The saints everlasting rest

And art thou not yet transported with love? Can thy heart be cold when thou thinkest of this, or can it hold when thou rememberest those boundless compassions? Rememberest thou not the time when he met thee in thy duties; when he smiled upon thee, and spake comfortably to thee? when thou didst sit under his shadow with great delight, a•• when his fruit was sweet to thy taste? when he brought thee to his banqueting-house, and his banner over thee was love? when his ⟨p. 348⟩left hand was under thy head, and with his right hand he did embrace thee? And dost thou not yet cry out, Stay me, comfort me, for I am sick of love? Thus I would have thee deal with thy hear•; thus hold forth the goodness of Christ, to thy affections; plead thus the case with thy frozen soul, till thou say as David in another case, My heart was hot within me.

And art thou not yet transported with love? Can thy heart be cold when thou thinkest of this, or can it hold when thou rememberest those boundless compassions? Rememberest thou not the time when he met thee in thy duties; when he smiled upon thee, and spake comfortably to thee? when thou didst sit under his shadow with great delight, a•• when his fruit was sweet to thy taste? when he brought thee to his banqueting-house, and his banner over thee was love? when his ⟨p. 348⟩left hand was under thy head, and with his right hand he did embrace thee? And dost thou not yet cry out, Stay me, comfor• me, for I am sick of love? Thus I would have thee deal with thy hear•; thus hold forth the goodness of Christ, to thy affections; plead thus the case with thy frozen soul, till thou say as David in another case, My heart was hot within me.

If these arguments will not rouse up thy love, thou hast more of this nature at hand: thou hast all Christ's personal excellencies to study; thou hast all his particular mercies to thyself; thou hast all his sweet and near relations to thee, and thou hast th happiness of thy perpetual abode with him hereafter. All these offer themselves to thy meditation, with all their several branches. Only follow them close to thy heart, ply the work, and let in not cool: deal with thy heart, as Christ did with Peter, when he asked thrice over, Lovest thou me? till he was grieved, and answer, Lord, thou know s that I love thee. So say to thy heart, lovest thou the LORD? and ask it the second time, and urge it the third time, lovest thou the LORD? till thou grieve it, and shame it out of its stupidity, and it can truly say, thou knowest that I love him.