vp z. 'charge to keep watch and ward, and gives a chorge to hope, and dejir·e, and love, and joy, and the minde, a11d all, not to grieve and moldtthegood Spirit of God, la rhm be no motion but to entertain it, no advtce but to ret;eive it, iind do nothing t hnt m~:y wor~ theleajf kjnde of dijlike unto it. 4- He that truly entemins Chrill:,rejoiceth in the good and glory of Chrifl: When Mephibojheth had been wrongfully accufed to Da'"id, and when David, who had taken away all the inheritance from htm, was returned in fafety, then faid Davtd to comfort him, Thou and Ziba divide the land: Nay/aid Mephibojheth,let him tak§ a!l,forafnJ<Ch as myLord the King is come agai~ in peace, it matters notfor inheritance; ar.dfor myJelf and my Life, I pafse not;,Jith the Kzng is returned in peace; 1-t is enough that I enjoy thy prrfertcc-, which is better to me than goods, life or liberty : So it is with a kinde loving heart, which cannot endure to fee Chrill:s honour and glory laid in the dull:; but ifhis praife be advanced,then is he glad; Lord !have eno~tgh (faith the foul) that Chriji is mine,a1.·d tha• his hofloHr andglory is magnified; what-Joever becomes (f n;c,it matters not;let the worldt~k! all, if I may have Chrift,andfee. him praifed and magmfted. Letthis try any mans fpirit under Heaven, & labour to brmg the foul to thts pttch: A Mmtll:er in hi>place, •nd a Mall:er in .his place,and every Chriftian in his place; let it be our care to honour God, not our fclves ; and let it be our comfort, if God may be better honoured by others than by our felves: This is our bafeneffe of fpirit, we can be content to lift up Chri:f upon our lhoulders,that we may 1\ft up'our felves by it;l:.ut we fhould be content to lie in the dull:,that the Lord may be praifed; and if any of Gods people thrive and profper more than thou, let that be thy joy. ,.. . 5. He that welcomes Chri£1: truly, covets a nearer union with Chrill: : Love is of a linking and gluing nature, and will carry the foul with fome kinde of flrength and earndlneffe, to enjoy full poffeffion and fellowfhip ofthe thing that is loved ; it cannot have enough ofit: Notliing (faith the foul) but Chnft,ju/1 I d,j~re 11>0re of that mercy, and holinejfe, andgrace, and love in Chrift Jefus: As it is witjl parties that have lived long together in one houfe, and their affections are linked togctf¥r in way of marriage, they will ever defire to be talking together, and to be drawing ou the marriage; (o the foul that loves Chrill: Jefus, and bath his holy aff~Ciion kindkd; and his fpirit enlarged therein; when the Lord bath let in fome glimpfe ofhis love, he thinks the hour fweet \vhen he prayed to the Lord Chrifi, he thinks the Lords day fwcet, wherein God revealed, by the J,lOwer of his holy Ordinances, any of that rich grace and mercy of his: It is admirable to fee how the heart ~~ill be delighted to recount the time, and place,aud !l'eans, when, and where the Lord dta revealtt ; Oh thu "good (faith the foul) Oh that ] might ever be thm cheared and refrejhed! Or as the Spoufe contracted thinks every day a yeer, till fhe enjoy her beloved, and take fatisfac'tion to her foul in him: So the foul that bath been truly humbled, and enlightned, and is now contraded to Chrif!o Jefus, Oh·when will that day be, (faith it) that I ]hall ever be with my ']ejiu ! he takes hold of every wo~dhe hears, every prorriife that reveals any thing of Chrifl, B~t: eh! when vvifl' that day be, that I ]hall cver be with Chrijl, and bofu/1 ofhis fulnejfe for e'"er ! And now let me prevail with your hearts, and work your fouls to this duty, IO'!Je the Lord, all ye hi; Saints ; whom will you love, if you love not him ? Oh you poor ones, loveyou the Lord, for you have need; and all you rich ones, love yor. rhe Lord, for you . have caufe ; and you little ones too, (if there be any fuch in tile Congregation) he: knocks at every mans heart, and perfwades every mans foul, Loveye the L ord. The meanes are thefe. 1. Labour to give attendance daily to the promife ofgrace, and Chrift; drive away all other fuito!'<{rqm the foul, and let nothing come between the promife and it; forbid all other bands, that is, let the promife confer daily with thy heart, and be expreffing and telling of that good that is iH Chrifl, to thy own foul. If all things be agreed between parties to be married,and there wants nothing but mutual affeCtion; the only way to fix thei~affedions upon one another, is to keep company together, fo as they meet wifely and holily: So'!et the fe>ul daily keep company with the promife, and this is the firll: way. 2: Labour to be throughly acquainted with the beauty and fweetneffe of Chrifl in the Promife : Now there are three things i11 the promife we mull: eye and apprehend, that our hearts may be kindled with love in the Lord : r. The worth of the party in himfelf, Chri£1: is worthy of it. 2. The defert of.the party, in regard Chrifl: defervcs it. 3· Thereadineffe of the party in himfelfto feek our good, Chri£1: feeksit. 1 . Chrill: is worthy is himfelf: if we had a thoufand heorts to bellow upon him, we were
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=