222 AUXILIARIES OF [Chap. 14. out of thy misery, hath he spread thee a table ofunexpected relief, and sent thee on his work refreshed and encouraged ! Howoften, in the case of the prophet's servant, crying out, " Alas, what shall we do, for a host doth encompass us," hath he " opened thine eyes to see more for thee than against thee !" How often, like Jonah, peevish, and weary of thy life, bath he mildly said, "post thou well to be angry" with me, or murmur against me? How often hath he set thee on ." watching and praying," repenting and believing, "and, when he hath returned, hath found thee asleep ;" and yet he hath covered thy neglect with a mantle of love, and gently pleaded for thee, that " the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak !" Can thy heart be cold, when thou thinkest of this? Can it contain, when thou rememberest those boundless compassions ? Thus, reader, hold forth the good- ness of Christ to thyheart; plead thus with thy frozen soul, till, with David, thou canst say, " My heart was hot within me ; while I was musing, the fire burned." If this will not rouse up thy love, thou hast all Christ's personal excellen- cies to add, all his particular mercies to thyself, all his sweet and near relations to thee, and the happiness of thy everlast- ing abode with him. Only follow them close to thy heart. Deal with it as Christ did with Peter, when he thrice asked him, " Lovest thou me V' till hewas grieved, and answered, " Lord, thou knowest that I love thee !" So grieve and shame thy heart out of its stupidity, till thou canst truly say, " I know, and my Lord knows, that I love him." 2. The next affection to be excited in heavenly contem- plation is desire. The object of it is goodness considered as absent, or not yet attained. If love be hot, desire will not be cold. Thinkwith thyself, " What have I seen ! O the incomprehensible glory ! O the transcendent beauty ! O blessed souls that now enjoy it ! who see a thousand times more clearly what I have seen at a distance, and through dark, interposing clouds. What a difference between my state and theirs ! I am sighing, and theyare singing ; I am offending, and they are pleasing God. I am a spectacle of pity, like a Jobor Lazarus; but they are perfect, and without blemish. I am here entangled in the love of the world, while they are swallowed up in the love of God. They have none of my cares and fears ;; they weep not in secret; they languish not in sorrows ; these " tears are wiped away from
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