The Sifford Sojournal

4. Hence we have also an use of trial. Whosoever are Christ’s, they have hearts to give themselves to him.

As he gives himself, not his goods or his honours, but himself for his church, so the church gives herself to Christ. My delight is in him; he has myself, my heart, my love and affection, my joy and delight, and all with myself.

If I have any honour, he shall have it. I will use it for his glory. My riches I will give them to him and his church and ministry and children, as occasion shall serve. I am his, therefore all that I have is his, if he ask it at my hands.

It is said of the Macedonians, they gave themselves to Christ, and then their riches and goods, 2 Cor. 8:5. It is an easy matter to give our riches to Christ when we have given ourselves first.

A Christian, as soon as ever he becomes a Christian, and ever after, to death, and in death too, he gives up himself to Christ. They that stand with Christ, and will give this or that particular, will part only with idle things that they may spare, are they Christ’s? No. A Christian gives himself and all his to Christ.

So we see here what we should do if Christ be ours. Let us give up ourselves to him, as it is in Rom. 12:1. The issue of all that learned profound discourse in the former part of the epistle, that Christ justifies us by his righteousness and merit, and sanctifies us by his Spirit, and has predestinated and elected us, and refused others, is this, ‘I beseech you, give up your bodies and souls, and all as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.’

In brief, these words imply renunciation and resignation. ‘I am his,’ that is, I have given up myself to him, therefore I renounce all others that stand not with his love and liking. I am not only his by way of service, which I owe him above all that call for it, but I am his by way of resignation. If he will have me die, I will die. If he will have me live here, I will. I have not myself to dispose of any longer. I have altogether alienated myself from myself. I am his to serve him, his to be disposed of by him. I have renounced all other.

Therefore here we have another answer to Satan, if he come to us and solicit us to sin. Let the Christian’s heart make this answer, I am not mine own.

What has Satan and his instruments to do with me? Is my body his to defile? Is my tongue his to swear at his pleasure? Shall I make the temple of God the member of an harlot? As the apostle reasons, ‘Shall I defile my vessel with sin?’ 1 Cor. 6:15. What says converted Ephraim? ‘What have I any more to do with idols? for I have seen and observed him?’ Hos. 14:8.

We ought to have such resolutions ready in our hearts. Indeed, when a Christian is resolute, the world counts such to be lost. He is gone. We have lost him, say your dissolute, profane persons. It is true they have lost him indeed, for he is not his own, much less theirs, any longer. But he is found to God and himself and the church.

Thus we see what springs from this, that Christ is ours, and that we are Christ’s back again. Let us carry this with us even to death; and if times should come that God should honour us by serving himself of us in our lives, if Christ will have us spend our blood, consider this, I am not mine own in life nor death, and it is my happiness that I am not my own.

For if I were mine own, what should I do with myself? I should lose myself, as Adam did. It is therefore my happiness that I am not mine own, that I am not the world’s, that I am not the devil’s, that none else hath to do with me, to claim any interest in me, but I am Christ’s.

If I do anything for others, it is for Christ’s sake. Remember this for the time to come. If there be anything that we will not part with for Christ’s sake, it will be our bane [deadly poison, destruction]. We shall lose Christ and it too. If we will not say with a perfect spirit, I am his, my life, my credit, my person is his, anything his; look what we will not give for him, at length we shall lose and part with it and him too.

‘He is altogether lovely.’

To conclude this point, let us try our affections by the church’s affections in this place, whether Christ be so lovely to us or not. It is said, ‘There is no beauty in him when we shall see him, and he was despised of men,’ Isa. 53:2.

He was so, in regard of his cross and sufferings, to the eye of the world and of carnal men. Herod scorned him; when Pilate sent him to him, made nobody of him, as the word in the original is. They looked upon the outside of Christ in the flesh when he was abased. ‘There was no form nor beauty in him,’ saith the Holy Ghost, that is, to the sight of carnal men; but those that had the sight of their sins with spiritual eyes, they could otherwise judge of Christ. The poor centurion saw an excellency in him when he said, ‘He was not worthy that he should come under his roof,’ Mat. 8:8. The poor thief saw the excellency of Christ upon the cross in those torments. ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom,’ Luke 23:42.

So those souls that were enlightened, that had the sight of their misery and the sight of God’s love in Christ, had a high esteem of Christ in his greatest abasement. Therefore, if we have a mean [low] esteem of the children of God as contemptible persons, and of the ordinances of God as mean [low] things, and of the government of Christ (such as he hath left in his word) as base, it is an argument of a sinful, unworthy disposition. In such a soul Christ hath never been effectually by his Spirit; for everything in him is lovely, even the bitterest thing of all. There is a majesty and excellency in all things of Christ. The censures of the church are excellent when they proceed and issue forth with judgment, as they should do, ‘to deliver such a man over to Satan, that he may be saved in the day of the Lord,’ 1 Cor. 5:5.

Now, if the ordinances of Christ, the word and sacraments, and the shutting sinners [the notorious ones, as noted in the last paragraph] out of the church, if these things be vilified as powerless things, it shews a degenerate, wicked heart, not acquainted with the ways of God.

If we have a mean [low] esteem of men that suffer for Christ and stand out for him, if we account them so and so, shall we think ourselves Christians in the mean time? When Christ is altogether lovely, shall they be unlovely that carry the image of Christ? Can we love him that begets, and hate them that are begotten of him? Can we love Christ, and hate Christians? It cannot be.

Now, that we may get this affection and esteem of Christ that is so lovely,

Let us labour to make our sins bitter and loathsome, that Christ may be sweet.

Quest. What is the reason we set no higher a price of Christ?

1. Ans. Because we judge not of ourselves as we are indeed, and want [lack] spiritual eye-salve to see into ourselves rightly.
   
   
2. And let us attend upon the means of salvation, to hear the unsearchable riches of Christ. What makes any man lovely to us, but when we hear of their riches, beauty, and good intent to us? In the word we are made acquainted with the good intent of Christ towards us, the riches of mercy in forgiving our sins, and riches of glory prepared for us. The more we hear of him, of his riches and love to us, the more it will inflame our love to Christ.
   
   Those that live where the ordinances of Christ are held forth with life and power, they have more heavenly and enlarged affections than others have, as the experience of Christians will testify.
   
   
3. Again, if we would esteem highly of Christ that he may be lovely to us, let us join with company that highly esteem of Christ, and such as are better than ourselves. What deads [deadens] the affections so much as carnal, worldly company, who have nothing in them but civility?
   
   By converse with them who have discourse of nothing but the world, if a man have heavenly affections, he shall quickly dull them, and be in danger to lose them. They may be conversed with in civil things, but when we would set to be heavenly and holy minded, let us converse with those that are of an heavenly bent.
   
   As we see here, ‘the daughters of Jerusalem’ are won to love Christ. By what? By conversing with the church. Upon the discourse that the church makes of his excellencies, in particular, they begin to ask, Where is Christ, as in the next chapter [of Song of Solomon]; and so are all brought to the love of Christ.

‘He is altogether lovely.’

Use 4. And let us make an use of trial, whether he be thus lovely to us, or no. We may see hence whether we love Christ or no. We may judge of our love by our esteem.

1. How do we value Christ? what price doth the church set on him? ‘He is the chief of ten thousand.’ What place, then, should he have in our hearts? If he be the chief of ten thousand, let us rather offend ten thousand than offend him.
   
   Let us say, with David, ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee?’ etc., Ps. 73:25. And when the soul can say to Christ, or any that is Christ’s (for I speak of him in the latitude of his truths, promises, sacraments, and communion with his children), ‘What have I in heaven but thee?’ etc., then it is in a happy condition.
   
   If these things have the same place in our esteem, as they have in respect of their own worth, then we may say truly, without hypocrisy, ‘He is altogether lovely to us,’ that we truly love him.
   
   
2. In the next place, are we ready to suffer for Christ? We see the church here endures anything for Christ. She was misused of the watchmen. They scorned her, and her ‘veil is taken away,’ yet notwithstanding, she loves Christ still. Do we stand ready disposed to suffer for Christ? of the world to be disgraced and censured? and yet are we resolved not to give over? Nay, do we love Christ the more, and stick to his truth the faster? Certainly where the love of Christ is, there is a spirit of fortitude, as we may see in the church here, who is not discouraged from Christ by any means. He is still the chief of ten thousand.
   
   When she was wronged for seeking after him, yet he was altogether lovely. Whereas, on the other hand, you have some that, for frowns of greatness, fear of loss, or for hope of rising, will warp their conscience, and do anything. Where now is love to Christ and to religion? He that loves Christ, loves him the more for his cross, as the Holy Ghost hath recorded of some, that they ‘rejoiced that they were thought worthy to suffer for Christ,’ Acts 5:41.
   
   So the more we suffer for him, the more dear he will be to us. For indeed he does present himself in love and comfort most, to those that suffer for his sake; therefore their love is increased.
   
   
3. Again, where love is, there it enlarges the heart, which being enlarged, enlarges the tongue also. The church hath never enough of commending Christ, and of setting out his praise. The tongue is loosed, because the heart is loosed. Love will alter a man’s disposition.
   
   As we see in experience, a man base of nature, love will make him liberal; he that is tongue-tied, it will make him eloquent. Let a man love Christ, and though before he could not speak a word in the commendation of Christ, and for a good cause, yet, I say, if the love of Christ be in him, you shall have him speak and labour earnestly in the praises of God. This hot affection, this heavenly fire, will so mould and alter him, that he shall be clean another man.
   
   As we see in the church here, after that there was kindled a spirit of love in her, she cannot have done with Christ. When she had spoke what she could, she adds, ‘He is altogether lovely.’ Those that cannot speak of Christ, or for Christ, with large hearts in defence of good causes, but are tongue-tied and cold in their affections, where is their love?
   
   Put any worldly man to a worldly theme that he is exercised in, and speaks of daily, he has wit and words at will; but put him to a theme of piety, you lose him: he is out of his theme, and out of his element. But ’tis not so with those that have ever felt the love of God in Christ. They have large affections. How full is Saint Paul! He cannot speak of Christ, but he is in the height, breadth, length, and depth of the love of God in Christ, and the knowledge of God above all knowledge. Thus we may discern the truth of our love by the expressions of it here as in the church.
   
   
4. Again, the church here is never content till she find Christ; whatsoever she had, nothing contents her. She wanted [lacked] her beloved. As we see here, she goes up and down inquisitive after him till she find him.
   
   So it is with a Christian. If he have lost, by his own fault, his former communion with Christ, he will not rest nor be satisfied; but searches here and there in the use of this and that means. He runs through all God’s ordinances and means till he find Christ. Nothing in the world will content him, neither honour, riches, place, or friends, till he find that which he once enjoyed, but hath now for a season lost, the comfort and assurance of God’s love in Christ.

Now, if we can sit down with other things, and can want [lack] Christ and the assurance of salvation, that sweet report of the Spirit that we are his, and yet be contented well enough, here is an ill sign that a man is in an ill condition. The church was not so disposed here. She was never quiet, nor gives over her inquisition and speaking of Christ (that by speaking of the object she might warm her affections), until at the last she meets with Christ. These and the like signs there are of the truth of the love of Christ.

But where there is a flaming love of Christ there is this degree further, a desire of the appearance of Christ, a desire of his presence. For if Christ be so lovely in his ordinances, if we find such sweetness in the word and sacraments, in the communion of saints, in the motions of the Spirit, what is the sweetness, think you, which the souls in heaven enjoy, where they see Christ face to face, see him as he is? Hereupon the spouse saith, ‘Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.’ Oh, that I might live in his presence. This is the desire of a Christian soul when the flame of love is kindled in any strength, ‘Oh, that I might see him.’

And therefore it longs even for death; for as far as a man is spiritual, he desires to be dissolved and to be with Christ; as Simeon, when he saw him, though in his abasement, ‘Now I have enough; let thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,’ Luke 2:30.

The presence of Christ, though it were but in the womb, when Mary, the mother of Christ, came to Elizabeth, it caused the babe that was in her womb to spring. Such comfort there is in the presence of Christ, though he be but in the womb, as it made John to spring.

What, then, shall be his presence in heaven? How would it make the heart spring there, think you? For that which is most lovely in Christ is to come. Therefore the saints that have any degree of grace in the New Testament, they are set out by this description. They were such as loved the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. How can it be otherwise? If they love Christ, they love the appearing of Christ, wherein we shall be made lovely, as he is lovely.

Here we are not ‘altogether lovely;’ for we have many dregs of sin, many infirmities and stains. Shall we not, then, desire that time wherein, as he is ‘altogether lovely,’ so shall we be made a fit spouse for so glorious a husband?