The souls implantation into the natural olive. By T.HThe soules implantation into the naturall olive. By T.H

This is the frame of the soul that is in love with Christ, yea this is the strong and gluing nature of love, that it will make a man desire to be with the thing loved, though he must undergo never so great misery to obtain it: as Gen. 37.35. when Jacobs sons brought the party-coloured coat to their father, he said, It is my sons coat, an evil beast hath devoured him: and he rent his clothes, and put sack-cloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons, and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted: and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning: he had rather be in the grave, than not to be with his son Joseph. ⟨p. 231⟩If a woman's husband be in prison, it is her wonderful grief that it is so, but most of all that she may not be with him there; Thus also is it with the soul that entirely loves Christ, it is content to go to the prison with him, and saith, Let me be with Christ though he be persecuted. It is his grief that Christ is persecuted, but it is a greater grief that he may not be with him in persecution. As the Spouse, Cantic. 2.16. My beloved is mine, and I am his; and as the wife saith, Husband, let the world do and say what they will, thou art mine, and I am thine: So the soul saith, mercy is mine, and Christ is mine, if I may have that, I have enough, but without it I cannot be quieted.

This is the frame of the soule that is in love with Christ, yea this is the strong and glewing nature of love, that it will make a man desire to be with the thing loved, though hee must undergoe never so great misery to obtaine it: as Gen. 37.35. when Jacobs sonnes brought the party-coloured coat to their father, he sayd, It is my sonnes coat, an evill beast hath devoured him: and he rent his cloaths, and put sack-cloth upon his loines, and mourned for his sonne many dayes. And all his sonns, and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted: and he said, For I will goe downe into the grave unto my sonne mourning: he had rather be in the grave, than not to be with his son Joseph. ⟨p. 231⟩