Book IV. of J £ s u s C H R I s T. xSi

to Heaven; and I ferioufly dcfire, ("as who indeed can but defire ? ) Life and Glory. Thou exhorteft me to be- gin to live immediately, by taking the fweet Foretafls of Immortality, in that Bread, which is the Food of Souls. Thy kind Invitation therefore I greedily at- tend to. Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are hea'vy laden, and 1 will refrefl) you. O charming Sound in the Ears of a Sinner! How joyful is the News to a poor, loft, impotent Wretch! One, who, in a due Senfe of his own Vilenefs, thinks even the meaneft of thy Gifts which conduce to his bodily Suftenance too good for him. To be invited to eat of thy moft Bleffed Body, and admitted to partake of the lively Figures of thy Divine Blood ; the Commemorations of thy Death, and fure Pledges of Salvation / Lord ! what am I, that I fliould thus be fuffered to approach thee ? na)^, ra- ther, that thou fhould'ftcome to Me, and dwell under my Roof ? O unfpeakable Condefcenfion! O unexam- pled Kindnefs! Behold the Heaven, and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee, and yet thou vouchfa- feft to take up thy abode with Man, that is a Worm ! The Angels are not pure in thy fight, and yet thou fayeft to wretched Sinners, Come ujjto me^ye that travel, and afeheauy laden,
I find m.y felf at a lofs, whence fuch aflonifiiing Kindnefs fhould proceed, or what may be the mean- ing of fo friendly an Invitation. My Mifdeeds tefti- fy againft me, and I am but too fenlible, that no Me- rit of mine could induce my Lord jto make it. So far from that, that, even now it is made, I know not with what Face I can either approach my God and Savi- our, or bring him to Me, or hope to keep hjm there,- Him, whom 1 have fo often, fo grievoufiy provoked, fo juftly made my Enemy for ever. But, were there no Demerits of my own to difcourage this Attempt, yet. Who am I, that the Majefty of Heaven and Earth Should ftoop folow^ asto enter under my Roof? Be-
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8 X 0( tl^e gimi tatwn Book IV.
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hold, Angels and Archangels, Principalities and Pow- ers fall down and worfhip thee ; Behold the brighteft Saints, and Spirits of juft Men made perfect, tremble at thy Prefence, and yet thou fayeft. Come tmto me^ all ye that labour and are hea'uy laden. Had this been fpoke by any Mouth but thine, Men could not have believed it. Had not thy own Command infpired this Confi- dence, Sinners durft not have attempted to move to- wards thee, but would have rather ufed their utmoft Indullry, to flee from the Prefence of their Matter and Judge. But be it fo ,• We are commanded to come to Thee ; and thou vouchfafeft to come to Us. Yet what Solemnity, what Preparation can be fuffici- ent for thy Reception } Noah^ that righteous Perfon, employed a hundred Years, in building an Ark by God's Diredrion, for the faving himfelf and a very few Souls befides^ and how fhall I be qualify 'd, by the Application of an Hour or two only, to entertain the Maker of the Univerfe, and meet him with that humble Reverence, which is due to fo terrible, fo glorious a Creator, from the vileft and mofl: unwor- thy of all his Creatures? Thy Servant M?/e/, admitted into familiar Converfation with thee, by a Privilege not imparted to the reft of Mankind, framed an Ark of Cedar- wood, and overlaid it with pure Gold, to be a fit Repofitory for the Tables of the Law ; and ■fhall I, wretched rotten Trunk, take upon me vvith- out Ceremony to receive the Almighty Maker and Giver of that Law .? Solomon , the wifeft of Pr inces,, {^tnx. feven Years in building a Magnificent Temple to the Honour of thy Name • Eight Days were t^ken up in the Dedication of it ,• a tboufand Peace-OfFer- ings were then facriiiced upon the new erected Al- tars; and the Ark of the Covtnanr with Sound of Trumpet, and much other hdly, Pomp,' was conducted into the Place appointed to receive it ; And how un- like to thefe great Saints am I^, Daft and Aflies; Chief
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