;r4 Book IV. Chap.5.Sect.7 isufualty wrought by contemplation, or by confidence or by fruition, I iliatl but a while infifl: on thefe, that we may ~orne up at l~ft to ~ejoyce il'l Chrifl:; yea if it were poffible to rejoyce, and aga1ne re)oyce. 1. Let us tontemplate on this life ofChrifl, let us think of it in our minds ; there is a kinde of delight in knowing fome things fpeculatively,which we would abhorre to know experimentally ; and therefore the devills firft temptation was drawn from the know!edge ofevil, ~swell as good ; he knew that the minde of man wouLd receive content in the und'erflanding of that, which in its own nature had no perfeCtion at all; now if there be a de, light in the contemplation of evil; how much more in the contemplation of that which is good~ and is not the life ofChrifr, the graces , the vertues, the holy aCt1ons, the dearc affeCtiol'lS of Jefus Chrifl: to us-ward good, and very good .? come then, ftir up our mtmories, let us be fetled men ! let us fpend our frequent thoughts upon this ble!fed objeCl: ; the reafon we mi!fe ofour joyes is becaufe we are fo fittle in contemplations of our Chrifr. It is faid that he pities m in .our forrows, 6ttt he delights in m, when we delight in him. Certainly he would have us to delight in him, and to that purpofe he way-layes our thoughts, that where foever we look, we {hall ftill think on him ; 0 my foul cafl: thine eyes which way thou wilt, and thou ilialt hardly look on any thing, but Chrif.l: Jefus hatb. taken the name of that very thing upon himfelfe; what,'is it day .? and doft thou behold the Sun ? he is X.f 1 1 called the Sun of rigbteoufnef!e: or,is it night~ and dofl: thou l ' 4 ' ' behold the frars? he is called aStar, there fo~/1 come a ftar out of N umb. 14 • 17 , 'Jacob. - -out of 'Jacob foal!he come that foal! h~ve dominion. Or,is 19' it morning .? and dofl: thou behold themorning ftar ? he is called R.ev. a16. the bri<~ ht mon1ing ft ar. Or is i~ noone.? a~ddoft tho~ behold cleare light all the world over 111 thy hem1fphere ? be 1s called ]oh. r.7,B,9. the light, and that light, and that light thAt lighteneth every man that cometh into theworld. Or, to come a little nearer, if thou lookell on the earth, and takefl: a view ofthe creatures about thee, feefl: thou the GUy {beep? be is called a ilieep, M a (beep bef ore I fa. S3· 7· her fbe,zrer u dumb, .fo he openeth nat hi.i mouth ; or feeft thou a lamb blearing after the harmele!fe {beep .? he is called a Lamb; Job. J,J9 . behold the Lamb of God which tak_tth away the finnes of the world: f~efl: thou a SheP.hcard watching over his flock, byday or night? . ~
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