606 The Life of Faith. flume. Thou forbidden not the pleafures and glory of the world, as toogood for thy fir vents, bat as too bad, and Safe, ' and hurtful. ` O therefore encourage in my drooping foul, that holy am. ' bition which thou comsmandeff ! Dtfappoint not the defires which thy felf, by thy Precept and thy spirit half excited. ` I know thou haft prornifed to fatisfie them that hunger and `thirft after Righteoufnefs : And (if my foul be acquainted with it Pelf) it is Krghteou fetefs which I define. Though the ` folliciting calls of vanity ha', e drawn me too often to look afide, it is the Katowledge and Love ofmy Creatour, and ` Redeemer, and Sane ifiea, which I purfue; and my prayer ` is, that thou wilt turn away mine eyes from beholding va- ` nity, and quicken me in thy way. Uut it is the dulnefs of ` my defires which I fear ; left they arc not the bungring and ` tbirfting which have thy promife ; and lea they fhould prove but as the defires of the flothful which kill him, becaufe his ` hands refute to labour : But thou knoweR that I hate the 'fluggifbnefs and indiferencyof my foul, and thecoldesefs and ' interruptions ofmy defires s And what is there in this world ' which I defire more, than more defies after tbee, even morn ' of that Defiring, Seeking Love, which is the way to enjoying ' and delighting Love. O breath upon my foul, by thy e quickening Spirit, that it may p.ont, and gafp, and breath ' after thy pretence ! The moil dolorous motions of Life and ' Love, have more contenting fwectnefs in them, than my dead ínfenfibility and !Jeep. When I can but long to love e thee, or when I lie in tears for want of love, or when I am ' hating and reviling this fluggith, carnal, dífnfeked heart, even in my very doubts, and fears, and moans, I find my fell nearer to content and pleafure, than when i neglect 'thee with a dead and drowfie heart. If therefore my vile- ' nefs make me unfit to enjoy that pleafure in thedaily pro- ' fpcct of thy Kingdom, which reafon it felt adjudgeth to a ' ferious lively faith ; O yet keep up the confiant fervour of ` defire, that I may never grow in Iove with vanity and de. ` exit, nor never be indiffeeent whether I flay on earth, or ' some to thee l And that in my grcateft health I may never ` think
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