270 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16, here below, I hope you will value this heavenly life, and take one walk everyday in the NewJerusalem. God is your love and your desire ; you would fain be more acquainted with yourSavior ; andI know it is your grief, that your hearts are not nearer to him, and that they do not more feelingly love him, and delight in him. O try this life of meditation on your heavenly rest ! Here is the mount on which the fluctuatingark of your souls may rest. Let the world see, by your heavenly lives, that religion is something more than opinions and disputes, or a taskof outward duties. If ever a Christian is like himself, and answerable to his principles and profession, it is when he is most serious and lively in this duty. As Moses, before he died, went up into Mount Nebo, to take a survey of thé land of Canaan ; so the Christian ascends the mount of contemplation, and by faith surveys his rest. He looks upon the glorious mansions, and says, " Glorious things are" deservedly " spoken of thee, thou city of God !" He hears, as it were, the melody of the heavenly choir, and says, " Happy is the people that are in such a case ; yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord !" He looks upon the glorified inhabitants, and says, " Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people, saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thine excellency !" When he looks upon the Lord himself, who is their glory, he is ready, with the rest, to " fall down and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and say, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come ! Thou art worthy, O Lord, to re- ceive glory, and honor, and power !" When he looks on the glorified Savior, he is ready to say Amen to that " New song, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ; and hast made us, unto our God, kings and priests !" When he looks back on the wilderness of this world, he blesses the believing, patient, despised saints ; he pities the ignorant, obstinate, miserable world ; and for him- self he says, as Peter, ",It is good to be here ;" or, as Asaph, " It is good for me to draw near to God ; for, lo! they that are far from thee shall perish." Thus as Daniel, in his captivity, daily opened his window towards Jerusalem,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=