་ be clouded, and that it may not be fubject to the embarafments of any temporal good, nor yield to the impreffions of any temporal evil. Nothing is fweeter than Love, nothing ftronger, nothing higher, nothing broader, nothing pleasanter, nothing fuller, nothing more excellent in Heaven, and in earth: Because Love is born of GoD, and can reft in nothing but God, above and beyond all finite and created things. IV. The Lover flies, runs, and is full of chearfulness and joy; he is free, and nothing ftops him in his course. He gives all for all, and poffeffes all in all: Because he refts in the one Sovereign and Supreme above all, from whom all good flows and proceeds. He looks not to the gift, but turns wholly to the Author above all goods and gifts whatfoever. Love many times knows no limits, no measure, but tranfcends all bounds in its fervency. Love feels no weight, confiders no pains; attempts more than it is able to effect: Never excufes it felf upon the pretence of impoffibility; as being perfuaded that all things are both lawful and poffible unto it. Thus is Love able to do all things, and actually performs and atchieves many things, where the fire continues ftrong, and the Lover is not flack and heartless. V. Love V. Love never fleeps; it is awake even in its flumbers. It is fatigued, but not tired; hamper'd, but not enflav'd; alarm'd with fears, but not confounded; and like a strong and active flame, it is ever bursting upwards, and fecurely paffes through all oppofition. Whofoever loves, he full well understands the piercing force of this cry. A powerful cry in the ears of the Almighty is that bare expreffion alone of the fervent enamoured foul: My GOD, my Love: Thou art whol ly mine, and I am wholly thine. VI. O dilate and enlarge my heart, to the end it may be more capable of Love. Caufe me to feel experimentally, even to taste with the inner palate of my foul how fweet a thing it is to love, and to be wholly loft and fwallowed up in a fea of Love. Let me be poffeffed with Love to the degree of being utterly ravished out of my felf by an excels of fervour and ecftatique tranfport. Let me fing a fong of Love: Let me follow thee my Beloved up into Heaven: Let my foul, exulting and triumphing for Love, faint and die away in thy praife. Let me love thee more than my self; and my felf only for thy fake; and in and for thee all others, that fincerely love thee, according to the commandment of that perfect law of O 2 Love, Love, which is but a beam of thy own infinite charity, who art Love. VII. Love is nimble in its motions, fincere in its intentions, tender and compaffionate, delightful to it felf, pleafing and agreeable to others; couragious, patient, faithful even to death, prudent, long-fuffering, generous and manly, and never feeketh it felf. For when once a man feeketh himself, from that inftant he falls off from Love. Love is circumfpect, humble, just and upright: Not foft and effeminate, not light and fickle, nor minding the vanities of this tranfitory world; but fober, chafte, conftant and perfevering, peaceable and calm, and wellguarded in all its fenfes. Love is fubject, and obedient to Superiors; vile and defpicable in its own eyes; full of devotion and gratitude to GOD; trufting, and ever hoping in him; even under fpiritual discomfort, and when the things of GOD are not relishing to its palate: Because there is no living without pain in Love. VIII. He that is not ready to endure all things, and to stand wholly to the will of the Beloved, is not worthy the name of a Lover. A Lover ought to embrace joyfully all hardships and afflictions for the fake of his his Beloved; and never to turn afide from him upon the account of difafters and cross accidents. CHAP. VI. Of the Tryal of true Love, JESUS-CHRIST. ON, thou art not yet become a valiant and prudent Lover. Why, Lord? THE SOUL. JESUS-CHRIST. Because a flight oppofition fhocks thy good purpofe; and because thou feekeft confolation and comfort too eagerly. A valiant Lover ftands firm amidft tryals and temp tations, and hearkens not to the crafty infinuations of the Enemy. As I please him in profperity, fo neither do I difplease him in adverfity. II. He that loves prudently, doth not confider fo much the Gift of the Lover, as the Love of the Giver. He esteems the affecti on, more than the prefent; and prefers the Beloved Object before all the advantage that may be expected from him. The noble and generous Lover placeth not his joy and felicity in the favours he receives, but in me above all gifts and favours whatsoever. Not that thou fhouldeft therefore give all for gone, because now and then thou haft doubts and mifgivings, and thinkeft not fo well of me, nor with that affection, as thou couldest wish. Those kindly and tranfporting fentiments of Love and Devotion, which thou sometimes perceiveft to overspread thy foul, are the effect of prefent grace, and a certain foretaste of the joys of thy heavenly country; upon which thou art not overmuch to depend, because they come and go. But to ftruggle against the incidental and occafional evil motions of thy mind, and to defpife the fuggeftions of the Devil, is a remarkable proof of true Chriftian bravery, and fhall be greatly rewarded... III. Let not therefore vain fancies, and ftrange imaginations, that are forced upon thee (be the matter of them what it will) give thee any disturbance. Maintain only a firm unfhaken refolution of obedience, and a pure and upright intention towards GOD. Nor art thou to look upon it as an illufion, because |