• Book. I . Lookingunto·:Jefus. Cbap.j.Secr.. 1! . =--------------------------- -------- to [efus ! What, is not your Jefus worthy of this? why then .are yo1}1: thoughtsno more upon him ? why are not your hearts continually with him? why are not your firongd1: deGres, and dayly delights in, and after the Lord Jefus? what's the matter? will not God give you leave to approach this light? will he not .fuffer yoilr fot1ls to tail:e and fee? why then are thefe words in the text? why then doth he cry, and double his cry, behold mr, behold me? Ah vile hearts l how delightfully, and unweariedly can y<e think of vanity? how freely, and how frequently can we think of our pleafures, friends, labours, l)lil:s? yea, of our miferies, wrongs, fufferrngs, fears? and what, is not Chrift in ail our thoughu? It was faid of the Jewes, that they ufed to rail: to the ground the book of l:.jfher before they read it,becaufe the name of God is not in it; and Argll}line cail: by Cicero's writings,becaufe they contained not the name of Jfjiu; Chriil:ians! thus , fl1ould yon humble, and cail: down your fenfual hearts, that have in them no more of Chriil: : 0 chide them for their wilful or weak frrangenefs to Jefus Chriil:!O turne your thoughts from off all earthly vanities, and bend your fouls to il:udy Cbriit, habituate yOtn· felves to fuch contemplations as in th~ next Ufe I ilia II prefent; and let not thofe thoughtsbe feldome or curfory, but fettle upon them, dwell ~here , bathe your fouls in thofe delights, drench) our affeCtions in thofe rivers of pleafures, or rather in the fca of confo!ation; 0 tie your fouls in heavenly galleries, b. ave your eyes continually fet on Chrift! Say not, Jou are tmable to do thuJ , thh· muft be qods wcrk._ onely, and thtre- ~ Baxters Refi. fore all ow exhortations are in vai,:c *. A learned Divine can tell you, though God be the chief difpofer of your hearts , yet next under him you have the greatelt command of them your felves : though without Chrift ye can dlj nothing, yet under him you may do much ; or elfe it wtll be undone, and yQu undone throug!' your negleCt; do your own parts, and you have no caufe to difl:~ufr whether Chdl: will do his; it is not ufual witb Chrifi to forfake bis own people in ~hat very work he fets them on.-·· Oh but we can do11cthiug: how? nothing? what, are you neither fp iritual nor ra1 ional creatures? If a ·carnal Minil1er can make it his work to itudy about Chrifi through all his life. timt: , and all becaufe it is the trade he lives by , and knowes not how to fub!ifi \\iChout it why then me tl,t,.ks a fpir itual Chrifii-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=