With thee conversing, I forget
All time, and toil, and care:
Labour is rest, and pain is sweet,
While thou, my God, art here.
8. What adds a still greater sweetness even to labour and pain, is the Christian love of our neighbour. When they love their neighbour, that is, every soul of man, as themselves, as their own souls; when the love of Christ constrains them to love one another, even as he loved us; when, as he tasted death for every man, so they are ready to lay down their life for their brethren, (including in that number, every man, every soul for which Christ died:) what prospect of danger will then be able to fright them from their labour of love? What suffering will they not be ready to undergo, to save one soul from everlasting burnings? What continuance of labour, disappointment, pain, will vanquish their fixt resolution! Will they not be
“Gainst all repulses steeled, nor ever tired,
With [♦]toilsome day, or ill-succeeding night?”
So love both hopeth and endureth all things. So charity never faileth.
[♦] ‘toilsom’ replaced with ‘toilsome’
9. Love is necessary for all the members of such a society, on another account likewise; even because it is not puffed up; it produces not only courage and patience, but humility. And O! how needful is this for all who are so employed! What can be of more importance, than that they should be little, and mean, and base, and vile in their own eyes? For otherwise, should they think themselves any thing, should they impute any thing to themselves, should they admit any thing of a pharisaic spirit, trusting in themselves that they were righteous, and despising others: nothing could more directly tend to overthrow the whole design. For then they would not only have all the world, but also God himself to contend with; seeing he resisteth the proud, and giveth grace only to the humble. Deeply conscious therefore should every member of this society be, of his own foolishness, weakness, helplessness: continually hanging with his whole soul upon him, who alone hath wisdom and strength, with an unspeakable conviction, that the help which is done upon earth, God doth it himself; and that it is he alone who worketh in us, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure.