Heart may not mifs any of that Comfort, that Joy that drops in the Word!

Sixthly, The Lord is pleafed to give us by Drops, and not in fuch full Measure as is defired, that they may be the more endeared to Jefus Chrift. It is the whole Work of a Believer, though he ufe Means, yet to live on Chrift: Adam's Nature is too much in us, we think we have Stock enough, like the Prodigal, Give me my Portion and I will be gone; fo we think we have enough of our own: And if we have inlarged Hearts, inlarged Defires, we are apt to reft on Ordinances more than Chrift: But when the Soul fees nothing, neither Ordinances nor Duties can help it, then it refts on Chrift, then it lives above all upon Chrift; they use all Means they may to enjoy Chrift, they wou'd leave no stone unturn'd (as the Spouse) that they may meet with Christ, Cant. iii 2. I will rife now and go about the City; in the Streets, and in the broad Ways will I feek him whom my Soul loveth: I fought him but I found him not. The Spouse ufed all Means, fecret Duty, publick Duty, all Ways to meet with Chrift, but she could not prevail 'till Chrift revealed himself to her.

Seventhly, The Lord is pleased thus to give to us, that we may be more thankful for every Shower of Grace.

So much for the fecond Particular; the Soul muft needs live a growing Life that lives on Christ, because Chrift comes down as Rain on the Soul; and although the Soul does not find thofe Manifeftations that it defires, yet the Lord intends nothing but Good towards it.

Thirdly, They that live this Life of Faith, that defire Chrift in all, and live on him in all, Jefus

Jefus Chrift will, through his Grace, make them live a fruitful Life, becaufe Chrift is to them a glorious Sun of Righteoufnefs: As he is Rain from Heaven, fo he is the Sun of Righteoufnels; the Believer lives under the warming divine Beams of this glorious Sun. For me to live is Chrift; to live under his divine Beams of Grace, to have my Eye fix'd on this glorious Sun of Righteoufnels, to have my Aims and Ends, and my Eye fingly fix'd upon him; therefore the Believer that by Faith lives on him must needs live a fruitful Life, Mal. iv. 2. But unto you that fear. my Name foall the Sun of Righteousness arife with. bealing under bis Wings; and you shall go forth and grow up as Calves of the Stall. Unto you that fear my Name.

Firft, You have the Perfons that enjoy this great Privilege, thofe that fear the Lord, to wit, Believers, diftinguished from all others.

Secondly, The Author of this Glory, the Lord Jefus Chrift.

Thirdly, The Mercy they fhall receive from him.

He fhall arife with healing under his Wings upon fuch as fear bis Name. This general Mercy hath three glorious Manifeftations.

First, He rifes with bealing under his Wings: Chrift makes healthful Souls; the Believer hath an healthful Soul.

Secondly, Here is Liberty to the Soul, they fball go forth; one that knows not Chrift is in Bondage; but they shall go forth.

Thirdly, Here is their Growth, they shall grow up as Calves of the Stall; upon them that fear the Lord the Sun of Righteoufnefs fhall rife with healing under his Wings. Though the Believer H 2 fometimes

fometimes may have his doubting Fits, his Defpondency many Times, yet the Sun of Righteoufnefs will not let him perifh for want of healing; he will rife with healing under bis Wings.

First, The Lord Jefus Chrift heals the Souls of Believers with his Spirit, when he pours out his Spirit into their Souls; comfort ye, comfort ye my People, I will fend the Comforter to you. To a poor doubting, drooping, defponding Believer, the Lord Jefus Chrift rifes with healing under his Wings, he fends him a divine Cordial from Heaven, he fends a Drop from his own Heart; the Spirit of God comes and heals the Soul. When the Difciples were under Trouble, the Holy Ghoft is promifed, I will fend you the Comforter: Though it is a dark Day, though you think you fhall never bear your Burden, yet I will fend the Holy Ghoft that fhall be a Comforter, that fhall lead you in all Truth, that fhall be better than my Prefence: So the poor Spouse, her very Bowels were turned within, her very Heart was broken: I opened to my Beloved and he was gone; my Soul fainted, my Heart melted: What then? Did he leave any thing behind him? Yes: He left Myrrh upon the Handle of the Lock; he did not only leave a Lock and Key, he did not leave an Heart without Faith, nor an Heart without fome Peace, nor an Heart without Joy, nor an Heart without Comfort. A Soul that is under the Law, when he hath done a Duty, is dead and hard ftill; but the Lord Jefus Chrift leaves Myrrh upon the Handle of the Lock; though he was gone and left her wounded, he left her Balfam to heal her. Whenever the Lord Jefus

Chrift

Chrift leaves his People, he leaves Myrrh behind him, My Beloved put in his Hand by the Hole of the Door, and my Bowels were moved for him. Cant. V. 4.

First, Chrift heals with his Spirit.

Second'y, Chrift heals with his Merits.

When a Believer is under Trouble and Fear, this precious Blood of Christ comes fresh to then, and is applied to them; they overcame by the Blood of the Lamb. When a poor Soul goes mourning, wifhing, longing, O that I knew that Chrift were mine! Then Chrift comes with his glorious Merit, with his precious Blood he comes and heals the Soul, comes and applies that Blood, in whom we have Redemption through his Blood, the Remif fion of Sin, Ephef. i. 7.

Thirdly, The Lord Jefus Chrift heals the Soul with his Righteoufnefs.

When a Soul finds itself in a naked Condition, (as it were) it cannot draw nigh to God, it can. not look up to God, it cannot speak chearfully of God, nor thank God for Riches of Redemption, fearing Chrift is none of his; the Lord Jefus Chrift reveals his Grace and Redemption; and the Soul faith, The Lord is my Righteousness; the Lord Jefus Chrift heals all the Faculties of

the Soul.

Firft, He heals the Understanding: Though the Believer hath true Knowledge of Chrift, yet he may be in the Dark; when he ftands behind the Wall, the Believer cannot fee him. The Lord Jefus Chrift is pleafed by his holy Spirit to enlighten the Understanding, to fee how glorious and beautiful this Sun of Righteoufnefs is: As the Sun is the Glory of the World, fo Chrift is the Glory of the Soul. As the Sun is Speculum Mundi,

H 3

Mundi, fo Chrift is Speculum Anima; all the fpiritual Light that the Soul enjoys comes in and through Chrift. Pfal. xxxvi. 9. For with thee is the Fountain of Light, in thy Eight we fall fee Light; fo that I fay, this glorious Sun of Righteoufnefs heals the Understanding; he opens the blind Eyes, and leads the Blind in a Way they knew not. The glorious Gofpel is the Chariot that the Sun of Righteoufnefs rides in, that brings immortal Life to Light through the Gofpel: But what would the Gofpel be without the Sun of Righteoufnefs, 2 Tim. i. 10. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, who bath abolished Death, and bath brought Life and Immortality to Light by the Gofpel. What would a Gofpel be without a Chrift? It would be as a Box without a Pearl; it would be as a Glafs without Quick-filver; nay, a poor Soul would have no Eyes to fee this Glafs, were it not that Christ shines into the Soul: Before Chrift comes, every Soul is fhut up as in a dark Dungeon, and can fee nothing; but when this glorious Sun doth fhine with his glorious Beams on the Soul, how does the Soul fee his Beauty and Excellency! Then it may be faid, that the Light of the Lord is rifen upon them, Ifa. lx. 1. Arife, fbine, for thy Light is come, and the Glory of the Lord is revealed. When a poor doubting Believer hath the Revelation of this Sun of Righteoufnefs, when he fhines on the Soul with the divine Beams of his Grace, with the divine Beams of his Love, with the divine Beams of Comfort, with divine Beams of Peace, this Sun of Righteousness is united unto a Believer: We cant have a dark World while we have the Sun; our Horizon cannot be dark while we have the glorious Sun in it: So Christ