190 THE SAINT'S REST IS NOT he comes to us, we entertain' him with gladness;. when he dies, we mourn, and usually over - mourn. To be separated from, a faithful friend, is like the rending -a member from our body. And would not our desires after God be such, if we really loved him ? Nay, should it not be much more than such as he is above all friends most lovely ? May the Lord teach us to look closely to our hearts, and take heed of self - deceit in this point ! Whatever we pretend, if we love either father, mother, husband, .wife, child, friend, wealth, or life itself, more than Christ, we are yet none of his sincere disciples. When it comes to the trial, the question will not be, Who bath preached most, or heard most, or talked most ? but, Who bath loved most ? Christ will not take sermons, prayers, fastings ; no, nor the giving our goods, nor the burning our bodies; instead of, love. And do we love him, and yet care not how long we are from him ? Was it such a joy to Jacob to see the face of Joseph in Egypt ? And shall we be con- tented without the sight of Christ in glory, and yet say we love him i dare not conclude, that we have no love at all, when we are so loth to die; but I dare say, were our love more, we should die more willingly. If this holy frame were thoroughly kindled in our breasts, we should cry out with David, As the hart panteth after the water - brooks, so pant - eth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God : when shall I come and appear before God ?"By our unwillingness to die, it appears we are little weary of sin. Did we take sin for the greatest evil, we should not be wil- ling to have its company so long. " O foolish, sinful heart ! Hast thou been so long a cage of all unclean lusts, a fountain so incessantly streaming forth the bitter waters of transgression, and art thou not yet weary ? Wretched soul ! Hast thou been so long wounded in all thy faculties, so grievously languish- ing in all thy performances, so fruitful a soil of all iniquities, and art thou not yet more weary ? Wouldst
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