who do in effect say as those daughters of Jerusalem What is thy belâ—ved more then other beloveds Cant. 5. 9. What a doe is here about Christ you say above all your gettings get Christs let go all and take Christ you tel us he is the great Gift he is all Why we find that there is something beside him and that which pleaseth us well that which we will hold Fast say you what you will or may we not have Christ and hold fast the World May we not have Christ and take our pleasure may we not enjoy Christ and our lusts together O friends if you will have Christ you must be resolved upon the termes to part from all for him 5. You must seek Jesus Christ in the use of those means which God hath appointed and afforded particularly in attendance upon the Ministery of the word wherein God maketh offers of Grace and holdeth forth Jesus Christ with his fulnes to you if you will receive him God will be sound of those that seek him Christ will come to those that wait for him in his own way But as for those Fanaticks and seduced soules who reckon themselues to be aboue Ordinances and those prophane ones who do wickedly despise them and stubbornely refuse to bring their spirits under them and turn their backs upon the Preaching of the Word Surely they are not in the way to find Christ 6. As you must attend upon Ordinances that you may finde Christ in them so you must heed God his offers of Christ and Christ his tenders of himself to you You must observe how Christ comes to you in the sweet motions of the Spirit knocking at the doors of your heart and importuning you to open to him Istand at the doore and knock if any man open to me I will come in to him Reve. 3.26 Christ speaketh in the Ministrie of the Gospel calling you to faith and repentance and new obedience and he knocketh at the doores of your hearts by the motions of his Spirit and this standing and knocking implies an carnest desire to be let in to be entertained Now vvhen vve repent and believe and give Christ enterance into our hearts this is to open the doore unto him Oh take heed you do not neglect the calls and knocks of Christ but open to him let the everlasting doores of your soules be lifted up that the King Glory may come in Oh how long have you kept Christ out of doore though he hath knocked hard and called aloud yet he could not hitherto obtain to have the doore opened to him you would not be perswaded to cast the World out of your hearts and to turn out lusts and take him in but still continue as vain as proud as worldly as intemperate as irreligious and every way as bad as you were O firs take heed of resisting the Spirit of giving Christ such often repulses least he be provoked to be gone and resolve not to sollicite you any further that his Spirit shall not more strive with you lest you be given up to your own counsels to perish by your own gainsayings Dear soules give Christ entertainment Oh that the power of Gospel Revelations and Gospel Counsels may come in upon your hearts 2. Seeing Christ is the principal gift of God Counsel 2. Make sure an interest in Christ let us labour to cleare up to our selves our interst in him to get assurance that we have him for many there are who are ready to say that Christ is theirs when indeed they have no part in him Quest How shall I know that I have Christ Answ In order to a solution of this or to give satisfaction herein I shall in general acquaint you with this Our having received Christ our being in Christ and Christ his being in us are notions that serve to express one and the same thing This being premised I shall propound two heads or tvvo vvaies of discoverie for answer to the question If Christ be ours then we are in Christ 1. If vve have received Christ then we are in Christ Now I find that the Spirit of God useth a threefold comparison or similitude in setting forth a Believer his being in Christ 1. A Christian is in Christ as a branch in the stock so that if we bud and blossome and grow in grace be fruitful in holiness this is an agrument that we have received Christ that vve are in him 2. A Christan is in Christ as a member in the bodie united to the head so that if there be Spiritual life in us and Spiritual sense and Spiritual motion and action this is an argument that vve have received Christ that vve are in him 3. A Christian his being in Christ is set forth by the marriage vnion so that if there be a sweet intercourse betvvene Christ and the soule if the soule receive comfort from Christ and take pleasure in his company and delight in communion with him then he hath Christ 2. If a man hath received Christ then Christ is in him Christ is in us Christ is in the Saints as the soule in the body as the Sun in the World as a man in his house as a King on his Throne Novv there are tvvo meanes or tvvo manner of waies by which Christ is thus in the Saints both expressed by the Apostle in one place viz. the Spirit and Faith The Believer's vnion with Christ Ephes 3.16 17. is not a natural mixture of Substances of Christ his substance and our substance as if there were a real entrance of the body or Soule of Christ into our body or Soule Nor is it onely a conjunction of love or an union in affection between us and Christ but it is a mistical union in vvhich Christ-and Believers become one Christ stians are knit to brist and to one-another by joynts and bonds col 2.19 The Spirit and faith are those bonds and this union is as hath been said shadovved out in Scripture by the union of the head and the members in the body of man and by the vnion of a man and a vvoman in a married estate This vnion is made on Christ his part by his Spirit on our part by Faith 1. By his Spirit 1. Christ is in us by his Spirit this is first in order in as much as the Spirit is the worker of Faith The cause is before the effect Evidenoes he eâ—f Now there are divers effects whereby Christ discovereth himself to be in the soule by his Spirit 1. As the soul in the bodie is the principle of life motion and action so is Christ in the Saints by his Spirit the principle of spiritual life putting into them and preserving in them that life which is called the life of God Ephes 4.18 and as the soul acteth the body and every member of it so are Saints acted by Jesus Christ by Spirit in them John 3 6. Rom. 8.14 That which is born
of every particular Infant that it belongs to the Election of Grace and so is an Heir of the Promise though we cannot judge so of any with the judgment of certainâ—y 2 I come now to a Use of Exhortation 2Vse Exhortation to give out some words of counsel I Believe that which the Scripture clearly holds forth concerning this Covenant which we have spoken of Couns 1. I Believe that God hath made a second Covenant with man Believe the Covenant a Covenant of Grace since by his fall by transgression he cut himself off from God and happiness and made himself uncapable of life by the first Covenant which was a covenant of works if this were not held forth in the word then there were no consolation of the Scriptures nor no ground of hope given to sinners in them For the word speaks most clearly that we cannot be justified and saved by a covenant of works by the deeds of the Law By the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified Rom. â— 2â— Gal. 〈…〉 The Scripture hath concluded all under sin and under sin and death we must all lye for ever were it not for the Covenant of Grace wherein God freely offereth life and salvation by Jesus Christ unto sinners upon condition of Faith and Repentance which he hath promised likewise to give woe woe to all the Posterity of Adam were there not such a Covenant of God's love and mercy in which he hath promised righteousness and life eternal through his Son to all those that receive him This Covenant we must believe or else we can have nothing whereupon rationally to build hope of salvation 2 Believe that all Abraham his spiritual seed and none but they are comprehended in this Covenant favingly interessed in it 3 Believe the confirmation of the Covenant to all this interessed parties by the written Word of God and by his Oath and by his Seals and by the death of his Son whose blood is called the Blood of the Covenant Heb. 10 29. 4 Believe that Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the Covenant by whose mediation all the promised good is procured for us and shall be performed to us so that we must take up the Covenant and the comfort of it in and through him This is the first counsel to perswade souls to believe the Covenant of Grace and to yield a full assent to all that which the Scripture holds forth concerning it Because otherwise they will never regard it or look after it nor can ever have any benefit by it Suffer your selves to be convinced of the misery of being out of this Covenant Couns 2. See the mâ—sery of being out of Covenant and of the necessity of being under it and interessed in it that you may have life and blessedness Poor creatures that are out of this Covenant are without God and without Christ and so without that which can relieve their misery by sin and make them happy What ever their enjoyments are in the world how far is the soul from happiness while it is far from God the Fountain of Blessedness All good is comprehended in God and all true happiness is comprized in our fruition of God sin hath set us at the greatest distance from God and so at the greatest distance from happiness The Blood of Christ brings us near to God and an interest in the Covenant of Grace gives God to be our God and so renders us happy Truly conviction in this case is most necessary for a man will never seek that which he doth not know he hath lost or which he thinks he may well enough be without but a knowledge of our loss by sin and a conviction of the necessity of râ—finding what we have lost will cause answerable affections When a soul is convinced that it hath lost God and lost happiness will it not cry out that it iâ— undone and have a strong desire to recover this loss and so seek an enjoyment of God in Christ above any thing in the world 3 Study the Covenant of Grace Couns 3. Study the Covâ—nant labour for a clear understanding of it that you may know its nature its matter its Author its rise its subjects its priviledges its goodness and excellency its necessariness its perpetuity its ends and the condition of enjoying it It is very sad that whereas it concerns us as much as our souls are worth to have a knowledge of and interest in the Covenant yet people generally are ignorant of it so that they understand not what it is nor whence it is nor why it is nor what need they have of it nor what benefit comes by it nor to whom it belongs nor upon what terms it is to be enjoyed c. Is this ignorance for want of means of knowledge or is it an inconsiderable point the knowledge whereof doth not at all or very little concern us Ah beloved the matter is very weighty and the knowledge of it very necessary and the Revelations of God concerning it very clear but here is the cause of mens ignorance they will not be convinced of the necessity of this most necessary knowledge and interest and so regard not to know the things that concern their everlasting peace Oh how greatly doth it concern all souls that in themselves are lyable to death and damnation to study God's gracious Covenant of Life and Salvation If this were well studied by us we should see more in it then we do and should have more affection to it then we have and should be more diligent and studious to apply it then we are we should see it to be worth the laying hold on and should not be so loath as we are to renounce lusts profits and pleasures and vanities which our hearts are naturally in league with that we may receive this Covenant of God's mercy concerning pardon and peace and all manner of blessings here and eternal salvation hereafter Couns 4. Apply the Covenant Having studied this Covenant sofar as to see the goodness and the desirableness and excellency of it let desire be carried to it and labour diligently to apply it What is it to me that there is such a Covenant of God for the healing and recovering and saving of wounded lost destroyed sinners if it belongs not to me What comfort can the knowledge of that which is excellent and precious afford me if I have no part in it Therefore let me labour truly and thorowly to apply this precious Covenant This counsel hath two branches 1 Apply the Covenant truly 2 Apply it thorowly and surely Apply it truly 1 Apply the Covenant truly take heed of a misapplication see that there be not any material error in applying the Covenant Now I shall lay down some rules Directions give you some directions for a right application of the Covenant 1 You must have eyes to see what you take must not be ignorant of the Covenant
will not make thy condition better than the Word makes it to be 3. If it be the testimony of a carnal heart speaking peace to a man it will make him careless of duty and give him much liberty but if it be a true spiritual Witness it will make him more careful more studious to honour God more diligent in the service of God Serve thy God honour thy God strive to please thy God who hath given the Covenant of his love to thee saith the new Regenerate Spirit taking up the evidence of Gods love and telling the Christian that he hath an interest in the Covenant of Grace Thus you have the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the proofs and evidences of the truth of assurance whereby we may be able to discern between it and presumption well now to resume and a little further to press this perticular exhortation Exhortation resume the fourth counsel which I suggested to you from the Doctrine Labour truiy and thorowly to apply the Covenant strive to a certain knowledge of your spiritual estate real and relative to know whether you belong to God or no and whether the Covenant of his love doth belong to you Take two or three swasives or incentives hereunto Incentives besides those which you have had already 1. Mistakes herein are most dangerous for such a mistake of ones condition judging it to be good when it is naught is a very great strengthner of sin making a man regardless of bettering his condition and causing him to misapply Scripture to apply promises and comforts when threatnings and terrours belong to him 2. The commonest cause of souls undoing is this that they would not be perswaded to try their estate but gratifie Satan joyning with him to deceive themselves being perswaded by him to pass a way their years in security and a careless oscitancy not once questioning their condition or spending any time at all to prove what their estate is Godward if any man think himself to be something when he is nothing be deceives himself and this self deceiving is self-undoing 3. A certain knowledge of a Covenant interest in God will set the soul on working sweetly toward God with its affections and graces 1. Such a soul will sorrow after a godly sort bewailing his finning against God whom he now knows to be his God who dearly and tenderly loved him even while he was sinning against him and dishonouring him 2. Psa 18.1 2. Such a soul will love the Lord when he knows his near relation to God and God's affection toward him 3. Desire will be drawn out after God when the soul apprehends its interest in him O Lord Psa 63.1 thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee 4. A known interest in God will be a ground of continual rejoycing I will rejoyce in the Lord Hab. 3.17 I will joy in the God of my Salvation 5. This is that which will strengthen the souls confidence in God even in the greatest straights Such are the fruits and effects of assurance of an interest in God Psa 46.1 2 3. and the examination of our selves the tryal of our estate is the way to this assurance Thus you have had a 4th branch of the use of exhortation a fourth counsel from the point apply the Covenant of Gods love truly and thorowly You have seen how and why you should labour to make such an application I proceed now to a Fifth Counsel Couns 5. Meditate on the Covenant having laid hold on the Covenant Meditate on it and on your interest in it that frequently and seriously viewing your relative estate your relation to God and interest in his Covenant you may be deeply affected with it and enjoy the sweetness of it This is that which I would perswade you to not only to think of this Covenant and of an interest in it of the preciousness of the Covenant and of the souls happiness in such an interest it is not a bare work of the understanding and memory that is here called for but to get these things from the head to the heart from the understanding to the affections that there may be heart as well as life in the soul that by acting our understanding and affections upon the Covenant and upon God in Covenant with us we may have a sweet enjoyment of him To Meditate is diligently and intently to think upon and consider a thing Meditation brings God near sets him full in the eye of the soul and presents him with his Covenant of Grace in the most afflicting way serious and deep meditation will draw up arguments to affect us from every Attribute of God and from the consideration of our former estate when we were without God in the World and without Christ and without Hope and from the happines of our present estate in having and apprehending the Lord to be our God and from the preciousness of the promises in which we are interessed and from the confirmation of the Covenant and from the present fruits of it and its future priviledges and advantages Thus Meditation is a means to affect the soul with the goodness and sweetness of the Covenant that we may take much comfort in it And further a due diligent serious meditation of the power and wisdom and mercifulness and faithfulness and satisfactoriness of God in whom we have interest through Christ of his everlasting love toward us and of the freeness of his grace in making a Covenant with us becoming our God and taking us to be his people and of the riches of his grace held forth to us in the Covenant of Promise and the consideration of the tender love of Jesus Christ who undertook to be the Mediator of this Covenant for us reconciling us to God by his Death making peace for us by his Bloud bearing the Curse which should have come upon us and restoring us to the blessing which we had lost purchasing for us eternal Salvation pleading his Bloud with his Father and making continual intercession for us that we may be kept in favour with God notvvithstanding our many sins and provocations vvho is become our head and the immortal husband of our souls vvho kisseth us vvith the kisses of his mouth and embraceth us novv in the armes of his love and vvill take us to a perpetual abode and Communion vvith himself hereafter I say a due Meditation hereof vvould be a means to stirr up in us holy affection toward God 1. This would be a means to enflame us with holy love to God and Christ who have loved us with such a free preventing tender abounding fruitful and everlasting love 2. This would be a means to excite desire and to set the Soul on longing for a nearer uninterrupted communion with and a fuller enjoyment of this God and this Jesus Christ that my Soul may be no longer at a distance from my God but that I may dwell with
his Elect People Christ gave himself for his Children his seed Heb. 2.13 14 15. And whereas it â—s said ver 9. That he tasted Death for every man It is to be understood of every sort of men Gentiles as well as Jews for this is afterward limited to Sons Brethren and children of Christ The Spiritual seed are those many and all those for whom Christ suffered Death Christ died only for those that were given him of his Father Thou hast given him power over all â—lesh Jo. 17.2 that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him How doth Christ give them eternal life by dying for them thus purchasing by his death and â—hen applying to them the purchased redemption Surely Christ did not dye for all â—e would not dye for those for whom he would not pray Jo. 17.9 now see what he himself saith of this I pray 〈◊〉 for the world but for those whom 〈◊〉 hast given me out of the world He who delivered by his own â—on for us all saith the Apostle in â—he Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how â—all he not freely give give of grace and with gracious thoughts â—nd purposes This word stands 〈◊〉 opposition to â—an's merits and â—o Gods common bounty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with him viz. with â—hrist All the good of souls is â—easured up in Christ and all the â—â—joyments of Christians are â—â—etened and become valuable â—â—d profitable to them by their enjoyment of Christ He that hath not Christ hath nothing that is truly good to him or that will prove comfortable in the end there is no more than a shadow of good things without him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things Some expound this of all things that God hath made others interpret it thus all things that are good and necessary others all things that may be furtherances of our salvation The two latter senses hold very clearly and the other may be admitted if we distinguish between the right of God's children and their possession God hath given them a right in and through Christ to all things for their good 1 Cor. 3.22 all things are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods and as for possession of earthly things it 〈◊〉 given or witheld according to the most wise and gracious dispensation of God as he sees to be for the good of his children Well thus understand the Apostle God who hath given his Son will with him freely graciously and in good will give all things that may further our salvation and that are good and necessary for us Now there are two general parts of the Text. Parts of the Text. 1. An argument of God his surpassing love toward the elect that he gave his own Son to dye for them 2. A most comfortable inference thereupon that having given his Son he will give all things with him The words being opened the Text gives us many doctrines Doctrines deducted 1. That Jesus Christ who is here called Gods own Son is very God 2. That this Son of God was given by God for the ransome of souls 3. That God did not give his Son nor did Jesus Christ give himself to dye for all but only for the Elect. 4. That the love of God is wonderfully made out to souls in giving his Son to dye for them These four observations lye very clear in the antecedent viz. that God spared not his own Son but delivered him up to death for the Elect. Now in the consequent or inference that God will surely together with Christ give all other things we have these notes 1. That even all earthly things are given and dispensed by God Doctrines 2. That Jesus Christ is the great gift of God 3. That where God giveth Christ he will give all other needful good things 4. That all the enjoyments of believers are gifts of grace where Christ is given there is a gracious gifts of other things with him 5. Where Christ is not given nothing is given with a purpose of grace 6. That where the love of God in giving Christ is apprehended and particularly applied there faith hath sure footing to stand and bear up the soul in expectation of all other needful good things This comes up to the scope of the Text. Thus you see this 32th verse of this 8th Chapter of the Epistle to the Romanes is like a special branch of a fruitful tree singularly well loaden with precious fruit yielding us many useful observations But now I shall pluck and give you to eat only two of those choise Apples which grow upon this most fruitful bough Two doctrines handled opening and improving two of those Doctrines which the Text gives The points are these 1. God the Father delivered his own Son Jesus Christ unto death for the redemption of souls 2. Jesus Christ is the principal gift of God God the Father delivered his own Son Jesus Christ unto death Doct. 1 for the redemption of souls Bâ—fore I take into consideration the express terms of this proposition Explication I shall premise something that here is supposed and implied 1. It is supposed that this Son of God was made Man here is a necessary supposition of the incarnation of the Son of God for as God he could not dye the divine nature is impassible The Word therefore must be made flesh the Son of God must become Man that he might be capable of suffering for sinners who were to be redeemed by his death 2. Here is necessarily implied the union of two natures in the person of Christ he was both God and Man therefore he is called Immanuel God with us and hence it is said Acts 20.28 that God purchased his Church with his owe bloud Christ as God had no bloud to shed and considered as a mear man his bloud could not be a valuable price for the redemption of souls he must be man therefore that he might be in a capacity to dye and he must be God that his death might be satisfactory and meritorious Now to the point as it is expressed herein we are to consider the Agent the Action the Object and the End 1. The Agent God that is his name the Father that is his relation to the Son who is the Object here 2. The Act delivered to death Obj. But the Evangelists tells us that Judas delivered him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same word that is here used though there it is englished betrayed him Ans The same action may very well be ascribed both to the principal Sol. and the instrumental cause God the Father was the principal cause of the delivery of his Son to death appointing and by his providence ordering the actions of Judas and the Jews and of Pilate in this business God by the teachery of Judas and by the malice and cruelty of the rest of the actors of that Tragedy delivered his Son to death He was smitten of God
of the Spirit is Spirit The children of God are led by the Spirit of God which leadeth from sin unto duty and acteth the soul toward God not as though we vvere meerly passive so acted as not at all active but Christ acting the soul puts spiritual holy activity into the soul he worketh in us both to wiland to do there is the willing and working of that soul which is acted by Christ by his Spirit 2. As the Sun is in the World to give light and to give heat and to cause fruitfulness so that precious things are brought forth by the Sun Deut. 33.14 and to make beauty and glory upon the Earth So Christ is in the Soule by his pirit scattering darkness bringing in spiritnal light rendering those things visibl and evident which before were hidden yea making those souls to be light in the Lord Ephes. 5.8 which which his coming to them were darkness it it self it is the Spirit of Truth Joh. 16.13 which is the Spirit of Christ that leadeth into all truth and Christ by his Spirit brings in heavenly heat and makes the heart within a man to burn in affection toward God Rom. 12.12 and the things of God burning with the Spirit therefore the spirit is likened to Fire And as the Sun in the World so the Spirit of Christ in the soule causeth fruitfulness so that every branch in this Vine Christ is a fruit bearing branch every soul in which Christ is is by the influence of his Spirit made fruitful in Grace Grace in the heart of Christians and holy actions and duties in their lives are called fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 And Christ by his Spirit in the work of Grace makes the soule beautiful and puts a glory upon it Cant. 4.1 if he be master If provident If friendly How beautiful art thou my love behold thou art fair my love behold thou art fair the Kings daughter is all glâ—rious within c. 3. As a man dwells in his house 2 Tim. 14 there commanding and ordering all things and making provision for those of his houshold and entertaining and chearing his friends and making them welcome So Christ by his Spirit dwelleth in the soul and by the Spirit he beares rule in the soul so that his Word is a law to the soul The Saints so far forth as they are spiritual are ordered in all things by Christ dwelling in them though they find with Paul that there is the flesh lusting against the spirit and often interrupting the course of their obedience and Christ dwelling in the foule provideth for the soul taketh care that it want nothing dealeth out to it the gifts of grace which â—râ— given by the spirit according to the measure of Christ and Christ dwelling in the soul gives his refreshings to the soul maketh it a feast of fat things brings it into the banquetting house or the house of Wine comforting the heart by applying the promises of the Gospel and the Grace of Christ to the soul revealing his love and speaking peace to the soule thus feasting it and filling it as with marrow and fatness These refreshings of Christians are from the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them therefore the Spirit is called the Comforter and the joy which Christ giveth into the heart is called the fruit of the Spirit 4. As a King on his Throne swayeth the Scepter of his Realme having all the people of that Realm subject to him and governed by him according to Constitutions and Lawes of that Kingdome So is Christ in all true Christians giving lawes to the conscience and governing the whole man to the obedience thereof he is there in power making them a willing people willing to obey his commands willing to subject themselves to the lawes and ordinances of his Kingdom which Earthly Kings cannot do Psal 110 3. Thy peâ—ple shall be willing in the day of thy power And Christ is in the heart as a King to subdue rebellious lusts and tame nurâ—â—y affections to cast down all strong holds that are raised up by the Devil and the flesh against him and at last to bring under every thought into subjection to himself And as a good King seeketh the good of his subjects and desireth not to impoverish but enrich them So doth Christ seek the good of that soul in which he hath erected a Throne for himself is alwaies doing good to it and enriching it with Grace here and glorie hereafter And it is by the Spirit that Christ beareth rule It is the Spirit that represseth corruption and mortifieth the deeds of the bodie It is by the Spirit that Christ enricheth the soul with Grace Knowledge Faith Love and all those precious things of Grace are the gifts of Christ which he conveyeth to them by his Spirit 5. The Spirit of Christ where he cometh in a spirit of supplication teaching men to pray and and framing their hearts to prayer He hath sent the Spirit of his Son into ur hearts Gal 4.6 whereby we cry abba father 6. Where Christ dwells by his Spirit there is the influence of the vertue of his Death and Resurrection to the mortification of sin Rom. 6.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and vivification of Grace Our Old man is crucified with him that the body of sin should be destroyed that it should be rendered inefficatious unable to work that sin may become powerless in us that we may be freed from the law of sin by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus i. e. by the lively powerful working of Christ's Spiret in us which breaketh off the yoke of bondage that lay upon our necks in the state of nature whereby sin held us wholly under subjection to it self and in Verse 17.18 the Apostle makes out this more fully that Believers are freed by Christ from the dominion of sin so that the strength of corruption is abated in them the old man is weakned and that by the Spirit of Christ the soul is made alive unto God and is freed unto righteousness set at liberty to walk in the waies of God In a word take the Evidence of Christ his being in the soule thus Christ and his Spirit are not sundered nor is the Spirir in us without the fruits of the Spirit Let no man say that he hath Christ unless he hath the Spirit of Christ If we look upon a bodie when the soule is gone out of it we cannot say this is a man no more can we say of a man without the Spirit of Christ This is a Christian That is no true member of the body which is not animated by the soul in the body no more he a member of Christ that is not quickned by the Spirit of Christ Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us 1 Jo. 4.13 by his Spirit which he hath given us Now again the Spirit is no where idle or fruitless but