and for glory that whoso sees Him must ever after both love
and fear Him. I, for my part,' he said, 'can do no less; but I know not
what the end will be of all these things.' What made Mr. Desires-awake
say that last thing was that when he was prostrate in his prayer the
Prince turned His head away, as if He was out of humour and out of
patience with His petitioner; while, all the time, the overcome Prince
was weeping with love and with pity for Desires-awake. Only that poor
man did not see that, and would not have believed that even if he had
seen it. 'I cannot tell what the end will be,' said Desires-awake; 'but
one thing I know, I shall never be able to cease from both loving and
fearing that Prince. I shall always love Him for His beauty and fear Him
for His glory.' Can you say anything like that, my brethren? Have you
been at His seat with sackcloth, and a rope, and ashes, and tears, and
prayers, like Abraham, and David, and Isaiah, and Paul, and John Bunyan,
and Bishop Andrewes? And, whatever may be the end, do you say that
henceforth and for ever you must both love and fear that Prince? 'Though
He slay me,' said Job, 'yet I shall both love and trust Him.' Well, the
Prince is the Prince, and He will take both His own time and His own way
of taking off your rope and putting a chain of gold round your neck, and
a new song in your mouth, as He did to Job. There may be more weeping
yet, both on your side and on His before He does that; but He will do it,
and He will not delay an hour that He can help in doing it. Only, do you
continue and increase to love His beauty, and to fear His glory. And
that of itself will be reward and blessing enough to you. Nay, once you
have seen both His beauty and His glory, then to lie a dog under His
table, and to beg at His door with a rope on your head to all eternity
would be a glorious eternity to you. Samuel Rutherford said that to see
Christ through the keyhole once in a thousand years would be heaven
enough for him. Christ wept in heaven as Rutherford wrote that letter in
Aberdeen, and if you make Him weep in the same way He will soon make you
to laugh too. He will soon make you to laugh as Samuel Rutherford and
Mr. Desires-awake are laughing now. Only, my brethren, answer this--Are
your desires awakened indeed after Jesus Christ? You know what a desire
is. Your hearts are full to the brim of desires. Well, is there one
desire in a day in your heart for Christ?