Owen - BT200 O97 1684

the Glory of Chrift. 203 ' her enquiries after him, until fhe have found him, chap. 3· 1, 2, 3, 4, 5· chap. 5· 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. And in thefe enquiries there is fuch an exercife of Faith and Love, tho it may he afring themfelves moftly in fighs and groans, as is acceptable and well pleafing to him. WE are like him in the Parable of the Prophet that fpake unto ~ hab, who having one committed unto him to keep, affirms that whilfl he war bufie here arJd there, be was gone. Chri ft commits him~elf unto us, and we ought carefully to keep his prefence7; I held him, faith the Church, a(ld would not let hirllgo ,Cant. 3· 4· But whilft we are bufy here and there, while our minds are over filled with other things, he withdraws himfelf, we cannot findhim. But even this rebuke is a fanetified ordinance for our recovery, and his Return u,nto us . ' 'l.. Our (econd enquiry is, HclW-we may know when ·chrift doth fo withdraw himfelf from us, that we do not, .that we cannot behold his Glory. I SPEAK herein unto them alone who make the obfervation of the lively aetings of Faith and Love in and towards Jefus ChFift their chiefe1t concern in all their Retirement's,yea in their whole walk before God. Concerning thefe, our enquiry is, how they rr. ay know when Chrift doth in any degree or meafure withdraw from them fo as that they cannot in a c;,\ue manner bel}old his Glory~ , · At-;rD the ~rft difcovery hereof ~s by the con[equents of fuch withdrawings: And what are the confoque~ts of it, we can kno~ no otherwife " · '· ·· · · , . but

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