Matter for good Thotlglm. reigning as the King of all the world, and all thC Angels of God obeying, honouri~g and wodhip~ ping hun: you mJy fee him fending his Angels on his gracious meffages, to the lowefr members of his body, the.: little: ones of his flock on earth;. you may fee him interceding for all his Saints, and procuring their pe:1ce and cnwrrainment with the Father; and preparing tor their reception when they pafs into thofc manfions, and welcoming them one by one as they pafs hence : There you may tee the glorious cdetlial focic::ty attending, admiring, extolling, worfilipping, the Great Creator, the Gracious Redeemer, and the Eternal Spirit, with uncdfanr, glorious, and harmonious Praife : you may fee them burning in the delicious flames of holy Love, drawn out by the Vifion of che face of God, and by the tlreams of-Love which he continually powrcrh out upon them: you may fee the magnetick attraction of the uncre,md Love~ and the telicitating clofure of the attrwBedLove of holy Spirits, thus unitt:d unto God by Chri!l, and fcaJI:ing everlafiin~ly upon him: you may fee-the ravith~ men<s of joy, a11d the unfpeakablc plea[ures, which all_thefe blcffed Spirits have in this tranfport– ingSight,andLuve,andPrai[<. You may fee the extahesof ]oJ which poffefs the fouls of thofc that are newly pailed from theBody, and efcaped the fms and mtfenes of this world; and find there fuch fudden r:1vifhing entertainment, unfpeakably bey.ond their for~er expeChrions, conceivings or bdicf. You may fee there with what wonder, wha~ pHy, what lorhmg and d_eteliatioo, thofe holy glotitied louls, look down upon earth, on the neghgence, contempc, fcnfuahcy and profanenefs of rhe dreaming and dillrad:ed world! You may tee there, what you fhall be for ever, if you be the holy oncsofChrifi, and where you mu!\ dwell, and what you mufi do, and what you (hall enjoy. All this' you may fo k,now by found believing, as tO be earned to1t as jinctri!ly as If your eyes had feen it, Heb. 1 z, I· 2 Cor. 5· 7· And yet can your t!Jougbu 4 bc idle, or carnal, or worldly and Gnful for want of work? Are you.; mcdi.t.ztions dry and bnren tor wane of m.ztter to employ them. Doth the tireot Love or other holy affeCtions go out for want of fuell to feed it? Is not Heaven and Etcr~tity fpacious enough for your minds to expatiate in? Is not fuch a world as that, fufficicnt for you to ftudy, with frdh and delt:Ctable variety of difcoveries from day ro day? or thlt which is more delighctul than variety ! Would you hav~ m.ore . m:~tter, o~ higher and more exccUem nutter, or fwee,er and more plea[t.~nt mat~er, or matter wh1ch dorh nearher concern your fdves! Get that faith which all that (hall be faved Live by, which makes thingt abfe•• as operative ( in fame meafurc) as if they were prefent, and that which will be, as if it now wert, and that which is unfecn, as if it were now opm to your eyes ; and then your 11Joughts will want neither m.ztter to work upon, nor altogether an actuating excitation. If this were not enough, 1 might tell you what Faith can fee alfo in HcU, which is not unworthy See in my of yOur ferious Thoughts ! What work is there~ what direful complaints and lamentations ; Tratl:. on what fdf-wnnentings, and what fenfe of Gods d1fpleafure, and for what: But 1will wholly par. H<b. 11 • ~· this by,-thac you may fee, there is delightful work enough for your thoughts, ·and thar I fee you no ~~};e~F;;:;. unplea{lnc cask. .. . . . . . . 9· 4 • Direct. 4· Gtt b~<t the Love oJ Gad weD kJndled m Y"" Hea:l, and. " w1D ji1ul employmwt, Dire{]. +· rven tbt mojl higil and jweet employment, for your 1'ho11ghu. Your~ te_lves !hall be_ the Judges, whe- 4. Tbe work ther your Lov~ doth not tor the mot\ parr, ru~e your thoughts; alltgn1ng them the1r r>.'orJt, and di- of Love. red:ing them whm? and bow lonr-. to think on: It? Se~ but h?w a lu1iful lover is c~rried after a beloved tilly piece at flefi1? Thetr thoughts w1ll fa eatily and fo conflantly mn after lt, that they need no fpur! Muk in what ajtream it carrit;th them ! how It feed~th and qu1cknerh their invention, and elevateth an ordinary fancy hHoa Poetical and paffiona_te fi~am! What abu.ndanc.: of matter can a Lover find, in the narrow cornpafs of a dirty Co_rpfe tor hts thougbtr to work on night and day ? And will not the LrJve ofGod then, much more fill and feait your tboughtr l How eaGly can the Love of m o11f)l, find matter for the thougiJtr of the world/in~ from one. ye~r to_another? Its eafie to think of any thing which you love. 0 what a happy fpnng of Medttatton, ts a rooted prcdominlnr Love oJGodl ~Love him {troHgly, and you cannot forget him: You will then fee him in every thing that meets you ; and hear him in every one that [peakft~ to you: If you mifs him, or have offended him, you will think on him with grief: If you taltc ot his Love, you will think of him with DeligiJt: If you have but hope, ·you will thin~ of him withDefire, and your Mindr will be taken up in feeking him, and in undertianding and uhng the Means by · which you may come to enjoy him. Love is ingenious, andfuU, and quick, and a{live, and refolute: le is vali.znt, and patimt, and exceeding iAdujhiouJ; and delightc::th to encounter difficulties, and to appear in labours, and to Chew it felt iu advantageous futferings: and therefore it maketh the mind in which it reionerh exceeding bufie ; and findcth the thoughts a world of wotk. If God be 1101 in aD the thoughu of the ungodly, Pj;;/. IO· 4· it is becaufe he is not in his heart. He may be nigh their mouth.r, but is far from' tbei_r. rein!. Jer. 12· 2· . o'o thofe men believe thernfel~es, or ~ould ch_ey be believed ~y any one rhat JS w1fe, who fay, they Love God above all, and }'Ct neither thmk.. of hun, nor love to t/Jlnk_ of bim? but are unwearitd in thinking of their wealth, and honours, and the pleafures of their fle(h? Confider tbi-1 ye tbat forget God, left be tear yo" iJJ piects , a1td there be mnt to delivu you, Pial. 50. 22• 9· 5· DireIX. '5• SaU!tdly m:drrf!and the . wanderf~<l myf!erie. of m>nt Redemption, and k_now Jcfut Direli. 5 • Cl~rijl-, and you need 11ot want _emplo)'m.ent for yourthuugbtr. For m lum are bJd aU the Treafuru of 5. Jefus wifdom and knowledge, Col. 2. 3· He u the Power ofGod, ~nd the Wifdum of God, I Cor. I· 24· If Cb•·ill and •ll the Hudy of Arijtotle, Plato, Plotinus, and their numerous followers and Commentators, can find the wor~ of work for the tb!JugbtJ of men that would know the work.f ofGod, or would be accounted good Philo- Rcdcmpuon. fophcrs, even for many )'Cars together) or a great part of their lives, what work then may a Chrifiian
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