Chap. 5 .sett.3. 1£,ookmgunto'Jj~fu~. BookiV. 315 --~~--~-------- ~------------------- SECT. III. Of dejiring after . 71m in that refpeEl. 3 .LEr us defire after [efm carry_ing on the work of our falvation in h!s ~ife : I_t is n?t enough to know and_conhder, _but we mull: deftre; our_medttatlon ?t <:=hnfi lhould draw forth our affechons to Chnft; and awongft all affechons, I place thts fir!t of all, adefire after Chrij/. . But what is it in Chrifi's Life that is fo defirable ? I anfwer, every palfage or particular named; yea !every thing of Chri£1: is defirable (namedor un-named) all that con– cerns Chrift in any kind wbatfoever (If to the former paruculars, I lhould add a rhou– fand and a rhoufand more) it is very precious; and excellent, and necelfary, and profita– ble and comfortable and therefore defirable : burro pur them in order : ;. The meanefi things of Chrift are de!irable things ; the very filings of Gold, the duft or fparkles of precious Stones are of real price and value, yea of much worth ; yea, the very Leaves of the Tree of Life are healing: the very Hem of Cllri!l's garment, bur even toilrhed, fends forth its virtue : the meaneR: and worfi things of Chrii! are incom– parably to be defired above all things; the dull: of Zion, the very ground that Chrift's feet treadeth on, any thing that bath the pooreft relation to J efus Chrift, it is de(ire– able for him. Hence we read that one poor woman fought no more of him but to wafh Chrift's feet, and to kif> rhem 1 another woman breaths out thefe defires afrer Chrifl, If Imaybui touch the hem of his ,garment, I ]hall be whole. ilfary Magdalen Matth. 9• u . fought only t<> !JaVe her Arms filled with his dead body: Jofeph of Arimathea was of the fame mind: 0 the bloody winding-fl,eet, tognher with the dead and torn Body of Chrij/. in his anns are mcj/ prccio'u< andfweet. Chrift's Clay is Silver, and his Brafs Gold: John the Baptifl: thinks it an honour to tmloofe the Lt<tchm •f his ]hoes: David, Jh though he was a great Prophet, and appointed to be King over J(rael, yet his foul pants 0 n 1 ' ' 7 thus, 0 that I might be [o near the Lord M to be a door-k!eper in the houfe of my God. Yea l'fal. 84 I Q. he puts an happinefs on the Sparrow and the Swallow, that may build their Neft belides .Ve1.3. the Lords Altar. 2. The more confiderable aCI:ions of Chrift are efpecially delireable. Oh my foul, wouldll: thou but run through his Life, and confi:ler fome of his more eminent aCI:ions, in relation to his Friends, or in relation to his Enemies, what delires would thefe kindle in thine heart after Chrift? ,_ To his Friends, he was fweet and indulgent; ~where there was any beginnings of Grace, he did encourage it : fo was the Propbelie, A bruifed reed fba/1he net breal{., and fmokjng Jlt~x' jht~ll he not quench : Nay, where was but Matth. ; 2• w. a reprefenmion of Grace, he feemed to accept of it : Thus, when the young man came and faid, "!'hat good thing jhall 1do to. inherit eternal life? he embraced ~im, a_nd Mar.to. 17 ,,j. made much of htm; then Jefou beholdmg hem, he loved hem : And fo the Scrtbe wh1ch . asked him which is the ftrj/ Commandment of all? in the conclufion Chrill: told him, Mar. J2.t8.H Thou a;t not far from the Kingdom of God: He laboured to pull him further, in tellmg h1m h~ was not far from Pleaven and Glory. And fo the people thatf..inted for Matth. 9 ; 36• broad of Ltfe, that wer~fcatter;d ab~oad M p,.ep having no Jh.epherd--he Wtl! msved weth ccmpaffion_onthe~, """"[""""_wi";f ; . he was bo~elled m heart, his very bowels were moved wtthm hrm. 2. To l11s enemtes he was kmd and merciful ; many a time he dtfcov_m hun{elf mofl: of all unto !inners; he was never more familiar with any at fi.rft acquamtance, than with the woman of Samaria that was an Adultrefs; and Mary, that had been a fin_ner '· how fweetly did he appear to her at the very firft view? how.ready was he to recme hnners? how ready to pardon and forgive !inners ? how gracious to finners a!ter t?e pardon and forgivenefs of lin ? See it in Peter, he never cafl: him in the r~eth w~th bts Apoflafte, he ~ever upbraided him with it, he· never fo much as tells lum of lt; only he looks upon' him : and afterwards, Loveft thou me ? 0 Peter, loveftthot< me? why, -Peterloveft tho~tme? Often he wa~wronged and injured by men, but whattbcn? _wash~ all on a hear? did he call for fire down from heaven to c!eflroy them ? Indeed Ius J?tfctples, being more flelh than fpirit, would fain have had it fo ; but he fweetly rephes, 0 ,y011 k_nownot what fpirits yet< t~re of: the S•n of man is not come L k . · todeftroy mens /eves, bm tofave them. Sometimes we find him fhedding tears for thofe u e ~.~;.~6 very perfons that lhed his precious bloud : Oh Jerufalem, 'ferufalem, &c--if thDll h,tdft/?.ttown, even thcu, at leaft in this thy day, the thilegs belonging to thypeace, &c. Why Gg 0
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