2. We may and must desire after God and Christ, the complotters and actors of that great work for us; what, hath the Gospel revealed this truth, that before the Creation God and Christ were busied about our good? yea, and hath Christ especially, that came out of the bosom of his Father, & brought the treasures of his Fathers counsel to the world, discovered such love to men? how then should our desires be after God in Christ? Whom have I in heaven but thee? 1& there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. A right beholding of Christ in his eternal workings, will cause a desire of Christ above all desires; the heart now thirsts for nothing but him that is all, all power, all love, all holiness, all happiness: tell such a soul of the world, and gold, and glory; O what are these? the soul will quickly tell you,2 the world is dung, and gold is dung, & glory is dung, all is but loss & dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Give me God, & Christ, saith the soul, or I die; Oh my desires are to him who hath done all this for me. Is not this the period still of thy expression at the end of every discourse, would Christ were mine? thou hearest it may be, some worldings talk, such a one, and such a one hath got so much in these times; he that was yesterday as poor as Lazarus, he is this day like that nameless rich man, clothed in purple, 3and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day; ay, but dost not thou reply either in word or heart, would Christ were mine, and then I had got more then he? Poor soul, dost thou not gasp only after Christ, when thou fetchest (as I may say) the very deepest breath? canst thou read over the generation of Jesus the Son of God, the time when he was begotten, the manner of his begetting, the mutual kindness and love of him that begets, and of him that is begotten? and dost not thou pant, and breath, and gasp after Jesus at every period? canst thou read over Jesus his acts and decrees in reference to thy self? canst thou turn over those many leaves, in every of which is discovered those everlasting loves of God in his projects, counsels, foreknowledge, purpose, decree, covenant for thy souls happiness? and art thou not ready at every discovery to sing Davids Psalm,4 as the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee O God;
2. We may and must desire after God and Christ, the complotters and actors of that great work for us; what, hath the Gospel revealed this truth, that before the Creation God and Christ were busied about our good? yea, and hath Christ especially, that came out of the bosom of his Father, & brought the treasures of his Fathers counsel to the world, discovered such love to men? how then should our desires be after God in Christ? Whom have I in heaven but thee? 1& there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. A right beholding of Christ in his eternal workings, will cause a desire of Christ above all desires; the heart now thirsts for nothing but him that is all, all power, all love, all holiness, all happiness: tell such a soul of the world, and gold, and glory; O what are these? the soul will quickly tell you,2 the world is dung, and gold is dung, & glory is dung, all is but loss & dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Give me God, & Christ, saith the soul, or I die; Oh my desires are to him who hath done all this for me. Is not this the period still of thy expression at the end of every discourse, would Christ were mine? thou hearest it may be, some worldings talk, such a one, and such a one hath got so much in these times; he that was yesterday as poor as Lazarus, he is this day like that nameless rich man, cloathed in purple, 3and fine linnen, and faring sumptuously every day; ay, but dost not thou reply either in word or heart, would Christ were mine, and then I had got more then he? Poor soul, dost thou not gasp only after Christ, when thou fetchest (as I may say) the very deepest breath? canst thou read over the generation of Jesus the Son of God, the time when he was begotten, the manner of his begetting, the mutual kindness and love of him that begets, and of him that is begotten? and dost not thou pant, and breath, and gasp after Jesus at every period? canst thou read over Jesus his acts and decrees in reference to thy self? canst thou turn over those many leaves, in every of which is discovered those everlasting loves of God in his projects, counsels, foreknowledg, purpose, decree, covenant for thy souls happiness? and art thou not ready at every discovery to sing Davids Psalm,4 as the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee O God;
- 1Psa. 73.35
- 2Phil. 3.8
- 3Luk. 16.19.
- 4Psa. 42.1, 2
