The Glorious Epiphany with the Devout Christians Love, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. This Love to the Appearing of our Lord further deſcribed in three other fruits or marks of it.
VIII.
AND now can any Soul chuſe but think of that perpetually, which it moſt dearly loves? Doth not every Good uſe to preſent it ſelf continually to the mind that is inamour'd of it, and remember us of its beauty? There is no queſtion to be made of it. The very ardency of our affection for it, doth more imprint and engrave it on our mind; and when, by any participation of it, we feel how good it is, we preſs it harder, and ſink it deeper into our hearts. There is no man, for inſtance, who hath ſetled his love upon an agreeable perſon, but He finds the image of that friend always before his eyes. It accompanies him every where, and cleaves inſeparably to his thoughts. It is a great part of his pleaſure to entertain himſelf with the ſhadow of that in which he hath lodg'd his heart.
And therefore if we love the appearing of our Lord, we ſhall ſolace our ſelves often with the kind. In the multitude, eſpecially or tumult of our thoughts within us (as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks xciv. 19.) the comforts of it will delight our ſouls. We ſhall be daily calling upon them, and exhorting them to look towards it; and to fix their thoughts and affections upon it. We ſhall be inclin'd to ſay, as the voice is in the Song of Songs, Come my fair one, come away.
O my chiefeſt Good, what ſhall I deſire or wiſh for ſo much, as for thy coming? What is it that I ever ſaw, which ſhould detain my eyes from thy incomparable beauty? Or where can I expect to ſatisfie their hunger, but only with the filling ſight of thee, at thy appearing? The ſpacious Heavens hope to be filled with the Majeſty of thy Glory. The Sun is but a weak image of thy brightneſs, and will be content to go out to make room for thee when thou appeareſt. All the Stars of light are ready to reſign their places, and leave the skie to be illuminated by thee alone. Whatſoever is lovely and ſurpriſes us with its beauty here, confeſſes it is but thy ſhadow, and that when thou breakeſt forth it muſt diſappear.
Fix my mind therefore upon thy glory; and let it henceforth imploy my buſie thoughts. Poſſeſs thy ſelf, O Lord of life and glory, intirely of this heart, which hath been too long eſtranged from thee. Impreſs ſuch a lively ſenſe of thee and of thy glory there; that I may ſooner forget my ſelf than thee and thy appearing. Make it my greateſt pleaſure to ſit hours and days and years, to think of thy ſo much deſired coming. When I meet with my deareſt Relations and Friends, let nothing entertain us with ſuch delight, as to think of being caught up together in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.
Let us love to ſpeak of the glory of thy Kingdom, and to talk of thy power: to utter abundantly the memory of thy great goodneſs, and to ſing of thy righteouſneſs. Let us wiſh with united hearts to ſee thy power and glory; and to behold thee coming, according to thy faithful promiſe, out of thy heavenly Sanctuary. Let it be our ſweeteſt joy to inſpire each others hearts with theſe holy hopes; and to ſtir up one another to love and to good works. And when thou comeſt, O Lord, may every one of us be found ſo doing.
IX.
Theſe are ſome of the pantings of an heart, which loves and bears in mind the appearing of Chriſt. For to ſay the truth, Love is the original and ſource of all the paſſions that we feel in our hearts. They all flow from this as from their ſpring-head. They are but ſeveral motions which have their riſe from Love. Or, if you will ſo conceive it, nothing but different figures and ſhapes wherein it appears. It is love which fears, and love which grieves, and love which hopes, and love which rejoyces: there would be none of theſe, were it not for ſome good which we love; to which theſe and all the reſt of their kindred, owe their birth and nouriſhment. When this is hindred in its deſignes, it breeds anger, or impatience, or fear, or ſadneſs, or ſome ſuch like commotion: And when this ſucceeds and proſpers in the purſuance of its ends; there ariſes hope, and contentment, and joy and gladneſs, as the natural iſſue of it.
They that love then Chriſts appearing, will fear nothing ſo much as to loſe the bleſſedneſs which He will bring along with Him. Nothing will excite ſuch a diſpleaſure in their hearts, as that evil which would rob and defraud them of his favour at that happy day. And what is there that can give them ſuch a touch of ſadneſs, as the thought that they are ſo far diſtant from their Deareſt Lord? Or what can create ſuch joy, ſuch exultation of ſpirit, as to hope they ſhall one day ſee Him, ſo as never to part from Him any more? In one word, all the paſſions of their Souls will run this way, and be concern'd for nothing ſo highly as this, that they may be preſented faultleſs before the preſence of his glory with exceeding joy.
True indeed, O bleſſed Saviour, (doth ſuch an heart meditate in it ſelf) I have had a thouſand fears in my breaſt. I have dreaded every ſmall danger in this world, as if it would prove my utter ruin. The terrors that have affrighted me, are as innumerable as the things I have fancied to be my happineſs. But now all theſe are willing to be gone, that they may make way for one greater fear; leſt I ſhould not enter with thee, when thou appeareſt, into thy reſt. O prevent ſo intolerable a miſchief! Whatſoever I loſe, I ſhall account my ſelf a gainer; if I loſe not the bleſſing which thou wilt give us. Take all if thou pleaſeſt, I am content; ſo thou wilt give me a ſhare in thy glory, when thou comeſt.
I have been too long peſtered with a world of ſenſual paſſions. Sometimes ſadneſs hath oppreſſed me; and then anger hath ſet me all on fire. Now vain joyes have ſwelled my heart and puffed me up; and again they have given place to grief, and ſorrow hath ſhrunk up my ſoul, and dried up my ſpirit. Fears and Hopes have toſſed me up and down, as in a tempeſtuous Sea. A ſmall matter hath created me much trouble; and I have longed for things, which promiſed much, but gave me little ſatisfaction. What a comfort is it, but to expect the day, which will ſettle and compoſe theſe tumults, in perpetual peace and quiet! I feel the thoughts of it already appeaſing my ſpirit, and bringing a ealm into my breaſt. And if the brightneſs of thy appearing did but always ſhine in my mind, it would diſpel all the clouds and ſcatter the darkneſs, wherein all this confuſion reigns. O let the ſplendor of that day irradiate my ſoul, even at this diſtance from it; and leave no ſpace void of its light and comfort. Yea, let it eclipſe all other joyes; and by its gliſtering beauty, cauſe the ſmall contentments of this world, to ſeem but as ſo many Glow-worms, which ſhine only in the night. I am ſenſible how ſhort the ſweeteſt enjoyments of this life are of that celeſtial happineſs. The ſociety of my Saviour and of the inhabitants above, O how much is it to be preferred, even before the delightful company of thoſe that moſt deſerve my love! Who can do me no greater ſervice, than by the innocent paſſion I have for them, to tranſport me with far greater, to that bleſſed country; where I ſhall enjoy them without fear, and love them without danger. And O that all the fears I at any time have of loſing the Deareſt Creature in this world, may preſently expire into a greater fear of heing ſeparated from my Lord. Let all my hopes and joyes alſo about that, conclude in better hopes and joyful expectations of living together in the joy of our Fathers houſe.
But as for other things, I diſcharge and renounce you, all you frivolous ſinful delights. I am not afraid of any evil that man, or other creature can do unto me; while my truſt and my joy is in the Lord. Come troubles, come reproaches, come loſs of Goods; I am not angry at it; ſo Jeſus will but come: and they will alſo excite me to faſten mine eyes more ſtedfaſtly on Him and his appearing. This is my hope, this is my joy, this is the ſupport and the ſatisfaction of my heart. This is the thing I am reſolved to entertain my thoughts withall: and if I may but have this, let all the reſt, O bleſſed Jeſus, be even as thou pleaſeſt.
X.
I have but one thing more to add, which is; that the Love which deſerves this Character, is a ſetled conſtant affection; an habit and temper of the ſoul which alwayes abides. Not a ſudden fit of paſſion; but a fixed inclination, and rooted diſpoſition to ſeek ſuch a good as it deſires. And ſo the word here uſed by St. Paul ſignifies, not barely they that love, but they that have loved his appearing. For foreign being in the time perfectly paſt, denotes that this hath been the ſtedfaſt bent of their hearts to look for Chriſt, and prepare themſelves in this manner for his coming.
The Image of any lovely perſon, when it firſt preſents it ſelf before us, is wont to come in a poſture of humility and ſubmiſſion; and ſeems to crave to be admitted into our hearts. It invites us with ſo much ſweetneſs and reſpect; as if it would be beholden to us, for our kind acceptance of it into our favour. But when it is once paſſionately entertained, and hath poſſeſſed it ſelf of our hearts; we find it changes its behaviour, and grows ſo imperious, that it requires what before it ſeemed to intreat. It becomes abſolute maſter of our hearts; and placing it ſelf there as the Governor of all our affections, will no more be denied in any of its demands.
And ſuch is the progreſs of the love of Chriſt, and his appearing in pious ſouls. He comes and intreats us at the firſt, or rather beſeeches us that we would be ſo ſenſible of his kindneſs, as to let Him have a room in our hearts; and to receive from His hands ſo great a good, as He offers to bleſs us withall. We feel thereupon only ſome inclinations to Him, and good affections for Him; but do not come preſently to a full reſolution to ſurrender our ſelves intirely to Him. Nay it is too manifeſt, that we are off and on (as the phraſe is) and ſeem as if we could chooſe whether we will love Him or no. But when He hath once got within us, when we perceive how gracious the Lord is, and have opened our hearts to let Him dwell there; then He exerciſes an abſolute Empire over us. He will have none of His commands refuſed or diſputed. A ready and chearful compliance with His will, is the fruit of His Authority: and nothing can have a room there, but what ſhall ask Him leave. He rules and reigns over us in ſo ſoveraign a manner, that He carries us whither He pleaſes. And more than that, it pleaſes us to be ruled by Him; and it is the moſt perfect liberty, to be under the uncontroulable power of his Love. All the world cannot hinder Him from being obeyed; but every ſignification of his will and pleaſure to us, becomes a Law as ſtrong as Fate, which cannot be reſiſted. Let him ask what he will, it is ſufficient that he is pleaſed; and that he loves us ſo much, as to think of appearing again to make us perfectly like himſelf.
That's a Good incomparably great, which needs nothing to procure our love to it, but only to be known: And when it is loved, needs nothing to ſecure it, but not to ſlip out of our mind. Or rather we cannot forget, what we have once ſo dearly loved. The pleaſures of that paſſion are its preſervation. Its activity and force, will not let it dye or fall aſleep.
O come, come, ſaith a ſoul poſſeſſed with this Love, for I cannot wiſh for any thing like thy appearing. It is impoſſible I ſhould refrain from deſiring that joyful day. I cannot live, but I muſt long for thy coming. O when wilt thou come, my bleſſed Redeemer? when wilt thou come? when ſhall we ſee that welcome morn, that ſhall bring the news of thine approach? It cannot but be moſt welcome ſure to all thoſe that have waited for it with ſo much patience, and cryed out ſo often, make no long tarrying, O my Lord. The brightneſs of thy face, I know, can throw no ſcorching flames into thoſe eyes that look for thee. That ſweet Sun will ariſe with a ſmiling countenance upon all ſuch hearts. They can never fear an evil day, when the Bridegroom comes, moſt gloriouſly deckt, to compleat his love to them. And therefore I cannot but ſay again (and let all them that love thee, joyn their deſires with me, and ſay continually) come, come, O bleſſed Jeſus. Come, while our hearts are warm with love to thee. Come, while theſe paſſionate ſighs are calling for thee. Come, now that theſe ſouls ſtand open, with outſtretched arms to receive thee.
What greater felicity can we wiſh, than to paſs away in ſuch aſpirations towards thee? What gentler or ſweeter breath, than theſe holy deſires, can waft our ſouls into the air to meet thee? Who can fancy any thing more deſireable, than to evaporate, all together, in ecſtaſies of devout affections to thee? Happy were it for us, if our hearts were ſcrued up to ſuch a pitch of love, that we needed no other inſtrument but that, to crack thoſe ſtrings that tye our ſouls to our bodyes. Happy were it for us, if in ſuch a fiery chariot, we might be tranſported unto thy heavenly manſions. We can conceive no greater pleaſure than this, to expire in ſuch ardent flames into thy boſom, there to reſt for ever in thy love.