---- --- ---- 2 o B:JOk I. J! ..ootttng tCmo jj~fu£). things congratulate its approach? the earrh looks g-reen, the treesOwot forth, toe plants revive, the birds ling lwwly, the face ofall things fmi les upon us , and all the creatures below rcjoyce : Chriftians! ifyou would but draw near, and look on this Son of rightt– oufnefs, Jdus Chni1, what a fpnng ofJOY would be wttlun you? how would your grace• be frelh and green? how would you forget your winter forrowes? hdw early would ycu 11fe (as thofe btrds m the fprmg) tobngthepratfeofour great Creatour, and dear Re– deemer. <0. Confider thlt youreye on Jefus will preferve the vigoqr of all your graces. As the body is apt to be changed mto the temper of the aire it breaths in,. and the food it lives 011 fo will your fpirits receive an alteration according to the objects which they are exrr: cifed about. You tlur complame of deadnefs and dulnefs, that you cannot loveChriil nor rejoyce in Ius loves, thar you have no life in prayer, nor any other duty, and ye; you never med thts qtuckmng courfe, or at leafi you were car,Jefs and unconflam in it. wh<:t, arc not you the caufe ofyour own complai~ts? fay, is not yo~tr lif• hid with Chrift '''God? 0 wluther mull you go but to ctmlr.for It? If you would have light and heat, wl>y then are you nor more m the Sun-Jhme? tf you would have more of that grace whidt flowes from Chriil, why are you no more with Chriflforit? forwamof this recourfe to Jefus Chrill, your fouls are as candles that are not lighted and your d:eries are as facrilices which have no fire; fetch one coale daily from this Alt;r, and fee it your offerings will not burne; keep clofe to this reviving lire, and fee if your alfetli– ons will not warm. Surely if there be any comfort of hope, if any flames of love, if any life of faith, if any vigour ofdifpofitions, if any motions towards God ,.if any mel– tmgs ofa fofmed heart, they flow from hence; men are apt to bewaile their want of dejire, and hope, tmdjoy,andfaith, and love to JefwChrifl, whilell this very dmy would nourifl 1 all rhefc. • ? . Confider it's but equal that your hearts ll:JOuld be on. Chrifi,when the heart ofChrifi is fo much on you. Cbrifi is our friend, and in that refpect he loves us, and;bears us in his heart ; and 0Jall not he be in ours? Surely this is ill requital ; this is a great contradicti– on to the law offriendO,ip : ButChrilt is our Lord as well as friend; an~iftheLordof glory can iloop fo low as to fet his heart on finful dull:, .o~e would think we OJOttld eafily be perfwaded to fet our hearts on Jefus Chn!L Chnfhans! do you not perceive that the heart of Chriil is fer upon you! and that he is flill minding you with tender love, e"n when you forget both yo,ur felves and him? do you not find him following you with daily mercies, moving on your fouls , providing for your bodies,and preferving both! doth not he bear you conrinually in the armes of love, and promife t!m allj/,a/lwD'tk,to– :.;ether for yo11r good l doth he not give his Angels charge over you, and fuit all his d<Jl– ings ro your greateil advantage ? and can you finde Ill your !Jeans to caillum by? can you forget your Lord, who forgets not you? fie upon this unkind ingratitude! When the Lord Jj1eaks of his thoughts and refpects to us, he gives this language, Can If" ,9 '5, tf., a tvomanforget herfuckjng-child, th•t jhe Jh•uld not have con;pa{fion on the fon of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet willnot I forget. Behold I have graven thee ~tpon the palms of, my nands, thy walls are continually before me. But when he fpeaks of our thoughts to htm, Jer.z.p. the cafe is otherwifc: Can amaidforgetber ornaments, ora brideher attire? yet my peo– ple have forgotten medayes without nu.,ber, q. d: you would not forget the cl~atbs on yom backs, you would not forget your bravenes, yourormments, your attl!es, and are thefe of more worth then Chrifi? yet you can forget me day after day. 8. Confider it's a command of Chrifi that we lhould look_to Jefl«· Behold me, behold "" ; lo 1, lo 1; A command not only backtwith authority, but acc?mpanied with fpecial O:·dinances appointed to tlus end : what ts Bapttfm? and what IS the Lords Supper, but the reprefenration of Jefus C hrifl ? Is it not Chnfls command m Ius lafl Supper, 1 Cor. 11-14, Do thM in reme 1 r.brance ofme? and thU doyens oft as ye drink__in remembnmce_of me? In '5. this Ordinance we have Chrifi crucified before our eyes, and can we for~et btm? or can we hold our eyes offhim? can we fee the bread broken , and the wme d>ftmctly fevered from the bread and not call to mmd (accordmg to the Scnpture) Chnfts agome mthe garden, and on ~he crofs? can we take, and eat the bread? and take, and drink the<up, and not apprehend Chrift ftooping down from heaven to feed our fouls?. At fu<h a time ifwe forget the Lord Jefus Chrift , it wil) argue our dtfaffe:'hon, our mgranrude, our dilobedience every way. - . c lli d 9 . Confider it's both work and wages to look_up tmto Jefus. Hence Davtd pr01< e d' Pi7 :.:8. h d d. · f h' fill b five t ' the wor Pf tc4· ~4· it vs good for 'f!JC to draw 1lfar tot re) an my me ttfUion o tm 1tl e 1 c . imports
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