In the request, note first, the Person whom he implores, Othou whom, &c.

Secondly, the request itself, which is two fold.

1. That Jefus Chrift would fhew her where he feeds his Flock with his holy Word and Sacraments; to the end that he would feed her, as he fed the Flocks of former times.

1 2. Where he provides shelter and shade in the heat of Perfecution? as the manner of Shepherds was in these hot Countries, to drivetheir fheep to hide in the heat of the day.

And lafily, the Reafon: For why fhould I be as one that turneth afide by the Flocks of thy Companions? So that if Chrift do it not, it will not be for his Honour, not yet for her good.

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Fire, For the Perfon to whom the feeketh for direction and fure comfort, it is Chrift Je fus the Saviour and Redeemer of his Church and People, whom he defcribeth thus: 0 thou whom my Soul loveth, &c, That is to fay, O Lord Jefus Chrift, my only Saviour and Re deemer, whom I love with all my Heart; yea whom I love most earnestly above all the World. So as if the Question were asked, what I love beft in all the World; I fpeak it from my heart, It is thou Lord alone.

Hence we learn with what affection every child of God and true Believer mult love our Saviour Chrift; Namely, with the greateft and ftrongest affection of love they can: So as if it were asked, what or whom doft thou love. moft? Thou canft truly fay with the Church here

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here, The Lord J fus Chrift, Othou whom nay Soul loveth. So did Sr. Peter, whofe Love was fo great that he died for Chrift: So that he might very well fay to Chrift, when he asked him this Queftion, whether he did love him or not? Tea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Job. 21.15.The like is to be feen in Mary, whofe Love was fo great to Chrift, Thit in Teftimony thereof the washed his feet with her Tears, and wiped them with the Hair of her Head; fo that Chrift gives this Teftimony of her, to her everlafting Praife, That he loved much: So doth the Church and Spoufe of Chrift teftifie her love to her Husband, in divers places of this molt worthy Book, calling Chrift Jefus her beloved: My Beloved fpake, and faid, &c. And again, Stay me with Flaggons, and comfort me with Apples, for I am fick of Love, Cant. 2. 5. Yea, it is a precept given by the Lord God himself, that he muft have the chiefeft Love, and the firft Room in our Hearts, Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God, with all thy Heart, with all thy Soul, and with all thy Might, Deut. 6. 5. The Lord will not be fatisfied with the Love of our Eyes, to behold his Works; the Love of the Ear, to liften to his Word; the Love of the Tongue, to talk of him; the Love of the Feet, to go to the Sanctuary, but the Lord requires all these Loves toge her in one. So as a Man may truly fay with David the Prophet, Whom bave I in Hea ven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that Ide fire befides thee. Pfalm 73. 25. The Lord allows not that a man fhould have two Hearts,

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one for God, another for the Devil; we can. not ferve God and Mammon: we must not part our Love to the World, the Flesh and the Devil; divided it must not be, Chrift must have it all. Now the Reafons are divers, to fhew with what an ardent affction we must love Jefus Chrift.

Firf, because he is our Husband, and we are his Spoufe, for fo faith the Prophet, Ifaiah 54.5. For thy Maker is thy Husband, the Lord of Holts is his Name: And again, Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him, for the Mar riage of the Lamb is come, and his Wife bath made her felf ready. Rev. 19. 7. Now our Spiritual Service and Worship of God is (as it were) a certain Marriage of our Souls unto God, when we take upon us the profeffion of Chrift Jefus, as in Baptifm, then we betroth our felves to Chrift as to an Husband, entring into Covenant with Chrift to keep only to him unto our lives end. So then, by this means the Lord is be come our Husband, and we his Spouse. Now tben, as an honeft man cannot endure that another thould have an intereft in his Wife, fo will not Chrift endure that another should have with him any interefl or portion in his Church. For he is a Fealous God. Excdus 20. 4,5. So 3 then the force of the Reafon ftandeth thus: 1 God's People which are Married unto Chrift, must love Chrift alone, because we are linked and Married unto him alone, as a Wife to her Husband, unto whom alone fhe is bound.

Therefore if we forfake the Lord, and break
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the

the Promise we made to him in Baptifm, and betroth our felves unto others, then will he caft us off, give us a Bill of Divorcement, as fhamelefs Strumpets, and punish us for our unthankfulness.

Secondly, He loved us first and best, and ac cording to that of St. John 4 19 We love him, because he fi ft loved us. Yea, he loved us fir when we were his Enemies, and had made a voluntary feparation between him and our Souls, committing Spiritual Fornication with Sin and Satan. Yea, as the Apoftle Paul witneffeth, Eph. 2.1. You bath be quickned who were dead in Sin. And left he fhould any whit doubt of his love, he hath manifefted it in that He washed us from our Sins in his own Blood, Rev. 1. 5. O then, greater Love than this can no man fhew! Chrift loved us firft: and he invites us to love him, and fhall not we love him again? It is a great fin of ingratitude, not to love where we are beloved for our good. And therefore being Chrift hath loved thy Soul fo dearly, as to fuffer a curfed death, yea, to shed his own Blood to fave thy Soul, Oh, how oughteft thou to love Chrift again? If a Man were taken by the Turks, and put to extream flvery and bondage, where he thould remain for ever, unless a great Sum of Money were paid for his Ranfom, which he is never able to pay, how miferable and grievous were the 'eftate of this Man! But if one fhould come out of meer love and affection unto him, pitying his Mife ry and Misfortune, and should pay his Ranfom,

and

and fet him free, who can exprefs how much this poor wretch were bound unto him? We are all taken Prifoners, and that not by the Turks, which only can hold us in Temporal Bondage, but by the Subtilty of Satan the Prince of Darkness: Where we fhould have endured not a Temporal, but a Spiritual and Eternal Bondage and Slavery and that in Hell for evermore; and nothing but only the Blood of the Son of God could pay our Ransom.

Oh,how fhould this work upon the affections of every Chriftian Man and Woman, and even bind us to love Chrift again: Now, what could move Chrift, but only his love to givehimself to death for us? Surely, nothing that was in us. But God who is rich in Mercy, for bis great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in fin, but quickned us together with Chrift, by whofe Grace ye are faved, Eph. 2. 4. And again, 1 John 3. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us. In whom (faid the Apoftle) we have Redemption thro' his Blood! Eph. 1. 7. And therefore the love that Chrift Jefus hath firft fhewed unto us, mußt congrain us to love Carift again.

And last of all, becaufe Chrift Jefus is the moft excellent in himself, and therefore moft worthy of our refpect, for fo faith the Churok of God, My beloved is White and Ruddy, the chiefe ft of Ten Thoufund. In the World we fee it common, that fome are beloved, because they are fair and beautiful, fome because they Ks

are