61 hearts and lives. .But unto whom he is the Hope of Future Glory, unto them he is the life c;>f prefent grace. SOMETIMES it may be, that he is withdrawn from u~, fo as that we cannot hear his 'Voice, nor behold his countenance, nor obtain any fence of his Love, tho we feek him with diligence. In this ftate all our thoughts and Meditations concerning him will be barren and fruitlefs, bringing in no fpiritual refrefhment into our fouls. And ·if we learn to be content with fuch lifelefs,inaffecting thoughts of him, as bring in no experience of his love, nor give us a real view of the Glory of his perfan, we £hall wither away as unt~ all the power of Religion. WHAT is our Duty in this cafe, is fo,fu11y ex• preifed by the Spoufe in the Canticles, as reprefents it plainly unto the minds of Believers, who have any experience of thefe things, eh. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. By night on my bed I fought him whom my foul loveth : I fought him, but I found him not. I will rife now, andgo about the city in the ffreets; and in the broadways, I will feek him whom myfoulloveth: I fought him, but I found him not. The watchme1t thatgo about the city foupd me, to whom I[aid, Jaw. ye him whommy (oulloveth ? It was but a little I paf!ed from th~m, but I foun'd him whom my foul loveth : I held him, and would not let him go. The like account fhe gives of her felf, and of her behaviour on the like occafion, Chap. 5· 2, 3, 4, ), 6, 7' 8. THIS is the fubftance of what by this example we are inftructed unro. The Lord Chrift is pleafed fometimes to withd.r.aw hilnfelf from the [pi-
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