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know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an Understanding that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal Life (m).

SII. THE Memory will not be idle, or useless, în this bleffed Work. From that Height the Saint can look behind him, and before him. And to com pare paft with prefent Things, must needs raise in the bleffed Soul an inconceivable Efteem and Senfe of its Condition. To ftand on that Mount, whence we can fee the Wilderness and Canaan, both at once; to ftand in Heaven, and look back on Earth, and weigh them together in the Balance of a comparing Senfe and Judgment, how muft it needs transport the Sou!, and make it cry out, "Is this the Purchase that coft "fo dear as the Blood of Chrift? No Wonder. O "bleffed Price! and thrice bleffed Love, that in"vented, and condefcended! Is this the End of "Believing? Is this the End of the Spirit's Work"ings? Have the Gales of Grace blown me into

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"fuch an Harbour? Is it hither that Chrift bach "allured my Soul? O bleffed Way, and thrice "bleffed End! Is this the Glory which the Scrip"tures spoke of, and Minifters preached of fo much? "I fee the Gofpel is indeed good Tidings, even Tidings of Peace and good Things, Tidings of great Joy to all Nations! Is my Mourning, my Fafting, my fad Humblings, my heavy Walking, come to this? Is my praying, watching, fearing ་་ to offend, come to this? Are all my Afflictions, "Satan's Temptations, the World's Scorns and Jeers, come to this?- -O vile Nature, that refifted fo much, and fo long, fuch a Bleffing! Unworthy "Soul, is this the Place thou cameft fo unwillingly. to? Was Duty wearifome? Was the World too

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(m) 1 John v. 19, 20.

"good

"good to lofe? Didft thou ftick at leaving all, "denying all, and fuffering any Thing, for this? "Waft thou loth to die, to come to this? O falfe "Heart, thou hadít almoft betrayed me to eternal "Flames, and loft me this Glory! Art thou not now afhamed, my Soul, that ever thou didst

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queftion that Love which brought thee hither? "That thou waft jealous of the Faithfulnefs of thy "Lord? That thou fufpectedft his Love, when "thou shouldft only have fufpected thyfelf? That "ever thou didst quench a Motion of his Spirit? "And that thou fhouldft mifinterpret thofe Provi"dences, and repine at thofe Ways, which have "fuch an End? Now thou art fufficiently con"vinced, that thy Redeemer was faving thee, as "well when he croffed thy Delires, as when he "granted them; when he broke thy Heart, as when

he bound it up. No Thanks to thee, unworthy "Self, for this received Crown; but to Jehovah, and the Lamb, be Glory for ever."

12. BUT, oh! the full, the near, the fweet Enjoyment, is that of Love. God is Love, and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God, and God in him (n). Now the poor Soul complains, "Oh that I could love "Chrift more!" Then, thou canst not chufe but love him. Now, thou knoweft little of his Amiable nefs, and therefore loveft little: Then, thine Eye will affect thy Heart, and the continual viewing of that perfect Beauty will keep thee in continual Tranf ports of Love. Chriftians, doth it not now ftir uş your Love, to remember all the Experiences of his Love? Doth not Kindness melt you, and the Sunfhine of divine Goodness warm your frozen Hearts? What will it do then, when you fhall live in Love, and have All in him, who is All? Surely Love is both

(n) 1 John iv. 16.

both Work and Wages. What a high Favour, that God will give us Leave to love him! That he will be embraced by thofe, who have embraced Luft and Sin before him! But more than this, he returneth Love for Love; nay, a thousand Times more. Chriftian, thou wilt be then brim-full of Love; yet,. love as much as thou canft, thou shalt be ten thoufand Times more beloved. Were the Arms of the Son of God open upon the Cross, and an open Pasfage made to his Heart by the Spear, and will not Arms and Heart be open to thee in Glory? Did he begin to love before thou lovedft, and will not he continue now? Did he love thee, an Enemy? thee, a Sinner? thee, who even loathedit thyfelf? and own thee, when thou didst difclaim thyself? And will het not now immeafurably love thee, a Son? thee, a perfect Saint? thee, who returneft fome Love for Love? He that in Love wept over the old Jerufabem when near its Ruin, with what Love will he rejoice over the new Jerufalem in her Glory? Chriftian, believe this, and think on it; Thou shalt be eternally embraced in the Arms of that Love, which was from everlasting, and will extend to everlasting;-of that Love, which brought the Son of God's Love from Heaven to Earth, from Earth to the Crofs, from the Crofs to the Grave, from the Grave to Glory;

Gat Love, which was weary, hungry, tempted, fcorned, fcourged, buffeted, fpit upon, crucified, pierced; which did faft, pray, teach, heal, weep, fweat, bleed, die; that Love will eternally embrace thee. When perfect created Love, and most perfect uncreated Love, meet together, it will not be like Jofeph and his Brethren, who lay upon one an other's Necks weeping; it will be loving and rejoiceing, not loving and forrowing: Yet it will make Satan's Court ring with the News, that Jofeph's

Brethren

Brethren are come, that the Saints are arrived safe at the Bofom of Chrift, out of the Reach of Hell for ever: Nor is there any fuch Love as David's and Jonathan's, breathing out its laft into fad Lamentations for a forced Separation. Know this, Believer, to thy everlasting Comfort, if thofe Arms have once embraced thee, neither Sin, nor Hell, can get thee thence for ever. Thou haft not to deal with an inconftant Creature, but with him with whom is no Variableness, nor Shadow of Turning (o). His Love to Thee will not be as thine was on Earth to him; feldom, and cold, up and down. He that would not ceafe, nor abate, his Love, for all thine Enmity, unkind Neglects, and churlish Refiftances; can he ceafe to love thee, when he hath made thee truly" lovely? He that keepeth thee fo conftant in thy Love to him, that thou canft challenge Tribulation, Diftrefs, Perfecution, Famine, Nakedness, Peril, or Sword, to feparate thy Love from Chrift, how much more will himself be confiant (p)? Indeed thou mayft be perfuaded, that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor Things prefent, nor Things to come, nor Height, nor Depth, nor any other Creature, fall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord (q). And now are we not left in the Apofile's Admiration, What shall we fay to thefe Things (r)? Infinite Lo muft needs be a Myftery to a finite Capacity. No Wonder Angels defire to look into this Myftery (s). And if it be the Study of Saints here, to know the Breadth, and Length, and Depth, and Height, of the Love of Christ, which taffeth Knowledge (t); the Saint's everlasting Rest must confift in the Enjoyment of God by Love.

(0) James i. 17. (r) Rom. viii. 31.

(p) Rom. vii. 35.
(s) Pet, i. 12.

$ 13.

(c) Rom. viii, 38, 39, (t) Ephef. iii. 18, 19.

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13. NOR hath Foy the leaft Share in this Frui tion. 'Tis that, which all the former lead to, and conclude in; even the inconceivable Complacency which the Bleffed feel in their seeing, knowing, loving, and being beloved of God. This is the white Stone, which no Man knoweth, faving he that receiveth it (u). Surely this is the Joy which a Stranger doth not intermeddle with (w). All Chrift's Ways of Mercy tend to, and end in, the Saint's Joys. He wept, forrowed, fuffered, that they might rejoice; he fendeth the Spirit to be their Comforter; he multiplies Promifes; he difcovers their future Happiness, that their Foy may full (x). He opens to them the Fountain of living Waters, that they may thirst no more, and that it may Spring up in them to everlasting Life (y). He chaftens them, that he may give them Rest (z). He makes it their Duty to rejoice in Lim alway, and again commands them to rejoice (a). He never brings them into fo low a Condition, wherein he does not leave them' more Caufe of Joy than Sorrow. And hath the Lord. fuch a Care of our Comfort here? Oh, what will that Joy be, where the Soul being perfectly prepared for Joy, and Joy prepared by Chrift for the Soul, it fball be our Work, our Bufinefs, eternally to rejoice! It seems the Saint's Joy fhall be greater than the Damned's Torment; for their Torment is the Torment of Creatures, prepared for the Devil and his Angels (b); but our Joy is the Joy of our Lord (c). The fame Glory which the Father gave the Son, the Son hath given them (d), to fit with him in his Throne, even as he is fet down with his Father in his Throne (e). Thou, poor Soul, who prayest for Joy, waitet for

(u) Rev. ii. 17.
(y) John iv. 10, 14.
(b) Matt. xxv. 41.
(e) Rev, iii, 21.

(w) Prov. xiv. 10.
(2) Palm xciv. 12, 13.
(c) Matt. xxv. 21,

Joy,

(x) John xvi. 24. (a) Phil. iv. 4. (d) John xvii. 22.

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