~--------------~~=---------~--~~~~----~--~~~----~ Chap. 2 . Sc:fr. 7. JLooltmg unto jjcfu.S'. Book IV. 157 God? --;,;:;d~h;-~:0-uid be m;de flellt and dw<il amongll: us? tbat fle/h lhould in;; fi nitcly provoke G?d, a_nd yet Gvd in the fame flefi1 010uld be tnfin~tely: pleafed? that God lhould veile lumfelt and darken h~s glory wtth our fleih, and .yet unvetle at the fame ll time the deepefl and darkefl of hts deftgns macomfortable way to our fouls? 0 my foul, how lhouldlt thou contain thy felf within thy felf? how OJOuidll: tbou but leap out of thy fclf (if I may fo fpeak) asone tbat is Jolt in the admir~tion of this L?ve? Surely God never manifefled hi"'!felfm fuch a Oram of Love as thts bef~re; hcretn was love manifefled and commended tndeed, that God would come down 111 our nature to us. One obferv'es fweet!y, tbat God did fo love the .very Nature of hu Eleff, that thou;h for the prefent he had them not all with him ii; heaven, ytt he mufl have their Picfure in hi< Son to fee thew• m, and love them "'; tn tlus refpect I may eaU Chrtll: incarnate, a Statue and Monument of Gods own infinite Love umo his Elect for ever. Well, hitherto we have followed the paiTages of his Love; and now we fee it in the Spring, or at full Sea : Jf any thing- will beget our love to God, furely Chrifl incarnate will do it: Come tiiCII, 0 my foul, I cannot but call on thee to love thy JcfM; and to provoke thy Love, 0 fix thy eye on this lovely Object; come, put thy Candle to this Flame; what? doth not thy heart yet burn within thee? doll: thou not at leafl be– gin to warm? why, draw yet a little nearer; confider, what :tn heart of Love is in this Delign: God is in thy own nature, to take upon him all the miferies of thy Nature; rmrk it well, this is none other than God• heart leaping out of it felf into our bofoms; q,d. Poor fa!Sls, I c.mnot k[ep from yen, Jlove your very Nat~tre; I will benothing,fa yon may be fomething ; my Glory jiMII 1101 hinder me , but I will vail it ratlior than it fhall hurt you l fa I may but jbew my [elf kind and tender to yo~, and fa I may but have communion with J'rm, ·and you with me~ I care not if I become dne with you, and live with )'OU in yoHr 've-ry flejiJ. Oh my heart, art thou yet cold in thy Loves to Jefus Chrifl? canft thou love him but a lmle, whohathloved thee fo much? how 010uld I then .but complain of thee to Chrill? and for thy fake beg hard of God, Oh thon jweet 'lefru, th~t cloatheft thy [cif with theClouJs M with a Garmerll, P.nd M n01v thou cloathefr thy fe!f lVith the na– ture of A mall, 0 thMthou wouldeft inflame my fpirit with a Love of thee, that nothing bm thy fe!f'mightbe dct<r ltntome, bec:u<[e it fv ple11jed th" to vilijie thy [t/f, thine own felf for m~v f•k!. SECT. VII. Of joying in Je(m in that refpeff. 7·1!" Et us ;oy in Jefiu, as carrying on the great work of our falvation for us at his L Coming or lncarnJtion. If it be fo that by our Dejire, and Hope, and Faith, and Love, we have indeed-and truth reached the Ooject which our fouls pant after, how then fhould we but joy and delight therein? rhe end of our motion is to attain quiet and. · re11:; now what IS Joy, bnt a fi•m and delightful Tranquility of mind, refiing in the fmirion and pojfejfion of fowe good ? what ! hafl thou in fome meafu:·e attained the pre– fence and fruition of Chrifl (as God incarnnte) in thy foul ? it is then rime to j•J in 'icftu ; itis then timet?keep aSabbath of thy.rhou~hrs, and to be quiet and calm in thy Sptnt : But you wtll fay, how Orould th•s be before we come to Heaven? I an– fwer, there s not indeed any perfection of joy whilell we are here, becaufethere is no perfdbon of union on this:fidr heaven; bur fo far as union is, om joy muft be ; exa– m11.1e rhe grounds of thy hope, and the adings of thy Fait!>, and if. thou art but farisfi– ed tn them,_ why then lead up thy Joy, an .I bring it up to this bldled object; here is matter for tt to work upon; if thou canll: poffibly rejoyce i.n any thing at all, 0 rejoyce w the Lord, andagain I fay re;o;•ce. . 1.' 1 here'not cau[e ? read and fpellwhat's the meaning of the Gofp~l. of Chrin ? what IS Go!fe!, burt,oodfPcH, or good ridinz;? and wherein lies the good udmgs according to tts emency_l_" tt not tn the glorious incarnation ofthe Son of God? behold I bri11g you A Luke ,, to, ti• Gofpel ,fo tt IS tn the Original, or,behold I bring yougood tydings ofgreat ioy which ]haltbe to all people; for unroyatt is lmn rhis day in the City of Davida Saviour, which is Chrifl the Lord. The brnh of Chrifl to them that have but touched hearts, is the comfort of cornfom, and the fweetefl: balm and confection that ever was. Oh my Soul what ai-les thee r why art thou cafl do\~n and difquieted within me? Is it becaufe rhou art a 1 !inner1
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