ON THE GLOB. of it as they ought, yet can they not bear a sense of his absence and his hiding himself from them. By his therefore will he awake them unto a diligent in- quiry after him. Upon the discovery of his absence, and such a dis- tance of his glory from them as their faith cannot reach unto-it, they become like the doves ofthe vallies, all of them mourning every onefor his iniquity, and do stir up themselves to senk him early and with diligence. Hos. v. 15. « I will go and return to my place, till they Sc- . knowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their a affliction they will seek me early." So wherever the spouse intimates-this withdrawing of Christ from her, she immediately gives an account of her restless dili- gence and endeavours in her inquiries after him, until she have found him, chap. fii. 1 -5. " By night on «my bed I sought himwhom my soul loveth: I sought u him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go « about the city in thestreets, and in the broad ways « I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him w but I found him not. The watchmen that go about <r thecity found me: to whom 1 said, Saw ye him whom «my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed from <, them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held « him, and would not let him go, until I had brought r, him into my mother's house, and into the chamber « of her that conceived me. I charge you, O ye <r daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds « of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, o till he please," chap. v. 2 -8. And in these inquiries there is such an exercise of faith and love, though it may be acting themselves mostly in sighs and groans, as is acceptable and well pleasing to him. We are like him in the parable of the prophet that spake unto Ahab, who having one committed unto him to keep, affirms, that whilst he was busyhere and there, he was gone. Christ commits, himself unto us, and we ought carefully to keep his presence; I held him, said the church, and would not let himgo. Cant. iii. 4. But whilst we are busy here and there, while our minds are over-filled with other things, he withdraws himself we cannot find him. But even this rebuke is a sancti- fied ordinance for our recovery, and his return untous. 2. Our second inquiry is, How we may know when Christ doth so withdraw himself from us, that we can- not behold hisglory. Y of CHRIST. '76 I speakherein unto them alone, who make the oh- serration of the lively actings of faith and love, in and ' towards Jesus Christ, their chiefest concern in all their retirements, yea, in their wholewalk before God. Concerning these our inquiry is, How they may know when Christ doth in any degree or measure withdraw from them, so is that they cannot in a due manner be- hold his glory. And the first discovery hereof is by the consequents of such withdrawings. And what are the consequents of it, we can know no otherwise but by the effects of his presence with us, and the manifestation of himself unto us, which as unto some degrees must necessarily cease thereon. Now the first of these is the life, vigour and effectual acting of all grace in us. This is an inseparable con- sequent and effect of a view of his glory. Whilst we enjoy it, we live, nevertheless, not we, but Christ liveth in us, excitingJind acting all his graces in us. - This is that which the apostle instructeth us in; while we behold hisglory, as in a glass, we are trans- formed into the some image, frontglory to glory. 2 Cor. iii. 18. That is, whilst by faith we contemplate ón the glory of Christ as revealed in the gospel, all grace will thrive and flourish in us towards a perfect conform- ity unto him. For whilst we abide in the view and contemplation, our souls will be preserved in holy frames, and in a continual exercise of love and delight, with all other spiritual affections towards him. It is impossible whilst Christ is in the eye of our faith as proposed in the gospel, but that we shall labour to be like him, and greatly love him. Neither is there any way for us to attain unto either of these, which are the great concernments of our souls, namely, to be like unto Christ, and to love him, but by a constant view of him and his glory by faith, which powerfully and effectually works them in us. All the doctrinal know- ledge which we have of him is useless, all the view which we have of his glory is but fancy, imagination, or superstition, which are not accompanied with this transformingpawer. And that which is wrought by it, is the increase and vigour of, all grace; for therein alone our conformity unto him Both consist. Growth in grace, holiness, and obedience, is a growing like unto Christ, and nothing else is so. I cannot refrain here from a necessary short digras-. ... ä-..au_
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