Book III. of J E s U S C H R I S T. 149

Miniiiers to the Heirs of Salvation ; And, which is molt furprizing,Vv/hen Thou thy felf, for my fake, hadll taken upon thee the Form of a Servant, and were made a frail, an sfiiided Man ! When Thou didit give thy Life for undone Sinners, andltill dolt give thy felf in Grace, and haft engaged to give thy felf, even the full and eternal Fruition of thy glorious Godhead, to eve- ry fmcere Believer.
O ! that it were in my Power to make a fuitable Re- turn, for Love which palTes, not my Thanks only, but even my Knowledge ! O I that my Ways were made fo dired, that my wholeLife m.ightbeone con- tinned Act of Gratitude and Obedience! Nay,fuch is my Infirmity, that I muft be content to wifh, that any one Day of that Life might be employed as ic ought in thy Service. I know, O Lord, that Thou art worthy to receive all Duty, and Honour, and Pra ife for ever. I am fenfible,thatTho'u art my rightful Lord, and I thy poor Servant ; That the urmoit I can do is thy juft Due,and that I ought to take unfpeakabie Delight in Thanking and Obeying Thee ; That no* thing elfe but this (hould give me any Sari5fa;flion,and that, when I have laid my felf out entirely upon it, I ftill have done too little. This is the real Perfwafion, this is the earneft Defire of my Soul • and where my Power falls (hort of my Inclination, there do Thou/l befeech thee, ftrengthen andfupply whatisvvanting, by thy Grace, that* my Deeds and Deportment ma"y bear TeiHmony and Proportion to my Pious Difpo- fition.
Tobethemeaneft of thy Servants is the higfieii Ad- vancement- To defpife and forfake till for Thee, is true Riches and Honour. They who thus enter them- selves into thy Family, and cheerfully undertake this "ask, (hall have a gloriousReward ; and will feci the leafuresof this World, infinitely paid, infinitely cut- one, by the better and larger Amends of Grace and
L Diving
i5;o gf^f t!?e ^mtatim Book IIL
DivIncComforts in exchange. They who thus bind themfelves to thee, that abandon Worldly Cares, and attend to the One thing neceffary, attain to true and generous Freedom of Soul ; and the ftraic Way of thy Command mentSj is the only perfed: Law of Liberty. O happy Confinement I Which fets jMen at large from the Slavery of Sin, from Worldly Cares and Incum- brances, from the infupportable Tyranny of unruly Appetites and domineering Paffions I O blefTed De- pendance ! which makes us of the moft high God's Retinue, raifes us up to a Level with the Angels, ren- ders us Dear to the Almighty, a Terror to evil Spirits ^ Conquerors over ourgreateft and fiercefl: Enemy, and recommends us to the Love, the Praife, the Imitati- on of all good Men. Who would not greedily em- brace fuch a Service, where the very Work is pleafant^ the Encouragements paid down in hand noble and great, and the Wages promifed in Recompence for our Labours, Happinefs exquifite^ unfpeakable, and everlafting ^
Chap. XIL I
Of Regulating our Defires.
Chrii^,'] lyr E T ftill, my Son, there are many things X in which thou art not fufficicntly in- flruded.
Difcif^e?^ Lord be thouplealed to let me know, and enable me to receive, and do them.
Chrift. ] Thy Defires mud be reduced into Sub- jeaion, and mv Will take place in every thing • Nor inuft thy own Private Intereft, but the Zeal and Re-|| gard for my Honour, and the Obedience due to my' Cocnmands, be the goverrrlng Principle of all thy
Anions.
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