to face now thou art called to walk by faith; then thou shalt live by sight forever: now thou knowest but in part; but then thou shalt know even as thou art known: the veil shall be entirely taken from thine eyes, and thou shalt behold the king in his beauty : thou shalt no more know affliction, temptation, nor desertion, for there shall be no night there; the lamb shall be thy everlasting light; thou shalt behold his face without a cloud, and enjoy the brightness of eternal day. He which testifieth these things, saith, "Surely, I come quickly!" Amen....even so, come Lord Jesus.

Tell me, O thou king of saints, thou Lord of life and glory, thou good shepherd of Israel, who hast laid down thy life for thy sheep; thou whom my soul loveth; O tell me where thou feedest?....where thou feedest thy children with divine manna....even with the bread which cometh down from heaven, which, whosoever eateth, shall never die?....Where are the green pastures to which thou leadest them by the still waters, the rivers of life, which flow at thy right hand forevermore?....Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth! lead me into the way of peace; lead me into the same pastures; feed my soul with that bread of life, lest the journey be too great for me, and I faint by the way....therefore tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth! where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon; when the sun of temptation, persecution, and fiery trials, with unremitting fervor, beats on their weak defenceless heads, oppressed and fainting beneath the heat of his unfriendly scorching

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rays; in the midst of an howling wilderness, whose burning sands afford no shade, no friendly shelter to screen and defend from the heat of the day, and refresh them with its cooling influence, when bowed down by the burthen of sin, and the heavy load of severe affliction....where, O where dost thou make them to rest?....Tell me, O thou compassionate friend of sinners; for why should I be as one that turneth aside, why should I wander from the good way?....

"If thou knowest not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherd's tent: stand ye in the way, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Thus speaketh the good shepherd, the great prophet of Israel: he says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the father, but by me seek not from created things, that peace and protection which they cannot afford; miserable comforters are they all! but look unto me, and be ye saved. Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Art thou groaning under the burden of sin? look unto me, I have made peace with the blood of my cross: I have made an end of sin by giving myself a sacrifice for it; I have brought in an everlasting righteousness, whereby God. can be just, and yet the justifier of such an ungodly sinner as thou art. Look then unto me, behold a Saviour lifted up on the pole of the everlasting gospel : fall at the feet of my cross, and thy burden shall fall from thy back and thou shalt find rest for thy soul;

I give thee that peace, which the world can neither give nor take away.

Art thou fainting beneath the weight of severe afflictions, heavy oppressions, and fiery trials? O look unto me, my beloved, thou fairest among women: thou art following me, bearing my cross; thou art indeed climbing up a steep mountain of difficulties, where thou canst find no refreshment, nothing to support or cheer thy drooping spirit; but underneath thee are my everlasting arms: look unto me, who am the God of all consolation; all thy springs are in me, and out of my fulness thou shalt receive grace for grace: as thou art suffering with me, thou shalt also reign with me they that bear my cross, shall wear my crown: behold the tender affection of my heart towards thee; behold the sufficiency of my power to help thee;"remember the great and precious promises I have given thee....I am the faithful witness, I live to fulfil them to thee: as the lasting hills surround Jerusalem, so all the attributes of thy covenant God, are engaged to support and deliver thy soul.... These are some of the green pastures, where I feed my sheep with heavenly manna; where they renew their strength, and grow up as the calves of the stall.... Eat and drink, O my friend abundantly, and let your soul delight itself in fatness: I am that God, who is thine eternal refuge....I am that man, who is an hid ing place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest; as rivers of waters in a dry place, and as a shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Come then, unto me, O thou poor fainting disciple, and put thy trust

under the shadow of my wings; I will refresh thee with the new wine of my kingdom: I have spread a table, even in this desart place, this barren wilderness, where I will feed thee with immortal food; meet thee, and bless thee, with the blessings of my love."

This is the voice of eternal truth; of him like unto whom, never man spake. When he takes me into his banqueting house; when he lifts up the light of his countenance on me, and raises his banner of love over my soul; then the graces of his Spirit flow into my heart; are strengthened, and encreased by the smiles of his face; my foes disappear, my sins vanish away, and nothing appears to my view, but Jesus the Saviour, the friend and beloved of my soul; my heart dissolves with unutterable delight, and I faint in the embraces of my crucified God. Thou art fairer than the children of men, O thou spouse of my soul ! grace is poured into thy lips; all thy garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia....I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. Jesus hath taken his abode in my heart: he lives and loves, and delights to dwell there. I charge you, O ye sinful inclinations, ye tempestuous corruptions of my nature, be ye still, be ye hushed if possible, into eternal silence, disturb not, ye hateful intruders, the repose of my Lord; grieve not his Spirit, nor awake him, till he please. "My beloved is like a roe, or a young hart: behold he standeth behind our wall:" it is our iniquities; those cursed things, which only can separate between us and our God. Jesus hath washed them away

from my soul, in that precious blood which cleanseth from all sin; yet alas! poor silly sheep that I am! my heart is apt to wander from the good shepherd, run away from his sacred fold, and is continually raising walls of separation, which hides from me the comfort of his presence, the compassion of his heart; and robs me of the joy of his salvation: but kind and faithful as he is, he remembers his covenant, he hates putting away he will not give up his darling to the power of the dog; but tenderly bears with all my ingratitude, with all the various unkind affronts I am continually putting upon him; and though he is a God that hideth himself from the house of Israel, yet he will not go far away: behold, he standeth behind our wall; be not cast down then, O my soul, as though thy Jesus, thy faithful Saviour, had forgotten or forsaken thee; he is not gone forever; he is but behind the wall he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice: wait then upon him in his appointed ways, his gospel ordinances; they are" but narrow lights, it is true; but Jesus, the sun of righteousness, shews himself through them: he will meet thee, and bless thee in them; and if thou gettest but a glimpse of his glorious person; if thou seest but the skirt of him whom thy soul loveth, it will sweeten the hours appointed for thy pilgrimage here; and when they are elapsed, when the tedious glass of life is run, and the last sand spent ; thy heavenly bridegroom will receive thee in the arms of his love, where sin and sorrow shall disturb thee no more, forever: but thou shalt more fully comprehend that