~hy wounds, ,. 1 d brought thee home, andfaid unto thee, liw i haft thou forgotten fince li:~el,:_ 16•.6, ~· he wounded himfclf to cure thy wounds, and let out h1s ~nvn blood to ~op thy bleed8, · ing? is not the paffitge to h1.s heart yet ftandmg op;n ? 1f thou know h1m n~t by the f the voyce the hands, 1f thou know h1m not by the tears, and bloody fweat, yet 1~~~ nearer, thou mayft know him by the heart; .that broken healed heart is his, that dead-revived heart is his, that foul-p1tymg, meltmg heart IS h1s :. doubtlefs lt can. be e'. but his love and com paffion are 1ts certawc fignature; th1s IS he, even th1s 1s ~~n \~ho wo~ld rather dye than thou fhould11 dye, who chofe thy life before his owne,. who pleads this blood before his father, and makes continual interceffion for·thee; if he had not fuffered, oh what had([ thou fuffered? w,hat hadft thou been if he had not redeemed thee? there was but a ftep between thee and hell, '':'lien he fkpt in, and bore the ftroke, he flew the b2ar, and refcued the prey, he delivered thy foul from the roaring lyvn. And is not here yet fuell enough for love to feed on? doth not this· loadftone fnatch thy heart unto it, and almoll: draw it forth ofthy.breaft? can{[ thou read the H tftory oflove any further at once ? doth not thy throbbin~ heart he~e ll:op to· eafe it felf? and doll thou not as Jofeph, feek fbr a place to weep 10 l or do not the tears ofthy lovebedew thcfe lines? go on then, for the field of love is large'; it will yield thee frefh contents for ever, and b~ thine eternal work to behold, and love ; thou n~cdelt not to want work for thy prefent meditati?n, hall: tho~ forgotten the time, nay the many, very many times, when he found thee m fecret all m tears, when he heard thy dolorous fighs and groans, and left all t? come and comfort thee? when he came in upon thee, and took thee·up, as It were m h•s armcs, and asked thee, poor foul, lWhat doth ayle thee? doft thou weep, .when I have wept fo much? be ofgood cheare, thy wound< arefaving, and,not deadly; tt" I that ha•Je made them who mean thee no h~trt: though I let out thy blood, I JVill not let out thy life? Oh me thmks I remember yet h1s voy;:e,,and feel thofe imbracing ~rme>, that took me up, how gently did he handle me! how carefully did he drclfe my wounds, and bind them up! me thinks I hear him ll:ill faying tq me, poore finncr, though thou haft dealt unk,ndly wuh me, and caft me ,off, yet will net I do f o by thee, thou haftJet hght by me and all my merczcs, yet both I, and all are thine, what wouldefl thou have that I cangive thee? JVbttldeft thou h..ve my Jelf? why! hebJid I am thine, thyfriend, thy Lord, thy brother, thy husband, and thy head; wouldft thou have the Father ? why, I will bring thee ta him, and thou }halt have him in me, and by m'.--Thefe, 0 thefe \verc the blelfed w~rds, which h~s Splr.it from his Gofpel fpake uuto me, till he made me call my felf at h1s feet, yea, mto hrs armes.and to cry out, my Saviour and my Lord; And now, 0 my foul rouze up, can thy heart ,be cold when tbou thinkell: of this? what? art thou not yet tranfported, and ravifhi:d witft love ? is i.t poffible that thy heart fhould hold, when it remembers thefe boundleffe compaffions? 0 my foul if this will not, relifh, what can I fay: .Come ll:udy, ll:udy yet more Chrills excellencies: ftudy yet more 'Chri.fts mercyes to thy (elf, both fpecial and common; ll:udy yet more, how often Chrrfl: bath met thee in publick and in private, in the Congregation, and in thy and in thy houfe, and in the chamber, and i~ the field, and in thy ":aking nights, and in thy d~epell: dangers, ll:udy yet more all h1s fweet, and near relatiOns to thee, and ll:udy (Ifthou Wilt) whither he is gone, and how thou !halt follow him, and what !hall be the happinefs of thy perpetualabode with;him hereafter! . · -• · -'· :,:2. Complaint. .r, · ' 1 . But alas! wher~ i~ myJouf: ~ow dull is .my ~nderllandirg '? my affedion ?. how ~are)efs, .howpe~v~fh IS my foul,_ m a bufinefs wh.1ch concerns it fo much? how prc. Jtld1cate IS ~y.opmwn ? how vame are my conce1ts i 0 my foul ! how ig~orant art thou ofthe mcomparable worth, and delightful fweetnefs th~t is in the Lor~ Jefus l how fecure, and flecpy, and fenflefs art thou l 0 this haid 1\eart of mipc! thou ' canft m~u.rn for l~lfes and crolfes of this life but fort~~ lolfe of Chdll:, thou .canft nqt m,ourn one JOt: 01dl1: thou, 0 my foul, truly affect Ch~ifl:, the pilloJ Jou)d be wa-fl1'ed with thy te~rs f~r thy want of Chrift, and for thy w~nt of alftirani;c: Wo, and alllS ·that my nu~de !~ t~ker; up with a confluence of w~rldly tufts, \Vqrld~y cares, a~d #oHd\y defires · 0 1t IS th1s that qgencheth the Conjugal love of my foul to her br1degrobm • my loves are now become ve,Yadulterous lovd :'wo, and ~lasi 'thatl havd 'i.Ved 'th; r)o~n •· world, '!nd the thmgs ~haf. are in this world, tliat I have followed my hafe liill:s iqid; adulterres, and abom111atwns; that in lteadof loving Chrifl:, I have loathed him, :tnd . whipt I - \,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=