2. Psal. 119. 136. Rivers of tears run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy Law. Some fountains that are less have small streams and ebb-brooks;1 other large fountains have mighty rivers and floods issuing from them: we may judg what a fountain both of habits & dispositions are within, where there comes out joy unspeakable and full of glory, leaping for joy, fullness of assurance, like a ship with full sails and full wind. As fullness of love and of all spiritual dispositions of tenderness must be in the bowels and heart of Christ, who sends out acts of enduring pain, blood, shame, death, horror of wrath, and the curse of a revenging God for sin. The love of Christ needs no exhortation to acts of love; nor is there need of earnest request and entreaties to the fire to cast out heat, and the Sun to give light: need you exhort an extreme pined-away sick man to be pained and weak, or request the Sun to shine? How mighty and strong are the acts of longing and languishing after Christ that flow from love-sickness? and then what suitable influences of grace must go along with these actings? what pullings of strength to pluck up mighty cedars? what an influence of love in God to bear up all things, and so to bear mountains, to bear torments, to bear new deaths? O what a mighty arm of omnipotent grace, Col. 1. 11. Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. A power above all that we think or ask. Thoughts even of men can go far, and far in apprehending of power and strength, ever ⟨p. 304⟩that can remove out of their place as many millions of mountains and whole earths, as Angels and men can write on the outmost and highest heavens, East, West, South, and North. Suppose they were all paper, and double, and treble, and multiply them again to millions of millions of heavens, and writ new figures of signs and excellencies on them; yet the power of grace, furnishing influences, is above these acts of thinking and counting; and yet the short thinkings of unbelief are at this, can he help me to spit at fame, glory, riches, and a whole earth of pleasures? know ye his strength and his mighty pulls that have translated many?
2. Psal. 119. 136. Rivers of teares run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy Law. Some fountaines that are lesse have small streams and ebb-brooks;1 other large fountains have mighty rivers and floods issuing from them: we may judg what a fountain both of habits & dispositions are within, where there comes out joy unspeakable and full of glory, leaping for joy, fulness of assurance, like a ship with full sails and full wind. As fulnesse of love and of all spiritual dispositions of tendernesse must be in the bowels and heart of Christ, who sends out acts of enduring pain, blood, shame, death, horrour of wrath, and the curse of a revenging God for sin. The love of Christ needs no exhortation to acts of love; nor is there need of earnest request and intreaties to the fire to cast out heat, and the Sun to give light: need you exhort an extreme pined-away sick man to be pained and weak, or request the Sunne to shine? How mighty and strong are the acts of longing and languishing after Christ that flow from love-sicknesse? and then what suitable influences of grace must goe along with these actings? what pullings of strength to pluck up mighty cedars? what an influence of love in God to bear up all things, and so to bear mountaines, to bear torments, to bear new deaths? O what a mighty arm of omnipotent grace, Col. 1. 11. Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. A power above all that we think or ask. Thoughts even of men can goe far, and far in apprehending of power and strength, ever ⟨p. 304⟩that can remove out of their place as many millions of mountains and whole earths, as Angels and men can write on the outmost and highest heavens, East, West, South, and North. Suppose they were all paper, and double, and treble, and multiply them again to millions of millions of heavens, and writ new figures of signes and excellencies on them; yet the power of grace, furnishing influences, is above these acts of thinking and counting; and yet the short thinkings of unbelief are at this, can he help me to spit at fame, glory, riches, and a whole earth of pleasures? know ye his strength and his mighty puls that have translated many?
- 1Heavenly dispositions connaturally cast out acts suitable.
