him? a~d one.that ~~rh daily i~tercourfe with H~aven? and audience with God, and isd~!ly ·by hJm tn Chnll. Thou fee(\ '"aefh a compamon.of ,Angels, and OJ;e that hath the D>vme a11d mufi:lhortly be abo.ve the Sra,s !n glory, and m'ufi be wirh Ch,-itt, and muft: love and God for ever. Aud is t_lot the amiablendS of God apparent in fu.d1 mercy, befiowed upon man? And !hould we nor now begin to admire hi"f in .hH Sainu, and glorifie him ;,, believers) will Cilmt with tbr..uf:mds of bis Angeh,, tohe glori(i£d and admired in them at the laft? 2 ThefT. 0 the abundant dcliveqnces, prefeiVations, provihons, encouragements, which all his fervtms ceive from God! Who ever faw <!1e i'41 /oifaken, evep while they (hi~~(_ themfdves forfaken 1 the L,.rJ loveth judgement, and for{akpb 1 not hH SaitttJ : they arc prr[crv1d for ever: The Law God i< in bi1 hear(: ,none if,hu J(~pt ffiall flide : Ma~k, tlu perfe[l man , and behold the the en4 of that ma" u ;eace: Pfal. 37· 2j, 28,,3 1 3.7· Preciollf in ,the fight of the Lord of /;~1 SaintJ : Pfalm I IP· I 5· re tPat love the Lor~ bo~.tt evil: be prrfervetb the fouls hH be de(ivcreth t~em (l.ut IJ[ thehandrrfthewick_ed : Ligkt is fuwen forjherig/Jteosu, a;d upri-~ht in heart, l'fal. 97· 10, 1 I. 0 love the Lord (lg hi1 S~Jit:tJ! fortbe Lord preferveth plentifully reworderh the pr,ud doer: .PJil. ~l· 2}·. VirtU. u. §· 3 2· D"mCt. l I. lnJ!ff not fo m!u:h Ol_! yourdcfirtl after vifion, ar to 1 unrl.ervalue thelc11l'er onr of Faitb: but love God by ~he way pfFai.th, tu in prdcr tothe L-wt of Imuitio.n. We are exceeding apt to be over-d"eliro:ts ofJigbi ; and to take nothing as an object fit to affe(l whic)l G:nfe perceivcrh not. When we have rhe fur,d1 evidence of the: truth of thi~gs unfeen, it 1 farisfierh us, unlefs we may fee or,feel. t).nd hcrt:upoQ,ou,r Lovcro Cfod is hindered ; while we 1 of him as if he were l!Jtt , or take tQe ar,prehenfions of faith, -as if rfiey were uncertain, and fercd from a dream.. 'j ea, ir prov~th the ground of mofi dangerous temptations ro lntidtliry it While we cake tlm knowledge which we have of God, in the way of F•irb, the Love munion which is exerciG.d thtJeby, to be as nothing; we arc next temprc:d to think, that true knowledge of God, and comrnuniqn with hirp to Qe attained: And wben we havc:,been . and fifivinglong, and find that we can rc:ach no more, :we are tCtnftcd to t~1ink that the foul is made but as the beafis, for prefe,nt things, and is uncapabk of thole higher things which are vealcd in the Gofpel ; aud that if there wne .indeed a life to come, an,:! man were ·made to enjoy God, :''C lhould get nearer to bi(n t,ha,n we are, and k,n,ow him mot:e, and lovehi~ bener. H Hm u it nothing, 0 prefump~uous fqul,· to fee Yod in a Glafi, in ordc:r to a neart,r iigtu ? ls it npthing "t,o have the H"VLnly Jerufolem defcribed '"d ,promifcd to thee, un\efs thsu{te it and polfejiit 1 Wile "thou travel to no place, but what thou ftejl all the ):V ay ? Wouldtt thou have no difference betwixc "Earth and Heavtn? What canfi thou have more:: .in Heaven, than immediate int,ition i Wouidll thou ''have no life of tryal, in the obrdienu of faith, bdOre the life of frHition and rewal'd l Or.canlt thou " think that a life of fight and finfe, is fit for lryf'land preparation, to (hew who is meet for the rt· "warding life? Unthankful foul! Compare thy,liate wich that of biUits : Is it n.othing for eheeco " know thy Maker in the Works of his Creadon aQd Providence, and in tbe revclacipns of gr1cc, "and the belief of promifed immortality, unlefs thou pr~fmtly fee ,him in his glory ? }Vhen thcle "thy fellow creatures know him noe ae all? Comp1re t/>y [elf now, with thy [tt[ as heretofore, in "tho dayes of thy ignoranceand <arnality. Hadlt t)1o)l r/J1n af\y fuch knowledge of Go~, as thou " no.w undcrvaluefi? or any fuch communion with hi~~ as thou noJf ilC:Cop.,ntefi ne~t to none? Wnm "the Lighe firft fl>ined in thine tyes, and thou hadll JirJI e)<perie.nce of the.k.nowlcdgc of God, chou "thoughtfl it fomething, and rejoy.cedfl in fhe light: If t~en tho~ couldll have fuddenly att;in:d "but to fo much, as thou hafi .now attained, wopld~. th9u have c,alled it Notbing J Would it not " have feemed a greatex treafure to thee, than to h~vc known both the Indies as thine own? 0 be "not 1;mthankful fm; the little which thou haft recdved, \;\'hen God might have fhut thee out in "that darkmfs which the greatell part of the world lye\h in,; ~n~ have kft thee to thy fclf to have "delired no higher knowkdge, th,an fuch as may ,t,efJ t\ly (anJie, and pride, and JuH. Arc thou "fo far drowned in flelh and ICnfF, as to take lnu,lkp~al appreheHfiDHf for dream!, unle!s thy fenfem•y "fee and feel l Wilt thou take 1hy foul, thy felffon>ot~i~j\, beq.ufe thou art not to be jim or fell? " Shall no Subjects honour and obey their King, bm <hC¥ that have fien his Co.urt and him? D<fire " the fulle(l and the ne.reft fight; ehe purell and the llrongeH Love ; and dtfire and {pare not the h!e "where all ehis will be had: But take heed of being too hally with God,and unthai;lkful for the mer· '~ cits of the way. K.now better the differen.ce betwixc thy travail and thy home: And know what " is fit for paffengers to expect : Humbly fubmit to an obeqicnt waiting in a )ife of fai.th : And " make much of the Teflarnent ofChrifl, till thou be.at age to poffcfs the inheri~ance. Thou mull " live, and love, and run, and fight, and con.quer, and fulfer by faith, if tver thou wilt come to lee " and to poifcfs th_e Crown. 1Jirill. , 2 , ~· 33• Direct. 12· It is apowerful meant tokJndle the Love ofGod in a believer, to forefee by f•itb Re>d ]•/;.., the glory of Heaven, and n>hat God wiU betbereto hi! Saints for evtr• And thusto behold God mh1s Tolttan•. bis G L 0 R Y, is the ufe of G RAC E. Though the m~nner of l(_nowi~g him ehus by faich, be far fhor< P~'?nafl''6~· ofwhat we there expe(t, yet it is the fame-God, and glory chat no~ we believe, whilih then we mu!\ ~d ·~b'"'1i,' more openly behold. And therefore as that Apprehenlion ofLove 'l'illnn~onceivably excel the higbe!l fer~ae::: h~':. which can be here attained ; fo the f ore·thpughl! of th•t doth exoell all other argurneniS and means tediu s,frivola q_Uredam & tepid~ .~roferunr, al.iqui) putantes r;tm fc pc~cipere in tCJfCI1~ Jcrufalcm ; Mille 10Ris e~iUi~"ata eoe delici~rum prxmia proprie· we reccpturos: ~tlnterrog:mdt fum,quomodo aUruant delidas corppr;d~~dypt dintur hanc bxrcdn;)tcm nee corrumpt po!fe r.ec mlfcefcere. Didpmu AlcxAIUi, 111 Pttr, J, cm, MiiiUJar~ . ra
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