,%52 THE NATURE OF HEAVENLY bitter meditations on his sufferings and death, and then he poureth it out in prayer:(k) So that Christ had his accustomed place, and consequently, accustomed duty ; and so must we : he hath a place that is solitary, whither he retireth himself, even from his own disciples ; and so must we : his meditations go further than his thoughts, they affect and pierce his heart and soul; and so must ours. Only there is. a wide difference in the object : Christ meditates on the sufferings that our sins had de- served, so: that the wrath of his Father passed through all his soul but we are to meditate on the glory he bath purchased, that the love of the Father, and the joy of the Spirit, may enter at our thoughts, and re- vive our affections, and overflow our souls. § 19. (IV.) I am next to advise thee concerning -the preparations of thy heart for this heavenly contempla- tion. The success of the work much depends on the frame of thy heart. When man's heart had nothing in , it to grieve the Spirit, it was then the delightful habi- tation of his Maker. God did not quit his residence there till man expelled him by unworthy provocations., There was no shyness or reserve till the heart grew sin - ful and too loathsome a dungeon for God to delight in. And was this soul reduced to its former innocency, God would ,quickly return to his . former habitation ; yea, so far as it is renewed and repaired by the, Spirit, and purged from itg lusts, and beautified with his image, the Lord will yet acknowledge it as his own : Christ will manifest himself unto it, and the Spirit will take it for his temple and residence So far as the heart is qua - lified for conversing with God, so far it usually enjoys "Therefore, with all diligence keep thy heart, for out of` it are the issues of life. "(l) More particularly, 20. (1) Get thy heart as clear, from the world as thou canst. Wholly lay by the thoughts of thy bu- siness, troubles, enjoyments, and every thing that may take up any room in thy soul. Get it as empty as thou possibly canst, that it MaY be the more capable of being filled with God. If thou -couldst perform some out- ward duty with a piece of thy heart, while the other is (k) Mark xiv. 34, 35. (i) Prov. iv. 23.
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