Pf 73· 35· luk.l5, '9· !l.om.8,:6. Phi!. I· 'l· J!.ooktng unto ·3Jtfug. ful heart deceive me not, upon 1he very confiderarion of thef~ rl1ings I feel my fe!f anorh creature.inmy defires then I was before. Tell me, you that have rook a full viewofG1~ and Chnfl:, and of all rbefe wonders of Eternity: do you nor fenlibly differ from y felves in youraffecrions? Is no~ the world, worldly pleafures,worldly profirs,and wo~~: ly honours fallen roo; yea, tenm an hundred With you? have they nor Jofl: their price? would you nor rather be alfured thatyour names ~re JVrittm in the book_of life then ro ha. all rhe world yours; yea, and all rh~ De~ils in hell fubject to your com1~ands? Ce~~ tainly, if thefe revelations work noth.u~g myour hearrs, if your affeCtions be fo ilron and hear~y ro the world, and the vannu;s of It, If your defires be fo impure, and fl:rong~ Jy work111.g down~ards, that Gods anCt~nt loves and Cl'erlafl:ing workin~s have no POI\'– er on yom hearts, 1t Is a very fad conduto~. If Dav1dmay have !m Wiih, it runs rhus, Lordlift th9111tp the light ofthy cou~tenance upon us ; be would have the manifeflation of Gods Eternal love; ?ne fmde of his coumenance(as an image of that countenance which God ha~ towards l11m before the world began) was more gladnefs to his heart, then all that whtch the men of the world had, in the timethat their corn, .mdtheir JVine iureafed. 2. We may and mufl: defire after God and Chrifl:, the complotters and actors of thar grrat work for us; what, harh the Gofpel revealed this truth, that before rhe Creation God and Chrifl: were bufied about our good? yea, and bath Chrifl: efpecially, that came outofrhe bofom of his Father and brought the rreafures ofhis fathers counfel to rhe world,difcovered fuch loves to men.' how then lhould our ddires be after God in Chriil? WhomkaveJ in heav:n but thee? andthere i< none upon earththut I de fir: bejideJ thee. Aright beboldtng of Chnil tn Ius eternal work,ngs w1ll caufe adefire of Chnfl: above all detires. the heart now thirfrs for nothing but him that is all,all power,all love,all holinefs, all happi: nefs: tell fuch a foul of the world, and gold, and glory; Oh what are thefe? the foul will quick!y tell you,the world is dung,and gold is dung,and glory is dung,a/1 ubut lo{s anddung for the excellency ofthekztowlrdge ofChrijl{eftMmy Lord. Give me God, and Chriil,fairh the foul,or I die; Oh my defires are to him who bath done all this for me. Is not this rhe'period flill ofthy expre/Iion at the end of every difcourfe,wouldChrij/ were mine? thou heareil it may be fome worldlings talk, fuch aone, and fuch aone harh got fo much in thefe rimes. he that was yeilerday as poor as La:umu, he is rhis'day like that namelefs rich man: ciMthcdin purple, andfinelinnen, and fariNg(umptltoujlye'Pery day ; ay, burdofl:notrhou reply either in word or heart, would Chrijl were mine, and then I h.Idgot more thenht. Poor foul, dofl thou nor gafp only after Chrifl:, when thou ferchetl (as I may fay) the very deepefl: breath ? canfl: thou read t>ver the gener'ation of J efus the Sonof God, rhe time when he was begotten, the manner of his begming, the mutual kindnefs and lol'eof him rhar begets, and of him that is begotten? and doil nor rhou pant, and brea·h, and gafp after J efus at every period? canfr thou read over J efus his acts and decrees in re– ferenc.e to thy felf? canfl thou turn over thofe many 'leaves, in every of which is difco– vered thofe everlafling loves of God in his projects, counfels, foreknowledg, purpofe, dectee~ covenant for thy fouls happinefs? and art thou 110t ready at every difcoverl' to fing Davidspfa!m, dS t,;, hMrtpanteth rftcr the tvater-brook.f, fo panteth my [oH! after thee 0 God; my foul thirfteth for God, for the living God, 0 when [hall I come and appear before God? 0 my foul, hadil thou bur thefepanrings, rlurl!m~s, .brearlungsafrer God .and Chrifl:, thou mightell:comfonably conclude, thefe are rhe frUitS of Gods Sp!I'It, It is the Spirit of the Lord Jefus JVhich makf.s thofojig/Js and groans in thee, which cannot be expreffid. He and thee figh ro~ether, one in another,. and one after another, 0 there· fore.look, look_1mto Jefm, and ftgh, and delire after lum. . 3. We may and mufl:defire after rhefull and utmofl: execution whereby God effdb· ally wor.ks in time according to all his workings or decrees before rime. . God that purpofed and decreed from all Eterntry, he w1llnot have done the full execution of that purpofeor decree rill that afrer~Eterntty, m rhat .world without end. Indeedfomeparr is a fulfilling now, but themam, the great part 1> yet ro come: why then as we fecrhe plot, Jet us delire after the full accomp!tlltmenr,let us delire afrer the glory without end,ro which we werepreddlinar~dbefore the beginning. It wasPa~tls defire to be diffolved, And to br with Chrijl. As men burrhened, fo lhould we delire and groan after rhe enjoymenCf of Gpd in the world to come. 0 my foul, that thou were bur cafl: mthe Apollles moul~, rl1ar thy affections were but on rhe wing, tha';) they '?ighr take Bight , and ileerrbeJr courfe towards heaven, and thereupon that thou ' ruightefl: fay, yond u tbe glmP/11 h•;tJe, thegoodly building, made with•ut hand;, wbich C.od from all Eternity decreed to be my hume my rrft, my dwtlling place to ail Etmrity; an~ ('in yond ftately Fabn>k.., ""'"'lJ • 1 n 1 ·. , , IJw;en
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=