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Difcourfe; but rather chufe to retire into thy Chamber, and converfe much with God in Solitude and Silence. When thou haft Him, thou haft a Treasure, which nothing can take from thee. I am worthy of thee all, and I expect thee all; divide not thy felf between me and the World, but let me be thy Love, thy Joy, thy Defire; fo fhall thy Life be hid

with Chrift in God; and, tho' thou canft Coloff. iii. not live in thy Self, yet thou fhalt live in Me, full of Tranquility and Peace, and above the diforderly Paffions and ruffling Cares of fenfual and earthly-minded Men.

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CHA P. XIII.

The Soul's Defire of Union with Chrift.

Difciple.]
I

Hear thy gracious Words, my deareft Lord, and easily believe the inexpreffible Happiness of Them, whofe Souls thy heavenly Prefence fills. But how, Oh! how fhall I attain that Blifs? How fhall I feek and find my God alone? How open my Heart to entertain Thee, fo as to exclude all other intruding Guefts? O! that no Man, no Creature might from henceforth find place in my Affections and Defires, so as to interrupt my Conver fation with thee! When fhall I break loofe from Company and Care, and Enjoy and Talk with Thee alone, in Language free and kind, as that of dearest Friends; and foft and tender, fweet and charming, as the unreserved Retirements and endearing Whispers of the moft paffionate Lovers? This is my earneft Wish, This my conftant Prayer, that my Heart may be knit entirely to Thee, and weaned from every earthly and fenfual Delight, learn to tafte heavenly and eterY

nal

nal Joys by frequent Returns to thy Holy Communion. Ah when, my God, fhall I be wholly thine, regardlefs of my felf, fwallowed up quite in a blifsful indiffoluble Union with Chrift? Thou, Lord, John xvii. in Me, and I in Thee, and thus may we continue One for ever.

Thou verily art my Beloved, my Chofen, the Chiefeft among Ten thoufand, the Friend of my Bofom, with whom I defire to dwell all the Days of my Life. Thou art my Peace, and only Comfort; Without thee I find nothing but Labour and Sorrow, Vexation and Torment, and Mifery infupportable. Thou art a God, that hideft thy felf, Not dealing thy Bleffings promifcuoufly, but, with wife and juft diftinction, fatisfying the Humble and Meek with the Pleasures of thy Word, while thou concealeft thy Counsel from the Wicked, and leaveft them to Groan and Howl in the Anguifh, and Horror of their guilty Souls. O! how great is thy Bounty! how fweet thy Mercy! who re

John vi..
Deut, iv.

frefheft thy hungry Servants with the de

licious Bread, which came down from Heaven, that thy Faithful might eat thereof and not die. Surely there is no Nation under Heaven, which hath God fo near to them, as the Lord our God is unto Us, in all that we call upon him for. For he healeth the broken in Heart, Pfalm cxlvii. he hath respect unto the Lowly, he lifteth the Simple out of the Duft, and raifeth the Needy from the Dunghil, to fet them with Princes, to equal them with Angels; nay, to give them his Flesh for the fatisfying their Hunger, and when they are thirfty, the Wine of his Blood to drink.

CXxxviii, cxiii.

What Society of Men can boaft of Privileges worthy to be named with those of the Chriftian Church? What Creature under Heaven, whofe Excellence and Happiness is comparable to the Pious and Devout Soul, where God takes up his Refidence, and fuftains the

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Heart

Heart that entertains him, with his own glorious Body? O Grace unfpeakable! O Condefcenfion moft amazing! O Love unmeafurable! Lord, what is Man, that thou fhould'ft thus vifit him? or whac can he render unto his God for thefe ineflimable Benefits? Alas! I have no return to make, but a poor worthless Heart; and this is yet a farther Inftance of thy Goodness, that thou expecteft no other Teftimony of Gratitude, but my Self and my fincere Affection. Thus haft thou made our Duty our greatest Happinefs: For then fhall my Soul be glad, and all that is within me leap for Joy, when my Heart is perfectly united to my God: Then fhalt thou fay, If thou wilt be mine, I will live and dwell with thee for ever. And I with humble Joy reply, Difdain not, Lord, this mean and bomely Dwelling, for I most willingly, most thankfully, embrace the offer. Lo I am thine entirely from this moment, and, above all things, wish and pray, That the Intimacy and Friendship thus contracted, may continue firm and inviolable, that nothing may abate our Love, and the Delights of it, or ever part our Perfons any more.

CHA P. XIV.

An All of Exciting Devotion by the Example of

Difciple.]

Others.

How plentiful is thy Good

nefs, which thou hast laid Pfalm xxxi. up for them that fear thee! When I reflect with what ardent Piety, with what affectionate Devotion, with what an eager Zeal, thy Saints approach this heaven ly Supper; Shame and Confufion overwhelm me quite, confcious of my own but lukewarm at the best, and too too often perfectly ftupid and frozen Heart';

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with

with what Indifference and Coldness I approach thy Myfteries, and how unaffected with thy Mercies, how unprofitable under the gracious Difpenfation, I return. What a Reproach is it, that my Heart fhould not be all inflamed with the Excefs of thy Love, that I fhould have no Senfe, no Apprehenfion, of my greateft Happinefs? no Hungrings and Thirftings after it? But, notwithstanding the moving Examples of many excellent Perfons,fhould ftill continue void of all Impreffion, fo fcandaleufly unlike thofe picus Souls; whofe Zeal overflow'd in Tears of Joy; whofe Hearts, as well as Mouths, drink greedily at this Fountain of Life, whofe Appetites were fo ftrong as never to be fatisfied, till they had filled themselves with thy bleffed Body, and fed liberally, and with a fort of holy Luxury indulged at this Celestial Banquet.

A Faith fo eager, foexalted, plainly confefs'd they felt thy gracious Prefence; and that their Lord was known to them, as heretofore to the Difciples at Emmaus, in breaking of Bread; The burnLuke xxiv. ing of their Hearts within them was an irrefragable Teftimony of it. But how far fhort, alas! do I come of their Zeal and Devotion? Lock mercifully, Lord, upon my Infirmities, and, if an equal Portion of thy Grace be too great a Favour for thy poor unworthy Servant, yet grant me fuch a degree, fuch a fenfe of thy Goodnefs and wonderful Love, that I may be as fincerely, tho' not fo ftrongly, affected with it. If Raptures and Extafies of Delight may not be my Portion, yet deny me not Improvement; but let my Faith be ftrengthened, my Hope confirmed, my Love fo warmed with this Sacrament, that, after having once tafted this heavenly Manna, I may never more defire the Onions and Garlick of Egypt, nor in my Heart turn back from so good a God.

I know thy Mercy and thy Power, to which ncthing is impoffible, nothing hard. I know thou canst,

and

and I hope in thy good time thou wilt vifit me with more abundant Measures of thy Grace, and fulfil all my defire. This Confidence I cherish, because my very Defires are from thee: And it is fome Comfort to me, that, tho' I am fenfible of my Weakness and my Wants, yet Ilong and pant after Supplies and Strength; that I am not content with my Mifery, but labour, and pray againft my Defects, and would fain be betAnd thus I will continue to do, till thou remove and vanquish my Frailties, infpire a bright and ardent Zeal, and make me a happy Partaker, first of the virtuous Difpofition of thy devouter Saints, and then of their Reward and Happiness.

ter.

CHA P. XV.

Grace is the Reward of Humility and Self denial.

Chrift.]

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Ince thy Wishes are fo commendable, and thy Defires of Grace, fincere, I will inftruct thee, how thou fhalt obtain it. Know then this Bleffing is fufpended upon certain Conditions. It muft be fought inftantly, asked fervently, waited for patiently, received thankfully, preferved by Humility, improved with Diligence, and the Time and Meafures of receiving it fubmitted entirely to the Wif dom and Goodnefs of the heavenly Giver. If thou feel few or no Sparks of it in thy Mind, this is a proper Subject to exercife thy Meeknefs and godly Sorrow, but not to provoke Defpair or immoderate Concern. For God frequently gives that in an Inftant, and with a liberal Hand, which Men had long expected without Succefs. He gratifies their Conftancy and Patience, their Importunity and Perfeverance in Prayer, with Benefits, which excellent Reafons moved him

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