Mar.11. :.S· !fa Jo. 18. I fa. 43• ,,, Jer. 31. 34· ·. Ob;ef!. Au[w. S E C T. HI. Of De firing JrfM in_rhat refJeEl. 3·vvE mutt defire after Jefm, carrying on the great work of our falvation in a way of Covenant before his coming in the fte01. It is not enough to know and confider, but we mull: defire. Thus is the order of Gods work; no fooner bath his Spirit clearly revealed the goodnefs of the Promife that we come to know , bur the foul confiders of it, turns it urfide down, views it in all its excellencirs,weighs ir in the ha!lance of its bell: and deepeft meditation·. This done, the Affec'tions begin to ftir, and the foul b~gins rhus to reafon; 0 happy I, that I fee the goodnefs of this gracious Pro– mife; bm miferable I, if I come to fee this, and never have a jhare in it: 0 why not I Lord? why >Jot •my fim pardoned? why not my corruptions Ji•hdued? why not the La1v written in my heart, and pm into my inwardparts ? why may not I fay, my Lord~nd my God? or Iam my Beloveds, and my Beloved is mine ? why not this Covenantej/ablij/Jtd between God and me? Now my Soul thirfs after thJs M a thirjty Land, my affe[tions h1mger after '1efus in ,, Covenant of Grace : Oh, I wo11ld fain be in co7.lenant tvith God; f,.r thuuall my falvation and allmydefire, zSam.23. 5· - Bur here is an Obje<'li– on.- Tho objeCt of rhis defire is apprehended as abfenr and diltanr; wedo nor covet thofe things that we do enjoy ; if they are prefent, we rather relt in them, than move towards them,or defire after them, how then 010uld Davidor any foul already in aCovenant of grace defire after the Covenant? What is this? He bath madeIVith me an everlafling Cove– nant, ordered in all things, 11nd jitre, for this is all my fa!vation and all my De– fire. It is true, the Object of defire qu.< tale, is fomething abfent, yet not alwayes abfent in the whole, but in the parts and degrees of it; the very prefence of a .go.od. dung cloth in fome fort quicken the d~fires towards th~ fame thing 1 fo far forth as 1t Js capable of improvements or augmentation: As we fee m eJtternal nches of the Body, none de– fire them mgre eagerly than tbofe that pofTefs .them; and the more gracious the foul is, rhe more is the heart enlarged in rh~ appetition,of a greater meafure of grace; as tl1e putting in of fome water into a Pump, doth draw forth mort : no man tsfo Importunate in praying, Lord, ~dp my JOwbelief, as he that can fay, Lord, I be!Jev_e : rhmgs may be defired in order to improvement and further degrees of them. .Agam,. thmgs prefent may be the objeCt of our de fires unto continuance; as he that dehghteth m a good th~ng • that be bath he delireth the continuance of that delight; fo the foul of a man lllVmg a reach as fa;as immortality, it may jufily defire as well the perpetuity, ~s the prefence of thofegood things it enjoyeth.- Come then 0 my foul' and whet on thy defires in every of thefe refpeCls; as, r.De– fire after thy i~rereft in rhe'Covenant. 2. Defire after thy improvement of the Covt nant. 3. Defire afterrhe continuance ofthy Covenant-llate. 4· Defire after lefM ne grearbufinefs,orrheallina/l in~Coven~ru of Grace. r. De-
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