what they neglect? Did they ever hear of it, or are they yet afleep, or are they dead? Do they ⚫ certainly know that the Crown is before them, while they thus fit ftill, or follow Trifles? Un'doubtedly they are befide themselves, to mind fo much their Provifion by the Way, when they are 6 hafting fo faft to another World, and their eternal Happiness lies at ftake. Were there left one Spark of Reason, they would never fell their Reft for Toil, 6. nor their Glory for worldly Vanities, nor venture Heaven for finiful Pleafure. Poor Men! O that you 'would once confider what you hazard, and then < you would fcorn these tempting Baits! Bleed for ever be that Love, which hath refcued me from this bewitching Darknefs!'

་

$11. DRAW yet nearer, O my Soul! with thy moft fervent Love. Here is Matter for it to work upon, fomething worth thy loving. O fee what Beauty prefents itfelf! Is not all the Beauty in the • World united here? Is not all other Beauty but Deformity? Doft thou now need to be perfuaded to love? Here is a Fraft for thine Eyes, and all the Powers of thy Soul; doft thou need Entreaties to feed < upon it? Canft thou love a little fhining Earth, a walking Piece of Clay? And canft thou not love that God, that Chrift, that Glory which is fo truly and unmeasurably lovely? Thou canft love thy Friend, becaufe he loves thee; and is the Love of thy Friend like the Love of Chrift? Their weep ing or bleeding for thee, do not ease thee, nor ftay the Courfe of thy Tears or Blood: But the Tears • and Blood that fell from thy Lord, have a fovereign healing Virtue.O my Soul! if Love deferves and fhould beget Love, what incomprehenfible Love is here before thee? Pour out all the Store of thy Affections here, and all is too little. O that it

were

Ch. 16. were more! O that it were many thousand Times ⚫ more! Let Him be firft ferved, that served thee firft. Let Him have the First-born, and Strength of thy Soul, who parted with Strength and Life in love for thee.-Ö my Soul! Doft thou love for Excellency? Yonder is the Region of Light; this is a Land of Darkness. Yonder twinkling Stars, that fhining Moon, and radiant Sun, are all but Lanthorns hung out of thy Father's Hofe, to light thee while thou walkeft in this dark World: But how little doft thou know the Glory and Bleffedness® • that is within ?—Doft thou love for Suitableness? • What Perfon more fuitable than Chrift? His God

bead and Humanity, His Fulness and Freeness, His • Willingness and Conftancy, all proclaim Him thy most suitable Friend. What State more fuitable to thy Mifery, thán Mercy? Or to thy Sin and Pollution, than Honour and Perfection? What Place more fuitable to thee than Heaven? Does this • World agree with thy Defires? Haft thou not had a fufficient Trial of it?Or doft thou love for Intereft and near Relation? Where haft thou better Intereft than in Heaven, or nearer Relation than • there?'

§. 12. DOST thou love for Acquaintance and Familiarity? Tho' thine Eyes have never feen thy Lord, yet thou haft heard His Voice, received His Benefits, and lived in His Bofom; He taught thee to know thyself and Him; He opened thee that first Window through which thou faweft into Heaven. Haft thou forgotten fince thy Heart was careless, and He awakened it; hard, and He foftened it; ftubborn, and He made it yield; at Peace, and He troubled it; whole, and He broke it; and broken, ⚫ till He healed it again? Haft thou forgotten the Times, when He found thee in Tears; when He

• heard

heard thy fecret Sighs and Groans, and left all to < come and comfort thee; when He took thee, as it i < were, in His Arms, and afked thee, Poor Soul, "what ails thee?, Doft thou weep, when I have "wept fe much? Be of good Chear; thy Wounds

are faving, and not deadly; it is I have made "them, who mean thee no Hurt; tho' I let out thy Blood, I will not let out thy Life.' I remember • His Voice. How gently did He take me up? How • carefully did he drefs my Wounds? Methinks I • hear Him ftill faying to me, Poor Sinner, tho' "thou haft dealt unkindly with me, and caft me off; 66. yet I will not do fo by thee. Tho' thou haft fet "light by me and all my Mercies, yet they and my"felf are All thine. What wouldst thou have, that I ❝can give thee? And what doft thou want, that I "cannot give thee? If any Thing I have will plea

fure thee, thou fhalt have it. Wouldft thou have Pardon? I freely forgive thee all the Debt. Wouldst "thou have Grace and Peace? Thou fhalt have them both. Wouldst thou have Myfelf? Behold I am thine, thy Friend, thy Lord, thy Brother, Huf band, and Head. Wouldst thou have the Father? I will bring thee to Him, and thou fhalt have Him, in and by Me.' Thefe were my Lord's reviving Words. After all, when I was doubtful of His Love, methinks I yet remember His overcoming Arguments. Have I done fo much, Sinner, to tellify my Love, and yet doft thou doubt? Have I offered thee Myfelf and Love, fo long, and yet "dost thou queftion my Willingness to be thine? "At what dearer Rate thould I tell thee that I love "thee? Wilt thou not believe my bitter Pain "proceeded from Love? Have I made Myfelf in "the Gofpel a Lion to thine Enemies, and a Lamb to thee, and doit thou overlook My Lamb-like

Nature? Had I been willing to let thee perish, "what need I have done and fuffered fo much? "What need I follow thee with such Patience and

Importunity? Why doft thou tell me of thy "Wants; have I not enough for Me and thee? Or "of thy Unworthiness; for if thou waft thyfelf "worthy, what shouldft, thou do with my Worthi"nefs?. Did I ever invite, or fave, the Worthy and "the Righteous; or is there any fuch upon Earth? Haft thou nothing; art thou loft and miferable, "helplefs and forlorn? Doft thou believe I am an "All-fufficient Saviour, and wouldst thou have me?

、

Thus, O

Lo, I am thine, take me; if thou art willing, I 66 am; and neither Sin, nor Satan, fhall break the "Match.' Thefe, O thefe, were the bleffed Words which His Spirit from His Gofpel fpoke unto me, till He made me caft myfelf at His Feet, and cry out, My Saviour, and my Lord, thou haft broke, "thou haft revived my Heart; thou haft overcome, "thou haft won my Heart; take it, it is thine; if fuch a Heart can please thee, take it; if it cannot, make it fuch as thou wouldst have it.' · my Soul! mayft thou remember the fweet Familiarity thou haft had with Chrift; therefore, if Acquaintance will caufe Affection, let out thy Heart unto Him. It is He hath stood by thy Bed of Sicknefs, hath eafed thy Pains, refreshed thy Weariness, and remoyed thy Fears. He hath been always ready, when thou haft earnestly fought Him; hath met thee in publick and private; hath been found of thee in the Congregation, in thy Houfe, in thy Clofet, in the Field, in thy waking Nights, in thy deepeft Dangers.'

$13. IF Bounty and Compaffion be an Attractive of Love, how unmeafurably then am I bound to love Him? All the Mercies that have filled up my

• Life,

Life, all the Places that ever I abode in, all the ← Societies and Perfons I have been converfant with, all my Employments and Relations, every Condition I have been in, and every Change I have paffed thro', all tell are, that the Fountain is overflowing Goodness. Lord, what a Sum of Love am I indebted to thee? And how does my Debt continually increafe? How fhould I love again for fo much Love? But thall I dare to think of requiting thee, or of recompenfing all thy Love with mine? Will my Mite requite thee for thy golden Mines; my feldom Withes, for thy conftant Bounty; mine which is nothing, or not mine, for thine which is infi nite and thine own? Shall I dare to contend in • Love with thece; or fet my borrowed languid Spark against the Sun of Love? Can I love as high, as deep, as broad, as long, as Love itfelf as much as He that made me, and that made me love, and gave me all that little which I have? As I cannot match thee in the Works of Power, nor make, nor preserve, nor rule the Worlds; no more can I match thee in Love. No, Lord, I yield; I am overcome. O bleffed Conqueft! Go on victorioufly, and fill prevail, and triumph in thy Love. The Captive of Love fhall proclaim thy Victory; when thou leadeft me in Triumph from Earth to Heaven, from Death to Life, from the Tribunal to the Throne, myfelf, and all that fee it, fhall acknowledge thou haft prevailed, and alt fhall fay, Behold how He loved him! Yet let me love in Subjection to thy Love; as thy redeemed Captive, tho' not thy Peer. Shall I not love at all, because I cannot reach thy Measure? O that I could feelingly fay, I love thee, even as I love my Friend, and myfelf!Though I cannot fay, as the Apoftle, • Thou knoweft that I love thee; yet i can fay, Lord,