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O consider Jesus' loveliness and beauty!
(the following is by Samuel Rutherford)
There is nothing which commend and make
heaven fair, or earth, or the creature, that is
not in Jesus in infinite perfection.
For fair sun and fair moon are black, and
think it shameful to shine before His fairness.
Base heavens, and excellent Jesus!
Weak angels, and strong and mighty Jesus!
Foolish angel-wisdom, and only wise Jesus!
Short-living creature, and long-living and
ever-living Ancient of days!
Miserable, and sickly, and wretched are those
things that are within time's circle, and only,
only blessed is Jesus!
If you can come into His love (and He gives
you consent to love Him, and allurements
also), what a second heaven's paradise, a
young heaven's glory, is it to be hot and
burned with fevers of love-sickness for Him!
The more you drink of His love, there is
the more room, and the greater delight
and desire for this love.
Hunger for a feast of His love, for that is the border
of heaven. Nothing has a nearer resemblance to the
color, and hue, and luster of heaven, than Christ
loved, and to breathe out love-words and
love-sighs for Him.
Remember what He is!
When twenty thousand million of heaven's lovers
have worn their hearts threadbare of love, all is
nothing, yes, less than nothing, to His matchless
worth and excellency. Oh so broad and so deep
is the sea of His desirable loveliness!
Glorified spirits, triumphing angels, the crowned
and exalted lovers of heaven stand outside His
loveliness, and cannot put a circle on it.
Oh if sin and time were from between us and that
royal King's love, that high majesty (eternity's
Bloom and Flower of high lustered beauty) might
shine upon pieces of created spirits, and might
bedew and overflow us, who are portions of endless
misery and lumps of redeemed sin.
Alas! what do I? I but spill and lose words in
speaking highly of Him who will be above the
music and songs of heaven, and never be
enough praised by us all; to whose boundless
and bottomless love I recommend you...."
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