us.

come hither (now that we cannot come up to thee) and live in Show thyself in this soul, and let not me live any longer; but do thou live in me: let the life I live in the flesh be by thy faith, O thou Son of God. Thou hast loved me, and given thyself for me: O love me so much (I again beseech thee) as to live in me. I would begin that life which is hid with thee, in resigning myself to thee, that thy will may be done in me. Never did I feel such complacence in following mine own, as I have since I was inclined to follow after thee; who wilt lead me, I see, to immortal glory.

ness.

Blessed be that day which made me sensible of such happiBlessed be the day which directed mine eyes to look for thy appearing. What can I wish for more than to be blessed with the sight of it; and till it come, to have my heart always in love with it? I am going towards it by these desires; and I will excite myself to go the faster, because that blissful sight is still making nearer approaches.

What do we mean, my soul, to hang thus towards this earth? Why do we stay here when we see Jesus preparing himself to make another journey to us? Why do we not advance towards him, as if we were desirous to have him come, and to let us see him? Why do we not with all speed make ourselves ready to receive him? What is it that makes us so slow in our motions towards him; who, when he appears, will come as swift as the lightning unto us. Up, up, O my soul, let not thy Lord find thee, when he comes, posting after these worldly vanities, pursuing of thy sinful pleasures; but onward in thy way, gone very far in devout affections, ardent desires, and holy hopes to meet his glorious Majesty.

CHAP. VIII.

The progress of this love to Christ's appearing in three steps more. V.

AND yet this love cannot content itself with inward motions and aspirations of the soul towards the appearing of our Lord; but constantly excites all such actions as are requisite for the

attaining of so great a good. If we esteem any thing highly, and feel it exceeding agreeable to our heart's desire, we do not willingly rest in the pleasing passions it raises up in our hearts; but they carry us out in earnest endeavours to be owners of it. And the influence it hath upon us is so powerful, and it doth so strongly draw us after it, that it will not suffer any thing to put a stop to the current of our affections when they are issuing out unto it.

There are certain imperfect motions in our hearts, which we are apt to call love, that by no means deserve that name, being only a good liking of that which we do not yet truly love. They are called in the schools velleities, wishes and wouldings, as we speak; half a will which we feel for divers excellent things, but never come to any effect. The reason is, because the appearance of some extreme great difficulty, or the force of some contrary desire, either holds the soul in her course, (as she is moving towards them,) and beats her affections back again; or else turns the stream of them quite another way.

Love therefore is a generous vigour in the heart, which incites and strengthens it to fair and noble actions for the effecting its desires, though opposed by never so many enemies. It is called by some the fire wherewith the soul is clothed, which forces its way through all resistances: a certain ardour in us, which inspires us to worthy, though difficult, undertakings: an heroic passion, which makes us think nothing impossible that is needful to be done for the compassing the end at which it aims.

Thus then must our souls be carried, with such strong affections, towards the appearing of Christ, if we heartily love it. We must omit nothing that we know is required of us for the obtaining the blessings which it will bring unto us. We must bid all things stand aside that would impede us; and tell them they must pretend to no interest at all in us when we are in pursuit of so great a good. The love of which will soon reconcile us to the hardest duties; and endear to us the most self-denying courses. It will alter the countenance of sufferings, and make all the troubles of this life cast a kinder aspect on us. Nay, it will enable us to look death in the face with a cheerful heart: for it will present it to us in another shape,

and make the grave, that house of darkness, seem like the beautiful gate of the temple of God.

Whatsoever our Lord declares to be his pleasure, this will bid us do it; though we be undone by that means in all our temporal concerns. And when they tempt us to murmur and repine, to cry and lament at our parting with them: love will bid us be of good comfort; because this is the way to have a fair reception by our Lord, when he shall see we have quitted all for his sake. We cannot indeed keep them always if we would; yet such is his love, our faith tells us, that if we consent to forsake them beforehand upon his account, he will not suffer us to be losers by it: and therefore our love both to him and to ourselves prompts us not to stick at any thing which will be pleasing to him, though for the present it be harsh to us. It teaches us to reason as St. Peter doth: Seeing all these things must be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness; looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of the Lord1?

What manner of persons? Truly, such as are preparing a room in their hearts for their Lord. Such as hope then to complete their espousals to Christ; and therefore must be holy and without blame before him in lovem, and study nothing so much as to be found acceptable in his sight (who is the Lord of their hearts, and their very life); and to be nobly entertained. by him, when he shall come again to receive his loving subjects up unto himself. We have our conversation in heaven (saith St. Paul), from whence we expect the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he can subdue all things unto himself. For in all reason they that expect such a sight should fit themselves for it by a conversation suitable to the dignity to which they shall be then preferred. So Ecumenius, I remember, expounds these words of St. Paul to Timothy, when he answers the question, who it is that loves his appearing, in this manner, ó ǎέia πράττων ἀμοιβῶν χρηστῶν, “he that doth things worthy of excellent recompences "."

Which if we love, it will not fail to raise us unto a heavenly n [In 2 Tim. 8. tom. ii. p. 279 D.]

1

2 Pet. iii. 11, 12. m Ephes. i. 4.

life. If we wait for him to come from heaven, it will lift up our hearts, and carry them thither. We shall disburden them of all carnal affections, and throw off the load of the cares of this world, that we may be light and airy, ready to fly up above, when he calls us, to be with him. We shall labour to cleanse and purify our souls as he is pure; to adorn them with his graces; and, in one word, to put on the Lord Jesus, that he may see himself in us when he comes.

And wilt thou come then, O blessed Saviour (are such souls apt to say)? may we confidently look for thee from heaven to be our Saviour? Why do we question it, since we have thy faithful word for it; who hast promised that we shall see thee as thou art, and be for ever with thee? O astonishing love! what riches of grace is this! Was it not enough that thou condescendedst once to come and save us; but that thou determinest to come again? Canst thou not satisfy thy love unless we be where thou art? And wilt thou leave thy seat in heaven to come and fetch us, rather than leave us here upon the earth?

O love, what is like unto thee? Thou hast a mighty power! who can understand the wonders that thou dost? O make it great in us, good Lord, as well as in thyself. Cause it to do marvels in our hearts, as it hath done in thine. Let our souls be unsatisfied till they come to thee. Call forth all their powers as thou hast done their desires, that they may restlessly move towards thee. Make them unwearied in well-doing, steadfast, unmoveable, and abundant in thy work; that they may not miss of thee.

O most gracious Lord, suffer nothing in this world to discourage these hearts, that have wholly given themselves to thee. Cease not still to excite and quicken them; since they have been already touched and awakened by thine omnipotent love. But preserve such a flame alive in them, that they may ardently follow thee. Inspire them with zealous resolution, never to desist in their pursuit of that blessed hope thou hast set before them. Strengthen them against all the power of their enemics; and let thy love burn with such fervour in them, that none of the opposers of their holy desires may be able to stand before it. Arm them, good Lord, with this invincible

force of heavenly love, which may make them noble conquerors, and prepare them for thy glorious triumph.

VI.

But true love cannot stay here neither; nor content itself with some endeavours to enjoy that good which propounds itself to its affections; for it ever tends to an union with that lovely thing towards which it is moved. When the soul runs forth to see what it is that calls out its desires, the intention of that motion is to possess itself of that amiable object; if it answer its first pretences, and prove such as it promised. No sooner doth any thing appear beautiful and lovely to the mind. or imagination, but presently the heart sends messengers (as I may call the spirits that issue out of it) to bring it home, and conduct it to take up its lodging there. This is the meaning of that effusion of the soul which I spoke of before; whereby it would dissolve itself into that which it loves, and be so mingled as to become perfectly one with it.

When an agreeable object, I told you, hath imprinted its image on the mind, it casts a certain light into the soul, and shines so comfortably on the affections, that they are powerfully warmed and excited by it. Now when the heart is full of this splendour, it doth not satisfy itself with those rays and emissions of light and heat which are imparted to it; but strives to unite itself to the very centre of it, and would feel the spring from whence such life and pleasure flows.

Just as iron, when it is impregnated with the virtue of the loadstone, is not contented with those effluxes it hath received, but moves towards the body from which they stream; so is it with an heart which receives this joyful news from our Lord, that he will appear again in glory. It amuses not itself in those delightful thoughts; it sits not down in those ravishing joys; nor thinks it enough to be melted in the passion of love to him, and to so great a blessedness; but it seeks to knit itself to the very mind and spirit of Christ, that it may feel how blessed he intends to make it. It studies, I mean, to be changed and transformed more and more into his likeness; and by an entire agreement of will with his will, to begin its transfiguration, and be prepared for a perfect and eternal union with him. It is not sufficient to a heart that is in love with that great day, to live in a constant expectation of it, (which is excited by