Dir~8ions to ftir up t/,e Vw of God. " his fon and an heir of Heaven : He will glorifie thee with Angels in the prefence of his Glory: How <' (hould fuch a friend as this beloved ? How far above all mortal friends. Their love and frie119fl1ip "is but a token and meffage of his Love. Bccaufe he Loveth thee he f~:ndeth thee kindnefs and <' m~rcy by rhy friend: and when their kindncf; cea{Cth, or can do thee no good,. his kindnefs will u continue, and comfort thee for ever. Love them therefore as the meffengers of h1s Love; but Love "him in them 1 and love them for him, and love him muCh more. J 9· 40· Direct. '7· Think_ oft how delightful a life it r¥o11/d be to thee, if thou couUJI bm live in the Dire[/. 17. Lrrve of God: And then tbe complacencie will prowk,! defire, and defire wiU tunJ thy f .lCe tom~1·d.r God till ·thou fetl that thoJu love{t him. The Love of a friend hath irs fweetncfs and delight: and'wheit we Love them we feel fuch pleafi1r~ in our Love that we Love to Love them. How pkafant then WOuld it be to Love thy God? "0 bleffed jOyful life, if I could but love him as much as I defire to love "him! How fn·ely could I leave the ambitious, and_the coVetous, and the fen{lial, and voluptuous to "their doting, delufory, fwinifh love? How eafi!y cou!J I fpare all carchly pleafures? How near "fhould I come to the Angelica! life? Could I love God as I would love him, ir would fill me wir~t ,, cominual p!eafiue, and be the fweetdl fc.di that a foul can have. How cafily would ir quench all ,, carnal love? How fu would it nife me above thcfe tranGtory things ? Sow much lhould I cont ...mn ,t t!lem, and pirry the wre1ches that know no berrer, and have their portion in this life? How rea,.di· ••!y fl10uld I obey' And how plcafanr would obedience be> How fwcet would all my Meditations be, ,, when every thought is fnll of Love? How fweet would all my prayers be, when con!lraii1ing Love '' d1d bring me unto God, and indite and animate every word? How fweet wOuld S:~cr.:unent.r be, ''when my afcmdi,rg jl.Jmi1:g love, Chould meet that wonderful dtfccnding love which cometh from "Heaven rocall me thtthcr, and in living brudand fpirit}Ul wine is the nouriOunenr and cordial ofmy "foul? How fw~et would all my fpeccbu be, when Love commanded them, and every word were ''full of Love? How guiet would my Co1t{ciencc be, if ir had never any of this accufation againfi me '' tocafi in my t3ce to my fhame and confufion, that)am rVanling itz Lo01c tU the blejJcd God? 0 could ''I but LoveGod with fuch a powerful Love as his Love and Goodnefs lhould command, I 'fhould no H more qudiion my finccriry, nor doubt any rno:re of his Love to me ? How freely rhen fhuu·Jci 1: ac. "knowledge his grace~ and how heartily fhould I give him thanks for my jUilitication, fan~ilication "and adoption, which now I mention with doubt and feat'? 0 how it woutd lift up my- fOul untO "his praifC, and make it my delight ro fpeak good of his n'ame? What a purifying fire would Love "be in my breaft, to burn up my corruptionS? It will endure nothing to eiucr or abide within me, ''that is contrary to the will and intcrefi of my Lord; but lure every motion that tendcch w dilho– " nour and difpleafe him. It would fill my foul with fo myCh Of Heaven, as would make me long eo "be in ~eaven, and make death welcome, whi~h is n?w Co t.crrible .: ~nile1d of thefe wirhdrawiilg " Ouinkmg fears, I flJOuld defirc to depart and to .be wtth Chnll, as oemg be(! 9f all. 0 how eali'ly c:e thouId I bear any burrhen of reproach, or 10fs 1 or want, When I thus Lovt:d God and' were afi'LUea ''of his Love? Now light would the Crofs be? At\d ho\w htnou"tabte an'd j6fful Would it fcem, tO "be imprifoned, reviled, fpit upon and bulflted for the fak<l 'of <;:hrifi' Flow defirab!e would che " flames of .Martyrdom fi:ert:~', . for the tefiifying of my lovC, f: r6 him that .loved rric at dearer rafes chan "I can love him·? Lord is thfie no more of this- blelted I((ec.p1 r t~e to be attlincci here on earth ? ,, when all the world reveals thy Goodnefs ;_ \f1len thy Sonharli ~o'mC down to declare thy love, in (o "full and wonderful a mam1~r? When thy word hath operitd.lls, a windbw into Heaven, where afar 4, offwe may difcern thy Glory; yet lhall Out fleaits be clods and ice? b pitty this ui1kiild ui1naturai "foul! Tbis dead, infenfible, diG.IfeCl:ed foul! Teach me by thy IJ'irit ihe art of Love! Love rne.\,ot "only fo as to convince me that I have abundant caufe to Leyve ~llee above all, bm Love n1e fo .·as rO "con(lrain mt to it, by the magnetical attrad:ivc ppwer of thY Go'odhefs~ and t"he illfuperal.lle bf,;:{abonS '~ofthy ornnipotCnt Love ! 1 , ~ ' , ~· 41· Direct: 18. In thy Meditation~ upon all tht{e incentivn of Love, preach them over cantfJl.1y to Dire]. 1 8. thy Heart, and txpoflul!fte and plead wttb it .bl way of foliloquy, tiU tbore feel t~e fire begi~r .IQ, Dum. Do fiot only 1hink,.on t~e Arg~ments of Love, but difpme it out w:irh rhy ConlCic.:nce, and .b)·.cx. J>Ollul~ting. ea:~efi reafo~1ngs with thy heart, eh~eavour to ~fff~ it. The~e·is ~!Vuch m?rC 1hoving force m th1s. earnifr talkJng to our [clvu, th'an ~m bare cogttation, that breaki nor Qut Hltci mcntaj. words. Imitate rh~ mo~powerful Preqcher that. ever thou wa.il acquainted .\vfth: Ana TulT as he pleadeth the cafe. With h1s hearers, and urgeth the truth and duty on them, Vx reafon and lmpvrru~ nity, fo do thou.tn fecret with thy felf. There is more in thi_s. than mofl Chnfti<ins arC awaf~ nf or ufe to praCl:ife. It is a great par~ of a Chifii~bs Skill and J.utf ·tO be agood fiY{~'c!lt'r. to hir~j;lt. ._ This is a law~ul and a gai!lful way of. preaching. ~o body here can .make q_ud{ip~~~ ..o!.rh_y .cat~; ~i'~r.dcny thee a Ltcenfe, nor hlence thee, 1f thou filence not. thy felf. Two or three fcrnH;>ns ;a wee~ ham othcr.r, is a fair proportio~ : b~r two or three fermOfl:s aday fro'm thy [elf, is ordinarilY. f.O'o litck. Ther(:fore I have added fohloqutes to many of thefe Direliion.t for Love, eo lhew you· hoW by fitch pleadings with your felves, toatfect: your hearts and kindle Love. 9· 42· And 0 that this might b~ the happy fruit of thefe DirlliionJ with thee that art now reatli 11 g or. hearing them! That thou wouldfi b~~ offer up tby fiam~ng_ Heart, to ]efi1s Chri!i our Great High~ l'nefl, to be prefcnted an acceptablt. faentice to God ! Or tf It flame not in Love as thou ddireH y 1 c give it up to tht:: Holy Spirit t? increafe the flat~es. Thou little knowdt how much God ferteth 'by a Heart. He calleth ro thee h1rnfelf, .l\-9' fon, g:ve me 1hy heart; Prov. 23. 26. \Virhout it he cares not for any thing that thou canfi give him; He cares not fOr thy fairefi words wirhlltlt it : He cares nor for thy lowdel\ prayers without it : He cares not for thy coJllieJ\ alms or fmifices, if he have not thy
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