When the favour of divine grace has diffused its power through the mind, then the finner fays, what must I do to be faved? he then fpeaks of divine things, prays feelingly for divine mercy, by fmiting upon his breaft, and faying, God be merciful to me a finner. But rather the favour of the good ointment may denote the lively fenfe of divine grace upon the mind; or the Chriítian's receiving a full flow of confolation from CHRIST, whereby his thoughts and affections are in the most savoury manner confecrated to God.

The favour of these ointments may denote the fragrant and odoriferous death of CHRIST, which is faid to be a fweet fmel ling favour to God, Eph. v. 2. Likewife it may denote the fweet favour that the death of CHRIST communicates to the mind, which is bofom-communion with GOD, in all the bleffings of his everlasting love.

Friendly. But wherein is grace like unto ointment!

Truth. For its precioufnefs and value; the ointment under the law was called precious, because it was made of the principal fpices, Pfal. cxxxiii. 2. It is like the precious ointment, &c. So grace is inconceivably precious; to have an intereft in the favour of GOD, the grace of our LORD JESUS, and the comforts of the HOLY GHOST, what a fum of happiness is contained therein! it was this which made the Pfalmift fay, How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the fum of them!

Ointment rejoiceth the heart, Prov. xxvii. 9. therefore used in feaftings, Pfal. xxiii. 5.-So the grace of God rejoiceth the foul, with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, especially at the feast of communion with its GoD, which filleth the foul with all heavenly, feraphic, glorified joy, and peace in believ ing; fuch for nature and kind as the faints in glory poffefs.

Grace may be compared to ointment, for its foftening and mollifying nature; it is not only foftening to finners, whole hearts are by nature as hard as adamant, but to the faints, who are often hardened through the deceitfulness of fin; whereas fresh supplies of pardoning blood melts their fouls, and makes them flexible; their hearts thereby become tender, and in a fuitable frame to enjoy fellowship with GOD.

As ointment preserves from rottennefs and putrefaction, so the grace of CHRIST is the fovereign prefervative of the foul from the putrid nature of fin; for without the ointment of grace, fin would fpread its putrefaction throughout all our thoughts, words, and actions, we fhould become nothing but rottennefs and filthinefs before GoD and man; on which

account this ointment is faid to be good ointment; good in nature and effects, as it makes the heart, life, and converfation of the Christian good towards GoD. And it is that which spreads fuch fweetnefs, odours, and fragrancy upon the name of CHRIST, that thy name, faith the church, is as ointment poured forth. Now when ointment is poured out, it fendeth forth a richness, favour, and fragrancy, John xii. 3. And the houfe was filled with the odour of the ointment; fo when the perfonal, relative, and mediatorial names of CHRIST are poured forth in the miniftration of the word, enriched with all the grace of the Godhead, perfumed with all the precious odours of his blood, death, and facrifice, O how fweet and lovely then is the name of CHRIST to a believing foul! it is as though the fpoufe had faid, "Thy name, perfon, and charac "ter, O my beloved, is fo enriched with grace, peace, and "life, with all the immenfity and plenitude of heaven, that "it is as ointment poured forth! it conveys fuch life, fragrancy, sweetness, and richness, that my foul is engaged "and delighted!" Upon which account, fhe adds, in the greateft fervency of mind, "O draw me, by the glories of thy perfon, charms of thy countenance, odours of thy grace, "fweets of thy promifes, precioufnefs of thy bleffings, and joys of falvation. O draw my heart to thee! By the bonds "of thy precious blood, facred ties of thy death, by all the "power and fragrancy of thy love, draw me, and I will run. "after thee!" Thefe ardent defires of the church carry in them the strongest proof of that delight fhe takes in communion and fellowship with her beloved.

Friendly. As in communion it is the property of love to grant the defires of the mind, I would here enquire whether the church's requeft was granted?

Truth. Yes; for fuch is the love that CHRIST bears to his people, that their earnest defires after divine bleffings are the birth of the enjoyment of the blefings prayed for; therefore the Lord JESUS reprefents himself to his fpoufe under a beautiful metaphor, Cant. ii. 1. I am the rofe of Sharon, and the lily of the valley.

Friendly. Wherein does this metaphor fhew forth the glory of CHRIST's perfon?

Truth. First, Hereby he fets forth the sweetness of his prefence, a rose is one of the sweetest flowers that grows; and by CHRIST faying, I am the Rofe of Sharon, it denotes that the pring, communication, and life of fweetness was in him.

Secondly, By his being compared to the Rofe of Sharon, it

denotes, that fuper-excellency there is in CHRIST above all others; as the field of Sharon produced the most precious roles in all the earth, fo the sweetness that is produced from CHRIST'S perfon, blood, and obedience is the moft fragrant and precious in all the world. Sharon was a very fruitful and pleasant field of pasture, 1 Chron. xxvii. 29. and when the Lord threatened defolation to the land of Ifrael, he does it by faying, that this fruitful plain should become a wilderness, Ifa. xxxiii. 9. and on the other hand, when he promifed to blefs the land, to the joy of his people, he afferts, that Sharon fhould be a fold of flocks, and that he would give them the excellency of Sharon, a. xxxv. 2. all which denote the excellency of the place, as the field of fields, and points out the value of the fruit, especially the flowers. As CHRIST compares himself to the mot precious flower of this field, it therefore denotes that the church's beloved is the moft fweet, precious, and glorious beloved; that there is none like, nor to compare with him.

Thirdly By CHRIST's comparing himself to a rofe, to the best of roses, it denotes, that he is the chief and bofom-delight of his faints. As roles, especially the beft of them, are gathered and put into the bofom, being efteemed for their fra grancy and fweetness, fo the Chriftian, if I may fo express it, gathers CHRIST as the rose of heaven from the promifes of his word, and placeth him in his bofom, in the warm and fervent affections of his foul. And as a rofe affords a fweet fragrancy, and is an ornament to the bofom, fo CHRIST (having all the fragrancy of heaven) affords a delicious (weetness to the mind, whofe garments fmell of myrrh and aloes, and is the greatest orna ment in the Chriftian's esteem; whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee.

Some think the metaphor fo full and fignificative, that they apprehend it denotes the fublime heights of glory-communion with his faints, and is as though CHRIST had faid, I am the rofe of heaven, and the fragrancy of glory.

Friendly. But what may I apprehend by CHRIST's compar ing himself to the lily of the valley?

Truth. As CHRIST, by the comparison of the Rofe of Sharon, defcribed his glory, fragrancy, and fweetness, fo by the lily he fets forth his beauty and perfection.

First, CHRIST may be compared to a lily for purity, beauty, perfection, and fragrancy. As that flower has a purity pecu diar to itfelf, therefore it is become a proverbial speech, ar white as a lily; fo our LORD JESUS, as to his effential purity, is infinitely glorious in holiness; the purity of his human nature

is moft confummate, as his conception, birth, life, and death, was a perfection of purity in thought, word, and deed. He did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth; which rendered all his actions equal to the demands of the holy law, and thereby they became meritorious to the accomplishment of our falvation.

Secondly, CHRIST may be compared to a lily for beauty and perfection. The right lily of the valley is a beautiful flower; and naturalifts fay, "It is a flower of an excellent clear colour, furnished with beauteous accomplishments, being in "the form of a bell, and within them there are feven grains, "all of them of the colour of gold," and our Lord faith, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of thefe; all which fet off its perfection and beauty. So that by CHRIST comparing himself to a lily, he meant to commend his beauty and perfection to his fpoufe, who is, in his human nature, the beauties of holiness, and if confidered as God-Man, is the perfection of glory.

Thirdly, The lily of the valley is the most fragrant flower; naturalifts fay, that its odours are fo ftrong, they, by their fcent, overcome the fenfes. This then denotes the ftrength, power, and fragrancy of the prefence and grace of CHRIST with his people; that when it is his pleafure to fhed abroad his love in their hearts, fo powerful is the fenfation, that they are ready to fay with the fpoufe, Stay me with flaggons, comfort me with apples, for I am fick with love.

Fourthly, By CHRIST'S comparing himself to the lily of the valley, is fhewn his condefcenfion to dwell with humble fouls; To this man (faith he) will I look, to him that is of an humble heart, and of a contrite fpirit. It is to fuch, CHRIST manifests himfelf, and delights to dwell with; with fuch who are brought into the valley of humiliation on account of their mifery by fin, that he may illuftrate the riches of his grace in their redemption and falvation.

Friendly. Why doth CHRIST thus manifeft himself to his

church?

Truth. To fhew the generofity and kindness of his heart to her, that he is not only condefcending, but as liberal in his favours as her foul can defire; he will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from her; that her foul may find confummate fatisfaction in him, who is the chiefeft among ten thousand.

CHRIST manifefts himself thus to his church, that he may powerfully engage her to delight in him, and to make reci

procal returns of love to him; we find, that no fooner had. CHRIST faid unto his fpoufe, As the lily among thorns, fs is my love among the daughters, but the inftantly, in rapture, returns love for love, As the apple-tree among the trees of the word, fo is my beloved among the fons. I fat down under bis fhadow with great delight, and his fruit was fweet to my taste.

Friendly. Wherein does this metaphorical defcription of CHRIST fet forth her love to him?

Truth. Firft, as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood is very scarce, and rarely found there, fo CHRIST is a very rare and valuable bleffing, there are but few that know him, have any fpiritual acquaintance with him by faith, or any fellowship with him through believing: it is this which makes CHRIST fo valuable, when found, like the apple-tree among trees of the wood. He being fo uncommon, choice, and precious, is therefore called the pearl of great price, and faid to be more precious than rubies; which made the apostle, gratefully fay, Thanks be unto God for his unfpeakable gift.

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Secondly, As the apple-tree exceeds all the trees of the wood, fo far, and intenfely more, does the Lord JESUS exceed every other being, whether men or angels, there being none to be compared to him, and in the defcription of whom the fpoufe might juftly fay, "As the apple-tree is more precious, fruitful, valuable than all the trees of the wood, fo is my "beloved more precious, glorious, and tranfcendently valuable than all heaven and earth befides. What are all the trees of the "wood in comparison to the apple-tree? fo, what is heaven, or the heaven of beavens; what are angels or archangels, cherubims or feraphims, though they are happy fpirits of an exalted na"ture; or what are faints around the throne, though the spirits "of the juft made perfect, when compared to my beloved? In "fhort, what is the fun, though a bright and refulgent lumina

ry, whofe beams diffufe light, life, and gladness through the "univerfe; or what is the moon, whofe filver rays direct the "lonefome traveller's feet; or what are all the planetary worlds, "fuppofe they are replete with inhabitants, much fuperior "than thofe of Adam's race; or, to give imagination its un"known flight, we fuppofe, with our modern philofophers, "that there are millions of worlds in the boundaries of un"known space, and all these tenanted with beings more glo"rious than angels; what are all thefe to my beloved, whole

glory the heaven of heavens cannot contain? My beloved ex"ceeds them all infinitely more than the apple-tree does the