teousness, and my sanctification, and my full redemption. O thou most lovely loving Jesus I have often been happy in the sense of mine interest in thee, but never so happy as now. This cross is sanctified indeed; for it has removed what hindered my communion with thee, and has brought me to seek thy presence, and to enjoy thy supports, and thy comforts. I was foolish enough to wish it might pass from me; but this was mine infirmity. Pardon it my sweet Jesus, and accept mine unfeigned thanks for thy late mercies. Never in my life did I find the virtue of thy sacrifice in the peace of my conscience, nor had I such intimate communion with thee in thy finished salvation, as I have had under this cross. It tried me indeed, but the trial was to thy glory, and to my profit. I am now more satisfied than ever, that thy salvation is infinitely perfect, and that I have my share in it: I have it indeed now: for I am a partaker of the things which accompany salvation. I am making use of them-I find their reality-I enjoy their sweetness-blessing and thanks and praise without ceasing be unto thee, my adorable God and Saviour. Is it not, O my soul, thy fervent prayer, that thou mayest live in holy friendship with Jesus? Why, then, dost thou fear his cross, which is his appointed way and means of improving thine intimacy with him, and likeness to him? O study the discovery of his love in the scriptures: and take particular notice of the promises which he has made to his suffering brethren. Read, mark them, mix faith with them, that they may be fulfilled in thine experience.. Remember thou canst not suffer but by his will, to which he expects submission : he sends the cross to teach thee this lesson. It cannot hurt thee, if thou dost not quarrel with it, but if thy will be resigned to his, herein thou wilt have fellowship with him; and thou wilt have reason constantly to be praying to him-Not my will, Lord, but thine be done. Consider, for the improvement of this fellowship, that thy Lord himself was exercised with the cross. He has gone before thee bearing it. He has taken the curse and wrath out of it, and has sanctified it to all his followers. In faith they must take it up, and in patience carry it, or they will not come to the kingdom. Certainly then their crucified Lord will be with them: yea, he has promised-" I will be with thee in trouble"seek his presence, O my soul, under the cross-wait for communion with him he has said he will be with thee : expect therefore the light of his countenance, which is better than life. Do not fear the cross, since it is to bring thee such a blessing: it is to be the means of thy fellowship with Jesus in his sensible support, and heavenly comfort; take it up then. Suppose it removes all thine earthly joy. Let it go. The pain of its loss is not to be compared with the joy of thy spirit. Jesus will give thee pure holy joy, and by his divine art will extract it out of pain. He afflicts, that he may comfort. He takes away sensual, that he may give spiritual pleasure. He removes creature-love, that he may communicate more of this happy love. In mercy he chastises. He sees there is need to mortify sin. He sends the cross for this purpose, and blesses what he sends. It works like wholesome physic. But oh! it is bitter, it is nauseous to the taste. Why do you chew it then? Swallow the pill. The benefit is not to be found in the mouth, but in the stomach. There it will purge bad humours. The sovereign physician intends it should operate upon every evil temper, which would hinder your blessed communion with him, and should be the means of exercising those graces, by which that communion is maintained and may be improved. Such is the cross of Christ-taken up in faith, and carried in patience, it promotes daily fellowship with him; which is the greatest blessing upon earth. There is no greater in heaven: only they enjoy it by sense, and we by faith. But we have the same fellowship with them in Jesus, and the same communion with them in the graces of his salvation. And for these he makes way by his cross. He deadens the soul to the life of sense, that it may feel more of happiness in him. When It was he has withdrawn other joys he often shines into the heart with joy unspeakable. He generally vouchsafes these his love tokens to his suffering brethren, and gives his richest cordials in their deepest distress. Each of such happy souls can say It is good for me to suffer with Jesus. Yes, Lord: I am thy witness: thy cross is good : it has been the means of my greatest good: for thou hast brought me by it to forsake communion with other objects, and to enjoy communion with thee in thy precious love. If thou hast been pleased to take away any of my beloved objects, thou hast in much mercy supplied their place with thy presence. I have found my losses my chief gain. O my Jesus, Lord God almighty, I bless thee and adore thee for the distinguishing grace vouchsafed to me under the cross. entirely from thee, and the effect of thy love, that I had any patience, or any fellowship with thee in the way of suffering. It was thy doing, and I glorify thee for enabling me to maintain peace with the Father through faith in thine obedience unto death, and for satisfying me that my crosses were appointed and sent by covenant love. Thou art the giver of these blessings, and on thee I wait for the continuance of them. Whatever thou callest upon me to suffer, order it and me, as seemeth best to thy godly wisdom; but leave me not to myself. Be always with me, my good Lord, that I may bear thy cross, and carry it patiently and profitably, thou sustaining both me and it every step of my way to heaven. Hear me, my Jesus, and answer: for without thee I can do nothing; but strengthened by thee I shall be able to bear all things, and my daily cross will keep me in daily communion with thee to my profit and to thine eternal praise. Amen. Thus the cross of Christ is sanctified, and keeps up communion with him in the blessings of his salvation. So it does with the Father in his love. In the covenant his name is expressive of his office. He is a Father, who has every holy affection and feeling of love. He embraces in the bowels of the tenderest parent all his family : -Christ the head, and all the members of his body, the church. With one undivided love his heart is set upon Christ and them, and with the same bountiful hand he blesses him and them. What Christ is they shall be. In this most gracious relation he stands to the whole household of faith. He is their Father, who loves and accepts them, pardons, justifies, sanctifies, and blesses them with all spiritual and eternal blessings in Christ Jesus. It is hard to believe this under the cross. To cleave to him in love, as our Father, when his hand is lifted up to smite, yea, when we smart under his rod, then to see love in his heart and love guiding his hand, is faith very triumphant. We are apt to look upon our sufferings as coming from the wrath of God. We think he must be displeased, or else he would not delight to put us to pain: upon this account we are not reconciled to the cross, but would shake it off, if we could. The scripture gives us a different view of this matter, and represents God in a more amiable light, even in the severest chastisement of his children. He is their Father, and they are his sons. This relation cannot subsist without his chastening them. He informs them of the necessity of it; he declares to them his purpose and grace before the chastening, and he assigns the motives and ends of his proceeding. He has always the same Father's love, and is always dealing with them as with sons. His cross is one of the chief marks of it. He sends it with a message of love, and it comes to them big with mercies. When the Father intends an abundant communication of his love, he generally makes way for it by some heavy cross, and when he would continue, or increase his favours, he keeps the cross upon them. It is his appointed means of promoting fellowship with him in the graces, and blessings of his fatherly love. And it answers this end, when it is received by faith, and carried by patience: for then the believer, resting on the sure foundation laid for him in the holy life and death of Immanuel, sees the Father reconciled, and expects every promised blessings from his love. Whatever cross comes, he receives it from his Father in Jesus. He holds fast this truth-God is my God-he loves me perfectly in his Son, and therefore I shall find some proof of his fatherly love in this affliction. But if his faith be weak, if he forget, or forsake for a time his foundation then the cross will become intolerable. Murmuring will arise. The flesh will hearken to unbelief. Fretfulness will take place, and thus God will be robbed of his glory, and the believer of his comfort. It has pleased God therefore, in order to strengthen his children's faith against these attacks, to give them many plain declarations of his invari able intention to do them good in all their afflictions. The Son is a witness for him: he was in the bosom of the Father, and knew all the purposes of his heart. He has given us a most delightful account of the Father's design in afflicting his children-" I am, says he to his " disciples, the true vine, and my Father is the husband"man: every branch that beareth not fruit in me, he "taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit, HE " PURGETH IT, THAT IT MAY BRING FORTH MORE FRUIT." The Father looks upon all his children, as one with Christ; as much united to him, and in him as the branches are in the vine, therefore as a wise husbandman he takes the special charge and care of them. Every branch that does not bear fruit in Christ-it is not as we read it, every branch in me, but every branch that does not bear fruit in me whatever it may seem to be-in profession, a branch-in shew a fruitful branch, yet it has no life: it was never cut off from the old dead stock, nor graffed into me, the life-giving vine. The husbandman knows this well. Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. He does this in an hour of trial. Then it appears, that such branches were only in appearance united to the vine: for if he had made them part of it, he would no doubt have continued them in it, but he took them away that they might be manifest that they were not one with the vine. This is a great part of the vine-dresser's business-he suffers no rotten branches |