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Show 1, By a fad, and pleafint remembra11ce of their former tHjoymeHtl ; - pl~afant to think what they were what they enjoyed; fad, to thtnk thatthey ~re loll, a-nd hid from their eyes. You have in the Pfah:~t two excellent inflances, the one of David, Pfal. 42. 4• When I remember the{e tbingr I pour oHt my Soul within me; I h•d gone with the multitude, I went with thtm to the hou[t of God, r<>itb the votce ofjoy and praifo, with the multitude of them that k.!•P holyday, It is a Pfalm coropofed by David during the timo that he was by Sa11l or Abfalawt, kept from the publick Ordinances,in thi> flare he yet !hews, that he loved God, by his pleafiog himfelf with the remembrance of his former freedom and liberty ; thoufh it was fad to him confidering that he now wa'nted thofe opportunities. So the Church, Pfal. I37· v. I. By the Rivers of Baby/all, there r<>e [ate down, yea we wept, r<>hm we remembred Zion ; this fpake God the beloved of this people, at this time of his abfencc from them. So will every true believer thew his Jove to Chrifi under wirhdrawings. The Soul will fit remember and recount Oh! what a fweet time I had when I' could freely go to th~ houfe of God, and meet my God there in his Ordinances! io i> truc,it is a fad time with me now: but Oh ! how fwcet was that time, ":hen I could go to God and fay,~ Father, and hear him .anfwer, ts Ephraim my dear Child? and the believers Soul is melted in the thoughts ofit;it is love that melts the S:;,ul upon this account. 2. The Spoufe will fhe•v her Love to God and Chrifi at fuch a time, In her }uj!ifyi11g o(God under hi! pre{ent di/fenfationJ to her: Thi~ fpeaks Lov~, when w~ will not take the reproofs and Cor;!' echons of our fnends unkmdly, but blefs and magnifie God un· :der them. See an inflance of this in D'avtd Pfal. 2 2. 1 2 3. He telleth you in the firfi and fecond verfes, th~t God hadfo;.{a~H him, that he WOJ far from helping him, and from the wordJ of hi1 roaring; ·t·bat he rryed day aml-night,'and rhe Lerd heard him not. But (faith ~e v-3- ) Thou 4rt holy,O thou that inh•bite~ the prai{e1 of thj.people! .11 fpake a great kmdncfs for God in 'fobr heart, when in the lofs of all he had, he blef[e~ the name of the I:.ord; never ch<rgerf6odfoo) ijhly. And thus will every gracious Soul in the time of!Oods abfenc~ from it, !hew its lbve- to him .• Thus Dil'lliel 'an'd·Nrbemi ·"h and E:::.ra, praying in ,/he name of the.Church, ftill juii fi!RQod, awl blefs God as ha_viiog cilon:e•to:unrightGous.thing1 otlly confirn, ed the word w.btch he had !poken by his Servants the Proc ' phets, and punifhed his people feoven rimes lefs than they had deferved, &e. This I fay will the trtte Church of Chrifi do : this will every truely believing Soul fay : I am thus, and thus affiided, to!fed with tempefls, walking in the dark; but yet 'the Lord is a good and gracious God, and is julr in all that he hath done; in all that he can do concerning his creatures. This is a fecond particular. 3· A third way by which this Love to an abient Chrifl is difcerncd in a believing Soul; is, In a thank..ful receiving, and juft im. provement, of r<>hat of the mercy •nd goodnefi of God, it yet injoyeth, As the Lord never doth withdraw his real Love from his· people, (even I{rael was not wholly carl off, Rom. 11. 1. ) Co he doth never totally withdraw his manifeflative love, his gracious influences. Either his people want outward things, but have thofe good things that are more inward and fpiritual: Or, they want fame more extern'\] means of Grace, but they have the inward prefence of God, comforting, firengthening, and q~1ickning their Souls; or they want fome fpiritual influences , but have fame others. Now I fay this is a fign of Love to Chrift, when they receive thankfully, and improve faithfully what they have, though they have uot what they defire or weuld have. The womah that wants the company of her Husband, yet !hews-her affection to him by her joy at a letter from him, at commendat1ons brought from a friend and her diligent writing to him again; fo doth a gracious Sottl: It may be it wanteth the comforts of Gods holy Spirit and is crying out when wilt thou comfort me ? but in the mean-time the Soul re~ joyceth and bldfeth God, for llrength and patie~ce in a dark condition , .for what it hath though it wants much. T hus the .Church in the •Lamentations, Lam. 3· v. 2 2. It ;,. af tbe Lord!· mtrciu that r<>e are not confomed becaH{e hi1 campaffianJ fail not, They •re ife'll'· every marninz, great ;, thy faithfnlnefi. Thus will a gracio\ls Soul, thus will the Church of God !hew that Chrifi· is beloved of her, by her prizing what !he ha;h what {he feetb what !heenjoyeth of him; and bleffing God fo~ the portion h~ all.ott,eth to her,ay, and by her improvement of them which is real thankfulnefs. By her mourning, under her pre{e>tt ajjlilled cmdHion, PfaJ,. 137. v. I . We [at down bytbe rtveuof Babylon, andr<>ept·whm· we rmumbrcdSion, we hung OHr harps upon the wiUowoa, &c. Love y;· C<lrrl- |