232 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED [Chap. 15, CHAPTER, XV. HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS, AND GUARDED AGAINST A TREACHEROUS HEART. It is difficult to maintain a lively impression ofheavenly things : there- fore, 1. Heavenly contemplation may be assisted by sensible objects ; 1. Ifwe draw strong suppositions from sense ; and, 2. ifwe compare the objects ofsense with the objects offaith. II. Heavenly contempla- tionmay also be guarded against a treacherous heart, by considering, 1. The great backwardness of the heart to this duty ; 2. its trifling in it ; 3. its wandering from it ; and, 4. its too abruptlyputting an end lo it. THE most difficult part of heavenly contemplation is, to maintain a lively sense of heavenly things upon our hearts. It is easier merely to think of heaven awhole day, than to be livelyand affectionate in those thoughts a quarter of an hour. Faith is imperfect:forwe are renewedbut inpartand goes against a world of resistance ; and, being supernatural, is prone to decline and languish, unless it be continually ex-' cited. Sense is strong, according to the strength of the flesh; and, being natural, continues while nature continues. The objects of faith are far off ; but those of sense are nigh. We must go as far as heaven for our joys. To rejoice in wnat we never saw, nor ever knew the man that did see, and this upon a mere promise in the Bible, is not so easy as to rejoice in what we see and possess. It must, therefore, be a point of spiritual prudence, to call in sense to the assistance of faith. Itwill be a goodwork, if we can make friends of these usual enemies, and make them instruments for raising us to God, which are so often the means ofdrawing us from him. Why bath God givenus either our senses, or their common objects, if they might not be serviceable to his praise? Why Both the Holy Spirit describe the glory of the New Jerusa- lem in expressions that are even grateful to the flesh ? Is it that we might think heaven to be made of gold and pearl ? or that saints and angels eat and drink ? No, but to help us to conceive of them as we are able, and to use these bor- rowed phrases as a glass, in which we must see the things themselves imperfectly represented, till we come to an im- mediate and perfect sight. And, besides showing how hea- venly contemplation may be assisted by sensible objects, this chapter will also show how it may be preserved from a wandering heart.
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