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Show •n holy Extafy ~ and cry out with the Apoflle, Ob tht btightb I tht hfig,hth, the length! the breadth! tht. depth of the love ofGotl in 1 </i<~ Chrij! to pGor finful creatures and worms of the Earth! Me, thy face,fi'e thy face, thy countenance is comely; Every word hath ao accent upon it; every word fcrueth up our hearts to an higher peg of admiration ; who is this but the eternal Son of God, but he who is God over all ble!Tcd for ever) he that is continually beholding the face of his Eternal Father; and if he would pleafe himfelf with the face of Creatures, thoufands~ and ten-thoufand times ten thoufands of glorious Angels and fpodcfs Souls arc ever before him ; Ab.! that ever his &light ihould be amongft the Cons of men ! / :; • Thy face! Lord! my face? what is it more than the face of a dirty worm, a face that hath hardly a line in it of Gods Creation. My eyes are full of vanity, blubbered with unbelief, dir· tied with covetoufnefs, blood· fh otten with paffion; my lips have been blacked with idle filthy words, with murmuring and unbelief. See my face_! Lord, I bluih to fhew my face unto thee, and have hid it from thee through fhame. I am afhamed to !hew my face to thy people, yet this is the face our Lord will fee. ' 3. Let me fee thy f•ce; Blcffed God, haft thou then a kindnefs for fuch a vile nothing as I am? may I be free, and bold, and famil. iar ? See my face? Lord, I am not worthy that thou ihouldlt fee my face; fend me but the meaneft of thy Melfr.ngers to vi !it me I !hall elteem it a great mercy. My face I Lord, I have been in ;he clefts of the-Rock, in the fecret place of the flairs. I have beenlinfully afraid to draw nigh to thee, Lord, let me be in the .hole· ltill,fo il be in the hole of that Rock; No,faith Chrill,Let mt fle.tby.face. I am thy friend as hardly as thou thinkell of me; I have a delight in thee though thou fay eft , 1ht Lord bath for[akm me, my God h•th forgotten me; :-"hatever the apprehe~!ions of thy unbelievin~ heart are, thou matfi be free and bold wuh me. Let m,e {rt thy fact, for thy countenance if comely. f'.iethinks I hear a poor Soul faying, my dear Saviour, with wliat ~yes doll th~u look? I look upon my (elf in the glafs of the {.aw, I fee noEth"· piall bluker 1 I turn and look upon my rd!edion in the glafs of the Gofpel, there I fee an unbelieving heart full of doubts, full of fears full of reafonings again It thy Promifes; the World looks upo~ me, and they fee no comelinefs in me, nothing for ~hich I !hould be defired; and doth my Lord fay, Thy counttnanceu come· lyl 7'6e Dullrine ttpp!Ud. ' /y! I mnl!,'ila;:c'o~fefs that Cod feeth Mt as maa"fee-rlt. Me· rhJiiks thi! \hould l'erld·cnrySoul away froln the prefunt~l!f:GoU th1s nig!ft ,tranfported with the thoughts' of divine L'Ov~ ' '~'rit! wondriiig what this means, Let me fee thy face, )'or thj c~u11te. nance u comely. • ' Is there a Dova of Chrifl- here? (I hope there are many that V{e. 2. are in the clefts oft he Rock. Chrifi Jefus. ) But is there any of thbn that is crept into a>ry other Rock.l That, I mean, through frights ofits own .confcience, or through the frights of the F owhr the great adverfary ofSonls is in thee/efts oft he Rocthiding as it were its way from the Lord, afraid to draw nigh w God in I'rayer ; afraid almoft to hear a Sermon, to receive a Sacrament, to have any communion with God, thofe that cannot think upon God but they are troubled. To you,Chrijl [peak.!; Mark it, It' is, G my Dove that art in thee/efts of the Rock,: and what f<~ith me) ISH me fee thy face ,for tl~y cou11tena11ce if comely. Mark;l befeech you,how mony good word1 my Mailer. hath fent me with this day to your Souls. r. He hath fent n;e to tell you, 1. That he batb a.kt"~"e[1 'for you: yea, though you be m the clefts'Of1hcfe Rocks fo ill-ftlit~<i' 1o his Love, he would elfe never have faid to you, Let mJ fee~ly' face. Is not this good news to yon who have been 'fay in~, God harb. forgotten to be graciou~, his mercy is cle•11 go11e, and that .forevermore in the m\dfi ofthefe dark and melancholick thoughts ) Hear your Beloved ( ifChrifl be he) as it were'rifen our of his place, and faying, Let me(fe thy f.ice, for thy cotelrtelr.nce i1 comely. lv!i~ht not Chrillliave juftly rewarded your unbelieving heatt by faytng, A:cordmg to -!o~r fatth fo let it be tmto yo" l Might mlt he have fatd; There hem your holes; but he a!Tures you he is mi- . fiaken by you, hi~ heart is not a1 your heart nor his ways as your w'ays. Doefi thb:\fay; Ah ~ if.Ittlbld h~aT ~hr!fi'thusf>P.eak from Heaven tom~) An~ mull ~h~tft make win&'ws in N~t vhl b~forc thou wilt believe) Is not his· Word enough' Dtnh not he there fay nnto thee, Let me fte tny 'face? t 2. Nay more, he hath fent lne to tell thee, He bat1' • delight in thee; for fo much I have told you the phrafc impQrtcrh. Solom? 11 hath long fioce'io)d ybu that hi1 delight wa:r wltb tbe fo>ts of meu, and why )lOt ~n thee, i~ a D?"'e? Thy being in fhe' clefts df the Rocks: thy-fnghted, dtfconfolatc, 'd'itltirbl:d eflifl! Thall rldt hinder; for you hear him calling here to thofc Do.fes of hiS' th:lt Z z are |