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.THE-
HIDDEN LIFE
OF
ñ
CHRISTIAN.
[SEAM.
X.
utmost
powers,
and
beg
of
him renewed instances
of
the
living Spirit,
that
the face
of
your
soul may be like
a
,watered garden,
and
the beauty
of
the divine life may
be
-recovered again.
IVth
Instruction.
See
the reason
why
a
lively
christ
tian
desires
and delights to
be so
much,
and
so
often,
where
God
and Christ
are;
for
his
life
is
with them.
This
was
the divine
temper
and practice
of
the saints
under
a much
darker
dispensation than
what
we
enjoy.
How
does the
holy soul
of
David
pant
and long for the
presence
of God
!
and
he brings
even
his
animal nature,
the
very
ferments
of
his flesh
and
blood,
into
his
devo
Lions
;
Ps.
lxiii.
1.
111y
soul
thirsteth,
for
thee, my
flesh
longeth
for
thee.
Ps. lxxxiv.
2.
My heart
and
my
flesh
crieth
out
for
the
living
God.
In
all the
various
and
fervent
language
of
sacred passion
and transport,
he
breathes
after God,
who
is
the
strength
of
his life
and
his
salvation;
Ps.
xxvii.
1.
The Jewish
saints cleaved
to
the Lord,
for
he was
their
life,
and the length
of
their
.dáys,
Deut.
xxx. 20.
And
what
sweet delight does
St,
Paul
take
in
mentions
ing
the
very
name
of Christ
?
How does
he dwell
upon
it
in long sentences,
and
loves
to
repeat
the
blessed
sound
!
How often does
he
rejoice
in
the hope
of
dwell-
ing'
with
him
hereafter,
and
persuades
the Colossians, in
this
context, to
be much with him
here
;
ver.
1.
If
ye
are
risen
with
Christ, and
'have
derived
a
quickening
virtue
from him
to
work
a
divine
life.
in you,
let
your
of,
fections
ascend
above, where
Christ your
life
is.
Is
not a
man, whose very soul
and
life
is
wrapped
ups
in
honour and
ambition, 'desirous ever to
be
near
the
court?
His
life
flourishes
under
the sunshine
of
the
prince's
eye,
and therefore
he
would
fain
dwell
there.
Does
'not
the covetous wretch
love.
to
be
near
his
hoards
of
gold
or silver?
He
has
put
up
his
life
in
his bags,
among
his
treasures, and
he is
not
willing
to
he
far
dis-
tant, nor
long
separated
from them.
Whatever
a
man
lives
upon,
he
would
willingly
be
ever
near
it,
that
so
he
may have the
pleasure
of
feeding
upon what
is
his,
greatest
delight,
and
be
refreshed and nourished
by
that
which
he feels to
support
him. Now,
what
honour
is
to
the
ambitious,
what
money
is
to the covetous, what alt
the various delights
of
sense
are
to
men
of
carnal
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