148 THE HIDDEN LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN. inferences from it for our instruction, and three for our con- solation. Theinferences for our instructions aresuch as these: 1st Instruction. What a glorious person is the poorest, meanest christian ? He lives by communion withGod the Fa- ther and the Son ; for his life is hid with Christ in God ; 1 John í. 3.G0 Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and withhis Son Jesus Christ: And these things write we unto you, that your joy maybe full ; the joy that you may justly derive from so glorious an advancement. A true christian does not live upon the creatures, but upon the infinite and almighty Creator : upon God who created all things by JesusChrist. Created beings were never designed to, behis life andhis happiness ; they are too mean and coarse a fare 'for a christian to feed upon, in order to support his best life : He converses with them indeed, and transactsmany affairs that relate to them in this lower world : While he dwells in-fleshand blood, his heavenly Father has appointedthese tobe agreat part ofhisbusiness ; but he does not make them his portion and his life. 'l'hey possess but the lower degrees of his affection : He rejoices in the possession of them, as thoughhe rejoiced not ; and he weeps for the loss of them, as though he wept not : Heenjoys the dearest comforts of life, as though he had them not ; and buys with such a holy indifference, asthough, he werenottopos- sess ; 1 Cor. vii. 29, 30. for the fashion of thempasses away : But the food ofhis life is infinite and immortal. It is no wonder that a manof this world lets loose all the powers of his soul inthe pursuit and enjoyment of creatures, for they are his portion and his life. But it is quite otherwise with a christian : he hasa nobler original, and sustainsa higher character : His divine life must havedivine food to support it. Let our thoughts take a turn to somebarecommon, or to the side of a wood, and visit the humble christian there ; we shall find him cheerful, perhaps, at his dinner of herbs, with all the circumstances of meanness around him : But what a glorious life he leads in that straw -cottage, and poor obscurity ! The great and gay world shut him out from themwith disdain : He lives, as it were, hidden in a cave of the earth ; but the godhead dwells withhim there. Thehigh and lofty one that inhabits eternity, comes down to dwell with the humble and contrite soul ; Is. leu. 15. God, who is the spring of life, comes down to commu- cate fresh supplies of this life continually. He that dwelleth in . love, dwelleth in God; 1 John iv. 16. He is not alone, for the Father is with him ; John xvi. 32. The Father and the Son come andmanifest themselves unto him, within thewalls of that hovel, in so divine a manner, as they, never do to the men of this
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