holy Law, and it is as if I should say, Ah, if I might enjoy my lawless pleasure, and yet the Lord not be displeased: some sick mans lusts after contradictions that in his fever he might drink wine, and yet be free of a further pain of fever; but all this is but a virtual fretting against God that ever he made such a Law. Evah desired that the falsly supposed Godhead which Satan said should be the reward of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, should have been really and truly in eating that fruit, and that was a clear fretting against the wisedom of God, who made such a law as laies bands upon men, and forbids them to eat of all fruit, Gen. 3. 2, 3. yet would difference be made betwixt the carnal mans wish,2 that he might enjoy his sweet lusts, and not feel the smart of the evil of punishment; and the spiritual mans woulding not to do the evil that he hates, Rom. 7. 15, 16. and yet he does it, and so virtually desires there were nothing offensive and displeasing to God in it. 4. From this habit it is that the Spouse sends commendation to absent Christ (to speak so) and desires the daughters of Jerusalem to tell him that she is sick of love for him,
- 1There is a consenting to the temptation, which is a wishing that our lust and Gods Law might both stand, and a virtual wishing that the Law of God had never had being.
- 2Eight evidences that in the regenerate the saving habit of grace never ceaseth from omitting some influences.
