Chap. r 3. AnExpopion upon the Book of Joa. Verf.'17. 465 are refrefhed, when God returns and comes in to their fpirits, when he fheds his love abroad into their hearts by the holy Ghoft. This is heaven upon earth; and of this they fay, as the Difciples at the transfiguration of Chritt upon themount (Mat. 17.) !t i.t good to be here. When the Lord Jeff's perceived a vail drawn between him and his father, and that ( while he was fuf- fetingfor the fin, and by the malice andwrathof man) he fuf feted alfo an eclipfe ( though he knew it was not a total one, and would be but a fhort one) of the light of his Fathers face, how did he cry out ( who never shrunk nor opened his mouth at the fcourges andcrown of thorns, at the fpittings and buf r fetings, at the nails and (pear which tortured his bleffed body , 'flow did he cry out, I fay,) at this fhort defertion, MyGod, my God, why haft thouforfaken me ? (Matth.27.46.) Hence take a fcantlingof thofe torments which (hall vex hypocrites in hell, who fhall be made to knovwfully (which theyhavehere flighted) what the comfortable prefence of God means, andyet (hall fee themfelves (hut out from it, without the leaf} hopeof any enjoy- ment. And that which will make the fuffering of this lofs molt torturing and infufferable, is, that they (hall ever be thinking of it. If a man could forget his lotfes, howgreatfoever theyare, they would be onlya private evil to him, not an afflk ive evil; but to be ever thinking of our boas, is to us worfe than the lofs it felf. Now, wicked men (hall ever beporingupon the lofs of heaven inhell, and calling up the fumof it, though they can- not exactly make out the fum. This will be the fling of all their forrows, and the very headof thatpoyfon'd arrowwhich (halldrink up their fpirits. And this arifes twowales, firft,frotn thevery conduet of nature, which alwaies leadsour thoughtsto, and fattens them upon our lotfes. As where the pain is, there wepoint with the finger; fo where the lofs is, there we dwell with our thoughts. Secondly, This arifes inevitably from the juftice of God, who having prepared this as the hypocrites pd- nithment, will irretUlably hold his thoughts and his lofs toge- ther; fo that it (hall not be in his power to lay them auçe or fufpend them for one moment. From all thefe confiderationv let the hypocrite underftand the terrourof this fentence, that he (hall not come before God. If any (hall objet, How can hypocrites be "laid to lofe this prefence of God, feeing they never enjoyed it? 0oo I
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